location: Southeast Asia

location: Southeast Asia

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Indonesia should avoid controversial programs to fund conservation (commentary)
- Protecting nature is often a struggle due to funding gaps, which governments across developing countries are struggling to close.
- While officials may pursue plans to fund conservation with programs like carbon credits, as in the case of Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia, these may ironically impact critical habitats for threatened species.
- “Indonesia should not be overconfident that it can close the gap by using controversial programs,” a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

Conservationists fear fires could erase years of orangutan habitat recovery
- Fires have burned part of a restoration site being prepared for orangutan habitat in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, raising fears that another severe fire season could undo years of recovery work.
- The restoration project, led by the government, Yayasan IAR Indonesia and local communities, has replanted about 300 hectares (740 acres) with 150,000 trees to help keep critically endangered orangutans out of nearby farms.
- Conservationists say the fires, likely sparked by nearby land clearing for oil palm, spread rapidly through dry peat and scrub vegetation, despite the area still being in the rainy season.
- With severe El Niño conditions forecast later this year, conservation groups warn they lack sufficient resources to fully prepare for another major fire season like the devastating 2015 crisis.

Dangerous arsenic levels detected in Thailand’s Mekong mainstream for first time
- Thai authorities have detected dangerous levels of arsenic contamination in sediment from the Mekong River mainstream and three of its tributaries in the country’s north.
- The contamination has been widely linked to a surge in unregulated mining, including for rare earth minerals, upstream in Myanmar’s Shan state.
- Experts warn that toxic heavy metals could threaten aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on the Mekong Basin.
- Regional coordination and monitoring remain limited, with the Mekong River Commission lacking authority over key upstream areas in Myanmar and China.

The world’s great deltas are sinking — and with them, a global food system
- The Mekong Delta is sinking. Projections indicate that 90% of this life-sustaining landform could disappear by 2100 due to human-driven factors such as groundwater pumping and sediment capture by dams, compounding the effects of sea-level rise.
- The Mekong is just one of 40 of the world’s large river deltas threatened by high subsidence rates coupled with rising sea levels, according to a 2026 global study. Among the 19 river deltas seeing the most significant widespread subsidence are those on the Mekong, Nile, Chao Phraya, Ganga-Brahmaputra, and Mississippi rivers.
- As the world’s great deltas sink, humanity loses rich, irreplaceable agricultural lands, fisheries, urban areas and exceptional biodiversity — much of which will not be salvageable beyond a certain point. Delta loss poses a significant threat to global food security, and an existential threat to often impoverished delta communities.
- Delta subsidence can be slowed and even reversed by implementing well-understood mitigation strategies, say experts, by replacing hydropower dams with alternative energy, reducing sand mining and groundwater extraction, and altering agricultural practices. But these solutions are hampered by economics and lack of political will.

A 10-year whale shark satellite study helps create new protected area in Indonesia
- Fishers and scientists joined together in Indonesia for a 10-year study to protect whale sharks (Rhincodon typus).
- The bagan fishers’ unique relationship with the endangered whale sharks enabled scientists to satellite tag the fish.
- The data from the decade-long study revealed previously unknown migration routes, feeding grounds and a whale shark nursery.
- The data will be used to help create a marine protected area designed for whale sharks.

Cambodia tested waters amid pollution claims; months later, still no public results
- Following local Indigenous Brao reports of health issues stemming from water since gold mining began in the area in 2023, Cambodian authorities tested water and sediment from the O’Ta Bouk River in February.
- To date, no results of water, sediment or fish sampling has been made public, despite experts urging more comprehensive testing and communities languishing in uncertainty over the safety of the river.
- All of this is taking place in Virachey National Park, one of Cambodia’s oldest and most remote protected areas, home to many endangered species, where the Cambodian government awarded an 18,900-hectare mining exploration license to a politically connected company.
- Brao fishers who live along the banks of the O’Ta Bouk River say there are no fish in the water, which they attribute to persistent problems linked to pollution; farmers who use the O’Ta Bouk’s waters for irrigation question whether to plant another year’s crops.

RJ Nichole Ledesma, chronicler of unsettled ground on Negros Island, was killed last month. He was 30.
- A 30-year-old journalist was killed while reporting on renewable energy’s impact on farming communities in Negros Island.
- RJ Nichole Ledesma focused on land, labor, and displacement, documenting stories rarely covered by national media.
- Ledesma’s reporting examined how projects—from solar farms to plantations—reshaped the lives of farmers and fisherfolk.
- His death is contested; his work offers a clearer record of the communities he chose to follow.

