Alaska wolves poisoned by mercury after switching to sea otter diet
13 Jun 2025 21:49:43 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/alaska-wolves-poisoned-by-mercury-after-switching-to-sea-otter-diet/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb
content:encoded: Some coastal wolves in Alaska, U.S., have toxic levels of mercury in their bodies after shifting from a terrestrial diet of deer and moose to a marine diet heavy with sea otters, new research finds. Mercury is a naturally occurring heavy metal found in the Earth’s crust. However, human activities like burning coal and fossil fuels release mercury into the atmosphere, where it can travel hundreds of miles from its source. When mercury enters aquatic ecosystems, it’s converted into methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin that “moves efficiently through a food web,” Ben Barst, study co-author and assistant professor with the University of Calgary, Canada, told Mongabay in a video call. Methylmercury “biomagnifies,” accumulating in larger amounts higher up the food chain, making it dangerous for predators like wolves and sea otters. Large sea otters (Enhydra lutris) daily eat roughly 11 kilograms (25 pounds) of invertebrates like mussels, clams and sea urchins, all known to accumulate methylmercury. Gretchen Roffler, the study’s lead author and a research biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, first learned of mercury poisoning in wolves (Canis lupus) when she investigated the death of an emaciated collared wolf from another study. Roffler’s tests revealed “unprecedented” levels of mercury in the animal’s liver. So, she sent samples to Barst’s lab for further testing. The mercury concentration in those samples were so high, “at first we thought the instrument was malfunctioning,” Barst said. Once mercury levels were confirmed — on par with those observed in polar bears, an apex marine…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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Some coastal wolves in Alaska, U.S., have toxic levels of mercury in their bodies after shifting from a terrestrial diet of deer and moose to a marine diet heavy with sea otters, new research finds. Mercury is a naturally occurring heavy metal found in the Earth’s crust. However, human activities like burning coal and fossil […]authors:
Utah Republican proposes sale of more than 2 million acres of US lands
13 Jun 2025 21:31:16 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/utah-republican-proposes-sale-of-more-than-2-million-acres-of-us-lands/
author: Mongabay Editor
dc:creator: Associated Press
content:encoded: BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — More than 2 million acres of federal lands would be sold to states or other entities under a budget proposal from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee. The draft provision in the GOP’s sweeping tax cut package comes after after a similar proposal was narrowly defeated in the House. Montana Sen. Steve Daines said in response that he opposes public land sales. Lee says the sales would target isolated parcels that could be used for housing or infrastructure. Conservation groups reacted with outrage, saying it would set a precedent to fast-track the handover of cherished lands to developers. Reporting by Matthew Brown, Associated Press Banner image: A view of the suburbs of Las Vegas from atop the Stratosphere tower looking west down Sahara Ave., towards the Spring Mountains, Feb. 9, 2005. (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta, File)This article was originally published on Mongabay
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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — More than 2 million acres of federal lands would be sold to states or other entities under a budget proposal from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee. The draft provision in the GOP’s sweeping tax cut package comes after after a similar proposal was narrowly defeated in the House. Montana Sen. Steve […]authors:
‘Culture & nature are one’: Interview with Mudja Chief Bitini Ndiyanabo Kanane
13 Jun 2025 18:24:52 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/culture-nature-are-one-interview-with-mudja-chief-bitini-ndiyanabo-kanane/
author: Karen Coates
dc:creator: Blaise Kasereka Makuta
content:encoded: Virunga is Africa’s first national park, created by Belgian royal decree in 1925. Named for the mountains that straddle the borders between modern-day Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, the park spans 790,000 hectares (almost 2 million acres). It’s a biodiversity hotspot home to endangered and vulnerable wildlife species — lions (Panthera leo), hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius), mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), okapis (Okapia johnstoni) and more. It is also the ancestral home of Indigenous peoples who, though the course of decades, have been forcibly evicted from these lands, dating back to colonial times. In 1994, Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the war in neighboring Rwanda and the massive influx of refugees from that country. This led to significant deforestation and poaching and the presence of armed militias. Today, rebel groups have infiltrated the area, as decades-old conflicts wage on. But dozens of Indigenous communities continue to live just inside and near the park as well. Currently, to the south, Virunga is bordered by a chiefdom called Bakumu, which includes a total of 58 villages in seven distinct groupings. One of those groupings is called Mudja, which currently has eight villages of 4,862 inhabitants who trace their origins to two villages, called Kishari and Toro, in the center of the park. According to the Mudja chief, the people lived there until they were expelled more than half a century ago. Mudja Chief…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Bitini Ndiyanabo Kanane has been the customary chief of the Mudja community near Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001, having ascended to power through family heritage and assuming the role of a protector — both of his community and the environment, which is home to many rare and endangered species.
- Over the course of decades, Indigenous communities with ancestral homes in Virunga have been expelled from the park; today, decades-old conflict has flared in the region, with a surge of M23 rebel violence that has displaced more than a million people in 2025 so far.
- The chief tells Mongabay that culture and nature are one, and that culture plays a critical part in the community’s conservation efforts in and around Virunga.
- Many of the Mudja community’s traditional customs work to preserve, rather than exploit, plant and animal species, the chief explains.
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New environmental licensing will build a power plant in the Cerrado and demolish a school
13 Jun 2025 18:21:35 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/new-environmental-licensing-will-build-a-power-plant-in-the-cerrado-and-demolish-a-school/
author: Xavier Bartaburu
dc:creator: Guilherme Cavalcanti/Agência Pública
content:encoded: The most deforested biome in Brazil, the Cerrado lost 700,000 hectares (1.7 million acres) of native vegetation in 2024. Now, it is about to receive a thermoelectric plant 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the National Congress, in Brasília, the country’s capital. The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), responsible for federal environmental licensing, and Termo Norte will present the project and the environmental studies of the Thermoelectric Plant (UTE) Brasília in a public hearing on June 17, in the Samambaia region. Carrying out this step is precisely one of the changes in the new environmental licensing of bill 2159/21 — and so far it is one of the barriers preventing the demolition of a peripheral rural school that serves 340 children in Samambaia. “The change in licensing means that all territories are in a situation of very high risk. There is no longer a need for consultation or to make adjustments. It used to take months, sometimes a year or two, to obtain a license for a large enterprise. Now, licensing has become extremely shortened,” explains the director of the International Arayara Institute, Juliano Araújo. He warns about the creation of the Special Environmental License, which establishes a faster process, exempting it from certain steps and prioritizing analysis within one year, even for projects that have the potential to cause significant environmental degradation. The plant of the company Termo Norte Energia will have chimneys 130 meters (420 feet) high, equivalent to a 42-story building. According to the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - A new natural thermal power plant is planned near Brasília, Brazil’s capital, set to be built on the site of a rural school and causing the loss of nearly 32 hectares (79 acres) of native Cerrado vegetation.
- The project, enabled by a fast-tracked environmental licensing process, has sparked protests from local families concerned about displacement, pollution and threats to children’s education and health.
- The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and Termo Norte will present the project and the environmental studies of the plant in a public hearing on June 17.
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Ahead of UN climate talks, Brazil fast-tracks oil and highway projects that threaten the Amazon
13 Jun 2025 18:06:16 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/ahead-of-un-climate-talks-brazil-fast-tracks-oil-and-highway-projects-that-threaten-the-amazon/
author: Mongabay Editor
dc:creator: Associated Press
content:encoded: MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — With the first U.N. climate talks in the Amazon set for November, Brazil is fast-tracking a series of controversial decisions that undercut its green rhetoric, revealing mounting political pressure on the federal environmental agency and widening divisions within President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s cabinet. The country’s federal environmental agency approved an emergency plan for an offshore drilling bid by state-run Petrobras near the mouth of the Amazon River. It also greenlit the clearance for a rock-blasting operation along 40 kilometers of the Tocantins River to enable year-round navigation, despite criticism from local grassroots organizations. Lula has defended the actions, saying Brazil has ambitious climate goals and has a high percentage of clean energy. Reporting by Fabiano Maisonnave, Associated Press Banner image: A boy kicks a soccer ball near signage for the COP30 U.N. Climate Conference in Belem, Brazil, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)This article was originally published on Mongabay
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MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — With the first U.N. climate talks in the Amazon set for November, Brazil is fast-tracking a series of controversial decisions that undercut its green rhetoric, revealing mounting political pressure on the federal environmental agency and widening divisions within President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s cabinet. The country’s federal environmental agency approved […]authors:
After controversy, Plant-for-the-Planet focuses on the trees
13 Jun 2025 16:50:51 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/after-controversy-plant-for-the-planet-focuses-on-the-trees/
author: Jeremy Hance
dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin
content:encoded: CONSTITUCIÓN, Mexico — At an empty outpost deep in a forest in Mexico, biologists were checking whether the windows had been broken or the furniture stolen, or if any animals had made a home inside. The outpost had been built in 2015 for a tree-planting and forest restoration project, but it was paused in 2023. The land had been degraded by decades of farming; massive flooding every few years made restoration work too difficult and expensive for Plant-for-the-Planet, the organization that had purchased it. Researchers with Plant-for-the-Planet know they’ve fallen victim to overambition before, attempting to restore complex ecosystems they didn’t fully understand, and often with a very tight budget. At this idle site, they still hoped to get some support through a government wildlife program. But until that happened, the outpost would remain empty. “For it to make sense to restore a forest, we really need to be thinking in terms of decades and centuries,” Anna Gee, the group’s forest restoration and conservation project manager, told Mongabay. “How do you create a forest that’s going to be able to sustain itself and self-perpetuate into the future and isn’t just going to get cut down again in 20 years?” Reforestation is hard. For decades, it’s been touted as a catch-all solution to climate change and biodiversity loss, with corporations buying up carbon offsets and governments launching tree-planting campaigns, despite many of the trees dying before they reach maturity. In some instances, programs prioritize the number of trees planted over how…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Plant-for-the-Planet, a global forest restoration and youth empowerment initiative, oversees reforestation projects in Mexico, Spain and Ghana.
- The organization was founded by Felix Finkbeiner at just 9 years old, when his school tree-planting project happened to make the local news in Germany. Now 27, he continues to help run Plant-for-the-Planet as it juggles rapid growth with the slow, painstaking work of planting trees.
- In recent years, the organization has been plagued by controversy, with news investigations exposing exaggerated planting numbers, poor record-keeping, and plans to invest in controversial real estate development.
- Now Plant-for-the-Planet is focusing on data collection and longer-term restoration strategies, hoping to leave its mistakes in the past.
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To survive climate change, scientists say protected areas need ‘climate-smart’ planning
13 Jun 2025 16:37:09 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/to-survive-climate-change-scientists-say-protected-areas-need-climate-smart-planning/
author: Jeremy Hance
dc:creator: Marina Martinez
content:encoded: Protected areas such as national parks, nature reserves and Indigenous lands are the foundation of biodiversity conservation. However, climate change is threatening their effectiveness in safeguarding wildlife, ecosystem services and livelihoods. As many countries work to meet the global target of protecting 30% of the planet’s lands and waters by 2030 — known as the 30×30 goal, a cornerstone of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework — scientists are calling for the incorporation of “climate-smart” approaches into the planning of new and existing protected areas. The 30×30 Progress Tracker tool shows how the global movement to protect 30% of the world’s lands and waters by 2030 is progressing — with around 17% of global land and inland waters, and 8% of oceans currently protected. Image ©️ SkyTruth. “While we know that climate change is affecting biodiversity, for example through distribution range shifts, local extinctions, and community restructuring, designs of PAs [protected areas] don’t usually explicitly account for these effects,” says Kristine Buenafe, a doctoral researcher at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science at the University of Queensland, Australia, and lead author of a recent review published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity. Buenafe’s paper indicates that conservationists risk protecting areas where species may no longer live in the future, if they don’t factor in climate change dynamics. “We’ve reached a critical time to consider where to best place our new PAs and make sure that they are ‘climate-smart’ (resilient to climate change),” Buenafe said in an email interview. This reasoning is echoed…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Climate change is threatening the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) in safeguarding wildlife, ecosystem services and livelihoods, with scientists now calling for the incorporation of “climate-smart” approaches into the planning of new and existing PAs.
- Key approaches to developing a network of climate-smart PAs include protecting climate refugia, building connectivity, identifying species’ future habitats and areas that promote natural adaptation. These approaches rely on science-based spatial models and prioritization assessments.
- For example, the Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) initiative supports conservationists, local communities and authorities in implementing adaptation measures in and around PAs across Africa, Fiji and Belize.
- Experts emphasize that climate-smart conservation plans must address immediate local needs, engage diverse stakeholders through transboundary collaboration, and rapidly expand across freshwater and marine ecosystems, especially in the Global South.
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No respite for Indonesia’s Raja Ampat as nickel companies sue to revive mines
13 Jun 2025 16:07:44 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/no-respite-for-indonesias-raja-ampat-as-nickel-companies-sue-to-revive-mines/
author: Hans Nicholas Jong
dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong
content:encoded: JAKARTA — A stormy saga over nickel mining in one of the most biodiverse marine regions in the world appears to be far from over, even after the Indonesian government revoked the permits of most of the companies involved. In the latest development, Greenpeace has revealed that three companies hit by earlier permit infractions are currently challenging the government in court to allow them to mine on islands in the Raja Ampat archipelago. At the same time, the government itself is planning to build a nickel processing plant nearby, according to the Greenpeace report. PT Anugerah Surya Pratama (ASP) is one of four mining companies whose permits were revoked on June 10 for alleged environmental and zoning violations, among other cited reasons. It had its permit to another concession in the archipelago, located on Waigeo Island, revoked in 2022, and earlier this year filed a lawsuit against the government over that revocation. Two other miners, PT Waegeo Mineral Mining (WMM) and PT Eka Kurnia Baru (EKB), also have lawsuits pending in court over the government’s refusal to officially recognize their permits on Waigeo Island since 2023. “These concessions could be reactivated if they won in court,” Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaign team leader Arie Rompas said in Jakarta on June 12 at the launch of the report. He added that Greenpeace is therefore calling for a complete revocation of all nickel mining permits across Raja Ampat, and for the government to not issue further licenses. “That’s why we need a legally…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Three companies are suing the Indonesian government to be allowed to mine for nickel in the Raja Ampat archipelago, a marine biodiversity hotspot, Greenpeace has revealed.
