location: Global

location: Global

Social media activity version | Lean version

World Lemur Day: How can we save these primates’ forest homes?
More than 100 known species of lemurs live in Madagascar. These primates with large eyes, a pointed snout, and long bushy tails are found only in the island country, where they usually live in large groups on trees. Lemurs are one of the world’s most threatened groups of primates, under pressure from the loss of […]
The women who won’t let go: Female-led resistance to development harms across Asia
- During a recent “people’s tribunal” in Bangkok, women from across Asia spoke about their experiences as leaders of movements seeking justice for communities affected by World Bank-funded development projects.
- The women are from communities affected by a variety of projects across the continent, including dams and land redistribution programs.
- Several themes emerged from the discussions, including the importance of maintaining resistance for decades, the obstacles and dangers faced by protest leaders, and the way that documenting struggles can serve as both a tool of resistance and a means of survival.

Given a chance, women-led microenterprises uplift Nepali communities & conservation
- In Naya Padampur, Nepali women are building livelihoods through microenterprises that earn them income and reduce their dependence on forest products.
- Previously, many women ventured into the forest outside of Naya Padampur to fetch firewood, a dangerous task due to the proximity of wild animals such as rhinos and tigers.
- Successful women-led microenterprises in Nepal and beyond have provided a symbiosis between land and community, allowing conservation efforts to flourish while acting as a catalyst for women’s empowerment.
- Still, many women in Nepal face societal and financial hurdles to building businesses and owning property.

US lawmakers urge Trump administration to oppose Colombia’s Amazon aerial spraying plans
A group of U.S. lawmakers is urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio not to support Colombia’s plans to restart aerial spraying of coca crops in the Amazon, warning of risks to human health and the environment. The Colombian government says spraying is needed to combat cocaine production and weaken armed groups, but critics argue the […]
Aztec methods and crocodiles: How biologists are restoring mangroves in Mexico
- A nonprofit is reintroducing crocodiles as part of a mangrove restoration project in Veracruz, Mexico.
- The project also involves using an Aztec technique for reforestation by planting mangrove seedlings on raised mounds called chinampas.
- Practitioners in Veracruz, as well as in Colombia, say crocodiles help mangroves function by moving sediment as they swim and keeping channels open so water flows.
- However, others point to a lack of research supporting claims that crocodiles perform a structural role in their habitat.

How citizen scientists are mapping Pune’s trees, with hopes of a greener future
- Citizen scientists in Pune are mapping trees along the Mula-Mutha riverbanks using smartphones, measuring tapes and the iNaturalist app to document urban biodiversity.
- The data are strengthening conservation efforts by providing evidence against tree felling and advocating for sustainable alternatives to engage citizens.
- From protecting the ecologically rich Ram-Mula Devrai to drawing on global citizen science initiatives, Pune’s volunteers are part of a larger trend in community-led documentation that can help safeguard urban green spaces and influence conservation decisions.

Philippines halts U.S. e-waste imports but struggles to police customs-free zones
- The Philippines has stopped accepting electronic waste imports from the United States, following months of campaigning from activists who said the country risked becoming a dumping ground for hazardous foreign waste.
- The restriction on U.S. e-waste may not resolve a broader enforcement problem caused by a 2025 court ruling, which pointed out that the Subic Bay freeport lies outside Philippine customs jurisdiction, and that environmental authorities can’t require importers to secure pre-shipment clearances.
- The Subic Bay freeport is a key hub in the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, which aims to secure supply chains for semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals.

