The best way to experience what our planet was like before modern humans began to dramatically change the landscape is to go where the wilderness is. There are more than 200,000 protected areas across the globe that, as of mid-2021, covered 16.64 percent of the land and 7.74 percent of oceans. These national parks exemplify […]
Conservation NGO African Parks has announced that it will work to rewild more than 2,000 southern white rhinos over the next decade. The organization has purchased Platinum Rhino, the planet’s biggest private captive breeding operation for rhinos, a press release from African Parks said. The property covers more than 19,000 acres in South Africa’s North […]
A new study has found a direct link between human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and the survival of polar bear cubs. The findings could help address a former legal opinion that impacts polar bear protections. A 2008 legal opinion from the Solicitor of the Department of Interior noted that emissions did not need to be considered […]
Scientists are managing the critically endangered kākāpō population in New Zealand using population sequencing. In addition to helping with kākāpō conservation, the project could also provide more information for similar projects to protect other threatened species. “Using technology created by Google, we have achieved what is likely the highest quality variant dataset for any endangered […]
Rapid global heating due to humans’ use of fossil fuels has contributed to an array of damaging environmental effects on the planet, including extreme weather, unprecedented ocean temperatures and a rapid decline in sea ice. Sea ice is the habitat of several animal species, including polar bears, Arctic fox, caribou and emperor penguins, who live […]
Quick Key Facts What Are ‘Wildlife Corridors’? A wildlife corridor is a strip of native habitat — either natural or human-made — connecting two or more natural habitats that have been disrupted by highways, cities or dams. Habitats of wild animals can span smaller areas like a riverbank or stretch thousands of miles across an […]
Wild tiger numbers in Bhutan have risen from 103 tigers in the country’s first tiger survey in 2015 to 131 individuals in a recent survey. But the wild tigers still face major threats, including poaching and habitat loss, according to the survey. “This is a significant achievement and an indication of a very healthy ecosystem,” […]
Quick Key Facts What Is Sustainable Travel? Sustainable travel can mean many things and take several forms, but in general it refers to tourism that leaves the smallest, if any, impact on ecosystems around the world while also respecting local customs and cultures. Sustainable tourism should take current and future impacts of all travel-related actions […]
California’s Mendocino Complex Fire, which started in July of 2018, was composed of two separate wildfires: the Ranch Fire and the River Fire. The Ranch Fire affected more than 410,000 acres, while the River Fire impacted around 48,900 acres, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The massive wildfire spread quickly and burned for […]