Civil war, deforestation, disease and poaching have driven the mighty mountain gorilla to the brink of extinction. Conservation efforts have helped boost population numbers, but humans are still their greatest threat. By Eva de Vries.

Neither people nor plants fit into easy categories in the post-colonial era. By Anjali Vaidya.

To question the idea of progress requires an extremism of vision or a terrifying kind of independence. By Siddhartha Deb.

The unusual ecological experiment took place in Mississippi, and the scientists were awed by the results—especially the rivers of maggots. By Christie Wilcox.

Having abandoned his lifelong quest to win friends and influence people, 86-year-old David Attenborough told The Independent that humans are a plague on the Earth. By Dave Cohen.

On a nearly moonless night in late May, as I stumbled down a wide, smooth path near a large campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it suddenly occurred to me that I can’t see in the dark anymore... By Ellie Shechet.

Climate change means, quite plausibly, the end of everything we now understand to constitute our humanity. By Sam Kriss, Ellie Mae O’Hagan.

A study of the subglacial caves could reveal new undiscovered animal or plant species living comfortably due to the heat of an active volcano. By Victor Ferreira.

The vanishing of an iconic river creature in Alabama poses terrifying questions about the water we swim in and fish in and drink. (Jul 24, 2017)

Environmentalists are fighting to prevent logging in Bialowieza forest, a Unesco world heritage site, but the Polish government has dismissed their concerns.

Scientists are turning a cranberry bog back into coastal wetland. The experiment is seen as a path for dormant bogs and another chance for vanishing habitat.

Since January, the White House, Congress and EPA have engineered a dizzying reversal of regulations designed to protect the environment and public health. By Oliver Milman.

Christiana Figueres and colleagues set out a six-point plan for turning the tide of the world’s carbon dioxide by 2020.

Whichever (if any) start date is chosen, plastiglomerate—a substance that is neither industrially manufactured nor geologically created—seems a fraught but nonetheless incontrovertible marker of the anthropogenic impact on the world; it is evidence of human presence written directly into the rock. By Kirsty Robertson. (Dec. 2016)

The moon influences life in a surprising and subtle way: with its light. By Ferris Jabr.

Scientists warn that hydroelectric dams in the Amazon could have a significant impact on the environment. By Rebecca Morelle.

The long read: Timothy Morton wants humanity to give up some of its core beliefs, from the fantasy that we can control the planet to the notion that we are ‘above’ other beings. His ideas might sound weird, but they’re catching on

Sustainable, spectacular, and engaged with local communities, these lodges are tucked into some of the planet’s wildest places. By Costas Christ.

The 1967 article “A Close Look at Wildlife in America” both defines and reflects our growing concern for endangered species.

Japan’s iconic fish market is still booming after 82-years—for now. By Shoko Oda. .