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The long life of a Galápagos tortoise 29 Nov 2025 14:59:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/the-long-life-of-a-galapagos-tortoise/ 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. She moved slowly, as if time were something best savored. Visitors leaned over railings or knelt at the edge of her enclosure as she stretched her neck toward a leaf of romaine. Children noted she was older than their grandparents. Their parents did the math and realized she was older than the zoo itself. Few paused to consider that she once walked on a very different kind of ground. Gramma, the Galápagos tortoise who died recently in San Diego at an estimated 141 years of age, carried with her a past that was not merely long but instructive. When she hatched on one of the islands that gave Darwin his insight into evolution, giant tortoises were still common. Tens of thousands roamed the lava plains. But she was born into a landscape already thinned by more than a century of human appetite. To sailors in earlier centuries, a tortoise was a barrel of fresh meat that moved itself. Crews dragged them across jagged rock and stacked them in ship holds, alive for months without food or water. Oil rendered from their fat lit lamps. Their abundance made caution seem unnecessary. Her own journey north was a quieter chapter of that same story. Taken from the Galápagos, she passed through The Bronx Zoo before arriving in California around 1930. The San Diego Zoo became her home: concrete underfoot, predictable meals, and the curiosity of…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. She moved slowly, as if time were something best savored. Visitors leaned over railings or knelt at the edge of her enclosure as she stretched her neck toward a leaf of romaine. Children noted she was older than […] authors: | ||
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Changing weather patterns threaten time-tested houses in Nepal village 29 Nov 2025 14:59:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/changing-weather-patterns-threaten-time-tested-houses-in-nepal-village/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: tanka dhakal content:encoded: MUSTANG, Nepal — Sudip Thakali now plans to change the roof of his family house from mud to blended cement concrete (BCC) to avoid water leakage during the rains. This is not the first time the 37-year-old is trying to make his ancestral home in the Trans-Himalayan village of Thini in Mustang district livable while preserving the traditional essence of the house. Three years ago, he plastered the outer layer of the walls up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) from the ground with thin layers of cement concrete to prevent rainwater from seeping into the mud-gravel mixed walls. Rooftop view of Thini village in Mustang, Nepal. Almost all houses have mud roofs and mud-stone walls. Image by tanka dhakal. “The wall seems to be doing fine because of the cemented outer layer, but water leakage from the roof is becoming a headache now,” Sudip said. “It rained for more than 48 hours [in the last week of October] and the roof was leaking. I am thinking about replacing it with a very thin BCC ceiling.” In Nepal’s Trans-Himalayan region, houses have traditionally been built using locally available materials such as clay, mud, sand, gravel, stone and wood. These houses are renowned for their natural insulation properties. However, changing weather patterns and intense rainfall, whether over short periods or continuously for days as happened in late October, have created new problems, including water seepage through roofs and the weakening of mud-stone walls, forcing local communities to consider alternatives to their traditional…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Residents of Thini village in Nepal’s Trans-Himalayan Mustang region are struggling to maintain their ancestral mudbrick houses as heavier, more frequent rain and snow are causing roof leaks and weakening the mud-stone walls. - Some residents have built concrete houses to avoid climate-related damage, but these structures are costly and ill-suited to the region’s cold winters compared to traditional mud homes. - Researchers link the housing challenges to changes in precipitation, including heavier snowfall, intense rainfall and “rain bombs,” which traditional flat-roofed mud houses aren’t designed to withstand. authors: | ||
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First state-authorized killings mark escalation in California’s management of wolves 29 Nov 2025 08:24:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/first-state-authorized-killings-mark-escalation-in-californias-management-of-wolves/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman content:encoded: This is the third part of Mongabay’s series on the expanding wolf population in California. Read the first and the second parts. In late October, wildlife authorities in the U.S. state of California announced they captured and euthanized three adult gray wolves and shot a juvenile dead, all from the Beyem Seyo pack in the Sierra Valley. Wardens killed them, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said, because the wolves (Canis lupus) had become “habituated to preying on cattle” rather than hunting elk, deer and other wild prey. The wolves killed were a breeding pair, an adult female, and a juvenile male “mistaken” for the adult male. Officers also found the remains of two other juveniles from the same pack that were severely decomposed. The cause of death remains unknown, and authorities are investigating. This pack took down at least 88 head of cattle between January and October 2025 according to a new CDFW report — about half of the 175 livestock deaths statewide and one of the highest rates in any western U.S. state where wolves live. The killings follow months of using nonlethal deterrents to keep wolves away, including drones, all-terrain vehicles, flapping strips of bright-colored “fladry” strung along fences, and round-the-clock human presence. CDFW deployed a strike team in June, where officers spent more than 18,000 staff hours using these methods, also called hazing, but the wolves continued killing cattle. “The Beyem Seyo pack became so reliant on cattle at an unprecedented level, and we…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - California’s wildlife department killed four gray wolves in the Sierra Valley in late October, in a dramatic escalation of tactics to address growing predation of cattle by the canids and despite protection under state and federal endangered species laws. - The department says the wolves killed at least 88 cattle in Sierra and Plumas counties and continued to target livestock despite months of nonlethal deterrents deployed to drive them away. - The state employed lethal action despite its compensation program, which pays ranchers for cattle killed by wolves, and additional federal subsidies paid to the livestock industry at large. - The state wildlife agency confirmed a new pack –– the Grizzly pack–– earlier this week with two adults and a pup. Though the state’s wolf population remains small and vulnerable, ranchers are increasingly concerned about livestock deaths. authors: | ||
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Solar-lit fishing nets cut sea turtle bycatch by 63%, Mexico trials show 28 Nov 2025 22:04:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/solar-lit-fishing-nets-cut-sea-turtle-bycatch-by-63-mexico-trials-show/ author: Lizkimbrough dc:creator: Liz Kimbrough content:encoded: In the waters off Isla el Pardito, where rocky reefs meet mangrove swamps in Mexico’s Gulf of California, marine biologists and veteran fishers are using the power of the sun to protect endangered sea turtles. This region has some of the highest reported rates of turtles being accidentally caught in fishing nets, a problem known as bycatch that poses one of the biggest threats to marine turtle populations worldwide. So researchers from the U.S. worked with local fishers to attach solar-powered lights, designed as floating buoys, onto gill nets to alert turtles to the presence of the nets. They found that this reduced sea turtle bycatch by 63% during controlled experiments, according to a study published in Conservation Letters. All 67 green turtles (Chelonia mydas) captured during the study were released alive. The idea for the solar-powered lights came from three workshops starting in 2018, where scientists and fishers worked together to find alternatives to existing lights that use disposable batteries or chemical sticks. Traditional LED lights require regular battery replacements, and chemical light sticks only last 24 hours, leading to greater costs and waste. “They took us into account and gave us the freedom to give our opinions and make modifications,” said Juan Pablo Cuevas Amador, a fisher from the community of El Pardito who participated in developing and testing the devices and is listed as a co-author of the study. “For us, it’s important that it be done in collaboration because with what they know and what we…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Researchers from U.S. and fishers from Mexico’s Gulf of California have developed solar-powered LED buoys that attach to gill nets to help reduce sea turtle bycatch by 63%. - The floating devices recharge in sunlight and can operate for over five days without light, addressing cost and waste concerns associated with traditional battery-powered lights and single-use chemical light sticks. - Researchers say the green flashing lights may help sea turtles see the nets in dark water. - The technology emerged from collaborative workshops between scientists and fishing communities, with commercial production estimated within two to three years through partnership with fishing gear manufacturer Fishtek Marine. authors: | ||
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One small Indigenous territory emerges as illegal mining hotspot in Brazil’s Amazon 28 Nov 2025 20:31:33 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/sarare-illegal-mining-hotspot-in-brazils-amazon/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: One small Indigenous territory is currently the site of roughly 70% of deforestation in Indigenous territories across the Brazilian Amazon due to illegal mining over the last two years, according to government data. The Sararé Indigenous Territory in Mato Grosso state is home to about 200 Nambikwara people. From January 2024 to August 2025, illegal gold mining razed more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of forest within their territory — more than 4% of its total area of 67,000 hectares (165,600 acres). The aggressive encroachment of illegal gold miners into the Sararé territory is relatively recent. According to a Greenpeace report, just 78 hectares (193 acres) of the territory had been impacted by mining until 2018. This began to grow gradually starting in 2021. In 2023, there were an estimated 250-300 miners in the territory. This year, government agents estimate that around 2,000 miners were operating on the land. From January to August this year, Sararé experienced 85% higher deforestation due to illegal mining than the combined total recorded in the next nine most impacted Indigenous territories, which together lost 640 hectares (1,581 acres) in the same period. Sararé was not included in any top mining alerts up to 2023, but has now emerged as the number one territory, by far, impacted by mining. The Kayapó Indigenous Territory, located in the state of Pará, appeared in second place for land lost to mining in 2024. Despite the territory being around 49 times larger than Sararé, it lost nearly 10 times…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: One small Indigenous territory is currently the site of roughly 70% of deforestation in Indigenous territories across the Brazilian Amazon due to illegal mining over the last two years, according to government data. The Sararé Indigenous Territory in Mato Grosso state is home to about 200 Nambikwara people. From January 2024 to August 2025, illegal […] authors: | ||
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New riverside lake in Nepal wins hearts, but faces government opposition 28 Nov 2025 16:26:30 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/new-riverside-lake-in-nepal-wins-hearts-but-faces-government-opposition/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Suresh Bidari content:encoded: SARLAHI, Nepal — Nepali social media influencer Ishtu Karki recently posted photos and videos enjoying a motorboat ride on the Bagmati Lake, popularly known as Bharat Taal, in Sarlahi district in the country’s southern plains. “We have such a wonderful pond here in Sarlahi … You don’t need to go to Bangkok or Phuket now,” she said about the lake adjoining Bagmati River. The 33.8-hectare (83.54-acre) lake, commissioned by Bagmati municipality mayor Bharat Bahadur Thapa — hence the name — and built in 2021, attracts visitors not just from Nepal, but also from across the border in India in large numbers. On a recent November afternoon, Mongabay saw seven Nepali tourists pay 300 rupees ($2.1) each for a boat ride. A young Indian couple paid 100 rupees (70 cents) for a short horse ride on the bank and 50 rupees (35 cents) more for a video clip. “We have limited drinking water supplies here, but I like to come here to see the lake,” said Satendra Kumar, who visits the lake occasionally from his home in neighboring Bihar state, India. Tourists from India and Nepal visit Bharat Taal in Nepal. Image by Nakul Sah. But the next time visitors such as Karki and Kumar return to the lake, it may not be there. Since its construction, the lake has shot up as a popular cross-border attraction with economic, groundwater recharge and biodiversity benefits, but ongoing legal cases, lack of long-term environmental and biodiversity safeguards, inadequate waste management, and unclear jurisdiction…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Bagmati Lake (Bharat Taal), constructed recently in Nepal’s southern Sarlahi district, attracts Nepali and Indian tourists with recreational activities, generating revenue, employment and cross-border tourism. - The lake, which may have helped improve groundwater levels, soil moisture and crop yields in surrounding areas, has provided habitat for migratory birds. - However, the fate of the lake hangs in the balance as the country’s anti-corruption court looks into alleged corruption and the lack of environmental compliance during its construction. authors: | ||
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As agroforestry declines in Indonesia’s Flores, a traditional ecological lexicon fades with it 28 Nov 2025 15:44:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/as-agroforestry-declines-in-indonesias-flores-a-traditional-ecological-lexicon-fades-with-it/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Keith Anthony Fabro content:encoded: In the cool highlands of Indonesia’s Flores Island, where mist settles over rice fields and coffee gardens, the Manggarai people have cultivated a close relationship with the forest. Their land is known as the rice granary of East Nusa Tenggara province, but it also produces cacao, vanilla and other crops that sustain families and the wider region. For generations, Manggarai farmers practiced agroforestry: cultivating diverse crops at the forest’s edge and blending agriculture with biodiversity conservation. These practices were carried in language. Words described not only crops and tools, but also the actions of harvesting, the stages of plant growth, and the sacred spaces of the forest. “It is encouraging to see how much of this traditional ecological knowledge still lives in community memory,” said Mel Engman, an ethnolinguist at Queen’s University Belfast, in the north of Ireland. But much of that vocabulary is now fading. Since 1960, monoculture farming has spread rapidly across the Manggarai land. Sorghum and upland rice, once staples, have given way to wet paddy rice and plantation crops. Upland rice, cultivated on dry uplands with other crops, kept soils healthy and limited forest clearing — unlike paddy rice that needs flooded fields and fertilizers. As forests shrink to clear land for new monoculture farms, so too do the words that once guided sustainable ways of farming. A recent study seeks to turn the tide. Working with the Ruteng Pu’u community, researchers from Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) documented 253 agroforestry-related words at risk…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In Indonesia’s Flores highlands, the Manggarai people once practiced diverse agroforestry that blended farming with forest care — traditions carried in hundreds of specialized words for crops, tools and rituals. - A new study recorded 253 of these agroforestry terms now at risk of disappearing as monoculture farming, tourism and forest loss reshape Manggarai’s landscapes and livelihoods. - From 2002 to 2024, Manggarai lost about 71 hectares (175 acres) of humid primary forest, mostly cleared for monoculture plantations that disrupt traditional agroforestry systems. - Researchers say reviving the fading lexicon — through schools, community exchanges and policy support — can help restore Indigenous knowledge crucial for biodiversity, food security and climate resilience. authors: | ||
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A fragile Sri Lankan island fights back against the threat of mineral extraction 28 Nov 2025 15:20:18 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/a-fragile-sri-lankan-island-fights-back-against-the-threat-of-mineral-extraction/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: COLOMBO — “Cries in silence, her veins robbed by greedy hands, each grain of stolen sand buries a future beneath the lands” — these lines from the song Karunilam (‘black sand’ in Tamil), composed by the young artiste Eric Fernando, give voice to the land and people of Mannar Island, in northwestern Sri Lanka. The song blends melancholy and defiance, mourning the potential destruction posed by the proposed ilmenite mineral sand extraction from this ecologically significant island. Fernando describes Karunilam as a protest anthem, reflecting the sorrow and anger of the local community over the threat to Mannar’s fragile ecosystems, coastal beauty and traditional livelihoods by the proposed sand mining. The song also calls for unity among the islanders to safeguard land rights and cultural heritage against exploitation. Ilmenite, sometimes also called ‘black gold,’ deposited along the beaches of Mannar. Image by Nagamuthu Piratheeparajah. A fragile, globally important ecosystem Ilmenite, the mineral of contention in this instance, is used to produce titanium dioxide (TiO₂), used in paints, plastics and cosmetics, and titanium metal, used for aerospace material, medical implants and corrosion-resistant alloys. Pulmoddai region in northern Sri Lanka is historically one of the world’s largest ilmenite deposits. Mannar’s deposits were first noted in British colonial geological surveys in the early 20th century, but the Sri Lankan civil war (1983–2009) delayed exploration until the 2010s. Commercial interest grew in the mid-2010s when the Australia-based Titanium Sands Limited began extensive drilling in Mannar Island. Residents grew concerned as hundreds of exploratory holes…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Mannar Island, home to seagrass beds, migratory bird pathways, and diverse ecosystems is facing risk from deep sand mining that could destabilize its low-lying terrain and mineral-rich soil. - Around 70,000 residents, including more than 22,000 fishers, live on the island, which has swathes of paddy and coconut plantations. Locals fear sand mining would disrupt livelihoods and offer minimal economic benefits. - Residents of Mannar Island have periodically organized protests, including several peaceful demonstrations in Colombo, to voice their concerns over the environmental and social risks of proposed ilmenite sand mining and demanded their land rights. - Experts and activists emphasize the need for an entire-island Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that goes beyond individual project-based assessments before any large-scale development initiatives get underway, thus avoiding or minimizing irreversible environmental and social impacts. authors: | ||
