Conservation Archives

Environment

How California’s Clean Air Regulations Have Reduced Whale Strikes by Cargo Ships

Rules intended to protect people from pollution are simultaneously saving the lives of whales by slowing down cargo ships, but researchers say more still needs to be done.

Matthew O. Berger

A male Tapanuli orangutan in the Batang Toru forest.

Environment

A Small Hydroelectric Dam Could Be the Beginning of the End for the World’s Rarest Ape

With no more than 800 individuals left in a fragile habitat, the Tapanuli orangutan could face extinction not long after we became aware of its existence.

John C. Cannon

Fish swim through the coral on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Environment

The Great Barrier Reef Is Getting Too Quiet

A new study finds coral reefs are sounding less like suitable homes to baby fish.

Rebecca Worby

Morning light shines through trees at the forest in Karak, in the suburbs of Pahang outside Kuala Lumpur.

Environment

Selective Logging Damages Fish Populations as Much as Clear-Cutting

A recent study out of Malaysia illustrates that even responsible logging practices severely harm local fish populations.

Morgan Erickson-Davis

Environment

Emails Suggest the Department of the Interior Is Prioritizing Fossil Fuel Interests Over Wildlife Well-Being

Records reveal that, following requests by fossil fuel industry groups, a top official at the Department of the Interior appeared to take credit for helping to delay new federal protections for a once-endangered species.

Jimmy Tobias

A sloth at the Sloth Center in Rainier, Oregon.

Education

How Playing With Sloths Taught Me About Sexual Consent

Lessons in how small gestures can create a safe space for a yes—and for a no.

Kitty Stryker

Pacific Standard staff writer Kate Wheeling in Lima, Peru, with Brenton Ladd and Lukas Van Zwieten.

Behind the Scenes: Getting Sentimental About Science

"Science is no longer about the quest for knowledge. Now it's about fixing problems. But just limiting science to fixing problems also limits your chances of making big discoveries."

Kate Wheeling

Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Environment

Inside the Ambitious Plan to Replenish a Depleted Aquifer

In Idaho, a state with stringent water rights, the people have managed to recharge the essential Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer that supplies hundreds of thousands with water.

Matt Weiser