Biodiversity

Lessons from South Africa on Monitoring the Impact of Invasive Trees on Water Resources

By Richard Bugan
Concerns about the impacts of invasive species is not new; it dates to the 19th century. The term was popularized in Charles Elton’s 1958 book “The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants”. However, the concept gained significant attention in the 1990s and early 2000s as academic interest surged. This led to an increase in publications by invasion biologists.

Multi-Year Drought Gives Birth to Extremist Violence, Girls Most Vulnerable

By Manipadma Jena
While droughts creep in stealthily, their impacts are often more devastating and far-reaching than any other disaster. Inter-community conflict, extremist violence, and violence and injustice against vulnerable girls and women happen at the intersection of climate-induced droughts and drought-impoverished communities.

WMO Warns That Asia is Warming at Twice the Average Global Rate

By Oritro Karim
On June 23, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released their State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report, detailing the acceleration of the climate crisis in Asia. The report underscores the rapid rises in temperatures recorded across the continent and their implications on economies, ecosystems, and livelihoods.

Extreme Weather Will Place Toll on Asia’s Economies and Ecosystems, Says World Meteorological Organization

By Tanka Dhakal
Asia is heading towards more extreme weather events with a possibility of heavy toll on the region’s economies, ecosystems, and societies, says the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The Cost of Conservation—How Tanzania Is Erasing the Maasai Identity

By Kizito Makoye
On the vast plains of Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), the sight of young Maasai men in bright shawls, wielding sticks as they herd cattle, has long symbolized peaceful coexistence with nature. These herders, moving in harmony with zebras and wildebeests, are inseparable from the landscape. But today, that very identity—nurtured for generations—is under siege.

Ocean Protection is a Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity

By Iván Duque Márquez
The services the ocean provides are the backbone of our collective health, wealth and food security, yet today just 2.7% of the ocean has been assessed and deemed to be effectively protected. In failing to establish adequate safeguards, not only are we condemning communities and ecosystems across the world to decline and collapse, we are also overlooking a significant economic opportunity.

France Rallies World Leaders to Seal Ocean Protection Deal at UN Conference in Nice

By Kizito Makoye
With the future of the world’s oceans hanging in the balance, global leaders, scientists, and activists gathered in the French Riviera city of Nice this week for the historic UN Ocean Conference, where France declared a new era of high seas governance and marine protection.

UN Ocean Conference Closes with Historic Commitments, But Activists Demand Action Beyond Words

By Kizito Makoye
The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) concluded today in Nice with an urgent call for governments to translate bold words into concrete action to protect the world’s oceans. Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the summit brought together more than 15,000 participants, including 50 heads of state and government, civil society leaders, scientists, youth, and Indigenous communities in an 11-day event hailed as both a milestone for ocean diplomacy and a test of global resolve.

Reviving Mangroves at the Edge of Mozambique Channel

By Kizito Makoye
Just before dawn, a flotilla of wooden canoes drifts silently  through mangrove-tangled channels where roots sprout from the black mud of the lagoon. Here, at the edge between sea and forest, lies a story of restoration.

Mexico, Spain, East Africa, Awarded For their Ecosystem Restoration Programs

By Naureen Hossain
At the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognized three countries and regions for their large-scale programs to restore their native ecosystems.

Ocean Action Boosted in Africa as Biodiversity Leaders Call for Urgent Synergy, Funding Reform

By Kizito Makoye
As the curtains draw on the UN Ocean Conference, a flurry of voluntary commitments and political declarations has injected fresh impetus into global efforts to conserve marine biodiversity. With the world’s oceans facing unprecedented threats, high-level biodiversity officials and negotiators are sounding the alarm and calling for renewed momentum—and funding—to deliver on long-standing promises.

Nia Tero: Indigenous Guardianship the ‘Only Time-Tested Approach’ To Healthy Ocean Ecosystems

By Naureen Hossain
The 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) has seen a significant presence from Indigenous peoples, who insist that their perspective and guidance be taken into account in the global efforts for sustainable ocean use and conservation. The sense of responsibility to the ocean and recognition of its history is an example that the international community can learn from.

From Villain to Vanguard: How the Shipping Industry Could Help Save Our Seas

By Kizito Makoye
Once cast as a culprit of ocean degradation, the global shipping industry is quietly reshaping its image—with experts now betting on it as a key ally in saving our seas.

Atoll Nation of Tuvalu Faces Climate Existential Crisis, Frustration With Slow Funding

By Cecilia Russell
Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo, describes himself as an optimist—despite the existential crisis his atoll nation faces with climate change-induced sea level rise and frustration with existing international financial mechanisms to fund adaptation and mitigation.

Chumbe Island: How Tanzania is Leading the Charge to Save Our Oceans

By Kizito Makoye
Under the surface of Tanzania’s turquoise waters, a miracle unfolds quietly every day.

UN Pushes for 10,000 Ships To Track Ocean Changes

By Kizito Makoye
A groundbreaking initiative to revolutionize global ocean observation is being launched this week at the UN Ocean Conference side event, aiming to enlist 10,000 commercial ships to collect and transmit vital ocean and weather data by 2035.

Waves of Change: From the Glittering Shores of Nice to Struggling Seaweed Farmers in Zanzibar

By Kizito Makoye
The late afternoon sun sparkles on the waters of the French Riviera as yachts dock at the Port of Nice with mechanical grace. A tram glides past palm-lined boulevards, where joggers, drenched in sweat, huff past leisurely strollers and sunbathers. Just beside the promenade, a crowd gathers around a young girl. With braided hair bouncing in rhythm, she belts out Beyoncé’s Halo with stunning precision. Her bare feet dance on the cobblestones, her voice echoing against the pastel façades.

UNOC3: World Leaders Recognize Urgent Need for Ocean Action

By Naureen Hossain
The world has converged along the Mediterranean Sea to affirm their commitments to the sustainable use and protection of the ocean.

Oceans at Risk: Report Warns Global Fossil Fuel Expansion Threatens Marine Biodiversity

By Umar Manzoor Shah
A newly released report by Earth Insight in collaboration with 16 environmental organizations has sounded a global alarm on the unchecked expansion of offshore oil and gas projects into some of the most biologically rich and ecologically sensitive marine environments on the planet.

UN Ocean Decade vs. Coastal Reality: ‘They Took Our Sea,’ Say Vizhinjam Fishworkers

By Aishwarya Bajpai
As the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) approaches, bringing renewed attention to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and the rights of ocean-dependent communities, India’s Vizhinjam coast highlights the environmental injustice and human cost of unchecked coastal development.

Girls in Kenya Are Repurposing the Invasive Mathenge Tree Into Furniture

By Farai Shawn Matiashe
Char Tito is hammering nails into wood at Kakuma Arid Zone Secondary School in Turkana County, northern Kenya. The 16-year-old is making a traditional chair under the scorching sun outside one of the classroom blocks.
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