Together, WHC and The Earth Lab Will Cross New Frontiers

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When organizations with aligned goals collaborate, opportunities arise for both to expand their services and extend their reach. That’s why WHC is joining forces with The Earth Lab (TEL), a Mexico City-based consulting group that specializes in the development and third-party certification of environmental projects. The new partnership aims to supercharge the environmental work that both groups are already doing throughout the Americas, by enabling TEL to work biodiversity into their services and by providing WHC with new opportunities for transcreation.  

The Right Partnership at the Right Time 

In its 30+ years of supporting and recognizing conservation efforts on corporate lands, WHC has worked with companies in Mexico and throughout Central and South America, including CEMEX, General Motors and Bayer, among others. “Our important work in this region has been successful due in no small part to the collaboration with these companies and the communities they operate in,” said Sara Cook, Director, WHC. “A partnership with TEL was a logical next step to developing more positive and meaningful impacts in the region by providing culturally and regionally relevant resources.” 

Since 2006, TEL has helped organizations throughout Mexico develop and implement over 250 sustainable development projects, many of which have obtained certification in carbon neutrality or sustainable design. Currently, TEL works with organizations in the Americas and Europe to expand into new areas, and to help their partners do the same, with a goal to strengthen the link between businesses, communities and environmental causes.  

Focus Area: Ejidos 

A main focus of TEL’s work involves supporting the sustainability goals of ejidos (communally operated agriculture ventures that make up over half of Mexico’s territory). With financial and legal assurance from Ban.CO2 de Carbono Mestizo (BCO2M) and operational support from TEL, ejidos throughout Mexico are carefully managing their lands with the purpose of selling carbon credits. By linking these collectives to WHC’s technical resources and helping them achieve WHC Conservation Certification®, TEL hopes to enhance this land stewardship even further. Ejido lands are located throughout the country, so the partnership will allow WHC and TEL to support the conservation of a variety of ecosystems — from coastal mangroves that are home to jaguars, coastal birds and reef species to northern pine forests that shelter and provide food for coyotes, owls and rattlesnakes. Jorge Calderon, Founder and Director, TEL, said, “Though our collaborative work in these regions, we aim to become pioneers in joint conservation projects for endangered species.”  

Focus Area: Biodiversity Data Collection 

While Mexico only covers about 1% of the earth’s landmass, it accounts for 10% of the planet’s biodiversity, making it a crucial area for conservation. With few public conservation lands and a lack of monitoring at the species and ecosystem levels, it has been challenging to track biodiversity and biodiversity loss. In response, communities have started to collecting data with plans to compile the information into a larger biodiversity registry. With decades of experience capturing rigorous conservation data on private lands, WHC is well-equipped to support this pursuit.   

Focus Area: Habitat Connectivity 

Habitat connectivity is another growing concern in Mexico. Calderon said, “One of the main challenges is fragmentation caused by the expansion of urban centers,” but that wildlife corridors and connectivity initiatives are becoming more common. The U.S.–Mexico border is also host to many biodiversity hotspots, and parts of Mexico provide important overwintering habitat for species like the monarch butterfly, underscoring the needs for organizations in the two countries to work together. By sharing ideas, talents and resources, WHC and TEL are ready to heed this call. 

For more information on the TEL and WHC partnership, please contact: 

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Breaking the Cycle of Cicada Slander

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It’s time to look at this natural phenomenon as a feel–good show and not a horror movie 

Right now, countless (millions to trillions, depending on who you talk to) cicada nymphs in the mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regions are waiting for the ground to thaw so that, once the ground temperature is about 64°F, they can emerge and find mates. They comprise Brood X, a periodical cicada brood we last saw in spring 2004.  

If you live in one of these areas, perhaps you’ve already seen articles, social media posts and tv segments about this brood, and you’ve probably noticed they’re peppered with words like swarm, infestation and ear-splitting. Cicadas often get confused for locusts, prompting references to biblical plagues and questions about cicada’s impact on crops and lawns. Even when articles concede that cicadas are harmless, they still fixate on their appearance and sheer numbers.  

