Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Brazil Authorities Seize Nearly 29 Tons of Shark Fins in Record Bust

Written by: Karla Mendes Brazilian authorities announced the seizure of almost 29 tons of shark fins in June, exposing the extent of what they described...

Rewilding: Extinct Snails Return to Polynesian Island After 30 Years in Largest Wildlife Reintroduction...

Written by: Elizabeth Claire Alberts The Polynesian tree snail, a tiny mollusk about the size of an aspirin pill, used to be found in abundance on...

Sighting of West African Lion Cubs Sparks Hope for the Critically Endangered Species in...

Written by: Liz Kimbrough New video of a West African lioness and her three cubs is exciting news for the conservation community, sparking hope for...

Scotland Bans Sport of Fox Hunting

Written by: Kimberly White  The sport of fox hunting has been relegated to the past in Scotland. The Scottish Government has recently passed legislation limiting...

Good-bye, Tiger King: U.S. Senate Unanimously Passes Big Cat Public Safety Act

Written by: Kimberly White  The United States Senate has passed legislation set to restrict private ownership of big cats and ban public contact with these...

Wolves and Brown Bear Numbers Are Up in Europe, a New Report Shows

Written by: Stephen Hall Predators such as wolves and brown bears were once a common sight in Europe and could be found roaming in every...

Farmers in Vietnam Want to Foster Coexistence with Elephants, Support Local Livelihoods

Written by: Sean Mowbray Solving human-wildlife conflict is a complex issue and a pressing concern for a wide variety of endangered species, none more so...

Rewilding: Reintroduction of Big Cats Brings Back Four Species of Critically Endangered Vulture in...

Written by: Ryan Truscott Four species of critically endangered vulture have returned to a park in southern Malawi from which they disappeared more than 20...

How a Project to Rewild the American West Could Help Tackle Climate Change

Written by: Victoria Masterson Rewilding could help the western US fight climate change and protect more than 90 threatened species, including the grey wolf and...

Great White Sharks Occasionally Hunt in Pairs – New Research Sheds Light on Social...

Written by: Yannis Papastamatiou Sitting anchored to the rocky reef 70 feet (21 meters) below the surface of the ocean, hundreds of scalloped hammerhead sharks...

Pakistan Moves to Reintroduce Critically Endangered Crocodilians Back to its Rivers

Written by: Abhaya Raj Joshi Pakistan is aiming for the return of an apex predator not seen in the country in nearly four decades: the...

Fruit Bats: The Winged ‘Conservationists’ Reforesting Parts of Africa

Written by: Dina Dechmann and Mariëlle van Toor Straw-coloured fruit bats exist throughout most of the African continent. This large fruit bat is one of, if...

California Court Rules Insects Qualify for Endangered Species Protections

Written by: Liz Kimbrough A California court has ruled that state legislation on endangered species can apply to invertebrates. The decision this week by the Third District...

How Innovative Financing Can Help Protect the Black Rhino Population

Written by: Oliver Withers When asked about illegal activity around the world, areas that most people would consider would include drugs, human trafficking and...

How We Discovered That Sea Turtles in Seychelles Have Recovered from the Brink

Written by: April Burt, Adam Pritchard, and Cheryl Sanchez It’s not always easy to assess whether animal conservation measures have worked. But we’ve discovered that...

Reptiles: Why One In Five Species Face Extinction

Written by: Louise Gentle Reptiles are cold-blooded and scaly animals, the majority of which are predators. They include some of the most deadly and venomous creatures on...

5 Reasons to Love (and Protect) Freshwater Mussels

Written by: Tara Lohan In September the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing 23 species from the federal list of endangered species — not because they’d...

A First for Large African Mammals: DNA Used to Count Gabon’s Endangered Forest Elephants

Written by: Fiona Maisels, Alice Laguardia, and Gaspard Abitsi Across the African continent the populations of both species of African elephants – forest and savanna...

Time to End Wildlife Crime: Malawi Advocates for Global Agreement to Combat Wildlife Crime

Written by: Kimberly White  The Government of Malawi has joined a growing call for an ambitious new global agreement to tackle wildlife crime.  Last year, Gabon...

Hawaii Becomes First U.S. State to Ban Shark Fishing 

Written by: Kimberly White Hawaii has become the first U.S. state to ban shark fishing.  Hawaiian Governor David Ige signed the shark protection bill into law...

