4 Million GPS Data Points: WWF Study Reveals Elephant Migration Corridors

A new study co-authored by World Wildlife Fund, Ecoexist, and Elephant Connection, reveals the largest ever GPS tracking database of elephant movement across Southern Africa.

Published September 9, 2024, in the Journal of Applied Ecology, the analysis is based on approximately 4 million GPS locations logged from nearly 300 tagged elephants and their associated herds traveling throughout the world’s largest land-based transboundary conservation area, the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), between 2009 and 2023.

What is KAZA?

In 2011, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe committed to collectively manage a valuable and biodiverse 106 million-acre, or 200,000 square mile region, nearly the size of France, allowing the movement of wildlife across international boundaries between protected areas, to improve dispersal opportunities and increase their chance of survival.

The Zambezi, Kwando, and Okavango rivers flow through the region. Woodlands, wetlands and grasslands provide critical habitat for lions, wild dogs, and the planet’s largest population of savanna elephants.

At the heart of the KAZA vision is the premise that conservation of the region’s rich natural resources can be the economic driver of a region, resulting in thriving landscapes where wildlife and communities coexist.

These countries converge in the Kavango and Zambezi river basins, creating a vast conservation and ecotourism destination. KAZA includes several national parks and natural wonders like the Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls.

Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Botswana

What are the benefits of large-scale transboundary collaboration?

Transboundary collaboration and the creation of wildlife corridors like KAZA offer numerous conservation benefits:

• Enhanced Biodiversity Conservation: By pooling resources and coordinating efforts, countries can more effectively protect and manage biodiversity. KAZA is dedicated to conserving a wide range of species, including the world’s largest population of savanna elephants and significant populations of lions, wild dogs, and cheetahs. This is particularly important for migratory species that move across national borders.
• Landscape Connectivity: Wildlife corridors facilitate the movement of species, crucial for maintaining genetic diversity, enabling seasonal migrations, and allowing animals to adapt to climate change by moving to more suitable habitats.
  KAZA provides critical habitat that allows wildlife to move across borders and between protected areas, which is essential for maintaining genetic diversity and ecosystem health.
  On this topic, I always think of Jane Goodall’s film, The Hope. In the period where she’s describing her transition from researcher in the bush to activist and public advocate for chimpanzees, she says, “One of the biggest problems today in conservation is the fragmentation of habitat. Populations isolated from other populations need to be genetically viable. Corridors allow connectivity. Local communities see value of it to their own future (water, education, etc.)”
• Ecosystem Functioning: Transboundary conservation areas (TBCAs) support ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, water flow, and species dispersal, which are essential for the health of the environment.
• Political and Social Cooperation: Establishing TBCAs can strengthen relationships between neighboring countries and communities, fostering peace and cooperation through a shared commitment to conservation.
• Expanded Protected Areas: Transboundary conservation can lead to the expansion of protected areas, which is vital for the long-term survival of many species and the reduction of habitat fragmentation.
• Sustainable Development: These initiatives often promote sustainable economic development by integrating conservation with other land uses, such as ecotourism, which can provide income for local communities while preserving natural resources.
  KAZA’s woodlands, wetlands, rivers, and grasslands support not only wildlife but also the local communities that depend on these ecosystems for their livelihoods.
• Research Opportunities: Scientists benefit from the larger, more diverse landscapes of TBCAs, which provide greater opportunities for research and monitoring of ecological processes and wildlife populations. That’s exactly what’s happened in the case of this WWF study.
• Climate Resilience: By maintaining larger, connected ecosystems, TBCAs can enhance the resilience of natural systems to withstand and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Transboundary collaboration in conservation leads to more effective environmental stewardship, promotes peace and cooperation, and supports sustainable development, all while providing critical habitats for a wide range of species.

Why map wildlife movement?

WWF author Callie Cho explains, “Mapping current migration patterns is a crucial first step toward creating effective conservation strategies and protecting these critical animal movements.”

In the same week that the KAZA elephant study was released, WWF shared a new global digital atlas of Earth’s zebra and other ungulate populations—The Global Initiative for Ungulate Migration (GIUM). The maps showcase the movements of various species, including Tibetan antelope, reindeer, and guanaco.

From wildebeest in the Serengeti to caribou in the Arctic tundra and zebra in Namibia, ungulates across the globe complete some of the animal kingdom’s most impressive land-based migrations.

Ungulate migrations play a crucial role in shaping ecosystems:

• supporting large, healthy herds
• providing essential prey for predators and scavengers,
• helping to sustain biodiversity on land, and
• creating unique conditions that support diverse plants and animals.

For thousands of years, these migrations have been vital to human survival, creating deep cultural connections with Indigenous and local communities. But ungulate migrations are disappearing rapidly.

Despite their importance, ungulate migrations are in peril due to human activity. Poorly planned infrastructure (roads, fences), agriculture, and settlements fragment landscapes and create deadly obstacles for migrating herds.

Limited mapping of migrations has hampered ungulate migration management and conservation. By combining animal tracking data, historical records, and the knowledge of local and Indigenous communities, scientists are building a global migration atlas—a powerful tool for driving conservation efforts and informing policy at all levels.

The Global Initiative for Ungulate Migration (GIUM) was launched in 2020, uniting over 80 scientists worldwide to map and analyze ungulate movements. Their efforts culminated in this interactive atlas which highlights high, medium, and low-use migration corridors for a diverse range of species.

Crucially, the map pinpoints where these routes intersect with human-made barriers like roads and railways to guide conservation efforts, infrastructure planning, and policy decisions with cutting-edge data on ungulate travel patterns.

Where did the KAZA elephants go?

Extensive elephant GPS data can provide much the same guidance in and around KAZA. It turns out elephants rely on multiple methods to move around the region.

The data showed that in KAZA elephants use:

• micro-corridors,
• protected area pathways and
• macro-corridors to move across the transborder landscape.

These corridors and pathways are essential for elephants and other species to access water and avoid direct contact with human settlements. Now we have a map for them.

The main breakthrough of the study, though, may be in the new way—or scale—of seeing and mapping movement.

WWF Lead Wildlife Scientist and primary author Robin Naidoo said:

Our study has provided a first of its kind movement-based conservation blueprint for elephants in KAZA. A key aspect of conservation is understanding and securing landscape connectivity. However, small sample sizes have prevented researchers and policymakers from developing comprehensive connectivity conservation plans based on animal movements in the KAZA region, until now.

The Scale is Unprecedented – New Ways of Seeing

What both the elephant GPS data and GIUM database have in common—in addition to a lead author—is the use of new data measurement and management tools to envision wildlife movements on a an unprecedented scale.

Recently at the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, on a couple different panels, conservationists, explorers and filmmakers boldly proclaimed that we are living in a Great Age of Discovery and Exploration.

It might seem counterintuitive in this day and age. I’ll confess: I was skeptical.

They were referring, though, to the transformative impact new technologies, (especially advances in visual imaging, but also DNA sequencing, machine learning and artificial intelligence) are having on exploration and conservation. New technologies are revolutionizing the ways we see, understand and share the world.

