California State Officials Voice Concerns Over a Federal Plan to Raise the Shasta Dam
Heightening the dam will increase the size of California's largest reservoir, but it could also create problems for local fish and wildlife populations.
Ecosystems
Ending the Ecologically Harmful Capture of Tropical Fish
Experts are hoping that new captive breeding programs, replacing harmful fishing practices, could help prevent future harm to coral reef ecosystems.
Global Warming Is Putting the Ocean's Phytoplankton in Danger
Phytoplankton are an essential part of the marine food chain. But according to new research, their numbers are dwindling.
How Political Instability Undermines Protected Areas
A new study shows that good governance is critical for conservation success.
Is Minimalism for Black People?
Black communities have long practiced core tenets of the lifestyle—yet are not well-represented among its most recognizable influencers.
How Barking Dogs Could Restore Marine Ecosystems
Basically, by scaring the crap out of raccoons (but really we should let the bears do that).
How Hunting Sea Otters Killed the Sea Cow—Maybe—and Other Tales of Megafauna Extinction
New research highlight the dangers of standing by while large animals go extinct.
Bird Feeding Is for the Birds
A study suggests that setting out bread crumbs and seeds mostly attracts invasive birds, perhaps at the expense of native species.
Are Madagascar's Efforts to Save Forests Working?
Community forest management gets put to the test, and it doesn't fare well.
Protecting Biodiversity, One Pool of Water at a Time
Researchers in Mauritania propose protections for tiny mountain ponds as a way to re-think conservation. Their study, however, will likely attract some criticism.
Fear Powers Zombie Bugs
Work with glued spiders and stressed grasshoppers shows how fear can transform an ecosystem even after death.
Solving Eco-challenges With Today's Data
A new academic center at the University of Maryland promises to take undervalued research and synthesize it into answers for pressing environmental challenges.
The Making of the Ocean Health Index
In the first of a series of stories tracking their progress in real time, three scientists explain the genesis of a global effort to present the health of the world's oceans with a single number.
As Environment Degrades, Our Well-Being Grows?
The environment is faltering even as measurements show human well-being is improving. How long can that last?
Long Nights and Thin Ice: A Penguin's Tale
A conversation with penguin expert Grant Ballard on the short-term wins and long-term losses facing one of the world's most charismatic animals.
The Pearls of La Paz
At the tail end of Baja California, our Kiri blogger learns the perils of attacking global environmental issues as if they exist alone.
The Primitive Science of Restoration
Biologists seek to "do no harm," improve island health, get rid of human-introduced predators and untangle complex relationships that developed on the fly.
Extending the Payment For Ecosystem Services Model Seaward
Economic models can illuminate the monetary value of beaches and mangroves, but if local people aren't engaged in conservation, market forces — and coastal ecosystems — may be dead in the water.
Study: Housing Growth Diminishes Protected Wilderness
Despite the good intentions of the U.S. Forest Service setting aside "protected areas" isn't enough- housing growth in an near these areas can effectively diminish these forests and severely hamper the natural ecosystems.
The Panhandle Paradox
Are The St. Joe Company's development plans for huge swaths of timberland in northwest Florida an environmentally sensitive 'New Ruralism' or a serious threat to irreplaceable ecosystems? Perhaps both.
Can This Fishery Be Saved? Yes!
The death spiral for global fish that has been reported with glum glee by the media can be reversed, according to a blue-ribbon panel of marine scientists.
A New Genesis: Getting World Religions to Worship Ecologically
The world's various religious traditions may speak of respect for and stewardship of nature, but the current ecological plight suggests the message may need some reinforcement as it moves from pulpit to pew.
Riddles of an Acerbic Sea
Aside from global climate change, carbon dioxide emissions are contributing to another equally disturbing global problem: Ocean acidification — and its potential effects on marine ecosystems, especially coral reefs — has biologists very concerned.