Surf ecosystems support biodiversity, cultural heritage, and local economies. With over 5,000 mapped surf breaks globally, many are in ecologically rich areas that store carbon and sustain marine life. Surfing generates an estimated US $50 billion annually, providing
Despite the recent rise in mangrove restoration projects, the extent to which many projects include social dimensions remains contested, with limited research informing insights from on-ground projects. To address this gap, we conducted an online survey of different stakeholders involved in mangrove restoration projects worldwide to understand the types of social values (e.g. shared preferences and local priorities) considered in mangrove projects and the processes used by practitioners to include various social values in such projects (e.g. participatory planning).
In the face of recent setbacks to coral reef conservation and restoration due to intensifying marine heat waves, new coral-focused strategies have been developed to accelerate natural processes of coral reef adaptation and recovery. In 2024, these “Reefs of Hope” strategies were endorsed by UNESCO as an Ocean Decade. This paper shares the progress made and methods used and translates the new paradigm into a proposed national coral-focused adaptation plan using Fiji as an example.
International trade is a major driver of shark overexploitation. In 2013, five threatened shark species were listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species to regulate global trade and promote recovery. Once listed, any uncertified, unreported export of these species became illegal. Minimal trade was reported from 2015 to 2021, yet fins from four of these species were common in the world’s largest shark fin hub (Hong Kong) throughout this period, indicating substantial and sustained illegal trade.
Nearly a third of seabird species are at risk of extinction, rendering them among the most threatened bird taxa globally. The decline in seabird populations has major ramifications for their associated ecosystems. An expansive literature covers seabird impacts on their breeding islands, and growing research expands understanding of the circular seabird economy — cross-ecosystem connections of seabirds from oceans to islands, and back to nearshore marine ecosystems, mainly driven by nutrient transfer.
Despite playing an essential role in safeguarding food security, livelihoods, and human well-being, biodiversity is in precipitous decline globally with devastating social, environmental, and economic impacts (Pörtner et al. 2023). Thus, incorporating biodiversity into integrated landscape management strategies is crucial for reconciling conservation and livelihoods in multifunctional landscapes.
In recognition of the need for National Parks and protected areas in the South Pacific, the New Zealand Government hosted the First South Pacific Conference on National Parks and Reserves in 1975, in association with the South Pacific
AI for Nature examines the transformative role of artificial intelligence in understanding and protecting the natural world. The paper outlines how AI can be applied to environmental monitoring, biodiversity mapping, and land-use planning, while also identifying the social, ethical, and governance challenges that accompany these technologies. It calls for collaboration across science, technology, and policy to ensure AI benefits both nature and people.
The Gender-responsive Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Toolkit provides a comprehensive framework and practical guidance for integrating gender-responsive strategies into the planning, implementation, and management of NbS. Developed by Arup and Social
Heading into COP30, where tropical forests are set to be a central theme, it seemed worth looking today’s trajectories a little further forward and imagine where they might lead. Part 1 looked at possible fates of tropical forests. The first act of the forest crisis was destruction. The second, if there is to be one, must be design—deliberate, structural, and sustained. The world already knows what is burning; what it hasn’t decided is whether it truly wants to stop it.
