location: Africa

location: Africa

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At Yerevan’s COP17 biodiversity summit, a steep climb ahead for ‘30 by 30’ target
- At October’s COP17 summit in Yerevan, Armenia, delegates will assess progress towards the Global Biodiversity Framework’s Target 3 — better known as “30 by 30.”
- According to the Protected Planet database, 18.7% of the world’s land and inland waters, along with 10% of its oceans, are currently being protected.
- While more than a million square kilometers of land was added to the database since 2022, the figures fall well short of the framework’s goals.
- Some advocates want Indigenous and traditional territories to be the priority for reaching the goal.

Solar initiative brings power to clinics and jobs to displaced youths in Cameroon
- At least 300 young people affected by a civil war in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions are helping protect newborns in maternity wards they’ve equipped with solar energy.
- More than 100 maternity wards now benefit from solar power thanks to youths trained over the past three years by the Cameroonian company Solar Bright Future, a subsidiary of local NGO Action for Advancing Sustainable Development.
- The initiative, which creates an opportunity for young people displaced by the war, is a finalist for the “Heroes of Tomorrow: U.N. SDG Action Awards,” with the winners to be announced on Oct. 29.

Rare bird finding strengthens case to protect Congo rainforest across borders
- Scientists have made the first record of a rare bird in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo — inside a biosphere reserve that is severely threatened by deforestation.
- The grey-necked picathartes — a bird of the Lower Guinean rainforest — was not previously thought to live as far south as the DRC.
- But records of it there, as well as recent new records of the same species in the southwestern corner of the Republic of Congo and in Angola’s northern Cabinda province, lend impetus for the proposed Mayombe Forest Transfrontier Protected Area (TFPA) — home to other charismatic species like gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants.

5 million Nigerians gain clean cooking access annually, but it’s not enough, experts say
- Nigeria has spent more than a decade trying to shift households away from traditional cooking fuels and has made impressive gains, yet the overall picture shows progress is “uneven.”
- Between 2020 and 2024, the country recorded Africa’s third-fastest growth in clean-cooking access, behind Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya. The number gaining clean cooking access each year averaged 5.4 million in the same time period.
- Yet 168 million Nigerians — more than two-thirds of the population — still cook with polluting fuels such as firewood, charcoal and kerosene.
- Nigeria is home to the world’s second-largest biomass-dependent population after India, according to a U.N.-World Bank assessment, and data show that household fuelwood consumption has risen almost every year between 2019 and 2023.

Mozambique safari operator wins conservation award at COP17
YEREVAN, Armenia — A Mozambican safari operator credited with helping restore wildlife populations in Mozambique’s Zambezi Delta, has won the 2026 Markhor Award, which recognizes contributions to conservation through sustainable wildlife management. Zambeze Delta Safaris, led by professional hunter Mark Haldane, received the award on Oct. 22, 2026, at the ongoing U.N. Biodiversity Conference, COP17, […]
Another mining-linked pollution incident raises alarm over Zambia’s Kafue River
The Zambian government has ordered a copper miner to assess its infrastructure for weaknesses and clean up areas affected by pollution of the Kafue River, after residents downstream of the plant that processes the mine’s waste reported changes in the river’s color, taste, and smell on Sept. 28. The order also requires Konkola Copper Mines […]
Just transition remains elusive for Kenyan women despite robust policies
- Kenya has made significant progress in climate legislation and policy, but a gap remains between its commitments to a just transition and women’s lived realities, particularly the unequal burden of unpaid care work.
- Experts say women’s experiences of climate stress, from collecting firewood and water to navigating floods and losing income, constitute critical expertise that must inform climate financing, policy decisions and adaptation strategies.
- The researchers say a just transition needs three things: The costs and benefits of environmental action must be fairly distributed, people affected by environmental decisions must have a say in those decisions, and historical inequalities leaving some communities exposed to environmental harm cannot be carried forward into a changing climate.

IUCN’s Madhu Rao on the world’s protected areas: Progress, pressures and the race to 2030
- Madhu Rao, chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) told Mongabay governments must confront the conflict between industrial development and biodiversity protection and that expanding protected areas alone will not be enough.
- Rao said that countries must invest in effective management, protect critical ecosystems, support rangers and ensure Indigenous peoples and local communities have a meaningful role in conservation.
- As governments prepare to review progress toward protecting 30% of the world’s land and waters by 2030, Rao identifies a serious gap between international commitments and what happens on the ground.
- Yet she remains cautiously optimistic, arguing that stronger national institutions, better funding and clearer restrictions on damaging industrial activities could still make a difference.

