Resurgence & Ecologist magazine Issue 351 • July/August 2025
Ocean Glories II

issue cover 351

In this issue we return to a favourite theme, ‘Ocean Glories’ to celebrate the mostly hidden worlds of the ocean and to remember why we must act now to save these habitats and the creatures already warning us of the cost – to them and us – of losing them.

For the first time ever in the pages of Resurgence & Ecologist we have Sir David Attenborough, whose new book Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness is co-written with Colin Butfield, with the authors sharing an extract all about the challenges of filming the blue whale 25 years ago.

Our special theme, Wonders of the Deep, will take you on a deep dive down through the different ocean zones to the very bottom of the seabed, introducing some fantastic creatures along the way in an article by Ryan Loftus, written originally for the online campaigning platform, On The Edge.

And, in a deeply personal and heartfelt appreciation of the ocean, sailor and author, Hannah Stowe tells her then unborn son what majesty awaits, once he is born.

Hannah is just one of the contributors who remind us, in this issue, that the ocean has been calling for our help for a long time now — and that if we continue to ignore those calls, we do so at our own peril.

There is much to lose but so much more to be gained, as ever, when we act together.

Highlights

  • Climate breakdown and the sea urchin: Charlotte Sterland
  • Playing with plants: Soham Kacker
  • The blue heart of our planet: Roz Savage
  • Earth’s last wilderness: David Attenborough and Colin Butfield
  • Wonders of the deep: Ryan Loftus

Featured articles

It's time to protect our oceans

Resurgence & Ecologist Editor, Susan Clark introduces 'Ocean Glories II' – a deep dive into the world's most imperilled habitat. And whilst we celebrate the many wonderful ocean creatures, we cannot continue to ignore the threats to this fragile ecosystem.
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Rabies at sea

After detecting a rabies outbreak in marine mammals, scientists are trying to determine whether the virus is now established in South Africa's Cape fur seals – and, if so, how to stop it from spreading further. Roman Goergen reports.
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Playing with plants

Can playing shift the way we see nature and our place within it? Soham Kacker shares how 'befriending' plants as playmates in his childhood opened the door to an adult career in ecology, and his lifelong love of plants.
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Carrying the future

On watch throughout the night out on the Baltic Sea, sailor Hannah Stowe tells her unborn child of the marvellous world he is about to be born into. She recalls, "The water through which we sail is both ancient and new – moving, moving, constantly cycling. Cooling, heating, sinking, rising."
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Rights of the deep

Artist Emma Critchley – together with a group of Pacific-based experts and ocean science and law advisors, all alarmed by the prospect of deep-sea mining licences being granted – reflects on humanity's relationship with the deep ocean and advocate for its protection.
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The real problem at hand

Diyora Shadijanova unpicks a searing debut about how to rebalance power and get away from the distractions of culture wars in her review of Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War by Ash Sarkar.
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Picture Credits

Cover image and It's time to protect our oceans: Mothership by Olivier Leger; Rabies at sea: Photo by Federico Facchin; Playing with plants: Artwork by Pattie Lee Becker; Carrying the future: Star Compass by Hannah Stowe; Rights of the deep: Emma Critchley, Soundings, John Hansard Gallery, 2025. Courtesy artist. Photo: Nosa Malcolm

Images from Resurgence and Ecologist Magazine issue 351

Inside this issue

Article is free for all to view

Welcome

It's time to protect our oceans

We cannot continue to ignore the mounting threats to this fragile ecosystem

Regulars

Noticeboard

Highlighting stories for change

Ecologist

Rabies at sea

Investigating the world's first marine rabies outbreak among Cape fur seals in South Africa

Bin your butts

Transforming cigarettes into art with a powerful message for beachgoers

Climate breakdown and the sea urchin

Exploring how declining ocean salinity is affecting the survival of sea urchins

Connected life

Playing with plants

Reflecting on how playful childhood encounters with plants shaped his life as an ecologist

Nature's 'swifties'

An interview with Hannah Bourne-Taylor the campaigner using creativity and courage to fight for Britain's swifts

The blue heart of our planet

A plea to act from love to protect the Earth's greatest ecosystem

The slow read

Earth's last wilderness &

This extract from Ocean takes us into the world of our largest mammal, the blue whale, and celebrates the power of ocean restoration

Ocean glories

Wonders of the Deep

A mesmerising deep dive down through the ocean's hidden zones

Wisdom and wellbeing

Carrying the future

Sharing a lyrical night-watch at sea

Dance of science and spirituality

Calling for a union of reason and reverence in the dawning Age of Ecology

Harvesting Saffron

Exploring the lost wisdom of plant care through the lens of saffron

Art and culture

A new kind of climate movement

Sharing the story behind THE HERDS, a global puppet-led protest

The human experience

Art exploring our entanglement with Nature through myth, silk and seaweed

Rights of the deep

Calling for action to protect the ocean against deep-sea mining

A library of ice &

Introducing poet Nancy Campbell

Reviews

What the parenting handbooks do not cover

Review of Mother Animal

The real problem at hand

Review of Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War

A much-needed pep talk?

Review of Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference

The freedom to roam

Review of Lone Wolf: Walking the Faultlines of Europe

The art of declaring a climate emergency

Review of Ackroyd & Harvey: The Art of Activism

Science in protest

Review of Scientists on Survival: Personal Stories of Climate Action

Pondering a post-growth future

Review of Liquidate: How Money is Dissolving the World