Program Term Archive
Human Activities and Threats
Responsible Whale Watching
Marine WildlifeThere is something magical about seeing a wild animal up close—especially when it’s as big as a bus! Humans have an understandable fascination with whales and dolphins, and the best...
“God Squad” Seeks to Override Protections for Vulnerable Species
Endangered Species, Marine WildlifeThe Department of the Interior recently convened the Endangered Species Committee, aka the “God Squad,” for the first time in more than 30 years. During its meeting, the committee unanimously...
Administration Opens ANWR to Oil and Gas Exploration
Marine Wildlife, Terrestrial WildlifeIn October, the Trump administration finalized plans to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas development. Designated as a protected area in...
Protecting Caribbean Wildlife and Ecosystems
Marine WildlifeThis past October, in Kingston, Jamaica, AWI participated in the biennial meetings for the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region. This...
Act Now to Protect Ocean Life from Offshore Oil and Gas Development
Marine WildlifeThe Trump administration and some members of Congress are attempting to drastically expand offshore oil and gas development, including in untouched areas off Alaska, California, and the Gulf Coast of...
Renewable Offshore Energy
Marine WildlifeClimate change will continue to have profound and existential impacts on marine wildlife and their habitats, and nonrenewable ocean energy extraction, such as offshore drilling for oil and gas, can...
Oil and Gas Drilling
Marine WildlifeOffshore drilling, or the process of extracting oil and natural gas from beneath the ocean floor, threatens our ocean and coastal ecosystems at every stage of development and results in...
Ocean Noise
Marine WildlifeMarine animals use sound to navigate, communicate, find food, locate mates, and avoid predators. Flooding their world with intense sound interferes with these activities and results in serious—sometimes fatal—consequences. Anthropogenic...
Deep Sea Mining
Marine WildlifeWhile commercial deep-sea mining has not yet begun, exploration of numerous potential mining sites is occurring, in both national and international waters. There is concern amongst many experts and entities...
Human Activities and Threats
Marine WildlifeThough the oceans may seem endless, they are not infinitely resilient. Humans have affected the oceans for millennia, but the past several centuries have seen a dramatic acceleration as we...