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International Leopard Day: A spotty outlook for the spotted cat 02 May 2026 21:50:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/world-leopard-day-a-spotty-outlook-for-the-spotted-cat/ author: Meganstrauss dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: Leopards are the most widespread of the big cats, but their range across Asia and Africa is shrinking. In many places, so are their numbers. Recent Mongabay coverage of leopards (Panthera pardus) revealed a global trade in leopard trophies and body parts, but also more hopeful signs, such as leopards persisting on the edge of Bengaluru, one of India’s largest cities. For International Leopard Day on May 3, we look back at Mongabay’s reporting on leopards in three regions. African leopard Researchers have estimated that Zambia’s Kafue National Park now has one of the highest leopard densities in Southern Africa, likely because of improved law enforcement, reported Mongabay contributor Ryan Truscott. In West Africa, the situation is more dire. The West African leopard, a genetically distinct population found across 11 countries, is now considered endangered by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. The population has declined by 50% over the past two decades, and only about 350 mature individuals remain, reported Mongabay’s Elodie Toto. “In Africa, the leopard is not doing too badly, but in West Africa it’s a different story,” said Robin Horion from U.S.-based wildcat conservation NGO Panthera. Javan leopard The Javan leopard (P. pardus melas) is the last surviving apex predator on the Indonesian island of Java. With an estimated wild population of around 350, it’s classified as an endangered subspecies, threatened by hunting, habitat loss and the loss of prey. In West Java province, Indonesian authorities earlier this year detained five people in connection with…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Leopards are the most widespread of the big cats, but their range across Asia and Africa is shrinking. In many places, so are their numbers. Recent Mongabay coverage of leopards (Panthera pardus) revealed a global trade in leopard trophies and body parts, but also more hopeful signs, such as leopards persisting on the edge of […] authors: | ||
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Unusual ant interaction hints at mutualistic ‘cleaning’ system 02 May 2026 00:36:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/unusual-ant-interaction-hints-at-mutualistic-cleaning-system/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: Some coral reef ecosystems famously have “cleaning stations,” where fish line up to be cleaned by other species of fish and shrimp. Entomologist Mark Moffet recently published observations of what appears to be a similar relationship in ants. In the Chiricahua Mountains of the U.S. state of Arizona, Moffet, from the National Museum of Natural History, was watching harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) collecting seeds when he noticed something odd. He saw several harvester ant workers frozen in place. When he zoomed in with his camera, Moffet saw the harvester ants covered with cone ants (Dorymyrmex spp.). At first Moffet assumed he was seeing aggression between the species. On closer inspection however, he observed that the small cone ants were licking and nibbling the larger harvester ant workers, not fighting with them. Moffet observed the cone ants inspecting the harvester ants’ open mandibles, which could easily crush the smaller cone ants. Moffet observed at least 90 individual harvester ant workers being tended this way and concluded that they might be getting cleaned by the cone ants. He even watched harvester ants approach the nests of cone ants and wait for cone ants to attend to them, which reminded him of reef fish lining up for a cleaning by cleaner fish species. The big question is: What is each species getting out of the arrangement? Moffet consulted colleagues and came up with several possible explanations. Perhaps the ants exchange microbes, which create a healthier microbiome for both species. Or maybe they swap pheromones,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Some coral reef ecosystems famously have “cleaning stations,” where fish line up to be cleaned by other species of fish and shrimp. Entomologist Mark Moffet recently published observations of what appears to be a similar relationship in ants. In the Chiricahua Mountains of the U.S. state of Arizona, Moffet, from the National Museum of Natural […] authors: | ||
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DRC copper exports to US set to surge amid warnings of corruption risk 01 May 2026 18:59:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/drc-copper-exports-to-us-set-to-surge-amid-warnings-of-corruption-risk/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Elodie Toto content:encoded: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is planning to export 500,000 metric tons of copper to the United States, a fivefold increase in the export commitment made in January by state-owned miner Gécamines SA. “The Congolese government’s intention, through Gécamines, to start exporting its own copper is becoming a reality,” said Jean-Claude Mputu, spokesperson for civil society network Le Congo n’est pas à vendre (CNPAV) and deputy director of the NGO Resource Matters. “The U.S. push to gain access to Congolese copper, in an effort to rebalance China’s dominance, is also materializing,” Mputu added. However, the DRC doesn’t appear to be moving away from China as a trade partner. In March, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding centered on mineral resources. For now, there’s little public scrutiny of contracts that will allow the DRC to ramp up U.S. exports, nor is it clear what the social and environmental impacts of increased extraction would be. “All of this is happening without any transparency, without any call for tenders. The risk is repeating past patterns of corruption, even if China is replaced by the United States,” Mputu said. “There is a feeling that extraction is being carried out at the expense of the environment and local communities,” he added. “There are numerous cases of pollution around mining sites that go unpunished. The key question is whether this will improve the lives of Congolese people, particularly in terms of environmental standards.” Some reports suggest the copper will be sourced from…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is planning to export 500,000 metric tons of copper to the United States, a fivefold increase in the export commitment made in January by state-owned miner Gécamines SA. “The Congolese government’s intention, through Gécamines, to start exporting its own copper is becoming a reality,” said Jean-Claude Mputu, spokesperson […] authors: | ||
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Why evidence matters in environmental journalism 01 May 2026 17:43:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/why-evidence-matters-in-environmental-journalism/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Environmental reporting often begins with a simple proposition: that facts still matter. At a time when climate change and biodiversity loss have become fixtures of public debate, the work of journalism can appear both urgent and increasingly difficult. Scientific evidence accumulates, while political responses lag. Between the two sits a kind of reporting that tries to translate research, policy and lived experience into something readers can grasp. Much of that work is incremental. A story may start with a field biologist’s findings, a community confronting a development project, or a government decision that reshapes the fate of a forest or fishery. The reporting rarely resolves the underlying problem. Its purpose is more modest: to document what is happening and explain why it matters. For John Cannon, a staff features writer at Mongabay, that principle guides nearly every assignment. “Evidence-based reporting [is] at the heart of what we do at Mongabay,” he says. “I believe it’s perhaps the most profound way we can contribute to making things better.” Cannon’s route into journalism began with an academic interest in the natural world. He studied biology at Ohio State University and later earned a graduate degree in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Along the way, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, an experience that introduced him to the economic and social pressures shaping conservation in parts of the Sahel. He began contributing to Mongabay in 2014 and joined the organization full-time two years later. Since then,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Environmental reporting often begins with a simple proposition: that facts still matter. At a time when climate change and biodiversity loss have become fixtures of public debate, the work of journalism can appear both urgent and increasingly difficult. Scientific evidence accumulates, while political responses lag. Between the two sits a kind of reporting that tries […] authors: | ||
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Migratory freshwater fish are in trouble: Will we act in time to save them? 01 May 2026 13:41:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/migratory-freshwater-fish-are-in-trouble-will-we-act-in-time-to-save-them/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Stefan Lovgren content:encoded: SALOBRA, Brazil — Life revolves around water in this quiet fishing village in Brazil’s southern Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland. Here, a clear tributary meets the broader Miranda River, part of a vast floodplain where multiple streams spill across the landscape and wildlife thrives. Jaguars prowl riverbanks, giant otters patrol the channels, parrots fill the skies, and beneath the rippling surface, fish of every size and shape swim through a shifting watery mosaic, tying a vast aquatic ecosystem together. For 72-year-old retired fisherman Alberto Oriozola, the Miranda River was once both livelihood and lifegiving. He recalls, as a young man, looking down from a hilltop and seeing the river bottom appear to move with swimming pintado — the spotted surubim catfish (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans), their jaguar-like markings visible in the clear water. “You could choose the size you wanted to catch,” he remembers. Fish 3 meters (10 feet) long were part of the catch. Now, the largest surubim are maybe half that length, and far less common. Maycon Lopes da Silva (left) and Alberto Oriozola (right), two generations of fishers from Salobra, Brazil, reflect on declining catches along the Miranda River. Image by Stefan Lovgren. These days, Oriozola’s grandson-in-law, Maycon Lopes da Silva, 26, works the same waters but in a different way. He guides sport fishers who come in search of surubim (in Portuguese, or sorubim in Spanish), along with other large species, and he shares the river with his more than 18,000 followers on Instagram. Bare-chested and quick to…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Migratory freshwater fish have declined by an estimated 81% since 1970 yet remain largely overlooked in global conservation policy. At the latest meeting of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), a new assessment identified 325 species worldwide in urgent need of coordinated protection. - These long-distance swimmers underpin inland fisheries that feed hundreds of millions of people across the Amazon, Mekong, Congo and other river basins. By moving through river systems, they connect habitats, sustain food webs and support local economies. - Dams, water extraction and habitat loss are rapidly severing migration routes, often cutting off access to spawning and feeding grounds. Scientists warn that without stronger protections, many migratory fish species — and the river systems they sustain — face an uncertain future. authors: | ||
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Kenyan Court allows landmark BP toxic waste lawsuit to proceed 01 May 2026 12:46:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/kenyan-court-allows-landmark-bp-toxic-waste-lawsuit-to-proceed/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Dalle Abraham content:encoded: The Environment and Land court at Isiolo has ruled that a class action lawsuit against British oil giant BP can proceed to a full hearing, in a case that alleges toxic waste left behind from oil exploration in the 1980s contaminated groundwater in northern Kenya, killing more than 500 people and thousands of livestock. The matter shall be taken up on May 6. The lawsuit, filed in February by 299 petitioners at the Environment and Land Court at Isiolo, was brought by residents of Kargi and Kalacha, two remote settlements in Marsabit county. It alleges that oil exploration activities conducted between 1985 and 1993 in northern and northwestern Kenya by Amoco Corporation, which was acquired by BP in 1998, improperly discharged hazardous and toxic contaminants into the environment, contaminating groundwater that communities depend on for drinking water and to rear livestock. Court documents allege that drilling waste containing radium isotopes, arsenic, lead and nitrates, was dumped in unlined pits or left exposed on the ground. The petition names British Petroleum PLC as the first respondent, alongside 11 other respondents including the National Oil Corporation of Kenya; the cabinet secretaries for environment, water, health and mining; the Water Resources Authority; the county government of Marsabit; the attorney general; the National Environment Management Authority; the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority; and the Kenya Medical Research Institute. BP’s press office told Mongabay via email that it had no comment on the case. The High Court’s April ruling does not establish liability but clears the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The Environment and Land court at Isiolo has ruled that a class action lawsuit against British oil giant BP can proceed to a full hearing, in a case that alleges toxic waste left behind from oil exploration in the 1980s contaminated groundwater in northern Kenya, killing more than 500 people and thousands of livestock. The […] authors: | ||
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How Spoorthy Raman tells the world’s wildlife stories from a desk in the middle of the Atlantic 01 May 2026 10:16:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/how-spoorthy-raman-tells-the-worlds-wildlife-stories-from-a-desk-in-the-middle-of-the-atlantic/ author: Alejandroprescottcornejo dc:creator: Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo content:encoded: “Sitting at my desk on an island in the Atlantic, I can speak to some of the best scientists, conservationists and people invested in protecting the planet across the world,” says Mongabay staff writer Spoorthy Raman. From her home in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Canada’s east coast, she gathers perspectives on the state of nature that span countries, cultures and ecosystems. Raman’s journey at Mongabay began with an internship in 2022, following a stint as a science communicator. This then led to bylines in outlets like Hakai, Audubon, BioScience and Nature, and to recognition, including the Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership award and a Digital Publishing Award in 2024. Now a full-time member of Mongabay’s Wildlife Desk, she reports on a range of issues related to biodiversity, with specializations in animal behavior and the complex worlds of the wildlife trade and poaching. These last two areas can be particularly grim, yet serve as a poignant reminder of why the work matters. “With every image of dead wildlife I see as part of my work, I am reminded of the enormous biodiversity loss this is contributing to,” Raman says. Across the more than 100 stories she has produced at Mongabay, a few projects have been especially meaningful. One is her reporting on wild rice restoration by Indigenous peoples across the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. Another is about the thriving illegal wildlife trade in California, driven by the pet trade. She’s especially proud of her ongoing series…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Spoorthy Raman is a staff writer at Mongabay, where she covers wildlife, biodiversity and the complexities of the wildlife trade. - She began her environmental journalism journey with a Mongabay internship in 2022, which opened the door to writing for other outlets including Hakai, Audubon, BioScience, Nature and others. - Raman says her inspiration comes from a lifelong curiosity about science, a love for nature, and an admiration for the living world. - She’s especially proud of her reporting on biodiversity, wildlife and Indigenous food traditions, including award-winning work on baby Dungeness crabs, wild rice restoration in the Great Lakes, and species affected by the wildlife trade. authors: | ||
