The Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 partly to help save the bald eagle, the U.S. national symbol, from extinction. Should public appeal influence which species get priority?
Jitze Couperus
How should the US spend limited funds for conserving endangered species? A new data tool lets managers compare different strategies so they can allocate money to protect the most species.
Prince William in Laikipia, Kenya, on September 30, 2018.
Thomas Mukoya / EPA
The National Park Service is moving wolves to Isle Royale in Lake Superior to replenish a small pack on the island. Wolves prey on moose, which are overgrazing the island. It doesn’t hurt that they are charismatic.
The WA government has announced plans to reclassify dingoes as no different to wild dogs - paving the way for them to be culled at will. But dingoes are unique and deserve to be recognised as such.
The average Australian feral cat kills 225 reptiles a year, which adds up to 596 million in total, according to a new estimate. Pet cats, meanwhile, kill a further 53 million.
Red fox under cover of darkness in London.
Jamie Hall. For use only with this article.
It’s becoming harder and harder for animals to find human-free spaces on the planet. New research suggests that to try to avoid people, mammals are shifting activity from the day to the nighttime.
People transporting gasoline by boat in Indonesia’s Kayan Mentarang National Park.
ESCapade/Wikimedia Commons
The world’s national parks cover an area bigger than South America. But a new survey finds that one-third of this area is subject to pressure from human developments, potentially putting wildlife at risk.
Eyes in the sky: drone footage is becoming a vital tool for monitoring ecosystems.
Deakin Marine Mapping Group
Ecology is in the midst of a technological revolution. From tiny sensors that can be fitted to animals, to swarms of remotely-piloted drones, researchers have a host of new ways to study the natural world.
Trumpeter swans wintering at the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming.
Tom Koerner, USFWS/Flickr
The Trump administration is narrowing protection for migratory birds to cover only deliberate harm such as hunting, but not threats like development or pollution that kill millions of birds yearly.
A new documentary makes some controversial claims about the health of kangaroo populations. But the real threat is not to Australia’s iconic kangaroos – it’s to dozens of other, obscure species.
Biofluorescence makes researching cryptic species such as this Lizardfish easier and less harmful.
Maarten De Brauwer
Much of the world’s ocean is teeming with ‘cryptic’ fish species, which are small and hard to spot. But a new technique shines a light on these fish, which may in turn help to keep our seas healthy.
Maria Voigt, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research; Erik Meijaard, Australian National University et Serge Wich, Liverpool John Moores University
To save the orangutans we must both protect their forests and stop any hunting and killing within them.