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The world’s great deltas are sinking — and with them, a global food system 06 May 2026 19:54:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-worlds-great-deltas-are-sinking-and-with-them-a-global-food-system/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Petro Kotzé content:encoded: “I would like for me and my children to live here forever,” said Lâm Thu Sang, a resident of Vietnam’s Cần Thơ, a city of more than 2 million people located near the mouth of the Mekong River on one of the world’s largest river deltas. But that may not be possible. In the past, about 160 million metric tons of sediment was annually funneled down the 4,300-kilometer (nearly 2,700-mile) Mekong River to form and nourish the vast delta where the river meets the sea. By 2024, that deposition rate had fallen by 70% per year — starving the delta of much of its source material. The Mekong flows through six Asian nations, draining a roughly 800,000-square-kilometer (309,000-square-mile) basin, until finally releasing its combined sediments into the 40,000-km2 (15,400-mi2) Mekong Delta — a complex ecological system of low-lying fertile lands and a web of waterways the size of the Netherlands, stretching from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to the South China Sea in Vietnam. Unfortunately, the future of Lâm Thu Sang’s community and this great delta are seriously in doubt, with the delta doubly threatened by land subsidence and sea level rise. Mekong Delta residents say life there is changing. For one, annual floods have become longer and more severe. Image courtesy of Anh Duong Community Development and Support Center. Sang, who helps run the Anh Duong Community Development and Support Center, an NGO focused on eradicating poverty in remote areas of Cần Thơ, said that people know their delta home is…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Mekong Delta is sinking. Projections indicate that 90% of this life-sustaining landform could disappear by 2100 due to human-driven factors such as groundwater pumping and sediment capture by dams, compounding the effects of sea-level rise. - The Mekong is just one of 40 of the world’s large river deltas threatened by high subsidence rates coupled with rising sea levels, according to a 2026 global study. Among the 19 river deltas seeing the most significant widespread subsidence are those on the Mekong, Nile, Chao Phraya, Ganga-Brahmaputra, and Mississippi rivers. - As the world’s great deltas sink, humanity loses rich, irreplaceable agricultural lands, fisheries, urban areas and exceptional biodiversity — much of which will not be salvageable beyond a certain point. Delta loss poses a significant threat to global food security, and an existential threat to often impoverished delta communities. - Delta subsidence can be slowed and even reversed by implementing well-understood mitigation strategies, say experts, by replacing hydropower dams with alternative energy, reducing sand mining and groundwater extraction, and altering agricultural practices. But these solutions are hampered by economics and lack of political will. authors: | ||
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A baby boom for North Atlantic right whales, but extinction still a threat 06 May 2026 17:21:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-baby-boom-for-north-atlantic-right-whales-but-extinction-still-a-threat/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: Calving season for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale has come to a close with 23 new baby whales, the most calves born in a single year since 2009. Part of the baby boom during the winter calving season can be attributed to females giving birth at closer intervals than in years past: 18 of this year’s moms gave birth within the last six years. “While a healthy right whale can give birth every three to four years, we had been seeing nearly 10 years between calves for some females,” Amy Warren, scientific program officer with the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center, said in a statement. One explanation for the calving delay is the stress of climate change, researchers say. Small crustaceans called copepods, the main food source for baleen whales, including North Atlantic right whales, have started shifting locations over the last decade, and many whales are traveling farther to find sufficient food. There are an estimated 384 North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) today, living along the East Coast of North America. At least one whale was spotted near Ireland, and many are turning up in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence, over a thousand kilometers from their usual habitat. Swimming to the Gulf makes their 1,600-kilometer (1,000-mile) migration from Florida to New England roughly 50% longer. That equates to more energy put into finding food, potentially leaving less resources for raising babies, Philip Hamilton, a senior research scientist with the New England Aquarium, told Mongabay in an email.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Calving season for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale has come to a close with 23 new baby whales, the most calves born in a single year since 2009. Part of the baby boom during the winter calving season can be attributed to females giving birth at closer intervals than in years past: 18 […] authors: | ||
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Venezuela tells UN court that mineral-rich part of Guyana was ‘fraudulently’ taken in colonial era 06 May 2026 16:21:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/venezuela-tells-un-court-that-mineral-rich-part-of-guyana-was-fraudulently-taken-in-colonial-era/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Venezuela insisted Wednesday that a disputed mineral-rich region of Guyana was “fraudulently” taken in a 19th-century example of colonialism, arguing that a 1966 agreement and not the United Nations’ highest court should finalize ownership of the territory. The International Court of Justice is holding a week of hearings between the South American neighbors who both lay claim to the Essequibo region, which is rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources and is located close to massive offshore oil deposits. An 1899 decision by arbitrators from Britain, Russia and the United States drew the border along the Essequibo River largely in favor of Guyana. The U.S. represented Venezuela in part because the Venezuelan government had broken off diplomatic relations with Britain. Venezuela contends the Americans and Europeans conspired to cheat the country out of its rightfully owned land. Venezuela has considered Essequibo as its own since the Spanish colonial period when the jungle-draped region was within its boundaries. The country argues a 1966 agreement sealed in Geneva to resolve the dispute effectively nullified the 19th-century arbitration. “Guyana presents itself as the true, legitimate heir to British and Dutch territories, but the reality is that it is the beneficiary of colonial dispossession, formalized through fraudulent arbitration. The Geneva Agreement seeks to correct this century-old injustice,” Venezuela’s representative Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta told the world court. He said Caracas rejects the court’s jurisdiction that was “erroneously imposed” in a 2020 decision and said the 1966 agreement “establishes a framework”…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Venezuela insisted Wednesday that a disputed mineral-rich region of Guyana was “fraudulently” taken in a 19th-century example of colonialism, arguing that a 1966 agreement and not the United Nations’ highest court should finalize ownership of the territory. The International Court of Justice is holding a week of hearings between the South American […] authors: | ||
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Ted Turner, a media mogul who tried to repair the land 06 May 2026 16:13:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/ted-turner-a-media-mogul-who-tried-to-repair-the-land/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Ted Turner, who died on May 6th, liked to present himself as a businessman who had simply applied the same habits to a larger subject. First he bought a struggling billboard company and made it work. Then he built a television empire, beginning with CNN in 1980. After that, he turned much of his attention to land, wildlife, and the many ways humans damage nature when they treat it as an afterthought. He was rarely subtle about the stakes. “The planet is collapsing all around us,” he told an audience at Stanford in 2010. Turner’s environmentalism was neither ornamental nor detached from power. He did not confine it to speeches, documentaries, or naming rights. He pursued it in three connected ways: by acquiring and managing large landscapes; by funding environmental and public-health groups; and by using his prominence to argue that climate, biodiversity, and population pressures were practical problems, not cultural preferences. The mix could be hard to categorize. He was a billionaire who disliked the idea that capitalism required plunder, and a sportsman who came to talk like a restoration ecologist. His landholdings were central to the story. By the 2010s he was described as one of America’s largest private landowners, with roughly 2 million acres spread across multiple states, and additional holdings abroad. The scale mattered less than his intent. Turner repeatedly tried to keep places “as natural as possible,” and he was willing to spend money and hire people to do it. On his Nonami Plantation near…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Ted Turner built a media empire, then turned much of his wealth and attention toward land, wildlife, clean energy, and conservation. - His vast private landholdings became working examples of restoration, from bison herds and native trout to longleaf pines and red-cockaded woodpeckers. - Turner’s environmentalism mixed private ownership with public purpose, using philanthropy and advocacy to support conservation, public health, and climate action. - Blunt, restless, and often provocative, he argued that protecting the planet was not sentimentality, but a practical responsibility. authors: | ||
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Australia’s new national park links habitat to protect koalas 06 May 2026 13:46:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/australias-new-national-park-links-habitat-to-protect-koalas/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Johan Augustin content:encoded: “When I was a kid, forestry was more sustainable,” Mark Graham said, leaning against a massive tree trunk. “Now 30-tonne industrial machines bulldoze everything in their path.” He’s an ecologist who’s worked for state and federal governments — and has often been at odds with the forest industry. We were walking through the Coffs Harbour Botanic Garden in New South Wales (NSW), southeastern Australia, through a remnant of subtropical coastal rainforest. Graham pointed out flooded gum (Eucalyptus grandis) trees — a fast-growing eucalyptus — as well as Bangalow palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) and other trees, some hundreds of years old. Wild koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), one of the world’s most beloved animals, also live here. This garden will be linked to the new Great Koala National Park (GKNP) by forest corridors that allow koalas to disperse into new areas. The Australian government says it will finalize designation of the new park in 2026, which it calls “a centerpiece of koala conservation [in the state of NSW],” but no one seems to know when that will be. Its creation was the culmination of a 13-year campaign led by environmental groups and grassroots organizations. One of the most outspoken figures in that struggle was Mark Graham, a veteran environmental activist who’s often been at odds with the NSW forestry industry. In 2023, the state government committed to establishing the GKNP on the mid-north coast. It announced creation of this vast new conservation area in September 2025 — and instituted a temporary moratorium on timber…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Australian government has created a vast new protected area, the Great Koala National Park, along the country’s east coast to safeguard koalas and 66 other threatened native species. - Conservationists say this could mark a turning point for a species that is declining rapidly as the eucalyptus forests they depend on disappear and climate change sparks more frequent, intense wildfires. - However, loopholes in land-use regulations, ongoing logging, development pressures and weak enforcement still threaten this key koala habitat. - Experts warn that without stronger safeguards and consistent policies, the protected area may not be able to foster lasting conservation gains for koalas and other species. authors: | ||
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Rethinking conservation through elephants’ sense of time and memory 06 May 2026 11:39:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rethinking-conservation-through-elephants-sense-of-time-and-memory/ author: Shanna Hanbury dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: Historically, conservation has mostly focused on numbers like population and habitat size. However, in the mid-2000s, scientists started to investigate animal emotions, even trauma, when considering conservation success. In a recent Mongabay podcast, Khatijah Rahmat, a geographer at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, shared her research examining how elephants perceive and navigate time, often differently than humans do, and what that means for conserving them. “If we want to understand and appreciate animals, we have to consider that they have a meaningful and complex relationship with time that is their own,” Rahmat told Mongabay podcast host Mike DiGirolamo. “Often, we think of time as a socially or culturally neutral phenomenon. We think, ‘Oh, if this is how we experience time, it is [the same] for everyone else.’ I bring up this possibility that elephants may have their own expressions of time.” For elephants, this relationship with time appears to be deeply shaped by memory, including memories of trauma. In 2005, ecologist and psychologist Gay Bradshaw found that African elephants experienced post-traumatic stress disorder in response to witnessing violence such as family members killed by people. The animals she studied later displayed similar trauma responses seen in humans, including abnormal startle reflex, aggression, depression and even infant neglect. Elephants have famously good memories to survive in drought-prone habitats. A herd’s oldest, and typically largest, elephant often serves as a storehouse of memory. She can remember water sources from a decades-old drought and lead her herd to them.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Historically, conservation has mostly focused on numbers like population and habitat size. However, in the mid-2000s, scientists started to investigate animal emotions, even trauma, when considering conservation success. In a recent Mongabay podcast, Khatijah Rahmat, a geographer at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, shared her research examining how elephants perceive and […] authors: | ||
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Study finds 40% of soil-dependent species threatened or data deficient 06 May 2026 07:03:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/study-finds-40-of-soil-dependent-species-threatened-or-data-deficient/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta content:encoded: Researchers have for the first time assessed the extinction risk of soil-dependent animals, invertebrates and fungi. They found that some 40% of these species are either threatened or data deficient on the IUCN Red List, according to a recent study. Soil hosts nearly 60% of life on Earth. These species are key for biogeochemical cycles, climate regulation and other ecosystem services. Yet, their risk of extinction is largely unknown, the study authors say. To better understand how soil-dependent species are faring, the researchers first established a working definition of what species are “soil-dependent.” They found that 8,653 species on the IUCN Red List satisfy their definition: species that “spend a key part of their life cycle within a soil profile or predominantly inhabit the soil-litter interface.” The list includes terrestrial vertebrates, invertebrates like arthropods and mollusks, and fungi. However, plants weren’t included in the analysis. Neil Cox, study co-author and manager of the IUCN and Conservation International biodiversity assessment unit, told Mongabay by email that plants were excluded because nearly all plants are soil-dependent. Including them in the analysis would turn the review into one about the extinction risk of plants, he said. Of the species they examined, more than 20% are listed as threatened with extinction and another 20% are data deficient, meaning there isn’t enough information to determine their conservation status. Some 35 soil-dependent species are classified as extinct. Most of them used structures like burrows for an important part of their life stages, Cox said. For…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Researchers have for the first time assessed the extinction risk of soil-dependent animals, invertebrates and fungi. They found that some 40% of these species are either threatened or data deficient on the IUCN Red List, according to a recent study. Soil hosts nearly 60% of life on Earth. These species are key for biogeochemical cycles, […] authors: | ||
