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‘How did you come to be here?’ Study digs into origins of Zambian wildlife crime 19 Sep 2026 21:22:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/how-did-you-come-to-be-here-study-digs-into-origins-of-zambian-wildlife-crime/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Alex Megerle content:encoded: The man in the Zambian prison recalled how he ended up there. He’d been approached by someone who had an uncle in the capital, Lusaka, who was willing to buy ivory and pangolin scales. He gave the man a phone and a number to reach him. “He promised that the money I would get would enable me to build a house and take my children to school,” the man said. The story of this inmate — who was eventually arrested and incarcerated for an elephant-related offense — drives home an important truth. Wildlife crime is a multifaceted industry fueled by various participants with a slew of motives, ranging from local people who may occasionally capture and sell an animal to middlemen who handle logistics to heavily armed poaching gangs and the kingpins that rule over large international syndicates. The lower-level links in the chain are simpler to catch and prosecute, but are easily replaceable, so their arrest does little to stop poaching. The NGO Wildlife Crime Prevention (WCP) Zambia, in partnership with Copperbelt University, recently interviewed more than 300 inmates imprisoned for wildlife offenses in the country to learn how and why people on the lower rungs of the industry took their first steps into wildlife crime. “We wanted to understand better the drivers of the more grassroots-levels offenders and why they get involved — and how we might avoid them being involved again,” said one of the study’s authors, who needed to remain anonymous so not to endanger their…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Wildlife crimes are committed by a wide range of offenders, from local people who may stumble upon a salable animal to professional poachers and middlemen traffickers and all the way up to kingpins behind the trade that rule over international trafficking syndicates. - The NGO Wildlife Crime Prevention Zambia investigated how and why people incarcerated for wildlife crimes in the country got involved in this black-market industry. They found that opportunity was the major driver. - About one-third of the jailed respondents said or implied they would not be involved in poaching or wildlife trade when they were freed. - Experts note that helping offenders find work after they’re released could be one way to lower the risk of wildlife crime recidivism. Wildlife Crime Prevention Zambia recently completed a pilot program aimed at connecting inmates with family before their release and helping them plan for ways to generate legal income after prison. authors: | ||
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Canada shuts down corporate watchdog. Critics say its replacement lacks teeth 19 Sep 2026 12:51:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/canada-shuts-down-corporate-watchdog-critics-say-its-replacement-lacks-teeth/ author: Andy Lehren dc:creator: Annie Burns-Pieper content:encoded: When the Canadian government earlier this year shut down its independent watchdog responsible for investigating alleged human rights abuses including environmental pollution by Canada-based companies operating overseas, it promised that a little-known office called the National Contact Point would take over that work. But critics say the National Contact Point, which has operated for more than a quarter of a century, lacks the powers and independence needed to fill the gap. The recently shuttered office of the Canadian Ombudsman for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) was set up to evaluate complaints about alleged human rights abuses by Canadian companies operating abroad in the garment, mining, and oil and gas sectors. Two months into Mark Carney’s tenure as Canada’s prime minister, the position became vacant. Carney never appointed a new ombudsperson. CORE languished for more than a year without a leader, unable to proceed probing complaints. Carney then declared it was ineffective and eliminated the office in June. Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, which oversaw CORE, said in a statement that “a decision has been taken to permanently streamline the CORE Ombudsperson’s work into other functions with stronger track records of effectiveness, including the National Contact Point.” But those who have followed the National Contact Point’s 26-year history disagree about its effectiveness. Only three of the 33 cases submitted to the National Contact Point (NCP) since 2000 have reached a formal joint agreement; in one of the cases, it was the NCP of another country that led the case. Even then,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - After eliminating its corporate watchdog, Canada is relying on its little-known National Contact Point (NCP) to handle complaints against Canadian corporations operating overseas — including mining companies. - But the Canadian NCP has a weak track record: just three of 33 cases since 2000 have resulted in formal joint agreements, and critics say it lacks the independence and investigative powers needed to uncover abuses. - Complainants are now being pushed to the NCP despite years of concerns about the mechanism, with some refusing to transfer their cases because they have little faith in the process. - The stakes are particularly high for communities affected by Canadian mining companies abroad, leaving advocates calling for an independent watchdog with powers to investigate, compel evidence, and recommend meaningful remedies. authors: | ||
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‘You Belong with Me:’ Taylor Swift has a new genus of bug named after her 18 Sep 2026 21:02:18 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/you-belong-with-me-taylor-swift-has-a-new-genus-of-bug-named-after-her/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: You may have heard her songs, seen her videos, maybe even attended one of her concerts … but have you seen the new genus of Australian plant bugs named after Taylor Swift? Scientists at the University of California, Riverside recently described a new genus of plant bugs, they’ve named Swiftiephylus, in honor of the Grammy-winning U.S. singer. The genus contains 12 new species of plant bugs. Four of the insects are named after Taylor Swift or her albums: Swiftiephylus taylorae, Swiftiephylus amator, Swiftiephylus intrepidus, and Swiftiephylus poetorum. The first is a Latinized version of Taylor; the others are references to her albums “Lover,” “Fearless” and “The Tortured Poets Department.” The authors write that the insects were named after Taylor Swift, “in recognition of her show-stopping talent, heart-wrenching lyrics, and the joy and comfort she has brought to many. The term ‘Swifitie’ refers to Swift’s loving fanbase,” the study notes. Study author and “Swiftie” Sarah Schroeder said in a press release that she named the insects after Taylor Swift’s appearance. “Taylor Swift’s iconic look is her blonde hair and red lips. These insects are pale yellow with accents of red throughout,” Schroeder said. “In the paper I refer to them as blonde.” Schroeder believes that their coloring helps the bugs camouflage in the flowers they live on, which feature spindly red to orange flowers. Though many species of insects are broadly called bugs, Swiftiephylus plant bugs are part of the Miridae family, the largest family of true bugs. There are more than…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: You may have heard her songs, seen her videos, maybe even attended one of her concerts … but have you seen the new genus of Australian plant bugs named after Taylor Swift? Scientists at the University of California, Riverside recently described a new genus of plant bugs, they’ve named Swiftiephylus, in honor of the Grammy-winning […] authors: | ||
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Britain’s Prince William reveals finalists for Earthshot environmental prize 18 Sep 2026 16:43:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/britains-prince-william-reveals-finalists-for-earthshot-environmental-prize/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: LONDON (AP) — How does a grizzly bear cross the road? With the help of Indigenous people, ranchers and governments. That’s the idea behind the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, which is working to keep the Rocky Mountains an unfettered migration route for wildlife from Wyoming to northwestern Canada. To do so, the group works with local people and governments throughout the region to protect wild lands and build overpasses, underpasses and fencing to help animals cross busy roads. The charity is one of the 15 finalists announced Friday for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, created by Britain’s Prince William to support conservationists and entrepreneurs developing solutions to climate change, pollution, habitat loss and other environmental threats. The winners in each of five categories receive 1 million pounds ($1.34 million) and assistance in expanding their projects. William launched the prize in 2020, inspired by U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “Moonshot” speech that challenged Americans to go to the moon by the end of that decade. The prince’s goal is to accelerate the pace of environmental innovation and “repair the planet” by 2030. Other nominees for this year’s prize include an Argentine project that uses artificial intelligence and satellite data to spot and track wildfires across Latin America; the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance, which aims to cut carbon emissions from shipping, and Orsted, one of the world’s biggest developers of offshore wind farms. The winners will be announced Nov. 17 during a televised awards show in Mumbai. Jason Knauf, chief…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: LONDON (AP) — How does a grizzly bear cross the road? With the help of Indigenous people, ranchers and governments. That’s the idea behind the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, which is working to keep the Rocky Mountains an unfettered migration route for wildlife from Wyoming to northwestern Canada. To do so, the group works […] authors: | ||
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Rooftop rainwater sprinkler systems could help cool warming cities, study says 18 Sep 2026 14:16:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/rooftop-rainwater-sprinkler-systems-could-help-cool-warming-cities-study-says/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Nick Ruggia content:encoded: It’s a hot summer day in the city. The sun beats down relentlessly on asphalt and concrete, while tall buildings mercilessly snuff out any hope of a cooling breeze, intensifying urban heat island impacts. Urbanites around the world know the feeling well. And with an increasing number of potentially deadly heat wave days due to a warming climate, it’s only becoming more familiar. But ask the same city dwellers how they feel when the barometer drops and a soft summer rain breaks the heat. That relief is something a group of researchers hope to artificially replicate using widely distributed rainwater collection tanks and smart rooftop sprinkler systems. The team, led by Zhonghua Zheng, an associate professor of urban climate and environmental data science at the University of Manchester in the U.K., used machine learning and artificial intelligence to create a new model that can help cities bring down internal temperatures in buildings and even cool outdoors during heat waves. Their proposed system includes a rooftop rainwater collection tank and a sprinkler system that activates at a specific outdoor temperature threshold to water the roof. Evaporation cools roof temperatures, Zheng explained in a Mongabay interview. “It has a dual benefit to cool both the indoor temperature and outdoor temperature.” The researchers used Tokyo as a case study due to Japan’s temperate climate, seasonal changes, and leadership in rainwater collection. The model found that the strategy would indeed bring down high surface and air temperatures if widely adopted across an urban setting.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Researchers have designed a model to simulate how widely distributed rooftop rainwater collection tanks combined with smart rooftop sprinkler systems could help moderate urban heat island effects. - The model used Tokyo as a case study and found temperature reduction benefits inside homes and outdoors during heat waves. The more rooftop sprinkler systems installed, the more significant the cooling benefits would be. - The researchers say the model could be adapted to predict how the system would help reduce heat in cities around the globe, and serve as an economical natural defense against intensifying global warming. Field tests would be the next step. authors: | ||
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Five orangutans found in India face long road back home to Indonesia 18 Sep 2026 11:26:33 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/five-orangutans-found-in-india-face-long-road-back-home-to-indonesia/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Junaidi Hanafiah content:encoded: ACEH, Indonesia — The five infant orangutans found roaming a woodland in India’s Odisha state earlier this month may have been trafficked across several international borders — and now face a long journey home through the different legal and bureaucratic systems of India and Indonesia, conservationists say. “This starts with hunting in the wild, separating babies from their mothers, and transporting them across various regions, then selling them or keeping them as exotic pets,” said M. Indra Kurnia, director of conservation at the Sumatran Orangutan Lestari Foundation–Orangutan Information Center (YOSL-OIC). The five youngsters were found on Sept. 8 by locals near the Bichitrapur forest area in Balasore district, Odisha, a state on India’s east coast formed out of the ancient Kalinga region. Authorities are investigating how the animals came to be there, and the possible involvement of an international wildlife trafficking network. Only Indonesia and Malaysia have native orangutan populations, with the Indonesian island of Sumatra around 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) across the Indian Ocean from Odisha. The Bornean species lives in Indonesia and Malaysia, while the Sumatran and Tapanuli species are found only in Indonesia. “We mustn’t just see this as a local case in the country where the animals were found,” Indra said. This infant Sumatran orangutan is being cared for at the Sumatra Rescue Alliance (SRA) primate center Besitang district, North Sumatra. The infant is a victim of the illegal wildlife trade. Image by Junaidi Hanafiah/Mongabay Indonesia. Questions over wildlife smuggling route This isn’t the first time…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - On Sept. 8, five infant orangutans were found in an Indian forest, thousands of kilometers from their native range, raising questions about where they came from, how they got there, and who moved them. - The Sumatran (Pongo abelii) and Tapanuli orangutans (Pongo tapanuliensis) are both found only in Indonesia, on the island of Sumatra. - The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is found only in Indonesian and Malaysian Borneo; the island is shared between the two countries and Brunei. - The government of Indonesia has engaged its counterparts in India in a bid to identify the animals and return them to Indonesia. authors: | ||
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Global ocean breaks records with 100 days of heat as El Niño adds new threat 18 Sep 2026 10:34:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/global-ocean-breaks-records-with-100-days-of-heat-as-el-nino-adds-new-threat/ author: Elizabethalberts dc:creator: Elizabeth Claire Alberts content:encoded: For 100 consecutive days between June 2 and Sept. 10, the global ocean outside of polar regions sustained record high average sea surface temperatures, according to data from the Climate Reanalyzer, a platform overseen by the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute in the U.S. On each of the 100 days, sea surface temperatures exceeded those on the same date in every other year on record since 1982. One of the highest readings occurred on Aug. 22, when global ocean sea surface temperatures reached 21.10° Celsius (69.98° Fahrenheit), according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The Climate Reanalyzer reported temperatures climbing even higher between Aug. 22 and 27, with average ocean sea surface temperatures hitting 21.18° C (70.12° F). The platform draws on global sea surface temperature data recorded by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These record temperatures are likely to remain elevated in the near future “given the state of the intensifying El Niño,” said Zachary Labe, a climate scientist at the U.S.-based nonprofit Climate Central, which communicates climate change science. Graphic illustrating climbing sea surface temperatures. Image courtesy of Climate Central. In a Sept. 10 press briefing that discussed the Climate Reanalyzer data, Labe said this record ocean heat is part of a long-term trend driven by the human-induced climate crisis. Without a reduction in greenhouse gases, he said the oceans will continue to warm. “The driver of this record warmth is climate change,” he said, “and more than 90% of that excess…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Data indicates that the global ocean sustained 100 consecutive days of record heat between June 2 and Sept. 10, and the high sea surface temperatures don’t give any indications of dropping in the near future. - Experts attribute this episode to climate change, which they say the current El Niño weather pattern is amplifying. - The record-breaking ocean heat has drawn concerns from experts about the effects on marine ecosystems, global weather patterns, and economies that depend on the ocean. authors: | ||