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Lemurs are being eaten as an urban delicacy in Madagascar 28 Nov 2025 14:48:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/lemurs-are-being-eaten-as-an-urban-delicacy-in-madagascar/ 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 Madagascar’s cities, a quiet but lucrative market is reshaping the future of one of the world’s most imperiled groups of animals. Lemurs—already the most threatened mammals on the planet—are being sold as a kind of urban delicacy, traded through discreet channels that rarely resemble the conventional wildlife markets familiar across Africa or Asia. A study published in the journal Conservation Letters shows just how large this shadow economy has become, and how little time remains to address it. A black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) is an endangered species of ruffed lemur that is especially targeted for consumption because of its large body size. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay. Researchers interviewed 2,600 people across 17 cities and traced the trade from restaurants back to forests. What they found was not a fringe activity. One in every 12 restaurants sold wild meat, and roughly one in every 200 served lemur. That may sound small, but restaurants are only the visible part of the system. More than 94% of lemur sales happen directly between hunters and trusted clients. Once that hidden portion is counted, the authors estimate that nearly 13,000 lemurs are sold each year in the surveyed cities alone. The true number is likely higher, because even hunters willing to speak tend to underreport their catch. The supply chain is short and surprisingly efficient. Peri-urban hunters operate as one-stop businesses: they track lemurs, shoot them, process them,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Lemur meat has become a discreet urban delicacy in Madagascar, with an estimated 13,000 lemurs sold annually in surveyed cities—mostly through hidden hunter-to-client channels. - Peri-urban hunters run efficient one-stop operations, earning up to a third of their cash income from lemur sales while traveling long distances to harvest increasingly rare species. - Wealthier consumers fuel demand based on perceptions of taste, luxury, and health benefits, with little fear of legal consequences and high prices reinforcing the status of lemur dishes. - The trade targets vulnerable species, peaks during breeding season, and threatens rapid population declines; effective responses require firearm regulation, alternative livelihoods for hunters, and demand-focused strategies. authors: | ||
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Indigenous guardians protecting the Amazon Trapeze continue to face challenges 28 Nov 2025 11:12:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/indigenous-guardians-protecting-the-amazon-trapeze-continue-to-face-challenges/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: César Giraldo content:encoded: Olegario Sánchez Pinto, 74, wakes up at 7 a.m. every day to complete all the tasks he must perform as a member of the Indigenous guard in the Colombian community of San Martín de Amacayacu. He begins work early, using only his traditional walking stick to patrol the hamlet along the Amacayacu River, a two-hour boat ride from the city of Leticia on the Amazon River. First, he travels along the shore, which serves as a port where people arrive at and depart from San Martín. Next, he walks among the houses to find out if anyone is sick. In the event of an argument or fight, he immediately seeks out the curaca, or chief, the community’s highest authority. The curaca is responsible for resolving these problems, including imposing any penalties if necessary. Then, along with other guards, Sánchez travels along the ravines to determine whether anyone is cutting trees or fishing. In late March, according to Sánchez, he’s also very watchful for hunting. “That’s the breeding season, so animals can’t be hunted. During those days, tapirs can’t be killed because they’re pregnant. If you kill an animal with [a large] belly, that to us is a crime,” he says. Sánchez has more years of experience as a guard than almost anyone else in San Martín, an Indigenous Tikuna community. Over the years, he’s watched as dozens of his colleagues have left the Indigenous guard due to a lack of income. He recalls a former fellow guardian telling him, “I…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Defending the Amazon Rainforest is something that Indigenous communities have been doing for centuries, and the practice has gained renewed interest with the “Indigenous guard” program that launched two decades ago in Colombia. - According to the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), there are around 1,200 guards across the three Indigenous councils in the Amazon Trapeze region, Colombia’s tri-border area with Peru and Brazil. - However, the lack of income for the guardians in particular, and of economic opportunities for communities here in general, have driven many Indigenous people, including some guards, to get involved in illicit activities such as coca cultivation in Peru or drug trafficking. - To continue protecting the environment, Indigenous guards are calling for greater government support and say they hope to receive fair compensation for the work they do. authors: | ||
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Afro-descendant territories slash deforestation, lock in carbon, study shows 28 Nov 2025 10:02:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/afro-descendant-territories-slash-deforestation-lock-in-carbon-study-shows/ author: Jeremy Hance dc:creator: Gonzalo Ortuño López content:encoded: Afro-descendant peoples in Latin America have historically been guardians of nature, but their role could be more important than previously estimated. New research carried out in four Amazonian countries — Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname — has revealed that their territories have achieved lower levels of deforestation and greater conservation of biodiversity than other protected areas. The study, funded by Conservation International and published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, is the first to use statistics, georeferenced information and historical context to measure the contributions of Afro-descendant populations to conservation. Afro-descendant people were taken as slaves from Africa to Latin America, where many fled into the wilderness in search of freedom. One of the study’s most significant findings is the sustained reduction of deforestation in Afro-descendant lands. Here the study found that forest loss was lower, depending on location, than in protected areas. For example, deforestation rates in Afro-descendant lands were 29% lower when the lands were inside protected areas, 36% lower when they were outside protected areas, and 55% lower when they were on the edge of these areas. “It confirms that we are the guardians of these Amazonian lands; we have been doing this sustainably for over 400 years,” says Hugo Jabini, Saramaka Maroon leader and winner of the 2009 Goldman Prize for defending Afro-descendant rights in Suriname. What’s more, Afro-descendant territories are vital for tropical biodiversity: the researchers found that they host habitat for more than 4,000 species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles. At least…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - New research documents the positive impacts that Afro-descendant populations have had on tropical ecosystems in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname. - The study found that deforestation rates are between 29% and 55% lower in Afro-descendant lands than in protected areas. - This is the first scientific study to employ statistical, geographical and historical data to assess the contribution of Afro-descendant communities in conservation. - According to the researchers, Afro-descendant populations and their good practices are at risk due to a lack of legal recognition, invisibility of their contributions, and extractive activities in their territories. authors: | ||
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Indian megacities are sinking putting thousands of buildings at risk: Study 27 Nov 2025 15:07:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/indian-megacities-are-sinking-putting-thousands-of-buildings-at-risk-study/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: Parts of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, India’s largest cities, are slowly sinking, mainly due to overextraction of groundwater, according to a recent study, reports Mongabay India’s Manish Chandra Mishra. Researchers used eight years of satellite radar data and found that 878 square kilometers (339 square miles) of land across the five megacities show signs of subsidence. This leaves more than 2,400 buildings at high risk of structural damage. If current trends continue, the number could rise to more than 23,000 buildings in the next 50 years, the study found. “Our motivation to study land subsidence and building damage risk in Indian megacities stems from the absence of prior research that explicitly investigates land subsidence and links differential settlement with observed structural damage,” Nitheshnirmal Sadhasivam, study co-author from Virginia Tech, U.S., told Mongabay India. “While the impact of land subsidence on infrastructure is a well-recognised geohazard globally, in cities such as Jakarta, Mexico City and Tehran, its implications for building stability in India have not been systematically assessed.” The study found that roughly 1.9 million people across the five cities live in areas that are sinking at a rate of more than 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) per year. Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai face the highest levels of subsidence: the annual rates of subsidence reach 51 mm (2 in) for parts of Delhi, 31.7 mm (1.25 in) for Chennai, and 26.1 mm (1 in) for Mumbai. “Across all five megacities, groundwater dependence and overexploitation emerge as the dominant local drivers of subsidence,” Sadhasivam said.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Parts of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, India’s largest cities, are slowly sinking, mainly due to overextraction of groundwater, according to a recent study, reports Mongabay India’s Manish Chandra Mishra. Researchers used eight years of satellite radar data and found that 878 square kilometers (339 square miles) of land across the five megacities show […] authors: | ||
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Behind Sri Lanka’s ‘fish rain’ lies a web of migrations now blocked by rising dams 27 Nov 2025 14:36:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/behind-sri-lankas-fish-rain-lies-a-web-of-migrations-now-blocked-by-rising-dams/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: COLOMBO — From time to time, curious tales of “fish rain” grab media attention: fish seemingly fall from the sky, far from any bodies of water, following heavy downpours. The most recent incident occurred in northern Sri Lanka in October, after a thunderstorm, when residents discovered snakehead fish, a freshwater species, scattered across rain-soaked fields. Similar incidents have also been recorded in Honduras and Australia. But the fish don’t actually come from the sky. They come from lakes or lagoons, and are sucked up into the air by swirling columns of air known as waterspouts, which create a vortex effect, says Asoka Deepananda, a professor of fisheries biology at the University of Ruhuna. Once airborne, they’re carried overland, eventually dropping as the vortex weakens, he says. “This can happen especially after heavy rain following a long dry spell, when fish are concentrated in small water holes and can easily be lifted in numbers,” Deepananda tells Mongabay. He points to one such episode in southern Sri Lanka in 2012, when fish were found on rooftops near his university. “That incident clearly indicated that fish rain can occur. Reports from other countries describe frogs and other aquatic species falling from the sky as well, which are strange, but scientifically known events,” he says. Some fish like this climbing perch have specially adapted breathing mechanisms that allow them to survive outside water. Image courtesy of Madusanka Mihiran. ‘Natural biological behavior’ Not every incident of fish rain can be explained this way, says Rohan…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Sri Lanka recently reported a “fish rain,” where fish were found far from water bodies after heavy rains; but rather than falling from the sky, experts say these were amphibious fish that “walked” overland after the rains, making a rare but real phenomenon appear mysterious. - Events like this highlight the subtle yet vital migrations that many freshwater species undertake — from overland movements by climbing perch and snakeheads, to upstream monsoon breeding runs by small fishes, to the epic sea-to-river-to-sea journeys of eels navigating rocks, dams and reservoirs. - Such migrations are ecological lifelines, linking wetlands, rivers and coastlines, enriching ecosystems (as with salmon), and ensuring the survival and reproduction of a wide range of freshwater species. - But in Sri Lanka, a growing network of dams, mini-hydro barriers and irrigation weirs is fragmenting rivers and blocking these ancient routes; despite fish ladders being proposed by dam developers, they’re rarely built, leaving many species unable to complete migrations essential for their survival. authors: | ||
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How religious beliefs may help protect Mentawai’s forests 27 Nov 2025 10:29:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/how-religious-beliefs-may-help-protect-mentawais-forests/ 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. Off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, the Mentawai Islands rise from the Indian Ocean in a patchwork of forests and rivers where macaques, gibbons and hornbills thrive. Among the Indigenous Mentawai, an ancient cosmology called Arat Sabulungan continues to shape how people understand the natural world. It teaches that every tree, river and animal is inhabited by spirits whose balance must be respected. Though Islam and Christianity have spread through the islands, many young Mentawai still join their elders in ritual offerings before cutting trees or casting nets, reports Keith Anthony Fabro for Mongabay. “Mentawai youth today reinterpret their ancestral heritage in diverse ways,” researcher Dwi Wahyuni from Imam Bonjol State Islamic University, told Fabro. A recent study by Dwi and colleagues explored how Arat Sabulungan interacts with modern religion and conservation. Conducted in five villages on Siberut and Sipora islands, it found that youth raised in churches or mosques often still honor ancestral rituals. One example is buluat, a ceremony performed before felling trees, which includes an offering to the tree’s spirit and a promise to replant fruit trees. “Any trees we clear are replaced … If we do not replant, the land will not thrive,” an elder said. The researchers observed that such traditions act as informal safeguards against overexploitation. Yet Arat Sabulungan faces mounting pressure. Logging, which resumed after a moratorium ended in 2001, has stripped much of Siberut’s…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. Off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, the Mentawai Islands rise from the Indian Ocean in a patchwork of forests and rivers where macaques, gibbons and hornbills thrive. Among the Indigenous Mentawai, an ancient cosmology called Arat Sabulungan […] authors: | ||
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New agreement aims to streamline Amazon Rainforest protection efforts 27 Nov 2025 10:21:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/new-agreement-aims-to-streamline-amazon-rainforest-protection-efforts/ author: Abhishyantkidangoor dc:creator: Abhishyant Kidangoor content:encoded: A new agreement that aims to streamline the monitoring and protection of the Amazon Rainforest was announced at the COP30 climate summit that wrapped up this week in Belém, Brazil. The Mamirauá Declaration is “a collective commitment to transform how biodiversity is monitored, governed and protected across the Amazon Basin.” Thirty organizations from around the world — including Brazil-based research organization the Mamirauá Institute, <Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, BarcelonaTech (UPC) in Spain, and U.S.-based New York University and XPRIZE Foundation — signed the agreement at an event on the sidelines of COP30. The first two organizations led the efforts to coordinate and promote the declaration. “The declaration is a call to bring together governments, NGOs, Indigenous people and local communities and the private sector together to measure the pulse of the forest,” Emiliano Ramalho, technical scientific director at the Mamirauá Institute, told Mongabay in a video interview. “Looking from above, you can say the forest is there, but to see if it is pulsing or not, you need to go there and monitor, and that is the key idea of the declaration.” Under a unified framework, the declaration aims to bring together long-term but scattered initiatives that have been monitoring the Amazon Rainforest for years. One of its biggest highlights is the active participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities in monitoring efforts. The declaration also calls for more capacity building in the countries that make up the Amazon Basin. “It’s usually institutions from the Global North getting data from…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new agreement announced at the COP30 climate talks in Brazil intends to unify countries and institutions from around the world to monitor and protect the Amazon Rainforest. - The Mamirauá Declaration aims to develop a streamlined framework that will unify various long-term efforts to streamline data gathering and analysis. - The agreement focuses on the active participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities in monitoring; it also calls for more capacity building in countries in the Amazon Basin. authors: | ||
