Conservation Science

Fellow Story

Mulvaney on SVTC's 2014 Solar Scorecard

Every year, the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) sends out a survey to PV solar manufacturers. Though companies do not have to respond, this does not stop the SVTC from evaluating them. It simply means there is less information and, consequently, they receive lower marks. The “Industry Leaders” on SVTC’s 5th annual 2014 scorecard are: Trina Solar (92), SunPower (88), Yingli Green Energy (81), SolarWorld (73) and REC (71).
December 9, 2014
Fellow Story

Video Report: "From Conflict to Collaboration: Tribal Strategies for Resistance and Restoration"

In October 2013 Fellows Melissa Nelson and Susannah McCandless convened an event called the North American Community Environmental Leadership Exchange. The event focused on indigenous engagement in efforts to protect and restore biological and cultural resources of Native American lands. Watch a video report about the event, which Switzer helped fund with a $15,000 Network Innovation Grant.
November 25, 2014
Fellow Story

Subalusky in National Geographic article on how scientists use disguise to research animals

Amanda Subalusky, who studies water quality, wanted to know if hippo poop kills fish when Kenya's Mara River floods. Getting good water samples is risky, however, because of the danger from charging hippos. Read on National Geographic how her team solved the problem
November 4, 2014
Fellow Story

Meyerson co-authors study on how invasives fare better with latitude changes

LSU ecologist James Cronin and colleague Laura Meyerson from the University of Rhode Island conducted an ambitious large-scale study on the native and invasive species of reed, Phragmites australis, in North America and Europe funded by the National Science Foundation. They found that the intensity of plant invasions by non-native species can vary considerably with changes in latitude.
November 3, 2014
Fellow Story

Young tracking seabird ranges and climate change in remote Palmyra Atoll

In the middle of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, situated nearly 1,000 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands, Palmyra Atoll is an ocean wilderness teeming with rare animal and plant life.
October 31, 2014
Fellow Story

Forrester signs on to initiative for Costa Rican citizen science camera traps

Tavis Forrester has signed on to an initiative in Costa Rica to create the first regional network of citizen science supported camera traps to monitor big cats and their prey's activities. From National Geographic:
October 29, 2014
Fellow Story

Heller publishes article on developing a Natural Practice to adapt conservation goals to global change

Development of a Natural Practice to Adapt Conservation Goals to Global Change Conservation Biology Volume 28, Issue 3, pages 696–704, June 2014 Abstract
October 2, 2014
Fellow Story

Lewis's work on plants hitchhiking on birds/ wings featured on BBC and in Science

Birds migrating between the Arctic and South America could be responsible for distributing plants across the tropics, according to new research. Scientists screened wild shorebirds' feathers before migration and found plant parts embedded. Birds are known to disperse seeds and small animals across local, regional and continental ranges. It is the first evidence of plant fragments being carried in the plumage of long-distance migratory birds. Read the findings in the journal PeerJ
September 30, 2014
Fellow Story

The Passing of a Pigeon

This is the year for two notable, and related, anniversaries. As we observe the 200th birthday of the national anthem of the United States, “The Star-Spangled Banner” by lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key, there’s a second anniversary to remember. It’s a dark stain for our country, but one that few recall in these early decades of the 21st century. It’s the 100th annual observance of the global extinction of the Passenger Pigeon, at one time the most abundant bird in North America, and possibly the world.
September 22, 2014
Fellow Story

Donlan and Wilcox co-author study on maximizing returns from environmental investments

While the practice of biodiversity conservation has matured over the past decade, decisions for proposed actions still commonly lack evidence-based and return on investment (ROI) frameworks. That picture, however, is beginning to change. Planners and practitioners are beginning to embrace operating frameworks similar to the “effectiveness revolution” in public health. Relatedly, rather than ignoring the economics of conservation practice, planners and practitioners are adopting approaches that incorporate the costs of interventions into prioritizations.
September 15, 2014