After Botswana, Nepal tries artificial scent marking to fend big cats off villages
- Researchers from Cornell University, WWF Nepal and local forest authorities in Nepal are testing lab-made versions of big-cat scent chemicals, which they call “BioBoundaries,” an attempt to create a chemical fence to keep big cats away from livestock.
- Some experiment sites report that tigers and leopards approach the scent stations, investigate them and often turn back without crossing. Of 10 compounds tested, three were linked to fewer leopard detections and two to fewer tiger detections. Some scents, however, attracted the cats; responses varied by species and location
- A tiger turning away is not evidence the method prevents livestock attacks, the researchers say. Trials in Botswana suggest that one compound cut down leopard attacks, but studies in Nepal haven’t replicated this.
- If the scents work, dispensers could be installed around corrals or on grazing livestock, alongside stronger sheds and safer herding practices, not instead of them. Cost, refilling, manufacturing and distribution are still unresolved

Angola designates Serra do Pingano as a protected area amid rapid forest loss
- The Angolan government has declared Serra do Pingano a protected area after the northern region lost 43% of its central forest over two decades.
- Ecosystem degradation threatens endemic plants, amphibians not yet described by science, and a potentially vulnerable population of African forest elephants.
- Forest destruction compromises carbon storage and water regulation in a region of southern Africa already affected by rising global temperatures.

A historic land restitution process offers new hope for Botswana’s Indigenous San
- Nearly 20 years after a landmark court ruling in their favor, Indigenous San communities in Botswana may finally secure broader rights to their ancestral lands in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, following decades of evictions and legal disputes.
- President Duma Boko’s government has approved a roadmap for land restitution that could allow San communities to return to the reserve, obtain legally recognized land rights and participate in its conservation and management.
- In an interview with Mongabay, Botswana’s Justice Minister Nelson Ramaotwana said the government intends to establish legal protections before the 2029 elections, but questions remain over land ownership, community participation and the sharing of tourism revenues.

Legal loopholes and weak enforcement leave India’s exotic pet trade hard to police
Rising disposable incomes, social media algorithms, and pop culture influences have led to a surge in demand for exotic pets in India, reports Mongabay India’s Arathi Menon. A recent report by the Humane World for Animals (HWA) valued India’s exotic pet market at $42.6 million in 2024, and projected it will nearly double by 2030. […]
Bat Week: Celebrating ecologically important, poorly understood mammals
Bat Week, from Oct. 24-31, 2026, is a worldwide celebration of bats — a group that makes up 20% of all mammals. Bats live on all continents except for Antarctica, and provide major ecosystem services such as mosquito control, pollination and seed dispersal. Despite their ecological importance and ubiquity, bats still remain poorly understood. Here […]
Philippine village uses nature to defend against floods with bamboo, shells and husks
- Residents of Pamarawan, a low-lying fishing village at North Manila Bay, no longer experience flooding after the construction of a nature-based coastal defense and flood control project.
- Instead of concrete, the project opted to use locally available materials, such as bamboo poles, oyster shells and coconut husks, to protect Pamarawan from tidal waves and storm surges.
- Bamboo cribs also help accumulate sediment, which is expected to gradually raise the seabed to a height sufficient to plant mangroves, while discarded oyster shells in cocomesh bags aid in restoring oyster reefs, further strengthening the shoreline against future flooding.
- The pilot initiative, the first nature-based coastal protection project in the Philippines, is touted as a potential model to address similar flooding problems elsewhere in the country.

To help farmers in Southern Africa, scientists predict when to plant native nuts
Scientists studying indigenous crops recently completed a study to advise farmers on the best time to plant bambara groundnuts, a neglected African crop. Such underutilized native plants have the potential to diversify crop production and improve food security in Southern Africa. Scientists used 50 years of climate and soil data to simulate 49 growing seasons. […]
In Suriname’s Amazon, the Wayana community struggling to keep gold miners at bay
- The government in Suriname has pledged to combat illegal mining and the industry’s use of mercury, maintain 90% national forest cover and preserve its status as one of the few countries in the world that absorbs more CO₂ than it emits.
- But on the border with French Guiana, where the government is largely absent, Indigenous Wayana communities have had to adapt to illegal gold miners, who for decades have cut down the forest and polluted rivers with mercury.
- One Wayana chief controls the only airstrip in the area, giving him some leverage with miners who have no other practical way into the forest. But in some instances, those relationships have led to violence.
- The Mulokot Foundation, an advocacy group, is working to help the Wayana improve education and map its ancestral territory. In the future, these initiatives may help residents move beyond mining to more sustainable activities.

