CONSERVATION NEWS
News, views and features from the front lines of conservation
© Trond Larsen
After nearly 50 years, water back on the global agenda
By Mary Kate McCoy
March 22, 2023
This week, the United Nations holds its first global freshwater conference in nearly 50 years. In the years since, the global population has doubled — yet the challenges facing the health of, and access to, freshwater resources have been largely overshadowed by the climate and biodiversity crises.
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© Yang Nan
It's 2023 — is this the year fresh water has its moment?
By Mary Kate McCoy
January 17, 2023
From roaring rivers to seasonal springs, freshwater is essential to life on Earth. Yet these ecosystems — and the species within them — tend to be overlooked, receiving only a fraction of the attention and funding dedicated to nature conservation.
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© Shawn Heinrichs
News spotlight: New satellite offers view into nearly all of Earth’s waters
By Emma Cummings-Krueger
January 3, 2023
In case you missed it: As climate change drives sea level rise, and more extreme droughts and floods, understanding the world’s water patterns is increasingly important. Luckily, scientists are coming up with new ways to adapt. The latest: satellites.
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© Daniel Uribe
News spotlight: Cities turn to nature to revive their rivers
By Mary Kate McCoy
December 12, 2022
In case you missed it: Around the world, rivers have been treated like repositories of trash and toxic runoff — some so heavily polluted that they caught on fire. Now, cities from Australia to Europe to North America are turning to nature to restore their waterways.
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© Derek Vollmer
Notes from the field: Protecting an African oasis
By Mary Kate McCoy
November 17, 2022
Three countries — Angola, Botswana and Namibia — share the precious freshwater resources of the Cubango-Okavango River Basin, an oasis in the heart of the Kalahari Desert.
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