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At 86, Sri Lanka’s ‘father of herpetology’ inspires a new conservation generation 18 Sep 2026 10:29:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/at-86-sri-lankas-father-of-herpetology-inspires-a-new-conservation-generation/ author: Naina Rao dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: Anslem de Silva is widely regarded as the father of modern herpetology in Sri Lanka. He has spent more than six decades documenting the island’s rich reptile and amphibian diversity while mentoring generations of researchers. De Silva spoke with Mongabay contributor Malaka Rodrigo as he, at 86 years old, prepares to host the first World Congress on Snakes. The conference in October in Sri Lanka’s hill city of Kandy will be an international gathering specifically dedicated to snake conservation and research. Over the course of a distinguished career, de Silva has authored more than 350 scientific papers and more than 25 books. His work began in the 1960s when only a small handful of Sri Lankan researchers were studying the country’s reptiles and amphibians. To build local scientific capacity, he organized the country’s first one-day herpetological conference in the 1960s. He also launched Sri Lanka’s first herpetological research journal, Lyriocephalus, and established the Amphibia and Reptile Research Organization of Sri Lanka in 1990. De Silva’s mentorship has left a lasting legacy across the region. Ruchira Somaweera, a Sri Lankan-born conservation biologist, recalled receiving an inscribed copy of the journal from de Silva when he was just 13. “Most of the herpetologists of my generation were groomed by de Silva, and hundreds, if not thousands, of students have been inspired by him, just like I was,” Somaweera told Mongabay. Born in 1940 in the southern coastal city of Matara, de Silva developed his passion for snakes as a child after rescuing…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Anslem de Silva is widely regarded as the father of modern herpetology in Sri Lanka. He has spent more than six decades documenting the island’s rich reptile and amphibian diversity while mentoring generations of researchers. De Silva spoke with Mongabay contributor Malaka Rodrigo as he, at 86 years old, prepares to host the first World […] authors: | ||
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US move to loosen restrictions on fishing could harm vital ecosystems, experts warn 18 Sep 2026 10:13:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/us-move-to-loosen-restrictions-on-fishing-could-harm-vital-ecosystems-experts-warn/ author: Autumn Spanne dc:creator: Jules Struck content:encoded: The federal agency that oversees U.S. fisheries released a list of priorities on Sept. 2, advancing the Trump administration’s promise to deregulate the domestic industry. The list of 34 priorities was published by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, which oversees scientific research, data collection and regulation of commercial fishing operations in the United States alongside regional and tribal councils. The list outlines the agency’s intention to loosen restrictions on where, when and with what gear fishers are allowed to fish. U.S. fisheries are globally recognized as some of the most heavily-regulated and sustainable in the world. Conservationists say the agency’s new priorities are the latest signal from an administration intent on deregulating and defunding the agency. They warn that deregulation will open the door to overfishing and do lasting harm to ecosystems that support ocean health and sustain fisheries. “If we are reducing regulations and overfishing some really valuable fisheries this year or next year, it may take years for those fisheries to get back on track to healthy [stock] levels,” Reggie Paros, senior director of public affairs at the New York-based NGO Environmental Defense Fund, told Mongabay by phone. “The outcomes we would see on the water would be particularly damaging.” A pile of young Atlantic sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) on the deck of the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based fishing vessel Selje, collected during a NOAA survey to help track scallop abundance, distribution, ages, lengths, weights, sex, maturity and disease presence. Image by Catherine Foley/NOAA Fisheries.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries published a list of 34 priorities in early September that outline its intention to loosen restrictions on domestic fishing. - The list includes walking back restrictions on fishing near protected species, removing fishing restrictions at marine national monuments and weakening NOAA Fisheries’ national standards, the regulatory guidelines that have shaped the agency since its inception. - What NOAA Fisheries is proposing to strip back are “the absolute basics of conserving a healthy ocean ecosystem,” Andrea Treece, deputy managing attorney for the Oceans Program at the San Francisco-based NGO Earthjustice, told Mongabay. - The agency’s priorities list also emphasizes updating fisheries monitoring technology and data-sharing methods, and including fishers in planning and decision-making. authors: | ||
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Now exempt from EU deforestation rules, leather industry moves to repair reputation 18 Sep 2026 04:30:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/now-exempt-from-eu-deforestation-rules-leather-industry-moves-to-repair-reputation/ author: Andy Lehren dc:creator: Elisângela Mendonça content:encoded: PARIS — The prestigious Maison de la Chimie in central Paris hummed with confidence as leather representatives gathered to discuss the industry’s next steps to tackle what they call an unfair “negative perception” attributed to the material. On Sept. 7, around 400 international tanners, luxury-brand representatives and meatpacking executives gathered for the eighth Sustainable Leather Forum. Speaking to their peers, panelists presented leather as a cornerstone of the circular economy: A way to make use of bovine hides that might otherwise go to waste. Beyond the ornate halls of the 18th-century mansion, after intense lobbying, the EU has exempted leather from its landmark deforestation law while simultaneously keeping restrictions on beef. Critics say this creates a regulatory contradiction: Products from the same cow will be allowed to enter Europe under two very different sets of rules. This juxtaposition has sharpened a long-simmering debate: If beef importers must prove their products are deforestation-free, why would hides from the same animals enter Europe with no equivalent oversight? Environmental and supply chain researchers argue the exemption creates a loophole that effectively splits responsibility for a single production system and this ultimately weakens the law. For industry representatives interviewed by Mongabay, the sector faces a reputational crisis. The EUDR did a “disservice” to a well-intentioned sector that benefits the environment by recycling a byproduct that otherwise would be discarded, a tannery executive said. Indeed, according to the Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA), a U.S. trade association, around 40% of cowhides produced globally…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In July, the European Commission confirmed leather’s exclusion from the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) — this week, the change became official. - The leather sector’s EUDR exemption is a victory for an industry that has lobbied hard for its removal, but challenges remain ahead of the deforestation regulation’s 2030 review, when policymakers will reassess whether hides should comply with deforestation rules. - The industry is now seeking to rebuild its reputation through science, voluntary standards and stronger supply chain traceability, executives attending the Sustainable Leather Forum in Paris said, but traceability remains one of the sector’s biggest obstacles. - Leather representatives maintain that hides’ low economic value means leather should not be held responsible for the environmental impacts of cattle production, but environmental group Earthsight has called the argument “misleading.” authors: | ||
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Tapanuli orangutans face mining, landslides, and fire threats — with no recovery plan 18 Sep 2026 04:14:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/tapanuli-orangutans-face-mining-landslides-and-fire-threats-with-no-recovery-plan/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong content:encoded: JAKARTA — Nearly a year after what scientists describe as one of the most severe ecological shocks ever documented for the world’s rarest great ape species, there is still no coordinated recovery strategy for Tapanuli orangutans, even as mining resumes, future development plans remain active, and a strong El Niño introduces a new threat. That broader concern over the survival of the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) has been sharpened by recent satellite imagery showing fresh ground disturbances inside the concession for Indonesia’s Martabe gold mine, which overlaps with the ape’s habitat. Disputed disturbances The disturbances appeared as swaths of treeless and disturbed earth between June 13 and June 23 on steep rainforest hills around the Ramba Joring pit in Batang Toru, North Sumatra province, according to Planet satellite imagery reviewed by Mongabay. The area is part of an ecosystem that supports the largest known population of the Tapanuli orangutan. Researchers estimate that 716 Tapanuli orangutans remain in Batang Toru, with the population split across three increasingly fragmented subpopulations, leaving the species with little demographic margin for additional losses. A high-resolution AirBus image of the ground disturbance in Martabe gold mine in June 2026. Image courtesy of Mighty Earth. Mighty Earth, a U.S.-based environmental organization, describes the features as landslides associated with mine development. Agincourt Resources, which operates the Martabe mine, disputes that characterization, saying the June disturbance resulted from material movement following blasting carried out within its planned operational area. The blasting, the company said, was planned with…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In late 2025, extreme rainfall associated with Cyclone Senyar wiped out swaths of North Sumatra’s Batang Toru ecosystem, home to the largest known population of Tapanuli orangutans. - Nearly a year later, there are is still no coordinated recovery strategy for the critically endangered ape, and its habitat faces multiple threats. - Satellite footage from June this year shows new ground disturbances in the area; plans to expand a gold mine are proceeding even as an environmental audit of the mine is underway; and meteorologists warn that Indonesia faces an unusually severe fire season. authors: | ||
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Mekong’s Irrawaddy dolphins find cautious hope amid a river in crisis 17 Sep 2026 20:59:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/mekongs-irrawaddy-dolphins-find-cautious-hope-amid-a-river-in-crisis/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Eung Sea content:encoded: KAMPI, Cambodia — At nine in the morning, the sun beats down on the Mekong River as Heang Koeurn turns off the motor of his boat and bobs on the water. He has done this every morning for 11 years, and he still leans forward the same way when he waits: elbows on his knees, eyes scanning the water for a gray curve to break the surface. Finally, he spots what he’s looking for: Irrawaddy dolphins, the river’s sole cetaceans. Just meters away, a boat carries about half a dozen foreign tourists who squint and point as, one after another, the dorsal fins of a group of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) crest above the water. “Irrawaddy dolphins are very important for our community,” Koeurn says, drifting his boat slowly on the water. “People here can make more income from tourists by driving them to see the beauty of Irrawaddy dolphins.” But the Mekong River, a lifeline for millions of people across Southeast Asia, is in ecological crisis, threatening the survival of Irrawaddy dolphins — and with it the livelihoods and traditions of communities along the river. Every morning, boat driver Heang Koeurn takes tourists for dolphin sightseeing at Kampi pool. Image by Eung Sea for Mongabay. Habitat in tatters The Mekong River cuts through northern Stung Treng province along Cambodia’s border with Laos, where deep pools shelter unique aquatic species such as the giant freshwater stingray. The Kampi pool, a 60-meter- (nearly 200-feet-) deep stretch of the river in Cambodia’s…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Irrawaddy dolphins, the Mekong River’s sole cetaceans, are viewed as sacred animals by Mekong communities, and are also an important source of tourism revenue. - The species’ population has dropped steeply since the 1990s, due to hunting, entanglement in fishing gear and habitat degradation. - The Anlong Chheu Teal pool, along the Laos-Cambodia border stands as a cautionary tale: The pool’s last dolphin died in 2022, and tourism subsequently cratered. - Six calves were confirmed to be born this year in Cambodia, increasing the population to 118 and bringing hope that the species can rebound if dolphins and their habitats are protected authors: | ||
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Heavy rain and floods in northern Vietnam submerge homes and disrupt economy 17 Sep 2026 18:58:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/heavy-rain-and-floods-in-northern-vietnam-submerge-homes-and-disrupt-economy/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Heavy rain caused flooding across parts of northern Vietnam on Thursday, disrupting travel, inundating homes and pushing several rivers above dangerous levels, authorities and state media said. Rain has fallen across northern and north-central Vietnam this week, with some areas receiving more than 50 centimeters (19.7 inches), according to the disaster prevention department. More than 2,000 homes have been submerged, many key transportation routes blocked and more than 1,000 households isolated. Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces, which include lowland and hilly areas south of the capital Hanoi, have been among the hardest hit. Vietnam is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries and prone to flooding. A series of severe storms last year spurred the country to find new ways to prepare for and manage floods. In Thanh Hoa province, authorities told students to stay home because flooding had made travel to school dangerous, state media said. Heavy rains and flooding have submerged or damaged about 10,014 hectares (24,745 acres) of rice and other crops, with the largest losses reported in Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces. Thousands of livestock and poultry also have been killed. “The flood happens every year,” Ninh Binh resident Tran Ngoc Tai told national broadcaster VTV, adding that people were prepared with fresh water and food. Many streets in Hanoi were deeply flooded Thursday morning, with water nearly a meter (3.2 feet) deep in some places, disrupting traffic and making it difficult for residents to get to work, take children…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Heavy rain caused flooding across parts of northern Vietnam on Thursday, disrupting travel, inundating homes and pushing several rivers above dangerous levels, authorities and state media said. Rain has fallen across northern and north-central Vietnam this week, with some areas receiving more than 50 centimeters (19.7 inches), according to the disaster […] authors: | ||
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India’s tiger success brings a new challenge: Living alongside the big cats 17 Sep 2026 14:43:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/indias-tiger-success-brings-a-new-challenge-living-alongside-the-big-cats/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Arathi Menon content:encoded: Forty-five-year-old Mahadeva Gowda was tending to his cotton farm in the village of Badagalapura in the southern Indian state of Karnataka when a tiger lunged at him from behind. He was caught unaware: He says he wasn’t aware that the forest department was trying to capture a tiger roaming through the area. Before he realized what was happening, the tiger swiped at his face, severely injuring his eyes and part of his face. After multiple reconstructive surgeries, Gowda has been left to live the rest of his life blinded, without eyes, his mouth only able to open partially, and his speech slurred. His wife, Indrani, says survival is extremely difficult for the family: Gowda was the household’s breadwinner, and now, he can’t work. He’s now become fully dependent on his wife for even his most basic needs. The incident occurred in mid-October 2025. Two weeks later, another farmer, 55-year-old Rajashekarappa, was grazing his cattle in a field when he encountered a tiger: It was fatal. Badagalapura and other villages that regularly report tiger encounters sit on the edge of the forest, placing them within what the forest department considers a “tiger landscape.” “Tigers have been present in this landscape for centuries and they constantly move here,” says S. Prabhakaran, who served as conservator of forests and oversaw operations at Karnataka’s Bandipur Tiger Reserve until earlier this year. The 1,456-square-kilometer (562-square-mile) park is home to between 154 and 175 tigers, according to a 2024 estimate by India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - As tiger populations in India grow and disperse beyond protected areas, encounters with people are increasing, prompting repeated capture and relocation operations by the forest department. - High density doesn’t necessarily mean India has too many tigers. Experts caution that a region’s carrying capacity is influenced by available habitat and prey, the human population and other factors. - While some landscapes support large tiger populations, potential habitat is relatively empty in other areas. Distribution and landscape management are top challenges, conservationists say. - With around 30% of India’s tigers living outside its 58 tiger reserves, a landscape-scale management that maintains and reconnects wildlife corridors is crucial to keep both people and tigers safe, as well as careful monitoring of dispersing tigers, and better management of human-wildlife conflict. authors: | ||