Zambia’s edible insect tradition offers a potential boost to food security
In a rural area of Zambia, where eating insects has long been a part of local food culture, reviving the practice could help households improve food security — though its potential would depend on how widely insect-eating is embraced by the mainstream, a new study suggests. Researchers John Nyawali and Jasper Knight, from the University […]
Between revered and hunted: The journey of human-otter coexistence in the Amazon
- Indigenous Baniwa fishers share their fishing grounds in the Upper Rio Negro in the Amazon with otters and maintain a largely harmonious coexistence with these top aquatic predators by avoiding each other’s spaces at times, fishing different species and adjusting behavior.
- For many Baniwa, otters are the pajés das águas or spiritual guardians believed to protect fish and the aquatic world.
- The relationship between Baniwa people and otters has been one of evolution: Commercial fur trade involving the communities in the mid 1900s decimated both giant and neotropical otter populations, disrupting a human-wildlife relationship shaped by generations of Baniwa knowledge and culture.
- The Baniwa-otter relationship shows that human-wildlife coexistence depends on more than resource use, conflict avoidance or cultural beliefs alone, according to the researchers: It is also shaped by historical experience, behavioral adaptation, governance and relationships between humans and the natural world.

If we don’t start counting insect populations, we won’t know what we’re losing (commentary)
- Insects are in steep decline from habitat loss, pesticides, invasive species, and a destabilizing climate, but it’s also hard to quantify what happens after disturbances like the floods we’ve seen lately — unless we begin counting them, a new op-ed argues.
- The scant research done on this has shown steep declines of up to 93% after flooding events, and this has a huge effect on everything that depends on insects, from plants to grazing animals.
- “To measure what a flood takes from an insect community, you need to know what was there first,” the author writes. “This is a solvable problem.”
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

China’s record-breaking exports of clean tech are making a big dent in emissions, report says
BANGKOK (AP) — China is exporting a record amount of clean energy technology and that is making a dent in global emissions. Interest in renewables has surged due to the energy crisis from the Iran war. A report released Thursday shows that China’s exports of clean energy equipment such as solar panels, wind turbines, batteries […]
‘Already feeling it’: Northern Amazon waterfall season ends early, hurting livelihoods
- Driven by a “super El Niño,” reduced rainfall in Roraima has lowered water levels in the state’s main rivers, cutting off the flow of seasonal waterfalls that form in the mountains, including the cascade known as Véu de Noiva.
- By drying up the waterfall earlier than usual, climate change is directly hurting regional tourism, which local residents and surrounding communities rely on for their livelihoods.
- Guides and tourism specialists say the drop in tour bookings has forced the sector to reinvent itself, while the state government operates under a state of emergency to prepare for environmental fallout from El Niño.

Investigations into Singapore palm oil firm find family ties to Borneo deforesters
- Investigations find links between Singapore-listed Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) member First Resources and some of Borneo’s biggest deforesters.
- Shipping records at a shared terminal raise concerns that deforestation-linked oil is entering global supply chains marketed as sustainable.
- Rainforest Action Network claims First Resources misled Singapore’s stock exchange with an earlier denial of common ownership. First Resources has repeated its denial and points to the dismissal of a complaint lodged against through the RSPO.
- Scrutiny comes as the firm faces investigation by Singapore’s environment agency for links to transboundary haze.

Ghana targets end to raw mineral exports by 2030 to boost local industry
Ghana has set itself an ambitious target to end the export of unprocessed mineral ores by 2030 as it moves to strengthen in-country processing and manufacturing, transforming its mineral wealth into domestic industries and jobs. President John Dramani Mahama announced the goal during the African Minerals Policy Forum in the capital, Accra, on the theme […]
Early tech warning hopes to give Sumatra’s peat community a head start on fires
- Indonesia is experiencing its worse wildfires in years as a strong El Niño delays the onset of the archipelago’s main rainy seasons after months of drought across much of Borneo and Sumatra.
- In the Sumatran district of Muaro Jambi, a fire in a community-managed forest spotlights an in-tervention backed by Canada’s overseas office and the University of Waterloo.
- The early-warning system detects increases in temperature and declining water levels, among other readings.
- Designed to be simple to both install and maintain, it can publish data collected in the public domain, and could give communities and civil servants working on fire prevention more infor-mation in real time.

