The Sabi Sands Game Reserve in South Africa is one of the richest wildlife regions in the African continent. Over 200 species of mammals and 350 different birds can be found in its vast plains, grasslands and forests.

I spoke to Michael Rattray, chairman of the Sabi Sands management committee, about the management policies. “If in a thousands years’ time the reserve is still a wonderful habitat for wildlife, then we will have succeeded in our mission. Various measures are being put in place. These include dealing with the problem of erosion. In 1996 we had abnormally high rainfall. This could have been absolutely destructive. However, we have successfully fought erosion using gabion stretchers, which are wire baskets filled with rocks. We have also used a lot of old aerial photographs, which have helped us return the land to its earlier state. This meant recreating open grassland areas to attract different types of animals,” he said.

Apart from these measures, the reserve employs a wide range of local workers. Building staff accommodation of any sort would make a big impact on the environment and would, go against the aim of keeping the reserve as natural as possible. Instead, transport is provided so employees can live a normal life with their families outside the area, and the human impact is kept to a minimum (最低限度).

Visitors to the reserve spend about six hours a day in open vehicles, observing wildlife on game drives. They are accompanied by a ranger and a local tracker. I shall never forget the moment on a game drive when a cheetah (猎豹) with her five cubs was pointed out to me. She was lying in a sea of long yellow grass, her markings almost invisible. We got close enough to hear her purr.

The Sabi Sands Game Reserve is a place where animals have no fear of humans. It is impossible to quantify the benefits of spending time in such an environment.

Coral reefs (珊瑚礁)are in great danger ,due to warming oceans. Conservationists are worried about how to save them, but a new study might come as music to their ears.

A team of scientists came up with an unusual idea to play underwater sounds along degraded(退化) coral reefs of Australia's Great Barrier Reef that would copy the usual noises heard on a healthy and active reef. When they did so, they found that fish were attracted to the music and more willing to hang around.

Dr. Stephen Simpson, a researcher at the University of Exeter, UK, said that coral reefs are remarkably noisy places full of various sounds. Young fish will be attracted to these sounds after they spent their early stage in the open ocean. However, once a reef becomes degraded, it smells and sounds less attractive to the young fish, who choose to settle elsewhere, thus speeding up further degradation of the reef.

In the experiment, reefs were given one of three experimental treatments. They either had no loudspeaker, a fake loudspeaker, or a real loudspeaker that played reef sounds. Playback occurred for 40 days, always at nighttime, which is when fish settlement typically occurs.

After 40 days, there were twice as many young fish on reefs with real loudspeakers than the other two kinds of reefs, with no significant differences between the two control treatments. And biodiversity also increased by 50 %, with more species attracted to the sound.

While the presence of fish alone cannot restore a coral reef to good health, study author Dr. Mark Meekan explained that “recovery is encouraged by fish that clean the reefs and create space for corals to regrow”. This could promote a “snowball effect”, with other fish responding positively to communities founded earlier, causing further increases in settlement.

The researchers hope that this discovery can add to reef restoration efforts because, at this point ,the reefs need all the help they can get.

The great increase of waste that you find around the world is hard to ignore. Depending on where they live, people produce between 0.11 and 4.54 kilograms of waste every day. Even more alarming, that number is expected to increase by 70 percent by 2050.

Is there anything specific you can do to help the situation? One thing is to shop smart. Buy from companies that promote sustainable (可持续的) business practices and use recycled materials in their products.

Here are some products and companies that hit the mark for being environmentally-friendly.

Wool Runners by Allbirds

These light and comfortable tennis shoes are made from natural wool. The laces (鞋带) are made from recycled water bottles. Other shoe parts are made from bean oil, and the shoeboxes are made with recycled materials.

Women’s 711 Skinny Jeans by Levi’s

It usually takes hundreds of gallons of water to make one pair of blue jeans. However, Levis Water < Less collection uses up to 96 percent less water.

Reactive Drawstring Family Tote by Vera Bradley

These pretty bags put recycled water bottles to good use, using 23 of them per bag.

The Sunrise Reborn^TM Pack by ASICS

ASICS’s new shoes were created with sustainability in mind. The material is dyed (染色), using a special method. The technique uses up to 80 percent less water than regular dyeing methods. The process also uses fewer chemicals and less energy.

Regarding their future footwear lines, ASICS has made a promise. Over 95 percent of their new running shoes will be made from recycled materials. The technology behind Sunrise Reborn puts ASICS one step closer to reaching their sustainability goals. The company has promised to leave a lighter environmental footprint for future generations.