Special Report

Planet Positive

From stories about rebounding endangered species to others about innovations that reduce our carbon footprint, these Smithsonian magazine dispatches show what's working in wildlife and environmental conservation.

A sadhill crane flies over the San Luis Valley. AAron Ontiveroz / The Denver Post via Getty Images

A Togo slippery frog rests in grass.

It Takes a Village to Save a Frog

Íris Dröfn Guðmundsdóttir (left) and her cousin Anton Ingi Eiríksson release pufflings from the Hamarinn sea cliff on the Icelandic island of Heimaey.

An Icelandic Town Goes All Out to Save Baby Puffins

Saylor Flett, left, fans flames ignited by Jeff Greef. Air quality, weather and even bird migration affect when it’s safe to conduct a burn.

Fighting Fire With Fire in California

More Science and Conservation Coverage

Kids cool down at an animal-themed splash pad at Zoo Miami. Mist stations also help visitors avoid overheating on sweltering days.

In Miami, the Nation’s First Chief Heat Officer Charts a Course for Surviving on a Warming Planet

Text by Julie Winokur
Photographs by Ed Kashi

North Atlantic right whales face threats of entanglement in fishing gear and injuries caused by ships.

North Atlantic Right Whale Numbers May Be Stabilizing at Last

An Azores bullfinch feeds on the buds of a native tree on São Miguel Island in the Azores.

One of Europe’s Most Endangered Birds Is Bouncing Back

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues

A pod of ancient Nacional cacao offers hope for reforesting Ecuador’s Pacific coast, which by some estimates has lost 98 percent of its original forest cover over the past century.

The Quest to Save the World’s Most Coveted Chocolate

By Heide Brandes
Photographs by Johis Alarcón

A team including research scientists at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute became the first in the world to successfully cryopreserve coral using a technique called isochronic vitrification.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Scientists Cryopreserve and Revive Coral Fragments in a World First for Conservation

Margaret Osborne

One of the adult ospreys in the breeding pair

Ospreys Breed in Ireland for the First Time in More Than 200 Years

Margaret Osborne

Aerial photo of the Tiputini Processing Center of state-owned Petroecuador in Yasuni National Park, northeastern Ecuador.

Ecuadorean Voters Reject Oil Drilling in the Amazon's Yasuní National Park

Margaret Osborne

A wolf spotted in the Sequoia National Forest

New Pack of Endangered Gray Wolves Discovered in California

Margaret Osborne

In Montana, a group of 16 young people are suing the state for violating their constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment."

Montana Youths Win Key Climate Lawsuit on Their Right to a 'Clean and Healthful Environment'

The chicks were both born in early May and should take their first flights later this year.

Two Baby Condors At Pinnacles National Park Are Healthy, 'Adorable Fluffballs'