New Zealand's Fiordland depths reveal more new scientific wonders...

Scientists from NIWA and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have used a remote operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with cameras and a grappling arm to locate and sample specimens of sea pen previously unknown to science, hidden in the undiveable depths of remote Fiordland.

The sea pens (so called because of their resemblance to old-fashioned quill pens made from bird’s feathers) were discovered last month at a depth of about 80 metres in Acheron Passage, near Dusky Sound.

"We found two specimens of two different species," says NIWA Marine Biologist and ROV operator Dr Sean Handley, "one of which is completely new to us.

"This was our second exploration of Fiordland’s deep waters in the last few years, and on both occasions we’ve discovered previously unknown fauna. We can only guess at the treasure trove of life still waiting to be discovered down there."

Both expeditions were funded by DOC and supported by the Fiordland Marine Guardians. The goal is to better understand the biodiversity existing in Fiordland’s marine reserves at depths greater than can be safely reached by divers.

"These discoveries, and the prospect of many more to come, reinforce the importance of the Fiordland Marine Area at both a national and international level," says Fiordland Marine Guardians Chairman, Malcolm Lawson. "The Fiordland Marine Guardians are pleased to be able to work alongside DOC and NIWA in identifying areas for future exploration."

Only Doubtful and Dusky Sounds have been explored so far. Says Dr Handley: "We’ve found marked differences in fauna and habitats between the two, so it stands to reason that Fiordland’s marine environment as a whole could harbour an extraordinary diversity of life.

"It is an important area to study, because it is geologically unique and largely undisturbed by human activity."

Sea pens are coral-like organisms that colonise the seabed and ledges by burying themselves in soft sediment. But, unlike coral, they lack a hard ‘outer skeleton’.

"They’re essentially row-upon-row of feeding polyps growing out of a soft stalk," Dr Handley explains, "hence their resemblance to feathers or quill pens."

At night, sea pens are luminous, which helps to attract the phytoplankton they feed on. Dr Handley says sea pen colonies generally indicate an unpolluted, undisturbed environment.

At 65 centimetres long, the specimens discovered in February are among the largest sea pens found in New Zealand. Elsewhere, however, sea pens of up to two metres in length have been found.

The new specimens will be logged in a biodiversity database and then international sea pen experts will be consulted to help formally identify and name them.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/fiordlands-depths-reveal-more-new-science-wonders/5/151349

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Predictions of rising temperatures due to human induced climate change proven correct...

Predictions of rising temperatures due to human-induced climate change have proved accurate. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

Forecasts of global temperature rises over the past 15 years have proved remarkably accurate, new analysis of scientists' modelling ofclimate change shows.

The debate around the accuracy of climate modelling and forecasting has been especially intense recently, due to suggestions that forecasts have exaggerated the warming observed so far – and therefore also the level warming that can be expected in the future. But the new research casts serious doubts on these claims, and should give a boost to confidence in scientific predictions of climate change.

The paper, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature Geoscience, explores the performance of a climate forecast based on data up to 1996 by comparing it with the actual temperatures observed since. The results show that scientists accurately predicted the warming experienced in the past decade, relative to the decade to 1996, to within a few hundredths of a degree.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/27/climate-change-model-global-warming

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An urgent message from the "Ancient Ones" to the Native American people about what Planet Earth is going through...

Infinite gratitude to the Music "Rhythm of the Heart " by AH NEE MAH. An Urgent Message from the "Ancient Ones " to the Native American People about what Planet Earth is going through right now and what they can do to assist HER at this time .
Very beautiful !!! A very heartfelt message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuIWp_TV5bs

Massive Honeybee Die-off in California...

FOOD INTEGRITY NOW

News & talk radio advocating integrit

Nearly a million honeybees lost–pesticides are suspected to be the cause.

Last October, amateur beekeeper, Carrie Kappel, called the SBBA (Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association) when she saw hundreds of dead and dying bees outside her beehive in her backyard.

“It was devastating to see the number of dead bees outside the hive, and watch those in their death throes, twitching and stumbling around in front of the hive, unable to fly. I watched the whole hive go from healthy and vigorous to empty over a few short weeks.”

The SBBA got several calls from other local beekeepers. Sixteen formerly healthy hives, with populations of between 30-60,000 bees each were lost. SBBA estimates approximately 750,000 bees died within a 1.5-mile radius in Montecito near Santa Barbara . The Association decided to submit four test samples to Penn State University for a comprehensive pesticide screening. This report was just received  back from the USDA laboratories.

