location: Africa

location: Africa

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Climate shocks hit hydropower in Southern Africa, reviving interest in coal
- Prolonged droughts, especially those linked to the 2023–24 El Niño, exposed the vulnerability of Zambia and Zimbabwe’s hydropower-dependent electricity systems, triggering severe power shortages and renewing interest in coal.
- While coal is viewed as a short-term solution to stabilize electricity supplies and support industrialization, it could undermine Paris Agreement commitments, lock in carbon emissions and reduce export competitiveness as trade rules that put a cost on carbon emissions come into play.
- Households and businesses in Zimbabwe are increasingly investing in rooftop solar, demonstrating that decentralized renewable energy is becoming a practical response to unreliable grid electricity.
- Although solar power is becoming more cost-effective, limited access to finance and policies that continue to favor fossil fuels are slowing the transition to cleaner, climate-resilient energy systems across Southern Africa.

Central African Republic’s Dzanga-Sangha tests the promise of wildlife tourism
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In the Central African Republic, a country often seen mainly through the lens of instability, a different story is unfolding in its southwest. In March, Mongabay Africa program director David Akana and I spent time in and around […]
World Ranger Day: Justice for the protectors of the wild
July 31 is World Ranger Day, which celebrates the work rangers do for the natural world and commemorates those killed or injured in the line of duty. Among them was Anton Mzimba, head ranger at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa, where he had served for 25 years. On July 26, 2022, Mzimba was […]
Before giant meat producer JBS expands to Nigeria, people deserve answers (commentary)
- The world’s largest meat company is pursuing a $2.5 billion investment that could reshape Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
- Critics are calling for greater transparency about this plan and point to JBS’ legacy in the Amazon of deforestation, land grabbing, forced labor, invasions of Indigenous territories, intimidation and violence against small-scale farmers, among other concerns.
- “The central issue is not whether Nigeria should welcome investment, but whether a project of this scale will be subjected to the level of transparency, scrutiny, and due diligence needed to ensure that its benefits do not come with avoidable environmental and human rights costs,” argues an expert with Climate Rights International.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

It’s time we recognize the roles of rangers — and prioritize their safety (commentary)
- Two rangers who were badly injured in a serious vehicle accident while on duty in Mozambique earlier this month faced different outcomes: While one was enrolled in an insurance scheme that covers medical treatment and evacuation for rangers injured in the field, the other was not and faced far more limited options for his ongoing care and recovery.
- Increasingly, rangers are being called upon to operate in environments shaped by organized crime, armed conflict, and geopolitical instability, with climate change and climate-related disasters adding another layer of complexity.
- “Advocating for rangers’ work and highlighting the resources they lack matter more than ever, because the job role itself is evolving,” writes Louise de Bruin, CEO of the Game Rangers Association of Africa.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

Kenya investigates mysterious deaths of 15 elephants in Amboseli
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is investigating the deaths of 15 elephants in the Amboseli savannah ecosystem, near the border with Tanzania. KWS told Mongabay that some preliminary laboratory investigations have found a toxic substance in the dead elephants. The animals were found between June 24 and July 24, 2026, at the Kimana Sanctuary and Kuku […]
Conservation shouldn’t gamble with nonnative species introductions (commentary)
- There is a recent trend of introducing ungulates like various antelope species outside their natural home ranges, a practice that carries large risks and should only be carried out under very limited circumstances, a new op-ed argues.
- This is why the IUCN’s guidelines for responsible wildlife translocation classify the importation of nonnative wildlife as something to be carried out only under a very narrow set of exceptional circumstances.
- “Isn’t the essence of conservation about, as much as possible, allowing evolution to run its course un-engineered? The IUCN guidelines exist for good reason, and history suggests they should be followed,” the authors write.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.

