CONTENTSDecember 2021 • Volume 93 • Issue 12

COVER STORY

24RETURNOFTHEBEAVERS A consultation is underway to officially return beavers at the national level across Britain. Conservationists hope that the species will revive nature’s intrinsic messiness for the benefit of all.

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HALAL TOURISM With the market for Muslim travellers growing at pace, holiday-makers and tourists alike are broadening their horizons, opening up new opportunities

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MERCI DIX In Morocco, people don’t Uber. Instead, they pile into so-called grand taxis – battered but colourful old diesel Mercedes.

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CLEANING THE GODDESS The Ganges is one of the most polluted rivers on Earth, but some are working to see it cleaned up

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SPOTLIGHT ON: TRENTINO Exploring northern Italy’s iconic forests and the people brining them back to life.

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DEPARTMENTS WORLDWATCH 6 Biocultural diversity 8 Gene-edited crops; Climatewatch 10 Shape-shifting animals 12 Hotspot: Sudan 14 Research round-up

REGULARS 48 Geo-graphic: Mountains 58 Reviews 63 Gallery: Flower Fields 70 Geo-photographer: Hoda Ashfar 72 Where in the World? 73 Crossword 74 In Society 75 RGS–IBG events 76 Discovering Britain 78 RGS-IBG archive 82 Next month: Cures from the Irish boglands

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