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Historic Arctic freeze for US South and record rain in Western Australia
The southern states of the U.S. are facing a winter storm this week that will bring heavy snow and ice to a region that rarely experiences such conditions. More than 220 million people are expected to be affected from Texas to South Carolina. Several states, including Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, have each already […]
Indigenous communities rise up against prison projects in Ecuador
- During his 2023 campaign, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, today the country’s president, promised to build two new maximum-security prisons as a way to tackle rising violence and gang-controlled prisons.
- Both prisons were planned in areas with sensitive ecosystems and claimed by Indigenous communities; yet the state failed to seek the consent of the communities, as required under Ecuador’s Constitution.
- One prison has been under construction in the coastal province of Santa Elena since June 2024, for which 30 hectares (74 acres) of tropical dry forest, one of Ecuador’s most threatened ecosystems, have so far been cleared, triggering local community protests.
- The second prison was planned for the Amazonian community of Archidona in Napo province; but after two weeks of intense protests in December, the government decided to move the project to Santa Elena, just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the other project.
Study shows degradation changes a forest’s tree profile and its carbon storage
- In highly deforested landscapes and degraded forests, large-seeded big trees are losing out to opportunistic, fast-growing species, a recent study has found.
- Having examined 1,207 tree species across 271 forest plots in six Brazilian regions in the Amazon Rainforest and Atlantic Forest, the study shows that tree species normally dominating landscapes with a high forest cover seem to be in decline.
- The researchers suggest this is because the relatively large wildlife needed to disperse large seeds disappear early on from human-modified landscapes, allowing trees with smaller seeds, and thus smaller dispersers like birds, to dominate the forestscape.
- As forests become increasingly degraded, they lose their functional characteristics, as soft-wood, fast-growing trees have less ability to store carbon, are less resistant to fire and drought, and generally die younger.
Coal gasification, an old technology, is quietly expanding across Asia
- Several of Asia’s biggest economies are promoting coal gasification as a viable part of their clean energy transition, arguing that turning coal into synthetic gas yields a cleaner fuel and reduces dependence on imports of natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.
- But activists and experts point out that gasified coal is still a highly polluting fossil fuel, and that relying on it prolongs coal mining, which has long been linked to environmental and human rights violations.
- In China, coal gasification to replace industrial petrochemicals usually produced from oil and natural gas grew by 18% in 2023, consuming more than 340 million metric tons of coal a year.
- However, cost concerns may slow the push elsewhere: investors have jumped ship from Indonesia’s inaugural gasification project, while the tab for a gas refit of a coal-fired power plant in Japan has grown so big that experts question its feasibility.
Traditional ecological knowledge isn’t dying — it’s adapting and transforming (Commentary)
- Traditional ecological knowledge in the central Peruvian Amazon is not simply being lost to time, but is rather adapting and evolving to a new modern context.
- Ecotourism is providing important job opportunities for Peruvian Amazonian young adults.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily Mongabay.
Brazil’s ‘innovative’ reforestation agenda discussed in Davos (commentary)
- At the World Economic Forum 2025 in Davos this week, a coalition of leaders from across Brazilian sectors will discuss the integrated, pre-competitive agenda needed to scale forest restoration.
- Forest restoration is a key part of successful climate action, providing carbon removal, biodiversity protection and sustainable economic growth, but it requires immediate investment and action, the authors of a new op-ed write.
- Brazil’s coordinated approach across business, finance, and conservation sectors has resulted in approximately $528 million in restoration investments in the past 18 months, setting a global example for impactful forest restoration and climate action.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
New study assesses threat to wildlife from cacao expansion in Congo Basin
- Wildlife in the heart of the Congo Basin, an area that stretches from western and southern Cameroon to northeastern and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, are most at risk from the expansion of cacao cultivation, a recent study found.
- Cameroon, the world’s fourth-largest cacao producer, wants to double its output by 2030 — an ambition at odds with the country’s stubbornly low yields, changing climatic conditions, and the demand for “deforestation-free” cocoa from consumer nations.
- “Cameroon has little area available for agricultural expansion outside forests,” Marieke Sassen, a co-author of the new study, told Mongabay.
- Three-quarters of Cameroon’s cocoa is destined for the European Union, which passed a regulation in 2023 to ban imports of cocoa produced on recently deforested or degraded forestland.
Fishing boats spotted competing with whales in Antarctica for krill
Nearly all of Antarctica’s iconic wildlife, from penguins to seals and whales, depend on krill, tiny crustaceans that make up the base of the food chain. Krill are also sought after by humans, who scoop them up using massive fishing boats, potentially putting whales in danger, scientists warn. The fishing boats and whales are “going […]
Helicopters slash the trek to Earth’s highest peak, but leave Sherpas grounded
- “Helicopter tourism” that brings trekkers to Base Camp of Sagarmatha (Everest) in Nepal and bypasses the long trek there is taking a toll on local Sherpa communities.
- By cutting short visitors’ time in the region, it reduces the earnings of porters, lodge owners and other small local businesses, as well as diminishes bonds with the community, according to residents living in the lap of Earth’s tallest mountain.
- Increasingly frequent helicopter flights have also brought noise pollution that impacts both wildlife and domestic livestock, while potentially exacerbating environmental risks like avalanches, landslides and glacial floods in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
- Local leaders and youth groups are advocating for stricter regulations to limit helicopter flights, reroute them from sensitive areas, and promote ecotourism practices that balance development with conservation.
In Uganda, local communities bear the brunt of militarized conservation
At Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, violent enforcement of wildlife laws leaves broken families behind and damages the relationship between conservation authorities and local communities, reports Mongabay’s Ashoka Mukpo. In October 2023, Mukpo visited the massive park, home to various wildlife including elephants, lions, hippos and leopards, to investigate human-wildlife conflicts and heard of accounts […]
‘An oval with legs’: In search of Tanzania’s tiny island antelope
- On Zanzibar’s second-largest island, Pemba, lives a diminutive antelope that hasn’t been officially recorded in at least 20 years.
- Its long absence has fueled fears the animal may have been exterminated from Ngezi Forest Reserve by hunters.
- In early December, a group of scientists and conservationists set up camera traps to try to find signs that this subspecies of the tiny blue duiker is still alive.
Growing conservation and community: Interview with Ngezi reserve chief
- Khamis Ali Khamis has a long career in community-led conservation in Tanzania’s Zanzibar archipelago, the last six years of them in charge of Ngezi Forest Reserve on the island of Pemba.
- He says the main challenge facing the 2,900-hectare (7,200-acre) reserve is maintaining a balance between nature conservation and resource extraction by the growing human population living around it.
- “The use of natural resources is always increasing, so we need to find an alternative way” to provide local livelihoods, Khamis tells Mongabay in an interview.
- He emphasizes the importance of planting the message of conservation in youths to help build a community that ultimately supports conservation.
Probe details the playbook of one of Amazon’s top land grabbers
- Professional land grabbers operating in the Brazilian Amazon have sophisticated strategies to steal and deforest public lands and get away with it.
- According to the Federal Police, Bruno Heller is one of Amazon’s largest deforesters and relied on legal and technical advice, including a fake contract, bribing police officers, and near-real-time monitoring of deforestation work through satellite imagery, investigators said.
- Low penalties and hurdles faced by federal bodies in seizing back stolen lands from criminals have spurred the land-grabbing industry in Brazil.
The force is strong with new giant ‘Darth Vader’ sea bug found off Vietnam
What’s new: From the seafood markets of Vietnam, researchers have identified a species of giant crustacean or “sea bug” that’s new to science. They’ve named it Bathynomus vaderi, for its distinctly shaped head reminiscent of the helmet of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, according to a recently published study. What the study says: Bọ biển […]
‘Unusual’ and weak La Niña confirmed, offers cooling respite after record El Niño
It’s official: a weak La Niña came into fruition in late December and is expected, with significant uncertainty, to last until sometime between February and April, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced. La Niña often brings wetter conditions to Southeast Asia and the Brazilian Amazon, while cooling global temperatures overall, potentially easing recent […]
Philippine Indigenous communities restore a mountain forest to prevent urban flooding
- Indigenous communities in the Philippines’ Mt. Kalatungan protected area have since 2015 carried out a tree-planting campaign to restore native vegetation lost to decades of commercial logging and agriculture.
- Known as rainforestation, it aims to rejuvenate vital ecosystem services like flood mitigation, which benefits urban areas downstream, while also providing incentives for the communities driving the restoration.
- The rainforestation program is led by community groups, making use of their knowledge of native plants, and marks a shift from the government’s decades-long, centrally managed reforestation efforts that relied on planting nonnative species.
- Communities are already benefiting from exports of the coffee that they grow in the shade of larger trees, but proponents of the scheme say there needs to be more interest and funding from outside to ensure long-term success.
River culture is the rhythmic pulse of the Bengal Delta (commentary)
- Reviving rivers in Bangladesh is not simply an ecological issue, but also a socio-cultural one, and an economic imperative.
- The government and the people must come together to protect and restore the rivers, not just for environmental sustainability and justice, but also to preserve the rich heritage and cultural identity associated with these waterways, a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
Bangladesh sees first ever rewilding of captive-bred elongated tortoises
Two species of critically endangered tortoises were reintroduced to Bangladesh’s forests last December. Six captive-bred elongated tortoises (Indotestudo elongata) were first released in Lawachara National Park in northeastern Bangladesh on Dec. 18. This was followed by the release of 10 Asian giant tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei) in Matamuhuri Reserve Forest in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of […]
Firefighters in LA blaze face same toxic exposure as 9/11 responders
Smoke from wildfire poses a host of health concerns, but when fires burn through urban areas, like the ongoing inferno in Los Angeles, U.S., the health risks increase dramatically. “This is an entirely different situation because the wildfire smoke is bad enough, but when synthetic materials burn, they’re going to give off more toxics, not only in […]
In Bangladesh, a botanist brings quick, fun lessons to social media
- A botany expert turned online educator in Bangladesh is proving that anyone can become a plant enthusiast, no educational degree required.
- With his short, snappy videos, Azharul Islam Khan has captivated around a million followers on social media, teaching them about the diversity of Bangladeshi plants and trees.
- His engaging content isn’t just for plant lovers; it’s building a diverse community of students, eco-conscious families and nature enthusiasts.
- Azharul is on a mission to protect the environment, advocating sustainable tree planting and educating the public about the importance of balanced ecosystems.
A venomous Australian spider turns out to be 3 species, not 1
The Sydney funnel-web spider, a highly venomous arachnid found crawling in and around Australia’s most populous city, was long thought to be a single species. But it’s actually three different species, a new study has found. One of these, called “Big Boy” for its unusually large size, is new to science. “You would think we […]
Sustaining a 400-year-old Ethiopian farming tradition: Interview with elder Gehano Guchoir
- In southern Ethiopia, the Konso people have maintained a 400-year-old stone terracing system, essential for farming in the region’s semiarid environment.
- This UNESCO-listed practice helps prevent soil erosion, conserve water and enhance agricultural productivity, and at the heart of it are the Konso elders who play a crucial role in passing down the knowledge of terracing to younger generations.
- However, population growth and climate change threaten the survival of the terracing system, and with land becoming scarce, many young Konso people are migrating to cities, leaving behind traditional farming.
- Combined with the unpredictable impacts of climate change, this exodus risks severing the transmission of critical knowledge and weakening the community’s agricultural practices and cultural identity.
Plans for bauxite mine in Suriname reignite Indigenous land rights debate
- A bauxite mine run by Chinese corporation Chinalco could begin operating next year, endangering a 280,000-hectare (about 692,000 acres) area of western Suriname inhabited by Indigenous communities.
- The mine will require refurbishing and expanding infrastructure for a harbor and railroad built in the 1970s, and gives the company “priority right” to use the Corantijn river for dredging.
- Indigenous groups said they weren’t properly consulted about the project and that the government is unfairly labeling their territory as public domain.
Safeguarding the shea nut legacy for Ugandan women
KAL AWINYA, Uganda – In rural Uganda, 34-year-old Adong Betty from Kal Awinya village shares how shea nuts sustain her family and community. Her own childhood was marked by active participation in collecting and processing shea nuts with her mother, instilling in her a deep respect for this tradition. Shea nuts are a critical part […]
Should mining companies consider no-go zones where isolated Indigenous peoples live? (Commentary)
- Irresponsible mining for critical minerals, like those used in renewable technologies, can threaten the existence of Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, who are amongst the world’s most vulnerable populations.
- Companies like Tesla are considering no-go zones where uncontacted people live. While the idea of establishing these zones is increasingly pragmatic, the author says the most crucial thing for companies to do is conduct rigorous human rights due diligence from the initial stages of mine development right through to closure.
- Danielle Martin from the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) says this approach relies on the meaningful and inclusive engagement and the participation of affected Indigenous peoples. But for Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, engagement and participation may not be possible and agreement may not be attainable.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
Ogoni women restore mangroves and livelihoods in oil-rich Niger Delta
- After decades of crude oil spills and the introduction of invasive plant species, thousands of hectares of mangroves in the Niger Delta are destroyed, impacting aquatic species and women’s livelihoods.
- Ogoni women from coastal villages, supported by the Lokiaka Community Development Centre, have been at the forefront of reforestation efforts.
- The women have planted 2.6 million mangrove trees since 2018, drawing attention from a government agency that hired them to share their knowledge and plant mangroves for its oil spill rehabilitation project.
- Around 300 women from Ogoni communities have been trained in mangrove reforestation.
Elephants, gorillas and chimps hold out in Cameroon’s largest protected landscape
- A new survey finds that populations of forest elephants, lowland gorillas and chimpanzees have remained relatively stable in a large landscape in southeastern Cameroon.
- In some cases, populations actually rose significantly in the region’s protected areas, but declined on the outskirts.
- Officials attribute this “positive” trend to hard work and the implementation of a “permanent presence technique” to deter poaching by engaging more closely with local communities.
- However, they say more effort is still needed to combat poaching for tusks and the trafficking of great apes.
Satellite ‘backpacks’ help keep track of parrot migration in Mexico
- Scientists and conservationists have deployed lightweight satellite backpacks, containing transmitters, to study and understand the migration patterns of thick-billed parrots.
- Teams from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in the U.S. and conservation NGO Organización Vida Silvestre in Mexico have gathered more than 70,000 data points over four years.
- The data helped them identify corridors that are critical for the birds’ movements; they also served to justify the designation of protected areas that are important for the birds.
- Thick-billed parrots, known for their raucous calls, are an endangered species endemic to Mexico; illegal logging in recent years has led to the degradation of their habitats.
Vested interests and social tribes in the Pan Amazon
- Local and regional actors, particularly commercial and landowner elites in mid-sized cities, play an important role in the expansion and improvement of road networks. In Brazil, lobbying by private interests played a big role in the development of Rodovia Transamazônica and BR-319.
- In Brazil, agribusinesses exert political power via the Frente Parlamentar da Agropecuária (FPA), often referred to as the Bancada Ruralista, a multi-party congressional voting bloc.
- One of the most significant accomplishment of the ruralistas was their 2012 campaign to modify Brazil’s the Forest Code. Changes included amnesty for property owners who had illegally deforested land before 2008 and adjusted requirements to reforest portions of landholdings that had exceeded legal deforestation limits.
African Parks closes deal to manage Ethiopia’s Gambella National Park
- South Africa-based conservation NGO African Parks signed a long-term deal in December 2024 to manage Gambella National Park in Ethiopia.
- The agreement brings the number of protected areas under management by African Parks to 23 in 13 countries.
- Gambella is part of a wider landscape that includes Boma and Badilingo national parks, across the border in South Sudan.
- The Gambella region has been conflict-prone in recent years, with a documented history of human rights violations by the Ethiopian government and other groups.
Mongabay documentary spotlights Indigenous alliance to protect Amazon headwaters
Mongabay’s new short documentary The Time of Water premiered Dec. 16 at the Barcelona Center for Contemporary Culture, in Spain. Directed by Pablo Albarenga and produced with support from the Pulitzer Center and OpenDemocracy, the 18-minute documentary explores the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance and its fight to protect one of the world’s most vital sources […]
1 lynx dead, 3 quarantined after suspected illegal release in Scotland
What started out as a reported sighting of a pair of Eurasian lynx in the Scottish Highlands has turned out to be an alleged case of “guerrilla rewilding” or, at the very least, illegal release of four individuals of a species long extinct in the area, media reports say. A pair of Eurasian lynx (Lynx […]
Serious groundwater contamination in several parts of India: Report
A recent analysis has revealed that India’s groundwater contains pollutants in excess of permissible limits. This contamination is driven by both natural geochemical processes and human activities like agricultural and industrial practices, reports contributor Esha Lohia for Mongabay India. To understand the state of groundwater in India, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) assessed more […]
Mining in a forest conservation site clouds Republic of Congo’s carbon credit scheme
- The Republic of Congo set up a REDD+ program in the Sangha and Likouala regions, aiming to reduce deforestation and store carbon from 2020 through to 2024.
