Forestry, food protein, and carbon sequestration: All in one

New research weighs up the potential of mycoforestry: The only form of protein production that actually sequesters carbon

Even in the Age of Satellites, 19th Century “Dinner Plate” Still Useful in Ocean Science

Despite the availability of satellite technology, a simple 19th century tool called the Secchi disk is still useful for ocean scientists to measure the concentration of microscopic algae called phytoplankton in the open ocean. Researchers found that Secchi disks performed almost as well as modern me

The astonishing marsh-building power of the humble mussel

Researchers transplanted 200,000 of them and tracked the elevation of marshlands over 3 years; they contributed to new land at 5x the predicted rate.

'More important than rainforests': UK pioneers peat partnership

On a windswept hillside in a remote corner of northern England, a peatland restoration plan pooling public and private money is underway which proponents claim provides a model for climate change mitigation.

Panama protects over 54% of its oceans with the expansion of Banco Volcán

Within the framework of the Our Ocean Conference on Mar. 2-3, 2023 in Panama City, Panama's President Laurentino Cortizo and Minister of Environment Milciades Concepción added 36,058 square miles to the Banco Volcán marine protected area in the Caribbean. During the last two decades, researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) along with local and international collaborators have offered much of the science backing Panama's successful proposals to create the MPA's bringing more than 50% of its ocean waters under some form of management or protection.

Students ate less meat in the three years after hearing talk on its negative environmental impacts

A trio of climate scientists from Occidental College, Claremont Graduate University and the University of California, respectively, has found that after a 50-minute talk outlining the negative environmental impacts of raising and consuming meat, students ate on average 9% less meat over the following three years. In their paper published in the journal Nature Food, Andrew Jalil, Joshua Tasoff and Arturo Vargas Bustamante describe analyzing the eating habits of student volunteers.

Viewpoint: Gold mining is one of the world's most destructive and unnecessary industries—here's how to end it

The 16th-century King Ferdinand of Spain sent his subjects abroad with the command: "Get gold, humanely if possible, but at all hazards, get gold." His statement rings true today. Gold remains one of the world's most expensive substances, but mining it is one of the most environmentally and socially destructive processes on the planet.

The key to weathering rapid sea-level rise may lie in a Massachusetts salt marsh: New research shows that coastal habitats can thrive--but only if there's enough sediment

Researchers recently announced that salt marshes, critical habitats threatened by rapid sea-level rise, may in fact thrive despite higher water levels. The key factor that determines whether salt marshes collapse or flourish involves not water, but sediment.

Monarch butterflies wintering in California rebound

The population of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has rebounded for a second year in a row after a precipitous drop in 2020, but the population of orange-and-black insects is still well below what it used to be, researchers announced Tuesday.

Nova Scotia Nature Trust – Another conservation win for growing Mabou Highlands