DEVELOPMENT
Editorial Director: Richard Easby
Creative Director: Karen Thompson
Editorial Manager: Brenna Maloney
Senior Editor: Corinne Rucker
Media Manager: Jay Sumner
Rights Clearance Specialist: Jean Cantu
Designer: Patrick Cavanagh
Production: Emily McKean
BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS
Operations Manager: Emily Mallozzi
Program Manager: Erin West Kephart
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION
VP, Strategy & Innovation: Jennifer Aguilar
VP, Global Education Strategy: Lina Gomez
VP, Education Programs: Kim Hulse
Printed by Quad Graphics
Digital Design: Schuttelaar & Partners
Digital Content Platform: H5mag
PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
President and COO: Mike Ulica
EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary: Angelo Grima
EVP, Chief Education Officer: Dr. Vicki Phillips
Chief Administrative Officer: Tara Bunch
Chief of Content, Communications and Public Affairs: Kalee Kreider
SVP, Global Engagement: Emma Carrasco
SVP, Chief Storytelling Officer: Kaitlin Yarnall
Chief Human Resources Officer: Mara Dell
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
(ISSN 1541-3357) is published seven times during the school year—September, October, November–December, January–February, March, April, May—by National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Attn: Explorer Magazine, National Geographic Society, PO Box 291875, Kettering, OH 45429. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices.
Copyright © 2020 National Geographic Society. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents of National Geographic Explorer without written permission is prohibited. National Geographic, National Geographic Explorer, and the Yellow Border are trademarks of the National Geographic Society.
DIGITAL CREDITS |COVER: © KONRAD WOTHE/MINDEN PICTURES. TOC: (BACKGROUND) XUANYU HAN/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES; (PHILIPPINES MARSH) GAB MEJIA; (BOG) LOUISE HEUSINKVELD/OXFORD SCIENTIFIC/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; (CARBON ILLUSTRATION) STEVE MCCRACKEN; (DRAGONFLY) J.P. LABUSCHAGNE; (MARSH) GAB MEJIA; (MANGROVE) J. BOONE KAUFFMAN. SPECIAL ISSUE: WETLANDS: (PITCHER PLANTS) CAROL DEMBINSKY/DEMBINSKY PHOTO ASSOCIATES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (MARSH VILLAGE) GAB MEJIA; (MANGROVE) J. BOONE KAUFFMAN. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: (ILLUSTRATION) PARAGORN DANGSOMBROOM/SHUTTERSTOCK; (DEVELOPMENT) CAMERON DAVIDSON/PHOTOGRAPHER’S CHOICE/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; (AGRICULTURE) ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; (INVASIVE SPECIES) SMITH COLLECTION/GADO/GETTY IMAGES; (CLIMATE CHANGE) DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES NEWS. WETLANDS OF THE WORLD: (BOG) © BEN HALL/2020VISION/NPL/MINDEN PICTURES; (MOSS) © ALEX HYDE/NPL/MINDEN PICTURES; (FROG) DALE SUTTON/NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; (MANGROVE & MANGROVE ROOTS) LAILA STERN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (SCARLET IBIS) WILDLIFE GMBH/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (SWAMP) © TIM FITZHARRIS/MINDEN PICTURES; (TUPELO TREES) DANITA DELIMONT/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (CROCODILE) © JIROYA MINAKUCHI/MINDEN PICTURES; (MARSH) BLAINE HARRINGTON III/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (PAPYRUS) CAROLINE VANCOILLIE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (EAGLE) © ANDREW SCHOEMAN/NIS/MINDEN PICTURES. BALANCE FOR THE BOGS: (BOG) LOUISE HEUSINKVELD/OXFORD SCIENTIFIC/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; (EMILY INSET) MARK THIESSEN/NG STAFF; (TREES & CLOUDS BACKGROUND) EMILY TONER; (EMILY IN FIELD) JEROME DELBRIDGE; (MOSS BOUQUET & SPHAGNUM) EMILY TONER; (MAPS) MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD; (BOG ILLUSTRATION) THE LIVING BOG (LIFE14 NAT/IE/000032)/ WWW.RAISEDBOGS.IE; (CUT PEAT, MAN WITH PEAT, BURNING PEAT) EMILY TONER; (EMILY WITH MAN) JEN GUYTON; (PLANT) EMILY TONER. CARBON SOURCES VS CARBON SINKS: (ILLUSTRATATION) STEVE MCCRACKEN; (BACKGROUND) GAB MEJIA; (HARVESTING PEAT) GABRIEL12/SHUTTERSTOCK; (BOG CROSS SECTION) STEPHEN BARNES/SHUTTERSTOCK WETLANDS CARBON ACTIVITY: (SWAMP) JOSEPH H. BAILY/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION; (FOREST FIRE) YELANTSEVV/SHUTTERSTOCK; (SEAWEED) RICH CAREY/SHUTTERSTOCK; (FARM ANIMALS) CLEARVIEWIMAGES RF/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (PLANTS) JACKY PARKER PHOTOGRAPHY/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES; (CARS) MILEHIGHTRAVELER/E+/GETTY IMAGES; (HANDS & SOIL) BLUEDOG STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK. FLYING FLOWERS OF RWANDA: (LAKE BURERA) ERASME UYIZEYE; (ERASME INSET) MARK THIESSEN/NG STAFF; (DRAGONFLY ILLUSTRATIONS) TOTIART/SHUTTERSTOCK; (BIG MAP) SAM GUILFORD/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LABS; (EARTH INSET) MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD; (DRAGONFLY PHOTOS ALL) J.P. LABUSCHAGNE. PROTECTING THE MARSH: (GAB MEJIA PHOTO) MARK THIESSEN/NG STAFF; (EARTH) MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD; (ALL OTHER PHOTOS & PEAT FIRE VIDEO) GAB MEJIA MANAGING MANGROVES: (MANGROVE) J. BOONE KAUFFMAN; (ANGELO INSET) MARK THIESSEN/NG STAFF; (EARTH) MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD; (IBIS) MARTIN MECNAROWSKI/SHUTTERSTOCK; (WORMS) J. BOONE KAUFFMAN; (MAN IN TREE) ANGELO FRAGA BERNARDINO. THE FUTURE OF WETLANDS: SAVEJUNGLE/SHUTTERSTOCK. THE END PHOTO: JAMES ZIPP/SCIENCE SOURCE/GETTY IMAGES PLUS.