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EU backs another one-year delay for EUDR antideforestation law 27 Nov 2025 09:22:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/eu-backs-another-one-year-delay-for-eudr-antideforestation-law/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: The European Union has voted to postpone implementing a key antideforestation law for the second year in a row, citing technical concerns. Critics of the move warn that a delay and other proposed changes will further weaken the law. On Nov. 26, the European Parliament voted 402 to 250 in favor of an amendment that delays a start date for the landmark European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and introduces an array of exemptions to the law. When the law goes into effect, it will ban EU nations from importing goods like soy, beef, cocoa and palm oil that come from areas deforested after 2020. If the amendment is ratified, it will delay EUDR implementation another year to Dec. 30, 2026, with an additional grace period for small businesses through June 30, 2027. The EUDR was originally set to take effect at the end of 2024, before being pushed forward a year to December 2025. “EU lawmakers are subjecting the EUDR to death by a thousand cuts,” Nicole Polsterer, a campaigner at Netherlands-based nonprofit Fern, told Mongabay by email. “The endless carousel of attempts to revise and even destroy a law that was passed with a large democratic mandate two years ago, are a farce.” Along with the delay, European lawmakers also made a series of changes to the original law. Printed books and newspapers were removed from the scope of the law, a move perceived to benefit the forestry industry. Small operators that produce their own goods and are from…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The European Union has voted to postpone implementing a key antideforestation law for the second year in a row, citing technical concerns. Critics of the move warn that a delay and other proposed changes will further weaken the law. On Nov. 26, the European Parliament voted 402 to 250 in favor of an amendment that […] authors: | ||
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What was achieved for Indigenous peoples at COP30? 27 Nov 2025 08:27:48 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/what-was-achieved-for-indigenous-peoples-at-cop30/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Sonam Lama Hyolmo content:encoded: After two weeks of negotiations in Belém, Brazil, the COP30 U.N. climate summit delivered mixed outcomes, Indigenous delegates say. The event saw the largest Indigenous participation in COP history and landmark pledges made, but also heated protests and last-minute disappointments. “The summit was historic for Indigenous peoples, and this is the result of the Indigenous struggle working to be at this COP not only in numbers but also in quality of participation,” said Kleber Karipuna, executive coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), one of the main Indigenous organizations in Brazil. “Not everything has been won as we expected — much more Indigenous lands [still need] to be demarcated.” Promises on securing land rights A major outcome of the summit was the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment (ILTC), a historic pledge to recognize Indigenous land tenure rights over 160 million hectares (395 million acres) — an area the size of Iran — across tropical forest countries, including Brazil, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, by 2030. “It is one of the most positive outcomes we hoped to achieve at COP30,” Kleber said. “In Brazil alone, 63 million hectares [156 million acres] of Indigenous lands are pledged for protection, management, and land ownership.” In addition, the Forest Tenure Funders Group (FTFG) announced a renewed pledge, totaling $1.8 billion, to support Indigenous peoples, local and Afro-descendant communities in securing land rights over the next five years. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also signed decrees for 28 quilombos…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The two-week COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, saw the largest global participation of Indigenous leaders in the conference’s history. - With the adoption of measures like the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment, a $1.8 billion funding pledge, and the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), the summit resulted in historic commitments to secure land tenure rights for Indigenous peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant people. - Yet despite these advances, sources say frustrations grew as negotiators failed to establish pathways for rapid climate finance for adaptation, loss and damage, or to create road maps for reversing deforestation and phasing out fossil fuels. - While some pledges appear ambitious, Indigenous delegates say effective implementation of the pledges will depend on government transparency and accountable use of funds. authors: | ||
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What’s at stake for the environment in Honduras’ presidential election? 26 Nov 2025 20:42:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/whats-at-stake-for-the-environment-in-honduras-presidential-election/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: Honduras will hold elections Nov. 30 for president and all 128 seats in Congress. The winners will hold office for the next four years, shaping the country’s environmental policies at a time when its many forests and ocean ecosystems are rapidly disappearing. More than half of Honduran territory is covered in rainforest, with another 10% covered by coastal wetlands. La Mosquitia, one of the most important forests in Central America, connects protected areas in Nicaragua and acts a biological corridor for wildlife throughout the region. But the country also loses about 23,000 hectares (56,800 acres) of forest every year to fires, agribusiness and infrastructure development, as well as logging and illegal activities by criminal groups operating in remote border areas. A Miskito home in La Mosquitia. Image by Edgard Herrera/WCS. Despite having relatively low carbon emission rates, the government says these factors could eventually lead to a rise in emissions, complicating its long-term climate goal to cut them by 16% by 2030. It’s also committed to restoring approximately 1.3 million hectares (3.2 million acres) of forest by the same year. The candidates who win this election will leave office in 2029, giving the country just one year to meet these climate targets, making this a crucial moment to elect candidates with clear plans for the environment. Nevertheless, voters are more concerned about high crime rates and government corruption, including whether the outcomes of this election will be fair and honest. And while the Honduran economy has grown at a steady…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Honduras will hold elections Nov. 30 for president and all 128 seats in Congress. - The winners will hold office for the next four years, shaping the country’s environmental policies at a time when its many forests and ocean ecosystems are rapidly disappearing. - Leading candidates include Rixi Moncada of the progressive LIBRE party, Salvador Nasralla of the centrist Liberal party and Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura of the conservative National party. authors: | ||
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Central America’s forests are crucial for migrating birds: Study 26 Nov 2025 19:13:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/central-americas-forests-are-crucial-for-migrating-birds-study/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: As winter closes in across much of North America, migratory birds are heading south to warmer climes and more abundant food. But until recently, scientists didn’t have a good understanding of exactly where they went. Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology U.S. analyzed observations from eBird, a global citizen-science database of sightings submitted by bird-watchers. They found that in 2022 more than half of the 314 migratory bird species they studied went to the five great forests of Central America. They write that 5 billion migratory birds funnel through Central America each year. Many stop in the rainforests, alpine wetlands and mangroves of the five great forests: Selva Maya in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala; Moskitia in Honduras and Nicaragua; Indio Maíz-Tortuguero in Nicaragua and Costa Rica; La Amistad in Costa Rica and Panama; and the Darién in Panama and northern Colombia. Collectively, these forests cover more than 10 million hectares (2.5 million acres), the researchers write. The five great forests. Image courtesy of Trillion Trees. The study found that many species spend the entire winter in these forests, including one in four wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina). Others, including one-third of broad-winged hawks (Buteo platypterus) and 40% of cerulean warblers (Setophaga cerulea) use the forests as a stopover for journeys farther south. Cerulean warbler populations have declined by roughly 70% since the 1970s. “The density of migratory warblers, flycatchers, and vireos crowded into these five forests is astounding, and means that each hectare protected…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: As winter closes in across much of North America, migratory birds are heading south to warmer climes and more abundant food. But until recently, scientists didn’t have a good understanding of exactly where they went. Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology U.S. analyzed observations from eBird, a global […] authors: | ||
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45 more shark species up for CITES protections; tight vote expected 26 Nov 2025 17:43:09 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/45-more-shark-species-up-for-cites-protections-tight-vote-expected/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Philip Jacobson content:encoded: More than 180 nations gathering in Uzbekistan this week for the annual CITES conference could vote as early as Thursday on a proposal to regulate international trade in nearly 30 species of houndshark, a measure that would bring the vast majority of global shark trade under the wildlife body’s oversight. The measure would add three endangered houndsharks — the school shark (Galeorhinus galeus), common smoothhound (Mustelus mustelus) and Patagonian narrownose smoothhound (Mustelus schmitti) — as well as 26 lookalike species to CITES Appendix II, which would require countries to set up permit systems certifying that any foreign shipments of the animals are legal and sustainable. A family of about 40 small-to-medium-sized sharks known as Triakidae, houndsharks are widely consumed for their meat in southern Europe, where they’re eaten in a variety of dishes, and Australia, where they’re often the main component in fish and chips. Houndsharks can be found in restaurants in Athens, school lunches in Italy and taverns in Spain — though their meat isn’t always labeled as shark, so many people who eat it don’t realize what kind of fish it is. As bigger shark species have gradually come under CITES control, houndshark fins are increasingly turning up in Hong Kong, the world’s biggest shark fin trade hub, according to a genetic study published last year in Science Advances. “We also need to protect the small sharks,” Ralf Sonntag, marine biologist at Pro Wildlife, a German NGO, told Mongabay by phone from the Uzbek city of Samarkand, where…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Twenty-nine houndsharks and 16 gulper sharks are up for listing on CITES Appendix II at the wildlife trade regulator’s summit in Uzbekistan this week. - Conservationists expect the vote to be close, with critics saying “lookalike” species shouldn’t face trade restrictions. Proponents argue it’s necessary given the lack of knowledge among customs officials. - Houndsharks are widely consumed for their meat in Europe and Australia, while gulpers are hunted for their liver oil. authors: | ||
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DRC hit by record deforestation in 2024, satellite data show 26 Nov 2025 17:19:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/drc-hit-by-record-deforestation-in-2024-satellite-data-show/ author: Morgan Erickson-Davis dc:creator: Ruth Kamnitzer content:encoded: Africa’s great Congo Basin rainforest, often called the Earth’s second lung, covers an area about the size of India. Millions of people depend directly on the forest for food, energy and income. It is home to our closest relatives and some of the planet’s most threatened wildlife — gorillas (Gorilla sp.), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), bonobos (Pan paniscus), okapi (Okapia johnstoni), forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) and more. The humid forest with towering trees and extensive peatlands also helps regulate our global climate, taking in greenhouse gases emitted far beyond the forest’s borders. Sixty percent of the Congo Basin rainforest lies within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and around 70% of the DRC was covered in natural forest as of 2020, according to data visualized on the Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform. From 2002 to 2024, the DRC lost 7.1% of its forest cover, according to GFW satellite data, and experienced the third-largest absolute amount of primary forest loss globally, behind Brazil and Indonesia. (This estimate may be conservative and the actual amount even higher, according to GFW, as previous methods it had used to measure tree cover loss between 2001 and 2015 likely led to underestimations.) Annual primary forest loss in the DRC grew steadily over the past five years and spiked to a record high of 590,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) in 2024, according to GFW data. That’s up from 530,000 hectares (1.3 million acres) of primary forest loss in 2023 and 510,000 hectares in 2022. The data show…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In 2024, the DRC experienced an uptick in primary forest loss, with 590,000 hectares of forest lost, according to satellite data visualized on Global Forest Watch. - Subsistence agriculture continues to be the main driver of forest loss, with recent research finding artisanal mining in the eastern DRC results in more forest loss than researchers previously thought. - Wildfire emerged as a growing concern in the DRC in 2024, and data suggest fire activity may have have intensified further in 2025. - Escalating conflict and insecurity in the eastern DRC also put increasing pressure on forest resources. authors: | ||
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Negotiating Africa’s Energy Future 26 Nov 2025 16:32:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/specials/2025/11/negotiating-africas-energy-future/ author: Lemaemortimer dc:creator: content:encoded: A decade after countries agreed to the Paris climate agreement, Mongabay reports on an idea often invoked when discussing Africa’s path toward a low-carbon future: a just energy transition. Reporters from across the continent explore what “just” and “clean” energy mean for Africans. These stories show African countries are pursuing their own journeys toward more energy-intensive economies and societies, while seeking to limit their carbon footprint. Across Africa there is not one just energy transition, but many, with African nations striving for a deal that’s fair to their peoples and the planet, while pushing to reshape a deeply unequal international structure one climate negotiation at a time.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A decade after countries agreed to the Paris climate agreement, Mongabay reports on an idea often invoked when discussing Africa’s path toward a low-carbon future: a just energy transition. Reporters from across the continent explore what “just” and “clean” energy mean for Africans. These stories show African countries are pursuing their own journeys toward more […] authors: | ||
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Fossil fuel failure eclipses Africa’s wins at COP30 26 Nov 2025 16:30:33 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/fossil-fuel-failure-eclipses-africas-wins-at-cop30/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: David Akana content:encoded: The climate talks at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, closed with gains for Africa, Indigenous peoples and adaptation finance — but the summit’s failure to agree on a global fossil fuel phase-out overshadowed those wins. This year’s climate summit produced several notable outcomes. Countries agreed to establish a Just Transition Mechanism, launched a roadmap to triple adaptation finance by 2035, and formally adopted the Belém Adaptation Indicators, a set of benchmarks to track global progress on adaptation goals. African negotiators hailed the stronger language on just transition pathways. A just energy transition means shifting from fossil fuels to clean energy in a way that is fair, inclusive and rights-based so that climate action reduces inequality rather than deepening it. Read our special on just energy transition in Africa In an exclusive interview with Mongabay, Richard Muyungi, chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), called the agreement on a new Just Transition Mechanism “historic.” “It is the first time the term ‘clean cooking’ has been accepted in just transition negotiations,” he said. “We also secured recognition that addressing energy poverty — affecting 680 million Africans — is a prerequisite for development.” Sierra Leone’s minister of environment and climate change, Jiwoh Abdulai, echoed Muyungi’s assessment in prepared remarks shared with Mongabay, noting that while the COP did not deliver everything Africa sought, “progress was made on just transition, technology, and capacity.” One of Africa’s most symbolic gains on climate justice came with little fanfare. After more than a decade of pushing for…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - African negotiators secured significant gains on just transition, including recognition of clean cooking and energy poverty, marking the first time these priorities entered the formal United Nations climate negotiations. - Adaptation finance advanced but remains insufficient, with wealthy nations pledging to triple support only by 2035, despite Africa’s urgent needs and widespread concern over loan-heavy climate finance. - Forest conservation gained new momentum, with broad backing for a global deforestation roadmap and fresh funding initiatives like Brazil’s Tropical Forever Forest Fund (TFFF) and the Canopy Trust targeting Amazon and Congo Basin conservation. - Failure to agree on a fossil fuel phaseout puts Africa at heightened risk, with scientists warning that if carbon emissions continue to rise unabated, they could fuel more extreme events like droughts and floods, destabilize food systems, and displace people. authors: | ||
