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Reporting on Illegal Wildlife Trade – Story Ideas, Safety Tips and More [1]

Illicit trade in wild animals and plants is a billion-dollar global business that threatens biodiversity and human health. Endless reporting opportunities range from exposing corruption and criminal networks to debunking claims about products derived from endangered species. Journalist Rene Ebersole shares insights from her 20 years on the trail of wildlife smugglers, poachers and other environmental lawbreakers — and introduces a new nonprofit dedicated to this beat.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Biodiversity [3]
Consumer [4]
Economy & Business [5]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Wildlife [10]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
California [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [13]
International [14]
Mexico [15]
Africa [16]
Central America & the Caribbean [17]
Visibility: 
Public [18]

"Court Deals Setback To Efforts To Regulate Pesticide-Coated Seeds" [19]

"A federal court this week dealt a blow to calls for new regulations on pesticide-coated seeds used in farming, ruling that US regulators were not acting improperly in exempting the seeds from registration review."

Agriculture [20]
Biodiversity [3]
Chemicals [21]
Environmental Health [22]
Natural Resources [23]
Pollution [24]
Wildlife [10]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: The New Lede [25], 11/25/2024

The Resilient Sea Turtle, Beset by Threats [26]

Sea turtles are in decline across the globe, victims of coastal development, algal blooms and, perhaps cruelest of all, plastic pollution. Marine biologist Christine Figgener, in a new book part memoir and part field guide, recounts the less than glamorous but rewarding work to spare them extinction, from arduous field work to viral video epiphanies. BookShelf editor Tom Henry reviews “My Life With Sea Turtles.”

SEJ Publication Types: 
BookShelf [27]
Topics on the Beat: 
Biodiversity [3]
Climate Change [28]
Environmental Health [22]
Environmental Studies [29]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Pollution [24]
Science [30]
Water & Oceans [31]
Wildlife [10]
Region: 
International [14]
Central America & the Caribbean [17]
Visibility: 
Public [18]

"Protect This Place: Ladakh, the Planet’s ‘Third Pole’" [32]

"Home to glaciers, snow leopards, and rich human cultures, Ladakh suffers from a lack of political representation, which has inspired recent protests."

Biodiversity [3]
Natural Resources [23]
People & Population [33]
Wildlife [10]
Public [18]
Asia [34]
Source: The Revelator [35], 11/21/2024

Giraffes Are Up Next On The Endangered Species List: US Wildlife Officials [36]

"Giraffe populations are declining at such an alarming rate — from habitat loss, poaching, urbanization and climate change-fueled drought — that US wildlife officials announced a proposal on Wednesday to help protect several of the species."

Biodiversity [3]
Environmental Studies [29]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [23]
Wildlife [10]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [11]
Africa [16]
Source: CNN [37], 11/21/2024

"17,000 Axis Deer Were Killed On Maui This Year, But They Just Keep Coming" [38]

"About 50 axis deer crowded around the fence line separating Maui Nui Botanical Gardens and Keopuolani Regional Park, startling the gardens staff on a recent Thursday afternoon. The threat posed by the invasive deer was alarming because the gardens serve as a seed bank and are home to some of Hawaii’s rarest endemic and native plants."

Biodiversity [3]
Natural Resources [23]
Wildlife [10]
Public [18]
Alaska and Hawaii [39]
Source: Honolulu Civil Beat [40], 11/20/2024

"Despite Critics, Organic Farming Thrives In Heart Of US Corn Country" [41]

"With just shy of 800 residents, West Bend, Iowa is barely a blip on a prairie landscape, but it has become home base for an uncommonly large expanse of organically grown crops- operations that have found success in challenging the popular convention that pesticides and other agricultural chemicals are needed to feed the world."