‘Design conservation with those who will live with it’: 30 by 30 in Africa
- The Global Biodiversity Framework commits African governments to protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030.
- This target is in jeopardy in Africa and elsewhere: as of October 2026, about 20% of terrestrial and 17% of the continent’s marine environments enjoyed protection.
- As parties to the Convention on Biodiversity meet in Yerevan, Armenia, the challenges of translating 30 by 30 into reality Africa are to the fore.
- But marine protected areas around Pemba, Tanzania, illustrate some of the guidelines that can help Africa reach 30 by 30 in a meaningful way, experts say.

Fires and weak monitoring hinder reforestation efforts in Mozambique
- In central Mozambique’s Tónduè Forest, uncontrolled fires destroyed 70% of replanted trees, leaving surviving saplings stunted and fire-damaged.
- Post-planting monitoring remains one of the greatest obstacles to forest maintenance in Zambézia province, where sites receive an average of just one visit a year — a frequency officials consider negligible and ineffective for plant growth.
- Local communities are calling for tangible benefits to encourage forest conservation, at a time when a portion of the carbon credit funds allocated to them remains unpaid because beneficiaries lack official documentation.

Pemba’s new marine protected areas show the power of collaboration to meet 30×30 goal
- The east coast of Pemba Island was facing severe overfishing and illegal activity leading to declining fish populations and degrading ecosystems.
- In an extensive collaboration between more than 20 local communities, the Tanzanian government, and environmental NGOs, two new marine protected areas have been introduced in order to protect the ecosystem and those who rely on it.
- Pemba’s MPAs are providing a lesson on how we can use co-management, true collaboration and locally led solutions to achieve the 30×30 goal in a meaningful way.

India’s forgotten vegetables offer a glimpse into what global diets are missing
The world is eating a smaller variety of vegetables as diets become increasingly uniform, reports contributor Sharmila Vaidyanathan for Mongabay India. In India, Indigenous crops such as the clove bean and the Yerengere white long eggplant have largely vanished from commercial markets as hybrid varieties dominate supply chains. Prabhakar Rao, a natural farmer and founder […]
Fishing cat rescue-and-release offers potential model for conservation in Bangladesh
A fishing cat found badly injured and malnourished in northern Bangladesh has been returned to the wild following months of intensive rehabilitation. The feline was recently released into a tea estate bordering a large freshwater wetland, after being fitted with a satellite-tracking collar. Fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus), one of the larger species of small wildcats, […]
Fishers in eastern Indonesia struggle as rough seas keep them ashore
- Fishers in Indonesia’s Maluku Islands say increasingly rough seas are keeping them ashore and reducing their catches as the current El Niño intensifies, threatening livelihoods in communities dependent on fishing.
- Early monitoring shows declining catches at some sites around the Maluku islands of Ambon and Seram.
- Meanwhile, a recently published global study found that extreme ocean heat and low marine productivity are associated with a greater risk of exceptionally poor catches, particularly in tropical regions.
- With Indonesia bracing for prolonged dry conditions under the El Niño, researchers are investigating whether changing ocean temperatures and coastal habitats are adding to the challenges facing local fishing communities.

