Papers

Marine mammal conservation: over the horizon

This review examines the conservation status of marine mammals, which play important ecological roles and serve as indicators of ocean health. The researchers found that at least 25% of marine mammal species are classified as threatened, facing risks from climate change, fisheries bycatch, pollution, and maritime development. The study outlines research priorities and conservation strategies needed to protect at-risk species while building on recent recovery successes.

Gold Mining and Genotoxic Effects on Vicuñas: A Comparative Study of Buccal Cells and Lymphocytes

This comparative study examined genotoxic effects of gold mining pollution on vicunas in the Bolivian Apolobamba protected area, finding significantly elevated DNA damage in buccal cells and lymphocytes from animals in mining-exposed areas.

From land to sea: the fall migration of the red phalarope through the Western Hemisphere

Researchers tracked the fall migration of red phalaropes from breeding grounds to wintering areas across the Western Hemisphere using geolocators deployed between 2017 and 2020. The study identified key migratory routes, stopover sites, and wintering locations, providing conservation-relevant data for this oceanic shorebird species.

Challenges and priorities for river cetacean conservation

This review synthesizes 280 studies on river cetacean conservation, identifying habitat degradation, bycatch, vessel strikes, and pollution — including plastic contamination — as the primary threats to freshwater dolphin and porpoise populations in China, South Asia, and South America.

Managing Watersheds for Coral Reefs and Public Health: A Vibrant Oceans Initiative Whitepaper

This whitepaper presents evidence that land-based pollution, including plastics and microplastics from watersheds, is a major driver of coral reef decline, and argues that integrated watershed management linking terrestrial activities to reef health outcomes is essential for reef conservation and coastal public health.

Distribution of breeding humpback whale habitats and overlap with cumulative anthropogenic impacts in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic

Researchers used species distribution modeling to identify fine-scale breeding habitats of humpback whales in the eastern tropical Atlantic based on behavioral observations, then overlaid spatially explicit anthropogenic impact data to assess areas of overlap between breeding grounds and cumulative human pressures.

Recommendation: Integrated watershed management solutions for healthy coastal ecosystems and people — R0/PR3

This review examines how land-based pollution — sediments, nutrients, chemicals, and pathogens — damages tropical coastal ecosystems including coral reefs and harms human health through disease transmission, reduced fisheries, and contaminated seafood. The authors propose integrated watershed management strategies requiring multi-sector collaboration to address these overlapping threats.

Lower concentration polyethylene microplastics can influence free-floating macrophyte interactions by combined effects of many weak interactions: A nonnegligible ecological impact

Researchers experimentally assessed the effects of lower concentrations of polyethylene microplastics (25-100 mg/L) on free-floating macrophytes Spirodela polyrhiza and Lemna minor, finding that even low concentrations significantly influenced macrophyte community interactions through cumulative weak effects.

Report of the Pollution 2025 - Cumulative Effects - Multiple Stressors IWC Intersessional Workshop

This report summarizes proceedings and findings from the IWC Intersessional Workshop on Pollution 2025, focusing on cumulative effects and multiple stressors on cetacean populations, including plastic pollution, chemical contaminants, and their interactions with other environmental pressures.

El repoblamiento como estrategia de manejo pesquero y su rol en la dilación del manejo de los ecosistemas acuáticos

This review examines fish restocking as a fisheries management strategy in Colombia and globally, evaluating its technical requirements and its role in delaying more substantive ecosystem-based management of declining aquatic systems. The authors discuss how Colombian fisheries regulations since 2017 address restocking requirements and whether the practice contributes to or detracts from long-term ecosystem health.

Pushing Climate Change Science to the Roof of the World