Conservation is a major issue around the world with the impacts that humans have on natural ecosystems through activities from mining, building new cities and global warming. There are many conservation groups and efforts that lobby for the conservation of particular species (for example, the polar bear) or groups of animals (for example, tigers), while others are aimed at entire habitats, such as the Amazon rainforest. Conservation efforts can also aim to protect natural resources. Some conservation is done by setting aside national parks and wildlife preserves, while other conservation works targets specific threats to particular species. Read about various conservation efforts and issues below.
Latest about conservation
6 species that scientists got wrong
The definition of a species is surprisingly unsettled, and the classifications of some of the best-known animals have come under scrutiny.
What defines a species? Inside the fierce debate that's rocking biology to its core
The question of what defines a species has vexed scientists across the ages, particularly in conservation, where decisions require a firm understanding of biodiversity.
Mystery 'random event' killed off Earth's last woolly mammoths in Siberia, study claims
Woolly mammoths survived on Wrangel Island for 6,000 years after their mainland cousins had perished. A new genomic study has revealed that this final population likely died from a sudden, mysterious event.
Japan plans to commercially hunt vulnerable fin whales, enraging conservationists
Japan has announced plans to add fin whales — the second-largest animal on Earth — to its list of commercial whaling species, which currently includes Bryde's, sei and minke whales.
'Most of Gorongosa's large animals had died': How an African paradise for nature recovered from the ravages of war
"Where once there had been more than two thousand elephants, now there were fewer than two hundred."
Woolly mammoth de-extinction inches closer after elephant stem cell breakthrough
Scientists at the company Colossal Biosciences have derived induced pluripotent stem cells from elephants, which they say could boost efforts to resurrect woolly mammoths.
'Living fossil' tree frozen in time for 66 million years being planted in secret locations
Wollemi pines — thought to have gone extinct 2 million years ago — were rediscovered in 1994. Scientists are now hoping to reintroduce the species in the wild in a conservation effort that could take centuries.
Fishing cats seen feasting on chicks at the tops of 26-foot-tall trees in Bangladesh
South Asian fishing cats have been caught on camera hunting chicks in tree tops, potentially solving the mystery of how this vulnerable species survives during the monsoon season.
1st-ever white rhino IVF sparks hope that 'doomed species' could still be saved, despite there being no males left
Researchers in Kenya successfully transplanted a white rhino embryo into a female surrogate for the first time. The pregnant mother-to-be died from an unrelated illness before she could give birth, but the procedure showed that some of the world's rarest animals can still be saved.
