Erica Gies
Author bio
Erica Gies’s Contributions:
Is Deforestation Supercharging Cyclones?
The airborne water cycle, destabilized by industrial logging and other land use, may be a hidden force behind growing superstorms.
Oct 21, 2024 | 1,100 words, about 5 minutes
Making a Marsh out of a Mud Pile
In San Francisco Bay, scientists are looking for a better way to rebuild flagging marshland.
Apr 10, 2024 | 900 words, about 4 minutes
Letting the Sea Have Its Way
Welcome to Selsey, a community that welcomed back the marsh.
May 24, 2022 | 2,900 words, about 14 minutes
How to Decolonize Conservation
Drawing on examples from existing conservation projects and their own experiences, Indigenous researchers are unpacking what a decolonized approach to environmental protection should look like.
Apr 25, 2022 | 1,200 words, about 6 minutes
Conservationists Set Their Sights on Shipping
Canada already has the legal tools to restrict shipping activity in marine protected areas. These environmentalists think it’s time to start using them more rigorously.
Jul 7, 2021 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes
New Viruses Found in Farmed and Wild Salmon
Scientists will now research whether these viruses are passing between farmed and wild fish.
Oct 11, 2019 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes
Canada Has New Rules Governing Its Marine Protected Areas. Do They Go Far Enough?
Fisheries and Oceans Canada cites public backlash as one of the motivating factors for changing the rules governing marine protected areas.
May 3, 2019 | 950 words, about 4 minutes
Tribes Use Western and Indigenous Science to Prepare for Climate Change
Northwestern tribes and the University of Washington climate group have joined forces to help protect salmon, roots, trees, and other important resources.
Feb 21, 2019 | 1,100 words, about 5 minutes
Is Canada Taking Shortcuts to Hit Its Marine Protection Targets?
The government is counting fisheries closures as protected spaces in order to hit a 2020 target. Many scientists argue this is not meaningful conservation.
Jul 11, 2018 | 1,400 words, about 7 minutes
The Consequences of China’s Booming Demand for Seafood
The country is putting restrictions on its domestic fishing fleet, but its distant water fleet has been growing to compensate.
Jun 28, 2018 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes
Designing Marine Protected Areas in a Changing Climate
How can vulnerable marine species be protected when climate change is a reality?
Mar 21, 2018 | 700 words, about 3 minutes
Oil Tanker Moratorium Act Not a Moratorium on All Oil Tankers
Despite its name, the new law would still allow many vessels to transport fuel along British Columbia’s coast.
Jan 25, 2018 | 1,100 words, about 5 minutes
New Underwater Sensors to Watch for the Big One
Canada’s west coast is getting a new earthquake early-warning system.
Dec 14, 2017 | 950 words, about 4 minutes
First Nations Test the Political Water with Fish Farm Protests
First Nations’ occupations of fish farms are rooted in a deeper conversation about Indigenous land rights.
Oct 13, 2017 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes
Proposed Amendment Could Actually Protect Marine Protected Areas
New legislation would give planned MPAs interim protection during the years-long approval process.
Aug 30, 2017 | 800 words, about 4 minutes
Canada’s New Marine (Less) Protected (Than It Could Have Been) Area
A string of concessions to the oil and gas and fishing industries has severely weakened the protective value of Canada’s largest planned marine protected area.
May 9, 2017 | 1,300 words, about 6 minutes
Fisheries and Oceans Canada Was Ignoring Its Own Habitat Protection Guidelines
In 2012, the federal government relaxed rules limiting the degradation of fishing habitat, claiming the requirements were overly burdensome. But research shows they weren’t enforcing the rules in the first place.
Apr 5, 2017 | 900 words, about 4 minutes
Is China’s Hands-Off Approach to Fisheries Producing More Fish?
China’s fishers indiscriminately target predators as well as prey, putting different pressures on the ecosystem.
Feb 23, 2017 | 800 words, about 4 minutes
Political Suppression of Science: Lessons from Canada
Canadian scientists are lending support to worried American peers.
Jan 23, 2017 | 750 words, about 3 minutes
A Cull to Save the Kelp
An innovative project is rehabilitating California’s kelp forests after decades of degradation at the hands of environmental decay and sea urchin predation.
May 5, 2016 | 800 words, about 4 minutes