Subscribe now
Wild boar appear destructive, but they make excellent conservationists

Wild boar appear destructive, but they make excellent conservationists

28 September 2022

Keystone species such as wild boar, eagles and lynx were managing the planet quite well for millions of years before humans got involved. We must cherish them, says Benedict Macdonald


Why restoring seagrass meadows would be a huge conservation win

Why restoring seagrass meadows would be a huge conservation win

6 July 2022

Seagrass meadows are vanishing at a rate of 7 per cent a year, but this is a habitat that buries carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforest. We must safeguard and restore it, says Sophie Pavelle


The way we are going about saving coral reefs is all wrong

The way we are going about saving coral reefs is all wrong

2 February 2022

Coral gardening projects are more popular than ever to help reefs recover from the effects of a warming ocean, but they are a distraction away from the real solutions, says Catherine Collins


Biologist E.O. Wilson with models of his life’s greatest subject, ants.

E. O. Wilson: Extraordinary scholar who warned of biodiversity crisis

29 December 2021

Naturalist and ant expert Edward O. Wilson, who died on 26 December, made at least five seminal contributions to ecology and was passionate about finding a more sustainable way for humans to live on Earth


We're heading to court to try to stop an avian apocalypse

We're heading to court to try to stop an avian apocalypse

30 September 2020

More than 90 per cent of migratory birds need more protection on their journeys around the world. Fighting for them in court may be the best way to avert catastrophe, says James Thornton


How a victory for a small bog could herald a new era for conservation

How a victory for a small bog could herald a new era for conservation

27 May 2020

Against the odds, a tiny wildlife retreat has won the day in a battle with developers. It is a sign that attitudes may finally be changing for the better, says Graham Lawton


forest cartoon

How international conservation groups are betraying indigenous peoples

11 December 2019

Discrimination towards indigenous communities is rife among conservation groups – and sometimes enforced at the barrel of a gun, says Curtis Abraham


Museum specimens in drawers

Smugglers are profiting from our failure to define endangered species

14 February 2019

There are calls to improve a treaty on the international trade in endangered species – but there is no standard way to define species, says Stephen Garnett


Grizzly bear family

Call off the grizzly bear trophy hunt, it's immoral and unscientific

22 August 2018

The first grizzly bear hunt in Wyoming for over 40 years ignores the questionable conservation status and emotional capacities of these iconic animals, says Marc Bekoff


A close-up of a hedgehog

Chris Packham: 'Let's stop sleepwalking towards mass extinction'

6 July 2018

We must wake up to the ecological apocalypse caused by intensive agriculture that is unfolding under our very noses, says Chris Packham


Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop