June 2023
The June issue of Geographical is a special oceans edition, in which we take a good look at both the positive news and the challenges facing these incredibly important ecosystems. The more we learn about our oceans, the more we’ve come to realise that there would be no life on our planet without them. Yet their future remains at risk, particularly as humans increasingly turn to the ocean floor in search of minerals and other resources. This month, we discover the damage that extractive industries have already done on and around Bangka Island in Indonesia, and the impact it is having on the local marine life and fishing communities.
Despite threats like this, it’s not all bad news. In another part of Indonesia, we learn how a successful scuba diving destination has transformed the local villages and protected the nearby coral reefs. Dr Richard Lilley, co-founder of Project Seagrass, and photographer Lewis Jefferies reveal the abundancy and diversity of life supported by seagrass meadows in the Orkney Islands. Away from the oceans, Tommy Trenchard meets the dedicated doctors and nurses that work on board a very unusual mobile clinic in South Africa, and Daniel Allen takes us up into the cloud forests of Ecuador to meet its spectacular wildlife.
