More butterflies and birds: Vulnerable species make gains
Eastern monarch butterflies doubled in population
According to a new report, the butterflies occupied 4.42 acres in central Mexico’s forests over the winter, up from 2.22 acres the previous year – the second-lowest total recorded in three decades of data.
These migrating pollinators need large forests for protection against weather, and scientists attribute this year’s growth to less severe drought along the route from Canada and the United States to Mexico.
Why We Wrote This
In our progress roundup, close monitoring is key to establishing improvement. While monarch butterflies this past winter doubled in Mexico over the previous year, the oystercatcher, a shorebird, has been recovering over a 15-year period because of focused efforts.
Jorge Rickards, director general of World Wildlife Fund Mexico, said, “It’s now time to turn this year’s increase into a lasting trend with an all-hands approach where governments, landowners, conservationists, and citizens continue to safeguard critical habitats along the monarch’s North American migratory route.”
Source: World Wildlife Fund
Oystercatcher populations have rebounded
In contrast to oystercatchers, other shorebirds have seen major declines. The red-billed shellfish eaters, which breed regularly on the Atlantic coast, faced falling counts from development, car traffic, and off-leash dogs disturbing habitat. Conservation efforts pushed up their numbers by 45% between 2008 and 2023, bringing the population to some 14,735 birds.
The American Oystercatcher Working Group, a partnership of 40 nonprofits and government agencies, has found success educating the public – even as encouraging behavior change means restricted human access to beaches during nesting season. “We’re trying to do it in a way that has the least impact on humans but the best outcome for the birds. It’s less about enforcement and more about engagement,” said Shiloh Schulte, a shorebird scientist.
Conservationists are now focused on how rising waters increasingly encroach upon shorebird habitat.
Sources: Inside Climate News, American Oystercatcher Working Group, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Scientists created a solar-powered device that captures carbon dioxide from the air
Carbon capture and storage have been extolled as tools in climate change mitigation. But the process typically requires a great deal of fossil fuel energy, and raises uncertainty about whether storing carbon dioxide in the long term is safe.
A recent paper from the University of Cambridge seeks to address both worries. Taking inspiration from photosynthesis, the new flow reactors pull CO2 from the air using specialized filters. Sunlight then heats the captured carbon, and the device converts it into syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide that can be converted into liquid fuel.
The devices do not need any external power other than sunlight, and, if researchers can convert the syngas into usable fuel, they would eliminate the need for storing captured carbon. And an advanced reactor could potentially allow individuals to generate their own fuel.
Sources: University of Cambridge, Gizmodo
Trials of a rarely grown, climate-resilient coffee are bearing fruit
In South Sudan, more than 1,000 farmers in 2021 planted seedlings of the indigenous excelsa coffee. Deep roots and thick leaves enable the variety to thrive in the drought and heat that have affected major coffee-producing countries in recent years. Tasters say excelsa has a sweet flavor with notes of chocolate, dark fruits, and hazelnut.
Equatoria Teak Co. and international partners provided the seedlings and training to smallholders practicing agroforestry, growing coffee alongside other crops. Community leaders see excelsa as a chance for locals to gain financial independence from the government or foreign aid, but they also recognize the need for better infrastructure and stability in their country.
Sources: The Associated Press, Cordaid
India has drastically expanded road connectivity in rural areas since 2000
The Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Programme, billed as an effort to narrow the urban-rural income gap, resulted in the construction of some 773,000 kilometers (480,000 miles) of paved roads between 2000 and 2024.
Increased connectivity has benefited women in particular. Women reported lower rates of domestic violence, which researchers attributed to more freedom to leave the home and greater exposure to other communities. Other studies also found that travel times decreased, workers had greater mobility, and students stayed in school longer.
There’s no evidence that the road program boosted incomes, though analysts note a lack of research on more recent years. India has also nearly tripled its highway network to 146,000 kilometers and plans to build 62,500 more kilometers of road by 2029.
Source: The Economist
