1 . All types of marine life are important. Seaweed (海藻) and corals both play vital roles in the health of the ocean and the health of our communities.

However in the same way that a mountain lion. Which provides a valuable service by hunting diseased or elderly deer, wouldn’t be helping anyone if it took up residence in an office building. Seaweed largely prevents corals from performing their key function in the ecosystem, just like the lion would prevent any of the terrified office workers from doing their work.

There is long-standing competition between seaweed and corals and this competition has been influenced heavily for over a century by overfishing climate change, and coral discases, which resulted in corals being now too weak to compete with seaweed.

Seaweed too often is blocking sunlight from reaching baby corals, while releasing chemicals that prevent corals from reproducing-as well as making them marc likely to be attacked by diseases.

The researchers from Florida International University supposed that if sufficiently distributed, the Caribbean king crab (蟹), lovingly called the “reef (礁)goat”, could make coral reefs free of seaweed fast, so they conducted a case-control study where they released the crabs on some reefs and let some others remain crab-less.

Eating seaweed at a rate higher than any other grazer (食草动物), the crabs were able to reduce seaweed cover by 80%, while a 3 to 5 fold increase of both baby corals and fish species added to the successful outcome.

On dry land, goats have been used as ground clearers for thousands of years, as they eat everything from clover and grasses to poison oak and invasive blackberry thorns. Hopefully, the results of this study can solidify Caribbean king crabs as their equivalent at the bottom of the sea.

2 . Portugal’s white storks (鹳) were once a migratory bird (候鸟), known to leave the area each winter to travel to Africa’s warmer climate, but recently they have been staying put.

Surprisingly, though, the storks’ number has actually been on the rise. There are now thought to be more than 14,000 birds in Portugal in winter — a ten-time increase over the last 20 years. Any unusual change of an animal’s natural behavior often has negative influences.

It has been thought that their increase has a close relationship with a growing number of landfill sites (垃圾填埋场) in the area, providing the birds with a supply of fatty and dirty rubbish to eat, including junk food. Was it the junk food that stopped them migrating, or is Europe’s warming climate to criticize? Researchers sought to figure out exactly why their natural behavior had changed in this way. To understand, a team kept an eye on 48 white storks by equipping them with small GPS computers, which recorded their movements five times a day, checking how often they traveled to landfill sites as well as how fast they flew.

The conclusions were shocking. The birds also established more homes next to landfill sites — the team said that 80% of white storks were spending most of their time by the rubbish all year round, according to the results. The storks eat almost anything. “Every time after a truck with rubbish came, they collected what they could,” says Aldina Franco of the University of East Anglia in the UK. The storks have even been known to eat plastic, including old computer parts. “Really what they are trying to get at is rubbish that we throw away... like hamburgers, burnt meat and fish,” said Franco.

This rich and colorful supply of food will soon become hard to find, though, as new laws from European Union (EU) order that waste food be recycled. Open-air landfills will also be replaced by covered equipment, which birds will not be able to eat.

The white storks therefore face an uncertain future. Will they migrate to Africa as they had done for hundreds of years before, or will they stay put? No one knows. “I wonder what the Portuguese storks will do once the landfill sites are all closed, and we are going to continue to watch these storks and see how they will respond to the changes,” said Aldina Franco.

The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, bordering Russia and the North Korea,     1    (cover) an area of 14,100 square kilometers. It is the major habitat of the country’s Siberian tigers and Amur leopards and is    2    model for cross-border wildlife conservation.

Located in the central zone of the mixed coniferous (针叶的) and broad-leaved forest ecosystems in the temperate (温带的) zone of Asia, the park possesses splendid and attractive scenery in different    3    (season) In addition, there are plentiful plant species well    4    (preserve) in the park, including thousands   of medical plants, eatable wild herbs, honev plants, wild fruit trees and bushes. Some of them are endangered plant species and    5    state protection.