‘Action on the ground’ in Laos is needed to recover large mammals, protect more species
- A new study that examines the status and recovery prospects of large mammals in Laos concludes many losses could have been mitigated with earlier recognition of population declines, better protection of habitats and tighter control of hunting and the illegal wildlife trade.
- Sumatran rhinos and Javan rhinos disappeared from Laos by the 1990s, and the last verified record of tigers was in 2013. Wild water buffalo and the kouprey, both species of wild cattle, have also disappeared.
- The study notes Laos still supports 24 separate populations of Asian elephant and recommends conservation authorities and researchers focus recovery efforts on reconnecting movement corridors, transboundary landscapes and implementing coexistence measures to minimize conflicts and killings.
- Experts say the future of large mammals in Laos depends on the political will to implement existing conservation plans and enforce protections. It also hinges on long-term financial support in a region often overlooked by conservation funders.

‘Historic win’: Australian state approves national koala park despite controversial funding
- The parliament of Australia’s New South Wales state has passed legislation to create the Great Koala National Park.
- The park, slated to open before the end of 2026, will incorporate 178,000 hectares (440,000 acres) of state forests and other government land into the existing national park estate, creating a protected area spanning 475,000 hectares (1.2 million acres).
- A carbon credit scheme will be used to fund the park in the long term, an approach that has been widely criticized.
- Multiple attempts to amend the carbon credit scheme were voted down in parliament.

Netherlands pledges $500 million to help conserve tropical forests
The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), which was created to fund long-term conservation of tropical forests, recently received a $500-million pledge, over 10 years, from the Netherlands, a significant boost for forest conservation. The Netherlands announced the pledge in an Oct 26 press release and estimated that the TFFF has the potential to protect 800 […]
Eradicating invasive bass gives endangered South African fish room to recover
An ambitious effort to eradicate invasive spotted bass from South Africa’s Breekkrans River has unfolded about two hours north of Cape Town. Removing the bass has helped give the critically endangered doring fiery redfin (Pseudobarbus doring) a fighting chance against extinction. “Spotted bass were introduced into the river system in the late 1930s,” Martine Jordaan, […]
Suriname’s rich archaeological history may hold keys to conservation
- For more than two decades, field research by archaeological anthropologist Renzo Duin has documented densely saturated archaeological landscapes beneath forest canopies, usually classified as “untouched.”
- While illegal gold mining pollutes rivers with mercury and cyanide, mapping historical ecological sites in Suriname could leverage Indigenous guardianship to protect the forest’s rich biodiversity.
- Despite the nation’s high-profile pledge to permanently protect 90% of its forests, experts warn that neglecting the historical role of Indigenous stewardship leaves the ecosystem vulnerable to ongoing illegal deforestation.

A town-wide ‘living laboratory’ shows how green spaces can combat climate extremes
- Two recent studies out of the U.K. town of Guildford, which has been equipped with a suite of sensors to become a “living lab,” show that green spaces provide significant benefits to urban centers — and do so with more detail than many previous studies.
- The first study, focused on a large park, showed that the park made the surrounding area cooler and less noisy, and reduced air pollution, with the park’s effects decreasing with every 100 meters from its border; it also showed that different types of green spaces offer different cooling effects for people within them.
- The second study showed that the type of green space within Guildford mattered when it came to temperature reductions during extreme heat, with large green spaces like woodlands showing the lowest increase in temperature.
- Experts say that these fine-scale details could be helpful for researchers, planners and engineers who want to design urban green spaces to provide cities and towns with greater protections from the impacts of climate change.

Why I sent my archive of nature’s sounds to France (commentary)
- Drawing on more than half a century of recording natural soundscapes, soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause reflects on how disappearing wildlife voices reveal ecological decline.
- Concerned about political threats to science, Krause transferred a copy of his extensive recording archive to a foundation in Paris to safeguard it for future generations.
- In this commentary, he argues that nature’s interdependence offers lessons for human societies about diversity, equity and inclusion, and calls for protecting both living ecosystems and the scientific records documenting their loss.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

