View of Le Morne Brabant peninsula from the top of Le Morne Brabant, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mauritius Credit: ©dcarsprungli

Before photos, there were drawings. They ranged from cave drawings of animals like lions, bison, mammoths, horses, and warty pigs, to illustrations in early Victorian botanical journals of the natural world, portraying meticulously described species that served to document life on earth. These drawings brought living things in distant and close destinations to all those […]

Amazon Rainforest, near Manaus

Efforts to save and enhance biodiversity work better when local communities are involved. That is the conclusion of research undertaken in 2021 by 17 scientists on “The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation,” published in the journal Ecology & Society. “Involving IPLCs [Indigenous peoples and local communities] is perceived […]

According to English landowner and conservation pioneer Charlie Burrell, “Everyone wants to feel that it’s possible to do something and if you’ve got a real hope story — that you can transform an agricultural desert into something which is very rich and biodiverse — it becomes all possible and something that you can do.” At […]

Rainbow shower tree (Cassiaxnealiae)

By Danielle Carpenter – Climate change and extreme climatic events are having grave consequences for plant biodiversity around the world. Fires in Australia, the Amazon and North America are destroying key ecosystems. Bark beetles are benefiting from warmer temperatures to kill increasing numbers of trees worldwide. Extreme drought in some areas and flooding in others […]

Lewis Pugh calls himself an ocean advocate and a pioneer swimmer. To call attention to climate change, he’s swimming in the most challenging waters on earth, such as in the Antarctic, Arctic and the Himalayas. On his website, he states, “I am doing it to carry a message about the health of our oceans. We […]

How can farmers become teachers and villages become classrooms? Quite easily and naturally in Nepal. Because they know the land and environment intimately, local farmers and villagers in eastern Nepal are helping to identify and preserve the country’s immense variety of flora and fauna. Using the local knowledge of the people living there, the non-profit KTK-BELT Project […]

“Watermen” are amazing. But, you ask, What are they? “Watermen are people who truly love the water and everything that has to do with the ocean.  Salt water runs in their veins. They would rather be in or on the water than on land, comfortable enjoying it in whatever manner they can. Freediving, sailing, surfing, […]

Here’s part 4 of the series on water conservation by global expert James Workman, pictured here. James Workman is author of Heart of Dryness: How the Last Bushmen Can Help Us Endure the Coming Age of Permanent Drought. He is a visiting professor at Wesleyan University’s College of the Environment and co-founder of SmartMarkets LLC, […]

Here’s part 3 of the series on water conservation by global expert James Workman, pictured here. Last installment: next Friday! James Workman is author of Heart of Dryness: How the Last Bushmen Can Help Us Endure the Coming Age of Permanent Drought. He is a visiting professor at Wesleyan University’s College of the Environment and co-founder […]