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We're turning to offbeat foods to survive a harsher climate

Anita Makri

December 04, 2019 |

National Geographic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

After six years, an international effort to search for wild relatives of various food and plant crops came up with 371 different species that could be helpful for the world’s future food security. While not often found in a kitchen, researchers came across versions of the Bambara groundnut, grasspea, and finger millet. These crops were sent to seed and gene banks around the world that aim to conserve and develop varieties of the species that could provide a more climate-resilient food source.

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This Turkish chef is fighting climate change with the help of Syrian refugees

Jennifer Hattam

November 22, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Turkey, Mardin

The Turkish organization, Living Soil, Local Seed, is working with Turkish women and Syrian refugees to help rebuild and diversify the local agricultural system that was once thriving. Using local knowledge and surveys, the organization has gathered different varieties of native crops which it then uses to work with local farmers and employ women in order to create more complex ecological systems. In 2019, the program yielded over 400 tons of wheat and has proven to be more financially beneficial to farmers.

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Indigenous-wildlife ranger collaboration conserves rare Australian rainforests

Nick Rodway

November 18, 2019 |

Mongabay |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia, Western Australia

Revegetation and fire management practices are helping to preserve Australia’s biodiversity. In Western Australia, collaborative efforts between Environs Kimberley, an environmental NGO, and local rangers from the First Nation communities of the Dampier Peninsula are working to document, conserve, and manage the region’s monsoon vine thickets (MVT). As part of the Kimberley Nature Project (KNP), local rangers employ traditional methods like seasonal burns to allow for revegetation and to reduce the threat of larger bushfires.

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From coffee to cosmetics, companies are looking for ways to protect the plants their products are made from

Virginia Gewin

November 08, 2019 |

Ensia |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France

Around the world, companies, especially those that depend on the production of plant-based products, are stepping up their sustainability efforts. In the face of climate change, producers of things like coffee and fragrances are realizing that biodiversity and conservation are crucial to the companies’ success and sustainability. Trusts like Germany’s Crop Trust are becoming key players in this, helping companies develop conservation strategies.

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Planting Native Prairie Could Be a Secret Weapon for Farmers

Nathan Beacom

October 15, 2019 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ames, Iowa

Farmers in Iowa have been experimenting with native prairie crops – using native plant species as buffers on farmlands – in an effort to bring more pollination, soil health, water quality preservation, and carbon sequestration to their land. The Iowa State University STRIPS program has been supporting farmers in this effort by connecting them with funding and the information they need to undertake such crops.

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National Renewable Energy Lab Studies Plants In Twin Falls Solar Field

Rachel D. Cohen

October 09, 2019 |

Boise State Public Radio (KBSX) |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Twin Falls, Idaho

Scientists are studying which plants grow best around solar panels and which pollinators are attracted to these plants. To test this, researchers are looking at species like milkweed, buckwheat, and blue flax that are growing in the partially-shaded environment near solar panels in Idaho. While there aren’t many plants growing yet, the scientists are looking to see the environmental impact solar panels can have after being installed.

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CT's small solutions to climate change: creating salt marsh in Stonington

Jan Ellen Spiegel

September 17, 2019 |

The Connecticut Mirror |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Stonington, Connecticut

To address increased tidal flooding on its shoreline, Stonington, Connecticut, is sticking to a simple principle: "Where possible, work with nature not against it.” Volunteers plant native plants, helping to restore and expand the former salt marsh, which naturally absorbs water.

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A tiny garden in Boulder is showing signs of stress from smog. The scientist behind it is thrilled.

Amanda K. Clark

August 12, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boulder, Colorado

A garden at Boulder, Colorado’s Museum of Natural History is being used to track the effects of smog and educate visitors as well. Called an “ozone garden,” this plot – and other like it around the world – shows researchers and visitors how plants are damaged by ground-level ozone levels. Beyond education, the researchers behind the ozone garden are using it to show how crops and food availability will diminish as climate change continues.

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Forgotten Landscapes: Bringing Back the Rich Grasslands of the Southeast

Janet Marinelli

June 20, 2019 |

Yale Environment 360 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Clarkesville, Tennessee

A little known fact about the southeastern United States is that it used to be home to millions of acres of prairies and grasslands, and it remains one of the most biodiverse places in America. The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative is taking on the responsibility of documenting little-known species to better preserve species and educate others about the region.

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Life After Conflict: Healing the Environmental Wounds of War

Tania Rashid Habib Battah

May 28, 2019 |

Al Jazeera |

Video |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Bangladesh

With the aftermath of conflict often focused on humanitarian crisis, international and local actors are also working to restore damage done to ecosystems. From Rohingya refugees volunteering to make sure endangered elephants can reach their grazing lands – and not destroy the refugee camps – to Lebonese seed banks being recreated to restore biodiversity, the international stage is paying closer attention to the environmental tolls of conflict.

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