European WILDLIFE

The thawing pace of the Greenland glacier is faster than scientists have predicted so far. According to a new study, increasingly larger pieces of ice are breaking off the world’s largest island. Subsequently, they melt in the Atlantic ocean and contribute to the rise of the sea level worldwide. The Greenland glacier is thawing four times faster compared to 2003.

Authors of the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences magazine …

The extreme drought that hit Central European countries this year has revived the debate on the construction of new reservoirs and fish ponds. But this year’s high temperatures have also shown that these methods of retaining water in the landscape do not work.
Indeed, this year’s precipitation was so low that even numerous reservoirs lost their water, as did many fish ponds. Even ponds that still retained water showed significantly lower water levels and, moreover, …

While foresters in many European countries addressed the forest crisis this year, especially in the wake of drought and the bark beetle calamity, a much greater threat to Europe’s forests is lurking. Non-native woody species are spreading in forests, including dangerous invasive species.

“If you walk through the landscape, you are happy to see deciduous tree species in the monocultures of spruce and pine. When you come closer, the positive feeling often turns into disappointment …

Yesterday, one more reserve experiencing the return of wild horses was added to the map of Central Europe. In the west of the Czech Republic, not far from the town of Dobrany, a group of six young male horses has been grazing since yesterday afternoon. They arrived from the former military training area of Milovice near Prague.

“We are very happy that wild horses born in our reserve will help manage another natural place of …

One of the rarest species of birds in Central Europe has returned to a large herbivore reserve located at the former military training area of Milovice near Prague. This year, scientists first observed the Eurasian hoopoe in grazing areas. “The bird was spotted repeatedly in the local pastures – sometimes even several times per day; during the previous three years, we did not encounter the creature at all in these places,” explained Miloslav Jirku from …