New Research Demonstrates Importance of Expert Agencies to the Endangered Species Act

The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of the strongest laws in the world for protecting imperiled species - in large part because it gives expert agencies the authority to review federal actions and make sure they do not increase the risk of …

Insect Apocalypse!

People around the country are noticing. Bugs no longer coat windshields, butterfly gardens take more care with fewer butterfly sightings, and bee colonies are collapsing! Globally, biodiversity is in peril. A recent report from an international team …

A Model Example of Community-Based Conservation

Earlier this year, to honor our incredible wildlife and the heritage of living alongside them in harmony, Defenders declared 2019 the year of coexistence. To make coexistence work, communities that have direct interaction with wildlife will …

Building Tools for Collaborative Conservation

Maps of a species' range can be very coarse--the resolution of whole counties or even states--but that's usually not very useful for detailed planning and development. So researchers spend a great deal of time refining maps that reflect a species' …

Off the Face of the Earth

A few weeks ago, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released the summary of their global assessment on the state of biodiversity. One of the most astounding and alarming findings of their …

Keeping Up with the Border Wall

When you think of the U.S.-Mexico border, a myriad of 'hot-button' issues may go through your head. Ethical dilemmas, immigration policy and border security are just a few. There is a torrent of conversation on these issues here in Washington, D.C., …

New Data Reveals How the Endangered Species Act Protects Endangered Species

At the Center for Conservation Innovation our mission is to find new and improved ways to protect species that are close to the brink of extinction, like the North Atlantic right whale. Less than 450 of these animals are left in the world, and they …

Eyes on the Prize: Monitoring the ESA

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is considered one of the strongest laws in the world for protecting wildlife, and for good reason. Take sea turtles, for example: The ESA requires the creation of a plan for sea turtle recovery, provides protections …

Tracking Harm to Endangered Species

The ESA is often considered one of the strongest laws in the world for wildlife conservation, in part because of the prohibition against harming endangered animals (and plants in certain cases). While this provision is integral to the ESA, a certain …

How Trump's Wall Would Alter Our Biological Identity Forever

It's no secret that the Trump administration is attacking science. One environmental attack is particularly appalling, but headlines have focused more on its political theatrics than on its catastrophic consequences for North American biodiversity: …