Conservation
Conservation is a major issue around the world with the impacts that humans have on natural ecosystems through activities from mining, building new cities and global warming. There are many conservation groups and efforts that lobby for the conservation of particular species (for example, the polar bear) or groups of animals (for example, tigers), while others are aimed at entire habitats, such as the Amazon rainforest. Conservation efforts can also aim to protect natural resources. Some conservation is done by setting aside national parks and wildlife preserves, while other conservation works targets specific threats to particular species. Read about various conservation efforts and issues below.
Latest about conservation
Clouded leopard: The cat with saber-like teeth that can walk upside down in trees
By Megan Shersby published
Clouded leopards can rotate their ankle joints by almost 180 degrees and they kill prey by biting the back of their necks with their huge teeth.
Giant 1.5-foot-long rat that can crack open coconuts photographed for 1st time on remote island
By Sascha Pare published
After years of failed attempts, scientists have finally succeeded in snapping images of an extremely rare, enormous rat that is so big it can reportedly chew through coconuts on the Solomon Islands.
Wolf spider mama wearing crown of babies captured in stunning photo
By Hannah Osborne published
Winning images from The Nature Conservancy's 2023 Global Photo Contest include a wolf spider in a Maryland park with a hat made of her own babies.
Eerie blackwater dive image shows paper nautilus floating on stick after volcanic eruption
By Annie Corinne Shaink published
A photograph of a paper nautilus in the aftermath of the Taal volcano eruption in the Philippines has won 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year award.
Mystery of 'living fossil' tree frozen in time for 66 million years finally solved
By Richard Pallardy published
The Wollemi pine was thought to have gone extinct 2 million years ago until it was rediscovered by a group of hikers in 1994. Now, scientists have decoded its genome to understand how it's survived — almost unchanged — since the time of the dinosaurs.
1st of its kind footage shows guard dogs saving sheep from puma attack on a pitch black mountain
By Hannah Osborne published
The footage of a puma hunting sheep was captured with thermal imaging cameras in the Patagonian wilderness as part of a new National Geographic show.
10 times humans messed with nature and it backfired
By Sascha Pare published
History is peppered with times when our patchy knowledge of natural systems has led to questionable interventions with unintended — and sometimes disastrous — consequences.
Critically endangered donkey with stripy 'zebra legs' born in UK zoo
By Harry Baker published
An African wild ass, one of the most endangered animals on the planet, was recently born at a U.K. zoo and is already doing "zoomies" around its enclosure.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.