These two studies mapping migrations exemplify this new age of discovery. New ways of seeing, tracking, and managing data allow us to “see” wildlife migrations—and collaborate and share the results with others in a way that makes a positive difference.

Photographed on Nat Hab’s Secluded Botswana Safari © Joey Sudmeier

Want to see KAZA for yourself?

Whether you’re planning a family safari, a custom safari for your own group, looking for a photo expedition, we’ve got you covered in the KAZA! Nat Hab offers river cruises as well as overland safaris in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Check out all of our African safaris here.

Nat Hab Expedition Leader © Richard de Gouveia

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How Consumers Can Keep Forests Thriving

Forests are vital to all life on Earth. They filter the water we drink and the air we breathe. They provide essential medicines, food, and fuel for billions of people, including Indigenous peoples who call forests home. They also provide habitat for most of the world’s life on land. And forests provide the materials for products we use every day—such as paper in schools and offices; furniture and flooring in houses; musical instruments; rayon fabric in clothes; and even natural rubber in car tires.

But many people don’t realize the choices they make about which forest products to buy matter. In fact, these decisions can make a real difference in keeping some of the world’s most important forests thriving—at home and abroad—for nature, local communities, and our global climate.

Importance of Forest Products 

The forest sector contributed more than US$1.52 trillion to the world’s national economies in 2015, generating significant revenues for countries and companies—as well as communities. The global pulp and paper industry is one of the largest industrial sectors in the world. This sector accounts for 13%–15% of total wood consumption and uses between 33%–40% of all industrial wood traded globally. Some common pulp and paper products include office and catalog paper, glossy paper, tissue, and paper-based packaging. The United States is the second-largest paper producer and consumer country in the world after China.

© Theodore Kaye / WWF-China

Other key forest products sectors include wood products used for construction lumber, furniture, flooring, and decking; products that come from trees, like natural rubber; and other uses of wood such as pellets for bioenergy.

Unfortunately, some forest products operations have had devastating impacts on the world’s most ecologically important places and species. Illegal and unsustainable logging and conversion of forests for fast-growing timber plantations have destroyed high conservation value forests around the globe, impacting water quantity and quality and causing significant human rights violations and social conflicts. These issues are particularly severe in regions with a history of poor forest governance, including the Congo Basin, the Amazon, the Greater Mekong, Borneo and Sumatra, and the Russian Far East.

Deforestation and forest degradation contribute up to 15% of carbon emissions globally, and their climate impacts can be particularly serious in regions with deep peatlands, such as Sumatra. Peat soils store tremendous amounts of carbon that are released into the atmosphere when natural forests are converted for commodities like pulp and rubber.

© Andre Dib / WWF-Brazil

Given the global nature of the forest products trade, illegal and unsustainably sourced forest products from these regions can reach markets—and unsuspecting customers—all over the world. Even in countries with relatively better forest laws and law enforcement, there are still instances of timber theft and unsustainable practices that make forests more vulnerable to stresses like wildfires, disease, and invasive species.

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The good news is that when forests are managed in a socially and environmentally responsible way, it can bring many benefits to local economies while safeguarding biodiversity and natural resources like water; mitigating the effects of climate change; and promoting social values. An increasing number of forest managers and forest products companies recognize the business and brand value of employing responsible forestry and plantation management practices by implementing the rigorous standards of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®). 

US consumers can also play a key role in supporting responsible forestry by choosing products that are recycled or made with virgin fiber that is FSC certified. (You can find products certified to the FSC standard here). 

© Isaac VEGA / WWF-Spain

What WWF Is Doing to Support Forests 

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) works through its Forests Forward program to engage with companies and other stakeholders around the globe to deliver effective nature-based strategies for forests that help achieve their business and sustainability goals. 

Forests Forward combines the successes and learnings of WWF’s decades of engagement with companies through its Global Forest & Trade Network while harnessing business interest in advancing nature-based solutions to deliver meaningful, long-term benefits for nature, climate, and people.  

These efforts demonstrate the immense need for us all to think about how our everyday actions have consequences for the environment and the species (including humans) that call our planet home. The results are clear: Market demand in the US for responsibly sourced forest products can influence and improve forest management practices all over the world. Working together, we can all be part of the solution and make a positive impact on communities and habitats—around the corner and the globe.

What Can You Do? 

In addition to buying FSC-certified and recycled products, there are lots of ways consumers can help protect forests. This includes recycling paper and paper-based packaging, printing double-sided, shopping for used furniture, and getting involved with organizations working to protect forests around the globe. And if you live in the US, you can ask your congressional representatives to support the FOREST Act by going to our website worldwildlife.org and clicking “Take Action” at the bottom of the page. By doing so, you can help prevent illegally deforested products from entering US markets.

By Linda Walker, senior director of corporate engagement for forests at World Wildlife Fund

The post How Consumers Can Keep Forests Thriving first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog.

Southeastern Greenland: A Land of Contrasts

Andrea Norgren, Senior Manager of Communications, at the WWF Global Arctic Programme, traveled to Greenland, with Natural Habitat Adventures at the beginning of August 2024.  

© Jeff Lawrence / Nat Hab

My trip in August to southeastern Greenland was an eye-opening experience, filled with stark contrasts that showcased the beauty and fragility of this remote region.  

Southeastern Greenland, including the Sermilik Fjord where we were for many days, is a dramatic testament to the Earth’s past. The mountains that rise sharply from the ocean are primarily composed of Precambrian gneiss and granite, some of the oldest rocks on the planet, dating back over three billion years. It was humbling to stand among these ancient formations, shaped by tectonic forces and carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age. 

© Malene Lynge / WWF-Denmark

The banded gneiss and solidified granite reveal a history shaped by immense pressure and time. Both are rocks that had once been molten, now solid and unmoving, set against the ever-changing ice and water that surrounded them. 

Finding serenity amidst the wilderness 

Each morning at Nat Hab’s Base Camp Greenland, an expedition lodge with tent cabins located on the east side of Sermilik Fjord, our small group would gather on the rocks, following the lead of a fellow traveler and new friend who guided us through yoga poses. The setting was surreal—and I was calm and focused, breathing in one of the planet’s most remote and untouched landscapes.  

Over the five days while we were at the Base Camp, we hiked in the mountains surrounding the Sermilik Fjord many times. We were rewarded with sweeping views of the fjord, where jagged mountains and vast expanses of ice stretch as far as the eye could see. We also kayaked among towering icebergs that felt almost alive, groaning and shifting as they interacted with the water and wind.  

© Malene Lynge / WWF-Denmark

Amidst it all, there was always laughter—a sense of connection and warmth between this incredible group of fellow travelers witnessing together the magic of this remote area of the Arctic. 

Taking in the natural beauty 

At first glance, this part of southeastern Greenland appears almost devoid of life. The vast expanses of ice and rock seem inhospitable, and wildlife sightings were rare. But as I spent more time in this stark environment, I began to notice the subtle signs of a rich biodiversity. The ground beneath my feet was often cushioned by lichen and moss, resilient organisms that thrive in the harshest conditions. Wildflowers, small but vibrant, dotted the landscape, adding unexpected splashes of color. 

