By Mike Gaworecki Today we take a look at efforts to protect the Cross River gorilla, one of the world’s rarest great ape subspecies, which include a radio program broadcast to nearly 4 million Nigerians that is helping to address the attitudes and knowledge gaps that lead to the human behaviors threatening the gorillas’ survival. […]
The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, renowned for its coral reefs, is facing an unprecedented ecological catastrophe after a tanker ran aground offshore and began leaking oil. The 984-foot MV Wakashio ran aground on July 25 and began to break up due to rough waters, The Guardian reported. It contained about 220.5 tons of diesel […]
By Kate Whiting Bernice Dapaah calls bamboo “a miracle plant,” because it grows so fast and absorbs carbon. But it can also work wonders for children’s education and women’s employment – as she’s discovered. Bamboo is abundant in her native Ghana, where she runs a social enterprise that employs women to transform it into bicycles […]
By Charli Shield When an elephant dies in the wild, it’s not uncommon to later find its bones scattered throughout the surrounding landscape. That’s one way you can tell other elephants have passed through the area, says George Wittemyer, a wildlife conservation biologist at Colorado State University who’s been researching African elephants in Kenya’s Samburu […]
More than 350 elephants have died in Botswana since May, and no one knows why. Poaching has been ruled out, because no tusks have been removed from the elephants’ bodies, but it is possible the animals are dying of a disease that could spread to the human population. “Yes, it is a conservation disaster — […]
By Sulaiman Sesay I lost five family members to Ebola within two weeks when the virus ravaged Liberia in 2014. First my uncle became sick. I called an ambulance to take him to the treatment center, but he died before they came. Everyone who attended to him became infected and passed away. At the time, […]
By Sonya Diehn More than 2 billion hectares of previously productive land is degraded. For Desertification and Drought Day on June 17, DW spoke with Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). DW: What do you want people to know about this year’s desertification day? Ibrahim Thiaw: Despite COVID-19, […]
By Kimberly White Ethiopia has set out to plant 5 billion tree seedlings this year. The planting is part of the country’s larger reforestation initiative spearheaded by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Launched in 2019, the Green Legacy initiative aims to combat environmental degradation, build resilience, and transition into a green society. The nation has lost […]
By Lamfu Fabrice Yengong and Sylvie Djacbou Deugoue Biodiversity loss is a global crisis. In May last year, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warned that over 1,000,000 species are threatened with extinction worldwide. On May 22, the International Day of Biodiversity, it is important to recall the silent victims of […]