Wednesday, November 13, 2019

envirobites

environmental science research for everyone

envirobites

Author: Jessica Espinosa

Ecosystems Environmental Science 

A Grizzly Situation: Saving Bears by Mitigating Conflict

Jessica Espinosa 0 Comments , , , ,

Many people become fearful at the mention of “bear country.” But is the risk of being hurt by a bear, or even seeing a bear, on your trip really that high? The answer is no: many campers and hikers don’t even know they have passed close to a bear during their time outdoors because bears largely try to avoid humans. When bears do come close to people, it is usually due to conflicts over food and space. Humans often retaliate against bears in these situations, which can ultimately threaten the survival of bear populations. In an effort to save these bears, a team of scientists came up with a program to mitigate human-bear conflicts and create spaces where both humans and bears can coexist.

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Environmental Science 

Getting the (Insta)Story on Ecotourism: Using Social Media to Determine Protected Area Visitation

Jessica Espinosa 0 Comments , ,

Have you posted on social media today? If you did, you’re not alone. All around the world people are using social media apps, and many of these apps are recording data as we speak. Though this thought might seem a little overwhelming, all of this data makes for a wealth of information that scientists can use for research purposes. Over the past decade, social media has started to become a huge source of data for scientists. One study published in 2017 aimed to find out whether this social media data could help researchers determine what factors were most important to tourists when choosing to visit protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Climate Ecosystems Environmental Science 

Can We Save Our Corals? Using Investment Planning to Conserve Coral Reefs

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By now, most of us have heard the news that climate change is threatening our oceans. Rising carbon dioxide levels due to increasing greenhouse gas emissions into the earth’s atmosphere are warming our oceans and causing a multitude of other adverse effects on our planet. In particular, these changing environmental conditions are wreaking havoc on the world’s coral reefs. Meanwhile, conservationists around the world have been working to mitigate coral reef degradation, with little overall success. However, a recent study describes a new approach taken from investment theory that could shed a hopeful light on coral conservation efforts.

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Environmental Science 

Pollution to Solution: Can We Get Rid of Plastics in Our Oceans?

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The issue of marine plastic pollution has become a pressing, global concern. A few organizations have been created over the past few decades that have tried to address the threat of marine pollution, but none have been solely dedicated to the issue. This has led to a lack of dedication towards the issue at the international scale, and only recently have increased measures been taken to address marine plastic pollution. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was created by world leaders in 2015, and since then a number of conferences and independent initiatives have taken place across the globe to promote ocean health. Gatherings like the United Nation’s Oceans Conference and statewide bans on plastic bags can provide the groundwork to evolve these agreements and engage governments and communities to work to reduce marine plastic pollution.

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