wetlands

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    Beavers to Be Reintroduced to English Wetlands After 400 Years

    Beavers to Be Reintroduced to English Wetlands After 400 Years

    Native to England, Wales and Scotland, the Eurasian beaver was hunted to extinction in the 16th century, according to The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. But they have been slowly returning to England and conservationists say they are now being reintroduced to the Nene Wetlands nature reserve in Northamptonshire, England, for the first […]

    Supreme Court Ruling Against EPA ‘Undoes a Half-Century of Progress’ in Protecting Waters of the United States

    Supreme Court Ruling Against EPA ‘Undoes a Half-Century of Progress’ in Protecting Waters of the United States

    A U.S. Supreme Court decision on Thursday will further limit the regulatory reach of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by implementing a strict new test for the declaration of wetlands protected under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The case involved a couple, Chantell and Michael Sacket, who had purchased property in Idaho with plans […]

    ‘We Have No Other Home’: Alaska Tribes Sue to Stop Largest Pure Gold Mine

    ‘We Have No Other Home’: Alaska Tribes Sue to Stop Largest Pure Gold Mine

    If the Donlin Gold Mine is built as planned in Southwest Alaska, it would be the largest pure gold mine in the world. It would also lead to the filling of thousands of acres of wetlands, harm salmon and rainbow smelt and risk a catastrophic spill of 20 to 40 percent of the up to 568 million tons of toxic waste that could end up stored behind a 471-foot tailings dam.

    1,500 Square Miles of Coastal Wetlands Have Vanished in Two Decades, Study Finds

    1,500 Square Miles of Coastal Wetlands Have Vanished in Two Decades, Study Finds

    Coastal wetlands are vitally important ecosystems. They store carbon dioxide, protect seaside communities from storms and provide habitats for marine life. Yet in the past two decades, Earth has lost 4,000 square kilometers (approximately 1,544 square miles) of tidal flats, tidal marshes and mangroves, a new study published in Science Thursday found. That’s a loss […]

    World’s Freshwater Ecosystems Contaminated With Salt Pollution Despite Government Guidelines

    World’s Freshwater Ecosystems Contaminated With Salt Pollution Despite Government Guidelines

    Saltwater pollution of the world’s freshwater ecosystems caused by agriculture fertilizers, road de-icing salts, mining operations and climate change is on the rise, and the current water quality guidelines in North America and Europe aren’t stringent enough to prevent it. An international study conducted by scientists from Europe and North America found that freshwater lakes […]

    Protecting Wetlands Yields Staggering Economic Benefit, Study Finds

    Protecting Wetlands Yields Staggering Economic Benefit, Study Finds

    By Kimberly M.S. Cartier Mangrove forests, marshes and seagrass beds protect inland areas from storm surges and strong winds. Over long periods, coastal wetlands like these build up sediment that mitigates sea level rise and local land subsidence. A new analysis of property damage from Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal storms has shown that […]