- The finding comes after the government’s recent revocation of four other mining permits in the area, following a public outcry over environmental damage and potential zoning violations.
- At the same time, the government is also encouraging the development of a nickel processing plant nearby, raising concerns this could fuel pressure to reopen canceled mines to supply the smelter.
- Greenpeace has called for a total mining ban across Raja Ampat and for an end to the smelter project to ensure the conservation of the archipelago’s unique ecosystems and biodiversity.
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In the Brazilian Amazon, decentralization can be a double-edged sword
13 Jun 2025 14:50:23 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/in-the-brazilian-amazon-decentralization-can-be-a-double-edged-sword/
author: Mayra
dc:creator: Timothy J. Killeen
content:encoded: The citizens of the Pan Amazon have a common complaint: the politicians and bureaucrats who manage the affairs of state neither understand their needs nor care about their aspirations. This grievance, by no means unique to the Pan Amazon, is driving a political dynamic in emerging economies that is known as decentralization, which is a structured process to transfer political power from central governments to subnational jurisdictions. The goal is to increase citizen participation in decisions that directly impact their lives; in the process, it is also meant to make the provision of public services, which is the government’s primary function, more efficient. All the Pan Amazon countries have three levels of government: national, regional and local. The relationship among jurisdictions is based on the concept of subsidiarity, in which the higher entity cedes powers and responsibilities to lower entities. Decentralization is especially important in the Pan Amazon, because the region has vast natural resources and its social evolution is manifestly chaotic. In the past, the region’s natural resources have been plundered to benefit colonial powers, corporate interests or the politically connected, usually to the detriment of the region’s Indigenous and traditional communities. A more democratic process might have avoided some of the injustices that have characterized Amazonian history. The current dynamic is complex, however, because most inhabitants are descended from recent immigrants who depend on conventional economic production systems. Among them are many dedicated environmental advocates and defenders of the rights of traditional and Indigenous people. But wealthy elites…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - The process of decentralization involves a structured transfer of political power from central governments to subnational jurisdictions. This becomes particularly important in the Amazon, rich in resources but still facing chaotic development.
- Negative experiences from centuries of colonization have shown that a more democratic governance system could have avoided some of the injustices that have marked the region’s history.
- In Brazil, despite efforts to decentralize, there are several federal entities that have retained substantial administrative and regulatory powers over the natural resources of the Legal Amazon.
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Paris goal of 1.5°C warming is still too hot for polar ice sheets, study warns
13 Jun 2025 14:30:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/paris-goal-of-1-5c-warming-is-still-too-hot-for-polar-ice-sheets-study-warns/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb
content:encoded: At the landmark Paris climate agreement, nearly every country in the world pledged to a goal to limit warming to well below 2° Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels by 2100, and work toward a more ambitious goal to limit warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F). The hope is that such a limit will help Earth avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. However, a recent review suggests that even the more ambitious ceiling of 1.5°C may be too warm for the planet’s polar ice sheets and trigger massive sea level rise. Researchers looked at paleoclimate data to see what the sea level was when Earth in the past was at a temperature comparable to the present. They combined that information with modeling data and more recent observations to then assess how much ice loss can be expected with 1.5°C of warming. The world is currently about 1.2°C (2.2°F) warmer than it was before humans began emitting massive amounts of warming fossil fuels, or pre-1900. Even at the current warming, “in the last few years, we’ve just seen some really dramatic changes in the Greenland ice sheet and the West Antarctica ice sheet in particular,” Chris Stokes, the study’s lead author, from Durham University, U.K., told Mongabay in a video call. He added researchers were surprised by the amount of melting they’ve observed already. The hope has been that 1.5°C of warming is below the threshold for massive glacial melting. So, “we wanted to see what the impact of 1.5 degrees…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
At the landmark Paris climate agreement, nearly every country in the world pledged to a goal to limit warming to well below 2° Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels by 2100, and work toward a more ambitious goal to limit warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F). The hope is that such a limit will help Earth avoid […]authors:
Pacific island nations launch plan for world’s first Indigenous-led ocean reserve
13 Jun 2025 09:39:12 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/pacific-islands-launch-plan-for-worlds-first-indigenous-led-ocean-reserve/
author: Hayat Indriyatno
dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta
content:encoded: The governments of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have announced their commitment to create a massive multinational Melanesian Ocean Reserve. If implemented as envisioned, the reserve would become the world’s first Indigenous-led ocean reserve, covering an area nearly as big as the Amazon Rainforest. Speaking at the U.N. Ocean Conference underway in Nice, France, representatives of both countries said the vision for the ocean reserve is to cover at least 6 million square kilometers (2.3 million square miles) of ocean and islands. The reserve will include the combined national waters of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, and extend to the protected waters of New Caledonia’s exclusive economic zone. All of the island countries, largely inhabited by Indigenous Melanesians, are located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, within the region known as Melanesia. “The Melanesian Ocean Reserve will give the governments and peoples of Melanesia the ability to do much more to protect our ancestral waters from those who extract and exploit without concern for our planet and its living beings. We hope our Indigenous stewardship of this vast reserve will create momentum for similar initiatives all over the world,” Vanuatu’s environment minister, Ralph Regenvanu, said in a joint press release. Melanesia is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, hosting an incredible diversity of both land and marine species, including an estimated 75% of known coral species and more than 3,000 species of reef-associated fish. The governments of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu reportedly conceived of the Melanesia…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
The governments of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have announced their commitment to create a massive multinational Melanesian Ocean Reserve. If implemented as envisioned, the reserve would become the world’s first Indigenous-led ocean reserve, covering an area nearly as big as the Amazon Rainforest. Speaking at the U.N. Ocean Conference underway in Nice, France, representatives […]authors:
As climate change worsens global locust crisis, researchers offer solutions
13 Jun 2025 06:43:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/as-climate-change-worsens-global-locust-crisis-researchers-offer-solutions/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: Locust outbreaks, which cause considerable crop losses, affect a quarter of the world’s population today. In a recent paper, scientists predict the situation will worsen with climate change, and they suggest a way forward by integrating local communities’ knowledge. Locusts are species of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae, which, under certain environmental conditions, can go from being solitary to members of massive, moving swarms. These swarms can travel large distances, destroying crops along the way. For instance, the paper’s authors describe desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) as among “the most destructive migratory pests in the world,” with a single swarm of tens of millions moving across 1,200 square kilometers (463 square miles). The 2020 desert locust outbreak in eastern Africa threatened more than 20 million people with the risk of acute food insecurity. Climate change is expected to make locust outbreaks worse, the authors write, citing studies that show how tropical cyclones, extreme rainfall and its resulting warm and moist soil have triggered several recent desert locust outbreaks. “Yet, it remains underprioritized in [the] climate space,” they say. Early detection is key in responding to locust outbreaks and reducing losses. However, regions like eastern Africa face challenges in early detection due to remoteness, inaccessibility and conflict, the authors add. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has a 24/7 surveillance system on locust invasions and breeding locations that uses satellite imagery, locust, weather and ecological data from affected areas. But the authors write that verifying data through ground measurements and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Locust outbreaks, which cause considerable crop losses, affect a quarter of the world’s population today. In a recent paper, scientists predict the situation will worsen with climate change, and they suggest a way forward by integrating local communities’ knowledge. Locusts are species of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae, which, under certain environmental conditions, can […]authors:
Rescuers in South Africa search for the missing after floods leave at least 49 dead
13 Jun 2025 04:20:52 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/rescuers-in-south-africa-search-for-the-missing-after-floods-leave-at-least-49-dead/
author: Mongabay Editor
dc:creator: Associated Press
content:encoded: CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Rescue teams began a third day searching for missing people Thursday after floods devastated parts of South Africa’s rural Eastern Cape province and left at least 49 dead. Authorities said they expected the death toll to rise. The missing included four high school students who were swept away when their bus was caught up in the floods near a river on Tuesday. Six students on the bus were confirmed dead, while three were rescued after clinging onto trees and calling out for help, according to the provincial government. The floods hit the province early Tuesday after an extreme cold front brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow to parts of eastern and southern South Africa. Forecasters had warned about the damaging weather last week. Eastern Cape provincial government officials said they believed people were still missing but did not give an exact number. They were working with families to find out who was still unaccounted for, they said. On Wednesday, rescue teams brought bodies out of the water in blue body bags, while witnesses said many people had taken refuge on the top of buildings or in trees. The floods centered on the town of Mthatha and its surrounding district, which is around 430 kilometers (267 miles) south of the east coast city of Durban. Officials said at least 58 schools and 20 hospitals were damaged, while hundreds of families were left homeless after their houses were submerged under water or washed away by…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Rescue teams began a third day searching for missing people Thursday after floods devastated parts of South Africa’s rural Eastern Cape province and left at least 49 dead. Authorities said they expected the death toll to rise. The missing included four high school students who were swept away when […]authors:
Oregon wildfire prompts evacuations and closes interstate in Columbia River Gorge
13 Jun 2025 04:19:32 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/oregon-wildfire-prompts-evacuations-and-closes-interstate-in-columbia-river-gorge/
author: Mongabay Editor
dc:creator: Associated Press
content:encoded: THE DALLES, Ore. (AP) — A wildfire in Oregon prompted officials to issue evacuation orders for hundreds of homes and to close nearly 20 miles (32 kilometers) of an interstate in the Columbia River Gorge on Wednesday. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the state’s Emergency Conflagration Act for the Rowena Fire, allowing the state fire marshal agency to mobilize resources, it said in a statement. The agency said it was mobilizing an incident management team and six structural task forces, with three responding Wednesday night and the other three arriving early Thursday. “This early season conflagration should come as a reminder to Oregonians to be ready for wildfire,” State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. The Oregon Department of Transportation said Interstate 84 was closed between Hood River and The Dalles. Hood River, a popular tourist destination about 55 miles (90 kilometers) east of Portland, is home to some 8,000 people, and more than 15,000 people live in The Dalles farther east. Residents of more than 700 homes were ordered to evacuate in an area stretching northwest of The Dalles along I-84 and farther inland, according to the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office. Residents of more than 1,300 homes were told to prepare to leave, including in part of the town’s northern end. A middle school in The Dalles was set up as a temporary shelter, while the county fairgrounds opened as a shelter for livestock and horses, the sheriff’s office said. Photos shared by the transportation department showed flames burning alongside and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
THE DALLES, Ore. (AP) — A wildfire in Oregon prompted officials to issue evacuation orders for hundreds of homes and to close nearly 20 miles (32 kilometers) of an interstate in the Columbia River Gorge on Wednesday. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the state’s Emergency Conflagration Act for the Rowena Fire, allowing the state fire marshal […]authors:
‘It’s our garden’: PNG villages fight to prevent mine waste dumping in the sea
13 Jun 2025 02:37:54 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/its-our-garden-png-villages-fight-to-prevent-mine-waste-dumping-in-the-sea/
author: Isabel Esterman
dc:creator: John Cannon
content:encoded: Three communities in Papua New Guinea are waiting for the country’s Supreme Court to decide whether their concerns about the dumping of mine waste in the sea near their homes merit cancellation of an environmental permit for mining that the government issued in 2020. U.S.-based Newmont Corporation and South Africa’s Harmony Gold Ltd., the partners in the development of the Wafi-Golpu copper and gold mine in Morobe province, want to pipe a slurry of leftover sediment, known as tailings, through a 103-kilometer (64-mile) pipeline. According to the companies’ plans, the tailings will travel from the mine through the pipeline until being discharged 200 meters (about 660 feet) under the sea at a point less than 1 km (0.6 mi) offshore in the Huon Gulf along PNG’s northern coastline. The method is known as deep-sea tailings placement (DSTP), and in December 2020, PNG’s Conservation and Environmental Protection Authority (CEPA) approved the plan laid out in the companies’ environmental impact statement (EIS). That approval triggered a series of legal battles beginning in 2021 that questioned whether Huon Gulf communities had been adequately informed of the risks of DSTP. Most recently, three leaders representing the villages of Labu Butu, Wagang and Yanga, located near the pipeline, sued CEPA’s leader and the government. Initially, the lawsuits aimed to stop the government from issuing a permit for large-scale mines called a “special mining lease” that would allow the project to move forward, citing the possibility of “catastrophic and irreplaceable damage to the marine environment and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Communities in Papua New Guinea filed a lawsuit asking for a review of an environmental permit awarded in 2020 to companies for the Wafi-Golpu copper and gold mine. But a decision from the country’s Supreme Court had been delayed several times, before happening on June 12, even as other officials have signaled the government’s apparent support for the project.
- The villages are located near the outflow of a proposed pipeline that would carry mining waste, or tailings, from the mine and into the Huon Gulf.
- The companies say the method, known as deep-sea tailings placement (DSTP), would release the waste deep in the water column, below the layer of ocean most important for the fish and other sea life on which many of the Huon Gulf’s people rely.
- But community members are concerned this sediment and the potentially toxic chemicals it carries could foul the gulf — risks they say they were not adequately informed of.
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It’s time to pay the true value of tropical forest conservation (commentary)
12 Jun 2025 22:31:22 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/its-time-to-pay-the-true-value-of-tropical-forest-conservation-commentary/
author: Erik Hoffner
dc:creator: André Aquino / João Rezende
content:encoded: Tropical forests help regulate the global climate, host irreplaceable biodiversity and provide fresh water resources. Plus forests in general are the source of livelihoods for more than a billion people — so our very existence depends on them. However, because their value is not reflected in markets, these areas are often converted to other uses. Conserving our tropical forests requires large-scale and predictable finance. A menu of financing options to conserve tropical forests and reverse ongoing deforestation could include high-integrity carbon markets, private investment in nature-based solutions, promoting sustainable products from forests, and incorporating the value of forests in funding decisions by commercial and multilateral development banks. And the timing for that is now — the road to the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, provides a unique window to summon public, private and philanthropic actors to mobilize large-scale finance to pay for the true value of forests and ensure their vital existence. A proposal on the table — launched by Brazil during COP28 and supported by several tropical and potential investor countries, experts, civil society organizations, and Indigenous and local community organizations — can provide substantial resources to conserve standing forests at an unprecedented scale that’s independent of short-term political cycles. Oil palm planation on the left and intact tropical rainforest at the right, Sumatra, Indonesia. Image by Rhett Ayers Butler/Mongabay. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility Most forest conservation funding comes from national budgets to finance activities such as forest protection, fire prevention, promotion of bioeconomy projects and payments…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Conserving the world’s tropical forests requires large-scale and predictable finance, a new op-ed by Brazilian officials argue in making their case for the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), a finance regime that will be discussed at this year’s U.N. climate summit (COP30) in their nation.