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World’s largest shark conference is set to begin in Sri Lanka next week 01 May 2026 08:17:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/worlds-largest-shark-conference-is-set-to-begin-in-sri-lanka-next-week/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: COLOMBO — The Sharks International 2026 conference (SI2026), known to be the world’s largest gathering dedicated to sharks and rays, is set to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 4-8. Held once every four years, it is the premier global scientific conference focused exclusively on elasmobranchs, or sharks and rays, bringing together researchers, policymakers, fisheries managers and conservation practitioners from around the world. Sharks International has previously been held in Australia (2010), South Africa (2014), Brazil (2018) and Spain (2022). The 2026 edition in Sri Lanka marks the first time Sharks International will be held in Asia, reflecting the region’s growing importance in global marine biodiversity and fisheries governance. Locally hosted and organized by Blue Resources Trust (BRT) with support from several international organizations, the conference aims to strengthen global collaboration as more than one-third of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction due to overfishing, habitat loss and weak enforcement of conservation measures. Daniel Fernando, the co-founder and director of the fisheries and policy program of the Colombo-based Blue Resources Trust (BRT), is a main organizer of Sharks International 2026. Image courtesy of BRT. The Sri Lanka meeting is considered particularly significant because the Indian Ocean is both a biodiversity hotspot and one of the world’s most heavily exploited shark fishing regions, said Daniel Fernando, BRT’s co-founder and director of fisheries and policy program. SI2026 will focus more on the urgent global priorities for shark and ray conservation, including halting population decline, reducing bycatch in industrial and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: COLOMBO — The Sharks International 2026 conference (SI2026), known to be the world’s largest gathering dedicated to sharks and rays, is set to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 4-8. Held once every four years, it is the premier global scientific conference focused exclusively on elasmobranchs, or sharks and rays, bringing together researchers, policymakers, […] authors: | ||
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Indonesia busts wildlife trafficking ring targeting Komodo dragons 01 May 2026 04:26:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/indonesia-busts-wildlife-trafficking-ring-targeting-komodo-dragons/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: Police in Indonesia have announced the dismantling of what they say is a major wildlife trafficking network largely targeting the world’s largest lizard species. Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged syndicate, which was involved in trafficking endemic Indonesian species, particularly juvenile Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), an endangered and protected species, to Thailand, police said in their April 16 announcement. According to investigators, the suspects concealed baby or juvenile dragons inside short lengths of plastic piping to avoid detection during transit. From January 2025 to February 2026, the group successfully moved at least 17 Komodo dragons from the island of Flores, where the species is found, to the islands of Java and Sumatra, and from there to Thailand, Mongabay Indonesia reported on April 17. The entire chain allegedly used a combination of sea, air, road and rail traffic. Their latest attempt, in February, involved three Komodo dragons, but was successfully foiled by police. Authorities said the suspects specifically targeted the Pota area, in Flores’s East Manggarai district. While most of Indonesia’s Komodo dragon population is protected within a national park, in Pota an estimated 700 of the reptiles live outside official protected areas. The dragons were reportedly purchased for 5.5 million rupiah each (about $320) in Pota, but by the time they reached markets in Java they were selling for nearly six times as much. In Thailand, they were going for the equivalent of nearly $29,000. Apart from live Komodo dragons, police said some of those arrested…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Police in Indonesia have announced the dismantling of what they say is a major wildlife trafficking network largely targeting the world’s largest lizard species. Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged syndicate, which was involved in trafficking endemic Indonesian species, particularly juvenile Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), an endangered and protected species, to […] authors: | ||
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Singapore’s population of Raffles’ banded langur has doubled 01 May 2026 04:20:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/singapores-population-of-raffles-banded-langur-has-doubled/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In a forest reserve on the edge of Singapore, volunteers spend hours scanning the canopy for a primate they may not see. The exercise points to a simple constraint of conservation in a dense city: most habitats are small and separated. The Raffles’ banded langur (Presbytis femoralis) survives in these pockets, reports Mongabay’s Carolyn Cowan. Its numbers are low, and to move and feed it relies on continuous tree cover — something that has largely been broken up. Conservation has focused on workable measures. Volunteers record group sizes and behavior, while agencies plant food trees and install rope bridges to span gaps in the canopy. There are signs of progress. The population has doubled since 2011 to 80 individuals today, according to Andie Ang, a researcher at Mandai Nature, a local conservation organization. What comes next will depend on land-use decisions, in particular whether remaining forest patches are preserved and linked. The volunteer program has helped fill gaps in knowledge and build public awareness. That may prove as important as the data. In a city where land is scarce, conservation competes with other priorities. Read the full story by Carolyn Cowan here. Banner image of a Raffles’ banded langur, courtesy of Andie Ang.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In a forest reserve on the edge of Singapore, volunteers spend hours scanning the canopy for a primate they may not see. The exercise points to a simple constraint of conservation in a dense city: most habitats are […] authors: | ||
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Saline intrusion in Mekong Delta leaves farmers and scientists at odds 30 Apr 2026 22:49:50 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/saline-intrusion-in-mekong-delta-leaves-farmers-and-scientists-at-odds/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Minh L Tran content:encoded: Vinh Long, VIETNAM — Khanh Chi tends a small apricot blossom orchard in Nhuan Phu Tan, a commune in southern Vietnam’s Vinh Long province by the Co Chien River, one of the Mekong River’s final distributaries before reaching the ocean. Her orchard is 55 kilometers (34 miles) inland. According to the provincial hydrometeorological observatory, Chi’s commune is the furthest point along the Co Chien River where, this year, salinity levels hit 4 parts per thousand (ppt) — the threshold at which rice farming is damaged. As saltwater pushes deeper and less predictably into the delta in recent decades, Vietnam has responded with canals, dikes and sluice gates to keep it out. For farmers, such projects offer the most explicit and immediate relief. Scientists say that might be a problem. Instead of engineering its way out of the salinity crisis, scientists argue, the region must adapt to it. “I buy freshwater, bring it back by truck, and just spray it like a mist,” Chi says, describing how she waters the apricot during dry season, when the river is saline. She used to grow fruit seedlings, durian and jackfruit but made the switch to ornamental plants as they are more resilient to saltwater. A few years ago, Chi dug a small pond in her orchard to store water when it rains or the river runs fresh. She uses it sparingly, enough to stretch through a few worst days of an intrusion. “The bigger the orchard, the larger the lake,” she says. “My…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Vietnam’s Mekong Delta is increasingly facing saltwater intrusion, as sea levels rise, land subsides and the river’s natural cycles are disrupted by dams and irrigation infrastructure. - A growing scientific consensus says Vietnam must learn to adapt to salt water rather than trying to engineer its way out of the problem; this perspective was officially integrated into Vietnam’s public policy with the 2017 Resolution 120. - In practice, however, hard infrastructure like sluice gates are popular at the local level and continue to be built. - Progress implementing Resolution 120 has also slowed due to 2025 administrative reforms that restructured ministries and re-drew provincial boundaries in the delta. authors: | ||
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In Guatemala, new AI technology will be ‘listening’ for illegal deforestation 30 Apr 2026 21:05:18 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-guatemala-new-ai-technology-will-be-listening-for-illegal-deforestation/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: FLORES, Guatemala — This March, rangers on patrol in the Maya Forest came across the feathers of hunted birds and paths that had been cleared through the trees. These led them to a 2-hectare (5-acre) opening in the forest where squatters likely planned to settle and then expand. The people who’d cleared the forest were nowhere to be found. The deforestation had occurred around eight days before, the rangers guessed. Even with camera traps and other technology, there’d been almost no way to detect it in real time. Rapid response has long been a challenge for conservationists in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, which spans 2.2 million hectares (5.3 million acres) across northern Guatemala. The reserve is a patchwork of national parks, logging concessions and biological corridors, some of them under pressure from cattle ranching and illegal logging. “If we’re going out regularly to a site every two or three months, and something happens a day after the last visit, then two or three months will go by with no information,” said Rony García Anleu, director of biological research at the Guatemala office of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). A new project in the reserve aims to decrease ranger response times with bioacoustics devices that can “listen” for illegal activity, using AI models trained to identify sounds associated with logging, hunting and other crimes. It’s part of the $100 million AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, run by the Bezos Earth Fund for innovative uses of artificial intelligence for tackling…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new project in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve will install bioacoustics devices that can “listen” for illegal activity, using AI models trained to identify chainsaws, gunshots and other sounds associated with environmental crime. - The project is part of the $100 million AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, run by the Bezos Earth Fund for innovative uses of artificial intelligence for tackling biodiversity loss, climate change and food insecurity. - The devices will be installed in parts of the reserve threatened by cattle ranching and illegal human settlements, accounting for thousands of hectares of annual forest loss in recent years. - If successful, bioacoustics technology could be combined with camera traps, drone monitoring, satellite data and human observation to create a more efficient and data-driven conservation strategy, members of the project said. authors: | ||
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Global trade in sea cucumbers ‘alarming’ with many species at risk: Study 30 Apr 2026 20:20:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/global-trade-in-sea-cucumbers-alarming-with-many-species-at-risk-study/ author: Autumn Spanne dc:creator: Edward Carver content:encoded: The global trade in sea cucumbers has grown since 2013 and continues to decimate the populations of many species, according to a recent study that cites “escalating impacts” and calls for stronger conservation measures. “Nowadays it’s overexploited nearly all over in the world,” Chantal Conand, an emeritus associate at France’s National Museum of Natural History and lead author of the study, told Mongabay, speaking of sea cucumbers generally. Conand and her co-authors write that the harvest of sea cucumbers is now “contagious” — spreading from place to place — and that the “continued growth and expansion of the global sea cucumber trade is alarming as the sustainability of many species-specific fisheries remains of great concern.” The paper, which was published Feb. 19 in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, follows other recent sea cucumber studies that also raise conservation concerns. Chantal Conand, lead author of a recent study on sea cucumbers, holds a pineapple sea cucumber (Thelenota ananas), amid the research collections of France’s National Museum of Natural History, where she is an emeritus associate. Image courtesy of Chantal Conand. Diving for good data Globally, there are roughly 1,800 species of sea cucumbers, which make up all of the taxonomic class Holothuroidea. Like starfish (class Asteroidea) and sea urchins (class Echinoidea), they sit in the phylum Echinodermata. Sea cucumbers act as recyclers and processors on the seafloor, eating detritus — decaying organic matter — and discharging it in a more aerated, nitrogen-rich form that helps…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The global trade in sea cucumbers has grown since 2013 and continues to decimate the populations of many species, according to a recent study that cites “escalating impacts” and calls for stronger conservation measures. - The study found that global capture of sea cucumbers increased from 2013 to the late 2010s and dipped slightly during the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the last years in the study period. - China and it’s special administrative region of Hong Kong, where sea cucumbers are used in traditional medicine and consumed as a delicacy on special occasions, are the main importers as measured by dollar value, the study found. authors: | ||
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New report reveals how environmental crime threatens Amazonian communities 30 Apr 2026 18:28:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/new-report-reveals-how-environmental-crime-threatens-amazonian-communities/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: Crime and militarization pose an existential threat to Indigenous territories across the Amazon Basin, a new report warns. Published ahead of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) taking place this week in New York, the report finds Indigenous groups are being harmed by restricted access to crucial natural resources, and are suffering health consequences from mining pollution. They’re also being impacted by compromised state and community governance systems, according to the report published by Amazon Watch, a U.S.-based Indigenous rights advocacy group. Criminal organizations such as Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) in Brazil, and the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia, have replaced or weakened state governance across the region, the report notes. In at least two-thirds of municipalities across the Pan-Amazon, such criminal actors “impose systems of social and economic control over communities,” the report says. Criminal presence in Indigenous territories has led to displacement, environmental degradation, mercury contamination from mining, food insecurity and other threats. Such criminal groups are frequently involved with several interconnected illicit crimes at once, such as illegal gold mining and drug trafficking. The report says these activities are directly tied to lucrative global markets and cause generational harm locally. In Brazil’s Munduruku Indigenous Territory, for instance, mercury contamination linked to illegal gold mining has polluted rivers and fish. Locals say the contamination has led to severe and long-lasting health issues, including diarrhea, childhood paralysis and developmental problems. “These activities reshape local ways of living completely around the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Crime and militarization pose an existential threat to Indigenous territories across the Amazon Basin, a new report warns. Published ahead of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) taking place this week in New York, the report finds Indigenous groups are being harmed by restricted access to crucial natural resources, and are suffering […] authors: | ||