Kenyan teen leads charge on tree planting and climate awareness
- Kenyan teenager Baraka Moruri has planted more than 7,600 trees over the last four years with the help of his family, friends and private organizations.
- He says he wants children to be better engaged in climate action and policy, arguing that they have ideas and energy to contribute.
- Climate finance experts say less than 1% of international climate finance gets to youth- and children-led projects, despite climate change affecting their health, education and food security.

Rare palm tree rediscovered in Madagascar after nearly 100 years
Researchers have tracked down 28 individuals of a palm tree species last recorded in Madagascar nearly 100 years ago. Nearly every tree of the species, Ravenea latisecta, was found within four protected areas in the Andasibe-Mantadia region of Madagascar, according to a recent study. “Andasibe–Mantadia is one of Madagascar’s best-explored botanical regions, and Ravenea latisecta […]
Forests in Liberia are falling to cocoa, in half a year the EU could ban imports
On this week’s episode of the Mongabay Newscast, we speak with features writer Ashoka Mukpo, who traveled to southeastern Liberia to investigate what satellite images indicated was a spike in deforestation over a relatively concentrated period. Along with video production coordinator Juan Maza, Mukpo documented illegal cacao plantations in the rainforests in the county of […]
Women’s collectives are protecting Nigeria’s gorilla wildlife sanctuary
In the communities surrounding Nigeria’s Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, women’s conservation collectives are transforming the protection of a biodiversity hotspot that’s home to the critically endangered Cross River gorilla and endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee. These collectives, operating in villages such as Ulom, Katabang and Buanchor in southeastern Nigeria, were born from a realization that traditional, male-led […]
‘The shape of the land will change:’ South African villages resist heavy sands mine
- Communities in South Africa’s Eastern Cape are opposing a proposed heavy mineral sands mine that a South African company wants permission to operate day and night for 30 years on their communal land.
- They say the land targeted for mining is far from unused, supporting more than a 1,000 cattle, traditional medicine gathering, tourism and facilitates access to the coast and fishing.
- The villagers say that if the mine goes ahead, it will damage livelihoods, ancestral graves, biodiversity and water resources.
- The planned mine could also impact their long-running campaign to acquire commercial seaweed harvesting permits and an existing small-scale sand mining business run by a village committee.

Africa’s smallest wildcat found using abandoned rodent burrows to raise kittens
Africa’s smallest wildcat uses abandoned springhare burrows to raise its kittens, according to new research. There are fewer than 10,000 black-footed cats (Felis nigripes) left in the wild and studies on these nocturnal animals are rare. To learn more about them, a team of researchers tracked five female black-footed cats (Felis nigripes) with radio collars […]
Cheetahs reintroduced to Zambia’s Greater Luangwa Ecosystem
Cheetahs are back in Zambia’s Greater Luangwa Ecosystem, nearly 30 years after the big cats’ last recorded presence in the massive landscape. Six cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), three males and three females, were earlier in July moved by Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and several conservation groups, including the South Africa-based Endangered Wildlife […]
Conservationists got delayed access to court-ordered inspection of Nairobi National Park
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has been accused of harassing co-petitioners in a case challenging the relocation of the Nairobi Animal Orphanage to make it part of the larger Bomas International Conference Complex. The proposal would carve out between 76 and 89 acres inside Nairobi National Park for upgrades to wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facilities. […]
Ghana’s High Court sentences politician to 20 years in illegal mining case
- A court in Accra has sentenced Bernard Antwi Boasiako, a regional chairman of Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party, to 20 years in prison for unlicensed mining in the country’s Samreboi concession.
- In recent years, the area has been massively degraded by illegal mining, known locally as “galamsey,” damaging remaining wildlife habitat, destroying farmland, and altering natural drainage patterns.
- Civil society hopes the conviction of a prominent politician signals that political cover allowing illegal mining will now be reined in.