- The TFFF would pay a fixed price per hectare of tropical forest conserved or restored, providing positive incentives aligned with national fiscal planning via a funding model that blends public investment and private market borrowing.
- “The time to act boldly for our forests is now. The TFFF is not only possible — it is essential. We are calling on the world to join us,” they write.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.
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Mongabay India wins best science podcast at Publisher Podcast Awards
12 Jun 2025 21:33:58 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/mongabay-india-wins-best-science-podcast-at-publisher-podcast-awards/
author: Kristine Sabillo
dc:creator: Mongabay.com
content:encoded: Mongabay India’s 2024 podcast miniseries “Wild Frequencies” bagged the “Best Science and Medical” category at the Publisher Podcast Awards ceremony in London on June 11. The podcast is a three-episode series that tells stories of how researchers in India use the science of bioacoustics, or animal sounds, to better understand the lives of wildlife, such as elephants, crickets, bats, dolphins, porpoises, sarus cranes and wolves. Also shortlisted for the category was an episode from Mongabay Explores, a podcast hosted by Mongabay’s Mike DiGirolamo. Wild Frequencies, reported and co-hosted by Mongabay India’s Kartik Chandramouli and Mongabay’s Shreya Dasgupta, with sound design and original music by Abhijit Shylanath, was additionally shortlisted in the award’s “Best Limited Series” category. BBC Sounds won this category for its “World of Secrets S1: The Abercrombie Guys.” The three-episode Wild Frequencies series, which features the work of Indian researchers using bioacoustics to study wildlife in cities, forests, grasslands, tea plantations and the ocean, recently won the “Best Produced Show” award in the science category of the India Audio Summit & Awards, which showcases radio and audio content from India. The win comes as Mongabay expands its podcast portfolio to four languages, with the recent addition of the French-language podcast, Planète Mongabay. Find the Wild Frequencies episodes here: Episode 1: “Find Them” — explains how the science of bioacoustics is useful to identify species like birds and bats and count others like dolphins, porpoises and wolves. Episode 2: “Know Them” — explores how elephant and cricket calls give…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Mongabay India’s 2024 podcast miniseries “Wild Frequencies” bagged the “Best Science and Medical” category at the Publisher Podcast Awards ceremony in London on June 11. The podcast is a three-episode series that tells stories of how researchers in India use the science of bioacoustics, or animal sounds, to better understand the lives of wildlife, such […]authors:
French Polynesia creates world’s largest marine protected area
12 Jun 2025 20:14:39 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/french-polynesia-creates-worlds-largest-marine-protected-area/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: French Polynesia has announced the creation of the world’s largest marine protected area. Speaking on the first day of the United Nations Ocean Conference in France, French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson said the MPA will cover the territory’s entire exclusive economic zone (EEZ), or 4.8 million square kilometers (roughly 1.9 million square miles). “We have been managing this EEZ wisely for centuries, using the techniques that were passed on from the generations before us and our ancestors,” Brotherson told Time. The MPA will include 1.086 million km2 (nearly 420,000 mi2) of highly or fully protected ocean, an area twice the size of mainland France. Of this, some 900,000 km2 (about 350,000 mi2) will be fully protected: 220,000 square kilometers (85,000 square miles) located near the Society Islands and 680,000 km2 (263,000 mi2) near the Gambier Islands. In these areas, no extractive fishing or mining will be allowed. About 186,000 km2 (72,000 mi2) will be an artisanal fishing zone, only allowing traditional line fishing. The rest of the EEZ will be under less stringent protection but will “restrict extractive practices like deep-sea mining and bottom-trawling,” Time reported. Brotherson added that another 500,000 km2 (about 193,000 mi2) will be turned into highly protected area by World Ocean Day 2026. “This level of ambition is what the world needs to help turn the tide back in favour of a healthy and productive ocean,” Razan Al Mubarak, president of the IUCN, the global conservation authority, said in a statement. She lauded the move, saying…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
French Polynesia has announced the creation of the world’s largest marine protected area. Speaking on the first day of the United Nations Ocean Conference in France, French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson said the MPA will cover the territory’s entire exclusive economic zone (EEZ), or 4.8 million square kilometers (roughly 1.9 million square miles). “We have […]authors:
Coral reefs and seagrass get new protections off Tanzania’s Pemba Island
12 Jun 2025 19:43:26 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/coral-reefs-and-seagrass-get-new-protections-off-tanzanias-pemba-island/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Malavika Vyawahare and Rebecca Kessler
content:encoded: Tanzania will establish two new marine protected areas off the eastern coast of Pemba Island in the semiautonomous region of Zanzibar, the fisheries minister for Zanzibar announced at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, on June 10. Zanzibar’s minister for blue economy and fisheries, Shaaban Ali Othman, said at the conference that the new MPAs showcased Tanzania’s commitment to “champion a community-driven and science-based approach to marine conservation and governance, to strengthen the protection of [both] vulnerable species and a critical ecosystem, and to enhance the resilience of coastal communities in Pemba.” Thousands of delegates and heads of state from more than 50 countries are gathered at the U.N meeting from June 9-13 to discuss some of the biggest challenges facing oceans, from climate change to biodiversity loss, and working toward consensus on solutions. Expanding protected areas is a traditional strategy to govern the seas sustainably. The push for more MPAs gained momentum under the Kunming-Montreal agreement signed in 2022, which called for protecting 30% of the Earth’s land and oceans by 2030, known as the 30×30 goal. The two new MPAs, the North-East Pemba Conservation Area and the South-East Pemba Conservation Area, will together cover more than 1,300 square kilometers (502 square miles). They will shelter coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass habitats. “Pemba East has been identified as a climate refuge and a biodiversity hotspot by WCS [Wildlife Conservation Society] scientists; however, past projects have focused on other areas. As a result, communities in Pemba East have…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Tanzania will establish two new marine protected areas off the eastern coast of Pemba Island in the semiautonomous region of Zanzibar, the fisheries minister for Zanzibar announced at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, on June 10. Zanzibar’s minister for blue economy and fisheries, Shaaban Ali Othman, said at the conference that the […]authors:
Climate futures: What’s ahead for our world beyond 1.5°C of warming?
12 Jun 2025 16:24:28 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/climate-futures-whats-ahead-for-our-world-beyond-1-5c-of-warming/
author: Glenn Scherer
dc:creator: Claire Asher
content:encoded: This story is the first article of a two-part Mongabay mini-series exploring possible climate futures. Read Part One. Humanity stands at a critical juncture in the climate emergency: As countries worldwide prepare to submit their climate commitments for the next decade, scientists report mounting evidence that we are very close to breaching the 1.5° Celsius limit set by the Paris Agreement 10 years ago. Beyond 1.5°C (2.7° Fahrenheit), we increasingly risk crossing climate tipping points, with dire consequences. This story asks top climatologists and Earth system scientists what climate futures may await us if we fail to decarbonize quickly enough, what the consequences might be for humanity and how climate action could alter the dangerous trajectory we’re on. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere reached 422 parts per million in 2024 — 52% above preindustrial levels. Global greenhouse gas emissions are yet to peak, and our remaining carbon budget to limit warming to 1.5°C is expected to be used up by 2030. Image courtesy of the Global Carbon Budget. Last chance to change course For global average temperatures to stabilize at 1.5°C above preindustrial levels and avoid climate catastrophe, humanity must make substantial greenhouse gas emissions cuts of roughly 43% before 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, according to the most recent U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. However, progress on climate action has stagnated as the world grapples with war, political instability, significant backsliding by the U.S. on climate action and escalating extreme weather events.…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - This two-part Mongabay mini-series examines the current status of the climate emergency, how the global community is likely to respond and what lies ahead for Earth systems and humanity as the planet almost inevitably warms beyond the crucial 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit) goal established in the Paris Agreement 10 years ago.
- For global average temperatures to stabilize at less than 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, humanity likely needs to achieve 43% greenhouse gas emissions cuts by 2030. But progress on climate action has stagnated in recent years, global GHG emissions are yet to peak and our remaining carbon budget is dwindling.
- Above 1.5°C of warming, we risk passing critical tipping points in natural Earth systems, triggering self-perpetuating changes that could shift the planet out of the habitable zone for humanity and life as we know it. Even with rapid, large-scale action on climate change, crossing some tipping points may now be unavoidable.
- However, analysts have identified positive social, technological and economic tipping points we can nurture to decarbonize far more rapidly. These include the decreasing cost of renewable energy, the rise of circular economy principles to reduce waste in industry and a societal shift to more plant-based diets.
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Snow leopards frequently cross Nepal, India, China borders, study finds
12 Jun 2025 16:06:31 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/snow-leopards-frequently-cross-nepal-india-china-borders-study-finds/
author: Abhaya Raj Joshi
dc:creator: Bibek Bhandari
content:encoded: KATHMANDU — The first-ever study of GPS-collared snow leopards carried out in Nepal has shown that these hyper elusive big cats spend up to a third of their time in neighboring India and China. It also found that up to half their range lies within these other countries, highlighting the importance of cross-border collaboration to conserve this threatened species. The findings, published in March, are based on data from tracking collars fitted to four snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in Kangchenjunga Conservation Area in northeastern Nepal, home to the third-highest mountain on Earth. Kangchenjunga is sandwiched to the east by Khangchendzonga National Park in India and to the northwest by Qomolangma National Nature Preserve. Researchers tracked the individual snow leopards from 20 to 659 days between 2013 and 2017, and found that they roamed across areas six to 97 times larger than previously thought. Three of the animals were also found to have crossed international borders five to seven times, spending 10-34% of their time in India and China, with 28-50% of their home ranges overlapping with India. “We now have solid proof,” study lead author Samundra Subba, a large carnivore researcher at WWF Nepal, said of long held assumptions about snow leopards’ transboundary movements. “National borders are human constructs — snow leopards don’t recognize them. As long as there are no physical and artificial barriers like fences, and the habitat conditions are similar with relative proportion of prey availability, these big cats can move freely across the landscape.” Map shows…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Snow leopards in the Kangchenjunga region regularly cross the borders of Nepal, India, and China in search of suitable habitat, ignoring human-drawn boundaries.
- Their home ranges are significantly larger than previously thought, with some individuals spending up to a third of their time in neighboring countries.
- Experts emphasize the need for cross-border conservation, standardized monitoring, and ecological corridors to ensure healthy snow leopard populations.
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Top tools to protect rainforests | Against All Odds
12 Jun 2025 15:59:48 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/video/2025/06/top-tools-to-protect-rainforests-against-all-odds/
author: Samanthalee
dc:creator: Lucia Torres
content:encoded: Crystal Davis, Global Program Director at the World Resources Institute, highlights positive strides in rainforest conservation worldwide. From successful protection efforts in Brazil and Colombia to the critical role of Indigenous communities in safeguarding rainforests, we explore how technology, like Global Forest Watch, and strong political leadership are helping to combat deforestation. While acknowledging the challenges rainforests still face, our rainforests expert emphasizes the importance of global collaboration and continued action to protect these vital ecosystems for future generations. Against All Odds is a series where leading experts illuminate the latest trends and developments affecting our planet. Each episode features an expert who, through specific and local examples, offers a comprehensive global perspective on pressing environmental topics. Mongabay’s Video Team wants to cover questions and topics that matter to you. Are there any inspiring people, urgent issues, or local stories that you’d like us to cover? We want to hear from you. Be a part of our reporting process—get in touch with us here! Banner image: Crystal Davis, Global Program Director at the World Resources Institute. Image ©Carmen Hilbert. Fungi are our climate allies | Against All OddsThis article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Crystal Davis, Global Program Director at the World Resources Institute, highlights positive strides in rainforest conservation worldwide. From successful protection efforts in Brazil and Colombia to the critical role of Indigenous communities in safeguarding rainforests, we explore how technology, like Global Forest Watch, and strong political leadership are helping to combat deforestation. While acknowledging the […]authors:
Bangladesh aims to revive five critically endangered plants
12 Jun 2025 10:33:36 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/bangladesh-aims-to-revive-five-critically-endangered-plants/
author: Abusiddique
dc:creator: Abu Siddique
content:encoded: For the first time in its history, Bangladesh is attempting to protect five species from extinction by increasing their numbers and strengthening their population in the wild. The floral species are bulborox (Bulbophyllum roxburghii), the small-bulb orchid Bulbophyllum oblongum, dwarf date palm (Phoenix acaulis), chaulmoogra (Hydnocarpus kurzii) and bash pata (Podocarpus neriifolius). All of them are identified as critically endangered in the country’s first-ever Plant Red List of Bangladesh published in November 2024. In the Red List, 1,000 species were assessed from five plant groups. Of these, 271 species were categorized as least concern, 256 species as data deficient, while 395 species were collectively termed threatened, including five critically endangered species, 128 endangered and 262 vulnerable. A total of 70 species were assessed as near threatened and seven species were assessed as regionally extinct. One species was found to be extinct in the wild. According to the Red List, bulborox and the small-bulb orchids currently exist in only a particular area of the Sundarbans, while the dwarf date palm is currently present in only the sal (Shorea robusta) forest in the northern district of Dinajpur. A minimal number of chaulmoogra trees are currently located in the forests of Bandarban, Rangamati, Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts. Though the bash pata plant can currently be found in different locations of Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts, as well as in the National Botanical Garden, there are only 111 of them in the country. According to a note, the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Bangladesh is attempting to conserve and nurture five critically endangered flora species to ensure their healthy population in nature. Currently, these plants are present only in some specific places in the country.
- The species are the bulborox, small-bulb orchid, dwarf date palm, chaulmoogra and bashpata, which are identified as critically endangered in the latest Plant Red List of Bangladesh.
- The Bangladesh Forest Department has taken the initiative to increase the plants’ numbers by cultivating them in the National Botanical Garden and the National Herbarium before planting them in suitable habitats.
