conservation

A year after Maui’s deadly fires, the hills are still filled with flammable grass

5:00am August 07, 2024

by Lauren Sommer

After extreme fires last year that claimed 102 lives, Maui is trying to tackle the invasive grasses that pose a big wildfire risk. That could mean restoring the land to what it once was.

Queue Listen Now

Mangroves are unique ecosystems protecting humans and wildlife. Sea level rise and more severe storms from climate change threaten them, according to a new global assessment.

Environment

Mangroves protect communities from storms. Half are at risk of collapse, report finds

3:40pm May 22, 2024

by Julia Simon

Mangroves are unique coastal ecosystems protecting humans and wildlife. Rising sea levels and storms pose an increasing threat to their survival.

Record levels of heat in the ocean are causing a worldwide mass bleaching event on coral reefs, as seen here on the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists are working on creating more heat-resistant coral to help restore reefs.

Environment

Coral reefs can't keep up with climate change. So scientists are speeding up evolution

5:00am April 17, 2024

Climate change is heating oceans faster than the world's coral reefs can handle. So scientists are breeding corals that can withstand hotter temperatures – but only to a point.

Gabi Huerta, with the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, replants trees in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Environment

Wildfires are killing California's ancient giants. Can seedlings save the species?

5:00am February 26, 2024

Extreme wildfires have destroyed about one-fifth of all giant sequoia trees. To safeguard their future, the National Park Service is planting seedlings that could better survive a hotter climate.

Spiderwebs can act as air filters that catch environmental DNA from terrestrial vertebrates, scientists say.

Need to track animals around the world? Tap into the 'spider-verse,' scientists say

9:28am February 01, 2024

by Ari Daniel

Spiderwebs can capture environmental DNA, or eDNA, from vertebrate animals in their area, potentially making them a useful tool in animal monitoring, tracking and conservation.

Queue Listen Now

Do you know this goose? Researchers have developed a new facial recognition tool for geese that can ID them based on their beaks.

Enhance! HORNK! Artificial intelligence can now ID individual geese

10:28am November 02, 2023

by Geoff Brumfiel

Yes, that's right, somebody has developed AI for goose faces.

Queue Listen Now

Across the U.S., some opposition to larger solar projects comes from people who deny climate science. But some people opposing solar projects believe in climate change and are opposing solar on environmental and conservation grounds.

In some fights over solar, it's environmentalist vs. environmentalist

9:39am June 18, 2023

by Julia Simon

The U.S. needs a lot more renewable energy to meet its climate goals. In some communities, the opposition to large solar projects comes from environmentalists themselves.

Queue Listen Now

An aerial picture shows an illegal mining camp during an operation by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources against Amazon deforestation at the Yanomami territory in Roraima state, Brazil, on Feb. 24.

World News

Opinion: The global gold rush imperils the Brazilian Amazon

5:01am May 09, 2023

With the dollar weakening, people are turning to gold. Cue the acceleration of an Amazon gold rush, and with it, more challenges for Brazil, write Robert Muggah and Mac Margolis.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is being hit hard by climate change, but new research is showing how some corals are more resilient to heat.

Environment

How can coral reefs deal with climate change? Get better roommates

3:57pm December 29, 2022

by Lauren Sommer

Hotter temperatures are threatening coral reefs worldwide. Now, scientists are pinpointing how some "super corals" are better able to withstand the heat.

A riverside fisherman pulls a captured pirarucu into his canoe in Lake Amanã on Nov. 15.

Rare good news from the Amazon: Gigantic fish are thriving again

5:00am December 07, 2022

by John Otis

Conservationists say a sustainable fishing program has helped the recovery of the local pirarucu — which can be up to 10-feet long and weigh 450 pounds.

Queue Listen Now