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How do we stop the next pandemic? 26 Nov 2025 14:51:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/video/2025/11/how-do-we-stop-the-next-pandemic/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Abhishyant Kidangoor content:encoded: How do we stop the next big viral outbreak? The answer to that question lies in preventing zoonotic spillovers. Thousands of pathogens have been silently circulating in our forests for centuries. However, climate change, deforestation and the trade of live animals increases the risk of bringing them in close proximity to humans. So how do we ensure the pathogens don’t make the jump? The answer lies in biodiversity protection. In the latest episode of Mongabay Explains, we take a look at how and why biodiversity protection efforts are crucial to preventing the next big viral outbreak. 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: Collage featuring Elise Paietta, a postdoctoral research scholar during fieldwork, with a tropical forest. What singing lemurs can tell us about the origin of musicThis article was originally published on Mongabay description: How do we stop the next big viral outbreak? The answer to that question lies in preventing zoonotic spillovers. Thousands of pathogens have been silently circulating in our forests for centuries. However, climate change, deforestation and the trade of live animals increases the risk of bringing them in close proximity to humans. So how do […] authors: | ||
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Deep-diving manta rays use the ocean’s midnight zone to build mental maps, study suggests 26 Nov 2025 14:49:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/deep-diving-manta-rays-use-the-oceans-midnight-zone-to-build-mental-maps-study-suggests/ author: Lizkimbrough dc:creator: Liz Kimbrough content:encoded: In the darkness nearly a mile beneath the ocean’s surface, where the pressure would crush a human and temperatures hover just above freezing, a creature with wings wider than a car glides through the abyss. It’s not searching for food or fleeing danger, but most likely finding direction. That’s the conclusion of a study that’s the first of its kind to examine in detail the extreme deep-diving behavior of oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris). The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, reveal that the rays can dive to depths of 1,250 meters (4,100 feet, or about three-quarters of a mile), part of the water column known as the midnight zone, which researchers say may help them navigate across thousands of miles of open water. “No one ever dreamed mantas would go this deep,” Mark Erdmann, shark conservation director at the NGO Re:wild and a co-author of the study, told Mongabay. “The likely reason the mantas braved the cold, dark, deep waters was not in search of food, nor to avoid predators, but likely for navigational purposes.” An international team of researchers tracked 24 manta rays between 2012 and 2022. They attached special tags to the animals in waters near Peru, Indonesia and Aotearoa New Zealand, recording more than 46,000 dives. Satellite tagging an oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris) near New Zealand. Photo courtesy of Edy Setyawan The rays appear to gather navigational information from the stable conditions of the deep ocean, where temperature, oxygen levels and possibly…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Oceanic manta rays dive to record depths of 1,250 meters (4,100 feet), according to a first-of-its-kind study to examine in detail the extreme deep-diving behavior of these rays. - Researchers tracked 24 manta rays between 2012 and 2022, attaching special tags to them in waters off Peru, Indonesia and Aotearoa New Zealand. - Researchers propose that dives help rays sample stable environmental signals, such as temperature, oxygen levels and possibly magnetic fields, in preparation for navigating the open ocean. - Extreme dives occurred most frequently when rays left continental shelves, before embarking on long journeys exceeding 200 kilometers (120 miles). authors: | ||
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Bird diversity drops in human-dominated habitats, Nepal study suggests 26 Nov 2025 13:55:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/bird-diversity-drops-in-human-dominated-habitats-nepal-study-suggests/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Sonam Lama Hyolmo content:encoded: KATHMANDU — Birds prefer to live in a mix of forests, fields and wetlands, but human activities such as logging, hunting and sand and gravel mining are taking a toll on such mosaics in Nepal’s southern plains, a recent study shows. The research, published in the Journal of Environmental Management, suggests such a mosaic of connected habitats coupled with a reduction of disturbances from human activities such as extraction may help boost not only the numbers of birds, but species as well. “We found that while birds seek heterogeneity in their habitats, human activities are increasingly homogenizing the landscapes at the cost of bird habitats,” said Hem Bahadur Katuwal, assistant professor at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. As part of the study, researchers studied the diversity, ecological traits and functions (habitat, diet, mobility and body size) and ancestry of 238 randomly selected bird species in an anthropogenic (farmland and settlement) and a natural (forest and riverine) habitat within the Parsa-Koshi Complex (PKC) in southern Nepal for more than a year. “We chose the study area because it is not only rich in natural habitat, but it also has the highest population density in Nepal,” Katuwal said. Grey Heron spotted in the study area. Image courtesy of Hem Bahadur Katuwal. Katuwal and his team then used computer models to compare this data with the level of human activity and landscape patterns in the same area, aiming to see if human activities acted like a “filter” that only allowed…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Areas dominated by humans are home to fewer species, with similar ecosystem function and proximity in the evolutionary family tree, a recent study in Nepal’s southern plains suggests. - Human activities act like a filter, letting only certain birds survive. Even natural areas show signs of such filtering when logging and hunting remove sensitive species, leaving behind only closely related groups of birds that are resilient and adaptable. - A mosaic landscape provides more “homes” and more ecological roles for birds, helping them survive even amid human disturbances. authors: | ||
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Brazil nut hauling effort gets easier with zip lines and ‘Amazon Waze’ 26 Nov 2025 13:45:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/brazil-nut-hauling-effort-gets-easier-with-zip-lines-and-amazon-waze/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Fernanda Wenzel content:encoded: Every year, the arrival of the rainy season and the swelling of the Anauá River indicate it’s time for the Wai Wai Indigenous people to go upriver to collect Brazil nuts. They spend the next few weeks in campsites in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, wandering through the nut groves and filling thousands of bags with the so-called hedgehogs, the woody fruit pods that hold the nuts. Brazil nuts, known locally as castanha, are popular worldwide, where they’re often marketed as Amazon nuts or Pará nuts. They’re the main source of income for around 60,000 Amazonian people living in Indigenous and riverine communities. In the Wai Wai territory, in Brazil’s Roraima state, the nuts are also a crucial part of the diet, blended with cassava flour to eat, or made into broth, juice or oil. However, bringing the nuts back to the villages from the depths of the rainforest, and from there selling them on to traders, is an adventure. Once the collection is over, the Indigenous people fill their boats with heavy bags of nuts and go down the winding river, where they run a gauntlet of rocky rapids and waterfalls. This often forces the Wai Wai to step out of their boats and tow them. One of the waterfalls, known as Conceição, is often impossible to cross, forcing the group to finish the route on foot. “We have to pull the canoe up to the waterfall,” Levi José da Silva, the leader of the Anauá community, told1…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Researchers are developing solutions to help Brazil nut collectors in the Amazon Rainforest reduce the physical toll of the trade. - These include zip lines to haul heavy sacks across difficult terrain, and ergonomic baskets to reduce back strain while picking up the nut pods. - These new technologies could encourage Indigenous youths to continue the practice, a crucial step for sustaining local communities who keep the Amazon standing. - These advances are part of Brazil’s national push for a bioeconomy, a model designed to generate economic growth and social inclusion while protecting the rainforest. authors: | ||
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How community custody empowered Ecuador’s crab catchers and revived its mangroves 26 Nov 2025 11:36:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/how-community-custody-empowered-ecuadors-crab-catchers-and-revived-its-mangroves/ author: Jeremy Hance dc:creator: Alexis Serrano Carmona content:encoded: Puerto Buenavista Island is home to a small village of crab catchers and fishers in the middle of the waters of the Gulf of Guayaquil in Ecuador. There are only 30 families, 140 people, and their homes, built very close to each other, form a line of blues, reds, yellows and greens. Access to Puerto Buenavista is only via an artisanal pier, made of wood so delicate that it looks like it could fall apart at any time. Along the shore, heavily eroded by the water that hits it every rainy season, 10 crab catchers gather to have a conversation. The journey to Puerto Buenavista is a one-hour boat ride from Caraguay Market, in southern Guayaquil. The brackish water along the way is a mixture of currents from the Daule and Babahoyo rivers and the Pacific Ocean. Throughout the entire trip, one is surrounded by the intense green mangrove forests, interrupted only along a few stretches by pools used for shrimp farming. The crab catchers discuss their fishing routines, the way they distinguish between male and female crabs just by sight, and their method of luring crabs out of their burrows using a meter-long rod. But they also discuss the “rounds” they make for vigilance, making sure that no one cuts down, damages or invades the mangrove forests. They are crab catchers, they say proudly. But they are also guardians — the guardians of the mangroves. Hectare for hectare, a mangrove forest can store five to seven times as much…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Under agreements for sustainable use and protection, Ecuador’s environment ministry has granted concessions for 98,000 hectares (about 242,000 acres) of mangrove forests to artisanal fishers in the Gulf of Guayaquil. - The fishers can catch crabs to sell, but are committed to the protection of this valuable ecosystem, imposing closed seasons twice a year and refraining from catching female and juvenile crabs. - The concessions represent 62% of the total area of mangrove forests in Ecuador, of which 80% are located in the Gulf of Guayaquil. - This system has allowed for the conservation of mangroves for 26 years and has been shown to be effective in protecting this type of forest, which is capable of retaining up to five times more carbon than other tropical forests. authors: | ||
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Saving forests won’t be enough if fossil fuels beneath them are still extracted, experts warn 26 Nov 2025 11:25:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/saving-forests-wont-be-enough-if-fossil-fuels-beneath-them-are-still-extracted-experts-warn/ author: Hans Nicholas Jong dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong content:encoded: BELÉM, Brazil — A new analysis warns that the world is overlooking a major source of future emissions hidden beneath tropical forests — and that Brazil’s newly launched Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) could dramatically expand its climate impact by addressing it. Published by the nonprofit Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO), the study overlays forest cover with national fossil fuel deposit maps and finds that forests in 68 countries sit on top of oil, gas and coal deposits whose extraction would release an estimated 317 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases. When including all resources, not just proven reserves, the figure rises to 4.6 trillion metric tons. The 317 gigaton (Gt) figure alone exceeds the remaining global carbon budget to keep warming below 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit), raising the stakes for countries that may be asked to choose between forest protection and fossil fuel extraction. “[We found] that governments were quite unwilling to stop fossil fuel extraction, even if it’s a national park, even if it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or other categories of nature conservation,” LINGO director Kjell Kühne said at a side event of the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil. LINGO argues that forests sitting on fossil reserves face heightened risk, as authorities may see extraction as too financially valuable to forgo — even where forests are intact or legally protected. Maps of TFFF biomes with underlying oil/gas and coal. Image courtesy of LINGO A blind spot in forest finance All forests identified in the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new analysis finds that tropical forests in 68 countries sit atop fossil fuel deposits that, if extracted, would emit 317 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases — more than the remaining 1.5°C (2.7°F) carbon budget — revealing a major blind spot in global climate policy. - Because Brazil’s proposed Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) focuses only on stopping deforestation, researchers warn it risks missing far larger emissions from potential oil, gas and coal extraction under protected forests. - India, China and Indonesia hold the largest fossil reserves beneath forests, with Indonesia facing acute trade-offs as most of its coal lies under forest areas where mining threatens biodiversity and Indigenous communities, including rhino habitats in Borneo. - Experts say that compensating countries for leaving fossil fuels unextracted — through mechanisms like debt swaps or climate finance — could unlock massive climate benefits, but fossil fuel phaseout remains excluded from TFFF negotiations despite growing calls to include it. authors: | ||
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As Sri Lanka continues new elephant drive, scientists warn against creating new conflicts 26 Nov 2025 10:57:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/as-sri-lanka-continues-new-elephant-drive-scientists-warn-against-creating-new-conflicts/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: COLOMBO — Playful 7-year-old Thinuli loved accompanying her father to his chena fields in a remote village in Hambantota, in Sri Lanka’s deep south. In August, she joined him as usual, eager to help in the field before the heat of the day. But in a tragic instant, an elephant charged out of the nearby thicket. Her father tried to save her, but it was too late. The elephant trampled Thinuli to death and left her father critically injured before retreating to the forest. Two months later, in October, tragedy struck again, but differently. A pregnant female elephant was found shot dead in a nearby area, her body lying near a crop field she had likely entered in search of fodder. The fatal bullet, reportedly fired by a farmer defending his field, claimed not only her life but also that of her unborn calf. These twin tragedies, occurring just kilometers apart, illustrate the worsening struggle between humans and elephants in Hambantota. Both humans and elephants are fighting for survival in a shrinking landscape, but only humans have a voice to demand solutions. Under growing pressure to address the escalating human-elephant conflict (HEC), authorities in Hambantota have recently launched another large-scale elephant drive, aiming to push elephants from human settlements into designated protected areas. “With several mega development projects in Hambantota, HEC in the area has gradually increased. We must protect both elephants and humans, so this operation was launched on humanitarian grounds,” said Hambantota district parliamentarian Nihal Galappaththi, who has…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In Sri Lanka’s southern district of Hambantota, authorities have launched a large-scale elephant drive, mobilizing wildlife officers, armed forces and villagers to push herds from villages into what is known as the Managed Elephant Reserve (MER). - Conservationists warn the Hambantota operation could mirror past failed drives, such as the 2006 drive in the south and the 2024 operation in north-central Sri Lanka that left elephant herds stranded. - Experts urge a shift from elephant drives to implementing coexistence strategies, including habitat management and community-based fencing, as outlined in Sri Lanka’s national action plan to mitigate human-elephant conflict. - Despite having reliable data on Asian elephant behavior and HEC, local scientists lament Sri Lanka is not adopting a scientific approach to find solutions to HEC while repeating past mistakes. authors: | ||
