Conservationists find critically endangered species thriving on Indian Ocean island of Aride
Record numbers of Wright’s gardenia, one of the world’s rarest and most fragrant trees, have been counted on the tiny tropical island of Aride in Seychelles.
The only place in the world where the critically endangered tree occurs naturally is on the 72-hectare granite island in the Indian Ocean. The tree was once found on other, larger islands in the Seychelles archipelago but its sturdy wood was harvested for firewood, leading to its disappearance from everywhere except Aride.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
03/21/2025 - 18:31
Bird of prey’s violent reign in Flamstead could soon come to an end, according to parish council
It stole two woolly hats from the head of a 91-year-old pensioner. It clawed a jogger’s scalp and left him reeling. It is said to swoop in from behind without making a sound, has a penchant for tall men’s heads and – so far – has evaded capture.
But the violent reign of the Flamstead hawk, which has made men in the Hertfordshire village of Flamstead afraid to go out without covering their heads, may soon be at an end.
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03/21/2025 - 18:00
Low waste doesn’t have to mean no fun – with a little creativity you can celebrate an occasion without hurting the planet
Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint
Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com
When planning a big bash to celebrate my 40th last year, I wanted a stylish and memorable celebration that didn’t cost the earth.
Between food waste, plastic packaging, single-use decorations and fast fashion, the environmental footprint of festivities can quickly add up. Thankfully though, low waste doesn’t have to mean no fun.
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03/21/2025 - 12:50
A new prize recognises the power of storytelling to address the biggest issue of our time
No novelist should ignore the climate emergency, Paul Murray, author of the bestselling novel The Bee Sting, told the Observer last year: “It is the unavoidable background for being alive in the 21st century.” In recognition of the vital role of literature in responding to the Anthropocene moment, this week the inaugural shortlist was announced for the Climate Fiction prize.
The five novels include Orbital by Samantha Harvey, set during one day on the International Space Station and the winner of last year’s Booker prize; time-travelling romcom The Ministry of Time from debut novelist Kaliane Bradley; eco-thriller Briefly Very Beautiful by Roz Dineen; And So I Roar, about a young girl in Nigeria, by Abi Daré; and a story of migrants in an abandoned city in Téa Obreht’s The Morningside. All the shortlisted authors are women.
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03/21/2025 - 12:13
Researchers spot orange Maori octopus clinging to back of large shark off coast of New Zealand in December 2023
Footage of an octopus riding a shark has stunned scientists – and delighted marine animal enthusiasts.
Researchers spotted the orange Maori octopus clinging to the back of a large shortfin mako shark in the Hauraki Gulf off the northern coast of New Zealand in December 2023. The University of Auckland research team was searching the ocean for feeding frenzies at the time.
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03/21/2025 - 11:15
Despite decades of warnings about overfishing, Southeast Asia's capture fisheries have proven remarkably robust.
03/21/2025 - 09:00
PM’s pledge to protect Tasmanian industry will weaken laws already failing to protect natural sites and at-risk species, environmentalists say
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Former Greens leader Bob Brown has urged the minor party not to preference Labor ahead of the Liberal party in Tasmanian seats at the upcoming election if the Albanese government legislates to effectively exempt salmon farming from national environment laws.
Conservationists have sharply criticised Anthony Albanese’s pledge that he will rush through legislation next week to protect the salmon industry in Macquarie Harbour, on the state’s west coast, from the potential results of a long-running legal review.
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03/21/2025 - 07:00
An investigation found thousands of white bags near Monterrey, but aerial footage shows a bigger problem
Revealed: US hazardous waste is sent to Mexico – where a ‘toxic cocktail’ of pollution emerges
Call it the mystery of the white bags. After they were found to be sprawling across acres of land near the Mexican city of Monterrey, authorities ordered their “urgent” removal. Now visual evidence suggests the problem is more extensive than previously known.
An investigation by the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab first identified the bags in January, piling up around a factory that recycles toxic waste imported from the US. Based on this finding, Mexican authorities demanded a cleanup of what they said was 30,000 tons of stored material with “hazardous characteristics”.
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03/21/2025 - 06:11
Broadcaster and nature campaigner claims Labour’s attack on wildlife in push for economic growth is ‘PR disaster’
Bats are being “scapegoated” by Rachel Reeves, Chris Packham has said, after the chancellor suggested the winged creatures were getting in the way of economic growth.
Reeves recently said she wanted businesses to “focus on getting things built, and stop worrying about the bats and the newts”, and this week the press release announcing her shake-up of all the UK’s regulators mentioned bats six times. A very niche directive to Natural England, the nature watchdog, to take advice from the Bat Conservation Trust out of a planning document, became the linchpin of Reeves’s deregulation plan.
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03/21/2025 - 06:03
Campaigners welcome long-delayed proposals to reduce pesticide-related harms to pollinators
The use of pesticides on UK farms is to be reduced by 10% by 2030 under government plans to protect bees and other pollinators.
Campaigners welcomed the news, but said they were disappointed that the target applied only to arable farms and not to urban areas and parks.
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