Conservation

An analysis of crops and croplands has found that 1.6 million acres of grasslands in the Great Plains of the U.S. and Canada were destroyed in just one year, in 2021. The amount of grassland plowed during this time is about the size of Delaware, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported. The new Plowprint Report […]

A new editorial published in more than 200 health journals challenges health professionals and world leaders to look at global biodiversity loss and climate change as “one indivisible crisis” that must be confronted as a whole. The authors of the editorial call separating the two emergencies a “dangerous mistake,” and encourage the World Health Organization […]

According to a new study, life on our planet is “under siege” from humans and its “vital signs” have been pushed to the limit. As wildfires rage and record temperatures cause everything from coral bleaching to widespread drought and water shortages, the international team of scientists who declared a climate emergency back in 2019 have […]

A coalition of research organizations and civil society, the Forest Declaration Assessment, has conducted a new study that evaluates the progress toward eliminating deforestation by nations, companies and investors, as well as restoring 865 million acres of degraded land, by the end of the decade. The report, “Off Track and Falling Behind,” shows that last […]

Agriculture is the primary driver of forest and habitat loss worldwide. Some wilderness areas in northern climates have begun to be more suitable for agriculture due to global heating, and this is increasing the risk of agricultural expansion, putting ecosystems at risk. A new study by researchers from the University of Exeter shows that humans […]

Quick Key Facts What Is a ‘Nature Reserve’? Nature reserves are large areas of land that have been set aside to protect and preserve natural habitat and ecosystems for common, rare and endangered animal and plants species and their natural processes. Designating areas to be protected from human development ensures everyone will have access to […]

The main driver of the extinction of plant and wildlife species around the world is habitat loss. In the U.S. alone, approximately 650 species have become extinct or are “missing in action,” according to the National Wildlife Federation. This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) removed 21 species from the Endangered Species Act […]

Quick Key Facts What Are Invasive Species? Whether an animal, a plant or a microbe, an invasive species generally describes a living thing that has not historically lived in a given region. An invasive species by definition has a decidedly negative ecological or economic impact on the habitat it has entered, according to the U.S. […]