© Anthony Amsel / Nat Hab

There were also more birds than I initially realized. Gulls, ravens, and snow buntings brought sound and movement to the otherwise quiet backdrop. But the true stars of the show, for me, were the whales. On our boat trip from Tasiilaq to our camp near Sermilik Fjord, we were treated to the sight of many humpbacks. Watching these majestic creatures surface and feed, often near the towering icebergs, was a reminder of the interconnectedness of all life in this fragile ecosystem. 

One of the most surprising aspects of southeastern Greenland was the sound. Despite its remoteness, the region is far from silent. The ice, which dominates the landscape, has a life—and a voice—of its own. Although we didn’t see any dramatic ice-calving events, the icebergs were constantly cracking, shifting, and even flipping over, creating sounds that echoed across the fjord.  

Facing an uncertain future  

Our visit to local towns, such as Tasiilaq and the tiny village of Tinit gave us a glimpse into the lives of the communities that have lived and survived in this harsh environment for generations. Their way of life is closely tied to the natural world, but that is changing. Traditional hunting and fishing practices are being disrupted as the people who call Greenland home must adapt to an increasingly unpredictable climate.  

© Anthony Amsel / Nat Hab

Despite the hardships, there was a warmth and friendliness among the people we met—a resilience that has developed through generations of living in one of the most challenging environments on Earth. Yet, there was also a palpable sense of uncertainty about the future. 

The Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average and the effects are visible everywhere. Summer sea ice is shrinking rapidly and the icebergs we saw are calving at an unprecedented rate. The Greenland ice sheet is losing mass at an alarming pace, which is contributing to global sea level rise.  

My journey to southeastern Greenland was one of profound contrasts.  The beauty of this remote and rugged land is undeniable, but so is its fragility. The choices we make now will determine the future of places like southeastern Greenland—and the people and wildlife who depend on it. And while the contrasts I experienced on this journey will stay with me forever, so will the urgent need to protect the Arctic from the devastating effects of climate change.  

© Anthony Amsel / Nat Hab

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Intelligent Asian Elephants and Their Ebbing Environments

According to World Wildlife Fund, Asian elephants are the largest land mammals on the Asian continent. They inhabit forests and grasslands in 13 countries across Southeast Asia. While they have preferred foods, the animals have adapted to surviving on resources that vary based on their environments.

There are many types of intelligence in the animal kingdom, and it seems that almost every day, we learn something more about them. Of course, it’s hard to separate what we call “intelligence” from our own, human bias, but we do now know that many animals have beliefs, can count, are able to use tools, and hold funerals and mourn their dead.

Now, a new study has documented the abilities of wild Asian elephants to access food by solving puzzles that unlock storage boxes. It’s the first scientific investigation to show that individual, wild elephants have different skills and levels of enthusiasm for using problem-solving to get food.

Such alacrity in wild animals is going to be needed, because the human impacts leading to reductions in the habitat ranges of several land-based mammal species have been well documented in the recent past. Climate change has only accelerated this decline. Assessing the effects of such changes on wildlife over the long term, however, has been difficult due to the lack of historical records. Recently, though, a new study examining habitats across centuries—using data on Asian elephants—has shed light on the urgent need for sustainable conservation and land-use strategies to avoid dangers for both human and wildlife communities.

More than two-thirds of an Asian elephant’s day may be spent feeding on grasses, tree bark, leaves, roots and small stems. But cultivated crops, such as bananas, rice and sugarcane, are favorites. A new study even shows some elephants accessing food by solving puzzles that unlock storage boxes.

The unparalleled puzzle-solving skills of wild Asian elephants

Individual innovation is considered one sign of intelligence within species, and elephants are among the animals that researchers have long taken an interest in because of their sophisticated approach to problem-solving. That was demonstrated recently in a first-of-its-kind study that shows that individual wild elephants have different gradients of acumen when presented with a food-access challenge. The study’s findings were published in the scientific journal Animal Behaviour in November 2023.

Conducted at the Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, the six-month-long study used motion-activated cameras to observe 77 wild Asian elephants who approached and then decided whether to attempt to open puzzle boxes with three differently configured compartments that contained highly aromatic jackfruit. Depending on the compartment with which the elephant interacted, the jackfruit could be accessed by pulling on a chain so that the door opened toward the elephant, pushing the door so that it swung open into the box, or sliding the door open to the right. The elephants had to independently engage with the puzzle boxes to discover how the compartments could be opened.

Over time, 44 of the elephants who approached the puzzle boxes inspected them, but there were individual differences in how innovative the elephants were. The researchers found that elephants who interacted with the puzzle boxes more frequently and with greater persistence were more successful in retrieving food from all three differently configured compartments.

The biggest threat to Asian elephants is habitat loss and fragmentation. Asia is the most populous continent on Earth, and development and economic growth have led to encroachment into elephant habitats. World Wildlife Fund says about 70% of Asian elephants now live outside of protected areas.

Overall, 11 elephants solved one compartment type, and eight solved two compartment types. Five elephants solved all three types, making them what we would regard as the most innovative.

With human-elephant conflict increasing due to loss of natural habitats and agricultural encroachment into what is left of them, exploring innovation and problem-solving in elephants could help us further understand wild elephant cognitive flexibility and its potential impact on conservation management and conflict mitigation. This is important knowledge, because how animals think and innovate may influence their ability to survive in environments that are rapidly changing due to our presence.

The drastic decline of wild Asian elephant ecosystems

Not only are Asian elephants’ environments in flux, but they’re also indicators of how land uses have changed over hundreds of years.

Growing human settlements, farming, industry and linear infrastructure (irrigation canals, railway lines and roads) have squeezed elephant populations into smaller pockets of forest and blocked traditional migratory routes. Suitable elephant habitats have been cut by two-thirds in the past 300 years.

The largest living land animal in Asia, endangered Asian elephants once inhabited grasslands and rainforests that spanned the breadth of the continent. But by analyzing land-use data from the years 850 to 2015, an international scientific team led by University of California San Diego researchers estimates that more than 64% of historic suitable elephant habitat across Asia has been lost. While elephant habitats remained relatively stable prior to the 1700s, colonial-era land-use practices in Asia—including agriculture, farming and timber extraction—cut the average elephant habitat patch size more than 80%, from 38,224 to 6,177 square miles.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports in April 2023, also suggests that the remaining elephant populations today may not have adequate habitat space. While 100% of the area within 62 miles of the current elephant range was considered suitable habitat in 1700, by 2015 the proportion had declined to less than 50%. This sets up a high potential for conflicts with people living in those locales as elephant populations alter their behavior and adjust to more human-dominated areas.

Using information from the Land-Use Harmonization (LUH) dataset, produced by researchers at the University of Maryland, the researchers created historical reconstructions of various types of land uses—including crops, forests and pastures—that reach back to the ninth century. Pairing present-day locations where elephants are known to live with the corresponding environmental features based on the LUH datasets, they were able to infer where similar habitats existed in the past.

