Biodiversity

"The western monarch butterfly population wintering along California’s coast remains critically low for the second year in a row, a count by an environmental group released Thursday showed."

"Overharvesting and habitat loss endanger most of the world’s freshwater “megafauna.” But many species may yet be saved." "Some of the most astonishing creatures on Earth hide deep in rivers and lakes: giant catfish weighing over 600 pounds, stingrays the length of Volkswagen Beetles, six-foot-long trout that can swallow a mouse whole."

"Just after sunrise, elk are grazing in a misty field in Washington's Skagit Valley, an hour and a half north of Seattle. ... These elk are at the center of a conflict that's unfolding between Native Americans and farmers in northwest Washington."

"Mayflies, which form swarms in the billions that are visible on weather radar, are in steep decline, mirroring the plight of insects worldwide."

"Humanity will have given up on planet Earth if world leaders cannot reach an agreement this year to stop the mass extinction of wildlife and destruction of life-supporting ecosystems, the United Nation’s new biodiversity chief has warned."

"A House committee rebuked the Trump administration’s 2017 conclusion that the century-old Migratory Bird Act doesn’t criminalize the accidental killing of migratory birds by industry."

"Wildlife groups and industry are closely watching fast-moving legislation slated for markup Wednesday that would amend a landmark law to protect migratory birds."

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed adding a California butterfly to the list of threatened species, officials said."

"Almost a third of the world’s oceans and land should be protected by the end of the decade to stop and reverse biodiversity decline that risks the survival of humanity, according to a draft Paris-style UN agreement on nature."

"Federal authorities suggested the environmental impact of a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal and pipeline in southern Oregon would be minimal, saying the contentious project wouldn’t jeopardize protected species or adversely change their critical habitat."