Indonesia busts wildlife trafficking ring targeting Komodo dragons
Police in Indonesia have announced the dismantling of what they say is a major wildlife trafficking network largely targeting the world’s largest lizard species. Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged syndicate, which was involved in trafficking endemic Indonesian species, particularly juvenile Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), an endangered and protected species, to […]
Singapore’s population of Raffles’ banded langur has doubled
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In a forest reserve on the edge of Singapore, volunteers spend hours scanning the canopy for a primate they may not see. The exercise points to a simple constraint of conservation in a dense city: most habitats are […]
Saline intrusion in Mekong Delta leaves farmers and scientists at odds
- Vietnam’s Mekong Delta is increasingly facing saltwater intrusion, as sea levels rise, land subsides and the river’s natural cycles are disrupted by dams and irrigation infrastructure.
- A growing scientific consensus says Vietnam must learn to adapt to salt water rather than trying to engineer its way out of the problem; this perspective was officially integrated into Vietnam’s public policy with the 2017 Resolution 120.
- In practice, however, hard infrastructure like sluice gates are popular at the local level and continue to be built.
- Progress implementing Resolution 120 has also slowed due to 2025 administrative reforms that restructured ministries and re-drew provincial boundaries in the delta.

In Indonesia, a schoolboy moves mountains on waste as government targets reform
- At just 12 years old, Syazwan Luftan Riady started a grassroots nonprofit of young people in East Java province focused on environmental protection.
- Now a second-year student at a prominent university in Indonesia, Luftan is also the protagonist of a children’s book and has received recognition from a U.S. organization for his campaigning work.
- The United Nations Environment Programme notes that Indonesia generates 3.2 million metric tons of plastic waste every year, the second most in the world after China.
- Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto, announced in February a “war on waste” and is overseeing construction of 33 new electricity generation projects fueled by household waste. The president has also called for a volunteer army of schoolchildren to help clean up the country’s beaches and rivers.

Laos can do more to mitigate chemical pollution of rivers flowing into Vietnam (analysis)
- Rapid expansion of rare earth and gold mining in Laos is contaminating river systems that flow into Vietnam, putting millions of downstream users at risk.
- Toxic runoff, particularly arsenic, poses a “silent” threat as it bioaccumulates over time, with serious long-term impacts on human health, fisheries and food security.
- Weak enforcement and the lack of a dedicated Laos-Vietnam monitoring framework leave these shared rivers vulnerable, highlighting the urgent need for stronger cross-border cooperation and safeguards.
- This article is an analysis. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

Species thought extinct for thousands of years ‘rediscovered’ thanks to Indigenous knowledge
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. On a remote peninsula in Indonesian Papua, a species long thought extinct by scientists has been confirmed to survive. The evidence did not come from a formal survey. It began with conversations with Tambrauw elders, who described a […]
Indonesia escalates ‘war on waste’ with criminal probe into Jakarta landfill disaster
- On March 8, seven sanitation workers were killed at Southeast Asia’s largest landfill, the Bantargebang dump site east of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city.
- The country’s environment minister at the time, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, told Mongabay that criminal charges against a former environment agency lead for the capital could be followed by charges against other civil servants.
- The criminal investigations into the former environment Jakarta and also in Bali were announced two months after President Prabowo Subianto announced a “war on waste” amid revived plans to build incinerators capable of turning millions of tons of household waste into electricity.

