The island of Madagascar is one of the world’s most important hotspots of biodiversity, harboring diverse species from baobab trees to lemurs and even the world’s smallest chameleon, most of which are found nowhere else on Earth. In fact, around 90% of its species of... click to read more

Insects are critical for the functioning of life on earth. They support the provisioning of a wide variety of ecosystem services including pollination, pest control and decomposition. Therefore, the growing number of peer-reviewed studies publishing reports of steep insect declines should be of pressing concern.... click to read more

Negative human impacts on nature have resulted in what some have come to call a new mass extinction event. The effects of direct processes such as habitat destruction and poaching are relatively easy to understand. The results of more gradual, indirect factors like climate change... click to read more

 The world is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. Our actions threaten more plant and animal species with extinction than ever before, driven by habitat loss and overexploitation of the world’s resources.  Over the next 30 years cities are set to become a vital... click to read more

The status of life on Earth is of fundamental scientific interest and societal importance. Based on media headlines, one might believe that we have already lost the majority of wildlife across the world, with bold headlines indicating “Wildlife has declined 68% since 1970” and “Human... click to read more