Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information or to customize your cookie preferences.

Accept Deny

GoGreenNation news

The Elephant in the Room: How Governance Matters as Much as Funding in Species Conservation

News Feed
Wednesday, October 30, 2024

As global leaders gather at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia, the world’s attention is focused on the urgent need to protect our planet’s biodiversity. With this backdrop, a crucial question arises: What truly makes or breaks the success of species conservation? While many would instinctively point to funding — and they wouldn’t be wrong — emerging evidence suggests there’s another equally critical factor: governance. What exactly is governance, and how does it impact conservation? Governance refers to the rules, policies, and decision-making processes that guide how conservation projects are managed. It can range from approaches led by Indigenous peoples and local communities to government-led approaches and various hybrid models in between. To be clear, governance is not the management of a project. It’s like the difference between setting the rules of a game and actually going out and playing the game. You can’t do either successfully without the other, but they’re not the same. Governance is also the key that ensures everyone from local communities to national governments works together effectively, and we’re starting to definitively show that governance is just as crucial as funding for the success of conservation efforts. In fact, the 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework finally acknowledges this by highlighting governance explicitly in its targets. You can see that most clearly in its “Target 3: Conserve 30% of Land, Waters, and Seas.” This isn’t theoretical. A study published in Conservation Letters in July 2024 provides a practical example of how governance impacts conservation on the ground. The study focused on African elephants and found that the two factors best predicting whether populations increased or declined were the funding allocated to the site and the effectiveness of governance. The study estimated a staggering $1.5 billion annual deficit needed to stabilize elephant populations across sub-Saharan Africa. Current spending is only about $226 million per year, resulting in an ongoing decline of elephant numbers. Surprisingly the study found that even with insufficient funding, effective governance helped slow the decline in elephant numbers substantially, through stronger law enforcement, better management of resources, and active collaboration with local communities. Photo: Dr. Matt Luizza/USFWS Stories like this demonstrate that when funding and effective governance align, conservation efforts are significantly more successful. However, we often only hear about governance impacts through isolated examples. To determine whether governance truly has substantial influence, we need a comprehensive understanding of how different types of governance affect conservation across all regions, ensuring that success isn’t just seen in snapshots but sustained worldwide. To that end, a collaborative team of researchers — including myself — from World Wildlife Fund, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s International Affairs, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Canadian Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation, and various academic institutions undertook a global study that was released this month. Our research, Challenges in Assessing the Effects of Environmental Governance Systems on Conservation Outcomes, spanned conservation projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, seeking to uncover the relationship between governance and conservation outcomes. The results, published in Conservation Biology, were quite surprising. Despite widespread recognition that governance is vital for driving conservation toward more just, equitable, and legitimate practices, leading to greater societal support and rule compliance, the field of conservation isn’t collecting sufficient empirical research. In fact only a tiny fraction — 3.2% of the more than 1,000 papers we screened — provided direct evidence linking governance to conservation outcomes. We know countries require good governance for prosperity. Measuring and comparing different governance systems helps us evaluate which is most effective for a top-functioning society. Similarly, in conservation, while we know governance is crucial, we currently lack sufficient data to assess which types of governance models — whether community-led, government-managed, or hybrid approaches — are most effective at delivering the best results for species conservation. And it’s not a one-size-fits-all strategy. What works in one part of the world might not be the best option in another. Unfortunately, until we bridge this gap, we’re left with broad assumptions rather than evidence-based decisions. “Effective governance is essential for conservation projects, but our findings show that the current evidence base is remarkably limited,” Matt Luizza, one of the study’s lead authors and staff in the Fish and Wildlife Service’s International Affairs program. “There is a significant gap in our understanding — it’s almost impossible to answer the question, ‘Do different types of governance lead to better or worse conservation outcomes?’ We simply need more empirical research.” Why should we care about how conservation is governed? Because it directly impacts whether efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats actually succeed. As the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP16 convenes, it’s the perfect time to advocate for increased research funding and stronger commitments to governance. Advocate to increase funding for research that links how conservation is governed to the outcomes it delivers and ensure that this research is shared openly and fairly. Encourage decision-makers to develop better tools to track the success of conservation projects, helping us know what works so we can replicate it. Push for stronger commitments on improved governance research at major events, like the CBD COP16, where global leaders gather to set conservation priorities. Finally, support initiatives that bring local communities, researchers, and policymakers together, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and that conservation efforts are tailored to the needs of both people and wildlife. Governance might sound like something that only policy insiders worry about, but it plays a huge role in shaping the future of wildlife conservation. Strong governance ensures that every dollar spent on conservation is a dollar well spent. With this new research identifying key gaps in our knowledge base, we have the power to close them — and by doing that, we can elevate conservation efforts globally, securing a brighter future for both wildlife and the human communities that depend on them. The opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Revelator, the Center for Biological Diversity, or their employees. Scroll down to find our “Republish” button Previously in The Revelator: Tree Cutting in Egypt: The Desertification of Governance The post The Elephant in the Room: How Governance Matters as Much as Funding in Species Conservation appeared first on The Revelator.

A new global study reveals we’re missing the mark on understanding the critical role of governance in species conservation. COP16 is the moment to set us on the right path. The post The Elephant in the Room: How Governance Matters as Much as Funding in Species Conservation appeared first on The Revelator.

