709 stories
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System. The Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. These are just three of the 238 natural and mixed (cultural and natural) sites designated as World Heritage by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. And all three are threatened by human development.
Ninety-seven percent. In the last 100 years, tiger populations have declined that dramatically, from 100,000 to as few as 3,200 in the wild today. And it’s humans—through rampant poaching and habitat destruction—who are driving these big cats to extinction. Bringing tigers back from the brink takes commitment on a global scale.
Now, when I wake up in the mornings, I feel as if I’m just about to step foot into a truly either-or, binary-only, black-or-white, contrary world; a world where every advance forward in science or in caring for the natural world and each other must be accompanied by a major step to the rear.
Each fall, the world’s greatest concentration of polar bears convenes at the edge of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, waiting for the sea ice to form and their seal hunting season to begin.
Meet “The King of the Arctic,” the mighty polar bear—in photos and on a Tundra Lodge Photography Expedition! At Natural Habitat Adventures, we believe that experiencing these majestic, yet severely threatened, animals in the wild motivates people to care about the bears and support polar bear conservation efforts.
Allowing wildlife—a public resource—to be transferred into the hands of private operations isn’t a new idea. Many U.S. states allow the practice to generate income in economically stressed areas. Now, however, some Australian conservationists are proposing the same concept, only not just for prey animals, prized for supplying hunting opportunities.
We’ve closed the books on 2016. It’s natural to want to assess the past year, now that we’ve made it through to the end.
Scientists can now measure individuals’ direct contributions to global climate change—and the results are staggering.
During the holiday season, we come together across lands, faiths and cultures to celebrate the persistence of light in the darkness. And we at Natural Habitat Adventures are especially happy to share some good news with you from the natural world.
In Part 1 of my interview with Executive Director of the International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA), Matt Kareus, we discussed the organization’s mission and role in the Galapagos, and we took a dive into the implications of climate change for the archipelago.
Earlier this year, WWF installed two systems in a protected area in central Kenya where endangered white and black rhino roam along with poachers. Nine months later, this investment is paying off.
Managing wildness. Seems like an oxymoron to me. After all, if it is managed, can it still be wild? Yet that is the almost impossible task we have asked the U.S. National Park Service to do for 100 years.
