Conservation News
News, views and stories from the front lines of conservation
Apr 29, 2025
All recent news
As ghost junk haunts the sea, ‘mermaids’ are fighting back
Piece by piece, a Conservation International training program is chipping away at a silent threat to the ocean.
March 18, 2025
For this scientist, the ‘real work’ is in listening
‘I wasn’t discouraged — I was hooked’: The tough conversations that shaped the path of Conservation International’s lead scientist.
February 3, 2025
Climate change charts a dangerous course for the world's largest fish
A Conservation International scientist shares what can be done to prevent an ‘outright alarming’ future for whale sharks.
November 20, 2024
Study: Protecting the ocean helps fight malnutrition
A new study challenges the idea that marine protected areas come at the expense of locals’ access to fish — instead, finding that fish catches in coral reefs could increase by up to 20 percent.
September 17, 2024
How a fearsome predator helped bring this community back to life
Shrimp powered a small Mexican community’s economy for years — until deforestation nearly wiped them out. To bring them back, the community enlisted an unexpected, and misunderstood, ally.
September 5, 2024
News spotlight: How many fish in the sea? Less than we thought
There are plenty of fish in the sea, so the old saying goes. But that’s not as true as it used to be: Climate change, pollution and overfishing have slashed global fish populations. Now a new study suggests the problem may be worse than expected.
August 29, 2024
Where ‘ghost gear’ haunts the seas, divers unite to clean up
Nearly a third of fishing lines are lost or discarded at sea. This so-called “ghost gear” — along with nets and traps — is deadly for marine animals. One man is on a mission to clean it up, net by net.
June 20, 2024
On World Oceans Day, charting a new course for our seas
The ocean feeds us, regulates our climate and sustains economies. Yet numerous threats are devastating the health of marine ecosystems. In honor of World Oceans Day, we take a dive into efforts that are charting anew course for our oceans.
June 6, 2024
With new protections, a critical fishery gets new lease on life
Fishing is a way of life in Peru. But one of it's most important fisheries is not immune from human-made pressures like overfishing and mining. Now, a new protected area is offering a new lease on life.
May 28, 2024
Study: Protecting the ocean benefits people and nature
Across the globe, marine protected areas help struggling fish populations and ecosystems recover and flourish. But what impact do they have on the people living nearby? A new study finds big benefits for both biodiversity and coastal communities.
June 22, 2023
New study shows where manta rays thrive
Targeted for their gill plates and trapped accidentally in fishing nets, reef manta rays are in trouble; their populations around the world are plummeting. But in one protected area off the coast of Indonesia, the rays are not only bucking worldwide trends – they’re thriving.
December 2, 2022
News spotlight: In the Philippines, a sea turtle sanctuary is threatened by climate change
On a tiny island in the Philippines, fishermen and green sea turtles live side by side in hard-earned harmony. That wasn’t always the case. Slowly and steadily, they have returned, a story of against-the-odds compromise.
November 15, 2022
Notes from the field: Indigenous peoples protecting nature through tradition
Right now, around the world, the work of protecting nature and the climate is happening in the field — and achieving small triumphs that don’t make the news. Here are three recent conservation success stories you should know about.
April 29, 2020