TEFÉ, Amazonas state, Brazil — A pair of pink Amazon river dolphins emerges for just a moment, arcing above the chocolate brown waters inside the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, a research facility at the tropical heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Powerful jets of water spray out of their blowholes as these freshwater mammals take […]
Tag: pollution
Silence is golden for whales as lockdown reduces ocean noise
In cities, human lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic have offered some respite to the natural world, with clear skies and the return of wildlife to waterways. Now evidence of a drop in underwater noise pollution has led experts to predict the crisis may also be good news for whales and other sea mammals. Researchers examining […]
‘Intense’ human pressure is widespread among terrestrial vertebrates, study finds
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 […]
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. […]
