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There are no barn owls (Tyto alba) in Kildare at present according to a recent nationwide bird census conducted by BirdWatch Ireland. The Kildare Branch of BirdWatch Ireland decided to help redress this by erecting dedicated nest boxes throughout the county over the last 18 months. These boxes can cost up to €150 for special outdoor boxes but with the help of Newbridge Men’s Shed and grants from Kildare County Council, Bord na Móna and Waterways Ireland they have put up over 60 boxes in the last 18 months.

Native bird species in South Australia's national parks are declining at an alarming rate — continuing a decades-long trend. The South Australian Ornithological Association said data collected by Birds SA showed 15 species no longer found in parks were common 30 years ago. The decline also indicated the worst extinction rate of birds in any region in Australia. The gloomy outlook was contained in the association's submission to the State Government's Environment, Resources and Development Committee inquiry into biodiversity. Its report was tabled in State Parliament yesterday.

The widespread usage of neonicotinoid insecticides has sparked concern over their effects on non-target organisms. While research has largely focused on terrestrial systems, the low soil binding and high water solubility of neonicotinoids, paired with their extensive use on the landscape, puts aquatic environments at high risk for contamination via runoff events.

Our infatuation with soy is exacerbating certain health consequences, such as hunger and undernutrition, that small-scale farming communities face in Latin America, as agricultural operations seize their farmsteads. Some of our “healthy” food alternatives are uprooting indigenous communities, their cultures, traditions, food security and health. A land grab refers to a sort of land acquisition that displaces people from their lands and resources.

The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in hibernating bats has been detected on three species in the Texas counties of Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Hardeman, King and Scurry. The fungus was found in samples collected by a team from Texas A&M University's Institute of Renewable Natural Resources and wildlife and fisheries sciences department, along with Bat Conservation International. The tested samples showed the fungus was present on tri-colored, cave myotis and Townsend's big-eared bats.

Use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) increased ∼100-fold from 1974 to 2014. Additional increases are expected due to widespread emergence of glyphosate-resistant weeds, increased application of GBHs, and preharvest uses of GBHs as desiccants. Current safety assessments rely heavily on studies conducted over 30 years ago. We have considered information on GBH use, exposures, mechanisms of action, toxicity and epidemiology. Human exposures to glyphosate are rising, and a number of in vitro and in vivo studies challenge the basis for the current safety assessment of glyphosate and GBHs.

Monsanto and other glyphosate manufacturers appear to have distorted scientific evidence on the public health impacts of glyphosate in order to keep the controversial substance on the market, according to a new report released today by GLOBAL 2000 (Friends of the Earth Austria) with the support of Avaaz, BUND, Campact, CEO, GMWatch, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, PAN Germany, and Umweltinstitut München.

The world’s most widely used insecticides would be banned from all fields across Europe under draft regulations from the European commission, seen by the Guardian. The documents are the first indication that the powerful commission wants a complete ban and cite “high acute risks to bees”. A ban could be in place this year if the proposals are approved by a majority of EU member states. Bees and other pollinators are vital for many food crops but have been declining for decades due to habitat loss, disease and pesticide use.

In the first comprehensive review of the more than 4,000 native bee species in North America and Hawaii, the Center for Biological Diversity has found that more than half the species with sufficient data to assess are declining. Nearly 1 in 4 is imperiled and at increasing risk of extinction. The new analysis, "Pollinators in Peril: A systematic status review of North American and Hawaiian native bees", revealed that more than 700 species are in trouble from a range of serious threats, including severe habitat loss and escalating pesticide use.

Habitat loss has pushed the critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua Sulphurea), a native bird of Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara, toward the brink of extinction, as the number currently living in the wild continues to decline. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the bird among 20 bird species that are on the brink of extinction, said Tri Endang, head of the Forest Ecosystem Control unit at the West Nusa Tenggara Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA). “The IUCN has listed the Yellow-Crested cockatoo as critically endangered.