On July 5th, Burt Shavistz, the names and face of Burt's Bees skin products, passed away at the age of 80. His recognizable lip balms, hand salves, and baby washes have helped to bring consumer's attention to the conservation of an extremely important animal, the honey bee. Rest in Peace, Burt.
Baby Galapagos Tortoises Found for the 1st Time in 100 Years
After 18th century sailors introduced rats to the Galapagos island of Pinzon, the island's tortoises perished from the egg-eating intruders. When a conservation program aimed against rats proved successful in 2012, the island was declared rat-free. And now, tortoise babies!!
Costa Rica has become the first Latin American country to ban hunting for sport. This will help protect their native wildlife, including wild cats like ocelots, pumas, and jaguars!
Volcano Shark?
No, not Sharknado, try Shark-cano! Two shark species, and one stingray species were found in an underwater volcano. What does this have to do with conservation? Well, if you don't love animals, you don't conserve them- what better reason (among many others) to love sharks and rays- they can live in an active volcano!
The UNESCO World Heritage status means that the Great Barrier Reef will continue to be protected, and conservation efforts will be progressing. All around the world, many of these locations have recovered from previous damage/decay. Hopefully this valuable area of biodiversity will flourish for many years to come!