US public lands tracker highlights the collective impact of Trump policies
In his second term as the U.S. president, Donald Trump has taken actions to remove protections from at least 34.8 million hectares (86 million acres) of public lands, according to the advocacy group Center for American Progress. The nonprofit Conservation Lands Foundation (CLF) recently catalogued 12 such policy actions in its newly released Public Lands […]
Cyclone batters India’s eastern coast, killing 3 and damaging homes and farmland
KAKINADA, India (AP) — A powerful cyclone battered India ’s Andhra Pradesh state on Wednesday, killing at least three people and damaging homes and farmland after authorities evacuated tens of thousands of people, officials said. Cyclone Arnab made landfall early Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm before weakening to a severe cyclonic storm as […]
As wildfires rage, Canadian researchers study the life that comes after
- As climate change intensifies, bringing record drought and historic wildfires, scientific studies of fire-adapted organisms in British Columbia, Canada’s Interior, are shedding new light on how important fires are for renewing forest biodiversity.
- Fungi are pioneers in recovery from fire. Pyrophilous (Fire-loving) fungi, for example, can digest charcoal, help bind soil, and support nutrient cycling in the months after a blaze.
- Insects and birds also play a critical role. Heat-sensing beetles reproduce more successfully in freshly burned environments, while three-quarters of native B.C. land bird species respond positively, neutrally, or a combination of both ways to wildfire.
- Research shows mammals, including at-risk Canada lynx, can return to burned landscapes sooner than expected if sufficient forest structure remains. Today’s rapid increase in wildfire frequency and intensity can be devastating, but forests are resilient and can recover, especially when aided by fire-informed research.

A rare hound with a storied past faces an uncertain future in Bangladesh
- A native Bangladeshi breed of dog, the Sarail or Bengal hound, is thought to have originated more than 200 years ago in the small town of Sarail.
- It’s origin story is fuzzy: that it claims lineage from the English grayhound is undisputed, but there’s debate about the rest of the mix, whether wolf or a local hunting dog known as pahari daal kutta.
- Currently, there are fewer than three dozen purebred Sarail sighthounds thought to exist across the country, with no plans by the government to protect this native breed.
- Artificial breeding, like artificial insemination, can save the Sarail hound from extinction, experts say.

‘A proper seat at the table’: Lucy Mulenkei on Indigenous decision-making at the COP17 biodiversity summit
- At the 2026 U.N. biodiversity conference (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, discussions are underway to finalize the operations, governance, and modus operandi of the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) — a group which would significantly boost the decision-making of Indigenous peoples and local communities at future biodiversity COPs.
- Mongabay spoke with Lucy Mulenkei, co-chair of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity who was among those who had worked to get the new body over the line.
- She discussed the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j), barriers that still exist to stop it from becoming operational and hopes for the biodiversity conference.
- While barriers still exist for this historic body, such as finalizing the modus operandi and opposition by some parties, she is optimistic the COP will end positively.

This flower smells like rotting flesh
Meet the Rhizanthes lowii, a rare parasitic flowering plant that has evolved its stink to attracting flies that help pollinate the flower. It blooms for only a few days, and is found in the jungles of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo—which are home to some of the strangest plants on Earth. Join Conservation Entangled host Izzy on […]
As the sea swallows a Nigerian community, migratory bird habitat disappears
- Every year, migratory birds arrive at the wetlands at Ayetoro, in southwestern Nigeria; some will remain here through the Northern Hemisphere winter, while others rest and refuel and continue on to other places.
- Increasingly powerful tides linked to rising sea levels are rapidly eroding the coastline here, damaging local community infrastructure as well as the wetlands that shorebirds rely on.
- A project run by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation has trained and equipped members of the local community to help gather data about bird populations.
- More funding is needed both to monitor this wetland and to address the severe coastal erosion, advocates say.

Pangolin scale lawsuit in Indonesia could shake up how wildlife traffickers pay
- A civil lawsuit filed by an Indonesian NGO against individuals and companies accused of trafficking more than 3 metric tons of pangolin scales in Indonesia could mark a turning point in how wildlife criminals are held accountable for the harms they inflict on biodiversity and ecosystems, according to experts.
- The lawsuit, seeks to make the alleged traffickers pay to remedy the ecological harms caused by removing thousands of pangolins from their wild habitats, including funding forest restoration and pangolin monitoring.
- Experts say the legal approach, which uses civil and environmental liability laws that also exist in many other countries, can be used in conjunction with conventional criminal prosecutions to implement meaningful conservation remedies.
- To date, the East Jakarta District Court has successfully summoned all but one individual defendant, who remains wanted by police. The first mediation hearing is set for Nov. 5, after which, if no settlement is reached, the case will proceed to trial.