More than 1,158,306 square miles of the Asian elephant’s historic habitat range has been lost in just three centuries. They included lands under traditional systems of management that were altered within the past three centuries, and the loss of these traditional practices may be a major reason behind the loss of elephant habitat. The authors argue that whatever the reasons, this dramatic decline may underlie present-day conflicts between elephants and people.

Important cultural icons in Asia, elephants have had close associations with humans over many centuries. In one Hindu myth, gods and demons churned the oceans in a search for the elixir of life that would make them immortal. As they did so, nine jewels surfaced, one of which was the elephant.

The scientists chose Asian elephant environments for their study because they are a good gauge for looking at the impact of land-use changes on diverse ecosystems over a long timescale. But beyond the immediate impact on the elephants, the results offer a mechanism to assess land-use practices and much-needed conservation strategies for all the area’s inhabitants as we head into the future. They add that any attempts at Asian elephant habitat restoration should be guided by a reckoning of environmental and social justice for historically marginalized communities.

The compelling communications of wild Asian elephants

Elephants communicate over long distances using low-pitched sounds that are barely audible to humans. These powerful, infrasonic rumbles contain specific messages that can be heard and understood by other elephants more than two miles away. In fact, it’s been found that African elephants can detect rumbling in the ground with sensory cells in their feet. The vibrations travel through their bodies to their inner ears. It’s speculated that elephants use these vibrations to converse with each other over even longer distances. Scientists believe such abilities are essential for elephant survival.

I think it’s also imperative that we “hear” the elephants, that we use our intelligence to comprehend their call for adequate living space, and that we recognize the earthshaking truths that are rumbling right under our feet.

Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,

Candy

See Asian elephants in the wild on Nat Hab’s Grand India Wildlife Adventure! 

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Roaring Back: Triumphs and Challenges in Tiger Conservation

Roaring back may be an overstatement, but the number of tigers living in the wild is on the rise, and that is cause for optimism.

The largest of all the big cats, nine tiger subspecies once roamed throughout central, eastern and southern Asia. In the past one hundred years, tigers have lost around 94% of their historical range and now live in scattered populations in 13 countries, from India to Southeast Asia, in Sumatra, China and the Russian Far East. Caspian, Javan and Bali Tigers are extinct; of the remaining six subspecies, the South China Tiger has not been observed for many years.

Feline Factcheck: Current State of Tiger Conservation

Tigers are currently listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In 2010, the wild tiger population was at an all-time low of about 3,200 individuals worldwide. However, by 2022, the population estimate from the Global Tiger Forum was about 5,574 wild tigers—a 74% increase driven by a multilateral conservation agreement by tiger range countries and partners like WWF.

This is a stark contrast to the 100,000 tigers that roamed the Earth at the start of the 20th century. The drastic decline in tiger numbers is primarily due to habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict.

Recovery has been remarkably uneven, with South Asia accounting for the vast majority of the increase. That’s especially impressive given that it is one of the most densely populated regions in the world.

India, Nepal, and Bhutan have seen significant successes in stabilizing and even increasing their tiger populations through rigorous conservation efforts. These efforts include anti-poaching patrols, habitat restoration, and the establishment of protected areas and wildlife corridors.

Photographed by Nat Hab Expedition Leader © Surya Ramachandran

Community-led Tiger Conservation

In its 2022 Living with Tigers: How to Manage Coexistence for the Benefit of Tigers and People report, WWF emphasizes the importance of involving local communities in conservation efforts. It’s a complex interplay of economic, demographic and environmental factors that shape tiger conservation. Agriculture, transport and urbanization are treacherous for tigers; tigers can be treacherous to people and their livestock and livelihoods.

In 2020 nearly 47 million people lived within the boundaries of the tiger range, and an additional 85 million people within 10km of those landscapes. These human populations are also shown to be on the rise; up 7.5 percent in tiger landscapes since 2015 alone and projected to continue growing into the foreseeable future.

The survival of tigers in the wild depends to a large extent on the degree to which people living in the area will tolerate their presence. In areas where tigers are found, community-based initiatives have proven to be effective, especially when they help to increase the general level of education and economic opportunity. Community initiatives often include education programs about the importance and value of tigers, compensation schemes for livestock losses, and the development of sustainable livelihoods that do not rely on forest resources, including ecotourism or tiger-related conservation travel.

By 2050, three of the top four economies in the world are likely to be countries with tigers. China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh’s economies are all projected to continue growing rapidly. The impacts of this growth on tiger conservation are hard to predict; rural depopulation could result in increased tiger habitat.

If conservation and development are sustainable and equitable, there could be opportunities to both expand habitat and fund development that could support local communities, including a focus on wildlife corridors to ensure viable wild tiger populations.

Nepal and India’s Khata Corridor (Khata Forest Conservation Area) is a study in addressing habitat fragmentation and destruction. Expanding and connecting protected areas, including Bardia National Park in Nepal and the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India, ensuring they are effectively managed and working with local communities living in and around tiger habitats, are critical to protecting the species.

In Nepal, increasing numbers of people are adapting by earning conservation-related degrees or working in wildlife and conservation travel. Nepal’s is a tiger success story, with numbers nearly tripling from 121 in 2009 to 355 in 2022.

Tech Tools in Tiger Conservation

2022 was the Year of the Tiger, and an IUCN tiger population assessment offered some hope for the critically endangered species – up 40% from 2015, but much of the reported increase is actually due to improvements in monitoring.

“A fairly significant chunk of that 40% increase is explained by the fact that we’re better at counting them, that many governments in particular have really sort of moved heaven and Earth to do massive scale surveys,” Luke Hunter, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) big cat program, told NPR in a 2022 interview.

• Camera Traps

The use of camera traps equipped with motion sensors has become a common method for capturing images or videos of tigers in their natural habitats1. These devices are strategically placed in tiger habitats, and when an animal passes by, the camera is triggered and captures images or videos. Researchers can identify individual tigers from these based on their unique stripe patterns.

• Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture

Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture (SECR), a statistical modeling approach, is used to estimate population density more accurately. This approach combines camera trap data with spatial information, considering the spatial distribution of individual tigers within the study area. SECR studies in India demonstrate the effectiveness of the technology in providing more accurate estimates of tiger populations, contributing to better informed conservation efforts.

• Satellite Mapping

Satellite technology is being used to track and map tiger habitats, offering new insights for tiger conservation organizations. Using Google Earth Engine and NASA Earth observations to monitor changes in tiger habitat, scientists aid conservation efforts in near-real time. Data from the VIIRS and MODIS sensors and on Landsat satellites maps “empty forests” near where tigers are known to have lived recently as well as habitat potentially suitable but where tiger residence is unknown. These areas are potential landscapes for tiger restoration and targets for further protection and wildlife corridor development to prevent further fragmentation of tiger populations.

• AI

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has also been a game-changer in wildlife conservation. For instance, AI-powered cryptic cameras have been used to detect wild tigers and their prey, transmitting images to the cell phones and computers of park managers in real time. This advancement represents a significant step forward in real-time monitoring and conservation efforts for rangers.

These and other new technologies play a significant role in developing tiger conservation strategies, providing critical data that helps conservationists at local, national and international levels make informed decisions about habitat management and wildlife conservation.

Photographed by Nat Hab Expedition Leader © Aditya Panda

Thrilling Tiger Encounters: Tiger Conservation Travel

Conservation travel has emerged as a powerful tool in the fight to save tigers. By creating economic incentives for conservation, ecotourism helps ensure that local communities see the value in protecting these majestic animals.

One of the most remarkable stories of tiger conservation success comes from India, home to approximately 70% of the world’s wild tigers. Today, the country boasts numerous tiger reserves where these big cats thrive.

If witnessing a tiger in its natural habitat is on your bucket list, do we have the trip for you…our most tiger-intensive itinerary is the India Tiger Quest, specially designed to maximize your odds of witnessing Bengal tigers in their natural habitat.

Ranthambore National Park in southeast Rajasthan is India’s premier tiger safari destination. It’s warmer, but that means tigers head out of the dry underbrush to quench their thirst at least twice a day—and that is when we go in search of them!

These trips are strategically timed for early summer when visitors are fewer and tigers less elusive. With just two travelers per open safari vehicle, our presence is understated, and the views unimpeded.

Ranthambore is home to more than its famous tigers, too: it’s a veritable Jungle Book of creatures, with chances to spy sloth bears, caracals, jackals, striped hyenas, desert foxes, mongoose and more.

For photographers seeking coveted tiger shots and plenty more wildlife, Nat Hab’s India Tiger Photo Expedition is designed to facilitate the best, most in-depth opportunities to photograph tigers and other wildlife at an excellent time of year for sightings.

Finally, The Grand India Wildlife Adventure is a more comprehensive India itinerary that offers excellent opportunities to spot Bengal tigers, plus a host of other wildlife, on visits to three different national parks. Two of the parks—Bandhavgarh National Park and Kanha National Park – are home to some of India’s most concentrated tiger populations and are more remote, with fewer tourists than some of the country’s other tiger destinations. The wide-ranging itinerary also includes a visit to Kaziranga National Park for rhinoceros viewing.

Tiger Trials: Challenges in Tiger Conservation

Despite the successes, the road to secure a future for tigers is fraught with challenges. Habitat fragmentation remains a significant threat, as does human-wildlife conflict. WWF’s Living with Tigers report outlines several key strategies that are essential for the continued recovery of tiger populations:

• Strengthening Protected Areas: Ensuring that tiger reserves are adequately protected and managed.
• Expanding Wildlife Habitat Corridors: Connecting fragmented habitats to allow tigers to move freely and safely.
• Enhancing Anti-Poaching Efforts: Increasing the resources and technology available to combat poaching.
• Promoting Sustainable Development: Encouraging practices that reduce human impact on tiger habitats.

Dale Miquelle, WCS Tiger Program Coordinator, has said:

“We recognize that this progress is fragile – we are still losing tigers from many areas while they are increasing in others. Poaching is still a huge issue, trade and demand are huge issues, and habitat loss continues to be a problem. We also know that saving tigers goes a long way to addressing many of the environmental problems of Asia, from buffering the impacts of climate change to reducing the potential for zoonotic outbreaks. Not just the wildlife, but the people of Asia will be better off when we are protecting large blocks of forests, as those habitats provide a host of ecosystem services to the people surrounding them as well.”

The commitment and concerted action of international conservation organizations, national governments, and local communities is crucial in implementing these strategies.

Tiger population recovery shows us that solving complex conservation challenges is possible and within our reach. Many tiger populations appear to be stable or increasing.

“We need to learn from these conservation successes, share them with the public, and increase our investment in evidence-based conservation action,” said Dr. Jon Paul Rodríguez, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.

Photographed by Nat Hab Expedition Leader © Vedant Thite

The post Roaring Back: Triumphs and Challenges in Tiger Conservation first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog.

FortWhyte Alive Fosters Connection with Nature on Arctic Science Day

FortWhyte Alive is a 660-acre reclaimed urban green space situated on a former industrial site. It is a vibrant hub for nature exploration and environmental education in southwest Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The organization’s rich history of conservation and science education is a testament to its commitment to reconnecting people with the natural world.

This commitment is exemplified through their Arctic Science Day programming—a unique learning experience for grade 7-12 students to increase their understanding of the impacts of climate change in the Arctic and learn about careers in Arctic climate change research from environmental scientists themselves.

© FortWhyte Alive

In 2024, Nat Hab Philanthropy was proud to support FortWhyte Alive and the University of Manitoba Center for Earth Observation Science’s two Arctic Science Day events:

• A virtual Arctic science experience reached over 300 students and their teachers, including a number of participating classrooms in remote Northern Manitoba and
• The 16th Annual Arctic Science Day at FortWhyte Alive.

For the in-person event, nearly 140 students and their teachers learned about Arctic research, including:

• marine mammals
• ocean acidification
• contaminants such as mercury and oil spills
• sediment coring
• Arctic microbiology 
• snow science

Arctic Science Day 2024 © FortWhyte Alive

FortWhyte Alive Arctic Science Day Activities

Arctic Science Day at FortWhyte Alive was brimming with educational adventures designed to immerse students in the study of polar science and environmental stewardship. The event featured a series of interactive activities that brought the Arctic’s unique ecosystems into focus through hands-on learning experiences.

Students had the opportunity to engage in simulated field research akin to that conducted by scientists in the Arctic. They participated in ice core drilling exercises, where they extracted samples from ice blocks and analyzed them to understand the historical climate data stored within them.

Another highlight was the wildlife tracking station, where students learned to identify animal tracks and understand the behaviors of Arctic fauna.

The climate change simulation booth uses augmented reality technology to allow students to witness the effects of global warming on polar ice caps. Traditional Inuit games provided a cultural perspective, teaching students about the indigenous peoples of the Arctic and their survival skills.

Arctic Science Day 2024 © FortWhyte Alive

One teacher reported, “Students have been talking about the impacts of climate change on the animals and Inuit communities ever since we’ve returned to school.”

Arctic Science Day activities were not only educational but also aimed to inspire a sense of wonder and responsibility. Hands-on learning opportunities offered a tangible connection to the science curriculum, making the concepts of climate change and conservation more relatable and impactful for students.

FortWhyte Alive’s Arctic Science Day was a testament to the power of experiential learning in nurturing the next generation of climate scientists and conservationists.

Another teacher shared: “The most valuable parts for my students included meeting scientists, seeing artifacts, participating in learning games and hands-on activities.”

Students said:

“I learned that marine mammals use echolocation and different calls to communicate.”

“I learned about taking sediment cores and the impact of pH on ocean life.”

“I learned that cold water absorbs carbon and warm water releases it. The more carbon in the water, the more acidic it gets. Ocean acidification has an impact on ocean animals.”

Arctic Science Day 2024 © FortWhyte Alive

Arctic Conservation Education

FortWhyte Alive’s educational goals emphasize hands-on learning and fostering a lifelong relationship with nature. After Arctic Science Day 2024, 92% of students stated they had a better understanding of the impact of climate change in the Arctic after the program, and the majority stated that learning about the impact was the most valuable part of the day.