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Community-based conservation is a good climate investment in Brazil & beyond (commentary) 17 Sep 2026 14:39:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/community-based-conservation-is-a-good-climate-investment-in-brazil-beyond-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Ana Cristina BarrosCarlos Eduardo Viveiros GrelleKatia Ribeiro Torres content:encoded: More than half a century has passed since Garrett Hardin published The Tragedy of the Commons in Science in 1968. In that influential article, he argued that human greed and short-term thinking would drive societies toward collapse. Hardin illustrated his argument with the well-known example of herders sharing a pasture: each herder would receive all the income from adding another animal, while the cost of consuming the grass would be shared by all. The path toward pasture depletion was therefore set, as some herders would keep adding animals for their own benefit rather than restrain themselves in the name of an abstract collective good. For Hardin, there was no way to change this equation; the solution for the sustainability of life on the planet was population control. Two decades later, and not by chance, it was a woman who challenged this foretold tragedy, showing that, under certain conditions, human beings can be organized and perceptive enough to cooperate and avert collective failure. Elinor Ostrom developed a theory of cooperation applied to the use of common-pool resources, explaining how locally agreed rules can enable shared benefits. It was an expression of confidence in human social intelligence. The point is not to decide who was right or wrong. Hardin’s argument helps us understand why reducing greenhouse gas emissions remains so difficult, as do countless examples of the degradation of humanity’s natural heritage and, consequently, of the foundations of our future. Ostrom, in turn, helps explain many successful cases of collective natural resource…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In Brazil, community-based land management of collective territories has produced striking results for conservation. - The social situation of these communities is less encouraging, though, with nearly half of households living a precarious existence, suggesting income-transfer programs linked to conservation, like the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), could make a difference — if implemented well. - “Community-based conservation, with its proven effectiveness, would be a compelling focus [for] this type of investment, especially in Brazil,” a new op-ed argues. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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As drought shrinks Sri Lanka’s water holes, poisoning poses threat to wildlife 17 Sep 2026 13:47:41 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/as-drought-shrinks-sri-lankas-water-holes-poisoning-poses-threat-to-wildlife/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: YALA, Sri Lanka – One early morning in July 2016, six wildlife officers waited in a patch of scrubland close to a small pond in southern Sri Lanka. They had received information that poachers had poisoned the water hole to kill wild animals for meat. A dead deer lay beside the poisoned pool as the officers waited for the poachers to return. When two men approached the carcass, the officers moved in. One suspect fled, while a wildlife ranger tackled the other as he tried to escape. During the struggle, the ranger’s rifle discharged, fatally wounding him in the stomach. The officer was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital. The incident, in the Sinukkugala jungles about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the town Hambantota in the South exposed the deadly chain behind a seemingly simple act: Putting poison into a water hole. The poachers were not just killing a single animal; they were turning water — one of the most vital resources in Sri Lanka’s dry-zone landscape — into a trap. Nearly a decade later, wildlife officials continue to warn against the practice as poisoning incidents persist. In one such incident in July of this year, wildlife officers found 17 deer carcasses beside an empty agrochemical bag that may have been used to poison the animals. This pregnant doe died after drinking from a poisoned water hole, which also killed her unborn fawn. Image courtesy of the Department of Wildlife Conservation Facebook page. During droughts, wildlife becomes concentrated…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Sri Lanka will keep the two most visited sections of Yala National Park closed from Sept. 14 to Oct. 15 as drought conditions and extreme heat intensify pressure on wildlife. - Wildlife officers are supplying water to animals as natural water sources have largely dried up but concentrating thirsty wild animals around remaining water holes could spark new conservation risks. - Poachers have previously poisoned water holes during droughts to kill deer and other animals for meat, with similar incidents reported in and around several protected areas across Sri Lanka. - The crisis highlights how climate-driven water shortages expose wildlife to an array of fresh threats. authors: | ||
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World’s smallest crocodile in high demand for bushmeat trade in Nigeria 17 Sep 2026 11:07:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/worlds-smallest-crocodile-in-high-demand-for-bushmeat-trade-in-nigeria/ author: Terna Gyuse dc:creator: Amir Sadiq content:encoded: The African dwarf crocodile is the world’s smallest living crocodile. These reptiles, nocturnal predators of crabs, gastropods and the occasional fish or small mammal, can reach 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length. They are found in dense swamps and flooded forests across large parts of West and Central Africa. Despite being listed as vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List, the African dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) has not been assessed by the conservation organization for 30 years. Anecdotal evidence suggests the crocodile’s numbers have declined sharply in many places where they were formerly common due to over-harvesting and destruction of their habitat. “The dwarf crocodile is particularly well-suited for the commercial trade,” ecologist Mitchell Eaton wrote in 2008. “Its small size and slow metabolism allow it to be captured and transported live over long distances without the need for refrigeration.” These unfortunately convenient characteristics have made the species a prized target for hunters across the reptiles’ range and conservationists fear this is putting crocodile populations under unsustainable pressure. Researcher Israel Ogorode with a dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) at the Uwa bushmeat market in Benin City, Nigeria. Image courtesy of Israel Ogorode. For a study published in August in the journal BMC Zoology, conservation biologist Israel Ogorode and colleagues surveyed sales of African dwarf crocodiles at three markets in the Niger Delta, aiming to collect data about how many of the reptiles are sold — and who is doing the selling. Ogorode and the researchers visited three bushmeat markets in the Niger…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The African dwarf crocodile is found in dense swamps and flooded forests across large parts of West and Central Africa. - Experts say these reptiles, which are widely hunted and sold, are under pressure from overexploitation and loss of habitat. - A recently published study set out to assess how many of the reptiles were sold in three bushmeat markets in the Niger Delta. authors: | ||
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A giant anteater’s return in Argentina offers a case for letting nature restore itself 17 Sep 2026 09:55:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/a-giant-anteaters-return-in-argentina-offers-a-case-for-letting-nature-restore-itself/ author: Alexandra Popescu dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: In 2025, a giant anteater returned to the Alma Guaraní reserve in Argentina’s Corrientes province. It marked the first sighting of this vulnerable and emblematic mammal in the region since 1986. That return is believed to be the result of restoration work that began in the reserve in 2021, according to a paper published in Restoration Ecology, which makes the case that passive restoration in particular may have triggered the species’ return to the area. “It was the first register of the giant anteater in 40 years in Corrientes province, and it was spontaneous,” said co-author Rosario Montiel, from the National University of the Northeast and CEO of climate and environmental startup RestoreData. “We think that in this area, in this reserve, this animal has found food and all its needs to settle there.” It’s not known where the giant anteater came from. Montiel and colleagues suggest the individual, thought to be a male, may have crossed over from neighboring Chaco province, swimming across the nearby Parana River when water levels hit a historical low in 2024. Giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) are classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Habitat loss is a major threat, driven primarily by the expansion of agriculture and livestock ranching, and is behind much of the species’ decline across Argentina and the wider Gran Chaco region. Infrastructure development, such as increasing road networks, and hunting are also significant threats. Anteaters are caught for the pet trade and accidentally killed by hunters’ dogs. These pressures still…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The return of a giant anteater to the protected area in the humid Gran Chaco in Argentina has given researchers hope that ecosystem restoration could help restore biodiversity in an area threatened by habitat loss and agriculture. - Passive restoration in the area meant removing pressures on the landscape from livestock, dogs, hunting, and fishing, which allowed the natural vegetation to recover. - Experts say it’s too early to say if the anteater’s return is the start of the species’ recovery or just a one-off, and call for continuous monitoring. authors: | ||
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Rescuers race against time as fires ravage orangutan habitat inside Indonesian oil palm concession 17 Sep 2026 06:18:41 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/rescuers-race-against-time-as-fires-ravage-orangutan-habitat-inside-indonesian-oil-palm-concession/ author: Hans Nicholas Jong dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong content:encoded: JAKARTA — Conservationists are racing to rescue orangutans from a fire-ravaged peat-swamp forest inside an RSPO-certified oil palm concession in West Kalimantan, with smoke still rising and the ground remaining dangerously hot. The 657-hectare (1,623-acre) forest, designated as a High Conservation Value (HCV) area inside PT Kayung Agro Lestari (KAL), is home to around 60 Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), one of three orangutan species in the world and the only one found on the island of Borneo, according to conservationists. The forest was also used in October 2015 to release four orangutans rescued by the Yayasan International Animal Rescue Indonesia (YIARI), a Borneo-based NGO working to establish and maintain sustainable orangutan populations. Nearly 11 years after four orangutans were released there, the peat-swamp forest that provided their habitat has itself been almost completely affected by fire, according to satellite analysis by technology consultancy TheTreeMap. This animation shows the progression of fire within and around the PT Kayung Agro Lestari concession in Ketapang (yellow lines), West Kalimantan, between 8 August and 12 September 2026. The sequence shows how fires progressively burned the HCV forests (turning from dark green to dark red) over the course of several weeks. Image courtesy of TheTreeMap/Nusantara Atlas. The analysis indicates that one of the major fires began on Aug. 8 along a canal at the edge of the oil palm plantation in Ketapang district, before spreading westward into the HCV forest. Conservationists are working to rescue orangutans still believed to be in the area. Some animals…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Conservationists are racing to rescue orangutans from fire-affected habitat inside an Indonesian oil palm concession. - Some orangutans have been brought to safety, while others are believed to remain in the area. - First Resources, which owns the concession, says it enforces a strict “zero-burning policy” across all planting activities. - Another, larger conservation area that once supported an estimated 200 orangutans has also been affected by fire. authors: | ||
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Exotic pet trade poses rising zoonotic disease risks in India 17 Sep 2026 06:15:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/exotic-pet-trade-poses-rising-zoonotic-disease-risks-in-india/ author: Naina Rao dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: In India, the exotic pet trade is increasing the risk of zoonotic disease spillovers, as close contact with imported wild animals creates repeated opportunities for dangerous pathogens to jump to humans and vice versa, reports Mongabay India’s Arathi Menon. Dr. Rina Dev, an avian and exotic animal veterinarian in Mumbai who treats imported and seized wildlife, experienced the potential danger firsthand when she was hospitalized with a lung infection. “I hope it’s not something from the parrots I was treating,” Dev told Mongabay India after she was released from the hospital. Her concerns are warranted: diseases like avian chlamydiosis (psittacosis) are commonly contracted by people who handle birds, earning it the nickname “bird handler’s disease.” Dev noted that traded animals can carry a wide array of infections, including salmonellosis from reptiles, tuberculosis from primates, and avian influenza from birds. “Tuberculosis is increasingly being detected among primates, which is a big zoonotic concern,” she said. Uttara Mendiratta, a conservation researcher working on illegal wildlife hunting and trade, said disease transfer between humans and other primates is especially easy because we’re so closely related. Ebola and HIV can both pass from nonhuman primates to people, for example. Human diseases can also be deadly for wildlife. A global analysis revealed that traded mammals are 1.5 times more likely to share pathogens with humans than nontraded mammals. On average a traded species shares one additional pathogen with humans for every decade it’s traded. Additionally, a 2026 report by Humane World for Animals, a global…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: In India, the exotic pet trade is increasing the risk of zoonotic disease spillovers, as close contact with imported wild animals creates repeated opportunities for dangerous pathogens to jump to humans and vice versa, reports Mongabay India’s Arathi Menon. Dr. Rina Dev, an avian and exotic animal veterinarian in Mumbai who treats imported and seized […] authors: | ||
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Displaced by typhoons, Taiwan’s Bunun Indigenous people struggle to preserve heritage 17 Sep 2026 04:17:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/displaced-by-typhoons-taiwans-bunun-indigenous-people-struggle-to-preserve-heritage/ author: Naina Rao dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: Wild grass now grows around the abandoned wooden houses of Tengjhih, a high-mountain hamlet in southern Taiwan, once a key settlement of the Bunun Indigenous people. Now, little remains except for the memories it holds. Around 150 Bunun Indigenous residents of Tengjhih were permanently resettled in lowland areas after the deadly Typhoon Morakot in 2009 destroyed the only access road to their village, contributor Aylin Ho reports for Mongabay. Typhoon Morakot killed 755 people across Taiwan, triggering catastrophic floods and landslides. While Indigenous peoples represented just 2.1% of Taiwan’s population at the time, approximately 70% of the land declared unsafe by authorities was located within Indigenous territories. Efforts to rebuild the road to Tengjhih in 2012, 2021 and 2023 faced setbacks due to climate change-amplified rainfall and landslides. More recently, a typhoon in 2025 also devastated one section of the mountain, Ho reports. The indefinite closure of the surrounding Tengjhih National Forest Recreation Area has wiped out the local ecotourism and agricultural economy. “When a major typhoon hits us, I have no income for the entire year,” said Bi’ Ismahasan, 70, a tea and coffee farmer who now relies on government assistance. “In 2026, I lost my entire harvest. Every year is worse than the previous one.” Displacement has severed connections to ancestral land, threatening the transmission of cultural practices and language to younger generations. “Today, when [young people] come back, there is no village and no work,” said Saminat Maliklan, 55, a Bunun cultural guide and one of five…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Wild grass now grows around the abandoned wooden houses of Tengjhih, a high-mountain hamlet in southern Taiwan, once a key settlement of the Bunun Indigenous people. Now, little remains except for the memories it holds. Around 150 Bunun Indigenous residents of Tengjhih were permanently resettled in lowland areas after the deadly Typhoon Morakot in 2009 […] authors: | ||