One scientist’s mission to save Ghana’s disappearing guitarfish
- Fishers from Ghana travel the length of the West African coastline to find the richest fishing grounds, but the availability of this vital source of protein is under threat from a number of sources.
- Declining catches of bony fish like tuna and mackerel have put elasmobranch populations — sharks and rays — under increasing pressure by fishers, who seek them not just to supply local markets for their meat, but to meet lucrative demand for their fins from Asia.
- Sawfish and wedgefish species have now been fished to local extinction in Ghana, and marine biologist Issah Seidu warns guitarfish will be next.
- Earlier this year, Seidu was the recipient of a Whitley Award, which will support the work of his NGO alongside Ghanaian fishing communities to research and protect guitarfish.

First sighting of African wild dogs in Malawi national park in more than 10 years
Four African wild dogs were recently spotted in Kasungu National Park in Malawi, making it the first confirmation of the endangered species in the park in more than a decade. The wild dogs appear to have travelled hundreds of kilometers from a park in eastern Zambia to reach Kasungu. Matthew Becker, chief executive of the […]
A Tunisian phosphate plant that sickens children so US, Europe can get fertilizer
- Toxic emissions from a phosphate processing plant in the Tunisian port city of Gabès have left residents reporting respiratory problems and other illnesses. Children are among the hardest hit.
- A Mongabay and ARIJ analysis of Sentinel-5 satellite imagery found concentrations of air pollutants in the area that may have reached up to nine times the World Health Organization’s recommended limits.
- The city’s coastal waters – historically a biodiversity hotspot and a fish and shellfish nursery – have suffered severe damage from phosphate-related pollution, according to scientific studies and local fishermen.
- Phosphate is one of Tunisia’s most valuable exports and a key ingredient in fertilizer shipped to overseas markets, including the United States, Europe and India. Companies buying phosphate products from the Gabès factory, including giants EuroChem and U.S.-based Koch Fertilizer, did not respond to requests for comment.

Oil has harmed the nature and people of the Niger Delta; human rights may save it
On this week’s episode of the Mongabay Newscast, I speak with travel writer Noo Saro-Wiwa. She has documented the violence and natural destruction that the presence of oil companies have brought to the people of the Niger Delta in her latest book, The Burning Ground: Oil and Militancy in Nigeria. Saro-Wiwa is also the daughter […]
‘We couldn’t breathe’: DRC villagers revive protest against Perenco over pollution
- Residents of Kitombe, in southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, accuse multinational oil giant Perenco, controlled by the French Perrodo family, of causing severe air and soil pollution linked to oil extraction activities.
- Villagers reported respiratory problems, dizziness, diarrhea and crop failures after a major gas release from a crude oil storage facility in April 2025.
- A parliamentary investigation supported residents’ claims and flagged missing evidence at the site after the incident.
- One year later, communities say they received no medical support or compensation and environmental remediation hasn’t been done. Frustrated residents blocked access roads to Perenco facilities in May, temporarily disrupting oil operations.

Report reveals Cambodia’s appetite for tigers, rhinos and other endangered wildlife
- Illegal wildlife trade, primarily catering to Chinese nationals, is thriving in Cambodia, according to a new undercover investigation by Earth League International, a U.S.-based NGO fighting environmental crime.
- Investigators identified five kingpins allegedly running transnational criminal networks in Cambodia that are involved in wildlife smuggling, human and drug trafficking and operate scam centers that defraud targets of money. ELI also mapped trade networks and gathered information on what species are sold and who buys them.
- The report found many endangered animals and their parts, including tigers, elephants, rhinos and pangolins, openly sold mostly to high-ranking government officials, Chinese expats, wealthy businessmen and Chinese tourists.
- The report urges China to act against Chinese scam center owners and corrupt officials who facilitate illegal activity and wildlife trade, along with reducing demand for endangered species within its borders.

