Science: Mangrove Forests as Incredible Carbon Stores

Based on these new findings, says Conservancy marine scientist Mark Spalding, the world should be investing a lot more in preventing mangrove loss and restoration.

Mark Spalding

How Green is Your Chainsaw?

Can a chainsaw be green? That may sound ridiculous, but in the forests of Borneo, loggers can be a critical ally in maintaining biodiversity and mitigating climate change.

Bronson Griscom

Can Forest Carbon Markets Provide for a 40,000-Year-Old Culture?

That's a key question being answered by the Conservancy and partners as they work to protect the land of the Hadza, who have hunted and lived in this region for at least 40,000 years.

Matthew L. Miller

The Sage Grouse Initiative: Science to Solutions

For sage grouse, the the apocalypse comes in the form of fire, weeds, unplanned energy development and even encroaching trees. But now, these birds are the subject of “one of the largest conservation experiments ever undertaken in North America.” Is it enough to save them?

Matthew L. Miller

Saved by Chance: The Incredibly Strange Story of the Pere David’s Deer

The Pere David's deer may be the only species saved because someone broke a wildlife law. It now is a creature of British deer parks and Texas wildlife ranches, facing a secure future far from its native habitat. What lessons can we learn from this near-collision with extinction?

Matthew L. Miller

The World Famous Shrew-Eating Trout: An Update

We've been inundated with questions about the shrew-eating trout featured in a blog published earlier this month. Get your questions answered, and more. (Including a fish that ate something even more disturbing).

Matthew L. Miller

Research: Can Restoring Oyster Reefs Combat Nitrogen Pollution?

Oysters filter nitrogen from water — and nitrogen pollution is a huge and growing problem along many coastlines, not just for the United States, but worldwide. So could restoring oyster reefs combat nitrogen pollution? And if the answer is yes, could that service generate enough funding for broad-scale oyster restoration?

Jonathan Adams

In a Remote Alaska Rainforest, a Tribe Protects Habitat and Restores Culture

On Prince of Wales Island in Alaska, the restoration of rivers goes hand-in-hand with the restoration of cultural traditions. Members of the Hydaburg Cooperative Association, a federally recognized indigenous tribe, are learning scientific techniques to monitor and assess salmon streams, streams that have been degraded over the decades. But that's only part of the story: the Haida area also returning to cultural traditions, traditions even more imperiled than the streams.

Matthew L. Miller

People of the Salmon: Haida Tribe Defends Salmon with Science in Alaska

The Haida community on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, have long considered themselves "people of the salmon." They rely on the fish for their food and culture. Now community members are being trained to become scientists. Their assessments could help get their streams protected under Alaska state law.

Matthew L. Miller

Weird Nature: Shrew-Eating Trout!

The story of rodent-eating trout at The Nature Conservancy's Silver Creek Preserve has been one of our blog's biggest hits. But those Silver Creek trout look like dainty eaters compared to this one. Meet the shrew-eating trout documented by researchers at Alaska's Togiak National Wildlife Refuge. And how did this many small mammals end up in a trout's stomach?

Matthew L. Miller

Traveling Naturalist: Elephants, Kudus and More in Tarangire National Park

The Traveling Naturalist visits Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania, home to one of the largest herds of elephants in Africa, unusual antelope, migrating zebras, lions and warthogs and much, much more. Can it stay that way? Does tourism help?

Matthew L. Miller

Sawmills and the Limits of Conservation Science

Science must be the foundation of conservation work, of course. But here's the thing: science can only get conservation so far. On Prince of Wales Island, forest restoration is an important part of conservation, but so too are relationships with loggers and sawmill owners.

Matthew L. Miller