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In Southeast Asia, residents grapple with life under Indonesia’s wildfire haze 17 Sep 2026 04:05:52 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/in-southeast-asia-residents-grapple-with-life-under-indonesias-wildfire-haze/ author: Yenni Kwok dc:creator: Choo Ching YeeIrfan MaulanaKrismes Santo HalohoOliver Samson content:encoded: KUALA LUMPUR — Video editor Mohamad Haazim has lost count of how many times he refreshes Malaysia’s Air Pollutant Index (API) website every day to check air quality in the city where he lives. It’s been hovering between “unhealthy” and “hazardous” in recent weeks. Haazim, who asked to be identified only by his given names for privacy reasons, lives in Kuching, the capital of Malaysia’s Sarawak state. It is known as one of the cities with the cleanest air quality in the country, but since last month, Kuching has earned a dubious distinction of being the world’s “most polluted major city,” according to IQAir, a Swiss-based air quality technology company. The culprit? Smog from Indonesia’s wildfires. “It has deeply disrupted my daily routine,” Haazim said of the haze. “Outdoor routines are completely on hold; morning and evening walks are out of the question.” An avid marathon runner, Haazim no longer runs five times a week outdoors. “I am now down to just two indoor runs,” he told Mongabay last week. At home and at work, he said he ensures windows are shut tight, with air purifiers running at full blast. Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, on Sept. 4, 2026. Image by AP Photo/Xpin Voon. He can’t forget his long drive home from Lawas, a Sarawak town located between Sabah and Brunei, on Aug. 31. “The haze became much thicker as we went back to Kuching,” he said. “As we arrived…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Air quality in cities and districts across Southeast Asia has reached hazardous levels in recent weeks owing to transboundary haze from wildfires in Indonesia. - The pollution has limited outdoor activities, caused or contributed to health issues and forced children to stay home from school. - Mongabay talked with residents in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines to find out how the transboundary haze and wildfires are affecting their daily lives. authors: | ||
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‘Don’t shoot. Listen’: The AI-aided quest to understand Yellowstone’s wolves 16 Sep 2026 21:53:20 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/dont-shoot-listen-the-ai-aided-quest-to-understand-yellowstones-wolves/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Justin Catanoso content:encoded: Jeff Reed wasn’t raised to hate wolves. But as a child he bought into the Little Red Riding Hood myth regarding their villainous nature. You see one, you shoot it. But not on a night on his Montana farm some five years ago, a night that proved life-changing not only for Reed, but perhaps for the study and conservation of wolves. “I thought it was a large coyote,” Reed recalls. “It was standing broadside in my [pickup truck] headlights, like 10 yards away, this big, beautiful gray wolf. And he’s just looking at me. I open the door, grab my rifle, and he’s standing there … I’m pointing my barrel, looking at it. “Then all of a sudden — you can call it an Apostle Paul sees Jesus for the first time and goes blind moment — and I just go, ‘What the hell am I doing? Why am I doing this?’ So I shot over its back, like way high. It didn’t bolt. It just trotted right beside me … and kept going.” Reed heeded that night’s sacred call. It wasn’t long before wolf indifference morphed into obsession, and led to his linking up with the world’s leading long-term wolf research effort. Which may seem like an odd fit, Reed being a Ph.D. linguist who spent much of his career up to that point leading software engineering for Silicon Valley firms. But all that knowledge has intertwined perfectly: The Cry Wolf Project is grounded in bioacoustics and artificial intelligence…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Wolf howls have mystified listeners for ages, prompting a range of questions. For more than three decades, wildlife biologists, using traditional research methods, have sought answers from the wolf packs of Yellowstone National Park, among the most studied on Earth. - Jeff Reed, a native Montanan, linguist and computer engineer, has joined the Yellowstone researchers in a quest to decode what he calls “wolfish” by deploying the latest technology. Reed’s bioacoustic listening devices collect massive amounts of ambient sound annually from the vast Yellowstone soundscape. - Using large-language models and artificial intelligence, Reed has isolated more than 8,000 hours of continuous wolf vocalizations, the largest database of its kind in the world. Through repetitive analysis, Reed has identified a range of distinct wolf calls, possibly signifying specific meanings or emotions. - Reed’s pioneering technology is already in use to eavesdrop on wolf packs in Italy, and it has potential utility for wildlife research and conservation worldwide. Longtime Mongabay contributor Justin Catanoso field-reported this story from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Emigrant, Montana. authors: | ||
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Bolivia’s mining law overhaul raises environmental and community concerns 16 Sep 2026 20:09:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/bolivias-mining-law-overhaul-raises-environmental-and-community-concerns/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: Bolivia recently began overhauling one of its principal mining laws, with the goal of modernizing the industry and improving oversight. Civil society and Indigenous groups have raised concerns about the process, but officials say the new mining code will promote economic development and include environmental protections. “We want a mining code that responds to the current needs of the sector, generates legal certainty, and establishes clear rules to support the development of Bolivian mining,” Marco Antonio Calderón de la Barca Quintanilla, the minister of mining and metallurgy, said in a statement. The ministry says it’s held weekly meetings with key mining stakeholders about their concerns and proposals for the new mining code. This month, their ideas were given to a technical committee to consider while drafting a preliminary bill, which will be delivered to the national legislature for approval. The government hasn’t announced when the bill will be completed. The current code was passed in 2014 and establishes the mechanisms for mining development, environmental oversight, and the participation of local and Indigenous communities, among other things. Updates will focus on strengthening mining rights, promoting investment, formalizing mining activity, and improving transparency, a ministry statement said. Updates will also involve “consolidating responsible environmental management.” The details of potential changes haven’t been finalized or released. But local reports said some ideas have included new tax and royalty structures, removing the 30-year limit on mining contracts to extend them indefinitely, and restructuring the ministry and other mining institutions. Other ideas include protections for…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Bolivia recently began overhauling one of its principal mining laws, with the goal of modernizing the industry and improving oversight. Civil society and Indigenous groups have raised concerns about the process, but officials say the new mining code will promote economic development and include environmental protections. “We want a mining code that responds to the […] authors: | ||
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EU plans new firefighting fleet after deadly summer heat wave 16 Sep 2026 19:46:33 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/eu-plans-new-firefighting-fleet-after-deadly-summer-heat-wave/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: BRUSSELS (AP) — A scorching summer that dried up rivers and killed tens of thousands across the European Union from Portugal to Hungary has shown that the bloc needs to develop new tools to meet a worsening climate, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. She said that this instability led her to propose a new European Heatwave Plan as well as a future European firefighting fleet of airplanes. Currently, the EU operates a small fleet itself but coordinates a network of aircraft, water trucks and volunteers that move across the 27-nation bloc as fires ignite. “This summer was the summer of truth. Almost no part of our continent was spared,” said the EU executive during her annual State of the European Union address in Strasbourg. “Key rivers like the Danube, the Rhine or La Garonne are disappearing before our eyes. More than 35,000 additional deaths during the heat waves. Care homes and hospitals dangerously overheated.” The extreme heat, which hit Europe exceptionally hard and early this year appears to have led to a much higher spike in deaths than expected. Where Von der Leyen’s figure of 35,000 comes from is unclear, but it is triple the estimates of “excessive deaths” by monitoring groups in July. Fires in France and Spain drove hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, shut down nuclear reactors in Hungary and France, ignited century-old munitions on Belgium’s border with Germany and revealed previously lost ships sunk on riverbeds like a tugboat in Serbia. The heat and humidity that broke…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: BRUSSELS (AP) — A scorching summer that dried up rivers and killed tens of thousands across the European Union from Portugal to Hungary has shown that the bloc needs to develop new tools to meet a worsening climate, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. She said that this instability led her to […] authors: | ||
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‘A good way to die’: triumph and tragedy among dispersing African wild dogs 16 Sep 2026 18:41:32 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/a-good-way-to-die-triumph-and-tragedy-among-dispersing-african-wild-dogs/ author: Terna Gyuse dc:creator: Ryan Truscott content:encoded: In mid-2025, a trio of male African wild dogs headed east through the open woodlands of Kafue National Park in west-central Zambia, away from the pack they’d grown up in. Roughly two weeks earlier, four of their sisters had also left the pack. One dog in each of the groups was wearing a GPS collar fitted and monitored by a team of researchers from the Zambian Carnivore Programme, Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife, and other partners. The tracking data showed that the females headed northward, into a game management area (GMA), a partially protected buffer zone adjacent to the park. But their brothers, known to the researchers as the Mayukuyuku males, entered an unprotected area east of Kafue, then turned north toward the cities of Kitwe and Ndola. The two dispersing groups were doing what wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) tend to do when they reach the age of around 3 years old. They break from their birth packs and head out in search of territory and mates to form packs of their own. But it’s also extremely risky behavior. “A good way to die, if you’re an African wild dog, is to leave your pack,” said Scott Creel, an ecologist at Montana State University in the U.S. and lead author of a new study recording these and other epic wild dogs movements across Zambia. But, he added, the alternative is also grim: “A good way to never reproduce is to stay in your pack.” African wild dogs in…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A pack of wild dogs has recorded the longest journey by an African mammal by clocking up more than 4,100 kilometers (2,500 miles). - The record is documented in a new study that tracked wild dog dispersals over nearly 20 years across Zambia. - Some of the dogs studied were killed in wire snares at the end of similarly epic journeys. - Connections between separate landscapes still exist, the researchers say, but work must be done to ensure they aren’t lost within the next decade to unchecked human expansion. authors: | ||
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‘Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals’ celebrates species with song 16 Sep 2026 17:44:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/carnival-of-the-nearly-extinct-animals-celebrates-species-with-song/ author: Liz Kimbrough dc:creator: Liz Kimbrough content:encoded: Once upon a time, flocks of passenger pigeons were so dense they blocked the sun like great gray thunderclouds flying overhead. Composer Stephanie Ann Boyd imagines this with music. “You will feel this movement before you hear it: a deep rumble in the low voices of the orchestra suddenly crescendo and explode into a grand, flying murmuration of sound and flurry,” Boyd writes. The passenger pigeon movement is part of Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals, a work honoring species facing extinction and a few that have already crossed the threshold. This staged production pairing music with puppetry, dance, and spoken word opens at the historic Hawaii Theatre in Honolulu on Sept. 18 and 19, produced by Ocean Music Action in partnership with the Hawaii Theatre Center. Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals has 14 movements covering 13 species: tigers, bees and butterflies, polar bears, hawksbill turtles, elephants, black rhinos, coral, blue whales, ivory-billed woodpeckers, passenger pigeons, gray wolves, American buffalo and kāhuli, snails native to Hawai‘i, with a finale. Boyd designed the orchestral piece as a sister work to an older, famous piece of music called Carnival of the Animals, written by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns in the 1880s. The two pieces share the same number of movements and are roughly the same length. Musicians from the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra play the score in Honolulu, with dancers from Ballet Hawaii and guest artists from New York. Obie Award-winning puppeteer Greg Corbino built dozens of the animals by hand. Hawaiian…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Once upon a time, flocks of passenger pigeons were so dense they blocked the sun like great gray thunderclouds flying overhead. Composer Stephanie Ann Boyd imagines this with music. “You will feel this movement before you hear it: a deep rumble in the low voices of the orchestra suddenly crescendo and explode into a grand, […] authors: | ||
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Why do these monkeys look so weird 16 Sep 2026 14:13:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/why-do-these-monkeys-look-so-weird/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Izzy Sasada content:encoded: Why do the monkeys in Vietnam look so… odd? “The odd-nosed group” — that’s what scientists have called a group of primates found across Asia that share a common ancestry. Scientists think Vietnam’s monkeys—like the red-shanked douc and the Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys—developed their unique, flat or non-existent noses to adapt to the cold of high-elevation forestsThis article was originally published on Mongabay description: Why do the monkeys in Vietnam look so… odd? “The odd-nosed group” — that’s what scientists have called a group of primates found across Asia that share a common ancestry. Scientists think Vietnam’s monkeys—like the red-shanked douc and the Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys—developed their unique, flat or non-existent noses to adapt to the cold of high-elevation […] authors: | ||
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Fishers bear deep costs of plastic pollution in Vietnam, but could help turn the tide 16 Sep 2026 08:40:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/fishers-bear-deep-costs-of-plastic-pollution-in-vietnam-but-could-help-turn-the-tide/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Carolyn Cowan content:encoded: Plastic bags and bottles, aquaculture feed bags, nylon netting and ropes don’t sound like the makings of a healthy fishing haul. However, nets replete with these items are a near-daily reality for the majority of fishers interviewed by researchers during a recent study in Vietnam. Plastic waste causes small-scale fishers in Vietnam to lose an average of $3,421 per vessel, per year, in lost fishing time, reduced catch efficiency and damaged gear, the study assessing the economic impacts of plastic debris on fishing livelihoods found. This represents a 10-25% reduction in the annual income of vessel owners. Fishers interviewed for the study reported that they had significantly increased their fishing efforts in recent years in response to the combined pressures of overexploited fish stocks and plastic pollution. “Before, 6-7 hauls were enough [to turn a profit],” one interviewee told the researchers. “Now it takes 20-25 hauls.” The study also highlights how fishers could play a significant role in solutions tackling the plastic pollution crisis, including through “fishing for litter” programs that pay fishers modest financial incentives to bring back plastic bycatch for disposal and processing on land. “When you see firsthand the sheer volume of [plastic waste] in Southeast Asia, and how it directly impacts people’s lives and livelihoods, it crystallizes very clearly why we need to address this,” study co-author Michel Kaiser, a professor of fisheries conservation at Heriot-Watt University in the U.K., told Mongabay in an interview. “Fundamentally, turning off the source of the plastic is key, but…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new study in Vietnam found coastal plastic pollution costs small-scale fishers thousands of dollars a year in lost earning potential. - Fishers lose on average $3,421 per vessel per year as a result of lost fishing time, reduced catch efficiency and damaged gear due to plastic waste, the study found, with lower-income fishers in the Mekong Delta the worst affected. - However, fishers may also have a significant role to play in solutions to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, according to the research. - The study calculated that a “fishing for litter” scheme, whereby fishers would receive modest payments for returning plastic bycatch to collection facilities on land, would require an investment of around $60 per vessel per year. authors: | ||