Saving crocodiles from extinction
Community-led efforts are helping revive and save Siamese crocodiles from the brink of extinction. Siamese crocodiles are native to Southeast Asia and considered guardians of the wetlands by many communities. However, their population declined drastically due to hunting and habitat loss as a result of which they have been declared a critically endangered species. In […]
On World Tapir Day, data gaps cloud future of Malaysia’s tapirs
Asia’s only tapir species still remains understudied in Malaysia, researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society say. Recent findings from Thailand suggest that some forest complexes there may hold more Malay, or Asian tapirs (Tapirus indicus) than previously estimated. However, across the border in Malaysia, experts warn that the endangered species faces an uncertain future, complicated […]
Deforestation is surging in Indonesia
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Indonesia’s forests, long held up as a case of tentative progress, are again under pressure. New analysis shows deforestation rose sharply in 2025, reversing several years of decline and returning to levels not seen in nearly a decade, […]
Endangered civet faces local extinction in Cambodian sanctuary
The large-spotted civet is an endangered small carnivore found in pockets of forest across Southeast Asia. Now, a new study suggests the nocturnal mammals are heading toward local extinction in Cambodia’s Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS), once considered a global stronghold for the species. The study, published in Pacific Conservation Biology, analyzed a decade of camera-trap […]
Investigators eye organized crime links in 3-ton pangolin scale haul at Jakarta port
- Customs officers in Jakarta planned to conduct interviews this month in connection with the seizure of more than 3 metric tons of pangolin scales, which inspectors found in a shipping container bound for Cambodia in late February.
- Mongabay Indonesia visited the address registered to the company exporting the container, but it appeared to be a shopfront, while its contact numbers registered in a government database were inactive.
- Indonesian authorities continue to make more pangolin scale seizures: This month, a Navy vessel intercepted a Vietnam-flagged cargo boat off the northwest coast of Java found to be carrying 780 kg (1,720 lbs) of scales.

Wetland destruction for mining, oil palm tied to crocodile attacks in Indonesia
- Bangka-Belitung, an island province located to the north of Sumatra Island, accounted for more than a quarter of the world’s tin production five years ago.
- Satellite analysis shows that this globally significant mining industry has come at extensive environmental cost: Bangka-Belitung lost 36% of its old-growth forest between 2002 and 2024, besides the deforestation incurred in the 20th century.
- In 2024, Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office announced the country’s largest ever criminal corruption case, after investigators uncovered collusion with the state-owned tin miner, PT Timah, and illegal mining operators on Bangka.
- Meanwhile, local wildlife charities say deforestation of the coastal wetland on the west of Bangka Island, which was inhabited by humans at least as far back as the 7th century, may be to blame for the rise in human-wildlife conflicts afflicting local populations.

Singapore to halt sourcing and breeding dolphins
Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa will stop sourcing wild dolphins for its aquarium and is suspending its captive-breeding program, according to insiders, reports Mongabay contributor Robin Hicks. Anbarasi Boopal, former co-chief executive of Singapore animal welfare charity Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), said this was a positive step. However, she called for transparency about […]
Citizen science helps reconnect Singapore treetops for elusive leaf-eating langurs
- Singapore’s fragmented forests are home to a small population of Raffles’ banded langurs, one of the world’s most threatened primates.
- Citizen scientists are helping conservationists protect the arboreal species across the island’s densely urbanized landscape.
- By collecting long-term and consistent data in known strongholds, volunteers have identified langur food plants and movement corridors, boosting efforts to enrich and reconnect their habitats.
- The citizen science program has also built public awareness of the elusive species, one of only three primates left in Singapore, an outcome experts hope will rouse wider support for biodiversity protection amid intense development pressure.

Elephants adjust what they eat in altered habitats, signaling growing pressure
Asian elephants are adapting to rapidly changing landscapes by diversifying their diets — a sign of resilience, but also a warning about the pressures reshaping their habitats, according to a recent study from Malaysia. Researchers collected feces from wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) across two distinct landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia: one with primary and secondary […]
Fossil fuel subsidies and high costs stall energy transition across rural Indonesia
- Research by the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) and Greenpeace shows the number of villages across Indonesia using solar energy among households declined by more than a quarter between 2021 and 2024.
- The authors of the Village Energy Transition Index said adoption of renewable energy in villages may reflect high installation costs and government subsidies for fossil fuels.
- Significant regional inequality exists between Java and other wealthier regions compared with the east of Indonesia, where solar potential energy is greater and where more rural communities would benefit from the technology.
- Anecdotal testimony indicates installations of basic photovoltaic systems often do not last long due to difficulties and costs associated with repairing units after a component fails, a particular challenge in coastal areas where salt corrosion is a factor.

To tackle trafficking in gibbons, experts probe what drives demand
- As gibbon trafficking reaches record highs, conservationists say reducing demand is critical to tackling the illegal trade.
- But motivations for wanting to buy a gibbon vary widely between buyer communities, which means the solutions must be tailored accordingly, experts say.
- Surveys of people who voluntarily surrendered gibbons to a sanctuary in Malaysia found that most cited as motivation a love of animals or desire for their children to have an animal to play with.
- In India, by contrast, a sanctuary manager says gibbons are coveted as status symbols, and most arrive at the center via confiscation rather than voluntary submission.

