The Hindu National
중도 성향
기타
Sringeri is a refuge for endemic and threatened bird species, finds Andhra Pradesh researcher
He also warns of activities that could harm birds’ habitats
"BIRDS" · 총 54건
필터 보기현재 지수
50.3
0 = 부정 우세
50 = 중립
100 = 긍정 우세
최근 7일 기준 84,410건을 분석한 결과, 뉴스 심리지수는 50.2(균형)입니다. 긍정 4,225건(5.0%)·중립 78,088건(92.5%)·부정 2,097건(2.5%)이며, 중립 비중이 뚜렷하게 높습니다. 성향 지수는 종합 14.8(중도 균형)입니다.
He also warns of activities that could harm birds’ habitats
Thousands have protested in the capital, Tirana, this week against a planned luxury resort backed by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Groundwork has begun on the $1.6bn complex in an area long seen as one of the Mediterranean’s most environmentally sensitive, containing 200 species of birds including flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans. After builders began erecting a concrete-based, barbed wire-topped fence around the site, alarm turned to public outrage at the environmental damage and lack of political transparency around the deal. Lucy Hough speaks to US live news editor Chris Michael – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
(Felt) From birdsong to pool balls, this Lithuanian musician – a graduate of Copenhagen’s buzzy Rhythmic Music Conservatory – mixes beguiling found sounds into left-field pop and modern classical Copenhagen’s Rhythmic Music Conservatory has become associated with a specific gauzy, esoteric sound, which draws on, and reshapes, classical instrumentation and pop songwriting. Think ML Buch, Astrid Sonne and Erika de Casier, all of whom have graduated from the institution since 2019. Following in their footsteps is Lithuanian musician Gintė Preisaitė, who works with piano, voice and electronics to create atmospheric, unsettling ambient compositions. Instruments of Forgetting and the Singing Bone, Preisaitė’s first solo release under her own name, draws on her background in improvisational techniques and composing for large ensembles. With additional instrumentation from a cluster of collaborators – strings, woodwind, tape – she presents eight tracks that build in intensity through her collage-like assembling of strange sounds and effects. Continue reading...
The Dutch government is moving to create a new Natura 2000 protected area for birds off the coast of Zuid-Holland while extending protections across the entire mainland coastline from Zeeuws-Vlaand
Under the shade of recently planted poplars in Afghanistan, village leader Ghulam Ali Poya is proud to see residents rediscover the value of trees after years of wartime deforestation. “There were forests of pistachio trees,” he told AFP, gesturing to the bare mountains that surround Char Bagh’s mud homes. “During the conflicts and the civil war, they were destroyed; no one could stop the logging.” From the 1979 Soviet invasion until the fall of the first Taliban government in the early 2000s, “around 50 per cent of Afghanistan’s forest cover was lost”, said Mohammad Nasir Shalizi, a researcher at North Carolina State University. In eastern Afghanistan, timber smuggling to Pakistan drove massive logging, while in the more arid central and northern “pistachio belt”, residents used wood for heating and cooking. This photograph taken on May 18, 2026 shows Afghan farmer Bas Begum Ahmadi (R) with her husband Abdul Samad Ahmadi standing next to paulownia trees at her family-owned plot. —AFP But in the last two decades, deforestation has slowed “substantially”, Shalizi said. Forest cover has increased 35pc nationwide since 2011, according to the National Statistics and Information Authority, though just 2.5pc of Afghanistan was forested in 2025 and cover is still shrinking in some areas. But experts say communities are working to improve forest cover. Both the US-backed government, in place until 2021, and the current Taliban administration have supported tree-planting campaigns. In Char Bagh, the Aga Khan Development Network funded a kilometre-square grove which includes poplars, paulownias, pomegranates and persimmons. This photograph taken on May 11, 2026 shows pine seedlings at a nursery in Paghman district, Kabul province. Under the shade of recently planted poplars in northeastern Afghanistan. —AFP ‘A model’ The land belongs to farmer Bas Begum Ahmadi, who hopes to sell fruit and homemade jam, but it is also open to the community of 350 families. “Having these trees makes me feel good; my environment is green, and we breathe fresh air,” said the 45-year-old, who tends the trees with her husband to support their four children. This photograph taken on April 20, 2026 shows Afghan municipality workers and residents planting trees next to a park in Charikar district, Parwan province. —AFP This “micro-forest” follows Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki’s principles: dense planting of mostly local species of varying heights. It is noticeably cooler than the surrounding bare fields and offers twigs for stove fuel and leaves that feed livestock. Micro-forests “restore ecosystems, improve soil fertility, help climate resilience, and support community livelihood,” said Parisa Malikzada, Afghanistan agriculture coordinator for the organisation, which has planted 500 micro-forests in seven provinces. Poya said the forest, next to a river, prevents soil erosion during flooding and offers “a model for people”. This photograph taken on May 18, 2026 shows Afghan farmer Abdul Samad Ahmadi examining a paulownia tree at his family-owned plot, which supports a micro-forest in the Char Bagh area of Doshi district, Baghlan province. —AFP “Everyone comes to have a look, and they’d like to have one too,” he told AFP. In Afghanistan, where many places are hard to reach and the state has limited funds, community-based forest management is the most effective approach to reforestation, experts told AFP. Penalties for tree cutting Afghan authorities have set a goal of planting 200 