Pangolin DNA study links local wild meat markets to global trafficking networks
Pangolin scales and other body parts trafficked internationally appear to come from the same areas that supply the animals for local wild meat markets, a new study has found. It created a DNA database and location-prediction model for three threatened species: the white-bellied (Phataginus tricuspis), Sunda (Manis javanica) and Chinese (Manis pentadactyla) pangolins. Pangolins are […]
WHO evacuated health workers from Ebola treatment center due to armed clashes
On July 15, gunfire erupted between armed groups near an Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) in Nyankunde (or Nyakunde), located 45 kilometers (28 miles) southwest of Bunia in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Following the fighting, medical personnel from the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa CDC and the NGO Samaritan’s Purse evacuated from Nyankunde, […]
Tiny trackers reveal where migratory shorebirds need protection across Africa
- For the first time in South Africa, scientists monitored the migrations of 23 small wading birds from the country’s west coast as they embarked on a migration to the Arctic tundra, uncovering stopover sites they say could benefit from protection.
- In February 2026, the researchers captured 23 birds in Western Cape province and tagged them with tiny satellite transmitters to followed their movements, tracing different routes across Africa.
- Six of the birds have since reached their breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra, while six stayed in Africa, and eight stopped transmitting.
- The research project, a collaboration between BirdLife South Africa and other partners, is helping to shed light on the routes the birds take, and inform conservation action.

Clean cooking expands at record pace in Africa, but lags behind population growth
- Around 15 million people gained access to clean cooking in sub-Saharan Africa in 2025, and the region is set for its fastest-ever expansion in access to clean cooking in 2026.
- One billion people, however, continue to cook with highly polluting fuels like firewood, charcoal and kerosene, as population growth outpaces progress.
- Of the $2.2 billion pledged to furthering clean cooking access in Africa at the 2024 Summit on Clean Cooking Africa, $740 million has been disbursed across 30 countries, according to an International Energy Agency report.
- The report estimates that Africa could reach universal access by 2040 if it matches the fastest historical rates of progress, backed by sustained investment and stronger policies, but the ongoing Middle East crisis has seen a surge in prices of cooking gas.

Something strange is happening in Liberia
Liberia is losing its rainforest at an alarming rate. Satellite data reveals rapid deforestation across one of West Africa’s last remaining intact rainforests, driven largely by illegal cocoa plantations supplying the global demand for chocolate. To find out more, we travel deep into Liberia’s forests to speak with migrant cocoa workers, forest rangers, and community […]
Why are forests vanishing in southeastern Liberia?
GRAND GEDEH, Liberia – In the past century, most of West Africa’s Upper Guinean rainforest has been lost to commercial agriculture, infrastructure development and logging. More than half of what’s left is in Liberia, and the remaining rainforest now faces a threat that’s already driven much of the region’s deforestation: cacao production. In the past […]
Fighting new oil blocks in the Congo Basin: Interview with activist Pascal Mirindi
- Pascal Mirindi is a Congolese environmental activist fighting oil exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- In 2022, as the Congolese government promoted new oil blocks in eastern DRC, Mirindi and his friends created a movement to raise community awareness of the dangers of fossil fuel exploitation.
- In late 2024, the Congolese government initiated a green corridor extending from the eastern to the western side of the country, aiming to establish the “largest protected tropical forest in the world,” yet a few months later, the country launched new oil blocks covering 60% of the country’s surface.
- Mirindi spoke with Mongabay in June about his activism and the future of the DRC.

‘Chasing Deforestation’ in Liberia: Behind the scenes with Mongabay
- In a new episode of “Chasing Deforestation,” Mongabay investigates the emergence of a cocoa industry in southeastern Liberia that is destroying its forests.
- Mongabay reporters traveled deep into the Liberian rainforest to find illegal cacao farms with the help of forest rangers and eco-guards.
- The investigation was led by Mongabay Africa bureau features writer Ashoka Mukpo.

The vanishing forests on Liberia’s cocoa frontier
- Liberia’s remote southeast, home to some of West Africa’s last remaining rainforests, is facing a deforestation crisis driven by cacao farming.
- Tens of thousands of workers from neighboring Côte d’Ivoire have migrated across the border in recent years, driven by land shortages and a price boom.
- This “cocoa rush” destroyed more forest in Liberia’s Grand Gedeh county last year than in any county on record since 2002.