As global leaders gather at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia, the world’s attention is focused on the urgent need to protect our planet’s biodiversity. With this backdrop, a crucial question arises: What truly makes or breaks the success of species conservation?

While many would instinctively point to funding — and they wouldn’t be wrong — emerging evidence suggests there’s another equally critical factor: governance.

What exactly is governance, and how does it impact conservation? Governance refers to the rules, policies, and decision-making processes that guide how conservation projects are managed. It can range from approaches led by Indigenous peoples and local communities to government-led approaches and various hybrid models in between.

To be clear, governance is not the management of a project. It’s like the difference between setting the rules of a game and actually going out and playing the game. You can’t do either successfully without the other, but they’re not the same.

Governance is also the key that ensures everyone from local communities to national governments works together effectively, and we’re starting to definitively show that governance is just as crucial as funding for the success of conservation efforts. In fact, the 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework finally acknowledges this by highlighting governance explicitly in its targets. You can see that most clearly in its “Target 3: Conserve 30% of Land, Waters, and Seas.”

This isn’t theoretical. A study published in Conservation Letters in July 2024 provides a practical example of how governance impacts conservation on the ground. The study focused on African elephants and found that the two factors best predicting whether populations increased or declined were the funding allocated to the site and the effectiveness of governance. The study estimated a staggering $1.5 billion annual deficit needed to stabilize elephant populations across sub-Saharan Africa. Current spending is only about $226 million per year, resulting in an ongoing decline of elephant numbers.

Surprisingly the study found that even with insufficient funding, effective governance helped slow the decline in elephant numbers substantially, through stronger law enforcement, better management of resources, and active collaboration with local communities.

Two elephants stand under a large tree, while the one on the right stretches its trunk up high to eat the leaves.
Photo: Dr. Matt Luizza/USFWS

Stories like this demonstrate that when funding and effective governance align, conservation efforts are significantly more successful. However, we often only hear about governance impacts through isolated examples. To determine whether governance truly has substantial influence, we need a comprehensive understanding of how different types of governance affect conservation across all regions, ensuring that success isn’t just seen in snapshots but sustained worldwide.

To that end, a collaborative team of researchers — including myself — from World Wildlife Fund, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s International Affairs, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Canadian Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation, and various academic institutions undertook a global study that was released this month. Our research, Challenges in Assessing the Effects of Environmental Governance Systems on Conservation Outcomes, spanned conservation projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, seeking to uncover the relationship between governance and conservation outcomes.

The results, published in Conservation Biology, were quite surprising. Despite widespread recognition that governance is vital for driving conservation toward more just, equitable, and legitimate practices, leading to greater societal support and rule compliance, the field of conservation isn’t collecting sufficient empirical research. In fact only a tiny fraction — 3.2% of the more than 1,000 papers we screened — provided direct evidence linking governance to conservation outcomes.

We know countries require good governance for prosperity. Measuring and comparing different governance systems helps us evaluate which is most effective for a top-functioning society. Similarly, in conservation, while we know governance is crucial, we currently lack sufficient data to assess which types of governance models — whether community-led, government-managed, or hybrid approaches — are most effective at delivering the best results for species conservation. And it’s not a one-size-fits-all strategy. What works in one part of the world might not be the best option in another. Unfortunately, until we bridge this gap, we’re left with broad assumptions rather than evidence-based decisions.

“Effective governance is essential for conservation projects, but our findings show that the current evidence base is remarkably limited,” Matt Luizza, one of the study’s lead authors and staff in the Fish and Wildlife Service’s International Affairs program. “There is a significant gap in our understanding — it’s almost impossible to answer the question, ‘Do different types of governance lead to better or worse conservation outcomes?’ We simply need more empirical research.”

Why should we care about how conservation is governed? Because it directly impacts whether efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats actually succeed. As the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP16 convenes, it’s the perfect time to advocate for increased research funding and stronger commitments to governance.

    • Advocate to increase funding for research that links how conservation is governed to the outcomes it delivers and ensure that this research is shared openly and fairly.
    • Encourage decision-makers to develop better tools to track the success of conservation projects, helping us know what works so we can replicate it.
    • Push for stronger commitments on improved governance research at major events, like the CBD COP16, where global leaders gather to set conservation priorities.
    • Finally, support initiatives that bring local communities, researchers, and policymakers together, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and that conservation efforts are tailored to the needs of both people and wildlife.

Governance might sound like something that only policy insiders worry about, but it plays a huge role in shaping the future of wildlife conservation. Strong governance ensures that every dollar spent on conservation is a dollar well spent. With this new research identifying key gaps in our knowledge base, we have the power to close them — and by doing that, we can elevate conservation efforts globally, securing a brighter future for both wildlife and the human communities that depend on them.

The opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Revelator, the Center for Biological Diversity, or their employees.

Scroll down to find our “Republish” button

Previously in The Revelator:

Tree Cutting in Egypt: The Desertification of Governance

The post The Elephant in the Room: How Governance Matters as Much as Funding in Species Conservation appeared first on The Revelator.