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Golden eagle spotted in England for first time in more than a decade
12 Jun 2025 09:20:02 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/golden-eagle-spotted-in-england-for-first-time-in-more-than-a-decade/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury
content:encoded: A golden eagle has been spotted in northern England for the first time since 2015, indicating the birds may soon be expanding their range south from Scotland into England, where they’re currently considered locally extinct. Conservationists and scientists working in a remote area of rural Northumberland, an English county that borders Scotland, reported seeing the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) multiple times since April 2025. The exact location has not been publicly disclosed to avoid disrupting eagles and other wildlife. “I saw to my right, about 30 meters [100 feet] away, the golden eagle sitting on the end of the crag,” Ian Glendinning, a conservationist working with red squirrels in the region, told Mongabay by email. “I immediately stopped, and it just spread its wings and lifted off into the wind and soared off behind the rocks. There was no doubt at all that it was a Golden Eagle.” The bird has been identified as an eagle named Talla by the charity Restoring Upland Nature (RUN), which works on recovering eagle populations in the U.K. RUN has translocated more than 28 eagles from northern to southern Scotland in hopes of expanding their population and range. Catherine Barlow, RUN’s chief executive, told Mongabay that along with Talla, another seven birds have been tracked using satellite tags venturing into northern England. But she added it’s too early to say if the eagles will settle in England permanently. “Young eagles explore far and wide in the first few years of life, looking for new…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
A golden eagle has been spotted in northern England for the first time since 2015, indicating the birds may soon be expanding their range south from Scotland into England, where they’re currently considered locally extinct. Conservationists and scientists working in a remote area of rural Northumberland, an English county that borders Scotland, reported seeing the […]authors:
“The Birds,” Revisited (cartoon)
12 Jun 2025 04:18:37 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2025/06/the-birds-revisited-cartoon/
author: Nandithachandraprakash
dc:creator: Rohan Chakravarty
content:encoded: A new study using citizen science data via eBird — an app used by birdwatchers to record sightings — has found that declines in bird populations in North America are the steepest where the respective species have historically been most abundant.This article was originally published on Mongabay
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A new study using citizen science data via eBird — an app used by birdwatchers to record sightings — has found that declines in bird populations in North America are the steepest where the respective species have historically been most abundant.authors:
Record-breaking heat wave due to climate change hits Iceland & Greenland: Scientists
11 Jun 2025 20:48:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/record-breaking-heat-wave-due-to-climate-change-hits-iceland-greenland-scientists/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: In May, both Iceland and Greenland experienced record-breaking heat. A new rapid analysis has found that the heat wave in both regions was made worse and more likely in today’s warmer climate. The analysis was conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA), a global network of researchers that evaluates the role of climate change in extreme weather events. On May 15, Egilsstaðir Airport in Iceland recorded a temperature of 26.6°C (79.9°F), breaking previous May records in the country. Across Iceland, May temperatures were 13°C (23.4°F) hotter than the month’s 1991-2020 average. Meanwhile, the Ittoqqortoormiit station in eastern Greenland reported a temperature of 14.3°C (57.7°F) on May 19, which is 13°C (23.4°F) above the month’s average daily maximum temperature. “This heat wave was particularly exceptional in that it lasted a long time and it occurred early in the season,” Sarah Kew, report co-author and a researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, said during an online briefing. The scientists combined observed weather data over the past decades with climate models and found that “the 7-day May heat experienced in Iceland is about 3°C [5.4°F] hotter due to human induced climate change,” the authors write. In Greenland, the hottest day this May was about 3.9°C (7°F) warmer than in a preindustrial climate. Between May 15 and May 21, data also showed that the melting of Greenland’s Ice Sheet increased by 17 times the average. Greenland already loses around 43 billion metric tons of ice annually. “Both countries reflect the broader Arctic trend for…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
In May, both Iceland and Greenland experienced record-breaking heat. A new rapid analysis has found that the heat wave in both regions was made worse and more likely in today’s warmer climate. The analysis was conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA), a global network of researchers that evaluates the role of climate change in extreme […]authors:
Mongabay investigation of sketchy forest finance schemes wins honorable mention
11 Jun 2025 19:00:30 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/mongabay-investigation-of-sketchy-forest-finance-schemes-wins-honorable-mention/
author: Shanna Hanbury
dc:creator: Mongabay.com
content:encoded: Mongabay contributor Glòria Pallarès earned an honorable mention in the 2025 Trace Prize for Investigative Reporting, announced May 28, for her investigation into how Indigenous communities in Peru, Bolivia and Panama were misled into handing over their rights to millions of hectares of forest. The January 2024 investigation, “False claims of U.N. backing see Indigenous groups cede forest rights for sketchy finance,” uncovered a network of companies that used false claims of U.N. endorsement to help them win contracts, some lasting several decades, with various Indigenous communities. The economic rights to more than 9.5 million hectares (23.5 million acres) of forest were signed away via these schemes. The agreements were signed without full community consent and were based on unclear promises of jobs, local development projects and, in some cases, a financial return from carbon credits and green bonds, Pallarès found. The 2025 Trace Prize praised the story as “a singular contribution to our understanding of how financial innovations that put a capital value on natural resources can abet the exploitation of vulnerable populations.” One of the most egregious contracts that Pallarès’ uncovered involved 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of the Matsés community’s land in Peru, bordering the territories of several isolated tribes. The company that got the contract, Get Life, had a registered capital of less than $700, and its sole owner told Mongabay that he lacked experience in sustainable finance and carbon markets. Pallarès found that he had been partnering with Ysrael Urday, a former public official investigated…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Mongabay contributor Glòria Pallarès earned an honorable mention in the 2025 Trace Prize for Investigative Reporting, announced May 28, for her investigation into how Indigenous communities in Peru, Bolivia and Panama were misled into handing over their rights to millions of hectares of forest. The January 2024 investigation, “False claims of U.N. backing see Indigenous […]authors:
Global ocean acidification has passed safe planetary boundary threshold: Study
11 Jun 2025 18:38:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/global-ocean-acidification-has-passed-safe-planetary-boundary-threshold-study/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb
content:encoded: A new assessment finds that the world’s oceans crossed the safe threshold for acidification in 2020, breaching a key planetary boundary and posing serious threats to marine life. Ocean acidification is caused when excess atmospheric carbon dioxide, resulting from human activities like burning fossil fuels, dissolves in seawater, forming carbonic acid that increases the water’s acidity. The reduced availability of carbonate ions can affect the survival of marine species that build calcium carbonate shells and skeletons, including coral, shellfish and crustaceans. For this study, researchers looked at a key indicator of ocean acidification called aragonite saturation state, a measure of how well seawater supports the formation of aragonite, a form of calcium carbonate. They estimated aragonite saturation state over time at different depths in the ocean. They also compared that information with biological tolerance thresholds for species like coral and sea snails, or the levels of aragonite saturation below which the marine animals experience stress. Previously, scientists established that a 20% drop in aragonite saturation, compared with preindustrial levels, was the threshold for breaching the ocean acidification planetary boundary. The last global assessment in 2023, led by Katherine Richardson with the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, found a 19% decrease. The new study’s findings confirm that this boundary has now been crossed. Richardson, who wasn’t involved with the latest research, told Mongabay by email she was “not at all surprised” by the new finding. “We said it was on the edge in our last assessment and, as…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
A new assessment finds that the world’s oceans crossed the safe threshold for acidification in 2020, breaching a key planetary boundary and posing serious threats to marine life. Ocean acidification is caused when excess atmospheric carbon dioxide, resulting from human activities like burning fossil fuels, dissolves in seawater, forming carbonic acid that increases the water’s […]authors:
Climate futures: World leaders’ failure to act is pushing Earth past 1.5°C
11 Jun 2025 18:07:49 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/climate-futures-world-leaders-failure-to-act-is-pushing-earth-past-1-5c/
author: Glenn Scherer
dc:creator: Claire Asher
content:encoded: This story is the first article of a two-part Mongabay mini-series exploring possible climate futures. Read Part Two. The last two years brought record-shattering temperatures globally and a whirlwind of destructive weather, from catastrophic flooding in Europe and drought in Southern Africa to devastating wildfires in California. 2024 saw more than 600 major extreme weather events planetwide — 152 of which were unprecedented — resulting in the displacement of 824,500 people, according to the World Meteorological Association. Based on mounting evidence, some scientists now fear we’ve entered a new era of the climate emergency, characterized by accelerated warming and amplified disasters. Concurrently, recent destabilizing geopolitical events appear to be steering humanity away from decarbonization, delaying progress on urgently needed climate action. What does this mean for coming decades: Are we on course to avoid the most disastrous futures that climate models have warned of? And if not, how bad could things get? Mongabay asked some of the world’s leading scientists to weigh in. Drought in Bangladesh. Image by Md Harun Or Rashid / IAPB/VISION 2020 via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). A new phase of climate change? The unprecedented warming starting in 2023, then intensifying through 2024, surprised and alarmed many climate scientists. While the underlying warming trend was due to greenhouse gas emissions, several other factors likely contributed to the record temperature surge. This includes a strong El Niño event in 2023-24, an increase in solar radiation as the 11-year solar cycle peaked and a reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - This two-part Mongabay mini-series examines the current status of the climate emergency; how world leaders, scientists and the global community are responding; and what may lie ahead as the world warms beyond the crucial 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit) limit established in the Paris Agreement 10 years ago.
- The unprecedented warming that began in 2023, continued through 2024 and extended into 2025 has caused surprise and alarm. Scientists still don’t fully understand the cause, but some fear it signals the global climate is transitioning into a new state of accelerated warming.
- 2024 was the first full calendar year to exceed 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. A recent projection finds it likely Earth will see a 20-year average warming of 1.5°C by as early as 2029, exceeding a key Paris accord goal and which could trigger self-perpetuating changes pushing Earth’s climate into a less habitable state.
- In January, President Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement, signaling that the U.S. will not lead on climate action. To date, nearly all the world’s nations have fallen far short of what is needed to stay within 1.5°C. As countries submit new U.N. carbon commitments, some fear the U.S. reversal will ripple around the world.
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Endangered shark trophies dominate the online wildlife trade, study finds
11 Jun 2025 16:17:01 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/endangered-shark-trophies-dominate-the-online-wildlife-trade-study-finds/
author: Morgan Erickson-Davis
dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman
content:encoded: The wildlife trade, both legal and illegal, depletes biodiversity, with research indicating it results in a staggering two-thirds decline in the populations of some traded species. Which is why, when a filmmaker friend asked environmental science professor Jennifer Jacquet if she could “do something” about the widespread wildlife trade, especially the online sale of wildlife products, she began looking hard for a solution. “It is a really difficult problem,” said Jacquet, who teaches at the University of Miami in the U.S., alluding to the challenges in enforcing existing regulations and closing the many loopholes traffickers exploit in order to keep the trade thriving. “What motivated me is the fact that the trade was contributing to the further exploitation of already endangered animals.” So Jacquet teamed up with data scientists, policy specialists, criminal justice experts and conservation biologists to understand how big the problem of online wildlife trade was, and what was being sold. In a recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation, Jacquet and her team used artificial intelligence techniques to collect data on body parts and eggs from threatened species sold online. They found that nearly half of the listings came from endangered species, and nearly one in ten came from critically endangered species. Products from sharks, mainly jaws, made up nearly two-thirds of the listings. Species listed on CITES Appendix I, whose international commercial trade is prohibited, were also being sold online. “What’s really important about this study is that it focuses on primarily the legal trade,”…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - A recent study analyzed wildlife product listings from 148 online marketplaces over a three-month period and identified more than 500 products from 83 threatened wildlife species, some of which were also listed on CITES Appendix I.
- Shark trophies — mainly jaws — dominated the listings, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the advertised products, and 73% of those came from endangered and critically endangered shark species.
- The study found 95% of animal products were sold on just four websites in 2018 and, since then, most of these companies have changed their policies to prohibit the trade of certain species. But researchers say it’s not enough.
- This study highlights the need to strengthen policies in regulating the online wildlife trade, spreading awareness and closing loopholes in legal trade, especially for species threatened with extinction.
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‘Breathe … that’s nature within you’: Interview with Indigenous activist Taily Terena
11 Jun 2025 16:13:37 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/breathe-thats-nature-within-you-interview-with-indigenous-activist-taily-terena/
author: Karen Coates
dc:creator: Fernanda Biasoli
content:encoded: Growing up, Taily Terena lived between two worlds: Brazil’s capital, Brasília, where she was born, and the Taunay Ipegue Indigenous Territory, more specifically in the Bananal community, located in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the Brazilian wetlands. Even spending most of her time in Brasília, Taily never stopped returning to the Indigenous land, which has always kept her connected to her Indigenous roots. She is Xané, better known as Terena, an ethnic group that lives mainly in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul but is also present in areas of the states of Mato Grosso and São Paulo. “A friend of mine says that we could be born far from the Indigenous territory, but our spirit calls us back. They call us to fight, and I feel this very strongly inside me, even being born in the city,” Taily says. She was born in 1993, the daughter of Emília Dulce Florentino, an environmental activist, and Marcos Terena, one of the pioneers of the country’s Indigenous movement. Today, she follows in the footsteps of her ancestors as a young activist whose main topics of work are human rights, gender issues, youth and environmental protection. She is internationally recognized for her work, and in 2025, she became the first-ever Brazilian Indigenous person to receive the Global Citizen Prize, which celebrates activists worldwide. Taily holds a degree in anthropology and in social sciences from the University of Brasília and today works at the International Indian Treaty Council, an organization…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Taily Terena is a young Indigenous activist from Brazil of the Xané (Terena) ethnicity whose work centers on human rights, gender issues, youth and environmental protection.
- In 2025, Taily was the first-ever Brazilian Indigenous person to receive the Global Citizen Prize, a recognition for activists around the world.
- In this Mongabay interview, she speaks about the role of Indigenous women in protecting territories, the importance of ancestry and youth and her expectations for COP30 in Brazil this year.
- Taily emphasizes the importance of humanity reconnecting with and recognizing itself as part of nature.