Like ‘climbing Kilimanjaro’ without help: Interview with a Limpopo conservationist
- In South Africa’s Limpopo province, one man, Tshilidzi Mulugana, spearheaded a community project to educate youth about conservation and replant indigenous trees.
- The project received some initial funding, which lasted a few months; despite current financial constraints, Mulugana and his wife continue the push to change the way local residents view trees.
- He says some community members make a living from cutting and selling firewood, and many people are not interested in conservation without compensation; meanwhile, repeated floods have washed away trees and vegetation.
- Mulugana spoke with Mongabay about the challenges he and his wife face in running a community conservation effort on their own.

New colobus monkey, ‘Likweli’, confirmed in DRC
In 2008, wildlife researchers surveying a massive, underexplored forested region in the Democratic Republic of Congo photographed a black monkey. That region eventually became Lomami National Park. And now, nearly 20 years later, the team has confirmed in a study that the black primate is a new-to-science species of colobus monkey. The monkey isn’t well […]
South Africa’s free-roaming cheetahs in steep decline, first national census finds
- The first thorough census of free-roaming cheetahs in South Africa finds less than 100 mature adult individuals, much less than previous estimates.
- The researchers confirmed cheetahs in less than half of what is currently defined as suitable habitat by the IUCN and called for the adjustment of habitat maps based on current field data.
- The biggest threats are habitat fragmentation due to development and infrastructure, and persecution by landowners who perceive cheetahs as threats to their livestock.

How a spiritual practice is preserving Benin’s mangroves
In the West African nation of Benin, Vodun, an ancient spiritual religion rooted in a deep connection between humans and nature, has become a primary tool for protecting the country’s disappearing mangroves. By invoking the authority of the Zangbéto deity, local communities and conservationists create spiritual sanctuaries that forbid the destruction of mangroves under threat […]
Waste, women & environmental justice: Interview with Nubian activist Malasen Hamida
- Malasen Hamida, a Nubian Muslim woman from Nairobi’s Kibera, hopes to gain a seat in the Kenyan Parliament as she continues her work in environmental activism.
- Hamida founded the Mazingira Women Initiative, focusing on waste management, smart farming, land rights and women’s leadership.
- She spoke with Mongabay about the history of her people, who were brought to East Africa as soldiers in the King’s African Rifles and given 1,698 hectares, an area that has since diminished to 116 hectares.
- She says the fact that Mazingira is women-led is strategic: “If an environmental issue becomes a priority for a woman, she will ensure it works because she knows it is not for her alone. It is for the long-term well-being of the whole family.”

Gus Mills, hyena expert and ‘the cheerful pessimist of the Kalahari’, has died
- Gus Mills spent more than four decades studying hyenas, wild dogs, cheetahs, and other African carnivores.
- After struggling in school, he found his vocation in field biology and began long-term research in the Kalahari in 1972.
- His work challenged common misconceptions about hyenas and showed the value of patient observation, public participation, and ecosystem-based management.
- Even after retiring from SANParks, he returned to the Kalahari for a six-year cheetah study that involved 7,000 hours of observation.

Celebrating World Chimpanzee Day
Happy World Chimpanzee Day. On July 14, as the world celebrates one of humans’ closest living relatives, here’s a roundup of recent Mongabay stories about chimpanzees and their world: Chimps at war in Kibale National Park Chimpanzees, like humans, sometimes fight wars with each other. Mongabay contributor Keith Anthony Fabro reported on a chimpanzee (Pan […]
Why Africa should link nutritional data with fisheries management (commentary)
- The Our Ocean Conference in Kenya last month put Africa’s ocean future in the global spotlight, but the real test now is whether new commitments help countries build the systems needed to manage aquatic foods for people and not just for production, trade and conservation, a new op-ed argues.
- Fisheries ministries count landings, and health ministries count nutritional deficiencies, but rarely do the two talk to each other — a problem which can be addressed when the right data is gathered and communicated.
- “If Africa can pivot to managing fisheries not only for how much is produced, but for what the catch means for its people’s nutrition, the next generation of fisheries management will be able to harness its oceans for greater social impact and inclusive development,” writes Essam Yassin, director general of research organization WorldFish.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