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

Related News

Smoke From Growing New Jersey Wildfire to Affect Air Quality in the New York City Area

A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens is expected to grow, with smoke affecting the air quality in the New York City area before rain arrives this week

CHATSWORTH, N.J. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens was expected grow Thursday, with smoke affecting the air quality in the New York City area before rain arrives this week, authorities said.Higher-than-normal pollution levels were expected Thursday in New York City, Rockland and Westchester counties, and in Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation advised Wednesday.It said “going indoors may reduce exposure” to problems such as eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath. The fire in the southern part of New Jersey has grown to more than 20 square miles (52 square kilometers) and could continue to burn for days, officials said. No one has been injured so far in the blaze, and 5,000 residents were evacuated but have been permitted to return home. A single commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed in the fire, while 12 structures remained threatened Wednesday evening.“This is still a very active fire,” said New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “As we continue to get this under full control the expectation is that the number of acres will grow and will grow in a place that is unpopulated.”The Ocean County Sheriff's Office in New Jersey also cautioned early Thursday about air quality, saying “smoke will continue to permeate the area.” It said emergency personnel will be on site for the next few days. In New York, dry conditions across the state are resulting in a “high” fire danger rating in several regions including New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, and portions of the North Country, the state air quality advisory said. The rest of the state is at a moderate or low level of fire danger.Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in the last two decades, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26 square miles (67 square kilometers).Acting New Jersey Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency Wednesday and officials said they’ve contained about 50% of the wildfire.Video released by the state agency overseeing the fire service showed billowing white and black clouds of smoke, intense flames engulfing pines and firefighters dousing a charred structure.The cause of the fire is still under investigation, authorities said.Forest fires are a common occurrence in the Pine Barrens, a 1.1 million-acre (445,000-hectare) state and federally protected reserve about the size of the Grand Canyon lying halfway between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east. The region, with its quick-draining sandy soil, is in peak forest fire season. The trees are still developing leaves, humidity remains low and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.Associated Press writers Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Feb. 2025

Conservation
Forests
Pollution

As Norway Considers Deep-Sea Mining, a Rich History of Ocean Conservation Decisions May Inform How the Country Acts

In the past, scientists, industry and government have worked together in surprising, tense and fruitful ways