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‘Madness’: World leaders call for deep-sea mining moratorium at UN ocean summit
11 Jun 2025 15:59:43 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/madness-world-leaders-call-for-deep-sea-mining-moratorium-at-un-ocean-summit/
author: Jeremy Hance
dc:creator: Elizabeth Claire Alberts
content:encoded: This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network, where Elizabeth Claire Alberts is a fellow. NICE, France — At the 2025 U.N. Ocean Conference (UNOC), taking place in Nice, France, between June 9 and 13, world leaders renewed their call for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining, an emerging industry that many experts say could seriously and irreversibly damage marine ecosystems. At the opening plenary, French President Emmanuel Macron denounced deep-sea mining as “madness.” He described the prospective industry as a “predatory” activity that threatens to destroy the seabed and potentially release stored carbon. France was among the first countries to take a stand against deep-sea mining, calling for a ban in 2022. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres echoed Macron’s concerns, warning that the deep sea “cannot become the Wild West.” He also voiced strong support for the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the U.N.-affiliated body tasked with both regulating deep-sea mining in international waters and with protecting the seabed. Since 2022, 33 countries have called for a precautionary pause, moratorium, or ban on deep-sea mining. That number has since risen to 37 with the addition of Slovenia, Latvia, Cyprus and the Marshall Islands. “We cannot afford to miss the ocean’s capacity to absorb our carbon,” President Hilde Heine of the Marshall Islands told reporters in a press briefing on June 10. “A ban is the safest choice for nature [and] marine life.” The Normand Energy deploying the Patania II nodule collector visible (green). The vessel is chartered by…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - World leaders have renewed calls for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining at the 2025 U.N. Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, as the U.S. moves to mine the deep sea in international waters under its own controversial authority.
- Four additional countries have joined the coalition of nations calling for a moratorium, precautionary pause, or ban on deep-sea mining, bringing the total number to 37.
- The U.S., which did not have an official delegation at UNOC, is pushing forward with its plans to mine in international waters — a decision that has drawn criticism from the international community.
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Jaguar recovery unites Brazil and Argentina in conservation effort
11 Jun 2025 12:00:42 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/jaguar-recovery-unites-brazil-and-argentina-in-conservation-effort/
author: Alexandrapopescu
dc:creator: Sarah Brown
content:encoded: The dark rosettes dotting the golden-brown fur of the jaguar are no longer a rare sight in Brazil’s Iguaçu National Park. In 2010, the protected area’s population of jaguars (Panthera onca) was on the brink of local extinction. Now, thanks to persistent conservation efforts led by Yara Barros, a biologist and executive coordinator of the Jaguars of Iguaçu Project, the big cats’ numbers have more than doubled. The recovery is a triumph, but it represents more than just a win for the species. Part of the Atlantic Forest biome, straddling the Brazil-Argentina border, Iguaçu has become a prime example of how large carnivore conservation can help strengthen and rebuild a fragmented ecosystem, benefiting predators, prey and people across borders. “To maintain a jaguar population in the long term means [the ecosystem] is healthy and balanced,” Barros told Mongabay. “The jaguar is an indicator of environmental quality. We usually say: ‘Where there are jaguars, there’s life.’” Building human-wildlife coexistence Paraná state in the south of Brazil, where Iguaçu is located, lost about 13% of its forest cover between 2000 and 2020, largely a consequence of economic development. This loss disrupted the natural balance of the ecosystem, often forcing jaguars to adapt their hunting behavior and increasing their interactions with humans and their livestock. Retaliatory killings due to cattle predation have become a major threat to jaguars in the region. Between 1990 and 1995, the Green Corridor, a 185,000-hectare (457,000-acre) stretch of protected land that links Argentina’s Iguazú National Park and Brazil’s…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Once on the brink of local extinction, jaguar numbers across the Brazil-Argentina Iguaçu-Iguazú border have more than doubled since 2010 thanks to coordinated conservation efforts.
- The cross-border collaboration between groups in both countries has been crucial to restoring jaguar populations across the Atlantic Forest Green Corridor.
- Women-led economic initiatives and formal institutional support, like “Jaguar Friendly” certification for the local airport, are strengthening human-wildlife connections.
- The long-term survival of jaguars in Iguaçu-Iguazú, a population considered critically endangered, depends on political will and habitat connectivity, as the big cats remain isolated from other jaguar groups.
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Death of tagged white shark on bather protection gear in South Africa sparks debate
11 Jun 2025 11:33:03 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/death-of-tagged-white-shark-on-bather-protection-gear-in-south-africa-sparks-debate/
author: Shreya Dasgupta
dc:creator: Victoria Schneider
content:encoded: The recent killing of a juvenile great white shark on a drum line — a shark control method consisting of baited hooks attached to floating drums — off the east coast of South Africa has sparked a debate over the measures employed to protect swimmers at the expense of the threatened species. The 2.2-meter (7.2-foot) female white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was caught off the town of Margate in KwaZulu-Natal province on May 30, on a baited fishing line used by the KZN Sharks Board, an organization responsible for bather protection against shark attacks near the shore. The shark was one of eight that marine biologists Alison Towner and Alison Kock had tagged off Mossel Bay on the country’s southwestern coast in April. The tagging was part of a national tracking project aiming to understand how white sharks respond to increasing ecological pressures along South Africa’s coastline. “The loss of this shark is deeply upsetting,” Towner, from Rhodes University, told Mongabay via email. “The capture and death of this tagged shark is not only a scientific loss, but a stark reminder of the mounting pressures this species continues to face in South Africa.” Once known as a global hotspot for great white sharks, sightings of the species along South Africa’s coast have declined over the past decade. Esther Jacobs, a conservationist from the nonprofit Earth Legacy Foundation, told Mongabay that longline fishery and predation by orcas (Orcinus orca) are major threats to the sharks. “But the biggest threat of all is…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
The recent killing of a juvenile great white shark on a drum line — a shark control method consisting of baited hooks attached to floating drums — off the east coast of South Africa has sparked a debate over the measures employed to protect swimmers at the expense of the threatened species. The 2.2-meter (7.2-foot) […]authors:
World Bank to finance controversial DRC hydropower project, concerns remain
11 Jun 2025 11:17:46 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/world-bank-to-finance-controversial-drc-hydropower-project-concerns-remain/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta
content:encoded: The World Bank recently approved an initial $250 million in financing for the controversial Inga 3 mega dam project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a move that worries civil society organizations. Inga 3 has long been planned as part of the Grand Inga hydropower project, a series of dams at Inga Falls on the Congo River that will eventually generate a total of 42,000 megawatts of electricity. The Inga 1 and Inga 2 dams were built decades ago, and Inga 3 is the next phase of the project, expected to generate 4,800-11,000 MW. “The development of Inga 3’s hydropower will be transformative for DRC,” Bob Mabiala, head of the Agency for the Development and Promotion of Grand Inga (ADPI-DRC), the project developer, said in a press release. Thierno Bah, senior energy specialist at the bank, told Mongabay by email the “Inga site is one of the world’s best renewable energy opportunities in a country that is desperately short of affordable energy. Only 21% of the 100 million population in DRC have access to electricity.” However, Siziwe Mota, Africa program director of the nonprofit International Rivers, told Mongabay that “power from Inga 3 wouldn’t benefit the approximately 80% of Congolese who lack access [to energy], particularly the rural communities,” but will instead be sold to other countries and to foreign mining companies in the DRC. The World Bank approved $73.1 million for Inga 3 in 2014, but suspended funding in 2016, “after the government made unilateral changes to the implementation…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
The World Bank recently approved an initial $250 million in financing for the controversial Inga 3 mega dam project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a move that worries civil society organizations. Inga 3 has long been planned as part of the Grand Inga hydropower project, a series of dams at Inga Falls on the […]authors:
New study dismisses Amazon River runoff as primary cause of sargassum blooms
11 Jun 2025 07:00:09 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/new-study-dismisses-amazon-river-runoff-as-primary-cause-of-sargassum-blooms/
author: Alexandre de Santi
dc:creator: Julian Reingold
content:encoded: The macroalgae pelagic sargassum is abundant in the Sargasso Sea, but since 2011, a recurrent Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt (GASB) has been observed on beaches and in satellite imagery, often extending from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. Millions of tons of sargassum make their way across the Caribbean each year, pushing coastal ecosystems toward collapse. This brownish wave of macroalgae covers the region’s white beaches and blue waters, mostly from May to October, mainly coming from the GASB — a bloom that stretches more than 8,000 kilometers (4,971 miles). In June 2022, it reached a record peak of 6,989 square km (2,699 square mi) of coverage. This equates to an estimated wet biomass of more than 23.3 million metric tons of seaweed, but recent forecasts suggest that 2025 might break a new record for sargassum blooms. As the algae accumulate in the calm Caribbean basins, they begin to decompose, switching colors from orange to brown, while releasing heavy toxic metals and gases that are harmful to human health. The stench of rotten sargassum is tourism’s worst nightmare, as visitors cannot enjoy white sand beaches and pristine turquoise waters anymore. At the UNOC3 oceans summit, in June, the Dominican Republic President, Luis Abinader, reiterated his call to world leaders to urgently recognize and address the proliferation of sargassum in the Caribbean, calling it an environmental, economic, and health crisis that requires a global and coordinated response. While recalling that the island nations of the Caribbean are being hit hard…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Brazil’s northern beaches recently suffered from arrivals of sargassum blooms, a phenomenon affecting Caribbean nations that most scientists so far have associated with nutrients coming from the Amazon River plume into the Atlantic Ocean.
- A recent study suggests that ocean changes are the primary nutrient source for sargassum blooms since 2011, challenging previous hypotheses.
- Sargassum is causing considerable health and economic concerns as large amounts of this brown macroalgae arrive and accumulate in coastal ecosystems of western Africa and the greater Caribbean Sea every year.
- Brazilian authorities are learning from Caribbean countries how to manage sargassum blooms best, and experts think they should keep monitoring possible ocean current changes.
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Stars & lighthouses: Marine conservation that blends Pacific Islander wisdom and Western knowledge (commentary)
11 Jun 2025 00:01:38 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/stars-lighthouses-marine-conservation-that-blends-pacific-islander-wisdom-and-western-knowledge-commentary/
author: Erik Hoffner
dc:creator: Angelo Villagomez
content:encoded: I’m in Nice, France, this week attending the U.N. Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. If my Tiaki Moana colleagues have any say over it, stars and lighthouses are going to be a main topic of conversation here this week. Let me explain. During the Tiaki Moana conference in Tahiti last April, we discussed how maritime navigators use many tools to cross the ocean, ranging from stars in the night sky to lighthouses. Olivier Chassot, an official with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), kicked off a discussion of how marine protected areas (MPAs) and marine other effective conservation measures (mOECMs) — policy tools used by the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity to protect the ocean — are like lighthouses and stars, respectively. Across the Pacific, our ancestors found their way by looking to the stars. Generations of navigators memorized the night sky and used celestial pathways to guide their canoes across vast ocean expanses. These stars weren’t installed or built; they were always there, part of the natural world, trusted through knowledge and experience passed down over centuries. This wayfinding wisdom mirrors how Native communities steward the ocean — through traditions, relationships, and deeply embedded cultural practices. Indigenous-led conservation in the Pacific doesn’t begin with government decrees or policy frameworks; it begins with knowing the tides, the names of fish, and the seasons. Just like the stars, our practices have…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - The U.N. Ocean Conference this week is tackling a range of issues, such as how to conserve and sustainably use the oceans and marine resources: a new op-ed argues that the strength of Indigenous islander conservation practices lies in their flexibility and adaptability, while Western conservation efforts bring clear, formal, and intentional goals — and that blending the two can return inspiring results.
- “Conservation is not just about the number of lighthouses we build — about visible policies and formal designations — but we must also name and recognize the stars that have guided us all along; the quiet, steadfast traditions that have protected our oceans for thousands of years,” the author writes.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
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Resilient forests are key to ecological, economic and social resilience, report finds
10 Jun 2025 23:37:22 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/resilient-forests-are-key-to-ecological-economic-and-social-resilience-report-finds/
author: Glenn Scherer
dc:creator: John Cannon
content:encoded: The vital role forests play in providing habitat for biodiversity, storing carbon and supporting cultures also buttresses global society economically and socially, according to a new report by authors at the International Union of Forest Research Organizations. But in making those vital connections, the authors also bring together data showing how humanity’s cumulative negative impacts on forests threaten both their resilience and our own. Over time, the researchers warn, human impacts on forests are continuing to build toward dangerous tipping points that could lead to collapse and the loss of crucial services including carbon sequestration and the provision of freshwater. “We cannot have a forest that has compromised resilience and expect it to continue to provide the benefits that we’ve come to expect and rely on as humanity,” Craig Allen, a resilience scientist and research professor at the University of Nebraska in the U.S. and a report lead author, said at its launch on June 5. Cleared forest in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Image © Viola Belohrad. The authors also conclude that while the communities that live in or near forests are often the first to feel negative effects from forest collapse, the impacts ripple outward and will be much broader in the future. “It’s not only the forest-dependent communities, but proximate communities and the whole planet” that are vulnerable to ecosystem collapse, said Joice Ferreira, an Amazon Rainforest researcher at Embrapa, the Brazilian government’s agricultural research agency. “We are very much interconnected.” On the plus side, much of humanity benefits, at…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Human society depends economically and socially on resilient forests, a new report from the International Union of Forest Research Organizations demonstrates.
- As a result, pushing forests toward collapse threatens human well-being globally, not just in communities in or near forests.
- The report authors recommend approaches for improving forest resilience, including more inclusive governance and remedying power imbalances.
- They also advocate managing for resilience in ways that include social and ecological concerns, not just the extraction of commercial and monetary value from forests.
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Indonesian women sustain seaweed traditions in a changing climate
10 Jun 2025 22:29:53 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesian-women-sustain-seaweed-traditions-in-a-changing-climate/
author: Isabel Esterman
dc:creator: Maddy Bolt
content:encoded: NUSA PENIDA, Indonesia — Storm clouds loom overhead as Nyoman Mitri peers out at rows of seaweed lines stretching across the shallow tidal waters of Nusa Penida. Her weathered hands move with practiced ease as she secures a strand of green seaweed to a rope. “It never used to be like this,” she says. “It’s only been the last 10 years or so that rain has begun to seriously damage the seaweed.” Ibu Mitri, or Mrs. Mitri, as she’s known by her community, is sharing her seaweed cultivation techniques with a few tourists. Together, they sort through fresh seaweed, discarding damaged strands and carefully tying healthy green ones onto lengths of rope, preparing them to be returned to the sea and fastened to wooden posts, where they’ll continue growing until the next harvest. As she ties hundreds of strands of seaweed back onto the lines, lulled into a methodical rhythm, she begins to share her concerns: the changing climate, increasing development, and the growing unreliability of each harvest. With a shy smile, she speaks of how increased rainfall and more frequent storms have threatened traditions once guided by the seasons, not by storms. Nyoman Mitri (right) and a visiting volunteer gather freshly harvested seaweed in the shallows of Nusa Penida before bringing it ashore for sorting and quality control. Ecotourism provides seaweed farmers with an additional way to sustain traditions. Image by Maddy Bolt for Mongabay. Nestled between the rocky shores of Lombok and the popular vacation destination of…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - The women of Indonesia’s Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan islands have harvested seaweed for generations.
