Dec 6, 2016

Put people at the center of conservation, new study advises

Some small-scale fishers on the Andaman coast of Thailand are resentful about marine protected areas, as they were not consulted and their needs were not considered.

People must be part of the equation when it comes to conservation projects in order to increase local support and the overall effectiveness of the conservation efforts. That’s the main conclusion of a study published online on Nov. 29 in Biological Conservation. In it, a group of scientists from around the world recognize the need to consider the livelihoods of humans, their cultural traditions and dependence on natural resources when planning and carrying out conservation around the world.

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Nov 29, 2016

Our closest worm kin regrow body parts, raising hopes of regeneration in humans

A close-up view of the cut site and tail end of the worm.

What if humans could regrow an amputated arm or leg, or completely restore nervous system function after a spinal cord injury? A new study of one of our closest invertebrate relatives, the acorn worm, reveals that this feat might one day be possible. Acorn worms burrow in the sand around coral reefs, but their ancestral relationship to chordates means they have a genetic makeup and body plan surprisingly similar to ours.

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Nov 21, 2016

Ocean acidification study offers warnings for marine life, habitats

While most research in the field focuses on the impact of ocean acidification on individual species, new findings from scientists at the University of Washington, University of British Columbia and their colleagues across the globe shows that OA could drive a cascading loss of biodiversity in some marine habitats.

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Nov 17, 2016

UW Program on Climate Change Director LuAnne Thompson on being a climate scientist

The College of the Environment’s LuAnne Thompson, a faculty member in the School of Oceanography and the director of the Program on Climate Change, has dedicated her career to researching the ocean’s role in climate variability. Having recently returned from France, where she delved into the specifics of measuring an interpreting sea levels from radar altimetry with her academic peers, Thompson reflects on her feelings about the state of climate science and her hopes for the future of climate science outreach and education.

Read more at Program on Climate Change »

Nov 16, 2016

2 UW scientists lead effort to craft ‘blueprint’ for holistic fisheries management

Two University of Washington professors are leading an effort to help U.S. fisheries consider the larger marine environment, rather than just a single species, when managing a fishery. Tim Essington, a UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, and Phil Levin, a UW professor of practice with the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy, head a taskforce convened by the Lenfest Ocean Program to guide managers on implementing ecosystem-based fisheries management.

Read more at UW Today »