When students from Lithgow visited wetlands near their primary school, they quickly picked up on a problem: there was nowhere for turtles.

“A bunch of students said there are no logs or rocks here, so where are they going to bask (晒太阳)?” says Associate Professor Ricky Spencer from Western Sydney University. The question was raised as part of a project in which year 5 and 6 students were attempting to understand their local environment and what it needed to thrive (兴旺). The students had just learned that in spring, turtles have to bask on a rock or log to create eggs.

The students are now conducting research and developing a proposal to present to their local council for the introduction of new basking areas, such as logs or human-made platforms. “That is pretty powerful, for year 5 and year 6 students to actually know how to make change,” Spencer says. “We want kids to understand why conservation measures are important.”

Led by Western Sydney University, the Turtles in Schools program aims to encourage an informed future generation that will take care of the environment. It is currently in a trial phase, with select New South Wales schools hosting turtles in classrooms and visiting nearby wetlands. By 2023, up to 10 turtle tanks will be installed (安装) in schools. By 2024, the program will be available to all year 5 and 6 classrooms across Australia.

By guiding experiments on topics such as growth rates and behavioural observations, and introducing schools to activities in their local wetlands, Spencer says this program could encourage students to actually carry their education forward to their day-to-day life.

Presbyterian Ladies’ College has been investing in facilities including a turtle pond for six years. They will be available for nearby schools involved in the Turtles in Schools program. “We want to connect students to the real world, to develop values to look after the environment. Our students become familiar with understanding our relationship to the natural world. We are connected to it. We rely upon it. It isn’t something dispensable,” the principal, Dr Paul Bergis, says.

Joseph Dituri hasn’t seen the sun for days. And he won’t see it again for months. Since March 1, the bio-medical engineer has been underwater, with the goal of spending 100 days there—for science.

The underwater living, if successful, will also break the current world record for time spent living underwater, which was set by two Tennessee biologists in 2014 when they stayed beneath the surface for 73 days.

Dituri, who uses the nickname Dr. Deep Sea, is living in Jules’ Undersea Lodge (小屋) in Key Largo, Florida—the same underwater spot where the previous record was set. The 100-square-foot hotel, which sits 30 feet below the surface, is his intended home until June 9, where he’ll be carrying out research and giving virtual lectures for his students at the University of South Florida.

As part of this research, Dituri is researching the effects of living in a high-pressure environment for an extended period. To keep water from entering the lodge, air must constantly be pumped into the space, which creates a pressure about 1.6 times that of Earth’s surface.

“The human body has never been underwater that long, so I will be monitored closely,” Dituri says in a press release. “This study will examine every way this journey affects my body.” Before taking the dive, Dituri had psychosocial, psychological and medical tests. He will continue to have testing during and after his 100 days at the lodge. He’s also taking doses of Vitamin D and keeping regular psychological appointments.

Beyond research, the project is also a chance to promote ocean protection and encourage young scientists. “The oceans are in a bit of trouble―the coral reefs are under attack, and the fishing industry is collapsing,” Thane Milhoan, habitat operations manager for Jules’ Undersea Lodge, says in a video. “We wanted to make use of the attention that the 100-day mission would demand to inspire the youth, more so than anybody, to get involved and start taking action.”

Cambodia recorded 792 rare white-shouldered ibises (白肩黑鹮) in its 2022 census (统计), an increase of 5 percent from 755 birds in a year earlier, conservationists said on Thursday.

Bou Vorsak, director of BirdLife in Cambodia, said the census, jointly conducted by the members of the Cambodian Ibis Working Group (CIWG), found 377 white-shouldered ibises at Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary, 326 at the Mekong Flooded Forest, and 89 at Koh Srolauv, Kulen Promtep, Lomphat, Srepok and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuaries. “The white-shouldered ibis is one of the rarest birds in the world, with the global population of approximately 1,000 birds,” he told the journalist. “Cambodia is the largest habitat for this critically endangered species, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the global population.”

Vorsak said BirdLife in Cambodia is delighted to support this species working group to develop and implement the Cambodian ibis conservation action plan to protect the critically endangered birds from extinction.

Neth Pheaktra, secretary of state and spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, said the government thanked all conservation partners for their efforts to protect and conserve natural resources and wildlife, including white-shouldered ibises.

“The Ministry of Environment and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners will continue their efforts to provide safe habitats to wildlife through law enforcement (执行), local economic supporting, and other education campaigns to change public behavior,” he said. “The Ministry of Environment will continue to educate people to stop trapping, hunting, eating and trading wildlife.”

World Wide Fund (WWF) Cambodia country director Seng Teak congratulates the rising number of white-shouldered ibis population trends in Cambodia. “It is a positive result for the conservation and protection of the species. We stand ready to collaborate on the joint conservation action efforts to thrive for stronger survival of this rare species,” he said.