Planet Positive | Science | Smithsonian Magazine

As the nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, and as Smithsonian magazine also commemorates 50 years of delivering in-depth, factual reporting about the environment, we are taking the time to present stories about what's working in wildlife and environmental conservation.

Reasons to Be Optimistic

Mountain Gorillas' Amazing Comeback From the Verge of Extinction

Long victimized by poaching and deforestation, the primate species is in the midst of a surprising rebound that is sparking new hopes of recovery

Photographs by Neil Ever Osborne; Text by Mark Jenkins

Wildlife Conservation

Researchers Are Learning How Asian Elephants Think—in Order to Save Them

By Jennie Rothenberg Gritz; Photographs by Justin Mott

In a First, Cheetah Cubs Born Through Surrogacy at the Columbus Zoo

By Nadine Daher

How the Iberian Lynx Bounced Back From the Brink of Extinction

By Helena Amante

Solutions for the Future

The Push for Tidal Power Faces Its Biggest Challenge Yet

By Elizabeth Royte; Photographs by Greta Rybus

Meet the Ecologist Who Wants You to Unleash the Wild on Your Backyard

By Jerry Adler; Photographs by Matthew Cicanese

This Maine Island Models the Future of Renewable Energy

By Stephanie Bouchard, Ensia

More Climate and Conservation Coverage

Your Butterfly Photos Could Help Monarch Conservation

By Theresa Machemer

An Army of Hungry Ducks Keeps This Historic South African Vineyard Pest-Free

By Katherine J. Wu

How Australia’s Wilderness Is Recovering From Wildfires

By Theresa Machemer

Planet Positive

This Homemade Flag From the '70s Signals the Beginning of the Environmental Movement

By Adam Rome

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