Coral reef off New Caledonia. Courtesy of Google Earth.

New Caledonia votes to protect coral reefs

The government of New Caledonia voted on Tuesday to establish marine protected areas across 28,000 square kilometers (10,800 square miles) of waters around the French overseas territory, safeguarding coral reefs, marine habitats,…
Coral reef off New Caledonia. Courtesy of Google Earth.

Earth has more trees now than 35 years ago

Despite ongoing deforestation, fires, drought-induced die-offs, and insect outbreaks, the world's tree cover actually increased by 2.24 million square kilometers — an area the size of Texas and Alaska combined…

The tropics are in trouble, warn scientists

Plants and animals in the tropics are disproportionately threatened by a range of dangers, including habitat loss, overexploitation, and climate change, warn researchers writing in the journal Nature. Conducting an…