How birders in Chad ‘found’ the rusty lark, a bird lost to science for nearly a century
- In February, French ornithologists and their Chadian colleagues spotted a bird not seen, heard or recorded by scientists in nearly a century while surveying water birds in Chad’s wetlands.
- The team, which included birders Pierre Defos du Rau and Julien Birard, photographed the rusty lark, a wetland species native to the Sahel, producing the first images of this mysterious bird.
- Though known to science for more than a century, the bird has remained an enigma, with little known about its life cycle, habitat or the threats it faces.
- Bird enthusiasts say they hope this accidental rediscovery could help Chad secure the money it needs for conservation in a game reserve devoid of the charismatic megafauna associated with Africa.

What will Africa’s story on ocean governance be? Interview with David Willima
- With the High Seas Treaty in force, African proposals to designate marine protected areas in international waters are taking shape.
- Maritime security expert David Willima talks about why the West African marine protected area proposal is advanced and why others still require careful coordination.
- Willima says that with the current transformation marine governance is going through, African countries need to be actively engaged in order to have a voice in global decision-making.

Conserving Sierra Leone’s western chimpanzees: Interview with Tacugama’s Willie Tucker
- Habitat destruction, illegal wildlife trade and climate change remain the leading threats to the western chimpanzee population in Sierra Leone.
- Through community livelihood programs including livestock and seed support, conservationists are trying to help reduce dependence on forests and hunting.
- In 2019, Sierra Leone designated the western chimpanzee as the country’s national animal, strengthening public awareness and support for conservation.
- Willie Tucker, camp supervisor of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, spoke with Mongabay about the sanctuary’s work at the forefront of western chimpanzee conservation, as the facility currently cares for more than 100 western chimpanzees, many of which were rescued from private homes.

Desert rain frogs threatened with extinction in southern Africa
The survival of a unique frog species that lives in the coastal sand dunes of South Africa and Namibia is under threat from diamond mining, the proposed Boegoebaai Green Hydrogen Project and climate change. The desert rain frog (Breviceps macrops) has been moved to a higher threat category, from near threatened to vulnerable, on the […]
Ethiopia’s iconic Walia ibex is critically endangered once again
The Walia ibex, a rare species of wild goat found only in northern Ethiopia, is once again considered critically endangered, after recent population estimates showed a sustained decline below a key threshold. The iconic species, largely confined to the remote, steep cliffs of Simien Mountains National Park, was previous listed as vulnerable on the Red […]
 Seeking swordfish, catching dolphins and whales: EU pushes to rein in driftnets
- Environmental groups continue to allege widespread illegal use of driftnets in the Mediterranean Sea.
- The use of driftnets — fishing nets, sometimes kilometers long, that drift with the ocean currents — is prohibited to catch large pelagic species like swordfish.
- Highlighting that current measures lack adequate definitions and enforcement provisions, the European Union presented a proposal to strengthen international restrictions on driftnet fishing at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas technical meeting in June.
- Morocco, one of the countries most criticized for the use of illegal large driftnets, has emerged as a strong supporter of the proposal.

Confronting culture to protect vultures: Interview with Nigeria’s Michael Williams
- Michael Manja Williams, an ornithologist and wildlife researcher, has traversed 18 states across Nigeria, studying how cultural practices have spurred a rapid decline in Nigeria’s vulture numbers.
- Williams cites negative public perceptions about vultures as a significant challenge and trains what he calls Vulture Guardians to counteract these beliefs.
- With an increasing number of younger Nigerians lending support to conservation, he is hopeful about the future of vultures in Nigeria.
- Williams recently spoke to Mongabay about his foray into vulture conservation and the challenges thus far.

