1 . Look, let’s be honest-there’s no such thing as a “green” vacation. You’ll leave a carbon footprint, no matter what.     1     Here are a few questions to ask:

Is it a B Corp?

B Corps are businesses that meet a strict set of standards by the nonprofit B Lab. They include requirements for governance, workers, customers, community and the environment.     2     You’ll see some fairly well-known brands, like Intrepid Travel. But you won’t find the names of any major airlines, car rental companies or hotel chains-at least, not yet.

Does the company have any other environmental certifications?

Third-party certifications from Green Key, LEED and WELL can be signs that a travel company means business about the environment. Transportation companies may also offer verified certifications from organizations like Terrapass or the Gold Standard Foundation.     3     However, it’s a good start.

    4    

If the company claims to be green, don’t just take its word for it. Listen to what it says. If you see nothing but models on its Instagram channel or ads for online discounts on its site, perhaps it’s a shade of fake green. “A company’s social media strategy is generally a reflection of its current ethos and goals,” explained Julia Carter, founder of Craft Travel.

How deep is its commitment to the environment?

    5     For example, the Travel Corporation publishes an annual impact report that maps its progress against 11 sustainability goals developed by the United Nations. Many cruise lines also publish detailed reports that allow you to check their commitment to the environment against several objective standards.

“A decade-long moratorium (中止) on fishing was imposed on the country's longest river in 2021     1     the aim of restoring its ecological health. After three years, the fish population in the river has recovered obviously, but the moratorium still faces constant threats from illegal fishing,”Tang Renjian, minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said at a news conference.

In     2     (respond) to that, Tang said, “Authorities will step up nighttime surveillance (监视) as well as patrols near river sections close to provincial borders. Relying on automatic and     3     (intelligence) monitoring methods, we are strengthening round-the-clock monitoring and supervision of critical water areas.”

Ma Youxiang, a vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, told the news conference,     4     it has increased by a quarter since 2021,     5     total fish population in the Yangtze is only     6     (slight) more than a third of the preindustrial (工业化前的) level. To restore fish populations is a long task. Tang described the ban as a long-term, complex and hard historical task closely     7     (link) to the Chinese nation's sustainable development.

“    8     you may see, the current state of the Yangtze can     9     (regard) as being in the early stages of recovery from a serious illness after decades of overfishing and pollution,” Tang said.

Ministry of Public Security data show it has solved more than 20,000 cases     10     (involve) violations of the ban since 2021. Over that period, illegal fishing in the main waterways of the Yangtze has decreased by almost a third, and less than 10 percent involves more destructive organized crimes.

4 . Ten years ago, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb was on a reporting trip about wildlife conservation. When he was shown around some new animal crossing structures near, Missoula, these new bridges and tunnels intrigued him. He was attracted by these beautiful human-built structures and inspired to write a book. Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet has now been published.

Through expert interviews, in-depth research and convincing analysis, Goldfarh brings to life the deadly consequences our 40 million miles of roadways have had and are having on the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it. A million animals are killed by cars each day in the US alone. Road salt pollutes lakes and rivers. And there's the barrier effect-the steady stream of traffic that prevents animals from migrating (迁徙) all together and finding habitats. Goldfarb writes that noise pollution is the most worrisome among all the road's ecological disasters. Both the engine noise and the tire noise greatly impact ecological environment.

Figures on deaths and disruptions (扰乱) are disheartening, but Goldfarb vividly describes how scientists are actively working on meaningful improvements to help animals and roads better coexist, such as wildlife crossings, from passages in Canada's Banff National Park to the famous Liberty Canyon Overpass in Los, Angeles. Another example is that in India, they built a new highway through a tiger reserve so that animals can come and go underneath the lifted freeway. Of course, that made the project more expensive, but it's ecologically the right thing to do.

Crossings is a truly important and landmark book on a subject whose full impacts continue to be disregarded or underestimated in considering conservation efforts. The book is a sympathetic, heart-warming guide to exploring the issues of wildlife survival and our own.

9 . We’re often told to follow our dreams, and one person in Canada has done just that after building a wonderland for animals. In his own backyard, the eight water features which Robert Perkins dug into the ground are now a shelter for birds, frogs, beavers (河狸) and other animals in the middle of suburban development. But for Perkins, creating habitat for wildlife is not only about doing his part to help the environment. It’s a labor of love for a woman he met when he was 16 years old.

Perkins met Rhonda in 1974 and the two of them hit it off. They both loved animals, and she always wished to have a place where they could live in harmony with the land. Rhonda, whom Perkins stayed with all his life, passed away in 2006. Perkins resolved to build a wonderland where her spirit could stay in peace.

Ignoring planning departments and neighbors alike, Perkins began digging large holes for water to flow. Over the course of nine years his property went from being a neighborly headache to a perfect home for wildlife.

Perkins says he won’t take all the credit for the wetland he built. When Perkins started creating the wildlife habitat in the early 2000s, a family of beavers got wind of it soon and claimed the land. “When we built our subdivisions, we cleared all the trees, dried the hills, drove all the water down to the lakes... In turn, the beavers helped dam (筑坝) and purify the water.”

Wetland habitats not only attract wildlife, but probably offer the most complete package of ecosystem services, including preventing pollution, enriching the soil, and promoting the well-being of wildlife species.

Perkins says he doesn’t need to wonder what Rhonda might think of the place; he feels her presence whenever he walks alone among the trees, the grass, and the ponds, looking at birds or beavers, and listening to the songbirds and frogs. Perkins hopes his project will one day become an educational place that local people can visit to learn about the importance of wetlands.

If you’re looking to take part in voluntourism in the area, consider the Lizard Island. It’s a private national park that works     1     (close) with local scientists     2     (protect) coral reefs (珊瑚礁). Guests can tour its huge research centre.

The Great Barrier Reef’s Ocean Park Rangers (巡游者), government workers responsible     3     the day-to-day management of ocean parks,     4     (train) as guides who can educate curious travellers on the wildlife and ecosystems. In June of 2022, citizens of the Great Barrier Reef Programme started The Reef Cooperative,     5     will allow travellers,     6     (begin) in 2024, to go to vulnerable areas to see the conservation (保护) work and efforts take place.

Hope that this     7     (nature) wonder can be saved is growing. Over the past few years, a lot of conservationists, government agencies, NGOs, and tourism operators     8     (focus) on the reef’s health.

One hope of the programme is to inspire     9     (tourist) to help protect the Great Barrier Reef, especially within the younger generation. Imagine the good you can do when you learn so early in life that you hold the power to make the planet     10     better place.