Asia’s longest free-flowing river contaminated by arsenic linked to Myanmar mines
- Independent testing of the Salween River began in September 2025 after researchers found alarming levels of toxic contaminants in the nearby Kok, Sai and Ruak rivers in Thailand, much of it linked to unregulated mining in Myanmar.
- Rare earth mines exporting crucial minerals needed for artificial intelligence, mobile phones, electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies and other uses have been blamed, but the mining of gold and various critical minerals also continues largely in secrecy across river basins in Myanmar.
- Most suspected mines were found upstream in the Salween’s basin, notably in Shan state, where various factions such as the United Wa State Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, as well as the Myanmar military, are fighting for territory.
- A working group was formed to address the growing issue of contamination across Thailand’s rivers, including the Salween, and tests showed arsenic levels at every monitoring point were more than double safety levels; news of the contamination has put local fishers and communities on alert.

Energy crisis revives push to drill in Philippines’ largest intact wetland
- Liguasan Marsh is the largest intact wetland in the Philippines, a key area for both resident and migratory birds, and a source of livelihood for the thousands of families who live there.
- Since the 1990s, the marsh has been known to hold vast reserves of oil and gas, but decades of armed conflict in the region prevented exploration from progressing.
- A 2014 peace deal brought renewed interest to the marsh’s reserves, but little development on the ground.
- The global fuel crisis triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has led to renewed calls to extract oil and gas from the marsh, prompting warnings from conservation groups.

EU deforestation law nudges timber trade, Indonesia probe shows, but risks persist
- An investigation tracing Indonesian timber to recently cleared forests shows EU-bound supply chains still carry deforestation risks, even as the bloc prepares to enforce stricter rules.
- The upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is already shifting behavior, with some European buyers and Indonesian suppliers cutting ties and tightening traceability.
- But trade data from 2025 show high-risk imports continue, highlighting uneven progress and persistent loopholes in complex, opaque supply chains.
- Researchers and advocates say only full, consistent enforcement of the EUDR, alongside stronger due diligence and reforms in Indonesia, will meaningfully curb deforestation-linked timber trade.

Community-led ecotourism protects rebounding wild cattle in Thailand
The critically endangered banteng is making a comeback in Thailand’s Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, and has become a unique community-led conservation icon, reports Mongabay’s Carolyn Cowan. Thailand’s population of banteng (Bos javanicus), one of the world’s rarest wild cattle species, was once reduced to just a few hundred individuals due to decades of deforestation, […]
See an orangutan, take a photo, earn some money: A viable conservation model?
- KehatiKu, a conservation program in Indonesian Borneo, pays citizen observers to document wildlife sightings and upload them via an app.
- Payments vary by species, with the highest rate, around $6, paid for verified orangutan sightings. Dedicated observers can make more than they would be paid at a full-time job.
- By paying citizen observers directly, the program aims to gather data on wildlife and incentivize conservation while spending much less than conventional conservation projects.
- The program has collected around 175,000 records in its first year of operations, but one expert notes that it has historically proven challenging to keep people engaged in long-term conservation initiatives.

Nearly a million birds shipped from Africa to Asia in 15 years; canaries top the list
- Hong Kong and Singapore, two Asian wildlife trade hubs, imported more than a million live wild birds, nearly two-thirds from Africa between 2006 and 2020, according to a new analysis of customs data. Canaries, including species declining in the wild, topped the list.
- More than two-thirds of the birds came from African countries where export regulations are weak, including Mali, Guinea, Tanzania and Mozambique.
- This massive live bird trade depletes wild populations and may spread dangerous diseases or invasive species, researchers say.
- Experts urge countries to restrict imports of live birds, implement stricter quarantine measures and adopt an approved list of pets that don’t pose risks to biodiversity or human health.

Indonesia braces for possible ‘Godzilla El Niño’ as fire season escalates early
- The 2026 fire season in Indonesia is already showing early signs of escalation, as burned areas reached 32,637 hectares by February, 20 times higher than the same period in 2025.
- Some global forecasts suggest this year’s predicted El Niño could become one of the strongest in at least a decade, raising the risk of prolonged drought and widespread fires, although significant uncertainty remains over how intense it will ultimately be.
- Fire monitoring by the watchdog Pantau Gambut show that many hotspots are in oil palm and timber concession areas, which the group says suggests that legal permits alone do not guarantee fire-safe land management and highlights gaps in oversight and enforcement.

