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biodiversity > features
Revealed: how global warming will cause extinction of a million species
by Steve Connor
A quarter of known land animals and plants, more than a million species, will eventually die out because of the global warming that will take place over the next 50 years, the most important study of its kind has concluded. ... more
Making mussels work in South Africa
by Gregory Mock
Until two decades ago the Sokulu people of South Africa harvested mussles from a 30-mile stretch of coast near Durban - until the government designated the area a nature reserve. Cut off from an important source of food and a way of life, their livelihood crumbled. Now, a five-year programme has put responsibility for the mussels back in the hands of the Sokhulu, as Gregory Mock reports. ... more
Learning to live with "Mega" parks
by Curtis Runyan
A growing number of countries � from Albania to Zimbabwe � are now linking up their parklands with protected areas in neighbouring nations to make �transboundary� parks. But the process is not always welcome, as Curtus Runyan reports ... more
Protected areas: past, present, and future
by Claude Martin
This month (September) some 2,500 are gathering in Durban, South Africa, for the 5th World Parks Congress. Government authorities, park directors, conservation groups, and scientists have much to celebrate - but also much to do to ensure the continued relevance and effective protection of the world's protected areas. ... more
The Pandamobile: a story of wildlife, children, and passion
by Michel Terrettaz
Introducing children to the natural world, and helping to instil love and care for it, is a vital task. One man who has been doing it by bus for 25 years is Michel Terrettaz. This is his Success Story. ... more
Wildlife trade is on the rise
by Amy Wagener and Curtis Runyan
Wildlife trade � both legal and illegal � is big business around the world. And it is growing. While estimates vary, the numbers show that trade in wildlife and wildlife products (excluding timber and fish harvesting) has grown from around $3 or $4 billion annually in the late 1980s to at least $10 billion in 2001, according to the wildlife trade watchdog group, TRAFFIC. Estimates place illegal trade at $5 to $8 billion annually. ... more
New expressway threatens Polish park
by Andreas Beckmann
An EU-supported expressway threatens to maul Poland's largest national park, throwing up questions about the future shape of an enlarged Europe. Andreas Beckmann reports. ... more
Herbal medicine can be good for tigers too
by Emma Duncan and Jan Vertefeuille
Traditional Chinese medicine is the most widely practised traditional medicine system in the world. Its popularity is growing in the West too, where it is incorporated into many homeopathic and alternative remedies. But many are not aware that their medicine may be threatening the survival of animals like tigers and rhinos and plants like wild-grown ginseng. Emma Duncan and Jan Vertefeuille report. ... more
Desert wetlands to be conserved
by Lisa Hadeed
For half of the year, the Rann of Kutch is a vast salt flat - bleak, hot, and dusty, spanning the western border of India and Palkisan. But for the other half it's a huge marsh teeming with flamingos and hundreds of other bird species. Commitments by both countries to designate sites within this transboundary area for conservation under the Ramsar Convention, will help protect these unique wetlands, and the wildlife and people that depend on them. ... more
Democracy to rule in Nicaragua's parks
by Diane Jukofsky and Nuria Bola�os
The act of declaring a new national park or reserve is far easier than the costly and complicated work of actually protecting and managing the area. The result worldwide is a growing number of "paper parks," which show up on maps but are protected parks in name only. Now Nicaragua is trying a new approach. ... more
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