million trees between 2023 and 2030, relying partly on NGOs, the United Nations and the private sector. “Last year, the target was eight million, but in the end, 17 million were planted,” said Rohullah Amin, head of climate change at the General Environmental Protection Agency, where he has worked for more than a decade. This year’s goal is nine million. This photograph taken on May 11, 2026 shows deodar cedar seedlings at a nursery in Paghman district, Kabul province. Under the shade of recently planted poplars in northeastern Afghanistan. —AFP Challenges include selecting native, climate-adapted species, water scarcity, and livestock damaging saplings. Some forests have struggled with “lack of care or water”, Amin acknowledged, including one site where drought killed 70pc of the planted pines. In some places, tribal councils protect forests and penalise residents who damage them. Elsewhere, “forest management associations” run by elected villagers and farmers have been set up. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has helped them plant five million trees since 2019, according to its climate change chief, Muhammad Safi. Birds coming back The government created nurseries to grow local species in places such as Paghman on state land on Kabul’s outskirts. Head gardener Mahmood Khwajazada carefully tends almond, pine nut and walnut trees, as well as deodar cedars, for distribution nationwide. “Our Prophet said, ’Even if you have only one day left, plant a tree,” he told AFP. This photograph taken on May 11, 2026 shows Afghan farmers tending to a nursery in Paghman district, Kabul province. Under the shade of recently planted poplars in northeastern Afghanistan. —AFP In Charikar, northeastern Afghanistan, where thousands of saplings were planted this year along streets, in parks and on hillsides, the municipality sees “a change” in people’s attitude towards trees. Ahmad Khalid Sabiri, a resident, said he volunteered to help plant “because it’s beneficial for the environment”. Experts said more work is needed to protect the remaining old growth, as well as planting in forests rather than just in urban areas.
Researchers found that masturbation is widespread among birds and should be viewed as a natural and healthy part of their sexual behaviour.
The Blue-fronted Lorikeet in the highlands of Mount Kapalatmada in Buru, Indonesia, in this photograph taken in April 2026 and released on June 1, 2026. — ReutersFor the past century, the Blue-fronted Lorikeet was one of Indonesia's most elusive birds, known only from a...
KOTA BHARU, June 3 — Four exotic birds worth approximately RM100,000, believed to have been smuggled from Th...
Campaigners say builders’ demolition of nest site highlights weak protection of wildlife from development A building that was a noted nesting site for swifts, among the UK’s most at-risk birds, has been demolished during the nesting season, highlighting significant weaknesses in the protection of wildlife from development, campaigners say. Contractors for the housebuilder Hill Group carried out the demolition of Regent House near Dorking station in Surrey over the last few weeks, during the nesting season which runs from 1 March to 31 August. Continue reading...
ISLAMABAD: Locals narrate harrowing details of putting out devastating forest fire believed to be human induced, in the ecologically sensitive Kotli Sattian region of Punjab. Caught in the middle of burning towering Pine trees, smoke, and immense heat was Fareha Yousaf and her family. “The ground was so hot that I could feel my feet burn,” Ms Yousaf said. Fareha Yousaf, her husband and two daughters along with their five to six staff members struggled to put out flames that had reached the small fence surrounding their house in Karore village in Kotli Sattian. In the images and videos she shared, her two daughters and staff could be seen picking dry pine needle and shrubs, while others scooped water with plastic mugs from a bucket of water to douse the flames. Fareha Yousaf said there was a burning sensation inside from inhaling smoke. The fires that raged for two days decimated an estimated 3,326.4 hectares of natural forest tree cover across 27 locations in the protected and ecologically rich forest. Forest fire destroyed over 3,000 hectares in Kotli Sattian amid heat wave. According to satellite data released by Suparco on Space4Climate.gov.pk, the analysis comparing imagery from May 9 to May 29 showed extensive damage in Chir pine forests. These forests play a key role in protecting sub-watersheds linked to the Indus and Jhelum river basins. Forest Inspector, Forest Department Punjab, Mohammad Tufail told Dawn that flames reached a towering 100 feet fuelled by gusts of stormy winds. “These are educated people, quite sensitised about risks and consequences of triggering forest fires. It’s lamentable that anyone would act so carelessly,” he said, explaining that in his area of jurisdiction, which was labeled, Forest 99, fires had not raged since 2016-17. He complained about lack of proper firefighting equipment and manpower to overcome forest fires. “We were less than a dozen forest staff members with brooms to put out flames that were engulfing Pine trees and dry shrubs fast,” he said. According to Ministry of Climate Change, forest fire destroys over 3,000 hectares in Kotli Sattian amid heat wave. These forest fire events generally affect the breeding season of the birds, animals, regeneration loss of seedlings and saplings and colonisation of invasive fire tolerant grasses and shrubs. Environmentalists warned that the ecological aftermath extended far beyond the immediate burn scars and that the disaster had severely disrupted the peak breeding season for local birds and wildlife, destroyed vital young seedlings and saplings, and opened the door for invasive, fire-tolerant grasses and shrubs to colonise the damaged terrain. Mohammad Saleem, who