Heavy rains during critical period of cacao cultivation hit Ghana’s yields
- A new study describes how short periods of heavy rainfall play a key role in low cacao harvest yields in Ghana.
- Using newly available data on daily temperatures and precipitation in Ghana, the authors found that rains occurring during the flowering season damage the plants, leading to poorer harvests.
- The findings build on previous research which has found that heat and drought impact cacao harvests, ultimately pushing up global chocolate prices and presenting new challenges to farmers.

Mozambique’s Maputo National Park showcases biodiversity and shelters migratory birds
A recent State of the World’s Birds report found nearly half of the migratory birds assessed are declining. The stark finding comes as world governments are gathered in Armenia for the ongoing U.N. Biodiversity Conference to review progress toward global conservation goals. In southern Mozambique, Maputo National Park illustrates the biodiversity importance of conserving key […]
Nigeria’s parks chief stresses conservation gains amid struggle to protect wildlife
- Nigeria’s National Park Service, with support from the military and conservation organizations, closed the Kila gold mine in Gashaka-Gumti National Park in July, the country’s largest. The operation drove out an estimated 4,000 miners.
- Parks chief Ibrahim Musa Goni calls the intervention a conservation success in an exclusive interview with Mongabay but warns that the miners could return.
- Goni acknowledges broader conservation challenges facing Nigeria’s protected areas, including the deaths of park rangers, inadequate funding and growing insecurity. However, he insists that all 13 operational national parks remain under government control.
- Goni discusses the fate of displaced miners, the role of private conservation partners, wildlife trafficking and his ambition to develop Nigeria’s parks along the ecotourism models of East Africa.

Navigating crisis and opportunity in conservation funding (commentary)
- Cuts to international aid have left conservation organizations facing major funding shortfalls, while growing private philanthropy cannot replace the money lost.
- New funding models offer a chance to improve how conservation is financed and give local organizations greater control, argues Fred Nelson, founder and CEO of Maliasili, in this commentary.
- Indigenous-led and grassroots funds are expanding, alongside philanthropic collaborations that pool resources and support conservation over longer periods.
- Organizations connecting donors with local conservation groups can help more funding reach communities, but stronger accountability and equitable partnerships are needed to ensure those benefits.

‘Exceptionally severe’ oil well eruption in Niger raises fears for threatened desert wildlife
An oil well in southern Niger has been spewing crude oil and gas into the air since Sept. 25, damaging nearby installations and raising concerns about the potential impact on wildlife. Authorities reported the situation was still not fully under control four weeks later. “An environmental incident of exceptional severity occurred at the Goumeri W8 […]
Finance and Indigenous rights top Africans’ agenda as biodiversity summit opens in Yerevan
- As the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity’s 17th summit kicks off in Yerevan, Armenia, on Oct. 19, conservationists say more needs to be done in Africa.
- To meet the global goal of 30 by 30, around 15% more of Africa’s terrestrial and marine territory needs to be protected.
- Funding remains a substantial hurdle as highlighted at the recent oceans conference in Kenya where a review of funding pledged to protect Africa’s oceans since 2014 found $14.3 billion was promised, but only $5.8 billion delivered.

Farmworkers’ health matters: South Africa looks to alternatives for chemical pesticides
- Each year, 385 million cases of pesticide poisoning are reported worldwide, according to the Pesticide Action Network.
- As researchers develop alternatives, farmworkers and environmentalists are raising questions about what should replace hazardous agricultural chemicals.
- One leading alternative is genetically-engineered pesticides, such as RNAi sprays — but there are still important gaps in assessing the safety and effectiveness of these new technologies.
- As further research and studies gather evidence of how GE pesticides might affect farmers and the landscapes they work in, campaigners are making the case for biopesticides.

Nigeria drove thousands of gold miners from a national park. But can it keep them out?
- A military-backed operation has shut down a major illegal gold mining operation in Nigeria’s Gashaka-Gumti National Park. More than 4,000 miners left the site, according to the Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation, which supports the park’s management
- Former miners interviewed by Mongabay described losing their livelihoods, with some turning to other work and others moving to mining sites elsewhere in Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon.
- Nigeria’s top parks official has called the closure a success but warned that miners could return. The operation followed years of tensions around illegal mining.

