Can rubber bullets rehabilitate a nuisance bear?

Can you change the behavior of a bear that raids campgrounds, nuzzles through trash, or knocks side view mirrors off cars? A new study finds evidence that a method called aversive conditioning can be successful in modifying the behavior of some bears but fully averting conflicts with humans will require changing how people act as well...

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The impact of stream restoration on macroinvertebrates

The enhancement of in-stream habitat has emerged as a major river restoration tool with over $1 billion spent over the last ten years. For all that money spent, the question arises whether restoration projects are consistently benefiting aquatic organisms...

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Bird species colonizing urban areas need their vitamin E

A fascinating study from the journal Oecologia finds evidence that differences in levels of vitamin E and other antioxidants explain which birds are able to successfully invade and persist in urban environments...

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Countdown to extinction: wildlife in the Central African Republic

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How far can a bee fly, and why should we care?

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The impact of beach grooming on coastal habitat

A new study from Southern California affirms that the long-standing management practice of beach grooming is contributing to the loss of coastal strand habitat. Coastal strand plant communities grow along the edge of the high tide line and are comprised largely of endemic species adapted to grow in the dynamic, environment of loose, shifting sand...

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Adding trout to mountain lakes disrupts food supply for birds

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Prioritizing land preservation: a GIS approach

For organizations that protect land by purchasing property (or the underlying development rights), a simple but harsh reality reins: Land is expensive. Money is limited. So you have to spend wisely. In this regard, a new study may help land conservationists identify the highest priority properties for preservation...

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The risk of exotic reptile imports invading Florida

The recent explosive growth in the exotic reptile trade in Florida has raised serious concerns about species establishing in the wild and causing harm to ecosystems and human safety. To help us understand which exotic reptiles pose the greatest threat, researchers have identified risk factors that make certain species more likely to invade...

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Weird science: top conservation studies of 2009

As 2009 has passed us by, we profile some of the interesting, unique, and downright bizarre studies that have come out in the past year in the world of conservation science (and related disciplines)...

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