As governments and corporations pledge to help the planet by planting trillions of trees, a new study spotlights an effective, low-cost alternative: letting tropical forests regrow naturally.
A drilling pad for oil and gas in Robinson Township, Penn.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
Abandoned US oil and gas wells and their associated land cover more than 2 million acres, a recent study estimates – an area larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined.
Shaun Rosier, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The remediation of a quarried landscape usually focuses on ecological restoration. But if we turned mined sites into public spaces, it might change how we think about the environment.
Eelgrasses covered with small snails, which keep the leaves clean by feeding on algae that live on them.
Jonathan Lefcheck
Healthy seagrasses form underwater meadows teeming with fish and shellfish. A successful large-scale restoration project in Virginia could become a model for reseeding damaged seagrass beds worldwide.
Won’t you be my neighbor?
Dennis Fast/ VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
For the first time in the US, a ballot measure will ask voters whether to restore wolves to a place where they’ve been eradicated. Coloradans have strong views on both sides.
Undeveloped regions such as the Amazon rainforest are critical resources for slowing climate change.
lubasi/Wikimedia
A new report calls land key to solving climate change. The good news is that there are strategies for reducing carbon emissions from land use that can also produce economic and social benefits.
William Nuttle, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Federal and state agencies are carrying out a 35-year, multi-billion-dollar plan to restore Florida’s Everglades, but have not factored sea level rise or other climate change impacts into their plans.
Author and activist George Monbiot.
John Russell1/Wikipedia
Oysters aren’t just good for a feed. They also give a vital boost to coastal ecosystems, which is why efforts are underway to restore Australia’s once-abundant oyster reefs to their former glory.
Stony Creek drain: untidy and often slightly threatening, informal green space still has value for residents, which appropriate intervention can enhance.
Residents often have concerns about informal green space but some still use it. Work to enhance these areas should aim to resolve these concerns without destroying what residents do value.
Mud oysters played a largely unappreciated part in Australia’s history.
Cayne Layton
In colonial times Australia’s waters were teeming with mud oysters that provided food, cement, and cleaned the oceans. Now a 20-hectare man-made reef aims to restore some of their former glory.
Flock of ibis, Everglades National Park.
Linda Friar, National Park Service/Flickr
Rehydrating the Florida Everglades is the largest ecological restoration project in the world. Ecologist Peter Frederick explains why this massive effort is worth its multi-billion-dollar cost.