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Venezuela’s historic oil deal with the US reignites environmental, human rights concerns 16 Sep 2026 08:30:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/venezuelas-historic-oil-deal-with-the-us-reignites-environmental-human-rights-concerns/ author: Alexandra Popescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: In late August, the U.S. announced a historic oil deal that gives it access to more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves in Venezuela, with investment of up to $100 billion in new oil infrastructure across the country. The deal has been billed as a way to secure “energy dominance” for the U.S. while driving Venezuela’s economic recovery. But observers say they’re concerned about the climate impact of fossil fuels, the deal’s lack of transparency, potential oil spills and other environmental risks. “Economic recovery cannot come at the expense of human rights relating to the environment,” said a Sept. 9 joint statement from the Venezuelan Program for Education-Action on Human Rights (Provea) and Clima21, an environmental NGO. “No economic interest takes precedence over the constitutional and internationally recognized right to a healthy, safe and sustainable environment.” The deal is structured through private company North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), the second-largest Venezuelan oil producer, which has “100-year concessions for 17 oil fields,” according to the U.S. government. The U.S. has a “35% equity stake” in the company and can purchase 20% of its production, with a right of first refusal for the remaining 80% throughout the 25-year agreement. It’s part of an attempt by the U.S. to increase involvement in Venezuela following a January military operation to remove President Nicolás Maduro, who has been accused of narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking. Throughout 2026, U.S. officials have visited Venezuela to discuss investment in the country’s natural resources, most notably oil and gas. Venezuela has one…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The U.S. announced a historic oil deal in August that gives it access to more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves in Venezuela, which is structured through a private company, North American Blue Energy Partners. - It’s part of a U.S. attempt to increase investment in Venezuela’s natural resources, most notably oil and gas. - The country has one of the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, at an estimated 300 billion barrels. However, it’s heavier and harder to refine than the oil in other countries. - Observers expressed concern about increased greenhouse gas emissions and oil spills, as well as the lack of transparency surrounding the deal, which could threaten protected areas and Indigenous territory. authors: | ||
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For the first time, Congolese NGO to manage a DRC protected area 16 Sep 2026 05:56:14 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/for-the-first-time-congolese-ngo-to-manage-a-drc-protected-area/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Elodie Toto content:encoded: For the first time in the modern history of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a Congolese nongovernmental organization will co-manage a protected area in the country. “It is an honor,” Dominique Bikaba, founder of the NGO Strong Roots, told Mongabay by phone. Strong Roots has been entrusted with the management of Itombwe Nature Reserve (RNI), located in South Kivu province in the northeast DRC. Under a public-private partnership Strong Roots will manage the reserve for the next 10 years. The Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN), the national authority responsible for natural parks, will retain oversight of the park. “I think the government chose us, because they have observed the work we have done in the biodiversity corridor and the way we have put local communities at the center of conservation,” Bikaba said. Strong Roots has spent about a decade securing land for communities and wildlife to create a 1-million-hectare (2.5-million-acre) corridor through community forestry concessions. This corridor spans the area between Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Itombwe Nature Reserve. To date, Strong Roots has secured 23 community forest concessions in the area, covering nearly 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of land. “Itombwe is made up of seven chiefdoms, and we are already working with four of them in the corridor,” Bikaba said. “So we have a very good knowledge of the reserve; we know its problems and its needs.” Bikaba is a member of an Indigenous community in the area that was evicted to make way for another protected area. So,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: For the first time in the modern history of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a Congolese nongovernmental organization will co-manage a protected area in the country. “It is an honor,” Dominique Bikaba, founder of the NGO Strong Roots, told Mongabay by phone. Strong Roots has been entrusted with the management of Itombwe Nature Reserve […] authors: | ||
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Marine heatwave likely caused sharp decline in Hawaiian humpback whales, study finds 15 Sep 2026 21:38:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/marine-heatwave-likely-caused-sharp-decline-in-hawaiian-humpback-whales-study-finds/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: Roughly a decade ago, a marine heatwave in the northeastern Pacific Ocean caused a dramatic decline in populations of forage fish and krill, the base of the marine food chain. A recent study found that the Hawaiian humpback whale population, which feeds on krill and small fish, also declined sharply during the 2013-16 heatwave and has not yet recovered. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the North Pacific feed in cold Alaskan and Canadian waters during the summer months before traveling roughly 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) to Hawaii to breed and give birth over the winter. To understand the impact of the 2013-2016 marine heatwave, researchers analyzed more than 27,000 photos of whale sightings between 2002 and 2023 across the main Hawaiian islands. The photos came from Happywhale, a citizen science platform where anyone can upload images of whale flukes (tail fins) that scientists use to identify individuals. “Their flukes are a bit like a fingerprint for each individual humpback whale,” study co-author Shannon Barber-Meyer, formerly with Pacific Whale Foundation, told Mongabay in a video call. The researchers found the Hawaiian humpback whale population declined by 37% between the 2014-2015 breeding season and the 2021-2022 season. Adult survival rates also fell sharply. Before the heatwave, roughly 99% of adult whales survived year over year, but during the heatwave, adult survival was estimated at just 68%. “It’s a very precipitous drop, and that’s not something you normally see in adult survival of long-lived mammals,” Barber-Meyer said. During the heatwave, researchers documented an unusual mortality event…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Roughly a decade ago, a marine heatwave in the northeastern Pacific Ocean caused a dramatic decline in populations of forage fish and krill, the base of the marine food chain. A recent study found that the Hawaiian humpback whale population, which feeds on krill and small fish, also declined sharply during the 2013-16 heatwave and […] authors: | ||
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Brazil election could put 95% of the Amazon under right-wing governments 15 Sep 2026 19:27:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/right-wing-leaders-could-rule-95-of-the-amazon-by-2027-experts-warn/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Lucas Berti content:encoded: In January 2027, five of the nine Amazonian countries could be run by right-wing or far-right parties, posing new risks to the world’s greatest rainforest, experts warn. Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador have already elected presidents who explicitly favor agribusiness and mining over environmental conservation. Brazil, home to more than 60% of the Amazon, could be next. According to polls, the left-wing incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is neck and neck ahead of October’s ballot against Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right president he defeated in the last election four years ago. The elder Bolsonaro has since been convicted for an attempted coup d’état, imprisoned, and barred from running for office. Venezuela, run by a nominally socialist regime but now under economic intervention from the U.S., is facing mounting pressure from President Donald Trump to boost oil production and sign new mining deals, raising environmental concerns in the country. Together, these six nations cover up to 95% of the Amazon. Experts say Brazil’s election will have high stakes for the Amazon and other biomes, especially as the younger Bolsonaro looks set to revive his father’s policies. Opposition presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, left, greets El Salvador’s Minister of Justice and Public Security, Hector Gustavo Villatoro, during a meeting, in São Paulo, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. Image by AP Photo/Andre Penner. “Even under a government that is somewhat committed to combating deforestation, the task is already very difficult,” Márcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, a…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - After a cycle of left-wing administrations, four out of nine Amazonian nations are currently under right-wing leadership that favors exploitation of natural resources over conservation. - Brazil could be next after October’s elections, which could put up to 95% of the Amazon under mining- and agribusiness-friendly administrations. - According to experts, the Amazon Rainforest’s already challenging environmental situation could reach a dangerous tipping point if regional leaders abandon environmental cooperation. authors: | ||
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‘Big Cats’ highlights the remarkable power of photojournalism 15 Sep 2026 19:25:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/09/big-cats-highlights-the-remarkable-power-of-photojournalism/ author: Mikedigirolamo dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo content:encoded: Jeff Sikich, the biologist for the National Park Service in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, thought that Steve Winter “was crazy” for wanting to capture a photograph of a mountain lion in front of the Hollywood sign. “He looked at me like I was crazy because he said, ‘There are no mountain lions in Griffith Park.’ But I knew in the past that there had been,” Winter says. It took him around a year, but Winter managed to do it. He captured the famous mountain lion, named P-22 by scientists, sauntering down a hill at night wearing his tracking collar, with the Hollywood sign shimmering in the background. This helped spark a conservation movement in L.A. and eventually inspired funding for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over U.S. Route 101, which will be the world’s largest wildlife crossing when it opens on Dec. 2. Winter and Mongabay contributing editor Sharon Guynup join the Mongabay Newscast this week to detail this story and others that are featured in her and Winter’s upcoming book of impactful photojournalism, Big Cats from Nat Geo Books. Each of the nine stories in this book was selected specifically for the conservation outcomes these stories helped inspire. “We really wanted to emphasize that storytelling and photography can change the world. And beyond that, we all can have impact, so we all need to contribute our skills, whatever they are,” Guynup says. After reading all 25,000 words, this book stands out to me as more than a collection of…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Jeff Sikich, the biologist for the National Park Service in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, thought that Steve Winter “was crazy” for wanting to capture a photograph of a mountain lion in front of the Hollywood sign. “He looked at me like I was crazy because he said, ‘There are no mountain lions in Griffith Park.’ […] authors: | ||
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Report links fishmeal production to decline in key species for Guinea-Bissau communities 15 Sep 2026 19:23:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/report-links-fishmeal-production-to-decline-in-key-species-for-guinea-bissau-communities/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: Populations of sardinella, an important protein-rich fish, are in rapid decline in the waters off Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. The decline appears to be related to industrial fishing for two species of sardinella used to make fishmeal, according to a report by investigative news organization OCCRP. In Guinea-Bissau, fish like the Madeiran sardinella (Sardinella maderensis) and round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) are among the primary ingredients in fishmeal, a processed fish product added to livestock feed for added protein and nutrients. But sardinella is also a crucial food for people in Guinea-Bissau and other West African nations. A fisheries assessment for the Guinea-Bissau government showed sardinella stocks have been decimated, according to the OCCRP report. This decline coincided with the arrival two Chinese fishmeal factories and a fleet of Turkish fishing boats off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. In an email to Mongabay, OCCRP report co-author Josef Skrdlik said the migration patterns of sardinella still aren’t fully understood, so there could be other explanations for the decline. “That said, the assessment, combined with the export data we’ve compiled, points to the Chinese-owned factory ships as the main culprits,” Skrdlik said. “The export data indicates that the production on the ships — supplied by a Turkish fleet for which sardinella was a key target — took place at a scale consistent with the decline in the sardinella stocks observed between 2013 and 2025,” he added. “In particular, fishmeal exports by a company linked to the floating factories corresponded to at least 350,000 tons…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Populations of sardinella, an important protein-rich fish, are in rapid decline in the waters off Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. The decline appears to be related to industrial fishing for two species of sardinella used to make fishmeal, according to a report by investigative news organization OCCRP. In Guinea-Bissau, fish like the Madeiran sardinella (Sardinella maderensis) […] authors: | ||
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Since US intervention, Venezuela’s illegal mining crisis has only worsened, critics say 15 Sep 2026 17:13:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/since-us-intervention-venezuelas-illegal-mining-crisis-has-only-worsened-critics-say/ author: Alexandra Popescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum traveled to Venezuela in March with over a dozen mining company executives, holding a meeting in Caracas with local officials to discuss creating a “legitimate mining sector” and removing the criminal groups that currently operate at many mine sites. The economic potential of Venezuela’s mining sector, he said, could be worth billions. Burgum’s trip came just a few months after a U.S. military operation removed then-President Nicolás Maduro and transported him to a detention center in the U.S. state of New York. Since then, officials have heralded a new era for Venezuela, and tried to make the mining sector more attractive to foreign investment: Passing mining reform laws, taking down leaders of criminal groups involved in mining, and raiding illegal mining sites. The U.S. is also considering an executive order aimed at improving access to critical minerals, Reuters reported. Yet at the same time, observers say the illegal mining crisis is getting worse, not better. Illegal mining has expanded this year, in some cases in protected areas, and criminal groups involved in mining have tightened their hold in many parts of the country, according to sources contacted by Mongabay. “[Since Maduro’s capture], nothing has changed in the criminal and legal ecosystem,” Cristina Burelli, founder of SOSOrinoco, an advocacy group studying the social and environmental impacts of mining in Venezuela, told Mongabay. “If anything, we have seen an increase in certain areas.” Vendors weigh and trade gold at gold-buying shops in El Callao, Venezuela.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In January, U.S. armed forces removed Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro from office and began opening the mining sector to foreign investment. - Over the last eight months, officials have passed mining reforms, taken down leaders of criminal groups, and raided illegal mine sites. Nevertheless, observers say the illegal mining crisis is getting worse, not better. - Illegal mining has expanded this year, in some cases in protected areas, and criminal groups involved in mining have tightened their hold in many parts of the country, experts say. authors: | ||
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Dhaka’s waste-to-energy project faces opposition from pollution-weary residents 15 Sep 2026 16:30:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/dhakas-waste-to-energy-project-faces-opposition-from-pollution-weary-residents/ author: Abu Siddique dc:creator: Eyamin Sajid content:encoded: At years old, Yeasmin Begum has lived near the Amin Bazar landfill on the outskirts of Dhaka her whole life. She says the stench often triggers allergies, including colds and coughing. “Sometimes it is quite difficult for us to breathe when waste collectors burn the waste under the open sky. Smoke and ashes envelop our home and surroundings,” she says. That’s a problem that could get worse under a plan by municipal authorities to burn trash on a much larger scale. A so-called waste-to-energy project would incinerate up to 3,0000 metric tons of trash daily to heat a boiler, which would then produce steam to drive a turbine, thereby generating electricity. This would be the first-ever waste-to-energy project in Bangladesh, part of an effort to tackle the increasing volume of municipal waste. But the 42.5-megawatt North Dhaka project has raised concerns among nearby communities that have long suffered from exposure to polluted air, water, and soil. Dhaka North City Corporation is the municipal authority overseeing the project, which is owned by the China Machinery Engineering Corporation. Some of the total $467 million in total funding has been pledged by multilateral lenders including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank, both headquartered in China. The project is due to be completed by December 2028, four years later than initially planned. For nearby residents like Yeasmin, the prospect of thousands of tons of municipal waste every being burned every day, potentially releasing toxic substances like heavy metals and dioxins,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Bangladesh is building a 42.5-megawatt power plant that will burn waste from the main Dhaka landfill as fuel. - The so-called waste-to-energy plant will burn up to 3,000 metric tons of municipal waste daily, doubling as a solution to the city’s growing waste problem. - However, residents living near the landfill say they’re worried about air pollution from the incineration, given that smoke from smaller-scale burning by waste collectors is already a problem. - Despite their objections, the project is proceeding, with the government even loosening incineration rules to allow it to go ahead. authors: | ||
