Around the world: Scientists are mapping migration, trying to remove CO2 from the air and the Galápagos Islands are getting a boost
It’s always a good news week when Leonardo DiCaprio is involved. From conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands to major new climate emissions trials in the UK, here’s what’s currently on our radar.
Trials to suck carbon dioxide from the air
Climate-heating carbon dioxide will be sucked from the air using trees, peat, rock chips, and charcoal in major new trials across the UK.
Scientists said the past failure to rapidly cut emissions means some CO2 will need to be removed from the atmosphere to reach net zero by 2050 and halt the climate crisis. The £30m project funded by UK Research and Innovation will test ways to do this effectively and affordably on over 100 hectares (247 acres) of land, making it one of the biggest trials in the world.
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Words by Damian Carrington
Leonardo DiCaprio works to restore Galápagos
A coalition of groups, including a newly formed organization backed by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, have mobilized $43 million for efforts to restore degraded habitats in the Galápagos Islands, an archipelago renowned for its endemic species and central role in scientists’ understanding of ecology and evolution.
The Galápagos initiative has three immediate priorities: Helping restore Floreana Island, one of the islands most degraded by human activities in the Galápagos; increasing the population size of the critically endangered pink iguana on Isabela Island; and strengthening protection of the archipelago’s marine reserves, which are critical to the local economy yet have been besieged by foreign fishing fleets in recent years. The initiative involves more than 40 partners, ranging from local NGOs to governments to international organizations, leveraging decades of collective experience working across the archipelago.
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Words by Rhett Butler
Scientists are mapping animal migration
Researchers have created maps to benefit migrating herds of wildlife, specifically ungulates.
From the plains of Serengeti to the mountains of Wyoming, wildlife herds are facing threats to critical migration routes. The maps, from the University of Oregon’s InfoGraphics Lab, could help these mammals on the move.
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Words by Emily Halnon