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Brazil bill aims to ban satellite tool used to slow Amazon deforestation 30 Apr 2026 18:06:32 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/brazil-bill-aims-to-ban-satellite-tool-used-to-slow-amazon-deforestation/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Fernanda Wenzel content:encoded: In May 2025, a delegation of angry politicians and agribusinessmen from the Brazilian state of Pará traveled to the national capital to protest against the actions of the federal environmental agency, IBAMA. Their frustration stemmed from embargoes imposed by IBAMA on 544 rural properties in the municipality of Altamira, one of the Amazon’s deforestation hotspots. In each case, satellite imagery had detected illegal forest clearing, prompting authorities to block the areas from further production activities. “Everyone came here to present their concerns and ask for solutions regarding productive areas in the state of Pará,” Pará Governor Helder Barbalho said at the time. Almost a year later, their resentment has been distilled into a new bill proposing a ban on the so-called remote embargoes. Today, IBAMA uses satellite imagery to identify where illegal deforestation is occurring. Once they detect a recently deforested area, environmental agents verify whether there’s an environmental license authorizing that clearance — in the Amazon, around 90% of forest felling is illegal. If there’s no authorization, the agency issues an embargo as a preventive measure from behind its computers. The system is one of the tools that helped the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva halve deforestation numbers in the Amazon since taking office at the start of 2023. “Today we have a wealth of ultra-high-resolution satellite imagery, and we can cross-reference information from various databases,” Wallace Lopes, a representative of the federal environmental agents association, ASCEMA, told Mongabay. Jair Schmitt, director of environmental protection and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Brazilian agribusiness caucus is accelerating a bill to ban remote embargoes, a tool that allows environmental agents to block deforested land using satellite data. - The measure impacts IBAMA’s raids and risks reversing the system that halved Amazon deforestation under the Lula administration. - IBAMA officials warn that banning the technology is equivalent to “going back to the fax machine,” as it makes enforcement in remote areas significantly slower and more expensive. - The proposal is part of a broader “Destruction Package” gaining momentum in Congress ahead of October’s general elections. authors: | ||
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Brazil prosecutors launch suit against meatpacking giant JBS over beef tied to slavery-like labor 30 Apr 2026 17:35:55 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/brazil-prosecutors-launch-suit-against-meatpacking-giant-jbs-over-beef-tied-to-slavery-like-labor/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: SAO PAULO (AP) — Labor prosecutors in Brazil filed a lawsuit Wednesday against meatpacking giant JBS, accusing the company of buying cattle from farms where workers were held in slavery-like conditions. The civil action suit before a labor court in the northern Brazilian state of Para seeks nearly 119 million reais (about $24 million) in compensation, an amount prosecutors say reflects the total value of transactions between JBS and the suppliers. According to the filing, 53 workers were rescued from properties owned by seven ranchers who supplied the meatpacking company between 2014 and 2025. Those employers were listed in Brazil’s official public registry of companies found to have subjected workers to conditions that are similar to slavery, prosecutors said. JBS showed “a systematic pattern of negligence,” the prosecutors said. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Brazil is the world’s largest beef producer, accounting for about 20% of global production. The South American nation recently surpassed the United States, which now accounts for about 19% of the global beef production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A statement from Brazil’s labor prosecutors noted that cattle ranching accounts for the highest number of rescued workers nationwide and has also been a major driver of deforestation in the Amazon. Para state is part of the Amazon region. In March, the Office of the United States Trade Representative included Brazil on a list of 60 countries under investigation for forced labor. JBS is the world’s largest meatpacking company, with a market…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: SAO PAULO (AP) — Labor prosecutors in Brazil filed a lawsuit Wednesday against meatpacking giant JBS, accusing the company of buying cattle from farms where workers were held in slavery-like conditions. The civil action suit before a labor court in the northern Brazilian state of Para seeks nearly 119 million reais (about $24 million) in compensation, an […] authors: | ||
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Bangladesh struggles to choose between food security & stable groundwater table 30 Apr 2026 17:19:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/bangladesh-struggles-to-choose-between-food-security-stable-groundwater-table/ author: Abu Siddique dc:creator: Abu Siddique content:encoded: Considering the rapidly depleting groundwater table in Bangladesh’s northwestern zone, known as the Barind Tract, the country declared 25 subdistricts of the region as water crisis-prone areas in December 2025. In a circular, the government suggested that farmers immediately cut their cultivation of the high irrigation-intensive rice variety boro. At the same time, it directed the state-owned Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) to stop providing irrigation to the farmers. BMDA is an authority under the Ministry of Water Resources that oversees irrigation of extracted groundwater through roughly 16,000 deep tube wells to more than half a million hectares (1.2 million acres) of arable land in northern Bangladesh. “The water crisis is nothing new in the region. However, the sudden declaration of stopping irrigation and boro cultivation brought BMDA and the farmers into a confrontational situation,” said Md Abul Kasem, additional chief engineer of BMDA. “Later, we discussed the situation with the Water Resources Ministry and got a verbal direction to continue the irrigation till the next formal decision is made,” he added. The declaration came per the suggestion of the Bangladesh Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO), as it suggested the government take measures to curb groundwater depletion in the country. According to WARPO, five subdistricts of Chapai Nawabganj, 10 subdistricts of Rajshahi and 10 subdistricts of Naogaon are marked at different levels of groundwater scarcity, including high, medium and low. A 2024 study said the Barind Tract was the most drought-affected zone in the country due to its lesser rainfall,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - With an aim to stabilize the groundwater table, Bangladesh declared 25 subdistricts of its northwestern part as water crisis zones in late 2025. - Identifying irrigation as the major factor of the crisis, a government notice asked farmers to immediately halt the cultivation of high irrigation-fed boro paddy. - Since the zone is also considered a rice-producing hub, the government later changed the direction for a limited time, considering the immediate impacts of hampering staple food production in the country. - However, development professionals suggested shifts in agriculture practices from high irrigation-fed rice production to alternative crops to ensure a stabilized water table and livelihood for the people living in the region. authors: | ||
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Experts caution Nepal’s plan to open doors to private zoos 30 Apr 2026 15:17:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/experts-caution-nepals-plan-to-open-doors-to-private-zoos/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Deepak Adhikari content:encoded: KATHMANDU — Nepal has proposed legalizing private zoos, wildlife rescue centers and hospitals, but experts warn weak safeguards could fuel wildlife capture and undermine conservation efforts. Officials say the move could improve infrastructure and raise awareness, but critics warn it lacks clarity on oversight, enforcement and animal welfare standards. “There are so-called mini zoos in Nepal, but many function more like killing centers,” said Dibya Raj Dahal, president of Kathmandu-based NGO Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF). “Small wild animals are captured from the wild and sold to these facilities under the guise of rescue. In reality, it is extraction,” he said, adding that many animals die in captivity. Nepal’s only federal government-recognized and functional zoo, the Central Zoo in Kathmandu, was established in 1932 as a private collection. The zoo, which opened its doors to the public in 1956, was managed by the government until 1995 when it was handed over to the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), a semi-governmental nonprofit. Although different “mini zoos” have been set up in different parts of the country, their legal status has been dubious and their treatment of animals criticized by conservationists. In response, the government had been saying it plans to introduce new guidelines for the establishment and running of different categories of zoos across the country. Dahal said that despite its gaps, the draft was an improvement on the current regulatory vacuum. “It is a positive step, but the draft remains incomplete.” The guidelines also come as the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Nepal’s draft guidelines to allow private zoos, wildlife hospitals and rescue centers marks a shift toward private participation in conservation, aimed at improving infrastructure and awareness. - Experts say vague definitions, weak oversight and limited technical capacity could enable wildlife capture under the guise of rescue and lead to poor animal welfare. - Drawing on India’s model, they say time-bound licensing and periodic compliance reviews — with the power to shut non-compliant zoos — will be crucial. authors: | ||
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In Indonesia, a schoolboy moves mountains on waste as government targets reform 30 Apr 2026 14:34:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-indonesia-a-schoolboy-moves-mountains-on-waste-as-government-targets-reform/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Gafur Abdullah content:encoded: JEMBER, Indonesia — Syazwan Luftan Riady traces his environmental campaigning to school holidays spent at his grandmother’s riverside home in a rural part of Indonesia’s East Java province. “Throw that trash in the river, the basket’s full!” Luftan said, mimicking the levity with which his grandmother, like millions of others on the world’s most populous island, handled household waste in the absence of government services. While still a schoolboy in Jember, East Java, Luftan learned from his parents and developed his interest in the environment further after joining Sekolah Alam Raya. At just 12 years old, Luftan went on to co-found an organization of his own, Wiskomunalian, a grassroots association of youngsters working on achievable measures to effect environmental change. “It was about making friends aware about the environment, especially the issue of waste,” said Luftan, now in his second year of an undergraduate degree at Brawijaya University in Malang, a four-hour drive from Jember. Some of the Wiskomunalian youth in January 2026. Image by Gafur Abdullah/Mongabay Indonesia Child star A goal of Luftan and his colleagues is that “every child must be supported with adequate knowledge and experience grounded in their local realities,” Wiskomunalian wrote last year. But converting that vision into cleaner rivers and streets is a tall order, amid population growth and limited fiscal space with which to build waste treatment facilities. The United Nations Environment Programme records Indonesia as generating around 3.2 million metric tons of plastic waste every year, making it the world’s second-largest plastic…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - At just 12 years old, Syazwan Luftan Riady started a grassroots nonprofit of young people in East Java province focused on environmental protection. - Now a second-year student at a prominent university in Indonesia, Luftan is also the protagonist of a children’s book and has received recognition from a U.S. organization for his campaigning work. - The United Nations Environment Programme notes that Indonesia generates 3.2 million metric tons of plastic waste every year, the second most in the world after China. - Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto, announced in February a “war on waste” and is overseeing construction of 33 new electricity generation projects fueled by household waste. The president has also called for a volunteer army of schoolchildren to help clean up the country’s beaches and rivers. authors: | ||
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Inside the fight to save the little-known Galápagos petrel 30 Apr 2026 14:02:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/inside-the-fight-to-save-the-little-known-galapagos-petrel/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: Critically endangered Galápagos petrels spend much of their life at sea, but as they return to breed in the only place they call home, a litany of threats awaits. Over the last 60 years, in particular until the 1980s, the population of the Galápagos petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia) declined significantly, with only 15,000 individuals remaining today, according to the latest IUCN Red List assessment of the species. And although that number could be as high as 20,000 as new colonies are being discovered, pressure from invasive species that prey on the bird and degrade its habitat keeps the petrel on the edge. But decades-long conservation efforts have refined strategies to protect these seabirds, while a new initiative will involve thousands of Galápagos private landowners in securing their fragile nesting grounds. “Even though it’s an oceanic bird, you don’t see them that often,” Paola Sangolquí, a marine conservation coordinator with Ecuadorian NGO Jocotoco, told Mongabay in a video interview. The petrels spend most of their time out on the open water, hunting squid and fish. When they return to land, it’s to the upland and remote areas of the Galápagos islands of San Cristóbal, Floreana, Santa Cruz, Isabela and Santiago, where they nest in burrows or natural crevices. These tend to be far from the islands’ human settlements, and because the birds are also largely nocturnal, that makes them even more difficult to spot. “They nest in these foggy, misty areas up in the highlands, surrounded by dense vegetation,” Sangolquí says. “It…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Galápagos petrels are rarely seen, yet critically endangered. These large seabirds endemic to five islands in the Galápagos archipelago face significant threats from numerous invasive species. - In the 1980s, their population plummeted to crisis levels, but sustained conservation efforts have since slowed their decline. - Conservationists are tackling invasive species and efforts are expanding to privately held farms that host important petrel breeding sites. - Experts point out that the various organizations working on petrel conservation need to coordinate their efforts so that they can plan effective interventions where most needed. authors: | ||