Ugandan farmers sue TotalEnergies’ oil pipeline project in UK court
Four Ugandan farmers have filed a lawsuit before the High Court in London, U.K., against a contentious oil pipeline under construction in Uganda and Tanzania, human rights group Avaaz announced at a press conference on July 7. The 1,443-kilometer (897-mile) East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) will stretch from the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields […]
Clinical trials begin in DRC epicenter of Bundibugyo strain of Ebola
- Clinical trials that aim to establish a standard treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is driving the current outbreak, began on July 2.
- The trials are being conducted in Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak.
- Dr. Placide Mbala of the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), is in charge of clinical trials, said the trials could take between three and six months, depending on how the disease evolves on the ground.

Cabo Verde program and its fishers have been protecting the sea for 10 years
- In Cabo Verde, 190 fishers from seven of the archipelago’s 10 islands volunteer with the Guardians of the Sea program, reporting illegal practices and sightings of marine megafauna as they go about their daily fishing work.
- Their presence at sea acts as a strong deterrent against illegal activities and raises awareness among other fishers about the importance of long-term, sustainable marine management, according to a program co-founder.
- Fishers have always been a pillar of Cabo Verde’s economy and identity. The country hosts a fleet of approximately 1,535 vessels, ranging from artisanal to semi-industrial, and the sector provides a livelihood for coastal families.

Belief-based use increasing threat to yellow-billed kite, an important African scavenger
- Yellow-billed kites are widespread across Africa. But conservationists warn that in the absence of heavily-hunted vultures, this bird is now targeted for use in belief-based rituals in West Africa.
- A survey spanning two hunting seasons in southern Benin estimated that more than 20,000 yellow-billed kites were poached for consumption and for sale in fetish markets. Researchers tallied nearly 2,000 birds for sale in markets.
- Poaching is also occurring in neighboring Togo and Nigeria.
- Experts are concerned that at this scale, poaching could quickly lead to population-level declines. They urge action to control hunting and sale of this bird.

‘The only possible transition is a just transition’: Interview with WEF’s Clemence Schmid
- Kenya formally launched the National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) in collaboration with the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), an initiative of the World Economic Forum, at the Our Ocean conference held in Mombasa.
- Plastic pollution is a pressing threat to Kenya’s marine ecosystems, fisheries and coastal livelihoods, driven by poor or non-existent waste management on land, along the coast and at sea.
- The initiative seeks to accelerate the transition to a circular plastics economy, which aims to reduce plastic pollution, valorize materials traditionally considered ‘waste’ and generate economic opportunities in the process.
- Mongabay spoke to Clemence Schmid, Director, Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), on the sidelines of the Mombasa conference to understand what the collaborative effort is trying to achieve in Kenya.

As East Africa’s oceans change, coastal women build new livelihoods
MALINDI, Kenya (AP) — Across East Africa’s coastline, climate change and industrial fishing are threatening the livelihoods of millions who depend on the ocean. In Kenya, women are turning to community tourism, mangrove restoration and other nature-based enterprises as declining fish stocks force them to adapt. Their experiences mirror a regional push to strengthen coastal […]
The women leading a quiet conservation revolution in a Nigerian gorilla sanctuary
- Women’s conservation collectives in the communities surrounding Nigeria’s Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary are working to defend the wildlife, forests and rivers in a protected area that’s home to threatened gorillas and chimpanzees.
- Funded by membership dues, these groups carry out patrols, investigate wildlife crimes, and work collaboratively with traditional leadership structures to censure violators.
- One of the groups’ notable successes comes in ensuring that rules aimed at protecting the environment are upheld without bias or favoritism.
- The successes of the pioneering women’s collectives have inspired the formation of similar initiatives in other villages surrounding the sanctuary.

