Historic Arctic freeze for US South and record rain in Western Australia
22 Jan 2025 12:05:48 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/historic-arctic-freeze-for-us-south-and-record-rain-in-western-australia/
author: Kristinesabillo
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: The southern states of the U.S. are facing a winter storm this week that will bring heavy snow and ice to a region that rarely experiences such conditions. More than 220 million people are expected to be affected from Texas to South Carolina. Several states, including Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, have each already declared a state of emergency following cold weather advisories and warnings from the National Weather Service (NWS). Texas has also ordered its agencies to prepare resources. More than 2,200 domestic flights were cancelled by Jan. 21Tuesday, BBC reported, citing online tracker FlightAware. On Jan. 20, NWS forecast the “historic winter storm” would bring “extreme cold temperatures … with lows near or below 20 degrees” Fahrenheit, or -6.7° Celsius, in southeast Texas. It warned that travel “will be extremely hazardous and not possible at times” on ice-slicked roads. NWS said it doesn’t expect the storm to break the record 14 inches (35 centimeters) of snowfall that hit Houston in 1895, but it “should be considered a generational winter storm event and its impacts should be taken seriously.” In Louisiana, New Orleans is also experiencing a rare snow event. Climate change is making such events more common. As the poles warm, the temperature difference between the Arctic and southern latitudes decreases, weakening the jet stream that acts as a barrier to the frigid Arctic air. A weak jet stream allows the cold air to move southward. More than 75% of the U.S. will experience extreme winter weather…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
The southern states of the U.S. are facing a winter storm this week that will bring heavy snow and ice to a region that rarely experiences such conditions. More than 220 million people are expected to be affected from Texas to South Carolina. Several states, including Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, have each already […]authors:
Indigenous communities rise up against prison projects in Ecuador
22 Jan 2025 10:04:09 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/indigenous-communities-rise-up-against-prison-projects-in-ecuador/
author: Alexandrapopescu
dc:creator: Kimberley Brown
content:encoded: Intense protests flared up last December in communities opposed to Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa’s plans to build two maximum-security prisons in sensitive ecosystems and Indigenous territories without consulting local populations. In the canton of Archidona, in the Amazonian province of Napo, Indigenous communities blocked major roads and held almost daily marches for more than two weeks. The target of their protests is a planned facility slated to be built near an existing prison on the outskirts of Archidona. On Dec. 16, the government called off the project. While the protesters celebrated, the Amazonian Indigenous movement CONFENAIE took a more cautious stance, releasing a statement saying it would continue its resistance until the cancelation of the project was confirmed in public records. Currently, the plans appear as “suspended.” The government’s decision to roll back its plans is a clear “political triumph of the mobilized people,” says Andres Tapia Arias, director of Lanceros Digitales, a publication affiliated with the national Indigenous movement CONAIE, and former communications director of CONFENAIE. Communities in the canton of Archidona, in Ecuador’s Amazon province of Napo, block highways to protest the construction of a new maximum security prison in the region. Image courtesy of the group Mujeres contra la cárcel. “It’s evident that the government has a vision far removed from the needs of local communities, especially those in the Amazon,” Tapia Arias tells Mongabay by phone from Archidona. But the prison plans are far from scrapped. Rather, they’ve been moved to the coastal province of Santa…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - During his 2023 campaign, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, today the country’s president, promised to build two new maximum-security prisons as a way to tackle rising violence and gang-controlled prisons.
- Both prisons were planned in areas with sensitive ecosystems and claimed by Indigenous communities; yet the state failed to seek the consent of the communities, as required under Ecuador’s Constitution.
- One prison has been under construction in the coastal province of Santa Elena since June 2024, for which 30 hectares (74 acres) of tropical dry forest, one of Ecuador’s most threatened ecosystems, have so far been cleared, triggering local community protests.
- The second prison was planned for the Amazonian community of Archidona in Napo province; but after two weeks of intense protests in December, the government decided to move the project to Santa Elena, just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the other project.
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Study shows degradation changes a forest’s tree profile and its carbon storage
22 Jan 2025 09:00:55 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/study-shows-degradation-changes-a-forests-tree-profile-and-its-carbon-storage/
author: Alexandrapopescu
dc:creator: Peter Speetjens
content:encoded: As forests continue to be cleared and forested landscapes degraded by human activity, their loss can significantly affect the trees left standing, potentially changing the structure of forests, a recent study has found. In this case, faster-growing trees, with softer wood, tend to prevail over denser species with a higher carbon-storage capacity. In 2023, about 3.7 million hectares (8.14 million acres) of primary tropical forest were lost, according to the World Resources Institute. Although forest loss was 9% lower compared to 2022, that’s still an area nearly the size of Switzerland — the equivalent of losing almost 10 football fields of tropical primary forest per minute. Despite a 2024 decrease in deforestation in the Amazon Basin, the tropics continue to lose forest cover at an alarming rate. “It is well known and widely accepted that forest loss threatens biodiversity worldwide, yet the effect of landscape fragmentation is much less [known],” study lead author Bruno Pinho, a researcher at Switzerland’s University of Bern, told Mongabay in a video call. Degraded forest land in the Brazilian Amazon. Carbon uptake and storage in tropical primary and secondary forests varies place to place depending upon soil properties, climatic conditions, and previous land use, among other factors. Image by Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay. “Research so far has mostly centered on changes in the number of species, without considering the traits that make them winners or losers. In our research we looked at the functional composition of forests, and disentangled the causal effects of forest…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - In highly deforested landscapes and degraded forests, large-seeded big trees are losing out to opportunistic, fast-growing species, a recent study has found.
- Having examined 1,207 tree species across 271 forest plots in six Brazilian regions in the Amazon Rainforest and Atlantic Forest, the study shows that tree species normally dominating landscapes with a high forest cover seem to be in decline.
- The researchers suggest this is because the relatively large wildlife needed to disperse large seeds disappear early on from human-modified landscapes, allowing trees with smaller seeds, and thus smaller dispersers like birds, to dominate the forestscape.
- As forests become increasingly degraded, they lose their functional characteristics, as soft-wood, fast-growing trees have less ability to store carbon, are less resistant to fire and drought, and generally die younger.
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Coal gasification, an old technology, is quietly expanding across Asia
21 Jan 2025 21:15:44 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/coal-gasification-an-old-technology-is-quietly-expanding-across-asia/
author: Isabel Esterman
dc:creator: Nithin Coca
content:encoded: In Nagasaki prefecture, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, J-Power, the operator of the aging Matsushima coal-fired power plant, has an idea to keep the unit operating despite the country’s no-coal pledge: gasification. “Japan considers coal gasification a form of abatement, and thus in line with their commitments to phase out unabated coal power,” said Evan Gach, program coordinator at Kiko Network, a Japanese NGO. “But in reality, it’s a loophole.” The technology to turn coal into a synthetic gas, to be used in power generation or for industrial use, has been around for decades. But in recent years, the coal industry has revived it as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels like natural gas and petroleum, with projects planned in Indonesia, China and India. While gasification can result in less air pollution than conventional coal burning due the ability to separate pollutants during liquefaction, studies published by the Wilson Center and international researchers indicate that expanding coal gasification would result in significantly greater greenhouse gas emissions than relying on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or natural gas, due to coal’s higher carbon intensity. Another concern is that demand for coal could also result in greater methane emissions from continued or increased exploitation of Indonesian, Chinese or Indian coal mines. Across Asia, climate advocates warn that loopholes are allowing for a technology that, despite industry claims, is seen by scientists and experts as both polluting and costly. “The fact that coal gasification is an energy- and emissions-intensive process means that…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Several of Asia’s biggest economies are promoting coal gasification as a viable part of their clean energy transition, arguing that turning coal into synthetic gas yields a cleaner fuel and reduces dependence on imports of natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.
- But activists and experts point out that gasified coal is still a highly polluting fossil fuel, and that relying on it prolongs coal mining, which has long been linked to environmental and human rights violations.
- In China, coal gasification to replace industrial petrochemicals usually produced from oil and natural gas grew by 18% in 2023, consuming more than 340 million metric tons of coal a year.
- However, cost concerns may slow the push elsewhere: investors have jumped ship from Indonesia’s inaugural gasification project, while the tab for a gas refit of a coal-fired power plant in Japan has grown so big that experts question its feasibility.
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Traditional ecological knowledge isn’t dying — it’s adapting and transforming (Commentary)
21 Jan 2025 21:13:15 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/traditional-ecological-knowledge-isnt-dying-its-adapting-and-transforming-commentary/
author: Latoya Abulu
dc:creator: Anna Juliet Stephens
content:encoded: Several years ago, I took a solo trip to the Huánuco region of the central Peruvian Amazon. After traveling five hours from the nearest town by car, boat and tuk-tuk, I reached the Comunidad de la Naranjal on the banks of the Yamiria River, a tributary of the Ucayali. The Naranjal are an Indigenous community of around 500 members, who were once nomadic but have now settled together and practice agriculture. The latter is one change among many more to perhaps come. As the tide of homogenizing globalization rises, traditional Indigenous lifestyles and knowledge come under threat. Today, these communities occupy a significant portion of the Earth’s territory containing vast amounts of the world’s biodiversity. Nevertheless, approximately one Indigenous language dies out every other week. In a paper extolling the virtues of traditional medicine amid its rapid decline in the year 2000, U.S. ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox posed a thought-provoking question: Will tribal knowledge endure into the new millennium? During my visit to one of roughly 200 Ashaninka communities living in and around the Peruvian Amazon, this question weighed on my mind: How will traditional ecological knowledge continue to survive in our rapidly changing, modernizing and globalized world? But in this region, I witnessed how traditional knowledge is not dying out, but is rather adapting and transforming. Ancient knowledge of nomadic hunting and living in the rainforest, for example, is now being used for shifting agricultural systems, tourism and to generate jobs for the local youth. Near Tournavista district, the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Traditional ecological knowledge in the central Peruvian Amazon is not simply being lost to time, but is rather adapting and evolving to a new modern context.
- Ecotourism is providing important job opportunities for Peruvian Amazonian young adults.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily Mongabay.
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Brazil’s ‘innovative’ reforestation agenda discussed in Davos (commentary)
21 Jan 2025 17:47:09 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/brazils-innovative-reforestation-agenda-discussed-in-davos-commentary/
author: Erik Hoffner
dc:creator: Guilherme Leal / Paulo Hartung / Roberto Waack
content:encoded: In the quiet Swiss town of Davos, Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain unfolds as young Hans Castorp’s brief visit to a sanatorium turns into a seven-year exploration of ideas, intrigue, and debates. The story ultimately becomes a metaphor for Europe’s isolation and decline before World War I. Since the novel’s publication in the early 20th century, its themes have transcended Europe to reflect a world beset by geopolitical tensions. These tensions are compounded by escalating international conflicts and the repeated failure of United Nations conferences to address urgent climate and biodiversity challenges. Amid this complex backdrop, the world’s leading economic and political figures are gathering once again in the symbolic town of Davos from January 20th to 24th for the 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF). Unique to this event is the mobilization of the private sector to lead the solutions-based agenda for the environmental and climate crises. A coalition of leaders from the business and financial sectors is joining the conversation from Brazil, which is the host of this year’s COP30 in the heart of the Amazon. They are advancing one of the most strategic solutions for achieving climate balance and safeguarding nature: forest restoration. Drone view of Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Image by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay. Forest restoration is widely recognized as one of the most effective strategies for removing carbon from the atmosphere. Enhancing ecosystem services as a whole supports sustainable supply chains and creates pathways for long-term environmental and financial resilience. Yet, despite their promise,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - At the World Economic Forum 2025 in Davos this week, a coalition of leaders from across Brazilian sectors will discuss the integrated, pre-competitive agenda needed to scale forest restoration.
- Forest restoration is a key part of successful climate action, providing carbon removal, biodiversity protection and sustainable economic growth, but it requires immediate investment and action, the authors of a new op-ed write.
- Brazil’s coordinated approach across business, finance, and conservation sectors has resulted in approximately $528 million in restoration investments in the past 18 months, setting a global example for impactful forest restoration and climate action.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
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New study assesses threat to wildlife from cacao expansion in Congo Basin
21 Jan 2025 16:43:54 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-study-assesses-threat-to-wildlife-from-cacao-expansion-in-congo-basin/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Malavika Vyawahare
content:encoded: Cacao cultivation is a major threat to the Congo Basin rainforest, with new research showing just where expanding cultivation could imperil the region’s rich wildlife. “We found areas within the central parts of the Congo Basin to be at high risk of biodiversity loss due to cocoa expansion,” said study lead author Vignesh Kamath, from the United Nations Environment Programme. Kamath and his colleagues mapped areas most likely to see new planting of cacao — identifying areas with similar agricultural conditions to where cacao is already being grown as well as transport links to major cities — and overlaid this with areas of high biodiversity. Their maps show southern Cameroon, nearly all of Equatorial Guinea, northern Gabon, and the northeastern and eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo have the most favorable conditions for adoption of this cash crop. This green belt across Central Africa includes some of the planet’s most precious wildlife havens. Expanding cacao cultivation could put pressure on protected areas like Cameroon’s Nki National Park and the DRC’s Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Maiko National Park and Virunga National Park, the team found. Together these areas host some of the last remaining habitats for great apes, forest elephants and woodland-dwelling ungulates. A mountain gorilla at Virunga National Park. Image courtesy of Fanny Schertzer via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). Governments in the region are well aware of the potential for cacao production. Cameroon is already the fourth-largest producer in the world and the third-largest in Africa (after Côte…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Wildlife in the heart of the Congo Basin, an area that stretches from western and southern Cameroon to northeastern and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, are most at risk from the expansion of cacao cultivation, a recent study found.
- Cameroon, the world’s fourth-largest cacao producer, wants to double its output by 2030 — an ambition at odds with the country’s stubbornly low yields, changing climatic conditions, and the demand for “deforestation-free” cocoa from consumer nations.
- “Cameroon has little area available for agricultural expansion outside forests,” Marieke Sassen, a co-author of the new study, told Mongabay.
- Three-quarters of Cameroon’s cocoa is destined for the European Union, which passed a regulation in 2023 to ban imports of cocoa produced on recently deforested or degraded forestland.