The uplifting story of one of Zimbabwe’s pioneering women rangers
- Growing up in a ‘poor’ family in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Valley, Nyaradzo Auxilia Hoto struggled to pursue her education. After leaving a marriage she describes as violent, she returned to her parents’ home with her daughter, uncertain about what would come next.
- In 2017, she became one of the first 16 women recruited by Akashinga, an all-female anti-poaching initiative. She went on to command rangers, earn a university degree and become a biodiversity officer responsible for analyzing wildlife data.
- As governments prepare to assess progress toward global biodiversity goals at COP17 in Armenia, Hoto’s journey offers a glimpse into the opportunities conservation can create for rural African women — and the challenges they still face in a profession long dominated by men.

Vulture conservation project to target illegal killing and poisoning in Chad
Conservationists are launching a project to protect dwindling vulture populations in Chad amid a Central Africa-wide decline. Run by the nonprofit Sahara Conservation, the project is part of a larger EU-funded LIFE EV Safe Return program that focuses on protecting the endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus). Egyptian vultures migrate from their breeding sites in the […]
Seagrass meadows may offer coastal communities a more nutritious catch than reefs
- When considering fish as a nutrition source for humans, fish communities living in seagrass meadows may provide a richer mix of nutrients that those found in coral reefs, a study suggests.
- Pollution and climate change threaten seagrass meadows, highlighting the need to integrate public health and food security into conservation policies.
- More than 3.5 million people living in poverty in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, where the study was carried out, depend on seagrass fisheries that can benefit from this new lens of marine conservation.
- “We’re not saying that coral reefs are less important. But our findings highlight how different habitats contribute to food security in complementary ways,” said lead author Benjamin Jones.

Thailand seizes ivory shipment from Zambia, to launch DNA investigation
Authorities in Thailand say they have seized about 400 pieces of African elephant ivory in a shipment of timber from Zambia, and are now testing the contraband to identify the origin of the animals. The tusks were found concealed inside logs in two containers declared as holding processed timber at Laem Chabang Port, Chonburi province, […]
Act before El Niño: Expert worries about deepening hunger in East and South Africa
- The United Nations weather agency (WMO) says El Niño is already underway and getting stronger. It is almost certain to continue through February 2027, according to the WMO.
- Regional weather forecasters predict a 90% chance of heavier-than-usual rain in southern Ethiopia, central to southern Somalia and northeastern Kenya from October to December 2026. Too much rain could cause floods and destroy crops.
- Action Against Hunger, an international aid organization, warns that failed harvests can leave families hungry months after a drought or flood. In southern Madagascar, it says, families are facing food shortages earlier than usual.
- Rotimy Djossaya, the aid organization’s chief impact officer, wants governments and donors to help families prepare now. He says repeated crises and cuts in aid leave people less able to cope with another lost harvest.

Residents of South Africa’s Limpopo province hold breath amid fears of repeat floods
- Tshakhuma in South Africa’s Limpopo province was ravaged by January floods, killing people and disrupting livelihoods.
- Community members say blocked drainages and overgrown river courses exacerbate the problem amid fears of future disasters.
- Residents are finding their own ways to respond, including the use of WhatsApp to warn neighbors of potential flooding.
- The Limpopo government and Makhado municipality have intensified public awareness campaigns in the area, but community members say communication alone is not enough.

South African coal mine advances amid legal challenge and mounting water concerns
- Chinese-controlled MC Mining is advancing its Makhado coal mine toward full production within South Africa’s Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, amid concerns over habitat destruction and the pressure its substantial water demand could place on already scarce regional supplies.
- A 2021 appeal against an amendment to its environmental authorization remains unresolved, with appellants saying the mine cannot lawfully continue; the company disputes this interpretation, arguing that the underlying environmental authorization is valid.
- A disputed water-supply agreement has increased the mine’s reliance on groundwater in an already water-stressed region.
- Makhado is part of wider development plans centered around the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone, raising concerns about cumulative environmental impacts and growing pressure on regional water supplies.