As Norway Considers Deep-Sea Mining, a Rich History of Ocean Conservation Decisions May Inform How the Country Acts In the past, scientists, industry and government have worked together in surprising, tense and fruitful ways A variety of marine creatures and unique features can be found in the deep sea off Norway, including the dumbo octopus, colorful anemones and venting chimneys. Illustration by Emily Lankiewicz / CDeepSea / University of Bergen / ROV Aegir6000 At the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge off the Norwegian coast, molten rock rises from deep within the Earth between spreading tectonic plates. Black smoker vents sustain unique ecosystems in the dark. Endemic species of long, segmented bristle worms and tiny crustaceans graze on bacteria mats and flit among fields of chemosynthetic tube worms, growing thick as grass. Dense banks of sponges cling to the summits and slopes of underwater mountains. And among all this life, minerals build up slowly over millennia in the form of sulfide deposits and manganese crusts. Those minerals are the kind needed to fuel the global green energy transition—copper, zinc and cobalt. In January 2024, Norway surprised the world with the announcement it planned to open its waters for exploratory deep-sea mining, the first nation to do so. If all went to plan, companies would be issued licenses to begin identifying mineral deposits as soon as spring 2025. To some scientists who’d spent decades mapping and studying the geology and ecology of the Norwegian seabed and Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, the decision seemed premature—they still lacked critical data on the area targeted for mining. The government’s own Institute of Marine Research (IMR) accused it of extrapolating from a small area where data has already been collected to the much larger zone now targeted “Our advice has been we don’t have enough knowledge,” says Rebecca Ross, an ecologist at IMR who works on Norway’s Mareano deep-sea mapping initiative. She says the decision was based solely on the geology of the area. Taking high-resolution scans of the seabed and sampling its geology is the first step when research ships enter a new area, but critical biological and ecological research is more difficult and tends to come later—which is the case on the ridge area targeted for mining. Ross says it’s certain that area contains vulnerable marine ecosystems that would be affected by the light and noise pollution and sediment plumes generated by mining. The IMR estimates closing the knowledge gap on the target area could take ten years. The same conflict, with a partial scientific understanding misinterpreted and used to justify resource extraction, is playing out in the Pacific, where mining pilot projects are already underway in international waters. Years before, scientists funded by industry scouted the seabed there, discovering both valuable minerals and new forms of life. “I remember them being of two minds due to the fact they realized they were laying the ground for future exploitation and mining, but at the same time, they were learning so much about the environments that were down there,” says University of Tromso natural resource economist Claire Armstrong, who studied their work. “So, it’s clearly a balancing act.” Research in the deep sea is difficult—it requires lengthy, expensive research cruises and specialized machinery, often planned many years in advance. Scientists frequently work for industry—oil, fisheries, mining—and the government for a chance to access the seabed on shorter time scales and with better equipment. But that relationship between science and industry can lead to conflicts of interest. Mareano, now in its 20th year, is among the world’s largest and most systemic efforts to map a single nation’s seabed geology and ecology. It’s an outgrowth of a United Nations pact that allows countries to extend their waters to the limits of their continental shelf, which sparked an international seabed mapping race starting in the 1980s. Where the research ships go to map is determined by the government’s resource priorities, to inform oil, gas, wind and fisheries management. Ross, the ecologist, knows her participation makes resource extraction possible, sometimes at the expense of marine ecosystems. But if ecologists aren’t involved in such efforts, who would collect the data needed to adequately assess the environmental impacts of industry? Answering questions about how scientists can best work with industry when the groups have different aims in mind isn’t always easy. But Norway’s history is an instructive example of how scientists can work with universities, industry environmentalists and the government to find a way forward that satisfies all parties. With deep-sea mining on the horizon, some researchers say Norway would be wise to look to its own past. Reefs in the deep In 1982, geologist Martin Hovland sat aboard a research ship owned by the Norwegian oil company Statoil (now Equinor) in the Barents Sea. As he peered at a sonar screen, he saw something strange—a mound 150 feet wide rising 50 feet above the flat seabed. “And I said, ‘Stop, stop, stop the boat, we need to find out what that thing is,’” he recalls. “And we took a coring device and we sent it down to the structure at 280 meters [around 900 feet] water depth. And when it came up, it was muddy, and the pieces that fell out of the core went onto the steel floor and sounded like glass.” Confused, Hovland lowered an early remotely operated vehicle (ROV) into the water and took the first color photo ever of a cold-water coral reef—a rare ecosystem scientists now know exists throughout the Norwegian Sea. A cross section of a manganese crust at the bottom of the Norwegian Sea. CDeepSea / University of Bergen / ROV Aegir6000 Over the next ten years, Hovland’s constant access to the deep sea gave him a rare opportunity to collect data on those reefs, often collaborating—with Statoil’s permission—with university and government scientists back on land who, he says, envied Statoil’s ROV. He experienced some award snubs and disrespect for working for the oil industry. But then, in 1991, he ran into a real problem. A proposed natural gas pipeline route on the Norwegian continental shelf crossed directly through a particularly stunning reef. Engineers wanted to go forward with the project as planned. Hovland balked. “If you had seen this coral reef on land, you would have been amazed,” he recalls telling them. “It’s like being in an aquarium; it’s like coming into a Garden of Eden.” A sample of the coral Lophelia pertusa he collected from the reef turned out to be 8,600 years old—it started growing not long after the first humans came to Norway. These reefs may lack legal protections now, Hovland argued to his superiors, but once the public learned about them, regulations would surely follow. And in the court of public opinion, Statoil would be judged in the future for destroying them now. So, despite the potential for increased costs, the company changed the pipeline route to avoid the reef. Hovland even convinced them to follow guidelines for coral protection he drafted, which included regular visits to monitor the corals. Bottom trawling begins While Hovland balanced his industry job and coral science in the deep sea, bottom trawl fishing was exploding in popularity in Norway. Wheeled “rock hopper” gear allowed ships to pull nets over rocky terrain, bulldozing the seabed and catching all the fish—and other life—in their wake. Small-scale coastal fishermen immediately noticed something was wrong—the fishing hot spots near cold-water coral reefs they had long frequented with gillnets (which hang in the water column like huge, undersea volleyball nets) and