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Restoring land with wildlife & earning carbon credits in the Kalahari Desert 27 Apr 2026 21:12:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/restoring-land-with-wildlife-earning-carbon-credits-in-the-kalahari-desert/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: In northern South Africa, the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in the Kalahari Desert is teeming with life — and carbon credits. Most carbon credit projects are focused on forests, but globally, soils hold roughly three times more terrestrial carbon than forests. Some scientists also say soil is more stable since it can’t be easily removed in a forest fire or clear-cut. At Tswalu, decades of wildlife reintroductions are helping to restore the degraded soils of the landscape while generating revenue through carbon markets. “I think Tswalu shows how rewilding can mitigate climate change through soil carbon storage and improve land productivity,” Duncan MacFadyen told Mongabay’s John Cannon. MacFadyen is the head of research and conservation with Oppenheimer Generations, which represents the family that owns Tswalu. The Oppenheimer family acquired the reserve in 1999 and eventually expanded it to an area larger than the size of Hong Kong, 118,000 hectares (292,000 acres). Their goal is to rebuild a functioning ecosystem by bringing back native herbivores and predators, and with it, soil carbon. Locally known as “the waterless place,” the region averages just 10-50 centimeters (4-20 inches) of rainfall annually, but that’s enough for rare, desert-adapted wildlife. Historically, vast herds of springbok antelope (Antidorcas marsupialis) followed seasonal rains and fresh grass across the landscape. The Indigenous San people compared springbok numbers to the number of stars in the Milky Way. European settlers later described herds stretching some 160 kilometers long and 24 km wide (100 miles by 15 mi). By the early 1900s, hunting,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: In northern South Africa, the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in the Kalahari Desert is teeming with life — and carbon credits. Most carbon credit projects are focused on forests, but globally, soils hold roughly three times more terrestrial carbon than forests. Some scientists also say soil is more stable since it can’t be easily removed in […] authors: | ||
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As global 30×30 goal lags, Colombia shows how progress can be made 27 Apr 2026 20:52:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/as-global-30x30-goal-lags-colombia-shows-how-progress-can-be-made/ author: Morgan Erickson-Davis dc:creator: Ruth Kamnitzer content:encoded: In 2022, at the U.N. Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Canada, 196 nations pledged to conserve 30% of land and inland waters, and 30% of marine and coastal areas, by 2030. Popularly known as “30×30,” and officially known as Target 3, the pledge was one of 23 targets detailed in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and part of global efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. According to the GBF, the 30% target can be achieved through protection, connection and conservation of areas that are representative of a range of ecosystems, as well as key sites for biodiversity and ecosystem services. The framework also requires implementation to recognize and respect Indigenous and community territories and rights. Two years later, the “Protected Planet Report 2024,” released to coincide with the most recent U.N. Biodiversity Conference, in Cali, Colombia, in 2024, provided the first evaluation of progress toward 30×30. It found that 17.6% of land and inland waters, and 8.4% of marine and coastal areas were protected or conserved. In a speech at the conference, Iger Anderson, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), said the report offered “glimmers of promise” but showed there was still “hard work to be done.” Globally, those figures now stand at 18.43% and 9.97%, respectively. But progress is uneven. Colombia, the host of the 2024 conference, is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. The landscape is extremely varied, from Amazonian rainforest to Andean peaks, the plains of the Orinoco, Caribbean reefs and the Pacific…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In 2022, nearly 200 nations pledged to protect and conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030 under Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. - Currently, 18% of land and inland waters, and 10% of marine and coastal areas are protected and conserved. - Colombia, one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, has exceeded the global average, protecting and conserving 47% of marine and 26% of terrestrial areas. - This has been achieved through new and expanded public and private protected areas, other area-based effective conservation measures (OECMs), and other means, including Heritage Colombia, an innovative “project for finance permanence” initiative. authors: | ||
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Nigeria arrests suspected pangolin trafficking kingpin on the run 27 Apr 2026 18:51:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/nigeria-arrests-suspected-pangolin-trafficking-kingpin-on-the-run/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman content:encoded: Authorities in Nigeria have arrested the suspected kingpin of a transnational pangolin trafficking network, the latest in a series of high-profile wildlife busts in the country. Shamsideen Abubakar was linked to a September 2021 case in which authorities seized 1,009.5 kilograms (2,226 pounds) of scales in Lagos, estimated to have come from at least 5,451 pangolins. Two of his associates, Sunday Ebenyi and Salif Sandwidi, were arrested at the time, but Abubakar himself remained on the run until now. The arrest was the result of a collaboration between Nigerian authorities and Netherlands-based NGO the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC). “The arrest sends a strong signal to Nigeria’s illegal wildlife trafficking network that arrest warrants will be strongly pursued,” Nigeria’s National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) said in a press release. Abubakar’s arrest follows two high-profile busts in Nigeria over the last two years. Each resulted in the seizure of several tons of pangolin scales and the arrest of suspected wildlife trafficking kingpins, including Chinese and Vietnamese nationals. Pangolin scales are coveted in East Asia for use in traditional medicine, and the meat is eaten in Nigeria. Selling pangolins is banned in the country and internationally, but they continue to be sold on the black market for a hefty price. Trafficking has driven all eight known pangolin species to the brink of extinction: three are listed as critically endangered, three as endangered and two as vulnerable. The high profits and low risks involved in such wildlife crime attract transnational criminal…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Authorities in Nigeria have arrested the suspected kingpin of a transnational pangolin trafficking network, the latest in a series of high-profile wildlife busts in the country. Shamsideen Abubakar was linked to a September 2021 case in which authorities seized 1,009.5 kilograms (2,226 pounds) of scales in Lagos, estimated to have come from at least 5,451 […] authors: | ||
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Rare, high-altitude jaguar sighting in Honduras raises hope for conservation 27 Apr 2026 18:44:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/rare-high-altitude-jaguar-sighting-in-honduras-raises-hope-for-conservation/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman content:encoded: High in the Sierra del Merendón mountains in Honduras, a jaguar has been photographed at 2,200 meters, or about 7,200 feet — an unusually lofty elevation for a species that usually sticks to lowland forests and wetlands. Jaguars (Panthera onca) are typically found below 1,000 m (3,300 ft), making high-elevation sightings so unusual that scientists have coined a term for the big cats spotted here: cloud jaguars. Seeing jaguars at this elevation is very rare, said Allison Devlin, who directs the jaguar program for U.S.-based wildcat conservation NGO Panthera. “The fact that they’re able to travel through these high elevation areas also shows how resilient they are.” The jaguar, a healthy-looking young male, was photographed by camera traps on Feb. 6 this year — almost 10 years to the day, and in the same location, where camera traps captured the first recorded glimpse of an elusive cloud jaguar in the Sierra del Merendón. The mountains form an important corridor between Honduras and Guatemala, linking the jaguar’s historical range, which spans 18 countries across the Americas, running from Mexico to Argentina. As apex predators, jaguars play a key role in the ecosystem by keeping prey populations healthy and balanced, and in helping prevent zoonotic diseases that jump between species and can infect humans. But like all wild cats, they face multiple threats. Once-intact forests are being felled to make way for human settlements, plantations, ranches, mines and other developments. Climate change is also taking a toll: Forest fires are scorching wetlands…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - For the first time in a decade, camera traps set up high in the Sierra del Merendón mountain range in Honduras captured images of a male jaguar. - The cat was documented at an altitude of 2,200 meters (about 7,200 feet), much higher than their normal range. Jaguars typically live below 1,000 m (3,300 ft). - These mountains can act as a high-elevation corridor for animals to move between landscapes in Honduras, Guatemala and beyond. - Jaguars, like all big cats, continue to lose habitat and are targeted by poachers. But this cat moving back into its former territory shows that conservation efforts, such as anti-poaching patrols, land protection and the introduction of prey species, may be working. authors: | ||
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Offshore wind’s clean energy potential remains largely untapped, say experts 27 Apr 2026 16:28:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/offshore-winds-clean-energy-potential-remains-largely-untapped-say-experts/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: Winds sweep across the world’s oceans every day, and harnessing that largely unused resource has the potential to provide abundant, clean and reliable energy. Experts widely agree that marine wind could play a vital role in reducing fossil fuel reliance and tackling climate change, while also bolstering energy security. “The beauty of it is that the technology is tried, tested, proven, and has scaled,” says Amisha Patel, head of secretariat at the Global Offshore Wind Alliance. “This is not just about climate, it’s about having energy independence for many nations and regions as well.” Tapping into only a tiny fraction of that overall potential could reap gigantic benefits. A 2025 paper found that utilizing even just 1% of the global area suitable for offshore wind could produce roughly 20% of current global electricity demand, and cut carbon emissions by more than 2.3 billion metric tons annually. “Our key finding is that a relatively small fraction of suitable ocean area could deliver substantial climate and energy benefits,” Yi Wen, a lead author on that study with the National University of Singapore (NUS), told Mongabay in an email. But today, marine wind remains almost entirely untapped, with only around 15,000 offshore turbines producing just over 80 gigawatts of electricity, and another 150 GW of offshore wind farms under development. In 2024, energy generation from these turbines was sufficient to power around 73 million households. Wind turbines off Guishan Island, Zhuhai, China. Image by Squids Z via Unsplash (Public domain). To date, the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Offshore wind has enormous clean energy potential across the globe. Though the sector has expanded in recent years that potential remains largely untapped. - Today, China and European nations lead the way in developing offshore wind farms, with the U.S. hampered by the Trump administration, and other nations just beginning to tap into the potential of marine wind. - Currently, about 80 gigawatts of power is generated by existing marine wind farms. According to some estimates, more than 2,000 GW of offshore wind is needed to meet climate goals, requiring a huge expansion including in deeper waters using floating platforms. authors: | ||
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Researchers say remote Lake Superior island’s wolves are thriving as packs prey on moose 27 Apr 2026 15:07:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/researchers-say-remote-lake-superior-islands-wolves-are-thriving-as-packs-prey-on-moose/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: Wolves on a remote island in Lake Superior appear to be thriving, but they’re making deep dents in the moose population that they rely on as a leading food source, according to a report released Monday. Isle Royale is a 134,000-acre (54,200-hectare) national park in far western Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Minnesota, and Thunder Bay, Canada. The island is a natural laboratory, offering scientists a rare opportunity to observe wolves and moose largely free from human influence. Researchers have conducted wolf and moose population surveys on the island since 1958. The surveys had been an annual winter event when the roadless island is closed to visitors, but researchers have run into obstacles in recent years. The pandemic in 2021 forced scientists to cancel the survey for the first time. The National Park Service ordered researchers to evacuate the island during their 2024 winter survey after weeks of unusually warm weather left the ice surrounding the island unsafe for ski-plane landings. Researchers rely on the planes for easier wildlife tracking but the island has no runway, forcing them to land on iced-over Lake Superior. Things didn’t go much better last year when researchers were forced to scrap the effort after their pilot suffered a last-minute medical issue. But this year a team of researchers led by scientists from Michigan Tech University were able to conduct a survey from Jan. 22 through March 3. Findings from the survey led them to estimate the island’s wolf population at 37 animals. Data scientists gathered before they evacuated in…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Wolves on a remote island in Lake Superior appear to be thriving, but they’re making deep dents in the moose population that they rely on as a leading food source, according to a report released Monday. Isle Royale is a 134,000-acre (54,200-hectare) national park in far western Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Minnesota, and Thunder Bay, […] authors: | ||
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Peru bets on bamboo to restore nature in its main coca-growing region 27 Apr 2026 14:48:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/peru-bets-on-bamboo-to-restore-nature-in-its-main-coca-growing-region/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Anastasia AustinDouwe den Held content:encoded: PICHARI, Peru — It’s nearly 5 p.m., and the bamboo grove is filled with children. In silence, they’re looking up in awe. The monkeys have arrived. They jump from stalk to bamboo stalk and skitter down trees, not approaching the humans below but sometimes pausing to stare back. Monkey sightings are rare in Peru’s Valley of the Rivers Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro, also known as VRAEM. Deforestation, much of it to make way for coca crops, has pushed wildlife to the margins of populated areas. But here, in the bamboo forest planted by Yuri Paredes just a few kilometers outside Pichari, VRAEM’s de facto capital, monkeys are coming back. For decades, illegal coca cultivation has dominated the region, clearing its primary forests and stripping the soil of nutrients. To restore local ecosystems, in the last three years Peruvian authorities have been counting on expanding bamboo plantations, which they say will also bring back wildlife and allow farmers to profit from the crop. Yet some farmers and experts remain critical. In 2023, PROVRAEM, a Ministry of Agriculture initiative for sustainable rural development in the region, launched the Bamboo Sustainable Development Project to help more than 2,400 local farming families and boost the industry. So far, it has spent approximately 16.7 million soles ($4.9 million) to plant nearly 1,300 hectares (about 3,200 acres) of bamboo. The agency hopes to extend the project for at least another three years. Paredes’s 6-hectare (15-acre) bamboo forest, the biggest of its kind in the region, has…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Since 2023, Peruvian development agency PROVRAEM has spent nearly $5 million planting almost 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of bamboo across the VRAEM, the country’s largest coca-producing region, promoting it as a legal, environmentally restorative alternative to illegal coca cultivation. - On one farm in Pichari, growing bamboo as a monoculture has created a self-sustaining microclimate that has attracted more than 50 squirrel monkeys and dozens of bird species to what was once degraded land. - The farm has since expanded into a successful ecotourism venture, and Peruvian authorities are promoting it as a model of success for their program. - But bamboo is no miracle crop, experts say: It takes up to eight years to reach a first mature harvest, doesn’t bring nearly as much income as high-yielding coca, and its biodiversity benefits only hold when plantations are connected to larger forest corridors. authors: | ||
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What it takes to make conservation work in Central Africa: Luis Arranz’s 46-year journey 27 Apr 2026 10:48:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/what-it-takes-to-make-conservation-work-in-central-africa-luis-arranzs-46-year-journey/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: David AkanaRhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Luis Arranz arrived in Africa in 1980 with little more than a degree in biology and a determination to work in the field. Without contacts or a clear path, he drove south from Spain in a small Citroën 2CV, crossing the Sahara over several weeks and repairing the car as it failed along the way. The journey is unusual. The work that followed is uncommon in its form and duration: more than four decades spent managing protected areas in Central Africa. His career has taken him through Equatorial Guinea, Angola, and South America, but it is in Central Africa that it has largely settled. He has led or helped run parks including Monte Alén, Zakouma, Garamba, Dzanga-Sangha, and now Salonga, often remaining in each for extended periods. That continuity has shaped his approach. He tends to describe conservation less in terms of design than of execution—what can be maintained over time, and what cannot. Photo courtesy of Luis Arranz This perspective runs through a series of conversations that took place in forests, villages, and vehicles across the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo in March 2026. Arranz is skeptical of the emphasis placed on planning processes and external analysis. He returns instead to implementation. “We know what we have to do,” he says, referring to the distance between written plans and what can be carried out in practice. Much of the work, in his account, comes down to transport, communication, and maintaining teams across large and difficult…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Luis Arranz arrived in Africa in 1980 with little more than a degree in biology and a determination to work in the field. Without contacts or a clear path, he drove south from Spain in a small Citroën 2CV, crossing the Sahara over several weeks and repairing the car as it failed along the way. […] authors: | ||