The park is a perfect place for the reproduction and survival of birds. Every spring, various forest birds start returning from the. south to prepare    6    (lay) eggs. The rich soil of the park also provides a    7    (favor) living environment for cold-blooded animals. At present, a community of flesh-eating animals and a community of plant-eating animals make up a complete food chain in the national park,     8    is extremely rare to see in China. The national park will    9    (effective) protect Siberian tigers and Amur   leopards,     10    (help) them continue to reproduce and live in harmony with nature.

4 . A 19-foot Burmese python-the longest snake ever recorded—was caught by local hunters in South Florida’s National Preserve this week. To put the catch into view, the snake is as long as an adult giraffe is tall.

It was caught on Monday by 22-year-old Jake Waleri, who brought the python to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in his hometown of Naples. Officials there measured the snake at 19 feet and 125 pounds, and said it set a new world record for length.

A video of Waleri’s record-breaking catch shows the python attacked Waleri as he pulls the snake by its tail. Waleri and the snake fought on the ground until others joined in to help. Burmese pythons are one of the largest snakes on the planet. They’re also a species running uncontrollably through much of southern Florida. They’re threatening (威胁) the state’s native animal populations because they have no natural enemy, which is why Waleri spends his nights hunting them. “It’s surprising to be able to have an effect on South Florida’s environment,” he said. “We love this ecosystem and try to protect it as much as possible.”

The earlier record was set in 2020 by a python caught in the Everglades, 18 feet 9 inches long and 104 pounds heavy. The record for the heaviest python ever caught was set by one caught in 2022, at 215 pounds.

According to the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission, these pythons have such a big threat that hunters and local people don’t need a permit to kill them. The animals are, however, protected by anti-cruelty (反残暴) laws, which ask hunters to humanely kill the snakes. Burmese pythons feed on Florida wildlife big and small, from rabbits to foxes and white-tailed deer. And one video from 2022 shows Florida scientists removing a 5-foot-long crocodile from an 18-foot python.

The state hosts a yearly competition to keep the populations at bay. The competition attracts hunters, competing for prize money from $1,000 to $10,000.

5 . Wetlands, making up about 6% of Earth’s land surface, are found on every continent except for Antarctica.     1    .

Protecting against floods. Wetlands play a crucial role in protecting against floods. The plants and soil in wetlands act as natural sponges (海绵), storing excess water during heavy rainfall or storms.     2    .

Purifying (净化) water. Wetlands have exceptional abilities to purify water. Acting as natural filters, the plants, soil and micro creatures in wetlands remove sediments, excess nutrients and pollutants from water sources.     3    . And the water can be suitable for various uses such as drinking, irrigation and supporting aquatic life. Wetlands are particularly effective in removing harmful chemicals, heavy metals and excessive nitrogen and phosphorus (磷), which can otherwise cause water pollution.

    4    . Wetlands are incredibly productive ecosystems, providing habitats for a diverse range of plant and animal species. The complex and dynamic wetland environments support a lot of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates. Many of these species are dependent on wetlands for survival, using them as breeding grounds, feeding areas and nurseries. Wetlands also serve as important stopover sites for migratory birds, offering them crucial resting and feeding areas during their long journeys.

Fighting climate change. Aside from these vital functions, wetlands also play a significant role in fighting climate change.     5    . They act as carbon (碳) sinks, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus mitigating the greenhouse effect and reducing the impacts of climate change. Moreover, wetlands help regulate local and regional climates by influencing the temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns. 1hey act as natural cooling systems, reducing heat island effects and moderating the local temperature.

However, the world’s wetlands are being lost at an alarming rate. Restoration and conservation projects offer hope that these ecosystems can be saved.

8 . Wild beavers (河狸) are back! Experts say that the wild beaver families are doing well. The beavers are even boosting wildlife and the environment!

Over ten years ago, a family of beavers turned up in a part of the river Otter, in Devon. No one knew exactly where they came from. It was a big surprise wild beavers hadn’t lived in England for around 400 years!

