First IVF corals successfully spawn on Great Barrier Reef
According to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, coral IVF uses modern technology to breed and distribute corals so they have the highest chance of survival.
Civil society
12 international donors pledge $1.5 billion to support protection of the Congo Basin forests
The 500 million acres of forests may be the last significant land-based tropical carbon sink in the world, making the forests vitally important in the global fight against climate change.
New York City opens the U.S.’s first safe injection site
The sites, intended to reduce overdose deaths, will serve as a safe place for drug users to inject heroin and other drugs under the supervision of medical professionals.
Jaguar populations in Mexico are growing, a sign that conservation strategies are working
The first surveys to count jaguars in Mexico revealed a 20% increase in the population from 2010 to 2018, up to 4,800 animals.
American Psychological Association apologizes for role in promoting and perpetuating racism in U.S.
The APA passed two other resolutions: one on what the APA and the field of psychology must do to dismantle racism, and another committing to eradicating inequality in health and healthcare.
Conservationists bring the Saharan gazelle back from the brink of extinction
After a captive-breeding program in Spain, Dama gazelles have been reintroduced in protected reserves in Tunisia, Morocco, and Senegal and number roughly 4,000.
Cape Verde’s sea turtle conservation efforts prove to be a resounding success
According to the West African country’s environment ministry, last year’s nest numbers are at nearly 200,000, a huge leap from the 10,725 nests accounted for in 2015.
Cleveland Clinic launches human trials on first-of-its-kind preventative breast cancer vaccine
After two decades of preclinical research, human trials are set to begin on a unique preventative vaccine that is designed to target a protein commonly expressed by triple-negative breast cancers.
Critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas rebounding in Democratic Republic of the Congo
From a previous global estimate of 3,800 individuals, the estimated the global population of Grauer’s gorillas – the world’s largest gorilla subspecies – has almost doubled to 6,800 individuals.
Scottish Highlands to be transformed by major rewilding project
The Affric Highlands initiative will involve planting trees, restoring peat bogs, connecting wildlife habitats and restoring river corridors over 500,000 acres.