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A blue-nosed chameleon in Madagascar: Photo of the week 27 Apr 2026 09:37:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/a-blue-nosed-chameleon-in-madagascar-photo-of-the-week/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: Blue-nosed chameleons, a lizard species found only in northern Madagascar, are known for their colorful noses, which brighten when they get excited. For many years, lack of data meant the blue-nosed chameleon was classified as the species Calumma boettgeri, a chameleon whose nose, while also prominently shaped, isn’t blue. It was only in 2015 that scientists published a revision: the blue-nosed chameleon, they declared, is it’s own species, Calumma linotum. Apart from a few other differences in size and shape, C. linotum’s coloration was described as “a blue rostral appendage and greenish turquoise extremities,” compared to the “inconspicuously yellowish brown” C. boettgeri. The photograph, by Mongabay photo editor Julie Larsen, was taken in northern Madagascar’s Montagne d’Ambre National Park, home to one of two known populations of the species. C. linotum’s conservation status is currently considered least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its relatively high density and presence in a well-managed park. However, every year, hundreds of thousands of chameleons are taken from the wild, both legally and illegally, to be sold on the exotic pet trade. Chameleons are challenging to keep alive and healthy in captivity, yet remain among the most popular reptiles in the trade due to their distinctive features. C. linotum, like most other chameleons, is listed on Appendix II of CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty, meaning its international trade requires permits and monitoring. According to a recent study, reptile species found only on islands are much more vulnerable to extinction than mainland…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Blue-nosed chameleons, a lizard species found only in northern Madagascar, are known for their colorful noses, which brighten when they get excited. For many years, lack of data meant the blue-nosed chameleon was classified as the species Calumma boettgeri, a chameleon whose nose, while also prominently shaped, isn’t blue. It was only in 2015 that […] authors: | ||
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Celebrating the ‘gardeners of the forest’ on World Tapir Day 27 Apr 2026 07:20:40 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/celebrating-the-gardeners-of-the-forest-on-world-tapir-day/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: Described as “gardeners of the forest,” tapirs help maintain healthy ecosystems by dispersing seeds and landscaping the vegetation. Yet they remain underfunded for research. All four tapir species — the Asian (Malayan) tapir (Tapirus indicus), Baird’s tapir (T. bairdii), the lowland or South American tapir (T. terrestris) and the mountain tapir (T. pinchaque) — are currently listed as vulnerable or endangered on the IUCN Red List. They face mounting pressures from habitat fragmentation and loss, hunting, and climate change. In honor of World Tapir Day on April 27, we highlight recent Mongabay stories from the frontlines of tapir conservation. New light on Asian tapir strongholds in Thailand In Thailand, researchers used “bycatch” data from camera traps to identify critical refuges for the endangered Asian tapir. Mongabay’s Carolyn Cowan reported in Feb 2026 that the study led by biologist Wyatt Petersen analyzed archived photos from camera traps originally intended to monitor bears in the Khlong Saeng–Khao Sok Forest Complex between 2016 and 2017. From the photos, the researchers identified at least 43 individual tapirs and estimated a population density of six to 10 individuals per 100 square kilometers (16-26 per 100 square miles). This suggests the forest complex could hold up to 436 mature tapirs, a figure significantly higher than previous estimates for Thailand and Myanmar combined. While the researchers warn these numbers must be interpreted with caution, the findings underscore the importance of protecting intact forest strongholds for the species’ long-term survival. Indigenous guardians protect the ‘Sacha wagra’ in Colombia…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Described as “gardeners of the forest,” tapirs help maintain healthy ecosystems by dispersing seeds and landscaping the vegetation. Yet they remain underfunded for research. All four tapir species — the Asian (Malayan) tapir (Tapirus indicus), Baird’s tapir (T. bairdii), the lowland or South American tapir (T. terrestris) and the mountain tapir (T. pinchaque) — are […] authors: | ||
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Heat, fires and agribusiness squeeze traditional Amazon açaí harvesters 27 Apr 2026 07:00:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/heat-fires-and-agribusiness-squeeze-traditional-amazon-acai-harvesters/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Carla Ruas content:encoded: ACARÁ, Brazil — “I’ve spent my whole life working with açaí,” said Eliseu Carvalho, 57, who cultivates the berry in a floodplain area next to his home in the municipality of Acará, in the Brazilian state of Pará. “I’ve always made a living from it.” But after a devastating wildfire near his community, Carvalho is now considering abandoning açaí harvesting altogether. Acará is one of the most productive açaí regions in the state of Pará, with thousands of small-scale producers working in forest patches and along riverbanks. In 2024, the municipality was severely affected by an intense wildfire season. More than 18 million hectares (44.5 million acres) — an area the size of Cambodia — burned in the Amazon that year, according to the Brazilian collaborative research network MapBiomas. Most of the burning occurred in forest areas, threatening frontline communities. Carvalho said he watched the flames burn for more than 20 days and consume almost 30 hectares (74 acres) of forestland. Prolonged drought conditions had left the humid vegetation unusually dry, leaving it much more susceptible to fire. “The flames spread through roots and organic matter,” he told Mongabay in Acará. “We would put them out on the surface, but they kept burning underground.” Açaí farmer Eliseu Carvalho shows his land in Acará, where a devastating wildfire burned down their açaí production in 2024. Image by Carla Ruas. When firefighters and volunteers finally managed to control the fire, about 2 hectares (5 acres) of açaí palms had burned to the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Intensive farming of the popular açaí berry grew by 70% since 2015, while community cooperatives reported losses of 35% or more during recent heat waves and fires. - Industrial açaí crops often rely on artificial irrigation and nonnative honeybees, adapting the Amazon to intensive methods rather than benefiting from the biome’s own systems. - Market analysis indicates increasing international demand and rising prices, a trend that pushes for high-yield commercial monocultures over forest-based extraction. authors: | ||
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After nearly a century, Taiwan’s legless lizard gets its own identity 27 Apr 2026 04:01:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/after-nearly-a-century-taiwans-legless-lizard-gets-its-own-identity/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: A new study has cleared up a century’s worth of identity confusion surrounding a secretive, legless lizard found in Taiwan’s forests. Researchers from National Taiwan Normal University confirmed the Formosan legless lizard (Dopasia formosensis) is a distinct species endemic to the island, separate from the more widespread Hart’s glass lizard (D. harti), under which it was previously clubbed. Legless lizards, often mistaken for snakes, possess several distinct features. The lizards have movable eyelids that allow them to blink, small external ear openings, and a longitudinal lateral fold that allows their skin to expand for breathing or carrying eggs. For nearly a century, scientists have debated whether Taiwan is home to one or two species of Dopasia legless lizards. Japanese zoologist Kyukichi Kishida first described Ophisaurus formosensis as a distinct species of legless lizard, endemic to Taiwan, in 1930 (the lizards were subsequently placed under the genus Dopasia). He noted that O. formosensis and O. harti, co-occurred in Taiwan but had slight differences in coloration: O. harti had blue spots while O. formosensis didn’t. However, in 2003, researchers concluded the two were a single species, and that the color differences were between females and young lizards, and males. The debate continued, the confusion stemming from the loss of the original specimen that Kishida had referred to after World War II. Legless lizards are notoriously difficult to find in their natural habitat since they stay hidden under leaf litter and humus. Dopasia is also protected in Taiwan. So, for the new study,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A new study has cleared up a century’s worth of identity confusion surrounding a secretive, legless lizard found in Taiwan’s forests. Researchers from National Taiwan Normal University confirmed the Formosan legless lizard (Dopasia formosensis) is a distinct species endemic to the island, separate from the more widespread Hart’s glass lizard (D. harti), under which it […] authors: | ||
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Endangered civet faces local extinction in Cambodian sanctuary 27 Apr 2026 03:19:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/endangered-civet-faces-local-extinction-in-cambodian-sanctuary/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: The large-spotted civet is an endangered small carnivore found in pockets of forest across Southeast Asia. Now, a new study suggests the nocturnal mammals are heading toward local extinction in Cambodia’s Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS), once considered a global stronghold for the species. The study, published in Pacific Conservation Biology, analyzed a decade of camera-trap data from the sanctuary and found a 75-95% decline in the large-spotted civet’s (Viverra megaspila) population density between 2009 and 2019. Over the 10-year period, estimated densities plummeted from approximately 9 individuals per 100 square kilometers (23 per 100 square miles) to fewer than 1 per 100 km2 (3 per 100 mi2). Population models now project the species could be extirpated from the sanctuary by 2034. However, in the same sanctuary over same study period, the closely related large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha) population flourished. Its population density tripled from 2 to 7 individuals per 100 km² (5 to 18 per 100 mi2). Researchers point to several factors driving these divergent fates. The large-spotted civet is believed to reproduce slowly, producing only two offspring per year during a strict breeding season, which the study suggests occurs between November and April. In contrast, the large Indian civet breeds year-round with larger litters, allowing it to better withstand high mortality rates from hunting and snaring. While there’s no direct evidence of hunting of large-spotted civets in the area, the study authors say indiscriminate snaring increased significantly over the study period, becoming the main driver of wildlife decline…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The large-spotted civet is an endangered small carnivore found in pockets of forest across Southeast Asia. Now, a new study suggests the nocturnal mammals are heading toward local extinction in Cambodia’s Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS), once considered a global stronghold for the species. The study, published in Pacific Conservation Biology, analyzed a decade of camera-trap […] authors: | ||
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Peter Raven, botanist and advocate for biodiversity, has died, aged 89 27 Apr 2026 00:18:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/peter-raven-botanist-and-advocate-for-biodiversity-has-died-aged-89/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Life on Earth is often described as a web, but for much of modern science it was catalogued as a ledger: names, specimens, distributions, relationships drawn in careful lines. Over the course of the 20th century, that ledger gave way to a more connected view. Plants and animals were no longer just entries in a system; they were participants in it, shaping one another across deep time. The implications of that shift were not merely scientific. They pointed, more directly than before, to the role of a single species—our own—in altering the terms of that participation. Few scientists did more to define that transition, or to explain its consequences, than Peter Raven. Peter Hamilton Raven, who died last night, aged 89, was among the most influential botanists of the past century. Over a career that spanned more than six decades, he combined taxonomy, evolutionary biology and conservation into a coherent body of work: to understand the diversity of life, and to argue for its preservation with a clarity that was unusual among scientists of his generation. Peter Raven. Courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Garden He began with curiosity rather than doctrine. Born in Shanghai in 1936 to American parents, he spent his childhood in California after his family returned in the late 1930s. As a boy in San Francisco, he collected insects and then plants, drawn to the order that botany seemed to offer. The ranges of species were mapped; their forms could be compared. It was, as he later…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Peter Raven was one of the most influential botanists of the 20th century, helping to shape modern understanding of biodiversity and coevolution. - As director of the Missouri Botanical Garden for nearly four decades, he transformed it into a global center for research, conservation, and education. - He was an early and persistent voice warning that human activity—through habitat loss, consumption, and population growth—was driving a mass loss of species. - His work combined science and public engagement, emphasizing that understanding the natural world carries an obligation to sustain it. authors: | ||
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Don Janssen, wildlife veterinarian who argued that caring for animals begins with people 26 Apr 2026 16:38:30 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/don-janssen-wildlife-veterinarian-who-argued-that-caring-for-animals-begins-with-people/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: In a zoo, a crisis often begins before anyone names it as such. An animal stops responding to treatment. A pregnancy fails to progress. A procedure goes as planned but the animal does not recover as expected. The work is technical and uncertain, and the margin for error is narrow. Outcomes depend on biology, timing, judgment, and factors that are not immediately apparent. Over time, this shapes the people who do the work. Some grow detached; others become more deliberate. What matters is not only what is done for the animal, but how people carry the outcome when it goes against them. Leadership, in such settings, tends to show itself in small ways: who turns up, who listens, and who steadies the room. Don Janssen, a wildlife veterinarian who spent more than three decades at the San Diego Zoo and its Safari Park, came to see his profession in these terms. Early on, he had assumed that liking animals more than people was an advantage. A senior veterinarian corrected him. If you do not learn to work well with people, he was told, you will spend your career in conflict, and the animals will bear the cost. Janssen returned to that lesson often. Janssen trained at the University of California, Davis, graduating in 1978, and went on to build a career that helped shape modern zoological medicine. At San Diego, he rose to become director of veterinary services and later vice-president of animal health. His work ranged from routine clinical…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Don Janssen spent more than three decades at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, helping shape modern zoological medicine through clinical work, research, and leadership. - He came to believe that veterinary care depended as much on trust, relationships, and teamwork as on technical expertise. - Drawing on his experience, he developed and taught a model of “servant leadership” that emphasized presence, humility, and clarity in times of stress. - Later in life, a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease reinforced his view that while circumstances cannot be controlled, one’s response to them can. authors: | ||
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As Walk for Peace begins in Sri Lanka, activists call for animal rights 26 Apr 2026 01:53:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/as-walk-for-peace-begins-in-sri-lanka-activists-call-for-animal-rights/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: COLOMBO — A group of barefoot Buddhist monks promoting peace, compassion, mindfulness and nonviolence has arrived in Sri Lanka, accompanied by an unlikely figure: a once stray dog named Aloka. The Walk for Peace, organized by 24 Buddhist monks of the Theravada tradition affiliated with a Vipassana meditation center in Texas in the United States under the guidance of Vietnamese monk Bhikkhu Paññākāra, commenced in October 2025 and gathered momentum across the U.S. before gaining global popularity. Inspired by the teachings of Gautama Buddha and his 45-year walk, the journey aims to spread awareness of loving kindness and compassion in a world increasingly shaped by conflict. Aloka derives her name from Sanskrit, meaning light, and was first encountered by the monks during a 2022 pilgrimage to India. A stray, Aloka began following the monks despite being injured in a road accident and was eventually adopted by the monks. Her early life on the streets, marked by hardship and illness, has since become central to her identity as a symbol of resilience. Bhikkhu Paññākāra, who played a leading role in organizing the Walk for Peace, chose to include Aloka in the journey as both a companion and a living expression of compassion toward all living beings, a core principle of Buddhism. Sri Lanka marks the first international destination for the walk for peace outside the United States, but Aloka’s participation was initially uncertain. The journey from the United States to Sri Lanka typically exceeds 20 hours of air travel and involves…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Aloka, previously a stray dog in India, has become a global symbol of compassion, accompanying Buddhist monks on their intercontinental Walk for Peace, which is now in Sri Lanka. - Concerns were expressed over Aloka’s health and safety due to the prevalence of intense heat in Sri Lanka, with unusually high daytime temperatures and humid conditions prompting special care measures including a trailing ambulance and veterinary support throughout the journey. - With an estimated 2.5 million stray dogs in Sri Lanka, activists critiqued an initial plan to remove street dogs from the walking path to avoid local dogs threatening Aloka’s safety. - Animal rights advocates are using the moment to call for the long-delayed Animal Welfare Bill, urging stronger legal protections and humane treatment, replacing the country’s outdated laws to protect wild, domestic and stray animals. authors: | ||
