#biodiversity

#biodiversity

Conservation efforts along the 153 miles of the River Thames have delivered mixed results for wildlife, according to a new report that finds improvements in some species and habitats alongside emerging threats from climate change and pollution. Researchers recorded increases in several wading bird species, marine mammals and restored natural habitats, including intertidal areas that act as nurseries for many fish. The river continues to support a surprising range of wildlife, with seahorses, eels, seals and even sharks - including tope, starry smoothhound and spurdog - now documented in the Thames.

You have probably heard about voluntary carbon offset-if not from elsewhere, from buying plane tickets, where, after you have paid for the ticket, the tax, the seats, maybe the luggage fee, and the priority boarding, you have an option to also pay to offset your carbon footprint. Companies get to do this, too, and, unlike you, they get to brag about it.

I felt that this is something that I could do personally, in order to address the problem of biodiversity decline and global warming, he said.

Translating to "green mountain" in Spanish, Monteverde is a haven for ecotourism on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast. Home to thousands of plants and more than 400 bird species, like the elusive quetzal and scarlet macaw, the region inspires immersion in its varied topography and wildlife. The biggest attraction, Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, draws thousands of annual travelers to its mist-tinged mountains.

Streets look better with trees. Sure, some might drop sap on your motor, but there's no denying that a road framed by leafy greens is much nicer on the eyes (not to mention better for the lungs). One of London's poshest retail destinations is the latest part of the capital to benefit from a green makeover. Sloane Street, a one-kilometre stretch which runs between Knightsbridge and Sloane Square, has been transformed with new trees, plant beds and wider pavements.

A door about a hand's width opens into the frigid facility that protects the seeds that may one day play a fundamental role in the event of droughts, pests, floods, or the many other disasters that can ravage the earth and, consequently, the food supply for people and animals. Ukraine possesses an immense collection of biodiversity that cannot be found anywhere else. Who knows how useful it may be to us in the future. Its qualities can still be explored; it is like a treasure.

A team of ecologists went out into their own neighbourhood to map the distribution of urban plants in one of the first studies of its kind. Equipped with tape measures and clipboards, they documented trees and shrubs, sometimes getting on all fours to crawl through bushes under the curious watch of local people. We had a lot of fun. Little kids loved our measuring wheel, says Prof Ann Kinzig, from Arizona State University.

Twenty-five years ago, Roque Sevilla (Quito, 78), an economist with a passion for nature, went in search of the last remaining forest in the Andean Choco, in Ecuador. At the time, he sought to conserve life in one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. It was there, when he visited aged 53, that the Mashpi-Tayra Reserve was born, now a habitat for unique animals, insects, and birds.

Through a range of installations, models, and interactive elements, "Age of Nature" presents speculative yet achievable visions for future living. A tower of live mushrooms grows as a vertical field, freeing ground space for wilderness; facades are reimagined as miniature ecosystems; and filmmaker Liam Young's The Great Endeavor envisions a global workforce collectively removing CO₂ from the atmosphere using existing technologies. Together, these projects question how architecture can move beyond minimizing its impact to actively regenerate the environments it inhabits.

Whether dazzlingly red, deep green or ghostly pale, the richness of a tropical forest provides butterflies with a diversity of habitats in which to communicate, camouflage and reproduce. As humans replace tropical forests with environments such as eucalyptus monocultures, however, those requirements are changing. In a plantation, the ecological backdrop is stripped bare and drab species do better. Being bland like your surroundings becomes an advantage.

The 2025 GDT Nature Photographer of the Year competition has unveiled a stunning collection of twenty award-winning images that capture birds and mammals in breathtaking detail. These photographs go far beyond aesthetics, offering rare glimpses into the hidden lives of wildlife through extraordinary patience and technical mastery. From icy northern terrains to lush tropical forests, the winning shots span diverse ecosystems and showcase the richness of animal life across the globe.

Namibia has deployed more than 500 soldiers to help fight a fire that has burned through a third of the vast Etosha National Park, one of Africa's largest wildlife reserves, Prime Minister Tjitunga Ngurare Manongo said in a social media post. Manongo said, starting Sunday, the troops would help firefighters, police, and volunteers who are already fighting the raging fire.

When I first learned about Priyanka Kumar's new book, The Light Between Apple Trees: Rediscovering the Wild Through a Beloved American Fruit, I wondered how the title could work its way into a book-length manuscript. I rapidly discovered how well it did in myriad, fascinating, and unexpected ways. Much of her book reminded me of my own views on the importance of personal rewilding—rewilding our hearts—and every page contained an important inspirational message.

Yes, this big map depicts the realm of the humble mushroom, which "shares the forest with the plants and the animals, but it's not a plant, and it's not an animal." And the mushroom itself, like we're used to seeing sprouting beneath our feet, is only a small part of the organism: the rest "lives hidden, out of sight, below ground. Beneath every mushroom is a fungal network of hair-like strands called the mycelium," which begins as a spore.

The 2025 Audubon Bird Photography Awards expanded internationally to include Chile and Colombia, spotlighting the rich biodiversity and shared responsibility of bird conservation across the Americas.