Large Herbivores May Improve an Ecosystem’s Carbon Persistence

Written by: Rishika Pardikar Wildlife and open-canopy ecosystems like grasslands are rarely a part of discussions surrounding climate change mitigation. Now, a new review points to interactions...

New Study Says Conservation and Food Production Must Be Considered in Tandem to Limit...

Written by: Sheryl Lee Tian Tong Confining conservation efforts to only 30 percent of Earth’s land may render a fifth of mammals and a third...

Rewilding Mozambique: Leopards Return to Zinave

Written by: Kimberly White  Leopards have been introduced into Zinave National Park in an effort to rewild the region. The two leopards, a female and...

Rewilding: Cheetahs Will Return to Maputo Special Reserve After 60 Years

Written by: Kimberly White Cheetahs are set to return to Mozambique’s Maputo Special Reserve for the first time in 60 years. Maputo Special Reserve was initially...

Nature Doesn’t Recognise Borders but Countries Can Collaborate to Save Species. The Escazú Agreement...

Written by: Rebecca K. Runting, Leslie Roberson, and Sofía López-Cubillos Nature rarely recognises national borders. Many Australian birds, for example, are annual visitors, splitting their time between...

Angola Joins Global Call to Strengthen International Environmental Law to Tackle Wildlife Crime

Written by: Kimberly White The Government of Angola has joined a global call to strengthen international environmental law to tackle wildlife crime.  Earlier this year, Gabon...

New Global Biodiversity Goals Must Take These Key Lessons Into Account

Written by: David Obura A framework to help countries develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of their natural resources is nearing completion....

Hong Kong Cracks Down on Wildlife Trafficking, Adds Illegal Wildlife Trade to Organized Crime...

Written by: Kimberly White  Hong Kong is cracking down on illegal wildlife trafficking. The Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) passed a bill that incorporates...

New Campaign Aims to Rediscover Lost Fish Around the Globe

Written by: Kimberly White Re:wild and Shoal have set out to rediscover elusive fish species around the globe. The wildlife conservation organizations have launched a Search...

Scotland Could Become the World’s First ‘Rewilding Nation’

Written by: Stephanie Parker The worldwide populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish fell by an average of 68 percent between 1970 and 2016,...

Gabon and Costa Rica: International Environmental Law Must be Strengthened to Tackle Wildlife Crime,...

Written by: Kimberly White  Gabon and Costa Rica have joined together to call for more ambitious international environmental law to tackle wildlife crime.  The Intergovernmental Science-Policy...

Driven to Extinction in the United States, Scientists Suggest Now May Be the Time...

Written by: Kimberly White Scientists suggest that it may be time to begin reintroducing jaguars into the United States.  Once ranging from southern Argentina to the...

Global Campaign Aims to End Cheetah Trafficking

Written by: Kimberly White The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) has launched a new campaign to put a stop to cheetah trafficking.  With less than 7,500 cheetahs...

TikTok Joins Global Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online

Written by: Kimberly White  TikTok has joined the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking. In an effort to protect some of the world’s most endangered species, TikTok...

African Elephants Recognized as Two Species, Listed as Endangered and Critically Endangered

Written by: Kimberly White  African elephants face a greater risk of extinction than previously thought, according to a new assessment from the International Union for...

Dig This: A Tiny Echidna Moves 8 Trailer-loads of Soil a Year, Helping Tackle...

Written by: David John Eldridge After 200 years of European farming practices, Australian soils are in poor shape – depleted of nutrients and organic matter, including carbon....

Playing a Game on Your Phone Could Help Save Endangered Species. Here’s How

Written by: Natalie Marchant More than 35,500 species are threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. Now a...

More Than 50 Countries Pledge to Protect 30% of the World’s Land and Ocean...

Written by: Kimberly White Governments from around the globe have come together to champion a global deal for nature protection. More than 50 countries have joined...

Leonardo DiCaprio Joins Forces with the European Commission and Global Wildlife Conservation for Biodiversity...

Written by: Kimberly White Leonardo DiCaprio has joined forces with the European Commission and Global Wildlife Conservation to protect biodiversity through the launch of two...

This NGO is Tackling Brazil’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Using WhatsApp and Facebook

Written by: Peter Yeung In the tropical forest surrounding Alter do Chão, a Brazilian town located on a languid stretch of the Amazon River and...

