Described as the most alien-looking place on earth, Socotra Island is a treasure chest of endemic species. But its future is at a crossroads.

Imagine waking up on an empty beach, not knowing where you are. You notice the quiet azure waters beside you; the harsh rock formations towering above. You climb them and discover a dusty and undeveloped landscape. The trees look strange, like giant mushrooms, or flying saucers planted on a stilk. Other trees have stocky, inflated trunks. There are animals you have never seen before. You observe the trails of humans, but there is no infrastructure in sight.

This is Socotra Island, a remote 700-million-year-old island located 380 kilometres (235 miles) off the south-east coast of Yemen...

The Catatumbo Lightning is a continuous thunderstorm that has unfolded at the exact same location for 500 years. But why it happens, no one is able to explain.  

For up to 250 nights a year, people living by Lake Maracaibo are treated to mother nature’s own fireworks show. From late afternoon to the early morning hours, they can witness a storm of constant flashes and thunderbolts, seen from as far away as 40 kilometres (24 miles). “It lights up the entire area,” says Alan Highton, a local tour specialist. “You can walk around as if it was daytime.” And the next afternoon, it starts all over again.

The location of this phenomenon lies in north-western Venezuela, at the point where the Catatumbo River empties into Lake Maracaibo, a brackish bay that happens to be the largest in ...

The Metéora monasteries were built atop of giant stone pinnacles in an era of no technology. Here there have been Monasticism, bombings and James Bond scenes.

At some point in the 14th century, on the plains of Thessaly in mainland Greece, a group of monks are likely to have debated the location of a new monastery. They had a habit of preferring remote, inaccessible places, but this time they took it to the extreme: they settled on a series of 400-metre high sandstone pinnacles close to the town of Kalambáka; a near-inaccessible location designed for prayer and spirituality. A few centuries later they had built 24 monasteries on the site, making Metéora the second largest Greek monastic area after Mount Athos, in Macedonia.

The building process was anything but easy...

Amazonian deforestation has been greatly reduced in recent years, but changes to Brazil’s legislation on natural protection areas have filled conservation groups with skepticism.

Everyone wants a piece of the Amazon. Last year, the Brazilian government made changes to the forest code, an old law that determines how large an area Amazonian land owners are required to leave untouched. The farmers, represented by the powerful agri-business sector, demanded the legislation be relaxed, so they could develop more land, produce more goods and expand their business. Environmental NGOs argued that more deforestation would further threaten the rainforest’s biodiversity. In the end, the changes appeared to be a compromise between the two sectors. But conservationists were not happy.

The Amazon, ...

San Francisco is not quite like other cities. The mid-1800s gold rush transformed what was a small settlement into a booming city; then, a century later in the post-war period, an influx of liberal activists made it the home of American counter-culture, as epitomised by the 1967 Summer of Love. Beyond the Golden Gate Bridge today, a diverse and energetic society is setting its own agenda. Gay rights, feminist views and political liberals have grown strong roots, as have immigrants from every corner of the world. To call it ‘cosmopolitan’ would be an understatement.

Alongside its rebellious attitude, San Francisco has a history of radical environmental action. Vibrant NGOs and charities hold public conferences, workshops and lectures on green issues...

In July last year, a ‘bear cam’ was set up in Alaska to livestream bears hunting for food. But it does not compare to the real experience.

When you have trekked into the wild and find yourself standing close to a giant bear, there are a few things you should remember. Firstly, that these are among the wild’s most dangerous creatures. Note that they are excellent swimmers, frighteningly intelligent, with a better sense of smell than dogs. They can weigh up to 680kg. Think you can run away? Forget it: in short bursts, bears can run up to 65 kilometres per hour (40 miles). “These are wild animals, and you need to really respect that,” says John Quinley, assistant regional director at Katmai National Park, in southern Alaska. “You don’t want to sneak out a sandwich in front of them...

The oceanic world is full of surprises, and Alastair Pollock has captured them since he was 10 years old. The Sydney-based underwater photographer has produced images from some of the most exotic marine environments, such as Australia, Indonesia, Fiji, the Philippines and the Bahamas, and has featured in a range of international publications. He talks to us about what makes a good photographer, the threats to our marine ecosystems, and what it is like diving with sharks. 

