biodiversity

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    New Chumash Heritage Marine Sanctuary Proposed off California Coast

    New Chumash Heritage Marine Sanctuary Proposed off California Coast

    The first tribally nominated marine sanctuary has been proposed by the Biden administration in collaboration with the Chumash tribe. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary would span 5,600 square miles off the coast of central California. The project is now undergoing a public comment period. The sanctuary would include an area off a 156-mile stretch […]

    Study Warns of ‘Massive Leaf Death’ in Tropical Forests With ‘Do Nothing Response to Climate Change’

    Study Warns of ‘Massive Leaf Death’ in Tropical Forests With ‘Do Nothing Response to Climate Change’

    Tropical forests are the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems on the planet, as well as some of the biggest climate regulators. Now, a new study by an international team of researchers finds that the planet’s tropical forest canopies could be closer to crucial high-temperature thresholds than was previously believed. For the study, the researchers used data […]

    Overfishing 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Overfishing 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Quick Key Facts What Is Overfishing? Overfishing occurs when fish are caught faster than their populations can reproduce and replenish themselves, and it’s among the greatest threats to our oceans. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, one-third of assessed fisheries worldwide are pushed beyond their biological limits, which has severe […]

    Extreme Heat in Florida Keys Threatens an Entire Ecosystem

    Extreme Heat in Florida Keys Threatens an Entire Ecosystem

    In July, a historic marine heat wave descended upon the Florida Keys. Unprecedented coral bleaching ensued within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), which boasts the largest coral barrier reef within the continental United States. With high temperatures predicted to persist until October, scientists worry about potential harm to the entire ecosystem. View this […]

    ‘Remarkable Discovery’ of Life Beneath Hydrodermal Vents Is Another Argument for Protecting the Deep Ocean

    ‘Remarkable Discovery’ of Life Beneath Hydrodermal Vents Is Another Argument for Protecting the Deep Ocean

    Scientists have discovered a new ecosystem beneath hydrothermal vents inside cavities of a well-explored undersea volcano. The volcano is located on the East Pacific Rise off the coast of Central America. An international team of scientists from Slovenia, Costa Rica, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States, led by Dr. Monika Bright, an ecologist […]

    Amazon Nations Sign Rainforest Protection Agreement, but Don’t Agree on Deforestation Deadline

    Amazon Nations Sign Rainforest Protection Agreement, but Don’t Agree on Deforestation Deadline

    Representatives from the eight countries that share the Amazon river basin have signed the Belém Declaration, an agreement to work together to conserve the planet’s largest rainforest that includes a list of shared environmental measures and policies. However, the accord fell short of a consensus on ending deforestation. The countries — Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, […]

    Tropical Trees Distance Themselves From Their Own Species to Protect Forest Diversity

    Tropical Trees Distance Themselves From Their Own Species to Protect Forest Diversity

    Tropical forests are the most biologically diverse land-based ecosystems on the planet, sometimes nurturing hundreds of tree species within one square mile. The concentration of diversity is astounding, even to scientists. In a new study conducted in a Panamanian forest, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) discovered that adult trees were […]