Koala numbers in parts of Australia are in decline as they move from development of their land. But they can learn to take safer routes if they are built as part of the urban design.
As temperatures rise, will species have enough habitat to move to suitable ground?
bonnyboy/flickr
Animals and plants will need escape hatches to move to cooler climes as the planet warms, but few parts of the U.S. have the natural habitat available for these migrations.
Since the 1960s, environmentalism in Australia has largely focused on defending “wilderness”.
yophotography/flickr
Since the 1960s, environmentalism in Australia has largely focused on defending “wilderness”. However, protected areas in themselves are not stemming the destruction of biodiversity.
South Sudan’s elephant population plummeted from 80,000 in the late 1960s to less than 5,000 now.
Shutterstock
South Sudan is a country where conflict is rife. This has had a knock-on effect on the country’s rich and varied fauna, and put conservation programmes in severe crisis.
Residents near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota and many others are concerned of the impact of mining in its headwaters.
atbaker/flickr
Almost 100 years ago, the foundations to preserve the Boundary Waters in Minnesota for recreation were put in place. Now residents are debating whether to allow a mine in its headwaters.
Nature conservationists should be asking if chasing Pokémon creatures means anything for species in the real world.
Shutterstock
‘Pokémon Go’ has the ability to make people wander around nature looking for fantasy creatures – but will this translate into people exploring real-life nature?
Tiny animals along for the ride, called epibionts, could be used as living data-loggers. Researchers can glean info from them that could help inform turtle-friendly fisheries management decisions.
Viewing wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
National Park Service/Flickr
A study estimates that Americans would pay $92 billion yearly in extra taxes to protect national parks. But the Trump Administration’s budget calls for cuts.
Despite ongoing conflict in the DRC, the number of endangered mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park has increased.
Shutterstock
Koalas are under threat from a range of factors, from urban expansion to climate change. Unfortunately there is no quick fix, and it may be that not all populations can be saved.
Gravel bed rivers and their floodplains are vital to local ecosystems and their ability to adapt to climate change.
sandybrownjensen/flickr
Conservation methods for gravel-bed rivers – which are ecological hotspots in the western U.S. – need to improve in order to deal with the effects of climate change.
How many species of frog are in the picture? Genetics often says ‘more than we thought’.
Michael Lee (Flinders University & South Australian Museum)
The Earth is full of many varied species from the largest mammals to the tiniest organisms. But we now think there could be ten times more species than was originally thought.
It’s quiet out there, too quiet.
Outback image from wwww.shutterstock.com
There’s rarely good news in conservation - but we’ve been studying a program that actually works.
The grizzly, or brown, bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is posed to lose protections under the Endangered Species Act.
Jim Peaco, Yellowstone National Park
The grizzly bear of Yellowstone is expected to be delisted from the Endangered Species Act. But a survey of grizzly bear researchers finds flaws in how wildlife experts evaluate scientific data.
Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, built by Anasazi c. 1200. The Antiquities Act was passed to protect such sites from looters.
National Park Service
The 1906 Antiquities Act gives presidents unilateral power to protect land as national monuments. The law has saved important places, but has also fueled intense conflicts over land control.
Menageries of the 19th century brought exotic animals (and people) to Western society – as do many zoos today.
The shooting death of Harambe the gorilla has once again raised concern for the well-being of zoo animals. But animals in zoos may be fated by the very institution we have created to protect them.
Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University