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Fishing boats spotted competing with whales in Antarctica for krill
21 Jan 2025 14:44:32 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/fishing-boats-spotted-competing-with-whales-in-antarctica-for-krill/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb
content:encoded: Nearly all of Antarctica’s iconic wildlife, from penguins to seals and whales, depend on krill, tiny crustaceans that make up the base of the food chain. Krill are also sought after by humans, who scoop them up using massive fishing boats, potentially putting whales in danger, scientists warn. The fishing boats and whales are “going after the exact same thing; the biggest, largest, densest krill swarms,” Matthew Savoca, an ecologist at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station in the U.S., told Mongabay by phone. In July 2023, Mongabay reported on fishing trawlers harvesting Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) amid a large pod of whales, defying concerns from scientists that the whales could be injured, killed or outcompeted for food. Following whales is often the most efficient way to find large congregations of krill, Savoca said. In December 2024, Jonathan Zaccaria, an expedition leader with National Geographic, reported seeing two Norwegian ships and one Chinese vessel krill fishing in the region; the Chinese ship was near feeding humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). “Krill fishing is happening more than ever before,” Savoca said. “As compared to literally just last year, there are more boats … on the horizon. Russia has notified their intent to start fishing again. China is going to ramp up their fishing.” Savoca said this increase is largely a result of a failure to move forward with an updated krill management plan that would have created a new marine protected area and require that krill fishing be spread out to create less…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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Nearly all of Antarctica’s iconic wildlife, from penguins to seals and whales, depend on krill, tiny crustaceans that make up the base of the food chain. Krill are also sought after by humans, who scoop them up using massive fishing boats, potentially putting whales in danger, scientists warn. The fishing boats and whales are “going […]authors:
Helicopters slash the trek to Earth’s highest peak, but leave Sherpas grounded
21 Jan 2025 14:33:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/helicopter-controversy-everest-sherpas-nepal/
author: Abhayarajjoshi
dc:creator: Shashwat Pant
content:encoded: KATHMANDU — When Pasang Nuru Sherpa recalls his childhood in the quiet village of Pangboche, in the foothills of Sagarmatha, the Nepali name for Everest, his memories take him back to the gentle hum of daily life: the swishing of prayer flags, the calls of mountain birds, and the soft clink of yak bells as the animals meander along the narrow trails. Back then, any disruption to this silence was rare, signaling either an emergency medical evacuation or the arrival of a high-profile visitor. Both were reasons for a helicopter to approach the homes of the Sherpa people, renowned for their ability to thrive on the world’s tallest mountains. Today, however, the choppers have become ubiquitous. Their duty now extends to serving “helicopter tourists,” the name given to affluent tourists who want an instant ride up nearly all the way to Base Camp and are willing to pay a premium for it. “The sound of helicopters never stops,” Pasang says. “They start flying at 6 a.m. and don’t stop until sunset. It disrupts our lives.” It’s more than just the noise; the air traffic has taken an economic and social toll on Pasang and his community, while also endangering the fragile ecosystems of their homeland already under stress due to rising temperatures. Residents say much of the profits from helicopter tourism end up with the operators, often based in Kathmandu or abroad, leaving local Sherpas to face the consequences and costs. A helicopter flies carrying tourists in the Sagarmatha region.…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - “Helicopter tourism” that brings trekkers to Base Camp of Sagarmatha (Everest) in Nepal and bypasses the long trek there is taking a toll on local Sherpa communities.
- By cutting short visitors’ time in the region, it reduces the earnings of porters, lodge owners and other small local businesses, as well as diminishes bonds with the community, according to residents living in the lap of Earth’s tallest mountain.
- Increasingly frequent helicopter flights have also brought noise pollution that impacts both wildlife and domestic livestock, while potentially exacerbating environmental risks like avalanches, landslides and glacial floods in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
- Local leaders and youth groups are advocating for stricter regulations to limit helicopter flights, reroute them from sensitive areas, and promote ecotourism practices that balance development with conservation.
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In Uganda, local communities bear the brunt of militarized conservation
21 Jan 2025 14:14:47 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/in-uganda-local-communities-bear-the-brunt-of-militarized-conservation/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Mongabay.com
content:encoded: At Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, violent enforcement of wildlife laws leaves broken families behind and damages the relationship between conservation authorities and local communities, reports Mongabay’s Ashoka Mukpo. In October 2023, Mukpo visited the massive park, home to various wildlife including elephants, lions, hippos and leopards, to investigate human-wildlife conflicts and heard of accounts of rangers shooting and killing — rather than arresting — suspected subsistence poachers, even when the individuals were unarmed or ready to surrender. In one incident, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers reportedly shot at a group of men armed with spears who had entered the park illegally to hunt a hippo. The shooting killed 49-year-old Tadeo Bwambale, who had allegedly raised his hands and attempted to surrender. All hunting inside Queen Elizabeth is strictly prohibited. Despite this, some nearby communities regularly enter the park to hunt antelopes and hippos to consume and sell locally, largely driven by poverty and a tradition of hunting, Mukpo found. UWA rangers told Mongabay that when they see a suspected poacher in the park, they act to arrest him, investigate and take the matter to a court of law. However, interviews with residents of local communities, including widows in the town of Kitabu, suggest that UWA rangers have summarily killed or injured several suspected bushmeat poachers encountered in the park. In one town Mongabay visited, there were so many deaths that former poachers set up a school to help educate the surviving children of those who’d been killed in the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
At Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, violent enforcement of wildlife laws leaves broken families behind and damages the relationship between conservation authorities and local communities, reports Mongabay’s Ashoka Mukpo. In October 2023, Mukpo visited the massive park, home to various wildlife including elephants, lions, hippos and leopards, to investigate human-wildlife conflicts and heard of accounts […]authors:
‘An oval with legs’: In search of Tanzania’s tiny island antelope
20 Jan 2025 20:54:56 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/an-oval-with-legs-in-search-of-tanzanias-tiny-island-antelope/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Ryan Truscott
content:encoded: PEMBA ISLAND, Tanzania — Pemba Island’s Ngezi Forest Reserve, a complex of moist evergreen and coastal forests, mangroves and heathland in the Zanzibar archipelago, is the last refuge of the Pemba blue duiker . But are there any of these tiny antelopes still alive? Philantomba monticola pembae, or paa wa pemba as it’s known locally, is believed to be a subspecies of the blue duiker (Philantomba monticola), a small antelope widely distributed throughout East, Southern and Central Africa. While the Pemba blue duiker may resemble its mainland cousins, the island’s long separation may have created conditions for the animal to become something genetically unique. “When species end up in a place under similar ecological pressure, morphologically they can stay similar to the original population, even if they’ve been isolated for a million years,” said Michele Menegon, a conservationist and herpetologist based in the mainland Tanzanian city of Arusha. “An oval with legs and two little horns — there are not many features that can change.” The diminutive blue duiker, standing just 30 centimeters (12 inches) at the shoulder, belongs to the Bovidae family of mammals, notable for its much larger members. “Basically it’s the same family as the buffalo, but probably only weighs the same as the tongue of a buffalo,” said Menegon, who was helping to survey wildlife in early December alongside the Oikos Institute, an Italian nonprofit working with the Zanzibar government to manage the Ngezi reserve. The Pemba blue duiker lives in dense undergrowth in Ngezi’s tall,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - On Zanzibar’s second-largest island, Pemba, lives a diminutive antelope that hasn’t been officially recorded in at least 20 years.
- Its long absence has fueled fears the animal may have been exterminated from Ngezi Forest Reserve by hunters.
- In early December, a group of scientists and conservationists set up camera traps to try to find signs that this subspecies of the tiny blue duiker is still alive.
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Growing conservation and community: Interview with Ngezi reserve chief
20 Jan 2025 20:53:02 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/growing-a-conservation-minded-community-interview-with-ngezi-reserve-chief/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Ryan Truscott
content:encoded: The people living around the Ngezi Forest Reserve on Pemba Island, off the coast of Tanzania, depend on its resources for many things: timber for building materials, a place to gather firewood and hunt animals for food, and sometimes pasture for cows or goats. Khamis Ali Khamis is the acting chief-in-charge of the 2,900-hectare (7,200-acre) reserve. Leading a small team of forest guards, he has the difficult job of protecting the reserve from illegal activity, while also balancing the needs of tens of thousands of local villagers who depend on it. Khamis was born on the Zanzibar archipelago’s biggest island, Unguja, where he trained as a teacher, obtained a diploma in forestry, and ran his own butterfly farm. Later, he spent 10 years as a volunteer guide at Unguja’s Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park. He moved to Pemba Island to take up his current role six years ago. Khamis spoke to Mongabay about the challenges of the work and his vision for the forest. The conversation was lightly edited for length and clarity. Mongabay: How do the needs of surrounding communities affect your work as a forest guard? Because it’s your job to protect the forest, and yet the community depends on the forest for resources. So is there conflict? Khamis Ali Khamis: That is a big challenge facing us because we have some trees which are very good for furniture, like iroko (Milicia excelsa), like intsia (Intsia bijuga) — these are the trees that local people like to cut…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Khamis Ali Khamis has a long career in community-led conservation in Tanzania’s Zanzibar archipelago, the last six years of them in charge of Ngezi Forest Reserve on the island of Pemba.
- He says the main challenge facing the 2,900-hectare (7,200-acre) reserve is maintaining a balance between nature conservation and resource extraction by the growing human population living around it.
- “The use of natural resources is always increasing, so we need to find an alternative way” to provide local livelihoods, Khamis tells Mongabay in an interview.
- He emphasizes the importance of planting the message of conservation in youths to help build a community that ultimately supports conservation.
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Probe details the playbook of one of Amazon’s top land grabbers
20 Jan 2025 17:36:21 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/probe-details-the-playbook-of-one-of-amazons-top-land-grabbers/
author: Alexandre de Santi
dc:creator: Fernanda Wenzel
content:encoded: On Feb. 15, 2021, Brazilian cattle farmer Bruno Heller shared a contract with one of his employees, selling the Serra Formosa ranch to him. More than two years later, when Heller was targeted by a major Federal Police probe into land grabbing, it became clear that this was the first step in a sophisticated plan to steal and deforest a large chunk of public land. The date on the contract, March 16, 2006, was far earlier than the date it was actually drawn up. But there were other issues. According to investigators, the contract was a work of fiction. The 3,000-hectare (7,300-acre) property was never sold to Heller’s employee, who acted as a mere front — a common tactic in the Brazilian Amazon to evade punishment for criminal activities. Heller knew his next steps wouldn’t go unnoticed. He was preparing the ground so authorities would place the blame elsewhere. Investigations have shown that the rancher’s area of expertise is land grabbing in the southwest of Pará state, at the margins of the BR-163 road — one of the Amazon’s main deforestation hotspots, where large plots of rainforest are cleared for cattle ranching and soy crops. There, in the municipality of Altamira, near Castelo dos Sonhos district, Heller and his family members registered more than 24,000 hectares (59,300 acres) in their names, an area larger than the U.S. city of Boston. Authorities concluded that most of it spans unallocated public land, areas that belong to the federal or state governments and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Professional land grabbers operating in the Brazilian Amazon have sophisticated strategies to steal and deforest public lands and get away with it.
- According to the Federal Police, Bruno Heller is one of Amazon’s largest deforesters and relied on legal and technical advice, including a fake contract, bribing police officers, and near-real-time monitoring of deforestation work through satellite imagery, investigators said.
- Low penalties and hurdles faced by federal bodies in seizing back stolen lands from criminals have spurred the land-grabbing industry in Brazil.
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The force is strong with new giant ‘Darth Vader’ sea bug found off Vietnam
20 Jan 2025 16:04:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/the-force-is-strong-with-new-giant-darth-vader-sea-bug-found-off-vietnam/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: What’s new: From the seafood markets of Vietnam, researchers have identified a species of giant crustacean or “sea bug” that’s new to science. They’ve named it Bathynomus vaderi, for its distinctly shaped head reminiscent of the helmet of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, according to a recently published study. What the study says: Bọ biển or giant isopods, a type of large crustacean that live in cold, deep-sea waters and resemble woodlice, have become increasingly popular as an expensive local delicacy in Vietnam due to their lobster-like taste. In 2022, researchers from Hanoi University bought several specimens of these sea bugs from restaurants and local fishers in Quy Nhơn City in Central Vietnam, and sent them to crustacean experts for identification. The researchers identified most of the samples, obtained by trawlers and fishers on the Vietnamese side of the South China Sea, as the species Bathynomus jamesi. Known to reach up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) in length, B. jamesi is “the largest known supergiant species (and largest isopod) in the Indo-West Pacific,” the study’s authors write. However, the researchers observed that six of the samples had a noticeably different-shaped head and tail, and belonged to a species that was new to science. They dubbed this previously unidentified species Bathynomus vaderi after “the most famous Sith Lord in the Star Wars movie series, Darth Vader, whose helmet resembles the head of the new Bathynomus species.” The authors write that it’s not possible to identify the exact location where trawlers collected…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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What’s new: From the seafood markets of Vietnam, researchers have identified a species of giant crustacean or “sea bug” that’s new to science. They’ve named it Bathynomus vaderi, for its distinctly shaped head reminiscent of the helmet of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, according to a recently published study. What the study says: Bọ biển […]authors:
‘Unusual’ and weak La Niña confirmed, offers cooling respite after record El Niño
20 Jan 2025 11:23:43 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/unusual-and-weak-la-nina/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury
content:encoded: It’s official: a weak La Niña came into fruition in late December and is expected, with significant uncertainty, to last until sometime between February and April, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced. La Niña often brings wetter conditions to Southeast Asia and the Brazilian Amazon, while cooling global temperatures overall, potentially easing recent extreme heat. Over the past nine months, climate scientists observed an odd phenomenon. The atmosphere showed signs of a La Niña, with above-average winds blowing from east to west and drier conditions in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But the cooler ocean surface temperatures that typically accompany these atmospheric conditions weren’t present — until now. “It’s unusual to see a strong atmospheric component of La Niña without the corresponding cooler-than-average tropical Pacific surface temperature,” Emily Becker, associate director of NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, told Mongabay by email. La Niña is part of a natural climate dynamic, along with the better-known El Niño, called El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). La Niña is ENSO’s cool phase, while El Niño is its warm phase. NOAA’s weather models show there’s a 59% chance the current La Niña conditions will last until sometime between February and April, and a 60% chance that the ENSO dynamic will reach a neutral state between March and May, meaning the sea surface temperature with be within an average range. Following a powerful El Niño in 2023-2024, one of the top five strongest on record, the arrival of a weaker La…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
It’s official: a weak La Niña came into fruition in late December and is expected, with significant uncertainty, to last until sometime between February and April, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced. La Niña often brings wetter conditions to Southeast Asia and the Brazilian Amazon, while cooling global temperatures overall, potentially easing recent […]authors:
Philippine Indigenous communities restore a mountain forest to prevent urban flooding
20 Jan 2025 09:51:28 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/philippine-indigenous-communities-restore-a-mountain-forest-to-prevent-urban-flooding/
author: Keith Anthony Fabro
dc:creator: Keith Anthony Fabro
content:encoded: On the slopes of Mount Kalatungan, a protected area on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, rows of robusta coffee shrubs thrive alongside tropical hardwoods like lauan. The verdant mountain is enveloped in mid-afternoon fog, with a cold breeze sweeping through. Reynante Polenda, a 40-year-old Manobo tribesman, carefully weeds around the trees he planted years ago, using his bolo, while birds chirp in the background. “It should be kept cleared of weeds because the trees will struggle to grow if you don’t,” Polenda tells Mongabay. His breath comes in heavy gasps, and sweat drips down his face as he continues. “It’s tiring, but it’s worth it for the plants to grow well.” Many would call this agroforestry, but in this part of the Philippines it’s known as “rainforestation farming” and it’s combined with a payment for ecosystem services initiative administered by local NGO Xavier Science Foundation (XSF). The goal here is to restore forestland degraded by decades of commercial logging and agricultural expansion, to rejuvenate vital ecosystem services like flood mitigation, and to incentivize the communities driving the restoration. In the southern Philippines Bukidnon province lies Mount Kalatungan Range Natural Park, a 35,221-hectare (87,033-acre) protected area, two-thirds of which is covered in primary forest. Image by Keith Anthony Fabro/Mongabay Rainforestation farming Rainforestation farming, developed by Visayas State University (VSU) in the central Philippines in the 1990s, aims “to counter the ongoing destruction of the natural environment in the humid tropics,” former VSU president Paciencia Milan wrote in her…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Indigenous communities in the Philippines’ Mt. Kalatungan protected area have since 2015 carried out a tree-planting campaign to restore native vegetation lost to decades of commercial logging and agriculture.
