Before science became professionalized in the 19th century,     1     naturalists were collecting information and helping us understand the natural world. A 2009 study found that nearly 50% of UK     2     feed wild birds. The National Trust has more than 5 million members, and 60,000 active volunteers helping to protect the countryside as well as historic     3    . Now, with our environment arguably under greater threat than ever and species declining at a(n)     4     rate, volunteers are once again at the forefront of efforts to limit the damage.

Volunteers and enthusiasts can be powerful drivers for big changes. On the Isle of Man, more than 8,000 people (nearly 10% of the population) are involved in regular weekend beach cleans. At one recent event, 123 volunteers turned up and removed 183 bags of litter in just a couple of hours. Thanks to     5     such as this, the island shares Unesco biosphere reserve status with the Galápagos, Yellowstone in the US, Uluru in Australia, and hundreds of other sites.

Recreational divers are making a real difference underwater too. They monitor the spread of     6     species, and record how native species respond. Divers also     7     levels of marine litter and other human impacts. Volunteer divers have played an important role in collecting information about marine conservation zones. Volunteers have also made a vital contribution to the conservation of basking sharks. The work of a citizen science Basking Shark Project in the 1980s and 90s was     8     in getting these sharks on the protected species list in the UK, while satellite tagging     9     the first recorded transatlantic crossing by a basking shark.

Volunteers and enthusiasts can be powerful drivers for big changes. No one can know better, or care more about, our most special places than the people who live in them and give up their free time to look after them. As a group of divers and     10     residents who lived on the shores of the bay, they took their campaign on to national and international stages and continue to inspire people who might otherwise feel powerless when faced with threats to the places that matter to them.

Is climate change consuming your favorite foods?

Coffee: Whether or not you try to limit yourself to one cup of coffee a day, the effects of climate change on the world’s coffee-growing regions may leave you little choice.     1     America, Africa, Asia and Hawaii are all being threatened by rising air temperatures and unstable rainfall patterns, which invite disease and     2     species to live on the coffee plant and ripening beans. The result? Significant cuts in coffee yield and less coffee in your cup. It is estimated that, if current climate patterns continue, half of the areas     3     suitable for coffee production won't be by the year 2050.

Tea: When it comes to tea, warmer climates and erratic precipitation aren't only     4     the world's tea-growing regions, they're also messing with its distinct flavor. For example, in India, researchers have already discovered that the Indian Monsoon has brought more intense rainfall, making tea flavor weaker. Recent research coming out of the University of Southampton suggests that tea-producing areas in some places,     5     East Africa, could decline by as much as 55 percent by 2050 as precipitation and temperatures change. Tea pickers are also feeling the     6     of climate change. During harvest season, increased air temperatures are creating an increased risk of heatstroke for field workers.

Seafood: Climate change is affecting the world's aquaculture as much as its agriculture. As air temperatures rise, oceans and waterways absorb some of the heat and     7     warming of their own. The result is a decline in fish population, including in lobsters (who are cold-blooded creatures), and salmon (whose eggs find it hard to survive in higher water temps). Warmer waters also     8     toxic marine bacteria, like Vibrio, to grow and cause illness in humans whenever ingested with raw seafood, like oysters or sashimi.

And that     9     "crack" you get when eating crab and lobster? It could be silenced as shellfish struggle to build their calcium(碳) carbonate shells, a result of ocean acidification (absorb carbon dioxide from the air). According to a study, scientists predicted that if over-fishing and rising temperature trends continued at their present rate, the world's seafood     10     would run out by the year 2050.