Journals, museum collections and other historical sources can provide valuable data for modern ecological studies. But just because a source is old doesn’t make it useful.
As a major conference on the global biodiversity crisis opens in Montreal, a conservation biologist explains how ideas about protecting nature have evolved over the past 40 years.
Compassionate conservationists believe all animals have a right to be here, even introduced species like wild horses. Their vocal critics are avoiding vital ethical questions around conservation.
E.O. Wilson was one of the world’s leading experts on ants, but his other passion was convincing humans to see themselves as part of the natural world.
Sarah K. Lamar, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Diane Karen Ormsby, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Jennifer Moore, Grand Valley State University ; Nicola Jane Nelson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Susan N. Keall, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The male anatomy of tuatara, the last representatives of an ancient lineage, is unique among reptiles. They lack a penis, which has made sperm collection a major challenge – until now.
Given the scale of the problem, five years was never enough time to turn things around. Clearly, we must reflect honestly on our successes and failures so far.
In the design of marine protected areas, new research suggests that it might be better to start small in order to gain local trust and support that leads to larger long-term benefits.
Pikas – small cousins of rabbits – live mainly in the mountainous US west. They’ve been called a climate change poster species, but they’re more adaptable than many people think.
Emma Carroll, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Southern right wales have been hunted to near extinction. Now their genome has been sequenced to help biologists track their recovery and understand the impacts of climate change, past and future.
Framing cats as responsible for declines in biodiversity is based on faulty scientific logic and fails to account for the real culprit – human activity.