During the past 15 years, around 10,000 km2 of Antarctic ice sheets have disintegrated into the Weddell Sea. This has facilitated the study of the sea floor, where scientists have been amazed to find that the benthic ecosystem has recovered much more quickly than expected after such a devastating event. But if climate change increases the melting of the ice sheet, the re-colonization of the seabed may prove to be impossible

APRIL 27TH 2011

This disciple of Professor Ramon Margalef heads the Global Ecology Unit of the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). He has recently been awarded one of the two new Awards for Research of Catalonia, sponsored by Talència, specifically in recognition of his scientific career. The Scientific Career Award was accompanied with a purse of 40,000 euros.

JORDI MONTANER | OCTOBER 18TH, 2010

Once reintroduced to the Vall d'Aran and neighboring areas in the 1990's, these newcomer brown bears have not stopped reproducing in the Pyrenees. But how many individuals are needed to meet the minimum for a viable population? Eighty to 200, according to experts, a goal far above today’s numbers.

JORDI MONTANER

Tall and serious, Jaume Terrades i Serra is a man of few words and who never speaks with prior deliberation. He is critical, but also exhibits a touch of melancholy well suited to this scientist who is also a poet. His book Ecologia viscuda (Experienced Ecology) is based on his own life as an ecologist. In the poem “Auca de los sesenta y pocos” (“Auca at sixty-something”), he bares his soul with a familiar tone and a certain playfulness. Professor Emeritus of Ecology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and member of the Institute of Catalan Studies, Terrades organized the first research team on terrestrial ecosystems in Spain and was one of the first proponents of environmental education in this country.

JORDI MONTANER | SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2010

Barcelona’s Institute of Marine Sciences has succeeded for the first time ever in reproducing the most common species of jellyfish found in the Mediterranean in its laboratories.

Staff | June 22, 2010

It has already harvested two major awards by winning the Oscar for best documentary and being voted the best U.S. documentary by the audience at the Sundance Film Festival. No doubt this is a risky film. Its development lies in its structure, following a pattern typical of a thriller, taking apart piece by piece a macabre scenario that has pitted Japan versus the world’s public opinion. The Cove unveils a “theme park” that, in reality, is used as a farm to regularly slaughter whales and sell their meat on the market. In the morning, dolphins receive herring and applause, while at night, bullets dye the sea red and animals are butchered in a gloomy cave that lends its name to the documentary.

Jordi Montaner | 16 june 2010

What are epiphytic lichens? Is it easy to find ferns in the city of Barcelona? How do the algae found in ponds and fountains look under a microscope? How are fungi identified? What are the most abundant arthropods in parks? Spreading knowledge of the biological diversity of the city and increasing public awareness of the need to preserve the natural environment are the goals of BioBlitzBcn, a day of naturalistic inquiry open to the public and promoted by the University of Barcelona and the city of Barcelona.

11 june 2010

Catalonia’s Councilor of the Environment and Housing Francesc Baltasar delivered last week the Generalitat’s Environment Award to Dr. Josep Vigo, Professor of Botany at the University of Barcelona (UB), in recognition of his career-long dedication to the protection and improvement of the environment in the field of botany. Also in the field of Waste Reduction and Recycling Actions, the Generalitat awarded the work of the Food Bank Foundation for its more than 20 years fighting food waste.

7 june 2010

The Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) has announced its participation as the sole Spanish institution in the project “Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings,” promoted by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

4 june 2010

This weekend, the Agbar Museu de les Aigues (Agbar Water Museum) proposes two activities. On Saturday at 22:00, La Factoria Mascaro presents “El Jardín de las Maravillas” (“The Garden of Wonders”), while Sunday at 12:00, World Environment Day will be celebrated with Verdesca i Tresca. Both activities, free of charge, will be held in the Garden of the Museum.

4 june 2010

Biodiversity Campaign is a website of the European Commission that contains comprehensive information on the various plant and animal species common in Europe and the initiatives that are underway in the European Union to protect the continent’s biodiversity.

Today, June 1, at 21:30 the 17th edition of Barcelona International Environmental Film Festival (FICMA) gets under way at Cines Alexandra. This year, for the first time, programming will also be available on the website of the festival, which lasts until June 6.

1 june 2010

The blog “L’imperdible de la Terra” (“The indestructible of the Earth”) is an initiative of the Grup L’imperdible and contains information about everything that has to do with the environment, including topics as diverse as ecology, hiking, meteorology, agriculture, botany, ornithology, astronomy and animal adoptions, among others.

A tribute to people dispossessed of their land. A people deprived of a vital resource. Those who become ill from the unhygienic conditions that surround them. Victims of natural disasters compounded by human greed. Those who die unjustly. Those who defend a fundamental right. A tribute to all those whose voices have been silenced, repressed and forgotten. All because of that most precious resource: water.

Octavi Planells | 11 may 2010

There is no clear direction when it comes to sculpting policies that lead to successful environmental management. Politicians, economists, journalists, environmentalists, publishers, merchants, engineers and philosophers talk about climate change, sustainability and biodiversity without rhyme or reason. On the occasion of celebrating Earth Day, the Institute of Catalans Studies (IEC) asked for a pair of leading figures in environmental science, Carlos Montes and Ramon Folch to talk about what concerns them most regarding the state of the biosphere. Both experts are disciples, in turn, of two mythical figures of ecological studies in Spain: Fernando Gonzalez Hernandez and Ramon Margalef.

Jordi Montaner | 6 may 2010