World’s Leading Conservation Groups Call on G20 to Invest in Nature to Reduce Risk...

Written by: Kimberly White  Twenty of the world’s leading conservation organizations have joined together to urge the G20 to invest in nature to protect biodiversity...

“Lost” Malagasy Chameleon Species Rediscovered After More Than a Century

Written by: Kimberly White  Scientists have rediscovered a “lost” species of chameleon. During a two-week expedition in Madagascar, a team of scientists successfully rediscovered the...

Jellies Transfer a Significant Amount of Carbon to the Deep Ocean

Written by: Rachel Fritts New research suggests jellies play a more valuable role in food webs and carbon storage than scientists previously thought. A new study in the...

Endangered Tasmanian Devils Return to Australian Mainland for First Time in 3,000 Years

Written by: Kimberly White  Tasmanian devils have returned to mainland Australia.  In an effort to rewild Australia, conservationists released 26 Tasmanian Devils into a 400-hectare wildlife...

Run Wild: UN Environment and adidas Runtastic Challenge Runners to Outrun Endangered Species in...

Written by: Kimberly White The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and adidas Runtastic have unveiled a new challenge to raise awareness of biodiversity loss and...

Protecting Half of the Planet is the Best Way to Fight Climate Change and...

Written by: Greg Asner Humans are dismantling and disrupting natural ecosystems around the globe and changing Earth’s climate. Over the past 50 years, actions like...

This Project is Using AI and Drones to Track and Protect Great White Sharks

Written by: Johnny Wood Despite their menacing big-screen presence, sharks rarely attack humans. Meanwhile, man-made pressures including habitat loss, overfishing and illegal fishing cause untold damage...

Rhino Poaching Falls by More Than Half in South Africa and Namibia

Written by: Kimberly White  Rhino poaching has decreased significantly in South Africa and Namibia.  Rhino poaching in South Africa fell by 53 percent in the first...

New AI Technology for Chimps Could Help Bust Wildlife Traffickers

Written by: Colin Sytsma The global spread of social media has created unparalleled opportunities for wildlife traffickers to advertise their illicit wares to potential buyers...

Tiger Populations Increase Across Six Countries, Offering New Hope for Iconic Species

Written by: Kimberly White  For the first time in four years, new tigers have been documented in a region of western Thailand. Thailand’s Department of...

Vietnam Bans Wildlife Trade to Reduce Risk of Future Pandemics

Written by: Kimberly White  Vietnam has taken an important step forward in preventing future pandemics. Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued an extensive...

Italian Divers Just Rescued a Whale Caught in ‘Ghost’ Fishing Nets

Written by: Charlotte Edmond Just because a net is no longer being used doesn’t mean it can’t continue to catch things. Italian divers have...

Drone Captures Thousands of Sea Turtles Flocking to Great Barrier Reef

Written by: Elizabeth Claire Alberts From high above, the blue sea looks like it’s speckled with tiny white dots. But a closer look reveals more:...

New International Alliance Aims to End Wildlife Crime

Written by: Kimberly White A new alliance has formed to take on the illegal wildlife trade. To mark World Environment Day, an alliance of environmental, policy,...

Leonardo DiCaprio Helps Raise $2 Million to Support Mountain Gorilla Conservation

Written by: Kimberly White Leonardo DiCaprio has joined forces with Emerson Collective, Global Wildlife Conservation, and the European Commission to support Virunga National Park.  Co-founded by...

Philippine Village Delivers Nearly 300 Critically Endangered Sea Turtle Hatchlings to Sea

Written by: Erwin M. Mascariñas Villagers in the southern Philippines taking part in an initiative to protect turtle nesting sites have recorded their most successful...

Hong Kong Authorities Seize 26 Tonnes of Shark Fins

Written by: Kimberly White  Authorities have seized 26 tonnes of shark fins in Hong Kong, the largest shark fin seizure in the region. Customs officials...

Camera Traps Completed One of the Most Thorough Surveys of African Rainforest Yet

Written by: Mattia Bessone and Barbara Fruth Tropical rainforests are the world’s richest land habitats for biodiversity, harbouring stunning numbers of plant and animal species....

Global Wildlife Coalition Launches to End Wildlife Trade, Stop Future Pandemics

Written by: Kimberly White A new coalition has launched to put an end to the commercial wildlife trade. WildAid, Global Wildlife Conservation, and the...

