Nature conservation

Asian wildebeests in the Negev. Adding water points created new territorial opportunities for males and improved indicators related to the population's genetic diversity. Credit: Naama Shahar / Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Research in the Negev: New water points improved the genetic diversity of wild animals

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Researchers at Ben-Gurion University found that increasing the number of water sources from one to three increased the proportion of males participating in reproduction, offering a simple and non-invasive conservation tool.
Elephants in Rwanda. In the largest genomic study of elephants in Africa to date, an international team analyzed 232 complete genomes of savannah and forest elephants collected in 17 African countries. Credit: Laura Bertola

Unprecedented genetic mapping of African elephants reveals a past of continental connectivity and a future of increasing isolation

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Paul Ehrlich in 2010. From Wikimedia Commons

Paul Ehrlich, author of “The Population Bomb,” dies at 93

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The Stanford University biologist and environmentalist was one of the most influential and controversial voices in environmental science: a leading scientist in the field of ecology, who warned about population pressure on natural systems many years before the climate crisis became a reality.
Wild animals fear hunters, but not necessarily all humans. A large meta-analysis shows that animals adapt their behavior according to the level of danger and expectations of human activity. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Man is not always the scariest creature in the forest.

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New research shows that wild animals distinguish between hunters and fishermen and tourists and researchers, and adjust their level of fear to the type of threat and its perceived magnitude.
Predators and keep fish populations healthy. Female sandbar shark. Photo: Meron Segev, Sharks Association in Israel

The Hadera sand shark: A giant predator, a warming sea, and new questions about the Mediterranean Sea

Dozens of sandbar sharks gather every winter in the warm waters of the Hadera and Ashkelon power plants – Dr. Adi Barash reveals a species that is not considered Mediterranean at all, explains their role as apex predators, the threats from fishing
Capable of flying at speeds over 100 km/h. Kerkir. Photo: Dr. Yoav Perlman

Kerkir: The migratory duck "in full bloom" that first arrives in Israel – but it is still allowed to be hunted despite being endangered

The kraker, a small, swift duck that passes through Israel on its way from Europe and Asia to Africa and India, depends on humid habitats that are disappearing at an alarming rate and is in global decline – yet it is still on the species list.
They will remain in the urban space. Wild boars in Haifa. Photo: Yahla Dor

Wild boars in Haifa: New study reveals a connection between residents' reports and socioeconomic status

While wild boars have become part of the urban fabric, research by Tel Aviv University and the Technion reveals that in well-off neighborhoods, more reports are registered with the municipal hotline – and therefore receive more treatment, while in disadvantaged neighborhoods
An Israeli nonprofit called Deep Voice helps researchers and conservation organizations around the world protect marine mammals. Photo: Aviel Shaul

With the help of voice: artificial intelligence for whales

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Israeli NGO Deep Voice develops acoustic models to identify marine mammal sounds; WILDLABS grant will enable online platform for conservation and restoration of at-risk populations
Geckos reduce their activity to a minimum, and at the same time, their internal organs. Photo: Simon Jamieson

The gecko that eats itself to survive

This invasive species arrived in Israel about a decade ago and has since surprised and disturbed with its impressive abilities – meet the Egyptian walled gecko
The system not only distinguishes between species, but also assists in population management. Photo: pexels

AI against invasive species

Artificial intelligence is mobilizing for the environment and helping to address a critical problem we all know – invasive species of animals that threaten local nature.
The complexity of light pollution stems from its impact on different stages of the turtles' life cycle. Green sea turtle hatching Photo: Guy Loyan

When light disturbs nature: Light pollution threatens green sea turtles | Angle

Although light symbolizes progress, for green sea turtles it is the opposite of a miracle. Mapping the lighting on beaches shows that not all darkness needs to be banished.
Impala is found in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The wisdom of the antelopes

A strange phenomenon in Zimbabwe led to a surprising discovery: antelopes today use what humans left in the Iron Age - 1,800 years ago
The success of the model can improve the study of bird migration. Pelicans, photo: Reot Alon

If birds were visible to the planes

A new Israeli study presents a solution to the many accidents between aircraft and winged creatures, and for the first time succeeds in identifying with the help of radar flocks of large birds, which until now were considered "invisible"
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