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These tiny houses are designed to stand in extreme floods 25 Apr 2026 15:05:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/04/how-bangladesh-builds-houses-that-stand-in-extreme-floods/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Lucia Torres content:encoded: JAMUNA RIVER, Bangladesh — Bulbul has just married and moved into a small village in northeast Bangladesh, a region battered year after year by severe flooding. During the rainy season, water routinely invades homes, wipes out crops, and turns daily life into a struggle for survival. For families like Bulbul’s, rebuilding after each monsoon has become an exhausting cycle. A group of architects from Dhaka is working with rural communities to break that cycle. Through hands-on workshops, they teach villagers how to build simple, flood-resistant tiny houses that safeguard families and food supplies when waters rise. As Bulbul prepares to build one of these homes, the film follows his transition into married life and a community learning to adapt and endure in the face of climate extremes. 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: Khudi Bari hause, Bangladesh. ©Asif Salmana. Saving Mexico City’s ancient floating farmsThis article was originally published on Mongabay description: JAMUNA RIVER, Bangladesh — Bulbul has just married and moved into a small village in northeast Bangladesh, a region battered year after year by severe flooding. During the rainy season, water routinely invades homes, wipes out crops, and turns daily life into a struggle for survival. For families like Bulbul’s, rebuilding after each monsoon has […] authors: | ||
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Nan Schaffer, veterinarian who helped unlock the science of rhino reproduction, has died, aged 72 24 Apr 2026 17:46:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/nan-schaffer-veterinarian-who-helped-unlock-the-science-of-rhino-reproduction-has-died-aged-72/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: “One of the great tragedies of the 21st century,” Nan Schaffer once said, “will be humanity’s homogeneity.” The remark was less a warning than a diagnosis. In a world where landscapes were being simplified and species reduced to remnants, she concerned herself with what would be lost when difference itself began to disappear. For species like rhinoceroses, that erosion of difference was already under way. In the controlled stillness of a zoo enclosure, where a four-ton animal may refuse to breed or carry a pregnancy to term, extinction can feel procedural. It is a matter of missed signals, incompatible pairs, and time lost in small increments. For the rhinoceros—ancient, solitary, and increasingly isolated—survival has often depended not on the drama of the wild but on the patience of those willing to study its most intimate biology. Schaffer spent much of her life in that patient, technical struggle. She believed that if rhinos were to persist, it would be because people learned how to help them reproduce when shrinking, fragmented populations could no longer sustain breeding on their own. Sumatran rhino at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay. Schaffer, a veterinarian who pioneered the science of rhino reproduction, died on March 27th after a prolonged battle with cancer. She was 72. Her work took her into pens and barns, across zoos and wilderness sites, and into a field that barely existed when she began: the reproductive physiology of large, endangered mammals. She was one of the world’s leading…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Nan Schaffer, a veterinarian who pioneered the study of rhinoceros reproduction, devoted her career to understanding and overcoming the biological barriers that kept captive rhinos from breeding as wild populations declined. - Working across zoos and research programs, she developed techniques to manage pregnancies, collect and preserve genetic material, and build the scientific foundation that underpins modern rhino conservation efforts. - Beyond her scientific work, she was a prominent supporter of LGBTQ+ causes in Chicago, a philanthropist, and a civic figure recognized with induction into the Chicago LGBTQ+ Hall of Fame. - Guided by a belief that the loss of species would diminish human understanding of the natural world, she argued that extinction was not only a biological crisis but a cultural and moral one, with consequences that extend beyond conservation itself. authors: | ||
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AI is a double-edged sword for Indigenous stewardship, say U.N. experts 24 Apr 2026 15:05:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ai-is-a-double-edged-sword-for-indigenous-stewardship-say-u-n-experts/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: This story is republished through the Indigenous News Alliance. At the 2026 United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, or UNPFII, in New York, experts warned of the opportunities and dangers of using artificial intelligence (AI) in conservation and climate adaptation efforts. AI can support the protection and management of Indigenous peoples’ lands and resources, such as by monitoring deforestation, fires and illegal extraction, but it can also contribute to greater environmental harm and infringe on Indigenous rights. A study published by Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, former chair of the permanent forum from the Mbororo people of Chad, highlighted some of the possibilities and challenges AI presents for environmental protection, as well as the impacts of this technology on Indigenous territories. This includes land-grabbing, water overexploitation and land degradation due to its high energy, water and critical minerals needs. “For generations, Indigenous Peoples have protected the world’s most intact ecosystems without satellites, without algorithms or technologies,” Ibrahim told Mongabay over email. “AI can become a powerful ally to that stewardship, if it is used on our terms in a culturally appropriated way.” AI and conservation Ibrahim explained that AI can help Indigenous communities monitor biodiversity, detect deforestation, illegal mining, wildfires, or water contamination through the use of satellite imagery and sensors. “When combined with Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge, AI can help predict climate impacts, track wildlife movements, and strengthen land-use planning while helping to plan faster resilience strategies,” she added. Setting up a camera trap in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - At the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 25th session, U.N. experts called attention to the opportunities and dangers of AI-centered conservation efforts. - A study published by former chair of the permanent forum Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim highlighted that AI can positively contribute to the protection of the environment but also impact efforts, due to its high consumption of energy, water and critical minerals. - AI can support the protection and management of Indigenous peoples’ lands and resources, such as by monitoring the environment to detect deforestation, fires, or illegal extraction. - Experts warned that to ensure the protection of Indigenous peoples and their territories, governments must prevent all forms of land-grabbing, water exploitation and mining activities related to data centers and energy sources, and respect Indigenous rights, worldviews and aspirations. authors: | ||
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NPFC adopts illegal fishing measures — but no Emperor Seamount protections 24 Apr 2026 14:50:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/npfc-adopts-illegal-fishing-measures-but-no-emperor-seamount-protections/ author: Autumn Spanne dc:creator: Francesco De Augustinis content:encoded: The North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) approved a series of measures aimed at combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and improving stock assessments during its latest annual meeting in Osaka, Japan, April 14-17. However, several NGOs viewed the meeting as a step backward for fish stock management, calling out the commission’s failure to add protections for several vulnerable species and to halt bottom fishing in the Emperor Seamount Chain. The NPFC protects marine ecosystems and non-tuna fish stocks in the high seas of the North Pacific Ocean and is one of four regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) in the Pacific. Its 10th annual meeting gathered the nine members — Canada, China, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, the United States and Vanuatu — along with 11 observer groups and Panama as a cooperating noncontracting party. “It was a hard but a good week,” Gerald Leape, principal officer with the U.S.-based Pew Charitable Trusts’ international fisheries project, told Mongabay minutes after the closure of the meeting. Japanese sardines (Sardinops melanostictus). Image by Totti via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Combating IUU fishing NPFC members agreed to adopt a shared system of minimum standards for port inspection, a move that targets IUU fishing. The decision brings the commission in line with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), a binding international agreement marking its 10th anniversary this year. With the approval of this measure, commission members committed to implementing more stringent inspection standards and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The 10th annual meeting of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NFPC) took place April 14-17 in Osaka, Japan. - While the NPFC members enacted new measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, leading NGOs criticized the commission for failing to act on bottom trawling in the Emperor Seamount Chain, a biodiversity-rich volcanic submarine mountain range in the Northwest Pacific. - Some NPFC members and observers also expressed disappointment about backtracking on stock management and conservation for the Pacific saury, which is targeted by fishing fleets of several member countries. authors: | ||
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Investigators eye organized crime links in 3-ton pangolin scale haul at Jakarta port 24 Apr 2026 12:26:32 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/investigators-eye-organized-crime-links-in-3-ton-pangolin-scale-haul-at-jakarta-port/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Anggita Raissa content:encoded: JAKARTA, Indonesia – Customs and excise investigators in Jakarta continue to trace the origin of more than 3 metric tons of pangolin scales found in late February inside a shipping container at Indonesia’s largest port. “This is still under investigation,” Suhartoyo, a lead customs investigator at Tanjung Priok Port told Mongabay Indonesia, adding that evidence in the case remained in the container storage area in early April. On Feb. 18, customs officials at Tanjung Priok inspected a container declared as sea cucumbers and instant noodles, but found more than 3 metric tons of dried pangolin scales concealed in 99 boxes — an illicit haul valued at more than $10 million. Pangolins are insectivores clad entirely by scales made from keratin, the same protein as human hair and nails. These scales are prized by traditional healers in China and Vietnam, despite no scientific evidence that consuming them has any health benefits. All eight known species of pangolin in Africa and Asia are listed as threatened on the Red List maintained by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. Investigators remain focused on the company identified as the exporter of the shipping container, PT Temu Satu Rasa (TSR), as well as a company that may have provided customs clearance services. A review of corporate records held by the Directorate General of General Legal Administration showed TSR was registered to address in the west of Jakarta, the capital city, in January. Mongabay Indonesia visited this address by a minimart on a busy street,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Customs officers in Jakarta planned to conduct interviews this month in connection with the seizure of more than 3 metric tons of pangolin scales, which inspectors found in a shipping container bound for Cambodia in late February. - Mongabay Indonesia visited the address registered to the company exporting the container, but it appeared to be a shopfront, while its contact numbers registered in a government database were inactive. - Indonesian authorities continue to make more pangolin scale seizures: This month, a Navy vessel intercepted a Vietnam-flagged cargo boat off the northwest coast of Java found to be carrying 780 kg (1,720 lbs) of scales. authors: | ||
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AI tool tracks spread of illegal gold mining in Amazon protected areas 24 Apr 2026 09:56:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ai-tool-tracks-spread-of-illegal-gold-mining-in-amazon-protected-areas/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Constance Malleret content:encoded: In July 2025, the Indigenous Shuar people celebrated the end of a decade-long struggle when they received official titles for three communities — the Shuar Tunants, Kampan and Tsuntsuim –- within the Kutukú Shaimi Protected Forest, in the south of the Ecuadorean Amazon. But in one of those communities, satellite imagery shows that between August and December 2025, a gaping hole appeared in the forest around a riverbend — a mining scar. Despite the Tunants territory’s newly formalized status, deforestation due to gold mining nearly tripled, reaching 2 hectares (5 acres) in size in the last three months of 2025, according to Amazon Mining Watch Panorama, a new quarterly report. The report shows that deforestation due to illegal gold mining continues to grow across the Amazon, threatening protected parts of the rainforest. In total, 6,000 hectares (more than 14,800 acres) — about seven times the size of Central Park in New York City — of new mining scars appeared across protected areas and Indigenous territories over the last three months of 2025. This mining is presumed to be illegal, as most Amazonian countries have legislation prohibiting mining in Indigenous territories and protected areas, with experts warning that greater law enforcement is needed. Most of the deforestation caused by mining during that period took place in Brazil, with roughly 2,000 hectares (about 5,000 acres) of forest being cleared. This was followed by Peru with 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres), and Guyana with 900 hectares (about 2,200 acres). New mining scars were also…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Gold mining presumed to be illegal caused 6,000 hectares (more than 14,800 acres) of deforestation in Amazonian protected areas and Indigenous territories during the last three months of 2025, according to a new quarterly report from the Amazon Mining Watch platform. - New mining scars were identified in all nine Amazonian countries, with Brazil, Peru and Guyana suffering the highest levels of mining-linked deforestation. - Soaring gold prices are driving this destruction, experts say, and call for more monitoring, law enforcement and coordinated action between countries to tackle the issue. - Using an AI algorithm that’s constantly being improved, the Amazon Mining Watch platform aims to serve as an early-warning tool for authorities and civil society to identify and address new incidences of illegal gold mining, especially in border areas. authors: | ||
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Photos: A shark meat processing village and market in Indonesia’s Lombok 24 Apr 2026 09:40:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/04/photos-a-shark-meat-processing-village-and-market-in-indonesias-lombok/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Garry LolutungPhilip Jacobson content:encoded: Shark meat has quietly surpassed shark fins in international trade volume and value. In East Lombok it sells for as little as 29 cents a skewer. Photojournalist Garry Lolutung documented the shark trade at Lombok’s Tanjung Luar fish market and nearby Rumbuk village, an important shark meat processing center. EAST LOMBOK, Indonesia — Indonesia consistently ranks as the top shark-catching nation in the world. The fish market in Tanjung Luar village on the island of Lombok is often called the country’s biggest for sharks. It was bustling when Mongabay visited one morning in February last year. Vendors with plastic buckets greeted fishing boats from nearby islands, welcoming fresh catches. At the pier, fishers carried a shark from their boat to the auction site and placed it among others on the floor, ready for bids. “This has been a job passed down from the previous generation to our generation,” fisher Safruddin told Mongabay while unloading his catch. “This has become a daily livelihood for the people here to make a living, and the market price is still promising.” Lombok’s shark trade first gained prominence in the 1990s, locals say. Today, the animals sell at auction for 600,000-1 million rupiah each (about $35-$58). The sharks here are supplied by longline vessels that deliberately target them, which is generally legal in Indonesia, and by gillnet fishers who take them as bycatch. Tanjung Luar village and market, with Mount Rinjani looming in the distance. Safruddin, a fisher, carries freshly caught sharks from a boat…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Shark meat has quietly surpassed shark fins in international trade volume and value. In East Lombok it sells for as little as 29 cents a skewer. Photojournalist Garry Lolutung documented the shark trade at Lombok’s Tanjung Luar fish market and nearby Rumbuk village, an important shark meat processing center. EAST LOMBOK, Indonesia — Indonesia consistently […] authors: | ||