Agriculture [20]
Biodiversity [3]
Chemicals [21]
Consumer [4]
Economy & Business [5]
Environmental Health [22]
Natural Resources [23]
Pollution [24]
Wildlife [10]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [11]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [42]
Source: The New Lede [43], 11/20/2024

"Can Anything Be Done To Trump-Proof The Environment?" [44]

"As advocacy groups brace for a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump — fearing a slew of deregulation and policy changes that would undermine a range of environmental health measures — some are pondering ways to try to “Trump-proof” the planet."

Biodiversity [3]
Climate Change [28]
Energy & Fuel [45]
Environmental Health [22]
Environmental Justice [46]
Environmental Politics [47]
Government [7]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [23]
Pollution [24]
Water & Oceans [31]
Wildlife [10]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: The New Lede [48], 11/18/2024

"Four Things To Know About Trump’s Interior Secretary Pick" [49]

"North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is expected to implement President-elect Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” ethos on public lands and waters if confirmed to helm the massive Interior Department. But the self-styled CEO of North Dakota, who Trump revealed Thursday night he would nominate as Interior secretary, would have a role much broader than advancing drilling for oil."

Biodiversity [3]
Climate Change [28]
Energy & Fuel [45]
Environmental Justice [46]
Environmental Politics [47]
Environmental Studies [29]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Forests [50]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [23]
Water & Oceans [31]
Wildlife [10]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: E&E News [51], 11/18/2024

Meat, Oil And Pesticide Lobbyists Turned Out In Record Numbers At Cop16 [52]

"In total 1,261 business and industry delegates registered for Cop16 in Cali, Colombia, which ended in disarray and without significant progress on a number of key issues including nature funding, monitoring biodiversity loss and work on reducing environmentally harmful business subsidies."

Agriculture [20]
Biodiversity [3]
Chemicals [21]
Economy & Business [5]
Environmental Politics [47]
Forests [50]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [23]
Wildlife [10]
Public [18]
International [14]
Source: Guardian [53], 11/14/2024

Pages

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/reporting-illegal-wildlife-trade-story-ideas-safety-tips-and-more [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [11] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [12] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [13] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [14] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [15] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/mexico [16] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/africa [17] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/central-america-caribbean [18] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [19] https://www.sej.org/headlines/court-deals-setback-efforts-regulate-pesticide-coated-seeds [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [25] https://www.thenewlede.org/2024/11/court-deals-setback-to-efforts-to-regulate-pesticide-coated-seeds/ [26] https://www.sej.org/publications/bookshelf/resilient-sea-turtle-beset-threats [27] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/bookshelf [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [32] https://www.sej.org/headlines/protect-place-ladakh-planet-s-third-pole [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [34] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/asia [35] https://therevelator.org/protect-ladakh/ [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/giraffes-are-next-endangered-species-list-us-wildlife-officials [37] https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/20/climate/giraffes-endangered-species-list/index.html [38] https://www.sej.org/headlines/17000-axis-deer-were-killed-maui-year-they-just-keep-coming [39] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii [40] https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/11/17000-axis-deer-were-killed-on-maui-this-year-but-they-just-keep-coming/ [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/despite-critics-organic-farming-thrives-heart-us-corn-country [42] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [43] https://www.thenewlede.org/2024/11/despite-critics-organic-farming-thrives-in-heart-of-us-corn-country/ [44] https://www.sej.org/headlines/can-anything-be-done-trump-proof-environment [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [48] https://www.thenewlede.org/2024/11/can-anything-be-done-to-trump-proof-the-environment/ [49] https://www.sej.org/headlines/four-things-know-about-trump-s-interior-secretary-pick [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [51] https://www.eenews.net/articles/four-things-to-know-about-trumps-interior-secretary-pick/ [52] https://www.sej.org/headlines/meat-oil-and-pesticide-lobbyists-turned-out-record-numbers-cop16 [53] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/13/meat-oil-and-pesticide-industry-lobbyists-turned-out-in-record-numbers-at-cop16 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife?page=48 [55] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife?page=45 [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife?page=46 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife?page=47 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife?page=50 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife?page=51 [60] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife?page=52 [61] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife?page=53 [62] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife?page=301