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Climate change, socioeconomic shifts threaten Nepal’s yak herding traditions 06 May 2026 05:43:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-change-socioeconomic-shifts-threaten-nepals-yak-herding-traditions/ author: Naina Rao dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: In the remote Dolpo region of western Nepal, the ancient practice of yak herding is facing an existential crisis. Traditional herders of domesticated yaks in these alpine rangelands are struggling against the convergence of climate change, rising operational costs, labor shortages, and the spread of lethal diseases, reports Mongabay’s Sonam Lama Hyolmo. According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), warming temperatures are fundamentally altering Himalayan high-altitude ecosystems. The shifts are disrupting water cycles, affecting vegetation, and drying out wetlands, which then increases fire risks and reduces available grazing areas for domesticated yaks (Bos grunniens). The region is also facing a socioeconomic shift. Massive outmigration of young people to cities or abroad has left a critical shortage of labor for the intensive work of herding. Furthermore, the post-COVID-19 closure of border crossings into China has barred herders from their traditional rangelands, forcing some to switch to goats and cattle, which increases the risk of overgrazing. These challenges extend to the wild yak (Bos mutus). While the total number of wild yaks isn’t established, estimates suggest fewer than 10,000 individuals remain globally. As rangelands are degraded and shrink, the habitats of wild and domesticated yaks increasingly overlap. This proximity leads to crossbreeding, said Krishna Prasad Acharya, a veterinarian officer at the Department of Livestock Services in Nepal. He warned this threatens the genetic purity and adaptive traits of the wild population. While some yak herders once sought to crossbreed their animals to produce stronger calves, the hybrids are often…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: In the remote Dolpo region of western Nepal, the ancient practice of yak herding is facing an existential crisis. Traditional herders of domesticated yaks in these alpine rangelands are struggling against the convergence of climate change, rising operational costs, labor shortages, and the spread of lethal diseases, reports Mongabay’s Sonam Lama Hyolmo. According to the […] authors: | ||
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In Bangladesh, traditional farming methods are being replaced by a modern system 06 May 2026 05:29:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/in-bangladesh-traditional-farming-methods-are-being-replaced-by-a-modern-system/ author: Naina Rao dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: In the Chittagong Hill Tracts of southeastern Bangladesh, Indigenous farmers are increasingly abandoning jhum, a traditional method of shifting cultivation. Instead, they’re moving toward the machan method where vegetables are grown above the ground on bamboo trellises. This transition is driven by a growing scarcity of arable land and declining yields, reports Mongabay contributor Sifayet Ullah. For generations, Indigenous communities like the Chakma, Marma and Mro in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) have practiced jhum, clearing small forest patches, farming them, then leaving them fallow for up to 20 years to restore soil fertility. However, as the number of farmers in CHT districts like Bandarban has risen, the fallow cycle has plummeted to just two or three years. This constant pressure has exhausted the soil, leading to poor rice yields and increased soil erosion during heavy rains. Government data confirm this decline: land under jhum in Bandarban dropped from 9,050 hectares (22,363 acres) in 2014 to 8,270 hectares (20,436 acres) by 2025. Many farmers are now turning to the machan method, which uses bamboo trellises to grow vine crops like cucumbers, bitter gourds and beans. This system offers several advantages over traditional shifting agriculture, such as the prevention of pests and diseases. “When crops grow close to the soil, they are prone to pests, fungal infection and waterlogging during rains,” said farmer Tipu Tanchangya, from Rowangchari in Bandarban. “Machan farming raises crops like gourd, cucumber, beans 4-5 feet [1.2-1.5 meters] above the ground, which reduces the risk of disease and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: In the Chittagong Hill Tracts of southeastern Bangladesh, Indigenous farmers are increasingly abandoning jhum, a traditional method of shifting cultivation. Instead, they’re moving toward the machan method where vegetables are grown above the ground on bamboo trellises. This transition is driven by a growing scarcity of arable land and declining yields, reports Mongabay contributor Sifayet […] authors: | ||
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Overtourism threatens Sri Lanka’s leopards 06 May 2026 05:18:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/overtourism-threatens-sri-lankas-leopards/ author: Naina Rao dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: Yala National Park, Sri Lanka’s most famous wildlife destination, is facing a conservation crisis as overcrowding and speeding safari jeeps increasingly threaten its wildlife, particularly its famed leopards, reports Mongabay contributor Kamanthi Wickramasinghe. Block I of the park, which boasts of one of the world’s highest leopard densities at one animal per square kilometer (2.6 per square mile), attracted nearly 390,000 visitors in the first half of 2025 alone, generating more than $5 million in revenue. Milinda Wattegedara, a wildlife photographer and co-founder of the Yala Leopard Center, attributed the escalating visitor pressure in the park to a social media boom and improved mobile reception, which allow drivers to quickly alert others of sightings, frequently resulting in “leopard jams.” Leopards in Block I have become habituated to humans and vehicles, Wattegedara added, but this proximity has often proved dangerous. Past vehicle strikes have claimed the lives of a young leopard and a jungle cat, and a prominent male leopard named Lucas recently made headlines after a close encounter with a safari vehicle. “Usually, when a safari jeep is close to an animal, jeep drivers have been advised to switch off the engine,” Ravindra Kumar, Yala National Park warden, told Mongabay. “But this driver had turned on the engine, and it had scared away the animal. However, Lucas was spotted the following night near Yala junction, the animal’s usual territory, and is in good health.” To address the challenges of speeding and other unethical driving behavior in Yala, the Department of…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Yala National Park, Sri Lanka’s most famous wildlife destination, is facing a conservation crisis as overcrowding and speeding safari jeeps increasingly threaten its wildlife, particularly its famed leopards, reports Mongabay contributor Kamanthi Wickramasinghe. Block I of the park, which boasts of one of the world’s highest leopard densities at one animal per square kilometer (2.6 […] authors: | ||
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Killings related to land conflicts double in Brazil, most in the Amazon region 05 May 2026 21:50:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/killings-related-to-land-conflicts-double-in-brazil-most-in-the-amazon-region/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: On June 12, 2025, Everton Lopes Rodrigues was found beheaded in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil. An Indigenous Avá Guarani, Rodrigues was the 21-year-old son of the chief of the Yvyju Avary Indigenous village, and next to his body was a letter, left by his killers, containing “serious threats” against Indigenous communities. Marcelo “Ku’i” Ortiz, a 33-year-old man, also an Avá Guarani, faced the same brutal violence a few months prior. His severed head was placed on a spike. These were two of 26 killings related to land conflicts recorded in 2025 in Brazil, according to a new report by the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), a nonprofit affiliated with the Catholic Church. Seven of the victims were Indigenous; another 10 were landless rural workers. “Extreme violence in rural areas doesn’t happen randomly. It follows relatively well-defined patterns,” report co-author Claudio Lopes Maia wrote. “Murder has turned into an instrument of conflict “resolution” in certain territories.” The number of killings in 2025 is double the 13 recorded in 2024. According to the report, 2025 was “one of the most violent years of the last decade.” CPT logged an additional 66 murder attempts and 105 death threats in 2025. Most of the killings, 62%, took place in the Brazilian Amazon. Pará and Rondônia states, which have some of the Brazil’s highest rates of deforestation, also recorded the most killings: seven each. These included two massacres, defined as three or more people killed on the same date in the same place.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: On June 12, 2025, Everton Lopes Rodrigues was found beheaded in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil. An Indigenous Avá Guarani, Rodrigues was the 21-year-old son of the chief of the Yvyju Avary Indigenous village, and next to his body was a letter, left by his killers, containing “serious threats” against Indigenous communities. Marcelo […] authors: | ||
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A new documentary film captures rare mountain gorilla behavior 05 May 2026 21:08:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/05/a-new-documentary-film-captures-rare-mountain-gorilla-behavior/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo content:encoded: “That might be something that you see in a decade, not in two years of filming,” Tara Stoinksi, CEO of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, tells me. The behavior she’s referring to occurs in mountain gorilla groups, such as a “dominance transfer,” where a younger male silverback takes over leadership from an older male, and infanticide, where an outsider or ostracized gorilla kills the offspring of a new mother within the group. The former of these was captured on camera within days of filming for the new Netflix documentary A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough. Stoinski joins the Mongabay Newscast to discuss her role as a scientific adviser on the years-long project, the rarity of the behaviors captured on camera, and her thoughts on gorilla conservation in the Greater Virunga Landscape of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “These gorillas now live basically in a small island of forests surrounded by some of the highest rural human population densities in Africa,” Stoinski says while discussing conservation challenges for mountain gorillas. Filming for the documentary took place in Rwanda, where the pressures and challenges mountain gorillas face differ from those in Virunga National Park in the neighboring DRC. Threats to gorillas in the latter include armed conflict, poaching, logging, and hunting for the wild meat trade. Stoinski says that within Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, where the documentary was filmed, the threats are different. “Climate change is an issue for the gorillas … also, climate change affects the people…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: “That might be something that you see in a decade, not in two years of filming,” Tara Stoinksi, CEO of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, tells me. The behavior she’s referring to occurs in mountain gorilla groups, such as a “dominance transfer,” where a younger male silverback takes over leadership from an older male, and […] authors: | ||
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Despite restrictions, forest loss continued on Ituna land, home to isolated people 05 May 2026 19:46:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/despite-restrictions-forest-loss-continues-on-ituna-land-home-to-isolated-people/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: Illegal invasions in the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous territory in Brazil’s Pará state, home to isolated Igarapé Ipiaçava Indigenous people, has continued since 2022, during one of the latest land use restriction orders meant to protect the territory, according to satellite analysis by Mongabay. Between 2022 and 2025, data from Global Forest Watch show the area lost 2,211 hectares (5,463 acres) of tree cover. But, in the last few years, forest loss has plummeted significantly in what was one of the most deforested Indigenous lands following operations by the country’s Indigenous affairs agency, Funai. Cleiton Gabriel, the coordinator of the Middle Xingu Ethno-Environmental Protection Front, a specialized Funai unit, told Mongabay via WhatsApp that the forest loss in Ituna/Itatá is caused by land-grabbers who clear the forest without authorization for cattle ranching and other agricultural activities. “The deforestation in the Ituna/Itatá region historically stems from the illegal occupation of the territory,” Gabriel explained. “This is driven by land grabbing, the establishment of agricultural activities, especially intensive livestock farming, and also smaller-scale laboratory operations, mainly cocoa processing.” The land use restriction order, which prohibits unauthorized individuals from entering Ituna/Itatá, has been in place since 2011 to protect the isolated people. The precautionary measure has been renewed six times, the most recent being in 2025. Global Forest Watch data show that Ituna/Itatá was the third-most deforested area in Brazil between 2011, the year of the first land restriction order, and 2021. It was the most deforested Indigenous land in 2019. This has affected Funai’s…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Ituna/Itatá Indigenous land in Brazil lost 2,211 hectares of tree cover from 2022-25, despite being protected by a temporary land use restriction order to protect people living in voluntary isolation, according to data from Global Forest Watch. - The land has been under a series of land use restriction orders since 2011. - Authorities told Mongabay that the illegal deforestation is caused by land-grabbers who clear the forest without permits to establish cattle ranches and other agricultural activities, later exploiting loopholes to legitimize land appropriation. - In 2023, Brazil’s federal government carried out an operation to remove invaders. Though satellite data show forest loss continues, it significantly reduced in 2025. authors: | ||
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In Senegal, artisanal fishing kills a surprising number of sharks and rays: study 05 May 2026 16:44:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/in-senegal-artisanal-fishing-kills-a-surprising-number-of-sharks-and-rays-study/ author: Autumn Spanne dc:creator: Victoria Schneider content:encoded: In Senegal, artisanal fishing kills a surprising number of sharks and rays, according to a new study — so many, it probably eclipses industrial fishing, which is more commonly blamed for the species’ decline. The study was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution in March. Researchers analyzed landings of sharks, rays and guitarfish at two major artisanal fishery processing sites, Kafountine and Elinkine, in southern Senegal’s Casamance region between June 2021 and July 2022. Most of the catches comprised species at risk of extinction, and many were traded abroad without obligatory export permits, the study found. While the researchers directly counted more than 100,000 harvested sharks, rays and guitarfishes, they estimated the actual number to be at least 174,000, as many were stacked or piled together and couldn’t be accurately counted. This number was surprisingly high, according to lead author Rima Jabado, chair of the Shark Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. Jabado is also the founder of the Elasmo Project, a United Arab Emirates-based nonprofit that focuses on shark and ray conservation. “The study should be read as evidence of a serious problem, not as a ceiling on the true scale of exploitation,” Jabado told Mongabay in an email, adding the findings are conservative. Since the researchers covered only two out of dozens of landing sites in the country, the total number of rays and sharks caught and processed annually could be 1.7 million to 3.5 million, the study estimates. Scientists and environmental organizations…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A study at two fish landing sites in southern Senegal found artisanal fisheries catch large numbers of sharks, rays and guitarfish, most of them threatened species. - The authors suggest artisanal fishing may have a greater impact on these species than industrial trawling due to its large scale and limited monitoring and enforcement. - Much of Senegal’s trade in artisanally caught sharks and rays is poorly monitored and exports take place without required permits, raising concerns about ongoing species population declines in the region, experts say. authors: | ||
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A 10-year whale shark satellite study helps create new protected area in Indonesia 05 May 2026 14:56:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-10-year-whale-shark-satellite-study-helps-create-new-protected-area-in-indonesia/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Claire Turrell content:encoded: “The whale sharks are a good omen for the fishers because they know when the whale sharks come, that means that lots of small fish or anchovies are around,” says Edy Setyawan, the lead conservation scientist of the Elasmobranch Institute Indonesia. It is the relationship between whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and fishers in Indonesia that has enabled marine biologists from Konservasi International and Elasmobranch Institute Indonesia to satellite tag more than 70 whale sharks for a decade-long study that has revealed previously unknown migration routes, feeding grounds and a whale shark nursery. It is one of the biggest tracking data sets across the globe on whale sharks and is the first time such a detailed survey has been conducted in the Indo-Pacific. While 60% of the global population of whale sharks can be found in the Indo-Pacific, it can be difficult for researchers to study them because the species travel such long distances. But the researchers experienced a breakthrough when they when found out about the relationship between bagan fishers and whale sharks. A satellite-tagged whale shark. Whale sharks are filter feeders and the world’s largest fish, typically growing to about 12 meters (39 feet), but occasionally reaching 20 meters (66 feet) in length. Image by Abdi-Hasan. Bagan fishers work on floating wooden platforms from which they lower an oversized net into the water to catch fish. Working at night with lights, the fishers attract shoals of ikan bilis (anchovies) into their nets. The whale sharks, which follow the small…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Fishers and scientists joined together in Indonesia for a 10-year study to protect whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). - The bagan fishers’ unique relationship with the endangered whale sharks enabled scientists to satellite tag the fish. - The data from the decade-long study revealed previously unknown migration routes, feeding grounds and a whale shark nursery. - The data will be used to help create a marine protected area designed for whale sharks. authors: | ||
