Thursday, June 1, 2023

envirobites

environmental science research for everyone

Case Studies

Case Studies 

Theory versus Reality: How Biodiversity Indicators Were Re-Evaluated in The Gishwati-Mukura National Park

Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments , , ,

Chimpanzees were thought to be an indicator of ecosystem biodiversity in the Gishwati-Mukura National Park until a group of scientists found there was no relationship between abundance of chimpanzee and biodiversity in that particular National Park—this does not mean this assumption is inherently wrong, it is just wrong for the area in question, showing us how biodiversity can be a difficult concept to measure.

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Animal behavior Case Studies Ecosystems Environmental Science 

How Citizen Science Led to The Discovery of Tree-Dwelling Toads

Brianne Palmer 0 Comments , , ,

Two groups of citizen scientists in the UK discovered something previously unknown to science– toads living in trees. Read on to learn about how citizen science and collaborations with scientists can lead to more interesting questions and discoveries.

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View of a river surrounded by vegetation on both sides
Case Studies Ecosystems Environmental Science 

More Accessible Monitoring: Using Freely-Available Aerial Photos and Software to Map Changes in River Migration and Vegetation

Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments , , ,

Riverside vegetation, or “riparian buffers”, provides wildlife habitat, maintains water quality, and reduces flood damage. Human activity can negatively affect these services, and monitoring this vegetation over time can be costly and resource-intensive. Researchers at SUNY ESF have developed a new way of mapping river channels and vegetation that uses open-source remote-sensing software, using the Genesee River in New York to develop this method. Their method greatly improves our ability to monitor this important resource over time with over 90% accuracy.

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Case Studies Ecosystems Environmental Science Remediation 

Radioactive exclusion zone or restoration at work? Insights from the re-wilding of Chernobyl

Brianne Palmer 0 Comments , ,

In 1986 a nuclear disaster rocked Belarus and forced thousands of people to abandon their homes for fear of radiation exposure. Now, removed from the impacts of human settlements, wildlife are returning to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). In a new study, researchers studied the raptors in the CEZ to test re-wilding and ask the question: can removing humans from a landscape help restore the natural environments? And like all things in ecology, the answer is more complicated than it seems but offers a glimmer of hope for re-wilding endeavors in this Decade on Ecological Restoration.

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