A new study assessing the cumulative impacts of human activities on wildlife found that the vast majority of terrestrial species are facing “intense” pressure due to humanity’s footprint across the globe. A research team led by Christropher O’Bryan of Australia’s University of Queensland looked at human pressures across the ranges of 20,529 terrestrial vertebrates and […]
Tag: pollution
Why I support the California Tropical Forest Standard (commentary)
The Amazon is a rich, beautiful, and magical place. I’ve visited this vast region on several occasions to learn about the indigenous communities who live there and protect it, and to raise awareness of their struggle, as part of the organization I co-founded, REVERB. The indigenous leaders I met told me how deeply they depend […]
Beloved Dugong Died After Ingesting Plastic
In April, biologists found an orphaned dugong in Southern Thailand and named her Marium. They promptly fell in love with the beautiful sea mammal as did many around the world. She was just five months old when she became an internet sensation after biologists posted photos and videos of the affectionate dugong. Marium was very […]
Mother Sperm Whale And Baby Die After Getting Tangled In Fishing Net
A mother sperm whale and her baby have been found dead after getting tangled in a fishing net, environmentalist group Marevivo has reported. Discovered in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the western coast of Italy, the Italian Coast Guard responded to a sighting of the mother whale, who measured around six meters, who is said to […]
Petition: Stop Ghost Fishing Gear From Killing Hundreds of Marine Animals a Year!
Plastic pollution is devastating our oceans and marine life. There are an estimated270,000 tons of plastic floating on the surface of the ocean, and a recent study there is even more plastic below the surface in the middle and depths of the ocean as well. Ten percent of the ocean’s plastic and forty-six percent of […]
POLL: Should fish farming be forced to use closed pens to protect wild fish?
A five-fold expansion in open net fish farms that scientists believe could decimate Iceland’s wild salmon stocks is pitting Big Aquaculture against ecologists in the country. Next month, a parliamentary bill is expected to extend farm licenses from 10 to 16 years, while omitting critics from oversight panels and handing primary monitoring powers to industry. […]
Plastics found in dolphins, seals, and whales in UK waters
Researchers who examined 50 marine mammals that had washed up on Britain’s shores say they found microplastics in the guts of every single animal. In a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports last month, a research team from the UK’s University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory detailed their findings after studying the digestive […]
Feed a fishery, starve a seabird
Competition for fish stocks with fisheries to feed humans could be forcing seabirds to go hungry, according to new research. The study, published Dec. 6 in the journal Current Biology, reveals that seabirds’ share of fish has dropped by nearly 20 percent over a span of 40 years. Expanding large-scale fisheries, meanwhile, have increased their […]
