The world has lost more than one quarter of its land-dwelling insects in the past 30 years, according to researchers whose big picture study of global bug decline paints a disturbing but more nuanced problem than earlier research.
China cracked down on the sale of exotic species after an outbreak of a new virus in 2002 was linked to markets selling live animals. Now another coronavirus is spreading through China, prompting calls to permanently ban the sale of wildlife.
Already pressured by the mining and forestry industry, and other development that encroach on grazing land, Sami herding communities fear climate change could mean the end of their traditional lifestyle.
Following the lead of the U.S., other nations have designated marine sanctuaries and protected areas, which now cover about 6% of the world’s oceans — a bonanza for researchers but, more importantly, an important tool for safeguarding the seas.
In the unlikely setting of the world’s most populated military installation, amid all the regimented chaos, you’ll find the Endangered Species Act at work.
There’s a building boom on the Tibetan plateau, one of the world’s last remote places. The Chinese government wants to set limits on the region’s growth in order to design its own version of one of the U.S.’s proudest legacies — a national park system.