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The value of South Africa’s wildlife shouldn’t be in the hands of wealthy foreign hunters (commentary) 30 Apr 2026 12:07:04 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-value-of-south-africas-wildlife-shouldnt-be-in-the-hands-of-wealthy-foreign-hunters-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Stephanie Klarmann content:encoded: South Africa’s conservation debate is too often anchored within the blunt slogan, “If it pays, it stays.” At face value, this appears pragmatic, even responsible. But there’s a troubling premise underneath it: the survival of South Africa’s wildlife depends on its ability to generate an enormous income for a select group of wealthy farmers and professional hunters from an even wealthier foreign clientele. According to this logic, wildlife is protected not because it is ecologically vital, culturally significant, or ethically deserving of life, but purely because it can be killed for a hefty price. When conservation is built on the premise that wildlife must pay its way to exist, we should ask not only who benefits, but what is being lost, and at whose expense. Each year I examine the professional hunting statistics provided to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to demand transparency regarding how South Africa’s wildlife is being utilized for financial gain. The most recently available statistics (for 2024) show a substantial increase of 17%: 7,756 visitors killed 40,508 wild animals (if one includes indigenous mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and exotic mammals also killed). For proponents of the euphemistically termed “sustainable use,” this will naturally look like a significant success. But can we continue to justify the continuous intensification and amplification of commercial wildlife use on ecological and ethical grounds? Number of animals hunted and hunting clients in South Africa, 2018-2024. Table provided by the author. ‘If it pays, it stays’ Superficially, this phrase…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The latest statistics on South Africa’s professional (“trophy”) hunting industry reveal a large increase in animals hunted, with numbers set to rise in coming years, under the logic that the revenue generated is necessary for managing wildlife. - But should the conservation of the nation’s wildlife, which have their own roles in natural ecosystems, depend on their ability to generate an enormous income for a select group of wealthy farmers and professional hunters, a new op-ed asks. - “When conservation is built on the premise that wildlife must pay its way to exist, we should ask not only who benefits, but what is being lost, and at whose expense,” the author writes. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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From protecting salamanders to seabirds, here are the 2026 Whitley Awards winners 30 Apr 2026 11:38:52 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/from-protecting-salamanders-to-seabirds-here-are-the-2026-whitley-awards-winners/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: This year’s Whitley Awards honor six grassroots conservationists from South Asia, South America, and Africa protecting a range of wildlife and habitats, from threatened amphibians to marine and freshwater fish and lions. Dubbed the “Green Oscars,” the awards are presented annually by U.K. charity the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), and honor grassroots leaders from the Global South, channeling a total 420,000 pounds (about $566,000) to urgent conservation projects. The six conservationists each received 50,000 pounds ($67,300). Additionally, the Whitley Gold Award of 100,000 pounds (about $135,000), awarded to a past Whitley Award recipient, was presented to Indonesian conservationist Farwiza Farhan. The awards ceremony was held April 29 at the Royal Geographical Society in London and included a special tribute to WFN ambassador and presenter David Attenborough, turning 100 on May 8. “Receiving the Whitley award gives us the chance to strengthen communities, protect more nests, and secure a future for the Indian skimmer,” said Parveen Shaikh, a winner, during her awards speech. “And perhaps, in protecting this river, we are also protecting something far more fragile: our connection to the wild.” The 2026 Whitley Award winners: Barkha Subba from India works with communities in Darjeeling, West Bengal state, to protect the rare Himalayan salamander (Tylototriton himalayanus) within a rapidly transforming tea estate landscape. Parveen Shaikh, also from India, is expanding community-led riverine conservation for the Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) to Prayagraj in the Ganga Basin. Her initiative has led to significant recovery in the endangered waterbird’s population. Issah Seidu…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: This year’s Whitley Awards honor six grassroots conservationists from South Asia, South America, and Africa protecting a range of wildlife and habitats, from threatened amphibians to marine and freshwater fish and lions. Dubbed the “Green Oscars,” the awards are presented annually by U.K. charity the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), and honor grassroots leaders from […] authors: | ||
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Cocaine exposure drives salmon to alter movements 30 Apr 2026 10:39:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/cocaine-exposure-drives-salmon-to-alter-movements/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta content:encoded: Young Atlantic salmon exposed to cocaine and its breakdown product, benzoylecgonine, swim farther and more widely in the wild, a new study shows. This behavioral change can put them in risky situations, researchers say. “[T]he effects of illicit drug pollution on aquatic wildlife is not just a laboratory finding — it can measurably alter wildlife behaviour under natural conditions,” study co-author Jack Brand, an ecologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, told Mongabay by email. Researchers are increasingly detecting cocaine and its primary metabolite, benzoylecgonine, in aquatic wildlife, from sharks to freshwater shrimp. However, most studies into the impacts on behavior and brain chemistry in animals have been done in laboratory settings, Brand said. “We wanted to find out whether these effects translate to the real world.” The researchers selected Lake Vättern in Sweden for their real-world experiment. Young Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are released in the lake from a hatchery each year for recreational fishing. In some of these hatchery-raised 2-year-old salmon, the researchers implanted small devices that slowly released chemicals. One group of 35 fish received implants containing cocaine, another group got benzoylecgonine, while a third, control, group didn’t receive any chemical. The researchers found that in the exposed fish groups, concentrations of the chemicals per fish averaged about 43 nanograms per gram for cocaine, and 34 ng/g for benzoylecgonine. Previous studies have found up to 107.5 ng/g of cocaine in muscle samples of wild sharks, and nearly 70 ng/g of cocaine in some wild crustaceans. “These…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Young Atlantic salmon exposed to cocaine and its breakdown product, benzoylecgonine, swim farther and more widely in the wild, a new study shows. This behavioral change can put them in risky situations, researchers say. “[T]he effects of illicit drug pollution on aquatic wildlife is not just a laboratory finding — it can measurably alter wildlife […] authors: | ||
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‘Creamy, nutty’ spiders are protein source for Indigenous Indian tribe 30 Apr 2026 10:06:24 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/creamy-nutty-spiders-are-protein-source-for-indigenous-indian-tribe/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Megan Strauss content:encoded: In India’s northeastern Nagaland state, orb-weaver spiders are a sought-after source of protein, according to a new study in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. Here, “edible spiders hold a significant place in the local diet and have been consumed for generations,” study lead author Lobeno Mozhui, from Nagaland University, told Mongabay by email. The researchers surveyed 33 people with traditional knowledge about the consumption of two orb-weaver spider species: Nephila pilipes and Trichonephila clavata. Both species are locally known as siyankyü in the Lotha Naga language. Respondents told the researchers that before cooking, they remove the spiders’ head and legs. They then clean and cook them with seasoning, resulting in a “creamy, nutty” and nutritious meat substitute. The researchers also collected specimens of the two orb-weaver spiders from Nagaland University, and examined their total protein content, with legs removed. Both were rich in protein, ranging from 36.03-73.65% in N. pilipes and 34.17-57.65% in T. clavata — much higher than some commonly eaten insects. Mozhui said this research is an important baseline and that “the consumption of edible spiders has the potential to gain wider acceptance.” Arachnophagy, or the consumption of arachnids like spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites, has a long history, the authors write, yet only about 23 of the world’s more than 50,000 known spider species are eaten. The world’s largest spider, the goliath bird-eater (Theraphosa blondi), is part of the traditional diet of the Yanomamo and Piaroa peoples of the Amazon. Orb-weavers of the genus Nephila are eaten…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: In India’s northeastern Nagaland state, orb-weaver spiders are a sought-after source of protein, according to a new study in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. Here, “edible spiders hold a significant place in the local diet and have been consumed for generations,” study lead author Lobeno Mozhui, from Nagaland University, told Mongabay by email. The researchers […] authors: | ||
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Borneo’s GIGANTIC bat caves 30 Apr 2026 08:23:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/borneos-gigantic-bat-caves/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Izzy Sasada content:encoded: Borneo is home to some of the largest cave systems in the world… and they’re filled with bats. But HOW did these caves get so massive? They were first mapped by Western scientists in the 1970s, during a Royal Geographical Society and Sarawak Forestry Mulu Expedition. But they’ve long been known about by local Indigenous communities, as hunting took place in the cave entrances. Join Conservation Entangled host, Izzy Sasada, on her trip to Sarawak, where she explores these caves and learns about their role in the history of conservation science.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Borneo is home to some of the largest cave systems in the world… and they’re filled with bats. But HOW did these caves get so massive? They were first mapped by Western scientists in the 1970s, during a Royal Geographical Society and Sarawak Forestry Mulu Expedition. But they’ve long been known about by local Indigenous […] authors: | ||
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Endangered Javan gibbon baby born in UK rare species sanctuary 30 Apr 2026 07:48:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/endangered-javan-gibbon-baby-born-in-uk-rare-species-sanctuary/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: A rare Javan gibbon was born at a wildlife park in the U.K., one of the world’s main centers for the species’ captive breeding. Lima, now just over 2 months old, is a potential candidate for returning to the species’ native habitat on the Indonesian island of Java. The Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch), known locally as owa, is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. A 2017 study estimated a wild population of between 2,640 and 4,178 individuals. This number is declining due to habitat destruction, forest fragmentation, and poaching for the illegal pet trade and bushmeat trade. “We’re very happy that we’ve got a new baby at our site and we’re very happy that she may be something that could be reintroduced into the future as well, back into the wild,” said Simon Jeffery, the animal director at Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve in the southern U.K. county of Kent, where Lima was born. Jeffery is also the animal director at the nearby Howletts Wild Animal Park. Both parks, run by U.K. charity The Howletts Wild Animal Trust, together hold 26 Javan gibbons, representing around 40-50% of the global captive population, Jeffery told Mongabay by phone. Many Javan gibbons born there have since been rehomed, he added. The trust has bred Javan gibbons since the early 1980s, recording more than 50 births across both parks in the past two decades. Since 2012, it has also sent around 10 individuals to Java. Lima, whose name means “five” in Indonesian, is…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A rare Javan gibbon was born at a wildlife park in the U.K., one of the world’s main centers for the species’ captive breeding. Lima, now just over 2 months old, is a potential candidate for returning to the species’ native habitat on the Indonesian island of Java. The Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch), known locally […] authors: | ||
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UN report flags disproportionate costs of clean energy transition 30 Apr 2026 07:04:48 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/un-report-flags-disproportionate-costs-of-clean-energy-transition/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Victoria Schneider content:encoded: A new report published by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) warns that wealthy nations’ push toward cleaner energy comes with high environmental and social costs in mineral-producing countries. The investigation links the extraction of transition minerals used in green energy technologies like solar panels and rechargeable batteries to acute water insecurity, livelihood disruptions and health risks for local communities. The authors conclude that the very technologies designed to combat climate change are also contributing to deepening inequality levels in vulnerable regions, mostly through the disproportionate usage of water. “Extraction, especially lithium, cobalt, copper and rare earth elements, directly depletes and contaminates freshwater resources, often in already water-stressed and water-bankrupt regions,” lead author Abraham Nunbogu told Mongabay via email. Across the world, mining activities have been linked to the depletion and contamination of freshwater sources as well as reduced access to safe water for local communities, increasing the risk of disease. Studies from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the world’s largest producer of cobalt, have linked the prevalence of gynecological problems, skin diseases and chronic illnesses in mining areas to heavy metal exposure through polluted water sources. “These impacts are not incidental side effects but structural outcomes of prevailing extraction models,” said Nunbogu, who is a researcher at the UNU-INWEH. Critical minerals are the minerals considered crucial to secure countries’ economic and security needs, especially in terms of energy access. Between 2010 and 2023, the demand for critical minerals tripled, with cobalt demand…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A new report published by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) warns that wealthy nations’ push toward cleaner energy comes with high environmental and social costs in mineral-producing countries. The investigation links the extraction of transition minerals used in green energy technologies like solar panels and rechargeable batteries to acute […] authors: | ||