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New ‘cryptic’ gecko species discovered in Vietnam’s imperiled karst forests 24 Apr 2026 03:37:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/new-cryptic-gecko-species-discovered-in-vietnams-imperiled-karst-forests/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: In the rugged karst forests of northern Vietnam, researchers have identified a new gecko species, Vietnam’s 12th known species of gecko. The discovery highlights how much diversity the often-overlooked landscape holds. Ziegler’s Slender Gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri) was discovered during surveys in the Copia Nature Reserve, in Son La province. The species was named in honor of Thomas Ziegler from the University of Cologne, Germany, “for his outstanding contribution to biodiversity research and conservation in Vietnam,” the study said. These small, yellowish-grey geckos were observed at night on limestone cliffs and, in one instance, an electric pole in a cornfield. While study co-author Minh Le from Vietnam National University called the find “exciting,” he noted the team was not shocked. “Because we acknowledge, based on our research, that the diversity of this group of cryptic geckos is substantially underestimated,” he told Mongabay by email. “We expect that more new species will be described in the future.” In this case, the term ‘cryptic’ refers to species that appear nearly identical to others. Despite their physical similarities, genetic testing revealed a 14% divergence between the new gecko and its closest relatives, a significant gap that represents a major evolutionary distinction between the new species and its relatives. This finding is part of a broader trend; 85% of species in this genus have been described only in the last decade. Though many of them have been newly described, their habitat and ecosystems are already under threat. For now, researchers recommend that the new slender…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: In the rugged karst forests of northern Vietnam, researchers have identified a new gecko species, Vietnam’s 12th known species of gecko. The discovery highlights how much diversity the often-overlooked landscape holds. Ziegler’s Slender Gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri) was discovered during surveys in the Copia Nature Reserve, in Son La province. The species was named in honor […] authors: | ||
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Indigenous knowledge helps identify new, highly threatened skink in Australia 24 Apr 2026 02:04:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/indigenous-knowledge-helps-identify-new-highly-threatened-skink-in-australia/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Megan Strauss content:encoded: Researchers have described a new-to-science species of skink that may be one of Australia’s most threatened reptiles. The small population of the skink, possibly fewer than 20 individuals, lives in a pocket of rocky gorge within the arid Mutawintji National Park in New South Wales state, the researchers report in a new paper. The skink has been named Liopholis mutawintji, in a nod to the park, the only place it’s currently known from. Its common name is Kungaka, meaning “the Hidden One” to Wiimpatja Aboriginal Owners. This refers to the species’ habit of hiding in crevices and burrows. Scientists from the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) partnered with Wiimpatja Aboriginal Owners and the New South Wales National Parks & Wildlife Service to confirm the Kungaka as a distinct species. Thomas Parkin, the study’s lead author with AMRI, told Mongabay by email that the Kungaka was previously thought to be a highly isolated population of White’s skink (L. whitii), a species widely distributed in southeastern Australia. But with Mutawintji roughly 500 kilometers (300 miles) away from the closest White’s skink population, the team decided to revisit the reptile’s taxonomy. The team analyzed DNA samples and compared physical traits of White’s skinks from different populations across Australia. Their analyses revealed that White’s skink is not one species, but three deeply divergent lineages. The three species in the revised taxonomy are the southern White’s skink (L. whitii), northern White’s skink (L. compressicauda), and the Kungaka. Parkin said the Kungaka can be distinguished from…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Researchers have described a new-to-science species of skink that may be one of Australia’s most threatened reptiles. The small population of the skink, possibly fewer than 20 individuals, lives in a pocket of rocky gorge within the arid Mutawintji National Park in New South Wales state, the researchers report in a new paper. The skink […] authors: | ||
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Nepal plans park for ‘problem’ tigers as attacks raise concerns 24 Apr 2026 01:00:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/nepal-plans-park-for-problem-tigers-as-attacks-raise-concerns/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Abhaya Raj JoshiMukesh Pokhrel content:encoded: BARDIYA, Nepal — The Nepali government recently proposed establishing a tiger park for the big cats that come into conflict with humans, as the country continues to grapple with an unintended consequence of its hugely successful conservation efforts. Authorities say the proposed 50-hectare (124-acre) park in the Durganar–Tikauli forest near Chitwan National Park will take in “problem” tigers (involved in killing and eating one or more humans) from overcrowded holding centers, though several questions related to the plan remain unanswered. “Currently, we need to spend around 1.5 million rupees [about $10,000] annually for each captive tiger even if we feed it minimally,” said Hari Bhadra Acharya, a senior ecologist with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation under the Ministry of Forests and Environment, who chairs the committee that’s exploring the plan. “Similarly, many tourists visit national parks to see tigers, but only a few are lucky to do so.” According to Acharya, the park would feature a fenced habitat designed to hold tigers that have attacked humans. Instead of living in tiny, cramped cages in holding centers, each tiger would get outdoor space to roam, hide in tall grass, and live more naturally. The park would sell tickets for viewing the tigers, and the revenue generated would cover the costs of the tigers’ food and veterinary care. Nepal, which had 121 tigers (Panthera tigris) in 2009, is now home to 355 of the endangered big cats, spread across major habitats such as Chitwan, Bardiya and Shuklaphanta national parks,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Nepal has proposed a 50-hectare tiger park near Chitwan National Park to house “problem” tigers in semi-natural enclosures and fund their upkeep through tourism. - Rising tiger populations and increasing human-tiger encounters have led to fatalities, costly captivity, and overcrowded, often inadequate holding centers. - Research shows only a small fraction of tigers cause conflicts, typically injured or old individuals, while most rely on wild prey. - Critics warn the park may be ethically flawed, financially unstable, and ecologically ineffective, and have suggested alternatives like better conflict management, improved identification protocols, or even euthanasia of high-risk tigers. authors: | ||
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Amid conflict and poaching, tech helps boost mountain gorilla numbers 23 Apr 2026 21:55:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/amid-conflict-and-poaching-tech-helps-boost-mountain-gorilla-numbers/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Aimable Twahirwa content:encoded: The population of the world’s last mountain gorillas has rebounded by 73% since 1989, allowing the subspecies to be reclassified from critically endangered — one step away from extinction — to endangered. But they remain imperiled, with about 1,063 left. They live in just one place: the Greater Virunga Landscape that straddles Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Conservation here has been extremely challenging, that’s been periodically embroiled in war, beset by armed groups, poachers and a plethora of other serious threats. Though these apes dwell at high altitude, from about 2,400-4,000 meters (8,000-13,000 feet) andoften deep within steep valleys and gorges, they’re still in the crosshairs. These apes are poached for their meat and body parts. Their infants are snatched for attractions that entertain tourists. Sometimes they’re trapped in snares set by bushmeat hunters for other wildlife. Meanwhile, their habitat falls to farmers and loggers. Rangers working in the region are increasing the use of cellphone-based software as part of broad efforts to protect mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) and the lands they inhabit. This platform, known as the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART), can be programmed to the specific needs of a species or landscape, incorporating the boundaries of protected areas, wildlife corridors, patrol routes and so much more. It builds maps, has navigation capabilities, incorporates photos, and organizes and analyzes data. This information sometimes is used as evidence for prosecution of poachers. This information also helps pinpoint where to deploy personnel, and how…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Mountain gorillas face serious threats as they lose habitat and are stalked by poachers, but populations have jumped by 73% since 1989, now numbering an estimated 1,063. - A mobile tool called SMART is helping forest guards and conservationists collect data to better track and protect the apes and other wildlife. - But budgets are tight; more staff, field equipment and data collection devices are needed, conservation experts say. - The current security situation across the transborder region between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo is a significant concern, both for forest rangers and gorillas. authors: | ||
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Canada offers mines and more in $730b investment bid slammed as unsustainable 23 Apr 2026 21:15:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/canada-offers-mines-and-more-in-730b-investment-bid-slammed-as-unsustainable/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has touted his country’s natural resources as the main attraction for securing more than $700 billion in new investments over the next five years — a plan that a mining watchdog has blasted as “robber baron capitalism.” Carney announced in a press release a summit scheduled for Sept. 14-15 in Toronto that will convene “top CEOs, entrepreneurs, and prominent global business leaders” in an effort to attract C$1 trillion ($730 billion) in investments. The government is highlighting Canada’s natural resources as one of the primary draws for investors, including liquefied natural gas and vast deposits of critical minerals like nickel, graphite and tungsten. The press release cites several major mining and LNG projects as examples of what the country offers global investors. Specific projects include the Canada Nickel Company’s Crawford mine in Ontario province, and the Nouveau Monde Graphite project in Québec province. “Canada has what the world wants,” Carney said in the release. “We’re an energy superpower, with the most educated workforce in the world and rock-solid fiscal strength. The first-ever Canada Investment Summit will capitalise on those advantages to help drive billions in new investments into Canada.” However, conservationists have raised concerns about environmental degradation associated with existing projects, and warn new developments will only exacerbate the problems. “A healthy environment is the foundation of Canada’s long-term prosperity,” Stephen Thomas, clean energy manager for the David Suzuki Foundation, wrote in an email to Mongabay. “That’s why it’s concerning the Prime Minister’s investment summit…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has touted his country’s natural resources as the main attraction for securing more than $700 billion in new investments over the next five years — a plan that a mining watchdog has blasted as “robber baron capitalism.” Carney announced in a press release a summit scheduled for Sept. 14-15 in […] authors: | ||
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Sweden’s secondhand clothing swaps offer a trendy way to cut environmental waste 23 Apr 2026 19:04:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/swedens-secondhand-clothing-swaps-offer-a-trendy-way-to-cut-environmental-waste/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: STOCKHOLM (AP) — Alva Palosaari Sundman scoured the racks of secondhand clothes in Stockholm for hours in search of the right pair of preowned jeans. The 24-year-old art student was among hundreds of people attending an annual clothing swap on Sunday at a community center in Sweden’s capital. They exchanged their own clothes to “shop” for others. Similar events drew thousands across the country to reduce the environmental cost of clothing production. Palosaari Sundman said she enjoyed seeing others pick out the clothes she’d brought. “It’s like, ‘Oh, OK, it gets a new life with this person,’” she said. “It just feels a bit more humane.” The U.N. Environment Program cites fast fashion as major player in environmental damage, producing up to 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. Discarded clothes gorge landfills that scar landscapes in developing countries, and the plastic fibers used to make cheap fabrics pollute oceans. To produce a pair of jeans, for example, roughly 2,000 gallons (7,571 liters) of water is required, UNEP has said. Sweden’s clothing swap initiative began in 2010 and has grown. Last year, some 140,000 people participated in 140 swap events and took home more than 44,000 preowned items. Sweden is often seen as environmentally advanced, but the reality is more nuanced. Clothing consumption contributes to roughly 3% of a Swede’s total emissions, according to Mistra Future Fashion, a research institute. Swedes last year were banned from throwing away clothes in the regular trash in a European Union bid to boost recycling. But the measure backfired when…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: STOCKHOLM (AP) — Alva Palosaari Sundman scoured the racks of secondhand clothes in Stockholm for hours in search of the right pair of preowned jeans. The 24-year-old art student was among hundreds of people attending an annual clothing swap on Sunday at a community center in Sweden’s capital. They exchanged their own clothes to “shop” for others. […] authors: | ||
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In Pakistan’s deadly heat, low-cost cooling tools offer a lifeline for pregnant women 23 Apr 2026 15:00:43 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/in-pakistans-deadly-heat-low-cost-cooling-tools-offer-a-lifeline-for-pregnant-women/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: Canvas canopies, hand fans, damp cloths and solar reflective paint may not sound like elaborate medical interventions. But in Pakistan’s hottest neighborhoods, they can act as a lifeline for pregnant women and newborns from low-income households. In a recent trial of affordable cooling solutions led by researchers at Pakistan’s Aga Khan University, low-tech interventions were able to cut indoor temperatures by 3-4° Celsius (5-7° Fahrenheit). Air-conditioning, and even fans, are often not available due to unreliable electricity supply. “Many commonly recommended heat interventions assume reliable electricity, formal workplaces, and universal phone access, making them impractical for many women in low-income countries,” Gregory Wellenius, director of the Center for Climate and Health at Boston University, told Zuha Siddiqui for Dialogue Earth. Temperatures in Pakistan often reach 40°C (104°F), with “feels like” temperatures nearing 50°C (122°F) in the summer. Climate change is making heat waves in the region much more likely and frequent, according to World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists studying extreme weather events. “The heat exhausts me. My body feels like lead,” Asiya, a woman identified only by her first name, told Siddiqui. Asiya lives in Lyari, one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Karachi, and is pregnant with her third child. “During my last pregnancy two years ago, I took showers thrice a day to cool down because I could feel my baby kicking in distress,” she added. The urban heat island effect traps heat in densely built urban areas, elevating city temperatures. In Karachi, Pakistan’s largest…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Canvas canopies, hand fans, damp cloths and solar reflective paint may not sound like elaborate medical interventions. But in Pakistan’s hottest neighborhoods, they can act as a lifeline for pregnant women and newborns from low-income households. In a recent trial of affordable cooling solutions led by researchers at Pakistan’s Aga Khan University, low-tech interventions were […] authors: | ||
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Linking habitats strengthens wildlife microbiomes, helps fight disease: Study 23 Apr 2026 14:29:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/linking-habitats-strengthens-wildlife-microbiomes-helps-fight-disease-study/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: A new study has found that when deforestation and land use change break up key habitats vital to amphibian life cycles, those disconnects can play havoc with the animals’ microbiome, leaving them more susceptible to disease. This troubling finding could also apply to a host of other species, the study researchers say, but may also have positive implications for conservation to counteract the problem. Habitat split, first associated with amphibian decline in a 2007 study, occurs when multiple “classes” of aquatic and terrestrial habitat — such as forests, streams and ponds — vital to a species’ life cycle are separated by human activities (such as agriculture), causing the species to decline. Studies have already shown that this phenomenon is a driver of localized frog extinctions in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. In the new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists investigated the effect of “habitat split” on the microbiome of four frog species (Haddadus binotatus, Rhinella ornata, Boana faber and Ischnocnema henselii), all dwelling in the highly fragmented Atlantic Forest. They found that where forest and aquatic habitats are linked, frogs are more likely to host skin microbes that inhibit the deadly fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. This fungus, known as chytrid, is responsible for large-scale declines of hundreds of amphibian species across the globe. Importantly, the skin microbiome of frogs living in areas where these habitats were split hosted fewer pathogen-fighting microbes, leaving the frogs more susceptible to infection. Two of the frog species sampled also…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - It has long been known that when terrestrial and aquatic habitats, vital at various times during a species’ life cycle, become disconnected due to human activities (a process known as habitat split), the impacted species can become more vulnerable to disease and see major population declines. - A new study pinpoints one mechanism contributing to such losses. Researchers analyzed habitat split impacts on the skin microbiomes of frog species in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest and detected microbial changes that increased frog susceptibility to the chytrid pathogen, which is devastating amphibians globally. - The scientists stress that their findings could likely apply elsewhere and to many species (such as birds, fish and mammals), which need varied habitats during their life cycles in order to maintain a diverse microbiome that enhances disease defenses. - The researchers say their findings underline the need for conservation projects that protect and connect key habitats, such as forests and streams that are utilized at various life cycle stages, in order to better protect a multitude of species, not only at the macro scale, but also species at the micro scale. authors: | ||
