Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth s biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction. It is an interdisciplinary subject drawing on sciences, economics, and the practice of natural resource management. The term conservation biology was introduced as the title of a conference held at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, California in 1978 organized by biologists Bruce Wilcox and Michael E. Soulé. The meeting was prompted by the concern among scientists over tropical deforestation, disappearing species, eroding genetic diversity within species. The conference and proceedings that resulted sought to bridge a gap existing at the time between theory in ecology and population biology on the one hand and conservation policy and practice on the other. Conservation biology and the concept of biological diversity (biodiversity) emerged together, helping crystallize the modern era of conservation science and policy. The rapid decline of established biological systems around the world means that conservation biology is often referred to as a "Discipline with a
New study analyzes the risk to endangered whales from ships in southern California
Researchers have identified areas off southern California with high numbers of whales and assessed their risk from potentially deadly collisions with commercial ship traffic in a study published in the scientific ...
New study reveals catastrophic loss of Cambodia's tropical flooded grasslands
Saving Australia's wetlands from tenacious willows
China boom savages coral reefs, study finds
China's economic boom has seen its coral reefs shrink by at least 80 percent over the past 30 years, a joint Australian study found, with researchers describing "grim" levels of damage and loss.
Biologists design method to monitor global bee decline
A global network of people monitoring bee populations may form an early warning system alerting scientists to dangers threatening the world's food system and economies.
Sharks: Bad creatures or bad image?
(Phys.org)—Historically, the media have been particularly harsh to sharks, and it's affecting their survival.
Pacific sharks disappearing into soup, study says
Flightless parrots, burrowing bats helped parasitic Hades flower
(Phys.org)—Ancient dung from a cave in the South Island of New Zealand has revealed a previously unsuspected relationship between two of the country's most unusual threatened species.
Climate is changing the Great Barrier Reef
Satellite measurement of sea surface temperatures has yielded clear evidence of major changes taking place in the waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef over the past 25 years, marine scientists have found.
For juvenile moose, momma's boys and girls fare best
Based on ten years of fieldwork in the Tetons of Wyoming, WCS Conservation Biologist, University of Montana Professor and study author Dr. Joel Berger looked at whether body size of juvenile moose and maternal ...
Underwater noise decreases whale communications in Stellwagen Bank sanctuary
According to a NOAA-led paper published today in the journal Conservation Biology, high levels of background noise, mainly due to ships, have reduced the ability of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales to com ...
Study reveals impact of historical domestic cattle hybridization with American bison
Restoring streamside forests helps songbirds survive the winter in California's Central Valley
Hitchhiker's guide to the deep
(Phys.org) -- "Don't panic," Douglas Adams might have said. Author of the sci-fi novel Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Adams advised "don't panic" whenever facing invaders.
Deep sea animals stowaway on submarines and reach new territory
Marine scientists studying life around deep-sea vents have discovered that some hardy species can survive the extreme change in pressure that occurs when a research submersible rises to the surface. The team's ...