longlines (which drag behind ships like undersea clotheslines covered in baited hooks) were coming up empty. “They realized the trawlers had been there and trawled over some of the cold-water coral in the area,” says Armstrong, the economist. “And they notified the Institute of Marine Research.” Collaboration between scientists and the fishing industry is older than the independent Norwegian state, says Mats Ingulstad, a historian at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Government-funded research at universities led to a ban on whaling in 1904 when biologists found the whales drove fish to important coastal fisheries. In this case, deep-sea ecologists at the IMR already suspected trawl fishing operations were damaging reefs, but they couldn’t prove it—they didn’t even know where most of the reefs were. So, they teamed up—coastal fishermen helped identify reef locations for the researchers, and, in at least one case with an ROV borrowed from Statoil and Hovland, they headed out to sea in search of crushed coral. “And it was in this process they got these very visual pictures of coral trawled over, and it came on national television in Norway and created quite a stir,” says Armstrong. The Norwegian public had just been enthralled by Hovland’s coral imagery on TV—scientists knew images of coral rubble fields would strike a chord. Under public pressure, the Norwegian parliament reacted remarkably fast, closing major areas to all fishing after just nine months of deliberation. Satellite tracking technology, which arrived around the same time, made enforcement possible. In the end, the trawling industry supported the legislation. Like the oil companies, “the trawl organizations clearly realized they would be on the bad side of history if they went against it,” says Armstrong. The deep-sea mining dilemma Deep-sea mining isn’t a new idea. The HMS Challenger research expedition discovered polymetallic nodules—the metal lumps mining operations are now targeting in the Pacific—in the 1870s. Scientists first found deep-sea vents and their resulting massive sulfide deposits nearly a century later. Around that time, the idea circulated around the world—starting in the U.S.—that the ocean contained endless mineral resources, says Ingulstad, who works on a multidisciplinary project studying deep-sea mining. Demand for minerals was high, thanks to the Korean War. The U.S., facing domestic shortages of metals needed for the war effort, invested heavily in foreign mining operations on land. At the same time, a CIA cover story for a secret operation to recover a sunken Soviet submarine featured a flashy (and fake) deep-sea mining test funded by billionaire inventor Howard Hughes. Suddenly, Ingulstad says, commercial deep-sea mining seemed imminent. Some theorized the world economic order would reshuffle based on who controlled minerals at sea. “Where this fits into a longer historical trajectory in Norway, and elsewhere in the world, is thinking of the ocean as a provider of resources, essentially solutions to contemporary problems and shortfalls on land,” says Ingulstad. “If you lack food, you go to the ocean, you fish. If you lack minerals, the ocean will provide.” But as suddenly as it coalesced, interest dissipated as mineral prices dropped. The U.S. investment in foreign mines was so successful, strategic mineral reserves were overflowing and the government had to sell off its excess supply. Then, in the early 2000s, when China entered the global market and mineral prices skyrocketed again, Norwegian scientists mapping the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge discovered black smoker vents there, including the group known as Loki’s Castle. Ever since, media and industry have created what Ingulstad calls a “really inflated idea” of the economic and security benefits to be reaped from the ridge’s mineral wealth—a “treasure on the seabed” available at the cost of potentially destroying a unique ecosystem. The Norwegian research vessel G.O. Sars ventured out to the deep ocean to explore Loki’s Castle, an area of black smoker vents, using an ROV. Sveter via Wikipedia under CC By-SA 3.0 Norwegian politics are a “many-headed troll,” a saying goes—some politicians see mining as a question of European security, others a new industry for coastal jobs as oil and gas inevitably decline. Deep-sea mining has been something that could happen “soon” for so long that university departments have trained a generation of specialized researchers, some of whom now work for the industry, says Ingulstad. The basic tools and technologies of the trade are well developed, just sitting on the shelf. At this point, mining is technically possible—what’s in question is whether society and the government will tolerate it. After Norway announced it planned to open a licensing round for the initial step of exploratory deep-sea mining in early 2025, it opened a public comment period—an opportunity for scientists to identify vulnerable areas that shouldn’t be considered for exploitation, like active hydrothermal vents. That sparked backlash from researchers—for one thing, the data to identify where vulnerable ecosystems are just doesn’t yet exist. Assessing ecology requires extensive video surveys with ROVs and physical sampling. For another, it’s hard for scientists to even determine if a given hydrothermal vent is active—they reactivate from dormancy unpredictably and on time scales scientists don’t yet understand. The overall approach—making scientists prove why mining shouldn’t happen in specific parts of a huge area, without the data to do so—frustrated scientists. Exploration doesn’t mean commercial mining will happen—after companies locate minerals on the seabed, another parliamentary vote followed by extensive environmental reviews would be required before full-scale extraction is allowed. Industry involvement and funding may be the only way to get significant investment in detailed seabed mapping and studies on how sediment plumes from mining could affect ecosystems—studies the government would likely require before mining goes forward. Plenty of opportunities remain for authorities to hit the brakes. But once companies invest in finding good spots to mine, says Ingulstad, the history of oil extraction, which also went through an exploratory phase, shows the government would likely move forward with permitting commercial-scale mining. But in December 2024, Norway surprised the world when the government canceled the planned licensing round for the exploratory mining phase after the Socialist Left party blocked the country’s budget in general opposition to deep-sea mining. The scientific backlash, lawsuits and international coverage of Norway’s decision to mine the seabed likely played a role in the government making the decision it did, as in the case of the oil and fishery industries and cold-water corals. The final call on opening Norway’s water for mining is delayed indefinitely for now—at least until the next election. But if the past is any indication, Norway may be uniquely positioned for industry, government and university researchers to work together to make an informed decision about deep-sea mining—whether it’s necessary at all and, if so, how it can be done in a sustainable way. Ross, the IMR ecologist, says the data scientists collect is critical to informing the public debate and government decisions, no matter who pays for it—just think of Hovland and his corals. “If it’s inevitable that we have to [start deep-sea mining], at least we can regulate it and have half an eye on what’s going to happen in the future,” Ross says. “It’s about the sustainability of the industry as well as the sustainability of the biodiversity.” Get the latest Science stories in your inbox.