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Indigenous leader Raoni receives palliative care in Brazil after cancer diagnosis 15 Sep 2026 16:10:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/329796/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: SAO PAULO (AP) — Renowned Indigenous Chief Raoni Metuktire is receiving palliative care at home in the Brazilian heartland after being diagnosed with cancer at age 94, his institute said Monday. The Raoni Institute said the cancer diagnosis in the chief’s digestive system was confirmed after he was hospitalized in Sao Paulo in June due to a severe intestinal obstruction. He underwent surgery then and returned to the region of the city of Peixoto de Azevedo, in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state. “At this moment, our priority is ensuring that Chief Raoni is well cared for, comfortable, and close to his family and his people. We wish to share this information transparently, but we also ask for respect regarding his privacy, his need for rest, and his family’s decisions,” the institute said in a statement. Raoni, one of the most renowned advocates for the protection of the Amazon rainforest and for Indigenous rights, traveled the world for decades to raise awareness about environmental preservation. Doctors opted for palliative care given Raoni’s advanced age, overall clinical condition, and the high risks associated with aggressive oncological treatments, the institute said. “Palliative care does not mean an absence of treatment. The goal is to control pain and other symptoms, prevent complications, and ensure nutrition, hydration, medical supervision, nursing care, physical therapy, and the best possible quality of life,” it added. Raoni is currently resting at home, surrounded by his family, community, and specialized health teams. The care plan also incorporates intercultural and spiritual support,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: SAO PAULO (AP) — Renowned Indigenous Chief Raoni Metuktire is receiving palliative care at home in the Brazilian heartland after being diagnosed with cancer at age 94, his institute said Monday. The Raoni Institute said the cancer diagnosis in the chief’s digestive system was confirmed after he was hospitalized in Sao Paulo in June due […] authors: | ||
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Wildfires on doorstep of Indonesia’s new capital as environmental and health crisis flares 15 Sep 2026 11:50:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/wildfires-on-doorstep-of-indonesias-new-capital-as-environmental-and-health-crisis-flares/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Niken D. Sitoningrum content:encoded: PENAJAM PASER, Indonesia — Indonesia’s escalating wildfire crisis has reached the outskirts of Nusantara, the new capital city under construction as the world’s fourth-most-populous country seeks to transplant its political heartland from a flood plain in Java to the island of Borneo. Fires in mid-September burned 30 to 40 kilometers (19 to 25 miles) from the perimeter of government buildings. The fires were reported at Wonotirto, near the main toll road, and at Bukit Tengkorak in the Bukit Soeharto protected forest. These wildfires were in the outer zone designated for Nusantara, authorities in the new capital said, but had stopped short of the construction site of the government complex. “Hopefully, it won’t reoccur,” Danis H. Sumadilaga, Nusantara authority spokesperson, said in a Sept. 9 statement. “We will have to conduct monitoring and patrols to ensure this fire doesn’t happen again.” On Sept. 14, forestry minister Raja Juli Antoni traveled to inspect the fires, along with the head of Indonesia’s disaster management agency and the lead of Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), the agency overseeing the new city, one of the world’s largest construction sites. Helicopters carrying giant buckets of water buzzed overhead as the officials surveyed the fragile landscape skirting the city. “It’s there again — where’s Manggala Agni?” the minister said, referring to the state fire brigade after spotting a suspected fire burning in the hills. “They need to get there, along with colleagues — there’s smoke again. “Please coordinate with the firefighters, army, police,” Raja Juli Antoni said on Sept. 14.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The authority overseeing Indonesia’s new capital city, Nusantara, confirmed on Sept. 9 that fires had broken out within the new capital city administrative area; although, the fires were around 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the core government buildings. - Five days later senior government officials including Indonesia’s forestry minister visited the site of the fires on the outskirts of the area designated for the government buildings. - A satellite-monitoring platform FireWatch, recorded more possible fires, known as hotspots, through Sept. 8 than during the same period in 2019, one of Indonesia’s most severe wildfire years. - Across the country, fires have been accompanied by reports of wildlife deaths and rising respiratory illness, as community and state firefighters scramble to contain blazes intensified by El Niño. authors: | ||
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10 promising ways to ‘green’ offshore wind 15 Sep 2026 09:00:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/10-promising-ways-to-green-offshore-wind/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: Read the stories in Mongabay’s series on offshore wind energy: Part One, Part Two and Part Three. Offshore wind has enormous potential as a source of renewable energy and is tipped to greatly expand in the next few decades. As this clean energy drive gathers pace, experts underline that new wind farms must be developed responsibly to minimize harm to ecosystems and support biodiversity. Mongabay spoke to experts to identify promising solutions that can make offshore wind farms work with nature, rather than against it. 1. Marine spatial planning during site selection The best way to avoid negative impacts of offshore wind farms is to carefully select sites using marine spatial planning. “That’s step one,” Marjolein Kelder, senior project manager at The Rich North Sea, a Netherlands-based nonprofit, told Mongabay in an interview. “Don’t put wind farms in your ecologically most valuable areas or in bird migration corridors.” Spatial planning can ensure ecosystems are preserved, account for the needs of coastal communities, and reduce conflicts with other uses of marine areas, like fisheries and shipping. Organizations are also developing “sensitivity” maps for species of birds and bats to aid planning. 2. Nature-friendly structures Research shows that wind farms can act as refuges for some marine species. Modifying wind farm structures can provide additional important habitat for fish and other marine life. Strategies include deploying artificial reefs, installing or using existing intentional gaps called water replenishment holes that are built into turbine foundations to allow the flow of water, deploying steel…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Offshore wind is expanding as an important renewable energy source that many experts say is essential to meeting climate goals. - Ensuring wind farms limit environmental harm and work with nature is vital, experts say. - Several measures can be taken to limit negative impacts on the environment throughout the lifespan of turbines and wind farms, from construction to decommissioning. These range from technical solutions to policy interventions. - Continued innovation and research is important to ensure measures are backed by monitoring data and science, experts say. authors: | ||
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‘They should choose their own destinies’: Manish Chandi on India’s isolated tribes 15 Sep 2026 07:00:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/they-should-choose-their-own-destinies-manish-chandi-on-indias-isolated-tribes/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Latoya Abulu content:encoded: From above, the North Sentinel Island tribal reserve in India’s Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is a thick, unbroken patch of dark green — starkly surrounded by the shimmering coastal blue waters of its buffer zone. On these shores, Sentinelese people, who live in voluntary isolation protected by a strict government no-contact policy, spear fish, hunt turtles and collect mollusks in shallow reefs surrounded by mangroves. The coastal reefs are intact ecosystems rich in fish life, say biologists. “I have seen them [groups of men, women and children] foraging and collecting these food resources during low tide on several occasions,” says Manish Chandi, a tribal expert who has watched the island from afar. “The Sentinelese are aware of these as nutritious and sparsely available resources in such [mangrove] habitats, which are very few on and around the island.” The giant trees of the North Sentinel Island coastline are its first natural defense against storms and which hold its coastal soil together. The shore is lined with sandy beaches and rocky shores, while the foreshore is dotted with coral reefs and mangroves — excellent nurseries for marine biodiversity. Image by Manish Chandi. Like other tribal reserves on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in the southeast of mainland India, North Sentinel Island is a biodiversity hotspot; and, like other tribal reserves, the isolated people who live there have attracted influencers and misunderstandings, says Chandi. “Curiosity and ignorance regarding the islanders is quite high and understandably so amongst outsiders and [government] bureaucrats who have…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Mongabay interviewed Manish Chandi, a former research scholar who has spent over two decades working on tribal communities, about the latest threats and activities affecting the lives of isolated and contacted tribal peoples living in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the southeastern coast of mainland India. - Isolated tribes, which maintain little to no contact with outsiders, face threats ranging from trawlers entering buffer waters and development projects planned in hunting grounds, to government perspectives that can limit their independence and capacity to decide their future on their own terms. - Chandi discusses the impact of curious outsiders trying to visit isolated tribes, how contact can affect different tribes differently and how to protect isolated peoples’ autonomy. - Tribal reserves are large biodiversity hotspots, rivaling protected areas and wildlife sanctuaries in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, says Chandi. authors: | ||
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Electric fences that kill and the Maasai trying to save Kenya’s last giant pangolins 15 Sep 2026 05:50:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/electric-fences-that-kill-and-the-maasai-trying-to-save-kenyas-last-giant-pangolins/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Pauline Kairu content:encoded: Naserian, a giant ground pangolin, lived for about two years in Kenya’s last remaining stronghold for this animal, Nyekweri Forest. When researchers from The Pangolin Project began tracking her in 2025, they observed her threading her way through a landscape where forests, farms and fences increasingly intersected. Each night, she emerged from the darkness of Nyekweri Forest and moved through a shifting mosaic of woodland, farms and grazing lands on the western fringes of Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. Researchers watched on computer screens from their outpost near the reserve, tracking Naserian’s GPS signal as she followed familiar paths across a patchwork of privately owned parcels of land. Then one night, the signal stopped. A team from the Kenya-based pangolin research organization headed to the site. Naserian lay dead beneath an electrified fence. After years navigating a changing landscape, a single charged wire had ended her life. A landscape closing in Giant ground pangolins (Smutsia gigantea) are endangered across their fragmented Western and Central African range, with their numbers decreasing. Kenya’s only known population resides in Nyekweri, but it isn’t the safest place for them. Since 2022, researchers have recorded 15 deaths in the area, including 14 by electrocution on electric fences. With fewer than 30 believed to remain in Kenya, every death carries outsized consequences. The giant ground pangolin — the largest of the eight species, all of which live in Africa and Asia — occurs naturally at low densities. They normally give birth to just one offspring at…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Electric fences were responsible for 14 of the 15 giant ground pangolins found dead near Kenya’s Nyekweri Forest since 2022. - With fewer than 30 giant ground pangolins believed to remain in the country, all in this one area, landowners are switching off the lowest strands of their electrified fences to create safe passage for these endangered animals. - This community-led effort has made about 134 kilometers (83 miles) of fencing safer, but habitat loss and continued land subdivision threaten to undermine those gains. authors: | ||
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Roads, infrastructure prevent tigers from settling in Indian tiger reserve 15 Sep 2026 03:10:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/roads-infrastructure-prevent-tigers-from-settling-in-indian-tiger-reserve/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Mongabay.com content:encoded: A forested tiger reserve in southern India is home to a thriving population of spotted and sambar deer, nilgai antelopes, and wild pigs — all ideal prey for tigers. Yet the reserve has no resident tigers, reports contributor Nivedhika Krishnan for Mongabay India. Kawal Tiger Reserve in the state of Telangana connects key tiger populations in the reserves of Tadoba-Andhari, in Maharashtra state to the west, and Indravati, in Chhattisgarh state to the east. Since 2015, researchers have confirmed that only 15 tigers entered Kawal from Maharashtra. Of these, only two were females. Lead researcher Imran Siddiqui told Mongabay India that tigers traveling from Maharashtra to Kawal face heavy infrastructure throughout their journey. “The corridor is fragmented by open-cast coal mines, the Ada irrigation project, electrified farm fences, and the main Hyderabad-Nagpur railway line,” Siddiqui said. “National Highway 44 acts as the most formidable barrier of all with its heavy traffic and high fencing. It isn’t just one obstacle — it is a cumulative mosaic of risks that forces dispersing tigers to turn back.” He added that while male tigers dispersing from their birthplace are “bolder risk-takers” and can move long distances through human-dominated landscapes, female tigers are more risk-averse and “require quiet, undisturbed habitat to raise cubs.” “Crossing busy highways, railways, and mines poses a massive perceived threat to females,” Siddiqui said. “That is why males occasionally dodge traffic to reach Kawal, but females turn back. Without females, you simply cannot build a breeding population.” Anish Andheria, president and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A forested tiger reserve in southern India is home to a thriving population of spotted and sambar deer, nilgai antelopes, and wild pigs — all ideal prey for tigers. Yet the reserve has no resident tigers, reports contributor Nivedhika Krishnan for Mongabay India. Kawal Tiger Reserve in the state of Telangana connects key tiger populations […] authors: | ||
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EPA eliminates rule that limits planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants 14 Sep 2026 17:41:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/epa-eliminates-rule-that-limits-planet-warming-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-power-plants/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, an action the agency said would remove more than $300 billion in costs for the industry and help “unleash” American energy. The rule change, first proposed last year, represents a fundamental shift from efforts by Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama to address climate change and clean up industrial pollution. EPA officials said the change would allow utilities to make the best decisions for their ratepayers rather than be forced to close aging or inefficient plants. By Mathey Daly, Associated Press Banner image: A barge on the Ohio River moves past the Mountaineer Power Plant, a coal-fired power plant near New Haven, W.Va., March 13, 2026. Image courtesy of Carolyn Kaster, Associated PressThis article was originally published on Mongabay description: WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, an action the agency said would remove more than $300 billion in costs for the industry and help “unleash” American energy. The rule change, first proposed last year, represents a […] authors: | ||
