The world's 230 watersheds have critical functions in providing water to ecosystems and human communities. But like any natural resource, they are susceptible to degradation from a wide variety of…
he Paris Agreement marked the biggest political milestone to combat climate change since scientists first introduced us in the late 1980s to perhaps humanity’s greatest existential crisis. Last December, 178…
1. Half lost, half survive Mangroves once covered much of the world’s tropical coastline, but half of the mangrove forests have been lost in the last half century, according to…
This World Mangrove Day, the tropical island-nation of Sri Lanka is getting its own mangrove museum. The museum, inaugurated by the Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena today, will showcase how mangroves…
The World Heritage Committee yesterday added nine new natural sites to the World Heritage List during its 40th session in Turkey. The list includes diverse landscapes such as Khangchendzonga National…
In March 2015, Charlie Gardner and his wife were performing a bird survey for the marine conservation organisation Blue Ventures deep in the mangroves of northwest Madagascar. They went for…
For the first time ever, scientists have assessed the state of all vascular plants in the world -- all plants (except algae, mosses, liverworts and hornworts) that have specialized tissues…
Yet another coal-laden ship has capsized in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. On Saturday, “MV Sea Horse-1”, a cargo vessel carrying 1,235 metric tons of coal, sank in the…
Soldiers guarded and anti-riot elements surrounded the zone, as 150 trucks and cranes cleared the Tajamar mangrove without saving the flora and fauna. All this was confirmed by Aracely Dominguez,…
Bangladesh, regarded by many as the nation most vulnerable to the impacts of global climate change, is on track to construct two coal-fired power plants that critics say are dangerously…
A new study finds that 2 percent of Southeast Asia's mangroves were lost during the past decade, owing primarily to aquaculture, rice, and palm oil.
The final story in a three-part series exploring changes in Indonesia's network of marine protected areas through the lens of Wakatobi National Park. Read the first and second articles. his…
or several months until very recently, a gray pall of haze hung over Singapore, a result of uncontrolled wildfires and peatland hotspots in neighboring Indonesia. And as Anuj Jain from…
This is the second story in a three-part series exploring changes in Indonesia’s network of marine protected areas through the lens of Wakatobi National Park. Read the first one here.…
This is the first story in a three-part series exploring changes in Indonesia's network of marine protected areas through the lens of Wakatobi National Park. Read the second story here.…
Scientists warn dams and other human activities may submerge many of the region's mangroves by 2070.
The world’s coastal mangroves are under pressure from increasing industrialization and growing populations, especially in Southeast Asia, where mangrove forests are still frequently converted into aquaculture developments. Wiping out a…
Preserving mangrove forests is instrumental to bringing down emissions rates in Indonesia, a leading carbon polluter. Residents of Deaga village in North Sulawesi province also believe it is key to safeguarding their…
Mangroves provide many ecosystem services like controling erosion and mitigating the effects of tsunamis. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. The first-ever set of comprehensive guidelines for designing, implementing and managing…
Coral reefs are the gardens of the ocean. Covering just a tiny fraction of the vast sea floor, they are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. However, global…
This article is the second in a two-part series on mangrove conservation. Read the first part here. Red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) in Panama. Photo by Rhett Butler. In December 2014,…
This article is the first in a two-part series on mangrove conservation. Read the second part here. Mangrove forest in Cuero-Salado, Honduras. Photo by Rhett Butler. In a press conference…
Sunda flying fox silhouettes against the sunset. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs. Rain or clear, wind or still, full moon or no. Every night thousands of flying foxes rise from a…
Mangrove forest in Masoala National Park, Madagascar. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Protecting Mangrove Forests Good For Environment And Economy: UN Global destruction of mangrove forests impacts biodiversity, food security,…
Emergency research finds devastating impacts of oil spill in the world's largest mangrove forest A crocodile wades into oil-tainted waters in the Sundarbans. Photo by: Arati Kumar-Rao. Last month, an…
The most important environmental and wildlife stories from the last year Also see our Top 10 HAPPY Environmental Stories of 2014 1. The Year of Zero Deforestation Pledges: In 2014,…
Bangladesh struggles to deal with devastating oil spill in world's largest mangrove forest, home to dolphins and tigers Government inaction has pushed local children and families to attempt to clean…
What does Jokowi have in mind for marine development and conservation? Indonesia’s new president, Joko Widodo (or Jokowi, as he’s popularly called) spent half his 11-minute inaugural address thanking God,…
Activists stage cultural protest against Rampal coal plant Landsat image of the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. Photo by: NASA. Over the weekend, Bangladeshi artists performed plays, sang songs,…
Protesters in Bali in June 2014. Photo by Anton Muhajir. In a reversal sparking outrage from locals, and concern from environmentalists, the Governor of Bali, Indonesia has given the green…