‘Rediscovered’ species in Papua spotlight importance of Indigenous knowledge
- Two species of marsupial thought by scientists to be extinct for thousands of years still live in the forests of Indonesian Papua on the island of New Guinea, according to recently published research.
- One of the animals, the ring-tailed glider, is sacred to the Tambrauw people, and it’s part of a newly proposed genus, Tous, borrowing the Tambrauw name for the glider.
- The other animal, a pygmy long-fingered possum, was discovered during a mammal-watching trip on the Bird’s Head Peninsula.
- The research involved substantial collaborations with local communities and Indigenous elders.

Landmark win for Thai villagers, but gold mine appeal delays justice
In a landmark verdict, the Bangkok Civil Court last month held the operator of a gold mine liable for environmental and health damages, ordering it to compensate nearly 400 villagers. But the company is appealing against the ruling, which will likely delay payouts and prolong a decade-long legal fight, reports contributor Kannikar Petchkaew for Mongabay. […]
Repeated failures expose gaps in Indonesia’s nickel waste management
- A deadly 2026 landslide in Indonesia’s Morowali nickel hub highlights risks in “dry stack” waste systems, which can still liquefy under poor conditions.
- Indonesia’s booming nickel industry generates massive volumes of toxic waste, with dry stack or “filtered” tailings promoted as safer than the typical wet sludge, but often poorly implemented.
- Experts cite design flaws, weak oversight, and challenging local conditions, including rainfall and seism activity, as key factors behind repeated failures.
- Watchdogs are calling for a halt to new tailings facilities and stronger safeguards, warning of ongoing risks to workers, communities and ecosystems.

In Indonesia, a coastal vine used as medicine now signals ecological decline
- The beach morning glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) vine is widely used as a traditional medicine in the north of Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, and in many tropical coastal communities, to treat common complaints, and by fishers to treat stings from venomous fish.
- In addition to its medicinal use, the plant, also known as bayhops, reinforces beaches by binding sand dunes, increasing the resilience of global coastlines to risks of abrasion and erosion.
- Beach morning glory is a ubiquitous crawling vine, but some communities in Sulawesi’s Gorontalo province say the medicinal plant has disappeared locally due to industrial development and infrastructure construction.

10 years after Vietnam’s Formosa steel plant spill, justice for victims remains elusive
- This month marks the 10th anniversary of a marine disaster in Vietnam, caused by the release of toxic chemicals by the Formosa steel plant off the coast of Hà Tĩnh province.
- At least 100 metric tons of dead fish washed ashore beginning April 6, 2016, sickening thousands of people and shutting down the fishing and tourism industries.
- After widespread public mobilization, the company admitted responsibility and agreed to pay $500 million in compensation.
- Thousands of Formosa victims say they have not been properly compensated; lawsuits against the company are stalled; and victims and their supporters face repression, including imprisonment, inside Vietnam.

Once lost, now found: Five “missing” bird species rediscovered in 2025, offering hope
- Birders in 2025 rediscovered five species of birds that scientists hadn’t documented in the wild for at least 10 years, according to the latest update of the Lost Birds List.
- All of the “found” birds are endemic to islands in Southeast Asia and Oceania.
- Two birds, one considered extinct and one reclassified as a subspecies, were taken off the list in 2025 and another bird, not seen in 94 years, was documented early this year.
- Six new species will be added to the list in 2026, those not documented in the wild for a decade. This puts the list at 120 birds — down from 163 when it started in 2022.

Indonesia’s deforestation surges 66% in 2025, reversing years of decline
- New satellite data show that deforestation in Indonesia surged in 2025, up 66% from the previous year, marking a sharp reversal after several years of decline.
- The implications extend beyond forest loss, as rising deforestation could derail Indonesia’s climate goals, including its target of turning the forestry and land use sector into a net carbon sink by 2030.
- NGO Auriga Nusantara points to policy decisions under both the current and former administrations; at the same time, government-backed projects have been allowed to expand into forest areas, often without adequate spatial planning.