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Island-confined reptiles face high extinction risk, but low research interest 26 Nov 2025 10:35:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/island-confined-reptiles-face-high-extinction-risk-but-low-research-interest/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta content:encoded: Reptile species found only on islands are significantly more vulnerable to extinction than their mainland counterparts, yet remain vastly overlooked by researchers, according to a recent study. “Reptiles, partly due to their ability to endure long periods without food or water, are particularly effective island colonizers,” Ricardo Rocha, study co-author and an associate professor at the University of Oxford, U.K., told Mongabay by email. “Across the globe, they have co-evolved with a wide range of island taxa and play a crucial role in maintaining island ecosystem dynamics. Yet, despite this importance, they are often overlooked in favour of more groups perceived as more charismatic such as birds or mammals.” The researchers reviewed published scientific research on nearly 12,000 known species of reptiles recognized as of May 2021, and found that 2,543 species, or 21%, are confined to islands. About 30% of these island-restricted species are currently threatened with extinction, the study found, compared to 12% of mainland reptile species. Yet despite their much higher extinction risk, island species were the focus of just 6.7% of the published research from 1960-2021. The review also found that nearly half of the island-restricted species, have no published research targeting them at all. “The current research levels are insufficient to meet the needs of defining informed conservation strategies for a large number of threatened species,” Sara Nunes, study lead author from the University of Porto, Portugal, told Mongabay by email. What research does exist on island-restricted reptiles tends to focus on large, more widespread…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Reptile species found only on islands are significantly more vulnerable to extinction than their mainland counterparts, yet remain vastly overlooked by researchers, according to a recent study. “Reptiles, partly due to their ability to endure long periods without food or water, are particularly effective island colonizers,” Ricardo Rocha, study co-author and an associate professor at […] authors: | ||
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The roughed-up roughy fish (cartoon) 26 Nov 2025 06:10:55 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2025/11/the-roughed-up-roughy-fish-cartoon/ author: Nandithachandraprakash dc:creator: Rohan Chakravarty content:encoded: The orange roughy may be among the oldest living deep-sea fish in the world, with a lifespan of up to 250 years. But bottom trawling practices in Australia and New Zealand might have already decimated their slow-breeding populations beyond recovery.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The orange roughy may be among the oldest living deep-sea fish in the world, with a lifespan of up to 250 years. But bottom trawling practices in Australia and New Zealand might have already decimated their slow-breeding populations beyond recovery. authors: | ||
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COP30: What did it deliver for the ocean? 25 Nov 2025 20:06:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/cop30-what-did-it-deliver-for-the-ocean/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Elizabeth Claire Alberts content:encoded: Between Nov. 10 and 21, more than 56,000 delegates, including representatives from nearly 200 nations, gathered in Belém, Brazil, for the 30th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This year’s summit, called COP30, was the second-best-attended climate COP in history, and it took place at a critical moment. Global temperatures have climbed to modern record highs, and extreme weather is battering ecosystems and communities around the world. This is happening despite countries a decade earlier adopting the Paris Agreement, a legally binding treaty aimed at limiting warming to 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Delegates were under pressure to strike agreements to cut greenhouse gas emissions, to protect people already facing climate impacts, and to finance the energy and economic transitions needed to avoid further catastrophic warming. The negotiations eventually culminated in countries pledging funding for climate adaptation, and agreeing to take steps to ensure that this transition is just and equitable. A coalition of nations also agreed to follow a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, albeit outside of the U.N. structure. While the negotiations focused broadly on mitigating the impacts of climate change, Marina Corrêa, the oceans focal point at WWF-Brazil, also said there was “amazing progress” at COP30 in “recognizing the ocean-climate nexus,” and that an increasing number of countries had adopted ocean-based solutions to achieve their climate goals. Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during a meeting with the negotiating groups from…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - As climate change talks took center stage at COP30, a growing number of countries have integrated ocean-based solutions into their national climate commitments. - A new report found that 92% of coastal and island nations’ updated climate plans now include ocean-related measures, although these strategies still represent only 12% of all proposed climate mitigation actions. - Brazil and France unveiled a Blue NDC Implementation Taskforce to boost ocean solutions, while countries like the Solomon Islands and Ghana launched new plans for protecting their marine and coastal systems. authors: | ||
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Rights to millions of hectares of Indigenous & local communities’ lands restored by ‘barefoot lawyers’ 25 Nov 2025 17:46:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025/11/rights-to-millions-of-hectares-of-indigenous-local-communities-lands-restored-by-barefoot-lawyers/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo content:encoded: Nonette Royo is a lawyer from the Philippines and executive director of The Tenure Facility, a group of “barefoot lawyers” working to secure land tenure for Indigenous, local and Afro-descendant communities across the world. To date, the organization has secured more than $150 million in funding and has made progress in securing land rights covering 34 million hectares (84 million acres) across 35 projects, an area larger than Greece. Royo joins Mongabay’s podcast to discuss the organization’s success, its recognition as a finalist for the 2025 Earthshot Prize, and why land rights are so crucial both for cultural survival and slowing the pace of global ecological degradation. “This work is really about land tenure, and about land and people. And it is very important because at this point in our world, where we are breaching planetary boundaries, we are still hesitating to invest in the people who protect our land, our forests and our diverse systems,” she says. Royo spoke with Mongabay from the United Nations climate summit, COP30, in Belém, Brazil. Despite being called the “Indigenous COP” by some due to the historically high number of Indigenous delegates, many of these attendees were seen protesting outside the debate halls, even as Brazil announced recognition of 10 new Indigenous territories to protect their cultures and environments. Advocates and experts reiterate the need to get funding into the hands of Indigenous communities, and Royo also puts her support behind the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment (ILTC) pledge to recognize 160 million hectares…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Nonette Royo is a lawyer from the Philippines and executive director of The Tenure Facility, a group of “barefoot lawyers” working to secure land tenure for Indigenous, local and Afro-descendant communities across the world. To date, the organization has secured more than $150 million in funding and has made progress in securing land rights covering […] authors: | ||
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Drought amplifies human-wildlife conflict, study finds 25 Nov 2025 17:38:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/drought-amplifies-human-wildlife-conflict-study-finds/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: A recent study from the U.S. state of California finds that the public reported more encounters with wildlife in times of drought. Researchers say they expect such drought-driven human-wildlife interactions in other areas also facing water shortages — a growing problem amid climate change. The researchers analyzed more than 31,000 wildlife-related incidents reported by members of the public to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) between 2017 and 2023. The reports fell into four categories: property damage; general nuisance including negative interactions unrelated to property damage; instances when people believe an animal could potentially cause conflict; and simple sightings. Most reported incidents, more than 18,000, involved property damage. These ranged from attacks on livestock by pumas and coyotes, to landscaping damage by wild pigs and turkeys, to home damage by black bears. Researchers focused on the roughly 23,000 incidents of direct conflict involving property damage and general nuisance. They found that American black bears (Ursus americanus) were the most reported species, followed by wild pigs (Sus scrofa), pumas (Puma concolor), coyotes (Canis latrans), North American beavers (Castor canadensis), bobcats (Lynx rufus), wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), raccoons (Procyon lotor) and gray squirrels (Sciurus griseus). The study found a strong link between incident numbers and precipitation data: wildlife conflicts increased significantly as precipitation dropped. The total number of reported incidents increased 2.11% for every 25-millimeter (1-inch) decrease in precipitation. Moreover, areas with higher tree and population density were associated with increased reports of conflict, the study…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A recent study from the U.S. state of California finds that the public reported more encounters with wildlife in times of drought. Researchers say they expect such drought-driven human-wildlife interactions in other areas also facing water shortages — a growing problem amid climate change. The researchers analyzed more than 31,000 wildlife-related incidents reported by members […] authors: | ||
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Global tiger trafficking crisis worsens with nine big cats seized monthly 25 Nov 2025 17:20:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/global-tiger-trafficking-crisis-worsens-with-nine-big-cats-seized-monthly/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysa (AP) — Authorities have seized an average of nine tigers each month over the past five years, highlighting a worsening trafficking crisis. A report by TRAFFIC warns that criminal networks are evolving faster than conservation efforts can respond. The global wild tiger population has plummeted to an estimated 3,700-5,500. Despite international protection, tiger trafficking is accelerating and increasingly targeting whole animals. Experts link this to captive-breeding operations and rising demand for exotic pets and taxidermy. Most seizures occur in countries with wild tiger populations, but incidents are also reported in places like Mexico and the U.S. The report emphasizes the need for strong international cooperation to combat this crisis. By Eileen Ng, Associated Press Banner image: of a tiger in India. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay. This article was originally published on Mongabay description: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysa (AP) — Authorities have seized an average of nine tigers each month over the past five years, highlighting a worsening trafficking crisis. A report by TRAFFIC warns that criminal networks are evolving faster than conservation efforts can respond. The global wild tiger population has plummeted to an estimated 3,700-5,500. Despite international protection, […] authors: | ||
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Botanists decode secret life of rare plants to ensure reintroduction success 25 Nov 2025 16:42:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/botanists-decode-secret-life-of-rare-plants-to-ensure-reintroduction-success/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Katarina Zimmer content:encoded: It was 2006 and Ismail Ebrahim, a botanist with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), was worried. While surveying one of the last remaining patches of renosterveld shrubland in South Africa’s Paarl region, near Cape Town, he and his team of citizen scientists found a small, yellow-flowered daisy species: Marasmodes undulata. It had long been thought extinct, with the last 200-strong population observed at the same location near the town of Paarl in the 1980s. Now, Ebrahim’s team had discovered an even smaller population, numbering just 27 individuals. The citizen scientists had to act quickly to stave off species oblivion. Competing vegetation was choking out the small daisies, so Ebrahim’s team took the calculated risk of setting fire to the site to level the playing field and stimulate seedling growth for the fire-adapted daisy. But no M. undulata reappeared at first, and those popping up in subsequent years disappeared. “Every time we went back to the site, we found less plants,” Ebrahim recalls. Why put so much focus on conserving a diminutive shrubland flower? Among the diverse inhabitants of the renosterveld, few species are more easily overlooked than M. undulata, which botanist Donovan Kirkwood of Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden affectionately called the “ugly duckling daisy” before his untimely in August. But just like other renosterveld plants, M. undulata belongs there, forming part of an ecosystem that becomes more sensitive to collapse with every species that is lost. Like a Jenga tower block, the little daisy helps keep the broader…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Working with South African daisies, Colombian magnolias and Philippine coffee trees, botanists the world over are discovering the secrets to bringing extremely rare and threatened plants back from the brink of extinction. Reintroductions are often the only way to build back thriving populations, but scientists face numerous hurdles. - A major barrier is lack of botanical knowledge about rare species, making it hard to produce sufficient viable seeds, determine triggers for germination, and identify suitable seedling habitat. If seeds aren’t available from rare plants, botanists must use cuttings to propagate plants. - Newly established plant populations often need help in the face of numerous threats. Climate change, for example, can not only create harsh new growing conditions but also fuels the spread of plant pests. Young plants frequently need to be protected from human activities like poaching, intentional burning or land-use change. - While it can take decades for reintroduced plants to grow into sustainable, self-replenishing populations, project funding is often limited to three years or less, especially in the Global South. Experts say they hope funding will increase as recognition grows that ecosystem restoration requires plant diversity, including rare species. authors: | ||
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Big finance still funds deforestation, 10 years after Paris pact 25 Nov 2025 15:51:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/big-finance-still-funds-deforestation-10-years-after-paris-pact/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: A new report by the Forests & Finance Coalition finds that despite years of voluntary climate commitments, banks and other financial institutions have continued to increase their investments in companies linked to deforestation. The value of investments in these companies — in industries such as beef, soy, palm oil and paper — has increased by almost $8 billion since the Paris Agreement was signed a decade ago, the report finds. As of September 2025, investors held $42 billion in bonds and shares in more than 191 forest-risk companies identified in the report. The three largest investors are Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and Employees Provident Fund, both Malaysian state-owned entities, and U.S. investment manager Vanguard. Banks, including Brazil-based Banco do Brasil, Sicredi and Bradesco, provided $429 billion in loans and underwriting to more than 300 forest-risk companies, representing a 35% increase between 2016 and 2024. “A decade after the Paris Agreement, we see little to no action from banks and investors to stop the money pipeline to tropical forest destruction,” Merel van der Mark, Forests & Finance Coalition coordinator and co-author of the report, told Mongabay in an email. “In fact, our data shows that overall, credit and investment keep growing, while banks and investors lack the necessary policies and processes to ensure this money will not harm forests, people and the climate. This means that we need far stronger, and mandatory, measures to start shifting these financial flows.” None of the institutions mentioned in this story responded to Mongabay’s request for…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A new report by the Forests & Finance Coalition finds that despite years of voluntary climate commitments, banks and other financial institutions have continued to increase their investments in companies linked to deforestation. The value of investments in these companies — in industries such as beef, soy, palm oil and paper — has increased by […] authors: | ||
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Brazil aims for alternative route to fossil fuel road map after COP30 failure 25 Nov 2025 13:51:24 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/brazil-aims-for-alternative-route-to-fossil-fuel-road-map-after-cop30-failure/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Carla Ruas content:encoded: BELÉM, Brazil — In April 2026, a new summit in Santa Marta, Colombia, promises to advance on one crucial point the U.N. climate summits have been failing to address after 30 editions: planning the transition to a world without fossil fuels. An action plan for a phaseout was once again left out of COP official outcomes in the Amazonian city of Belém, which held the event for two weeks ending Nov. 22. Although Brazil spearheaded a road map to move away from planet-warming fossil fuels, it was never included in the official agenda — despite expectations following COP28’s call for a transition. Brazil hosted COP30 with high promises despite its scaling environmental contradictions, such as green-lighting the exploration of oil on the Amazon coast weeks before the event. However, the Belém summit was presented as the “implementation COP” and the “COP of the truth” in official banners. In a powerful opening speech, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva first launched the road map proposal. “We need road maps that will enable humankind, in a fair and planned manner, to overcome its dependence on fossil fuels, halt and reverse deforestation and mobilize resources to achieve these goals,” he said. Lula’s speech was within the spirit of mutirão, which initially took over negotiations in Belém. The Portuguese word with roots in the Indigenous language Tupi-Guarani means making a “collective effort” to achieve concrete results. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, with COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago on his left and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Brazil will collaborate with the Colombian and Dutch delegations to develop the road map outside the formal U.N. process, with the goal of bringing it back for discussion at COP31. - Experts say the Belém summit showed disappointing deals after ambitious promises, failing to address the environmental and economic needs of climate change. - The turbulent final plenary exposed deeper diplomatic rifts, with one delegate accusing Colombian counterparts of behaving “like children” amid high tensions. authors: | ||