It is true that Brood X (pronounced “Brood 10” and also known as the “Great Eastern Brood”) has, out of the 15 active broods of periodical cicadas, the largest range and concentration. It’s also true that the mating calls of male cicadas, when measured collectively, can reach 100dB (the equivalent of a lawnmower or motorcycle).  Additionally, it’s true that if we take the time to get to know our new cicada neighbors, we’ll find that there’s a lot to appreciate.  

What’s so special about periodical cicadas?  

In North America, cicadas, insects in a global superfamily with 3,000 species, are classified into two groups: annual and periodical. The nymphs of both develop underground, drinking sap from the roots of trees, emerging as adults to molt and produce young. Annual cicadas remain underground for two-five years but are so named because adults of their species can be found above ground every summer. Annual cicadas typically have smaller populations and are more adept at fleeing from predators. The vast majority of the world’s cicada species are annual cicadas. Outside of eastern North America, all cicada species appear every year, so the distinction between annual and periodical isn’t even made. 

There are seven periodical cicada species, which emerge as adults in 13 or 17-year intervals. If you live in a region that is home to these species then you are privy to one of the world’s most unique natural adaptations. Because periodical cicadas are not quick or agile, safety from predators is found in numbers.  

If the 13 and 17-year cycles seem like random numbers, there may be a reason for it. It has been suggested that cicadas emerge on those schedules (telling time by sensing intervals of fluid traveling in roots) because it’s difficult for predator species to similarly adapt long, prime-numbered lifecycles. Math and biology working together. 

In defense of cicadas 

While large and awkward looking, cicadas pose no threat to humans, and their impact on vegetation is minimal. Only young trees are at risk of being over-grazed, while they help prune older trees. Large broods are beneficial to soil health, as they infuse nutrients when they die and decompose. If planting saplings during a year when a cicada brood is expected, it’s advisable to wrap the young trees in netting, or to wait until late summer to plant them. Given the minimal impact that they have on plants, applying pesticides is unnecessary and such can harm cicada populations, as well as the animals (both wildlife and pets) that may eat them.  

Appreciating insect lifecycles 

If you live within Brood X’s limited range, take some time this spring to appreciate one of nature’s most fascinating spectacles. Nymph cases will litter the sidewalks, flying adults will always appear ready to crash land and the mating calls will punctuate the spring night but this once in a decade emergence is a reminder that nature in our back yards and city parks can be as amazing as anything in the Amazon or Antarctic. 

If you’re unlucky and out-of-range, there are likely other insects in your area with unique and under-appreciated lifecycles. For instance:  

  • Aphids can give birth to live young. In temperate areas, this typically happens throughout the summer, and then some species will lay eggs in the fall, when resources are scarcer. While humans view aphids as an agricultural pest, farmer ants depend on their secretions for food. These ants will collect aphid eggs and protect them throughout the winter, to ensure that they have a honeydew stock come spring. 
  • In the pupal stage, most insects are immobile, living underground or relying on camouflage for protection. Mosquito pupae, however, develop in open water. To counteract being in plain sight, mosquito pupae can sense danger and dive or swim away from predators. Once they reach adulthood, mosquitos become important pollinators to some plants with small, complex flowers, namely rare orchid species.    
  • Many butterfly and moth species can undergo diapause, which is the act of delaying development in response to subpar environmental conditions. Most species will wait a season or year before emerging, but yucca moths, which rely on Joshua trees and other yucca varieties, have been known to enter diapause for up to 30 years when faced with harsh enough temperatures or yucca scarcities.   

By 2038, when Brood X next appears, the way that we talk about cicadas will hopefully have changed. Ensuring that today’s youth gain an appreciation for insect lifecycles can help. Download our Invertebrate Life Cycle Game for an activity that you can conduct with your families or with students and youth groups that visit your workplace.  

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