Dear Friend of the Journal,

As 2024 draws to a close, we’re setting aside time to reflect on some of the Journal stories that we’re most proud of. Below you will find a list of in-depth features and important reporting that resonated with our readers and inspired us.

We’d love to hear about your favorite stories of the past year, too. Please share!

As always, thanks for reading. May your holidays be restful and rejuvenating. We’ll see you in 2025!

Zoe Loftus-Farren
Managing Editor, Earth Island Journal

Europe’s Wolf Wars

Wolves were wiped out through most of Northern and Central Europe in the last century. But as Eurasian wolf populations rebound, so does conflict that pits conservationists against hunters and farmers.

Decolonizing Africa’s Nature Documentaries

Each year, dozens of wildlife films are produced in Africa, yet most are designed and funded from outside the continent. A growing group of African conservationists and storytellers is pioneering a new path using homegrown talent.

Charismatic Megafounders

What happens to a conservation project when a charismatic leader steps away from the organization built on their ideas and passion?

Our Crumbling Shores

Nearly 40 percent of US residents live along the coasts. When we know that the seas are rising and water always wins, we will need creative approaches to redesigning the future of coastal living.

Collective Care

Five California-based workers across different industries share how they navigate on-the-job risks from extreme heat and wildfire smoke. As the climate crisis amplifies these risks, they’re pushing for change.

Photo by Brooke Anderson

Why we ask

In June 2023, National Geographic laid off all of its staff writers.

The historic magazine with its iconic yellow border is no longer sold on newsstands in the US. This is all in the name of cost-cutting, to deliver more profits into the pockets of the Walt Disney Corporation, which acquired the magazine in 2019.

Some days it feels like a miracle that Earth Island Journal has managed to hold steady and cover the environment for four decades without pause.

To be honest, asking for money isn’t fun. I’m a journalist, not a fundraiser. However, as a nonprofit newsroom, contributions from our readers are an important funding source for us.

Your contribution supports the future of investigative reporting on climate change, land and wildlife conservation, and environmental justice issues worldwide.

Please take a moment to join this mission by donating to our Green Journalism Fund. Our secure online form is quick and easy, and donating any amount makes a big impact.

Gifts of any size make a big difference! But when you set up a monthly gift, your recurring donation keeps science-based journalism accessible to people all year long.

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Donations by check can be made payable to Earth Island Institute and mailed to: 2150 Allston Way, Suite 460, Berkeley, CA 94704

Europe’s Wolf Wars

Image by Tambako The Jaguar

Decolonizing Africa’s Nature Documentaries

Image courtesy of Africa Refocused

Charismatic Megafounders

Photo of Pilai Poonswad: Rohit Naniwadekar; Hornbill: Anette Mossbacher; art: Henri Rousseau.

Our Crumbling Shores

Photo of erosion at Half Moon Bay, CA, by Brian Calvert

Collective Care

Photo by Brooke Anderson

Why we ask

Prefer to mail a check?