- Climate change and tourism development now threaten seaweed cultivators’ centuries-old practices.
- In the face of these changes, seaweed cultivators are working with tourism operators and coral-conservation groups to preserve, and adapt, their traditional practices.
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‘Mining companies will lie to your face’: Carlos Zorrilla on 30 years of fighting for Intag Valley
10 Jun 2025 20:05:20 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025/06/every-day-i-have-to-think-about-mining-carlos-zorrilla-on-30-years-of-fighting-for-intag-valley/
author: Erik Hoffner
dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo
content:encoded: Carlos Zorrilla has been living in an Ecuadorian cloud forest since the 1970s, and his last 30 years there have been spent fighting mining companies seeking to extract its large copper deposits. He and his community have successfully fought proposals by multiple firms in one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, but sometimes at great personal risk, he tells Mongabay’s podcast. While his organization, Defensa y Conservación Ecológica de Intag (DECOIN), and allies in the local community notched a major victory against mining there in a 2023 court case, he explains they’re still not out of the proverbial woods. “Every day, I have to think about mining [and] I’m not exaggerating, my life now revolves around mining. Even though we won a case, I know they’re going to come back because the copper’s there, and there’s a lot of demand for copper.” His advice to anyone who wants to protect their community from mining is to go on the offensive, early and aggressively, comparing the strategy to how one might view treating cancer. “You have to think of it like a cancer, that you need to treat it immediately and you need to look for signs that your body, in this case, your community, is sick,” Zorrilla says. The mining companies they’ve resisted also use misinformation and community division as tactics, he says. “The most important thing is to know that the mining companies and government will lie to your face. They’ll only supply a minimum amount of…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Carlos Zorrilla has been living in an Ecuadorian cloud forest since the 1970s, and his last 30 years there have been spent fighting mining companies seeking to extract its large copper deposits. He and his community have successfully fought proposals by multiple firms in one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, but sometimes […]authors:
With offerings in 4 languages, Mongabay’s podcasts expand global reach
10 Jun 2025 19:01:18 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/with-offerings-in-4-languages-mongabays-podcasts-expand-global-reach/
author: Kristine Sabillo
dc:creator: Mongabay.com
content:encoded: Mongabay now produces podcasts in four languages: Indonesian, English, Spanish and, the latest addition, French. “Producing podcasts in multiple languages is part of our nonprofit news outlet’s strategy to reach people where they are, in the mediums they prefer, and in the language that they use,” Rhett Ayers Butler, founder and CEO of Mongabay, said in a press release. The French-language podcast, Planète Mongabay, is produced by Mongabay Africa and focuses on issues including African wildlife, sustainability and climate change. When the podcast launched earlier this year, David Akana, program director at Mongabay Africa, said oral communication is preferred in Africa, so a podcast is an effective way to share news and information across the continent. Juliette Chapalain, multimedia editor-in-chief at Mongabay Africa, said the ambitious project, led by veteran journalists based in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo and Canada, reflects African diversity. Mongabay’s Spanish-language podcasts are produced by Mongabay Latam and cover important environmental stories across Latin America. Meanwhile, the Indonesian-language podcast started in 2020. There are three English-language Mongabay podcasts: Everything Environment for listeners in India, and two global series: the episodic Mongabay Newscast and the series Mongabay Explores. Since Mongabay first launched 26 years ago, the nonprofit has expanded to produce environmental news across five global bureaus, publishing original reporting in six languages. Covering some of the world’s most important environmental issues, Mongabay’s platforms reach millions of people monthly and have earned numerous awards for journalism. The Mongabay Newscast won its first award in 2024 with…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
Mongabay now produces podcasts in four languages: Indonesian, English, Spanish and, the latest addition, French. “Producing podcasts in multiple languages is part of our nonprofit news outlet’s strategy to reach people where they are, in the mediums they prefer, and in the language that they use,” Rhett Ayers Butler, founder and CEO of Mongabay, said in […]authors:
Seventy southern white rhinos arrive at their new home in Rwanda from South Africa
10 Jun 2025 16:27:48 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/seventy-southern-white-rhinos-arrive-at-their-new-home-in-rwanda-from-south-africa/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Graeme Green
content:encoded: Seventy southern white rhinos have successfully completed a journey from South Africa to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park. It’s the first international translocation from Platinum Rhino, a massive captive breeding operation that was put up for auction in 2023, after years of financial difficulties. When no bidders came forward, African Parks bought the 7,800-hectare property, which sits 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Johannesburg, and its 2,000 rhinos — as well as giraffes, zebras and other species — for an undisclosed sum. Platinum Rhino was renamed Rhino Rewild. The rhinos represent around 15% of the world’s total population of white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum). African Parks’ Rhino Rewild Initiative aims to disperse the animals to safe, well-managed protected areas across Africa, creating new strongholds and bolstering existing populations. The first 40 rhinos were translocated from Rhino Rewild to Munywana Conservancy, a private game reserve in South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province. Now, 70 rhinos have been moved to Akagera. A white rhino adjusts to its new home in Rwanda’s Akagera National Park. Image © Wiktoria West. “Akagera can potentially hold significant numbers of white rhino,” said Donovan Jooste, rhino rewilding project manager for African Parks. “This, in addition to the fact that Rwanda’s a stable country with a government that’s very supportive of our work, means this rhino population could be very important for the species’ long-term success. African Parks relocated a herd of 30 rhino to Akagera in 2021, which we’re thrilled to say has grown. This gives us comfort in the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Conservation NGO African Parks has successfully transferred 70 southern white rhinos from South Africa to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park.
- The rhinos are the first international translocations under African Parks’ Rhino Rewild initiative, which will disperse more than 2,000 rhinos from a captive-breeding operation that the NGO purchased in 2023.
- African Parks previously moved a herd of 30 rhinos to Akagera in 2021, and says Rwanda will provide a safe, viable home for more — with the potential for future expansion of the white rhino population from there into East and Central Africa.
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Real-world return on climate adaption investments wildly underestimated, report finds
10 Jun 2025 16:14:27 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/real-world-return-on-climate-adaption-investments-wildly-underestimated-report-finds/
author: Glenn Scherer
dc:creator: Justin Catanoso
content:encoded: From one U.N. climate summit to the next, the struggle has intensified to secure sufficient financing from wealthy, industrialized nations to aid the world’s poorest, climate-vulnerable countries in their efforts to avoid climate catastrophe — even as the gulf widens between what has been paid out for climate adaptation and resilience, and what is truly needed. The U.N. in 2024 estimated this gap now totals as much as $359 billion in annual unmet requirements. But a new report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) argues that nations and financiers have been thinking all wrong about adaptation and resilience: By evaluating it only as a means to avoid potential climate losses, it grossly underestimates the true value of each dollar spent. The authors found that the investments now being made are far more valuable to countries and communities than previously understood or acknowledged. To prove this valuation, WRI analyzed 320 adaptation and resilience investments across 12 countries (mostly in tropical Asia, Africa and Latin America) totaling $133 billion between 2014 and 2024. The final WRI report estimates that when evaluated far more broadly, every $1 invested yields $10.50 in benefits over a decade — an aggregated potential worth for those 320 projects totaling $1.4 trillion. This restoration project in Costa Rica was part of a country-led effort to change the dynamics of land degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Countries, financial partners and technical partners set the goal of bringing 20 million hectares (49 million acres) of degraded land in…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Since 2015’s Paris climate agreement, poor, climate-vulnerable nations have made a case for wealthy, industrialized nations (responsible for most climate change) to pay hundreds of billions for climate adaption and resilience. But while making big promises, actual funding by wealthy nations has repeatedly fallen far short of what’s needed.
- One possible reason: The real-world value of adaption and resilience projects has long been grossly underestimated due to incomplete data. A new study uses a novel methodology to put a comprehensive dollar value on such projects. It found that every $1 invested yields $10.50 in environmental and social benefits over a decade.
- Known as the “triple dividend of resilience,” this new methodology counts not only avoided climate change damages, but also economic gains (such as improved infrastructure and job creation) as well as broader environmental enhancements (improved public health and biodiversity protections, for example).
- It’s hoped this new analysis will offer policymakers and NGOs leverage at November’s COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, as they try to convince wealthy nations and financial institutions to unlock the many billions needed by vulnerable nations in adaption and resilience funding to weather escalating climate change impacts.
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Uniting plantations to save Bornean elephants: Interview with Farina Othman
10 Jun 2025 14:34:58 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/uniting-plantations-to-save-bornean-elephants-interview-with-farina-othman/
author: Karen Coates
dc:creator: Lee Kwai Han
content:encoded: In 2006, Farina Othman heard a loud boom when she was observing a group of Bornean elephants in a forest in the Lower Kinabatangan area, one of the largest floodplains in Malaysia. She recognized that it was the sound from a bamboo cannon. It’s a type of homemade firecracker locals use to chase elephants away. At that time, she had just started her master’s studies, focusing on Bornean elephants (Elephas maximus borneensis). She felt humans were being unfair to the elephants. Determined to help, she decided to step in to be their voice. Today, only about 1,000 Bornean elephants remain in the wild, mainly in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. In 2024, the species was listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The plight of the Bornean elephants began in the 1970s. Between 1973 and 2010, Sabah lost more than 52% of its lowland forest (below 500 meters, or 1,640 feet, above sea level) to logging. Many of these lands were later converted into oil palm plantations. For the Bornean elephants, more than half of their ideal habitat is gone. Othman, now in her early 40s, has become a Bornean elephant conservationist and teaches at Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She told Mongabay that habitat loss and fragmentation fuel human-elephant conflict. “They don’t want to live or share the landscape with the elephants,” Othman said of some local communities. Despite being protected by law, the elephants face retaliatory killings by gun or poison. Farina Othman, a Bornean elephant conservationist who…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Conservationist Farina Othman, a 2025 Whitley Award winner, has been working with endangered Bornean elephants in Sabah, Malaysia, since 2006.
- Since the 1970s, logging, oil palm plantations and roads have reduced and fragmented elephant habitats, increasing contact between the animals and humans; retaliatory killings arising from human-elephant conflict are now among the major threats to the species’ survival.
- Equipped with knowledge of the Bornean elephant’s behavior, Othman works with local communities and oil palm plantations to promote coexistence with the elephants.
- In a recent interview with Mongabay, Othman dives deep into the human-elephant conflicts in the Lower Kinabatangan area, explaining why and how she attempts to change communities’ perceptions of elephants and reconnect elephant habitats.
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Shiloh Schulte, conservationist who helped the American Oystercatcher recover, died in a helicopter crash on June 4th, aged 46
10 Jun 2025 14:17:46 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/shiloh-schulte-conservationist-who-helped-the-american-oystercatcher-recover-died-in-a-helicopter-crash-on-june-4th-aged-46/
author: Rhett Butler
dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler
content:encoded: There are those whose lives accumulate significance slowly, the way sediment builds into shoreline. And then there are those whose devotion etches meaning into every year. Shiloh Schulte, a biologist who spent his life chasing birds across hemispheres, belonged to the latter group. He died in the North Slope of Alaska when the helicopter he was using to reach a remote study site crashed. It was a risk he understood—perhaps even accepted—as part of the job. For Shiloh, conservation was never a desk-bound discipline. He was happiest prone in the mud, recording the heartbeat of a whimbrel, or wading through marshes at dawn, checking nests that might otherwise go unnoticed. He had a PhD, but also a practical gift rare among scientists: he could fix an outboard motor, survive an unplanned night on a windswept Arctic islet, and persuade dozens of stakeholders with competing interests to band together for the sake of a shorebird. He was best known for his work on the American Oystercatcher. Once thought to be disappearing from the Eastern Seaboard, the species rebounded by 45% under his watch. He helped orchestrate that recovery through a mix of painstaking fieldwork, applied science, and relationship-building that earned him respect from fishermen, policymakers, and fellow scientists alike. Manomet, the Massachusetts-based nonprofit where he worked for over a decade, gave him the latitude to operate across borders and bureaucracies. He made the most of it. Alaska held a special place in his imagination—it was where, at 18, he first ventured into…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
There are those whose lives accumulate significance slowly, the way sediment builds into shoreline. And then there are those whose devotion etches meaning into every year. Shiloh Schulte, a biologist who spent his life chasing birds across hemispheres, belonged to the latter group. He died in the North Slope of Alaska when the helicopter he […]authors:
Penguin poop helps form clouds over Antarctica, potentially cooling it
10 Jun 2025 13:18:50 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/penguin-poop-helps-form-clouds-over-antarctica-potentially-cooling-it/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta
content:encoded: In Antarctica, penguin poop, or guano, can cover the ground for miles, especially around penguin colonies with thousands of individuals. In fact, large, brown guano stains on Antarctica’s white ice have even helped scientists discover new penguin colonies from space. A recent study now finds that the massive amounts of guano play a critical role: ammonia gas released from the droppings helps form clouds over Antarctica, which can cool surface temperatures and potentially reduce the impacts of climate change in the region. Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) in Antarctica mainly eat fish and krill, so their droppings are rich in nitrogen. In the soil, the nitrogen supports thriving communities of mosses, lichens and invertebrates, but it also breaks down to form ammonia gas. Ammonia then reacts with other atmospheric gases containing sulfur to create aerosols, tiny particles on which water vapor can condense to form clouds. Between Jan. 10 and March 20, 2023, researchers measured the amount of atmospheric ammonia at an observatory located near Marambio Station, a research facility maintained by Argentina in the Antarctic Peninsula. The station is located about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from a 60,000-strong Adélie penguin colony. The researchers found that when winds blew from the direction of the colony, the ammonia concentration recorded at the observatory was more than 1,000 times higher than the typical background amount. Ammonia levels remained more than 100 times higher than the baseline even after the penguins migrated from the area, suggesting the guano left behind continued to emit the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
In Antarctica, penguin poop, or guano, can cover the ground for miles, especially around penguin colonies with thousands of individuals. In fact, large, brown guano stains on Antarctica’s white ice have even helped scientists discover new penguin colonies from space. A recent study now finds that the massive amounts of guano play a critical role: […]authors:
Making nature a healing place: Interview with Colombia’s Enilda Jiménez
10 Jun 2025 13:04:22 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/making-nature-a-healing-place-interview-with-colombias-enilda-jimenez/
author: Karen Coates
dc:creator: Manuel Fonseca
content:encoded: The Gulf of Urabá, on the northwestern coast of Colombia, is a territory living in a constant social, economic and environmental struggle for existence. Biologically, Urabá is a complex biodiversity hotspot where the Pacific and Caribbean fuse into one. The migration flow between Central and South America and the Caribbean’s unique ecosystems, such as mangroves, estuaries, wetlands and rainforests, hosts an immense variety of fauna and flora threatened by accelerated agricultural expansion, illicit crops, fires and the mega construction of a $672 million port, Puerto Antioquia. Plantations such as the banana industry extend to 46,500 hectares, producing around 64 million boxes of bananas annually, making it the base economy of the region and Colombia’s banana capital. According to the Colombian Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, around 80% is sent to the European Union, surpassing $1 billion globally in export revenue in 2024. It’s an industry also built on a para-economy relationship among banana plantation owners, paramilitary groups, drug traffickers, cattle ranchers and the Colombian military forces. The lack of Colombian government presence in decades of conflict with guerrillas left the perfect conditions for violence to thrive, leaving the region in a never-ending story of violence and forced displacement from different actors such as the guerrillas, paramilitaries, military forces and, currently, criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo. Urabá has suffered extortions, kidnappings, land dispossessions and drug trafficking, leaving an aftermath of more than 100 massacres. In 1995, a time when Urabá faced violence from different armed groups like…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - For 22 years, Enilda Jiménez and her siblings were forced off their land in Colombia after their father was assassinated by armed men in a region that has seen a devastating string of killings, kidnappings and land dispossession.