- Known as rainforestation, it aims to rejuvenate vital ecosystem services like flood mitigation, which benefits urban areas downstream, while also providing incentives for the communities driving the restoration.
- The rainforestation program is led by community groups, making use of their knowledge of native plants, and marks a shift from the government’s decades-long, centrally managed reforestation efforts that relied on planting nonnative species.
- Communities are already benefiting from exports of the coffee that they grow in the shade of larger trees, but proponents of the scheme say there needs to be more interest and funding from outside to ensure long-term success.
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River culture is the rhythmic pulse of the Bengal Delta (commentary)
17 Jan 2025 22:31:50 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/riverine-culture-is-the-rhythmic-pulse-of-the-bengal-delta-commentary/
author: Erik Hoffner
dc:creator: Umme Sayeda
content:encoded: Rivers, as Bengal’s nurturing mother, shaped the soul of this land and cultural landscape. The ever-flowing water and fertile sediments formed the entire Bengal region, nourishing the Indus Valley civilization to today’s Bengali civilization. Over centuries, from sediments to sentiments to culture, rivers sketched this delta’s people’s values and belief system, art and literature, and countless folk tales. The mighty Indus and Ganges rivers, each stretching from the great Himalayas, scratched a 700,000 km2 fertile plain, the Indo-Gangetic Plain. These rivers like artists created a painting of development with their rich sediments, known as the Indus Valley Civilization. Based on some dominant opinions, natural forces spelled the end of this civilization, whether from a devastating earthquake or relentless flooding or other climatic factors. By around 1700 BCE, most inhabitants abandoned the Indus Valley in search of safer grounds, migrating to the Ganges Valley. For millennia, people living on the banks of the Indus, historically known as Hindus, fostered a deep spiritual bonding with it. They embraced ‘river religion’ as the way of life, fabricating Bengal’s folklore and traditions long before the Sonaton (old) Dharma (religion), and other religions’ rooted in the Bengal Delta, flowed from the banks of the Indus to the Ganges. On Manpura Island, a group of fisherfolk prepare nets for their next voyage. Image courtesy of Ammar Bin Asad. The dynamic process of delta formation gave birth to the ever-changing deltaic landscape of Bengal, bridging the current Bangladesh to India’s West Bengal. The waterways of Bengal always…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Reviving rivers in Bangladesh is not simply an ecological issue, but also a socio-cultural one, and an economic imperative.
- The government and the people must come together to protect and restore the rivers, not just for environmental sustainability and justice, but also to preserve the rich heritage and cultural identity associated with these waterways, a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
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Bangladesh sees first ever rewilding of captive-bred elongated tortoises
17 Jan 2025 16:22:20 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/bangladesh-sees-first-ever-rewilding-of-captive-bred-elongated-tortoises/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: Two species of critically endangered tortoises were reintroduced to Bangladesh’s forests last December. Six captive-bred elongated tortoises (Indotestudo elongata) were first released in Lawachara National Park in northeastern Bangladesh on Dec. 18. This was followed by the release of 10 Asian giant tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei) in Matamuhuri Reserve Forest in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of southeastern Bangladesh on Dec. 24. The reintroductions were a joint effort of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), the Creative Conservation Alliance (CCA) and the Bangladesh Forest Department, TSA said in a statement. “The recent release of a group of captive-bred tortoises last month is a significant milestone, but it represents the culmination of over a decade of dedicated effort,” Shahriar Caesar Rahman, CEO of CCA, told Mongabay by email. This is the first time captive-bred elongated tortoises have been reintroduced to their native habitats in Bangladesh. It follows the success of a 2021 pilot project when 10 Asian giant tortoises were released in Matamuhuri, with “zero poaching incidents and a 70% survival rate,” TSA said. Rahman said Asian giant tortoises are extinct across most of their historic range in Bangladesh and “only a remnant population of few wild individuals are found in one locality in Bangladesh-Myanmar border area.” The species has faced severe decline, mainly from poaching, subsistence hunting by local communities, and habitat loss. The elongated tortoise can be found more widely, but much of its population in Bangladesh has also been wiped out due to subsistence hunting and habitat loss. The captive-raised tortoises,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Two species of critically endangered tortoises were reintroduced to Bangladesh’s forests last December. Six captive-bred elongated tortoises (Indotestudo elongata) were first released in Lawachara National Park in northeastern Bangladesh on Dec. 18. This was followed by the release of 10 Asian giant tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei) in Matamuhuri Reserve Forest in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of […]authors:
Firefighters in LA blaze face same toxic exposure as 9/11 responders
17 Jan 2025 15:50:46 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/firefighters-in-la-blaze-face-same-toxic-exposure-as-9-11-responders/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb
content:encoded: Smoke from wildfire poses a host of health concerns, but when fires burn through urban areas, like the ongoing inferno in Los Angeles, U.S., the health risks increase dramatically. “This is an entirely different situation because the wildfire smoke is bad enough, but when synthetic materials burn, they’re going to give off more toxics, not only in the air, but also in the ash where the burned-down structures remain,” Judith Enck, a former regional administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and founder of NGO Beyond Plastics, told Mongabay by phone. According to the EPA, at least 85,000 different synthetic chemicals are used daily in common household products including clothing, packaging, carpets, computers and paint. For David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany, the biggest concerns during a fire are highly toxic chemicals like dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and asbestos — all known carcinogens. One major source of dioxins, for example, is plastic material containing chlorine, such as polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. “So that’s flooring in kitchens, that’s vinyl siding on houses, that’s PVC piping that moves drinking water,” Enck said. A 2022 study found people living in areas prone to wildfire had a 5% elevated risk for lung cancer and 10% higher risk for brain cancer. “If you add plastic and burn plastic that really makes huge amounts of dioxin formation,” Carpenter said. Dioxins are long-lived in the environment with a half-life of roughly a decade. “So, it’s going to be a…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Smoke from wildfire poses a host of health concerns, but when fires burn through urban areas, like the ongoing inferno in Los Angeles, U.S., the health risks increase dramatically. “This is an entirely different situation because the wildfire smoke is bad enough, but when synthetic materials burn, they’re going to give off more toxics, not only in […]authors:
In Bangladesh, a botanist brings quick, fun lessons to social media
17 Jan 2025 13:22:47 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/in-bangladesh-a-botanist-brings-quick-fun-lessons-to-social-media/
author: Abusiddique
dc:creator: Mohammad Al-Masum Molla
content:encoded: In the bustling city of Dhaka, Azharul Islam Khan is developing a growing community of plant enthusiasts, one video at a time. With a degree in botany from Dhaka University and a 27-year-long career in the pharmaceutical industry, 54-year-old Azharul has always had a passion for plants. But it wasn’t just his formal education that fueled his love for botany. He says he believes that anyone can learn to identify plants, regardless of academic background. This belief drove him to take his plant knowledge beyond the classroom and into the homes of thousands of people through short engaging videos on Facebook and YouTube. Some of his videos have even gone viral, receiving more than 10 million views within just 24 hours. Azharul’s journey of plant identification began in 2008, but it was only recently in 2023 that he decided to go online to share his wealth of knowledge with the world. He says that formal education is not necessary to learn about the natural world. “You don’t need a degree to recognize plants,” he says. “You just need curiosity and a willingness to observe.” His knowledge of scientific names and deep understanding of plant characteristics comes from years of self-study and experience. He is particularly passionate about preserving medicinal and endangered species. Of the estimated 6,000 flora species found in Bangladesh, 127 species are listed as endangered and 262 as vulnerable. Azharul’s focus is on discovering rare and endangered species, and he keeps their locations private to protect them from…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - A botany expert turned online educator in Bangladesh is proving that anyone can become a plant enthusiast, no educational degree required.
- With his short, snappy videos, Azharul Islam Khan has captivated around a million followers on social media, teaching them about the diversity of Bangladeshi plants and trees.
- His engaging content isn’t just for plant lovers; it’s building a diverse community of students, eco-conscious families and nature enthusiasts.
- Azharul is on a mission to protect the environment, advocating sustainable tree planting and educating the public about the importance of balanced ecosystems.
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A venomous Australian spider turns out to be 3 species, not 1
17 Jan 2025 06:01:51 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/a-venomous-australian-spider-turns-out-to-be-3-species-not-1/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta
content:encoded: The Sydney funnel-web spider, a highly venomous arachnid found crawling in and around Australia’s most populous city, was long thought to be a single species. But it’s actually three different species, a new study has found. One of these, called “Big Boy” for its unusually large size, is new to science. “You would think we would’ve had the Sydney funnel-web spider’s diversity and evolution figured out because it’s such a charismatic animal, but it just goes to show that for most of arthropods, we know so little,” study lead author Stephanie Loria, formerly a researcher at the Museum of Nature in Hamburg, Germany, told Mongabay by phone. The dark, glossy Sydney funnel-web spider was originally described in 1877 as Atrax robustus. The name stuck until more recently when staff at the Australian Reptile Park, which milks venom from the fangs of Sydney funnel-webs to produce antivenom, reported noticing some unusually large individuals originating from around the neighboring city of Newcastle. Intrigued, researchers collected funnel-web spiders from the Sydney region and compared them with specimens held in the Australian Museum. Genetic analysis split the spiders into three very distinct groups. When dissected and studied under a microscope, the three groups also looked different, with very different genitalia. The study now identifies three species of Sydney funnel-web spider: The classic Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus) is found mainly in the greater Sydney region and Central Coast. The Southern Sydney funnel-web (Atrax montanus) occurs mostly south and west of Sydney, with some overlap…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
The Sydney funnel-web spider, a highly venomous arachnid found crawling in and around Australia’s most populous city, was long thought to be a single species. But it’s actually three different species, a new study has found. One of these, called “Big Boy” for its unusually large size, is new to science. “You would think we […]authors:
Sustaining a 400-year-old Ethiopian farming tradition: Interview with elder Gehano Guchoir
17 Jan 2025 06:00:07 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/the-elder-sustaining-a-400-year-old-ethiopian-farming-tradition-interview-with-gehano-nekayto/
author: Latoya Abulu
dc:creator: Solomon Yimer
content:encoded: KONSO, Ethiopia — Across rugged highlands, terraces crafted from stone and earth stretch over steep hillsides like giant ripples of water. They’re part of a 400-year-old agricultural system in southern Ethiopia that’s recognized as a U.N. World Heritage Site and enabled the region’s Konso farmers to thrive in a place that’s otherwise dry, arid and harsh. For 97-year-old Gehano Guchiro Nekayto, these terraces aren’t just a method of farming; they’re the lifeblood of his community and represent a vital connection to land and cultural identity. A father of 10 and grandfather of 15, Gehano has worked the land in the ward, or kebele, of Mechelo for the past eight decades. He’s cultivated a variety of crops, including soybeans, sorghum and fruit trees. Also a skilled craftsman, Gehano learned to build these terraces from his father, who himself learnt it from his elders. Today, Gehano’s small farm, located in the semiarid, high-altitude hills of the zone named after his people, continues to thrive despite the challenging environment and climate change impacts. The terraces, passed down through generations, are crucial for maintaining soil fertility, preventing erosion and conserving water. Rainwater harvested in drainage basins and runoff diverts from paths and roads to irrigate the terraces, allowing water to nourish crops during wet and dry season alike, and ensuring the land’s sustainability. Through these techniques, the Konso have developed a farming system that allows them to maintain agricultural productivity despite the harsh conditions, says Kussie Belay, head of the district agricultural office. “Farming…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - In southern Ethiopia, the Konso people have maintained a 400-year-old stone terracing system, essential for farming in the region’s semiarid environment.
- This UNESCO-listed practice helps prevent soil erosion, conserve water and enhance agricultural productivity, and at the heart of it are the Konso elders who play a crucial role in passing down the knowledge of terracing to younger generations.
- However, population growth and climate change threaten the survival of the terracing system, and with land becoming scarce, many young Konso people are migrating to cities, leaving behind traditional farming.
- Combined with the unpredictable impacts of climate change, this exodus risks severing the transmission of critical knowledge and weakening the community’s agricultural practices and cultural identity.
