News

Buying fish, sausage or meat saves you from breaking a social taboo in some industrialized nations, especially when hunting and fishing are conducted for recreation. In a perspective article in Nature Sustainability, a research team from the natural and social sciences and environmental philosophy adds a new perspective to the topic of "recreational use of wild animals". The hypothesis is that an emotionally intense interaction between hunters or anglers and wild animals can create a particularly strong sense of responsibility,

When the weather is nice, it is time to go swimming in a lake, canoeing on a river or having a picnic by the water. The Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) shares do's and don'ts for environmentally friendly water fun – including some that are not so obvious.

Researchers under the lead of Hans-Peter Grossart have now identified fungi that can efficiently degrade plastic polymers made of polyurethane, polyethylene and tyre rubber. Contrary to previous assumptions, no pre-treatment of the plastics was necessary. The study has been published in Science of the Total Environment.

In a new Leopoldina statement with IGB participation, researchers recommend the restoration of peatlands and floodplains.

The study in Nature Ecology & Evolution shows that shipping shipping has contributed to a significant loss of biodiversity of fish, mussels, snails and small crustaceans in European rivers in recent decades – and that the remaining animal communities are becoming increasingly homogeneous and river-typical species are being lost. Invasive species, on the other hand, are significantly increasing. 

Tailored and shielded street lamps make the light source almost invisible outside the illuminated area and significantly reduces the lethal attraction for flying insects in different environments. The researchers see this as an important technical solution to reduce insect mortality. The study was published in Communications Biology.

Study in Nature Communications reveals a gene locus responsible for sex determination in the European green toad. This is only the second known genetic mechanism for sex differentiation in amphibians. 

Prolonged rainfall and storm events have caused rivers to burst their banks in parts of Germany. How can we better prepare for such extreme events, and what measures benefit both people and nature? We take a look at the state of the country’s rivers and floodplains and why it is worth rethinking flood protection.