- When the family returned, they decided to turn their land into a private nature reserve that mixes a model of nonintrusive cattle farming with ecotourism that offers visitors the experiences of hiking in the jungle, watching wildlife, kayaking through flooded forests and learning to live in peace with nature.
- Jiménez spoke to Mongabay about her family’s history and how it has shaped their relationship with the land today.
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As tree planting gathers pace in Bangkok, urban green spaces still under threat
10 Jun 2025 11:26:01 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/as-tree-planting-gathers-pace-in-bangkok-urban-green-spaces-still-under-threat/
author: Carolyncowan
dc:creator: Carolyn Cowan
content:encoded: BANGKOK — Urban tree-planting efforts are gathering pace in Bangkok, underpinned by aspirations to boost climate resilience, mitigate dust pollution, and conserve biodiversity. However, a recent study warns that the Thai capital continues to rapidly lose tree cover from its existing green spaces. The study used satellite data and field surveys to analyze patterns of tree cover loss in Bangkok between 2018 and 2022, finding a 10.5% drop in tree cover across the whole city, with larger areas of urban woodland losing more than 20% of their canopy cover. “This is a rapid rate of tree loss in just four years,” Phakhawat Thaweepworadej, a biodiversity researcher at Mahidol University in Bangkok and lead author of the study, told Mongabay. “The greater rate of loss in larger blocks of tree cover that have been shown to support more biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services is particularly concerning.” The stark results indicate that without a strategic shift in policy and practice, the city risks losing its green spaces that could otherwise help it adapt to climate change, the authors note. This is a significant concern, given that the latest assessment of the Global Climate Risk Index ranks Thailand among the world’s top 30 countries most at risk of climate change. Originating in Central and South America, the wide canopy of Albizia saman is a common sight in Bangkok’s urban parks. Image by Carolyn Cowan/Mongabay. Incentivize tree preservation, not loss Trees are increasingly recognized as vital components of climate adaptation plans in tropical…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Bangkok lags behind global urban green space standards, sparking large-scale tree-planting initiatives across the city.
- Recent research warns that despite these efforts, the city continues to rapidly lose tree cover from its existing green spaces.
- The researchers urge city planners to focus on preserving existing green spaces and mature trees, while also ensuring big-budget tree-planting initiatives prioritize the ecosystem value and long-term survival of their plantings.
- Making such improvements will help the city address issues around access to green space, urban food security and climate resilience, the authors say.
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High-profile wildlife trafficking case tests Malawi’s conservation commitment
10 Jun 2025 11:23:51 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/high-profile-wildlife-trafficking-case-tests-malawis-conservation-commitment/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Madalitso Wills Kateta
content:encoded: LILONGWE — In 2021, Malawian authorities found Lin Yunhua and 14 other members of an international trafficking syndicate in possession of pangolin scales, rhino horns, and elephant and hippo ivory. Lin, a Chinese national, was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Since his sentencing, Lin has been linked with several corrupt efforts to avoid the full consequences of his sentencing — seemingly even obtaining a pardon — but the Southern African country’s criminal justice system has held firm, a sign of the successful strengthening of wildlife law enforcement. A 2015 report written for Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife of Malawi described the country’s position as a transit hub for trafficking, and the 2021 arrests and successful prosecution of traffickers was welcomed by civil society. “We’re very pleased to see this notorious wildlife crime kingpin finally face the music with a stiff sentence of 14 years in prison and trust that it sends a crystal-clear message to other wildlife criminals plundering Africa’s natural resources that they are not beyond the reach of the law,” Mary Rice, executive director of the U.K.-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), said in a press release at the time. “I believe today’s judgment and the destruction of the Lin-Zhang gang will prove to be a pivotal moment in Malawi’s commitment to bring high-level wildlife criminals to justice.” Lin Yunhua, right, pictured with another member of the trafficking syndicate, Jimmy Mkwelezalemba. Mkwelezalemba was sentenced to three years in prison for pangolin smuggling in 2019. Image from…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - In 2021, Malawian authorities arrested and sentenced Chinese national Lin Yunhua, a key figure in an international wildlife trafficking syndicate, to 14 years in prison for possession of pangolin scales, rhino horns and ivory.
- Recently unearthed documents reveal that, since then, there have been attempts to secure a pardon and allegations of bribery and corruption, but that Malawi’s justice system has resisted efforts to undermine the sentence.
- Lin now faces additional charges for attempting to bribe a judge and a prison official, with the case referred to the high court due to its complexity and public significance.
- Conservationists and government officials cite Lin’s prosecution as evidence of Malawi’s strengthened commitment to fighting high-level wildlife crime and corruption, though challenges remain.
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Indonesia halts most nickel mining in Raja Ampat, but allows one controversial permit
10 Jun 2025 11:17:19 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesia-halts-most-nickel-mining-in-raja-ampat-but-allows-one-controversial-permit/
author: Hans Nicholas Jong
dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong
content:encoded: JAKARTA — The Indonesian government has revoked four out of five nickel mining permits in the Raja Ampat archipelago following a public outcry over mining in one of the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems. Environmental groups have welcomed the decision, but criticized the decision not to revoke the permit for the remaining concession in Raja Ampat, held by the company PT Gag Nikel (GN). On June 10, the minister of mines, Bahlil Lahadalia announced the government had revoked the permits for four nickel mining concessions in Raja Ampat: PT Anugerah Surya Pratama (ASP), PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining (KSM), PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa (MRP), and PT Nurham. He cited environmental violations, including pollution, sedimentation and deforestation, as among the reasons for the decision. Map that shows the location of the five companies operating nickel mining in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, Indonesia. Situated within the Pacific Coral Triangle, Raja Ampat is widely recognized as a global epicenter of marine biodiversity, harboring 75% of all known coral species and more than 1,700 species of reef fish. The four revoked concessions were located on islands within the Raja Ampat archipelago that were designated by UNESCO as global geopark in 2023 due to their exceptional geological, ecological and cultural significance. The region boasts the oldest exposed rock formations in Indonesia, dating back some 400 million years. These ancient rocks, particularly prominent on Misool Island, represent nearly one-tenth of Earth’s geological history, offering invaluable insights into the planet’s evolution. “Based on our own inspections, these areas…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Indonesia has revoked four out of five nickel mining permits in Raja Ampat after public pressure and findings of environmental damage in the ecologically sensitive archipelago, home to some of the world’s richest marine biodiversity.
- However, the government retained the permit for PT Gag Nikel, citing its location outside a UNESCO-designated geopark, lack of visible pollution, ongoing land rehabilitation, and the high economic value of its nickel deposits.
- Environmental groups have criticized the decision, pointing to legal bans on mining on small islands and warning of threats to marine life such as manta rays and coral reefs from barge traffic and industrial activity.
- The case reflects broader concerns about Indonesia’s nickel rush, with nearly 200 mining concessions on small islands nationwide, raising alarms over environmental destruction and the prioritization of industry over legal and ecological safeguards.
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Rare earth rush in Myanmar blamed for toxic river spillover into Thailand
09 Jun 2025 23:09:04 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/rare-earth-rush-in-myanmar-blamed-for-toxic-river-spillover-into-thailand/
author: Isabel Esterman
dc:creator: Stefan Lovgren
content:encoded: CHIANG RAI, Thailand — Just days before the water fights were set to erupt across Chiang Rai for Songkran — Thailand’s New Year celebration, held every April and known for its festive street soakings — the city’s residents received a sobering warning: avoid contact with the Kok River, which winds through this northern Thai city of 200,000. The reason? Tests conducted upstream had detected dangerous levels of arsenic and other hazardous substances. The alarm had first been raised the previous month, when people living near and across the border in Myanmar, where the 285-kilometer (177-mile) Kok River originates, reported skin rashes after bathing, elephants showing signs of illness, and fish turning up dead in the water. Just as communities prepared to celebrate renewal and rebirth, their most important river was declared off-limits. Reports of skin rashes and fish kills in the Kok River prompted both officials and activists to conduct tests of the river water. Image courtesy of Ecological Alert and Recovery–Thailand. Since then, the situation has grown even more dire. Follow-up testing in both the Kok and the nearby Sai rivers has revealed widespread contamination , especially close to the Thai-Myanmar border. Most sampling sites have shown arsenic levels far above safety standards, and in some areas the water has turned an unsettling orange-yellow hue. Perhaps even more alarming, elevated arsenic levels have also been found in the Mekong River, which is fed by both the Kok and Sai rivers. Tests at two sampling points in the Mekong showed…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Water tests from the Kok and Sai rivers near Thailand’s border with Myanmar have revealed elevated arsenic levels, leading Thai officials to warn citizens to avoid contact with river water.
- The pollution is widely believed to be linked to unregulated mining in Myanmar’s Shan state.
- Extraction of gold in Shan State has surged in the years since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar; more recently, mounting evidence suggests rare earth mining is also expanding across the state.
- Elevated arsenic levels have also been found at testing points in the Mekong, which is fed by both the Kok and Sai rivers.
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Gelada monkey vocalizations offer insight into human evolution: Study
09 Jun 2025 22:59:08 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/gelada-monkey-vocalizations-offer-insight-into-human-evolution-study/
author: Bobbybascomb
dc:creator: Kristine Sabillo
content:encoded: With their bright red, hairless chests and grass-grazing lifestyle, gelada monkeys are quite unusual. They are the only primate, other than humans, to primarily live on land instead of in trees, and a new study shows they are also able to detect emotional and social cues through vocal exchanges. “Geladas are special because they live in large, tolerant social groups and rely heavily on vocal communication to interact with one another. They don’t just make noise — they ‘talk’ using a variety of sounds in different emotional and social contexts,” study co-author Luca Pedruzzi told Mongabay by email. Geladas (Theropithecus gelada), which are endemic to Ethiopia, have a vocal repertoire richer than other closely related species, Pedruzzi said. Such vocal signals are used to “maintain bonds, calm tensions and respond to group dynamics,” which makes them ideal for a study looking into the meaning of vocal cues. For the study, the researchers recorded vocalizations of geladas living in captivity at the NaturZoo Rheine in Germany in 2023. They then played those recordings for wild geladas in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Ten adult males were exposed to four variations of vocalization from the unfamiliar captive geladas. The first type was a scream-grunt series, the usual sequence of a distress call, followed by a comforting call. The other version was reversed, a grunt series followed by a scream. For the next two, a scream was followed by a moan, which is an even stronger comforting message, and then the reverse, a…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description:
With their bright red, hairless chests and grass-grazing lifestyle, gelada monkeys are quite unusual. They are the only primate, other than humans, to primarily live on land instead of in trees, and a new study shows they are also able to detect emotional and social cues through vocal exchanges. “Geladas are special because they live […]authors:
In Yaoundé, fecal sludge flows through ‘Caca Junction’ streets
09 Jun 2025 21:39:13 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/in-yaounde-fecal-sludge-flows-through-caca-junction-streets/
author: Karen Coates
dc:creator: Fanta Mabo
content:encoded: Major streets of Yaoundé, the political capital of Cameroon, have turned into open sewers. Every day, hundreds of cubic meters of liquid waste — enough to fill more than an Olympic-sized swimming pool each a week — overwhelm the city’s only fecal sludge treatment plant. That plant exceeds its capacity by 100% almost every day. As a result, sewers clog, streets turn into foul-smelling rivers and residents suffocate from unbearable odors that have become part of daily life. In some neighborhoods, excessive human waste spills have turned into nightmares. Faced with this sanitary crisis, the city council is attempting to respond with promises of a new infrastructure — but the situation continues to deteriorate. Stepping through excrement and enduring its stench: this is the reality for residents of Biyem-Assi, one of the most populous neighborhoods, with nearly 49,000 inhabitants, not far from the city center. People are forced to walk through sewers overflown with black, viscous, foul-smelling liquids dribbling in the streets. Pedestrians pinch their noses due to the smell. A junction in this neighborhood has even earned the nickname “Carrefour Caca,” meaning “Excrement Junction.” These relentless waste spills present health risks to residents, as fecal sludge contaminates the environment and nearby drinking water sources, which originally hails from the public water utility, known as CAMWATER. Hence, there are increasing the risks of epidemics in an already vulnerable country like Cameroon. Nadine Pascaline Koagne, a call-box operator at Carrefour Caca, says she is compelled to wear a face mask all…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - In Yaoundé, fecal sludge contaminates neighborhoods where locals say the combination of insufficient sanitation and the costs of septic tank service lead to dumping in the streets.
- The city has just one fecal sludge treatment plant that receives up to double its capacity every day.
- City residents pinch their noses at the smells, while water contamination poses disease risks to local residents.