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It’s ‘whack-a-mole’: Alarming rise in pet trade fuels wildlife trafficking into California 25 Nov 2025 13:38:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/its-whack-a-mole-alarming-rise-in-pet-trade-fuels-wildlife-trafficking-into-california/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman content:encoded: In October, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at California’s Otay Mesa border crossing noticed an odd bulge inside a man’s pants. Jesse Agus Martinez, a U.S. citizen who lives in Tijuana, repeatedly claimed the bump was “pirrin,” a Spanish word for penis. His history of smuggling birds into the U.S. prompted further examination, and the officer found two brown sacks hidden in his underwear. Each contained an unconscious, heavily sedated orange-fronted parakeet (Eupsittula canicularis). He was indicted by a grand jury on November 14 for illegally importing the birds — a protected species native to Mexico and Costa Rica. Earlier that month, investigators with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) uncovered an alleged illegal trafficking operation dealing in rare animal parts that was linked to an unnamed Los Angeles-based business. Officials seized thousands of elephant ivory pieces, nine rhino horns, several carved tusks and a sea turtle shell, which will be analyzed at the department’s Wildlife Forensics Lab. As of publication, no arrests have been made. These incidents offer a glimpse into the range of wildlife flowing illegally into the state: birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates. “The recent trends in illegal wildlife trafficking into California show a marked rise in the smuggling of live, high-value species protected under CITES and the Endangered Species Act,” said Denise Larison, acting regional supervisor for wildlife inspection at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). “The top three right now that we’re seeing in California [are] live reptiles, live corals ……This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - California has become a wildlife trafficking hotspot in the U.S., with a notable spike in live animals smuggled across the southern border to be sold as pets, from monkeys and exotic birds to venomous snakes. - The state has three high-traffic border crossings with Mexico and millions of tons of cargo shipped through some of the nation’s busiest airports and seaports. With limited staff, resource-strapped agencies face serious challenges in policing the illegal import of protected plants and animals into California. - Poachers also target California’s native plants and reptiles, threatening local species. Meanwhile, some imported animals get loose and become invasive species that destroy ecosystems or may carry diseases, creating public health risks. - As traffickers exploit new technologies and follow market demand for different animals, enforcement officials struggle to control the influx of illegally traded species. authors: | ||
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Already disappearing, Southeast Asia’s striped rabbits now caught in global pet trade 25 Nov 2025 12:40:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/already-disappearing-southeast-asias-striped-rabbits-now-caught-in-global-pet-trade/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman content:encoded: In the remote rainforest of Sumatra, Indonesia, and the Annamite Mountains straddling Vietnam and Laos, two species of nocturnal rabbits live elusive lives. These species, both of which have distinctive black stripes coloring their fur, are each known to occur in only a single habitat: the Sumatran striped rabbit (Nesolagus netscheri) is found only in the western and southern parts of the island, and the Annamite striped rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi) saunters the Annamites. Both species are threatened by disappearing and ever-degraded rainforest habitats, and illegal snaring and poaching, pushing them to the brink of extinction. The IUCN Red List classifies Annamite striped rabbits as endangered and Sumatran striped rabbits as data deficient, meaning scientists do not know how many of them are left in the wild or how well their populations are faring. In a recent paper published in the journal Oryx, conservationists highlight an additional emerging threat to the species: international smuggling for the pet trade. A spate of recent seizures of live striped rabbits in India, which has seen increasing seizures of exotic wildlife species from across the world, highlights the growing trade in the species. All of the seized individuals came from Thailand, which has a thriving wildlife market. Indian authorities identified all seized rabbits as the Sumatran species, but the paper’s authors question that claim. The two species, despite having evolved separately for nearly 8 million years, are so similar that scientists have to peer into their DNA to tell them apart, or use a Vernier…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Rare, elusive and little-known to science, two species of striped rabbits are endemic to Southeast Asia: Sumatran striped rabbits from Indonesia and endangered Annamite striped rabbits from the Vietnam-Laos border region. - Both species are threatened by habitat loss and illegal snaring, despite having protected status in their range countries. - In recent months, authorities have seized at least 10 live rabbits smuggled from Thailand on commercial flights to India, highlighting the first known instance of these rabbits being trafficked internationally for the pet trade. - Conservationists say this trend is alarming, given that the two species are on the brink of extinction. They urge range countries to add the two species to CITES Appendix III, the international wildlife trade convention, and to work with Thai authorities to establish a conservation breeding program with the seized rabbits. authors: | ||
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In the Andes, elections ride on political frustrations and social movements 25 Nov 2025 11:30:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/in-the-andes-elections-ride-on-political-frustrations-and-social-movements/ author: Mayra dc:creator: Timothy J. Killeen content:encoded: The Andean Republics, like many nations in Hispanic America, have a historical tradition of electing charismatic presidents who use their electoral success to subjugate legislatures and dominate political parties. Over the last couple of decades, presidential candidates have extended this approach by abandoning legacy parties to create new political instruments that would be considered campaign offices in more established political systems. Legacy parties were always subject to domination by presidential candidates, but they also represented a collective of like-minded individuals seeking to promote an economic and social agenda. In contrast, ‘campaign parties’ are created solely to elect a single individual. In the immediate aftermath of the military era, politicians affiliated with legacy parties dominated the electoral landscape in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, while in Colombia the two main political parties extended their influence by fielding candidates from political dynasties adept at climbing the ladder of a caste-bound political system. Increasingly, dark horse candidates in all four countries won elections after they emerged from new parties created by dissident politicians for the explicit purpose of launching a presidential campaign. The decline of the legacy parties led to a more open electoral process. Alternative pathways to presidential power include the private sector or multilateral development agencies, typically after the aspiring statesman has served in a high-profile cabinet ministry. These entrepreneurial candidates embraced the campaign party model because it has proven to be a successful way to win presidential elections; however, it has failed to provide them with sufficient legislative representation to build…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The weakness of political parties in Latin America has led to the development of “campaign offices,” particularly in the Andean countries, with the sole objective of winning the presidency. This is how low-profile figures from new parties, created by dissidents eager to compete, have emerged. - Despite this, some very successful candidates emerged from social movements that channeled popular frustration with inequality, corruption, and institutional collapse. In the case of Venezuela and Bolivia, these leaders motivated a strong and consolidated opposition. - In Peru and Ecuador, the winning president’s party is not the largest, undermining its ability to push through a legislative agenda and even to protect its leader from impeachment. authors: | ||
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Chronic diseases prevalent across animals, but understudied: Study 25 Nov 2025 11:24:41 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/chronic-diseases-prevalent-across-animals-but-understudied-study/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta content:encoded: From obesity in cats and dogs and osteoarthritis in pigs, to cancer in whales and high blood glucose in racoons, chronic diseases are increasingly becoming a concern across the animal world, a recent study finds. Most of these ailments can be traced back to human-driven changes, the author says. Antonia Mataragka, the study’s author from the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece, told Mongabay by email that she and her colleagues have been noticing signals “suggesting that chronic, non-communicable diseases may be emerging more frequently across very different animal populations: pets, livestock, wildlife, and even aquatic species.” In humans, many noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are tracked through large standardized systems. But such data for domestic and wild animals tend to come from “small, isolated studies using different methods and definitions,” she added. This prompted Mataragka to review the published scientific research to assess what’s known about chronic diseases in animals and where knowledge gaps remain. The review found that over the past two decades, NCDs like obesity, diabetes and kidney disease appear to have increased in companion animals like dogs and cats. Meanwhile, a significant proportion of livestock, including cows and pigs, suffer from metabolic disorders, osteoarthritis and fatty liver disease. Wildlife also show signs of chronic diseases, the review found. Researchers have documented gastrointestinal or mammary cancers among beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), urogenital carcinoma among California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), high blood sugar in raccoons (Procyon lotor), fibropapillomatosis, which causes tumoral growths, in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), and severe…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: From obesity in cats and dogs and osteoarthritis in pigs, to cancer in whales and high blood glucose in racoons, chronic diseases are increasingly becoming a concern across the animal world, a recent study finds. Most of these ailments can be traced back to human-driven changes, the author says. Antonia Mataragka, the study’s author from […] authors: | ||
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In Indonesia’s courts, truth can be a lonely witness 25 Nov 2025 11:11:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/in-indonesias-courts-truth-can-be-a-lonely-witness/ 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. For more than two decades, professors Bambang Hero Saharjo and Basuki Wasis of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture have stood where science meets power, testifying against companies accused of torching forests and draining peatlands. Their measurements of ash and carbon and their calculations of hectares lost have given judges a way to translate ecological ruin into the dry language of liability. For that service to the public, they have been repaid with lawsuits, harassment and danger, reports Rendy Tisna for Mongabay Indonesia. Last October, a court in Bogor, south of Jakarta, offered a rare reversal: it dismissed a civil suit brought by PT Kalimantan Lestari Mandiri, a palm oil firm once fined for fires that scorched more than 800 hectares (nearly 2,000 acres) of Borneo peat. The company had sought billions of rupiah in damages from the very experts whose testimony helped convict it years earlier. The judges ruled for the scientists. “Hopefully this will set a good precedent to protect environmental defenders,” Bambang told Mongabay Indonesia after the verdict. It was the fourth such case he has endured. Each time, the aim has been less to win than to exhaust — one more strategic lawsuit against public participation, designed to make truth-telling unbearably costly. “If we keep getting sued like this,” he warned, “the environment will become increasingly neglected.” Their victory was cheered by activists and the environment minister alike, who called…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. For more than two decades, professors Bambang Hero Saharjo and Basuki Wasis of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture have stood where science meets power, testifying against companies accused of torching forests and draining peatlands. Their measurements of ash […] authors: | ||
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Norway’s multibillion-dollar bet on forests: An interview with Minister Eriksen 25 Nov 2025 09:54:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/norways-multibillion-dollar-bet-on-forests-an-interview-with-minister-eriksen/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: David Akana content:encoded: With the announcement of two major forest finance initiatives at the climate talks in Belém, Brazil, there is renewed hope that the Congo Basin, home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, could finally secure the sustained, equitable climate funding it has long been promised. The first was the Tropical Forest Forever Fund (TFFF), unveiled by Brazil, which is backed by $6.7 billion in commitments. A lion’s share of this funding is coming from a $3 billion pledge from Norway. The second was the official launch of the Canopy Trust on Nov. 17. The trust, operationalized by the Switzerland-based Catalytic Finance Foundation, has already raised $93 million, with a goal of mobilizing $1 billion by 2030 to support sustainable enterprises and early-stage, high-impact forest projects in the Congo Basin. It does so by leveraging public and philanthropic money to attract private investments. Over the past two decades, the Congo Basin has attracted financing from a growing constellation of forest funds, often with big ambitions but with uneven delivery and results. Early efforts included the African Development Bank-hosted Congo Basin Forest Fund established in 2008, which mobilized about $186 million, followed by the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), now the dominant player, channeling performance-based finance and much of the $1.5 billion pledged at COP26 held in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021. Newer instruments such as the Global Environment Facility’s Congo Basin Sustainable Landscapes Program add to this crowded landscape. Finance also flows from other channels like the World Bank, the European Union-backed ECOFAC…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Two major forest finance initiatives announced at COP30 — the Brazil-led Tropical Forest Forever Fund (TFFF), backed by $6.7 billion, and the newly launched Canopy Trust — signal renewed global attention on the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest rainforest. - Canopy Trust, formally launched Nov. 17, relies on blended public–private finance and has already raised $93 million, with a goal of mobilizing $1 billion by 2030 to support sustainable enterprises and early-stage, high-impact forest projects in the Congo Basin. - Norway, the largest contributor to both the TFFF and Canopy Trust, sees the new fund as complementary to existing mechanisms like CAFI — rewarding low deforestation and strengthening sustainable production. One of its key functions is to de-risk investments in local small and medium-sized enterprises, which might otherwise find it hard to attract private investors. - In an interview with Mongabay, Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen said the ultimate test will be whether these mechanisms finally deliver what communities demand: direct access to finance, local ownership and tangible economic benefits on the ground. authors: | ||