Conservation
Government
Food

Meet the seed collector restoring California’s landscapes - one tiny plant at a time

Native seed demand far outpaces supply for the state’s ambitious conservation plan. This group combs the landscape to address the deficitDeep in California’s agricultural heartland, Haleigh Holgate marched through the expansive wildflower-dotted plains of the San Luis national wildlife refuge complex in search of something precious.She surveyed the native grasses and flowering plants that painted the Central valley landscape in almost blinding swaths of yellow. Her objective on that sweltering spring day was to gather materials pivotal to California’s ambitious environmental agenda – seeds. Continue reading...

Deep in California’s agricultural heartland, Haleigh Holgate marched through the expansive wildflower-dotted plains of the San Luis national wildlife refuge complex in search of something precious.She surveyed the native grasses and flowering plants that painted the Central valley landscape in almost blinding swaths of yellow. Her objective on that sweltering spring day was to gather materials pivotal to California’s ambitious environmental agenda – seeds.“Over there it’s a brighter yellow, so I know those flowers are still blooming, rather than going to seed production,” she noted. “Versus over here, it’s these hues of deeper reds and deeper gold. That seed is ready.”As a seed collection manager with the non-profit Heritage Growers native seed supplier, Holgate is tasked with traveling to the state’s wildlands to collect native seeds crucial for habitat restoration projects.The need has become particularly acute as California aims to conserve 30% of its land by 2030, with the governor pledging to restore “degraded landscapes” and expand “nature-based solutions” to fight the climate crisis. And as the Trump administration systematically rolls back efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect public lands, the state’s goals have taken on even greater importance.But the rising demand for seeds far outpaces the available supply. California faces an “urgent and growing need” to coordinate efforts to increase the availability of native seeds, according to a 2023 report from the California Native Plant Society. There simply isn’t enough wildland seed available to restore the land at the rate the state has set out to, Holgate said.The Heritage Growers farm in Colusa, California. Photograph: River PartnersBridging the gap starts with people like Holgate, who spends five days a week, eight months of the year, traveling with colleagues to remote spots across the state collecting seeds – an endeavor that could shape California’s landscape for years.That fact is not lost on the 26-year-old. It’s something she tries to remind her team during long, grueling hot days in the oilfields of Kern county or the San Joaquin valley.“What we do is bigger than just the day that we live. The species that we collect are going to make impacts on the restoration industry for decades to come,” Holgate said.Seeds play a vital role in landscape recovery. When fires move through forests, decimating native species and leaving the earth a charred sea of gray ash, or when farmlands come out of production, land managers use native seeds to help return the land to something closer to its original form. They have been an essential part of restoring the Klamath River after the largest dam removal project in US history, covering the banks of the ailing river in milkweeds that attract bees and other pollinators, and Lemmon’s needlegrass, which produces seeds that feed birds and small mammals.California has emphasized the importance of increasing native seed production to protect the state’s biodiversity, which one state report described as “the most imperiled … of any state in the contiguous United States”. Three-quarters of native vegetation in the state has been altered in the last 200 years, including more than 90% of California wetlands, much of them here in the Central valley.For the state to implement its plans, it needs a massive quantity of native seeds – far more than can be obtained in the wild. Enter Heritage Growers, the northern California-based non-profit founded by experts with the non-profit River Partners, which works to restore river corridors in the state and create wildlife habitat.The organization takes seed that Holgate and others collect and amplifies them at its Colusa farm, a 2,088-acre property located an hour from the state capital. (The ethical harvesting rules Heritage Growers adhere to mean that they can take no more than 20% of seeds available the day of collection.)Workers dry the seeds collected in the wild over several weeks, clean them and send them off to a lab for testing. The farm cultivates them to grow additional seeds, in some cases slowly expanding from a small plot to a tenth of an acre, and eventually several acres. The process – from collection to amplification – can take years. Currently, the farm is producing more than 30,000lbs of seeds each year and has more than 200 native plant varieties.A family watches the removal of the Iron Gate dam, near Hornbrook, California, on 28 August 2024. Photograph: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty ImagesThe goal, general manager Pat Reynolds said, is to produce source-identified native seed and get as much of it out in the environment as possible to restore habitat at scale. The group has worked with federal agencies such as the National Parks Service, state agencies and conservation organizations, and provided seed for River Partners’ restoration efforts of the land that would become California’s newest state park, Dos Rios.The benefit of restoring California’s wildlands extends far beyond the environment, said Austin Stevenot, a member of the Northern Sierra Mewuk Tribe and the director of tribal engagement for River Partners.“It’s more than just work on the landscape, because you’re restoring places where people have been removed and by inviting those people back in these places we can have cultural restoration,” Stevenot said. “Our languages, our cultures, are all tied to the landscape.”He pointed to Dos Rios, where there is a native-use garden within the park where Indigenous people can collect the plants they need for basketweaving.“It’s giving the space back to people to freely do what we would like for the landscape and for our culture,” he said.skip past newsletter promotionThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essentialPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionJust three farms in California produce thousands of pounds of native seed each year, including Heritage Growers, Reynolds said, meaning that restoration efforts take significant long-term planning. In the case of the Klamath River project, it took at least five years of work – collecting the seed, cleaning it and amplifying it at multiple farms – to obtain the seed necessary to use for river restoration.But before Heritage Growers can amplify seed, Holgate has to gather materials in the wild. Holgate, a sunny and personable seed collector who studied environmental science and management with a focus in ecological restoration, has developed Heritage Growers’ program over the last two years.A field at the Heritage Growers farm. Photograph: Dani AnguianoIn late March, she headed out to scout the Arena plains area of the Merced national wildlife refuge, more than 10,200 acres of protected lands, including wetlands and vernal pools, in the San Joaquin valley. Her winter break had come to an end and collection season was kicking off again, meaning months of travel and logging upward of 1,000 miles a week as she and a group of wildland seed collectors visited dozens of sites across the valley and in the foothills. Collection days typically start when the sun rises, and stretch until it gets too hot to work.In recent weeks, Holgate’s team had planned their collection strategy and surveyed sites to see what plants were available. Getting to the Arena plains area required a 30-minute drive down a bumpy dirt road.In a large white pickup, she passed a large owl perched in a tree and navigated a narrow creekside lane. From her vehicle, Holgate often performs what she describes as “drive-by botany”, quickly scouting the land to see what’s available.She maneuvered through a herd of curious, but cautious, calves before trudging through thick mud and carefully slipping through barbed wire fencing to take in the scene.Equipped with a bucket, a sun hat and a backpack, Holgate was eager to observe the landscape, noting what was seeding and what needed more time. The work is simultaneously thrilling and sometimes tedious, Holgate said as she compared two plants that looked identical but were in fact different species. Seed collectors must be able to distinguish between species to ensure the materials they collect are genetically pure, she noted.The temperature climbed to 89F as she meandered across the plains, noting which species were available and how ripe the seeds were.Holgate monitored a herd of cattle approaching. When she began working in the area, Holgate viewed the creatures and the way they trampled through the vernal pools and chomped on the vegetation as a significant impact to the landscape, she said. But she later learned how grazing can benefit this ecosystem. The depressions cattle make as they move through the area allow seeds to nestle further into the ground, and their grazing reduces invasive grasses, allowing flowers to receive more sunlight and giving them space to bloom, Holgate noted.Chasing down seeds is a nomadic lifestyle in which one has to be OK with long stretches away from home, and an inordinate amount of prepared road food, like bacon and gouda sandwiches from Starbucks, Holgate said, pausing as a coyote and its pup ran through nearby flowers, winding through the cows and heading just out of sight. Along with travel to distant locations from the wildlife refuge to Kern county in the south, Holgate has to return any seeds collected to the Heritage Growers farm within 24 to 48 hours.But the mission is worthwhile, Holgate said. The seeds she collects are expensive, but if they can be amplified and expanded, native seeds will become more abundant and restoration projects can happen more quickly.Haleigh Holgate working in the San Luis national wildlife refuge complex. Photograph: Dani Anguiano“We can restore California faster,” she said. “It’s the only way we are going to be able to restore California at the rate we want to.”The seed collection team has 35 sites they will return to this season. Spending so many hours on the same swaths of land has allowed Holgate and her colleagues to know the areas on a far deeper level than they would if they were just hiking through. It’s left her with a familiarity she can’t shake – that dainty grass isn’t just grass, it’s hair grass, the lighter spots are Hordeum depressum, a type of barley, and the dots of yellow are lasthenia. Sometimes the plants seep into her dreams.“I know that when I’m dreaming about a certain species, I should go check that population and see what’s happening. And normally there’s something going on where it’s like grasshoppers came in and ate all the seed, or the seed is ripe and ready, and I gotta call in a crew,” she said.“I’ve really put my whole heart into this job. I realize it’s more than just getting a paycheck – and it’s more than just doing this restoration for the land. It’s doing restoration for people.”