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Wetland destruction for mining, oil palm tied to crocodile attacks in Indonesia 23 Apr 2026 14:01:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/wetland-destruction-for-mining-oil-palm-tied-to-crocodile-attacks-in-indonesia/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Taufik Wijaya content:encoded: BANGKA, Indonesia — Residents of a centuries-old coastal settlement in the world’s largest tin-mining outpost — Bangka Island — fear that the environmental damage over just a few decades is behind a frightening rise in reports of violent deaths. In February, local fisher Jauhari became the latest person here on Bangka’s west coast to be killed by an estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). The 40-year-old was likely the 21st victim in the last five years, according to local wildlife charity Alobi Foundation. The saltwater crocodile — the world’s largest reptile — can exceed 6 meters (20 feet) in length weighing up to 2 tons (4,400 pounds) and live more than 70 years. On Bangka Island, it ordinarily lurks quietly beneath the surface of estuaries and lagoons. “This has happened because many swamps and tributaries that are the habitat of estuarine crocodiles have been damaged by illegal tin mining, and then turned into oil palm plantations,” Suhadi, who lives in western Bangka’s Menduk village, told Mongabay Indonesia in late March. The Menduk wetlands, formerly home to estuarine crocodiles, have been converted into palm oil plantations and illegal tin mines. Image by Nopri Ismi/Mongabay Indonesia. For some local people, 40-year-old Jauhari’s passing was a signal of how environmental damage can introduce new forms of violence into communities, a pattern that will intensify as climate pressures compound. One study published in the journal Biological Conservation in 2023 counted 665 cases of crocodile attacks in Indonesia in press reports from 2017 to 2019. Indonesia accounts…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Bangka-Belitung, an island province located to the north of Sumatra Island, accounted for more than a quarter of the world’s tin production five years ago. - Satellite analysis shows that this globally significant mining industry has come at extensive environmental cost: Bangka-Belitung lost 36% of its old-growth forest between 2002 and 2024, besides the deforestation incurred in the 20th century. - In 2024, Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office announced the country’s largest ever criminal corruption case, after investigators uncovered collusion with the state-owned tin miner, PT Timah, and illegal mining operators on Bangka. - Meanwhile, local wildlife charities say deforestation of the coastal wetland on the west of Bangka Island, which was inhabited by humans at least as far back as the 7th century, may be to blame for the rise in human-wildlife conflicts afflicting local populations. authors: | ||
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Open dumping & failed reforms bury Sri Lankan cities in waste problem 23 Apr 2026 12:12:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/open-dumping-failed-reforms-bury-sri-lankan-cities-in-waste-problem/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: COLOMBO — As Sri Lankans celebrate the traditional New Year on April 14 each year, a period marked by family gatherings and renewal, there are no celebrations at Keerthirathna Perera’s home anymore. In 2017, the Perera family was in celebration mode in their two-level home in Meethotamulla, in western Sri Lanka. But their festive lunch was interrupted around 2 p.m. by a faint tremor. Moments later, a neighbor shouted that the stairway was suddenly cracking. Alarmed, the family rushed outside, only seconds before a deafening roar engulfed the area as a massive wave of garbage and earth surged upward. Houses shifted, some collapsed instantly, while others were simply thrust aside. When the noise eventually faded, the neighborhood found itself reduced to a chaotic field of rubble. In this confusion, Keerthirathna searched desperately for his family. He found his wife trapped waist-deep in debris and saw only his granddaughter’s hand nearby, while there was no trace of his daughter and son-in-law. Rescue teams worked through the night, pulling his wife to safety around 10 p.m. and recovering the bodies of his granddaughter and son-in-law. After continuous digging through the unstable waste mound, four days later, his daughter’s lifeless body was finally recovered. The disaster killed at least 32 people, displaced hundreds and destroyed more than 140 homes, leaving more than a thousand homeless. The collapse of the mount at Meethotamulla exposed the catastrophic consequences of unmanaged urban waste accumulation and Sri Lanka’s repeated institutional failure to tackle the solid waste problem.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In a landmark decision, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court recently determined that long-term waste dumping at a site in Meethotamulla violated residents’ fundamental rights and faulted the authorities for allowing the dump to expand beyond permitted limits. - After years of unregulated dumping and ignored warnings, in 2017, the same garbage mound collapsed, killing 32 people, including children, destroyed more than 140 homes and displaced hundreds. - The country generates around 8,000-10,000 metric tons of municipal solid waste daily, with Colombo contributing about 500 metric tons, while more than 260 open dumpsites, including 20 large ones, continue to operate countrywide. - Systems are gradually shifting toward composting, waste-to-energy incineration and engineered sanitary landfill disposal, but weak segregation, limited capacity and continued reliance on open dumping persist. authors: | ||
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Singapore to halt sourcing and breeding dolphins 23 Apr 2026 11:41:10 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/singapore-to-halt-sourcing-and-breeding-dolphins/ author: Naina Rao dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa will stop sourcing wild dolphins for its aquarium and is suspending its captive-breeding program, according to insiders, reports Mongabay contributor Robin Hicks. Anbarasi Boopal, former co-chief executive of Singapore animal welfare charity Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), said this was a positive step. However, she called for transparency about the facility’s long-term plans for the animals already in captivity. While the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) declined to comment on the dolphin sourcing and breeding program , Mongabay learned it is assembling a panel of experts to determine the future of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) currently held at its Oceanarium — “more than 20,” staff at the facility told Mongabay. The youngest is a 7-year-old male named Kenzo. RWS obtained 27 dolphins from the Solomon Islands in 2008 and 2009. At least four died during transit or from infections. The resort opened its exhibit to the public in 2013 amid widespread criticism from animal welfare groups. The RWS says its dolphins receive high-quality care and that the facility provides educational and conservation value. “At the Marine Mammal Habitat, the health and well-being of our dolphins is a top priority,” RWS told Mongabay after publication of the article. “They are cared for by a dedicated team of Marine Mammal Specialists, supported by Veterinary Care, Environmental Health and Husbandry professionals, who provide round-the-clock care.” Staff who spoke to Mongabay said they doubted the animals could survive in the wild after so long in captivity. An international…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa will stop sourcing wild dolphins for its aquarium and is suspending its captive-breeding program, according to insiders, reports Mongabay contributor Robin Hicks. Anbarasi Boopal, former co-chief executive of Singapore animal welfare charity Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), said this was a positive step. However, she called for transparency about […] authors: | ||
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Little-known company targets South African biodiversity hotspot for mining 23 Apr 2026 10:04:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/little-known-company-targets-south-african-biodiversity-hotspot-for-mining/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Anna Weekes content:encoded: A slew of applications by a little-known mining group to explore for critical minerals in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, including within the buffer zone of a nature reserve, has alarmed environmental groups and activists. They warn that the remote and water-scarce region, a globally significant biodiversity hotspot with unique ecosystems and exceptional plant diversity, risks being treated as barren desert. The seven applications from Johannesburg-based Umboso cover a range of minerals considered critical for manufacturing renewable energy components, including cobalt (essential for making lithium-ion batteries), iron ore (used in steelmaking), gallium and germanium (used in making solar panels and cells), uranium, and rare earths needed to make magnets for wind turbines. Prospecting for these minerals could turn the Northern Cape into a “Wild West” for extractive industries, said Liziwe McDaid, strategic lead at the environmental justice organization Green Connection, which has brought several successful court cases against mine prospecting elsewhere in the country. The Umboso Group, which only registered as a company in 2023 and does not publicly list any previous mining experience, applied in February to prospect on seven tracts of land in the Northern Cape — in one case inside the 5-kilometer (3-mile) buffer zone of Gamsberg Nature Reserve, which was set up to safeguard the Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes. A springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) in Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, Northern Cape province. Image by Charles J. Sharp/Sharp Photography via Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Thevha Sustainable Services, an environmental impact consultancy also based in Johannesburg, was hired…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - South Africa’s remote, semiarid Northern Cape province risks environmental damage by an inexperienced mining company that wants to prospect for the minerals critical for the renewable energy sector. - Environmentalists have drawn attention to the “exceptionally poor” impact assessment studies, suggesting a lack of planning and consideration that heightens the risk of impacts on the environment and local communities. - The potential impacts include groundwater contamination in a water-scarce region and the risk of radioactive dust polluting the soil and water sources. - The company that’s applied to prospect seven tracts of land in the province only registered as a business in 2023 and has no public track record as a mining company. authors: | ||
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Citizen science helps reconnect Singapore treetops for elusive leaf-eating langurs 23 Apr 2026 09:57:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/citizen-science-helps-reconnect-singapore-treetops-for-elusive-leaf-eating-langurs/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Carolyn Cowan content:encoded: ANG MO KIO, Singapore — On the edge of a bustling Singapore suburb, Lay Hoon steps into the shade of a forest reserve she’s visited monthly for eight years to search for one of the world’s most threatened primates. Scanning the dense canopy for signs of movement, she listens intently. “Before we see the langurs, we usually hear them,” she says. The foliage rustles above, but it turns out to be a plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus), one of a surprising number of small mammals found here at the Lower Peirce Reservoir Park, a 10-hectare (25-acre) patch of maturing secondary forest to the northeast of Singapore’s Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Hoon is looking for the Raffles’ banded langur (Presbytis femoralis), a leaf-eating monkey confined to pockets of fragmented forest in Singapore and the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia. Listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, its total global population is estimated to be only 200-250 mature individuals, fewer than 80 of them in Singapore. The extent of habitat loss in Singapore over the past two centuries cannot be overstated. Today, less than 1% of the primary forest that once stretched across much of the main island remains; and of the island’s roughly 20% secondary forest cover, only about 4.3% is considered high-quality mature forest. With their habitats devastated, many groups of terrestrial vertebrates plunged into decline. Yet even after rapid urbanization since the 1960s, small groups of langurs have clung on in isolated forest fragments. However, as treetop specialists,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Singapore’s fragmented forests are home to a small population of Raffles’ banded langurs, one of the world’s most threatened primates. - Citizen scientists are helping conservationists protect the arboreal species across the island’s densely urbanized landscape. - By collecting long-term and consistent data in known strongholds, volunteers have identified langur food plants and movement corridors, boosting efforts to enrich and reconnect their habitats. - The citizen science program has also built public awareness of the elusive species, one of only three primates left in Singapore, an outcome experts hope will rouse wider support for biodiversity protection amid intense development pressure. authors: | ||
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After 110-kilo ivory bust, familiar questions over Kenya’s follow-through 23 Apr 2026 09:38:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/after-110-kilo-ivory-bust-familiar-questions-over-kenyas-follow-through/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Charles Mpaka content:encoded: In late January, Kenyan authorities arrested two men in possession of more than a hundred kilos of ivory in the town of Namanga, on the border with Tanzania. According to Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), police and wildlife officers were on a covert operation at a hotel when they caught three men — identified as Imani Manasi Msumbwa and Justin Mwalima, both Tanzanian, and Alton Jilaoneka, a Kenyan — likely negotiating a deal. Mwalima escaped; the remaining two led investigators to a car with 20 pieces of elephant tusks, weighing a total 110 kilograms (243 pounds). They were arrested, and news of the seizure made headlines. Since then, however, it’s not clear what progress has been made, either in finding the escaped suspect or in identifying the prospective buyer or the wider trafficking network. Despite repeated inquiries from Mongabay, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials have declined to confirm whether those arrested were granted bail or if they remain in custody. Chris Morris, founder of Nairobi-based wildlife crime monitoring group Saving Elephants through Education and Justice (SEEJ), told Mongabay that the suspects are scheduled to appear in Kajiado Magistrate’s Court on April 28. SEEJ monitored more than 100 elephant ivory trafficking prosecutions between 2023 and 2025 to assess the integrity of law enforcement in pursuing trafficking cases beyond the headline arrests. Some of the offences date back to 2015. By the end of its two-year monitoring period, only 72 of the 125 cases had concluded, with a conviction rate of…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: In late January, Kenyan authorities arrested two men in possession of more than a hundred kilos of ivory in the town of Namanga, on the border with Tanzania. According to Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), police and wildlife officers were on a covert operation at a hotel when they caught three men — identified […] authors: | ||
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Chile’s plan to protect another 10% of its ocean is stalled by the new government 23 Apr 2026 08:25:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/chiles-plan-to-protect-another-10-of-its-ocean-is-stalled-by-the-new-government/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: The expansion of two vast Pacific marine parks near Chile have been suspended for six weeks, leaving protections for around 337,000 square kilometers (130,000 square miles) of ocean in limbo. Former President Gabriel Boric signed a decree creating marine parks Juan Fernández II and Nazca-Desventuradas II on March 10, his last day in office. Together the parks would protect roughly 10% of the nation’s exclusive economic zone. However, the subsequent president José Antonio Kast, suspended the decree on his first day in office as part of a broader review of environmental measures. The suspension has created unease among local communities and conservation groups. “We are concerned, obviously, with how long this is taking,” Max Bello, an ocean policy expert at the Blue Marine Foundation, a global conservation nonprofit, told Mongabay in an audio message. “We know that there are pressures, particularly from fishing interests, specifically the highly illegal and unsustainable semi-industrial swordfish fisheries … who have not agreed with the expansion.” The decree grants the highest levels of marine protection, permitting only scientific research and tourism, Bello told Mongabay. It prohibits all extractive activities, including any type of fishing. Artisanal fishing is permitted in the multiple-use coastal marine area directly surrounding the Juan Fernández archipelago. Bello said there are concerns that the protections for Juan Fernández II and Nazca-Desventuradas II could be weakened. “That would be truly dangerous, regrettable and concerning.” Chile’s Environment Ministry told the Blue Marine Foundation that the suspension is part of a routine review and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The expansion of two vast Pacific marine parks near Chile have been suspended for six weeks, leaving protections for around 337,000 square kilometers (130,000 square miles) of ocean in limbo. Former President Gabriel Boric signed a decree creating marine parks Juan Fernández II and Nazca-Desventuradas II on March 10, his last day in office. Together […] authors: | ||
