News & Dispatches

A Conservation Success: The Return of the Giant Tortoise

The Galapagos Islands sit on the Equator approximately 620 miles off the coast of Ecuador as a series of remote islands created by lava formations, similar in their nature to Hawaii. Boasting an ecosystem uniquely showcasing incredible biodiversity and exotic landscapes, they are quite deserving of their nickname given by Charles Darwin during the time […]

Is Safari Tourism Encroaching on African Wildlife?

Recent close encounters between tourists and wildlife in the African safari have renewed some longstanding questions about the issues between tourism and its’ encroachment on native wildlife and their habitat. Less than a month ago, an Australian tourist was enjoying his safari tour and taking in the beauty of what is perhaps Africa’s most impressive […]

Nepal Rocked by Devastating Quake

On Saturday, April 25, 2015, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale devastated Nepal. With damages cost estimates looking to exceed 20% of the country’s GDP, the recent earthquake has also left in its wake a death toll of at least 8,000 people so far and laid waste to vast areas of land […]

Honduras Named Most Dangerous Country for Environmental Activists

Latin America has long been a hotbed for social and environmental activism. Unlike most active protesters here in the States, activists in Central and South America deal with an entirely different level of resistance, which have sometimes resulted in violent conflict. According to a report released in 2014 by Global Witness, a watchdog organization active […]

U.S. Circuses Announce Retirement of Elephants from Shows

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey recently announced that they plan to phase out the use of elephants in their shows by the year 2018. The announcement comes in the wake of years of pressure from animal rights groups through the filing of lawsuits concerning the circus’ treatment of animals. End of an Era “It […]

All in a Word

Voyaging out of the United States, or England, or Spain—or really when embarking from any country that perpetrated colonialism—it’s important to understand the legacy of nationalistic violence. From genocide to enslavement to economic and environmental exploitation, “developed” countries have never treated their poorer cousins kindly. History’s status quo is reflected in our thoughts and speech […]

South Sudan – Recruitment of Child Soldiers Still an Issue

In spite of rising international pressure to halt the controversial practice, rebel forces, as well as the Sudanese government, continue to actively recruit child soldiers. Sudan has been marred in conflict for years, but renewed conflict between members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has recently caused many South Sudanese civilians to take refuge […]

Dolphinarium in the Works at Turks and Caicos

Concerned residents and anti-dolphinarium activists of the Turks and Caicos islands (TCI) are desperate to find a way out of a legal maelstrom which permits the importation and keeping of dolphins for commercial tourism. A biodiversity hotspot with one of the longest coral reefs in the world, the Caribbean archipelago of 30 islands, eight of […]

Nyungwe Rwanda—Where International Tourism and Rain Forest Activism Intersect

As a nation still haunted by the memories of genocide, Rwanda continues to show its ability to be redeemed. Their efforts to preserve the natural beauty of mountain rain forests like with Nyungwe National Park continues to be a goal among government officials. The effect is twofold: travelers from abroad get to witness the beautification […]