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Conservationist wins top award to protect lions and people in Zimbabwe 30 Apr 2026 02:49:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/conservationist-wins-top-award-to-protect-lions-and-people-in-zimbabwe/ author: Terna Gyuse dc:creator: Ryan Truscott content:encoded: Lion conservationist Moreangels Mbizah and her colleagues chose the name “Batabilili” for the community guardians they’re training in northern Zimbabwe. The word means “protectors” in the local language, Tonga, and its meaning cuts both ways: the guardians protect people and their livestock from lions, and lions from people. Both jobs are essential in this part of the Southern African country. When cattle are killed by lions, the economic losses suffered by families are considerable; when farmers retaliate by killing lions, it worsens the plight of an emblematic species, Panthera leo, now vulnerable to extinction across the continent. “In some cases these lions are female lions and at times some of them would have cubs, so when the females die [at the hands of people] the cubs would probably die [also],” says Mbizah, who is the winner of one of this year’s Whitley Awards, prestigious international conservation prizes given out annually by the U.K.’s Whitley Fund for Nature. A young lion at rest. Image courtesy of the Whitley Fund for Nature. The 50,000-pound ($67,500) prize money will go toward supporting the work by Mbizah’s NGO, Wildlife Conservation Action, in three additional rural wards — small administrative areas comprising clusters of villages and around 4,800 people — that are prone to human-carnivore conflict. This will include the recruitment of six new Batabilili. The protectors head out early each morning to look for tracks or droppings and warn farmers about the presence of predators or elephants (Loxodonta africana) so that they can avoid…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A Zimbabwean conservationist working to reduce conflict between lions and livestock farmers is a winner of one of this year’s Whitley Awards, better known as the “Green Oscars.” - The prize money will fund the expansion of the work led by Moreangels Mbizah and her NGO, Wildlife Conservation Action, in a region that is a hotspot for human-carnivore conflict. - Community guardians employed by WCA warn farmers when lions enter their farming areas; promote the use of secure animal enclosures for cattle, goats and sheep, and oversee the installation of solar-powered flashing lights to deter nocturnal raids by lions. - These interventions have reduced conflict by up to 98% in at least two rural wards, but habitat loss through the expansion of farms into wildlife migration corridors worries Mbizah and her team. authors: | ||
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Laos can do more to mitigate chemical pollution of rivers flowing into Vietnam (analysis) 30 Apr 2026 02:43:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/laos-can-do-more-to-mitigate-chemical-pollution-of-rivers-flowing-into-vietnam-analysis/ author: Philip Jacobson dc:creator: Pham Phan Long content:encoded: Southeast Asia’s growing demand for rare earth elements and gold, driven by global needs in electronics, renewable energy, defense and high-value commodities, has accelerated mining across the region. While Myanmar’s unregulated mines have drawn attention for contaminating Mekong River tributaries, monitored by the Mekong River Commission, an equally pressing but less scrutinized issue exists along the river systems shared by Laos and Vietnam, where no comparable bilateral treaty provides oversight. River hydrology and the mining footprint The total population of Laos is less than 8 million. In northeastern Laos, particularly Houaphanh province (population 300,000), rapid expansion of rare earth and gold mining along the Nam Ma, Nam Sam and Nam Neun rivers poses significant transborder risks. These waterways flow into Vietnam as the Song Ma, Song Chu and Song Lam rivers, where they sustain drinking water, agriculture and fisheries for approximately 10 million people in Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. Pollutants can travel downstream within hours, creating urgent needs for cross-border cooperation. Satellite analysis from the Stimson Center’s interactive River Basins Dashboard shows 21 mines directly impacting these river systems in Laos. Contamination seen in these interconnected basins mirrors contamination patterns seen in Mekong tributaries affected by upstream mining in Myanmar, where toxins have devastated fisheries downstream in Laos and Thailand. Stimson’s dashboard shows 2,539 riverine mines in the region, including more than 500 rare earth mines concentrated in Myanmar and Laos. Many employ in-situ leaching techniques that use large volumes of river water and chemicals…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Rapid expansion of rare earth and gold mining in Laos is contaminating river systems that flow into Vietnam, putting millions of downstream users at risk. - Toxic runoff, particularly arsenic, poses a “silent” threat as it bioaccumulates over time, with serious long-term impacts on human health, fisheries and food security. - Weak enforcement and the lack of a dedicated Laos-Vietnam monitoring framework leave these shared rivers vulnerable, highlighting the urgent need for stronger cross-border cooperation and safeguards. - This article is an analysis. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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Florida ‘Sloth World’ shuts down amid dozens of captive sloth deaths 29 Apr 2026 18:57:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/florida-sloth-world-shuts-down-amid-dozens-of-captive-sloth-deaths/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: A startup known as “Sloth World” brought some 69 sloths to Orlando, Florida, with plans to charge $49 to let visitors see them up close. However, 52 sloths are believed to have died in conditions a former employee described to Mongabay as “heartbreaking,” ultimately forcing Sloth World to shut down, with plans to file for bankruptcy. Described as a slotharium, the venture was framed as a rescue mission to save sloths from deforested areas in Peru and Guyana. However, according to Rebecca Cliffe, founder and director of the Costa Rica-based nonprofit Sloth Conservation Foundation, that premise amounts to greenwashing, as more than 80% of Guyana is covered in rainforest. “There is no lack of habitat available for these sloths,” Cliffe told Mongabay in a video call. “There’s no way taking healthy adult breeding sloths out of an ecosystem, to go into a for-profit exhibit in the United States… [is] in the sloth’s best interest,” Cliffe said. In their natural habitat, sloths mainly eat native tree leaves and live alone. At Sloth World, the animals were kept in small cages stacked on top of each other and fed vegetables. “They would feed kale, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and Mazuri biscuits, an exotic animal feed,” a former caretaker who briefly worked at Sloth World told Mongabay. The caretaker asked not to be named for fear of retribution. In their two weeks working with Sloth World, the caretaker said they saw a lot of sick animals, that they were told had intestinal problems. Normally,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A startup known as “Sloth World” brought some 69 sloths to Orlando, Florida, with plans to charge $49 to let visitors see them up close. However, 52 sloths are believed to have died in conditions a former employee described to Mongabay as “heartbreaking,” ultimately forcing Sloth World to shut down, with plans to file for […] authors: | ||
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A “good year” for forests changes less than it seems 29 Apr 2026 17:55:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-good-year-for-forests-changes-less-than-it-seems/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: The rate of tropical primary forest loss fell sharply in 2025, reversing the record highs of the year before. On paper, it looks like progress. In reality, the dip is likely only a temporary reprieve. The decline followed an exceptional year for wildfires. In 2024, drought helped drive some of the largest fire-related losses on record. In 2025, those climatic pressures eased, and the area lost to fire dropped with them. But the root causes—commodity-driven agricultural expansion, patchy enforcement, and growing climate stress—remain stubbornly in place. A single year’s improvement does not shift that fundamental footing. Tropical primary forest loss by year since 2002 What stands out is the pattern of loss. Forest loss is becoming less predictable, moving in sharper swings tied to weather as much as policy. Fire now accounts for a large share of global tree cover loss, and its behavior tracks temperature and rainfall extremes. When conditions align, losses surge. When they do not, they fall back. But the needle barely moves on the long-term trend: forest loss remains persistently high. Fire does not simply clear land; it hollows out forests in ways that make further loss more likely. Repeated burns thin canopies and dry the forest floor, eroding the processes that allow forests to recover. In parts of the Amazon, clearing has given way to a self-reinforcing cycle of decay, where degradation serves as a precursor to total forest loss. Climate is an increasingly active factor. Forecasts point to a likely El Niño in 2026,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Tropical primary forest loss saw a significant drop in 2025, but the decline likely represents a temporary reprieve driven by favorable weather rather than a fundamental shift in the root causes of deforestation. - The reduction was largely due to a decrease in fire-related losses following the extreme droughts of 2024, highlighting how forest health is increasingly dictated by climate variability and rainfall extremes. - While policy-driven successes in Brazil and Indonesia offer a blueprint for enforcement, these gains remain fragile and vulnerable to shifting political dynamics and weakening governance. - The resilience of recent progress faces an imminent test in 2026, as forecasts for a returning El Niño threaten to bring back the dry conditions that historically trigger catastrophic forest loss. authors: | ||
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Marine resource conflicts in Africa revolve mostly around access: Study 29 Apr 2026 17:54:18 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/marine-resource-conflicts-in-africa-revolve-mostly-around-access-study/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Edward Carver content:encoded: Marine resource conflicts can arise when industrial vessels enter coastal waters used by small-scale fishers, a port is built on a mangrove restoration site or a shipping lane runs through a marine protected area. A new study identified more than 1,000 such conflicts in Africa over an 11-year period and found that nearly 75% were disputes over access to spaces and resources. The study, published April 17 in the journal One Earth, calls for more participatory and transparent governance to reduce conflicts, warning that without such reforms, conflicts could derail African policymakers’ sustainability and equity goals. “Ensuring meaningful participation of affected groups is one of the biggest takeaways,” Elizabeth Selig, managing director at the Center for Ocean Solutions at Stanford University in the U.S. and lead author of the study, told Mongabay. “If you embed [these groups] within decision-making processes and are conscious of [future] actions that could affect them, you are more likely to be able to avoid conflict.” Effects of an oil spill are visible at Goi Creek, Nigeria, in August 2010. Conflicts related to oil spills in Nigeria appear in a marine resource conflict database created by Stanford University researcher Elizabath Selig and her co-authors. Image by Friends of the Earth Netherlands via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). The ocean is a site of both increased conservation interest and economic activity, Selig and her co-authors write. “The compound impacts of a growing ocean economy, climate-change-associated shifts in marine resources’ availability, and the expansion of spatial conservation measures” increases…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new study identified more than 1,000 conflicts in Africa over an 11-year period and found that nearly 75% were disputes over access to spaces and resources. - The study calls for more participatory and transparent governance to reduce conflicts, warning that without such reforms, conflicts could derail African policymakers’ sustainability and equity goals. - The analysis, based on media reports and academic articles, found that the underlying drivers of the conflicts, some more direct than others, included illegal fishing, changes in distribution of benefits, weak governance and resource degradation caused by human activity. authors: | ||
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Chesapeake Bay conservation bolstered by the power of business & viral videos 29 Apr 2026 17:09:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/chesapeake-bay-conservation-bolstered-by-the-power-of-business-viral-videos/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Erik Hoffner content:encoded: The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the U.S., providing key habitat for a huge variety of aquatic life, and it is also home to major cities like Baltimore and Annapolis. That large human footprint is very evident in the bay’s water quality, though, which has suffered greatly from pollution – much of which is invisible, but the rest is quite visible in the form of trash. Austin Lewis is a veteran of the Army National Guard and small business owner in the Baltimore area who greatly enjoys his home waters, but increasingly noticed all the debris that floated or coated the bottom of his beloved bay, and so decided to become part of the solution: “I really had no choice but to attempt to do my part,” he told Mongabay in the recent short interview below. Using the flexibility provided by owning his own insurance firm, Bay Life Brokerage (“Not just a life insurance brokerage, but an agency for environmental change” its homepage says) he can afford to work part time with local conservation group Back River Restoration Committee for hours every day, removing tons of trash while recording very entertaining and informative videos about their shared mission, later posted to various social platforms like Instagram, FaceBook and TikTok under the handle @BayLifeBrokerage. These often humorous videos also share much natural history information and the Instagram reels in particular garner large numbers of comments and views, all of which extend the reach of the cleanup effort by raising awareness…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Austin Lewis is small business owner in the Baltimore area who greatly enjoys his home waters, but he increasingly noticed how much trash floated or coated the bottom of his beloved Chesapeake Bay, and so decided to become part of the solution. - His often humorous and always educational videos posted to various social media platforms garner huge attention and drive action by viewers to also do their part to improve water quality. The business allows him the flexibility to do this work daily, which in partnership with a local nonprofit, has removed millions of pounds of debris from the bay. - In a new interview at Mongabay, Lewis shares his motivations and thoughts about the power of business to do good in the world. authors: | ||
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Black cockatoo species caught in the crosshairs of global race for minerals 29 Apr 2026 14:06:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/black-cockatoo-species-caught-in-the-crosshairs-of-global-race-for-minerals/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: Environmental organizations in southwest Australia have criticized the Australian government’s decision to grant the U.S. bauxite mining company Alcoa a national interest exemption, usually provided in cases of emergency, defense or national security, thereby authorizing the company to continue its operations despite years of unauthorized clearing in the country’s Northern Jarrah Forest. The Northern Jarrah Forest, one of the world’s most biodiverse temperate forests, has faced threats since European settlers first occupied it in 1836. Between 1960 and 2020, 32,130 hectares (79,394 acres) were cleared for bauxite mining alone. As remediation for the illegal clearings, the government reached an agreement with Alcoa on Feb. 18, which involves the company paying A$55 million (about $39.5 million) through enforceable undertakings, including a range of environmental rectification works, such as ecological offsets to preserve habitats and conservation programs for black cockatoo species. Environmental organizations, such as BirdLife Western Australia and the Biodiversity Council, say these measures are insufficient to prevent the extinction of the Baudin’s black cockatoo (Zanda baudinii). The bird is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and it depends on the Northern Jarrah Forest for feeding during the nonbreeding season. “The reason the birds are in trouble is because of habitat loss and habitat degradation,” Mark Henryon, the chair of the BirdLife Western Australia Advocacy Committee, told Mongabay over a video call. “If you take the habitat out, we’re going to lose the birds.” The government also agreed to progress a strategic assessment agreement with…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Australian government has granted the U.S. bauxite mining company Alcoa a national interest exemption, allowing it to continue operations despite years of unauthorized clearing in the country’s Northern Jarrah Forest. - The forest is a critical habitat for three threatened black cockatoo species, including the critically endangered Baudin’s black cockatoo. - Environmental organizations, such as BirdLife Western Australia, say the government’s agreement with Alcoa, which includes a payment of A$55 million and the implementation of conservation programs to protect the black cockatoo species, is not enough to protect the species. - They say the Baudin could become extinct within 50 years if the company’s project expansion plans are approved, as most of the birds’ habitat will be destroyed. authors: | ||
