Tag archives for conservation
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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,…
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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…
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I just returned from an incredible trip scuba diving with great hammerhead sharks. This was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. While underwater I was amazed by these awesome predators. I was able to capture a series of photos (both during day and night) of these mysterious creatures. As you look…
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The population size and geographical range of the cheetah have declined dramatically during the past 50 years . During a survey of warthogs in Northern Kenya, National Geographic grantees, Yvonne de Jong and Tom Butynski, came eye to eye with this large charismatic cat in the Chalbi Desert, 65 km north of their known current range.
Posted by “We gotta do better, it’s time to begin. You know all the answers must come from within…. Come on and take a free ride….” From where I write, on the coast of California, I can look out and see dolphins swim gracefully through forests of ocean kelp. But I know that on the other…
The Treasures of Tursujuq: one of North America’s largest national parks
Posted by Jeff Wells on February 22, 2013 With little fanfare, the Inuit people of Nunavik in northern Quebec, the Grand Council of the Cree, and the Government of Quebec announced the creation of Tursujuq National Park—a 6.5 million acre protected area along the eastern shore of Hudson Bay. Not only is this remarkable for its size—it’s the largest protected area in eastern North America and one of the top 10 largest parks on the continent—but perhaps even more incredible is that the park is several million acres larger than it had been expected to be a few years ago.
Posted by Find out how Lu, the injured loggerhead sea turtle, got her sea legs back thanks to prosthetic limbs developed by a Japanese team.
Tiger Tourism: Can Travel Help Save These Big Cats?
Posted by IZILWANE on February 20, 2013 Tigers are one of the most charismatic and beautiful animals on earth. They are the world’s largest cat and can live across a wide range of habitats, from mountains to coastal wetlands. Most of the world’s tigers live in India within the borders of a number of national parks and tiger reserves; but their numbers…
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Why would members of remote tribal communities, heads of state, Nobel Laureates, local activists, scientists, artists, and people like you plan to travel to Salamanca Spain? The l0th World Wilderness Congress will convene there on October 4 involving a great diversity of people, professions and activists who understand the importance of wild nature to…
Kua o ka ‘La ——— the syllables roll off the tongue as only the Hawaiian language can, like the white crested waves rolling up the black sand volcanic beaches. Literally it means “back of the sun”. This unique event occurred within the sound of the surf where the school depends on the sun! This environmental…
Rebound, Decline and Reintroduction on the Plains: Grasslands News from January 2013
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on February 13, 2013 
IN THIS POST: Wood Bison in Alaska, Text Messages Versus Poachers, South American Tapirs, Linking Prairie Dogs and Grassland Birds, India’s Blackbuck, Biodiversity and Exotic Animals in Europe, Grasslands National Park – 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…
Last month I had the pleasure not only of traveling among Bahamian islands, but of seeing them through the eyes of local conservation organizations. As manager of the Waitt Foundation’s grant to The Nature Conservancy (TNC), I was there looking for ways we could further ensure successful expansion of the Bahamas’ network of Marine Protected…
I was in the Congo a few months before this tragedy in association with The Frankfort Zoological Society which was awarded a $3.42 million grant from the European Union. We were tasked with writing a Master Plan for the recovery of The Kundelungu and Upemba National Parks devastated by war and corruption. Upemba, where Atamato…
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Oceans have been a part of my childhood exploring dreams for as long as I can remember. Truth is, the seas and its creatures that I fantasized about back then, are permanently being affected by human actions. The first time you jump in the water with a great white shark, your fears melt…
5 Surprising Facts About Rare Species
Posted by Guest Blogger on January 24, 2013 
By Eric Dinerstein, author of The Kingdom of Rarities What if the organisms that populate the natural world—from whales to weevils—were classified not by their evolutionary relationships but by their relative degree of rarity? Imagine a way of looking at the world where we divide the ark into representatives of two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Common…
Posted by Many of the indigenous species of the Yucatan Peninsula are slowly disappearing. These range from the formidable jaguar to the colorful motmot and countless animals that play important roles in their habitats. Not only are these species indicators of the health of the planet, but they have also been fundamental icons of power, sacredness, purity,…
Hi. My name is Ayana. I’m a marine biologist, and I’m thrilled to join National Geographic’s stellar group of ocean bloggers. Big shoes to fill. My plan is to use this space to share stories of what I have begun to call my “adventures in ocean conservation.” As Director of Science and Solutions at the Waitt…
Fire, Ferrets and Falcons: Grasslands News from December 2012
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on January 16, 2013 
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 this endangered ecosystem, demonstrate the diversity of the plains and showcase the many different approaches to grassland…
South African Rhino Poaching Hits New High, Group Says
Posted by Dan Stone of National Geographic Magazine on January 11, 2013 
Despite ongoing protection efforts, rhinoceros poaching continues its sharp increase.
Nusa Penida: Black Magic Island, Part II
Posted by IZILWANE on January 9, 2013 
By Altaire Cambata All Photos Courtesy of Justin May/Interwoven Multicolored quarter-sized candy wrappers, amassed by the fist full, were slipping through my gloves on my thirtieth trip to the trash bag in the corner of the lot. I crouched again, my dirty knees hovering above the aged, twisted plastic, the remnants of a bygone…
Posted by “We are cheetah friendly”. The sign hangs on the gates of farms who participate in Cheetah Outreach’s Livestock Guardian Dog Program. In a land where commercial farming has encroached on wildlife for generations, certain NGOs and farmers are working together to create new ways of solving the problems of predation. Cheetah Outreach comes not…
Livin’ La Veda: The Impact of El Salvador’s Ban on Consumption of Sea Turtles
Posted by IZILWANE on December 17, 2012 By Brad Nahill, SEEtheWILD and IZILWANE contributor Compared with its neighbors in Central America, El Salvador is a prime case study of the impact of damaged habitat on wildlife. The country has more coffee plantations than native forest, which is estimated to be less than five percent of the original forest cover. Less than three…
Brazil, Australia, India and Beyond: Grasslands News from November 2012
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on December 17, 2012 
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 this endangered ecosystem, demonstrate the diversity of the plains and showcase the many different approaches…
Over the past 20 years, scientists have been assembling compelling data that show the world’s oceans are in deep trouble. Once-abundant species are disappearing, habitats are being destroyed, and fisheries are collapsing across the globe (Jackson et al. 2001, Lotze et al. 2006). For example, studies estimate that biomass of tunas and billfish have decreased…