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The digital graveyard: Is Bangladesh becoming China’s e-waste back door? 05 May 2026 13:34:50 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-digital-graveyard-is-bangladesh-becoming-chinas-e-waste-back-door/ author: Abu Siddique dc:creator: Sajibur Rahman content:encoded: As the world turns its attention to China’s increasingly stringent waste import ban, a dangerous stream of electronic waste is entering Bangladesh. Despite the enactment of the Hazardous Waste (e-waste) Management Rules 2021, weak regulatory systems and illegal trade routes are making the country a major destination for global “e-waste.” Electronic waste (e-waste), which includes discarded computers, laptops, phones, refrigerators and medical equipment, has become a growing crisis. According to the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association, about 35 million mobile handsets are sold every year in Bangladesh. With an average lifespan of just 2-4 years, about 30 million devices enter the local waste stream every year, most of which go unmonitored. The crisis is exacerbated by a massive increase in electronics imports. Bangladesh Bank (BB) data show that more than $2.47 billion was spent on imports of electrical appliances and accessories in the 2024-25 fiscal year. A significant portion of this was coming from China worth $1.8 billion. However, experts warn that a growing black market in refurbished products is hiding the true extent of the environmental threat. Refrigerator compressors stored and dismantled in unsafe ways. Image by Abdullah Zahid Osmani, TIB. Escalating electronics imports and the e-waste shadow The influx of electronics into Bangladesh has reached staggering proportions, raising significant concerns over the nation’s potential role as an unwritten “dumping ground” for global waste. A latest Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) study, using import and export data from the customs department, has revealed that Bangladesh imported e-waste materials worth around…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Bangladesh is becoming a major destination for global e-waste due to rising imports and weak regulation of imported electronic products. - In addition, illegal imports and misdeclared shipments have made Bangladesh a net importer of e-waste. - Most e-waste is handled by informal workers without protection or awareness of health risks. - Without strong enforcement of law, the country risks becoming a long-term dumping ground for toxic electronic waste. authors: | ||
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Facebook is a hub for illegal wildlife trade, and that’s by design, report says 05 May 2026 11:04:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/facebook-is-a-hub-for-illegal-wildlife-trade-and-thats-by-design-report-says/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman content:encoded: With just the click of a button or a swipe on a phone, it’s possible to buy almost anything online, including rare or endangered animals. From quirky shark trophies to exotic live birds, contraband rhino horns or ivory, buyers can flock to e-commerce platforms and find them all. Traffickers hide behind their screens while profiting from online sales of protected species as these animals dwindle in the wild. “It’s the largest wildlife market,” said wildlife trade researcher Chris Shepherd from the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s easy, it’s convenient; you can operate anonymously from the comfort of your home. You don’t have the expenses of setting up a shop.” Online commerce in illicit wildlife products continues to grow, involving more species and wider geographies. It’s an illicit industry run by kingpins with well-connected networks, and it’s hard to prosecute. Catching online criminals is extremely challenging. “Wildlife markets have moved from physical locations into online locations, and that’s mirroring broader trends in the global economy,” said Simone Haysom, director of environmental crime programs at the Swiss-based organization Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. In a recent report, Haysom and her colleague Russell Gray analyzed online wildlife trade data from April 2024 to March 2026. They focused on 10 countries across three continents, places where environmental crime and internet use are high, making them fertile grounds for online wildlife trafficking. They found some 266,535 wildlife products posted on 61 online marketplaces, worth about $66 million. About 75% of the nearly 22,000 ads…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Online sales of wildlife products from protected species are booming on Facebook. The platform hosted more than three-fourths of the 22,000 wild animals and their parts known to be sold online between April 2024 and March 2026, valued at $65 million, according to a recent report. - Researchers found that about 84% of animals for sale on Facebook are banned from commercial cross-border trade under an international treaty. More than half of them were endangered or critically endangered species. - Facebook’s architecture — its closed groups, anonymous users, content monetization and algorithms that push related content to users — makes it a go-to platform for traffickers, researchers say. The platform’s official policy bars the sale of wildlife, but the volume of animals offered for sale point to poor moderation. - To combat this massive online trade, experts call for stricter regulation of content on Facebook and other platforms, as well as better oversight and increased collaboration between online platforms and law enforcement. authors: | ||
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Study finds microplastics in tadpoles in the Amazon for the first time 05 May 2026 10:01:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/study-finds-microplastics-in-tadpoles-in-the-amazon-for-the-first-time/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: Researchers have recorded microplastics in frog tadpoles and their pond habitats in the wild in the Amazon for the first time, according to a new study. This confirms widespread microplastic contamination in the Amazon Rainforest, the researchers say. Previous studies from the region have found microplastic contamination in fish, invertebrates, soil and water samples. In the recent study, ecologist Fabrielle Barbosa de Araújo from the Federal University of Pará and her colleagues collected 20 water samples from five natural water bodies formed by the accumulation of rainwater in soil depressions at Gunma Ecological Park in Pará state in April 2025. These temporary ponds are important breeding sites and larval development areas for various frog species in the Amazon. From each of the five ponds, the researchers also collected 100 tadpoles of the Venezuela snouted treefrog (Scinax x-signatus), commonly found in both forests and urban areas across South America. The researchers found microplastics in each sampled pond and tadpole. Most of the microplastics were transparent, blue and black fibers made of plastic like polyester. Other studies have also found similar blue and transparent fibers across the Amazon, possibly originating from sanitary sewage and fishing activities, the researchers write. Araújo told Mongabay by email that finding microplastics in the tadpoles and their habitats was not surprising as several previous studies have shown microplastic contamination in other organisms in the Amazon. “What really caught our attention was the large quantity found, especially because this is an area with low [human] population density…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Researchers have recorded microplastics in frog tadpoles and their pond habitats in the wild in the Amazon for the first time, according to a new study. This confirms widespread microplastic contamination in the Amazon Rainforest, the researchers say. Previous studies from the region have found microplastic contamination in fish, invertebrates, soil and water samples. […] authors: | ||
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In India, few are tracking birds colliding with glass in buildings 05 May 2026 07:08:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/in-india-few-are-tracking-birds-colliding-with-glass-in-buildings/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: Bird deaths from collisions with glass structures are a global problem. But in India, conservationists are just beginning to learn the scale of the issue, reports Mongabay India’s Kartik Chandramouli. While humans are taught the concept of glass and its transparency, birds likely perceive the reflection of vegetation or the sky as reality, researchers say, leading to collisions, often fatal. In Gujarat state, in western India, for example, more than a dozen migratory rosy starlings (Pastor roseus) crashed into a glass building in February 2022. In Meghalaya, in northeast India, several long-tailed broadbills (Psarisomus dalhousiae) collided with the façade of an automobile showroom in January this year. While such sporadic local reports exist, well-recorded data on bird collisions are generally missing in India. Only recently have a few studies started offering some trends. A 2025 study in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in southern India recorded 35 instances of collisions in just one year, involving 22 bird species, including the endemic Nilgiri wood pigeon (Columba elphinstonii). These collisions involved two-story buildings. “Tall glass skyscrapers are not the only culprits,” Peeyush Sekhsaria, an architect and bird-watcher, told Mongabay India. Many birds in India move between trees and plants tall enough to reach the fourth floor, placing most buildings directly in their flight paths. Given the lack of data, Sekhsaria and Ashwin Viswanathan, an ecologist at the nonprofit Nature Conservation Foundation, launched a citizen science project called Bird Collisions India on the iNaturalist app in 2020. As of April 2026, it’s recorded nearly 88…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Bird deaths from collisions with glass structures are a global problem. But in India, conservationists are just beginning to learn the scale of the issue, reports Mongabay India’s Kartik Chandramouli. While humans are taught the concept of glass and its transparency, birds likely perceive the reflection of vegetation or the sky as reality, researchers say, […] authors: | ||
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EU moves to drop leather from deforestation law after industry lobbying 05 May 2026 01:57:09 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/eu-moves-to-drop-leather-from-deforestation-law-after-industry-lobbying/ author: Andy Lehren dc:creator: Elisângela Mendonça content:encoded: The leather industry spent most of the last year intensifying an already determined lobbying campaign in Brussels to win an exemption from the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation, or EUDR. The effort is paying off: on May 4, the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, formally proposed excluding leather, hides, and skins from the regulation’s product scope, ahead of the law being enacted at the end of the year. The Commission’s proposal is being introduced through a delegated act, a legal mechanism that allows the EU executive to amend non-essential parts of an existing law without reopening the whole regulation for a full legislative debate. This process is set to change the EUDR’s Annex I, which lists the commodities covered by the deforestation regulation. Legal experts, including Brussels-based Mayer Brown senior associate Irina Antoshevska, have previously identified this delegated act review as a critical opening for industries seeking to add or remove Combined Nomenclature (CN) customs codes from the regulation’s scope. Following the publication of the draft, citizens and other stakeholders can provide feedback until June 1, the Commission said in a statement. After that, the Commission could formally adopt the act. Then, the parliament and the Council of the European Union generally have two months to object. If they don’t, the changes will automatically be enacted. The leather exemption is part of a broader “simplification review” announced by the European Commission to ease administrative burdens linked to the EUDR. Behind the scenes, however, leather industry groups have seized on the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The European Union is on the cusp of removing leather from the scope of its landmark antideforestation law, following months of intense lobbying by the industry. - Leather industry groups led by COTANCE and UNIC have held at least 22 meetings with lawmakers since 2021, with more than a third occurring in the past year as the regulation neared implementation. The EU Deforestation Regulation was explicitly discussed in 11 of those meetings. - The tannery industry argues that leather should be exempt from complying with the regulations, contending that hides are simply waste in beef production. - Environmental campaigners have called this stance “shameful,” pointing out bovine hides often share the same origins as problematic beef supply chains. authors: | ||
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Suspected chemical pollution threatens Nairobi Nat’l Park & key water sources 05 May 2026 01:34:48 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/suspected-chemical-pollution-threatens-nairobi-natl-park-key-water-sources/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Elodie Toto content:encoded: A suspected chemical discharge is flowing into Nairobi National Park, raising concerns over the vulnerability of a unique protected ecosystem and the growing pressure of urban-industrial activity at its borders. On April 30, 2026, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) reported in a press release sent to Mongabay “abnormal foamy water inflows” entering the park through the Mlolongo drainage corridor. In a statement sent to Mongabay, the agency described white, effervescent bubbles, continuous discharge and unnatural coloration, all “consistent with possible chemical contamination”. What makes the situation particularly alarming is the location. Established in 1946, Nairobi National Park is the only national park in the world located within a capital city. The park covers 117 square kilometers (45 square miles) of savanna, forest and wetlands. It’s home to four of the “Big Five”: lions, buffalo, leopards and rhinos (missing only elephants). The park also hosts a rhino sanctuary and an animal orphanage where injured wildlife are treated. But its proximity, surrounded by Nairobi’s expanding industrial zones, has long made it vulnerable. KWS warned that the risk goes beyond wildlife, noting, “The affected system feeds into the Mbagathi and Athi Rivers, placing Athi Dam a critical ecological and water resource at significant risk, alongside aquatic biodiversity and downstream water users, including communities, agriculture, and livestock.” Authorities have urged the public to avoid fishing and using water from the rivers. An investigation has been launched to determine the source of the contamination. Preliminary findings suggest that “the runoff may have interacted with nearby…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A suspected chemical discharge is flowing into Nairobi National Park, raising concerns over the vulnerability of a unique protected ecosystem and the growing pressure of urban-industrial activity at its borders. On April 30, 2026, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) reported in a press release sent to Mongabay “abnormal foamy water inflows” entering the park through […] authors: | ||
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Australia’s declining tree health is a slow-burning crisis (commentary) 05 May 2026 00:31:30 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/declining-australian-tree-health-is-as-big-a-problem-as-bushfires-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Michael ReidTed Alter content:encoded: Some of the most serious threats to our forests do not arrive with smoke or headlines. They move quietly, through bark and new growth, weakening ecosystems long before we notice. Without sustained attention, our unique flora and fauna remain vulnerable. Tree health is often treated as a niche technical issue, but it is also a question of ecological resilience, public health, and how well communities adapt to a hotter, more disturbed world. Devastating bushfires are reshaping Australia’s landscapes and ecosystems, and climate change is accelerating species loss. But there is a quieter threat with ecological, economic and human consequences. Alongside fire and drought, microscopic pests and pathogens are spreading through forests and urban canopies, thinning tree cover, weakening ecosystems, and leaving them more vulnerable to the next shock. Most of us appreciate the comfort of a shady tree on a hot day, and we’ve heard that the Amazon rainforests are the lungs of the planet. Yet many people underestimate the importance of healthy tree populations and how closely they are tied to our physical and mental health. The road to forest health, like this track through K’Gari rainforest, begins with vigilance, early detection, raising awareness, and working with those closest to the landscape to identify outbreak risks and track impacts over time. Image courtesy of Michael Reid. In his new book Nature and the Mind, Marc Berman, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago and director of the Environmental Neuroscience Lab, draws together evidence on how nature supports cognitive,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Unlike destructive bushfires, tree health is often treated as a niche or technical issue, but its implications pose equally important questions about ecological resilience and public health, a new op-ed argues. - Threats to Australian tree species are multiplying like an invisible bushfire via a proliferation of introduced insects and pathogens, the authors suggest, ahead of his country’s first national forum on the topic later this month, Safeguarding Australia’s Tree Health, in Brisbane. - “We recognize bushfires as a national crisis because their impacts are visible and immediate, but some ecological crises arrive more quietly. If we fail to notice them early, the damage can become harder to reverse for forests, for biodiversity, and for the communities that depend on them,” they write. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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At 100, David Attenborough’s message is no longer just about wonder 05 May 2026 00:24:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/at-100-david-attenboroughs-message-is-no-longer-just-about-wonder/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: As his 100th birthday approaches, David Attenborough occupies an unusual place in public life: not a practicing scientist, not quite a conventional journalist, and no longer only a broadcaster. His voice, familiar from decades of natural history programming, has become one of the most recognizable ways the public hears about the state of the living world. That was not always the role he played. When Attenborough began his career at the BBC in the 1950s, the task was more modest. Television was still finding its footing, and natural history programming largely meant showing audiences what they could not otherwise see. Early series such as Zoo Quest were shaped by that spirit. They were exploratory, sometimes improvised, and often framed around the thrill of encountering unfamiliar species. The tone was one of discovery. The unspoken assumption was that the natural world, vast and varied, would endure. Attenborough in Borneo, 1982. Photo by Rex Features As his work evolved, so did the technology that made it possible. Color film, lightweight cameras and, later, digital imaging expanded what could be captured. Attenborough used those tools with unusual patience. His programs lingered on behavior as much as spectacle. Courtship rituals, feeding strategies, and migrations were given time to unfold. His programs did more than show animals; they asked viewers to notice how they lived. This attention to detail became one of his signatures. It reflected a view that understanding begins with careful seeing. Attenborough rarely made himself the story. His narration was measured and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - David Attenborough helped generations see the natural world not as scenery, but as something to be watched, understood and taken seriously. - His early work celebrated the richness and beauty of life on Earth, often with confidence that nature would endure. - Over time, as climate change, biodiversity loss and habitat destruction became harder to ignore, his films took on a more somber purpose. - His lasting message is that understanding nature is not just a matter of curiosity; it is the beginning of responsibility. authors: | ||
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Iceland plans to resume whale hunting this summer 04 May 2026 21:36:50 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/iceland-plans-to-resume-whale-hunting-this-summer/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: Icelandic commercial whaling company Hvalur hf. plans to resume whale hunting this summer, following a two-year pause in commercial operations. In 2024, the Icelandic government issued the company a five-year license allowing it to catch up to 209 fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) annually. However, Hvalur hf. didn’t hunt any whales in 2024 or 2025. Iceland’s Marine and Freshwater Research Institute advised that no more than 150 should be caught in 2026, a 28% reduction from previous catch recommendations. The IUCN Red List classifies fin whales as vulnerable to extinction. The species is the second-largest animal on Earth, after blue whales (B. musculus). Partly because they are so large, fin whales are “slow to mature, with low reproductive rates, which means populations recover slowly from any pressure,” Luke McMillan, head of hunting and captivity with the U.S.-based NGO Whale and Dolphin Conservation, told Mongabay by email. Following the 1982 International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling, most countries discontinued the practice. Just Iceland, Japan and Norway still allow it. However, Iceland Minister of Industries Hanna Katrín Friðriksson has reportedly said commercial whaling is not in the public interest and that legislation to end the practice will be introduced in the fall, after the 2026 whaling season. Animal welfare concerns remain a central question. A 2023 report from the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority found more than 40% of whales did not die immediately after being struck by harpoons, with a median of 11.5 minutes before death. In one case, a whale…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Icelandic commercial whaling company Hvalur hf. plans to resume whale hunting this summer, following a two-year pause in commercial operations. In 2024, the Icelandic government issued the company a five-year license allowing it to catch up to 209 fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) annually. However, Hvalur hf. didn’t hunt any whales in 2024 or 2025. Iceland’s […] authors: | ||
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Endangered whale protections may be delayed to 2035 under Trump-backed plan 04 May 2026 19:51:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/endangered-whale-protections-may-be-delayed-to-2035-under-trump-backed-plan/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — For roughly 380 right whales left in the North Atlantic, which can die after getting tangled in fishing ropes or hit by ships, the Trump administration said this month it wants to delay new protections by almost a decade in favor of commercial fishing interests. The sleek black whales, which weigh as much as a midsized bulldozer, are critically endangered and their numbers have declined sharply in recent decades. Environmental groups say reducing deaths and injuries caused by people is essential to the species’ recovery. The whales give birth off Florida and Georgia before making a long migration north to feed off New England and Canada. Protected areas of ocean aid them on their journey, but scientists have said they have strayed from those zones in recent years in search of food as the oceans have warmed. A proposal by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, would push back new federal protections for right whales to 2035, and allow time to craft regulations that are less burdensome to the fishing industry. The White House released a memo Friday saying it “strongly supports” the plan and that President Donald Trump’s senior advisors would recommend he sign it into law if it passes Congress. The proposal comes as the government already paused any new federal rules about right whales until 2028. According to Golden, Maine’s iconic lobster industry would’ve been crushed by the now-paused regulations, which he said were “based on flawed science and hypothetical scenarios rather than the reality on the water.”…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — For roughly 380 right whales left in the North Atlantic, which can die after getting tangled in fishing ropes or hit by ships, the Trump administration said this month it wants to delay new protections by almost a decade in favor of commercial fishing interests. The sleek black whales, which weigh as much as a […] authors: | ||
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In Nepal’s plains, traditional bins help keep food safe from heat, floods 04 May 2026 17:22:32 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/in-nepals-plains-traditional-bins-help-keep-food-safe-from-heat-floods/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Tanka Dhakal content:encoded: DANG, Nepal — With the start of the summer season in Nepal, farmers are worried about keeping their grain safe from extreme heat and insect infestation. But at Chattrapati Yadav’s home in Dang in western Nepal, that is not a concern thanks to handmade earthen pots passed down from previous generations. The 70‑year‑old learned the craft of making the pots from her mother. She eventually taught it to her daughters and granddaughters. “My granddaughter made this one, and that one was made by my mother‑in‑law,” Yadav said, pointing to the cylindrical and rectangular storage vessels. Across Nepal’s Terai, members of Indigenous communities, including the Tharu and Yadav, keep their grains safe using the dehari (traditional seed storage bins) secured by ancestral craftsmanship and Indigenous knowledge honed over centuries. These continue to stand the test of time even amid climatic stresses. “We use locally available mud and husk with some dung; we don’t use anything that isn’t available here,” Yadav said. “It takes around a week to make and a month to dry them.” If protected from water, a dehari can even outlast its maker. Dehari, traditional food grain and seed storage earthen pots made out of clay soil and husk inside Chattrapati Yadav’s family home in Dang, Nepal. These pots have been used to store grains for generations by Indigenous and local communities, including Tharu and Yadav. Image by Tanka Dhakal. A Tharu village in Chitwan, Nepal. Image by tearsxintherain via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). Climate-resilient storage In the Terai,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In Nepal’s southern plains, Indigenous communities such as the Tharu and Yadav use traditional earthen storage bins (dehari) to safely store grains and seeds, relying on knowledge passed down through generations. - Made from locally available materials such as clay, husk and dung, the bins naturally regulate temperature and moisture, helping protect crops from extreme heat, pests and seasonal flooding without electricity. - Experts say these traditional storage systems are climate-adaptive, environmentally friendly and crucial for preserving local seed diversity and sustaining smallholder farming systems. - While durable and effective, dehari have limitations such as vulnerability to moisture, pests and floods requiring careful placement, regular monitoring and adaptation to changing climate conditions. authors: | ||
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Can listening to a forest reveal whether it is ecologically healthy? 04 May 2026 15:36:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/can-listening-to-a-forest-reveal-whether-it-is-ecologically-healthy/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Researchers have been using sound to study ecosystems for years. A study from ETH Zürich uses it to examine Costa Rica’s payment for ecosystem services program, reports Mongabay’s Abhishyant Kidangoor. Giacomo Delgado, a doctoral researcher, compares the method to a physician using a stethoscope. With enough experience, a doctor can distinguish a healthy heartbeat from an irregular one. Forests, he suggests, also produce patterns that can be compared across sites. To test this, Delgado and colleagues deployed recorders across 119 sites on the Nicoya Peninsula in northwestern Costa Rica. They gathered more than 16,000 hours of audio from various types of landscapes: protected forests, areas regenerating under the country’s payment for ecosystem services (PES) scheme, monoculture plantations, and active pastures. Costa Rica’s PES program, launched in 1997, compensates landowners for maintaining forest cover and is frequently used as a reference point in conservation policy. Satellite data show that forest cover has recovered after steep declines in the late 20th century. They don’t show whether those forests function as habitats. Counting trees is simpler than assessing species diversity or ecological interactions. Sound offers a different way to assess this. Insects, birds and amphibians produce layered soundscapes that change over the course of a day. Forests with more activity tend to show pronounced peaks at dawn and dusk. Pastures do not. The recordings that Delgado and his team collected suggest that naturally regenerated forests under…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Researchers have been using sound to study ecosystems for years. A study from ETH Zürich uses it to examine Costa Rica’s payment for ecosystem services program, reports Mongabay’s Abhishyant Kidangoor. Giacomo Delgado, a doctoral researcher, compares the method […] authors: | ||
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As wildlife trade expands, so do pathways for disease spillover to humans 04 May 2026 14:01:55 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/as-wildlife-trade-expands-so-do-pathways-for-disease-spillover-to-humans/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Cate Twining-Ward content:encoded: Pandemics and novel diseases are perennial threats to human survival. People, wildlife and livestock carry a wide range of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Close contact creates opportunities for pathogens to jump between species. To assess public health risks of massive legal and illegal trade in wildlife, an interdisciplinary team delved into trade records on thousands of species spanning the last 40 years. They focused on mammals. The researchers found that worldwide trade in wild mammals, as well as their parts and products, creates more opportunities for pathogens to mutate and jump from animals into humans over time — and poses a serious public health threat, conclusions they recently published in the journal Science. For decades, scientists and virologists have warned that the incidence of spillover is rising in a more crowded, interconnected world shaped by travel and trade. Many of the most dangerous or deadly outbreaks of contagious disease in recent history originated in animals, including mpox (1958), Marburg virus (1967), Ebola (1976), HIV/AIDS (first clinical evidence 1981) and COVID-19 (2020). A rescued chimpanzee receives veterinary care in Freetown, Sierra Leone, after being confiscated from the illegal pet trade there. As close human relatives, apes share a number of diseases with humans. Image by Cate Twining-Ward. Animals and pathogens shipped worldwide The global wildlife trade creates repeated opportunities for animals, pathogens and people to come into close contact and share germs. Animals are legally shipped around the world for food. They’re sold as pets. Their parts are used in…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Another study has shown that the worldwide trade of wild animals increases the spread of disease between wildlife and humans. The new research focused on mammal species. - Any sale of wild animals, their meat or products increases risk the that contagious pathogens may jump the species barrier and infect humans. - Researchers found that mammals sold in the global wildlife trade are 50% more likely to share pathogens with humans than those that aren’t bought and sold. They also found that repeated and prolonged human contact may create more opportunities for spillover. - Contrary to conventional wisdom, illegally traded species were no more likely to carry these zoonotic pathogens than those imported and sold legally, often as exotic pets. The study highlights the need for stronger biosurveillance, better information sharing and a “One Health” approach to wildlife trade that considers risks to both animals and humans. authors: | ||
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With its first marine reserve, Ghana protects its ocean to secure its future (commentary) 04 May 2026 13:20:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/with-its-first-marine-reserve-ghana-protects-its-ocean-to-secure-its-future-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Emelia Arthur content:encoded: How we feed the future is a critical challenge of our time. Yet too often, the focus remains on land, forgetting that the ocean is already a vital source of nutrition for billions of people. That oversight is costly. The ocean is under growing pressure, with an estimated 60% of the world’s marine ecosystems already degraded or used unsustainably. This cannot continue. On April 14, Ghana put ocean protection on the map when the government officially declared the Greater Cape Three Points Marine Protected Area, our country’s first formally designated marine protected area (MPA). Covering 703.86 square kilometers (nearly 272 square miles) of coastal waters in the Western region, this landmark step will help restore precious marine ecosystems and protect the livelihoods of 21 coastal communities. It is a core element of Ghana’s vision for a “blue future” in which the ocean supports a diversified, sustainable economy. This is also a milestone in Ghana’s contribution to the global goal of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 (30×30). With just 10% of the ocean currently designated for protection — and far less being effectively protected — scaling up action worldwide has never been more urgent. Ghana is proud to be stepping forward, and we urge other countries to do the same. The Greater Cape Three Points area is one of Ghana’s most ecologically and biologically significant marine environments. Its nutrient-rich upwelling waters host critical breeding and nursery grounds for fish species including sardinella, anchovy and mackerel, making the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Last month, Ghana made news when it declared its first marine reserve and sited it in one of the nation’s most ecologically and biologically significant marine environments. - Ghana’s minister for fisheries and aquaculture explains in a new commentary that the Greater Cape Three Points reserve will help restore marine ecosystems and protect the livelihoods of 21 coastal communities, while advancing the nation’s 30×30 conservation goal ahead of next month’s Our Ocean Conference in Kenya. - “We urge governments everywhere to follow in Ghana’s footsteps to protect more of our ocean, invest in effective management, and ensure communities are at the heart of these efforts,” the minister writes. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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Solar installation and deforestation in the Amazon: Photo of the week 04 May 2026 11:28:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/solar-installation-and-deforestation-in-the-amazon-photo-of-the-week/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: In August 2025, photojournalist Victor Moriyama captured this scene on the outskirts of Rio Branco, the capital of Acre, a state in the far northwest of the Brazilian Amazon. As a row of trucks in the background carries piles of wood freshly logged from the rainforest, employees of Primaz Energia Solar, a local solar energy provider, installed solar panels on the roof of a small market. The photograph is part of the series “Black Carbon,” produced in partnership with Climate Visuals and the Clean Air Fund. Banner image courtesy of Victor Moriyama/Climate Visuals.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: In August 2025, photojournalist Victor Moriyama captured this scene on the outskirts of Rio Branco, the capital of Acre, a state in the far northwest of the Brazilian Amazon. As a row of trucks in the background carries piles of wood freshly logged from the rainforest, employees of Primaz Energia Solar, a local solar energy […] authors: | ||
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This tiny house survives extreme floods 04 May 2026 09:01:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/this-tiny-house-survives-extreme-floods/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Lucia Torres content:encoded: Kalu lives in a Khudi Bari: a flood-resistant tiny house in Bangladesh. Floods come to his village every year. This house is built to protect his crops and family against the storm. Watch the full story This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Kalu lives in a Khudi Bari: a flood-resistant tiny house in Bangladesh. Floods come to his village every year. This house is built to protect his crops and family against the storm. Watch the full story authors: | ||
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Cambodia tested waters amid pollution claims; months later, still no public results 04 May 2026 03:45:20 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/cambodia-tested-waters-amid-pollution-claims-months-later-still-no-public-results/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Andy BallGerald FlynnPhoung Vantha content:encoded: PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Authorities from Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment were dispatched to Mondul Yorn, a small village in the remote northeastern province of Ratanakiri, on Feb. 13 to conduct water and sediment testing on the O’Ta Bouk River following community complaints of health problems linked to declining water quality. Then, from Feb. 17-20, the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute (IFReDI), a government agency that sits under the Fisheries Administration, sent two teams to catch 34 species of fish from the Sesan River and the O’Ta Bouk, a tributary that flows into the Sesan, itself a key tributary of the Mekong River. The O’Ta Bouk flows south through a gold mining operation in Ta Veng district before it reaches Mondul Yorn, where Indigenous Brao communities have reported experiencing skin rashes and itching sensations after coming into contact with the river’s water since gold mining began in mid-2023. To date, no results of water, sediment or fish sampling have been made public, despite experts urging more comprehensive testing and communities languishing in uncertainty over the safety of the river. IFReDI officials taking samples on the Sesan River in February 2026. Photo sourced from IFReDI’s Facebook. A park in peril Villagers living along the O’Ta Bouk report the river had turned brown and murky starting roughly in mid-2023; the mud on its banks, sticky. Many of the Brao farmers and fishers have avoided entering the water, drinking it or bathing in it or fishing in the river. These problems persisted when…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Following local Indigenous Brao reports of health issues stemming from water since gold mining began in the area in 2023, Cambodian authorities tested water and sediment from the O’Ta Bouk River in February. - To date, no results of water, sediment or fish sampling has been made public, despite experts urging more comprehensive testing and communities languishing in uncertainty over the safety of the river. - All of this is taking place in Virachey National Park, one of Cambodia’s oldest and most remote protected areas, home to many endangered species, where the Cambodian government awarded an 18,900-hectare mining exploration license to a politically connected company. - Brao fishers who live along the banks of the O’Ta Bouk River say there are no fish in the water, which they attribute to persistent problems linked to pollution; farmers who use the O’Ta Bouk’s waters for irrigation question whether to plant another year’s crops. authors: | ||
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Tierney Thys, marine biologist and interpreter of the sunfish 04 May 2026 00:22:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/tierney-thys-marine-biologist-and-interpreter-of-the-sunfish/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: In the open ocean, far from coasts and categories, there is a fish that seems to defy the logic of design. It is round where others are tapered, truncated where others trail into a tail. It drifts and dives, basks and vanishes, a presence that appears accidental until one looks more closely. For those who did, the giant ocean sunfish became less an oddity than a set of questions—about form, movement, and how life adapts to a vast and changing sea. A sunfish (Mola mola). Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler/Mongabay. Tierney M. Thys, who died in March at 59, spent much of her life asking those questions, and then finding ways to share them. She was a marine biologist by training, though that title alone does not quite capture her range. She was also a filmmaker, a science editor, a National Geographic Explorer, and an advocate for the ocean who moved between research, storytelling, and public engagement. Her work, much of it beyond the ocean, was anchored in curiosity, and in a conviction that understanding the natural world required both analysis and attention. Her fascination with the ocean began early. Born in California, she was put into a homemade wetsuit by her parents so she could stay longer in cold water. She later moved to Vermont, where she learned to explore the outdoors on her own, and to see nature as both playground and teacher. That sense of immersion stayed with her. She studied biology at Brown University, returned to…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Tierney Thys spent decades studying the giant ocean sunfish, using its improbable form to ask broader questions about life in the open ocean. - Trained as a marine biologist, she moved between research, filmmaking, and public storytelling, helping make complex ecological processes accessible to wider audiences. - In later years, her work extended beyond the sea, linking issues such as textiles and microplastics back to ocean health. - Across her career, she returned to a central concern: how people come to value the natural world, and what sustains that commitment over time. authors: | ||
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RJ Nichole Ledesma, chronicler of unsettled ground on Negros Island, was killed last month. He was 30. 03 May 2026 15:32:30 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/rj-nichole-ledesma-chronicler-of-unsettled-ground-on-negros-island-was-killed-last-month-he-was-30/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: RJ Nichole Ledesma’s journalism returned again and again to land: who worked it, who owned it, who was pushed from it, and what happened when projects planned elsewhere arrived in villages with little warning. In Negros, an island shaped by sugar plantations, labor struggles and long conflict, he reported from places where environmental change was not an abstraction. It appeared as proposed energy projects on agricultural land, a hydropower venture, a palm-oil plantation, or reclamation along a coast where fisherfolk made their living. He was 30 when he was killed on April 19th during a Philippine Army operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental. The military said the operation targeted suspected rebels of the New People’s Army and left 19 people dead. The Committee to Protect Journalists, citing news reports and the Altermidya Network, said Ledesma was a writer and editor at Paghimutad-Negros and had been reporting on the effects of renewable-energy projects. Altermidya and Human Rights Advocates Negros said he was not at the initial clash site, but in a separate community during a military pursuit operation. The army disputed accounts that some of those killed were civilians. The circumstances of his death remain contested. The shape of his work is easier to see. RJ Ledesma. Photo via Altermidya Ledesma came to journalism through campus reporting at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, where he studied psychology and became editor-in-chief of The Spectrum. There he learned the practical habits of reporting: listening, checking, documenting, and standing by a story…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A 30-year-old journalist was killed while reporting on renewable energy’s impact on farming communities in Negros Island. - RJ Nichole Ledesma focused on land, labor, and displacement, documenting stories rarely covered by national media. - Ledesma’s reporting examined how projects—from solar farms to plantations—reshaped the lives of farmers and fisherfolk. - His death is contested; his work offers a clearer record of the communities he chose to follow. authors: | ||
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International Leopard Day: A spotty outlook for the spotted cat 02 May 2026 21:50:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/world-leopard-day-a-spotty-outlook-for-the-spotted-cat/ author: Meganstrauss dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: Leopards are the most widespread of the big cats, but their range across Asia and Africa is shrinking. In many places, so are their numbers. Recent Mongabay coverage of leopards (Panthera pardus) revealed a global trade in leopard trophies and body parts, but also more hopeful signs, such as leopards persisting on the edge of Bengaluru, one of India’s largest cities. For International Leopard Day on May 3, we look back at Mongabay’s reporting on leopards in three regions. African leopard Researchers have estimated that Zambia’s Kafue National Park now has one of the highest leopard densities in Southern Africa, likely because of improved law enforcement, reported Mongabay contributor Ryan Truscott. In West Africa, the situation is more dire. The West African leopard, a genetically distinct population found across 11 countries, is now considered endangered by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. The population has declined by 50% over the past two decades, and only about 350 mature individuals remain, reported Mongabay’s Elodie Toto. “In Africa, the leopard is not doing too badly, but in West Africa it’s a different story,” said Robin Horion from U.S.-based wildcat conservation NGO Panthera. Javan leopard The Javan leopard (P. pardus melas) is the last surviving apex predator on the Indonesian island of Java. With an estimated wild population of around 350, it’s classified as an endangered subspecies, threatened by hunting, habitat loss and the loss of prey. In West Java province, Indonesian authorities earlier this year detained five people in connection with…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Leopards are the most widespread of the big cats, but their range across Asia and Africa is shrinking. In many places, so are their numbers. Recent Mongabay coverage of leopards (Panthera pardus) revealed a global trade in leopard trophies and body parts, but also more hopeful signs, such as leopards persisting on the edge of […] authors: | ||
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Unusual ant interaction hints at mutualistic ‘cleaning’ system 02 May 2026 00:36:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/unusual-ant-interaction-hints-at-mutualistic-cleaning-system/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: Some coral reef ecosystems famously have “cleaning stations,” where fish line up to be cleaned by other species of fish and shrimp. Entomologist Mark Moffet recently published observations of what appears to be a similar relationship in ants. In the Chiricahua Mountains of the U.S. state of Arizona, Moffet, from the National Museum of Natural History, was watching harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) collecting seeds when he noticed something odd. He saw several harvester ant workers frozen in place. When he zoomed in with his camera, Moffet saw the harvester ants covered with cone ants (Dorymyrmex spp.). At first Moffet assumed he was seeing aggression between the species. On closer inspection however, he observed that the small cone ants were licking and nibbling the larger harvester ant workers, not fighting with them. Moffet observed the cone ants inspecting the harvester ants’ open mandibles, which could easily crush the smaller cone ants. Moffet observed at least 90 individual harvester ant workers being tended this way and concluded that they might be getting cleaned by the cone ants. He even watched harvester ants approach the nests of cone ants and wait for cone ants to attend to them, which reminded him of reef fish lining up for a cleaning by cleaner fish species. The big question is: What is each species getting out of the arrangement? Moffet consulted colleagues and came up with several possible explanations. Perhaps the ants exchange microbes, which create a healthier microbiome for both species. Or maybe they swap pheromones,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Some coral reef ecosystems famously have “cleaning stations,” where fish line up to be cleaned by other species of fish and shrimp. Entomologist Mark Moffet recently published observations of what appears to be a similar relationship in ants. In the Chiricahua Mountains of the U.S. state of Arizona, Moffet, from the National Museum of Natural […] authors: | ||
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DRC copper exports to US set to surge amid warnings of corruption risk 01 May 2026 18:59:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/drc-copper-exports-to-us-set-to-surge-amid-warnings-of-corruption-risk/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Elodie Toto content:encoded: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is planning to export 500,000 metric tons of copper to the United States, a fivefold increase in the export commitment made in January by state-owned miner Gécamines SA. “The Congolese government’s intention, through Gécamines, to start exporting its own copper is becoming a reality,” said Jean-Claude Mputu, spokesperson for civil society network Le Congo n’est pas à vendre (CNPAV) and deputy director of the NGO Resource Matters. “The U.S. push to gain access to Congolese copper, in an effort to rebalance China’s dominance, is also materializing,” Mputu added. However, the DRC doesn’t appear to be moving away from China as a trade partner. In March, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding centered on mineral resources. For now, there’s little public scrutiny of contracts that will allow the DRC to ramp up U.S. exports, nor is it clear what the social and environmental impacts of increased extraction would be. “All of this is happening without any transparency, without any call for tenders. The risk is repeating past patterns of corruption, even if China is replaced by the United States,” Mputu said. “There is a feeling that extraction is being carried out at the expense of the environment and local communities,” he added. “There are numerous cases of pollution around mining sites that go unpunished. The key question is whether this will improve the lives of Congolese people, particularly in terms of environmental standards.” Some reports suggest the copper will be sourced from…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is planning to export 500,000 metric tons of copper to the United States, a fivefold increase in the export commitment made in January by state-owned miner Gécamines SA. “The Congolese government’s intention, through Gécamines, to start exporting its own copper is becoming a reality,” said Jean-Claude Mputu, spokesperson […] authors: | ||
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Why evidence matters in environmental journalism 01 May 2026 17:43:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/why-evidence-matters-in-environmental-journalism/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Environmental reporting often begins with a simple proposition: that facts still matter. At a time when climate change and biodiversity loss have become fixtures of public debate, the work of journalism can appear both urgent and increasingly difficult. Scientific evidence accumulates, while political responses lag. Between the two sits a kind of reporting that tries to translate research, policy and lived experience into something readers can grasp. Much of that work is incremental. A story may start with a field biologist’s findings, a community confronting a development project, or a government decision that reshapes the fate of a forest or fishery. The reporting rarely resolves the underlying problem. Its purpose is more modest: to document what is happening and explain why it matters. For John Cannon, a staff features writer at Mongabay, that principle guides nearly every assignment. “Evidence-based reporting [is] at the heart of what we do at Mongabay,” he says. “I believe it’s perhaps the most profound way we can contribute to making things better.” Cannon’s route into journalism began with an academic interest in the natural world. He studied biology at Ohio State University and later earned a graduate degree in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Along the way, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, an experience that introduced him to the economic and social pressures shaping conservation in parts of the Sahel. He began contributing to Mongabay in 2014 and joined the organization full-time two years later. Since then,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Environmental reporting often begins with a simple proposition: that facts still matter. At a time when climate change and biodiversity loss have become fixtures of public debate, the work of journalism can appear both urgent and increasingly difficult. Scientific evidence accumulates, while political responses lag. Between the two sits a kind of reporting that tries […] authors: | ||
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Migratory freshwater fish are in trouble: Will we act in time to save them? 01 May 2026 13:41:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/migratory-freshwater-fish-are-in-trouble-will-we-act-in-time-to-save-them/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Stefan Lovgren content:encoded: SALOBRA, Brazil — Life revolves around water in this quiet fishing village in Brazil’s southern Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland. Here, a clear tributary meets the broader Miranda River, part of a vast floodplain where multiple streams spill across the landscape and wildlife thrives. Jaguars prowl riverbanks, giant otters patrol the channels, parrots fill the skies, and beneath the rippling surface, fish of every size and shape swim through a shifting watery mosaic, tying a vast aquatic ecosystem together. For 72-year-old retired fisherman Alberto Oriozola, the Miranda River was once both livelihood and lifegiving. He recalls, as a young man, looking down from a hilltop and seeing the river bottom appear to move with swimming pintado — the spotted surubim catfish (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans), their jaguar-like markings visible in the clear water. “You could choose the size you wanted to catch,” he remembers. Fish 3 meters (10 feet) long were part of the catch. Now, the largest surubim are maybe half that length, and far less common. Maycon Lopes da Silva (left) and Alberto Oriozola (right), two generations of fishers from Salobra, Brazil, reflect on declining catches along the Miranda River. Image by Stefan Lovgren. These days, Oriozola’s grandson-in-law, Maycon Lopes da Silva, 26, works the same waters but in a different way. He guides sport fishers who come in search of surubim (in Portuguese, or sorubim in Spanish), along with other large species, and he shares the river with his more than 18,000 followers on Instagram. Bare-chested and quick to…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Migratory freshwater fish have declined by an estimated 81% since 1970 yet remain largely overlooked in global conservation policy. At the latest meeting of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), a new assessment identified 325 species worldwide in urgent need of coordinated protection. - These long-distance swimmers underpin inland fisheries that feed hundreds of millions of people across the Amazon, Mekong, Congo and other river basins. By moving through river systems, they connect habitats, sustain food webs and support local economies. - Dams, water extraction and habitat loss are rapidly severing migration routes, often cutting off access to spawning and feeding grounds. Scientists warn that without stronger protections, many migratory fish species — and the river systems they sustain — face an uncertain future. authors: | ||
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Kenyan Court allows landmark BP toxic waste lawsuit to proceed 01 May 2026 12:46:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/kenyan-court-allows-landmark-bp-toxic-waste-lawsuit-to-proceed/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Dalle Abraham content:encoded: The Environment and Land court at Isiolo has ruled that a class action lawsuit against British oil giant BP can proceed to a full hearing, in a case that alleges toxic waste left behind from oil exploration in the 1980s contaminated groundwater in northern Kenya, killing more than 500 people and thousands of livestock. The matter shall be taken up on May 6. The lawsuit, filed in February by 299 petitioners at the Environment and Land Court at Isiolo, was brought by residents of Kargi and Kalacha, two remote settlements in Marsabit county. It alleges that oil exploration activities conducted between 1985 and 1993 in northern and northwestern Kenya by Amoco Corporation, which was acquired by BP in 1998, improperly discharged hazardous and toxic contaminants into the environment, contaminating groundwater that communities depend on for drinking water and to rear livestock. Court documents allege that drilling waste containing radium isotopes, arsenic, lead and nitrates, was dumped in unlined pits or left exposed on the ground. The petition names British Petroleum PLC as the first respondent, alongside 11 other respondents including the National Oil Corporation of Kenya; the cabinet secretaries for environment, water, health and mining; the Water Resources Authority; the county government of Marsabit; the attorney general; the National Environment Management Authority; the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority; and the Kenya Medical Research Institute. BP’s press office told Mongabay via email that it had no comment on the case. The High Court’s April ruling does not establish liability but clears the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The Environment and Land court at Isiolo has ruled that a class action lawsuit against British oil giant BP can proceed to a full hearing, in a case that alleges toxic waste left behind from oil exploration in the 1980s contaminated groundwater in northern Kenya, killing more than 500 people and thousands of livestock. The […] authors: | ||
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How Spoorthy Raman tells the world’s wildlife stories from a desk in the middle of the Atlantic 01 May 2026 10:16:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/how-spoorthy-raman-tells-the-worlds-wildlife-stories-from-a-desk-in-the-middle-of-the-atlantic/ author: Alejandroprescottcornejo dc:creator: Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo content:encoded: “Sitting at my desk on an island in the Atlantic, I can speak to some of the best scientists, conservationists and people invested in protecting the planet across the world,” says Mongabay staff writer Spoorthy Raman. From her home in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Canada’s east coast, she gathers perspectives on the state of nature that span countries, cultures and ecosystems. Raman’s journey at Mongabay began with an internship in 2022, following a stint as a science communicator. This then led to bylines in outlets like Hakai, Audubon, BioScience and Nature, and to recognition, including the Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership award and a Digital Publishing Award in 2024. Now a full-time member of Mongabay’s Wildlife Desk, she reports on a range of issues related to biodiversity, with specializations in animal behavior and the complex worlds of the wildlife trade and poaching. These last two areas can be particularly grim, yet serve as a poignant reminder of why the work matters. “With every image of dead wildlife I see as part of my work, I am reminded of the enormous biodiversity loss this is contributing to,” Raman says. Across the more than 100 stories she has produced at Mongabay, a few projects have been especially meaningful. One is her reporting on wild rice restoration by Indigenous peoples across the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. Another is about the thriving illegal wildlife trade in California, driven by the pet trade. She’s especially proud of her ongoing series…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Spoorthy Raman is a staff writer at Mongabay, where she covers wildlife, biodiversity and the complexities of the wildlife trade. - She began her environmental journalism journey with a Mongabay internship in 2022, which opened the door to writing for other outlets including Hakai, Audubon, BioScience, Nature and others. - Raman says her inspiration comes from a lifelong curiosity about science, a love for nature, and an admiration for the living world. - She’s especially proud of her reporting on biodiversity, wildlife and Indigenous food traditions, including award-winning work on baby Dungeness crabs, wild rice restoration in the Great Lakes, and species affected by the wildlife trade. authors: | ||
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World’s largest shark conference is set to begin in Sri Lanka next week 01 May 2026 08:17:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/worlds-largest-shark-conference-is-set-to-begin-in-sri-lanka-next-week/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: COLOMBO — The Sharks International 2026 conference (SI2026), known to be the world’s largest gathering dedicated to sharks and rays, is set to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 4-8. Held once every four years, it is the premier global scientific conference focused exclusively on elasmobranchs, or sharks and rays, bringing together researchers, policymakers, fisheries managers and conservation practitioners from around the world. Sharks International has previously been held in Australia (2010), South Africa (2014), Brazil (2018) and Spain (2022). The 2026 edition in Sri Lanka marks the first time Sharks International will be held in Asia, reflecting the region’s growing importance in global marine biodiversity and fisheries governance. Locally hosted and organized by Blue Resources Trust (BRT) with support from several international organizations, the conference aims to strengthen global collaboration as more than one-third of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction due to overfishing, habitat loss and weak enforcement of conservation measures. Daniel Fernando, the co-founder and director of the fisheries and policy program of the Colombo-based Blue Resources Trust (BRT), is a main organizer of Sharks International 2026. Image courtesy of BRT. The Sri Lanka meeting is considered particularly significant because the Indian Ocean is both a biodiversity hotspot and one of the world’s most heavily exploited shark fishing regions, said Daniel Fernando, BRT’s co-founder and director of fisheries and policy program. SI2026 will focus more on the urgent global priorities for shark and ray conservation, including halting population decline, reducing bycatch in industrial and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: COLOMBO — The Sharks International 2026 conference (SI2026), known to be the world’s largest gathering dedicated to sharks and rays, is set to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 4-8. Held once every four years, it is the premier global scientific conference focused exclusively on elasmobranchs, or sharks and rays, bringing together researchers, policymakers, […] authors: | ||
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Indonesia busts wildlife trafficking ring targeting Komodo dragons 01 May 2026 04:26:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/indonesia-busts-wildlife-trafficking-ring-targeting-komodo-dragons/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: Police in Indonesia have announced the dismantling of what they say is a major wildlife trafficking network largely targeting the world’s largest lizard species. Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged syndicate, which was involved in trafficking endemic Indonesian species, particularly juvenile Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), an endangered and protected species, to Thailand, police said in their April 16 announcement. According to investigators, the suspects concealed baby or juvenile dragons inside short lengths of plastic piping to avoid detection during transit. From January 2025 to February 2026, the group successfully moved at least 17 Komodo dragons from the island of Flores, where the species is found, to the islands of Java and Sumatra, and from there to Thailand, Mongabay Indonesia reported on April 17. The entire chain allegedly used a combination of sea, air, road and rail traffic. Their latest attempt, in February, involved three Komodo dragons, but was successfully foiled by police. Authorities said the suspects specifically targeted the Pota area, in Flores’s East Manggarai district. While most of Indonesia’s Komodo dragon population is protected within a national park, in Pota an estimated 700 of the reptiles live outside official protected areas. The dragons were reportedly purchased for 5.5 million rupiah each (about $320) in Pota, but by the time they reached markets in Java they were selling for nearly six times as much. In Thailand, they were going for the equivalent of nearly $29,000. Apart from live Komodo dragons, police said some of those arrested…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Police in Indonesia have announced the dismantling of what they say is a major wildlife trafficking network largely targeting the world’s largest lizard species. Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged syndicate, which was involved in trafficking endemic Indonesian species, particularly juvenile Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), an endangered and protected species, to […] authors: | ||
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Singapore’s population of Raffles’ banded langur has doubled 01 May 2026 04:20:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/singapores-population-of-raffles-banded-langur-has-doubled/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In a forest reserve on the edge of Singapore, volunteers spend hours scanning the canopy for a primate they may not see. The exercise points to a simple constraint of conservation in a dense city: most habitats are small and separated. The Raffles’ banded langur (Presbytis femoralis) survives in these pockets, reports Mongabay’s Carolyn Cowan. Its numbers are low, and to move and feed it relies on continuous tree cover — something that has largely been broken up. Conservation has focused on workable measures. Volunteers record group sizes and behavior, while agencies plant food trees and install rope bridges to span gaps in the canopy. There are signs of progress. The population has doubled since 2011 to 80 individuals today, according to Andie Ang, a researcher at Mandai Nature, a local conservation organization. What comes next will depend on land-use decisions, in particular whether remaining forest patches are preserved and linked. The volunteer program has helped fill gaps in knowledge and build public awareness. That may prove as important as the data. In a city where land is scarce, conservation competes with other priorities. Read the full story by Carolyn Cowan here. Banner image of a Raffles’ banded langur, courtesy of Andie Ang.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In a forest reserve on the edge of Singapore, volunteers spend hours scanning the canopy for a primate they may not see. The exercise points to a simple constraint of conservation in a dense city: most habitats are […] authors: | ||
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Saline intrusion in Mekong Delta leaves farmers and scientists at odds 30 Apr 2026 22:49:50 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/saline-intrusion-in-mekong-delta-leaves-farmers-and-scientists-at-odds/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Minh L Tran content:encoded: Vinh Long, VIETNAM — Khanh Chi tends a small apricot blossom orchard in Nhuan Phu Tan, a commune in southern Vietnam’s Vinh Long province by the Co Chien River, one of the Mekong River’s final distributaries before reaching the ocean. Her orchard is 55 kilometers (34 miles) inland. According to the provincial hydrometeorological observatory, Chi’s commune is the furthest point along the Co Chien River where, this year, salinity levels hit 4 parts per thousand (ppt) — the threshold at which rice farming is damaged. As saltwater pushes deeper and less predictably into the delta in recent decades, Vietnam has responded with canals, dikes and sluice gates to keep it out. For farmers, such projects offer the most explicit and immediate relief. Scientists say that might be a problem. Instead of engineering its way out of the salinity crisis, scientists argue, the region must adapt to it. “I buy freshwater, bring it back by truck, and just spray it like a mist,” Chi says, describing how she waters the apricot during dry season, when the river is saline. She used to grow fruit seedlings, durian and jackfruit but made the switch to ornamental plants as they are more resilient to saltwater. A few years ago, Chi dug a small pond in her orchard to store water when it rains or the river runs fresh. She uses it sparingly, enough to stretch through a few worst days of an intrusion. “The bigger the orchard, the larger the lake,” she says. “My…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Vietnam’s Mekong Delta is increasingly facing saltwater intrusion, as sea levels rise, land subsides and the river’s natural cycles are disrupted by dams and irrigation infrastructure. - A growing scientific consensus says Vietnam must learn to adapt to salt water rather than trying to engineer its way out of the problem; this perspective was officially integrated into Vietnam’s public policy with the 2017 Resolution 120. - In practice, however, hard infrastructure like sluice gates are popular at the local level and continue to be built. - Progress implementing Resolution 120 has also slowed due to 2025 administrative reforms that restructured ministries and re-drew provincial boundaries in the delta. authors: | ||
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In Guatemala, new AI technology will be ‘listening’ for illegal deforestation 30 Apr 2026 21:05:18 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-guatemala-new-ai-technology-will-be-listening-for-illegal-deforestation/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: FLORES, Guatemala — This March, rangers on patrol in the Maya Forest came across the feathers of hunted birds and paths that had been cleared through the trees. These led them to a 2-hectare (5-acre) opening in the forest where squatters likely planned to settle and then expand. The people who’d cleared the forest were nowhere to be found. The deforestation had occurred around eight days before, the rangers guessed. Even with camera traps and other technology, there’d been almost no way to detect it in real time. Rapid response has long been a challenge for conservationists in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, which spans 2.2 million hectares (5.3 million acres) across northern Guatemala. The reserve is a patchwork of national parks, logging concessions and biological corridors, some of them under pressure from cattle ranching and illegal logging. “If we’re going out regularly to a site every two or three months, and something happens a day after the last visit, then two or three months will go by with no information,” said Rony García Anleu, director of biological research at the Guatemala office of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). A new project in the reserve aims to decrease ranger response times with bioacoustics devices that can “listen” for illegal activity, using AI models trained to identify sounds associated with logging, hunting and other crimes. It’s part of the $100 million AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, run by the Bezos Earth Fund for innovative uses of artificial intelligence for tackling…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new project in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve will install bioacoustics devices that can “listen” for illegal activity, using AI models trained to identify chainsaws, gunshots and other sounds associated with environmental crime. - The project is part of the $100 million AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, run by the Bezos Earth Fund for innovative uses of artificial intelligence for tackling biodiversity loss, climate change and food insecurity. - The devices will be installed in parts of the reserve threatened by cattle ranching and illegal human settlements, accounting for thousands of hectares of annual forest loss in recent years. - If successful, bioacoustics technology could be combined with camera traps, drone monitoring, satellite data and human observation to create a more efficient and data-driven conservation strategy, members of the project said. authors: | ||
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Global trade in sea cucumbers ‘alarming’ with many species at risk: Study 30 Apr 2026 20:20:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/global-trade-in-sea-cucumbers-alarming-with-many-species-at-risk-study/ author: Autumn Spanne dc:creator: Edward Carver content:encoded: The global trade in sea cucumbers has grown since 2013 and continues to decimate the populations of many species, according to a recent study that cites “escalating impacts” and calls for stronger conservation measures. “Nowadays it’s overexploited nearly all over in the world,” Chantal Conand, an emeritus associate at France’s National Museum of Natural History and lead author of the study, told Mongabay, speaking of sea cucumbers generally. Conand and her co-authors write that the harvest of sea cucumbers is now “contagious” — spreading from place to place — and that the “continued growth and expansion of the global sea cucumber trade is alarming as the sustainability of many species-specific fisheries remains of great concern.” The paper, which was published Feb. 19 in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, follows other recent sea cucumber studies that also raise conservation concerns. Chantal Conand, lead author of a recent study on sea cucumbers, holds a pineapple sea cucumber (Thelenota ananas), amid the research collections of France’s National Museum of Natural History, where she is an emeritus associate. Image courtesy of Chantal Conand. Diving for good data Globally, there are roughly 1,800 species of sea cucumbers, which make up all of the taxonomic class Holothuroidea. Like starfish (class Asteroidea) and sea urchins (class Echinoidea), they sit in the phylum Echinodermata. Sea cucumbers act as recyclers and processors on the seafloor, eating detritus — decaying organic matter — and discharging it in a more aerated, nitrogen-rich form that helps…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The global trade in sea cucumbers has grown since 2013 and continues to decimate the populations of many species, according to a recent study that cites “escalating impacts” and calls for stronger conservation measures. - The study found that global capture of sea cucumbers increased from 2013 to the late 2010s and dipped slightly during the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the last years in the study period. - China and it’s special administrative region of Hong Kong, where sea cucumbers are used in traditional medicine and consumed as a delicacy on special occasions, are the main importers as measured by dollar value, the study found. authors: | ||
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New report reveals how environmental crime threatens Amazonian communities 30 Apr 2026 18:28:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/new-report-reveals-how-environmental-crime-threatens-amazonian-communities/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: Crime and militarization pose an existential threat to Indigenous territories across the Amazon Basin, a new report warns. Published ahead of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) taking place this week in New York, the report finds Indigenous groups are being harmed by restricted access to crucial natural resources, and are suffering health consequences from mining pollution. They’re also being impacted by compromised state and community governance systems, according to the report published by Amazon Watch, a U.S.-based Indigenous rights advocacy group. Criminal organizations such as Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) in Brazil, and the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia, have replaced or weakened state governance across the region, the report notes. In at least two-thirds of municipalities across the Pan-Amazon, such criminal actors “impose systems of social and economic control over communities,” the report says. Criminal presence in Indigenous territories has led to displacement, environmental degradation, mercury contamination from mining, food insecurity and other threats. Such criminal groups are frequently involved with several interconnected illicit crimes at once, such as illegal gold mining and drug trafficking. The report says these activities are directly tied to lucrative global markets and cause generational harm locally. In Brazil’s Munduruku Indigenous Territory, for instance, mercury contamination linked to illegal gold mining has polluted rivers and fish. Locals say the contamination has led to severe and long-lasting health issues, including diarrhea, childhood paralysis and developmental problems. “These activities reshape local ways of living completely around the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Crime and militarization pose an existential threat to Indigenous territories across the Amazon Basin, a new report warns. Published ahead of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) taking place this week in New York, the report finds Indigenous groups are being harmed by restricted access to crucial natural resources, and are suffering […] authors: | ||
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Brazil bill aims to ban satellite tool used to slow Amazon deforestation 30 Apr 2026 18:06:32 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/brazil-bill-aims-to-ban-satellite-tool-used-to-slow-amazon-deforestation/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Fernanda Wenzel content:encoded: In May 2025, a delegation of angry politicians and agribusinessmen from the Brazilian state of Pará traveled to the national capital to protest against the actions of the federal environmental agency, IBAMA. Their frustration stemmed from embargoes imposed by IBAMA on 544 rural properties in the municipality of Altamira, one of the Amazon’s deforestation hotspots. In each case, satellite imagery had detected illegal forest clearing, prompting authorities to block the areas from further production activities. “Everyone came here to present their concerns and ask for solutions regarding productive areas in the state of Pará,” Pará Governor Helder Barbalho said at the time. Almost a year later, their resentment has been distilled into a new bill proposing a ban on the so-called remote embargoes. Today, IBAMA uses satellite imagery to identify where illegal deforestation is occurring. Once they detect a recently deforested area, environmental agents verify whether there’s an environmental license authorizing that clearance — in the Amazon, around 90% of forest felling is illegal. If there’s no authorization, the agency issues an embargo as a preventive measure from behind its computers. The system is one of the tools that helped the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva halve deforestation numbers in the Amazon since taking office at the start of 2023. “Today we have a wealth of ultra-high-resolution satellite imagery, and we can cross-reference information from various databases,” Wallace Lopes, a representative of the federal environmental agents association, ASCEMA, told Mongabay. Jair Schmitt, director of environmental protection and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Brazilian agribusiness caucus is accelerating a bill to ban remote embargoes, a tool that allows environmental agents to block deforested land using satellite data. - The measure impacts IBAMA’s raids and risks reversing the system that halved Amazon deforestation under the Lula administration. - IBAMA officials warn that banning the technology is equivalent to “going back to the fax machine,” as it makes enforcement in remote areas significantly slower and more expensive. - The proposal is part of a broader “Destruction Package” gaining momentum in Congress ahead of October’s general elections. authors: | ||
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Brazil prosecutors launch suit against meatpacking giant JBS over beef tied to slavery-like labor 30 Apr 2026 17:35:55 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/brazil-prosecutors-launch-suit-against-meatpacking-giant-jbs-over-beef-tied-to-slavery-like-labor/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: SAO PAULO (AP) — Labor prosecutors in Brazil filed a lawsuit Wednesday against meatpacking giant JBS, accusing the company of buying cattle from farms where workers were held in slavery-like conditions. The civil action suit before a labor court in the northern Brazilian state of Para seeks nearly 119 million reais (about $24 million) in compensation, an amount prosecutors say reflects the total value of transactions between JBS and the suppliers. According to the filing, 53 workers were rescued from properties owned by seven ranchers who supplied the meatpacking company between 2014 and 2025. Those employers were listed in Brazil’s official public registry of companies found to have subjected workers to conditions that are similar to slavery, prosecutors said. JBS showed “a systematic pattern of negligence,” the prosecutors said. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Brazil is the world’s largest beef producer, accounting for about 20% of global production. The South American nation recently surpassed the United States, which now accounts for about 19% of the global beef production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A statement from Brazil’s labor prosecutors noted that cattle ranching accounts for the highest number of rescued workers nationwide and has also been a major driver of deforestation in the Amazon. Para state is part of the Amazon region. In March, the Office of the United States Trade Representative included Brazil on a list of 60 countries under investigation for forced labor. JBS is the world’s largest meatpacking company, with a market…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: SAO PAULO (AP) — Labor prosecutors in Brazil filed a lawsuit Wednesday against meatpacking giant JBS, accusing the company of buying cattle from farms where workers were held in slavery-like conditions. The civil action suit before a labor court in the northern Brazilian state of Para seeks nearly 119 million reais (about $24 million) in compensation, an […] authors: | ||
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Bangladesh struggles to choose between food security & stable groundwater table 30 Apr 2026 17:19:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/bangladesh-struggles-to-choose-between-food-security-stable-groundwater-table/ author: Abu Siddique dc:creator: Abu Siddique content:encoded: Considering the rapidly depleting groundwater table in Bangladesh’s northwestern zone, known as the Barind Tract, the country declared 25 subdistricts of the region as water crisis-prone areas in December 2025. In a circular, the government suggested that farmers immediately cut their cultivation of the high irrigation-intensive rice variety boro. At the same time, it directed the state-owned Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) to stop providing irrigation to the farmers. BMDA is an authority under the Ministry of Water Resources that oversees irrigation of extracted groundwater through roughly 16,000 deep tube wells to more than half a million hectares (1.2 million acres) of arable land in northern Bangladesh. “The water crisis is nothing new in the region. However, the sudden declaration of stopping irrigation and boro cultivation brought BMDA and the farmers into a confrontational situation,” said Md Abul Kasem, additional chief engineer of BMDA. “Later, we discussed the situation with the Water Resources Ministry and got a verbal direction to continue the irrigation till the next formal decision is made,” he added. The declaration came per the suggestion of the Bangladesh Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO), as it suggested the government take measures to curb groundwater depletion in the country. According to WARPO, five subdistricts of Chapai Nawabganj, 10 subdistricts of Rajshahi and 10 subdistricts of Naogaon are marked at different levels of groundwater scarcity, including high, medium and low. A 2024 study said the Barind Tract was the most drought-affected zone in the country due to its lesser rainfall,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - With an aim to stabilize the groundwater table, Bangladesh declared 25 subdistricts of its northwestern part as water crisis zones in late 2025. - Identifying irrigation as the major factor of the crisis, a government notice asked farmers to immediately halt the cultivation of high irrigation-fed boro paddy. - Since the zone is also considered a rice-producing hub, the government later changed the direction for a limited time, considering the immediate impacts of hampering staple food production in the country. - However, development professionals suggested shifts in agriculture practices from high irrigation-fed rice production to alternative crops to ensure a stabilized water table and livelihood for the people living in the region. authors: | ||
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Experts caution Nepal’s plan to open doors to private zoos 30 Apr 2026 15:17:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/experts-caution-nepals-plan-to-open-doors-to-private-zoos/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Deepak Adhikari content:encoded: KATHMANDU — Nepal has proposed legalizing private zoos, wildlife rescue centers and hospitals, but experts warn weak safeguards could fuel wildlife capture and undermine conservation efforts. Officials say the move could improve infrastructure and raise awareness, but critics warn it lacks clarity on oversight, enforcement and animal welfare standards. “There are so-called mini zoos in Nepal, but many function more like killing centers,” said Dibya Raj Dahal, president of Kathmandu-based NGO Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF). “Small wild animals are captured from the wild and sold to these facilities under the guise of rescue. In reality, it is extraction,” he said, adding that many animals die in captivity. Nepal’s only federal government-recognized and functional zoo, the Central Zoo in Kathmandu, was established in 1932 as a private collection. The zoo, which opened its doors to the public in 1956, was managed by the government until 1995 when it was handed over to the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), a semi-governmental nonprofit. Although different “mini zoos” have been set up in different parts of the country, their legal status has been dubious and their treatment of animals criticized by conservationists. In response, the government had been saying it plans to introduce new guidelines for the establishment and running of different categories of zoos across the country. Dahal said that despite its gaps, the draft was an improvement on the current regulatory vacuum. “It is a positive step, but the draft remains incomplete.” The guidelines also come as the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Nepal’s draft guidelines to allow private zoos, wildlife hospitals and rescue centers marks a shift toward private participation in conservation, aimed at improving infrastructure and awareness. - Experts say vague definitions, weak oversight and limited technical capacity could enable wildlife capture under the guise of rescue and lead to poor animal welfare. - Drawing on India’s model, they say time-bound licensing and periodic compliance reviews — with the power to shut non-compliant zoos — will be crucial. authors: | ||