Just as the Association suspected, the labs found several commonly used pesticides found in bee food stores, brood cells and wax. Some of these pesticides include: bifenthrin (found in hundreds of agricultural and household pesticide products), chlorpyrifos (used on orchards, golf courses, and crops, and banned from residential use), cyhalothrin (found in household and commercial products like Demand®, Karate®, and Warrior®), and fipronil (used in over 50 products to control ants, termites, fleas and other insects, e.g., Frontline®, Goliath®, Nexa®, and Regent®). These chemicals are all known to be highly toxic to bees. They also found low levels of two legal miticides used by beekeepers to control mites. While this does not prove that pesticides were behind the die-offs, it does point to them as a possible factor.

According to Penn State Senior Extension Associate, Maryann Frazier,

“Honey bees across the country are being exposed to a great diversity and sometimes high levels of pesticides. While the evidence associated with the Montecito die-off is not conclusive, the symptoms of colony deaths and the detection of low levels of pesticides toxic to honey bees are suspicious and cause for concern.”

The SBBA hopes that by getting the word out about this die-off, people in the Santa Barbara community and other areas will become more aware of the danger to bees from pesticides. The SBBA encourages pest control companies, horticulturists, landscape contractors and homeowners to evaluate their use of pesticides and products to mitigate the risks to honeybees and other beneficial insects.

http://foodintegritynow.org/2013/01/30/massive-honey-bee-die-off-in-santa-barbara/

The super-sized cephalopods or giant squids....

Artist's impression of the giant squid.

Giant squid around the world are "basically identical" despite looking very different, say scientists.

The super-sized cephalopods live deep in the oceans and are little-known by the scientific community.

An international team of researchers investigated rare samples of the elusive animals' DNA to reveal their family secrets.

They discovered that there is just a single species of squid with no population structure.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The giant squid has been a source of fascination both before and beyond its formal description in 1857 by Danish biologist Japetus Steenstrup.

Its deep-dwelling lifestyle is largely unknown but specimens have been found globally, with the exception of Arctic and Antarctic waters.

Continue reading the main story

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Inspiring tales of sea monsters such as the ship-destroying Kraken, giant squid are rumoured to reach 50m in length but scientists say an 18m estimate is more appropriate according to studies.

A further debate about the mysterious animals relates to how many species there are, with researchers suggesting there could be as many as eight based on differences in appearance and where they have been found.

"Your general [giant] squid is a long, scrawny beast: it's got a long thin body and long thin arms," said Professor M. Thomas P. Gilbert, from the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

"But off [the coast of] Japan for example, they're much shorter and stubbier. Their arms are fatter and much shorter."

Prof Gilbert worked with colleagues from the University of Copenhagen and researchers from Australia, Japan, France, Ireland and Portugal to understand how the seemingly diverse squid are related.

The team took 43 tissue samples from a variety of sources: stranded animals, remains found in the stomachs of beached sperm whales and accidental by-catch. They then used DNA sequencing techniques to understand the genetic makeup of the squid.

'Very weird'

Results revealed that the squid are all one species.

Genetic diversity was also found to be very low, meaning that the squid are genetically very similar despite being found all over the world and varying greatly in appearance.

"There's normally local distinction between [animals] genetically," Prof Gilbert told BBC Nature.

Researchers studied washed up specimens

"Things that live in one area eventually become different from things in other areas but [giant squid] are basically identical everywhere."

Prof Gilbert described the findings as "very weird" but suggested that migration could be the key reason specimens from as far apart as Japan and Florida, US are genetically so similar.

"We speculate the larval stage must drift globally in the currents then dive to the nearest dark, deep spot when they are large enough, thus stopping any [population] structure appearing," he explained.

"Instead of the adults and their young living in the same place, the young distribute to a completely new place on the Earth every time."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/21829711

Five reasons to have a plant at your desk...

We all know that adding a few well-positioned plants brings a welcoming feel to your work space. But aesthetics aren't the only reason to incorporate a touch of green into your office setup. From improving indoor air quality to increasing productivity, here are five reasons to have a plant at your desk.

Photo: Shutterstock

1. Improve indoor air quality

In addition to bringing a friendly touch to your work space, growing live plants in the office can help clean the air and even improve your health, according to a NASA study.