The event’s success will be measured by inspiring future careers in science and environmental studies and encouraging students to consider their role in reducing human impact on our shared environment.

Thirty graduate students, faculty and researchers from the University of Manitoba, along with FortWhyte Alive Education Team staff, supported the program delivery for the day.

© FortWhyte Alive

Meeting graduate students and scientists seemed to have a particularly strong impact on younger students. They reported afterward:

“I learned how people recognize individual sea mammals and how they estimate the size of their populations.”

“I learned that there are lots of jobs you can do that involve Arctic science.”

“There are many technologies involved in studying marine mammals, like drones, planes and satellites.”

“There’s a bunch of jobs and careers related to Arctic science, and it is a very meaningful career for this generation.”

By bringing the mysteries of the Arctic closer to home, FortWhyte Alive not only educates but also inspires action toward preserving these critical habitats for generations to come.

© FortWhyte Alive

Conservation Education & The Future of the Arctic

Arctic Science Day serves as a platform for raising awareness about the importance of polar regions in our global ecosystem, engaging young minds through interactive science-based activities. 

FortWhyte Alive offers other Arctic climate change-themed programs as a part of our offerings of School Programs:

• Due North: The Changing Arctic is targeted at Grade 4-5 students
• Arctic Experience is geared toward Grade 7-9 students

© FortWhyte Alive

During the programs, students learn about the impact of climate change on snow and ice, the Arctic Ocean food chain, and Inuit communities through grade-appropriate, engaging, hands-on activities. Students get to participate in a traditional blanket toss game as a group. We discuss ways that students can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

Teacher feedback includes:

• The program increased students’ awareness of actions to reduce pollution.
• The students say that the most fun was the blanket toss—they enjoyed learning about its cultural purpose for the Inuit, as well as enjoying that they were all working together.

In 2024, FortWhyte Alive hosted two schools for Due North programs for a total of 80 students. We hosted three schools for Arctic Experience, with an overall total of 115 students.

© FortWhyte Alive

Visit FortWhyte Alive

Would you like to visit FortWhyte Alive yourself?  The urban reclaimed wildlife preserve, recreation area, and environmental education center in southwest Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, represents 20% of Winnipeg’s urban green space.

Nat Hab travelers on our polar bear adventures have a special opportunity to visit FortWhyte Alive and learn more about their educational initiatives when they opt to spend an Extra Day in Winnipeg.

© Nat Hab Expedition Leader Judy Wilson

Nat Hab Philanthropy is proud to partner with and sponsor FortWhyte Alive’s other conservation and nature-based educational programming, too. Over 100,000 visitors enjoy FortWhyte Alive’s many programs, trails and exhibits annually. FortWhyte offers curriculum-based educational programs in both French and English to around 30,000 K-12 school children each year. The FortWhyte Farms initiative introduces disadvantaged youth to urban agriculture-based, social and vocational skills training.

© FortWhyte Alive

About FortWhyte Alive

In 1888, the area was dubbed Fort Whyte after a top Canadian Pacific Railway official who battled to take control of the site from a rival railway.

Starting in 1907, The Canada Cement Company (now Lafarge) used much of what is now FortWhyte Alive to mine clay and gravel to make cement. By the 1950s, floods and other sources of clay made the Fort Whyte site obsolete.

The Wildlife Foundation of Manitoba saw the industrial site as a potential habitat and started reclamation work.

© FortWhyte Alive

By the 1980s, FortWhyte Alive’s focus shifted from wildlife conservation exclusively to include environmental education, with the establishment of the Fort Whyte Foundation and the opening of trails and an Interpretive Center.

Over the last 30 years, FortWhyte Alive has grown tremendously, adding prairie grassland to forest and wetland habitats and expanding volunteer opportunities, staff and environmental education programs.

Located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anisininewak, Dakota, and Dene peoples, as well as the National Homeland of the Red River Métis, today FortWhyte Alive serves as a prime example of how we can manage urban landscapes for sustainable development.

© FortWhyte Alive

Explore the Arctic Wilderness & WWF Arctic Program

If you are passionate about Arctic science, explore the Arctic wilderness with Nat Hab. Nothing compares to East Greenland for an epic Arctic expedition—and there’s no better way to experience it than from our wilderness Base Camp.

For more on Arctic conservation, WWF maintains a library of Arctic resources and news at WWF Global Arctic Program hub.

Photographed by Nat Hab Expedition Leader © Colby Brokvist

The post FortWhyte Alive Fosters Connection with Nature on Arctic Science Day first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog.

Photo Essay: The Brown Bears and Salt Marshes of Chinitna Bay, Alaska

In late spring through midsummer, brown bears gather in high numbers in Chinitna Bay’s salt marshes to graze on the protein-rich sedges and other plants. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

Alaska’s Chinitna Bay on Cook Inlet near Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is the very heart of coastal brown bear country, according to the National Park Service. And now, having visited it, I can say I wholeheartedly agree.

Here, in the estuaries where rivers flowing out of the mountains meet the sea, food is almost free for the taking from early spring until the bears return to their dens in the fall. I say “almost” because the bears do have to dig, fish or forage for it.

Salt marshes are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, and they are a prominent feature of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve’s coastline. They act as buffer zones between freshwater and saltwater, creating a brackish environment affected by tidal fluctuations. This makes these areas unique by harboring plant communities of salt-tolerant grasses and sedges that support a wide range of animals, including migratory birds, fish, intertidal invertebrates, moose, river otters, other small mammals, shorebirds, songbirds, waterfowl and a dense population of coastal brown bears.

> Wildlife Guide: Brown Bears

Visitors flying to Chinitna Bay get an overview of the salt marshes that the bears graze in for much of the summer.

Coastal salt marshes are crucial for coastal brown bears

Coastal salt marshes comprise less than 1% of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, yet they are critical for the survival of the park’s brown bears. Each spring, brown and black bears congregate in these marshes and meadows to graze on the fresh, green sedges after winter hibernation. With their fat reserves depleted and with young cubs to feed, bears emerge from their dens in need of high-protein nutrition. Young sedges in the salt marshes are a vital, early-season source of that needed nutrition.

During low tide, bears leave the salt marshes for the adjacent mudflats to dig razor clams and other bivalves. Tidal streams bisecting the salt marshes provide nursery habitat for a variety of juvenile fish. In late summer, salmon enter the salt marsh streams on their way to their spawning grounds. As these fish arrive, bears transition from sedges to salmon in preparation for the upcoming winter months.

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Coastal salt marshes are essential for the Earth

The salt marshes are important in protecting the vibrant ecosystem of Chinitna Bay by limiting coastal erosion caused by ice, water and wind; and by buffering wave action and trapping sediment. They also act as filters for water-quality improvement. As saltwater flows through a salt marsh, marsh grasses and peat (a spongy matrix of decomposing organic material, live roots and soil) act as enormous natural filters of pollutants—such as heavy metals and waste—as well as nutrients and sediments. These natural filters can be thought of as water filters that sift through impurities, resulting in clean drinking water; only in this case, these filters are holding onto key nutrients necessary to sustain life.

