Dozens of discoveries in recent years have shown the country to be a treasure trove of amphibiansIt is barely the size of a thumbnail, so it may not come as a surprise that it took so long to spot the starry dwarf frog. It was discovered sitting next t…
An actor, two big bees and a lot of experts: a week spent tackling the planet’s problems
World’s largest conservation summit since Covid-19 brought 4,000 people to Marseille to showcase issues and solutions from coral reefs to land protection At times in Marseille’s early autumn sun, pre-pandemic life felt tantalisingly close at the world’…
Eight men convicted in French court for trafficking rhino horn and ivory
Four men – three Irish and one English – said to be members of the Rathkeale Rovers gang were given prison termsA French court has convicted eight men including members of an Irish crime gang for trafficking rhino horn and ivory between Europe and east…
The Guardian view on saving forests: when trees are at risk, so are we | Editorial
Plantations are no replacement for biodiverse forests that have evolved over thousands of yearsPeople need trees. A world without ilex, cinnamon and rosewood trees, a world devoid of magnolias, hornbeams and maples would be much the poorer. We rely on …
‘Unusual mortality’: the plight of Florida’s manatees – in pictures
Seagrass beds along Florida’s east coast have collapsed, wiping out an important manatee food source. With nothing to eat, scientists are racing to save this gentle marine mammal Continue reading…
Suckers, trash fish and the fight over food traditions in Oregon’s Klamath Basin
Fight to save fish tells story of how European food preferences clashed with tribal systems, shaping what we choose to protectPerry Chocktoot remembers the last time he ate a C’waam suckerfish. It was 1984. The fish was canned by a Klamath Tribes membe…
Ratty comes home: water voles thrive again on Hertfordshire riverbank
Having suffered a 90% drop in population, they still face extinction in Britain – but a new initiative offers a glimmer of hopeA hundred and fifty water voles were last week settling into new homes on the riverbanks of Hertfordshire. The animals had be…
Scottish forests could save red squirrel from extinction
Researchers found 20 areas where the mammal would survive even if grey squirrels colonised all of BritainTwenty forest strongholds in Scotland would save the red squirrel from extinction even if grey squirrels were to colonise the whole of Britain, acc…
Delta blues: why estuaries are the canaries in the climate crisis coalmine
These fragile ecosystems are where the impacts of the climate crisis are often felt first, say expertsThe Ebro delta appears to be in robust health, to a casual observer. There is water gurgling in the canals and irrigation channels, and what appears t…
Pandemic gives respite to Greek island sea turtles – but returning tourists could wreck it
With a new study suggesting endangered loggerhead turtles reclaimed empty shores to breed during Covid, conservationists fear the return of mass tourismNikoletta Sidiropoulou and her colleagues in the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece (Archelon) …