EcoLogical's latest posts

Of the top 10 risks identified by the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risks Perception Survey, four are environmental: water crises, failure of climate change adaptation and mitigation, more extreme weather events and food crises. As a conservationist, I might be depressed by this list. Instead, I am delighted. If WEF members – which WEF says […]

Global fresh water protection: big dreams, deliberations and celebrations It’s Monday, and World Water Week in Stockholm is in full swing. The conference venue’s café buzzes with conversation. Experts from around the world have gathered to discuss one of our most precious shared natural resources: fresh water. Together, they share ideas and hatch plans for […]

Overfishing threatens food security and economic development in Malaysia. A planned marine park could help return the empty sea to health. I like fish. I have spent my career protecting them and the places where they live. I also like to eat them. I want to see healthy fisheries provide food and jobs for people […]

Polymetallic nodules. Polymetallic sulphides. Cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. These words are unlikely to make into small talk at the pub or around the dinner table. So why do they matter? They matter because these are valuable resources. They matter because they are your resources, even though you’ll probably never see them. And they matter because companies […]

Can environmental safeguards prevent the worst effects of deep-sea mining? Until fairly recently, the deep seabed has remained relatively untouched, its inaccessibility protecting it from human interference. But ingenuity driven by opportunity to turn a profit has begun to solve the problem of how to explore and exploit the ocean’s most remote resources. What’s down […]

In many circles, plantations have a bad rap. Their detractors point to examples where vibrant rainforests or rare natural grasslands have been replaced with single-species tree farms – so called “green deserts”. In many cases, large plantation developments have displaced people and disrupted livelihoods. Bad plantations certainly exist. Yet these critiques do not tell the full […]

As a leading global conservation organization, central to WWF’s mission is building a world where people live in harmony with nature. This is often seen as a plea to save the planet, but it is in fact about saving humanity. This week I joined a panel of public and private sector leaders at the headquarters […]

It’s been a big month for the ocean and people who depend on it. We have new FAO guidelines that aim to protect the rights of small-scale fishers and ensure their contributions are included in management plans. This is an important step in safeguarding the livelihoods and food security of coastal communities. Actor and conservation […]

As a child growing up on the Mediterranean coast, I spent hours looking out over the sea. I was dazzled by the changing hues of the water and fascinated by the wildlife washed ashore – and when I finally managed to plunge beneath the waves, my sense of fascination only grew, as it continues to […]

In January, H&M and WWF marked the first year of our innovative water stewardship partnership. People were excited and wanted to make the most of the occasion. Then a sobering reality sunk in: There wasn’t any headline news to report. Yikes. Was the strategy flawed? Were people failing to deliver on their objectives? When two […]