The coastal marshes of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve may represent a minor habitat by acreage in comparison with the vast, alpine interior, but their ecological value looms large when accounting for the species diversity that the habitat sustains. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

In addition, coastal wetlands, such as these salt marshes, are effective carbon sinks, storing carbon within their plant communities and soil instead of releasing it into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Plants act as sponges, soaking up carbon into their roots and the soil, effectively holding twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. Most soil carbon is derived from photosynthesis, which takes carbon from the plant material into dense root systems for storage, creating a cyclic carbon storehouse. Plants use energy from the sun to chemically combine carbon dioxide with hydrogen and oxygen from water to create sugar molecules.

Animals that eat plants digest these sugar molecules to obtain energy. Respiration, excretion and decomposition release the carbon back into the atmosphere or soil, thus continuing the cycle. Ultimately, then, salt marshes are important in helping to moderate global climate conditions at an early stage in the Earth’s complex carbon cycle.

Coastal salt marshes are “bear proof”

The coastal marshes of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve may represent a minor habitat by acreage, in comparison with the vast, alpine interior with its hundreds of lakes and waterways. However, the ecological value of coastal wetlands carries a lot of weight, when we consider the biodiversity that the habitat sustains.

All you have to do is look to the bears (see below) for proof.

Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,

Candy

Visit the brown bears and salt marshes of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve at our private Alaska Bear Camp!

Since it is so challenging to reach Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, it sees far fewer visitors than some other Alaskan parks. Most fly in by small, private plane. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

Ninety-five percent of brown bears in the United States live in Alaska, and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve supports a healthy and stable population of them. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

Red foxes are also found throughout Lake Clark National Park and Preserve—and much of Alaska. They can have many color phases, including black, red and silver. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

“Brown” and “grizzly” are common names for the same species; the difference between the two is geographic location, which influences behavior, diet and size. Those that live in coastal areas are called brown bears, while inland bears that have limited or no access to marine-derived foods are called grizzlies. Both have the distinctive large shoulder hump; long, curved claws; and a wide head with a concave profile, often described as “dish-faced.” In Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, both coastal and inland bears belong to the subspecies “Ursus arctos horribilis”; and, generally, all are referred to as brown bears, although both terms are acceptable. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

Coastal habitats are a critical, abundant “supermarket” of protein sources that the bears need after emerging from hibernation in the spring. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve’s coast also provides brown bears with protein-rich sedges—such as “Carex ramenskii” and other salt-tolerant plants—that are necessary for a bear’s survival and for feeding young cubs. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

Chinitna Bay is proof of the value of coastal wetlands: they give us a glimpse of the truly wild. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

The post Photo Essay: The Brown Bears and Salt Marshes of Chinitna Bay, Alaska first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog.

Vibrant Life Emanantes from Meggan Joy’s Magical Collaged Silhouettes

Thousands of individual flowers and plants grown in Meggan Joy’s Seattle garden form the contours of her ethereal figures. The artist (previously) collages perfectly trimmed photographs of each specimen into silhouettes lush with color and texture.

In her most recent body of work titled Fever Dream, Joy draws on fear, loss, and the immense potential for pain. “Wide and Wild,” for example, depicts a woman cradling a Eurasian Eagle Owl near her heart. “She’s a piece for when you find your person (whether that be a lover, friend, kids, whatever), and once you have them, you know that if they disappear in any way, you also will be gone,” the artist shares in a statement.

Others relate to bad decisions yielding positive experiences and how etermal bonds require patience and understanding. Each work, Joy shares, “whisper(s) the components of the stories that tested us and, instead of condemning our faults, reveal that those moments left us the most exciting scars.

Fever Dream is on view through September 25 at J. Rinehart Gallery. Follow Joy’s work on Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Vibrant Life Emanantes from Meggan Joy’s Magical Collaged Silhouettes appeared first on Colossal.

Wild Conservation Ideas: Currency Images and a Moon Vault

Animals have long been present on banknotes. The U.S. features a bald eagle on its $1 bill. China uses a dragon and a peacock, Ethiopia depicts an elephant, many Middle Eastern nations have falcons, Russia shows a bear and South Africa spotlights a springbok.

If you look at a U.S. $1 bill today, you’ll find an image of an eagle holding arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. On a U.S. buffalo nickel (minted between 1913 and 1938), an American bison—modeled on Black Diamond, a bison who, at the time, lived in New York’s Central Park Zoo—stands on a patch of ground. The nickel marked the first time that an animal that wasn’t an eagle appeared on a circulating American coin. The American bison kept its status as the only non-eagle animal on U.S. currency until the 50 State Quarters Program introduced more animals (and more bison) in 1999.

That makes me wonder: how many other nations have depicted wildlife on their currencies, and does such representation present a conservation opportunity? Recently, researchers investigated these very questions.

Today, as the story goes, we find ourselves having to conserve wildlife because our kind hasn’t traditionally done a very good job of respecting other species. Usually, we hear about how humans have harmed animals over the course of our tenure on Earth. But a new study shows that through the ages, the presence of humans has increased the complexity and heterogeneity of ecosystems and has often had a positive effect on their biodiversity. In fact, human cultural diversity is likely to have had an overall positive effect on ecosystem biodiversity. The relatively recent homogenization of human cultures may, therefore, be regarded as an important driver of the major extinction events going on in the Anthropocene.

Some scientists disagree with the notion that people negatively intervened in their ecosystems more than 10,000 years ago. They say that cultural diversity is likely to have had an overall positive effect on ecosystem biodiversity.

But what if despite our best efforts, a catastrophe occurs, and all our current conservation efforts fail? Here’s a really wild idea: store genetic samples of all the Earth’s current life-forms in a biorepository on the moon. Could it work?

Cash conservation

For many around the world, using cash is a part of every day, despite the increasing trend towards digital transactions. But do we pay any attention to the artwork and images that are used on our currencies?

To get a sense of the “value” that countries around the world might place on their native wildlife, a team of researchers from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, explored what types of fauna nations around the globe choose to use on their currencies and the opportunities that doing so presents for conservation awareness and efforts.

A proposed plan aims to safeguard Earth’s imperiled biodiversity by cryogenically preserving biological material on the moon. It’s a fascinating—and futuristic—idea.

In a study published in the science journal People and Nature in July 2024, the researchers investigated the representation of native fauna on 4,541 banknotes from 207 countries between 1980 and 2017 to identify taxonomic patterns and determine whether endemic and threatened species were more present. They found that:

• native fauna was depicted on 15.2% of banknotes reviewed;
• 352 unique species—with a strong bias towards terrestrial species (89%)—were shown;
• bird and mammal species (83% combined) dominated;
• African banknotes had the highest numbers of mammal likenesses;
• birds were favored in South America; and
• worldwide, threatened species were commonly depicted on banknotes, with 30% of all imagery containing these species.