In 1973, NASA scientists identified 107 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air inside the Skylab space station. Occupants often suffered from burning eyes and respiratory difficulties, later learned to be two of the most common symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome.

Meanwhile, B.C. “Bill” Wolverton, an environmental scientist working with the U.S. military, discovered that swamp plants actually eliminated Agent Orange from water samples. Expanding on this idea, Wolverton tested out the use of houseplants as a means of improving indoor air quality and discovered growing plants indoors helps eliminate VOCs from the air.

Research also suggests that plants play a psychological role in welfare, and that people actually recover from illness faster in the presence of plants, the study said. Check out these 15 houseplants that improve indoor air quality from Clean Air Gardening, and boost workplace wellness the eco way.

Bet You'll Love: Make That Plant Even Cooler with One of These Rad Reused Planter Ideas

2. Reduce stress

In her dissertation at Surrey University in the U.K., master's environmental psychology student Helen Russell set out to find scientific proof for notions already widely perceived - namely that plants in the office can reduce stress.

In the study, Russell asked participants to take a difficult test in a room filled with plants, and compared their skin conductivity, heart rate and blood pressure with people who completed the same test without plants.

Of the three types of measurements made, skin conductivity showed the greatest difference between the group exposed to office plants and those who took the test plant-free. Overall, Russell's findings showed that plants eased stress for participants by at least this metric, and that participants recovered from stress more quickly in a plant-heavy environment.

Stay Green at Work: Reusable Replacements for the Office

3. Increase productivity

Tending for that potted plant not only helps you chill out during a hectic work day, but can also increase focus and productivity - allowing you to accomplish more with less stress.

In a study published in the "Journal of Environmental Horticulture," researchers fromWashington State University reported that live interior plants helped workers complete tasks with more focus and efficiency.

The study asked workers to complete a simple task on a computer in a room with plants and compared their performance with workers who completed the same task in the same room without plants.

Findings showed that productivity increased by 12 percent in the presence of plants. Additionally, people tested in the room with plants reported feeling about 10 percent more attentive after the task than those tested without plants.

More Ideas: 10 Ways to Stay Waste-Free at Work

4. Make rooms more comfortable

The recommended humidity range for human health and comfort is between 30 and 60 percent, but many offices fall short of these figures, especially in the summer and winter months. Low interior humidity can lead to increased fatigue, respiratory discomfort and an overall drop in workplace well-being, but the same Washington State University study that touted the benefits of plants for productivity suggests a touch of green can help fix this problem as well.

Findings show that when plants were added to a room, the relative humidity rose significantly, but not excessively. In one case, relative humidity without plants averaged 25 percent, and with plants it averaged 30 percent - bringing the room into the ideal comfort range.

Go the Extra Mile: How to Start an Office Recycling Program

5. Keep the environment on your mind

Keeping a plant at your desk has loads of health and wellness benefits. But don't forget about the intangible ways a workplace plant can boost your green lifestyle.

In addition to improving your office environment, tending a house plant every day at work reminds you of how important it is to care for the Earth and why eco-friendly living means so much to you.

Each time you water your plant, let your mind wander to what you love about the environment, and channel these warm-fuzzy feelings to add a few eco-conscious habits to your workplace routine, such as reaching for reusable products over disposables, reducing paper use and conserving energy.

http://earth911.com/news/2013/03/18/5-reasons-to-have-a-plant-at-your-desk/

Birds evolve shorter wings to survive on roads...

Nature, red in wheel and fender. Birds in Nebraska have evolved shorter wings, which may help them avoid dying on roads by taking off quickly and darting away from cars.

Eighty million US birds are killed by traffic each year. Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) have taken to nesting on road bridges, so may be especially vulnerable.

Charles Brown of the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma has been picking up dead swallows for 30 years. Roadkill numbers have steadily declined since the 1980s, even as the number of roadside nests has risen. The killed birds have longer wings than birds caught in mist nets for research, and on average the caught birds' wings have got shorter.

It makes sense: shorter wings are better for a quick vertical take-off, and improve manoeuvrability.

"Everything fits with the idea that it's vehicular selection," says Ronald Mumme of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

However, Brown says that encounters with traffic may not be the only force at work. After a particularly cold May in 1996 killed about half the nesting population through starvation, wing lengths dropped markedly, perhaps because birds with shorter wings were better able to capture the remaining insects still on the wing.