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Scientists forecast wildfire risk for species survival under climate change 23 Apr 2026 05:22:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/scientists-forecast-wildfire-risk-for-species-survival-under-climate-change/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: A new study warns climate change could increase the global area susceptible to wildfires in the future, putting many more species at risk than today. Previous research has shown that climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires as precipitation patterns change and vegetation becomes drier in parts of the world. Researchers have now projected how the length of fire seasons and the extent of burned area might change in the future under four scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions. Using these forecasts, they also assessed the future impact of wildfire for 9,592 species of animals, plants and fungi, currently reported on the IUCN Red List as threatened by wildfire. Under the moderate-emissions scenario, where current greenhouse gas emission trends continue, the researchers found that by 2100, the extent of burned areas globally could increase by 9.3%, and that nearly 84% of fire-threatened species will be exposed to higher risk of wildfires. Xiaoye Yang, study lead author from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, told Mongabay by email that “there are clear spatial disparities in future wildfire risk to biodiversity.” Regions such as South America and Oceania are expected to face especially elevated risks of burning, Yang said. Fires in high-latitude areas of the Northern Hemisphere are also projected to increase rapidly in the future, although they’ve historically been rare in these regions, he added. The study found that the top 1% of species most affected by wildfires (96 species) are found in South America, South Asia, southern Australia and New Zealand. These…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A new study warns climate change could increase the global area susceptible to wildfires in the future, putting many more species at risk than today. Previous research has shown that climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires as precipitation patterns change and vegetation becomes drier in parts of the world. Researchers have now projected […] authors: | ||
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Elephants adjust what they eat in altered habitats, signaling growing pressure 23 Apr 2026 04:20:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/elephants-adjust-what-they-eat-in-altered-habitats-signaling-growing-pressure/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: Asian elephants are adapting to rapidly changing landscapes by diversifying their diets — a sign of resilience, but also a warning about the pressures reshaping their habitats, according to a recent study from Malaysia. Researchers collected feces from wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) across two distinct landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia: one with primary and secondary forests fragmented by recent large-scale logging and a hydropower dam development, and a second landscape transformed into oil palm plantations between the 1980s and 2000s, with a narrow remaining strip of forest. Elephant dung contains remnants of the plants the animals have consumed, so the researchers used DNA sequencing to reconstruct the elephants’ diets in the two landscapes. The analysis revealed that elephants in the logging-dominated landscape eat a wide variety of available plant resources across diverse habitats like grasslands, secondary forests and regenerating vegetation. According to the researchers, the findings suggest that when disturbances in forests reduce the availability of their preferred plants, elephants could be meeting their nutritional requirements by expanding their diets to include a broader selection of plants available across diverse habitats beyond formal reserve boundaries. By contrast, elephants in the oil palm-dominated landscape ate a much more predictable, narrower range of plant groups, dominated by the cultivated oil palm crops. The researchers say it’s likely that elephants in palm oil habitats have adapted to the predictable availability of crops like African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). This might expose them to conflict with people. “Our findings highlight that elephants are…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Asian elephants are adapting to rapidly changing landscapes by diversifying their diets — a sign of resilience, but also a warning about the pressures reshaping their habitats, according to a recent study from Malaysia. Researchers collected feces from wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) across two distinct landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia: one with primary and secondary […] authors: | ||
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Brazil FOIA confirms Lula & Macron talked before key CITES vote on endangered tree 23 Apr 2026 00:01:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/brazil-foia-confirms-lula-macron-talked-before-key-cites-vote-on-endangered-tree/ author: Andy Lehren dc:creator: Emmanuelle PicaudFernanda WenzelSpoorthy Raman content:encoded: Early in 2026, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s office denied that he had a phone call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, about easing proposed trade restrictions on Brazil’s endangered national tree. The denial to Mongabay came during reporting for a story published in February about Brazil’s efforts to seek the highest trade protections for Brazilwood (Paubrasilia echinata) — safeguards that were diluted during a global summit of representatives to CITES, a wildlife trade treaty signed by 184 countries and the European Union. Now, following a response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Mongabay, Lula’s office confirmed that he had, in fact, been in communication with Macron just before a key vote on the proposal at the CITES conference, held five months ago in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The conversations between Lula and Macron were “regarding the negotiations then underway” as part of CITES deliberations, according to Brazil’s Special Advisory Office of the President of the Republic. The office responded to Mongabay’s FOIA request on April 6. It did not specify what was discussed and did not state if the talks happened over a phone call, text or other means. The FOIA response marks the first official confirmation that the two leaders were in communications at CITES over the issue. Native to the country’s Atlantic Forest and a national symbol, Brazilwood is coveted in the music industry to make high-quality violin bows, which sell for as high as 7,000 euros ($8,200) apiece. The demand has led the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Earlier in 2026, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s office denied to Mongabay that he had had a phone call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, before a decisive vote at the 2025 meeting of CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty to secure the highest trade protections for endangered Brazilwood. - But after Mongabay’s Freedom of Information Act request, Lula’s office confirmed the two leaders had, in fact, been in direct communication during the CITES summit. The confirmation comes after allegations that last-minute political maneuvers by France diluted Brazil’s proposal and resulted in reduced protections. France has not responded to Mongabay’s similar freedom of information request, and has declined to comment about any communications between Lulu and Macron at the CITES summit. - Brazilwood is highly sought-after by the music industry to craft violin bows costing up to $8,200 apiece. The species, endemic to Brazil, has declined by 84% over the last three generations and is now critically endangered. authors: | ||
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Disaster impacts in 2025 were ‘typical’ despite no mega-disasters: Report 22 Apr 2026 16:48:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/disaster-impacts-in-2025-were-typical-despite-no-mega-disasters-report/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: More than 110 million people were affected by 358 reported disasters in 2025, according to the annual report by the Emergency Events Database. The year was consistent with a typical year of disaster impacts, with no mega-disasters recorded. The report looked at nine different types of disasters and only found above-average impacts from storms. The new report, published April 20 by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, calculated at least 16,607 fatalities and nearly $170 billion in economic losses as a result of disasters in 2025. The disasters included earthquakes, as well as climate-related events such as droughts, extreme temperature, floods, wildfire and storms; the latter were the only disaster category whose number exceeded the last 25-year average. The study found there were 44% more storms, 156 in total, compared to the annual average from 2005 to 2024 of 108. “Notably, 2025 was also marked by the absence of any mega-disaster,” the report’s authors wrote, noting that the most significant earthquakes of 2025, in Myanmar and Afghanistan, were less deadly than major earthquakes of other years. “Nevertheless, in 2025, the cumulative impact of multiple concurrent hazards, including earthquakes, storms, and floods, resulted in a global disaster burden consistent with that of a typical year,” they added. The earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan were the two deadliest disasters of 2025, the report notes. In March 2025, a major magnitude-7.7 earthquake hit central Myanmar, causing 3,820 deaths. In August 2025, a strong…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: More than 110 million people were affected by 358 reported disasters in 2025, according to the annual report by the Emergency Events Database. The year was consistent with a typical year of disaster impacts, with no mega-disasters recorded. The report looked at nine different types of disasters and only found above-average impacts from storms. The […] authors: | ||
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Indigenous peoples’ health cannot be separated from the environment, U.N. delegates warn 22 Apr 2026 16:37:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/indigenous-peoples-health-cannot-be-separated-from-the-environment-un-delegates-warn/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: This story is republished through the Indigenous News Alliance. On the second day of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, or UNPFII, experts called attention to the ways Indigenous health is deeply tied to nature and highlighted how health inequalities are compounded by environmental degradation, extractive activities and climate change. The forum’s focus on Indigenous health comes as a new study by former permanent forum member Geoffrey Roth argues that U.N. agencies’ fragmented approach — addressing health, environment, and land rights through separate mandates — has “consistently failed Indigenous Peoples.” The study, presented as the forum opened its 25th session, positions environmental degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss not as external pressures but as “direct manifestations of injury” to Indigenous wellbeing. “For Indigenous Peoples, health is deeply tied to the health of the land,” said Roth, descendant of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. “It’s not just about access to clinics or medicine – it’s about clean water, healthy forests, traditional foods, and the ability to maintain cultural practices. When the environment is damaged – whether from mining, deforestation, pollution, or climate change – it directly affects people’s health.” An Indigenous leader from Caigua points to the ravine with the same name as his community, marked by oil pollution that damages Aguaragüe National Park. Image courtesy of Miguel Surubi. At the forum, many Indigenous leaders spoke out about how the growing environmental crises increase the urgency to address their impacts on Indigenous health. “Climate change is also another threat…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - At the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, experts called attention to the impacts of conflict on Indigenous health, particularly through food systems, water and damage to ecosystems they depend on. - A widely discussed study, published by former permanent forum member Geoffrey Roth, argued that sectoral approaches to health have “consistently failed Indigenous Peoples” by confining health to a “clinical and public health” mandate. - As a public health solution, advocates at the forum pushed for the WHO and member states to focus their attention on land tenure and ecosystem stewardship. authors: | ||
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How much does a penguin weigh? 22 Apr 2026 16:01:48 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/how-much-does-a-penguin-weigh/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Abhishyant Kidangoor content:encoded: The African penguins are the only species of penguins in Africa. However, they are critically endangered due to shortage of food. Sardines and anchovies form a big part of their diet. Due to rising ocean temperatures, pollution and overfishing, fish stocks have massively declined in recent decades. As a result, African penguins are struggling to find food for their sustenance. Scientists are now using a new technology to meticulously monitor their weights in a bid to keep an eye on their health and ensure they are eating enough. Watch this video to learn more.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The African penguins are the only species of penguins in Africa. However, they are critically endangered due to shortage of food. Sardines and anchovies form a big part of their diet. Due to rising ocean temperatures, pollution and overfishing, fish stocks have massively declined in recent decades. As a result, African penguins are struggling to […] authors: | ||
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Oil spill continues in Gulf of Mexico vulnerable habitats, while Pemex admits fault 22 Apr 2026 11:33:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/oil-spill-continues-in-gulf-of-mexico-vulnerable-habitats-while-pemex-admits-fault/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Caitlin Cooper content:encoded: MEXICO CITY — In Nautla, a municipality on the coast of the Mexican state of Veracruz, soft folds of sand await sea turtles as their annual nesting season begins between April and June. But instead of the miniature olive-green turtles — the Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) that show up here are the world’s smallest species of their kind — sticky black discs the size of coins dot the coastline. Along a 1-meter (3-foot) section of beach, Nautla resident Ricardo Yepez Gerón, director-general of the Yepez Foundation, an NGO focused on sea turtle conservation, said he could count approximately 100 of these spots. “To remove the oil that has [washed up] on these beaches … let’s be honest, the coastline is too long,” Yepez Gerón told Mongabay in a video interview. “You need one person for every 10 meters [33 ft].” Similar reports of tar stains on the beaches of Veracruz, Tabasco and Campeche, along the southern arc of the Gulf of Mexico, have cropped up since early March. According to a late March report from the Coral Reef Network of the Gulf of Mexico, what appeared to be an oil spill had impacted 933 kilometers (about 580 miles) of shoreline — and at least seven of nine natural protected areas, ANPs by their Spanish acronym, in the Tabasco, Veracruz and Tamaulipas states, according to Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, Mexico’s secretary of environment and natural resources. For 67 days, the government denied any wrongdoing as various scenarios circulated regarding the source…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - An oil spill has contaminated 933 kilometers (about 580 miles) of shoreline along the western Gulf of Mexico, impacting the Mexican states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Campeche and Tabasco in eastern Mexico. - After two months of contradictory theories about what could have caused the spill, Mexico’s national oil company, Pemex, admitted the spill was caused by a leak in one of its pipelines. - Local communities have had to reduce or stop their fishing and ecotourism activities due to a lack of information from authorities about the risks of coming into contact with the water, and despite a government-led cleanup, residents continue to document damages to the environment, such as oil-slicked vegetation and intoxicated or dead fauna. - Conservationists say the containment of the spill is urgent for the protection of more than 1,000 marine species, among them, endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles whose nesting season is underway on the beaches of northern Veracruz and Tamaulipas. authors: | ||
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Study finds bottom trawling nets 3,000 marine fish species, including threatened ones 22 Apr 2026 10:38:48 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/study-finds-bottom-trawling-nets-3000-marine-fish-species-including-threatened-ones/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta content:encoded: How many marine fish species do bottom trawls catch? Researchers now have a list, and it’s long, running to some 3,000 species, according to a recent study. Bottom trawling is a commercially popular, and controversial, fishing method in which boats drag weighted nets along the seafloor. Usually they target commercially valuable marine life at the bottom of the ocean, such as rockfish, cod, and invertebrates like shrimp. However, the nets can, and do, catch all sorts of bottom-dwelling animals, such as seahorses. Study co-author Sarah Foster, who leads the Project Seahorse initiative at the University of British Columbia, Canada, said her team was trying to understand how bottom trawling affects seahorses when she was asked a simple question: How many fish species do bottom trawls catch, and what they are? “I was surprised to realize there was no clear answer,” Foster told Mongabay by email. “One of the most basic questions in fisheries is what is actually being caught, and yet, for bottom trawling, that baseline understanding was missing.” So the researchers reviewed documents reporting bottom trawl catches, and recorded nearly 3,000 species of marine fish. “Our estimates suggest the true number could be double that,” Foster said. They also highlighted a size bias: larger fish tended to be documented more than smaller ones, which were often collectively listed under categories such as “mixed fish” or “trash fish.” “First, it means we don’t actually know what fisheries are catching — and we cannot manage what we do not measure,”…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: How many marine fish species do bottom trawls catch? Researchers now have a list, and it’s long, running to some 3,000 species, according to a recent study. Bottom trawling is a commercially popular, and controversial, fishing method in which boats drag weighted nets along the seafloor. Usually they target commercially valuable marine life at the […] authors: | ||
