CONSERVATION ATLAS

To date, President Joe Biden has designated five national monuments since coming to office in 2021. Here we take a look at four of those five national monuments that had a land conservation element, and what might be on the slate before the end of his first term.

In the Iberá wetlands of northern Argentina lies an incredibly biodiverse ecosystem. In this inspiring interview with Kris Tompkins, she tells the story of how her organization, Tompkins Conservation, has worked to restore and rewild the land, bringing back extirpated species and involving local communities in the conservation of what is now one of the largest protected areas in Argentina. Listen to her story and travel from home to this beautiful and remote corner of the planet where wildlife has been returning in large numbers.

A collection of photographs of the amazing wildlife of Gunung Leuser National Park on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, part of the much larger Leuser Ecosystem — the last place on Earth where Sumatran orangutans, tigers, rhinos, and elephants still exist, alongside thousands of other impressive species.

A selection of photographs from one of the best scuba diving and snorkeling spots on the planet: Raja Ampat Marine Park in Indonesia. This is the beating heart of the Coral Triangle, a place of confluence for ocean currents rich in nutrients which attract hundreds of species of fish, whales, dolphins, and mantas, all among the largest diversity of corals.

The Te Araroa, or “the long pathway” in Maori, is a 3000km trail that passes from the northern tip of the New Zealand’s North Island to the southern tip of the South Island. Rugged mountains, roaring rivers, temperate rainforests, windy grasslands and sandy coastlines are examples of the terrain one should expect to cross when hiking the Te Araroa.