Contemporary agriculture faces a critical challenge: how to provide enough food for a growing population while reversing widespread environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and negative climate impacts. (more…)
On 4-5 June 2025, over 150 participants gathered in Brussels and online for a key two-day event, bringing together 11 projects funded under the Horizon Europe cluster on transformational change for (more…)
Climate change brings with it growing concerns about large-scale ecosystem transformations that may occur after critical ecological thresholds are crossed. Ecological threshold is defined as the point at which a relatively small (more…)
Biodiversity is the foundation of functioning ecosystems and ensures clean water, healthy soil and food. However, it is rapidly declining worldwide – wild animal populations have fallen by an estimated 60–70% since 1970. Such (more…)
Protected areas such as national parks, nature reserves and indigenous territories are a pillar of biodiversity conservation. However, climate change is increasingly threatening their effectiveness in protecting wildlife. (more…)
The forest speaks many languages. The wind rustling in the leaves, the birds singing in the treetops, the sound of water weaving through the soil. These are not just sounds, but a language of interconnectedness. In silent listening, we understand that life (more…)
Our forests, long considered a vital shield against environmental degradation, are increasingly recognized for another crucial role: protecting human health. The COVID-19 pandemic, which (more…)
The European Union is approaching the halfway point of implementing its Biodiversity strategies to 2030Published in May 2020 as a central pillar of the European Green Deal, this strategy aims to: (more…)
We often forget how much our lives depend on nature and the rich web of life on Earth, known as biodiversity. Biodiversity does not only mean the diversity of animals, but also of plants. (more…)
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The EU Forest Strategy 2030 introduced guidelines for Closer-to-Nature Forest Management (CNF), which aims to promote biodiversity-friendly practices (more…)
🇪🇺 The EU LIFE programme, which has funded more than 6,000 green projects since 1992, is a key instrument supporting the European Union's policies on the environment, nature conservation and climate. (more…)
Climate change and biodiversity loss are two interconnected crises that have common roots in our economic, social and political systems that prioritize profit over sustainability. Addressing these crises requires deep systemic change that goes beyond incremental adjustments and requires a transformation of our fundamental values and the ways in which society functions.
🌍 Linked crises: Climate change and biodiversity loss
These two crises are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. Climate change is causing extreme weather events that destroy habitats, while biodiversity loss is weakening the ability of ecosystems to absorb carbon and regulate climate. For example, the massive coral bleaching that has affected 84% of the world’s reefs is a consequence of climate change-induced ocean warming, threatening marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people.
🔄 The need for systemic change
Current approaches to addressing these crises are often fragmented and symptom-focused. However, as the article on Climate Change News, a real solution requires a systemic change that involves rethinking our economic models, our ways of producing and consuming, as well as our values and priorities. This means moving from an economy based on constant growth and consumption to one that respects ecological limits and promotes sustainability. It also means strengthening justice and equality so that all people have access to the resources and opportunities necessary for a dignified life.
🌱 Examples of positive changes
There are examples of communities and countries already taking steps towards systemic change. In El Salvador, for example, farming communities are improving their resilience to climate change through ecological practices such as tree planting and rainwater harvesting.
These initiatives show that it is possible to create sustainable and resilient societies that live in harmony with nature.
🧠 The role of technology and innovation
Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) can play a significant role in protecting biodiversity and addressing climate change. AI is being used to monitor species, analyze big data, and predict environmental trends.
However, it is important that these technologies are used responsibly and ethically, considering their environmental impacts and potential risks.
⚠️ Risks of technocratic solutions
Some proposed solutions, such as geoengineering, which involves manipulating the climate through technology, are controversial. For example, the UK is planning small outdoor experiments to test technologies to temporarily cool the planet.
However, these approaches carry risks and can distract from the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity through natural means.
🤝 Joint action and engagement
Addressing the climate and biodiversity crises requires concerted action at all levels of society. Individuals, communities, businesses and governments must work together to implement sustainable practices, protect nature and promote justice.
Each of us can contribute to systemic change through our everyday decisions, such as choosing green products, reducing waste, and supporting sustainability-focused policies.
Climate change and biodiversity loss are interconnected crises that require deep systemic change. Addressing these challenges is not just about technology or individual decisions, but about transforming our social systems towards sustainability, justice, and respect for nature.
It is time to act and together create a future in which people and nature thrive together. Spring
Active citizen engagement has a significant positive impact on the success and sustainability of initiatives aimed at increasing urban biodiversity and green infrastructure. Project BiodiverCities showed that when they are (more…)
Economic operators are facing new obligations due to the implementation of the EU regulation on reducing deforestation. This follows from the draft law implementing the measures European Union (EU)) to mitigate global deforestation, from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, which was approved by the members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic on Thursday. The TASR news agency reports on the portal Teraz.sk.
