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Reporting on our catastrophic species loss, and ways to tackle the biodiversity crisis

The age of extinction is supported by

The age of extinction is supported by

The age of extinction

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  • Environmentalists mark World Water Day in San Salvador holding posters that read: ‘I fight for life, I defend water’, while one marcher holds a picture of slain Indigenous environmental activist Berta Caceres.

    Environmental defenders
    Almost 200 people killed last year trying to defend the environment, report finds

    Latin America was the most deadly region in which to defend ecosystems from mining and deforestation, with Indigenous people among half the dead
  • A colony of bats flying against a night sky

    Bats
    Loss of bats to lethal fungus linked to 1,300 child deaths in US, study says

    Because bats feed on crop pests, their disappearance led to a surge in pesticide use. Research found a rise in infant mortality in areas where the bats had been wiped out
  • Two men capture a pink dolphin in a net

    Wildlife
    The race to find out what killed hundreds of pink dolphins in the Amazon – in pictures

    Scientists are trying to establish whether global heating caused the deaths of the rare river dolphins last year, before temperatures start to rise again
  • Researchers investigate the spread of bird flu, on Beak Island in Antarctica, March 2, 2024 in this handout image. Ben Wallis/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

    Explainer
    Forgotten epidemic: with over 280 million birds dead how is the avian flu outbreak evolving?

    New data reveals the virus has spread to endangered species in Antarctica – yet the H5N1’s risk to biodiversity, farming and human health is little explored
    • Two women collect samples from a shallow pool in a rocky landscape

      Biopiracy
      Who wins from nature’s genetic bounty? The billions at stake in a global ‘biopiracy’ battle

    • A tiny aircraft with two human passengers, a huge fan-like propeller on the back and a yellow parachute above leads a wavy line of birds against a clear blue sky.

      Birds
      This bird came back from extinction - now scientists in an aircraft are teaching it to migrate

    • A male bear weighing 124 kg was one of about 19 bears that were shot during the first day of the bear hunt in Ljusdal, Gavleborg County, Sweden on August 21, 2020.Photo: Adam Ihse / TT / Code: 9200<br>2XX8RAY A male bear weighing 124 kg was one of about 19 bears that were shot during the first day of the bear hunt in Ljusdal, Gavleborg County, Sweden on August 21, 2020.Photo: Adam Ihse / TT / Code: 9200

      Conservation
      Swedish hunters kill more than 150 brown bears in first days of annual cull

    • A woman speaks in front of an array of microphones, with a banner that has a multicoloured logo reading 'Cop16' behind her

      Cop16
      We must restore nature to avoid global catastrophe, warns biodiversity summit president

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Explore

  • A white Arctic fox lying in the sun, Norway.

    Eagle attacks, red invaders and a genetic bottleneck: inside the fight to save arctic foxes

    • A shark can be seen underwater, with a boat and divers above

      ‘They’re not like puppy dogs. They should be respected’: how to swim with sharks in British waters

    • A flock of pigeons scrambling over each other

      How do you put pigeons on the pill? Scientists test contraceptives to curb pest numbers

    • People use ropes to climb up the trunk of a giant sequoia against blue sky

      The end of the great northern forests? The tiny tree-killing beetle wreaking havoc on our ancient giants

    • A man in glasses wearing camouflage, with a camera around his neck. He's standing outside in front of some shrubs.

      ‘Sometimes I wonder if I’ll come back’: Palestinian birdwatchers defy danger to scan the skies

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Explainers

  • The biggest threats to our natural world

    The five biggest threats to our natural world … and how we can stop them

  • The biodiversity crisis in numbers - a visual guide

  • An abstract collage of news images from the 2023 global climate crisis

    10 ways the climate crisis and nature loss are linked

  • A bee lands on a purple flower

    Food, soil, water: how the extinction of insects would transform our planet

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Negotiating nature

  • People sitting at a table in front of flags and a green backdrop

    Colombia gives assurances over UN biodiversity summit after rebels’ threat

    Organisers working to ensure safe environment for attenders in October after guerrillas’ warning of disruption
  • Astrid Schomaker

    Veteran EU official Astrid Schomaker named as new biodiversity chief

  • Susana Muhamad, Colombia’s environment minister.

    Colombia vows to put nature at the heart of global environmental negotiations

  • The UN convention on biological diversity, Cop15, was held in Montreal, Canada, a year ago.

    Cop15 a year on: has the world lived up to the promises made in Montreal?

  • Plastic waste and other rubbish washes up on a beach in Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand

    Nature at risk of breakdown if Cop15 pledges not met, world leaders warned

  • Marine life swims around an anchored Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) in the Pacific Ocean.

    First Cop15, now the high seas treaty. There is hope for the planet’s future

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Nature heroes

  • Robert Ballard speaking at a conference in California.

    I discovered the wreck of the Titanic – but seeing these vents in the sea floor was far more exciting

  • Heather Middleton looking for fossils on a rocky beach

    I discovered ...
    Thousands of fossils after retiring. Now I’m nearly 80 and still going strong

  • Prof Andrew Cunningham inside a lab at London Zoo wearing a lab coat and glasses

    I discovered ...
    Why seemingly healthy amphibians were being wiped out

  • Paul Hebert standing in front of a white sheet and holding a UV light in his back yard in Ontario, Canada, 21 February 2024

    I discovered …
    A way to identify the millions of species on Earth after a lightbulb moment in the supermarket

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Wild world

  • A kākā at Zealandia ecosanctuary, Wellington, New Zealand.

    Penguins in the pond, kiwi in the back yard: how a city brought back its birds

    As nature falls silent in most cities around the world, New Zealand’s capital has been transformed by the sound of native birds returning to the dawn chorus
  • A line of people walk along the edge of a filed thickly planted with sunflowers. People can be seen among the flowers taking pictures.

    Nature’s ghosts: how reviving medieval farming offers wildlife an unexpected haven

  • A black bird with a teddy boy-style quiff and a long wattle that hangs below its feet, sitting on a branch

    ‘More profitable than farming’: how Ecuador’s birding boom is benefiting wildlife

  • Tony Juniper

    Birdsong once signalled the onset of spring on my street – but not this year

    Tony Juniper
  • A group of young spotted hyenas on the road outside Harar

    The hyenas of Harar: how a city fell in love with its bone-crunching carnivores

  • View of rolling green fields on Iford estate from South Downs Way

    UK
    Flowers everywhere? England’s ambitious scheme to restore wildlife hangs in the balance

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Pictures

  • A group of three blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) pictured on the Galápagos Islands

    Female photographers celebrate Jane Goodall’s 90th birthday

  • The operation not only underscores Kenya’s conservation triumph but also signifies a critical step in achieving stable habitats for the survival of the species.

    Cardiac arrests, horns and 1.4 tonnes of muscle: here’s how to move a rhino – in pictures

    The Kenya Wildlife Service has successfully translocated 21 eastern black rhinos to a region where they have not roamed for 50 years. Here’s how they caught, transported and released these critically endangered creatures to their new home
  • A Garrano horse with a GPS tracker in the Cabreira Mountain

    ‘Without a function they’re doomed’: in search of a new job for Portugal’s ancient pony breed

    Known since Palaeolithic times, valued by the Romans and key to Portugal’s empire-building, there are now less than 3,000 Garranos left
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