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Plans for bauxite mine in Suriname reignite Indigenous land rights debate
16 Jan 2025 18:10:11 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/plans-for-bauxite-mine-in-suriname-reignite-indigenous-land-rights-debate/
author: Alexandrapopescu
dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin
content:encoded: Plans for a major mining project in western Suriname have sounded alarms in nearby Indigenous communities, who say that the project will destroy local ecosystems, violate their land rights and encroach on their traditional ways of life. A bauxite mine run by Chinese corporation Chinalco could begin operating in 2026, with first construction work planned for the middle of this year. The scale of the project has worried activists, who say the government is prioritizing the economy over the rights of its citizens. “There’s nothing wrong with looking to improve infrastructure. There’s nothing wrong with looking to bring jobs — that’s absolutely great,” John Goedschalk, head of Climate Change Advisory Services, a climate and conservation consulting group, told Mongabay. “But let’s do it right. Let’s do it in a way that doesn’t take away the rights of people to live where they live.” If approved by parliament, the 30-year project will allow Chinalco to produce around 6 million tons of bauxite annually on a 280,000-hectare (691,895-acre) site. The mineral is used in the production of aluminum and has been a cornerstone of Suriname’s economy for decades. A Scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) in Suriname. Photo by Tim Strater via Wikimedia. The mine, located near the village of Bakhuis, will require refurbishing and expanding infrastructure for a harbor and railroad built in the 1970s, and gives the company “priority right” to use the Corantijn river for dredging, a process involving the removal of riverbed sediment. The company also has first rights to…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - A bauxite mine run by Chinese corporation Chinalco could begin operating next year, endangering a 280,000-hectare (about 692,000 acres) area of western Suriname inhabited by Indigenous communities.
- The mine will require refurbishing and expanding infrastructure for a harbor and railroad built in the 1970s, and gives the company “priority right” to use the Corantijn river for dredging.
- Indigenous groups said they weren’t properly consulted about the project and that the government is unfairly labeling their territory as public domain.
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Safeguarding the shea nut legacy for Ugandan women
16 Jan 2025 17:30:47 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/video/2025/01/safeguarding-the-shea-nut-legacy-for-ugandan-women/
author: Juliettechapalain
dc:creator: Pat Robert LarubiStephen Okello
content:encoded: KAL AWINYA, Uganda – In rural Uganda, 34-year-old Adong Betty from Kal Awinya village shares how shea nuts sustain her family and community. Her own childhood was marked by active participation in collecting and processing shea nuts with her mother, instilling in her a deep respect for this tradition. Shea nuts are a critical part of her livelihood: she collects, dries, processes and sells shea nuts and their byproducts, like shea oil and butter. The income earned goes toward essential needs such as school fees for her children, medical expenses, and buying clothes. Betty advocates for preserving shea trees amid deforestation threats, teaching future generations their value, including in in cooking and as a remedy for skin ailments. Her story highlights resilience, cultural heritage, and the vital role of the shea tree in transforming lives. Mongabay’s Video Team wants to cover questions and topics that matter to you. Are there any inspiring people, urgent issues, or local stories that you’d like us to cover? We want to hear from you. Be a part of our reporting process—get in touch with us here! Banner image: Adong Betty processing shea nuts. Image ©Stephen Okello. Shea trees are falling fast across Africa, victims of new pressures (commentary)This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
KAL AWINYA, Uganda – In rural Uganda, 34-year-old Adong Betty from Kal Awinya village shares how shea nuts sustain her family and community. Her own childhood was marked by active participation in collecting and processing shea nuts with her mother, instilling in her a deep respect for this tradition. Shea nuts are a critical part […]authors:
Should mining companies consider no-go zones where isolated Indigenous peoples live? (Commentary)
16 Jan 2025 16:48:05 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/should-mining-companies-consider-no-go-zones-where-isolated-indigenous-peoples-live-commentary/
author: Latoya Abulu
dc:creator: Danielle Martin
content:encoded: As the demand for critical minerals intensifies with the energy transition, the need for a rights-based approach to mining, focused on respect, is more relevant than ever. This approach relies on meaningful and inclusive engagement and participation of affected Indigenous peoples’ in decisions about if and how mining should occur on their lands and how they share in the benefits. While obtaining agreement is often challenging, it is essential to build trust and ensure that development can occur without harm and in a way that local communities benefit. But for Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, engagement and participation may not be possible, and agreement may not be attainable due to no-contact principles (potentially rendering inclusive engagement commitments like those set out in ICMM’s updated Indigenous Peoples and Mining Position Statement unrealizable). Where does this leave responsible miners who remain committed to respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples? What careful considerations and alternative (sensitive) approaches are possible in such situations, especially where there is a lack of protections and legal safeguards that mandate these protections by the State? Who are Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation? The United Nations estimates that around 200 groups of Indigenous peoples currently live in voluntary isolation and initial contact. They are entirely dependent on their natural environment, meaning any changes to it could potentially significantly impact their survival. Dozens of isolated Indigenous Mashco Piro men and boys on a beach in the Peruvian Amazon. Image courtesy of Survival International. Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation live without…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Irresponsible mining for critical minerals, like those used in renewable technologies, can threaten the existence of Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, who are amongst the world’s most vulnerable populations.
- Companies like Tesla are considering no-go zones where uncontacted people live. While the idea of establishing these zones is increasingly pragmatic, the author says the most crucial thing for companies to do is conduct rigorous human rights due diligence from the initial stages of mine development right through to closure.
- Danielle Martin from the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) says this approach relies on the meaningful and inclusive engagement and the participation of affected Indigenous peoples. But for Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, engagement and participation may not be possible and agreement may not be attainable.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
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Ogoni women restore mangroves and livelihoods in oil-rich Niger Delta
16 Jan 2025 15:50:40 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/ogoni-women-restore-mangroves-and-livelihoods-in-oil-rich-niger-delta/
author: Latoya Abulu
dc:creator: Aimee Gabay
content:encoded: A women-led reforestation effort has planted millions of mangrove trees with a high survival rate across swamps in Nigeria’s oil-rich and severely degraded Niger Delta. For decades, the Ogoni people of the delta’s Ogoniland region have faced the impacts of numerous oil spills, logging, and the spread of invasive nipa palms that destroyed thousands of mangroves they rely on for their livelihoods. As a result of the reforestation initiative’s reported successes so far, the government has hired some Ogoni women to share their technical knowledge and plant mangroves for its rehabilitation project of contaminated sites (Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project — HYPREP). While independent studies on the impacts of this reforestation effort are yet to be published, sources say anecdotal evidence suggests that fish stocks are beginning to bounce back and some conservationists say they’re hopeful. “I am glad to see this women’s group so effective and active in attempting to restore their mangroves,” said Alfredo Quarto, program and policy director and co-founder of the Mangrove Action Project, a U.S.-based NGO, told Mongabay by email. The Niger Delta hosts Africa’s biggest mangrove forest ecosystem and is also home to some of the continent’s largest oil and gas reserves. This vast wetland stretches across more than 100,000 square kilometers (39,000 square miles) and nine Nigerian states. The mangrove forests, which often store more carbon than other forest types, contain several species of mangrove trees, such as red (Rhizophora racemosa), white (Laguncularia racemosa) and black (Avicennia germinans). They’re home to a rich diversity…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - After decades of crude oil spills and the introduction of invasive plant species, thousands of hectares of mangroves in the Niger Delta are destroyed, impacting aquatic species and women’s livelihoods.
- Ogoni women from coastal villages, supported by the Lokiaka Community Development Centre, have been at the forefront of reforestation efforts.
- The women have planted 2.6 million mangrove trees since 2018, drawing attention from a government agency that hired them to share their knowledge and plant mangroves for its oil spill rehabilitation project.
- Around 300 women from Ogoni communities have been trained in mangrove reforestation.
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Elephants, gorillas and chimps hold out in Cameroon’s largest protected landscape
16 Jan 2025 14:42:45 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/elephants-gorillas-and-chimps-hold-out-in-cameroons-largest-protected-landscape/
author: Jeremy Hance
dc:creator: Leocadia Bongben
content:encoded: A survey has found populations of elephant, gorillas and chimpanzees in and around two national parks in southeastern Cameroon has remained relatively stable since 2016. Conservation officials have welcomed this “positive” trend but warn that various threats persist in the region. The survey was conducted by WWF in collaboration with Cameroon’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife in Boumba Bek National Park, Nki National Park, and nearby logging concessions and communal forests, covering a total area of 1.08 million hectares (2.68 million acres). It found an estimated 1,004 forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) and 19,472 great apes (gorillas and chimps). The results further revealed that elephant density in the parks is 68% greater than in nearby logging concessions. However, the total elephant density in the parks still remains lower than in other protected areas in the Congo Basin. Meanwhile, the population of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in Nki National Park tripled, and that of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) increased slightly in both parks. “The situation is positive,” says Gilles Etoga, conservation director at WWF Cameroon. “The fauna potential of Boumba Bek and Nki continues to be present and representative of the fauna and the great mammals of the Cameroonian forest and is quite well distributed over the two parks and their peripheral areas.” The region’s forest elephants were hit hard in the past. A previous survey, from 2015-2016, revealed a decline of more than 75% in the elephant population of Nki and Boumba Bek, which it attributed to poaching. The IUCN Red List…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - A new survey finds that populations of forest elephants, lowland gorillas and chimpanzees have remained relatively stable in a large landscape in southeastern Cameroon.
- In some cases, populations actually rose significantly in the region’s protected areas, but declined on the outskirts.
- Officials attribute this “positive” trend to hard work and the implementation of a “permanent presence technique” to deter poaching by engaging more closely with local communities.
- However, they say more effort is still needed to combat poaching for tusks and the trafficking of great apes.
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Satellite ‘backpacks’ help keep track of parrot migration in Mexico
16 Jan 2025 12:18:50 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/satellite-backpacks-help-keep-track-of-parrot-migration-in-mexico/
author: Abhishyantkidangoor
dc:creator: Abhishyant Kidangoor
content:encoded: When James Sheppard set out to deploy tiny backpacks fitted with satellite transmitters to track endangered thick-billed parrots in 2019, doubts abounded. His colleagues were concerned it wasn’t going to work. A vendor he worked with refused to sell him the transmitters, worried it might be a futile attempt. The concerns weren’t unfounded. Thick-billed parrots (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) are named after their large and sturdy beaks that they use to break open pine cones and nut shells. “They have a can opener for a face,” Sheppard, a scientist in recovery ecology at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA), told Mongabay in a video interview. “We thought they would just rip it [the transmitter] straight off.” However, Sheppard saw an opportunity when a lone bird was brought into SDZWA from another facility. While the bird was under quarantine, he put a backpack on it. Much to his surprise, the bird “ignored it and went on to feed on some pine nuts,” he said. “It stayed on for several weeks.” Four years on, the team at SDZWA along with its partners at Mexican conservation NGO Organización Vida Silvestre (OVIS) have deployed the backpacks on 57 thick-billed parrots. So far, the technology has yielded more than 71,000 data points that have helped the team understand the birds’ migratory patterns and identify habitats that are crucial for protection. “It opened up a whole new world of good decision-making for us,” Ernesto Enkerlin-Hoeflich, scientific director at OVIS, told Mongabay in a video interview. “We were able…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Scientists and conservationists have deployed lightweight satellite backpacks, containing transmitters, to study and understand the migration patterns of thick-billed parrots.
- Teams from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in the U.S. and conservation NGO Organización Vida Silvestre in Mexico have gathered more than 70,000 data points over four years.
- The data helped them identify corridors that are critical for the birds’ movements; they also served to justify the designation of protected areas that are important for the birds.
- Thick-billed parrots, known for their raucous calls, are an endangered species endemic to Mexico; illegal logging in recent years has led to the degradation of their habitats.
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Vested interests and social tribes in the Pan Amazon
16 Jan 2025 11:58:56 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/vested-interests-and-social-tribes-in-the-pan-amazon/
author: Mayra
dc:creator: Timothy J. Killeen
content:encoded: The private sector is the largest single promoter of conventional development. Its lobbying organizations tend to be well-funded and staffed with competent individuals grounded in the analytical abilities of traditional economics and the communication skills of public relations professionals. Its members are the quintessential vested interests whose business models rely on access to mineral resources and arable land. They form alliances with labor unions and producer associations that benefit from investments in transportation infrastructure and affordable energy. Most grower associations and business groups have embraced the principles of sustainability, and many participate in high-profile initiatives to improve the environmental and social performance of their sector. Nonetheless, they interpret sustainability within the context of their current production model, which they tend to view as ‘essential’ to the national economy; consequently, any potential impact is one that must be managed, rather than avoided. Individuals and corporations join organizations that represent their economic interests; this includes producer associations, landholder syndicates, worker unions, business guilds and chambers of commerce. Some exert influence locally, while others lobby elected officials and regulatory agencies at the national level. The most influential operate within vertical frameworks that communicate the opinions of their base constituency to the higher echelons of the national power structure. Their political influence is directly correlated with their economic power and they form alliances among themselves. Local and regional actors, particularly commercial and landowner elites in mid-sized cities, play an important role in the expansion and improvement of road networks. In Brazil, for example, local…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Local and regional actors, particularly commercial and landowner elites in mid-sized cities, play an important role in the expansion and improvement of road networks. In Brazil, lobbying by private interests played a big role in the development of Rodovia Transamazônica and BR-319.
- In Brazil, agribusinesses exert political power via the Frente Parlamentar da Agropecuária (FPA), often referred to as the Bancada Ruralista, a multi-party congressional voting bloc.
- One of the most significant accomplishment of the ruralistas was their 2012 campaign to modify Brazil’s the Forest Code. Changes included amnesty for property owners who had illegally deforested land before 2008 and adjusted requirements to reforest portions of landholdings that had exceeded legal deforestation limits.
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African Parks closes deal to manage Ethiopia’s Gambella National Park
16 Jan 2025 11:37:07 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/african-parks-closes-deal-to-manage-ethiopias-gambella-national-park/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Ashoka Mukpo
content:encoded: South Africa-based conservation NGO African Parks has signed a long-term deal with Ethiopian authorities to manage Gambella National Park. The park is Ethiopia’s largest protected area, a 4,575-square-kilometer (1,766-square-mile) landscape on the border with South Sudan. Its savannas, floodplains, and woodlands host some of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Ethiopia, including threatened species such as its largest remaining population of savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana), as well as Nubian giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) and Nile lechwe (Kobus megaceros), a type of antelope. Julian Bayliss, who worked with the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) as a technical adviser told Mongabay that the Ethiopian government is likely hoping African Parks can help increase the number of visitors to Gambella. “Tourism to the parks in Ethiopia, except for the Simien mountains, is very, very low. There are not many coming, and there should be, because it’s a very exciting landscape. It’s full of interesting animals, it’s got good numbers, it’s got good diversity, it’s got good species,” he said. Gambella forms part of a wider landscape that encompasses two parks across the border in South Sudan: Boma National Park and Badingilo National Park, both of which are also managed by African Parks. Last year, the group announced findings of an aerial survey that showed an annual migration of 6 million antelopes between the three parks. “[That’s] double the size of the Serengeti wildebeest migration, which makes it the largest in Africa,” Bayliss said. Endangered Nile Lechwe in Gambella National Park. Image courtesy of African…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - South Africa-based conservation NGO African Parks signed a long-term deal in December 2024 to manage Gambella National Park in Ethiopia.