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‘True success’ is a DRC that no longer needs outside help: Interview with EU envoy Fabrice Basile 29 Apr 2026 13:48:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/true-success-is-a-drc-that-no-longer-needs-outside-help-interview-with-eu-envoy-fabrice-basile/ author: Christophe Assogba dc:creator: David Akana content:encoded: KINSHASA — Few countries are the focal point of as many expectations, tensions and contradictions as the Democratic Republic of Congo. With its vast forests, iconic protected areas and mineral resources among the most coveted in the world, the country finds itself at the heart of two global dynamics often portrayed as opposing forces: biodiversity conservation and the energy transition. Cobalt, copper and lithium, the country’s strategic minerals, fuel global supply chains. At the same time, its forests play a vital role in regulating the climate. Caught between these two realities, the fundamental question remains: how can resource extraction, conservation and development be reconciled in a country still marked by insecurity, governance challenges and regional inequalities? In the capital, Kinshasa, the European Union has positioned itself as a key partner, engaging in natural resource management, the traceability of critical minerals, the financing of protected areas, and diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilizing Africa’s Great Lakes region. This presence is part of a broader approach that combines investment, structural reforms and support for public policy. In this interview, Fabrice Basile, the European Union’s chargé d’affaires (top envoy) to the DRC, reflects on this cooperation and advocates for a strategy he describes as pragmatic: strengthening transparency in the extractive sectors; supporting local economic models, such as that of Virunga National Park; and fostering a more inclusive approach that integrates local and Indigenous communities. In the face of criticism regarding past resource management or the impact of certain conservation projects, Basile emphasizes the evolution…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The European Union’s top envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo says he hopes to see less foreign presence in the DRC as a sign the country can drive its own development and ensure its people benefit from its resources. - The DRC holds vast reserves of critical minerals such as cobalt, coltan, copper and lithium, and is also home to the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest rainforest and a key carbon sink. - Fabrice Basile says the EU is working with the DRC government to improve natural resource management, emphasizing transparency, traceability and local value creation through approaches tailored to local realities. - In an interview with Mongabay, he says the EU will support a U.S.-brokered DRC-Rwanda agreement on critical minerals, while stressing that lasting stability depends on governance reforms and pointing to conservation efforts like Virunga National Park as reasons for cautious optimism. authors: | ||
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Brazilian state greenlights deforestation for contested open-pit gold mine 29 Apr 2026 13:25:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/brazilian-state-greenlights-deforestation-for-contested-open-pit-gold-mine/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: The state of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon has authorized Canadian mining company Belo Sun to begin clearing nearly 600 hectares, or almost 1,500 acres, of rainforest for an open-pit gold mine. Legal experts say it’s premature to clear a forest the size of 840 soccer fields while key aspects of the project remain unresolved. The April 14 decision by Pará’s environment secretariat, SEMAS, is being challenged in court by federal agencies and prosecutors. They say the state lacks authority to approve a mine along the Xingu River, a major tributary of the Amazon, which could impact several Indigenous territories. Management of Brazil’s rivers and Indigenous affairs falls under federal jurisdiction. Indigenous groups, including the Juruna, Xikrin, Xipaia, Arara and Parakanã peoples, protested the Belo Sun mine project for more than a month, saying they weren’t properly consulted, and warning the project could irreversibly harm their way of life. “For the Indigenous, riverine and extractive women of the Middle Xingu, water is not a resource, it is the very condition of existence,” the coalition Indigenous Women Against Belo Sun wrote in an April 22 statement. “The contamination of rivers with mercury and other heavy metals would permanently destroy life in traditional territories.” The public prosecutor’s office told Mongabay by email that Indigenous consultation was conducted by private consultants hired by the company, and that this violates the international treaty governing Indigenous rights. Belo Sun denied the allegation in an email to Mongabay, saying the consultation was conducted with government oversight…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The state of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon has authorized Canadian mining company Belo Sun to begin clearing nearly 600 hectares, or almost 1,500 acres, of rainforest for an open-pit gold mine. Legal experts say it’s premature to clear a forest the size of 840 soccer fields while key aspects of the project remain unresolved. […] authors: | ||
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Nearly three in four marine protected areas undermined by wastewater pollution 29 Apr 2026 10:45:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/nearly-three-in-four-marine-protected-areas-undermined-by-wastewater-pollution/ author: Autumn Spanne dc:creator: Elizabeth Fitt content:encoded: Wastewater pollution levels are higher inside many marine protected areas than in nearby unprotected areas, according to a new study published in the journal Ocean & Coastal Management. The researchers also found that nearly three-quarters of all MPAs — more than 12,000 globally — are exposed to wastewater nitrogen pollution from sewage and agricultural runoff. “[O]ur results expose that we are not systematically incorporating information about pollution into marine spatial planning or implementing integrated land-sea management,” study co-author Amelia Wenger, a senior research fellow at the University of Queensland in Australia and global water pollution program lead with the U.S.-headquartered NGO Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), told Mongabay. “Land and sea are deeply connected, but the way we manage them is not,” she added. The researchers modeled nitrogen pollution within MPAs globally and looked at levels both inside and outside MPAs throughout a 50-kilometer-wide (30-mile) coastal zone in six tropical regions with high biodiversity. Median pollution levels were up to 10 times higher inside MPAs across four of the study’s six focus regions, including the Caribbean and Bahamas, the Middle East and North Africa, the Coral Triangle in the Western Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. “In regions such as East Africa and the Middle East and North Africa, around 60% of MPAs are exposed to [nitrogen] loads higher than the global median,” Wenger said. The findings raise questions about the effectiveness of current MPA strategy, according to Jasmine Fournier, executive director of the Ocean Sewage Alliance (OSA), an international organization focused…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A global modeling study found that 73% of marine protected areas are exposed to nitrogen pollution from wastewater — often at higher levels than in nearby unprotected waters. - The findings indicate that marine conservation planning often fails to adequately account for land-based wastewater pollution or to integrate land-sea management. - Wastewater pollution, largely untreated globally, introduces nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients and other contaminants that degrade marine ecosystems, with impacts on coral reefs, seagrass and water quality, and can undermine the effectiveness of MPAs. - Addressing the issue is considered feasible but constrained by fragmented governance, underfunding and limited monitoring, despite solutions that include existing technologies, various policy proposals and examples of improved wastewater management. authors: | ||
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One of the world’s largest deep-sea coral reefs discovered off Argentina 29 Apr 2026 09:52:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/one-of-the-worlds-largest-deep-sea-coral-reefs-discovered-off-argentina/ author: Autumn Spanne dc:creator: Elizabeth Claire Alberts content:encoded: Biologist Erik Cordes has spent much of his career studying cold-water reefs — coral systems typically found in chilly, dark waters far below the ocean’s surface. But his latest project took him by surprise when he and a group of colleagues discovered what might be one of the world’s largest deep-sea, cold-water reefs. Over the course of two expeditions aboard the research ship R/V Falkor (too) — first in July 2025, and then in December 2025–January 2026 — Cordes and a team of scientists explored a previously undocumented cold-water coral reef system along a 900-kilometer (560-mile) stretch of Argentina’s territorial waters, about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) below the surface. Globally, cold-water reefs can be found in depths as shallow as 50 m (164 ft) and as deep as 4,000 m (13,100 ft). Just one of the coral mounds — underwater hills made up of coral skeletons topped by living coral that take thousands or even millions of years to form — stretched out over an area of 0.4 square kilometers (0.15 square miles), nearly the size of Vatican City. The expeditions, mounted by the U.S.-based Schmidt Ocean Institute, identified many more of these mounds across the 900 km that it mapped, leading the researchers to believe the corals could be part of one of the most extensive cold-water reefs in the world. “It still amazes me when we can discover something this size still on our planet,” Cordes, a professor of biology at Temple University in the U.S., told Mongabay.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Scientists have discovered what may be one of the world’s largest cold-water coral reef systems, located about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) deep in Argentina’s territorial waters, with much of it remaining unmapped. - The reef, dominated by the rare coral species Bathelia candida, hosts a surprisingly rich ecosystem, including dozens of deep-sea species new to science. - Researchers found signs of human impact, including fishing debris and possible trawling damage, and worry the reef area might also be targeted for oil and gas exploration. - The researchers are testing restoration techniques, including the installation of 3D-printed “artificial corals,” which they hope will encourage the rapid growth of new corals. authors: | ||
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A village biogas project tests Zambia’s push to improve rural energy access 29 Apr 2026 07:44:14 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-village-biogas-project-tests-zambias-push-to-improve-rural-energy-access/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Sokosi Silvester Banda content:encoded: LUSAKA, Zambia — In Nkhundye, a farming community in Zambia’s Eastern province, cattle dung from a communal kraal, a traditional livestock enclosure, is being used to produce energy for cooking, to run irrigation pumps, and to meet some electricity needs. The biogas plant is managed by the Nkhundye Community Cooperative, whose members collectively keep some 300 head of cattle. The dung from the animals is fed into a biodigester that produces methane gas, which is used as a cooking fuel. As of March 2026, the project was providing biogas to 100 households. The cooperative comprises roughly 600 households and the operation is gradually being expanded to cover all members and nearby communities, according to the company Biogas Technology in Zambia, which is a partner in the project. Homes within 100 meters (330 feet) of the biogas plant receive gas through underground pipes, while those further away receive storage bags with enough methane to last three to five days, depending on use. A community member cooks using biogas in Nkhundye village in Eastern province, Zambia. Image courtesy of Biogas Technology in Zambia. Community members use the biogas for cooking through adapted biogas stoves. All the project equipment was supplied free of cost to the consumers, including fittings to install the connections. Household stoves are connected directly to gas storage bags using a valve and pipes. The process starts with mixing cow dung with water and feeding it into the sealed biodigester. Inside the biodigester, anaerobic bacteria break down the waste, producing…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A biogas project in Zambia’s Nkhundye village is turning cattle dung into energy for cooking, irrigation, and meeting limited electricity needs. - The system was serving about 100 households as of March this year, with plans to expand cooking gas access to 600 community households using underground pipes and portable gas bags. - Nonprofits and development agencies bore the initial costs of installing the system and providing equipment, but the running of the plant will depend on the Nkhundye Community Cooperative in the future. - While this project is small, Zambian authorities say the country is pursuing a large-scale rural electrification strategy that includes biogas, mini-grids, solar arrays and other decentralized energy technologies. authors: | ||
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As Ghana eyes lithium future, affected communities face uncertainty 29 Apr 2026 06:55:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/as-ghana-eyes-lithium-future-affected-communities-face-uncertainty/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Maxine Betteridge-Moes content:encoded: EWOYAA, Ghana — In March, the Ghanaian parliament approved what could become the West African nation’s first lithium mine. Atlantic Lithium’s Ewoyaa project sets the stage for Ghana to become a key supplier in the critical minerals supply chain, but some experts say the rights of communities impacted by the project are at risk. Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources granted the mining lease to Barari DV Ghana, a subsidiary of Australia’s Atlantic Lithium, in October 2023, following the discovery of lithium deposits in and around the village of Ewoyaa in Ghana’s Central region. The lease, situated about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the capital, Accra, provides the company with exclusive rights to mine lithium for an initial period of 15 years. In Ghana, like many countries across the world, mineral rights rest with the state, and deals granting foreign companies access to these resources must be ratified by parliament. The Ewoyaa mine is expected to produce an estimated 3.6 million metric tons of spodumene concentrate, a mineral rich in lithium, over 12 years. The lithium will then be exported to the U.S. and further refined for use in electric vehicle batteries. At least 50% of the spodumene concentrate has already been committed to North American producer Elevra Lithium, which supplies Tesla. According to Ghanaian NGO Friends of the Nation (FON), only 1% of the project’s gross revenues are earmarked for local development initiatives. A water treatment plant donated by Atlantic Lithium. The company has already made some…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - After more than two years of delays, Ghana’s parliament has ratified a deal with a subsidiary of Australian miner Atlantic Lithium to develop the country’s first lithium mine. - The company received permission to develop a mining concession in Ewoyaa in 2023, and under Ghanaian laws restrictions were put in place on agricultural and other economic activities in that area. - But delays in parliamentary ratification as a result of renegotiating the deal have meant that around 1,500 farmers are still awaiting compensation for loss of access to their land and livelihoods. - Advocates warn the project could now be fast-tracked at the expense of community rights, citing Ghana’s past experience with industrial mining and the environmental, social and governance challenges associated with lithium mining in other parts of the world. authors: | ||
