Clear Water RevivalPhoto Essay 05.02.2022In a biodiversity wonderland hardly known outside South Africa, a decades-long effort to restore native fish and their streams is starting to pay off—but new trouble could undermine this fragile comeback.
Ghana’s Sacred MonkeysArticle 04.19.2022Myth and mystery have long protected two species of monkey and the West African forests they depend on, but for how much longer?
City Owl, Country OwlSpotlight 01.21.2022Unlike its more iconic cousin, the diminutive northern pygmy owl thrives in urban forests—some just a stone’s throw from the local café.
Nomads of the NorthPhoto Essay 11.24.2021A writer and photographer shares an intimate portrait of the annual migration and uncertain future of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd.
Letters Between TreesArticle 09.09.2021With a pandemic and record-breaking fire season raging, two individuals, seemingly worlds apart, find solace in their connections with one another and within the ecosystems they call home.
Life, Death, and Renewal in the Campo RupestrePhoto Essay 04.22.2021In a little-known region of Brazil that calls to mind Tolkien’s Middle-earth, unique lifeforms have evolved to endure innumerable environmental challenges. Can they survive the country’s latest era of deregulation?
A New HopePhoto Essay 01.27.2021Discovered a mere four years ago, the Skywalker gibbon quickly landed on the list of the world’s 25 most endangered primates. While its status remains precarious, the species is inspiring a newfound effort to protect and restore the forests of China’s Gaoligong Mountains.
A Novel DemiseSpotlight 09.22.2020Although we’ve marveled over carnivorous plants for centuries, the plants’ penchant for vertebrate flesh has been largely overlooked.
Layers of LifeSpotlight 11.12.2019On a crowded coral reef, species often make their homes on top of one another (literally), living lives that are tightly intertwined both biologically and evolutionarily.
The ReservoirArticle 12.12.2018In Bangladesh, a bat-borne virus you’ve probably never heard of is poised to become the next pandemic—and medicine alone may not be sufficient to stop it. Is an ecological intervention the answer?
Open WideSpotlight 10.09.2018Their prey may be tiny, but these Indian mackerel need both gaping mouths and an assist from their school-mates to successfully snag a meal.
Facing the DaySpotlight 07.18.2018Before embarking on an icy fishing expedition in the Southern Ocean, king penguins pause to soak up the morning’s first light.
Farm to ReefPhoto Essay 05.08.2018Cuba’s sustainable farming practices could provide a recipe for restoring struggling coral reefs around the world.
Taking Down GoliathSpotlight 03.08.2018The world’s largest frogs are also among the most coveted in the African bushmeat trade. Can grassroots efforts save the goliath frog from extinction?
Connecting—and Protecting—the DotsArticle 08.23.2017A new approach aims to help nature persist even as a city creeps outward.
On Thin IceArticle 05.31.2017While President Trump considers pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement on climate, the Arctic is telling us what’s at stake for our planet.
The MendingArticle 03.14.2017Argentina’s vast Iberá wetlands lost many of their largest species decades ago. Can an audacious rewilding plan rebuild a bygone world?
The NurseryArticle 09.20.2016Unlocking the habitat secrets of one of the planet’s most important salmon fisheries—and the specter of industrial development that threatens its very existence
A Forest Hidden by FogArticle 09.13.2016Spellbound by an idea, a writer sets out to find the mythical cloud forest—and shines a bright light on an endangered ecosystem.