Year 13 - Biodiversity Under Threat

Photo credit: Ethan Daniels, via Shutterstock. We know there's a profusion of plastic in the ocean; floating at the surface, accumulating on the seafloor, making its way into the bellies of organisms and even becoming incorporated into rocks.

Technologists have introduced a novel system they hope can help tackle illegal fishing. It meshes satellite and other data to monitor the activities of vessels, automatically triggering alarms when suspicious activity is observed. The project is a joint venture between the Pew Charitable Trusts and the UK Satellite Applications Catapult.

The new living planet report released today

Barack Obama will use his presidential powers on Thursday to create the world's largest marine reserve in the Pacific, banning fishing and other commercial activities across vast swaths of pristine sea populated by whales, dolphins and sea turtles and dotted with coral atolls.

Pesticides affecting Canadian Biodiversity

Incredible photos of biodiversity hotspots in Australia

Background to lesson 4

An ancient virus has "come back to life" after lying dormant for at least 30,000 years, scientists say. It was found frozen in a deep layer of the Siberian permafrost, but after it thawed it became infectious once again.

The collapse underway of a large part of the Antarctica ice sheet could devastate global food supply, drowning vast areas of crop lands across the Middle East and Asia, according to new research.

Europe's largest beast is to roam the forests of Romania after 200 years. Adam Vaughan witnesses the buzz as a herd of 17 is released in the Carpathian mountains

EU Council announces first-ever seafood trade ban against illegal fishing nations Brussels, Belgium: Today, four leading environmental groups - Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Oceana, The Pew Charitable Trusts and WWF have welcomed a decision by the EU Fisheries Council to place trade restrictions on Belize, Cambodia, and Guinea for failing to cooperate in fighting Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Madagascar's lemurs - the world's most threatened primate - could be saved from extinction by eco-tourism, conservationists say. The big-eyed fluffy creatures are unique to the island but their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years. Now researchers have unveiled a survival plan that combines tourism with increased conservation efforts.