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Forest-focused environment laws may be pushing farming into other ecosystems 22 Apr 2026 09:47:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/forest-focused-environment-laws-may-be-pushing-farming-into-other-ecosystems/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: Grasslands, wetlands and other nonforest ecosystems are being converted to agricultural land far faster than forests. However, they remain largely overlooked by Europe’s flagship antideforestation law and other environmental policies, according to a new report by the Rainforest Alliance, World Resources Institute and partner organizations. The report found such ecosystems are being lost to agriculture at roughly four times the rate of forests. Around 190 million hectares (470 million acres) of nonforest natural ecosystems, a combined area almost the size of Mexico, was converted to mostly pastures and farms over the 15 years from 2005 to 2020. “When protections tighten around forests, agricultural pressure can shift into other natural ecosystems that are also ecologically important but often much less protected,” Siyi Kan, an environmental economics researcher at the University of Oxford, told Mongabay by email. “We need to start paying attention to them now, before it is too late.” Both forest and nonforest ecosystems are important for biodiversity and carbon sequestration, Kan added. However, most existing policy and sustainability commitments from companies focus exclusively on forests. Brazil saw the most conversion of nonforest ecosystems to agriculture over the 15 year period of the study, followed by China, Russia and the United States. Map courtesy of WRI. Source data from Kan et al., 2026. The EU’s deforestation-free regulation, or EUDR, is meant to prevent agricultural commodities such as palm oil, cattle, coffee, cocoa, soy, wood and rubber from entering the EU market if they’re linked to recent deforestation. But it uses…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Grasslands, wetlands and other nonforest ecosystems are being converted to agricultural land far faster than forests. However, they remain largely overlooked by Europe’s flagship antideforestation law and other environmental policies, according to a new report by the Rainforest Alliance, World Resources Institute and partner organizations. The report found such ecosystems are being lost to agriculture […] authors: | ||
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AI tool listens for endangered orcas in real time to reduce human disturbance 22 Apr 2026 08:27:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ai-tool-listens-for-endangered-orcas-in-real-time-to-reduce-human-disturbance/ author: Abhishyantkidangoor dc:creator: Abhishyant Kidangoor content:encoded: Where are the orcas at? Answering that question with pinpoint accuracy is crucial to protecting the famed “southern resident” orcas off North America’s northern Pacific coast. An AI-driven initiative is now helping parse through large amounts of ocean sounds to identify and detect the orcas in real time. OrcaHello is working with scientists and government agencies to detect the presence of this specific group of orcas and minimize the impact that coastal activities may have on them. Southern resident orcas (Orcinus orca ater) are considered an endangered subspecies made up of three distinct pods. According to the Center for Whale Research, a U.S.-based nonprofit that studies this group exclusively, there are only 76 remaining individuals of these orcas as of December 2025. A decline in the populations of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), their primary source of food, along with noise pollution and vessel traffic are major threats to their survival. “Inbreeding is also starting to be a problem, which is what you’d expect for a small population,” David Bain, chief scientist at Orca Conservancy, another nonprofit focused on the southern resident orcas, told Mongabay in a video interview. “That means the decline is going to resume unless we make conditions better.” OrcaHello was developed to look specifically into the issue of noise pollution and vehicle traffic. “It’s a real-time AI alert system that’s listening 24/7 for orca calls,” Akash Mahajan, who co-developed the tool, told Mongabay in a video interview. The tool builds on Orcasound, an open-source network of underwater…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - An AI initiative is listening to southern resident orcas in real-time to help them steer clear of vessels and noisy coastal construction. - OrcaHello builds on a network of underwater microphones to detect orcas and push out alerts that have helped pause coastal construction and redirect boat traffic as the orcas pass by. - Southern resident orcas are considered an endangered subspecies, with only 76 remaining individuals. - Major threats to the species include a decline in their food sources, primarily Chinook salmon, along with noise pollution and vessel traffic. authors: | ||
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New atlas aims to help save Africa’s disappearing wetlands 22 Apr 2026 08:13:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/new-atlas-aims-to-help-save-africas-disappearing-wetlands/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: Since 1970, more than a third of the world’s wetlands have been lost, at a rate three times faster than forest loss. To help governments and funders prioritize wetlands in need of protection or restoration, the global nonprofit Wetlands International has launched the new Wetland Atlas. The interactive atlas integrates spatial information on different wetlands with data on their climate mitigation potential, how many people depend on them, and their protection status, the nonprofit said in a press release. Most of the other maps offer only raw data on the extent of wetlands. Currently, the atlas focuses on the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, regions where wetlands are increasingly vulnerable. “Wetlands account for less than 10% of the area of the Sahel, but they are home of more than 75% of the population and directly support more than 85% of GDP,” Karounga Keita, Sahel director, Wetlands International, told Mongabay. According to Richard Lee, Wetlands International’s communications director, the tool addresses a major hurdle called “wetland blindness,” where decision-makers undervalue areas like rivers, lakes and peatlands. “Wetlands are invariably seen through a blinkered lens, which views rivers as just pipes for water, lakes as stores to be pumped dry and polluted, and other wetlands as ‘wastelands’ to be converted,” Lee told Mongabay by email. “This view neglects all the other values of healthy wetlands from food security to flood reduction, cultural significance to climate mitigation and adaptation.” To create the new platform, researchers at Wetlands International combined information on biophysical,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Since 1970, more than a third of the world’s wetlands have been lost, at a rate three times faster than forest loss. To help governments and funders prioritize wetlands in need of protection or restoration, the global nonprofit Wetlands International has launched the new Wetland Atlas. The interactive atlas integrates spatial information on different wetlands […] authors: | ||
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In Nepal, controversial dam threatens endangered pangolins: Study 22 Apr 2026 08:10:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-nepal-controversial-dam-threatens-endangered-pangolins-study/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Bibek Bhandari content:encoded: KATHMANDU — A proposed dam in Kathmandu’s northeastern ridge promises to revive the sewage-choked sacred Bagmati River that runs past revered Hindu temples and ease the valley’s chronic water shortage. But conservationists warn that the project could exact a high ecological cost, even potentially impacting critically endangered wildlife within the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, where the dam is set to rise. A new study in Ecology and Evolution journal states that the Nagmati Dam will inundate large parts of potential prime pangolin habitat and foraging areas, noting that the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) “overlooks this threat” and fails to recognize the impacts on the species. The national park is home to the critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), protected under Nepal’s conservation law. “Pangolins have a small home range and specific habitat needs, so the impact on almost 100 hectares [247 acres] of area because of the dam will have big consequences for them,” said Kumar Paudel, a pangolin specialist from the nonprofit Greenhood Nepal and co-author of the study. “We need to be extremely careful about the impacts on biodiversity while developing infrastructure projects. This is not just about pangolins but other species, too,” he said. The proposed site of the Nagmati Dam is said to be on the base of the hills that surround Mulkharka. Image by Bibek Bhandari. The planned Nagmati Dam — a 95-meter (311-foot) barrier with a capacity to store more than 8 billion liters (2.1 billion gallons) of water — aims to capture monsoon…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The proposed Nagmati Dam in Nepal’s capital potentially threatens critically endangered Chinese pangolins by flooding their prime habitat. - Researchers warn that pangolins are especially vulnerable due to their small home ranges and specific habitat needs, meaning even limited habitat loss could have severe population impacts. - The dam’s environmental impact assessment is criticized for failing to properly acknowledge or evaluate risks to these threatened species. - Beyond pangolins, other threatened wildlife in the park — including leopards and Himalayan black bear — may face displacement, increasing ecological stress and conflict risks. authors: | ||
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Why forest conservation is also public health 22 Apr 2026 02:14:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/why-forest-conservation-is-also-public-health/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: In a lowland forest in southeastern Madagascar, what was missing proved as telling as what was found. Researchers trapping small mammals in the Manombo Special Reserve caught tuft-tailed rats in the intact interior forest. In the nearby littoral forest, despite repeated efforts, they found none. The traps held black rats instead. The observation appears in a recent paper describing the first complete mitochondrial genomes for two endemic species, Eliurus webbi and Eliurus minor. The study, published in Mitochondrial DNA Part B by Elise Paietta and an international team of researchers, itself is technical. It assembles genetic sequences, places them within a sparse phylogeny, and notes gaps in what is known about these animals. Yet the fieldwork offers an important ecological finding: native rodents were confined to intact forest; degraded habitat was occupied by an introduced species. The pattern is not unusual. In many tropical systems, disturbance tends to favor generalists. Species with narrower ecological requirements recede as habitat fragments or is altered. What is less often spelled out is what this shift means beyond the change in species lists. The Malagasy study offers a way to examine that more closely. Eliurus tanala rat in Ranomafana. Photo by Nina Finley / Health in Harmony Its immediate contribution is genetic. Until now, no complete mitochondrial genomes existed for the Nesomyinae, a subfamily of rodents found only in Madagascar. Earlier work relied on shorter sequences, often from a single gene. These can indicate broad relationships but leave much unresolved. Whole mitochondrial genomes offer…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new study from Madagascar provides the first complete mitochondrial genomes for two endemic tuft-tailed rats, offering a clearer baseline for identifying and tracking native rodent species. - Fieldwork found these native rodents only in intact forest, while degraded areas were dominated by invasive black rats, suggesting a shift in community composition linked to habitat change. - Understanding which rodent species are present, where they live, and how their populations change is critical not just for biodiversity, but for identifying how pathogen dynamics may shift across landscapes. - The research illustrates how improved ecological monitoring can connect conservation and public health, supporting the view that protecting ecosystems and managing disease risk are closely linked. authors: | ||
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How marine flyways could help save the world’s declining seabird population 21 Apr 2026 23:39:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/04/how-marine-flyways-could-help-save-the-worlds-declining-seabird-population/ author: Mikedigirolamo dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo content:encoded: The routes taken by migratory birds, known as flyways, often cross vast expanses of ocean. Six of these marine flyways have now been formally recognized by the U.N.’s Convention on Migratory Species, at the suggestion of scientists who published their findings on these flyways in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology. Tammy Davies, a co-author of the paper and marine science coordinator at BirdLife International, joins the Mongabay Newscast this week to discuss the conservation potential of the six flyways, and what the formal recognition by CMS does and doesn’t do. “It’s a fantastic communication tool for highlighting these amazing journeys that the seabirds undertake and the fact that multiple people, stakeholders, and countries need to come together and everyone can do their bit,” Davies says. She notes that 151 bird species rely on these migratory routes, which connect 1,300 key biodiversity areas that the birds regularly use. Having nations focus on protecting these areas, and reducing bycatch from fishing, are just some of the ways countries can coordinate conservation efforts along these routes. But this effort requires shared responsibility across the 54 nations that these flyways bisect. The flyways provide a formal mechanism for nations to do this, Davies says. “They’re facing threats throughout their life cycle,” she says. “You really need like a coordinated approach to address all of these threats when the seabirds are either breeding on land or when they’re out at sea.” Conservation goals and even some of the tools used to protect…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The routes taken by migratory birds, known as flyways, often cross vast expanses of ocean. Six of these marine flyways have now been formally recognized by the U.N.’s Convention on Migratory Species, at the suggestion of scientists who published their findings on these flyways in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology. Tammy Davies, […] authors: | ||
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Appeals court keeps ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ open, rejecting need for federal environmental review 21 Apr 2026 23:25:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/appeals-court-keeps-alligator-alcatraz-open-rejecting-need-for-federal-environmental-review/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” will remain open, an appeals court decided Tuesday, upholding its earlier decision to block a judge’s order for the facility to wind down operations because it didn’t comply with federal environmental law. A majority on the three-judge panel from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals said the Florida-run facility wasn’t under federal control and didn’t need to comply with federal law requiring an environmental impact review. “Florida, not federal, officials constructed the facility,” a majority of the judges wrote. “They control the land and ‘entirely’ built the facility at state expense.” At the time of U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ preliminary injunction, Florida had received no federal reimbursement, the appellate majority wrote. Williams concluded that a reimbursement decision already had been made. The appeals court paused Williams’ order just days after she issued it last August, pending a hearing. The hearing was held earlier this month in Miami. Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, two of the environmental groups that had brought the lawsuit, said they would continue fighting as the case returns to the district court for further litigation. “This fight is far from over,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. “Alligator Alcatraz was hastily erected in one of the most fragile ecosystems in the country without the most basic environmental review, at immense human and ecological cost.” State officials opened the Everglades detention center last summer to support President…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” will remain open, an appeals court decided Tuesday, upholding its earlier decision to block a judge’s order for the facility to wind down operations because it didn’t comply with federal environmental law. A majority on the three-judge panel from the Eleventh […] authors: | ||
