Tag archives for conservation
Posted by 
It’s not everyday you get to see large-scale illegal fishing in progress. But on April 14, that’s exactly what passengers aboard the National Geographic Explorer seem to have witnessed. This passenger ship was two-thirds of the way through a voyage up the coast of West Africa, and guests were enjoying a day at sea. As…
Posted by A new program is asking craft breweries to support the Clean Water Act by reducing their water use and recycling wastewater.
Posted by 
Go behind the lens and above the ground with photographer Dave Showalter as he reveals the hidden meanings behind aerial images he made on LightHawk flights.
Posted by 
Finding tadpoles of the Príncipe Giant Treefrog will help identify what types of habitat this endemic species relies on, but after many years of searching for them, finding these elusive tadpoles has also become a matter of personal pride.
Posted by In the last three years I’ve worked tirelessly meeting people in the field of cheetah conservation both at home in California and in the countries where the cheetah still roam their natural habitat. From the ambassadors of their species in the United States to the wild cats of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, the journey…
Posted by 
New Zealand’s large, slow-growing longfin eels (Anguilla dieffenbachia) are on a “slow path to extinction,” according to an April report by the parliamentary commissioner for the environment. The commissioner has now been joined by a number of scientists in calling for a ban on fishing of the eels, since their numbers have been declining in…
As part of a nine-person biodiversity and education expedition to the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, Young Explorer Rayna Bell is searching for elusive treefrogs at night and spreading knowledge about local biodiversity during the day.
Worsening Rhino war Strains Countries’ Relations
Posted by Leon Marshall of Environmental Journalist, News Watch South African Contributor on April 30, 2013 
The growing incursion of rhino poachers from Mozambique into South Africa’s flagship Kruger National Park is beginning to strain relations between the two countries. South African security operatives trying to stem the relentless killing of the enigmatic animals speak of it as a “border war”. They are getting increasingly fed-up with Mozambique’s security agencies for not doing more to clamp down on the poachers and the rhino-horn smugglers on their side of the boundary.
Posted by Driftcam Sea Trials from Eric Berkenpas on Vimeo.
The Drop Cam Project – An Exploration Science Initiative (DAY 1 ) The University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, in collaboration with the National Geographic Society, has created a new “Exploration Science™” Program. The Drop Cam Project is among the first…
With the recent discovery of offshore oil, São Toméans will soon face the challenge of reconciling rapid economic development with preserving their natural heritage. The problem is that no one knows how many species occupy the islands or how irreplaceable that diversity might be.
The northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica) is a relatively large aquatic turtle that is native to North America. It is named for the lines on its shell, which resemble the contour lines on a map. Map turtles show extreme sexual size dimorphism, which means the genders grow to different sizes. Northern male map turtles…
Posted by In a fitting setting for America’s national bird, a pair of bald eagles is raising two chicks high on a tree in Washington, D.C. And it’s all been monitored live by a webcam provided by the National Geographic Society. This is an opportunity to not only observe these iconic birds in the wild, but also to learn more about them and their recovery in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Things are changing for a motley crew of pint-sized slowpokes on a previously undisturbed island ten miles off the coast of Panama. But scientists are utilizing an “environmental air force” to slow the tide.
Posted by 
When an endangered species begins to thrive in a certain area, that should be the cause of celebration. But in Kings Bay, Florida, the celebration is becoming problematic for the local manatee populations, that use the warm waters to survive the winters. The waters are becoming crowded with tourists who flock to the region to swim and kayak among the slow-moving marine mammals.
Posted by 
Delegates at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 16th Conference of Parties held in Bangkok in March rejected a proposal to ban international trade in polar bears and their parts. The decision caused a stir because polar bears face a precarious future. While some non-governmental organizations were deeply disappointed by the failure to uplist polar bears from Appendix II to Appendix I, which would have banned all international trade in the species and their parts, Steven Amstrup—a renowned polar bear scientist—believes that limitations on trade don’t address the real challenge facing the iconic animals.
California condors Sisquoc and Shatash welcomed a baby chick this week, in full view of the world watching them via webcam. “With just over 400 California condors in existence, this endangered species is still an uncommon sight, making this hatching all the more significant,” San Diego Zoo Safari Park said in a news statement about…
Posted by According to local legends in Madagascar, the aye-aye lemur is a demon that can kill just by pointing a finger. That sounds mythical, but for insects inside tree trunks, there is truth to the killing part. The nocturnal aye-aye uses its multipurpose middle finger to tap forest wood in search of its meals (see above…
On this week’s show, meet a woman who free-dives with great white sharks, a man who skied to the North Pole in the darkness of winter, and photographers who can turn such darkness into a colorful portrait of a world we can’t see.
Everything Changes, Land Use to Climate: Monthly Grassland News Update
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on March 16, 2013 
THIS MONTH: Land Conversion for Biofuels, Climate Change on Tibet’s Grasslands, Pesticides and Grassland Birds, Rare Antelope Collaring In an effort to increase awareness of grasslands issues and encourage you to fall in love with our world’s prairies, American Prairie Reserve compiles a news roundup each month. These stories will introduce you to the organizations working to restore…
Posted by 
The Great Lakes are the largest supply of freshwater in the world, and more than 36 million people depend on them for drinking water. As a result, monitoring and maintaining the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem is an urgent priority. Of the diverse organisms inhabiting freshwater systems, fishes are familiar to scientists and laypeople…
iLCP Photo Expedition to Document Cradle of Marine Biodiversity
Posted by International League of Conservation Photographers on March 15, 2013 
“Long term and meaningful conservation success really is only possible if NGOs and photographers work together – very often also working with scientists. If you can get those three sectors working together, you’re pretty much a non-stoppable force.” Thomas Peschak, Conservation Photographer and iLCP Fellow The International League of Conservation Photographers has pulled together an…
This week on National Geographic Weekend, join host Boyd Matson we go undercover to hunt for ivory poachers in Kenya, spy from the safety of a drone, hide from hippos while paddling down the Gambia River, learn to attract poison dart frogs for mates, and much more.
Posted by 
In January, I was in the Bahamas to learn about efforts there to establish new marine protected areas (MPAs), meet the key players, and help strategize about how to make these efforts more successful more quickly (see previous blog post). I’m back because a critical step of that strategy has just been completed. Last week a…
An Abundance of Rarity, Prairies and Beyond – with Eric Dinerstein
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on February 28, 2013 
In his travels around the world, World Wildlife Fund Lead Scientist Eric Dinerstein has been fortunate to experience an abundance of today’s uncommon creatures. His latest book, The Kingdom of Rarities, takes readers on a global adventure to the depths of South American savannas, Asian tiger reserves, Michigan woodlands and more. In this interview,…
Posted by 
The two whale sharks turned around to face me, opened their huge mouths and sieved the water filled with tiny baby anchovies. I had to tell myself that they would not bite, but I also remembered these are sharks, not whales and moved out of their path to avoid getting bumped into. It was the…
