Volume 66 Issue 3
Fall 2017
In this Issue
We discuss the critical ecological and economic services provided by whales—how these leviathans jumpstart life at the smallest scale and keep oceanic ecosystems humming. Then, going from aquatic to arid, learn what AWI is doing to help Senegal National Parks revitalize a portion of the Sahel in sub-Saharan Africa. And meet some inspiring young activists who are running their own nonprofit organizations and lifting their voices on behalf of animals around the globe.
About the Cover
A Bryde’s whale surrounded by sardines off Baja California. Bryde’s whales were increasingly targeted by commercial whalers during the 20th century, after other species were hunted nearly to extinction. Today, there is growing recognition that whales provide far greater ecological—and economic—bounty when left in the ocean. Whales sequester carbon and boost marine productivity via a surprising source: fecal plumes. Whale feces, it turns out, jumpstart marine food chains by stimulating the production of phytoplankton. Read more on the vital role of whales in ecosystem functioning.