Given the global biodiversity crisis, this could denote a trend to showcase threatened species to highlight their plight and raise national awareness. The researchers believe that their study underscores the role that wildlife imagery on banknotes could play in shaping public perception and national identity of a nation’s biodiversity. By highlighting both celebrated and threatened species, currencies around the world can serve as a unique platform for promoting conservation awareness.

Researchers recently investigated how often wildlife—specifically, native animals—were depicted on different nations’ currencies. By highlighting both celebrated and threatened species, currencies around the world could serve as a unique platform to promote conservation awareness.

The Griffith University researchers recommended several avenues for further investigation to explore the relationships between wildlife representation and perceived value, including studies of how representation changes over time, the inclusion of images of flora and examining the decision-making processes governing wildlife imagery on banknotes.

Biodiversity boosters

In an article published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B in April 2024, archeologists from two German universities, the University of Cologne and the University of Tubingen, examined the role of humans in the control and evolution of biodiversity on our planet. They argue that the idea that humans had lived harmoniously with nature as hunter-gatherers mischaracterizes the history of human interactions with ecosystems.

The archeologists suggest that the relationship between humans and habitats has always been much more complex and complicated, and that—in addition to the negative effects—people have had positive effects on biodiversity through time. They state that although biodiversity loss occurs locally due to human activity, it is often strongly promoted elsewhere. This dynamic must, therefore, be placed in a wider context.

In the wild, ravens are opportunistic feeders, and their diets vary based on habitat and available food sources. Even in the last Ice Age, ravens benefited from their human neighbors, especially from the food options that hunter-gatherers provided.

The scientists’ research combines various case studies from the Late Pleistocene (approximately 129,000 to 11,700 years ago) and recent studies on Ice Age ravens, which show that the birds benefited from their human neighbors about 30,000 years ago—especially from the food options that hunter-gatherers provided.

Results of zooarchaeological and stable isotope analyses applied in the case of the ravens show that such processes can lead to an increase in biodiversity on a local level. This is because certain animals benefit from human influence and others that are excluded locally by humans, such as large predators, move to other areas. Overall, this increases the complexity and heterogeneity of such ecosystems, thereby often resulting in a positive effect on overall biodiversity.

Ultimately, say the archaeologists, biodiversity regimes cannot be separated from human influences and not all of these influences are negative. It also follows that increased diversity in humans probably has an overall positive effect on biodiversity as a whole and that a decisive driver of the biodiversity crisis in the Anthropocene is, in part, the homogenization of human cultures.

Cryopreservation is a process that preserves cells, organelles, tissues or any other biological constructs for a long time by cooling the samples to very low temperatures.

Lunar lockbox

Still, we can’t deny that today, biodiversity loss on Earth is rampant. To safeguard it, why don’t we cryogenically preserve biological material on the moon? It just so happens that the moon’s permanently shadowed craters are cold enough for cryogenic preservation without the need for electricity or liquid nitrogen.

That’s the idea proposed by scientists at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and others in a paper published in the journal BioScience in July 2024. It outlines a road map for creating a lunar biorepository, with ideas for the types of biological material to be stored, governance and a plan for experiments to understand and address challenges, such as microgravity and radiation. The study also demonstrates the successful cryopreservation of skin samples from a fish, which are now stored at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Initially, the lunar biorepository would target the most at-risk species on Earth today, but the ultimate goal would be to cryopreserve most species on Earth.

The moon’s permanently shadowed craters are cold enough for cryopreservation without the need for electricity or liquid nitrogen.

The proposal takes inspiration from the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway, which contains more than 1 million frozen seed varieties and functions as a backup for the world’s crop biodiversity in case of a global disaster. By virtue of its location in the Arctic nearly 400 feet underground, the vault was intended to be capable of keeping its seed collection frozen without electricity. However, in 2017, thawing permafrost threatened the collection with a flood of meltwater. The seed vault has since been waterproofed, but the incident showed that even in the Arctic, a subterranean bunker could be vulnerable to climate change.

Unlike seeds, animal cells require much lower storage temperatures for preservation (-320 degrees Fahrenheit). On Earth, cryopreservation of animal cells requires electricity, human staff and a supply of liquid nitrogen. Each of these three elements are potentially vulnerable to disruptions that could destroy an entire collection. To reduce these vulnerabilities, scientists needed a way to passively maintain cryopreservation storage temperatures. Since such cold temperatures do not naturally exist on Earth, the scientists looked to the moon.

The moon’s polar regions feature numerous craters that never receive sunlight due to their depth and orientation. These permanently shadowed regions can be -410 degrees Fahrenheit—more than cold enough for passive cryopreservation storage. To block out the DNA-damaging radiation present in space, samples could be stored underground or inside a structure with thick walls made of moon rocks.

The starry goby boasts a beautiful, star-spangled appearance with iridescent, blue spots that adorn a dusky, mottled body. In the wild, the fish is found from the Red Sea to Hawaii and from northern Japan to western Australia, where it inhabits shallow bays, coral reefs, lagoons and tidal estuaries.

At the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, the Smithsonian research team cryopreserved skin samples from a reef fish called the starry goby. The fins contain a type of skin cell called “fibroblasts,” the primary material stored in the National Museum of Natural History’s biorepository. When it comes to cryopreservation, fibroblasts have several advantages over other types of commonly cryopreserved cells, such as eggs, embryos and sperm. We still don’t have the scientific knowledge that’s required to reliably preserve the eggs, embryos and sperm of most wildlife species. However, for many species, fibroblasts can be cryopreserved easily. In addition, fibroblasts can be collected from an animal’s skin, which is simpler than harvesting eggs or sperm. For species that do not have skin, such as invertebrates, scientists could use a diversity of sample types, such as larvae and other reproductive materials.

The next steps are to begin a series of radiation exposure tests for the cryopreserved fibroblasts on Earth to help design packaging that could safely deliver samples to the moon. The team is actively seeking partners and support to conduct additional experiments on Earth and aboard the International Space Station. Such experiments would provide robust testing for the prototype packaging’s ability to withstand the microgravity and radiation associated with space travel and storage on the moon.

If this idea becomes a reality, the researchers envision the lunar biorepository as a public entity that will include private and public funders, scientific partners, countries and public representatives with mechanisms for cooperative governance akin to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

As wild as it sounds, some day in the future, there could be a place in the stars that remembers all of the rich life that once roamed Earth.

The scientists are quick to point out that the biorepository isn’t meant for a time when the Earth fails (after all, if the Earth is destroyed, the biorepository won’t matter), it’s intended to help offset natural disasters and, potentially, to augment space travel. Life, as far as we know, is rare in the universe. The lunar biorepository would provide another, parallel approach to conserving Earth’s precious biodiversity.

Warehouse of what-was

Cash and cultures; conservation and the cosmos. Perhaps, at times and in small ways, we did respect the rest of the beings who share the Earth with us by calling attention to their lives—through our depictions, our human habits and our scientific efforts to preserve their possibilities.

But should we reach that point where the unimaginable happens, it would be good to know that there’s a place in the stars that still remembers.

Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,

Candy

The post Wild Conservation Ideas: Currency Images and a Moon Vault first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog.