CABI Blogs: hand picked... and carefully sorted

“Demitarianism” to reduce meat consumption and environmental pressures

Barcelona market, photo by Vera Barbosa

As I discussed in a previous blog posted here, ‘Going Veggie to save the planet – does what you eat really matter?’ perhaps we should be eating less meat or even become vegetarians because meat production put considerable pressure on the world’s resources, such as land and water, and also to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. A meat-based diet consumes 2.9 times more water, 2.5 times more primary energy, 13 times more fertilizer and 1.4 times more pesticides than does a vegetarian diet.

Ash dieback – where are we now?

Image courtesy of Fera

The spread of ash dieback in the UK hit the headlines last year bringing the issues of forest health to the fore (see Ash dieback hits British countryside. But what is the current status of the disease?

Much has been done since outbreak, a helpline has been set up and The Forestry Commission has been tracking the dieback and has recently published a map with 378 confirmed findings of the diseases (as of the 18^th Feb). In addition, a key scientific facts paper has been prepared by the expert group led by the government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir John Beddington.

The Food and Environmenta Research Agency (Fera) has a  website with images of disease symptoms and also some videos of the brief history, life cycle and symptoms of Chalara (http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/plantHealth/pestsDiseases/chalaraInfo.cfm), and the UK Plant Sciences Federation has recently introduced a new website that collates the latest research information on ash dieback (http://treehealth.plantsci.org.uk/).

A great amount of information has been made available to the public to check for ash dieback, examples include The Ash Dieback Pocket Guide produced by the Woodland Trust, and a ‘how you can help’ page on the National Trust website (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/what-we-do/big-issues/nature-and-outdoors/ash-dieback/).

How alien species cost Europe €12bn a year

 A report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) sets out the staggering cost of alien species - animals and plants brought to Europe from other parts of the world. The cost, and the threat to health and the environment, is said to be greater than expected, costing at least €12bn (£10bn) a year.

More than 10,000 "alien" species have gained a foothold in Europe, from Asian tiger mosquitoes to North American ragweed, and at least 1,500 are known to be harmful, the EEA said. And the real cost could be even greater than quoted.

Measuring up? Analysing aid and international development at OxFID 2013

By Daniel O'Hara

Return On Investment. To many that phrase brings to mind the corporate sector, with its insistence on low costs and high profits. Far fewer people would think of ROI in relation to international development – its focus on getting the best value for money perhaps seems at odds with development’s aims of getting the best value for people.

Cats versus dogs… and an insight for Oxford pet owners!

Idolised in Ancient Egypt, then vilified in Medieval Europe, the domestication of cats has taken them on an interesting route from uninvited guests chasing mice in our grain stores to the moggies we cuddle today. At John Bradshaw’s talk at Blackwell’s in Oxford last month, evidence of their interesting history was just around the corner at the Pitt Rivers Museum, where mummified cats are part of its unusual collection. Dogs, on the other hand, have a long history of being companions to humans, bred into many shapes and sizes to make them capable of a number of tasks that have played a key role both in human and canine evolution.