This document presents a large-scale meta-analysis aimed at assessing the global impact of human activity on biodiversity. Authors analyzed 2,133 publications including 97,783 affected and referenced sites, creating an unprecedented dataset of 3,667 independent comparisons of impacts on biodiversity across all major groups of organisms, habitats and the five most significant human pressures. The study quantified three key measures of biodiversity to see how these pressures lead to homogenization, changes in community composition and changes in local diversity.
The authors emphasize that although human activities are known to cause a wide range of environmental pressures that have unprecedented effects on biodiversity, the knowledge to date about the extent and nature of these impacts has remained unclear. Previous attempts at synthesis have yielded mixed results regarding local diversity and, in particular, biotic homogenization. This study therefore aimed to systematically compare affected and reference communities with the aim of identifying global trends in homogenization and changes in community composition and local diversity.
To analyze the impact of human pressures on community diversity in space, the authors collected 3,667 individual comparisons from 2,133 published studies, which included 49,401 reference and 48,382 impacted communities. This global dataset covers all major groups of organisms (plants, tetrapods, fish, insects, microorganisms, and fungi) and represents the Earth's major biomes (marine, freshwater, and terrestrial). The study aimed to quantify changes associated with five dominant human pressures: land use changes, resource use, pollution, climate change and invasive speciesFor each comparison, the log-response ratio (LRR) for homogeneity (LRR homogenity), compositional shift (LRR shift), and local diversity (LRR local diversity) was calculated.
The study results showed that, contrary to long-standing expectations, there is no clear general homogenization of communities due to human pressures.The overall log-response ratio for homogeneity was close to zero but slightly negative, suggesting rather biotic differentiation. Critically, however, spatial scale was found to significantly influence the effects of human pressures on community homogeneity. Human pressures tend to homogenize communities at larger scales and differentiate them at smaller scales. Biotic differentiation was particularly significant in response to resource use and pollution.
On the contrary, the study found a clear shift in community composition in response to human pressuresThis shift varied depending on the type of biome, pressure, group of organisms, and spatial scale. All five types of human pressures analyzed significantly shifted the composition of biological communities, with The strongest influence on composition changes was due to habitat changes and especially pollutionSignificant differences in compositional shifts were also found between groups of organisms, with microorganisms and fungi showed the greatest changes.
Regarding local diversity, the study found clear evidence that sites affected by human pressures have lower local diversity. Similar to the composition changes, there were The strongest drivers of local diversity loss are pollution and habitat changes.Interestingly, unlike compositional changes, the largest organisms experienced the greatest negative effects on local diversity.
The study also revealed the link between changes in local diversity and shifts in the composition and homogenization of biological communities in spaceGreater species loss was associated with stronger shifts in composition and more differentiated communities.
Methodologically, the study performed a meta-analysis based on data extracted from ordination plots (PCoA and NMDS) of published studies. Using the Webplotdigitizer web tool, the coordinates of points representing individual biological communities were manually extracted. Subsequently, effect sizes for homogeneity, compositional shift, and local diversity change were calculated. Mixed linear models were used to test the influence of various factors (biome, pressure, organism group, spatial scale) on these effect sizes. The authors also tested for potential publication bias, which was not shown to be a significant factor influencing the results.
In conclusion, this extensive analysis provides a new and highly detailed picture of the state of knowledge of the impact of human pressures on biodiversity. It shows that although there is no general biotic homogenization, human pressures clearly lead to shifts in community composition and reduce local diversity. The relationships found between different aspects of biodiversity and their response to human pressures represent an important basis for the development and evaluation of future biodiversity conservation strategies. Spring
Glossary of key terms
The Miyawaki method is one of the most effective tree planting methods for rapidly reforesting degraded land that has been used for purposes other than agriculture or construction. It is effective because it is based on the principles of natural reforestation, i.e. using native trees that replicate the natural processes of forest regeneration. It has some significant advantages over more traditional forestry methods when used in smaller reforestation projects and is particularly effective in urban environments. Trees planted using this method grow much faster, jump-starting the forest-building process and sequestering more carbon. Miyawaki forests have been shown to have higher biodiversity than neighboring forests, making it an ideal method for rapidly reforesting diverse forest ecosystems. In the context of the current climate change emergency and stark warnings about global biodiversity loss, the ability to rapidly reforest diverse and healthy forests could be vital to meeting international goals and addressing these challenges. (Dr Simone Webber, more at creatingtomorrowsforests.co.uk)
It is often assumed that older forest ecosystems can efficiently accumulate and sequester larger amounts of carbon over the long term. However, a new study by a research team from the University of Michigan Biological Station examined the carbon cycle over a period of two centuries and found that the process is much more complex than previously thought.
The study of community structure, which the interconnected effects of forest, tree establishment and fungi, as well as biogeochemical processes in the soil, affect the amount of carbon stored above and below ground more significantly than previously believed.
The research results were published in a professional journal and are the result of an ecological study of research activities that, over several decades, brought more than 100 scientists from various parts of the USA to the historic research station in Pellston, St.
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