The swallows are the latest case of humans influencing evolution. Fish are maturing more quickly because of commercial fishing, and two formerly diverging populations of Darwin's Galapagos finches seem to be collapsing back into one now that food from bird feeders is replacing their natural diets.

Journal reference: Current Biology, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.02.023

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Global warming stopped in 1997 - new study claims...

A new report written by Dr David Whitehouse and published today by the Global Warming Policy Foundation concludes that there has been no statistically significant increase in annual global temperatures since 1997.

After reviewing the scientific literature the reports concludes that the standstill is an empirical fact and a reality that challenges current climate models. During the time that the Earth’s global temperature has remained static the atmospheric composition of carbon dioxide has increased from 370 to 390 ppm.

“The standstill is a reality and is not the result of cherry-picking start and end points. Its commencement can be seen clearly in the data, and it continues to this day,” said Dr David Whitehouse, the author of the new report.

The report shows that the temperature standstill has been a much discussed topic in peer-reviewed scientific literature for years, but that this scientific debate has neither been followed by most of the media, nor acknowledged by climate campaigners, scientific societies and prominent scientists.

The report also surveys how those few journalists who have looked at the issue have been reporting the standstill, with many far too ready to dismiss it or lacking a sense of journalistic inquiry, preferring to reports squabbles rather than the science.

”If the standstill continues for a few more years it will mean that no one who has just reached adulthood, or younger, will have witnessed the Earth get warmer during their lifetime,” said the report’s author, Dr David Whitehouse.

In his foreword, Lord Turnbull, former Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service, commented:

“Dr Whitehouse is a man who deserves to be listened to. He has consistently followed an approach of examining observations rather than projections of large scale computer models, which are too often cited as ‘evidence’. He looks dispassionately at the data, trying to establish what message it tells us, rather than using it to confirm a pre-held view.”

Read more:

http://www.investigatemagazine.co.nz/Investigate/?p=3389

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A mysterious place in the Green Planet...

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Former All Black coach speaks out on climate change...

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Wayne Smith sees himself among a group of 'concerned people who want to take action'. Photo / Getty Images

Wayne Smith says he is making a "moral stand" on climate change in joining 100 celebrated Kiwis in a major call to address New Zealand's most critical risks.

The former All Black coach is among a high-powered cross section of public figures and thinkers who have lent their names to an appeal demanding politicians face up to what the group sees as the five biggest issues facing the nation.

They span a range of areas, from risks to our economic and ecological security, to the genuine wellbeing of the people and country.

Wise Response was launched yesterday in Dunedin, where the campaign was borne from a public meeting at Otago University two years ago.

Key organiser and Otago Emeritus Professor Sir Alan Mark said Parliament would be asked to make a risk assessment of "the situation we now find ourselves in in New Zealand, which seems to be worsening on many fronts".

Sir Alan, a respected ecologist, singled out the degrading quality of our land, air and water.

'Climatologists have also predicted a sea level rise of up to 1m by the year 2100, which would have major consequences for many areas around New Zealand, not to mention the world generally.

"So we are asking the Government basically to address these issues and give us a response that would counter them, rather than just adapt to them."

The group was concerned the current generation was "acting as if there's no tomorrow".

Sir Alan acknowledged that the issues were broad, but they affected all Kiwis and were too serious to ignore.

Wayne Smith saw himself among a group of "concerned people who want to take action".

"This is about me adding my name to a list of New Zealanders who want our Government to have a well thought out contingency plan," he said.

Mr Smith felt the global environment problem was in the hands of the US, China and India, but New Zealand could commit to its own initiatives - namely lobbying the big players.

Te Radar said his fellow signatories on the list - among them writer and anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond, Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, writer Dame Fiona Kidman and broadcaster Chris Laidlaw - showed many Kiwis were paying attention to the risks raised.

"Hopefully it does something and makes more people heartened that there are people out there trying to get things done."

Mr Laidlaw said risks facing the country had built up "enormously" over recent years and many Kiwis were worried.

Artist Grahame Sydney felt political parties "in general" were not adequately addressing the concerns of Kiwis.

And Dunedin writer Dr Philip Temple took aim at the current Government for "operating on very short-term thinking".

