Protecting Biodiversity – IUCA website

University of Helsinki’s biodiversity impact assessed for the first time

NikkiMorse — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:45:09 +0000

The University of Helsinki has been calculating its carbon footprint since 2019. It has now extended this work by assessing the adverse effects of its operations on biodiversity, known as its biodiversity footprint. The findings reveal how the University’s operations, property use and procurement affect biodiversity globally.

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Drought is reshaping the spread of infectious diseases

NikkiMorse — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:53:58 +0000

In a review paper published Aug. 12 in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, CU Boulder ecologist Pieter Johnson and his collaborator Tara Stewart Merrill, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, reveal how drier conditions could make humans and wildlife more vulnerable to certain infectious diseases, even though many parasites and disease-carrying organisms depend heavily on water to survive.

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Drained by humans, rewetted by beavers – opposing forces shape boreal wetlands

NikkiMorse — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:05:33 +0000

Researchers at the University of Helsinki and University of Eastern Finland explore how beavers can contribute to wetland restoration. Beavers have the advantage of being able to re-establish wetter conditions without the need for costly restoration measures.

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Butterflies worldwide are on the move as the climate warms

NikkiMorse — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:20:30 +0000

Monash‑led research has revealed that one in ten butterfly species globally has shifted its distribution range, with climate change and extreme weather driving nearly 80 per cent of documented movements.

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Urban greenery’s potential as a climate solution is underused – new handbook offers solutions

NikkiMorse — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:00:34 +0000

A new Climate-Smart Urban Greenery Handbook brings together research-based, easily applicable ways to strengthen the role of urban greenery for the benefit of climate and nature. The handbook is aimed at city decision-makers and planners as well as home gardeners. The handbook was produced as part of the CO-CARBON project, which involves the University of Helsinki, Aalto University, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Häme University of Applied Sciences and the University of Copenhagen, together with a wide range of cities and companies.

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Migration around the globe: How butterflies are reacting to climate change

NikkiMorse — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:56:21 +0000

Around the world, butterflies’ distribution ranges are changing, often in connection with climate change and extreme weather. The results of an international meta-study by the University of Hamburg and investigating 1,758 butterfly species have just been published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

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CUHK-led breakthrough rewrites evolutionary biology to pave way for pollution-neutral agriculture

NikkiMorse — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:34:13 +0000

Discovery published in PNAS reveals free-living soil bacteria’s nitrogen-fixing mechanism, offering eco-friendly biofertiliser alternative for global staple crops to reduce chemical fertiliser pollution.

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Australia’s first national database of mycorrhizal fungi reveals hidden biodiversity beneath our feet

NikkiMorse — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:04:11 +0000

Western Sydney University researchers have led the development of Australia’s first national database of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, mapping the hidden fungal networks beneath our feet that support plant health, soil processes and ecosystem resilience.

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Significant funding to investigate the links between biodiversity and soil health

NikkiMorse — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:38:38 +0000

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Programme has awarded 10 million euros in funding to a research project led by the University of Helsinki to investigate how soil biodiversity affects soil health, productivity, and stability.

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Amazon’s Biocultural Heritage Under Greater Threat Than Expected

NikkiMorse — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:59:12 +0000

Indigenous cultures in the Amazon region will lose up to one-third of the native plant species they use due to climate change. In addition, biocultural knowledge is set to decline sharply by 2080 as a result of the loss of Indigenous languages. These are the findings of a new study by the University of Zurich.

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