Artificial nests help Hong Kong’s rare cockatoos cope with a ‘housing crisis’
In the urban landscape of Hong Kong, artificial nest boxes are providing shelter and research opportunities for one of the world’s most threatened parrot species. The yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) is critically endangered, with fewer than 2,000 individuals remaining across its native range in eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste. However, Hong Kong hosts roughly 200 wild […]
A Thai rescue center gives injured leopard cat cubs a second chance
At a government wildlife rescue center in Thailand, dozens of lost and injured baby leopard cats are receiving a second chance at life in the wild. Annual admission of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation rescue center in Khon Kaen, in northeastern Thailand, have surged from an […]
Photographer Tom Hegen’s aerial eye reveals the true scale of the critical mineral age
- As the world shifts to cleaner energy to address climate change, demand is soaring for transition minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements, used in green technologies.
- Aerial photographer Tom Hegen has spent the past six years documenting where these critical minerals come from, exploring some of the world’s most significant mining regions.
- Hegen’s images reveal in meticulous and beautiful detail the wider landscapes impacted by mineral extraction, highlighting the environmental, social, and geopolitical costs.
- In this interview with Mongabay, Hegen says he hopes his images encourage viewers to look closer and consider how their actions and consumption habits can support greater responsibility, transparency, and accountability throughout global supply chains.

New report maps widespread criminal presence across six Amazonian countries
New mapping by Amazon Underworld finds that criminal networks or armed groups operate in nearly three-fifths of Amazon municipalities across the six countries surveyed, which include Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Of the 1,310 municipalities examined, researchers found illicit actors in 768 of them, or 59%. Colombia had the highest proportion of affected […]
Kashmir’s springs are drying up. Scientists say saving them starts uphill
- Research in the Sindh Basin in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, in the northwestern Himalayas, has identified the elevations where many springs receive their water.
- The challenge now is whether conservation efforts will protect those landscapes, or continue focusing on the springs themselves.
- Experts say restoring Kashmir’s springs require protecting the landscapes that replenish groundwater, not just improving spring outlets.

Persian leopards hang on in the Caucasus despite landmines
There have been few sightings of the endangered Persian leopard in the Caucasus region over the past 20 years: just three in Georgia and 10 in Armenia. But scientists and conservationists are alert to one Persian leopard in particular, whom they’ve named Aren and who is presumed to have journeyed 240 kilometers (150 miles) through […]
Countries take first step toward global crackdown on environmental crime
Negotiations are set to begin on the world’s first international protocol to fight environmental crime, including wildlife trafficking, illegal deforestation, and illicit waste smuggling. The protocol, to be drafted over the next two years, aims to make it easier to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate these crimes. The negotiations will take place under the United Nations […]
In Pakistan’s Punjab, toxic air threatens wildlife amid a monitoring blind spot
- In Pakistan’s Punjab province, November typically brings a blanket of air pollution that exceeds global health guidelines and endangers both humans and wildlife.
- Experts call for more data and specialized monitoring equipment that would provide clearer information on the specific effects that air pollution has on the area’s wildlife.
- A veterinary surgeon notes that his animal patients — birds, cats, dogs and wildlife — suffer severe respiratory irritation, with sneezing, nasal discharge, lethargy and labored breathing.
- Such pollution can interfere with bird migration as well as the ability for predatory animals to hunt and herbivores to find adequate food.