- The agreement brings the number of protected areas under management by African Parks to 23 in 13 countries.
- Gambella is part of a wider landscape that includes Boma and Badilingo national parks, across the border in South Sudan.
- The Gambella region has been conflict-prone in recent years, with a documented history of human rights violations by the Ethiopian government and other groups.
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Mongabay documentary spotlights Indigenous alliance to protect Amazon headwaters
16 Jan 2025 11:08:05 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/mongabay-documentary-spotlights-indigenous-alliance-to-protect-amazon-headwaters/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury
content:encoded: Mongabay’s new short documentary The Time of Water premiered Dec. 16 at the Barcelona Center for Contemporary Culture, in Spain. Directed by Pablo Albarenga and produced with support from the Pulitzer Center and OpenDemocracy, the 18-minute documentary explores the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance and its fight to protect one of the world’s most vital sources of freshwater. A vast network of waterways born in the glaciers of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru descend to form the headwaters of the innumerable rivers that feed the Marañón River and, ultimately, the Amazon River. The water flowing from these headwaters supplies much of the Amazon Basin, sustaining the world’s largest and most biodiverse rainforest. The filmmakers follow two Indigenous leaders: Uyunkar Domingo Peas Nampichkai of the Achuar people from Ecuador and Wrays Pérez Ramírez of the Wampís Nation from Peru. In the film, Peas and Pérez travel from village to village along the tributaries of the Marañón, the mainstem source of the Amazon River, to strengthen the alliance, which unites more than 30 Indigenous nations across 35 million hectares (86.5 million acres) of rainforest straddling the Ecuador-Peru border, an area the size of Germany. The documentary takes a fly-on-the-wall approach, observing the everyday lives and spiritual connection that the two Indigenous leaders have with the water that fuels life on their land. The full story with details of the journey is available here. “We don’t live without water,” Pérez told Mongabay contributor and the documentary’s producer, Francesc Badia i Dalmases. “That’s why…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Mongabay’s new short documentary The Time of Water premiered Dec. 16 at the Barcelona Center for Contemporary Culture, in Spain. Directed by Pablo Albarenga and produced with support from the Pulitzer Center and OpenDemocracy, the 18-minute documentary explores the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance and its fight to protect one of the world’s most vital sources […]authors:
1 lynx dead, 3 quarantined after suspected illegal release in Scotland
16 Jan 2025 09:09:31 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/1-lynx-dead-3-quarantined-after-suspected-illegal-release-in-scotland/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: What started out as a reported sighting of a pair of Eurasian lynx in the Scottish Highlands has turned out to be an alleged case of “guerrilla rewilding” or, at the very least, illegal release of four individuals of a species long extinct in the area, media reports say. A pair of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) were first seen in snow-covered Cairngorms National Park on Jan. 8, then caught the next day by staff from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) along with Scottish police and park rangers. On Jan. 10, camera traps placed by RZSS spotted another pair of lynx in the park, which were also captured, RZSS said in a statement. One of the last two individuals caught has died. Laura Moore, RZSS communications manager, told Mongabay by email that they learned about the death of the fourth lynx on Jan. 11. The organization is awaiting results of a postmortem to learn its cause of death, Helen Senn, head of conservation at RZSS, told the BBC. RZSS said the remaining three lynx have been medically evaluated by veterinarians and moved to a quarantine facility at Edinburgh Zoo for 30 days. “All three lynx are doing well here [in the care of] expert keepers and vets,” Moore said. The Eurasian Lynx is a medium-sized wildcat categorized as “least concern” on the IUCN Red List as its population is considered stable in northern Europe and parts of Asia. However, studies suggest that it went extinct in Scotland more than…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
What started out as a reported sighting of a pair of Eurasian lynx in the Scottish Highlands has turned out to be an alleged case of “guerrilla rewilding” or, at the very least, illegal release of four individuals of a species long extinct in the area, media reports say. A pair of Eurasian lynx (Lynx […]authors:
Serious groundwater contamination in several parts of India: Report
16 Jan 2025 08:24:03 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/serious-groundwater-contamination-in-several-parts-of-india-report/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Mongabay.com
content:encoded: A recent analysis has revealed that India’s groundwater contains pollutants in excess of permissible limits. This contamination is driven by both natural geochemical processes and human activities like agricultural and industrial practices, reports contributor Esha Lohia for Mongabay India. To understand the state of groundwater in India, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) assessed more than 15,000 groundwater samples from across the country in 2023. It found that nearly 20% of the samples had high levels of nitrates, while 13.2% exceeded permissible limits for iron, 9.04% for fluoride, 6.6% for uranium and 3.55% for arsenic. Each of these pollutants are linked with serious health effects at unsafe levels, the report notes. Nitrates, a significant pollutant in India’s groundwater, was found to exceed the safe limit of 45 milligrams per liter in about 56% of India’s districts — an increase from 359 affected districts in 2017 to 440 districts in 2023. The contamination was particularly widespread in states like Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Agricultural runoff and overuse of nitrogen-based fertilizers, as well as improper management of nitrogen-rich animal waste, drive nitrate contamination, Lohia writes. When nitrate levels in groundwater surpass safe limits, they can have major health consequences, including methemoglobinemia, or blue baby syndrome, in infants, which is when the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity is considerably reduced. Another concerning pollutant in India’s groundwater is uranium. Lohia writes that most of the uranium-contaminated samples, with levels far beyond the safe limit of 30 parts per billion,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
A recent analysis has revealed that India’s groundwater contains pollutants in excess of permissible limits. This contamination is driven by both natural geochemical processes and human activities like agricultural and industrial practices, reports contributor Esha Lohia for Mongabay India. To understand the state of groundwater in India, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) assessed more […]authors:
Mining in a forest conservation site clouds Republic of Congo’s carbon credit scheme
16 Jan 2025 08:00:32 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/mining-in-a-forest-conservation-site-clouds-republic-of-congos-carbon-credit-scheme/
author: Christophe Assogba
dc:creator: Elodie Toto
content:encoded: This article was produced with the support of the Pulitzer Center Rainforest Investigations Network in collaboration with the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP). It is the first part of a two-part series. Environmentalist Justin Landry Chekoua says he’s shocked by images of century-old trees uprooted and rivers contaminated in the northern Sangha region of the Republic of Congo. Mongabay had taken photos of an open-pit gold mine within the boundaries of an area designated as part of the Sangha Likouala REDD+ program. “Looking at it … this is a mining operation with no regard for sustainability,” Chekoua says. Over the past eight months, Mongabay has conducted an in-depth investigation into the Sangha Likouala REDD+ initiative. We traveled to the Sangha region, reviewed hundreds of official documents, and uncovered a troubling reality: since the REDD+ project’s launch in 2020, the country’s mining minister, Pierre Oba, has issued at least 79 semi-industrial gold mining and exploration permits. This marks a sharp increase from the period between 2017 and 2020, when only eight mining permits were officially issued in the same region, according to a Ministry of Finance report. By definition, a REDD+ project is designed to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. Yet in the Sangha region, 14% of the territory has already been marked out for gold exploration. This doesn’t account for permits to search for the other minerals, such as iron, that are mined on an industrial scale in the area. The consequences for the region are severe, impacting…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - The Republic of Congo set up a REDD+ program in the Sangha and Likouala regions, aiming to reduce deforestation and store carbon from 2020 through to 2024.
- However, in the Sangha region alone, the country’s mining minister has issued at least 79 semi-industrial gold mining and exploration permits since the project began.
- Scientists reviewing images of these mining activities condemn the “reckless” destruction of biodiversity.
- The government says the program stored more than 1.5 million metric tons of carbon in 2020, for which it expects to be paid more than $8 million from the World Bank.
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Thai farmers demand action to restore ecosystems, compensate for invasive fish
16 Jan 2025 01:29:21 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/thai-farmers-demand-action-to-restore-ecosystems-compensate-for-invasive-fish/
author: Isabel Esterman
dc:creator: Carolyn Cowan
content:encoded: BANGKOK — Farmers and environmental advocates rallied in Bangkok Jan. 13 to demand the government and a private corporation take serious action to address the escalating spread of blackchin tilapia, a highly invasive species of fish, in Thailand’s waterways. Fisheries department surveys have identified blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) in 19 provinces surrounding the Gulf of Thailand, encompassing Bangkok, south to Songkhla province and east to Chanthaburi, stoking fears the species could make its way into neighboring Cambodia. Shoals of the species are overgrazing algae and planktivorous animals that form the basis of the aquatic food chain, depleting freshwater ecosystems and impacting shrimp and other aquaculture businesses. Academics say the invasion is a “critical ecological threat,” and while fishery officials pulled some 1,300 metric tons of blackchin tilapia from affected waterways between February and August 2024, the activists say they’re disappointed with the way authorities have handled the crisis. “The government and various agencies have not taken consistent and serious action,” Thira Wongcharoen, a farmer from Chanthaburi province, said at the rally. A blackchin tilapia caught on a fishing line in Thailand. Image courtesy of Nonn Panitvong. Roughly 150 demonstrators from the 19 affected provinces, including fishers, small-scale aquaculture farmers and academics, attended the rallies in Bangkok outside Government House and in front of CP Tower, headquarters of CP Group, which they blame for introducing the fish into the country. The species is native to brackish coastal habitats in West Africa and has a physiology that makes it a formidable invasive.…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Citizens rallied in Bangkok this week demanding accountability and action from the government and private corporations following an outbreak of invasive fish that has ravaged Thailand’s freshwater ecosystems and aquaculture industry.
- Blackchin tilapia, an omnivorous species native to West Africa, is highly adaptable, breeds rapidly and is capable of outcompeting native wildlife and commercially farmed species, including shrimp.
- Thailand’s largest agricultural conglomerate has come under scrutiny because it obtained a permit to import the species in 2010, shortly before the first detections in the wild in the same province as its research facility.
- The activists urged the government to eradicate the species, compensate affected farmers and identity the parties responsible for the outbreak.
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The paradox of balancing conservation efforts for Himalayan wolves and snow leopards (commentary)
15 Jan 2025 22:38:16 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/the-paradox-of-balancing-conservation-efforts-for-himalayan-wolves-and-snow-leopards-commentary/
author: Erik Hoffner
dc:creator: Naresh Kusi
content:encoded: The Himalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) and snow leopard (Panthera uncia) are apex predators in alpine ecosystems. By controlling the numbers of meso-predators and herbivores, these top predators can have cascading effects on plant and animal species at different trophic levels. Their predation activities create intricate trophic interactions that help stabilize food webs and promote a balanced ecosystem. These predators support nutrient cycling by helping scavengers through carrion provisioning and dispersing essential nutrients across the ecosystem. Furthermore, these carnivores attract global tourism, providing local communities with valuable ecotourism opportunities. These opportunities provide alternative livelihoods for pastoralists and other communities living in these mountainous regions, offering them a sustainable source of income that aligns with conservation goals. As iconic symbols of wildlife conservation, these predators inspire efforts to protect the Himalayan ecosystem, garnering support from local communities and international conservation organizations. Their presence enriches regional biodiversity and highlights the interconnectedness of life forms, emphasizing the importance of preserving the balance of the high-altitude environments. Perceptions and economic impacts on pastoral communities Mountain pastoralists in Asia often hold negative views of snow leopards and wolves due to predation on livestock that are essential for their income and food security. For these communities, livestock rearing is not merely a way of life; it is central to their economic survival, providing vital products like meat, milk, and wool. In recent years, shifts toward commercial agriculture have increased the economic value of livestock, making each animal crucial to the household’s financial well-being. For marginalized communities,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Although snow leopards cause greater livestock losses than Himalayan wolves, human communities generally show greater tolerance and acceptance toward snow leopards.
- This ‘predator paradox,’ where the more damaging predator is more tolerated, leads to less conservation support for wolves and more for snow leopards.
- “Both snow leopards and wolves are crucial to the Himalayan ecosystem, but conservation has overwhelmingly favored snow leopards. This disparity in attention and resources amplifies the challenges faced by wolves, highlighting the need for a balanced approach to conserve both species effectively,” a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
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Brazil’s Amazon shipping plan faces criticism for environmental and social impact
15 Jan 2025 17:12:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/brazils-amazon-shipping-plan-faces-criticism-for-environmental-and-social-impact/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Mongabay.com
content:encoded: Brazil is set to approve a controversial expansion of 2,000 kilometers, or more than 1,200 miles, of new shipping channels in the Amazon. With a price tag in the billions of reais, the expansion is needed to ensure cheaper, more efficient transportation of agricultural commodities out of the Amazon, the government says. But an investigation by Mongabay contributor Tiffany Higgins found minimal economic benefits compared to the high socioenvironmental costs the project will likely bring. The Tocantins-Araguaia waterway project began under the previous president, Jair Bolsonaro, but in August 2024, federal prosecutors sued to stop the process, claiming the environmental review was incomplete. Indeed, 27 required studies were missing from the process. Parts of the channel project were approved with hydrology data from 2017, when river levels were much higher than in the last two years when a crippling drought caused record-low water levels. The Tocantins River, for example, is normally 3-3.5 meters (9.8-11.5 feet) high in the dry season, but in October 2024 it was just 2 m (6.6 ft) high. Many barges need at least 2.5 m (8.2 ft) of water to safely navigate rivers. So, a large area may need to be dredged, significantly adding to the cost of the project. Ships can lighten their load to sit higher in the water, an option that will also make shipping more expensive and each bargeload of grain more carbon intensive. “Every foot of reduced water depth or draft is the equivalent of loading 7,000 fewer bushels of soybeans per barge,” Mike…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Brazil is set to approve a controversial expansion of 2,000 kilometers, or more than 1,200 miles, of new shipping channels in the Amazon. With a price tag in the billions of reais, the expansion is needed to ensure cheaper, more efficient transportation of agricultural commodities out of the Amazon, the government says. But an investigation by […]authors:
‘LIFE’ scores map out where habitat loss for crops drives extinction
15 Jan 2025 16:18:25 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/life-scores-map-out-where-habitat-loss-for-crops-drives-extinction/
author: Jeremy Hance
dc:creator: John Cannon
content:encoded: Across the globe, no other human activity currently affects the survival of wildlife species more than where we choose to grow our food. Alongside other impacts like hunting and climate change, agricultural production is helping to drive what scientists call Earth’s sixth mass extinction, with roughly three times more extinctions happening now than expected to occur naturally. The most recent Living Planet report led by WWF documented a 73% average slide in wildlife populations since 1970. Amid the gravity of the situation, researchers have been searching for ways to halt or even reverse the decline. With that goal in mind, an international team of scientists has developed a tool to help understand the implications of converting forests and other ecosystems to farmland — and what’s to be gained from protecting and restoring areas as well. The team calls the metric “Land-cover change Impacts of Future Extinctions,” or LIFE. They published their work Jan. 9 in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Each LIFE score represents how a species would be impacted in a specified area of habitat if that ecosystem were converted to agriculture or restored. The underlying analysis harnesses high-performance computing to combine habitat information from the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, with global land-cover data for more than 30,000 species of vertebrates. The idea is to provide “off-the-shelf” map layers to guide decision-making about land-use change, lead author Alison Eyres, a postdoctoral research associate in zoology at the University of Cambridge in…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Altering natural habitats for agriculture is the single biggest driver of extinctions.