- However, in the Sangha region alone, the country’s mining minister has issued at least 79 semi-industrial gold mining and exploration permits since the project began.
- Scientists reviewing images of these mining activities condemn the “reckless” destruction of biodiversity.
- The government says the program stored more than 1.5 million metric tons of carbon in 2020, for which it expects to be paid more than $8 million from the World Bank.
Thai farmers demand action to restore ecosystems, compensate for invasive fish
- Citizens rallied in Bangkok this week demanding accountability and action from the government and private corporations following an outbreak of invasive fish that has ravaged Thailand’s freshwater ecosystems and aquaculture industry.
- Blackchin tilapia, an omnivorous species native to West Africa, is highly adaptable, breeds rapidly and is capable of outcompeting native wildlife and commercially farmed species, including shrimp.
- Thailand’s largest agricultural conglomerate has come under scrutiny because it obtained a permit to import the species in 2010, shortly before the first detections in the wild in the same province as its research facility.
- The activists urged the government to eradicate the species, compensate affected farmers and identity the parties responsible for the outbreak.
The paradox of balancing conservation efforts for Himalayan wolves and snow leopards (commentary)
- Although snow leopards cause greater livestock losses than Himalayan wolves, human communities generally show greater tolerance and acceptance toward snow leopards.
- This ‘predator paradox,’ where the more damaging predator is more tolerated, leads to less conservation support for wolves and more for snow leopards.
- “Both snow leopards and wolves are crucial to the Himalayan ecosystem, but conservation has overwhelmingly favored snow leopards. This disparity in attention and resources amplifies the challenges faced by wolves, highlighting the need for a balanced approach to conserve both species effectively,” a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
Brazil’s Amazon shipping plan faces criticism for environmental and social impact
Brazil is set to approve a controversial expansion of 2,000 kilometers, or more than 1,200 miles, of new shipping channels in the Amazon. With a price tag in the billions of reais, the expansion is needed to ensure cheaper, more efficient transportation of agricultural commodities out of the Amazon, the government says. But an investigation by […]
‘LIFE’ scores map out where habitat loss for crops drives extinction
- Altering natural habitats for agriculture is the single biggest driver of extinctions.
- Land conversion is contributing to what scientists call Earth’s sixth mass extinction.
- Now, new maps link the conversion of landscapes to the risk of extinction for species; they also help identify places where restoration could increase the probability that species will survive.
- The tool works accurately on areas of land ranging from 0.5-1,000 km² (0.2-386 mi²), and could be used by consumers and conservation groups to identify key areas to prioritize for conservation or restoration.
Smart tags reveal migratory bats are storm-front surfers
What’s new: Some bats, like birds, migrate long distances. But these long-distance bat migrations have been somewhat of a mystery to researchers, especially since only a few species embark on them. Now, in a new study, researchers have mapped the odyssey of common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) using innovative tiny trackers. And the results have […]
Nepal’s top court strikes down law allowing development in protected areas
- Nepal’s highest court has scrapped a controversial new law that allowed infrastructure development, such as hotels and cable cars, inside protected areas.
- The law, passed in July, threatened to rezone protected areas to facilitate development projects, and its scrapping has been hailed by opponents as a significant victory for conservation efforts.
- A group of lawyers mounted a legal challenge to the law after its issuance, leading to an interim stay until the ruling.
- The court decision, issued Jan. 15, aligns with the court’s strong track record of prioritizing conservation and human rights, activists note.
Global ocean temperatures set new record in 2024
- Average temperatures across the world’s oceans reached an all-time high in 2024, according to a multi-team study published Jan. 10.
- The temperatures surpassed even those of 2023, which themselves represented a marked uptick over any previous years on record.
- Each of the two main metrics for ocean temperature hit a record high in 2024, while a commonly cited overall metric that accounts for both land and sea temperatures also reached a new high.
- The findings fit with a decades-long trend of ocean heating. The long-term rise is both a result of climate change and a cause of climate change effects like sea-level rise and increased likelihood of extreme weather.
Turn problems into solutions for culture and agriculture across Australia and the Americas, Anthony James says
Anthony James, host of The RegenNarration Podcast, joins Mongabay’s podcast to share news and views on community resilience and land regeneration in both the Americas and Australia. James recounts how some creatures seen as invasive pests in Australia, like donkeys, are actually now being managed in a way that benefits the land, in places like […]
Cameroon aims to double cacao, coffee production, yet also save forests
- The Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) and the Cameroon government have signed a $60 million agreement they say will fund the development of cacao and coffee production, as well as protect the country’s forests.
- The fund will support projects aimed at sustainably raising production from existing agricultural land, rather than expanding into forested areas.
- Cameroonian forestry expert Ghislain Fomou says it’s unclear if cacao and coffee production can be increased without causing more deforestation.
1 in 4 freshwater species worldwide at risk of extinction: Study
The most extensive global assessment of freshwater animals to date has revealed that a quarter of all freshwater animal species on the IUCN Red List are threatened with extinction. The largest number of these threatened species are found in East Africa’s Lake Victoria, South America’s Lake Titicaca, Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone, and India’s Western Ghats […]
Surviving fire but not the toxins as modern homes, full of plastic, burn
The ongoing fires ravaging Los Angeles, U.S., have killed at least 25 people and burned more than 12,000 buildings. Many of the structures destroyed were homes, mansions of the rich and famous and middle-class homes alike. Irrespective of the wealth of their owners, most homes destroyed likely had one thing in common: plastic. As Mongabay […]
Krahô women lead Indigenous guard to protect territory in Brazil
- Indigenous women from Krahô communities in Brazil’s Tocantins state have formed a surveillance group to protect their ancestral territory from invaders.
- The thirteen Krahô Warriors received training in surveillance and carry out operations for 15 days each month.
- They plan and implement territorial protection actions based on Krahô traditions and ways of life.
- The Kraolândia Indigenous Land (TI) is under pressure from loggers, hunters, charcoal factories, and agribusinesses that surround the territory.
Global temperature in 2024 hits record 1.55°C over pre-industrial level
The year 2024 was the hottest on record, with an average temperature of 1.55° Celsius (2.79° Fahrenheit) higher than pre-industrial levels, surpassing the previous record set in 2023, according to six international data sets. Scientists caution that the data represent the average for the Earth’s year-round weather and don’t mean that the climate has exceeded […]
Indonesian scientist under fire for revealing extent of illegal tin mining
- An Indonesian forensic scientist whose testimony has proved crucial in securing rulings against environmental violators faces a third potential lawsuit.
- A complaint filed with police alleges that Bambang Hero Saharjo lacked competence to assess the damages in an illegal tin laundering case, which he calculated had caused more than $16 billion in environmental damages.
- Bambang’s testimony has led to several convictions in court, including for the CEO of Indonesia’s biggest tin miner.
- Prosecutors have defended his assessment, and activists say the campaign against him is a systematic attempt to silence him from speaking out against environmental crimes.
No respite for storm-hit Mayotte, southeast Africa as new cyclone bears down
At least three people were killed in Madagascar over the weekend as Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi brought heavy rainfall and flooding to the island on its way to the African mainland, news reports said. The French island territory of Mayotte, the archipelagic country of Comoros, and Mozambique were also affected by the storm. It came less than […]
El Salvador reverses landmark mining ban, setting up clash with activists
- Lawmakers in El Salvador recently voted to reintroduce industrial mining in the country, ending a 2017 landmark ban that has protected freshwater and public health.
- President Nayib Bukele has advocated for the return of mining despite the unpopularity of the industry in El Salvador, arguing that it will bring in billions of dollars and create thousands of jobs.
- The government will have at least 51% control over every mining project while also being in charge of oversight, causing concern from environmentalists that it will be hard to challenge projects that aren’t being carried out responsibly.
New study reveals why some birds are all about that bass
Birds produce an impressive variety of songs and calls, but the biological and ecological factors that influence the pitch, or frequencies, that birds create hasn’t been well understood — until now. Previous studies haven’t come to a consensus likely because they were small in scope, focusing on an individual species or a specific range. But […]
World’s record heat is worsening air pollution and health in Global South
- 2024 was the hottest year on record, producing intense, long-lasting heat waves. Climate change-intensified extreme events last year included the formation of vast heat domes — areas of high pressure that stalled and persisted above continental land masses in Asia, Africa, South and North America, and Europe.
- Heat domes intensify unhealthy air pollution from vehicles, industry, wildfires and dust storms. When a heat wave gripped New Delhi, India, last summer, temperatures soared, resulting in unhealthy concentrations of ground-level ozone — pollutants especially unhealthy for outdoor workers.
- When climate change-driven heat, drought and record wildfires occurred in the Brazilian Amazon last year, the fires produced massive amounts of wood smoke containing dangerous levels of toxic particulates that cause respiratory disease. Indigenous people living in remote areas had little defense against the smoke.
- Intense heat also impacted Nigeria in 2024, where major dust storms and rising temperatures created conditions that helped increased cases of meningitis — a sometimes deadly disease, especially in poor areas. Escalating climate change is expected to exacerbate pollution and worsen public health in the future.
For Ugandan farmers, good fences make good neighbors — of elephants
- In protected areas across Africa, human-wildlife conflicts are a growing problem, with nearly three-quarters of governments saying they’re a “major or serious concern.”
- At Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, crop-raiding by elephants and livestock predation can destroy the incomes of farmers and pastoralists.
- One solution that’s being implemented is electric fences, which are popular with farmers outside the park’s boundaries.
- But the fences aren’t popular in other communities, which see them as symbolic of their historic exclusion from the park.
By razing trees for flood defenses, a Philippine city may have raised its risk
Flood-mitigation infrastructure built in the southern Philippines for more than $100 million by clearing native vegetation could exacerbate flood risk in the future, reports Mongabay’s Keith Anthony Fabro. In 2011, floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Washi, known locally as Sendong, killed more than 1,260 people in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and […]
New alert system can track changes in grasslands, farms, temperate forests
A new global data set makes it possible to track near-real-time changes in several types of vegetation across different ecosystems, including grasslands, savannas, shrublands, croplands, temperate forests and boreal forests. Called DIST-ALERT, the new product can be visualized on the Global Forest Watch platform of the World Resource Institute (WRI). GFW has long offered the […]
Right whales can live to 130, but in North America they die young
- A new study indicates that right whales have extremely long lifespans of 130 years or more, adding to growing evidence of extreme whale longevity.
- The research draws attention to the plight of North Atlantic right whales, which are critically endangered. It found that despite their long potential lifespan, their actual lives are far shorter than those of southern right whales, a close relative.
- The authors and other experts believe North Atlantic right whales’ lives are being cut short due to threats in the “highly industrialized” waters off the eastern United States and Canada where they live; these include fishing gear, which can entangle the whales, and vessel strikes.
Indonesia’s voracious songbird trade laps up rare and poisonous pitohuis
- In Southeast Asia, the time-honored tradition of keeping songbirds in cages has resulted in an unsustainable trade in wild-caught songbirds and an alarming decline of many species — a phenomenon ecologists have termed the Asian songbird crisis.
- A recent study finds evidence for a new family of poisonous birds — the pitohuis that are endemic to New Guinea — featuring in the songbird trade in Indonesia.
- Researchers analyzing bird market surveys over a 30-year period have found that pitohuis first entered the trade in 2015, both online and in bird markets, and their trade numbers have since increased.
- Although it’s illegal to buy or sell these birds in Indonesia, the thriving trade suggests a need for closer monitoring and stricter enforcement of laws, say conservationists.
‘You have to be passionate’: Interview with Turtle Survival Alliance’s Hery Razafimamonjiraibe
- Environmental defenders in Madagascar have faced a spate of threats and attacks in recent years, overshadowing their work to protect biodiversity and human rights.
- Against this backdrop, tortoise conservationist Hery Razafimamonjiraibe spoke with Mongabay about how his team manages threats working in often isolated conditions in the south of the country.
- Antipoaching work is risky, he says, but this can be managed through close collaboration and cohesion between communities, NGOs and law enforcement agencies.
‘Nightmare’ fire threatens iconic Madagascar national park
A mighty blaze in Madagascar’s Ranomafana National Park is menacing the home of the world’s rarest lemur species. Disastrous dry conditions have turned the biodiversity haven into a tinderbox. The park, one of the country’s leading tourist destinations, is a 10-hour drive from Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, and is also home to the prestigious Centre ValBio […]
Bonobo numbers in DRC park stable, but signs of decline appear
Bonobo populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Salonga National Park remained steady between 2002 and 2018, but there are worrying signals of decline, a recent study has found. For decades, Salonga has been known to host the largest known population of bonobos (Pan paniscus), an endangered great ape found only in the DRC. However, […]
NGOs raise concerns over Borneo pilot of ‘jurisdictional’ certification for palm oil
- A new report by a coalition of Indonesian environmental groups reiterates concerns over a long-running trial of “jurisdictional” certification conducted by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
- The trial underway in Seruyan district, Central Kalimantan province, intends to apply the RSPO standards to the entire district, rather than the more costly, but more specific, vetting of individual plantations or corporate entities.
- A 2017 investigation by Mongabay and The Gecko Project documented how former Seruyan leader Darwan Ali blanketed the district in oil palm plantation concessions beginning in the mid-2000s, issuing licenses to many companies set up in the name of his relatives and cronies.
- Civil society researchers say they worry that a jurisdictional certificate for Seruyan could gloss over long-standing and ongoing land conflicts, and that the palm oil produced from such plantations could enter “green” supply chains.
It’s time for a U.N. ‘universal declaration on nature’ (commentary)
- Nature needs an equivalent to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a new op-ed argues.
- The ‘rights of nature’ is an allied approach, but nature needs something with more and broader teeth, that can elicit a moral and political consensus on the need for nature conservation.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
Deadly wildfires force thousands to evacuate homes in Los Angeles
Wildfires in Southern California, U.S., have killed at least five people, forced some 130,000 to evacuate, and damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 buildings. Numerous fires are raging around Los Angeles county, a region famous for its beaches and Hollywood celebrities. Nearly 30,000 acres (12,140 hectares) have burned in a quickly accelerating fire as of […]
Indonesian forestry minister proposes 20m hectares of deforestation for crops
- Indonesia’s forestry minister says 20 million hectares (50 million acres) of forest can be converted to grow food and biofuel crops, or an area twice the size of South Korea.
- Experts have expressed alarm over the plan, citing the potential for massive greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity.
- They also say mitigating measures that the minister has promised, such as the use of agroforestry and the involvement of local communities, will have limited impact in such a large-scale scheme.
- The announcement coincides with the Indonesian president’s call for an expansion of the country’s oil palm plantations, claiming it won’t result in deforestation because oil palms are also trees.
At least 11,500 deaths linked to extreme weather in 2024
Extreme weather in 2024 affected around 18 in every 1,000 people across the globe, according to preliminary figures from the International Disaster Database. Mongabay has compiled the data into an interactive dashboard below. Intense droughts, floods, storms, heat waves and other climate-driven disasters claimed more than 11,500 lives and affected at least 148 million people […]
One atlas to map all ecosystems on Earth: Interview with Yana Gevorgyan
- The Global Ecosystems Atlas is a tool that aims to serve as an open-source repository for data on all the ecosystems in the world.
- Developed by the intergovernmental initiative Group on Earth Observations, the Global Ecosystems Atlas pulls together existing data while also using remote sensing and AI technologies to fill gaps in areas where data don’t exist.
- The proof of concept for the tool was launched at the COP16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, in November last year.
Near-extinct Siberian crane is recovering thanks to habitat protection
Over the past decade, the population of the critically endangered Siberian crane has increased by nearly 50%, according to the International Crane Foundation. The foundation said the boost in the snowy-white Siberian crane’s (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) numbers is the result of efforts to secure the migratory bird’s stopover sites along its eastern flyway, or migratory route, […]
Warming threatens flies more than bees, raising pollination concerns
- New research shows flies can tolerate temperatures 2.3°C lower than bees before losing motor function, making them particularly vulnerable to climate change and raising concerns about their crucial role as the world’s second most important pollinators.
