Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth, including diversity within species (genetic), between species, and among ecosystems. It is unevenly distributed, with the highest richness typically found in tropical regions. Biodiversity is shaped by evolutionary processes, ecological interactions, and historical events such as mass extinctions, and it underpins the functioning and resilience of ecosystems.

Image: Delegates attend a plenary session at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 30, 2026
Nations commit to get nature goals back on trackNews

Nations commit to get nature goals back on track

Yerevan, Armenia | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Nearly 200 nations struck hard-fought agreements Friday at a UN biodiversity summit, but the outcome was accompanied by disappointment…
SourceSourceOctober 31, 2026 Full article
Image: Composite image by Muser Press using a poultry photograph and a mink photograph
Denmark moves to end mink farming, considers ban on fast-growing chickensNews

Denmark moves to end mink farming, considers ban on fast-growing chickens

Denmark is preparing to close its remaining mink farms, while calls for a ban on fast-growing chickens are gaining political support. The two developments, announced…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskOctober 29, 2026 Full article
Image: yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis)
Australian coastal fish show tolerance to extreme marine heatwavesScience

Australian coastal fish show tolerance to extreme marine heatwaves

Researchers at Adelaide University found that three Australian estuarine fish species maintained their physiological performance under elevated water temperatures, regardless of the temperature variability in…
SourceSourceOctober 22, 2026 Full article
Image: Hambardzum Matevosyan, Armenia's Minister of Environment and COP17 President, alongside Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, at a press conference in Yerevan
Nations urged to curb harmful subsidies at UN nature summitNews

Nations urged to curb harmful subsidies at UN nature summit

Yerevan, Armenia | AFP | Muser NewsDesk The UN biodiversity summit kicked off Monday with calls to overhaul subsidies for extractive industries that harm the planet,…
SourceSourceOctober 19, 2026 Full article
Image: Close-up of a Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) wading in calm water, showcasing its elegance and natural beauty
Nations seek reset at UN talks as nature goals off trackNews

Nations seek reset at UN talks as nature goals off track

Yerevan, Armenia | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Nearly 200 nations are gathering in Armenia on Monday for critical negotiations as governments come under pressure to salvage…
SourceSourceOctober 19, 2026 Full article
Image: Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (23 September 2024)
Nature does not respect borders: UN biodiversity chiefNews

Nature does not respect borders: UN biodiversity chief

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk War, economic pressure, budget strain -- United Nations biodiversity chief Astrid Schomaker is under no illusions that the upcoming…
SourceSourceOctober 12, 2026 Full article
Image: BIOLOGUE Kick-off, September 2026
Biodiversity conversation is on the brink of change as the BIOLOGUE project has been launchedNews

Biodiversity conversation is on the brink of change as the BIOLOGUE project has been launched

The current systemic crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss demands science, social trust, shared understanding, and engagement. A significant driver is the fragmented and…
SourceSourceOctober 11, 2026 Full article
Image: Panoramic illustration of persistent pollution moving from an industrial city through rivers and wetlands into the sea, with wildlife above and below the waterline and fine plastic particles dispersed across connected ecosystems. | Muser Press (AI generated)
The hidden legacy of durability: persistent pollutionScience

The hidden legacy of durability: persistent pollution

When pollution stops being local What persistent pollution means for living systems From individual organisms to entire ecosystems Rethinking how pollution risk is measured Where…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskOctober 5, 2026 Full article
Image: A black-browed albatross in flight
Climate mitigation may give albatrosses more time to adaptClimate

Climate mitigation may give albatrosses more time to adapt

A new WHOI-led study finds that evolutionary adaptation alone may not keep pace with warming, while limiting climate change substantially reduces projected extinction risk Summary:…
SourceSourceOctober 2, 2026 Full article
Image: boat, Alaska, glacier (s. climate change, invasive species, Rising seas threaten spread of marine invaders)
Rising seas threaten spread of marine invaders, scientists sayNewsScience

Rising seas threaten spread of marine invaders, scientists say

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Sea-level rise driven by climate change could help invasive marine species spread into newly flooded coastal areas, threatening biodiversity…
SourceSourceSeptember 28, 2026 Full article
Image: selection of the more than 2,000 cotton underwear items in various stages of decomposition that were buried in fields, meadows, and gardens
Buried underwear shows land use is key to soil healthScience

Buried underwear shows land use is key to soil health

Five years ago, 1,000 volunteers across Switzerland buried more than 2,000 pairs of cotton underwear. The unconventional citizen science project, led by the University of…
SourceSourceAugust 26, 2026 Full article
Image: tropical forest on a rainy day (Daintree Discovery Centre in Australia)
Natural regeneration is a cheaper way to restore tropical forestsScience

