Articles tagged as Conservation | Smithsonian Magazine

Two of the last remaining wolves on Isle Royale

The NPS has proposed a plan to boost the wolf population on the island where currently only two inbred canines remain

December 23, 2016

But questions remain about the permanency of the act in the arctic

December 21, 2016

Phuket Horned Tree Agamid, Acanthosaura phuketensis, found in Phuket,Thailand

Cool Finds

Meet the Klingon Newt, Ziggy Stardust Snake—Two of the 163 New Species Discovered in the Mekong

A new reports details the dozens of new animal and plant species scientists found in Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong in 2015

December 20, 2016

Bei Bei, the National Zoo's youngest giant panda cub, during a veterinary exam when he was less than three months old.

The Long, Adorable History of Pandas in America

Su Lin was the first giant panda to come to America, landing in San Francisco in 1936

December 16, 2016

Swabbing the toads to sample their microbiomes.

Meet the Colorful New Weapon Scientists Are Using to Save Toads From a Devastating Fungus

Researchers are supplementing the amphibians’ natural microbiomes with a fluorescent fungus-fighter they’ve dubbed “Purple Rain”

December 15, 2016

Years of habitat destruction and poaching have reduced giraffe numbers by 30 percent, placing them in the vulnerable category for the first time

December 9, 2016

How does a bear catch a break around here?

New Research

Decades-Old Chemicals May Be Threatening Polar Bear Fertility, As If They Didn’t Have Enough to Worry About

A new study sheds light on how today’s pollutants could become tomorrow’s threats to wildlife and humans

December 2, 2016

Caribbean spiny lobster on a sea fan off the coast of Honduras

Proposed New Marine Reserve System Offers Rosy Outlook for Both the Lobster and the Lobster Fisherman

With the help of a supercomputer, Smithsonian scientists figure out how to help the lobster fishery off the coast of Honduras

November 28, 2016

Before the recent reintroductions of P-horses, the last confirmed sighting in the wild was in 1969.

The Remarkable Comeback of Przewalski’s Horse

Once nearly extinct, the population of these wild horses has rebounded on the dusty steppes of Mongolia

December 2016

Roughly 400 people attempted to mount the blockaded Backwater Bridge last night, resulting in another clash between protestors and police.

Latest clash comes over access to a barricaded bridge

November 21, 2016

Cool Finds

World’s Largest Herd of Origami Elephants Takes Over the Bronx Zoo

People around the world folded the paper pachyderms to raise awareness of the elephants’ plight

November 18, 2016

Caretakers fear the row over the metro’s overspending could endanger the ancient arena

November 16, 2016

Cool Finds

New Underpass Helps New Zealand Penguins Cross Busy Road

The blue penguin colony in Oamaru can now cross between their nesting area and the ocean without dodging traffic

November 14, 2016

A purplish-mantled tanager, a species the study suggests should be listed at vulnerable

New Research

Is the Endangered Species List Missing Hundreds of Species of Birds?

A new study suggests the IUCN’s methods are underestimating the risks to many species, but the organization say the research is flawed

November 10, 2016

An annotated note hidden in the margins of an 18th-century mathematical manuscript by a past restoration attempt.

Cool Finds

How Experts Are Digitizing Ancient Manuscripts

Digital preservation is more work than it might seem

November 3, 2016

Cross River gorilla photographed by a camera trap

A proposed project in Cross River State would cut through protected areas and threaten endangered species like the Cross River gorilla

November 2, 2016

Mangroves are rich and biodiverse coastal ecosystems that flood and emerge with the tides. Now villagers are burning these trees to better their lives.

Madagascar’s Mangroves: The Ultimate Giving Trees

Locals already use the trees for food, fuel and building materials. Now they’re burning them to make lime clay

October 20, 2016

Throughout her long life, Jia Jia helped the dwindling number of pandas bounce back

October 18, 2016

Cool Finds

New Sanctuary for Rare and Fluffy Wildcats to Open in Siberia

As their numbers dwindle, the poofy Pallas’ Cats will finally get their own protected park

October 10, 2016

A judge recently ordered the Fish and Wildlife Service to let the endangered wolves stay where they are

October 6, 2016