CONSERVATION NEWS

News, views and features from the front lines of conservation

© Kyle Obermann

More than monuments — study shows World Heritage sites are biodiversity havens

By Max Marcovitch

August 31, 2023
For more than 50 years, UNESCO has protected cultural and natural wonders as World Heritage sites due to their “outstanding universal value.” Turns out, there's another big reason these marvels are irreplaceable: their biodiversity.
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© Edgar Lehr

It had to be a snake: New species gets famous name

By Will McCarry

August 15, 2023
A new species of snake has been named after Harrison Ford in honor of his decades-long environmental advocacy. Unlike the actor's famously ophidiophobic character Indiana Jones, Ford reportedly likes snakes — and found a quick kinship with this one.
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Walking shark, Hemiscyllium halmahera
© Conservation International/photo by Mark Erdmann

Indonesia protects ‘walking sharks.’ Are other sharks next?

By Mary Kate McCoy

April 19, 2023
The Indonesian government has granted six species of threatened “walking sharks” the highest level of protection — a move experts hope will lead to the conservation of other sharks, whose numbers have plummeted due largely to the shark fin trade.
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© Flickr/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

News spotlight: Can consumer choices protect a critically endangered whale?

By Will McCarry

December 5, 2022
In case you missed it: North Atlantic right whales are fast approaching extinction. Each year, this rare species migrates along the eastern coast of the United States. The path leads right whales into a gauntlet of treacherous fishing grounds around New England.
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What’s new with wildlife? 3 stories you may have missed

By Will McCarry

February 18, 2022
In case you missed it: Increased protections could offer a reprieve for koalas in Australia, the race is on to save vaquitas and the gray wolf is back on the list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act in the United States.
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