wildlife
Greenpeace: Stop Deep Sea Mining Before It Begins
In March 2021, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior set sail to a place called the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean to stop an emerging ocean threat – deep sea mining – before it begins. I joined the ship…
How Solar Power is Helping a Community and Jaguars
In ancient times, jaguars roaming the southeast jungles of Mexico symbolized power. The Mayas considered them sacred animals with links to the underworld due to their nocturnal habits. Today, Mexico is home to an estimated 4.000 jaguars. At risk of…
Beyond Tourism – Investing in Local Communities to Protect Africa’s Wild Spaces
For ten years, Dixon Parmuya has guided tourists on bush walks around Amboseli National Park in Southern Kenya. But since COVID-19 swept through Kenya in mid-March, the country’s tourism industry has dwindled, leaving many locals without jobs and animals without…
10 Things You Should Know About Industrial Farming
There was a time when industrial agriculture seemed to be a panacea for a fast-growing world. Synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides and high-yield cereal hybrids promised to reduce hunger, accommodate growing populations and stimulate economic prosperity. Between 1960 and 2015, agricultural…
More Conservation Efforts Critical to Save the Vaquita – World’s Smallest Marine Mammal
While optimism can be in short supply when it comes to wildlife conservation, the spotting of three vaquita calves in October 2019 in the Upper Gulf of California in Mexico was a particularly exciting moment. A glimmer of hope in…
Connecting Protected Areas With Green Infrastructure Would Strengthen Europe’s Ecosystems
The European Union’s (EU) network of protected sites, Natura 2000, could be further connected with green infrastructure to create a trans-European nature network. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing highways and other infrastructure currently disconnect about 15 %…
What COVID-19 Means for Ecotourism
For decades, ecotourism has helped to conserve nature and protect endangered species. COVID-19 and the subsequent closure of ecotourism sites has had an indelible impact on wildlife and the communities that protect it. Johannes Refisch is a United Nations Programme…