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Species thought extinct for thousands of years ‘rediscovered’ thanks to Indigenous knowledge 29 Apr 2026 04:47:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/species-thought-extinct-for-thousands-of-years-rediscovered-thanks-to-indigenous-knowledge/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. On a remote peninsula in Indonesian Papua, a species long thought extinct by scientists has been confirmed to survive. The evidence did not come from a formal survey. It began with conversations with Tambrauw elders, who described a forest glider they had known for generations. Their accounts, combined with earlier photographs, led researchers to verify the continued existence of the ring-tailed glider, reports Mongabay’s John Cannon. The finding can be described as a rediscovery, though that framing reflects a scientific perspective, not a local one. For the Tambrauw, the animal was never lost. It remains part of a body of knowledge tied to hunting, story and custom. The glider also carries cultural significance, including a role in initiation practices. That status affected how openly it was discussed with outsiders and helps explain why earlier expeditions did not document it. In Papua, similar accounts have surfaced in recent years. Fieldwork has also confirmed the persistence of other animals once listed as extinct, including a long-fingered possum and Attenborough’s echidna. Each case reflects a similar dynamic. Scientific absence does not necessarily mean actual absence; it can reflect a gap in access or trust. A parallel line of research, focused on birds, points to the broader value of long-held observation. In a global study drawing on Indigenous and local memory, researchers reconstructed changes in bird communities over roughly eight decades. Participants consistently described a shift toward…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. On a remote peninsula in Indonesian Papua, a species long thought extinct by scientists has been confirmed to survive. The evidence did not come from a formal survey. It began with conversations with Tambrauw elders, who described a […] authors: | ||
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Angola’s highest mountain and its unique wildlife are now protected 29 Apr 2026 04:36:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/angolas-highest-mountain-and-its-unique-wildlife-are-now-protected/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Ryan Truscott content:encoded: Angola has declared its highest mountain, Mount Moco, part of a new conservation area to protect its threatened Afromontane forests. The Serra do Moco Conservation Area, which includes a complex of elevations, slopes and valleys in the municipality of Londuimbali, Huambo province, will now be under “a special regime of environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable use,” according to a government notice published April 9. The declaration protects around 22,000 hectares (54,000 acres) of land, ornithologist Michael Mills told Mongabay. “It encompasses all areas where there can potentially be forest,” he added. Mills has worked since 2011 with residents of Kanjonde village, at the foot of Mount Moco, to restore forest lost to timber harvesting and wildfires. Moco’s forests, which declined to 50-60 hectares (about 120-150 acres) from 200-300 hectares (about 500-750 acres) more than 50 years ago, host a unique suite of birds separated from other Afromontane regions for millennia. The government notice says the Serra do Moco region is of strategic importance “for observing rare and endemic species and for scientific research in its natural habitat.” Nigel Collar, a conservation biologist with BirdLife International, told Mongabay that his organization had shared the plight of Moco’s unique plants and animals with the rest of the world since the 1980s. “The news that the government of Angola has now moved to give the mountain formal protected area status is a moment for real celebration and congratulations,” he said. Collar added the protection represents a big win for one of Moco’s…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Angola has declared its highest mountain, Mount Moco, part of a new conservation area to protect its threatened Afromontane forests. The Serra do Moco Conservation Area, which includes a complex of elevations, slopes and valleys in the municipality of Londuimbali, Huambo province, will now be under “a special regime of environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and […] authors: | ||
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Tropical forest loss falls in 2025, but world still off track on deforestation goals 29 Apr 2026 04:10:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/tropical-forest-loss-falls-in-2025-but-world-still-off-track-on-deforestation-goals/ author: Hans Nicholas Jong dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong content:encoded: JAKARTA — Tropical primary forest loss fell sharply in 2025, dropping 36% from the record highs of the previous year, according to new data from a long-running satellite monitoring project. Non-fire forest loss also declined by 23%, reaching its lowest level in a decade, according to the data from the University of Maryland’s Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) laboratory and visualized on the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Forest Watch platform. The drop suggests that policy and enforcement can make be effective in protecting tropical primary forests, which are critical for biodiversity, water provision, carbon storage, food and medicine, cultural identity and more. But researchers say the headline figures mask a more complex reality and may say more about fewer fires than real progress, as forests across the tropics continue to move in the same direction: toward less forest and, in many places, faster rates of loss. “A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging — it shows what decisive government action can achieve,” said Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of Global Forest Watch. Even so, total loss remains high. The tropics lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of primary forest in 2025 — an area larger than Switzerland, and still 46% higher than a decade ago. That’s the equivalent of about 11 football fields’ worth of forests being razed every minute. At current rates, the world remains far off track from the 2030 goal of halting and reversing forest loss, a pledge made by more than…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Tropical primary forest loss fell sharply in 2025, down 36% from 2024, but the decline may reflect fewer fires rather than sustained progress. - Despite the drop, the world still lost an area of tropical primary forest larger than Switzerland last year, leaving countries far off track from their 2030 goal of ending deforestation. - Smaller forest-rich countries are losing remaining forests fastest, while major forest nations like Brazil show gains linked to stronger enforcement. - Climate-driven fires, weak governance and commodity pressures continue to drive forest loss, making recent gains fragile and uncertain. authors: | ||
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Migration and climate pressures deepen flood risks in Bangladesh’s haors 29 Apr 2026 03:30:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/migration-and-climate-pressures-deepen-flood-risks-in-bangladeshs-haors/ author: Abu Siddique dc:creator: Ashraful Haque content:encoded: Flash floods are a common occurrence in Bangladesh’s northeastern haor (shallow wetland ecosystem) region. These large bowl-shaped topographic depressions remain inundated for around seven months every year. At the beginning of every monsoon, runoff from the heavy rainfall in the Himalayan foothills of India’s Meghalaya state, which neighbors Bangladesh, overflows via the trans-boundary rivers and causes flooding in the haors of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona and Kishoreganj districts. While the changing climate and silting of rivers are worsening the flooding impact (such as that of 2017), pressures from population growth have also been seen to complicate things when it comes to the vulnerability of residents here. For example, newly established villages like Rangpur Bosti or Notun Jibonpur in Companiganj, Sylhet — located at the base of the Himalayan foothills of Meghalaya — were washed away by multiple flash floods in 2022. While flash floods are nothing new in the area, the scale of destruction in these villages are. House after house in these villages — located on the banks of Dholai River, a transboundary river originating in India — was devastated; in some cases they were totally washed away. The devastation demonstrated the brute force of raging floods, a rather uncommon sight even in a flash flood-prone area. The reason: These villages were not supposed to be here, and they were not built to withstand the magnitude of the flood. Flood-ravaged houses seen in Chanpur in Sylhet’s Companiganj subdistrict. Built right on the edge of a transboundary river, the community has…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In Bangladesh, people are pushed to live in flood-prone areas due to population pressures and poverty. - The impacts of climate change are magnified due to the destruction of natural barriers such as forests and natural wetland vegetation. - Building better houses and agricultural practices with conservation of native vegetation can protect many of these communities. authors: | ||
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Indonesia escalates ‘war on waste’ with criminal probe into Jakarta landfill disaster 29 Apr 2026 01:00:48 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/indonesia-escalates-war-on-waste-with-criminal-probe-into-jakarta-landfill-disaster/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Achmad Rizki MuazamLuh De Suriyani content:encoded: JAKARTA — Indonesian authorities are pursuing a criminal investigation into two senior public health managers over the most recent tragedy and alleged mismanagement at two of the country’s largest landfill sites. The investigations were announced two months after President Prabowo Subianto publicly declared a “war on waste,” and just weeks after a fatal avalanche of garbage at Southeast Asia’s largest dump. On March 8, seven sanitation and support workers were killed after being buried under a landslide of solid waste following structural failure at the Bantargebang site east of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city. A further six people were injured. Bantargebang, the country’s largest landfill, spans an area the size of 200 football fields and reaches more than 50 meters (167 feet) high at its peak, taller than the Statue of Liberty. Indonesia’s environment minister at the time said Asep Kuswanto, the former head of the Jakarta Environmental Agency, responsible for operating Bantargebang, had been charged on April 20 under the country’s 2008 environment law. Excavators atop a mountain of garbage in Bantargebang. Image by Achmad Rizki Muazam/Mongabay Indonesia. “We conducted an environmental audit, which found that required standards had not been met,” Hanif Faisol Nurofiq told Mongabay Indonesia on April 21. (On April 27, Hanif was removed from his post in a cabinet reshuffle.) If convicted, Asep could face up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 15 billion rupiah (around $870,000). Hanif added that environmental investigators would continue to investigate the Bantargebang tragedy, and did not…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - On March 8, seven sanitation workers were killed at Southeast Asia’s largest landfill, the Bantargebang dump site east of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city. - The country’s environment minister at the time, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, told Mongabay that criminal charges against a former environment agency lead for the capital could be followed by charges against other civil servants. - The criminal investigations into the former environment Jakarta and also in Bali were announced two months after President Prabowo Subianto announced a “war on waste” amid revived plans to build incinerators capable of turning millions of tons of household waste into electricity. authors: | ||
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Reciprocity, not extraction: Centering an Indigenous approach to forestry 28 Apr 2026 20:24:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/04/reciprocity-not-extraction-centering-an-indigenous-approach-to-forestry/ author: Mikedigirolamo dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo content:encoded: Forester and scientist Suzanne Simard is well known for her landmark 1997 paper, which demonstrated that two distinct species of trees could share resources. At the time, it turned traditional Western forestry thinking on its head. Instead of the Darwinian view of trees as being in competition with each other, it introduced the idea that these trees may actually help each other, and that industrial logging practices may be missing the forest for the trees. In recent years, Simard has been advocating for Indigenous knowledge as the only way to save the Earth and its forests. Environmental reporter Erica Gies spent some time in the field with Simard and her colleagues in a First Nations collective, and also learned about her large-scale experiment, The Mother Tree Project, which seeks to find the most sustainable form of forestry for both people and ecosystems. Gies joins the Mongabay Newscast to explain what she learned from Simard and why she advocates Indigenous knowledge and systems, which are governed by rules of reciprocity. A shift in her thinking occurred when she read the dissertation of fisheries ecologist Teresa Sm’hayetsk Ryan, who now works with Simard. “She realized that, you know, the people were also a very important part of the complex forest relationships,” Gies says. “Which is much more of a reciprocity kind of mentality. If you take, you also give back. There is a responsibility to care for the system. Because if you don’t, and if you overexploit it, it would be really easy to starve,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Forester and scientist Suzanne Simard is well known for her landmark 1997 paper, which demonstrated that two distinct species of trees could share resources. At the time, it turned traditional Western forestry thinking on its head. Instead of the Darwinian view of trees as being in competition with each other, it introduced the idea that […] authors: | ||
