Dracula, Batman — let's face it, that's what comes to mind when we think about bats. But while we might only know a little about bats, the impact we are having on them is huge. Documenting the extent of the species' decline has been a challenge; but finding out more about their migrational patterns might hold the key.

The Congo Basin is home to the second-largest equatorial rainforest after the Amazon. A vital carbon sink, it also supports endangered wildlife like gorillas and forest elephants — as well as 75 million people, who rely on it for survival. But illegal logging is putting this natural wonder at risk.

Civil war, deforestation, disease and poaching nearly drove mountain gorillas at Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park to extinction, and humans remain their biggest threat. But thanks to conservation efforts and ecotourism, numbers of the gentle giants are increasing again.

This weekend, people in many countries will be marking Mothers' Day with bouquets of fresh flowers. Some of these blooms will have made a long journey from East Africa — where their environmental impact is nothing to celebrate.

Canadian President Justin Trudeau has been vocal about his commitment to climate protection. But now, he's coming to blows with environmentalists and the provincial government of British Columbia over a massive oil pipeline.

The upcoming COP24 climate summit will be held in Katowice, deep in Poland's industrial and coal mining heartland. Its air quality is among the worst in Europe. But the town is trying to clean up its act. And if Katowice can go green, perhaps anywhere can.

Los Angeles has the greatest density of cars in the US — and a massive network of roads. In summer the asphalt absorbs sunlight and heats up, warming the air above it, an effect that will be exacerbated by climate change. But cool paving could change all that.

Antarctica may be the driest and coldest continent on Earth, but it's home to a surprising diversity of life. In fact, many of these hardy creatures are found nowhere else on our planet. Now scientists are in a race against time to assemble a catalogue of life and protect the frozen continent's extraordinary ecosystems.

Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is home to one of the world's largest populations of endangered mountain gorillas. It's also considered one of the most dangerous wildlife sanctuaries — more than 170 rangers have been killed in the last 20 years. Bettina Rühl went to Virunga to find out more.

The Hula Valley is one of the favorite resting spots for cranes migrating every year between Europe and Africa. Now that spring is finally here in the Northern Hemisphere, it's time for them to move on to their chosen breeding grounds. Ruby Russell has this report, filed from northern Israel by Tim Assmann.