Conservation

Imagine the Grão-Pará Ecological Reserve in the Amazon. Part of the world’s largest strictly protected area, the rainforest stretches seemingly forever, echoing with the sound of birds, insects and primates. Rivers tumble down waterfalls on their long, winding journeys to the sea. Then the forest gives way to open land. The trees are gone, the […]

It was a cold and rainy Saturday night in Sydney recently and I decided that we would have a family movie night at home. Movie? Check. Snacks? No. As a child we always had chocolate coated honeycomb as a movie treat, so for the first time in years I went searching for some. I couldn’t […]

No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, least of all me. I’m an optimist – I wouldn’t have picked a career in conservation if I thought it was a hopeless cause. But, as editor-in-chief of the 2014 edition of the Living Planet Report, I have to level with you. The news isn’t […]

You’re wheeling your trolley down the supermarket aisle – in a hurry, as usual. You grab the multi-pack of toilet paper. Your family’s preferred brand, with the familiar “tick tree” logo in the top corner. In your mind, you’ve already moved on to the next item on your list. But go back a minute. To […]

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 […]

Conservation Career Journey with Rab Nawaz – WWF Pakistan’s Director Rab Nawaz is WWF Pakistan’s Director of the Sindh Region. Here he shares his passion for conservation, the Western Tragopan and Pakistan’s wildlife with Conservation Careers Blogger, Zehra Zawawi. “It’s a great feeling to see that in order to bring potential change sometimes all it […]

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 […]