Marine heat waves have led to widespread population declines of Australian shallow reef species, particularly those associated with temperate reefs, new research suggests. In a new study published in Nature, scientists draw on extensive reef survey data to assess population trends of 1,057 common shallow reef species, including fish, corals, seaweeds and invertebrates. They found that populations of 57% of these species declined between 2008 and 2021. Moreover, 28% of these surveyed species experienced declines of more than 30%, which would qualify them as threatened with extinction if assesse ..read more

In South Los Angeles — right in the heart of the 10-million-person metro area — sits a sprawling 1,000-acre zone from another era: It’s the Inglewood Oil Field, a rolling scrubland dotted with hundreds of working oil pump jacks. La Cienega Boulevard cuts right through the oil field, which is just northeast of LAX, and just eight miles east of Venice Beach. The production of oil from 444 wells in the heart of Los Angeles feels increasingly off brand for what aspires to be a progressive city (California has banned sale of new gas-powered cars starting in 2035). Not surprisingly two municipa ..read more

KISUMU, Kenya — It is a little past 5 p.m. at the lakeside city of Kisumu, in the western part of Kenya. An hour later, the sun sets over the sprawling Lake Victoria as far as the eye can see. Wisps of gray clouds are infused with the sun’s amber rays, which reflect off the lake in a bedazzling shimmer. The scene is captivating, but a faint stench lingers in the air. That stench, to many cage fish farmers, is a painful reminder of the extensive losses they suffered in November 2022 due to fish kills. A report commissioned by Kenya’s State Department for Fisheries, Aquaculture and the Blue Econ ..read more

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay — In the middle of the Paraguayan portion of the Upper Parana Atlantic Forest, a paved road leads to the Mbya Indigenous community of Pindo’i. Roads in the area are usually unpaved and uneven, and in the rainy season it’s almost impossible to use them due to mud. But this road is different. A sign posted over where the road begins reads “Sommerfeld Colony — Welcome — Private land and roads.” It’s a Mennonite colony whose families use the road to move cattle, soy, corn or wheat they grow in their cropland that surrounds the Indigenous community. The road that leads into Somme ..read more

Paraguay is considering opening up mining and natural gas drilling in one of its national parks in the Gran Chaco, despite widespread outcry that development could compromise the fragile savannah ecosystem. Two modifications to a law would designate Médanos del Chaco National Park as public domain, allowing the government to open investment to a hydrocarbon industry that was expelled from the area several years ago. “There’s going to be exploitation. There’s going to be drilling,” said Mónica Centrón, Project Coordinator of Alter Vida, an eco-development non-profit. “It also leaves the door op ..read more

The vulnerabilities in our global food system have never been more apparent than they are right now, during a moment some have described as a “poly-crisis.” Between international conflict in breadbasket regions creating shortages to changing climate affecting yields, the food sector upon which humanity depends for survival is deeply precarious. Scientists know that rainfall variability is growing, extreme water events are becoming more intense and frequent, and higher temperatures evaporate more and more of our water. These inevitable trends in water pose critical risks to our food systems, hu ..read more

This story was produced with funding support from the Pulitzer Center. MAZZORBO, Italy — In the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant, a dozen blue crabs await their fate in a deep stainless steel tray near the stove. Chefs Chiara Pavan and Francesco Brutto will use them to make blue crab soy-skin dumplings topped with marinated egg yolk and oregano, one of the signature dishes at their restaurant Venissa on Mazzorbo island in Italy’s Venice Lagoon. Although the Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) was uncommon in this part of the world until a few years ago, diners take to them easily ..read more

As Arctic sea ice reached a total winter maximum coverage that is again far below average, research has revealed how this ice is vulnerable to extreme weather arriving from more southerly parts of the globe — and how it might never recover. Arctic sea ice, which expands through the fall and winter, reached an annual maximum extent of 14.62 million square kilometers (5.64 million square miles) on March 6, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). That means Arctic sea ice is starting the summer melt season more than a million square kilometers below average. The maximum, which ..read more

SAINT-LOUIS, Senegal — Every afternoon, Bouba Sow, 60, crosses the Ndiaël in Senegal’s Saint-Louis region with his goats so that they can graze. The territory is immense and partly desert. The land is covered with various yellowed annual grasses as dry as the ground. A few trees dot the area. Bouba Sow plucks the leaves from an acacia tree with his shepherd’s stick to feed his goats, which are fond of them. Sow grew up here in the Ndiaël, a vast wetland, partially dry and classified as a special wildlife reserve and wetland of international importance for birdlife by a presidential decree and ..read more

The photo speaks for itself: a woman lies on the ground with just her smiling face visible, her body covered by about 20 dead geese, the result of a “successful” day of hunting. Although the photo is from the beginning of this century, the consequences of this intensive hunting of the ruddy-headed goose (Chloephaga rebidiceps), among other reasons, are noticeable in the present day: the species is now one of the most threatened in Argentina, to the extent that it’s considered critically endangered on the local list of animals at risk. Most recent counts put the population at no more than 700 i ..read more