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Kathmandu Resolution calls for Asia-wide leadership on conservation (commentary) 14 Sep 2026 17:29:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/katmandu-resolution-calls-for-asia-wide-leadership-on-conservation-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Sayan Banerjee content:encoded: There is perhaps no other continent on earth that possesses as diverse an ecosystem, biodiversity and cultural diversity as Asia. Yet, biodiversity conservation in Asia is in constant crisis, due to uneven development after gaining independence from Euro-American colonization, capital intensive infrastructure growth with worsening inequality, heavy dependence on natural resources at different scales, from household to nation, high population density and distribution that overlaps with spaces with endangered wildlife, illegal trade in endangered species, and finally, war, genocide, militarization and political conflict. Conservationists in Asia, therefore, have a difficult mandate for the continent’s future: To tackle the biodiversity, climate, and cultural crisis at a much faster rate. Yet, the conservation space is strictly dominated by researchers and practitioners, donors and funders, policymakers and other intellectuals based in Western knowledge production systems. To cater to this, almost 500 conservationists, majorly from Asian countries assembled in Kathmandu, Nepal, during the first week of June for the 6th Conservation Asia Congress. The conference was organized by the Asia region of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB), in partnership with the Nepal chapter of SCB and a Nepal-based community-centric organization, Burhan Community Regeneration and Conservation Foundation (BCRCF). Under the theme “Harmonizing Biodiversity and Human Well-being in Asia,” the Congress united global experts, early-career researchers, and community leaders to address the critical intersection of nature conservation, community stewardship, and evidence-based policy. Almost 500 conservationists largely from Asian countries assembled in Kathmandu during the first week of June for the 6th Conservation Asia Congress. Image…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In early June, 500 conservationists largely from Asian countries assembled in Nepal for the 6th Conservation Asia Congress, organized by the regional chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology and other key partners. - A melting pot for ideas, actions and future collaborations, participants also passed what they called the Kathmandu Resolution 2026. - The resolution “called for building capacity of the Asian conservation sector through peaceful regional co-operation and trans-Asian collaboration, free movement of knowledge and expertise, mobilizing resources to foster leadership,” and more, a new commentary shares. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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Did you know cocoa pulp tastes like lychee?! 14 Sep 2026 15:31:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/did-you-know-cocoa-pulp-tastes-like-lychee/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: The Rainforester content:encoded: From a symbol of wealth and the food of the gods, to a sweet treat many of us can’t go too long without; the story of cacao (or cocoa, depending on how it was processed), has been intertwined with humanity’s for millennia! In this 4-part series on NTFPs (non-timber forest products) with The Rainforester and Mongabay, we explore the ways that harvesting sustainably from our forests can keep them alive!This article was originally published on Mongabay description: From a symbol of wealth and the food of the gods, to a sweet treat many of us can’t go too long without; the story of cacao (or cocoa, depending on how it was processed), has been intertwined with humanity’s for millennia! In this 4-part series on NTFPs (non-timber forest products) with The Rainforester and […] authors: | ||
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Decline of migratory birds spurs calls for coordinated conservation 14 Sep 2026 14:09:40 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/decline-of-migratory-birds-spurs-calls-for-coordinated-conservation/ author: Terna Gyuse dc:creator: Wilson Odhiambo content:encoded: NAIROBI — The decline of many migratory bird populations is a red flag that ecosystems around the world are under increasing pressure, conservation experts warn, adding it’s time for governments to come together and coordinate conservation efforts across national borders. Representatives from governments, conservation agencies, NGOs, financial institutions, and donors gathered in Nairobi from Sept. 8-11 for the Global Flyways Summit, hosted by BirdLife International in collaboration with Nature Kenya to address the growing threats facing migratory birds and the habitats they depend on. BirdLife presented the latest edition of its quadrennial “State of the World’s Birds” report, which reported that 45% of migratory bird species are declining, while about one in nine faces the threat of extinction. Shorebirds and seabirds were identified as among the groups experiencing particularly severe declines. A great snipe (Gallinago media) in Nigde, Türkiye. These near threatened snipes breed in Scandinavia and western Russia, and spend their winters at sites across West, Central, and East Africa. According to the IUCN, this species’ numbers are declining rapidly due to habitat loss and hunting pressure. Image © Koray Öğreten via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC 4.0). The Red List Index of species survival for migratory birds, with examples of species uplisted and downlisted and the main factors driving these changes. Image courtesy of BirdLife International, 2026. The conservation organization said the main pressures include loss of habitat, agriculture, hunting, pollution, and climate change. Stuart Butchart, BirdLife International’s chief scientist, said these threats cannot be addressed effectively in individual countries…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - More than 100 organizations have signed the Nairobi Flyways Declaration, pledging to integrate conservation of migratory birds’ intercontinental routes into development planning and finance. - The declaration marked the end of the Global Flyways Summit, organized by BirdLife International in Nairobi from Sept. 8-11, with the organization’s CEO saying pledges from multilateral finance institutions signal a shift toward incorporating biodiversity into the mainstream of development decisions. - BirdLife also presented the latest edition of its quadrennial “State of the World’s Birds” report at the summit, reporting that 45% of migratory bird species are declining, while about one in nine faces the threat of extinction. authors: | ||
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Can we stop ships from killing the Mediterranean’s last great whales? 14 Sep 2026 13:44:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/09/can-we-stop-ships-from-killing-the-mediterraneans-last-great-whales/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Clea SkopelitiFederica RossiWouter Massink content:encoded: Collisions with ships are a leading anthropogenic killer of the Mediterranean’s two endangered large-bodied cetacean species, sperm and fin whales. In 2025, thousands of vessels traveled through the Mediterranean’s key whale habitats at speeds above 15 knots (28 km/h), the threshold at which vessel strikes are almost always fatal, according to an analysis by Magma Magazine and Mongabay. Using vessel and whale telemetry data, Mongabay created a visualization that illustrates how dense maritime traffic poses a continuous threat to whales in the Mediterranean. Nascent solutions include vessel speed restrictions, rerouting ship traffic to avoid whale habitats, and systems that alert ships to the presence of whales. OSTIA, Italy — Standing before the carcass of a sperm whale on a beach in Ostia, near Rome, in 2023, Lisa Stanzani had no doubts about the animal’s cause of death. The marine biologist could see clear signs that this one had been killed by a vessel’s propeller. She recognized it from the wound on its head: a colleague had sent her a video of the injured animal near the island of Ponza, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) away, a couple of weeks earlier. “This means it died slowly, in agony. As with many collision cases, death isn’t instantaneous,” Stanzani, the founder of Sotto al Mare, an Italian cetacean research and conservation association, told Mongabay during an interview in Ostia. It was a young whale with a wound about a meter (3 feet) long. “For such a deep and clean cut to penetrate the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Collisions with ships are a leading anthropogenic killer of the Mediterranean’s two endangered large-bodied cetacean species, sperm and fin whales. In 2025, thousands of vessels traveled through the Mediterranean’s key whale habitats at speeds above 15 knots (28 km/h), the threshold at which vessel strikes are almost always fatal, according to an analysis by Magma […] authors: | ||
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Panama looks to science, fishers, and the law to protect its sharks and rays 14 Sep 2026 11:47:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/panama-looks-to-science-fishers-and-the-law-to-protect-its-sharks-and-rays/ author: Alexandra Popescu dc:creator: Monica Pelliccia content:encoded: PUERTO CAIMITO, Panama — It’s a late April morning and the Tabor, an industrial fishing boat, is sailing around Chepillo Island in Panama Bay. Under the eyes of the crew, Yehudi Rodríguez, a marine biologist specializing in sharks, and sailor Joel Cordoba free a large black devil ray from a purse seine net and launch it back into the water. As they work with the biologist, the sailors, around a dozen of them, joke among themselves. Tabor is part of the Promarina S.A. fleet, a Panamanian company that produces fish oil and fish meal, authorized to catch only small open-ocean fish, or pelagics, such as sardines and herrings. Every two weeks, Rodríguez, a professor of biology at the University of Panama and director of the Shark Defenders NGO, analyzes bycatch — marine species not targeted but accidentally caught by fishers — freeing sharks, rays, and other animals entangled in the purse seine nets of Promarina vessels. “It’s an emotion to see a huge Mobula for the first time and liberate it in the ocean,” Rodríguez, 49, tells Mongabay after freeing the devil ray, which weighed an estimated 100 kilograms (220 pounds). Just a few hours later, Hermes, 18, the youngest sailor on the crew and nicknamed Mbappé after the French football star, helps Rodríguez liberate another ray, both taking care to avoid being hit by the animal’s venomous barb. Before returning an animal into the water, Rodríguez follows a short protocol: she records the coordinates of the bycatch location, identifies…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In Panama, various initiatives are underway to reduce bycatch of sharks and rays, led by biologists, NGOs, politicians, and local restaurants. - Many industrial fishing boats carry biologists with them to help train the crew on how to free marine animals accidentally caught in their nets. - A bill is also currently in discussion in the legislature that proposes measures to restore and conserve shark and ray populations. - According to local experts, the bill would mark a major step forward for shark conservation, but still has significant weaknesses because the country lacks data on shark and ray populations, especially on breeding sites. authors: | ||
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Against the odds, endangered dolphins survive in Bangladesh’s polluted river 14 Sep 2026 10:11:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/against-the-odds-endangered-dolphins-survive-in-bangladeshs-polluted-river/ author: Abu Siddique dc:creator: Md Jahidul Islam content:encoded: The Buriganga River, which flows by Dhaka city, is one of Bangladesh’s most polluted waterways and ranks among the most contaminated urban rivers in the world. Every day, the 29-kilometre- (18-mile-) long Buriganga River absorbs toxic industrial effluent from hundreds of factories, continuous tannery discharges, untreated sewage and solid waste, leaving much of the river virtually lifeless for fish. However, in the Buriganga, where native fish species have essentially vanished, endangered Ganges river dolphins (Platanista gangetica) continue to persist. A recent study published in the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity found that around 20 dolphins live in the river. Researchers conducted the study for 12 months, from September 2023 to August 2024, and systematically surveyed a 27-km (16.7-mi) stretch of this heavily polluted river that skirts the southern edge of Dhaka. “The Buriganga is not a usual place for dolphins, where native fishes have largely vanished. Leaving the river full of invasive suckermouth catfish [Hypostomus Plecostomus, locally called sakar fish],” one of the researchers, Md. Aminur Rahman, told Mongabay. “When we found [the dolphins], we were amazed at how it was possible. Because the river is not livable for fish. Around the year, we didn’t track any dolphins only during two of the months, but all the other 10 months we tracked them.” The highest number of dolphins were seen in December, and throughout the winter season, and none were seen in October 2023 or between July and August of 2024. The dolphin groups averaged 4.18 individuals, higher than in earlier…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Buriganga River in Bangladesh is one of the five most polluted rivers in the world, with heavy metal pollution from chromium, lead and cadmium. - However, a recent survey found that around 20 Ganges river dolphins survive in this toxic river. - More than 2,000 Ganges river dolphins were recorded across 4,900 kilometers (3,045 miles) across 45 rivers in Bangladesh in another survey. - For river dolphins to survive in Bangladesh, the country needs to keep a check on the intense pollutions and on harmful fishing methods, conservationists say. authors: | ||
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Pacific bluefin tuna will get some help as countries agree to new harvest strategy 14 Sep 2026 08:59:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/pacific-bluefin-tuna-will-get-some-help-as-countries-agree-to-new-harvest-strategy/ author: Autumn Spanne dc:creator: Francesco De Augustinis content:encoded: The annual meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) concluded on Sept. 4 with an agreement to adopt a long-term harvest strategy for Pacific bluefin tuna. The agreement aims to ensure sustainable management of this species, which has only recently recovered after decades of overfishing. But the commission fell short of establishing a harvest strategy for other tuna species — bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin — managed under the convention. “A proposal was adopted … and that’s really great progress,” Dave Gershman, a senior officer for international fisheries at the U.S.-based think tank The Pew Charitable Trusts, who took part in the meeting as an observer, told Mongabay. The commission approved the plan for Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) after 10 years of research and mediation. The plan establishes science-based rules to support the stock’s complete recovery and long-term protection while taking into account impacts on the broader ecosystem. “You want to have these things in place when times are good so it’s there when you need it,” Gershman said. The 104th meeting of the IATTC took place in Lisbon from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4. One of five main regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) responsible for tuna and tuna-like species, the commission is tasked with managing six tuna stocks, associated species and their ecosystems throughout the Eastern Pacific Ocean, from Canada south to Chile. There are more than a dozen RFMOs in the world, with some overlapping geographically but managing different fish stocks. The map shows the five best-known…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), a multilateral body that manages tuna and other fish stocks in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, held its annual meeting Aug. 31- Sept. 4 in Portugal. - Commission members agreed to adopt a harvest strategy to ensure sustainable long-term management for Pacific bluefin tuna, which a decade ago had fallen to 2.6% of its historic population due to excessive catches, but has since recovered substantially following implementation of a stock rebuilding plan. - The new Pacific bluefin tuna harvest strategy allows for slight increases in catches, but automatic reductions should a new decline occur. - IATTC members failed to reach an agreement on an anticipated multispecies management framework for three other tuna species — bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack — that would have triggered fishing restrictions should any of their populations decline. authors: | ||
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Nearly forgotten languages are finding new words for Colombia’s dragonflies 14 Sep 2026 07:20:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/nearly-forgotten-languages-are-finding-new-words-for-colombias-dragonflies/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. When researchers began cataloging dragonflies in Guainía, a remote region in eastern Colombia, the scientific record contained only about 10 species. By working with Indigenous communities, they’ve found nearly 120. “When we started, very little was known,” Yiselle Cano, biodiversity leader of the Dragones Guainía project, told contributor Manuel Fonseca for Mongabay. “I think we must be close to 120 species by now,” Cano said. “It’s a hugely diverse group, because it includes dragonflies native to the Orinoco, Amazonas, and dragonflies that are endemic to the Guiana Shield.” The diversity makes Guainía a hotspot for dragonflies and damselflies. It may also provide insights on what is happening to the region’s water. These insects depend on healthy freshwater ecosystems, and their aquatic habitats are coming under growing pressure from mining, deforestation, poorly managed waste, and rapidly expanding tourism. Cataloging the insects was only part of the work. Once the researchers had begun filling gaps in the scientific record, they held workshops to share their findings with local communities. There they encountered another gap: the language of biology meant little to people whose understanding of the landscape had been formed outside scientific taxonomies. Some participants didn’t speak Spanish at all. Community leaders invited everyone, from young children to elders who retained ancestral knowledge. As researchers displayed the dragonflies found around puddles, streams, and rivers, participants tried to identify them in their own languages. “This is…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. When researchers began cataloging dragonflies in Guainía, a remote region in eastern Colombia, the scientific record contained only about 10 species. By working with Indigenous communities, they’ve found nearly 120. “When we started, very little was known,” Yiselle […] authors: | ||