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Conservation can emphasize human well-being to navigate its current funding crisis (commentary) 24 Nov 2025 19:20:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/conservation-can-emphasize-human-well-being-to-navigate-its-current-funding-crisis-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Anila Jacob / Jessica Deichmann / Sara Carlson content:encoded: Conservation is facing a crisis, fueled by myriad factors including cuts in funding, weakening support from governments, and disinformation. A significant driver of this crisis is a lack of understanding among many decision-makers and the public of nature’s vital role in food and water security, health, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. To combat the perception that conserving nature is primarily an environmental issue, it is imperative for the conservation sector to be more deliberate in demonstrating its impacts on human well-being. The acceleration of ecological decline presents an urgent threat to humanity and our collective future. In the World Economic Forum’s 2025 annual list of the top 10 global risks, five of the longer term (10-year) risks are environmental, ranging from extreme weather events to biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and pollution. Yet, biodiversity conservation remains vastly underfunded for the value it provides. For decades, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was a leader in recognizing the crucial role of healthy ecosystems as a foundation for human well-being, championing the phrase “conservation is development” to embody its perspective. The agency invested more than $385 million in biodiversity programs in fiscal year 2023 alone on approaches including forest conservation, sustainable fisheries management and conservation enterprises to benefit local communities and ecosystems. A photograph from 2018 documenting a USAID Oceans project aimed at collecting data on fish catches in Asia. The Trump administration shut down almost all of USAID’s projects, including for marine conservation, in early 2025. Image courtesy of USAID.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Cuts in funding, weakening support from governments, and disinformation are all driving a current crisis for conservation. - But these challenges need not hold conservation programs back, the authors of a new op-ed with decades of experience at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other development programs argue, and suggest three strategies that can work. - “Leaning into the human well-being outcomes of conservation can also shift the pervasive and harmful view that conserving nature is primarily an environmental undertaking rather than a cornerstone of sustainable development,” they write. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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Brazil’s forest fund faces a slow takeoff at COP30 despite initial support 24 Nov 2025 13:46:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/brazils-forest-fund-faces-a-slow-takeoff-at-cop30-despite-initial-support/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Carla Ruas content:encoded: BELÉM, Brazil — Brazil’s big climate finance bet, the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), attracted $6.7 billion in sponsor capital at COP30, below the $25 billion initially required to roll out the initiative at full scale. Global North countries have been hesitant to commit funds, often alleging domestic budget constraints. Yet, Brazilian officials insist the fund can begin operating on a smaller scale and a prolonged timeline. TFFF, led by the Brazilian government and hosted by the World Bank, offers an innovative proposal to finance the conservation of tropical forests. The idea is to raise $125 billion in public and private capital to invest in capital markets — primarily in long-term sustainable bonds issued by developing countries. The plan initially requires $25 billion in junior “sponsor” capital, mostly from Global North governments. These funds would function as a safety net to attract an additional $100 billion from private investors. Profits generated by the fund would first pay dividends to investors, then reimburse sponsors, and the remaining balance would be distributed to eligible forest nations. The goal is to pay tropical forest countries $4 per hectare (2.5 acres) of preserved forest each year, based on satellite monitoring — an amount that could be reduced based on degradation or deforestation. Of that total, 20% would go to Indigenous peoples and local communities, although how those funds would be distributed locally is still unclear. Brazil pitched TFFF as one of its flagship contributions to COP30, held in the Amazonian city of Belém at the end of…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) secured $6.7 billion in sponsor capital at COP30, representing less than a quarter of the $25 billion initially required for a full-scale rollout. - Policy analysts warn that a smaller fund could likely lose the capacity to outpace deforestation drivers in tropical forests — key in the race to avoid climate disaster. - Rich nations blamed operational rifts and budget constraints to hold off funding TFFF, a struggle that reflects a worldwide crisis in climate finance; nearly one-third of the funds raised by global forest mechanisms remain undisbursed. authors: | ||
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Why are Amazonian trees getting ‘fatter’? 24 Nov 2025 12:08:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/why-are-amazonian-trees-getting-fatter/ author: Xavier Bartaburu dc:creator: Suzana Camargo content:encoded: How have the trees in Amazonia reacted to the rise in CO2 emissions in recent centuries? It is common knowledge that, of all greenhouse gases, CO2 is the most responsible for global warming. The most recent report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed that the concentration of carbon in Earth’s atmosphere rose more in 2024 than in any other year since it began measuring in 1957. Climate scientists unanimously agree that last year’s increase was provoked by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas. But to the surprise of researchers involved in a study recently published in Nature Plants, mature forests in Amazonia have shown much resilience in response to the climate changes resulting from the excess carbon in the atmosphere. This is important because trees are known to be natural CO2 sinks because they absorb it during photosynthesis. In addition, the trees in the Amazon Rainforest are getting “fatter” over time: The average trunk sizes are increasing 3.3% every decade. “We wouldn’t normally expect the average size of trees in an old-growth forest to change over time, since their growth and death rates generally remain stable,” explains Rebecca Banbury Morgan, a researcher at the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences in the United Kingdom and co-author of the article. “We compared our observations with the fact that we weren’t expecting any changes and found that the average size of trees was increasing. This means that the trees today are…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new study has found that the trunks of trees in the Amazon have become thicker in recent decades — an unexpected sign of the rainforest’s resilience in response to record-high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. - Nearly 100 scientists involved in the study have stated that old-growth forests in the Amazon are sequestering more carbon than they did 30 years ago, contradicting predictions of immediate collapse due to climate change. - But the warning still stands: Despite the trees’ capacity to adapt, scientists fear that the extreme droughts and advancing deforestation could invert the rainforest’s balance and threaten its vital role in global climate regulation. authors: | ||
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Weather disasters are surging in the Amazon. Reporting isn’t. 24 Nov 2025 10:23:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/weather-disasters-are-surging-in-the-amazon-reporting-isnt/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: The Amazon is often treated as a single forest, yet the risks its people face from extreme weather vary sharply across borders. A new analysis by researchers from Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and the United States suggests those risks are also widely undercounted. The team compiled more than 12,500 reports of storms, floods, landslides, droughts and wildfires between 2013 and 2023, covering five countries. Even with major gaps, the picture is grim. In a single year, more than 3 million people were affected and more than 100,000 pieces of public infrastructure damaged. Landslide in the Peruvian Andes. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler The authors show that disasters cluster along two flanks of the basin: the Andean foothills, where steep terrain and intense rain drive landslides, and the Orinoco–Amazon transition zone, where fires linked to agriculture and land grabbing are increasingly common. Ecuador dominates the list of municipalities with the highest reported events. Brazilian cities, by contrast, appear less frequently—not because the country is spared, but because reporting systems differ. Four Amazonian countries offered no municipal data, despite clear evidence of impacts. Heatwaves and droughts show the starkest reporting failure. Almost all recorded incidents came from Brazil, even though both hazards occur throughout the region. The authors argue these events are “likely underreported across the Amazon,” a conclusion echoed by satellite evidence of warming and drying trends. Remote-sensing data helped validate parts of the record. In Bolivia, peaks in satellite-detected “hot pixels” matched wildfire reports. Floods increased during years with more…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The Amazon’s climate hazards are growing faster than governments can track. authors: | ||
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Abrolhos: A South Atlantic marine treasure in need of protection 24 Nov 2025 08:28:09 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/abrolhos-a-south-atlantic-marine-treasure-in-need-of-protection/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Elizabeth Oliveira content:encoded: Located off the south coast of Bahia state and the north coast of Espírito Santo state in Brazil, the Abrolhos Seascape is known for its rich concentration of marine biodiversity, which is among the largest in the southern Atlantic. But the long-term well-being of this natural heritage may be at risk if gaps in the legal protection of its main ecosystems are not addressed. These are the conclusions of a recent study identifying the region’s biodiversity hotspots and highlighting the need to protect them. The study covers the full Abrolhos Seascape, encompassing 893,000 square kilometers (344,800 square miles) of coral reefs, seamount chains and oceanic islands. But it’s categorical in pointing out that the richest of its ecosystems is also the most vulnerable. That’s the Abrolhos Bank, home to the archipelago of the same name and the largest expanse of coral reefs in the South Atlantic. It is also Brazil’s largest breeding ground for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Despite all this uniqueness, less than 2% of the bank’s 46,000-square-kilometer (17,760-square-mile) expanse is fully protected. This lies within the 882-km2 (340-mi2) Abrolhos National Marine Park, the first conservation unit of its kind in Brazil, created in 1983. Abrolhos Bank’s marine biodiversity is fundamental for maintaining regional vocations like the artisanal fishing still practiced by traditional communities in the Cassurubá Extractive Reserve (RESEX) and the Corumbau Marine RESEX. Ecotourism is also important here: humpback whale watching generates substantial income between the months of June and November when the marine mammals migrate from…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Located off the coast of the Brazilian states of Bahia and Espírito Santo, the vast Abrolhos Seascape is home to some of the South Atlantic Ocean’s richest marine biodiversity. Here, more than 500 species inhabit coral reefs, mangrove forests and islands. Brazil’s largest humpback whale breeding ground also occurs within the seascape. - Yet little legislation has been created to protect this region, leaving it at risk of predatory fishing and deep-sea mining: Less than 2% of the South Atlantic’s largest coral reef, which occupies 46,000 square kilometers within the wider Abrolhos Seascape, is fully protected. - A recent study identified critical areas and vulnerable ecosystems within Abrolhos Seascape that the authors say need urgent conservation action; these include rhodolith beds — clusters of limestone rock that are crucial for climate security and marine species reproduction. authors: | ||
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Toxic runoff from politically linked gold mine poisons Cambodian rivers, communities 24 Nov 2025 08:17:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/toxic-runoff-from-politically-linked-gold-mine-poisons-cambodian-rivers-communities/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Andy BallGerald FlynnPhoung Vantha content:encoded: *Sources have requested pseudonyms be used to protect their identity out of fear of retaliation from the government or mining companies BANGKOK, Thailand/RATANAKIRI, Cambodia — “When you touch the water of the O’Ta Bouk River, the mud will stick to your skin,” said Thao*. “It creates skin issues and we can’t catch fish this year anymore. It’s thick, like condensed milk. The oil from the machinery floats on the water surface, so it might affect our health, like our stomach or intestines.” On the quiet banks where the Sesan River and O’Ta Bouk River (also known as the Prek Liang River) meet in the northeastern Cambodian province of Ratanakiri, Ta Bouk village is where Thao calls home. The O’Ta Bouk River flows some 90 kilometers (56 miles) through Virachey National Park, one of Cambodia’s oldest protected areas, before feeding into the Sesan River and providing water to Ta Bouk village, just 2 km (1.2 mi) from the park’s border. The O’Ta Bouk has long sustained the Brao Indigenous communities who live, farm and fish along the river’s banks, providing them with clean, potable water for generations. But Thao’s village is just one of the hundreds across the Mekong region that have seen their life-giving rivers poisoned by toxic runoff from an explosion of unregulated mining, much of this is driven by surging gold prices, rising demand for rare earth elements and limited government oversight or environmental standards. Extensive satellite imagery analysis conducted by U.S. think tank the Stimson Center has uncovered…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Communities along Cambodia’s O’Ta Bouk River are experiencing severe water contamination, skin ailments and the collapse of fish stocks, which they blame on an unregulated gold mine operating upstream inside Virachey National Park. - Satellite imagery analysis shows more than 2,400 mining sites across Mekong river basins — including alluvial and heap-leach gold mines — whose toxic runoff threatens rivers, floodplains, farmland, wildlife and millions of downstream residents. - Communities downstream of the gold mine told Mongabay that authorities have failed to act on the problem, despite multiple indicators suggesting the pollution of the river is linked to mining activity. - Evidence points to mining operations linked to tycoon Try Pheap, allegedly operating illegally and with political protection, leaving communities fearful for their health, livelihoods and food security as contamination spreads through the Mekong Basin. authors: | ||
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TotalEnergies faces criminal complaint in France over alleged massacre in Mozambique 24 Nov 2025 07:30:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/totalenergies-faces-criminal-complaint-in-france-over-alleged-massacre-in-mozambique/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Ashoka Mukpo content:encoded: As French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume work on its multibillion-dollar offshore gas project in northern Mozambique, it faces a criminal complaint back home over its role in funding an army unit accused of torturing and executing dozens of civilians in 2021. The complaint was filed with France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor by Berlin-based legal nonprofit the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). It alleges that TotalEnergies knew of human rights allegations leveled at Mozambique’s elite Joint Task Force (JTF), but continued paying it to secure its facilities. “With this complaint, we have requested that the specialized prosecutor opens an investigation into the potential complicity of TotalEnergies,” Chloé Bailey, a senior legal adviser with the ECCHR, told Mongabay. The French prosecutor’s office has the authority to issue indictments that could include criminal charges against both the company and individual TotalEnergies executives. The ECCHR’s complaint focuses on events that took place in 2021 around the town of Palma, near TotalEnergies’ onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. In March 2021, jihadist militia al-Shabaab captured Palma in a shocking attack that displaced tens of thousands of people. Last year, U.S.-based outlet Politico published an investigation alleging that after recapturing the town, soldiers with the JTF rounded up civilians from nearby villages, accused them of ties to al-Shabaab, and imprisoned them in shipping containers for months. According to Politico, at least 97 detainees were executed or died inside the containers, based on a door-to-door survey of the villages. Between 2020…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: As French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume work on its multibillion-dollar offshore gas project in northern Mozambique, it faces a criminal complaint back home over its role in funding an army unit accused of torturing and executing dozens of civilians in 2021. The complaint was filed with France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor by […] authors: | ||
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Protecting pangolins IRL, not just on paper: Interview with conservationist Kumar Paudel 24 Nov 2025 06:43:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/protecting-pangolins-irl-not-just-on-paper-interview-with-conservationist-kumar-paudel/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Abhaya Raj Joshi content:encoded: KATHMANDU — Of the eight known species of pangolins found in Asia and Africa, three are listed as critically endangered on the Red List that’s maintained by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. Two of those three species of scaly anteaters are found in Nepal, where they’re officially accorded the highest level of protection for wildlife. “It’s on a par with tigers and rhinos, but this legal status hasn’t translated into conservation investment or priority,” says Kumar Paudel, a pangolin researcher and founder of Greenhood Nepal, a conservation NGO. That’s left Nepal’s pangolins, and indeed pangolins everywhere, highly threatened by the illegal trade for their meat and, in particular, their scales — prized in East Asia for their purported medicinal properties. Today, pangolins are known as the most trafficked wild mammals in the world. More than a million of the animals may have been “snatched from the wild” in the past decade, according to the IUCN’s Pangolin Specialist Group. Paudel, the group’s vice chair for Asia, says a significant proportion of that poaching and trafficking may have taken place in South Asia. This could be attributed to the region’s proximity to East and Southeast Asia, where demand is highest, he says. Conservationist and researcher Kumar Paudel (seated in the middle, extreme right) talks to community members about pangolins. Image courtesy of Kumar Paudel In 2016, the Pangolin Specialist Group came up with a global action plan focused on boosting knowledge of the species, curbing the illegal trade, identifying and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Pangolins, the scaly anteaters that are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, face a host of challenges throughout their range, including South Asia. - The IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group is working on a global action plan to conserve the species, with different subgroups working on regional plans. - After the plans are in place, the challenge will be to secure real-world funding to advance conservation efforts, says researcher Kumar Paudel, who leads the South Asia subgroup. authors: | ||
