Tracking biodiversity gain and loss and their consequences

UCL is using new genomic and monitoring/artificial intelligence approaches which make recording previously cryptic taxa and biomes much easier.

Monitoring our environment helps us understand what biodiversity exists in any given space and how it is responding to changes in the environment caused by factors such as climate change. We rely on this data to assess how biodiversity fluctuations may affect us and our economies.

Warming climate and agriculture halve insect populations in some areas

Climate change and intensive agricultural land use have already been responsible for a 49% reduction in the number of insects in the most impacted parts of the world, finds a new study by UCL researchers.

Research led by Dr Alex Pigot selected by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Research led by Alex Pigot in CBER quantifying risks to biodiversity from climate change was selected by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as one of the key impact metrics.

Analysis: A new AI tool to help monitor coral reef health

PhD candidate Ben Williams (UCL Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research and ZSL’s Institute of Zoology) writes with a colleague about why they built SurfPerch, an AI led system to make it faster and easier for marine scientists to answer ecological questions.

Biodiversity indicators to inform international conservation policy

The IUCN Red List, which is based on criteria developed by researchers at UCL and the Institute of Zoology, has become a key information source for monitoring the status of global biodiversity.

Understanding disease spill-over from wildlife to improve public health

UCL and Institute of Zoology researchers have identified what drives transfer of diseases from wildlife to people, predicting emerging disease hotspots and informing disease management globally.

Analysis: Invasive species threaten most protected areas across the world - new study

New research conducted by Professor Tim Blackburn (UCL Biosciences) and the Chinese Academy of Science have found that in many of the world’s protected areas, non-native ‘invasive species’ were living close by.

Additional features

Watch UCL Professor of Biodiversity Alex Pigot explaining the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.

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Analysis: Shared heat tolerance leaves ecosystems at risk of sudden climate-driven collapse - Species living in the same places tend to have similar heat tolerances, so when certain warming thresholds are passed, catastrophic losses of biodiversity are likely, writes Dr Joseph Williamson (UCL Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research) in The Conversation.

Coffee and cocoa plants at risk from pollinator loss - Tropical crops such as coffee, cocoa, watermelon and mango may be at risk due to the loss of insect pollinators, finds a new study led by UCL and Natural History Museum researchers.

Scientists name the commonest tropical tree species for the first time - A major international collaboration of 356 scientists led by UCL researchers has found almost identical patterns of tree diversity across the world’s tropical forests.

Categorising animals and habitats in disaster-related activities - Professor Ilan Kelman (UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction) highlights the importance of including animals in disaster planning and response efforts.

Bonobos may be more vulnerable than previously thought, suggests genetics study - Bonobos, endangered great apes that are among our closest relatives, might be more vulnerable than previously understood, finds a genetics study led by a UCL researcher that reveals three distinct populations.

Emergence and diversification of a zoonotic pathogen in pig farms - Study finds evidence that farming practices could have helped a bacteria that is a common member of the pig microbiome to become an important cause of disease in both pigs and people.

Analysis: why foods grown in warm climates could be doing the most damage to wildlife - Food produced in tropical and Mediterranean regions comes at a higher cost to biodiversity than that grown elsewhere, say Dr Tim Newbold, Adrienne Etard, Gonzalo Albaladejo Robles and Jessica J Williams (all UCL Biosciences).

Revealing the interactions between global biodiversity change and human food security (BIOTA) - BIOTA is a NERC-funded research collaboration between UCL and other partners to reveal the interactions between global biodiversity change and human food security.

Citizen scientists will be needed to meet global water quality goals - Sustainable development goals for water quality will not be met without the involvement of citizen scientists, argue an international team led by a UCL researcher, in a new policy brief.