Innovative Conservation Science to Meet the Challenges of our Time
How to protect the world’s biodiversity will be the point and priority of the 2024 United Nation’s Biodiversity Conference (COP16) October 21 through November 1 in Cali, Colombia. This year’s meeting will focus on the Global Biodiversity Framework developed at the last Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Canada.
COP16: Your Guide to the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference
October 21-November 1 in Cali, Colombia
Since 2015, governments have had the legally binding Paris Agreement—like a collective guiding star on climate—but now is the time to update decadal globally agreed targets for nature. So the focus is implementing the new, 10-year Global Biodiversity Framework: humanity’s roadmap towards a more nature-positive future.
The science is clear: As global biodiversity continues to decline at an alarming rate, we must protect 30% of terrestrial, inland water and marine areas by 2030. To ensure long-lasting protection, these conserved areas must be effectively managed and inclusively governed.
Dive deeper on biodiversity issues and learn more about the paths to implementation with TNC’s Guides: Biodiversity Action, Close the Nature Funding Gap, Build Better for Biodiversity, Recognize Local Leaders, + Partnerships for Protecting Nature
Biodiversity + Climate Change
Two crises pose a serious threat to life on Earth: the climate change crisis and the nature crisis. They are intrinsically linked. Natural ecosystems play a fundamental role in climate change mitigation, from strengthening the capacity of low-lying areas to withstand storms, to building resilience to drought, floods and fire.
One Size Does Not Fit All for Sustainable Livestock Production
Understanding economic, environmental, and social and cultural contexts is essential to achieving sustainable livestock production.
Elk in the East: A View to a Dramatic Conservation Success
Elk once roamed across much of North America. After more than a century’s absence, they’re thriving in the Appalachians.
Humboldt Penguins on the Edge
Next time you’re in need of an odd animal fact to fill a conversational lull, consider the nesting preferences of the Humboldt penguin.
30X30 Protected Areas
TNC supports a new deal for nature calling for 30 percent of ocean, land and water to be managed as intact and fully functional natural ecosystems. It’s not enough to draw lines on a map—we need to improve the design, management, financing and interconnectivity of these critical areas that sustain us all.
After the Disaster: An Asheville Resident on Cleaning Up After the Storm
Eric Seeger recounts his experience in the wake of the historic floods and landslides that hit North Carolina and Tennessee in 2024.
Inside the Clear Waters of England’s Ancient Chalk Streams
Chalk streams are unique to England, and one of the country’s ecological treasures.
In Indonesian Borneo, A Hopeful Future for Orangutans
Well-managed forests and community involvement are changing the narrative for orangutan conservation.
Biodiversity + Protected Areas
Protections should be placed in areas scientifically identified as having the highest conservation value and that represent the planet’s biodiversity. But protected areas alone are not enough without science-based management. A protected area that has lost most of its large mammals, birds and trees through illegal activities cannot fully contribute to reducing extinction rates.
Camera Trap Chronicles: Wildlife of Indonesian Borneo’s Forests
Camera trap footage from the Wehea Protection Forest in East Kalimantan reveals sun bears, great argus and more.
Camera Trap Chronicles: Orangutans of Indonesian Borneo
Orangutans spend most of their time in trees, but camera traps provide a glimpse of the apes on ground.
From Slow Loris to Gibbon: Meet 8 of Borneo’s Coolest Primates
You’ve heard of orangutans, but what about the grizzled langur, or a slow loris? Here are 8 amazing primates benefitting from conservation efforts in Borneo.
Biodiversity + Indigenous Knowledge
Scientific evidence shows us that indigenous peoples and local communities are often more effective conservation stewards than government-funded protected area agencies. Indigenous owned and managed lands and waters should receive recognition and support for their role in achieving biodiversity conservation targets.
To See A Wild Orangutan
Happiness is running through the forest in Indonesia, in search of wild orangutans.
Following Frogs into the Flames
Tree frogs seem to disappear during a forest fire. Do they migrate? Do they die? A researcher set out to find them.
Book Review: Australian Birds, Wild Science, & Drought
Three new reads from CSIRO Publishing, one of Australia’s leading science and nature publishers.