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Longest African mammal movement recorded by Zambian wild dogs 14 Sep 2026 05:08:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/longest-african-mammal-movement-recorded-by-zambian-wild-dogs/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Ryan Truscott content:encoded: Three male African wild dogs in Zambia have travelled more than 4,000 kilometers, about 2,500 miles, in search of new territory and mates, according to a new study. This nine-month odyssey, about half the distance between Cairo and Cape Town, reveals how these endangered animals connect populations and ecosystems that are far apart within Southern Africa and potentially beyond, researchers say. “It’s the longest African mammal movement on record, and the longest [recorded] wild dog dispersal,” study co-author Matt Becker, chief executive of the Zambian Carnivore Programme, told Mongabay. The trio of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), litter mates known as the Mayukuyuku males, left their birth pack in Kafue National Park in mid-2025. They travelled east out of the park, then north toward the industrial cities of Kitwe and Ndola, then doubled back before heading east toward the Luangwa River Valley and its 400-or-so-strong wild dog population. By April 2026, the pack had traversed 4,126 km (2,564 mi) to reach a game management area (GMA), a partially protected buffer zone, between the national parks of South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi. “We think they’ve actually established a [territorial] range, but we haven’t quantified who they’re with and how many dogs there are,” Becker said. The Mayukuyuku males were among 19 wild dog groups the team tracked using GPS collars fitted to individuals. Some journeys ended in tragedy. A female wild dog, nicknamed EWD-1355, set off with her two sisters from a pack in South Luangwa in 2021. After travelling more than…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Three male African wild dogs in Zambia have travelled more than 4,000 kilometers, about 2,500 miles, in search of new territory and mates, according to a new study. This nine-month odyssey, about half the distance between Cairo and Cape Town, reveals how these endangered animals connect populations and ecosystems that are far apart within Southern […] authors: | ||
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Biodiversity corridor payments boost household incomes in Vietnam’s Annamite mountains 14 Sep 2026 02:00:47 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/biodiversity-corridor-payments-boost-household-incomes-in-vietnams-annamite-mountains/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Carolyn Cowan content:encoded: Conservationists say connecting existing protected areas through biodiversity corridors is vital in many landscapes to prevent further loss of species and habitats. Yet the households living inside conservation areas often face stark financial tradeoffs associated with lost access to resources, sometimes making new designations controversial. A recent study from the rugged mountains of central Vietnam, however, suggests that biodiversity corridors can bring significant economic benefits to the households who live inside them. The study, published in Conservation Science and Practice, analyzed interviews with 120 families living in four villages in Quang Nam and Thua Thien provinces within the Annamite mountain range to find out how financial incentives tied to two biodiversity corridors connecting isolated protected areas affected people’s lives and livelihoods. Households inside biodiversity corridors earned substantially more, mainly from conservation-linked payments, than those outside them. However, they also made less money from forest resources due to greater restrictions on how they could use their land. The researchers say their findings underscore how conservation-linked payments and other longer-term benefits from living near flourishing forests, such as water purification, healthy pollinator populations and conservation-based jobs, can help communities recoup income they once derived from forest exploitation. “By providing regular financial benefits from forest protection, programs like PFES [Payment for Forest Ecosystem Services] create incentives for communities to maintain forest cover and reduce pressures on critical habitats,” study lead author Nguyen Van Tri Tin, a conservation scientist at Southern Cross University in Australia at the time of the study, told Mongabay in…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A recent study in Vietnam’s central Annamite mountains found biodiversity corridors linking protected areas can significantly boost the income of households living inside them. - The researchers interviewed 120 families both inside and outside of biodiversity corridors to assess how conservation incentive payments affect people’s lives and views of conservation. - The study found households inside biodiversity corridors earned substantially more, primarily from conservation-linked payments and activities, than those outside corridors, who depended more on plantations and forest resources. - The researchers say their findings underscore how well-managed conservation-linked payments can align intact ecosystems with viable livelihoods, offering a practical model for conservation. authors: | ||
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A clownfish’s last stand 14 Sep 2026 00:11:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/a-clownfishs-last-stand/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Twenty years ago, scientist and Mongabay board member Debby Ng joined a team documenting life at Terumbu Bayan, a coral reef south of Singapore that was about to be reclaimed. There she encountered a pair of false clownfish living in an anemone. The mother was unusually aggressive, even for a species known to be feisty. She repeatedly charged Debby, a diver thousands of times her size, biting her several times. Then Debby saw what she was protecting: a brood of eggs. She could already see tiny eyes through the thin membranes. Eyes of the brood of false clown anemonefish. Photographed by Debby Ng in 2006. Soon an alarm sounded, calling Debby and the other scientists out of the water. From the dive boat, they watched the first barges tip rock and fill directly into the channel, sending a plume of sediment through the shallows where they’d been swimming minutes earlier. The team had salvaged some of the hard corals and a tiger-tail seahorse, but there was only so much they could move. The smaller animals, including shrimp and nudibranchs, had to be left behind along with topshells that sat in crevices and cowries with eggs attached to the reef. Debby still remembers that clownfish. False clown anemonefish parents. Photo by Debby Ng. I first wrote about the dive last year in Requiem for a Clownfish. It resurfaced for me recently after The Woke Salaryman adapted the account into a comic. In August, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that several islands…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A clownfish’s defense of her eggs became one of the final recorded moments on a Singapore reef buried by land reclamation. - Singapore has lost about 65% of its coral reef habitat and more than 45% of its original seagrass cover, largely to coastal development. - The proposed Western Island has renewed concern about the future of the reefs and marine life around Singapore’s southern islands. - This is a reflection by Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler on what reclamation looks like below the water. authors: | ||
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How burnt coconut helped discover new to science endemic species in Sri Lanka 12 Sep 2026 14:13:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/how-burnt-coconut-helped-discover-new-to-science-endemic-species-in-sri-lanka/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: COLOMBO — As dusk settled over the paddy fields at Puwakpitiya, a village on the northern edge of Knuckles Mountain Range locally known as Dumbara mountains in Central Sri Lanka, researchers began laying traps along the uneasy boundary between farmland and forest. They were targeting small terrestrial mammals moving through the landscape. On the ground, drift fences were created to lead animals to pitfall traps, while box style Sherman live traps were baited with feed. But the usual rodent lure — peanut butter — failed to attract the mice in Sri Lanka, so the researchers instead turned to something more familiar to the local mice — pieces of burnt coconut. On March 11, 2004, one of the pitfall traps caught a small mouse that looked different. Six days later, a second specimen was caught in a baited trap. Both were females, not larger than a child’s palm, with fulvous-gray pelage broken by spiny guard hairs and a slender, naked tail longer than the head and body. Externally, the animal resembled Mayor’s mouse (Mus mayori), a species endemic to Sri Lanka’s highlands, but differed in tail length and head shape, offering initial clues about a new species. The species is so far known only from Sri Lanka’s Knuckles Mountain Range, and the image shows Puwakpitiya, the village from where researchers found the first specimens of Dumbara spiny mouse (Mus dumbara) after they set traps along the forest edge beside a sprawling paddy field. Image courtesy of Suyama Boyagoda. The two mice…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Scientists have formally described Mus dumbara, a new species of spiny mouse from Sri Lanka’s Dumbara or Knuckles Mountain Range after years of waiting. - Collected for the first time in 2004, it took more than two decades of morphological and genetic analysis to establish it as a distinct species from the other spiny mouse species found in Sri Lanka. - Subsequent efforts to find fresh specimens of the elusive mouse proved unsuccessful, despite around 1,900 trap nights in the area, leaving scientists with limited information about its current population and distribution. - Found only from a small area of the Knuckles Range so far, the discovery highlights the island’s overlooked biodiversity of small mammals and the need for further surveys to understand the species’ ecology and conservation needs. authors: | ||
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The push for a sustainable artisanal mining in the Peruvian Amazon 12 Sep 2026 08:54:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/09/the-push-for-a-sustainable-artisanal-mining-in-the-peruvian-amazon/ author: Lucia Torres dc:creator: Felipe Esparza content:encoded: MADRE DE DIOS, Peru — In Madre de Dios, in the Peruvian Amazon, thousands of people depend on gold mining, while the spread of mercury and deforestation are transforming the country’s most biodiverse tropical forest. In La Pampa, one of the region’s main gold mining hubs, a formalized artisanal mining operation is trying to prove that another way of mining is possible. While facing roadblocks, violence, informal economies, and government neglect, it seeks to produce “clean gold” using mercury-free technologies. Through the daily lives of workers, merchants, and small-scale miners, the film explores the tensions between survival, pollution, and legitimacy in one of the Amazon’s most complex extractive economies. This video is supported by the Amazon Film Grant, as part of the One World Media Fellowship. 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: Gold nugget. ©Felipe Esparza. Why are forests vanishing in southeastern Liberia?This article was originally published on Mongabay description: MADRE DE DIOS, Peru — In Madre de Dios, in the Peruvian Amazon, thousands of people depend on gold mining, while the spread of mercury and deforestation are transforming the country’s most biodiverse tropical forest. In La Pampa, one of the region’s main gold mining hubs, a formalized artisanal mining operation is trying to prove […] authors: | ||
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Ituna/Itatá invasion escalates as Indigenous Land faces fires and illegal clearing 12 Sep 2026 00:05:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/ituna-itata-invasion-escalates-as-indigenous-land-faces-fires-and-illegal-clearing/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: More than 500 people have invaded Brazil’s Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Land in recent weeks, opening illegal roads, setting deliberate fires and threatening federal agents. The area is home to the Igarapé Ipiaçava Indigenous people who live in voluntary isolation with no contact with outsiders. On Aug. 26, a federal court ordered the government to deploy the National Public Security Force within 48 hours to contain the invasion. As of Sept 11, the forces hadn’t yet arrived. The recent invasion followed the creation of the Bacajaí Environmental Protection Area (APA Bacajaí) under a new state law, which allows private landowners to build homes and raise livestock. However, APA Bacajaí completely overlaps the federally protected Indigenous land in Pará state, creating legal confusion that authorities say has been weaponized by land-grabbers to justify occupation for cattle ranching and other agricultural activities. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) has asked a federal court to fine the government 50,000 Brazilian reais (about $9,000) daily for failing to deploy enough security forces to contain the invasion. The area is currently under a temporary land-use restriction order to protect the isolated people living there. The government has argued it needs authorization from Pará’s government, which hasn’t cooperated. However, federal prosecutors say the federal government can be deployed on federal land without state authorization. Both the federal government and the state of Pará did not reply to Mongabay’s requests for comment by the time of publication. In its press statement, the MPF said the Indigenous Affairs Agency (Funai)…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: More than 500 people have invaded Brazil’s Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Land in recent weeks, opening illegal roads, setting deliberate fires and threatening federal agents. The area is home to the Igarapé Ipiaçava Indigenous people who live in voluntary isolation with no contact with outsiders. On Aug. 26, a federal court ordered the government to deploy the […] authors: | ||
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Angolan communities return to seasonal migration amid severe drought 11 Sep 2026 19:54:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/angolan-communities-return-to-seasonal-migration-amid-severe-drought/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Elodie Toto content:encoded: Several years of severe drought are forcing people to leave their homes in Angola to search for water and food in neighboring Namibia. “There is real hunger and thirst here; that’s why the village has become depopulated,” Nghikembua (not his real name), who lives in Cunene Province in southern Angola, told Amnesty International in 2021. Nghikembua said nearly all the able-bodied people of his village have left, leaving behind only the elderly, like himself, “Those who still had some strength left felt forced to leave the village for Namibia.” More than 1.8 million people live in Cunene and nearly 75% of the population is rural and depends on pastoralism and subsistence farming. “Southern Angola has experienced repeated severe droughts, extreme heat and environmental degradation for quite a number of years, leaving families without water, crops, or livestock,” said Victor Nyamori, an Amnesty International researcher and migration lawyer who collected the testimonies for the recently published report featuring Nghikembua. Approximately 30% of the area has been degraded by desertification, according to the Amnesty International report, leaving many subsistence communities without livelihoods. “Namibia has also suffered from drought, but the state has responded much better and has put solutions in place to prevent the population from falling into food insecurity and to ensure access to water,” Nyamori told Mongabay in a phone call. Between 2023 and 2024, a strong El Niño event brought the most severe drought in more than a century to the region. Namibia responded to the drought by expanding…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Several years of severe drought are forcing people to leave their homes in Angola to search for water and food in neighboring Namibia. “There is real hunger and thirst here; that’s why the village has become depopulated,” Nghikembua (not his real name), who lives in Cunene Province in southern Angola, told Amnesty International in 2021. […] authors: | ||
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Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open 11 Sep 2026 19:31:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: WASHINGTON (AP) — In a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had said the 64-year-old J.H. Campbell plant was needed to ensure reliable electricity in the region and used emergency powers to keep it operating. Environmental groups and three states — Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota — went to court to try to overturn orders keeping the plant online. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with the states and the groups, saying there was no real emergency under the law. The section of the Federal Power Act that allows emergency orders “is essentially a narrow, last-resort backstop,” Appeals Court Judge Cornelia Pillard wrote for a unanimous three-judge panel. By reversing the Campbell plant’s “long and carefully planned retirement … the results are disruptive,” Pillard wrote. There was “no ‘emergency’ within the meaning” of the statute, she added. The Michigan case is one several legal disputes that have emerged across the country as the Trump administration uses emergency powers to force a half-dozen coal-fired plants from closing. The orders are raising ratepayer bills, critics say, and adding air and water pollution that could otherwise have been avoided. Keeping the Michigan plant open cost at least $135 million in 2025 alone, officials said. Ted Kelly, U.S. clean energy director at the Environmental Defense Fund, said the court ruling rejected…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: WASHINGTON (AP) — In a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had said the 64-year-old J.H. Campbell plant was needed to ensure […] authors: | ||
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