extinction

We Need to Talk About Spider Conservation

We Need to Talk About Spider Conservation

By John R. Platt Spiders need our help, and we may need to overcome our biases and fears to make that happen. “The feeling that people have towards spiders is not unique,” says Marco Isaia, an arachnologist and associate professor at the University of Turin in Italy. “Nightmares, anxieties and fears are very frequent reactions […]

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    10 Environmental Books We’re Reading This Spring

    10 Environmental Books We’re Reading This Spring

    By John R. Platt Spring has arrived, and while the rapidly improving weather begs us to spend more time outdoors and with friends and families, the ongoing pandemic also offers some good reasons to stay safe and indoors until most people have been vaccinated. So let’s get out into the world virtually with the latest […]

    5 Things to Know About the Fate of Wild Salmon

    5 Things to Know About the Fate of Wild Salmon

    By Tara Lohan It’s not too hard to find salmon on a menu in the United States, but that seeming abundance — much of it fueled by overseas fish farms — overshadows a grim reality on the ground. Many of our wild salmon, outside Alaska, are on the ropes — and have been for decades. […]

    Curiosity Is Killing Harpy Eagles in Central and South America

    Curiosity Is Killing Harpy Eagles in Central and South America

    By Claire Wordley The rancher peers at an enormous bird high in the treetops. Reining in his horse, he squints upward. It’s not moving; maybe it will still be there when he gets back. An hour later, he returns with a gun. The huge animal is still there, motionless. Taking aim, he fires, and the […]

    Is Your Avocado Toast and Almond Milk Harming Bees? Maybe

    Is Your Avocado Toast and Almond Milk Harming Bees? Maybe

    At first glance, you wouldn’t think avocados and almonds could harm bees; but a closer look at how these popular crops are produced reveals their potentially detrimental effect on pollinators. Turns out, bee labor is required to produce most avocados and almonds in the U.S. Honeybees pollinate most fruits and vegetables in the country, The […]

    ‘Presumed Extinct’ Bird Is Found in Indonesia

    ‘Presumed Extinct’ Bird Is Found in Indonesia

    In October 2020, two men living in Indonesia’s South Kalimantan province on Borneo managed to catch a bird that they had never seen before. They photographed and released it, then sent the pictures to birdwatching organizations in the area for identification. Ornithologist Panji Gusti Akbar was equally surprised when he saw Fauzan and Suranto’s picture […]

    One Third of Freshwater Fish Face Extinction, New Report Warns

    One Third of Freshwater Fish Face Extinction, New Report Warns

    The latest warning of the Earth’s mounting extinction crisis is coming from its lakes and rivers. A new report from a coalition of 16 conservation groups warns that almost a third of freshwater fish species face extinction because of human activity. “Nowhere is the world’s nature crisis more acute than in our rivers, lakes and […]

    How to Save Saltwater Wetlands From Rising Seas

    How to Save Saltwater Wetlands From Rising Seas

    By Jeff Peterson America’s coastal saltwater wetlands are on a course toward functional extinction in the coming decades. Their demise will come at the hands of steadily accelerating sea-level rise and relentless coastal development. As these wetlands disappear, they will take with them habitat, storm buffering and carbon sequestration benefits of tremendous value. Fortunately, there […]

    Scientists Sound Alarm About Insect Apocalypse

    Scientists Sound Alarm About Insect Apocalypse

    By Jessica Corbett A collection of new scientific papers authored by 56 experts from around the world reiterates rising concerns about bug declines and urges people and governments to take urgent action to address a biodiversity crisis dubbed the “insect apocalypse.” “The Global Decline of Insects in the Anthropocene Special Feature,” which includes an introduction […]