- The study, conducted across three countries, reveals that flies’ sensitivity to heat is especially concerning for crops like chocolate that depend on fly pollination and for high-altitude ecosystems where flies are the dominant pollinators.
- Insect populations are declining by nearly 1% annually (projected 24% decrease in 30 years), prompting urgent calls for conservation as these creatures are essential for pollination, nutrient cycling, and overall ecosystem function.
- Individuals can help protect pollinators by creating diverse habitats in their yards through native plant gardening, reducing pesticide use, providing nesting sites, and supporting conservation organizations.
After a searing Amazon fire season, experts warn of more in 2025
- South America recorded the highest number of fire outbreaks in 14 years in 2024, with Brazil at the epicenter of the crisis.
- In the Amazon, fire outbreaks grew out of control even amid a sharp reduction in deforestation rates, indicating deforesters are relying on fire as a new technique to clear land.
- Experts are urging more investment in fire prevention since the rainforest may face another intense fire season in 2025.
2024’s top ocean news stories (commentary)
- Marine scientists and policy experts from nine international research and conservation institutions share their list of the top ocean news stories from 2024.
- Hopeful developments this past year include advancing innovations in mapping technologies, legal strategies and financial instruments to protect the ocean and greater inclusion of Indigenous peoples and coastal communities into high-level ocean planning.
- At the same time, 2024 was the hottest year on record as a result of climate change, surpassing 2023, and scientists declared the fourth global coral bleaching event, a major setback for the world’s coral reef ecosystems.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
Indigenous communities come together to protect the Colombian Amazon
- Indigenous communities are increasingly recognized as the most effective guardians of the Amazon Rainforest, thanks to their deep-rooted beliefs that nature possesses its own life and rights, and also to their focus on long-term sustainability rather than short-term profits.
- In the Colombian Amazon’s Putumayo department, Indigenous women have come together to plant trees, collect waste, monitor water quality, launch educational campaigns, and denounce extractive activities that threaten the rainforest.
- One of the key challenges lies in blending traditional Indigenous knowledge with modern scientific approaches.
- Despite growing interest in Indigenous knowledge and preservation efforts, Indigenous communities remain underrepresented in political decision-making and the funding of conservation projects, and are also left exposed to attacks for their role as environmental defenders.
What singing lemurs can tell us about the origin of music
MADAGASCAR – It turns out that the Indri Indri lemurs of Madagascar can carry a tune. Researchers have found that these furry, tree-dwelling creatures use music to communicate with one another, likely for generations. Through collecting songs and calls produced by 20 indri groups in Madagascar’s rainforests over the span of 15 years, the scientists […]
President Biden bans offshore oil and gas drilling for many U.S. waters
With just two weeks remaining as president, Joe Biden invoked the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling for the entire U.S. East Coast, West Coast, eastern Gulf of Mexico and sections of the North Bering Sea in Alaska. The move will ban fossil fuel extraction from nearly 2.5 […]
Bangladesh must move from ‘fast fashion’ to ‘defashion’ to improve human & ecological wellbeing (commentary)
- The rise of ready-made garment (aka ‘fast fashion’) factories in the Bangladeshi cities of Savar and Gazipur near Dhaka completely transformed the natural ecosystem and waterways to produce wealth and jobs, but also misery and poverty at their peripheries, a new op-ed argues.
- A pivot away from ‘fast fashion’ toward previously cherished and traditional dress systems that have been erased by global tastes — which is called ‘defashion’ — should begin with the reclamation of garment workers’ environment and traditional skills.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres remains optimistic despite disappointing COP process
The 29th United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, ended late and with a massive finance shortfall of pledged climate finance for countries in the Global South, roughly $1 trillion less than what was sought. Many delegates were already on flights home when the final agreement was reached, while other […]
Atlantic puffins are perilously attracted to artificial light, new study shows
- When they make their first journey into the ocean, fledgling Atlantic puffins are prone to being stranded on land, imperiling them. For years, scientists have wondered what leads to these strandings.
- A new study provides experimental evidence to show that artificial light lures young puffins toward land, contributing to strandings.
- The study found pufflings don’t have a strong preference for any particular light source or color. However, once stranded, they move more under darkness and high-pressure sodium lights than under LED lights.
- Reducing artificial lights along the coast and offshore could save puffin lives, say conservationists, as Atlantic puffin populations are decreasing in parts of Europe. It can also save other threatened seabirds, such as Leach’s storm petrel found off Canada’s coast.
Indonesian company defies order, plants acacia in orangutan habitat
- The Indonesian company PT Mayawana Persada has shifted focus from clearing peatlands in western Borneo to planting acacia on previously cleared lands in defiance of a government order to restore damaged peatlands.
- The lands are home to the critically endangered Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), and any habitat loss pushes the animal closer to extinction.
- Mayawana Persada’s concession spans nearly 140,000 hectares (345,900 acres), overlapping with more than 83,000 hectares (205,100 acres) of carbon-rich peatlands and more than 90,000 hectares (222,400 acres) of Bornean orangutan habitat.
U.S. reports first human death from H5N1 bird flu
A person in the state of Louisiana has died from avian influenza or bird flu, also known as H5N1, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) reported on Jan. 6, marking the first recorded human fatality from H5N1 in the U.S. “The patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and […]
India’s latest forest cover report hints at countrywide degradation
The latest forest survey report from India suggests a slight increase in the country’s forest and tree cover in recent years. But experts say the net marginal gain masks considerable declines across many biodiversity-rich forests and mangroves as well as in overall forest quality, reports Mongabay India’s Kundan Pandey. The report, published by the Forest […]
Jane Goodall awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
On Saturday, President Joe Biden honored Jane Goodall as one of nineteen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor. This accolade recognizes individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public, or private endeavors. “Dr. […]
We need a North Pole Marine Reserve to secure a healthy future for Arctic waters (commentary)
- In 2024, the cod fishing moratorium on Newfoundland’s Grand Banks was lifted, 32 years after a historically significant ecological collapse of the fish’s population was caused by overfishing.
- The Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement signed in 2019 provides an example of how to address the threat from such overfishing by using the precautionary principle, international collaboration and science led evaluations of fish stocks.
- The future health of Arctic marine ecosystems can be secured by establishing a North Pole Marine Reserve, a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
Climate change fueled record extreme weather events in 2024
Climate change fueled some of the worst extreme weather events on record in 2024, according to a recent report. Researchers at the World Weather Attribution (WWA) and Climate Central reviewed heat waves, droughts, wildfires, storms and floods that struck in 2024, and found that nearly every extreme weather event they studied was “made more intense […]
Latin America in 2024: politics, turmoil and hope
- In 2024, Latin America continued facing chronic issues of deforestation, ecosystem contamination, violence, habitat loss and political turmoil.
- Changes brought on by presidential elections in several countries have not brought on significant changes for the environment, at least not yet, with effects still to be seen in the years to come.
- Increased criminal activity in the region remains a serious obstacle to conservation work, endangering local and Indigenous communities, while highlighting governments’ inability to tackle narco-trafficking and its associated consequences.
How the U.S. got no old growth forest protections from the Biden Administration (commentary)
- President Biden’s executive order in 2022 directed the U.S. Forest Service to conduct an inventory of mature and old-growth forests on federal lands for “conservation purposes,” but it did nothing to move the needle on old forest protections.
- The national old-growth amendment (NOGA) failed for a variety of reasons, and as a new, anti-conservation administration looms in Washington, not a single acre of old forests was protected by it.
- “I have experienced two Reagan terms, three Bush terms, and a Trump term where conservation groups united in throwing sand in the gears of bad forest policies. And I have lived through two Obama terms and a Biden term where conservation groups could not agree on a unified strategy that has now contributed to the deja vu of having to defend forests all over again, with nothing gained. We must all now unite, put aside our differences, and get ready for the fight of our lives,” an old growth forest expert and conservationist argues in a new op-ed.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
Indonesian president says palm oil expansion won’t deforest because ‘oil palms have leaves’
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has called for the expansion of oil palm plantations, saying any criticism that this will cause deforestation is nonsense because oil palms are trees too.
- The remarks have prompted criticism that they go against the established science showing how plantations have driven deforestation, biodiversity loss and carbon emissions.
- Experts have long called for the palm oil industry to improve yields at existing plantations rather than expand into forests and other ecosystems.
- But the main industry association has welcomed the president’s call, and even the Ministry of Forestry under Prabowo has changed its logo from a forest tree to something that resembles oil palm.
Conservation and the rise of corporations in the Pan Amazon
- Despite agreement on the importance of protecting the Amazon’s biodiversity, most people in the Pan Amazon depend directly or indirectly on conventional development and extractive production models.
- Investments by the extractive sector in the mid-nineteenth century were more successful because they were organized by multinational corporations with experience in managing operations in remote geographies (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname) or by state-owned corporations with practical knowledge of their own country (Brazil, Venezuela).
- In Brazil, some family enterprises evolved into complex holding companies that now finance expansion via joint ventures and international credit markets. A select few have chosen to raise capital by selling equity shares on domestic or international stock markets, although they typically retain majority control to maintain the family legacy.
Amazon communities reap the smallest share of bioeconomy profits
- Recently praised by environmentalists, governments and companies as a solution for rainforest conservation, bioeconomy has been practiced for centuries by Amazon’s traditional communities.
- Despite their key role in generating income from the standing forest, these communities continue to reap the smallest share of the profits, according to a new book.
- Traditional people need more financing, better access to energy and improved roads to get their products into the market.
Sweden’s wolf hunt starts, aims to halve population
Sweden has started its 2025 wolf hunt, with an aim to kill 30 wolves between Jan. 2 and Feb. 15. By the end of Jan. 2, hunters had shot 10 wolves (Canis lupus), according to Sweden Herald. Most recent estimates put wolf numbers in Sweden at roughly 375 by late 2023, a decline of nearly […]
New evidence spells massive trouble for world’s sharks, rays and chimaeras
- A third of the world’s sharks, rays and chimaeras are threatened with extinction, and their numbers have dwindled since 1970, finds a new IUCN report and a study.
- Overfishing is the biggest threat to these marine fish, halving their populations in five decades, followed by the international trade in shark parts, habitat degradation and pollution.
- Scientists call for immediate actions to prevent extinction, regulate trade and manage shark fisheries to promote sustainability.
Conservation corridors provide hope for Latin America’s felines
- Latin America’s feline species are losing their habitat and becoming trapped in small patches.
- Scientists are concerned about isolated populations and trapped individuals that are unable to migrate. This isn’t the only threat: reprisal hunting, vehicle collisions and the incursion of feral and undomesticated dogs into wild areas means that many cats could be on the path to extinction.
- Researchers say biological corridors are vital for their conservation.
South Australia bans fishing of many sharks and rays in its waters
The state of South Australia has banned fishing of several endangered or critically endangered sharks and rays in its waters. In a media release dated Dec. 11, the state government said the new rules prohibit both recreational and commercial fishing of critically endangered species such as the whitefin swellshark (Cephaloscyllium albipinnum), oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus […]
Four new tarantula species found in India’s Western Ghats mountains
- Four new species of tarantulas, including one new genus, have been described from India’s Western Ghats mountains.
- A concerning trend shows that 25% of newly described tarantula species since 2000 have appeared in the pet trade, with some appearing for sale within months of being scientifically described.
- Tarantulas face dual threats from illegal collection for the pet trade and habitat loss in the Western Ghats, where many are found only in small patches of remaining forest surrounded by tea plantations.
- These spiders serve as important predators and indicators of healthy habitats in their ecosystems, but are particularly vulnerable due to their slow reproduction rates and the difficulty in detecting them during smuggling attempts.
An underground gold war in Colombia is ‘a ticking ecological time bomb’
- In Colombia’s Buriticá municipality, a gold mine owned by Chinese company Zijin has become a hotspot of environmental damage, criminal activity and conflict.
- Zijin announced earlier this year that it had lost control of 60% of its mining operations to the illegal miners, who have taken over the mine’s tunnels or collapsed them.
- Illegal mining has expanded in and around the mine, with miners using mercury, explosives and heavy machinery to extract gold, contaminating ecosystems and threatening the geological stability of the area.
- The illegal miners flock here from around the country, and are associated with the Gaitanista Army of Colombia (EGC), also known as the Gulf Clan, Colombia’s largest criminal armed group.
Sunken ships in Sri Lanka’s Colombo attract more fish than coral reefs
- Shipwrecks host more diverse fish assemblages compared with natural coral reefs off the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s commercial capital.
- Research shows that shipwrecks provide more complex structures with various microhabitats, attracting fish and offering both food and safety, making them more appealing than coral reefs.
- Scientists used the diver operated video recording method, in which a diver carries a video camera along a predefined transect, for allowing species identification and quantification later in the laboratory.
- Sri Lankan waters contain 115 known shipwrecks, with the oldest being the Godawaya wreck, dating back to the second century BCE, and they play a significant role in dive tourism.
Mongabay’s most impactful investigations of 2024
- This year, Mongabay published in-depth investigations on critical environmental issues worldwide.
- Stories ranged from illegal Amazon airstrips to rhino poaching in Indonesia and a Cambodian ‘timber cartel’.
- We close out 2024 with a look back at some of these reports.
Companies banking on tech and collaboration to comply with EUDR
- The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which takes effect at the end of 2025, will require companies to trace commodity origins along the entire supply chain to ensure they’re deforestation-free.
- Technological solutions, such as satellite data and precise digital mapping, have become essential tools to assess deforestation risks and ensure compliance across complex supply chains.
- Tech isn’t a silver bullet though, experts say, and the best results will blend technological tools, strong partnerships and human collaboration across the supply chain.
- Smallholders in particular risk exclusion from global markets due to challenges in meeting EUDR compliance, especially due to limited access to technology and data tools.
10 notable books on conservation and the environment published in 2024
- The 2024 books that made this year’s list at Mongabay center primarily on humanity’s place in nature, both as a way to understand environmental problems and how to deal with them.
- The authors explore topics ranging from Arctic warming and Indigenous land rights, to deforestation and coral bleaching.
- The list below features a sample of important literature on conservation and the environment published in 2024.
- Inclusion in this list does not imply Mongabay’s endorsement of a book’s content; the views in the books are those of the authors and not necessarily of Mongabay.
Camera traps reveal first jaguar in northwestern Ecuador forests in years
Two separate camera-trap surveys have captured videos and images of jaguars in two different forests in Ecuador’s northwest, where the animal hadn’t been spotted for several years. Subsequent analysis confirmed that it was the same individual moving between the two forests, according to a new study. The first camera-trap survey by researchers from the Central […]
Road to recovery: Wild animals staging a comeback in 2024
Conservation news is often heartbreaking, with reports of dramatic biodiversity loss globally year after year. But in 2024, there were several reasons for cheer as well, with conservationists finding that certain species, once at the brink of extinction, are making a comeback. Here are five species that researchers confirmed were showing hopeful signs of recovery […]
Bangladesh adopts new technology to fight wildlife crimes
- Bangladesh’s forest department has recently included modern technologies and tools to strengthen its crime combat arsenal, after having lagged behind its surrounding countries for over a decade.
- So far, Bangladesh’s wildlife crime control is mostly dependent on volunteers connected by telecommunication and social media.
- Experts say use of technology helps deploy the country’s limited resources to address wildlife crime and prevent wildlife deaths more effectively.
Campaigners celebrate as firm making first-ever GMO fish ceases operations
- AquaBounty Technologies, the first company in North America to get regulatory approval to sell a genetically engineered animal for human consumption — an Atlantic salmon spliced with genes from other fish — announced on Dec. 11 that it was closing its last facility, ceasing fish farming activities, and culling remaining stock.
- A coalition of conservation and Indigenous groups that had campaigned against AquaBounty celebrated the announcement, saying the company’s work posed environmental and public health risks.
- AquaBounty’s proponents contend that the salmon was completely safe and more sustainably produced than some farmed alternatives, and that decades-long campaigning against it had contributed to the company’s failure.
A deadly parasite turns jaguar conservation into a human health priority
- Analysis of jaguar droppings in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands have uncovered the presence of Spirometra tapeworms, a parasite with significant ecological and public health implications that can be dangerous to people in its larval form.
- Pantanal ranchers typically see jaguars as pests because they prey on livestock; however, conservationists aim to reframe these big cats as allies in ecological balance, as they control parasite-carrying prey and serve as vital bioindicators of the biome’s health.