is spokesperson for the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, told Dawn that the massive wildfire in Kotli Sattian was not an isolated environmental incident. It was a stark warning of a new climate reality confronting Pakistan. “Forest fires are increasingly becoming the ‘new normal’ across the country as rising temperatures, prolonged dry spells, erratic rainfall patterns and recurrent heat waves create ideal conditions for ignition and rapid fire spread.” He said scientific evidence was unequivocal. “A recent study published in NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science found that the climate crisis was intensifying extreme heat events across South Asia, with Pakistan emerging as one of the regional hotspots for increasingly synchronised and severe heat waves. These conditions substantially elevate wildfire risks by drying vegetation and reducing soil moisture. Likewise, a study published in Nature Communications has shown that global warming is expanding wildfire-prone areas and lengthening fire seasons worldwide. According to the World Resources Institute, forest fires now burn more than twice as much tree cover globally as they did two decades ago, largely as a consequence of climate change. He said the future of Pakistan’s forests would be determined not only by climate policies and firefighting equipment, but also by the awareness, vigilance and stewardship of the communities living closest to them. “Local communities are the frontline protectors of our forests, and investing in their engagement, training and ownership is among the most effective defences against the growing threat of wildfires,” he added. While local communities and forest department personnel have successfully contained the blaze in several areas, active fires continue to spread across neighbouring slopes, driven by strong, hot winds that threaten further environmental degradation. According to locals, Kotli Sattian is being promoted by the local government as an upcoming tourist destination, with its pristine natural environment, breathtaking sceneries, the Bisa waterfall, and clear areas for camping. Kotli Sattian is ecologically sensitive because the Murree-Kotli Sattian landscape was dominated by Chir pine forest, steep slopes and sub-watersheds linked with the Indus/Jhelum basin. Kotli Sattian forest area under Punjab Forest Department jurisdiction was about 27,653 acres. Fareha Yousaf said she had never faced such a horrific experience where she feared her family would lose their home. “We are all so scared that even though the fire has been put out, the fear is not going away.” Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2026
Researchers from the University of Exeter say bowerbirds in Australian cities are using human items to impress their mates.
"It’s a reminder of how human activity is changing the natural world in unanticipated ways.”
'It’s really nice to have a busy farm back, fully populated with birds.'
Some bird keepers have tried to drug their animals to stop them engaging in solo sex.
Wetter weather expected to bring surge of slugs out of hiding, just as strawberries experience bumper early crop Entomologists in England are expecting a surge in slugs coming out of hiding to munch the nation’s strawberry plants after weeks of sun followed by wetter weather has caused a bumper crop. The Royal Horticultural Society is bracing for a surge in inquiries from its 625,000 members, who write in with their garden gripes. Workers at the RHS have also noticed a spate of slugs in the charity’s gardens, including Wisley in Surrey. Slugs love a young, vulnerable seedling, so transplant sturdy plantlets grown in pots. These can then be given some protection with cloches. The leaf-munching creatures are excellent for compost heaps as they get rid of dead and decaying matter, helping turn your waste into lovely compost. So why not go out with a torch on a mild evening while the weather is damp, and hand pick slugs into a container? These can then be placed either into a compost heap, where they can feast on all your garden waste, or near less vulnerable plants. Some gardeners do strategic planting, making sure to put plants slugs find delicious near their favourite plants so these are eaten instead. Why not dig a pond to encourage frogs, which will do slug elimination for you without the guilt of setting down poison pellets or drowning them in beer. It’s better for the ecosystem, too. Encourage birds with a bird feeder – especially during spring when the young can be fed with a juicy snail. Raking over soil and removing fallen leaves during winter can allow birds to eat slug eggs that have been exposed. Continue reading...
PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, June 2: The European Union approves the creation of offshore "return hubs" to where failed asylum seekers could be sent. The British papers focus on a new trove of documents pertaining to Peter Mandelson, the former ambassador to the US. The Canadian province of Alberta will hold a referendum in October to decide on whether to vote on secession. Finally, researchers conclude that there is nothing foul about birds who masturbate.
Once widespread in Japan, the colorful birds went from being fairly commonplace in the country to being on the verge of extinction.
Tens of thousands of the pale pink birds now winter in the Venetian Lagoon
Letting nature take over at a former dairy farm has resulted in a surge of species in just three years Three years of rewilding on a former dairy farm in east Somerset have seen recorded bird species soar from 67 to 94, butterfly species rise from 11 to 24 and small mammals grow in number. Heal Somerset, the first site acquired by the charity Heal Rewilding, has produced a state of nature report mirroring a national survey by environmental charities that has tracked the decline in nature. Continue reading...