Banned but not silenced: Gerry Flynn’s commitment to uncovering the truth across the Mekong
- Gerald “Gerry” Flynn is Mongabay’s features writer for Southeast Asia, reporting on the intersection of human rights, ecosystems and natural resource governance.
- In January 2025, Flynn was permanently banned from Cambodia in what appeared to be retaliation for his journalistic work; he is now based in Thailand and covers the Mekong region more broadly.
- He emphasizes that environmental journalism in authoritarian contexts must expose realities often omitted from state-controlled media.
- Flynn says he values on-the-ground reporting, amplifying local voices and balancing bravery with safety.

How wild cattle recovery is transforming local livelihoods near key Thai reserve
- Banteng, a species of wild cattle, have suffered an 80% population decline across their range in recent decades. But in Thailand, populations are rebounding strongly in well-protected areas.
- Decades of strict habitat protection and ranger patrols have reduced poaching and recovered numbers to such an extent that several herds have spread outside of protected sites into surrounding buffer areas, where enforcement of wildlife laws is limited.
- In an effort to protect the growing herds, villagers living in the buffer area of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, who once experienced conflict with the banteng, have set up a community-led ecotourism initiative based on banteng-watching.
- The wildlife tours are creating powerful cultural, social and financial deterrents to poaching, and the banteng are proving to be a key species around which to rally local support for conservation.

Thai court rules gold mine liable, but villagers face uncertain justice
- A Thai court has ruled a gold mining company liable for environmental damage and health impacts, ordering compensation for nearly 400 villagers and mandating cleanup measures.
- The landmark verdict, Thailand’s first environmental class action, is being appealed, delaying payouts and prolonging an already decade-long legal battle.
- Villagers say the compensation falls far short of their losses, with many continuing to suffer from contamination, health issues and ruined livelihoods.
- The case highlights ongoing tensions over mining impacts and accountability, as operations continue and communities push for stronger legal action and remediation.

Oil surge sharpens calls for Indonesia to shift away from fossil fuels
- Indonesia faces rising fiscal and economic pressure as global oil prices surge amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, exposing its heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels.
- Analysts say the crisis underscores the need to accelerate renewable energy development, which could reduce exposure to volatile global markets and improve long-term economic stability.
- Despite this, the government is also boosting coal output and exploring expanded biofuel use — moves that critics warn could undermine climate goals and create new environmental risks.
- Civil society groups are calling for windfall taxes on fossil fuel companies to fund a just energy transition, arguing current policies risk deepening inequality and dependence on extractive industries.

Indonesia reviews firms in river basins after latest floods affect 7% of Bornean province
- The province of South Kalimantan experiences annual flooding, frequently worse than other Indonesian provinces on the island of Borneo.
- In late December, Indonesia’s environment minister said the government would review companies operating within watersheds in the province after a large share of the province’s 4.4 million people were impacted by floods at the end of last year.
- Civil society organizations and scientists say land-use change in the water catchment area has reduced the drainage capacity of soils and increased the likelihood of runoff, which inundates a large share of settlements in the province every year.
- A spokesperson for the environment ministry told Mongabay in March that a review of companies operating in the river basis was ongoing.

Singapore resort said to halt controversial dolphin sourcing, breeding
- Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa is to end sourcing dolphins from the wild and has suspended a captive breeding program, according to sources.
- The company is assembling a team of experts to decide the future of more than 20 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, most of which were captured from the Solomon Islands in 2008 and 2009.
- The resort has maintained the dolphins are well cared for and the exhibit at Singapore’s Oceanarium serves educational and conservation purposes.
- Experts say that rehabilitation and release of the dolphins is possible, with transfer to a natural sea pen the first step for assessment.

Local conservationists sustain research on threatened heron amid Myanmar instability
- Community-based surveys in northern Myanmar have documented a small population of white-bellied herons, one of the world’s most threatened bird species.
- Experts say the sightings reaffirm the conflict-torn area’s importance as one of the world’s few remaining strongholds for the critically endangered species.
- Several threats to the birds were identified, including opportunistic hunting using homemade guns, which the researchers plan to mitigate through outreach programs in local communities.
- The surveys were funded by a wider conservation program that aims to boost local capacity for conservation to cover diminished government support and reduced NGO presence amid Myanmar’s political crisis.

US-Indonesia trade deal slammed as ‘extractive colonialism’ over mining, fossil fuels
- Activists warn a new U.S.-Indonesia trade deal could accelerate mining, deforestation and fossil fuel use, with weak, nonbinding environmental safeguards.
- The agreement prioritizes critical minerals and energy access, opening up Indonesia’s resource sectors to deeper U.S. investment while limiting state control.
- Expanded nickel mining and coal-powered processing risk worsening pollution, land conflicts and forest loss, especially in already affected regions like Sulawesi and the Malukus.
- Large fossil fuel import commitments could undermine Indonesia’s climate goals, highlighting contradictions in the global energy transition and raising concerns for Indigenous and local communities.

A nature-based solution to save the Mekong Delta’s water future (commentary)
- The Mekong Delta — a global rice and aquaculture hub — is increasingly at risk from climate change, with rising seas, salinity intrusion, pollution and groundwater depletion threatening the livelihoods of dependant communities and lives of millions of residents in the delta.
- In Vietnam, a proposed nature-based groundwater replenishment system aims to combine water treatment, aquifer recharge and wind energy to boost clean water supply, reduce salinity and stabilize the delta’s fragile ecosystems.
- Backers say the plan could deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in annual benefits through higher farm yields, improved public health and stronger climate resilience, though it will require major investment and coordinated governance to succeed.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

Birutė Galdikas, primatologist who spent a lifetime studying & defending orangutans, has died at 79
- Birutė Galdikas established one of the longest-running field studies of any wild mammal, helping to transform scientific understanding of orangutans and their behavior.
- Her work combined research with hands-on rehabilitation, returning hundreds of orangutans to the wild while navigating debates over the role of intervention in field science.
- As Borneo’s forests declined, she expanded her efforts into conservation, founding an organization and working with local communities to protect habitat under growing economic pressure.
- As part of the “Trimates”, a group of female researchers recruited by Louis Leakey, she helped bring great apes into public view and frame orangutans as emblematic of broader environmental loss.

Palm oil clearing advances in Bornean orangutan habitat despite red flags
- A palm oil firm has cleared more than 3,000 hectares (7,500 acres) of forest inside a UNESCO biosphere reserve in Indonesian Borneo, threatening areas identified as orangutan habitat.
- The concession overlaps with a wildlife corridor linking two national parks, raising concerns over habitat fragmentation and increased human-orangutan conflict.
- Authorities have acknowledged the presence of the habitat inside the company’s concession, but proposed voluntary conservation measures rather than halting clearing, drawing criticism from environmental groups.
- The case highlights broader issues of weak enforcement, disputed land rights with Indigenous communities, and supply-chain loopholes that continue to allow deforestation-linked palm oil into global markets.

In Laos, ancestral spirits are helping save one of the world’s rarest crocodiles
- A decade-long conservation program built around local culture is restoring a globally significant population of a critically endangered crocodile species to the Xe Champhone wetlands of central Laos.
- Of the world’s 27 crocodilian species, the Siamese crocodile is among just four classified as critically endangered, with fewer than 1,000 thought to survive on Earth.
- This month, 56 crocodiles were released back to the Xe Champhone wetlands and the program has released 294 individuals since it began in 2013.
- The locals’ spiritual connection to crocodiles, upheld for generations in a landscape stripped of most large wildlife, may be the single most important reason this species still exists here.

Songbird trade threatens lesser-known ‘master birds’ with secondary extinctions: Study
- Master birds are used in songbird competitions in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world to “teach” competitors elements of their songs. This trade, largely unknown and under-researched, is pushing some species to the brink of extinction.
- A recent market study investigated the trade in crested jayshrikes, a popular master bird in Indonesia, and discovered rampant trade: This bird was sold openly across the country, despite its protected species status.
- The trade in master birds has driven serious declines of numerous species in the wild, including the Javan green magpie.
- To save these rapidly disappearing birds, the researchers say that stricter law enforcement is urgently needed to shut down illegal markets and stem the trade.

Proboscis monkey found in Thailand adds to evidence of cross-border illegal trade
- In January, an injured proboscis monkey was found near a railway track in Thailand’s Samut Sakhon province and brought to a nearby clinic.
- Proboscis monkeys are an endangered species endemic to Borneo, and international trade is banned except for research or conservation purposes — no permits that would allow such trade exist for the species in Thailand.
- Historically, trafficking for pets or zoos has not been a major threat to proboscis monkeys because it is very difficult to keep them alive in captivity, but recent research has found an uptick in live trade of the species.
- The monkey is currently recovering from its injuries at a government-run rehabilitation center, and while he will never be able to live in the wild again, officers there say he may be transferred back to his native range once his health is stable.

