To understand the impact of changes in land use in Northern Virginia, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute developed the Changing Landscapes Initiative, a project that uses a scientifically rigorous yet human-centered approach to address concerns about the future of the region.
A partnership between the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and the American Prairie Reserve (APR) aims to understand how different grazing animals and grazing regimes, whether with cows or bison, impact the distribution and abundance of grassland birds in Montana.
The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is developing animal distribution maps as part of the Smithsonian Conservation Commons’ Working Landscapes initiative in Myanmar, helping stakeholders and decision makers make better choices regarding landscape management.
The Smithsonian Institution and Piedra de Cachimbo coffee farmers in northern Venezuela are committing to the conservation of 400 hectares of forest for traditional shade-grown organic coffee, seeking Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification of their beans. This will help protect the habitat of the red siskin, an endangered red and black finch.
For the third consecutive year, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is organizing a Teen Earth Optimism event, which aims to involve teenagers in conversations about the challenges facing the planet and solutions that are making an impact. This year, the topic will be surrounding sustainable foods, as part of a collaboration with the Conservation Commons.
Scientists have started to notice that, like their counterparts breeding in temperate latitudes, tropical birds exhibit migratory behaviors. Now Peter Marra, director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s (SCBI) Migratory Bird Center, and Brandt Ryder, a research ecologist at SCBI are trying to understand why, by tracking two species of Neotropical birds in Brazil: Bare-throated bellbirds and Snail kites.
The health of coral reefs in Central America is graded every two years and issued a report card. As of next year, two other coastal ecosystems that coral reefs heavily depend upon —mangrove forests and seagrass beds— will also start getting scores. This will help strengthen the everyday management strategies of these habitats, crucial to the livelihoods of over 2 million people.
By tracking rays, sharks and river herring, the Fish and Invertebrate Ecology lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center is working to figure out how marine migration data could help predict marine species' responses to climate change and aid in the conservation of endangered ones.
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