Protecting half of the planet is the best way to fight climate change and biodiversity loss – we've mapped the key places to do it

A new plan targets areas around the world that can store carbon and protect large numbers of species. It calls for preserving these lands, working with Indigenous peoples and connecting wild areas.

Greg Asner, Director, Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science and Professor, Arizona State University • conversation
Sept. 8, 2020 • ~9 min

Newly hatched Florida sea turtles are consuming dangerous quantities of floating plastic

A new study reports that baby Florida sea turtles are consuming large quantities of plastic waste during a critical early life stage at sea.

Catherine Eastman, Sea Turtle Hospital Program Coordinator, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida • conversation
Aug. 31, 2020 • ~8 min

Trump greenlights drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but will oil companies show up?

The Trump administration is opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing – a step that's as much about politics as it is about energy.

Scott L. Montgomery, Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington • conversation
Aug. 21, 2020 • ~9 min

Can Asia end its uncontrolled consumption of wildlife? Here's how North America did it a century ago

In the 1800s, Americans hunted many wild species near or into extinction. Then in the early 1900s, the US shifted from uncontrolled consumption of wildlife to conservation. Could Asia follow suit?

Roland Kays, Research Associate Professor of Wildlife and Scientist at NC Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina State University • conversation
June 17, 2020 • ~9 min

More people eat frog legs than you think – and humans are harvesting frogs at unsustainable rates

Frogs are harvested as food by the millions every year. A new study shows that uncontrolled frog hunting could drive some populations to extinction by midcentury.

Kerim Çiçek, Associate Professor of Zoology, Ege University • conversation
June 12, 2020 • ~8 min

Endangered tigers face growing threats from an Asian road-building boom

A new study forecasts that thousands of miles of new road construction will cut through tiger habitat across Asia by 2050. Planning can make these projects more tiger-friendly.

Neil Carter, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Conservation, University of Michigan • conversation
April 29, 2020 • ~8 min

Scientists at work: Uncovering the mystery of when and where sharks give birth

Researchers are using a newly developed satellite tag to study previously unknown aspects of tiger shark reproduction. This approach could be used on other difficult-to-study shark species.

Hannah Verkamp, PhD Student in Marine Biology, Arizona State University • conversation
April 28, 2020 • ~9 min

The new coronavirus emerged from the global wildlife trade – and may be devastating enough to end it

Wild animals and animal parts are bought and sold worldwide, often illegally. This multibillion-dollar industry is pushing species to extinction, fueling crime and spreading disease.

George Wittemyer, Associate professor of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University • conversation
March 31, 2020 • ~8 min

It's wrong to blame bats for the coronavirus epidemic

The value that bats provide to humans by pollinating crops and eating insects is far greater than harm from virus transmission – which is mainly caused by human actions.

Peter Alagona, Associate Professor of History, Geography and Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara • conversation
March 24, 2020 • ~8 min

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