In 2015, the government allowed the beavers to stay there as part of a test. They wanted to see if these animals could be reintroduced to the wild. The test ends in February. Some scientists from the University of Exeter already say the beavers help the wildlife in the area. One scientist called it “an amazing story”.

A lot of this is because of dams (水坝). Beavers build dams along the river. This creates deep pools in the riverbed and slows the water down. Scientists say this is perfect for many different types of plants and animals! Many plants are growing near the beavers. Different types of animals are also becoming more and more in the river. Beavers also help make flooding less, scientists say. The beavers’ dams slow down the speed of the river, especially after heavy rain.

Beavers aren’t the only animals that are being reintroduced to the wild! In 2019, red squirrels were brought back to an area of the Scottish Highlands. Further away, the world's rarest (罕见的) duck, the Madagascar pochard, is making a comeback. It was set free into the wild on the African island in 2019 and is doing well.

Who knows what other animals might be making a comeback?

9 . Today, you can buy a pair of sneakers (运动鞋) partially made from carbon dioxide pulled out of the atmosphere. But measuring the carbon-reduction benefits of making that pair of sneakers with carbon dioxide is complex. There’s the carbon dioxide that stayed in the ground, a definite carbon reduction. But what about the energy cost of cooling the carbon dioxide into liquid form and transporting it to a production facility? And what about when your kid outgrows the shoes in six months and they can’t be recycled into a new product because those systems aren’t in place yet?

Researchers are trying to help companies figure out how to account for each step in a product’s life.

As companies try to reduce their carbon footprint, many are doing life cycle assessments to measure the full carbon cost of products, from the obtaining of materials to energy use in manufacturing, from product transport to users’ behavior and end-of-life disposal (处理). It’s an impressively complex measurement, but such bean-counting is needed to hold the planet to a livable temperature, says low-carbon systems expert Andrea Ramirez Ramirez of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Carbon use can be reduced at many points along the production chain—by using renewable energy in the manufacturing process, for instance, or by adding atmospheric carbon dioxide to the product. But if other points along the chain like transporting consume more energy or give off more carbon dioxide, Andrea notes, the final record may show a decrease rather than a reduction. A product is carbon-reduction only when its production actually removes carbon from the environment, temporarily or permanently.

In the rush to create products that can fight climate change, however, some companies have been charged with “greenwashing”—making products appear more environmentally friendly than they really are. Examples include labeling (用标签表明) plastic garbage bags as recyclable when their whole purpose is to be thrown away; using labels such as “eco-friendly” or “100% Natural” without official certification; and claiming a better carbon footprint without acknowledging the existence of even better choices.

China will establish a new batch of national parks, including Huanghekou, Qianjiangyuan-Baishanzu and Kalamayli, in a steady and     1     (order) manner, Guan Zhiou, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said on Saturday.

Speaking at the second National Park Forum held in Xining, capital of Qinghai province, Guan said China has adopted the strictest measures     2     (strengthen) the protection of the authenticity and integrity of the ecosystem, and promote the continuous improvement of ecological functions.

China’s national parks are specific land or sea areas     3     main purpose is to preserve the     4     (national) representative natural ecosystems of the country and realize the scientific protection and reasonable use of natural resources.

In 2021, China established the first batch of national parks, with     5     protected land area of 230,000 square km. These parks, including the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park and so on, are home to nearly 30 percent of the key terrestrial (陆生的) wildlife species     6     (find) in the country.

“The Sanjiangyuan park realized the full protection of the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang     7     (river) and the Tibetan antelope population has recovered to over 70,000. In the Giant Panda National Park, more than 70 percent of wild pandas are     8     good protection,” the official added.

“Efforts     9     (make) to promote high-level protection and facilitate the promulgation (颁布) of the National Park Law,” Guan said,     10     (add) that China will also increase the application of new technologies, build a world-class scientific research monitoring platform, and strengthen national park management capabilities.