Climate change on track to cause major insect wipeout, scientists warn

TheGuardian

A PinP photo.

Insects are vital to ecosystems but will lose almost half their habitat under current climate projections. Story here.

Climate change puts city's ash trees at greater risk from killer insect, researchers say

Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg's ash tree canopy may be in more imminent danger than anticipated from an invasion of destructive insects because of significant changes to the city's climate. More here.

Trees in Pennsylvania killed by the emerald ash borer. Steven Katovich, USDA Forest Service

One-Third of Protected Areas 'Highly Degraded' By Humans, Study Finds

EcoWatch

A traffic jam on the road to the famed Lake Louise in Jasper National Park, Canada. PinP photo.

A study published in Science Friday presents what authors call a sobering "reality check" on global efforts to protect biodiversity—one third of all conservation areas set aside as wildlife sanctuaries or national parks are "highly degraded" by human activities. More here.

Salmon with side effects: Aquacultures are polluting Chile's rivers with a cocktail of dissolved organic substances

ScienceNews

Salmon farming in Reloncavi Estuary, Chile. Photo by Pablo Rodríguez

Tasty, versatile, and rich in essential omega-3 fatty acids: salmon is one of the most popular edible fish of all. Shops sell fish caught in the wild, but their main produce is salmon from breeding farms which can pollute rivers, lakes and oceans. Just how big is the problem? Scientists are working to answer this question by examining the dissolved organic compounds which enter Chile’s rivers from salmon farms. They warn that these substances are placing huge strain on ecosystems and are changing entire biological communities. More here.

Scientists struggle to explain a worrying rise in atmospheric methane

The Economist

A PinP photo.

In the past decade methane levels have shot up, to the extent that the atmosphere contains two-and-a-half times as much of the gas as it did before the Industrial Revolution. More here.

Leaked report warns Cambodia's biggest dam could 'literally kill' Mekong river

The Guardian

A narrows in the Meykong - Laos. Photo by Hector Garcia.

Government-commissioned report says proposed site is the ‘worst possible place’ for hydropower due to impact on wildlife. More here.

RELATED: "Mekong - a River Rising."