As sand becomes more valuable, Sierra Leone’s Mahera Coast grows more vulnerable
- Sand mining at Sierra Leone’s Mahera Beach is impacting local tourism and coastal ecology while also defacing the landscape.
- Nearly 50,000 cubic meters is extracted from Mahera Beach annually, even as communities are torn between eking out a living and conserving coastal ecosystems.
- Many involved in the sand value chain are women and they disproportionately bear the economic and social burden of the trade.

Protected areas are not for mining: Interview with WWF’s Nadège Nzoyem
- “Protected areas are protected areas,” says Nadège Nzoyem, the regional director of WWF for the Congo Basin, in reference to new studies showing the pressure from mining on protected and conserved areas in Central Africa and globally.
- A new analysis published on Oct. 8 finds that oil and gas blocks overlap with nearly 62 million hectares (153 million acres) of protected and conserved areas across the tropical countries examined, while WWF’s own report finds an average 80% decline in the size of monitored wildlife populations in Africa between 1970 and 2022.
- In an exclusive interview with Mongabay following the release of WWF’s “Living Planet Report 2026,” Nzoyem points to conservation gains in some landscapes but acknowledges continued wildlife declines, insufficient funding, and gaps in monitoring.
- Ahead of a global biodiversity summit in Armenia this month, the interview examines whether conservation commitments translate into effective protection, and seeks Nzoyem’s perspective on WWF’s influence over conservation funding and whether Indigenous peoples and local communities have meaningful decision-making power.

‘A hard reset’: Cape Town to capture and relocate baboon troops
- Authorities in Cape Town are planning to capture and relocate two “highly habituated” troops of chacma baboons that range close to a city suburb.
- The baboons will be moved to enclosures where they will live out the remainder of their lives.
- The impending removal is part of a “hard reset” by authorities after decades of interventions and will be accompanied by a new fence in the northern Cape peninsula and 6,000 baboon-proof bins.
- Some experts say that while baboons should be kept out of urban areas, the plans to remove the troops are not convincing.

In a first for the DRC, a homegrown NGO will co-manage a wildlife reserve
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. For the first time in the modern history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a local nongovernmental organization will co-manage a protected area in the country with its wildlife authority, reports Mongabay’s Elodie Toto. Strong Roots Congo will […]
Oil pollution is drifting into marine protected areas, report finds
Oil slicks from vessels and offshore oil operations repeatedly drifted into marine protected areas around the world between 2022 and 2025, a new analysis has found. The report raises concerns for important habitats for a variety of marine life, including whales, dolphins, and sea turtles. Researchers from SkyTruth, a U.S.-based nonprofit that tracks oil pollution […]
This is a South African cheetah, and it’s in trouble
When researchers mapped almost 100,000 square kilometers of South Africa, or nearly 40,000 square miles, they only found 83 mature adults. They called their project the Free-Roaming Cheetah Census, and it’s the most comprehensive survey of cheetahs ever conducted in the region. The cheetahs that inhabit the unprotected areas here move naturally across borders, going […]
Fishmeal factories take Senegal’s fish from the dinner table
- Senegal’s rapidly growing fishmeal industry is diverting fish from local markets into factories producing feed for farmed seafood and livestock, raising concerns about food security and fishing livelihoods.
- The country’s fishmeal plants have faced repeated accusations of pollution and harming health, with at least eight plants linked to environmental violations, unsustainable fishing practices, and civil unrest between 2018 and 2024.
- Local fish supplies are declining. Fish are increasingly diverted to make fishmeal for export. Coastal communities are struggling. Some fishers are attempting the dangerous sea journey to Europe in search of better prospects.
- The Outlaw Ocean Project investigated Senegal’s fishmeal industry, visiting three factories and speaking with residents, workers and managers about its environmental, economic and human costs.