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Mongabay Latam wins the Global Shining Light Award for investigative journalism 23 Nov 2025 15:47:50 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/mongabay-latam-wins-the-global-shining-light-award-for-investigative-journalism/ 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. Few newsrooms venture far into the darker corners of the Amazon. Fewer still return with evidence detailed enough to shift policy. Mongabay Latam managed both, and the feat has now earned the outlet a Global Shining Light Award in the Large Newsroom category at the Global Investigative Journalism Network’s bi-annual conference (GIJC) in Kuala Lumpur. Investigations from Nigeria, Egypt, Peru, and Mexico were recognized at the Global Shining Light Award ceremony at GIJC25. Image: Suzanne Lee, Alt Studio for GIJN The prize honors reporting done under genuine threat. And in this case, the danger was not abstract. The project took shape in regions where reporters think twice before lingering, where a wrong turn can bring you face to face with the emissaries of a drug economy that has seeped into Indigenous territories. Mongabay Latam’s team spent a full year mapping a network of clandestine airstrips cut into remote forests in Peru, areas where organized crime has expanded its reach and where Indigenous leaders have been killed for resisting it. Fifteen such leaders have been murdered in recent years; dozens more live under threat. What the journalists uncovered was bigger than local rumor. After a long phase of information requests, travel, and interviews with more than 60 sources, they identified 67 illegal runways in three regions: Ucayali, Huánuco, and Pasco. Thirty of the strips lie inside Indigenous territories. One cluster in Atalaya, a province…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Mongabay Latam has won the Global Investigative Journalism Network’s Global Shining Light Award for its investigation into illegal airstrips in the Amazon rainforest. - Working with its partner Earth Genome, Mongabay Latam combined AI, drone footage, and interviews with more than 60 local sources to uncover a network of drug-trafficking airstrips in Peru. The reporting also documented links to violence and assassinations targeting Indigenous leaders and communities. - The year-long investigation sparked national and international media coverage, caught the attention of lawmakers and authorities, and equipped Indigenous leaders with evidence to advocate for greater protections. - The award was presented today at the 14th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC25) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. authors: | ||
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A killing with precedent: Kaiowá man’s murder fits a pattern in Brazil 21 Nov 2025 23:44:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/a-killing-with-precedent-kaiowa-mans-murder-fits-a-pattern-in-brazil/ 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. Early on November 16th, gunfire broke the quiet around Pyelito Kue in southern Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. By dawn, the Kaiowá were counting their wounded and laying out the body of Vicente Kaiowá e Guarani, a father and spokesman for a people who have spent decades trying to return to the places they call tekoha. He was killed with a shot to the head. His community says the men who pulled the trigger arrived in the dark, well armed and organized. Police later suggested the crime stemmed from an internal dispute. The Kaiowá insist otherwise. Vicente’s name now joins a list that has grown long. Attacks against the Kaiowá of Pyelito Kue and Mbarakay have become a grim fixture of life in the state’s southern cone. The communities have endured raids, fires, beatings, and expulsions for years at the hands of militias linked to ranchers, with the state’s own forces often appearing more eager to protect private property than to enforce constitutional rights. The frustration and anger is evident. “We no longer accept being treated as invaders on our own land,” read a statement issued by Aty Guasu, a Guarani Kaiowá organization. “We lost a warrior,” said a relative after the assault. It was not the first such loss, and no one pretends it will be the last. The village of Ypoi by Mídia Ninja. The tekoha of Pyelito Kue and Mbarakay…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Gunmen killed Vicente Kaiowá e Guarani on November 16th during a land-reclamation effort, in an attack his community says was carried out by organized militias rather than internal rivals. - The Kaiowá of Pyelito Kue and Mbarakay face a long pattern of violence as they try to return to their tekoha, despite their territory being officially recognized but still undemarcated. - Recent assaults—including multiple attacks in early November and clashes linked to pesticide drift—reflect a recurring cycle in which reoccupations are met with armed reprisals. - Rights advocates say Vicente’s death underscores a broader failure of the state to enforce constitutional land rights, leaving the Kaiowá exposed to continued killings on territory that legally belongs to them. authors: | ||
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Bearing witness to Indonesia’s environmental challenges: Sapariah Saturi 21 Nov 2025 20:48:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/bearing-witness-to-indonesias-environmental-challenges-sapariah-saturi/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Indonesia’s environmental issues often feel too vast to take in at once. A nation said to have more than 17,000 islands, it contains the world’s third-largest tropical rainforest and one of its busiest commodity frontiers. For many Indonesians, the story of modern development is told not in charts but in the air they breathe. Some remember childhoods spent under yellowed skies, the sting of peat-fire smoke seeping through school windows, the sweet-acrid smell that clings to clothes long after the fires fade. Others know the slow rise of the sea by the way the ground squelches underfoot in places where it didn’t use to. Or the way Jakarta’s air tastes metallic on mornings when the pollution monitors glow red. For Sapariah “Arie” Saturi, these scenes are not abstractions. They are a biography. She grew up along the Kapuas River in West Kalimantan, a region shaped by the uneasy coexistence of forest, peatland, and the ambitions of logging firms, palm-oil giants, and mining companies. Fires arrived each dry season in the 1990s, and with them the haze: darkened skies, eyes that burned after a few minutes outdoors, a kind of muffled stillness that settles over the landscape when the smoke grows dense enough to dull sound and color alike. Masks were rare then. Children simply endured. Sapariah Saturi. Photo courtesy of Saturi. Today Arie lives in Jakarta, where the problems are different but no less tangible. The capital sinks a little each year, traffic is a consistent source of frustration, and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Sapariah “Arie” Saturi grew up in West Kalimantan amid recurring forest and peatland fires, experiences that shaped her understanding of Indonesia’s environmental crises. - After beginning her journalism career in Pontianak in the late 1990s, she joined Mongabay Indonesia at its inception and helped build it into a national environmental newsroom. - As managing editor, she oversees a dispersed team of more than 50 reporters, beginning her days before dawn to edit stories, coordinate coverage, and guide investigations across the archipelago. - Her commitment is grounded in independence, empathy, and the belief that environmental journalism can help communities, influence policy, and deepen public understanding of Indonesia’s overlapping crises. authors: | ||
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‘Forever chemical’ contamination could undermine sea otters’ fragile recovery in Canada 21 Nov 2025 18:05:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/forever-chemical-contamination-could-undermine-sea-otters-fragile-recovery-in-canada/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Edward Carver content:encoded: Sea otters living along the coastline of Canada’s British Columbia province carry residues of “forever chemicals” in their bodies, according to a new study, and those living near dense human populations or shipping lanes are the most heavily impacted. The research was published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, authored principally by scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC). While most health research on exposure to long-lived, human-made chemicals — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS — have been human studies, scientists are growing increasingly aware that wildlife are also at risk. It’s now well-established that in humans, PFAS can cause cancer or liver damage, lower immunity, impair fertility and trigger other health problems. This study on sea otters (Enhydra lutris) analyzed tissue samples from 11 animals that had recently died. All carried PFAS in their livers. Forever chemicals were developed and first manufactured in the mid-20th century by 3M and Dupont. They make products stain, water and heat resistant — and can take hundreds or thousands of years to break down. They’re now ubiquitous worldwide, found in everything from human blood and drinking water to soils used to grow food and the marine environment. Sea otters, which live in coastal waters across the North Pacific Ocean, are endangered and their populations are decreasing, according to the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. Numerous threats, from habitat loss to a warming ocean and pollution, could erase progress that has brought the species back from local extinction. Oil…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Sea otters living along the coastline of Canada’s British Columbia province are exposed — and absorb — forever chemicals, a new study shows. - Each of the 11 sea otters tested carried residues PFAS chemicals, with concentrations higher for those living near dense human populations or shipping lanes. - The Canadian government released an assessment earlier this year recommending that PFAS be classed as toxic and is moving toward adopting tighter rules for these chemicals. Environmentalists support the initiative. authors: | ||
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Lesotho communities allege greenwashing by project transferring water to South Africa 21 Nov 2025 17:31:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/lesotho-communities-allege-greenwashing-by-project-transferring-water-to-south-africa/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Malavika Vyawahare content:encoded: Communities in Lesotho have filed a complaint with the African Development Bank over a controversial initiative that transfers water from the country to neighboring South Africa, one of the biggest such schemes on the African continent. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), currently in its second phase, is funded in part by the African Development Bank (AfDB). In the complaint submitted to the bank’s Independent Recourse Mechanism, seen by Mongabay, the complainants accuse the developers of promoting the LHWP as a climate mitigation project and ignoring its impacts on their communities and the environment, and call it “greenwashing.” “Some in the community say they were better off without the project, because instead of bringing a development that is expected from such projects, it has, in fact, brought them poverty,” said Mosa Letsie, a lawyer at the Seinoli Legal Centre (SLC) in Lesotho. The center provides legal assistance and advice to marginalized communities and worked with the affected communities to submit the complaint. Letsie said women were disproportionately impacted. Falls short in every respect, from inadequate consultation to compensation to the lack of benefits. The LHWP diverts water from the Senqu-Orange river system in the Lesotho highlands, through a series of dams, to the water-poor Gauteng province of South Africa, home to the country’s economic nerve center: the greater Johannesburg area. The centerpiece of phase 2 is the Polihali dam and reservoir. While the project documents explicitly state how much water will be transferred to South Africa, they make only promises…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), a scheme to transfer water from Lesotho’s river systems to neighboring South Africa, also aims to provide hydropower to Lesotho’s people. - However, complainants from communities impacted and displaced by the complex of dams, water channels, feeder roads, and bridges accuse the developers of promoting the LHWP as a climate mitigation project and ignoring its impacts on their livelihoods and the environment, and call it “greenwashing.” - The project is degrading the environment, polluting water streams used by residents, destroying cultivable land used to grow food crops, eating into forests, and reducing access to pastures, according to the complaint filed with the African Development Bank (AfDB), which is partly financing the LHWP. - “We are not just being denied benefits from the project, we are suffering harm from it,” the complaint says. authors: | ||
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In Thailand, a cheap bottle crate hack gives tree saplings a fighting chance 21 Nov 2025 16:05:55 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/in-thailand-a-cheap-bottle-crate-hack-gives-tree-saplings-a-fighting-chance/ author: Jeremy Hance dc:creator: Ruth Kamnitzer content:encoded: A surprisingly simple and creative innovation could help restoration projects in the tropics, according to a recent study. Researchers from the Forest Restoration Research Unit at Thailand’s Chiang Mai University (FORRU-CMU) found that cultivating saplings inside repurposed bottle crates substantially improves the survival and growth rate of nursery-grown native saplings for reforestation. Climate change, the biodiversity crisis and initiatives like the U.N. Decade on Restoration have spurred forest restoration efforts across the globe, including in the tropics. Many restoration projects start with native tree seedlings cultivated in community-run nurseries. In Thailand, these seedlings are typically grown in black polyurethane bags placed directly on the earth. But the system is far from ideal. As the sapling grows, the roots tend to spiral in the bottom of the bag, leading to poor root formation. The developing roots may also break right through the bag into the ground, which also causes problems, says Stephen Elliott, associate professor and research director at FORRU-CMU. “When you lift the plant ready for planting, half the root system is left in the soil, so you’re immediately reducing the capacity of the plant to absorb water on the day that it’s being planted into a harsh, dry, deforested environment, where it’s going to compete against the weeds,” Elliott says. “You’re putting it at a disadvantage.” In the conventional method, seedlings in polybags are laid on the ground The right side shows the COG system, where polybagged seedlings are placed in crates to allow air pruning. Image courtesy of…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A recent study in Thailand finds that raising native tree seedlings inside repurposed bottle crates improves performance compared to standard methods in community-run nurseries. - Saplings grown in bottle crates had better root formation and superior growth when planted out in a deforested site, thanks to better air circulation for the roots. - Crating the saplings also saved on labor costs, which more than offset the cost of purchasing the crates. - Adoption of the new method could improve the quality of saplings grown in community nurseries, a benefit for reforestation projects where sapling survival is key to success. authors: | ||
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Experts say wealthy nations owe Africa double its climate adaptation needs 21 Nov 2025 15:56:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/experts-say-wealthy-nations-owe-africa-double-its-climate-adaptation-needs/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Victoria Schneider content:encoded: As negotiations at this year’s United Nations climate summit, or COP30, near the finish line in Belém, Brazil, the gap in financing for climate adaptation continues to be a sticking point. New pledges amounting to $135 million for the Adaptation Fund, a U.N.-backed financial mechanism to help vulnerable countries cope with the impacts of climate change, were announced during the talks. However, a U.N. report released in October shows that the “adaptation gap,” the difference between what it costs to adapt to climate change and the actual amount of money available, runs in the billions of dollars. This is also the case for countries in Africa, which have contributed little to the problem of climate change. Some experts argue that given the role that Africa and, in particular, its forests play in stowing away planet-warming carbon, it is owed double the amount that it needs in additional adaptation funds. “Africa has already made a substantial preliminary contribution to global climate action,” Richard Munang, deputy regional director for Africa at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), told Mongabay. The estimated funding gap for Africa is $51 billion, according to the latest UNEP report. Home to nearly a fifth of the world’s population, Africa emits only 4% of annual global emissions. Its forests, with the Congo Basin at the core, remove 1.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. If converted to carbon credits and traded at the fair price determined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The U.N.’s recent “Adaptation Gap Report” reveals a massive shortfall between the funds needed for climate adaptation and the financing available as of 2023. - Africa, among the most climate-vulnerable regions, faces worsening impacts amid limited support and a mounting debt burden, with a $51 billion annual shortfall in adaptation finance. - Some experts argue that given the role that Africa and, in particular, its forests play in stashing away carbon, it is owed double the amount that it needs in additional adaptation funds. authors: | ||
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