- The underreporting of parasitical infections in humans caused by Spirometra reveals a gap in public health awareness in Brazil, making the discovery of the parasite in jaguars a key breakthrough toward protecting communities.
- Educational workshops and practical measures, such as electric fencing, have significantly reduced jaguar-livestock conflicts while improving community practices and promoting coexistence between humans and the big cats.
The Amazon in 2025: Challenges and hopes as the rainforest takes center stage
- The Amazon Rainforest, where next year’s COP30 climate summit will be hosted, is reeling from two consecutive years of severe drought, with major rivers at record lows, leading to water shortages and transportation disruptions for local communities.
- While deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon plunged during that period, the rainforest remains under threat from land grabbing, illegal gold mining, diminishing rainfall, and outbreaks of fire, many of them ignited by criminals.
- The world’s greatest tropical rainforest has also drawn the interest of carbon traders, but evidence of fraud within some carbon credit projects unearthed by Mongabay highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the carbon market.
- Amid all these threats, reforestation and restoration projects led by Indigenous communities and conservation organizations offer hope for a sustainable future for the Amazon.
In DRC bid to grow more food, smallholders are overshadowed by industrial farming
- More than 25 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo suffer food insecurity, largely due to insecurity and inadequate infrastructure.
- South Ubangi province is mostly free of the armed conflict prevalent in the eastern part of the country, but nearly three-quarters of its residents face high levels of food insecurity.
- Agriculture is the livelihood for 80% of people in the province and the government is exploring ways to reinforce their production.
- For the most part, this means incentivizing massive agro-industrial plantations, even at the expense of overlooking smallholder farmers, but some experts say this won’t guarantee improved food security.
Sea change for soy champion Brazil as it wrestles with EUDR compliance
- A dry run of a shipment of soy by commodities trader Cargill from Brazil to Europe, replicating the requirements to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), found that although the company met several requirements, it still faced other challenges.
- The EUDR, initially planned to come into effect this month and recently postponed for another year, will require suppliers to prove that their products exported to the EU aren’t sourced from illegally deforested areas.
- To comply with the EUDR requirements, companies from the soy industry are setting up new business structures to provide 100% traceability point by point from the producer to the port, until it enters the ship, in addition to tackling logistics challenges, says the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove).
- California-based nonprofit CTrees says it’s uncertain whether the EUDR will result in a significant reduction in deforestation, and raised concerns on the potential exclusion of smallholders and local communities from the supply chain because of the difficulty of getting them to meet compliance requirements.
Tortoise protection culture prompts efforts to curb trafficking in Madagascar
- Community-led antitrafficking networks are proving pivotal in helping authorities intercept poachers targeting critically endangered and endemic tortoises in southern Madagascar’s fast-disappearing spiny forests.
- Illegal hunting, both for their meat and to supply the pet trade, has decimated the species’ population in recent decades.
- Indigenous people living in the range of the imperiled species are motivated to protect them due to long-standing traditional beliefs that value and respect the tortoises.
- But local efforts can’t solve everything; experts urge more action at national and international levels to step up law enforcement, combat systemic corruption, and crack down on the transnational criminal networks orchestrating the trade.
Indigenous runners complete seven-month journey for Mother Earth and solidarity
- In May 2024, Indigenous representatives left from opposite ends of the Western hemisphere — Alaska and Patagonia — to embark on a ceremonial relay run to fulfill ancient prophecies.
- Indigenous peoples have undertaken this intercontinental run every four years since 1992, involving sacrifice and physical exertion, to strengthen Indigenous collaborations, share ancestral wisdom, and unite their voices in a powerful display of solidarity.
- History was made this year when the two routes met in Colombia for the first time — the heart of the Americas. The routes arrived with hundreds of sacred staffs from native communities, calling for unity, spiritual regeneration, land rights, water protection and community empowerment.
- The journey concluded with a four-day meeting at the headquarters of the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), bringing together global Indigenous leaders and representatives.
Southeast Asia in review: 2024
- 2024 was a grim year for conservation and its champions across Southeast Asia, as deforestation surged due to infrastructure, agriculture, logging and mining, threatening critical ecosystems and protected areas.
- Environmental activists and journalists also faced increasing risks, including detentions, harassment and violence, highlighting a growing climate of repression by governments across the region.
- Despite this, there were some conservation successes of note, including wildlife population recoveries, biodiversity discoveries, and Indigenous community victories against harmful development projects.
- Grassroots and nature-based initiatives, like mangrove restoration and sustainable agriculture, showcased effective approaches to enhancing biodiversity and resilience while also improving community livelihood.
Marine protection efforts in 2024 were still a drop in the ocean
In 2022, the world agreed at a U.N. biodiversity summit to protect 30% of Earth’s land and water by 2030. While protected areas already account for almost 15% of the planet’s land, protection for the world’s oceans is lagging far behind, at just over 8%. In 2024, several new marine protected areas (MPAs) helped nudge […]
Rainforest Outlook 2025: Storylines to watch as the year unfolds
- As 2025 begins, the future of the world’s tropical forests hangs in the balance, shaped by a confluence of political, economic, and environmental forces.
- From the Amazon to Southeast Asia and the Congo Basin, these ecosystems play a critical role in stabilizing the planet’s climate, preserving biodiversity, and supporting millions of livelihoods. Yet, they face unrelenting threats from deforestation, climate change, and resource exploitation.
- This year promises pivotal developments that could redefine their trajectory, testing the resilience of conservation mechanisms and the resolve of global actors to prioritize sustainability.
- The stakes have never been higher for the survival of these irreplaceable landscapes.
‘Wild Frequencies’: Podcast miniseries from India explores wild animal sounds
Watching wild animals can be exhilarating, educational and a richly rewarding experience. But spotting wildlife and keeping them in sight is often challenging. So wildlife researchers are increasingly turning to learning about animals through the sounds they produce. A new podcast series by Mongabay India titled “Wild Frequencies” explores this emerging science of bioacoustics in […]
Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys were found in only two places on Earth. Now it’s one
- A survey to find the critically endangered Tonkin-snub nosed monkey in Vietnam found no trace of it in one of two remaining forest patches it was known to inhabit.
- The species was last seen in Quan Ba Forest in 2020; now, the Khau Ca protected area, home to about 200 of the monkeys, may be the last remaining habitat for the species.
- Conservationists are calling for urgent and greater efforts to protect the remaining population.
The particularities of the migratory movement in Venezuela, the Guianas and Suriname
- Migration in the Colombian Amazon was not a state project but a consequence of the army’s armed conflict with the FARC and the emergence of drug trafficking that grew in its shadow.
- Although the peace process began in 2017, changes that have occurred since then have given rise to new criminal groups after the guerrillas were eradicated.
- Although the Guiana Shield has escaped large-scale deforestation, the region is home to tens of thousands of wildcat gold miners exploiting mineral resources in the thinly populated hinterlands of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
IPBES report highlights Indigenous & local knowledge as key to ‘transformative change’
- On Dec. 16, IPBES, the U.N.’s biodiversity policy panel, released a report on transformative change to address the biodiversity crisis, which centers the role of Indigenous and local knowledge and rights.
- The report identifies the three underlying causes of biodiversity loss and concludes with four principles to guide the change, five strategies to advance the change, six broad approaches, and five challenges this change faces.
- Many Indigenous and local traditional knowledge systems can offer insights into fostering human-nature interconnection and provide cost-effective strategies in conserving high-value areas for nature when they’re included in conservation strategies.
- With only six years left to achieve the 2030 global biodiversity goals, nature conservation faces many challenges, but the authors say they believe transformative change is still possible.
Conservationists and nature defenders who died in 2024
- The world lost many conservationists, Indigenous leaders, and environmentalists in 2024.
- Their lives were devoted to safeguarding the planet’s biodiversity, protecting vulnerable communities, and advocating for justice in the face of profound challenges.
- While each had a unique story, they shared a commitment to the environment, often working on the frontlines of conservation or battling entrenched systems of exploitation.
- If there are people you feel should be included in this list, let Mongabay know.
Nepal PM sums up 2024 shift away from conservation: ‘Fewer tigers, less forest’
- Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli recently made remarks downplaying the significance of conservation efforts, suggesting reduced targets for tiger populations and forest cover, contradicting international commitments and national priorities.
- The comments come on the heels of the government introducing measures allowing large-scale infrastructure, including hydropower projects and hotels, in previously protected areas, raising concerns among conservationists, lawyers and Indigenous communities.
- The Supreme Court is reviewing a petition against these proposed changes, with a final ruling pending due to delays in court proceedings.
‘Uncertainty’ amid EUDR delay poses challenges for cocoa companies, farmers
- Dutch chocolate maker Tony’s Chocolonely has long been at the forefront of pushing for more sustainability in cocoa production.
- The company has set up a blockchain-backed traceability system based on satellite imagery and polygon-mapping of the farms from which it sources its cocoa, ahead of application of the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products, or EUDR, which lays out requirements for importing goods into the EU.
- But more conventional chocolate sellers like Nestlé have also backed the EUDR, which aims to get rid of deforestation in the supply chains of imported commodities like cocoa.
- African governments have begun to tackle deforestation with an international initiative of their own called ARS-1000. Observers say they hope these regulations will also help provide better technical and economic support to the farmers who supply much of the world’s cocoa.
After trial and error, Mexican fishers find key to reforesting a mangrove haven
- David Borbón and his community are working to restore mangroves in a fishing village within Mexico’s El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, one of the country’s largest protected areas.
- The mangroves act as a natural barrier, protecting the coastal community and ecosystems from hurricanes and other severe weather.
- Borbón, who wasn’t formally educated in any science, conducted a series of experiments to find the best method to reforest the area’s declining mangrove forests and settled on a direct sowing technique that replicates natural patterns.
- With the support of his family and community, he has now planted more than 1.8 million mangroves and largely facilitate the recovery of the mangrove ecosystem.
Great Himalayan leaf-nosed bat finally confirmed in Bangladesh
- Scientists have for the first time recorded the presence of the great Himalayan leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros armiger) in the country, adding to the known range of this widespread Asian insectivore.
- The bat, distinguished by its nose-leaf that’s important for echolocation, was found in a cave in the southeastern Chittagong Hill Tracts, a biodiversity hotspot in the country.
- This discovery adds a new species to Bangladesh’s bat fauna and offers insights into the distribution of bat species in South Asia, highlighting the need for more wildlife surveys in the country.
- While the cave is protected, experts warn that increased human activity in the area could pose a threat to the bat colony, emphasizing the need for ongoing conservation efforts to preserve these vital habitats.
How the Sahel junta is responding to climate change amid political isolation
- Torrential rains during the Sahel’s rainy season (July to September) caused widespread flooding, displacing millions and submerging tens of thousands of hectares of cropland across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan.
- Meanwhile, military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have disrupted governance and climate adaptation projects. Political isolation from Western nations has further hindered access to international climate finance, leaving communities struggling to cope with extreme weather events.
- Organizations like the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) emphasize empowering local communities through initiatives like Water User Associations and agroecology. These efforts focus on sustainable land and water management, leveraging local knowledge for resilience.
- Despite the Sahel’s potential for renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, political instability, weak governance and funding gaps have slowed progress.
Rare new Guinean flower is ‘canary in a coal mine’ — but in an actual iron mine
- Scientists have described a new species of flower that appears to only grow in a small forest patch on the slopes of a mountain range in Guinea, West Africa, where extensive open-cast mining for iron ore is set to begin soon.
- There are thought to be as few as 100 of the Gymnosiphon fonensis flowers in existence in the Boyboyba Forest, which is part of the Pic de Fon classified forest reserve in the southeast of the country.
- Mining firm Rio Tinto has pledged to protect the Boyboyba Forest and the plants and animals that live in it.
- But Boyboyba makes up only a tiny fraction within a mosaic of forests and grasslands whose ecological integrity depends on linkages extending across Simandou’s 100-kilometer (60-mile) length.
RETRACTED: Congo’s ‘Garden of Eden’ withstands growing human pressure
Unboxed: New lipstick vine revealed in Philippine expedition with Banao tribe
In 2020, a group of botanists and members of the Indigenous Banao community were macheting their way through a rainforest in the Philippines in search of a rare flower called Rafflesia banaoana. Just a few hours after setting off, however, they stumbled upon a plant they hadn’t planned on finding: a vine with purple-spotted white […]
Still no sweet spot in 2024 for Nepal in balancing conservation & development
- Nepal faces ongoing challenges in balancing the development of infrastructure such as roads, railways and hydropower dams, with the need to conserve its rich biodiversity, forests and rivers.
- Infrastructure projects continue to raise ecological concerns, including habitat fragmentation, pollution, and risks to wildlife.
- Plans like the rerouting of the East-West Railway and buffer zones around rivers in Kathmandu have sparked protests due to fears of displacement, loss of property and economic hardships.
- These conflicts underline the challenges of aligning development with community and environmental needs.
Golden jackals thrive in mangroves of Indian megacity Mumbai: Study
The wolf-like golden jackal still thrives in some parts of India’s financial capital, Mumbai, according to a new study, reports contributor Sneha Mahale for Mongabay India. Historically, the golden jackal (Canis aureus) could be spotted in several areas of southern Mumbai, study co-author Nikit Surve, research manager at Wildlife Conservation Society-India told Mongabay India. “Today, […]
Photos: Top new species from 2024
- Scientists described numerous new species this past year, from the world’s smallest otter in India to a fanged hedgehog from Southeast Asia, tree-dwelling frogs in Madagascar, and a new family of African plants.
- Experts estimate that fewer than 20% of Earth’s species have been documented by Western science, with potentially millions more awaiting discovery.
- Although such species may be new to science, many are already known to — and used by — local and Indigenous peoples, who often have given them traditional names.
- Upon discovery, many new species are assessed as threatened with extinction, highlighting the urgent need for conservation efforts.
Tech helps Ivorian cacao meet EU new regulations
ADZOPE, Ivory Coast – Europe is the world’s leading consumer of chocolate. It imports 60% of its cacao from Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s leading supplier, with a million producers. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), adopted in 2023, will come into force at the end of 2025. For cacao growers in Côte d’Ivoire, it means […]
Farmers cleave to sago as mining industry digs deeper in Indonesia’s Maluku
- Many farmers on the coast of East Halmahera district in Indonesia’s Maluku region continue to rely on processing flour from sago trees as a food staple, rather than the ubiquitous white rice consumed by most families in the world’s fourth-most populous country.
- However, expansion of nickel and other mining concessions in the Maluku region threatens much of this traditional foodstuff, a trend Mongabay has documented extensively previously in the eastern Papua region.
- Lily Ishak, the dean of the agriculture faculty at North Maluku’s Khairun University, believes the history of traditional sago consumption could be erased within a century if the government does not expand protection efforts.
Pioneer expedition: new findings reveal the state of the Amazonian Rivers
AMAZON RIVER, Brazil – Those who have visited the Amazon know the importance that the rivers have to the local communities, whose livelihoods depend on them. They provide drinking and cooking water, abundant fishing opportunities, and vital transportation routes for people and goods. Simply put, the rivers are the heart of life in the Amazon. […]
Brazil’s Kadiwéu force international debate about authorship of Indigenous art
- A French publisher has pushed back plans to publish a book containing drawings made by Indigenous Kadiwéu women in Brazil and gifted to French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss in 1935.
- The move followed widespread criticism that the Kadiwéu people were never consulted about the project, given the importance of drawings in their culture.
- While negotiations are now underway to ensure their participation, the incident has revived the long-running debate about copyright and the erasure of Indigenous artistic expressions.
- The Kadiwéu’s graphics, used in body painting and ceramics, are one of the most representative traditions of their culture; their main guardians are women, who now use this art as to both earn income and keep traditions alive.
Massive tortoise rewilding in Madagascar’s spiny forest strives to save fraught species
- Conservationists and villagers in southern Madagascar aim to release 20,000 critically endangered radiated tortoises rescued from the illegal wildlife trade back into their unique spiny forest home.
- Radiated tortoise numbers have been decimated due to rampant poaching to supply domestic meat markets and the international pet trade; without action, studies predict the species could go extinct within the next 20 years.
- The conservation program has so far rewilded 4,000 individuals into suitably intact forests surrounded by communities with a long-standing cultural affinity for the species.
- But with threats in the wild still prevalent, the program also focuses its efforts on habitat protection by supporting locally led antipoaching patrols and helping communities gain control of local forest management.
Coffee agroforestry promises a path to EUDR compliance, but challenges remain
- Companies in the coffee sector have begun preparing for compliance with the EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR); among them are Nespresso and commodity trader Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC).
- For both companies, the pathway to regulatory alignment involves previous commitments to eliminating deforestation from their supply chains and sourcing coffee from farms employing agroforestry and regenerative agriculture methods.
- International NGOs such as the Rainforest Alliance are supporting companies and farmers in implementing best practices and meeting EUDR requirements.
- Despite considerable progress in the coffee sector, challenges remain, particularly in enforcing deforestation-free practices within supply chains, overcoming financial constraints, and distinguishing “forest” from “agroforest” through satellite imagery.
Mauritius reopens talks with U.K. on controversial Chagos deal
A U.K.-Mauritius deal recognizing the latter’s claim to the Chagos Islands in the Western Indian Ocean could be in trouble as Mauritius seeks to renegotiate it. The agreement was reached in October, but no formal treaty was signed by the two countries. Following elections in Mauritius in November, the new prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, ordered […]
Indonesia risks carbon ‘backfire’ with massive deforestation for sugarcane
- A plan to clear 2 million hectares (5 million acres) of forest in Indonesian Papua for sugarcane plantations would nearly double Indonesia’s total greenhouse gas emissions, a new report warns.
- It says the project, affecting an area half the size of Switzerland, would worsen the global climate crisis and impact Indigenous communities in Papua.
- Local communities have long protested the project, but the government has persisted undeterred, razing their farming plots and hunting grounds in the pursuit of what it says is food security.
- However, Indigenous rights and agrarian activists have called for the project to be replaced with a restorative economic model, one that empowers local farmers and communities through sustainable livelihoods that keep the forests standing.
Pacific’s ‘Blob’ heat wave killed millions more seabirds than thought: Study
In 2016, scientists became aware of a die-off of common murres, seabirds resembling flying penguins, that were found washed ashore from Alaska to California. A 2020 study estimated, based on an extrapolation from carcasses found on beaches, that roughly 1 million murres may have died, calling it “unprecedented and astonishing,” even “biblical.” However, a new […]
No signs of slowdown in wildlife trafficking in 2024 as demand persists
- Wildlife trafficking remains one of the most widespread and lucrative global criminal endeavors, valued at $20 billion a year, with no signs of slowing down, according to a recent U.N. report.
- Throughout 2024, Mongabay reported extensively on instances and trends in trafficking from around the world, from the songbird trade in Indonesia to the persistence of shark finning in the high seas.
- Our investigations also highlighted the issue of “crime convergence,” where wildlife trafficking overlaps with other criminal activities like drug smuggling and human trafficking.
- We also looked at how efforts large and small are trying to protect species, from Indigenous-led patrols of Philippine eagle nests to an international network breeding zebra sharks for rewilding in Indonesia.
New campaign seeks swifter justice for slain South African wildlife ranger
- A campaign aiming to raise funds to finance a reward for information about the 2022 killing of wildlife ranger Anton Mzimba in South Africa was launched recently.
- The campaign will also raise funds to support the efforts of a U.S.-based nonprofit, Focused Conservation, which will work with a specialized unit of the South African Police Service to investigate Mzimba’s killing.
- In 2024, wildlife rangers have also been killed by armed groups in Benin and the Democratic Republic of Congo; no known arrests have been made to date.
- The lack of consequences for these crimes impacts how the rangers do their jobs, and deters new recruits from joining the profession, according to experts who work with rangers.
From Christmas trees to mistletoe: Holiday plants facing threats
Choosing a Christmas tree. Kissing under the mistletoe. Many people enjoy these fun traditions during the holiday season. But with climate change and habitat loss, some of these plants associated with Christmas are under threat. Fraser fir The Fraser fir (Abies fraseri), native to the southeastern U.S., is popularly used as a Christmas tree. However, […]
Nigerian authorities seize 2 metric tons of pangolin scales, arrest 1 suspect
On Dec. 5, Nigerian authorities seized more than 2 metric tons of pangolin scales in yet another effort to clamp down on the country’s booming transnational wildlife trade. Acting on intelligence provided by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), an international NGO fighting organized wildlife crime, the Kano-Jigawa command of the Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) also […]
Sani Isla: A Kichwa community that found alternatives to oil in conservation and tourism
- The oil industry has attempted several times to enter the Kichwa commune of Sani Isla in northern Ecuador’s Amazon, but the community has found alternatives for development through conservation and tourism.
- The community receives incentives for conserving nearly 10,000 hectares through the state-run Socio Bosque program. Additionally, they independently protect 16,577 hectares to sustain their way of life, safeguard the environment, and showcase the area’s biodiversity to tourists.
- The main challenges facing Sani Isla are environmental disasters caused by the regressive erosion of the Coca River—which also affects the Napo River—and the lack of basic services. Its residents demand that authorities provide essential services without harming the region’s biodiversity.
Agribusiness giant Olam gets head start on EUDR; its suppliers, not so much
- Some smallholder farmers, associations and suppliers in exporting countries are concerned about their readiness for the EU’s antideforestation law due to a lack of technology, information and resources.
- Meanwhile, leading agricultural commodity businesses such as Olam Agri and ofi say they expect to be ready before the legislation comes into force at the end of 2025.
- Olam Agri and ofi say they’ve developed and implemented advanced traceability and information systems to meet regulatory requirements, as well as other tools and technologies.
- But independent experts warn that pressure to meet the law’s obligations are leading to large companies dropping suppliers who aren’t ready, and pushing smallholders to switch to crops where traceability and sustainability aren’t strict requirements.
Internet crackdown shrinks already constrained room for activism in Vietnam
- Vietnam’s shrinking civil space has gotten even smaller with the issuance of a new decree on online activity, impacting environmental activists among others.
- The decree requires, among other things, that platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok maintain a server in-country that stores user data that the government can inspect whenever it wants.
- Social network users must also verify their accounts with local phone numbers or IDs, making it “impossible to remain anonymous on social media to comment on sensitive political issues,” an activist says.
- The new online restrictions follow a similar real-world tightening of civic space, with nonprofits required to legally register, and public gatherings also constrained.
Jaguar tracks still stained with blood in Bolivia
- In Ixiamas, an Amazonian town in Bolivia, community members are fighting to prevent jaguars from continuing to be victims of wildlife trafficking. Several jaguar deaths have been recorded between 2023 and 2024 but very little has been done to clarify the facts.
- Despite the increase in trafficking in jaguars and jaguar parts in Bolivia, there has been just one conviction, which was for the death of a jaguar in Santa Cruzand involved a Chinese citizen who was exporting fangs back to China.
- The Bolivian government has developed a jaguar conservation plan, which it plans to update next year. However, the project has not achieved the expected results.
River dredging in Bangladesh: Investigation shows government claims don’t add up
- A large part of Bangladesh, the country with the highest number of rivers, is a delta formed by sediments carried down by rivers from the Himalayan region. The population’s most significant livelihoods — agriculture, navigation and inland fisheries — depend on these waters.
- These rivers carry about 2.4 billion tons of sediment annually, including sand, clay and silt, a large portion of which needs to be cleared by dredging for navigability.
- As per a 2017 notice by Bangladesh’s water transport authority, the country restored around 547 kilometers (340 miles) of waterways between 2009 and 2017 to the county’s river system. The authority’s 2022-23 annual report says that between 2010 and 2023, the volume of 3,700 km (2,300 mi) of waterways increased.
- However, Mongabay found the authority’s claims of restoring waterways on this large scale is only on papers, as many of the rivers that are recorded as dredged are still not navigable.
As polar ice caps melt, how are ‘Christmas animals’ faring?
Between snowy winters and holiday songs, many animals come to mind during Christmas. There are polar bears wearing Santa hats and red-nosed reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh. Turtle doves and the partridge in a pear tree are also immortalized in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” But climate change and habitat loss are taking a […]
Science brings the bloom of farming to a Brazilian desert
The red landscape and enormous canyons of Gilbués, in Brazil’s Piaui state, are like something out of a science-fiction film. That’s what makes the occasional oasis of green peeping through the raw earth such a surprise, contributor Rafael Martins writes for Mongabay. In his early days in Gilbués, farmer José Rodrigues do Santos had to […]
The year in tropical rainforests: 2024
- The year 2024 saw significant developments in tropical rainforest conservation, deforestation, and degradation. While progress in some regions provided glimmers of hope, systemic challenges and emerging threats highlighted the fragility of these ecosystems.
- Although a complete comparison of tropical forest loss in 2024 with previous years is not yet available, there are currently no indications that this year’s loss will be markedly higher. A sharp decline in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon—partially offset by widespread forest fires—suggests the overall rate of loss may be lower.
- This analysis explores key storylines, examining the political, environmental, and economic dynamics shaping tropical rainforests in 2024.
Brazil’s shipping channel plans in Amazonian rivers will worsen climate change, experts warn
- Dredging and rock-blasting ever-drier rivers for new channels in Brazil might not achieve agribusiness’s goal of cheaper, year-round transport, experts warned, suggesting existing railways as price-comparable and more climate-resilient.
- Though waterway transport is promoted as lowering emissions, in fact proposed new shipping channels on the Tocantins and Madeira rivers increase carbon emissions and deforestation, experts told Mongabay.
- New shipping channel plans used old water data, stopping in 2017 for the Tocantins channel, and didn’t do climate risk projections or climate impact studies. Experts urge these studies must be done, or risk tens of billions of investments in rock-blasting and dredging river beds, leaving “ruins” and “abandoned projects.”
- An August lawsuit by federal prosecutors charges that licensing of rock-blasting and dredging in a 500-km stretch of the Tocantins River in Brazil is an illegal “trick” to circumvent legally required full environmental review of the whole Araguaia-Tocantins channel, for which an economic-technical feasibility study was never done. In March 2022, Ibama’s licensing director determined it was “unviable.”
The 10 Indigenous news stories that marked 2024
- Land was a central issue for Indigenous peoples in 2024, whether it was in the form of land rights gains, land grabbing, restoring spiritual connections to land or analysis of how these lands support biodiversity.
- Investigations revealed how companies or armed groups illegally got a hold of Indigenous lands in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
- Stories also dealt with how Indigenous communities confronted environmental challenges on their lands while trying to juggle conservation and their economic needs.
- Here are Mongabay’s top 10 news stories that marked 2024, including one bonus story and a featured documentary.
Brazil’s Lula approves 13 Indigenous lands after much delay, promises more to come
- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took almost two years to formalize the demarcation of 13 new Indigenous territories, a goal he was expected to complete within his first 100 days, much to the frustration of traditional communities who also await the promised demarcation of the Xukuru-Kariri Indigenous Territory.
- Demarcation processes in Brazil depend on the willingness of the federal administration and often take more than 30 years to complete; none were completed under Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
- For traditional communities, this long wait is often marked by violence and prejudice, as outsiders coveting their land and resources mount invasions and land grabs.
- Lula blamed the delay on a controversial bill passed by pro-agribusiness legislators, designed to make it harder for Indigenous communities to claim territory, but has promised to speed up demarcations over the next two years.
The Time Of Water: An Alliance To Protect The Amazon Rainforest
YURIMAGUAS, Peru – The Sacred Headwaters Alliance brings together thirty Indigenous nations of the upper Amazon in Ecuador and Peru, who are self-organizing to defend a forest devastated by unchecked extraction that is rapidly consuming their territory. Their leaders are on high alert due to the devastating effects of climate change on nature, which they […]
‘These stories deserve to be told’: Shining a light on secretive fisheries managers
In 2024, the U.N.’s climate and biodiversity conferences, COP29 and COP16, drew the attention of more than 3,500 media delegates and 1,000 journalists, respectively. Though these massive global negotiations are consequential for international policy on the environment and have human rights implications, there were also international negotiations this year on managing the majority of the […]
‘Time is water’: A cross-border Indigenous alliance works to save the Amazon
- A transboundary Indigenous peoples’ alliance has been working in Ecuador and Peru to protect the Amazon Basin in the face of climate change impacts.
- Indigenous people, who have sacred connections with the Amazon River, are suffering the consequences of wildfires, extreme heat and drought, which have deeply affected water levels across the basin.
- The Sacred Headwaters Alliance is focusing on climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as on teaching younger generations to resist against the destruction of the Amazon.
A Bali farm lights up the night with a one-of-a-kind firefly lab
- Balinese conservationist Wayan Wardika joined with scientists and farmers in Indonesia to launch a firefly breeding program called the Bring Back The Light initiative.
- Fireflies in Southeast Asia are vanishing due to habitat loss, light pollution, pesticide use, and climate change.
- The team is now attempting to identify eight species of firefly it has found locally, and encouraging neighboring farmers to go organic in order to boost firefly numbers.
Experts question benefits of Colombian forestation project led by top oil trader
- Trafigura, one of the world’s largest oil traders, has recently invested $100 million to grow 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of forest in the eastern plains of Colombia’s Vichada department.
- The company says it aims to plant mixed-species trees, but has seeded primarily eucalyptus trees — nonnative species notorious for hogging water resources.
- That’s prompted skepticism from experts about the project, on top of the fact that the area Trafigura plans to turn into forest was never a forest to begin with.
- Even as the initiative vows to produce and sell carbon credits to slow the climate crisis, the company is simultaneously encouraging oil production and trade in Colombia.
The state of carbon markets in 2024
- Carbon markets continued to evolve and face criticism in 2024.
- Mongabay produced a five-part series early in the year that examined the opinions and evidence as to whether the trade of carbon credits is a viable tool to address climate change and halt deforestation.
- The series examined the players involved, how carbon credit projects affect communities, and the methodologies for determining if efforts have kept the equivalent of a metric ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
- The 2024 U.N. climate conference, COP29, saw several key decisions that affect important provisions for trading credits between countries and on the voluntary carbon market, with key details to be worked out in early 2025.
Brazil’s big push for tropical forest funding gets support for 2025 debut
- As host of 2025’s COP30 climate summit, Brazil is working on two complementary finance mechanisms, hoping to reward tropical forest conservation worldwide.
Both rely on the concept of investing money and using profits for forest protection.
- Twelve countries, including Brazil, are currently discussing the Tropical Forest Finance Facility (TFFF) framework, which is expected to be concluded by next January.
- Its sister initiative, the Tropical Forest Mechanism (TFM), proposes that highly polluting industries donate a minimum fraction of their annual earnings to forest conservation.
Nepal’s forest-protecting communities may miss out on World Bank carbon funds
- Stakeholders warn that Nepal’s first results-based carbon funding of up to $45 million from the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) may be subjected to complex bureaucratic processes and lack of coordination among multiple government bodies.
- Only 72% of the funds are expected to reach the beneficiaries after administrative deductions, with further uncertainty about how much will directly benefit local forest-protecting communities, given potential operational costs and unclear disbursement mechanisms.
- Communities also face challenges in accessing the funds, such as the requirement to present proposals, navigate government procurement laws, and compete with private contractors.
- Nepal’s Forest Development Fund, responsible for disbursing payments, has been criticized for operational inefficiency, holding unspent reserves due to the lack of finalized guidelines.
A universal tagging system for pangolins, world’s most trafficked mammal
- Pangolins, the world’s most trafficked mammals, frequently appear in wildlife seizures, yet there is no universal system for tracking or identifying individual animals.
- Researchers proposed what they call the Pangolin Universal Notching System (PUNS), a standardized way to assign unique identification numbers to up to 15,554 individuals.
- PUNS combines marking techniques used for turtles and hoofed mammals by gently drilling holes in selected scales along a pangolin’s back for permanent, minimally invasive identification.
- Conservationists say the proposed system could improve pangolin traceability and disrupt trafficking networks but note some limitations and challenges in achieving global adoption.
Five Hawaiian crows released into forest after decades of extinction in the wild
Five Hawaiian forest crows known as ʻalalā, which were declared extinct in the wild decades ago, were released into Hawaii Island’s Maui forests in the United States in November, marking their potential comeback into wildlife. The jet-black ʻalalā (Corvus hawaiiensis) are among the rarest birds on Earth, having disappeared from the wild in 2002 due […]
Climate change forces Jakarta fishing families to marry off young daughters
Climate change is driving families on Indonesia’s northern Javanese coast toward child marriage as a survival strategy amid dwindling fish stocks and increasing economic hardships, two Mongabay reports show. Mongabay contributor Maulia Inka Vira Fendilla traveled to North Jakarta’s Kalibaru neighborhood in 2023 and met Janah and Jaroh, sisters who were both married off at […]
Across continents, Mongabay fellows share insights from reporting in the field
- Mongabay’s Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows spend six months diving into climate, science and environment reporting — and gaining insights that shape the way they approach their work as environmental journalists.
- In this essay, three recent fellows share some of the biggest lessons they learned through the reporting they published during the fellowship.
- As these reflections from India, Brazil and Nigeria show, there are many areas of overlap experienced among communities across regions and continents.
The fuel that moves people: the Ecuadorian case
- In Ecuador, the main areas of colonization were a north-south corridor along the base of the Andes and the Sucumbíos-Orellana quadrant, the country’s major oil-producing region.
- Since the 1970s, populations in both areas have grown significantly. The Andean zone went from 160,000 inhabitants to more than 520,000 in 2017; in parallel, the population in the provinces of Sucumbíos and Orellana increased from less than 12,000 to more than 350,000.
- Colonization also led to the invasion of lands of the indigenous Shuar, which prompted an unusual effort on their part to protect their territory. Today, the area specializes in cattle production and seeks to establish a niche market for high-quality beef for the domestic market.
Brazil’s illegal gold miners carve out new Amazon hotspots in conservation units
- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration reduced the expansion of illegal gold mining in the Brazilian Amazon, but miners keep finding new sites.
- In 15 conservation units, illegal gold miners destroyed 330 hectares (815 acres) in only two months.
- According to experts, gold miners expelled from Indigenous territories may be migrating to conservation units.
- Alliances with narco mafias and the rise in gold prices are obstacles to fighting illegal mining.
Amazon’s Boiling River gives scientists a window into the rainforest’s future
- Scientists studying Peru’s Boiling River found 11% fewer tree species for every 1°C (1.8°F) increase in temperature, offering insights into how climate change might affect the Amazon Rainforest.
- The research team discovered that hotter areas not only had fewer species overall but were dominated by heat-tolerant trees that typically grow in the warmest parts of South America.
- The study site is protected by Indigenous Asháninka people as sacred land, but the forest still faces threats from nearby deforestation and fires, reflecting broader challenges across the Amazon.
- The Amazon is experiencing climate pressures, with fire-affected areas in the Brazilian Amazon increasing 18-fold in September 2024, covering a combined area nearly the size of the Netherlands.
Electrochemical removal of ocean CO2 offers potential — and concerns
- Stripping seawater of carbon dioxide via electrochemical processes — thereby prompting oceans to draw down more greenhouse gas from the atmosphere — is a geoengineering approach under consideration for largescale CO2 removal. Several startups and existing companies are planning projects at various scales.
- Once removed from seawater, captured carbon dioxide can be stored geologically or used commercially by industry. Another electrochemical method returns alkaline seawater to the oceans, causing increased carbon dioxide absorption over time.
- In theory, these techniques could aid in carbon emission storage. But experts warn that as some companies rush to commercialize the tech and sell carbon credits, significant knowledge gaps remain, with potential ecological harm needing to be determined.
- Achieving the scale required to make a dent in climate change would require deploying huge numbers of electrochemical plants globally — a costly and environmentally risky scenario deemed unfeasible by some. One problem: the harm posed by scale-up isn’t easy to assess with modeling and small-scale projects.
South Korea slashes forest biomass energy subsidies in major policy reform
- In a surprise move, South Korea has announced that it will end subsidies for all new biomass projects and for existing state-owned plants cofiring biomass with coal, effective January 2025, a significant and sudden policy shift.
- Additionally, government financial support for dedicated biomass plants using imported biomass will be phased down, while support for privately owned cofiring plants will be phased out over the next decade. However, subsidy levels for domestically produced biomass fuel remain unchanged.
- The biomass reform is being hailed by forest advocates as a step in the right direction, potentially setting a new, environmentally sound precedent for the region.
- Advocates are now calling on Japan, Asia’s largest forest biomass importer, to follow South Korea’s example.
Coral destruction for toilet construction: Interview with a Malagasy fisher
- Toamasina, a coastal city in eastern Madagascar, is surrounded by an extensive network of coral reefs that are home to near-threatened species.
- For decades, these reefs have been under threat from an unusual activity: The use of coral in the construction of septic tanks.
- Mongabay spoke with Abraham Botovao, a boat skipper and the president of a local fishers’ association, who has been closely monitoring this trade and its impact on the local marine environment.
- “It frustrates me every time I see them when I’m out fishing, but unfortunately all I can do is watch without being able to do anything,” Botovao said.
Poachers target South Africa’s ‘miracle’ plant with near impunity
- South Africa has faced a surge in poaching of rare succulents by criminal syndicates since 2019.
- A recent spike in prices paid for a different kind of plant, a drylands-adapted lily, the miracle clivia (Clivia mirabilis), has drawn the attention of plant-trafficking syndicates to the lone reserve where it grows.
- Large numbers of clivias have been seized by law enforcement, raising fears that this rare plant is quickly being wiped out from the limited range where it’s known to occur.
- Reserve staff and law enforcement agencies are underfunded and spread too thinly across the vast landscapes of South Africa’s Northern Cape province targeted by plant poachers.
As lithium mining bleeds Atacama salt flat dry, Indigenous communities hit back
- The Council of Atacameño Peoples filed a complaint in October 2024 against lithium mining companies operating in Chile’s Atacama salt flat, accusing them of causing the land to sink around their extraction wells.
- The complaint was based on findings from a study published in July that revealed portions of the salt flat are subsiding by up to 2 centimeters, or nearly an inch, per year.
- Scientists warn that one of the main consequences could be the loss of the aquifer’s storage capacity.
- They also point out that since the salt flat lies on a tectonic fault, the subsidence could spread further, including to two protected areas in the region that are home to flamingos and other rare wildlife.
Indonesia’s Indigenous communities sidelined from conservation
- Research shows that globally, Indigenous peoples are the most effective stewards of their forests and the massive stores of carbon and biodiversity within.
- Yet in Indonesia, which harbors the majority of Earth’s species, Indigenous communities are increasingly sidelined from nature conservation efforts.
- Activists say it is urgent for the Indonesian government to pass a long-awaited bill on Indigenous rights to ensure that Indigenous peoples can contribute to biodiversity conservation without fear of being criminalized or evicted.
- This is especially important, activists say, in light of a new conservation law in Indonesia, which is criticized for not protecting Indigenous land rights; the law also outlines a new form of “preservation area,” where Indigenous activities could be heavily restricted.
Counting Crows (and more) for Audubon’s Christmas bird count
One of the longest-running citizen science projects in the world has kicked off its 125th annual event. The Christmas Bird Count (CBC), administered by the U.S.-based nonprofit National Audubon Society, takes place each year from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. The annual bird census collects valuable data that scientists use to track the health and […]
Almost extinct Caribbean lizard makes a comeback after island restoration
A tiny lizard found only on one tiny Caribbean island has seen a dramatic 1,500% increase in its population, after just a few years of island restoration efforts. In 2018, researchers estimated there were fewer than 100 individuals of the critically endangered Sombrero ground lizard (Pholidoscelis corvinus) on the small hat-shaped Sombrero Island, part of […]
Balochistan’s Gwadar city sits at the crossroads of climate and conflict
- A new study examines the links between conflict and climate in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, where extreme weather can be a threat multiplier.
- The port city of Gwadar serves as an example, as local residents have long had grievances against the state, which were exacerbated by recent flooding that killed several people and displaced hundreds.
- Experts highlight the absence of data-driven policies, citing a gap in research that has hindered solutions; they call for investment in data and the inclusion of local people in decision-making and infrastructure planning.
From Bhutan to Nigeria & Kenya, women endure climate change differently than men
- Research shows that globally, women and girls suffer greater effects of climate change and environmental disasters than men; at the same time, women environmental journalists often face greater obstacles on the job, and women’s voices are often missing from stories about climate change.
- Three recent Mongabay fellows, all women, report on specific examples from their home countries (Bhutan, Nigeria, Kenya) in which women disproportionately experience the effects of climate change and extreme weather.
- In all three examples, women exhibit a perseverance that ensures their own and their families’ survival — and sometimes aids their own independence and resourcefulness.
For ecological restoration, evidence-based standards deliver better outcomes (commentary)
- The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has triggered a global movement to rally individual action, financial investment, and political backing to prevent, halt and reverse the loss of nature.
- Evidence-based standards can help meet restoration targets and improve general compliance with laws and regulations while delivering social, environmental and economic net gain for people and nature.
- “As we near the halfway point of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration [the] global application of effective restoration through the use of standards provides a path forward that can help slow climate change and recover ecosystem processes and biodiversity for the future of life on Earth,” a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
Park rangers enforce deadly violence in Uganda
UGANDA – In Africa, debates over “fortress conservation” have raged for years. Mongabay visited one of Uganda’s largest protected areas, the Queen Elizabeth National Park, in October 2023 to take a deeper look at this debate. Our reporter, Ashoka Mukpo, wanted to see how strict conservation practices play out in and around Africa’s national parks. […]
Unlike: Brazil Facebook groups give poachers safe space to flex their kills
- A new study shows how openly poachers in Brazil are sharing content of dead wildlife, including threatened and protected species, on Facebook.
- It found 2,000 records of poaching on Brazilian Facebook groups between 2018 and 2020, amounting to 4,658 animals from 157 species from all over the country.
- Data suggest there were trophy hunts, meant only to show off hunting hauls rather than being done for subsistence or a consequence of human-wildlife conflict.
- The study highlights the impunity for environmental crimes and the easy dissemination of content related to illegal practices on social media networks in Brazil.
‘Killed while poaching’: When wildlife enforcement blurs into violence
- In October 2023, Mongabay traveled to Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park as part of a reporting series on protected areas in East Africa.
- While there, we heard allegations that Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers have carried out extrajudicial killings of suspected bushmeat poachers inside the park.
- Two weeks before our visit, a man was shot to death inside the park; his relatives and local officials alleged he was killed by wildlife rangers while attempting to surrender.
- The allegations follow other recent human rights scandals related to aggressive conservation enforcement practices in the nearby Congo Basin.
Most large banks failing to consider Indigenous rights
- A new report by finance watchdog BankTrack evaluated the policies and practices of 50 major banks and found that most are failing to fully implement adequate safeguards in line with U.N. human rights principles.
- The 2024 report included three new criteria centered around the rights of human rights defenders and Indigenous peoples and the right to a healthy environment; the majority of banks did not explicitly acknowledge environmental rights are human rights and all failed in due diligence around Indigenous peoples’ free, prior and informed consent.
- The report found that small progress has been made in the last two years as banks improve policies and processes for managing human rights.
- The authors say stronger human rights due diligence laws could be a game changer in driving corporate respect for human rights.
New frog species show how geology shapes Amazon’s biodiversity
- DNA testing of two new-to-science frog species has shown they share a common ancestor — a species that lived 55 million years ago in the mountains of what is today Brazil’s Amazonas state.
- The multidisciplinary study drew together biologists and geologists to map how geological changes in the mountain range shaped not just its geography but also the diversity of species in the region.
- The two endemic species were collected on two separate peaks — Neblina and Imeri — and their discovery has led to further understanding of the origins and evolution of biodiversity in the Amazon.
- Another expedition to the Tulu-Tuloi Range, located 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Imeri, is scheduled for 2025.
Even for ‘progressive’ Danone, complying with EUDR is a challenge
- The EU deforestation-free products regulation (EUDR) requires companies importing cocoa, cattle, rubber, soy, wood, palm oil and coffee into the EU to demonstrate their products weren’t grown on land deforested after Dec. 31, 2020.
- French dairy giant Danone works with soy, cocoa and palm oil — products subject to the EUDR, which goes into effect at the end of 2025.
- In general, Danone’s sustainability policies have been better than most, outsider observers said. But it still has a lot of work to do to ensure 100% of its supply chain is free of deforestation and land conversion.
A port is destroying corals to expand. Can an NGO rescue enough to matter?
- The ongoing expansion of the port of Toamasina in eastern Madagascar is set to destroy 25 hectares (62 acres) of coral reefs.
- Tany Ifandovana, a Malagasy NGO, removed a small portion of these corals before construction began, and transplanted them to a coral island several kilometers away, as a way to ecologically compensate for the losses, at least in part.
- The NGO faces major challenges, including a lack of resources, little support from the port, and locals destroying corals around the island transplant site.
- “As an environmentalist, it hurt my heart to know that these corals were just going to be filled in,” Tany Ifandovana’s vice president told Mongabay. “Something had to be done.”
Officials pledge zoo review after Sumatran elephant is killed in Bali flood
DENPASAR, Indonesia — Conservation authorities in Indonesia have launched a review of the main zoo on the resort island of Bali, after an elephant there was swept away and killed in a flash flood on Dec. 16. ”We‘ll evaluate the management of wildlife, especially the remaining 14 elephants” at Bali Zoo, said Ratna Hendramoko, head of the […]
European Commission to review Greek oil activity permits in whale habitat
The European Commission will reportedly “seek clarification” from Greece about its recent approvals for offshore oil and gas activities in areas critical for threatened whales and sea turtles. That’s according to the NGO ClientEarth, which, alongside WWF Greece and Greenpeace Greece, filed a formal complaint with the European executive body in 2023 alleging that the […]
Nepal created a forest fund to do everything; five years on it’s done nothing
- Nepal’s Forest Development Fund, established in 2019, was designed to support forest conservation, research and other environmental initiatives, but it has not spent any of the allocated funds in five years.
- The fund is meant to be financed through various sources, including lease fees from developers, compensatory afforestation payments, a percentage of profits from forest land use and revenue from carbon trading.
- Forest user communities, which have successfully increased forest cover in Nepal, continue to face financial difficulties, with illegal logging and wildfires exacerbating the situation, while the FDF remains frozen.
Can the Cali Fund provide a rights-based remedy for biopiracy? (commentary)
- One ongoing element of wealth extraction from the Global South that remains largely unaddressed – biopiracy – requires a human rights-based response, a new op-ed argues.
- Defined as the unauthorized use of genetic resources and traditional knowledge of Indigenous communities and developing nations for profit without their consent, a remedy to biopiracy was recently agreed to at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Colombia.
- Can the Cali Fund – which obliges corporations that profit from biodiversity to contribute to its conservation – be a step in the right direction, the authors ask?
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
Thousands feared dead as Cyclone Chido devastates southeast Africa
Intense Tropical Cyclone Chido, which developed in the southwest Indian Ocean, left a trail of destruction in the French island territory Mayotte and nearby countries in southeast Africa like Mozambique, possibly leaving thousands dead and many more without homes and livelihood. “Cyclone Chido underwent rapid intensification before landfall in Mauritius, weakened slightly, and then regained […]
In the Philippines, persecuted Lumads push for Indigenous schools to be reopened
- Five years after government forces began shutting down their schools for alleged links to communist rebels, thousands of Indigenous Lumads remain dispersed and deprived of justice.
- A group of 13 were earlier this year convicted on kidnapping and child trafficking charges after arranging the evacuation of students from a school targeted by paramilitaries, but have mounted an appeal.
- Without the opportunity for an education, many have returned to working the fields with their families, while young women have been married off by their parents to pay off debts.
- In the Lumads’ ancestral home in the country’s south, investors such as miners and property developers are moving in, leading to land grabs.
Giant hellbender salamander is proposed for U.S. federal protection
The hellbender, the largest species of salamander in the Americas, is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it’s at high risk of extinction in the wild. Yet despite this, the amphibian doesn’t have any federal protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). That’s set to change, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife […]
Next-gen geothermal offers circular promise, but needs care and caution
- Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) and other next-generation geothermal tech show promise as a relatively clean, reliable renewable energy source for a post-fossil fuels future.
- Next-gen geothermal uses a variety of engineering techniques, including hydraulic fracturing borrowed from the oil and gas drilling industry, to create conditions for successful subsurface energy production beyond traditional locations, such as hot springs.
- Enhanced geothermal’s promise of a reliable source of power is huge around the globe, but so far has barely been tapped, say experts. Companies are starting to develop commercial-scale projects, aiming to harness this potential.
- But next-gen geothermal is not without risk. There are concerns, for example, that this tech can induce seismicity. In the past decade, earthquakes shut down two EGS projects in South Korea and Switzerland. Yet, experts say this concern and other environmental impacts, such as pollution, can be controlled and mitigated.
In 2024, Nepal faced old & new challenges after tripling its tiger population
- Nepal successfully increased its wild tiger population, tripling numbers since 2010, but this achievement brings challenges like human-wildlife conflict, habitat loss and balancing conservation with development.
- Growing tiger populations in areas with dense human settlements have intensified conflicts, creating hardships for communities living near protected areas and raising concerns about fair compensation for losses.
- Expanding infrastructure, such as highways through tiger habitats, poses risks like habitat fragmentation and increased wildlife-vehicle collisions, with budget constraints limiting necessary safeguards.
- Local communities relying on forest resources, especially wild edibles, face dangers from tiger encounters, highlighting the need for safer practices and improved community management.
Renewables won’t save us from climate catastrophe, experts warn; what will?
- Demand for renewable energy, particularly solar panels, is growing at an exponential rate. But the shift to solar, wind, EVs and other sustainable tech solutions has sparked an environmentally destructive mining boom and is itself carbon intensive.
- And even as renewables boom, we’re burning more fossil fuels than ever, setting another record for emissions in 2023. So it appears high tech alone can’t save the world from catastrophic climate change; only massive cuts in fossil fuels can do that, say experts. But even addressing the climate change planetary boundary isn’t enough.
- Five other planetary boundaries are in the danger zone, though solutions exist to reverse these negative environmental trends, say analysts. But for those solutions to happen, governments must shift trillions of dollars in “perverse subsidies” (that support fossil fuels and do environmental harm) to renewable energy.
- Without real, drastic, decisive action now, the sixth great mass extinction could be unstoppable and doom modern life as we know it. Still, there’s another way forward: Learn from Indigenous cultures, with their willingness and ability to integrate into the biosphere, and to humbly turn away from greed and overconsumption.
Top Mongabay podcast picks for 2024
- With more than 40 episodes published, 2024 was another busy year for Mongabay’s podcast team, featuring many fresh interviews, a new season of the Mongabay Explores series, an award, and its first year featuring a two-person co-host team at the microphone.
- Here are a few of the team’s favorites worth listening to–and revisiting–as we move into 2025.
Communities launch new Thawthi Taw-Oo Indigenous Park amid Myanmar civil war
- On Dec. 10, communities in Myanmar’s Kayin state launched the Thawthi Taw-Oo Indigenous Park amid the country’s ongoing civil war. Some representatives call it a ‘peaceful resistance’ to the Myanmar state military.
- Inspired by the Salween Peace Park to its south, the new park is roughly the same size, spread across 318 villages, and includes 28 kaws (ancestral customary lands), four community forests, seven watersheds, six reserved forests and one wildlife sanctuary.
- The park’s charter is based on customary laws and includes guidelines to conserve the area like protected forests, rotational farming, and areas restricted for killing culturally important wildlife species.
- Communities, the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN) and representatives from the Karen National Union (KNU) are working in coordination to govern and manage the park, including measures to strengthen peoples’ self-determination.
Shipbreaking pollutes Türkiye’s coast despite European cleanup efforts
- Over the past decade, more than 2,000 ships have been dismantled at shipyards in Türkiye’s coastal town of Aliağa, one of the world’s main destinations for decommissioned vessels.
- Locals and environmentalists alike complain of rampant water and air pollution linked to shipbreaking, among other industrial activities.
- Workers’ unions and activists have also called out substandard working conditions at the yards, recording 11 deadly accidents between 2018 and 2024.
- Efforts by the European Union to promote better practices in some yards by allowing them to dismantle European ships have had a mixed effect, according to workers and experts Mongabay interviewed, encouraging some yards to improve practices without solving the pollution problem.
Hundreds of whales to be harpooned as Iceland issues new hunting licenses
- On Dec. 6, Iceland’s interim government announced it had issued five-year commercial whaling permits to hunt fin and minke whales.
- The permits, issued to domestic whaling companies Hvalur hf and Tjaldtangi, allow the hunting of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales each year in Icelandic waters.
- The move follows recent government decisions to briefly pause whaling based on welfare concerns about using grenade-tipped harpoons for hunting, and then resume it again.
- Conservationists say the new whaling decision is a blow to marine conservation and question its timing by an interim government that’s soon due to hand over power to a coalition that isn’t pro-whaling.
‘Like you, I fear the demise of the elephants’
- There are nearly 9,000 inland protected areas across the African continent, covering 4.37 million square kilometers (1.69 million square miles).
- These protected areas are at the center of conservation policymaking by African countries hoping to safeguard nature and threatened wildlife.
- Under the UN Global Biodiversity Framework’s “30×30” target, the amount of conserved land in Africa would significantly expand.
- As part of a reporting series on this goal, Mongabay visited protected areas in three countries: Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya.
Indonesia reforestation plan a smoke screen for agriculture project, critics say
- Critics say an Indonesian government plan to reforest 12.7 million hectares (31.4 million acres) of degraded land is a smoke screen to offset deforestation from a massive agricultural project.
- The food estate program includes a plan to establish 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) of sugarcane plantations in Papua.
- A new study by the Center of Economic and Law Studies estimates the food estate program would emit 782.5 million tons of carbon dioxide, nearly doubling Indonesia’s global carbon emission contribution.
- Indonesia climate envoy Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who is also the brother of President Prabowo Subianto, says the food estate program is necessary for food security and that forest loss will be offset by reforestation; critics, however, say reforestation cannot compensate for the destruction of natural forests.
Scientists, Māori experts uncover new insights into rare spade-toothed whale
- Spade-toothed whales (Mesoplodon traversii) are among the rarest and least-studied whales, partly due to their deep-diving behavior and long periods spent underwater in the vast, underexplored South Pacific Ocean.
- Until recently, only six records of spade-toothed whales had been documented over 150 years, all but one found in Aotearoa New Zealand, a known hotspot for whale strandings.
- The seventh and most recent record, a 5-meter (16-foot) male, stranded in New Zealand in July 2024, was recently dissected by scientists and Māori cultural experts at a scientific research center.
- A key finding was the presence of tiny vestigial teeth in the upper jaw, offering insights into the species’ evolutionary history, with further discoveries anticipated as analysis continues.
Asiatic wild asses return to Saudi Arabia after 100 years
It’s been a century since an onager or Asiatic wild ass was last seen in Saudi Arabia. But in April this year, seven onagers were relocated from neighboring Jordan into one of Saudi Arabia’s nature reserves. One of the onagers has even birthed a female foal since then. “These are the first free running onager […]
Scientists in Bali find what could be the world’s largest coral colony
When a massive coral colony was recently discovered in the Solomon Islands, it was believed to be the largest in the world. Then last week, scientists found an even bigger one in the waters off the Indonesian island of Bali. Coral restoration nonprofit Ocean Gardener announced that Indonesian marine biologists had measured a Galaxea astreata […]
On Indonesia’s unique Enggano Island, palm oil takes root in an Indigenous society
- Formed millions of years ago in the Indian Ocean by a process independent of tectonic collision, Indonesia’s Enggano Island is now home to many unique species and a diverse Indigenous society of subsistence farmers.
- Since the early 1990s, developers have sought to obtain control over large parts of the island, but encountered staunch opposition from its six Indigenous tribes.
- Today, PT Sumber Enggano Tabarak, which has been linked to the billionaire-owned London Sumatra group, is seeking to establish an oil palm plantation over 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres).
- Civil society researchers and Indigenous elders say the island lacks sufficient freshwater to provide irrigation to both the community and an industrial oil palm plantation, and that a plantation at scale risks catalyzing an ecological crisis.
Landmark ICJ climate change hearing concludes; opinion expected in 2025
The world’s top court has finished hearing its largest-ever climate change case. For the first time, 96 countries and 11 international organizations presented their cases before the U.N.’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) from Dec. 2-13, arguing about the obligations of major greenhouse gas-emitting nations in tackling climate change, and the legal frameworks that could […]
What’s the TFFF? A forest finance tool ‘like no other’ shows potential
In 2023, at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, the Brazilian government proposed a new funding mechanism to help tropical nations keep their forests standing. They called it the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), and its incentive is relatively simple: using satellite monitoring in participating nations to determine which ones have preserved their forests, and […]
Brazil passes law to cap emissions and regulate carbon market
Brazil has passed a law to cap greenhouse gas emissions from companies and set up a nationwide system to trade carbon credits. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the landmark bill Dec. 12. “The main goal of the law is to position Brazil as a leader in protecting the climate system for the benefit […]
We must prioritize rangeland conservation for planetary health and biodiversity (commentary)
- Rangelands, despite their size and significance, have been historically under-appreciated in global conservation and climate discussions, a new op-ed argues.
- They cover more than 79 million square kilometers of grasslands, savannas, deserts, shrublands, and tundra globally. But they are more than just expansive open landscapes – rangelands are central to global economies, ecosystems, and cultures.
- Ahead of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026, governments and conservationists have an opportunity to lay groundwork to ensure their health for wildlife habitat and their use by pastoralists is sustainable.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
‘Shifting baselines’ in Cabo Verde after 50 years of declining fish stocks
- In Cabo Verde, as in many low-income countries in Africa, the historical record of fish catch is incomplete, making it hard to know what’s been lost and what’s required to fully rebuild.
- In a new study, researchers interviewed fish workers to understand how catches have changed over the last five decades, finding evidence of a major decline in volume of catch and maximum size of key species.
- The study also shows that young fishers and fishmongers don’t fully realize the scale of the loss — a case of what scientists call “shifting baselines.”
- Fishing communities on the West African mainland tell a similar story of decline, pointing to the urgency of centering local knowledge when devising fisheries management and conservation policies.
Armed conflict, not Batwa people, at heart of Grauer’s gorillas’ past decline in DRC park
- The decline in critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas between 1994 and 2003 in the highland sector of Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo was due to the impacts of armed conflict, rather than the presence or absence of Indigenous communities, according to a new study.
- The finding, including recent analysis of forest loss in parts of the park where Indigenous Batwa people returned, challenges simple but competing narratives that the region’s Batwa people are either forest destroyers or forest guardians, say various primatologists.
- After the onset of the Rwandan genocide and Congo Wars, which drove an influx of refugees, poaching, hunting and mining in the region, estimates of Grauer’s gorillas dropped from about 258 to 130 individuals, only to rise again once the Second Congo War ended.
- Researchers and conservation authorities say conservation in Kahuzi-Biega National Park remains challenging, but that Indigenous people should be included in environmental stewardship.
Grassroots efforts sprout up to protect Central America’s Trifinio watershed
- A major watershed in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador has been so polluted, industrialized and interfered with that 20% of it could dry up in the next few decades, according to a U.N. report.
- The Trifinio Fraternidad Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, which covers the triborder region of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, suffers from a free-for-all of deforestation, chemical runoff and mining that threatens the existence of the watershed.
- If it dries up, millions of people could be left without water for drinking, bathing and farming.
- While conservation groups continue to lobby for funding, residents frustrated with government inaction have started to organize themselves to fight everything from mining and runoff to illegal building development.
Young people in Africa call for a fair increase in funding for climate adaptation
- Young activists in Africa are calling for doubling adaptation financing for climate change.
- The youths presented their demands during COP29, dubbing it the ‘six30 campaign’.
- Experts say the adaptation funds for the continent is seriously underfunded.
Brazil paper and pulp industry invests in blockchain to comply with EUDR
- Brazil’s paper and pulp industry says the European Union’s deforestation-free products regulation (EUDR), which will come into effect in late 2025, won’t affect the sector’s operations, which has already traced its supply chains “from farm to factory” for more than two decades and doesn’t source from illegal deforested areas.
- The EUDR will require suppliers to prove that their products exported to the EU aren’t sourced from illegally deforested areas; in Brazil, experts say it will help halt illegal deforestation in the Amazon.
- To fulfill some specific EUDR requirements, companies need to invest in blockchain and other technologies, which could increase the cost per ton of pulp by up to $230, according to the Brazilian Tree Industry (Ibá).
- The EUDR postponement was received differently by the industry and experts: While Ibá says it would allow “a smoother and more effective implementation,” given some aspects that need improvement from the EU Commission, deforestation experts say there is no time to wait, as deforestation continues and the climate crisis gets worse.
High-flying concessions: Clandestine airstrips, coca crops invade Ucayali’s forests
- An investigation by Mongabay Latam and Earth Genome identified 45 clandestine airstrips in the rainforest in Peru’s Ucayali department.
- Ten of these airstrips, most likely built for narcotrafficking activity, are located inside nine forest logging concessions.
- Peru’s forest and wildlife monitoring agency, OSINFOR, says only four of these logging concessions are still active.
- Complaints made by concession holders to environmental authorities about the airstrips, as well as associated deforestation and coca cultivation, have been shelved.
Greater Mekong serves up 234 new species in a year, from fanged hedgehog to diva viper
- Researchers and local nature enthusiasts described 234 new-to-science species across the Greater Mekong region in 2023.
- Among the new assortment of critters are sweet-smelling plants, glamorous snakes, a dragon lizard, a psychedelic-orange crocodile newt, and several new mammals, including a mole shrew and a fanged hedgehog.
- The Greater Mekong is a fast-developing region of Southeast Asia, characterized by intensive agriculture, internationally significant inland fisheries and rapid urban expansion.
- As such, the newly described species and their habitats are under pressure from multiple threats, not least from the illegal wildlife trade that also flourishes in the region. Experts say consistent and concerted action is required to secure their future.
Illegal timber from Amazon carbon credit projects reached Europe, U.S.
- Amazon timber from carbon credit projects targeted by the Brazilian Federal Police was sold to companies in Europe and the United States.
- The group is suspected of land-grabbing and laundering timber from Indigenous territories and protected areas.
- Most of the exported timber belongs to the almost-extinct ipê species and was sent to a company in Portugal.
- The group is also suspected of using fake documents to launder cattle raised in illegally deforested areas.
Endangered seabirds return to Pacific island after century-long absence
- Endangered Polynesian storm petrels have returned to Kamaka Island in French Polynesia for the first time in more than 100 years, after conservationists used drones to remove the invasive rats eating the birds’ eggs and chicks.
- Scientists attracted the birds back to the island using solar-powered speakers playing bird calls recorded from a neighboring island, with monitoring cameras showing regular visits, though nesting has not yet been confirmed.
- The project demonstrates successful collaboration between international conservation groups and local communities, with the local Mangareva community’s knowledge and support proving crucial to the operation’s success.
- The birds’ return could benefit the entire island ecosystem, as seabirds bring nutrients from the ocean that help sustain both terrestrial and marine life around the island.
Study looks for success factors in African projects that heal land and help people
- Land degradation across Africa impacts the lives of rural Africans, who depend heavily on natural resources.
- Reversing land degradation while improving livelihoods can be tricky, and not all initiatives succeed.
- A recent Sustainability Science study examined 17 initiatives in 13 African nations to tease out what factors contribute to success or failure.
- The study finds that tapping into social relationships, providing adequate incentives to overcome risk-adverse behaviors, and maintaining momentum over the long term emerged as key factors in an initiative’s success.
Illegal cockfighting threatens endangered sea turtles across Central America
- The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), a critically endangered species, has long been exploited for its shell, used in a wide range of ornaments, including, in Costa Rica, the deadly spurs used in illegal cockfighting.
- Cockfighting is banned in Costa Rica, but the tradition persists underground, with authorities increasing their efforts to seize hawksbill spurs.
- Conservationists are also helping to train inspection officers to identify hawksbill products brought into Costa Rica from neighboring countries.
- When poachers harvest hawksbills, they’re not targeting them specifically for spurs but also for other products, which often find their way into tourist shops and online markets worldwide.
Direct air capture climate solution faces harsh criticism, steep challenges
- Direct air capture — geoengineering technology that draws carbon dioxide from the air, allowing it to be stored in geologic formations or used by industry — is being heavily hyped as a climate solution.
- But as direct air capture (DAC) pilot projects an startups grow in number around the world, fueled by investment and government funding in the U.S. and elsewhere, this proposed climate solution is becoming ever more divisive.
- Critics paint DAC as a costly, ineffective distraction from drastically slashing fossil fuel extraction and emissions. The use of captured carbon by the fossil fuel industry to squeeze ever more oil from wells comes in for particularly sharp criticism.
- Though carbon dioxide removal (CDR) may be needed to help limit the worst impacts of global warming, experts say betting on direct air capture is riddled with challenges of cost and scale. Two hurdles: sourcing sufficient renewables to power DAC facilities, and minimizing carbon-intensive DAC infrastructure.
Monarch butterflies proposed for U.S. federal protection
A recent proposal to protect the iconic orange-and-black monarch butterfly under the U.S. Endangered Species Act could make federal protections available to help the species avoid extinction and rebound. In a press release, Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, an NGO, said the ESA listing is a science-based decision and “a […]
Recycling gold can tackle illegal mining in the Amazon, but is no silver bullet
- Artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Brazil’s Tapajós River Basin emits 16 metric tons of CO2 per kilo of gold produced, and 2.5 metric tons of mercury annually, a study has found.
- Researchers suggest that recycling gold could dramatically reduce harmful emissions, along with other solutions such as formalizing mining, adopting clean technologies, and improving gold supply chain transparency.
- Economic dependence, mercury accessibility, and a demand for gold sustain small-scale gold mining, while enforcement risks pushing miners into ecologically sensitive areas.
- In November, Brazil launched a federal operation in the Tapajós Basin to expel illegal gold miners from the Munduruku Indigenous Territory, imposing millions of reais in fines to curb the damage caused by gold mining.
Climate change fuels African floods that hit harder in vulnerable regions
- Extreme rainfall and flooding across Sudan, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad this year led to thousands of deaths and millions of displacements, mirroring what occurred in the region in 2022.
- Research by World Weather Attribution shows that such extreme floods, linked to anthropogenic climate change, are likely to become more intense and frequent in the future.
- Existing conflicts, poverty, aging infrastructure and socioeconomic inequalities further exacerbate the exposure of vulnerable communities to extreme floods; local leaders and experts call for improved sanitation and urban development policies as well as adaptation strategies in preparation for future floods.
Vietnam’s mammals need conservation within and outside their range: Study
- Vietnam is a treasure trove of mammalian diversity: it’s home to the highest number of primate species in mainland Southeast Asia and a host of unique species found nowhere else on the planet.
- However, a new study reveals more than one-third of Vietnam’s mammal species are threatened with extinction at a national level.
- The researchers advocate combining field-based and ex-situ conservation measures to recover the country’s mammal populations.
- They recommend conservation managers focus on establishing captive-breeding populations of key conservation species, as well as strengthening protection of habitats and creating wildlife corridors.
Foreign investor lawsuits impede Honduras human rights & environment protections
- Foreign investors in Honduras have “extraordinary privileges,” allowing them to sue the government for reforms that affect their investments, hindering public interest legislation, a recent report has found.
- Honduras faces billions of dollars in lawsuits from corporations, many tied to controversial investments made after the 2009 coup, creating a deterrent effect on the government’s ability to make sovereign decisions and making it the second-most-sued country in Latin America over the period of 2023 to August 2024, after Mexico.
- Some local communities in Honduras are divided over foreign investment projects, with several expressing resistance due to concerns about their impact on the environment and land rights.
- Honduras’ recent energy reforms and mining bans are facing backlash and legal challenges, as foreign corporations resist changes aimed at protecting natural resources and human rights.
Water returns to Amazon rivers amid historic drought
The Amazon River and its tributaries, which make up the largest freshwater basin in the world, are showing signs of recovery after dropping to record-low levels between September and November 2024. Abnormally low rainfall and high temperatures across the Amazon caused water levels to plummet, shutting down river transport, isolating communities and leaving industries without […]
Philippines’ ‘extraordinary’ typhoon season was climate-fueled: Scientists
From late October to November this year, six consecutive tropical cyclones battered the Philippines, affecting 30 million people. Data analyses from two separate organizations now show they were intensified by human-induced climate change. International scientific collective World Weather Attribution (WWA) released a study on Dec. 12 showing that climate change has made conditions conducive to […]
Indonesian forests put at risk by South Korean and Japanese biomass subsidies
- Subsidies for forest biomass energy in Japan and South Korea are contributing to deforestation in Southeast Asia, according to an October 2024 report by environmental NGOs. The biomass industry is expanding especially quickly in Indonesia; the nation is exporting rapidly growing volumes of wood pellets, and is burning biomass at its domestic power plants.
- Japanese trading company Hanwa confirmed that rainforest is being cleared to establish an energy forest plantation for wood pellet production in Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island. Hanwa owns a stake in the project. The wood pellet mill uses cleared rainforest as a feedstock while the monoculture plantation is being established.
- A Hanwa representative defended the Sulawesi biomass project by claiming the area consists of previously logged secondary growth and that the energy plantation concession is not officially classified as “forest area.”
- The Japanese government is supporting biomass use across Southeast Asia through its Asia Zero Emission Community initiative, begun in 2023.
Peru’s modern history of migration and settlement
- Four roads with an enormous impact on rural Peru were built starting in the 1970s, incentivizing migration in the second half of the 20th century to the Amazonian lowlands from the Andean foothills.
- The largest single migratory destination in the Peruvian Amazon is landlocked Iquitos; immigrants arrived there in search of jobs in the oil industry. Currently counting more than 500,000 inhabitants, Iquitos is now the largest city in the Western Amazon.
- The cultivation of coca has had major impacts on the development of Peru’s Amazonian regions. Violent clashes between armed groups searching to dominate the activity have pushed as many as 450,000 people out of their homes.
Communities warn of threat to ecosystems from Brazil bridge project
- Islanders and experts have warned of widespread environmental and social impacts from the construction of a bridge linking the Brazilian city of Salvador with the island of Itaparica in Todos os Santos Bay.
- Critics say the project will devastate mangrove forests and coral reefs, leading to environmental imbalance, compromising fishing communities and threatening the survival of many marine species including humpback whales and sea turtles.
- Proponents say the bridge will boost development in the region, in particular transporting agricultural produce, but islanders say the anticipated population surge on Itaparica will create unsustainable pressure on public services as well as drastically change the dynamics of the community living there.
- Experts say the best solution for improving transportation links between Salvador and Itaparica is to invest in the existing ferry system, but this option wasn’t considered by planners.
Kenya embraces electric buses to combat air pollution
- The Kenyan capital Nairobi is slowly introducing electric buses into the fleet of notoriously noisy and polluting matatus that ply its streets.
- Drivers selected to operate these Chinese-made and locally assembled buses say passengers prefer them because they’re quieter, faster and more comfortable.
- The rollout is still on a small scale: the $200,000 price tag for an electric bus is prohibitive, but the manufacturer is leasing them to operators to make them more affordable.
- Charging is also an issue, with drivers reporting shorter ranges than advertised, and just three charging stations available in the city.
In 2024, Nepal’s elusive snow leopards pounce into spotlight
- The year 2024 marks significant milestones for snow leopard conservation in Nepal, one of the animal’s 12 range countries.
- A snow leopard was found roaming the country’s plains and provided a home in the country’s central zoo.
- With the launch of a new conservation action plan, the government has initiated a shift in its approach to save the animal.
- Snow leopards also found their way into the popular imagination of filmmakers and even cricket enthusiasts.
Research vessel E/V Nautilus spots multiple nautiluses for the first time
The crew of the research vessel E/V Nautilus erupted in excited chatter as they watched live video from a remotely operated vehicle traversing the German Channel in the Pacific island state of Palau. “It’s finally happened!” someone could be heard saying as the camera on board the ROV Hercules zoomed in to reveal a lone […]
Wildlife conservation is a key climate change solution (commentary)
- It’s time for global leaders, funders, and policymakers to prioritize the inclusion of local conservationists in major climate discussions, a new op-ed argues.
- The effects of climate change, such as fires, droughts, and extreme weather events are not just environmental threats, but crises that directly impact human well-being and wildlife survival alike.
- “If we are serious about tackling climate change and preserving biodiversity, we must embrace holistic and inclusive approaches to conservation that integrate both wildlife and community needs,” two conservationists write.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
Brazil natural landscape degradation drives toxic metal buildup in bats
- Bats play a crucial role in tropical regions as pollinators, seed dispersers and agricultural pest controllers. But they are exposed to a wide range of threats, pollution among them.
- Two recent papers show how natural landscape transformation and degradation, due to pasture and crop monoculture creation and mining in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, can increase bioaccumulation of toxins and heavy metals in bat populations, leading to potential health impacts.
- Over time, this toxic accumulation could increase the likelihood of local bat extinctions and the loss of vital ecosystem services. The toxic contamination of these landscapes also poses a concern for human health, researchers say.
- These findings are likely applicable to bats living in other highly disturbed tropical habitats around the world, researchers say.
UN sets guidelines for conservation groups to safeguard human rights
The United Nations Environment Programme recently released a report detailing 10 existing human rights standards and how they should be applied to conservation organizations and funders (COFs). In an effort to address the dramatic loss of global biodiversity and the climate crisis, private conservation organizations, many from the Global North, have stepped in to establish […]
Regifting and thrifting for sustainable holiday gift ideas
A few years ago, while having lunch with colleagues in my previous newsroom, we started talking about thrift stores. One of my co-workers said, “I get all of my clothes from thrift stores,” and quickly added, “I’m not trying to brag though.” And I thought: How great that she sees thrifting as something to brag […]
Andes glacier melt threatens Amazon’s rivers & intensifies droughts
- A new study found that Andean tropical glaciers have reached their lowest levels in 11,700 years, with drastic consequences for the Amazon due to the overlap of the two ecosystems.
- The findings come to light as record droughts in the Amazon in 2023 and 2024, exacerbated by climate change, have severely impacted local communities, including food insecurity and lack of access to drinking water.
- The ice loss in the Andes could reduce the water flow to the Amazon rivers by up to 20%.
- Venezuela is on the verge of becoming the first country in modern history to lose all its glaciers.
Environmental journalist in Cambodia shot and killed by suspected logger
- Free press advocates are demanding justice for environmental reporter Chhoeung Chheng after he was shot and killed by a suspected illegal logger on the outskirts of a protected area in northern Cambodia.
- Chheng and a colleague were in the region to document illegal forest activities when they encountered the alleged perpetrator on Dec. 4; police arrested the suspect the following day.
- Chheng died in hospital on Dec. 7, making him the latest victim in a broader trend in which covering environmental issues puts journalists in the firing line.
- Advocates say the incident underscores the threats to journalists seeking to cover issues such as logging amid increasing climate-related catastrophes across Asia, and have called on governments like Cambodia’s to ensure journalists can freely and safely report on those issues.
Time for a ‘moral reckoning’ of aquaculture’s environmental impacts
Aquaculture is often promoted as a solution to declines in wild fish populations, and has outpaced the amount of wild-caught fish by tens of millions of metric tons each year. But it carries its own myriad environmental impacts, to the detriment of both humans and the ocean, says Carl Safina, an ecologist and author. He […]
First-of-its-kind crew welfare measure adopted at Pacific fisheries summit
- The organization that sets fishing rules for a swath of the Pacific Ocean covering nearly 20% of Earth’s surface and supplying half the world’s tuna catch held its annual meeting in Fiji from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3.
- Parties to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) adopted a landmark crew welfare measure — the first binding labor rights measure adopted by any of the world’s 17 regional fisheries management organizations.
- The parties, 25 countries plus the European Union, also adopted a voluntary measure to implement electronic monitoring of catches.
- However, they didn’t adopt a proposal to curb potentially dodgy ship-to-ship transfers known as transshipments, or substantive new protections for sharks and seabirds, as NGO observers had hoped.
Spain adopts paid ‘climate leave’ policy following deadly floods
Spain has introduced a paid four-day “climate leave” policy to protect workers during extreme weather events, one month after the deadliest storm in Spain’s recent history. The Valencia storm claimed at least 225 lives in October and November, and many people were impacted during their work commutes. On Nov. 28, the Spanish labor ministry updated […]
Deadlocked plastic treaty talks will lead to renewed negotiations in 2025
- In 2022, U.N. negotiators set a timetable to finalize a global plastics treaty by the end of 2024.
- That hope was dashed on Dec. 1 at the United Nations summit in Busan, South Korea, as a few oil petrostates and plastic-producing nations (seeking a voluntary treaty focused on waste reduction) blocked 100-plus higher-ambition nations (seeking a binding treaty with limits on plastic production).
- However, many parties feel that a strong agreement can still be reached, and say there’s good reason for hope: In Busan, participating nations agreed to a 22-page “Chair’s Text” for the treaty that will serve as the starting point for negotiations at a resumed session in 2025, perhaps as early as May.
- But much remains to be worked out, especially concerning limits on plastic production, proposed bans on some toxic chemicals used in plastics, a phaseout of some single-use plastic products, and more. A key sticking point is the question of who will pay for the treaty’s implementation and ongoing enforcement.
‘We have incredible & applicable solutions’: Interview with Peter Houlihan of XPRIZE
- XPRIZE Rainforest, a $10 million competition to come up with autonomous rainforest monitoring technology, wrapped up earlier this year.
- Four winners were announced in November for their work in combining cutting-edge technology and Indigenous knowledge to monitor a 100-hectare (250-acre) plot in the Amazon Rainforest within 24 hours.
- XPRIZE Foundation, the nonprofit organization that organized the competition, is now collaborating with governments and universities around the world to help scale up the technologies and deploy them for rainforest monitoring.
Construction of Indonesia’s new capital sees port activity crowd out fishers
- Construction of Indonesia’s vast new capital city on the east coast of Borneo has prompted a surge in port traffic in Balikpapan Bay, elevating existing pressures on the belt of mangroves lining the inlet.
- Local villages depend on near-shore fisheries within the inlet, but interviews indicate these communities are struggling to endure the increased port traffic and restrictions to fishing areas.
- District-level officials acknowledged that fishers face diverse challenges as a result of the new capital construction.
- However, they say they will seek redress for the destruction of any of the 16,000 hectares (39,500 acres) of mangroves in the bay area.
Thai citizens protest plans for Mekong dam amid transboundary concerns
- Citizens in northern Thailand staged protests along the shore of the Mekong River on Dec. 7 to draw attention to a controversial dam slated to be built on the river’s mainstream over the border in Laos.
- They demanded Thai banks and policymakers withdraw their support for the scheme due to its as-yet-unknown cross-border environmental and social impacts.
- The protests follow a particularly turbulent wet season marked by record-breaking floods that wrought high costs on riverside communities. Experts have said the dam would exacerbate such events should it be built.
- Halting the project to allow sufficient time for thorough transboundary ecological and social studies is absolutely critical, the activists said.
Satellites and lidar get AI boost to count forest carbon stock worldwide
- A newly launched tool combines satellite images, lidar data and artificial intelligence to estimate carbon stored in forests around the world.
- The Forest Carbon Monitoring tool, developed by Earth-imaging company Planet, trained an AI model using the organization’s archival satellite data and globally available lidar data.
- The model is now being used in conservation efforts as well as in the voluntary carbon market.
Battering in U.K. & Ireland, deaths in Thailand & Malaysia as storms keep coming
Hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity across the U.K. and Ireland after the onslaught of Storm Darragh this past weekend, local media reported. Darragh, which brought wind gusts of 154 kilometers per hour (96 miles per hour), is the fourth named storm of the 2024-25 European windstorm season, which runs from Sept. […]
Narco airstrips beset Indigenous communities in Peruvian Amazon
- An investigation by Mongabay Latam and Earth Genome identified 45 clandestine airstrips in the rainforest in Peru’s Ucayali department.
- Thirty-one of these airstrips are located in Atalaya province, and of these, 26 are in or near Indigenous communities and reserves.
- These airstrips and the associated expansion of illicit coca cultivation began to increase in Atalaya 10 years ago, mirroring a rise in violence against Ucayali’s Indigenous communities and their leaders.
- Mongabay Latam spent five days exploring the areas most affected by drug trafficking in Atalaya, including the airstrips, and documenting the critical and alarming situation currently faced by communities in the region.
Gum-eating Tanzanian monkey is AWOL, fueling extinction fears
- There have been no confirmed sightings of Tanzania’s critically endangered southern patas monkeys for more than a year, raising fears the species is edging ever closer to extinction.
- In 2021, there were estimated to be fewer than 200 southern patas monkeys left in the wild, restricted to the western portion of Serengeti National Park.
- Researchers have appealed to members of the public to record sightings of the shy but distinctive animals, but only two separate sightings were made in 2022, one in 2023, and none so far in 2024.
- The species is due to be featured in the IUCN’s Primates in Peril, a list of the world’s 25 most endangered primates, for the second year running.
Wisdom the 74-year-old albatross lays an egg with new mate
Wisdom, the world’s oldest known wild bird, has laid an egg, this time with a new partner. She is a Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis), or mōlī in Hawaiian, and this is her first egg in four years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Pacific region said in a statement on X. “She did it […]
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