Natural regeneration is a cheaper way to restore tropical forests

As nations race to restore ecosystems and curb climate change, research has shown that letting nature do the work is a cost-effective and viable solution…
SourceSourceAugust 22, 2026 Full article
Image: A white egret gracefully perches on a solar panel amidst a natural setting
The biodiversity price of China’s solar boomScience

The biodiversity price of China’s solar boom

Washington, United States | AFP | Muser NewsDesk The global push for solar energy expansion could carry hidden biodiversity costs, according to a study on China…
SourceSourceAugust 21, 2026 Full article
Satellite Image: Sierra Nevada mountains in California, USA (28 October 2021)
New method makes satellite data easier to use in biodiversity researchScience

New method makes satellite data easier to use in biodiversity research

These scientists are lowering barriers to big data from space Summary: Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have created an open workflow designed to help…
SourceSourceAugust 9, 2026 Full article
Image: Butterfly on a yellow flower in macro
Climate change is reshaping butterfly ranges worldwideScience

Climate change is reshaping butterfly ranges worldwide

A new global study shows butterflies are on the move as the climate warms, with far more species expanding their ranges than contracting Summary: Butterflies…
SourceSourceAugust 5, 2026 Full article
Image: Scientists monitor a deep-sea sampling dive from Mission Control aboard OceanXplorer
OceanX expedition maps Roo Rise deep-sea ecosystemsNews

OceanX expedition maps Roo Rise deep-sea ecosystems

SINGAPORE | OceanX | Muser NewsDesk Expedition maps more than 12,800 square kilometers of seabed and documents deep-sea biodiversity across a little-studied high seas region…
SourceSourceAugust 4, 2026 Full article
Image: Moments on-board Polarstern. Waves (s. Southern Ocean)
EU launches project for Southern Ocean observing systemNewsScience

EU launches project for Southern Ocean observing system

The EU is funding the SYNCHRONY project, involving 27 international partners, to carry out coordinated observations, to harmonise data, and to improve our understanding and…
SourceSourceAugust 3, 2026 Full article
Image: A black and white warbler
Canadian wildfire smoke linked to changes in New York bird sightingsScience

Canadian wildfire smoke linked to changes in New York bird sightings

UB study compared air quality data with birdwatching reports, including during historic 2023 wildfire season Summary: Smoke drifting from Canadian wildfires may make many breeding…
SourceSourceJuly 17, 2026 Full article
Image: Tree-lined avenue
Trees for hotter cities: new approach can bolster community input in meeting targetsNews

Trees for hotter cities: new approach can bolster community input in meeting targets

Efforts to plant more trees in cities could be boosted thanks to a new tool for planners and community groups, published by an international group…
SourceSourceJuly 13, 2026 Full article
Image: Colorful meadow
Order of species loss shapes grassland stabilityScience

Order of species loss shapes grassland stability

The resilience of grassland ecosystems is dependent more on which species are lost and in what order, rather than the total number of species lost…
SourceSourceJuly 3, 2026 Full article
Image: European fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra)
Temperate species found more vulnerable to climate change than previously thoughtClimate

Temperate species found more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought

Researchers analyzing more than 5,100 species worldwide found local extinctions linked to climate change occur more often in temperate regions than previously believed Summary: Local…
SourceSourceJune 22, 2026 Full article
Graphic news (s. climate, science, nature)
France launches biodiversity mapping project using satellites and AINews

France launches biodiversity mapping project using satellites and AI

The Occitanie Region in southern France has launched a three-year biodiversity mapping programme that will combine satellite observations, field surveys and artificial intelligence to create…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskJune 15, 2026 Full article
Image: Iceberg, observed from Polarstern on 10-08-2022 near 71.18°N and 25.21°W
Arctic iceberg traffic has surged since 2000, reshaping deep-sea biodiversityScience

Arctic iceberg traffic has surged since 2000, reshaping deep-sea biodiversity

A hidden link between Arctic glaciers and life on the ocean floor Summary: The growing flow of icebergs through the Arctic is changing ecosystems on…
SourceSourceJune 11, 2026 Full article
Image: Pongo tapanuliensis female (s. world's rarest great ape species)
Climate change-fuelled storm decimated world’s rarest great ape: studyNews

Climate change-fuelled storm decimated world’s rarest great ape: study

Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Climate change-fuelled landslides wiped out nearly one in ten of the world's rarest great ape species on Indonesia's Sumatra…
SourceSourceJune 10, 2026 Full article