New paper says discussion on benefits and risks of synthetic biology to conservation is necessary From re-creating extinct species to the risk of genetically modified super-speciesUpcoming conference at Clare College in Cambridge, England, on April 9-11 will examine the nexus of synthetic biology and conservation NEW YORK (April 2, 2013)—What effects will the rapidly growing field of synthetic biology have on the conservation of nature? The ecological and ethical challenges stemmin...

WCS scientists conduct vulnerability assessment of 54 bird species Gyrfalcon and common eider likely to be “highly” vulnerable Results will help inform future research and wildlife management NEW YORK (APRIL 2, 2013) – A new report from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) looked at the vulnerability of 54 breeding bird species to climate change impacts occurring by the year 2050 in Arctic Alaska. The assessment found that two spe...

WCS Canada Reports Safe Havens and Safe Passages  Key to Conserving Wildlife in Southern Canadian Rockies Grizzly bear, wolverine, and bull trout among species ranked as "highly" vulnerable to climate change and road use TORONTO (March 7, 2013) A new report from the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada) creates a conservation strategy that will promote wildlife resiliency in the Southern Canadian Rockies to the future im...

Wildlife Conservation Society and National University of Singapore discover American bullfrog is spreading Chytrid through commercial trade Study: “There is an urgent need to conduct wider surveys of wild amphibians in Southeast Asia" New York, 06 March 2013 – A team of scientists led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), revealed in a new study, for the first time, the presence of the pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachoch...

Wildlife Conservation Society joins call on governments to list species of sharks and rays on CITES NEW YORK (March 6, 2013)—Government delegates to the 16th meeting of the 178 member States of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) convening in Bangkok, Thailand this week can help conserve some of the world’s most threatened sharks and rays—ancient, cartilaginous fish species that are under severe pressure globally from over-fishing –...

Two million hectares of tropical forests will be protected thanks to Size of Wales, an environmental charity based in its namesake country. WCS-Europe worked with Size of Wales on its project in the Republic of Congo’s Conkouati National Park.

Pilot Project Helps Scientists, Managers, and Conservationists Pro-Actively Prepare for a Changing Climate BOZEMAN (February 27, 2013). Researchers have successfully piloted a process that enables natural resource managers to take action to conserve particular wildlife, plants and ecosystems as climate changes. The Adaptation for Conservation Targets (ACT) framework is a practical approach to assessing how future changes in air and water temperatures, precipitation, stream flows, snowpack,...

A new study reveals that some birds keep their distance from human dwellings, while others cozy up to our homes. The study examined the impacts of the human footprint encroaching on the Adirondack Park’s rural areas, finding that development may affect wildlife several hundred meters from our homes.

Some species keeping their distance, while others cozy up to human neighbors Impacts on wildlife extend deep into surrounding forest (NEW YORK – February 25, 2013) – According to a study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), impacts to bird communities from a single rural, “exurban” residence can extend up to 200 meters into the surrounding forest. The study also determined that sensitive bird species such as the hermit thrush and scarlet t...

Fewer than 250 of the critically endangered crocs remain in the wild Release is a collaboration of WCS, Government of Lao PDR, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment,  Minmetals Resources Limited, Lao Zoo,  and local communities THAN SOUM, LAO PDR (February 21, 2013) — The Wildlife Conservation Society announced today the successful release of 19 critically endangered baby Siamese crocodiles into a local wetland in Lao PDR, where they will be repatri...