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New treaty to end the fossil fuel era is needed more than ever (commentary) 21 Apr 2026 23:17:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/new-treaty-to-end-the-fossil-fuel-era-is-needed-more-than-ever-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Tzeporah Berman content:encoded: The fog of war is pervasive, but one thing is clear as “Gulf War 3” escalates: governments around the world are counting the cost of their dependency on oil and gas. “The largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market” is the International Energy Agency’s take on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has seen oil and gas fields bombed and shipments through the Strait of Hormuz curtailed. Oil prices are beyond $100 a barrel and inflation is picking up — even in the oil-and-gas-rich U.S. — while in Asia, governments are curtailing working days, limiting petroleum exports, and rationing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders. Beyond economic disruption, this conflict has exacted a tragic human toll, with thousands of lives lost and countless families shattered. Growth goals, job targets, food supplies and the future hopes of citizens around the world are at the mercy of traders and huge corporations that stand to benefit as prices skyrocket. The environmental toll of this petro-fueled conflict extends far beyond human casualties, too. Oil infrastructure attacks have triggered massive ecological disasters, with crude oil spills contaminating marine ecosystems in the Persian Gulf, and refinery explosions releasing toxic pollutants that threaten migratory bird routes and coastal wetlands. The war has also accelerated deforestation as nations scramble for other energy sources, like Indonesia, which is reportedly fast-tracking palm oil expansion for biofuel production. These ecological scars will persist long after the last barrel of oil is extracted from bombed wells. The Fossil Fuel…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - As oil prices rise along with the social and environmental tolls of both war and continuing fossil fuel use, delegates from 50 nations are about to gather in Colombia to frame a treaty that moves the world more quickly toward a renewable future. - Policy breakthroughs can occur outside formal U.N. processes like this, and the Santa Marta conference beginning April 24 seeks to add momentum for a Fossil Fuel Treaty. - “The end of fossil fuels is no longer a distant goal; it is an unfolding reality. The task now is to govern it,” a new op-ed argues. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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Vaupés River contamination identified near rapidly expanding Amazonian town 21 Apr 2026 21:48:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/vaupes-river-contamination-identified-near-rapidly-expanding-amazonian-town/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: VAUPÉS, COLOMBIA — Traditionally, for members of the Indigenous Macaquiño community in the southeastern Colombian Amazon, the Vaupés River is not just a source of water, but a living being that must be respected. It supports all kinds of life, including fish, which have sustained the community for generations. Now, as a nearby Amazonian town upstream rapidly transforms into an expanding urban municipality and increasingly brings untreated wastewater from its poorly constructed treatment plant to the banks of Macaquiño, that same water is bringing them sickness and disease, residents say. During a visit to Macaquiño in September 2025, community members told Mongabay the Vaupés River is contaminated by untreated sewage dumped into it in the town of Mitú. “It’s like an atomic bomb coming out of the sewer,” said Julian de Jesus Madrid Correa, a member of the Macaquiño community. He said it causes rashes, itches and fevers, especially in children, and has begun to spread diseases, such as dengue and hepatitis. The Indigenous Macaquiño community on the banks of the Vaupés River in Colombia’s Vaupés region. Image by Aimee Gabay/Mongabay. To verify what the community told us, Mongabay obtained water quality studies from the Corporation for Sustainable Development of the Northern and Eastern Amazon. Its latest report, which contains results from water samples taken in 2025 across four sites in Mitú, confirms there is contamination above safe limits in the Vaupés River that could impact public health and the quality of the aquatic ecosystem. Fecal coliforms (fecal bacteria), which…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Indigenous people who live downstream from a rapidly expanding Amazonian town on the banks of the Vaupés River told Mongabay the river is contaminated by sewage and has made people sick. - To verify this, Mongabay obtained water quality studies from the Corporation for Sustainable Development of the Northern and Eastern Amazon, which confirmed that sewage contamination and organic load are above safe limits and may impact public health and the quality of the aquatic ecosystem. - Traditionally, the Macaquiño community downstream considers the Vaupés River to be a living being with whom they coexist and depend on it for bathing, fishing and human consumption. - Public authorities in Mitú said the contamination stems in part from the municipality’s poorly constructed wastewater treatment plant, which was built on a flood zone and therefore frequently collapses, dumping untreated sewage into the river. authors: | ||
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At the U.N., Indigenous leaders tackle how to enforce global climate court rulings 21 Apr 2026 21:44:55 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/at-the-u-n-indigenous-leaders-tackle-how-to-enforce-global-climate-court-rulings/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Joseph Lee content:encoded: This story is republished through the Indigenous News Alliance. NEW YORK CITY — Indigenous communities in the Pacific are facing increasingly devastating storms worsened by warming oceans. Mining operations continue expanding on Indigenous lands in the Amazon. Oil wells in Ecuador keep pumping despite court orders. And at the United Nations this week, Indigenous leaders and advocates are asking: What will it take to force governments to comply with international court rulings that mandate climate action? Last year, the world’s highest court — the International Court of Justice — issued an advisory opinion saying state governments that contribute to climate change should be accountable for the harm they cause, particularly to small island states. The Inter-American Court on Human Rights issued a similarly sweeping decision last summer, calling on governments to reduce fossil fuel emissions and incorporate Indigenous knowledge into climate policies. But the rulings have collided with a harsh reality, say Indigenous delegates: Many U.N. member states would prefer to ignore their climate obligations, leaving open the question of whether these rulings can be implemented, enforced, and used to protect Indigenous land and rights. “This is a moment of opportunity. These advisory opinions are not symbolic, they are instruments of power,” Luisa Castañeda-Quintana, executive director of the advocacy group Land is Life, told hundreds of Indigenous advocates at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on Monday. “They can and must be used to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ advocacy at every level. But to do so, Indigenous Peoples must claim them,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In the last year, international courts issued an advisory opinion and ruling calling on state governments to be accountable for the impacts of climate change, to reduce fossil fuel emissions and to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into climate policies. - At the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Indigenous representatives say that U.N. member states would prefer to ignore their climate obligations, leaving open the question of whether these rulings can be implemented, enforced, and used to protect Indigenous land and rights. - In Latin America and the Caribbean, there exist strong legal frameworks that coexist with persistent failures in implementation, according the the special rapporteur on Indigenous peoples. - The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights is currently considering a case on states’ climate obligations, including how African governments should handle climate-related displacement. authors: | ||
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Chinese court cases reveal most trafficked rhino horns come from Southern Africa 21 Apr 2026 19:22:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/chinese-court-cases-reveal-most-trafficked-rhino-horns-come-from-southern-africa/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman content:encoded: Rhinoceroses, one of the largest groups of animals on the planet, are fighting a battle for survival because of a prized body part: their horn, which they use to defend territories, assert dominance and protect their young. But people use this keratinous horn as medicine, adornment and decoration. In traditional Chinese medicine, it’s believed to have broad healing properties. The horns are also crafted into jewelry, and carved horns are displayed as luxury items. The unrelenting demand for their horns has decimated these mega-herbivores across their Asian and African ranges, and combating the trade is a tough fight: Rhino horns are extremely valuable. They’re worth an estimated $20,000 per kilogram (about $9,090 per pound) on the black market, often trafficked and sold by transnational organized crime syndicates. Poaching has pushed three of the five living rhino species to the brink. The International Rhino Foundation estimates that some 500,000 roamed the wild at the start of the 20th century; today, just under 27,000 remain, and a rhino is killed every 15 hours. China is the largest consumer, but data on trade within its borders is limited. A team from the U.S.-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) tried to bridge the information gap in a new report. It analyzed 258 court cases involving horn trafficking between 2013 and October 2025, posted on the China Judgments Online database. These court records revealed that authorities seized 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds) of rhino horns during that period, which means that perhaps 200 rhinos were killed to…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency analyzed more than 250 rhino horn trafficking cases prosecuted in China between 2013 and 2025 to understand smuggling routes and trends within the country. - Chinese courts have convicted more than 500 traffickers, who received an average of 4.5 years in prison and fines of about 92,322 yuan ($13,540). Most rhino horns smuggled into China came from South Africa and Mozambique, entering by land across the border from Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos. - Rhino horns are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, but most court cases involved sculpted rhino horns and trinkets sold in antique and curio shops. About one-third of consumers were in big cities: Beijing, Jiangsu and Shanghai. - Unrelenting demand for rhino horns, along with attempts by Southern African countries to open legal trade in stockpiled horns, could make it challenging to fight trafficking, as poaching decimates rhino populations across their African and Asian ranges. authors: | ||
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We can navigate conservation’s ‘epidemic of suffering’ by building a culture of care (commentary) 21 Apr 2026 14:03:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/we-can-navigate-conservations-epidemic-of-suffering-by-building-a-culture-of-care-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Jen MillerKelly Guilbeau content:encoded: Recent Mongabay articles by Jeremy Hance, Vik Mohan and Nerissa Chao, and Rhett Butler have laid bare a painful reality in conservation: the emotional price of witnessing biodiversity loss, the “epidemic of suffering” and burnout, and the psychological stresses assailing professionals on the frontlines. These articles document eco-grief, compassion fatigue, isolation, and moral injury with clarity and urgency, giving voice to struggles that many conservationists have carried in silence. What these pieces don’t fully highlight is that conservationists are not standing idly by. Just as we dedicate ourselves to protecting ecosystems and species under pressure, we are simultaneously advocating for our own well-being by stepping up to support one another by building practical solutions from within the field itself. In early 2025, amid growing global instability for conservationists — job losses, funding shortfalls, and relentless ecological decline — we founded Revive, a global working group of the Society for Conservation Biology. Revive is a community of practice created by conservationists, for conservationists. Our approach is simple yet potent, and informed by more than 100 working group members in 30 countries as well as peer-reviewed evidence: equip individuals, teams, and organizations with evidence-based resilience tools to reshape the norms of our workforce. Together, we are building a culture of care that supports an inspired, emotionally resilient conservation community where well-being is valued and nourished as a foundational part of our work. Co-author Kelly Guilbeau with a graphic facilitator’s depiction of a keynote address on creating a culture of care for a…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Several recent features published by Mongabay have shared the emotional strain that conservationists are under from increasing environmental degradation, job losses, moral injury, and a sense of isolation. - Various organizations and initiatives have emerged in response to the need to build an emotionally resilient conservation community, and two conservation professionals who co-founded one of these describe what they’ve learned in a new commentary. - “The emotional toll of conservation is real, and so is our capacity to respond to it. Regardless of your role, we invite you to join any of these movements toward a conservation culture of care,” they write. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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A campaign to protect one of the planet’s only expanding kelp forests takes shape 21 Apr 2026 12:32:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-campaign-to-protect-one-of-the-planets-only-expanding-kelp-forests-takes-shape/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Alexandra Talty content:encoded: CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Diving in the Great African Seaforest, with its tightly packed towering kelp stipes that can rise up to 9 meters, or 30 feet, from the seabed, is a surreal experience, even for those who study this vast underwater habitat. “You see fish swimming as birds would do in the forest,” says marine biologist Loyiso Dunga. The Great African Seaforest is a biodiverse ecosystem, home to hundreds of species of seaweeds and thousands of species of marine organisms. Image courtesy of Jannes Landschoff. The popping sounds made by snapping shrimps (belonging to the family Alpheidae) can be heard throughout the Great African Seaforest. Image courtesy of Jannes Landschoff. The name describes a belt of marine vegetation around 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) long, stretching along South Africa’s Atlantic coast, around the Cape of Good Hope and extending into the Indian Ocean. It’s composed of hundreds of varieties of seaweed and hosts a kaleidoscope of marine species, from snapping shrimp (family Alpheidae) that fill the ocean with their popping sounds, to neon-colored mollusks called nudibranchs (order Nudibranchia), to the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus). It’s also home to a charismatic octopus, made famous by the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher. Dunga, executive director at the Seas of Good Hope initiative, is one the few people who understand the true expanse of this unique ecosystem: He helped map it through the use of satellite imagery. “You can’t really protect what you don’t know,” he says. For many years, resident scientists…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Stretching more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) along the coast of South Africa, the Great African Seaforest is home to thousands of species, many of them endemic, and is one of the few expanding kelp forests in the world. - The Academy Award-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher” was set in the Great African Seaforest. - Although slivers of the kelp forest fall under marine protected areas, the ecosystem is mostly not conserved. - Marine scientists are working to inventory the species found here in the hopes of raising its profile, both internationally and among the communities that live alongside it on the South African coast. authors: | ||
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Fossil fuel subsidies and high costs stall energy transition across rural Indonesia 21 Apr 2026 11:35:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/fossil-fuel-subsidies-and-high-costs-stall-energy-transition-across-rural-indonesia/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Luh De Suriyani content:encoded: DENPASAR, Indonesia — Renewable energy uptake has yet to gather momentum across Indonesia’s more than 84,000 villages, a new report concludes, as the government of the world’s fourth-largest country pledges to achieve a radical energy transformation over the next decade. “Village street lighting has increased, while household use has declined due to high initial costs, minimal incentives, and the dominance of fossil fuel subsidies,” according to the Village Energy Transition Readiness Index, a report published by Jakarta-based think tank the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) and Greenpeace. Indonesia’s statistics agency counted 84,291 villages across the world’s largest archipelagic nation as of 2025. Around 1.4 million people among Indonesia’s population of 270 million still lack all access to electricity, according to Eniya Listiani Dewi, the renewable energy lead at Indonesia’s mining and energy ministry. “Previously, many villages had clean energy initiatives, including solar power plants, micro-hydropower plants, and others, but the number of such initiatives has actually gone down,” said Wahyudi Askar at Celios. Despite technological progress and availability of cheaper solar hardware, the total number of villages and subdistricts reporting solar power use among households declined from 4,176 in 2021 to 3,076 in 2024, a reduction of 26.4%. However, the number of villages using street lighting powered by photovoltaics increased over the same period. Some 24,766 villages or neighborhood areas used solar to power streetlights in 2021, and this increased by 20.1% over the three-year period to 30,476 in total. For more than a decade, local governments and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Research by the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) and Greenpeace shows the number of villages across Indonesia using solar energy among households declined by more than a quarter between 2021 and 2024. - The authors of the Village Energy Transition Index said adoption of renewable energy in villages may reflect high installation costs and government subsidies for fossil fuels. - Significant regional inequality exists between Java and other wealthier regions compared with the east of Indonesia, where solar potential energy is greater and where more rural communities would benefit from the technology. - Anecdotal testimony indicates installations of basic photovoltaic systems often do not last long due to difficulties and costs associated with repairing units after a component fails, a particular challenge in coastal areas where salt corrosion is a factor. authors: | ||
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