- Land conversion is contributing to what scientists call Earth’s sixth mass extinction.
- Now, new maps link the conversion of landscapes to the risk of extinction for species; they also help identify places where restoration could increase the probability that species will survive.
- The tool works accurately on areas of land ranging from 0.5-1,000 km² (0.2-386 mi²), and could be used by consumers and conservation groups to identify key areas to prioritize for conservation or restoration.
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Smart tags reveal migratory bats are storm-front surfers
15 Jan 2025 15:59:19 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/smart-tags-reveal-migratory-bats-are-storm-front-surfers/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: What’s new: Some bats, like birds, migrate long distances. But these long-distance bat migrations have been somewhat of a mystery to researchers, especially since only a few species embark on them. Now, in a new study, researchers have mapped the odyssey of common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) using innovative tiny trackers. And the results have surprised them: the trackers reveal that the noctule travels far across Europe by “surfing” warm winds that precede storms. What the study says: For long, bat migration has been “poorly understood” because researchers lacked the tools to follow multiple bats over long periods of time, Edward Hurme, the study’s lead author from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) in Germany, said in a video statement. To address this, Hurme and his colleagues designed specialized tags that weigh just over a gram each that can be attached to bats. The tags use what’s called the Internet of Things technology, relying on a large wireless network of devices connected to the internet that communicate with each other. The team tracked the movements of 71 female common noctules they tagged in Switzerland over the course of three years. The common noctule is a widespread insectivorous and migratory bat species in Europe. The researchers chose to tag female bats as they were more migratory than males. The study revealed that the bats traveled up to 1,116 kilometers (693 miles) across Central Europe, moving hundreds of kilometers in a single night. But the bats didn’t follow a main…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
What’s new: Some bats, like birds, migrate long distances. But these long-distance bat migrations have been somewhat of a mystery to researchers, especially since only a few species embark on them. Now, in a new study, researchers have mapped the odyssey of common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) using innovative tiny trackers. And the results have […]authors:
Nepal’s top court strikes down law allowing development in protected areas
15 Jan 2025 15:51:17 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/nepals-top-court-strikes-down-law-allowing-development-in-protected-areas/
author: Abhayarajjoshi
dc:creator: Abhaya Raj Joshi
content:encoded: KATHMANDU — In a historic move, Nepal’s highest court has struck down controversial measures to open up protected areas like national parks to infrastructure development such as hydropower plants, hotels and railway lines. The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, issued the verdict on Jan. 15 in a case dubbed as one of the most important in Nepal’s conservation history. “The court has issued an historic order scrapping measures that allow the development of infrastructure inside national parks,” senior lawyer Padam Bahadur Shrestha, one of the petitioners in the case, told Mongabay. The court issued a brief statement following the order, the full text of which is to be issued later. While four of the judges stood in favour of a verdict sought by the petitioners, a lone judge voiced his opinion against such as move. “The concurrent opinion issued by judge Sapana Pradhan Malla is a highlight of the ruling,” said Shrestha. Malla, while agreeing with three other judges in favour of scrapping of the new law, stated that protected areas are to be safeguarded for future generations based on the principles of inter-generational equity. She added that it would be wrong to pit development and environment against each other by adhering to the belief that development can take place only when there’s damage to the environment. Lawyers Shrestha, Dilraj Khanal, Prakash Mani Sharma and Sanjay Adhikari filed the petition with Nepal’s highest court on July 28, days after lawmakers passed…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Nepal’s highest court has scrapped a controversial new law that allowed infrastructure development, such as hotels and cable cars, inside protected areas.
- The law, passed in July, threatened to rezone protected areas to facilitate development projects, and its scrapping has been hailed by opponents as a significant victory for conservation efforts.
- A group of lawyers mounted a legal challenge to the law after its issuance, leading to an interim stay until the ruling.
- The court decision, issued Jan. 15, aligns with the court’s strong track record of prioritizing conservation and human rights, activists note.
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Global ocean temperatures set new record in 2024
15 Jan 2025 14:55:49 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/global-ocean-temperatures-set-new-record-in-2024/
author: Rebecca Kessler
dc:creator: Edward Carver
content:encoded: Average temperatures across the world’s oceans reached an all-time high in 2024, a new multi-team study shows. The temperatures surpassed even those of 2023, which themselves represented a marked uptick over any previous years on record, according to the study published Jan.10 in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. The ocean stores about 90% of the excess heat from human-caused global warming and is therefore viewed as a measure of planetary health. The ocean data “continue to indicate unabated trends in global heating,” says the study, which had 54 authors led by Lijing Cheng of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. “To know what is happening to the climate, the answer is in the ocean,” John Abraham, a thermal scientist at the University of St. Thomas in the U.S. and a co-author of the study, said in a statement. Ocean temperatures have risen steadily since the 1950s, when modern measurements were first taken. The graph shows the global ocean heat content (OHC) for the upper 2,000 meters (6,562 feet), relative to a 1981–2010 baseline. The energy unit is zetta joules (ZJ). One ZJ equals 10^21 joules. The within-year variation of OHC is shown in the inner box, with 2024 values shown in red. Image courtesy of Cheng et al. The long-term rise in ocean temperatures isn’t just an effect of climate change but also a cause. “[T]he weather is becoming more affected by warming oceans because the warmer waters add heat and moisture…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Average temperatures across the world’s oceans reached an all-time high in 2024, according to a multi-team study published Jan. 10.
- The temperatures surpassed even those of 2023, which themselves represented a marked uptick over any previous years on record.
- Each of the two main metrics for ocean temperature hit a record high in 2024, while a commonly cited overall metric that accounts for both land and sea temperatures also reached a new high.
- The findings fit with a decades-long trend of ocean heating. The long-term rise is both a result of climate change and a cause of climate change effects like sea-level rise and increased likelihood of extreme weather.
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Turn problems into solutions for culture and agriculture across Australia and the Americas, Anthony James says
14 Jan 2025 20:07:45 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025/01/turn-problems-into-solutions-for-culture-and-agriculture-across-australia-and-the-americas-anthony-james-says/
author: Erik Hoffner
dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo
content:encoded: Anthony James, host of The RegenNarration Podcast, joins Mongabay’s podcast to share news and views on community resilience and land regeneration in both the Americas and Australia. James recounts how some creatures seen as invasive pests in Australia, like donkeys, are actually now being managed in a way that benefits the land, in places like Kachana Station in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, regenerating it and making it more resistant to fire. For successful land restoration, James emphasizes the importance of harnessing what’s in front of us, rather than fighting it. Across the many interviews he’s conducted, it’s become clear that this concept is something Aboriginal Traditional Owners are keenly aware of. “There’s a principle there, and it’s one for all of us who might despair, on occasion. Don’t despair, for even the worst of things pass, nature’s got incredible power — the nature in us as humans, too — to learn and transform,” James says. James joins the conversation from Guatemala, part of his current tour of the Americas where he’s speaking with communities about how they’re working to effect positive change, both on the land and at the ballot box. Subscribe to or follow the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, and you can also listen to all episodes here on the Mongabay website. Banner image: Paperbark forest during the wet season, Kakadu National Park, Australia. Image by Parks Australia. Courtesy of the Director of National Parks, Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Anthony James, host of The RegenNarration Podcast, joins Mongabay’s podcast to share news and views on community resilience and land regeneration in both the Americas and Australia. James recounts how some creatures seen as invasive pests in Australia, like donkeys, are actually now being managed in a way that benefits the land, in places like […]authors:
Cameroon aims to double cacao, coffee production, yet also save forests
14 Jan 2025 18:24:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/cameroon-aims-to-double-cacao-coffee-production-yet-also-save-forests/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Yannick Kenné
content:encoded: Cameroon’s government says it plans to invest heavily in agriculture over the next decade and combine economic growth and sustainable development, while preserving its forests. A recent agreement signed between the government and the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) will invest $60 million toward achieving these aims. But the country has lost an average of 110,000 hectares (about 272,000 acres) of forest per year since 2013 — in 2023, forest loss spiked to 204,000 hectares (504,000 acres) — casting doubt on claims it’s possible to both double commercial cacao and coffee production and reduce deforestation. According to data from forest monitoring platform Global Forest Watch, Cameroon lost more than 2 million hectares (5 million acres) of forest between 2001 and 2023, primarily due to logging, mining and agriculture. A June 2024 study published in the journal PLOS ONE identified cacao cultivation as one of the drivers of deforestation in the Congo Basin and in Cameroon in particular. Its authors suggested mitigation measures such as agroforestry systems, combined with better land planning and incentives for sustainable agricultural and forestry practices, as ways to reduce the risks of deforestation linked to cacao. Ndomon Albert working on a cacao plantation in Essam village, Molongo. According to Saïdou Hamadou, a CAFI team member in Cameroon, “the partnership aims to promote sustainable intensification and increased productivity of family and industrial agriculture on existing agricultural land.” Image © John Novis/Greenpeace. / Greenpeace. According to the letter of intent signed in October 2024, the $60 million fund…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - The Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) and the Cameroon government have signed a $60 million agreement they say will fund the development of cacao and coffee production, as well as protect the country’s forests.
- The fund will support projects aimed at sustainably raising production from existing agricultural land, rather than expanding into forested areas.
- Cameroonian forestry expert Ghislain Fomou says it’s unclear if cacao and coffee production can be increased without causing more deforestation.
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1 in 4 freshwater species worldwide at risk of extinction: Study
14 Jan 2025 15:57:16 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/1-in-4-freshwater-species-worldwide-at-risk-of-extinction-study/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: The most extensive global assessment of freshwater animals to date has revealed that a quarter of all freshwater animal species on the IUCN Red List are threatened with extinction. The largest number of these threatened species are found in East Africa’s Lake Victoria, South America’s Lake Titicaca, Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone, and India’s Western Ghats mountain range, the new study found. Researchers evaluated 23,496 species of freshwater fish, dragonfly, damselfly, crab, crayfish and shrimp, and found that 24%, are threatened with extinction. This means one in four freshwater specie are categorized as either extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, or near threatened. These include the daisy burrowing crayfish (Fallicambarus jeanae) in Arkansas and the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). “Freshwater landscapes are home to 10% of all known species on Earth and key for billions of people’s safe drinking water, livelihoods, flood control and climate change mitigation, and must be protected for nature and people alike,” study lead author Catherine Sayer, the IUCN’s freshwater biodiversity lead, said in a statement. The study found that among the freshwater animals they studied, 30% of decapods, which include crabs, crayfishes and shrimps, are at the highest risk of extinction, followed by 26% of freshwater fish and 16% of dragonflies and damselflies. Additionally, 89 of the assessed species have gone extinct since 1500 C.E. Of these, 22 were found in the U.S., and 15 each in Mexico and the Philippines. All 15 from the Philippines were from Lake Lanao, one of the world’s…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
The most extensive global assessment of freshwater animals to date has revealed that a quarter of all freshwater animal species on the IUCN Red List are threatened with extinction. The largest number of these threatened species are found in East Africa’s Lake Victoria, South America’s Lake Titicaca, Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone, and India’s Western Ghats […]authors:
Surviving fire but not the toxins as modern homes, full of plastic, burn
14 Jan 2025 15:07:59 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/surviving-fire-but-not-the-toxins-as-modern-homes-full-of-plastic-burn/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Mongabay.com
content:encoded: The ongoing fires ravaging Los Angeles, U.S., have killed at least 25 people and burned more than 12,000 buildings. Many of the structures destroyed were homes, mansions of the rich and famous and middle-class homes alike. Irrespective of the wealth of their owners, most homes destroyed likely had one thing in common: plastic. As Mongabay contributor Alden Wicker reports, modern homes that survive fires often remain uninhabitable due to the toxic chemicals released by synthetic furnishings and building materials. By 2022, more than $16 billion in plastic building materials were sold globally each year, a 50% increase in a decade. Materials like insulation, vinyl siding and laminate flooring are leading the demand. Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is one of the most commonly used construction materials and considered by many experts to be one of the most toxic types of plastic. In addition to building materials, most homes are full of plastic furnishings and household items, including clothing, carpets, curtains and furniture. Nearly all plastic is made from fossil fuels, which, when burned, can release soot and fumes that are toxic to human health. Researchers have identified more than 16,000 chemicals in plastic products, Wicker reports, of which roughly 25% are known to be associated with serious environmental or human health concerns. Most of the remaining 75% of chemicals have not had adequate safety testing. When modern homes, like those in L.A., burn or reach very high temperatures without actually burning down, they can release a toxic stew of chemicals including…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
The ongoing fires ravaging Los Angeles, U.S., have killed at least 25 people and burned more than 12,000 buildings. Many of the structures destroyed were homes, mansions of the rich and famous and middle-class homes alike. Irrespective of the wealth of their owners, most homes destroyed likely had one thing in common: plastic. As Mongabay […]authors:
Krahô women lead Indigenous guard to protect territory in Brazil
14 Jan 2025 14:16:00 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/kraho-women-lead-surveillance-actions-to-protect-territory-in-brazil/
author: Latoya Abulu
dc:creator: Aimee Gabay
content:encoded: Across South America, Indigenous communities have often considered territorial protection to be the main responsibility of men, while women typically assume roles as caretakers of the household, family, and community. However, in the Brazilian state of Tocantins, Indigenous women from Krahô communities have formed a female-only surveillance group to protect their territory from invaders — a rarity in the region. Since operations began, the guard, called Mē Hoprê Catêjê, has been able to identify and report one threat to Brazil’s Indigenous protection agency, Funai, which was related to an invasion of their territory. The 303,000-hectare (748,729-acre) Kraolândia Indigenous Land (TI) is located in the Brazilian Cerrado, in the municipalities of Goiatins and Itacajá. It is under immense pressure from loggers, hunters, agribusiness, and charcoal factories. Krahô peoples’ waters have become contaminated by pesticides applied to soybean and cotton plantations nearby. The group, which is supported by Funai, the Indigenous Work Center (CTI), and tech company Awana Digital, was established in September during a women’s territorial defense meeting last September. Over eight days, the Krahô women gathered with other Indigenous women guards, including from the Guajajara of Arariboia and Guajajara of Carú, to share ideas and experiences. “In the past, women could not be part of any leadership,” Luzia Krahô, or Kruw, one of 13 members of the newly formed group, told Mongabay over WhatsApp voice messages. “Women always stayed at home to take care of families and children. But nowadays I see changes. We have the courage to…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Indigenous women from Krahô communities in Brazil’s Tocantins state have formed a surveillance group to protect their ancestral territory from invaders.