EU Funding to Aid in Conservation of the World’s Rarest Gorilla

Written by: Kimberly White The EU has launched a new initiative to protect the world’s rarest gorilla. The EU announced a four-year, two million euro...

Recipe for Slowing Species Loss and Cutting Extinction Risk in Half

Courtesy of Forests News Written by: Julie Mollins Limiting climate change to 2 degrees Celsius and conserving 30 percent of terrestrial area could halve the...

Rhino Poaching Has Declined in South Africa for Fifth Consecutive Year

Written by: Kimberly White  Rhino poaching has decreased for the fifth straight year in South Africa. The South African government has reported fewer rhinos were...

1,400 Pounds of Shark Fins Seized in Miami

Written by: Kimberly White U.S. government officials recently seized 1,400 pounds of shark fins at a port in Miami, Florida. Wildlife inspectors discovered the shark...

The Carbon Sequestration Powers of the Near-Extinct Forest Elephant

Courtesy of Landscape News Written by: Augusta Dwyer As they move through the rainforest munching plants and shouldering aside small trees, Africa’s forest elephant might...

China Temporarily Bans Wildlife Trade to Contain Coronavirus Outbreak

Written by: Rhett Butler Conservationists are welcoming news that the Chinese Government has temporarily banned the sale of wildlife in markets, restaurants and over...

Buy One, Get Fifteen: New Campaign Shines Light on Strict Penalties for Wildlife Crime...

Written by: Kimberly White WildAid and CHANGE are raising awareness of strict penalties for wildlife gifts in Vietnam with a new campaign. Disguised as the...

Filter Feeders Could be Ingesting Hundreds of Microplastic Particles Each Hour

Written by: Mike Gaworecki New research finds that large filter feeders in the waters of Indonesia could be ingesting dozens to hundreds of microplastic particles...

Endangered Mountain Gorilla Population Continues to Rise

Written by: Kimberly White  Mountain gorillas are ending the decade on a positive note. According to a new census, the mountain gorilla population in Uganda’s...

Svalbard Reindeer Population on the Rise, study says

Written by: Shreya Dasgupta Reindeer and caribou populations have been declining dramatically over the past few decades. But one subspecies of reindeer seems to be doing better,...

Towards Two Billion Trees: New Plan to End Deforestation and Aid Koala Recovery in...

Written by: Kimberly White  The World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia has announced a new strategy to aid koala recovery following the bushfires that have razed...

Critically Endangered Crocodile Confirmed Nesting in Nepal After 37 Years

Written by: Shreya Dasgupta There may be a glimmer of hope for the critically endangered gharial, a unique crocodile known for its long, narrow snout...

Satellite Collars to Reinforce Elephant Protection Efforts in Nigeria

Written by: Kimberly White  Elephants in Nigeria are getting a technological boost in protection. The Wildlife Conservation Society Nigeria has fitted six elephants with GPS/satellite...

UN Environment and adidas Runtastic Team Up to Run Wild for Snow Leopards

Written by: Kimberly White  The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and digital health and fitness giant adidas Runtastic have launched a new challenge to highlight...

Animals are disappearing from forests, with grave consequences for the fight against climate breakdown...

Written by: Charlie Gardner, Jake Bicknell, Matthew Struebig, and Zoe Davies It’s tempting to think that our forests would be fine if we could simply...

Sumatra survey looks to identify at-risk rhinos for captive breeding

Written by: Junaidi Hanafiah Translated by: Aria Danaparamita As Indonesia prepares to launch a new captive-breeding facility for Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) in the northern province...

Spiders are threatened by climate change – and even the biggest arachnophobes should be...

Written by: Sergio Henriques Is climate change making spiders more aggressive? A recent scientific study suggests so, as the researchers link aggressiveness to tropical cyclones, events that...

Mass starvation of reindeer linked to climate change and habitat loss

Written by: Ilona Kater Reindeer are incredibly hardy creatures – they survived the last Ice Age and today live in some of the world’s most...

Kenya Launches Awareness Campaign to Stop Illegal Ivory Trade

Written by: Kimberly White The First Lady of Kenya, Margaret Kenyatta, has officially launched the “Ivory Trade is a Rip-off” campaign. The campaign is a...

