<div><p>If you&rsquo;re a reef manta, there are few better places to be than northeastern Indonesia.&nbsp;</p><p><span style="background-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">In the clear blue seas of the Raja Ampat archipelago, these marine giants &mdash; up to 4 meters, or 14 feet, in wingspan &mdash; are thriving. In fact, it&rsquo;s the only place on Earth where their populations <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in ..read more

<div><p>Fishing is a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X13002194" target="_blank">way of life</a> in Peru.&nbsp;</p><p><span style="background-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">And <a href="https://www.andesamazonfund.org/country/peru-establishes-mar-tropical-de-grau-national-marine-reserve/" target="_blank">two out of every three</a> fish consumed in Peru is caught in the Mar Tropical d ..read more

<div><p>Protecting nature starts with science. Here&rsquo;s a roundup of recent science published by Conservation International experts.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>1. Close to 40 percent of plant species are at risk of extinction</strong><br /></h3></div><div><p>Nearly 40 percent of global plant species are categorized as &ldquo;very rare&rdquo; &mdash; observed less than five times ever &mdash; and are most at risk for extinction as climate change accelerates, according to a <a href="https://advances.scienc ..read more

<div><p>Conservationists had reason to cheer as 2020 dawned.</p><p><span style="background-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">On January 1, the Pacific island nation of Palau officially closed 80 percent of its territorial waters to fishing, creating one of the largest marine protected areas in the world.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-t ..read more

<p>In the crystal-clear waters of Cenderawasih Bay, in the Indonesian province of West Papua, two researchers spend their days chasing down one of Earth&rsquo;s most mysterious creatures: the whale shark.&nbsp;</p> <p>For Abraham Sianipar and Mark Erdmann &mdash; Conservation International scientists and world experts on whale sharks &mdash; studying the planet&rsquo;s biggest fish involves tracking their long-distance trips across the Pacific, understanding the challenges they face in a rapidly changing climate &mdash; and diving deep into their compl ..read more

<div><p>Decades of overfishing have decimated <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/fish-and-overfishing#:~:text=It%20estimates%20that%20around%20one,relatively%20stable%20in%20recent%20decades." target="_blank">one third</a> of global fish stocks &mdash; upending the delicate balance of ocean ecosystems, and threatening the livelihoods and food supply of hundreds of millions of people who depend on them.&nbsp;</p><p><span style="background-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:nor ..read more

<p>In the third year of the sweeping global PBS series &ldquo;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/changing-planet/" target="_blank">Changing Planet</a>,&rdquo; Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan explores how climate change is affecting some of Earth&rsquo;s most vulnerable ecosystems &mdash; and the groundbreaking science that&rsquo;s offering hope.</p><p><span style="background-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">The ..read more

<div><p>To her fans, DJ and music producer Jayda Guy is the Grammy-nominated artist spinning propulsive dance beats at some of the world&rsquo;s biggest festivals.&nbsp;</p><p><span style="background-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">But in a new documentary, Guy returns to her &ldquo;nerdy&rdquo; roots as a marine scientist &mdash; bringing viewers on a journey to explore one of nature's most potent climate allies: blue carbon ..read more

<div><p>Ana Gloria Guzm&aacute;n-Mora is the executive director of Conservation International&rsquo;s Costa Rica program, where she works with local communities and governments to help them meet their goals for protecting the planet. &nbsp;</p><p>Conservation News spoke with Guzm&aacute;n-Mora about her encounter with the biggest fish on the planet, the communities that give her hope for Earth&rsquo;s future and the limitless rewards that come from taking risks.&nbsp;</p></div><div><p><strong>Question: What sparked y ..read more

<p><em><strong>Editor&rsquo;s note:</strong> If the tuna that Pacific Island communities have reliably fished for generations suddenly change their behavior &mdash; teeming in totally new areas of the ocean or in smaller numbers, for example &mdash; this behavioral shift doesn&rsquo;t affect only the tuna. Caused by&nbsp;warming waters due to climate change, this shift&nbsp;affects everything and everyone, from other species in the marine food chain to the livelihoods of fishers all over the Pacific.</em></p><p><em><a h ..read more