Ethiopian highlands yield a new species of egg-eating snake
A new-to-science species of egg-eating snake has been documented in the forested mountains of southern Ethiopia, according to a recent study. The snake, which has an ink-black body, bluish skin between its scales, and stark-white throat and belly, has been named the white-throated egg-eater (Dasypeltis albigularis). It’s nonvenomous, feeding entirely on bird eggs, which it […]
Counterfeit seeds threaten African farmers’ crops and climate resilience: Study
In Africa, high-quality seeds can produce improved crops with enhanced nutrition, pest-resistance, and drought tolerance. However, such seeds for maize, vegetables, and cereal crops can be indistinguishable from counterfeit, or “fake” seeds. That’s creating a massive potential for fraud in seed quality that can potentially deprive farmers of access to climate-resilient seeds while putting their […]
Despite legacy court case, Zambian Vedanta mine pollution continues
The Zambian government is investigating a chemical spill in its Copperbelt Province allegedly linked to Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), owned by U.K.-based multinational Vedanta Resources. Residents in Chingola district told Mongabay they observed discoloration of the Kafue River and fish die-off on Sept. 28, raising fresh concerns about the environmental and social impacts of mining […]
Africa’s monitored wildlife populations declined 80% since 1970, new report says
Africa’s monitored wildlife populations have declined an average of 80% since 1970, according to a new global assessment. The report also points to pockets of recovery where conservation efforts have been maintained over decades. The report on the decline in the average size of monitored populations was released Oct. 8 in the Living Planet Report […]
New crocodile species found fossilized in stone used to build Egypt’s Great Sphinx
- Researchers have identified a new species of extinct long-snouted crocodile from 45-million-year-old fossils found in the same limestone formation used to build Egypt’s Great Sphinx.
- The fossils were dug up in the 1920s and lumped in with the living false gharial, but CT scans revealed features that set the ancient crocodile apart as its own species.
- Its closest living relatives, the gharial and false gharial, are critically endangered and endangered respectively.
- Today, many species of crocodilians face conservation threats, though some have seen tremendous recovery due to conservation efforts

Rare Southern African succulent listed as critically endangered amid mining threat
The brown clockfig, an extremely rare succulent growing in the hot, arid border region of Namibia and South Africa, was recently assessed as critically endangered by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. The western Gariep Valley is a vast landscape spanning the southern part of Tsau ǁKhaeb National Park in Namibia and the Richtersveld […]
How to grow $25K into community-led conservation: Interview with Tanzania’s Mwambao
- Ali Thani and Lorna Slade shared frustration with top-down conservation and a belief that coastal communities could manage their own resources led them to come together to create the Mwambao Coastal Community Network.
- Their partnership grew from different experiences. Thani, a Tanzanian from the coast who had worked in government and with international conservation groups, brought intimate knowledge of coastal communities; Slade brought decades of experience and understanding of the international institutions financing conservation.
- Mwambao has since grown into a multimillion-dollar organization and helped communities experiment with fisheries closures, co-management and livelihood programs. But its experience has not been uniformly successful, with different degrees of acceptance from communities.
- Its growth also raises a harder question for its founders: can a community-led model remain truly community-led as the organization itself becomes larger?

Uganda and NGO to co-manage sector of national park home to tree-climbing lions
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have signed a 10-year agreement to co-manage a portion of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for its tree-climbing lions. WCS will take over some day-to-day roles for the Ishasha Sector in the south of the park, including those covering biodiversity management, community engagement and […]
Gabon, home to the medicinal plant behind ibogaine, wants a fairer share of its global boom
- Gabon passed a decree this year requiring benefit sharing for commercial uses of the medicinal plant iboga, its derivatives, and associated traditional knowledge, but the mechanisms for distributing those benefits are still being built.
- A community association in Ogooué-Ivindo province earned the equivalent of about $50,000 from three legal iboga shipments since 2023, yet its promised share of value created further downstream has still not arrived.
- The decree is unusually broad, attempting to cover ibogaine, analogs, and compounds made through synthetic or alternative sources, although how Gabon could enforce those claims abroad remains unresolved.
- In September, Gabon moved to halt exports of iboga and all derivatives while it develops a new national framework, freezing even the legal community-based trade the country had previously encouraged.

From ‘community-based’ to ‘community-led conservation’ in Kenya: Interview with Dickson Kaelo
- Dickson Kaelo grew up herding livestock, while living alongside wildlife. He remembers what it meant when lions killed cattle, elephants destroyed crops or a hyena got into a boma and killed animals a family depended on.
- Nearly three decades ago, fresh from college, he began working with elders in his community to find a way for livestock, wildlife and people to share the same landscape. His first attempt of building community conservancies worked for a while — and then collapsed.
- Today, Kenya has roughly 240 conservancies (land set aside by communities, individual landowners, groups or companies primarily for wildlife conservation) covering close to 15% of the country. Kaelo says their growth has brought benefits, but also problems: Elite capture, poor deals with private investors, land disputes and conservancies that have simply failed.
- Kaelo, who is also the CEO of the Kenyan Wildlife Conservancy Association, was recently in New York, U.S., for Climate Week, held alongside the United Nations General Assembly. Mongabay’s David Akana caught up with him to discuss the promise, challenges and future of community-led conservation.