- The thirteen Krahô Warriors received training in surveillance and carry out operations for 15 days each month.
- They plan and implement territorial protection actions based on Krahô traditions and ways of life.
- The Kraolândia Indigenous Land (TI) is under pressure from loggers, hunters, charcoal factories, and agribusinesses that surround the territory.
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Global temperature in 2024 hits record 1.55°C over pre-industrial level
14 Jan 2025 12:00:26 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/global-temperature-in-2024-hits-record-1-55c-over-pre-industrial-level/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury
content:encoded: The year 2024 was the hottest on record, with an average temperature of 1.55° Celsius (2.79° Fahrenheit) higher than pre-industrial levels, surpassing the previous record set in 2023, according to six international data sets. Scientists caution that the data represent the average for the Earth’s year-round weather and don’t mean that the climate has exceeded the Paris Agreement threshold of 1.5°C (2.7°F). For the latter, a longer data set spanning decades is needed. Still, 2024 was the first year in recorded history when the average global temperature surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, raising alarms about the persistent increase in Earth’s warming. Every month from January to June last year was the warmest on record for those months. The average global temperature reached 15.1°C (59.2°F), exceeding the 2023 average by 0.12°C (0.22°F), data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts showed. “We are facing a very new climate and new challenges, challenges that our society is not prepared for,” Carlo Buontempo, director of the European Union’s Copernicus weather institute told The New York Times. Climate change, largely attributed to human activities, fueled some of the worst extreme weather events on record in 2024, claiming at least 11,500 lives and impacting more than 148 million people globally. Following the disastrous floods in Spain in October, researchers found that climate change had increased the amount of rain that the clouds over Spain can carry by 7% for every 1°C (1.8°F) of warming. Meanwhile, the extreme drought conditions in the Amazon Rainforest spanning…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
The year 2024 was the hottest on record, with an average temperature of 1.55° Celsius (2.79° Fahrenheit) higher than pre-industrial levels, surpassing the previous record set in 2023, according to six international data sets. Scientists caution that the data represent the average for the Earth’s year-round weather and don’t mean that the climate has exceeded […]authors:
Indonesian scientist under fire for revealing extent of illegal tin mining
14 Jan 2025 09:42:22 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/indonesian-scientist-under-fire-for-revealing-extent-of-illegal-tin-mining/
author: Hayat Indriyatno
dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong
content:encoded: JAKARTA — Prominent Indonesian environmental forensic expert Bambang Hero Saharjo faces yet another potential lawsuit for serving as a state witness against alleged violators, this time in a high-profile tin laundering case. Lawyer Andi Kusuma filed a police report against Bambang on Jan. 8, alleging the veteran forestry professor lacked the competence to assess the total environmental damages incurred in the case — a convoluted corruption scheme involving illegal mining in the tin hub of the Bangka-Belitung Islands. Several people have been charged in the case, many of them already convicted and sentenced. Bambang, as a witness for the prosecution, testified in court that the illegal mining component of the scheme alone resulted in total environmental damages of 271 trillion rupiah, or about $16.6 billion. The corruption component amounted to nearly 30 trillion rupiah ($1.8 billion) in losses to the state, according to prosecutors. Andi, who doesn’t represent anyone charged in the case but claims to represent the wider community of Bangka-Belitung, alleged in his police report that Bambang’s assessment had cast the local tin mining industry in a bad light. Bambang, he said, was no financial expert, and the figure that he came up with made it seem “as if an extraordinary crime has occurred in Bangka-Belitung.” Bambang, who has successfully fended off two previous lawsuits brought by palm oil companies hit with record fines for forest fires as a result of his assessments in those cases, said this latest threat gave credence to his jihad, or struggle, in…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - An Indonesian forensic scientist whose testimony has proved crucial in securing rulings against environmental violators faces a third potential lawsuit.
- A complaint filed with police alleges that Bambang Hero Saharjo lacked competence to assess the damages in an illegal tin laundering case, which he calculated had caused more than $16 billion in environmental damages.
- Bambang’s testimony has led to several convictions in court, including for the CEO of Indonesia’s biggest tin miner.
- Prosecutors have defended his assessment, and activists say the campaign against him is a systematic attempt to silence him from speaking out against environmental crimes.
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No respite for storm-hit Mayotte, southeast Africa as new cyclone bears down
14 Jan 2025 08:42:31 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/no-respite-for-storm-hit-mayotte-southeast-africa-as-new-cyclone-bears-down/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: At least three people were killed in Madagascar over the weekend as Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi brought heavy rainfall and flooding to the island on its way to the African mainland, news reports said. The French island territory of Mayotte, the archipelagic country of Comoros, and Mozambique were also affected by the storm. It came less than a month after Mayotte was battered by the deadly Cyclone Chido. Dikeledi formed in the Southern Indian Ocean, between Indonesia and Australia, earlier this month, then intensified as it made landfall in northern Madagascar on Jan. 11. More than 15,000 people have been displaced across northern Madagascar, according to a European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations flash report (ECHO Flash) posted on Jan. 13. The report also cited information from the Interdepartmental Crisis Management Operational Centre (COGIC) saying around 20,000 people in Mayotte had to evacuate their homes. Although Dikeledi had weakened slightly by the time it reached Mayotte, the archipelago saw strong winds, flash floods and landslides on Jan. 12, resulting in infrastructure damage. A local TV station reported that Mbouini, a village that was one of the few to survive Cyclone Chido, ended up being flooded by rains brought by Dikeledi. A Mbouini resident, Massa, told Agence France-Presse they were “traumatized” by both Chido and Dikeledi. “We’re only in the middle of the rainy season, so we don’t know what’s going to happen between now and February or March,” the resident said. “Mayotte faced an intense tropical storm. The impact was violent,” Manuel…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
At least three people were killed in Madagascar over the weekend as Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi brought heavy rainfall and flooding to the island on its way to the African mainland, news reports said. The French island territory of Mayotte, the archipelagic country of Comoros, and Mozambique were also affected by the storm. It came less than […]authors:
El Salvador reverses landmark mining ban, setting up clash with activists
13 Jan 2025 20:32:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/el-salvador-reverses-landmark-mining-ban-setting-up-clash-with-activists/
author: Alexandrapopescu
dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin
content:encoded: Lawmakers in El Salvador have voted to reintroduce industrial mining in the country, ending a landmark ban that was meant to protect freshwater and public health. The law, pushed through just days before the end of 2024, gives the government control over the country’s massive gold reserves, which have gone untouched since 2017 due to a nationwide ban on extractives. For many conservationists, this marks a major step backwards in the fight to protect El Salvador’s fragile ecosystems. “It’s an absolutely disastrous decision,” said Luis González, advocacy director for the Salvadoran Ecological Unit, an environmental NGO. “[The mining ban] was established after years of struggle, but also because it was technically and scientifically proven that mining is an unviable activity in Salvadoran territory due to the environmental, water and population conditions.” The law received 57 votes in favor and three against, passing just days before the end of the 2024 legislative session despite polls showing that mining is deeply unpopular in the country. Around 60% of Salvadorans think the country is unsuitable for mining and over 78% believe living near a mine to be “very dangerous,” according to one survey. The legislative assembly voted on the mining law in late December. Photo courtesy of Asamblea Legislativa. Mining creates a new revenue stream for the government, which has been looking to show the IMF and other international backers that the country is economically stable enough to pay back loans. Preliminary studies of a small area of the country found approximately 50…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Lawmakers in El Salvador recently voted to reintroduce industrial mining in the country, ending a 2017 landmark ban that has protected freshwater and public health.
- President Nayib Bukele has advocated for the return of mining despite the unpopularity of the industry in El Salvador, arguing that it will bring in billions of dollars and create thousands of jobs.
- The government will have at least 51% control over every mining project while also being in charge of oversight, causing concern from environmentalists that it will be hard to challenge projects that aren’t being carried out responsibly.
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New study reveals why some birds are all about that bass
13 Jan 2025 15:08:58 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/new-study-reveals-why-some-birds-are-all-about-that-bass/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb
content:encoded: Birds produce an impressive variety of songs and calls, but the biological and ecological factors that influence the pitch, or frequencies, that birds create hasn’t been well understood — until now. Previous studies haven’t come to a consensus likely because they were small in scope, focusing on an individual species or a specific range. But in the largest study of its kind, researchers analyzed more than 140,000 recordings from 77% of bird species across 12 geographic regions worldwide to determine the physical and ecological factors that influence the acoustic frequencies of birds. They used citizen-science data collected on Xeno-Canto, a website dedicated to recording and sharing sounds of wildlife. “It’s great to confirm and quantify the influences over such an impressive number of species,” Tom Bradfer-Lawrence, a senior conservation scientist with the U.K.’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, who wasn’t involved in the study, told Mongabay by email. The scale of the research is “impressive,” he said. The study examined several factors that could influence bird call frequencies including body mass, beak size, habitat and density of vegetation, range size, and the latitude at which birds live. They also looked at acoustic competition from other birds, and if birds learned their vocalization from a parent or popped out of the egg with an innate song to sing. The study found that body mass and beak size were the biggest factors contributing to a bird’s call frequency. Large birds in general tend to vocalize at lower frequencies, while smaller birds…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Birds produce an impressive variety of songs and calls, but the biological and ecological factors that influence the pitch, or frequencies, that birds create hasn’t been well understood — until now. Previous studies haven’t come to a consensus likely because they were small in scope, focusing on an individual species or a specific range. But […]authors:
World’s record heat is worsening air pollution and health in Global South
13 Jan 2025 15:05:20 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/worlds-record-heat-is-worsening-air-pollution-and-health-in-global-south/
author: Glenn Scherer
dc:creator: Simrin Sirur (with Orji Sunday and Karla Mendes)
content:encoded: Humanity achieved a fateful milestone last year. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has officially declared 2024 the hottest year on record, and the first year in history with an average global temperature rising 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial period — significantly increasing dangerous climate risks. In fact, 2023 and 2024 may well be the hottest years in 100,000 years, with all indicators pointing to it getting hotter, bringing ever-worsening global impacts. “The temperature-related extreme events witnessed [last Norther Hemisphere] summer will only become more intense,” warned Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. In 2024, extreme heat enveloped whole regions of the world for weeks on end, with severe unprecedented consequences. A deadly heat wave killed at least 1,300 people during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, while the worst drought in a century gripped Southern Africa, leaving 21 million children malnourished. Record drought also devastated South America, reducing Amazon rivers to their lowest levels ever recorded. North America wasn’t spared either. Heat domes — stalled high pressure systems that retain and intensify temperatures — blanketed vast parts of the U.S. and killed more than 100 people in Mexico. But less noticed, and harder to track, is the way in which oppressive heat helps degrade air quality, making people sick. While air pollution sources are typically local or regional, the invisible hand of climate change is further deteriorating air quality around the planet. Stubbornly persistent heat waves, record wildfires, and drastically changing…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - 2024 was the hottest year on record, producing intense, long-lasting heat waves. Climate change-intensified extreme events last year included the formation of vast heat domes — areas of high pressure that stalled and persisted above continental land masses in Asia, Africa, South and North America, and Europe.
- Heat domes intensify unhealthy air pollution from vehicles, industry, wildfires and dust storms. When a heat wave gripped New Delhi, India, last summer, temperatures soared, resulting in unhealthy concentrations of ground-level ozone — pollutants especially unhealthy for outdoor workers.
- When climate change-driven heat, drought and record wildfires occurred in the Brazilian Amazon last year, the fires produced massive amounts of wood smoke containing dangerous levels of toxic particulates that cause respiratory disease. Indigenous people living in remote areas had little defense against the smoke.
- Intense heat also impacted Nigeria in 2024, where major dust storms and rising temperatures created conditions that helped increased cases of meningitis — a sometimes deadly disease, especially in poor areas. Escalating climate change is expected to exacerbate pollution and worsen public health in the future.
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For Ugandan farmers, good fences make good neighbors — of elephants
13 Jan 2025 11:03:40 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/for-ugandan-farmers-good-fences-make-good-neighbors-of-elephants/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Ashoka Mukpo
content:encoded: This is the third story in the Mongabay Series – Protected Areas in East Africa. Read Part One and Two. KIKORONGO, Uganda — What do you do if you’re neighbors with an elephant? In western Uganda, the answer is: You build a fence. And not just any fence. One that can deliver a big, powerful zap. At least, if you want your crops to make it to harvest. A fence like that is just what they have here on the road leading from Kikorongo to Kasese, a small trading city at the foot of the Rwenzori Mountains. It runs alongside a two-lane highway leading south from Kasese toward the Democratic Republic of Congo, about an hour’s drive from here. On one side of the fence, there are small houses and farms with garden plots of yams, beans, potatoes and other crops. On the other, Queen Elizabeth National Park, a 1,978-square-kilometer (768-square-mile) wilderness packed with herds of African elephants, lions, hippos, buffalo and other species. These are big animals, and they don’t always get along smoothly with their human neighbors. This fence, which delivers a punishing electric shock to anything that touches it, is one of the ways park authorities here are trying to deal with that problem. “Once an elephant has tested its power, it will never come back,” said Selvest Masereka, an assistant warden with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), standing proudly next to a stretch of fencing near Kikorongo. Crop-raiding, primarily by elephants, has become a major issue…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - In protected areas across Africa, human-wildlife conflicts are a growing problem, with nearly three-quarters of governments saying they’re a “major or serious concern.”