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In Indonesia, a schoolboy moves mountains on waste as government targets reform 30 Apr 2026 14:34:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-indonesia-a-schoolboy-moves-mountains-on-waste-as-government-targets-reform/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Gafur Abdullah content:encoded: JEMBER, Indonesia — Syazwan Luftan Riady traces his environmental campaigning to school holidays spent at his grandmother’s riverside home in a rural part of Indonesia’s East Java province. “Throw that trash in the river, the basket’s full!” Luftan said, mimicking the levity with which his grandmother, like millions of others on the world’s most populous island, handled household waste in the absence of government services. While still a schoolboy in Jember, East Java, Luftan learned from his parents and developed his interest in the environment further after joining Sekolah Alam Raya. At just 12 years old, Luftan went on to co-found an organization of his own, Wiskomunalian, a grassroots association of youngsters working on achievable measures to effect environmental change. “It was about making friends aware about the environment, especially the issue of waste,” said Luftan, now in his second year of an undergraduate degree at Brawijaya University in Malang, a four-hour drive from Jember. Some of the Wiskomunalian youth in January 2026. Image by Gafur Abdullah/Mongabay Indonesia Child star A goal of Luftan and his colleagues is that “every child must be supported with adequate knowledge and experience grounded in their local realities,” Wiskomunalian wrote last year. But converting that vision into cleaner rivers and streets is a tall order, amid population growth and limited fiscal space with which to build waste treatment facilities. The United Nations Environment Programme records Indonesia as generating around 3.2 million metric tons of plastic waste every year, making it the world’s second-largest plastic…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - At just 12 years old, Syazwan Luftan Riady started a grassroots nonprofit of young people in East Java province focused on environmental protection. - Now a second-year student at a prominent university in Indonesia, Luftan is also the protagonist of a children’s book and has received recognition from a U.S. organization for his campaigning work. - The United Nations Environment Programme notes that Indonesia generates 3.2 million metric tons of plastic waste every year, the second most in the world after China. - Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto, announced in February a “war on waste” and is overseeing construction of 33 new electricity generation projects fueled by household waste. The president has also called for a volunteer army of schoolchildren to help clean up the country’s beaches and rivers. authors: | ||
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Inside the fight to save the little-known Galápagos petrel 30 Apr 2026 14:02:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/inside-the-fight-to-save-the-little-known-galapagos-petrel/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: Critically endangered Galápagos petrels spend much of their life at sea, but as they return to breed in the only place they call home, a litany of threats awaits. Over the last 60 years, in particular until the 1980s, the population of the Galápagos petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia) declined significantly, with only 15,000 individuals remaining today, according to the latest IUCN Red List assessment of the species. And although that number could be as high as 20,000 as new colonies are being discovered, pressure from invasive species that prey on the bird and degrade its habitat keeps the petrel on the edge. But decades-long conservation efforts have refined strategies to protect these seabirds, while a new initiative will involve thousands of Galápagos private landowners in securing their fragile nesting grounds. “Even though it’s an oceanic bird, you don’t see them that often,” Paola Sangolquí, a marine conservation coordinator with Ecuadorian NGO Jocotoco, told Mongabay in a video interview. The petrels spend most of their time out on the open water, hunting squid and fish. When they return to land, it’s to the upland and remote areas of the Galápagos islands of San Cristóbal, Floreana, Santa Cruz, Isabela and Santiago, where they nest in burrows or natural crevices. These tend to be far from the islands’ human settlements, and because the birds are also largely nocturnal, that makes them even more difficult to spot. “They nest in these foggy, misty areas up in the highlands, surrounded by dense vegetation,” Sangolquí says. “It…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Galápagos petrels are rarely seen, yet critically endangered. These large seabirds endemic to five islands in the Galápagos archipelago face significant threats from numerous invasive species. - In the 1980s, their population plummeted to crisis levels, but sustained conservation efforts have since slowed their decline. - Conservationists are tackling invasive species and efforts are expanding to privately held farms that host important petrel breeding sites. - Experts point out that the various organizations working on petrel conservation need to coordinate their efforts so that they can plan effective interventions where most needed. authors: | ||
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The value of South Africa’s wildlife shouldn’t be in the hands of wealthy foreign hunters (commentary) 30 Apr 2026 12:07:04 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-value-of-south-africas-wildlife-shouldnt-be-in-the-hands-of-wealthy-foreign-hunters-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Stephanie Klarmann content:encoded: South Africa’s conservation debate is too often anchored within the blunt slogan, “If it pays, it stays.” At face value, this appears pragmatic, even responsible. But there’s a troubling premise underneath it: the survival of South Africa’s wildlife depends on its ability to generate an enormous income for a select group of wealthy farmers and professional hunters from an even wealthier foreign clientele. According to this logic, wildlife is protected not because it is ecologically vital, culturally significant, or ethically deserving of life, but purely because it can be killed for a hefty price. When conservation is built on the premise that wildlife must pay its way to exist, we should ask not only who benefits, but what is being lost, and at whose expense. Each year I examine the professional hunting statistics provided to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to demand transparency regarding how South Africa’s wildlife is being utilized for financial gain. The most recently available statistics (for 2024) show a substantial increase of 17%: 7,756 visitors killed 40,508 wild animals (if one includes indigenous mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and exotic mammals also killed). For proponents of the euphemistically termed “sustainable use,” this will naturally look like a significant success. But can we continue to justify the continuous intensification and amplification of commercial wildlife use on ecological and ethical grounds? Number of animals hunted and hunting clients in South Africa, 2018-2024. Table provided by the author. ‘If it pays, it stays’ Superficially, this phrase…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The latest statistics on South Africa’s professional (“trophy”) hunting industry reveal a large increase in animals hunted, with numbers set to rise in coming years, under the logic that the revenue generated is necessary for managing wildlife. - But should the conservation of the nation’s wildlife, which have their own roles in natural ecosystems, depend on their ability to generate an enormous income for a select group of wealthy farmers and professional hunters, a new op-ed asks. - “When conservation is built on the premise that wildlife must pay its way to exist, we should ask not only who benefits, but what is being lost, and at whose expense,” the author writes. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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From protecting salamanders to seabirds, here are the 2026 Whitley Awards winners 30 Apr 2026 11:38:52 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/from-protecting-salamanders-to-seabirds-here-are-the-2026-whitley-awards-winners/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: This year’s Whitley Awards honor six grassroots conservationists from South Asia, South America, and Africa protecting a range of wildlife and habitats, from threatened amphibians to marine and freshwater fish and lions. Dubbed the “Green Oscars,” the awards are presented annually by U.K. charity the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), and honor grassroots leaders from the Global South, channeling a total 420,000 pounds (about $566,000) to urgent conservation projects. The six conservationists each received 50,000 pounds ($67,300). Additionally, the Whitley Gold Award of 100,000 pounds (about $135,000), awarded to a past Whitley Award recipient, was presented to Indonesian conservationist Farwiza Farhan. The awards ceremony was held April 29 at the Royal Geographical Society in London and included a special tribute to WFN ambassador and presenter David Attenborough, turning 100 on May 8. “Receiving the Whitley award gives us the chance to strengthen communities, protect more nests, and secure a future for the Indian skimmer,” said Parveen Shaikh, a winner, during her awards speech. “And perhaps, in protecting this river, we are also protecting something far more fragile: our connection to the wild.” The 2026 Whitley Award winners: Barkha Subba from India works with communities in Darjeeling, West Bengal state, to protect the rare Himalayan salamander (Tylototriton himalayanus) within a rapidly transforming tea estate landscape. Parveen Shaikh, also from India, is expanding community-led riverine conservation for the Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) to Prayagraj in the Ganga Basin. Her initiative has led to significant recovery in the endangered waterbird’s population. Issah Seidu…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: This year’s Whitley Awards honor six grassroots conservationists from South Asia, South America, and Africa protecting a range of wildlife and habitats, from threatened amphibians to marine and freshwater fish and lions. Dubbed the “Green Oscars,” the awards are presented annually by U.K. charity the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), and honor grassroots leaders from […] authors: | ||
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Cocaine exposure drives salmon to alter movements 30 Apr 2026 10:39:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/cocaine-exposure-drives-salmon-to-alter-movements/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta content:encoded: Young Atlantic salmon exposed to cocaine and its breakdown product, benzoylecgonine, swim farther and more widely in the wild, a new study shows. This behavioral change can put them in risky situations, researchers say. “[T]he effects of illicit drug pollution on aquatic wildlife is not just a laboratory finding — it can measurably alter wildlife behaviour under natural conditions,” study co-author Jack Brand, an ecologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, told Mongabay by email. Researchers are increasingly detecting cocaine and its primary metabolite, benzoylecgonine, in aquatic wildlife, from sharks to freshwater shrimp. However, most studies into the impacts on behavior and brain chemistry in animals have been done in laboratory settings, Brand said. “We wanted to find out whether these effects translate to the real world.” The researchers selected Lake Vättern in Sweden for their real-world experiment. Young Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are released in the lake from a hatchery each year for recreational fishing. In some of these hatchery-raised 2-year-old salmon, the researchers implanted small devices that slowly released chemicals. One group of 35 fish received implants containing cocaine, another group got benzoylecgonine, while a third, control, group didn’t receive any chemical. The researchers found that in the exposed fish groups, concentrations of the chemicals per fish averaged about 43 nanograms per gram for cocaine, and 34 ng/g for benzoylecgonine. Previous studies have found up to 107.5 ng/g of cocaine in muscle samples of wild sharks, and nearly 70 ng/g of cocaine in some wild crustaceans. “These…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Young Atlantic salmon exposed to cocaine and its breakdown product, benzoylecgonine, swim farther and more widely in the wild, a new study shows. This behavioral change can put them in risky situations, researchers say. “[T]he effects of illicit drug pollution on aquatic wildlife is not just a laboratory finding — it can measurably alter wildlife […] authors: | ||
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‘Creamy, nutty’ spiders are protein source for Indigenous Indian tribe 30 Apr 2026 10:06:24 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/creamy-nutty-spiders-are-protein-source-for-indigenous-indian-tribe/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Megan Strauss content:encoded: In India’s northeastern Nagaland state, orb-weaver spiders are a sought-after source of protein, according to a new study in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. Here, “edible spiders hold a significant place in the local diet and have been consumed for generations,” study lead author Lobeno Mozhui, from Nagaland University, told Mongabay by email. The researchers surveyed 33 people with traditional knowledge about the consumption of two orb-weaver spider species: Nephila pilipes and Trichonephila clavata. Both species are locally known as siyankyü in the Lotha Naga language. Respondents told the researchers that before cooking, they remove the spiders’ head and legs. They then clean and cook them with seasoning, resulting in a “creamy, nutty” and nutritious meat substitute. The researchers also collected specimens of the two orb-weaver spiders from Nagaland University, and examined their total protein content, with legs removed. Both were rich in protein, ranging from 36.03-73.65% in N. pilipes and 34.17-57.65% in T. clavata — much higher than some commonly eaten insects. Mozhui said this research is an important baseline and that “the consumption of edible spiders has the potential to gain wider acceptance.” Arachnophagy, or the consumption of arachnids like spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites, has a long history, the authors write, yet only about 23 of the world’s more than 50,000 known spider species are eaten. The world’s largest spider, the goliath bird-eater (Theraphosa blondi), is part of the traditional diet of the Yanomamo and Piaroa peoples of the Amazon. Orb-weavers of the genus Nephila are eaten…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: In India’s northeastern Nagaland state, orb-weaver spiders are a sought-after source of protein, according to a new study in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. Here, “edible spiders hold a significant place in the local diet and have been consumed for generations,” study lead author Lobeno Mozhui, from Nagaland University, told Mongabay by email. The researchers […] authors: | ||
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Borneo’s GIGANTIC bat caves 30 Apr 2026 08:23:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/borneos-gigantic-bat-caves/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Izzy Sasada content:encoded: Borneo is home to some of the largest cave systems in the world… and they’re filled with bats. But HOW did these caves get so massive? They were first mapped by Western scientists in the 1970s, during a Royal Geographical Society and Sarawak Forestry Mulu Expedition. But they’ve long been known about by local Indigenous communities, as hunting took place in the cave entrances. Join Conservation Entangled host, Izzy Sasada, on her trip to Sarawak, where she explores these caves and learns about their role in the history of conservation science.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Borneo is home to some of the largest cave systems in the world… and they’re filled with bats. But HOW did these caves get so massive? They were first mapped by Western scientists in the 1970s, during a Royal Geographical Society and Sarawak Forestry Mulu Expedition. But they’ve long been known about by local Indigenous […] authors: | ||
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Endangered Javan gibbon baby born in UK rare species sanctuary 30 Apr 2026 07:48:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/endangered-javan-gibbon-baby-born-in-uk-rare-species-sanctuary/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: A rare Javan gibbon was born at a wildlife park in the U.K., one of the world’s main centers for the species’ captive breeding. Lima, now just over 2 months old, is a potential candidate for returning to the species’ native habitat on the Indonesian island of Java. The Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch), known locally as owa, is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. A 2017 study estimated a wild population of between 2,640 and 4,178 individuals. This number is declining due to habitat destruction, forest fragmentation, and poaching for the illegal pet trade and bushmeat trade. “We’re very happy that we’ve got a new baby at our site and we’re very happy that she may be something that could be reintroduced into the future as well, back into the wild,” said Simon Jeffery, the animal director at Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve in the southern U.K. county of Kent, where Lima was born. Jeffery is also the animal director at the nearby Howletts Wild Animal Park. Both parks, run by U.K. charity The Howletts Wild Animal Trust, together hold 26 Javan gibbons, representing around 40-50% of the global captive population, Jeffery told Mongabay by phone. Many Javan gibbons born there have since been rehomed, he added. The trust has bred Javan gibbons since the early 1980s, recording more than 50 births across both parks in the past two decades. Since 2012, it has also sent around 10 individuals to Java. Lima, whose name means “five” in Indonesian, is…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A rare Javan gibbon was born at a wildlife park in the U.K., one of the world’s main centers for the species’ captive breeding. Lima, now just over 2 months old, is a potential candidate for returning to the species’ native habitat on the Indonesian island of Java. The Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch), known locally […] authors: | ||
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