Big Oil vs. national parks: Who wins?
12 critically endangered Nubian Giraffes were recently relocated from their home at Murchison Falls National Park to a reserve over 100km away. One of the reasons? Murchison Falls is now being opened up for oil extraction, as almost half of Uganda’s oil reserves are thought to lie there. National parks are home to some of […]
Turning vulnerable livestock into four-eyed beasts helps protect them in Zimbabwe
- In the first half 2026, the local council of one district in southeastern Zimbabwe recorded 317 cases of human-wildlife conflict, including attacks on livestock by predators.
- Edson Mabika says he used to lose four or five animals this way every year — until he took an ex-ranger’s advice and painted black and white eyes on the backsides of his livestock.
- Since then, he told Mongabay, he’s lost just one goat and a lamb.

Uganda pastoralists turn to wild plants as food shortages bite, study finds
- New research reveals that pastoralist communities are turning to wild plants to cope with food shortages in northern Uganda.
- As in Uganda, experts reckon that edible wild plants can be a boon to countries like Nigeria, where roughly 15% of the population faces serious hunger.
- The study’s findings raise a broader question: Will communities with less richer botanical diversity be less capable of coping with food crises?

Kenyan nuclear project faces international legal challenge over security risks
A case has been brought to the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) over the Kenyan government’s plan to build a 2,000-5,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in Bondo, near the eastern shore of Victoria Lake, Africa’s largest freshwater lake. The project has been the source of numerous protests from residents since it was announced. A Strategic […]
In war-torn South Sudan, giraffes retain a surprisingly healthy gene pool
Giraffes living in the South Sudan’s war-torn savannas are genetically healthy and connected to nearby giraffe populations by gene flow, despite decades of conflict, recent research suggests. These findings show that “regions of the world that have been affected by conflict can maintain a lot of biodiversity and should therefore not be overlooked by genetic […]
Jaco Muller turned his 15-year-old son’s idea into 197 rhino births
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In 2022, poachers had taken 14 white rhinos from private farms in Namibia in six weeks, so owners started removing their horns. One cow had a horn 86 centimeters (34 inches) long. Jaco Muller said he was nearly […]
Reintroduced Grauer’s gorilla gives birth in DRC national park, ‘makes us happy’
Lulingu, a Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), was reintroduced to Virunga National Park, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2024. In May 2026, Lulingu gave birth to a new baby, bringing hope for the species and excitement for the conservationists working there. “The baby and the mother are doing perfectly well. It really makes us […]
Farmers in South Africa’s Limpopo face unpredictable rainfall, uncertain futures
- In South Africa’s Malala Drift, near Musina in Limpopo province, farmers say rainfall has become increasingly unreliable, forcing some to abandon their crops.
- New research also documents increased rainfall variability in recent years, along with rising temperatures, drought, crop failures, livestock deaths and food insecurity.
- Some farmers say that when the river level falls, they hire an excavation company to dig into the riverbed.

Scientists clone Southern Africa’s wild fruit trees as forests disappear
- Researchers at gene banks scattered across Southern Africa have spent decades collecting and duplicating specimens of valuable wild fruit trees.
- Among the species cloned by researchers from the Landscape Alliance is the wild loquat — an evergreen tree that produces large quantities of highly sought-after berries that provide income and nourishment for millions of people.
- Alice Muchugi and her colleagues are skilled practitioners of “air layering,” which ingeniously spurs a branch to produce roots, hugely reducing the time needed to establish a new, mature, fruit-bearing tree.
- Planting and preserving prolific indigenous fruit trees protects both the biodiversity of miombo woodlands and an important alternative food source for communities who live in them.