Sightings off Southern Africa suggest blue and fin whales may be rebounding
Sightings of blue whales and fin whales off Southern Africa’s Atlantic coast have increased in recent years, according to a newly published study. This could signal recovery of the marine mammals after being virtually eliminated from the area by commercial whaling in the 20th century, the study authors say. Scientists estimate around 350,000 Antarctic blue […]
Malawi agroecologists see opportunity in Gulf fertilizer supply disruption
- Geopolitics in the Middle East that has affected shipping through the Strait of Hormuz risk disrupting fertilizer supplies and drive-up prices ahead of the next planting season.
- Small-scale farmers are already dealing with effects of land degradation, and high input costs, with the cost of urea increasing from $96 to $103 for a 50kg bag in a matter of months, before planting season.
- Agroecologists say the instability is an opportunity for the country to refocus on manure, compost and crop diversification to reduce dependence on fertilizer and maize.
- Some farmers remain hopeful that the synthetic fertilizer, on which they rely for improved harvests, will be at least available.

Running on empty: How the gulf war is threatening Kenya’s food security
- Tensions in the Gulf that have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, causing fertilizer prices to rise. Despite the Kenyan government’s subsidy program, farmers have to deal with high fuel and other input costs.
- At least 26% of Kenya’s fertilizer supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The government has, however, assured its citizens of adequate stocks of fertilizer, with plans to diversify imports.
- Meanwhile, farmers foresee reduced yields, despite government subsidy program, while commercial fertilizer prices continue to soar amid rising fuel costs.
- Kenya has to also deal with land degradation attributed to soil erosion, poor farming practices, overuse of synthetic fertilizers and climate change impacts such as floods.

Zambia’s bumper harvest masks likely food insecurity amid geopolitics and climate threats
- Zambia may seem food-secure now, with recent adequate rains and bumper harvests, but experts say it could be short-lived as global geopolitical tensions drive up fertilizer and fuel costs.
- Experts say the urban populations are the most likely to bear the brunt of the Gulf tensions, as they heavily depend on imported foodstuffs such as wheat.
- There are calls for the country to build long-term resilience through investment in irrigation, climate-smart agriculture, locally produced fertilizer, and diversified food systems.
- Zambia and the rest of Southern Africa is staring at another round of El Niño, which might disrupt rainfall patterns and affect food production.

Researchers in Nigeria successfully cultivate wild mushroom in agricultural waste
Researchers in Nigeria have cultivated a wild mushroom species using sawdust, an agricultural waste product. This could help develop farming of local mushrooms in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, they report in a recent study. Lentinus squarrosulus is a wild mushroom that typically grows on decaying logs in wild habitats across tropical forests, including […]
Can selective logging help the Congo Basin store more carbon?
- A recent study created a machine-learning program that estimated the amount of carbon dioxide already stored, and sequestered annually, by rainforests in Central Africa’s Congo Basin, the planet’s largest forested carbon sink.
- They found that managed logging concessions, which remove a small number of large trees annually and strictly control other human activities, made up more than half of the net carbon removed by Congo Basin rainforests.
- The authors say these results suggest that expanding logging concessions could help the Congo Basin sequester more carbon while also providing locals with a source of income.
- Other experts, however, argue that addressing local conflicts that lead to illegal forest clearing would be a better way to benefit these forests.

Endangered West African leopards show signs of recovery, despite odds. ‘It’s a win’
- Researchers working in Benin’s Pendjari National Park reported some promising news for West African leopards: Density rose from 2017 to 2023.
- West Africa’ leopards are regionally endangered, with just 354 remaining across the region.
- Pendjari National Park sits within the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex, a large transboundary conservation landscape encompassing national parks, hunting reserves and buffer zones that in recent years has been infiltrated by non-state armed groups operating in the Sahel. While conservation efforts in the national park are working, the security crisis remains a major threat.

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