First of all, how did you get into underwater photography?

I started shooting underwater as a child with cheap disposable underwater film cameras. I managed to shoot a few sharks and a manta ray when I was around 10. Needless to say, these photos weren’t very good, but I still have them.

What is for you the most fasci...

Illegal fishing and wildlife poaching have heightened in recent years, but John Scanlon, the world’s top wildlife official, believes the global community can halt the trend. 

The wheels are already in motion. Between 3 and 14 March, delegates from 177 governments gathered in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) – the leading body for preventing wildlife trade that threatens species with extinction. They joined NGOs and businesses for what were a hugely important convention – and the first since 2010.

There was plenty to discuss. The numbers for elephant- and rhino poaching in Africa have worsened in recent years, with markets in Asia driving demand through the roof...

The food of Italy’s southern island enjoys a fine reputation, and not without reason. Here is a guide to five classic Sicilian dishes.

Sicily’s cuisine bears many resemblances to its people: it is distinct in taste, and full of character and personality. It is also extremely varied and contains traces of numerous foreign cultures: a reflection of its eventful history over the past two millennia, during which its governance has changed hands more than once. The Greeks brought grapes and olives; the Romans introduced fava beans and certain types of pasta; the Arabs presented almonds, cinnamons and pistachio. It is a cultural melting pot.

The Sicilian geography is also favourable towards food...

The remote villages of Nepal have long struggled with energy access, but a UN development project is changing their fortunes.

Energy is a huge problem in Nepal, but it should not be that way. Set in the Himalayas between China and India, it possesses vast amounts of untapped hydropower resources: large valley glaciers, powerful rivers and giant waterfalls – all located at dizzying heights. The potential is enormous. But few have the know-how to exploit it.

The consequences are inevitable for Nepal; one of the poorest countries on earth. The national power grid is under huge pressure, with 16-hour power blackouts occurring in the dry season. According to the UN, less than 44 per cent of the population had access to electricity in 2009...

With the Maldives aiming to become carbon-neutral by 2020, tourism minister Ahmeed Shameem tells eco traveller about the project.

In October 2009, the Maldivian government held an underwater cabinet meeting. Ministers ditched their ties and dressed up in snorkelling gear. They converged on a seabed at five metres deep, on a small island 20 minutes away from Mahé, the capital. In a 30-minute meeting, they signed a document calling for global cuts to carbon emissions. Only one element remained familiar to the ministers: snorkelling journalists had followed them into the deep.

The meeting was a publicity stunt, staged two months before the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen...

Morocco’s love for green tea is a symbol of national identity and hospitality, but the rituals of serving the drink strongly differ from those in Europe. 

The British are renowned for appreciating a good cup of tea, but such pleasures extend not only to drizzly climates. In Morocco, tea is everywhere: markets, bars, shops, hotels and restaurants. It is served on almost any social occasion, at any time during the day. The Moroccans even have a saying about its daily taste: “The first glass is as gentle as life; the second glass is a strong as love; the third glass is as bitter as death.”

Green tea is the default social beverage in Morocco, particularly because alcohol is not allowed. Men often enjoy it in bars; women in their homes...

The aviation industry is often portrayed as the chief offender of rising carbon emissions, with airplanes contributing two per cent of the world’s human-generated Co2. However, it is not all doom and gloom. Here are five green airports fighting the good fight.

Munich Airport, Germany

In an environmental management plan outlined in early 2010, Munich Airport aimed to become carbon neutral by 2020. Since January 2008 it has charged landing fees that increase according to the airplanes’ carbon emissions and noise levels. It deploys 18 vehicles that run fully on canola oil, supplemented by 55 hybrid vehicles. In total, it estimates to have saved more than 250 tonnes of carbon emissions by using plant oils...

In one of America’s great wilderness areas, a stream of smooth, curvy outlines are etched into the mountainside. They call it the Wave.

The US has always been spoilt with mesmerising rock canyons, but none of them are quite like this one. Just north of the famous Grand Canyon, near the border between Arizona and Utah, wavy lines have been carved into rock by the passage of time. It looks like some kind of caramel swirl: the way it contains several colours; the way it tweaks its way around bends and corners.