Anthrax suspected in 46 hippo deaths in Zambia amid potential spillover to humans
Zambia is investigating wildlife deaths and human exposure linked to an anthrax outbreak in the northern province of Muchinga, where several hippos have died since the outbreak was reported on Aug. 31. While other wildlife deaths have also been reported, hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) are the species with the clearest laboratory evidence of anthrax, according to […]
Ugandans plant trees near national park to keep people out of gorillas’ habitat
BWINDI, Uganda (AP) — In the tangled greenery of a Ugandan national park, mountain gorillas sit among the leaves, calmly carrying on as tourists trek into their forest home. Many gorilla families are used to people, but while their population grows, the forest available to them does not. Communities have planted trees for medicine, firewood […]
Brazil’s tropical forest fund races to raise $2.7 billion before deadline
- The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) aims to reach $10 billion in sponsor capital by the end of 2026, a step toward a larger $25 billion fundraising goal.
- If the target is not reached, the initiative could lose a $3 billion pledge made by Norway.
- Reports state that some countries are waiting for the results of the Brazilian presidential elections in October before pledging funds.

Ebola, twins and women-led conservation: Reporting on gorillas for World Gorilla Day
Gorillas are among humans’ closest relatives, with a common ancestor dating back around 8 to 10 million years. Both species of gorilla alive today are on the edge of extinction: The eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, while the western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is critically endangered. In its […]
‘Lost’ bird reappears in West Africa’s forests after more than a decade
- In June, a team of researchers working in Côte d’Ivoire’s Taï National Park spotted a Ghana cuckooshrike, a bird that hadn’t been seen in 13 years.
- The bird’s home range in West Africa’s Upper Guinean rainforest has been whittled away by logging and agriculture, leaving a patchwork of disconnected forests.
- The ‘rediscovery’ shows the value of conserving places like Taï, where mining and illegal hunting also pose threats.
- The finding relied on close collaboration with West African researchers, the experience and knowledge of the team, and the Ghana cuckooshrike’s listing by the Search for Lost Birds partnership.

Floating weeds threaten farming and fishing at Malawi’s Chia Lagoon
A mass of floating weeds at Chia Lagoon, Malawi’s largest, is choking out waterways and livelihoods as farmers and fishers struggle to access fields and fishing areas. Seven months after the rainy season ended in Malawi, fields that once absorbed seasonal water at the lagoon are submerged, frustrating irrigated maize and rice production, according to […]
First Angolan giraffes return to Bicuar National Park after 25 years
- With decades of civil war, habitat loss and targeted poaching, the Angolan giraffe disappeared from much of its historic range in Angola.
- July marked their return to the country’s Bicuar National Park after a 25-year absence, as part of a broader national development plan.
- The Angolan government and a conservation nonprofit transported 12 giraffes from Namibia to rewild them.
- So far, the giraffes are doing well and, if they thrive in their new habitat, more relocations are planned for Bicuar and other Angolan parks over the next decade.

World Rhino Day: What does it take to save a species?
In honor of World Rhino Day, on Sept. 22, here’s a snapshot of Mongabay’s reporting from the past year on the actions being taken to save rhinos from extinction: Reintroduction in Uganda In 1983, the last wild northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) living in Uganda was killed for its horn. But now rhinos are back […]
These dolphins are shouting
Pilot whales now need to shout to be heard over the rumble of ship traffic in the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow strip of water between Morocco and Spain. Researchers looked at near and long-distance communication between long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas), which are actually a species of large dolphin. They found the mammals were […]
Illegal mines threaten biodiversity and drinking water in Ghana’s Atewa Forest
- Forestry officials charged with protecting the Atewa Forest Reserve in eastern Ghana have been overrun by illegal miners whose operations are putting the water supply of millions of Ghanaians in jeopardy, according to conservation groups.
- Atewa is a biodiversity hotspot, with more than 80 threatened and endangered species found in its 26,300 hectares (65,000 acres).
- Environment group A Rocha Ghana and others have called on the government to provide greater resources to counter illegal mining in Atewa and elsewhere.

‘How did you come to be here?’ Study digs into origins of Zambian wildlife crime
- Wildlife crimes are committed by a wide range of offenders, from local people who may stumble upon a salable animal to professional poachers and middlemen traffickers and all the way up to kingpins behind the trade that rule over international trafficking syndicates.
- The NGO Wildlife Crime Prevention Zambia investigated how and why people incarcerated for wildlife crimes in the country got involved in this black-market industry. They found that opportunity was the major driver.
- About one-third of the jailed respondents said or implied they would not be involved in poaching or wildlife trade when they were freed.
- Experts note that helping offenders find work after they’re released could be one way to lower the risk of wildlife crime recidivism. Wildlife Crime Prevention Zambia recently completed a pilot program aimed at connecting inmates with family before their release and helping them plan for ways to generate legal income after prison.

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