Biodiversity + Siting
Very little of the planet is truly “untouched”—95 percent of the Earth’s surface outside of the polar regions has been modified by humans. Whether it’s clearing land to grow crops and build cities, or fragmenting habitats with highways and railroads, human development has changed the surface of the planet in a variety of ways.
The Science of Snakehead Slime
How do invasive snakeheads move on land? The answer may lie with another of the snakehead’s infamous features: its slime.
Seeing the Forest for the Community
Charting a new future for forest conservation in the Appalachians must benefit local communities.
Restoring Appalachian Forests After a Legacy of Mining
Shaping a resilient future for forests means a lot of planting. And a lot of ripping and tearing.
Biodiversity + Cities
Science to help plan cities with nature in mind. With nearly 70 percent of the world’s population expected to live in urban areas by 2050, cities are swelling to accommodate newcomers. It is and will be necessary to integrate biodiversity protection into development, but a new deal for nature should establish national incentives for nature-based solutions in urban areas.
Freshwater Mussels: The Livers of the River
A snorkeling outing on a creek brings the author up close with often overlooked and unappreciated freshwater mussels.
How To: Go Snow Day Birding (with Merlin)
Or how I learned to love winter wildlife watching (with a little help from technology and the perfect pair of mittens.)
Meet the Channel-billed Cuckoo, the World’s Largest Brood Parasite
Summer in eastern Australia means one thing: the arrival of the channel-billed cuckoos, the world’s largest brood parasite and one very cool bird.
Biodiversity + The Ocean
Science to protect, restore and manage marine ecosystems by creating high seas and coastal havens where nature can regenerate and fortify itself against climate change and other threats.
How Will Climate Change Affect the Spread of Invasive Species?
Many non-native species will likely flourish under climate change, but there are still things we can do to stop their spread.
A Half Mile Underwater on Connecticut’s Eight Mile River
A snorkelling trip on a northeast river reveals a variety of unexpected freshwater creatures.
The Overlooked Carbon Storage Potential of Tidal Marshes
Tidal marshes may not build forests, but they do build soil. And in that soil they trap, deposit and secure carbon. A whole lot of carbon.
Biodiversity + Fresh Water
Protect and restore ecosystem function in watersheds (e.g., water funds) to provide access to safe drinking water and be a safe haven for wildlife and a resilient buffer to climate change.
Animals That Turn White in Winter Face a Climate Challenge
Hares, ptarmigans and Arctic foxes all turn white in winter, but as our planet warms, that adaptation may also need to, well, adapt again.
The Other Tannenbaum: Cutting an Alternative Christmas Tree
Kris Millage shares her experience cutting a wild juniper as a Christmas tree.
Cool Green Holiday Book Review 2024
Six books — ranging from eels to owls to outdoor adventures — that will make great gifts for your loved ones, or yourself.
Biodiversity + Agriculture
Science for Sustainable Food Production. When it comes to the climate and biodiversity crises, the agricultural sector is both challenge and solution. Science shows many of the most productive approaches to farming work with nature and promote mutually beneficial relationships between food production and the ecological processes that sustain it.
Coconut Palms Dominate Over Half of Pacific Atoll Forests
First study of its kind shows that decades of coconut palm agriculture have led to deforestation on over 80 percent of Pacific atolls, and coconut palms now cover more than half of the atolls’ forested areas.
First Christmas & First Loss
This excerpt from A Cowgirl’s Conservation Journey tells the story of Heidi Redd’s very rough first Christmas on the ranch.
The 5 Golden Rings? They Might be Pheasants
The classic holiday carol is heavy on birds. And some believe even the 5 golden rings have an avian connection.
Biodiversity + Restoration
Science for restoring lost habitats and reducing future impacts. Humanity has left a significant mark on roughly half of the Earth’s lands beyond the polar regions, as well as the majority of the global ocean. To reach biodiversity goals, we need to protect nature in areas outside of wilderness, such as cities and farms.
Photographing Water for One of the World’s Driest Cities
A photographer captions the merging of modern science and ancient wisdom in the Peruvian Andes
Tracking Down the American Woodcock
A Q&A with scientist Colby Slezak on how following the migrating shorebirds revealed a rare nesting pattern.
Goblin Shark & Ghost-faced Bat: Cool Critters with Creepy Names
People have a penchant for slapping Halloween-style names on creatures that are more cool than creepy.