Global framework urgently needed to assess emerging health risks of novel chemicals, experts say
- Research is ongoing into the health effects of the world’s roughly 350,000 synthetic chemicals, but what we know so far is cause for concern. Plastics, PFAS and other synthetic chemicals are linked to numerous health risks, and emerging research even suggests rising atmospheric CO2 levels may harm health.
- Specifically, there is growing evidence that plastics and their chemical additives pose threats to human health at every life stage. Five major classes of plastic additives have been linked with harm to the brain, kidneys and immune system; microplastics in the human body can affect fertility, development and ageing.
- Atmospheric CO2 is natural, but not at the levels to which humanity is pushing them — levels higher than any human ancestor ever experienced. Initial research finds elevated CO2 can cause changes to the lungs and alter growth patterns in mice. The effects of long-term exposure in humans are unknown.
- Emerging evidence for these and other novel entity health risks highlights the need to establish safe limits and monitor global and local exposures, experts say. A ‘planetary health framework’ could become a valuable tool for scientists and policymakers, but developing such a framework would be a Herculean task.

Baby orangutans in India expose illegal wildlife trade as experts question a billionaire’s zoo
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The discovery of five baby orangutans abandoned on a plantation in eastern India is highlighting the country’s growing role as a destination for trafficked apes. Experts say wealthy collectors, expanding air links with Southeast Asia and loopholes in wildlife laws are to blame. India also legally imported 41 orangutans between 2021 […]
The Philippine lawyer who beat an oil giant: Rose Liza Eisma-Osorio on defending Tañon Strait
- Environmental lawyer Rose Liza Eisma-Osorio joined a legal fight in 2007, representing the resident marine mammals in Philippines’ Tañon Strait as petitioners in a case to stop energy company JAPEX’s oil exploration.
- JAPEX withdrew from the strait before the court ruled on the petition.
- In 2015, a landmark decision by the Supreme Court set a precedent that people can represent nature as stewards and give it legal standing without proving personal injury, making it easier for citizens to file environmental cases.
- After the October 2025 ethanol spill in Bais Bay, Philippines, Oceana is working with communities and scientists to push for legal accountability — a long battle, Eisma-Osorio says, that must be fought together with the community.

Five new mussel species reveal how much biodiversity US rivers still conceal
- Researchers have described five new-to-science freshwater mussel species from rivers in the Southeastern U.S.
- The mussels looked like known species, so the team used DNA to tell them apart.
- Freshwater mussels filter and clean river water, but are the most imperiled group of animals in North America.
- Several of the new species are rare, but only one has been proposed for federal protection.

‘Influence without enforcement’: Indonesia’s fires test Singapore’s anti-haze law
- Singapore became the first Asean country to pass a law allowing it to punish firms responsible for unhealthy air quality within its borders over a decade ago.
- But no charges have been brought to date, spurring legal experts and advocacy groups to call for updates to the act.
- Mongabay spoke with experts about what legal options regulators and civil society groups have against haze-causing companies.

These giant birds nearly disappeared
In Chile’s Patagonia National Park, Mongabay meets a women-led team preparing to release to the wild 13 Darwin’s rheas, a bird that nearly went extinct in the region just 20 years ago. Mongabay follows the preparations for the reintroduction and witnesses how the women’s efforts are helping to protect the birds and rebuild a self-sustaining […]
Botswana honors 97-year-old who fought eviction of Indigenous people in Kalahari
Roy Sesana, a 97-year-old Indigenous rights campaigner who opposed the Botswana government over the removal of San communities from their traditional lands in Central Kalahari, has received an honorary doctorate from the University of Botswana. The university awarded Sesana an honorary Doctor of Letters on Oct. 23, recognizing his decades of advocacy for Indigenous rights, […]
Who’s implementing EUDR?
As the EU’s deforestation regulation (EUDR) approaches enforcement after multiple delays, Mongabay’s Solutions Desk is examining how industries are working to comply, and where the shortfalls are. From soy traders in Brazil to cocoa companies in Ghana and palm oil farmers in Southeast Asia, this Special Issue examines how businesses are adapting to new traceability […]

Feeds: news | india | latam | brasil | indonesia