A recent publication by Dr. Chris Cosma enlightens his readers on the world’s top pollinators. Commonly, the most thought of pollinators are bees – which makes sense, bees are out doing their job every day easily noticed by us humans. But what about every night? This is where our other helpful and beautiful friends come in.
Dr. Cosma highlights several studies that found no difference between day and night pollination for crop species that were assumed to be primarily pollinated during the day by bees. However, 90% of the 139 plant species they analyzed showed no significant difference in pollination success between day and night. So, who has the night shift?
For the longest time, moths were primarily thought to be minor pollinators, relevant only in specialized cases with very specific flower species. However, the research shows that moths are around eight times more diverse than bees and 10 times more diverse than butterflies, which evolved from moths. Now, we know that moths are the single most diverse group of pollinators on Earth, with more than 123,000 species pollinating flowers (including crops) around the world.
The authors analyzed wildfire records between 1940 and 2019 and found that different ignition sources were responsible for starting wildfires in different regions of the country. For example, lightning and campfires were the dominant sources of ignition in western regions, while arson drove fire activity east of the Mississippi River. Trends also varied significantly by region and over time, with housing growth explaining more in terms of fire frequency and climate primarily influencing area burned. Prevention of human-caused ignitions, such as campfires and arson, could offer efficient and effective strategies to mitigate wildfire impacts on human and natural systems under changing climate and land-use conditions.
Dr. William Ripple is the co-author of a recent publication on the subject of fossil fuels, which comes at a time when fossil fuels are again being advanced as the dominant energy source in the U.S. by the current Administration. The paper argues that fossil fuels, and the fossil fuel industry, are central drivers of multiple interconnected global crises including climate change, public health issues, environmental injustice, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It emphasizes that every stage of fossil fuel use causes severe harm. The industry has deliberately misled the public through decades of disinformation to delayed action. Focusing on the U.S.—the largest oil and gas producer—the authors call for immediate, science-based, and justice-oriented solutions: halting fossil fuel expansion, phasing out fossil fuel use, transitioning to clean energy, and holding the industry accountable. They argue that rapid phasing out of fossil fuels will provide innumerable societal and planetary benefits and forge a path toward a sustainable planet.
CBI’s latest Data Basin gateway is now open. The Guam Offshore Resource Planning Gateway was created with support from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Government of Guam’s Intergovernmental Resource Planning Task Force. The purpose of this task force is to facilitate collaboration among federal, territorial, and local agencies on marine based activities in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region adjacent to Guam.
The Guam Offshore Resource Planning Gateway assembles geospatial information on natural and cultural resources, national security, and commercial ocean uses. The Gateway provides easy access to curated spatial datasets relevant to assessments for future offshore resource initiatives. This platform is intended to support the following tasks:
Facilitate the exchange of information related to biological, cultural, and physical resources, as well as ocean use priorities and planning considerations.
Coordinate marine spatial planning activities for development in alignment with Guam’s long-term infrastructure goals.
Assist in identifying areas that may be suitable for potential resource development.
Provide information about leasing processes, regulatory requirements, and relevant statutory frameworks.
The Global Wildfire Collective is convening an expert group meeting (EGM), May 21-22 at Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá, Colombia. Objectives of the EGM include determining current wildfire science data needs and resourcing gaps in the Latin America and Caribbean region, assessing and sharing existing efforts and advancing wildfire science and research and policy needs through an operational lens.
Participants in the event include representatives from firefighting agencies & associations, government ministries of environment, disaster risk and meteorology/hydrology, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, private sector representatives, local and Indigenous communities and multilateral development banks.
This meeting is by invitation only. If you would like to request an invitation, please use this link.
EVENT
Conservation GIS Online Meetup Thursday May 8th
The Conservation Biology Institute and the Society for Conservation GIS are hosting a free Conservation GIS Meetup online Thursday May 8th @ 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm GMT. This event is an opportunity for conservationists, geospatial professionals, and interested community members to connect with their colleagues around the world, expand their networks, and learn about the upcoming SCGIS International Conference.
There will be breakout rooms to give everyone an opportunity to interact with a supportive community and meet others passionate about using geospatial technology to facilitate conservation around the globe. We invite you and your colleagues to join by registering for the meetup now!