Jakarta port authorities seize 3 tons of pangolin scales in Cambodia-bound container
- A spot inspection of a 20-foot container by customs authorities at Indonesia’s largest port in late February uncovered more than $10 million in pangolin scales.
- There are eight species of the herbivorous pangolin, all categorized as threatened due to habitat loss and poaching, which is largely to supply raw material for Chinese traditional medicine, despite the total absence of any scientific proof of medicinal benefit.
- Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Indonesia’s premier forestry faculty, estimate that every kilogram of pangolin scales requires the death of up to five pangolins.
- Separately, a police officer convicted last year over a scheme to trade 1.2 metric tons of pangolin scales stolen from a police evidence room had his nine-year sentence reduced to seven on appeal.

Indonesia court orders release of withheld impact studies on new capital
- Indonesia mining industry watchdog Jatam has won a case at the country’s Supreme Court requiring the government to disclose environmental impact assessments pertaining to two utility water projects at the country’s new capital city site.
- In 2019, then-president Joko Widodo announced he would move the capital of the world’s fourth-most-populous country from Jakarta to Nusantara, a new site surrounded by forests and Indigenous communities on the east coast of Borneo.
- At issue are the Sepaku Semoi Dam and Sepaku River intake, two infrastructure projects at Nusantara that have impacted local Indigenous populations, Jatam said.
- The NGO called the ruling a victory for transparency, but criticized efforts to withhold documents and pointed to a 2008 law as well as Indonesia’s Constitution requiring public access to information.

Facebook shuts Indonesia groups after Mongabay and Bellingcat report illegal wildlife trade
- Facebook parent company Meta has closed nine groups on the social network after reporters from Mongabay and Bellingcat found evidence of illegal wildlife trade being conducted openly on the platform in Indonesia.
- In one Facebook group, reporters last year found an advertisement for a rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), a protected species.
- “Bad actors constantly evolve their tactics to avoid enforcement, which is why we partner with groups like the World Wildlife Fund and invest in tools and technology to detect and remove violating content,” Meta said in a statement.

Indonesia plan to rezone elephant reserve for carbon trading and tourism sparks backlash
- Indonesia plans to rezone large parts of Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra for carbon trading and luxury tourism to raise conservation funds.
- Critics warn the move could fragment core habitat and harm critically endangered species like Sumatran elephants, tigers and rhinos.
- Experts say carbon projects and reforestation could reduce elephant food sources and worsen human-wildlife conflict.
- Concerns are mounting over transparency, governance and whether revenues will truly support conservation and local communities.

Hat Yai’s floods are a warning for cities built against nature (analysis)
- Hat Yai’s economy is still struggling to recover from the devastating November 2025 floods, raising fears that repeated disasters could drive businesses and investment away from the southern Thai tourism hub.
- Flood risk is rising due to urban expansion, altered drainage, upstream land-use change and increasingly intense rainfall linked to climate change.
- Decades of costly engineering fixes have failed to keep pace, and without major land-use reforms and nature-based solutions, the city risks locking itself into a cycle of worsening floods.
- This post is an analysis. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.

By protecting tigers ‘we save so much more,’ says Debbie Banks
Tiger populations have risen in some countries, such as Bhutan, Nepal and India, but the global population of the big cat species remains critically endangered, says Debbie Banks, campaign lead for tigers and wildlife crime at the Environmental Investigation Agency. The global tiger population was recorded at roughly 5,574 in 2022, with the species having […]
Cambodia’s Supreme Court denies release of five imprisoned environmental activists
- Five environmental activists from the group Mother Nature Cambodia remain in prison after a Supreme Court judge declined on March 2 to release them pending their appeal against a conviction for subversion.
- The activists, who were profiled in the Mongabay-produced film “The Clearing,” have been in prison since July 2, 2024 — more than 600 days — when they were sentenced to six to eight years in prison and ordered to pay fines for plotting against the government and insulting the king.
- Mother Nature activists have campaigned against logging, destructive dams and sand mining in Cambodia — activism they and others say is their right to carry out.
- Currently, sources say no date is set for the activists’ appeal; human rights groups contend its repeated postponement constitutes a violation of their fundamental right to a trial without undue delay.

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