- Similar situations occur in other African cities that lack sanitation facilities capable of handling the needs of growing urban populations.
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Pushback grows against nickel mining in Indonesian marine paradise of Raja Ampat
09 Jun 2025 16:57:23 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/pushback-grows-against-nickel-mining-in-indonesian-marine-paradise-of-raja-ampat/
author: Hans Nicholas Jong
dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong
content:encoded: JAKARTA — The Indonesian government has suspended nickel mining in the Raja Ampat archipelago, citing multiple environmental violations by companies operating in the ecologically sensitive islands. The move follows viral social media posts highlighting the expansion of nickel mines and the attendant environmental degradation in the region famous for its picturesque islets and turquoise waters, spurring a public outcry and scrutiny. Located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, Raja Ampat is globally renowned for its marine biodiversity, home to about 75% of the world’s known coral species — earning it the nickname of the “Amazon of the seas.” A coral reef off the coast of Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua province, Indonesia. Image courtesy of Ronal Mambrasar/Konservasi Indonesia. But the archipelago now faces increasing pressure from Indonesia’s rapidly expanding nickel industry. The country is the biggest producer of the metal, a key component in the batteries used in electric vehicles and energy storage applications. The government has billed its nickel policy as a push toward building a clean-energy future. But critics argue that the rapid development of the nickel industry has driven deforestation and pollution on small islands like those in the Malukus, and warn that Raja Ampat will become the next victim of the government’s ambitions. There are at least five companies with approved nickel mines in Raja Ampat: PT Gag Nikel (PT GN), PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining (PT KSM), PT Anugerah Surya Pratama (PT ASP), PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa (PT MRP) and PT Nurham. Together, they control at…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - The Indonesian government has suspended nickel mining in the Raja Ampat archipelago following public outcry and investigations that revealed environmental violations, including illegal mining on small islands and deforestation by several companies.
- Raja Ampat, one of the world’s most biodiverse marine regions, is threatened by sedimentation, pollution and habitat destruction linked to mining, endangering coral reefs, mangroves and Indigenous communities.
- Despite government claims that operations on one of the islands, Gag, are environmentally compliant, critics say inspections are superficial and driven by political and economic agendas, ignoring broader regional damage.
- Environmental groups warn mining could resume quietly once the outrage fades, and urge the government to establish no-go zones to protect Raja Ampat, challenging rhetoric that frames local resistance as foreign interference.
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When our oceans can’t breathe, a sea change is needed (commentary)
09 Jun 2025 15:52:40 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/when-our-oceans-cant-breathe-a-sea-change-is-needed-commentary/
author: Erik Hoffner
dc:creator: Fred Boltz / Jeffrey Griffin
content:encoded: When wildfires rage across landscapes, smoke fills our skies and chokes our lungs. It makes headlines, emergency measures are triggered, and communities rally to respond. We act because we can see it, smell it, and feel it. But beneath the ocean’s surface, another crisis is silently unfolding. What happens when our oceans — the planet’s blue lungs — struggle to breathe? As global leaders and changemakers gather for the U.N. Oceans Conference, we must confront a growing but often overlooked threat: marine hypoxia. When oxygen levels in parts of the ocean drop dangerously low, they create hypoxic “dead zones” where marine life can no longer thrive. Over the past 50 years, dead zones and low-oxygen areas in the open ocean have grown by 4.5 million square kilometers (1.7 million square miles) — an area the size of the European Union — and the volume of areas with no oxygen has more than quadrupled. In coastal zones, there were just 10 recorded dead zones in the 1960s; today, more than 500 coastal sites have reported hypoxia. Humpback whales off the coast of Australia. Image courtesy of Emilie Ledwidge/Ocean Image Bank. Dead zones were almost entirely unknown until the use of fertilizers became widespread. Despite a massive boost in agricultural yields, it sparked a chain reaction reaching the depths of the ocean. When excess nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) from agriculture, urban runoff and industrial waste wash into rivers and coastal waters, they trigger massive algal blooms that block sunlight and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - “Even if we can’t see it, the ocean is telling us it can’t breathe. It’s time to listen and to act,” a new op-ed argues as global leaders and changemakers gather for the U.N. Oceans Conference this week.
- When oxygen levels in parts of the ocean drop dangerously low due to land-based pollution, hypoxic “dead zones” where marine life can no longer thrive are the result, driving ecosystem and fisheries collapses.
- These zones have grown by an area the size of the European Union over the past 50 years, but the Global Environment Facility’s Clean and Healthy Ocean Integrated Program is aimed at tackling this overlooked yet expanding threat.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.
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The Yurok tribe have reclaimed Blue Creek, 138 years after it was taken from them
09 Jun 2025 15:52:32 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/the-yurok-tribe-have-reclaimed-blue-creek-138-years-after-it-was-taken-from-them/
author: Rhett Butler
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. The Yurok tribe of northern California has achieved what once seemed impossible: reclaiming the 19,000-hectare (47,000-acre) watershed of Blue Creek, a cold-water artery vital to salmon survival and tribal identity. This marks the largest land-back conservation deal in California history. It’s a case study in how ecological restoration, tribal sovereignty and financial innovation can converge, Mongabay contributor Justin Catanoso reports. For the Yurok, whose lands and waters were stripped under the 1887 Dawes Act, the return of Blue Creek is not merely symbolic: It is an ecological necessity. Chinook, coho and steelhead salmon rely on the icy refuge at Blue Creek’s mouth to cool their bodies during upstream migrations. Without it, their journey — and the tribe’s culture, economy and ceremonies — faces collapse. “This creek right here … is the lifeline of the whole river,” said Pergish Carlson, a Yurok river guide. This outcome was two decades in the making. The land’s private owner, Green Diamond Resource Company, halted logging in 2006 while the Yurok and their partner, Western Rivers Conservancy, assembled an intricate financing package. Public and private funding, from federal pollution-reduction loans to California’s carbon credit market, totaled $60 million. Notably, carbon credits helped secure repayments, a rare move in conservation finance. The last 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) will be transferred to the Yurok in June 2025. Several lessons emerge. First, ecological restoration must go beyond symbolism. Blue Creek’s cooling pool…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. The Yurok tribe of northern California has achieved what once seemed impossible: reclaiming the 19,000-hectare (47,000-acre) watershed of Blue Creek, a cold-water artery vital to salmon survival and tribal identity. This marks the largest land-back conservation deal in California […]authors:
One-two punch for mangroves as seas rise and cyclones intensify
09 Jun 2025 15:03:52 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/one-two-punch-for-mangroves-as-seas-rise-and-cyclones-intensify/
author: Jeremy Hance
dc:creator: Elizabeth Fitt
content:encoded: More than half of all mangrove areas worldwide may face “severe and widespread risk” from climate change-intensified tropical cyclones and rising sea levels by 2100, according to newly published research. The study uses a first-of-its-kind, open-source risk index tool to predict risk for mangroves, according to warming estimates for three different scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions (intermediate, high, and very high) projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2021. “Almost all regions will see a non-negligible increase in risk,” study lead researcher Sarah Hülsen, from ETH Zürich’s Institute for Environmental Decisions, told Mongabay. But Southeast Asia is likely to be worst affected, with more tropical cyclones and higher wind speeds than at present, according to the study. “Even at the lowest emission pathway [scenario] … Central America, Southeast Africa, East Asia, and Oceania, will become newly affected by very high intensity tropical cyclone winds,” the study says. The tool predicts that the eastern Philippines may experience 254% more tropical cyclones than the historical maximum, regardless of the emissions scenario. This means 50- year storms could now occur up to four times per half-century, potentially becoming once-a-dozen-year storms. Permeable structures in front of Indonesia’s Demak coast. Image courtesy of Building with Nature Indonesia. Far-reaching impacts Mangrove loss to superstorms isn’t just an ecological concern — it has major economic and human implications. The estimated annual worth of flood protection from mangroves globally is more than $65 billion, while more than 775 million people are thought to be “highly…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - More than half of mangroves worldwide may face high or severe risk by 2100 due to increased tropical cyclones and sea level rise, with experts predicting Southeast Asia to be hardest hit under all emissions scenarios.
- A new risk index combines multiple climate stressors — cyclones and sea level rise — with ecosystem service value, providing a novel, globally scalable tool for risk assessment and conservation planning.
- Mangrove loss has major human and economic costs, jeopardizing flood protection worth $65 billion annually and threatening 775 million people dependent on coastal ecosystems.
- Urgent, dynamic conservation and emissions cuts are essential; restoring degraded areas, enabling inland migration, and reducing emissions could significantly reduce risk and buy adaptation time.
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EU appetite for EVs drives new wave of deforestation in tropical forests
09 Jun 2025 14:24:36 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/eu-appetite-for-evs-drives-new-wave-of-deforestation-in-tropical-forests/
author: Alexandre de Santi
dc:creator: Fernanda Wenzel
content:encoded: The European Union committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050, meaning it won’t emit a single ton of carbon dioxide more than it can absorb. To reach this goal, Europeans must upgrade their transport system, which accounts for 75% of EU emissions, with electric vehicles. However, mining activities to supply this may result in new carbon emissions. According to a report commissioned by the European organizations Fern and Rainforest Foundation Norway and produced by the Institute for Ecological Economics and WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, 118,000 hectares (291,584 acres) of forests around the world may be destroyed by 2050 to meet the EU’s green aspirations. That’s equivalent to 1.8% of the total deforestation registered in tropical forests in 2024, according to the Global Forest Watch. “As some mining activities clear large forested areas, they contribute significantly to increased atmospheric CO2 levels, thereby exacerbating climate change,” the report stated. Brazil alone would account for 11.7% of that — 13,900 hectares or 34,347 acres, a small 3.6% fraction of the total deforestation registered in 2024 in Brazil’s Amazon and Atlantic Forest combined, according to data from Imazon research institute. The actual area, however, would likely be much larger, since experts considered only the direct deforestation caused by mines. Indirect clearances from infrastructure expansion, such as building access roads for heavy machinery, settlement growth or land conversion for agriculture that historically follows new roads are not included in the figures. The impact size varies depending on the type of battery cars…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - The European Union’s demand for electric vehicles may lead to the deforestation of 118,000 hectares (291,584 acres) in critical minerals-supplying countries, according to a new report.
- Brazil, which accounts for large reserves of nickel, graphite, rare earths, lithium and niobium, would be one of the most affected countries.
- Despite the mining project’s socioenvironmental impacts, the Brazilian federal government has backed companies with financing and political support.
- Experts warn that the new minerals rush increases pressure on Indigenous communities already suffering from mining companies’ violations.
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Mentawai’s primates are vanishing. One hunter is trying to save them.
09 Jun 2025 13:27:26 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/mentawais-primates-are-vanishing-one-hunter-is-trying-to-save-them/
author: Rhett Butler
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 the jungles of Siberut Island, the cries of the bilou once echoed freely. Now, they’re harder to hear. Siberut is the largest of the Mentawai Islands, an archipelago off western Sumatra, Indonesia, where a battle is unfolding to save some of the rarest primates on Earth. All six endemic species here are either endangered or critically endangered, victims of habitat loss, illegal hunting, and shifting cultural norms. Among them is the bilou, or Kloss’s gibbon (Hylobates klossii), an elusive ape whose mournful songs are said to warn of death and disaster. For generations, the Indigenous Mentawai people have hunted primates for subsistence, guided by animist beliefs that exempted the bilou from harm. But as younger generations drift from tradition and as economic pressures mount, rifles have replaced poison-tipped arrows and customary taboos are fading. Logging, both legal and illegal, has fragmented the forests, bringing roads and outsiders. Where sacred silence once ruled, chainsaws now hum. Amid these changes, one group is charting a different course, reports contributor Ana Norman Bermúdez for Mongabay. Led by Damianus “Dami” Tateburuk, a former hunter, Malinggai Uma Tradisional Mentawai is a grassroots conservation effort with deep roots in culture and kinship. The group patrols forests, removes snares, monitors primate populations, and educates villagers, especially children, about conservation through traditional storytelling and school programs. Their work is modest, underfunded, and often met with resistance. “Why do you care…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 the jungles of Siberut Island, the cries of the bilou once echoed freely. Now, they’re harder to hear. Siberut is the largest of the Mentawai Islands, an archipelago off western Sumatra, Indonesia, where a battle is unfolding […]authors:
Riding toward a greener future: E-bikes transform food delivery in South Africa
09 Jun 2025 12:33:28 +0000
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/riding-toward-a-greener-future-e-bikes-transform-food-delivery-in-south-africa/
author: Terna Gyuse
dc:creator: Barry Christianson
content:encoded: CAPE TOWN — Siphe Mlawuli stands next to her e-bike outside a popular fast-food outlet in Table Bay, a Cape Town suburb. The sun has just set, giving the sky above Table Bay a pinkish hue. The fast-food outlet’s parking lot is crowded with vehicles belonging to food couriers. Mlawuli’s phone screen lights up. She takes an insulated bag and goes inside to collect an order. A minute later she returns, carefully settles the order in the branded box bolted to the back of her e-bike box and sets off. The heavy cargo bike moves effortlessly into the gathering dusk over the maze of suburban Parklands, the only sound a hum from its wide tires on the tarmac. Home deliveries in South Africa have surged in recent years. Delivery of food and groceries are overwhelmingly done using motorcycles, but Mlawuli’s black e-bike signals a possible change. She is one of about 600 food-delivery couriers on Cape Town’s roads who rent e-bikes from a company called Green Riders. Siphe’s journey Mlawuli left her home in Elliot, a small town in the Eastern Cape, in 2018 with hopes of finding work in Cape Town. She lives in Dunoon, a township about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from Parklands. Since its establishment in 1996, two years after the formal end of apartheid, the area has grown into a dense cluster of informal dwellings. A report by the City of Cape Town says Dunoon and other settlements like it are a response to the “dire…This article was originally published on Mongabay
description: - Home deliveries in South Africa have surged in recent years, with delivery of food and groceries overwhelmingly done using motorcycles.
- One company, Green Riders, has seized a slice of this market for electric bicycles, highlighting some of the obstacles facing cyclists on Cape Town’s streets.
- The South African city’s planning includes efforts to shift commuters from using cars or buses — primarily to reduce traffic congestion — with limited success.
- The presence of several hundred couriers on e-bikes is highlighting issues including inadequate road infrastructure as well as safety for cyclists who must often travel 20 kilometers or more from their homes to reach economic opportunities.
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