There is a picture: A polar bear is lying lifeless on a beach. On the shore, in the background, stand three guards, talking to each other. One of them has a gun hanging casually on his shoulder. This powerful image has made people question the motivation (动机) for this kind of tourism, or ecotourism. Does our proximity (接近) to large animals in the wild, frequently caused by a desire for exciting images, lead to such animals becoming accustomed to (习惯于) human contact? If that is the case, surely the losing side will end up paying the price for such proximity.

To my sorrow, I have recently returned from a trip to Svalbard, and stood two weeks ago on the very beach where the bear was shot. The bear’s death should never have happened. Was the beach examined beforehand? Was there access to flares (照明弹) to scare off a bear that appeared suddenly? These are standard measures for any operator. The incident is probably the result of a terrible systematic (制度的) failure.

However, the incident should not deny the value of ecotourism. In its best form, this kind of travel has very little influence, or indeed has a positive effect, on the environment where it takes place. This can be achieved by making financial donations to conservation groups, providing income to local communities, or ensuring protection of certain areas or animals. In Svalbard, visitors become ambassadors (大使) for the endangered polar bear, increasing awareness of the fact that the far greater danger they are facing is the sea ice melt in the Arctic Ocean.

Ecotourism is an expanding market that brings benefits as well as challenges to the regions around the world in which it operates. Simply closing off these regions is not the answer.

Growing up, Danielle Belleny was “always outdoorsplaying with plants and picking up insects and investigating the world on my own,” she told TIME for Kids. She hadn’t yet heard of wildlife biology, but that’s what she was learning about. “I wanted to be a veterinarian(兽医), at first,”she says.“I always knew I wanted to work with animals. That was the only job I knew where you could do that.” But when Belleny was in college, her dad mentioned wildlife biology as an alternative.

Later, Belleny started working on research projects. She spent a lot of time with animals in their natural environment. One project was about placing trackers on a bird called the northern bobwhite. For another, she spent time herding goats. It was a way to maintain a grass habitat for endangered box turtles without hurting them.

Belleny’s current job is at Plateau Land & Wildlife Management, in Hays County, Texas. “In the morning, I’m usually out the door by sunrise,” she says. She surveys birds. She keeps track of different species. And she searches for signs of what other animals in the area are doing. “It’s basically knowing how to read the landscape,” she says, “based on what plants and different characteristics are there.”

Around lunchtime, she’ll return home and write up a report. In the afternoon, she leaves for another site visit. Landowners can request her services. She advises people on how to accommodate the wildlife that lives on their property. “It’s a lot of meeting new people, a lot of quick introductions, and then talking for long periods of time.

Outside of work, Belleny has been birding, or bird-watching, for seven years. Her first book, This Is a Book for People Who Love Birds, was published in May. It allowed her to share her love of the activity. Now she’s working on a children’s book about birding. It’s scheduled to come out in fall 2023.

Belleny has some advice for young people who are thinking about careers. “Try everything you’re interested in. And if you’re interested in working with animals, go to a library and find some field guides.” There’s a lot of information about animals out there. Books are always a good place to start.

It's hard to be a bird in the world dominated(支配) by human beings, as it's barely possible for you to hear yourself sing. Hearing the songs of your friends would be even more difficult,and you can just forget about hearing a predator approaching.

Noise is almost everywhere,especially from traffic.Lots of the landscape in the US is within just one kilometre of a road.Therefore,it is unsurprisingly to see researchers focus on the animals living near noisy roads when they evaluate the impact of road noise on animals."The problem is that noisy roads are both noisy,and at the same time,they are roads.It's hard to separate the two,"said a biologist who worked on this subject with his team.To make sure that there is just the noise without any other effect of the road,they ran speakers through a forest where there was no road.They then built an audio phantom road at a popular stopover spot for birds to fly south for the winter.

While lots of birds were kept away by noise,the researchers found that some birds just stuck around,because they lacked strength to support the next part of their migratory journey.To eat,the birds had to look down,meaning that they were not able to notice predators.And when there was too much noise,they couldn’t hear the alarm calls of other birds.The two things were sadly in conflict with each other.So they had to waste time watching for predators instead of searching for food.

Road building is increasing worldwide.But there is an easy solution to the noise problem-lowering speed limits.So next time you are driving through nature,just slow down a little. It's safer for you and the wildlife.And you can enjoy the view a little longer.