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CI-UK Articles
Conservation Issues UK is dedicated to providing up-to-date and real-life accounts of conservation issues and practical conservation projects that are underway in the UK.
Please select one of CI-UK's four core subject areas and select an article to read. Articles can be read on the website or downloaded in .PDF format. To read downloaded articles you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader® software.
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Featured Articles
How to Collect, Record and Preserve Fungi Specimens
A Collector’s Guide by Johnny
Ripley
Read this article - PDF
Making a specimen collection can be both interesting and rewarding, particularly when the preservation technique used allows the specimens to survive long after the collection is made. The following guide outlines how to assemble a mushroom collection, what species information should be recorded, and when, how to preserve and present specimens so that they will survive for a long time, whilst being accessible to viewers.
The Grey Squirrel in Britain
A Major Threat to Biodiversity
The North American grey squirrel was deliberately introduced to Britain and other parts of Europe during the 19th Century. Since then, despite being released merely as a curiosity to satisfy the Victorian penchant for novelty, the adaptable and hardy grey squirrel has thrived in Britain’s parks, gardens and woodlands. However, despite the obvious charm and appeal of the grey squirrel, it is now clear that it’s continuing spread through the British Isles is having at least three major impacts on Britain’s native flora and fauna, which are poorly adapted to withstand its presence.
The Threats to Wildfowl from Pollution
A review of the changing threats posed to wildfowl by pollution.
Swans and other waterfowl are an important and highly valued part of our global wildlife. They represent key ecosystem components in both ecological and aesthetic terms and are, for many, an important food resource. However, despite their value waterfowl have historically faced a wide variety of threats from factors such as pollution, which have had negative impacts on their numbers and distribution. Today, although there is evidence that some species are recovering from the lows of the past, waterfowl continue to face both old and new threats from pollution that are putting their long-term persistence in jeopardy.
Biofuels: Panacea or Pandora's Box
Biofuels could help to reduce our carbon emissions, but their production is not without controversy.
The governments of the world are, at last, waking-up to the threats posed by human-induced climate change. In response, they have begun to push the development of cleaner, more sustainable fuels that will have to replace fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal if we are prevent the worst-case climate change scenarios form becoming a reality. One of the most popular 'low-carbon', sustainable fuels are biofuels, which are produced from plants. However, while governments see biofuels as the perfect solution, there are many, especially in the conservation movement who are worried that they will create an ecological disaster of their own.
Terrestrial Orchids
An Introduction to their Biology and Ecology
It is estimated that, of the approximately 250 orchid species that occur in Europe, there are currently 52 that occur naturally in the UK and it is their unique forms, complex life-histories and rarity that have made them, along with butterflies, one of the most intensively studied groups of British organisms. This article introduces the complex biology of terrestrial orchids and summarises the key pieces of scientific research that have been undertaken into their ecology.
Other Articles
è North Sea Cod: National Dish or Extinction Risk?
The debate surrounding the future of the North Sea cod which has been over-fished for decades. HTML PDF
è The Red Fox in the UK: Its Pest Status and Control.
There are few wild animals that arouse such contrasting emotions as does the red fox in the UK. HTML PDF
è Keeping Insects in their Place
A discussion of the arguments for and against the conservation of insects. HTML PDF
è Alien Invaders
The Threat to Britain's Wildlife from Invasive Mammalian Species. HTML PDF
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Conservation Issues UK
Current issues in the efforts to conserve Britain's natural Heritage
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