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Young conservationists are building hope & optimism despite challenging times (commentary) 28 Apr 2026 16:49:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/young-conservationists-are-building-hope-optimism-despite-challenging-times-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Erfan FirouziMaria HashmiQazi Hammad MueenTaras Bains content:encoded: Several recent articles at Mongabay regarding mental health in the conservation sector provide a much-needed overview of an issue not talked about enough: that conservationists face a mental health crisis, an “epidemic of suffering” that is nestled within a complex biodiversity crisis. We are in a profession in which loss is a normal, everyday occurrence. The foundation of this sector lies in the passion of conservationists working tirelessly to understand, document and mitigate biodiversity and its loss. With that passion comes a job profile that is marked by exploitative practices, low wages and a general lack of support for dealing with mental well-being. Coupled with few benefits and a front-row seat to biodiversity loss and de-prioritization of conservation actions, a pertinent question arises: Is there a reason for hope? As young conservationists starting out in the field, following “conservation optimism” as a philosophy, we think so! Sometimes conservation work can make one feel like a lone tree on a mountain, but young conservationists say there’s a lot of room for hope and optimism amid the challenges. Image courtesy of Qazi Hammad Mueen. Language matters Conservation is marred by a language of crisis. This might not be the root of the mental health crisis in the field, but it is a major contributor. Hope is a delicate word to use in a field riddled with anxiety and despair. Its power, nonetheless, can be an enabling force for rebalancing the discourse around conservation and what it can achieve. How then do we…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Several recent Mongabay features have shared the emotional strain that conservationists are under from increasing environmental degradation, job losses, moral injury, and a sense of isolation. - Young people working in conservation face these issues and even more challenges since they’re just beginning their careers, but as young conservationists pushing for optimism in the sector write in a new commentary, there are many avenues for building hope and positivity. - “Conservation Optimism as a philosophy is rooted in celebrating all successes, no matter the size or scope, and sharing stories of hope which are essential in sustaining our minds, bodies and motivations,” 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 search engine for the planet opens to the public 28 Apr 2026 16:30:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/a-search-engine-for-the-planet-opens-to-the-public/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: The idea that the Earth can be “searched” like a database has circulated for several years in academic and technical circles. Earth Index, developed by the nonprofit Earth Genome, brings that idea into practical use. Earth Index allows users to scan satellite imagery by visual similarity. A user can highlight an example—a patch of deforestation, a mining site, a trawler, or an airstrip—and instruct the system to find comparable patterns elsewhere. The underlying approach relies on “foundation models” trained on vast archives of Earth observation data, enabling the system to recognize features across geography and time. Until recently, such analysis required specialized teams, bespoke models, and significant computing resources. Even well-funded investigations could take months to develop. Tools like Earth Index reduce that burden. In one Mongabay-specific case, our journalists used it to identify previously unreported narcotrafficking airstrips in the Peruvian Amazon, combining automated detection with on-the-ground reporting (Spanish) Earth Index is now available without a waitlist, through an “Open” tier that provides global access and core features to any user. More advanced capabilities—such as higher usage limits, API access, and a more computationally intensive “Deep Search”—sit behind a separate tier, though the developers say they intend to keep access free for high-impact users. This expansion reflects a shift in how geospatial AI is being deployed. Satellite data has been publicly available for decades, yet much of it remains underused because of its complexity. Foundation models alter that dynamic by allowing users to interact with imagery in more intuitive ways,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The idea that the Earth can be “searched” like a database has circulated for several years in academic and technical circles. Earth Index, developed by the nonprofit Earth Genome, brings that idea into practical use. Earth Index allows users to scan satellite imagery by visual similarity. A user can highlight an example—a patch of deforestation, […] authors: | ||
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Novel DNA research shows massive native ant decline over hundreds of years in Fiji 28 Apr 2026 09:57:40 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/novel-dna-research-shows-massive-native-ant-decline-over-hundreds-of-years-in-fiji/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: Scientists conducting a DNA analysis of ant specimens collected from across the Fiji islands in the Pacific have been able to reconstruct how entire ant populations rose and fell over thousands of years. The findings, based on specimens held at museums, showed that nearly 80% of the archipelago’s 88 endemic ant species have been declining since humans first arrived there 3,000 years ago, while a small number of nonnative species expanded their populations. “It can be difficult to estimate historical changes to insect populations, because with few exceptions, we haven’t been directly monitoring populations over time,” co-author Evan Economo, a biologist at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, and the University of Maryland, U.S., wrote in a statement. The new methodology, called community genomics, uses DNA to infer large-scale population patterns across entire ecological communities, rather than just one or a few species. It’s especially useful for studying insects, as their populations are difficult to assess in the wild. “The genomes hold evidence of whether populations are growing or shrinking,” Economo said. Researchers found a sharp decline starting around 300 years ago, roughly corresponding with the arrival of Europeans, industrial agriculture, and introduced species. Fiji’s ant fauna, mainly found in intact, high-elevation forests, were shaped by at least 65 colonization events, the study found. A total of 88 species are endemic to Fiji, while 16 species arrived after European colonization. “The findings confirm once more what we have been saying for the past decade: that human impacts are…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Scientists conducting a DNA analysis of ant specimens collected from across the Fiji islands in the Pacific have been able to reconstruct how entire ant populations rose and fell over thousands of years. The findings, based on specimens held at museums, showed that nearly 80% of the archipelago’s 88 endemic ant species have been declining […] authors: | ||
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Saving crocodiles from extinction 28 Apr 2026 06:47:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/saving-crocodiles-from-extinction/ author: Lucia Torres dc:creator: Abhishyant Kidangoor content:encoded: Community-led efforts are helping revive and save Siamese crocodiles from the brink of extinction. Siamese crocodiles are native to Southeast Asia and considered guardians of the wetlands by many communities. However, their population declined drastically due to hunting and habitat loss as a result of which they have been declared a critically endangered species. In Laos, a conservation program led by local groups is helping revive the population. They collect eggs from wild nests and raise baby crocodiles till they are ready to go back into the wild. Watch this video to learn more.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Community-led efforts are helping revive and save Siamese crocodiles from the brink of extinction. Siamese crocodiles are native to Southeast Asia and considered guardians of the wetlands by many communities. However, their population declined drastically due to hunting and habitat loss as a result of which they have been declared a critically endangered species. In […] authors: | ||
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India has a wealth of bats, but our knowledge of them is poor: Report 28 Apr 2026 06:07:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/india-has-a-wealth-of-bats-but-our-knowledge-of-them-is-poor-report/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta content:encoded: India is home to 135 known bat species, but their natural history and ecology remain poorly understood, according to the first nationwide assessment of the country’s bats. The report, developed by 36 experts from 27 institutions in India, was released by the nonprofit organizations Bat Conservation International (BCI) and the Nature Conservation Foundation. “Bats are the most diverse order of mammals in [India],” Rohit Chakravarty, BCI’s India program manager, told Mongabay by email. “[Yet], there are less than 50 dedicated bat researchers in the country so there’s an urgent need for prioritizing research topics, species, geographical areas.” Of the 135 species, seven are listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List. Roughly a quarter, or 35 species, are listed as data deficient or not listed at all, meaning their conservation status hasn’t yet been evaluated, the report notes. Sixteen bat species are found only in India, including the somber bat (Cnephaeus tatei), Salim Ali’s fruit bat (Latidens salimalii), the Kolar leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros hypophyllus) and the Nicobar flying fox (Pteropus faunulus). Most of the endemic species are either threatened or data deficient. Chakravarty said there’s still plenty to learn about the ecology of India’s bats. For example, many bats have been found roosting inside caves, plants and even human-made structures like mines and culverts, old buildings and archaeological sites. But where the bats feed is still poorly understood. “This prevents us from protecting habitats beyond their roosts, particularly for [threatened] species like the Kolar leaf-nosed bat and Salim Ali’s…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: India is home to 135 known bat species, but their natural history and ecology remain poorly understood, according to the first nationwide assessment of the country’s bats. The report, developed by 36 experts from 27 institutions in India, was released by the nonprofit organizations Bat Conservation International (BCI) and the Nature Conservation Foundation. “Bats […] authors: | ||
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On World Tapir Day, data gaps cloud future of Malaysia’s tapirs 28 Apr 2026 05:48:09 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/on-world-tapir-day-data-gaps-cloud-future-of-malaysias-tapirs/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: Asia’s only tapir species still remains understudied in Malaysia, researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society say. Recent findings from Thailand suggest that some forest complexes there may hold more Malay, or Asian tapirs (Tapirus indicus) than previously estimated. However, across the border in Malaysia, experts warn that the endangered species faces an uncertain future, complicated by a lack of robust national population data and a persistent snaring crisis. On World Tapir Day, April 27, Mongabay asked WCS Malaysia researchers why this is the case. There have been very few reliable estimates of tapir numbers in Malaysia; one was published in 2012 and another in 2024. “It is always challenging to provide meaningful and realistic national figures for a large mammal species that is difficult to count, and the tapir is one that fits the bill,” Mark Darmaraj, WCS Malaysia country director, told Mongabay by email. Tapirs are notoriously difficult to count because, unlike a tiger with its distinct stripes, these black-and-white animals lack unique natural markings. Previously, researchers were able to use “bycatch” data from camera traps — images of tapirs captured on cameras originally set up for another species. They’ve identified unique individuals through a combination of scars, neck wrinkles and ear damage, said Shariff Mohamad, science and strategic communications manager for WCS Malaysia. Mohamad told Mongabay that while statistical models today are capable of estimating the population density of species without any distinguishing markings, these are difficult to implement because they require resource-intensive survey designs. Consequently, Malaysia still…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Asia’s only tapir species still remains understudied in Malaysia, researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society say. Recent findings from Thailand suggest that some forest complexes there may hold more Malay, or Asian tapirs (Tapirus indicus) than previously estimated. However, across the border in Malaysia, experts warn that the endangered species faces an uncertain future, complicated […] authors: | ||
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Deforestation is surging in Indonesia 28 Apr 2026 05:07:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/deforestation-is-surging-in-indonesia/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Indonesia’s forests, long held up as a case of tentative progress, are again under pressure. New analysis shows deforestation rose sharply in 2025, reversing several years of decline and returning to levels not seen in nearly a decade, reports Mongabay’s Hans Nicholas Jong. Auriga Nusantara, an Indonesian NGO, estimates that more than 430,000 hectares (1.1 million acres) were cleared last year, a jump of 66% from 2024. The increase follows a period when forest loss had fallen steadily, reaching a low in 2021 after a series of policy interventions and tighter oversight. Since then, losses have climbed each year, with 2025 marking a clear break from the earlier trend. The shift is notable in a global context. In Brazil, enforcement has pushed Amazon deforestation down for three consecutive years. Indonesia is now moving in the opposite direction, with the possibility of becoming the largest tropical deforester if current patterns hold. Policy choices help explain the change. Regulatory easing during the later years of former President Joko Widodo’s presidency reduced some environmental safeguards. Large-scale habitat conversion programs, including food estate projects and industrial expansion, have opened forested land. The current administration has continued many of these priorities, with land allocated for agriculture, energy and infrastructure often overlapping with intact forest. The geography of loss is also changing. Papua, home to some of Indonesia’s most extensive remaining forests, recorded a sharp increase in clearing.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Indonesia’s forests, long held up as a case of tentative progress, are again under pressure. New analysis shows deforestation rose sharply in 2025, reversing several years of decline and returning to levels not seen in nearly a decade, […] authors: | ||
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When protest works: Examples where activists have successfully pushed for change 28 Apr 2026 01:11:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/when-protest-works/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Protest arrives with a clear sense of purpose. Annie Leonard and André Carothers avoid constructing a grand, unified theory of dissent and offer no rigid framework to explain why movements live or die. Instead, they have assembled a curated history: a series of episodes of resistance, each functioning as both narrative and instruction. The perspective reflects the authors’ own backgrounds. Annie Leonard spent nearly two decades with Greenpeace US, including a period as executive director, and has been involved in campaigns on climate, waste, and environmental justice. André Carothers has worked as an organizer and adviser across a range of social movements, including time with Greenpeace and as cofounder of the Rockwood Leadership Institute, which trains activists. Both have operated within the kinds of campaigns the book describes. That experience shapes the selection and framing of the case studies, which lean toward movements where sustained organizing and nonviolent pressure are central. At its core, the book rests on a simple claim: protest works. From abolitionism to climate strikes, from labor organizing to Indigenous land defense, the case studies are familiar yet deliberately eclectic. The authors show that protest is not a singular tactic but an expansive repertoire—a march or a boycott, a blockade or a refusal to comply, spanning large demonstrations and more solitary acts. Waorani leader Nenquimo with the Pekinani, traditional leaders and warriors. In February 2019, they jointly mobilized after filing a lawsuit against the Ecuadorian government to protect their territory from oil drilling in Puyo, Pastaza and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In their new book, “Protest: Respect It. Defend It. Use It”, Annie Leonard and André Carothers assemble a series of protest movements to show how collective action has shaped political and social change, relying on examples rather than formal theory. - Protest is presented as a varied set of tactics, with internal disagreements acknowledged and treated as part of how movements function. - The book situates current efforts to restrict protest within a longer pattern in which dissent is tolerated when marginal and resisted when effective. - Across its cases, the book underscores that many rights now taken for granted were contested and that the space for protest remains uncertain. authors: | ||
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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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