- At Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, crop-raiding by elephants and livestock predation can destroy the incomes of farmers and pastoralists.
- One solution that’s being implemented is electric fences, which are popular with farmers outside the park’s boundaries.
- But the fences aren’t popular in other communities, which see them as symbolic of their historic exclusion from the park.
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By razing trees for flood defenses, a Philippine city may have raised its risk
13 Jan 2025 10:06:35 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/by-razing-trees-for-flood-defenses-a-philippine-city-may-have-raised-its-risk/
author: Kristinesabillo
dc:creator: Mongabay.com
content:encoded: Flood-mitigation infrastructure built in the southern Philippines for more than $100 million by clearing native vegetation could exacerbate flood risk in the future, reports Mongabay’s Keith Anthony Fabro. In 2011, floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Washi, known locally as Sendong, killed more than 1,260 people in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. The disaster prompted the government to spend 8.5 billion pesos ($144 million) to build flood-mitigation infrastructure like dikes, flood walls and drainage inlets between 2019 and 2023. These are meant to protect 614 hectares (1,517 acres) of area from flooding caused by the overflowing Cagayan de Oro River. Experts and residents told Fabro that the structures have brought people a sense of security, but the construction has come at an environmental cost. Many trees were damaged, Mary Lynne Cananea, Cagayan de Oro’s environmental conservation and rehabilitation section chief, told Fabro. She added the project was handled by national agencies, and her office hadn’t received details on the species and number of trees that were cut. An analysis by Mongabay found that 26 hectares (65 acres) of vegetation were lost from January 2019 to December 2023 during the project’s construction, resulting in 40% tree cover reduction within a 100-meter (330-foot) radius of the flood-control structures. Experts told Mongabay this can undermine the project’s future flood mitigation potential. Residents along Macajalar Bay, where trees were cleared for a mile-long dike evacuation road, told Mongabay that the area had contained nipa palms that had once protected them from…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Flood-mitigation infrastructure built in the southern Philippines for more than $100 million by clearing native vegetation could exacerbate flood risk in the future, reports Mongabay’s Keith Anthony Fabro. In 2011, floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Washi, known locally as Sendong, killed more than 1,260 people in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and […]authors:
New alert system can track changes in grasslands, farms, temperate forests
13 Jan 2025 06:08:22 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/new-alert-system-can-track-changes-in-grasslands-farms-temperate-forests/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta
content:encoded: A new global data set makes it possible to track near-real-time changes in several types of vegetation across different ecosystems, including grasslands, savannas, shrublands, croplands, temperate forests and boreal forests. Called DIST-ALERT, the new product can be visualized on the Global Forest Watch platform of the World Resource Institute (WRI). GFW has long offered the ability to track near-real-time changes within tropical forests through its integrated deforestation alerts. However, in 2024, researchers at the University of Maryland, U.S., and NASA’s OPERA project developed a monitoring system that can map changes to tree and vegetation cover across different ecosystems at a resolution of 30 meters (100 feet). The alerts acquire satellite data for each pixel every two to four days, as long as the ground isn’t obscured by cloud cover or snow. This was “a huge undertaking requiring large amounts of data, and processing capacity,” Sarah Carter, research associate at GFW, told Mongabay by email. “It’s a major accomplishment having the data openly available to all [and] represents a great opportunity for land management worldwide.” Since the new alert system allows users to see changes in both natural areas and human-managed areas like agricultural fields, the researchers say they hope the data “can give an early indication of unplanned or undesired changes to valuable ecosystems, including those which have historically been less well served by data such as grasslands and savannas.” Moreover, since the alerts are made available to the end user in just a few days of the vegetation change…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
A new global data set makes it possible to track near-real-time changes in several types of vegetation across different ecosystems, including grasslands, savannas, shrublands, croplands, temperate forests and boreal forests. Called DIST-ALERT, the new product can be visualized on the Global Forest Watch platform of the World Resource Institute (WRI). GFW has long offered the […]authors:
Right whales can live to 130, but in North America they die young
10 Jan 2025 20:42:28 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/right-whales-can-live-to-130-but-in-north-america-they-die-young/
author: Rebecca Kessler
dc:creator: Edward Carver
content:encoded: Groundbreaking research in the late 1990s showed that Arctic-dwelling bowhead whales could live more than 150 or even 200 years — longer than any other mammal. New research, inspired by that work, indicates that right whales (genus Eubalaena) also have extremely long lifespans of 130 years or more. The study, published in Science Advances in December, not only adds to growing evidence of extreme whale longevity but also draws attention to the plight of North Atlantic right whales (E. glacialis), which are critically endangered. The study found that while they likely could live 130 years or more, their actual lifespans are far shorter than those of their close relatives, the southern right whales (E. australis), likely due to dangers they encounter in the waters off the eastern United States and Canada where they live. “We infer that both should be able to live to 130 and North Atlantic doesn’t because they’re being killed in crab pots and lobster gear and ship strikes,” Greg Breed, an ecologist at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and lead author of the new study, told Mongabay. Survivorship curves show southern right whales have extremely long lifespans, yet North Atlantic right whales’ lives are cut short due to threats they face in Canadian and U.S. waters, primarily collisions with vessels and entanglement in fishing gear. Image courtesy of Greg Breed. A deeply entangled history A seminal 1999 study analyzed protein in the eyes of dozens of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) to estimate their ages and matched…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - A new study indicates that right whales have extremely long lifespans of 130 years or more, adding to growing evidence of extreme whale longevity.
- The research draws attention to the plight of North Atlantic right whales, which are critically endangered. It found that despite their long potential lifespan, their actual lives are far shorter than those of southern right whales, a close relative.
- The authors and other experts believe North Atlantic right whales’ lives are being cut short due to threats in the “highly industrialized” waters off the eastern United States and Canada where they live; these include fishing gear, which can entangle the whales, and vessel strikes.
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Indonesia’s voracious songbird trade laps up rare and poisonous pitohuis
10 Jan 2025 12:58:02 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/indonesias-voracious-songbird-trade-laps-up-rare-and-poisonous-pitohuis/
author: Isabel Esterman
dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman
content:encoded: Among New Guinea’s rainforest inhabitants is a group of birds called pitohuis, chatty songbirds that stand out for their loud, attractive songs. But there’s more to these birds than their songs: their poison. Pitohuis are among the few poisonous birds on the planet. Their skin and feathers contain potent neurotoxins, which help them fight off parasites such as lice, ticks and fleas, and predators, including humans. When humans handle these birds, the neurotoxins irritate the nasal passage and cause allergy-like symptoms. Yet even the poison doesn’t seem enough to protect pitohuis from the songbird trade, as new research shows. A study published in the journal Bird Conservation International by a team of international researchers and an NGO presents the first evidence of poisonous pitohuis (genus Pitohuis) entering the songbird trade in Indonesia, which occupies the western half of the island of New Guinea. The researchers find that these birds appeared in the trade in 2015 and have since been sold in bird markets and online platforms, raising conservation concerns about the illegal trade of these birds. Birdkeeping is a traditional practice rooted in Javanese culture, where a third of households keep songbirds. Studies estimate that the island has anywhere between 66 million and 84 million caged birds. For most, it’s a cherished hobby, and for a few, they’re prize-winning contestants in singing competitions. But this penchant for songbirds has a dark side: the Asian songbird crisis. With soaring demand for songbirds, thousands of wild-caught birds are entering the trade in…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - In Southeast Asia, the time-honored tradition of keeping songbirds in cages has resulted in an unsustainable trade in wild-caught songbirds and an alarming decline of many species — a phenomenon ecologists have termed the Asian songbird crisis.
- A recent study finds evidence for a new family of poisonous birds — the pitohuis that are endemic to New Guinea — featuring in the songbird trade in Indonesia.
- Researchers analyzing bird market surveys over a 30-year period have found that pitohuis first entered the trade in 2015, both online and in bird markets, and their trade numbers have since increased.
- Although it’s illegal to buy or sell these birds in Indonesia, the thriving trade suggests a need for closer monitoring and stricter enforcement of laws, say conservationists.
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‘You have to be passionate’: Interview with Turtle Survival Alliance’s Hery Razafimamonjiraibe
10 Jan 2025 07:34:24 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/you-have-to-be-passionate-interview-with-turtle-survival-alliances-hery-razafimamonjiraibe/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Carolyn Cowan
content:encoded: Madagascar is home to weird and wonderful creatures that occur nowhere else on the planet. In many parts of the island, this biodiversity is under pressure due to wildlife trafficking, industrial-scale fishing and the destruction of forests. Yet it is fast becoming one of the world’s most dangerous places for those who work to protect the environment. Environmental defenders are increasingly threatened, attacked and even killed in reaction to their efforts to protect the country’s natural resources. Recent prominent cases include Angélique Decampe Razafindrazoary, who in 2023 received death threats due to her work protecting the Vohibola forest in eastern Madagascar. And in June 2024, communities in the same region’s Moramanga district were shocked by the murder of Raymond Rakotoarisoa, the vice president of a local forest protection association. The government frequently fails to protect activists taking a stand against illegal activities, sometimes instead subjecting them to arbitrary detention and unfair trial, according to Amnesty International’s latest country report on Madagascar. Hery Razafimamonjiraibe, Madagascar country director for U.S.-based NGO Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), is only too familiar with the security risks to the country’s environmental defenders. “[These cases] are very worrying and raise awareness of the need for specific legislation and actions to protect whistleblowers in Madagascar,” he tells Mongabay. Razafimamonjiraibe inspects a juvenile radiated tortoise at the TSA’s Androy tortoise rescue center. Image by Carolyn Cowan/Mongabay. Razafimamonjiraibe leads conservation teams to protect radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) in southern Madagascar’s spiny forests. The tortoises are targeted both as domestic bushmeat…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Environmental defenders in Madagascar have faced a spate of threats and attacks in recent years, overshadowing their work to protect biodiversity and human rights.
- Against this backdrop, tortoise conservationist Hery Razafimamonjiraibe spoke with Mongabay about how his team manages threats working in often isolated conditions in the south of the country.
- Antipoaching work is risky, he says, but this can be managed through close collaboration and cohesion between communities, NGOs and law enforcement agencies.
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‘Nightmare’ fire threatens iconic Madagascar national park
10 Jan 2025 06:19:57 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/nightmare-fire-threatens-iconic-madagascar-national-park/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Malavika Vyawahare
content:encoded: A mighty blaze in Madagascar’s Ranomafana National Park is menacing the home of the world’s rarest lemur species. Disastrous dry conditions have turned the biodiversity haven into a tinderbox. The park, one of the country’s leading tourist destinations, is a 10-hour drive from Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, and is also home to the prestigious Centre ValBio research center (CVB). Patricia Wright, a leading authority on lemurs who helped establish the park, described a nightmarish scene, with “the sun beating down and the wind whipping the flames into a frenzy.” Wright is at the forefront of firefighting efforts along with hundreds of residents. There’s no official estimate yet about the fire damage, but more than 260 hectares (642 acres) are likely impacted, Wright, executive director of CVB, told Mongabay via email. The fires erupted near the park’s western boundary and spread within its limits. The national park was created in 1991, encompassing 43,550 hectares (107,614 acres) of rainforests that line Madagascar’s eastern coast. The presence here of the greater bamboo lemur (Hapalemur simus) and the golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus) recorded in the 1980s lent urgency to efforts to preserve the area. “It is an important habitat for lemurs, reptiles, geckos, amphibians, insects, and mammals such as bats and tenrecs,” a shrew-like animal, Rhodin Rafidimanandray, a tourist guide, told L’Express de Madagascar. “Bird species that cannot fly high are surely burned. Not to mention the flora that has simply disappeared with the fire.” While CVB and residents play a role in the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
A mighty blaze in Madagascar’s Ranomafana National Park is menacing the home of the world’s rarest lemur species. Disastrous dry conditions have turned the biodiversity haven into a tinderbox. The park, one of the country’s leading tourist destinations, is a 10-hour drive from Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, and is also home to the prestigious Centre ValBio […]authors:
Bonobo numbers in DRC park stable, but signs of decline appear
10 Jan 2025 05:27:16 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/bonobo-numbers-in-drc-park-stable-but-signs-of-decline-appear/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta
content:encoded: Bonobo populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Salonga National Park remained steady between 2002 and 2018, but there are worrying signals of decline, a recent study has found. For decades, Salonga has been known to host the largest known population of bonobos (Pan paniscus), an endangered great ape found only in the DRC. However, researchers didn’t have a reliable estimate for bonobo numbers in the massive park, which spans more than 33,000 square kilometers (12,700 square miles) and includes a 9,000-km2 (3,500-mi2) corridor of human settlements. Over the years, researchers have used different methods to count bonobos in Salonga. But those surveys have been “too small and patchy,” and over short time periods, according to the new study’s authors. So they reanalyzed 13 surveys conducted between 2002 and 2018, reconciling the different methods to understand bonobo numbers and distribution across the entire park and across multiple years, Mattia Bessone, the study’s lead author from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Germany, told Mongabay by email. The reanalysis showed the park has been home to between 8,000 and 18,300 adult bonobos since 2002. This estimate conforms to extrapolations made in 2008, Bessone said. The study also found that bonobos were present more often near ranger patrol posts. Bessone said the reasons for this aren’t clear, but the presence of rangers could serve as a deterrent to hunting of bonobos, which are a protected species. “We have not investigated if the same applies to non-protected species (we suspect that it…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Bonobo populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Salonga National Park remained steady between 2002 and 2018, but there are worrying signals of decline, a recent study has found. For decades, Salonga has been known to host the largest known population of bonobos (Pan paniscus), an endangered great ape found only in the DRC. However, […]authors: