Inside
WHAT ELSE IS PLANET-FRIENDLY AT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC?
This September, National Geographic magazine features a story all about dirt. From northern China’s eroded Loess Plateau terraces to Amazonia’s carbon-rich terra preta, how we treat our soil influences food shortages, global warming, water scarcity and political stability. Devastated soils can be restored, but it can take years, even generations. The payoff, according to a prominent scientist, is the chance not only to fight hunger but also to attack problems like droughts and climate change. Charles C. Mann ties together ancient farming techniques with modern high-tech methods, explaining what we must do to preserve our land and what may happen if we don’t.
Hogan shows us how recreational fishing can actually aid aquatic conservation efforts. As part of his MegaFishes project documenting the plight of the world’s largest freshwater fish, Hogan will lead a group of fly fishermen to pristine rivers in Mongolia, one of the only places where the massive, endangered taimen (a relative of the salmon) can live without threat of overharvesting or pollution. Anglers assist Taimen Conservation Fund scientists in documenting spawning counts and in better understanding their ecology. This collaboration has allowed scientists to develop more protected areas and a well-managed catch-and-release trophy fishery for these giant river fish.
Featured in the October issue of National Geographic, the North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest marine mammals, with fewer than 400 left. After centuries of being hunted, these whales are making a slow comeback, but one hindered by chemical and noise pollution, heavy traffic in busy shipping lanes, and entanglement in fishing equipment. Douglas H. Chadwick follows whale trackers to study how better protection of critical wintering areas and migration routes will safeguard the future of right whales living along the eastern U.S. seaboard.
Stock your home or school library with the National Geographic Visual Encyclopedia of Earth ($24.95), aimed at budding scientists aged 10 and up. The encyclopedia offers kid-friendly explanations of climate change, meteorology and our planet’s fragile ecosystems.
HEAVEN ON EARTH In case you need more inspiration to care about and preserve our planet, check out Visions of Paradise ($35), the newest collection of photographic gems from National Geographic magazine. The magazine’s intrepid photographers provide colorful commentary alongside captivating images—penguins beneath the ice of Antarctica, butterflies in Borneo and waterfalls untouched by humans. Follow along as these global travelers reveal what they consider to be the most beautiful places and moments they’ve experienced.
OUR VANISHING NIGHT As city lights brighten night skies, scientists are beginning to uncover and study the negative consequences of this often ignored form of pollution. In his November National Geographic article, Verlyn Klinkenborg illustrates the harmful effects of the lack of darkness on animal migration, reproduction and feeding, as well as its toll on humans.
Hogan (left) works with Mongolian locals and fishing experts to save giant river fish.
This fall, National Geographic Emerging Explorer and ecologist Zeb
Next in the popular “True Green” series from National Geographic Books, Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin bring you True Green for Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet ($17.95). The book is filled with 100 fun activities that involve parents, teachers and the whole community to make the world a greener place. Then keep kids educated about why their efforts are so important.
References:
Archives