Illustrative image of a construction site, undated. An ecologist has criticised the ongoing sealing of soils in Austria and called for a "general planning concept" to protect local ecosystems. (NewsX/Bee)
Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig (left) and entomologist Thomas Zuna-Kratky pose in an undated photo. The team of scientists headed by Dr Thomas Zuna-Kratky from Vienna University's Department of Evolutionary Biology found that 1,580 square kilometres of soil - which is four times the size of the federal capital - had been sealed within the last 30 years. (BML/Hemerka, NewsX/Bee)
Soil-Sealing Advances In Austria As Scientist Urges To Protect Water Sources
Picture shows a creation of vegetation-free patches (1m) on a calcareous grassland near Gttingen, Germany, undated. Removing the vegetation on just a few small patches of soil can significantly increase the activity of a group of indispensable pollinators, researchers in Germany have found. (Hanna Gardein, NewsX/Bee)