Rhett Ayers Butler
“Resilience means getting through something—tough, messy, with losses, but surviving.” So said Andrew Whitworth of Osa Conservation, summing up a growing shift in conservation thinking. As the planet hurtles toward a future 3-5°C warmer by 2075, holding the line is no longer enough. The goal now is to help nature endure what’s coming, reports Jeremy [Continue reading]
“We already knew that.” I frequently receive complaints from readers about findings in scientific papers being common sense or obvious. And yes, it’s true: science often confirms what we’ve long suspected or seen in practice. By its nature, science is slow and methodical. It doesn’t chase novelty for novelty’s sake. It seeks to verify, quantify, [Continue reading]
We’re planting trees — but losing biodiversity. Global efforts to restore forests are gathering pace, driven by promises of combating climate change, conserving biodiversity, and improving livelihoods. Yet a recent academic review warns that the biodiversity gains from these initiatives are often overstated — and sometimes absent altogether. Forest restoration is at the heart of [Continue reading]
In the waters surrounding Fiji, an ancient tradition endures. Indigenous (iTaukei) communities have long established aquatic funerary protected areas (FPAs) in honor of their deceased, temporarily forbidding fishing and harvesting in designated sections of freshwater and marine ecosystems. Though historically practiced for cultural and spiritual reasons, FPAs have inadvertently contributed to sustainable resource management—yet remain [Continue reading]
Few ecosystems punch above their weight quite like seagrass meadows. These humble underwater pastures, spanning over 300,000 square kilometers across six continents, quietly perform a remarkable array of ecological services. They stabilize shorelines, shelter marine life, and sequester carbon at rates up to 40 times greater than terrestrial forests. Yet, like so many unsung heroes [Continue reading]
Ecologists are spending less time in the field. That could be a problem. There was a time when an ecologist’s education was not complete without the mud of a marsh on their boots or the scent of damp earth after a rainforest downpour. Increasingly, however, the discipline is moving indoors. A paper published in Trends [Continue reading]