Conservation
Climate
Crisis

Conservation group names Mississippi River 'most endangered,' cites proposed FEMA cuts

A conservation group on Wednesday named the Mississippi the “most endangered river of 2025,” citing threats to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which plays a key role in federal flood management. American Rivers, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, said the Mississippi River in recent years has faced “increasingly frequent and severe floods,” which...

A conservation group on Wednesday named the Mississippi the “most endangered river of 2025,” citing threats to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which plays a key role in federal flood management. American Rivers, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, said the Mississippi River in recent years has faced “increasingly frequent and severe floods,” which have damaged homes and businesses and worsened the health of the river, which provides drinking water for 20 million people. The organization said the federal government plays a key role in protecting the river and helping homeowners prepare for, and rebuild after, major flooding. Amid concerns about further layoffs at FEMA and as government officials — including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA — threaten to abolish the agency, the conservation group said the risk to the Mississippi River is exceptionally high. “Communities along the river need significant support for disaster prevention and response, as well as river restoration – but the fate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency hangs in the balance,” the report read. The group called on the Trump administration to “modernize FEMA to improve river health and maximize the safety, security, and prosperity of Mississippi River communities.” “The Mississippi River is vital to our nation’s health, wealth and security. We drink from it, we grow our food with it, we travel on it, we live alongside it, and simply, we admire its beauty,” Mike Sertle, American Rivers’ central region director, said in a statement. “We cannot turn our back on Mississippi River communities or the health of the river millions depend on at this critical time when they need unified direction instead of uncertainty at the national level,” Sertle added. A press release from Americans Rivers stressed FEMA’s role in preparing for potential flood damage, not just responding to it, saying the agency develops minimum standards for construction in floodplains and helps relocate flood-prone homes to higher ground. “The most cost-effective way to reduce disaster response costs is to invest in mitigating the impacts of disasters before they happen. Every $1 spent on flood mitigation yields $7 in benefits,” the press release read.

Conservation
Business
Government

Endangered greater gliders recorded in proposed great koala national park in NSW as logging continues

Conservation groups call for immediate action to protect wildlife as two-year wait for Labor’s promised creation of park continuesGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastGovernment surveys have found tens of thousands of endangered greater gliders could be living within the proposed area for a great koala national park in New South Wales, prompting new calls for the area to be quickly protected from logging.Data from aerial drone and ground-based surveys at 169 sites within the proposed park were used to model the likely presence of Australia’s largest gliding possum across the entire 176,000 hectares the NSW government is considering for protection.Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Continue reading...