Elephant and Rhino Populations Rebounding Following Poaching Crackdown in Tanzania

Written by: Kimberly White  Rhino and elephant populations are on the rise in Tanzania. The population rebound is a result of government efforts to crackdown...

Thousands of Endangered Wildlife Seized in Joint INTERPOL-WCO Operation

Written by: Kimberly White  INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO) took on wildlife traffickers last month with Operation Thunderball. Coordinated by INTERPOL’s Environmental Security...

WildAid Announces New Plan to Strengthen Marine and Coastal Areas

Written by: Kimberly White WildAid has announced an ambitious new plan to strengthen enforcement of 250 marine and coastal areas by 2025. These areas have...

Conservation Win for Elephants in Mozambique

Written by: Kimberly White Once plagued with wildlife crime, the Niassa National Reserve has become a safe haven for elephants. On June 17th, the Wildlife...

Action is needed to save West Africa’s critically endangered chimpanzees

Written by: Tatyana Humle, Rosa Garriga, and Luna Cuadrado In 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the western African subspecies of...

Climate change is putting even resilient and adaptable animals like baboons at risk

Written by: Isabelle Catherine Winder Baboons are large, smart, ground-dwelling monkeys. They are found across sub-Saharan Africa in various habitats and eat a flexible diet...

How vanishing lizards in Madagascar led to a troubling discovery about deforestation and climate...

Courtesy of Yale Climate Connections Written by: Daniel Grossman Barry Sinervo and two dozen coauthors in 2010 published a scientific paper that dismayed wildlife experts. A...

New Campaign Calls on Japan to End Ivory Trade

Written by: Kimberly White WildAid Japan and Tears of the African Elephant (TAE) are calling on Japan to end its ivory trade beginning with abandoning...

Alberta grizzly bears will feel the effects of climate change

Written by: Greg McDermid, David Laskin, and Scott Nielsen Toward the end of each summer, grizzly bears in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains gorge on the tart...

Camera traps are revealing the secret lives of Britain’s mammals

Written by: Sian Green Wildlife populations are declining globally, but it’s not all doom and gloom. We’re in the midst of an exciting time for UK mammals. There are...

Deadly frog fungus has wiped out 90 species and threatens hundreds more

Written by: Benjamin Scheele and Claire Foster It started off as an enigma. Biologists at field sites around the world reported that frogs had simply disappeared. Costa...

Here’s what that house proud mouse was doing – plus five other animals who...

Written by: Sophia Daoudi and Jan Hoole A house proud mouse, considerately tidying up the workbench of the shed in which it lives, has been captured on...

Fireflies: Stars of the Forest

Written by: Kimberly White The days are getting longer and sweet scents fill the air; anticipation gets stronger with vacation plans to share. Thoughts begin...

The Gentle Leviathan: Giant Oceanic Manta Rays

Written by: Kimberly White An elusive ocean wanderer, the giant oceanic manta ray glides effortlessly through its alluring undersea habitat of living coral reefs, sea...

New agreement to boost transborder conservation of rhinos, elephants, and tigers in India and...

Written by: Mayank Aggarwal/Mongabay India and Nepal, which share a border running more than 1,850 kilometers (1,150 miles), are set to sign an agreement...

Do we need a wildlife crime convention?

Written by: John E. Scanlon There is no global agreement on wildlife crime, nor any universally agreed definition of wildlife crime. In the absence of such an agreement, CITES, the Convention on...

“Holy Grail” of Bees Rediscovered After Nearly Four Decades

Written by: Kimberly White Last month a search team embarked on a journey to Indonesia to find the “holy grail” of bees. The world’s largest bee, initially discovered...

Spotlight on the World’s Most Trafficked Mammal

Written by: Kimberly White In the weeks leading up to World Pangolin Day, officials around the world have seized approximately 40 tonnes of pangolins. Earlier...

IUCN Study Provides “Glimmer of Hope” for Borneo’s Orangutans

Written by: Kimberly White Last week, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released their new study, Reforesting for the climate of tomorrow. Researchers identified key...

Mountain Gorilla: Population Increase Gives Hope

Written by: Kimberly White The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has reclassified the Mountain Gorilla from “critically endangered” to “endangered.” The status change...

Nepal Set to Double National Tiger Population

Written by: Kimberly White The Government of Nepal announced that the country’s wild tiger population has nearly doubled since 2009. Nepal estimates 235 wild tigers are roaming the...