Unlike many other natural sights around the world, where unregulated tourism and an overload of visitors put the attraction itself at risk, the authorities are wary of jeopardising the health of their talismanic site. Only 20 people are allowed to visit it each day...

Dreaming of spending a night underwater? For a hefty price, the Poseidon Undersea Resort could make that wish come true.

Submerged sleep has mainly been a fantasy reserved for cartoons and comic books. But the prospect could in fact enter reality. Outside of a private island in Fiji, located inside a lagoon, the so-called Poseidon Underwater Resort facility is at some point supposed to be lowered into the water. It will primarily be a series of cells capable of resisting water pressure, and in which guests can sleep. They will be 70 per cent transparent, enabling visitors to observe life underseas.

The creators of the project claim it will be a ‘seven star’ facility, but although the notion of luxury is clearly high on the agenda, it is hardly the chief selling point...

With the trekking season fast approaching, we take a closer look at the Tour du Mont Blanc – the classic hiking trip of Europe.

“Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains,” Lord Byron, the English poet, wrote in his 1817 poem Manfred. “They crown’d him long ago, on a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds, with a diadem of snow.” Exactly when this unofficial crowning took place, only Byron will know. But as far as hiking is concerned, Mont Blanc remains the undisputed king of mountain walks; the quintessential tour of the Alps.

The mountain is the highest in western Europe, standing at 4,807 metres. But that is only part of its charm. Its classic tour, which circumnavigates the massif, goes via three countries – France, Italy and Switzerland...

As the electric car industry continues to develop, we are now seeing extended journey capacity and improved mpge (miles per gallon equivalent), while zero tail emissions are now more commonplace, writes Mark Benson. With that in mind, here are the top five electric cars to watch throughout the year, giving you a mixture of cutting-edge technology, mass-market appeal, and comfort. 

Nissan Leaf 2013

Price: from £23,490 / $28,800

Japanese car giant Nissan has certainly taken the market by storm with the award-winning Nissan Leaf 2013. The vehicle has a 140 miles (225 km) journey capacity, fuel efficiency of 130 mpge (209 km) and can be fully charged within four hours...

On a beach in New Zealand, large spherical stones lie quietly in the sand, some of them 60 million years old. How did they get there?

Nature has a habit of surprising you. The moment you think you have seen it all, it throws at you something special, something remarkable, that you never thought it was capable of producing. These things may take a variety of shapes and forms. Such as the strange, alien-like, ice cream cone-ish stone balls at Koekohe Beach, on the south-eastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

Some have jokingly labelled them ‘dinosaur eggs’. And in fact, the oldest stones hail from as far back as 60 million years; around the time when the last dinosaurs wandered the earth. (Though apart from that, there is rather little evidence to support this theory...

On a dry lakebed in California’s Death Valley, stones weighing up to 300kg zip across the surface without human intervention. Despite 60 years of study, geologists are still unsure why.

Ever since the first scientific paper on it was published in 1948, the Racetrack Playa, a smooth desert floor in Death Valley National Park, has had geologists scratching their heads. With irregular frequency, sometimes every third or fourth year, giant rocks travel inexplicably across the surface; some in straight lines, others in zig-zag patterns; others, again, across a certain distance, before turning 180 degrees and continuing in another direction. The evidence is there to see; each rock leaves a deep trail along the desert floor. But no one has ever seen them move.

The surrounding environment – Dea...

It is fierce, noisy and eats almost everything in sight, but now the Tasmanian devil is facing its biggest threat in 70 years.

Mention ‘Tasmanian devil’ to someone and chances are they’ll think of Taz, the dribbling Looney Tunes character chasing rabbits and ducks with a boundless appetite. Taz is strong and determined, spinning through trees, rocks and slurping lakes dry through a straw. But he’s also woefully stupid; naïve, temperamental and comically impatient.

The real-life inspiration behind Taz is less known. In the forests of Tasmania, an archipelago of some 300 islands 240 kilometres south-east of mainland Australia, the genuine Tasmanian devil roams. There are between 10,000 and 50,000. Funnily enough, the devil shares many traits with Taz...