Biodiversity

"If you’re young and hungry, the place to go is New York City — even if you weigh 25 tons and have a blowhole."

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the Eastern black rail a threatened species on Wednesday, but stopped short of the stronger protections some environmentalists were seeking for the elusive bird, now imperiled by habitat destruction, sea level rise, and the increasing frequency and intensity of storms with climate change."

"A collection of threats — habitat loss, pathogens, pesticides, pollution and poor nutrition — have led to widespread decline in bee health and pollinator populations."

"After stalling for months, a top Trump official released a polar bear study by government scientists Friday that highlights the endangered animals’ vulnerability to climate change and the fact that proposed oil drilling in Alaska would probably encroach on their habitat, causing more stress."

"France said Tuesday it planned to 'gradually' ban mink farms in the country as well the use of wild animals in travelling circuses and the breeding of dolphins and orcas in captivity."

"New findings suggest a previously unknown virus may play a role in the sudden death of many freshwater mussels in recent years."

"In the Pacific north-west, local people work the shoreline, creating conditions for useful species to thrive".

"Wildfires in Washington state have burned hundreds of thousands of acres, including an important mating habitat for sage grouse."

"The deaths of hundreds of elephants in Botswana this year which had baffled and alarmed conservationists were caused by toxins produced by cyanobacteria in water, officials said on Monday."

"A decade-long global effort to save Earth’s disappearing species and declining ecosystems has mostly stumbled, with fragile habitats like coral reefs and tropical forests in more trouble than ever, researchers said in a report Tuesday."