"We should try to get out of the politics and get Parliament to start looking into the future to map out a course rather than - as we tend to just do - react."

Names on the list

• Dame Anne Salmond - writer, anthropologist and New Zealander of the Year
• Wayne Smith - former All Black first five-eighths and assistant World Cup coach
• Dame Fiona Kidman - poet and writer
• Fiona Farrell - writer
• Celia Wade-Brown - Mayor of Wellington
• Sir Alan Mark - Professor Emeritus
• Grahame Sydney - artist
• Glenn Turner - retired cricketer
• Dr Philip Temple - writer
• Anton Oliver - former All Black
• Te Radar - comedian, activist and TV personality
• Chris Laidlaw - former All Black, Rhodes Scholar, Wellington councillor and broadcaster
• Keri Hulme - writer
• Tamsin Cooper - fashion designer and TV personality

The listed are among 100 prominent New Zealanders endorsing the appeal.

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10870243

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Earth the warmest its been since the last ice-age...

The world is now warmer than at almost any time since the end of the last Ice Age and, on present trends, will continue to reach a record high for the entire period since the dawn of civilisation, a study has found.

A reconstruction of global temperatures going back 11,300 years, which covers the historical period from the founding of the first ancient cities to the space age, has concluded the biggest and most rapid change in the climate has occurred in the past century.

Scientists found that the warm period following the end of last Ice Age, called the Holocene, peaked about 5000 years ago when the world began to get cooler. However, this cooling went into a dramatic and sudden reversal about a century ago when global temperatures shot up to levels not seen for thousands of years, the scientists found.

The study, published in the journal Science, further undermines the frequent argument put forward by climate "sceptics" that global temperatures now are no higher than they were in previous centuries, long before the increase in industrial emissions of carbon dioxide.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10870154

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Support action on Deep Sea Oil and tell Andarko they are not wanted in NZ waters...

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Click here to take action on Deep Sea Oil

We have a very straightforward, but important, message for you today.

Please take action on Deep Sea Oil and tell Anadarko that they aren’t welcome in New Zealand.

Texan oil company Anadarko intends to conduct high risk deep sea oil drilling in New Zealand waters and they plan to begin prospecting later this year.

Anadarko aren’t know for their great safety record; they owned a 25% stake in the DeepWater Horizon.

We really can’t afford to allow these Oil Cowboys to come and experiment with dangerous deep sea drilling in New Zealand.

Please take action today to stop Anadarko from endangering the lives and livelihoods of New Zealanders.Please go here to take action on Deep Sea Oil.  act.gp/164onj5

Bunny McDiarmid
Executive director
Greenpeace New Zealand

New threat to endangered African elephants...

Conservationists say there's a new threat to the survival of Africa's endangered elephants that may be just as deadly as poachers' bullets: the black-market trade of ivory in cyberspace.

Illegal tusks are being bought and sold on countless Internet forums and shopping websites worldwide, including Internet giant Google, with increasing frequency, according to activists. And wildlife groups attending the 178-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Bangkok this week are calling on global law enforcement agencies to do something about it.

The elephant slaughter, which has reached crisis proportions unheard of in two decades, is largely being driven by skyrocketing demand in Asia, where tusks are often carved into tourist trinkets and ornaments.

"The Internet is anonymous, it's open 24 hours a day for business, and selling illegal ivory online is a low-risk, high-profit activity for criminals," Tania McCrea-Steele of the International Fund for Animal Welfare told The Associated Press on Tuesday from London.

In one investigation last year, IFAW found 17,847 elephant products listed on 13 websites in China. The country, which conservationists call the world's top destination for "blood ivory" from Africa, is not alone.

IFAW says illegal ivory trading online is an issue within the U.S., including on eBay, and it is rife on some websites in Europe, particularly nations with colonial links to Africa.

It is often advertised with code words like "ox-bone," ''white gold," ''unburnable bone," or "cold to the touch," and shipped through the mail.

http://www.wral.com/online-ivory-trade-threatens-africa-s-elephants/12182784/

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/8389125/Online-ivory-trade-threatens-elephants

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Exactly when New Zealand's drought will be declared is not clear...

Exactly when drought will be declared unclear

It is unclear exactly when Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy will declare a drought in a significant chunk of the North Island. He has been asked to take the step for Auckland south of the Harbour Bridge, the entire Waikato region and parts of Rotorua. A drought declaration will trigger direct help, such as tax relief and special welfare payments, for farmers facing more extreme circumstances. Stewart Anderson has been the the Ministry for Primary Industries contact for local officials and says Mr Guy will be informed, but when he will declare the drought remains to be seen. "I can't give an exact day, because the minister needs to consider what is put to him and make a decision." Officials say dry conditions have worsened in the region, feed supplies are tightening and the Rural Support Trust is fielding more calls from stressed farmers. File photo Ecospree

Henry Ford's Model-T was made from hemp and was ten times stronger...

Henry Ford’s Hemp Plastic Car is 10X Stronger

When we think of cars we think of gasoline, steel, pollution, etc. Well, maybe you don’t, but that’s what comes to mind for me. Even though we have some innovative and visually pleasing cars on the road today, it is difficult to ignore the sheer environmental impact that modern cars create. What if cars didn’t have to be the way they are today? If you are a researcher of any kind of alternative information, you already know this to be true -especially given that the technology already exists today to make cars smarter, safer and more eco-friendly (no fossil fuels necessary.) But did you know that Henry Ford spent more than a decade researching and building his Model-T car which was not only constructed from hemp but was also designed to run off hemp bio-fuel? Whatever happened to this idea?

According to Popular Mechanics, Henry Ford’s first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the CAR ITSELF WAS CONSTRUCTED FROM HEMP! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, ‘grown from the soil,’ had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel.

The most lethal invader...Asian hornet that preys on native bees...

 

Hornets that prey on native bees and give a painful sting are the latest alien species preparing to invade Britain.

The Asian hornet preys on native honeybees, wasps and other pollinators Photo: Getty Images

By Louise Gray,

 

Already invasive species like grey squirrels, muntjac deer and Japanese knotweed are causing problems in Britain.

Now the European Environment Agency fear more species are set to arrive on Britain's shores in the next few decades because of increasing trade and tourism.

The bee-killing yellow-legged hornet is among the non-native species set to soon reach our shores in the next few years.

The Asian hornet, which grows to between 2.5cm and 3cm (1-1.2 inches), preys on native honeybees, wasps and other pollinators, potentially devastating hives and threatening honey and crop production.

The Asia tiger mosquito, which is linked to more than 20 diseases including yellow fever and the dengue-like chikungunya fever, could also arrive from the Continent.

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The species is prevalent in several southern European countries, such as Italy, after being imported from Asia via goods shipments, and is likely to expand its range north as the climate changes.
Species which are already in the UK and causing problems include common ragweed, which came in to Europe from North America in grain mixes intended as bird feed and is a potent trigger for hayfever and other allergies.

The Spanish slug, which reaches up to 15cm (6 inches) in length and is possibly native to the South East, is now found across Britain, and can hit garden planting and horticulture, as they eat plants as well as carrion and even each other.

A killer shrimp, originally from Eastern Europe, is threatening fisheries. Other well-established invaders include the American mink, which has destroyed water vole populations, and parakeets that attack fruit crops.

Across Europe, invasive alien species cost around £10 billion a year, the EEA report said.
Species are most commonly brought in for horticulture, while other reasons they are brought in include farming, hunting and fishing or as pets. Some stow away in ships' ballast, such as the zebra mussel and are introduced unintentionally, the study said.
Jacqueline McGlade, EEA executive director, sad more will come as a result of increasing tourism and trade. Climate change may also be playing a role in the spread of species, by making areas increasingly suitable for new plants and animals.
"In many areas, ecosystems are weakened by pollution, climate change and fragmentation," she said.
"Alien species invasions are a growing pressure on the natural world, which are extremely difficult to reverse."

Ecospree 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9883587/The-most-lethal-invader-...-Asian-hornet-that-preys-on-native-bees.html

Related articles

• The most lethal invader . . . Asian hornet that preys on native bees. (telegraph.co.uk)
• 'Alien' Invaders Threatening UK's Wildlife (news.sky.com)
• Invasive Alien Species: A Growing Problem for Environment and Health (ecology.com)
• Non-native species 'threatening UK' (standard.co.uk)
• Prepare for invasion: Lethal Asian hornets which eat bees among list of non-native species on their way to Britain (dailymail.co.uk)
• Prepare for invasion: Lethal Asian hornets which eat bees among list of non-native species on their way to Britain (thisismoney.co.uk)