Government surveys have found tens of thousands of endangered greater gliders could be living within the proposed area for a great koala national park in New South Wales, prompting new calls for the area to be quickly protected from logging.Data from aerial drone and ground-based surveys at 169 sites within the proposed park were used to model the likely presence of Australia’s largest gliding possum across the entire 176,000 hectares the NSW government is considering for protection.The Minns Labor government promised to create a koala national park before the state election more than two years ago, but has not taken a decision on the boundaries and has allowed logging to continue.A greater glider in flight. Photograph: Sami Raines/WWFBetween April and July 2024, the surveys detected greater gliders at 82 sites. The government’s analysis estimated the planned park has between 29,693 and 44,211 gliders, with a mean estimate of 36,483. Some survey sites in the north-west recorded “extremely high detections” of the species, according to the new report.“This puts paid to any argument that this is not an environmentally significant area and endorses the protection of the complete 176,000 hectares in a national park,” Justin Field, spokesperson for the Forest Alliance NSW and former independent member of the NSW upper house, said.A great koala national park in in the state’s north was NSW Labor’s key environmental commitment at the 2023 election, but two years on, the government has given no indication of when it will announce how much of the 176,000 hectares it plans to protect.“The politically pointed question is: why is Chris Minns allowing the great potential legacy of this park to be undermined by a slow decision?” Field said.A NSW government spokesperson said the creation of the park was “one of our key election commitments, and it will be delivered soon”. “Creating this park will protect koalas, and that protection will extend to other important species including gliders.”Community groups and conservation advocates have grown increasingly frustrated as the government has allowed logging to continue within the proposed park instead of declaring a moratorium until assessment is complete.“These gliders do not tolerate logging and this report should motivate the Minns government to immediately end logging in the proposed great koala national park,” the chief executive of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Jacqui Mumford, said.“In fact, logging should cease in all state forest areas identified as containing greater gliders.”skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionEndangered yellow-bellied gliders and the tradie keeping watch over them – videoKita Ashman, a threatened species and climate adaptation ecologist at WWF Australia, said the report highlighted the significance of the proposed park for multiple species.“That’s the crux of the whole story,” she said.“Yes, we’re calling it the great koala national park. But you could easily call it the great greater glider national park – although it doesn’t have the same ring to it.”The forest alliance, made up of community and state environment groups focused on forest conservation, said it was also concerned about the findings of the government surveys for another glider species, the vulnerable yellow-bellied glider.The report found yellow-bellied gliders were less abundant than other species assessed, with the drone and on-ground surveys detecting the animals at only 21% of the sites.Because of the low number of observations, the government was unable to estimate an overall population number for the species within the park area.Field said this highlighted a need for further investigation to understand its conservation status.

Conservation
Government
Climate

Suggested Viewing

Karibu Nyumbani

“Karibu Nyumbani” translates as “Welcome to my Home” in Swahili. Guides in the Maasai Mara have a deep-rooted pride, knowledge, and love for wildlife. This film encapsulates that passion from the perspective of George Osono, a guide in Mara North Conservancy, who completely embodies this spirit of caring for nature. Throughout the film, you meet Half Tail, Lola's cubs and the other iconic members of the Marsh Pride, Kweli the Cheetah and her three cubs as they prepare for adulthood, and an impressive elephant named Edwin. This film is visual portrait of the Maasai Mara's majestic wildlife, and the stories of the extraordinary animals that call it home. The film encourages people to see the beauty of these animals, recognise how fragile their existence is and in turn care more about protecting them.

Conservation
Animals
Nature

Primal State

Set at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, Port Aransas, Texas, the film is supportive of the international efforts to utilize wastewater treatment facilities as bird sanctuaries. The film features an original jazz score and commentary by naturalist Jeff Anderson and provides a glimpse of some of the diversity of bird life found along the Texas Coast while conjuring a Zen-like union with nature.

Animals
Music
Conservation

Dipsas Speaks

Dipsas Speaks is a poetic reflection on the human-wildlife conflict in the Andean Amazon cloud forest of Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Dipsas klebbai, a snake, observes changes in her world. 100% wildlife cast.

Forests
Conservation
Animals

Home Waters

Three high school girls trek 50 miles from Florida’s Rainbow Springs State Park to the Gulf of Mexico to explore the hidden rivers, springs, and forests in their backyards. Their journey covers an important, yet unprotected, area of the Florida Wildlife Corridor and helps connect the next generation to our last remaining wild places in the Sunshine State.

Water
Conservation
Youth

Ser Manguezal

Ser Manguezal, created by Eliseu Cavalcante, was inspired by Josué de Castro's book "Of Men and Crabs" from 1967. De Castro was a Brazilian geographer, physician, writer and activist against world hunger. In his book, Castro envisions men as crabs, learning to walk in the mangroves. This relationship between them seems to unify and blend all together making the human being part of that specific biome. This film is part of an ongoing project that examines those who depend on the mangrove ecosystem to survive, and the delicate relationship between humans and this particular ecosystem. It seeks to recognize the hard-working crab hunters of the mangroves and make their work more visible, and to bring awareness about the importance of mangroves to the environment. Worldwide, 3,400 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) of mangrove forests were lost between 2000 and 2016, or about 2% of the global mangrove area (NASA). About 62% of the losses were due to direct human causes such as agriculture and aquaculture. Mangrove degradation is greater than the average for tropical and subtropical forest loss.

Water
Conservation
Plants

Join us to forge
a sustainable future

Our team is always growing.
Become a partner, volunteer, sponsor, or intern today.
Let us know how you would like to get involved!

CONTACT US

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Subscribers receive a free day pass for streaming Cinema Verde.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.