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Sri Lanka intensifies fight against dengue and the mosquitos that cause the infection 02 Jul 2026 05:44:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/sri-lanka-intensifies-fight-against-dengue-and-the-mosquitos-that-cause-the-infection/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Kamanthi Wickramasinghe content:encoded: DEMATAGODA, Sri Lanka — Niroshan Peters, 54, a resident of Dematagoda, a densely populated suburb in Colombo, has no option but to live and work in an environment frequently polluted due to careless waste disposal. He blames authorities for not having an effective waste management system, which results in people getting exposed to unhygienic environments. “Last week, workers from the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) came to fumigate this area but that alone is not enough,” Peters told Mongabay. “Every time there is a surge in dengue they suddenly remember to carry out fogging and launch dengue prevention drives. But during the rest of the year people continue to dump waste in abandoned lands and contribute to a never-ending problem.” As of July 1, Sri Lanka’s National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) has recorded a total of 56,422 dengue cases and 35 deaths. In 2025, a total of 51,000 cases were reported, indicating an alarming increase in incidence this year. Speaking at a recent briefing, Nalinda Jayatissa, Sri Lanka’s minister of health and media, told Colombo-based journalists that the increasing number of dengue patients could overwhelm hospitals, adding “severe pressure to the healthcare system.” A dominant serotype In Sri Lanka, there are four dengue serotypes — a distinct variation within a species of bacteria or virus — and different serotypes emerge during different peak seasons, said Preshila Samaraweera, consultant community physician at NDCU. However, since 2017, when Sri Lanka experienced one of its major dengue outbreaks resulting in more than 186,000 suspected…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Sri Lanka has recorded more than 56,422 dengue cases from January to July 1, adding pressure to the country’s healthcare system as the caseload continues to increase. - DENV-2 is the dominant dengue serotype causing a higher number of infections at present, health officials say. - According to academics, unplanned urbanization and climate change are factors contributing to the spike in dengue cases in South Asia and many other regions. - Meanwhile, the Aedes vector is evolving and adapting, increasing the mosquito’s ability to survive in constantly changing environmental conditions, researchers say. authors: | ||
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New Indonesia roadmap aims to protect Indigenous knowledge for biodiversity 02 Jul 2026 03:12:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-indonesia-roadmap-aims-to-protect-indigenous-knowledge-for-biodiversity/ author: Hans Nicholas Jong dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong content:encoded: JAKARTA — The Indonesian government is developing a roadmap to protect local wisdom in biodiversity conservation, a move aimed at strengthening the recognition and protection of Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) whose traditional practices have long safeguarded some of the country’s richest ecosystems. The roadmap, the drafting of which began in June 2026, comes as Indonesia seeks to implement its commitments under the multilateral treaty Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF). The KM-GBF is a global agreement adopted in 2022 that recognizes the important role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in achieving biodiversity conservation. One of the framework’s targets, known as target “30×30,” calls for conserving 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030 while respecting the rights, territories and knowledge of Indigenous peoples. Indonesia is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, harboring some of the planet’s highest levels of species richness and endemism. It is also home to an estimated 50 million to 70 million Indigenous people, or around one-fifth of the country’s population. Many of these communities inhabit forests, coasts and other ecosystems with exceptional biodiversity. According to the Working Group on Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas and Territories Indonesia (WGII), a coalition of NGOs documenting community conservation, its spatial analysis identified more than 29 million hectares (71.6 million acres) of Indigenous territories and community-managed areas with the potential to qualify as Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCAs). Nearly 70% of these areas overlap…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Indonesia is developing a roadmap to recognize and protect Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ (IPLCs) traditional knowledge in biodiversity conservation, aligning with its commitments to international frameworks. - Indigenous communities in Indonesia already safeguard vast biodiverse areas — an estimated 29 million hectares (71.6 million acres) — through customary practices, though only a small portion has been formally documented or recognized. - The lack of legal recognition of Indigenous territories and rights leave many communities vulnerable to having their conservation efforts overlooked or criminalized despite their role in protecting ecosystems. - Experts and advocates argue the roadmap must be backed by stronger policy recognition and broad collaboration among government, Indigenous groups, experts and civil society. authors: | ||
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Updated standards make the case for restoration: ‘We have to create uplift’ 01 Jul 2026 22:33:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/updated-standards-make-the-case-for-restoration-we-have-to-create-uplift/ author: Morgan Erickson-Davis dc:creator: John Cannon content:encoded: The Society for Ecological Restoration, a U.S.-based conservation organization, published an updated set of standards and principles for restoring ecosystems on June 23, the third edition of the volume since 2016. Back then, the idea was to develop a way of thinking about and carrying out restoration that avoided some of the damage caused by projects focused on a narrowly defined target, says lead author George Gann. For example, enhancing carbon storage in forests could lead to monoculture tree plantations instead of productive habitats for biodiversity-rich ecosystems. The 2026 version of the manual also asserts do-no-harm principles and the importance of conserving native ecosystems, just as the first did in 2016. “But now we have to do more,” says Gann, international policy lead at the Society for Ecological Restoration. “We can’t just avoid collateral damage. We have to actually create recovery. We have to create “uplift” for biodiversity. Sapling planting in the Dering-Dibru Saikhowa Elephant Corridor in India. Image courtesy of Shiekh Marifatul Haq/Wildlife Trust of India. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, sets the goal of restoring 30% of all degraded ecosystems by 2030, and the United Nations has tagged 2021-2030 the “decade on restoration.” The standards and principles are specific, providing a set of tools for designing, implementing, and monitoring restoration work. At the same time, they’re “generic,” the authors note, allowing their application across diverse ecosystems facing different pathways to restoration. “These standards don’t tell you how to restore grasslands or mangroves,” Gann says. “They’re…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Society for Ecological Restoration released the third edition of its global restoration standards on June 23, shifting the emphasis from doing no harm to actively driving ecological “uplift” and recovery in line with the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s goal of restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. - A central feature is the refined “Five-star System,” complemented by the “Restorative Continuum,” tools that measure restoration progress both ecologically and socially. - The standards make an explicit “business case” for restoration, framing it as a way to redirect environmentally harmful subsidies toward investments that benefit both biodiversity and economic livelihoods, giving companies and funders a trusted roadmap for action. - Experts emphasized that integrating local and Indigenous ecological knowledge alongside science is essential to credible restoration, with one researcher calling for greater involvement from Global South practitioners in shaping future iterations of the standards. authors: | ||
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Can coastal infrastructure be engineered to harbor marine life instead of harming it? 01 Jul 2026 18:57:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/can-coastal-infrastructure-be-engineered-to-harbor-marine-life-instead-of-harming-it/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Elizabeth Claire Alberts content:encoded: COBH, Ireland — On a bright, warm day in April in Cobh, Ireland, I step down a centuries-old cobbled slipway that descends into a harbor packed with fishing boats. Halfway down, something interrupts the weathered wall: an installation of 60 hexagonal concrete panels bolted into the stone. Some panels are ridged or textured; others are pitted with holes and crevices that either trap water or let it filter through with the changing tide. Bright green algae drapes across many of the panels. When I look closer, I notice a few marine snails, including periwinkles (Littorina littorea) and dog whelks (Nucella lapillus), stuck to the tiles. These panels were installed at Kennedy Pier in Cobh, a seaport town in Ireland’s County Cork, in September 2025, as part of the Living Seawalls project. Spearheaded by the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and the company Reef Design Lab, both in Australia, the Living Seawalls project aims to create biodiversity-friendly panels, boulders and pilings that can be installed on seawalls, marinas, piers and other hard coastal infrastructure to make them more hospitable to marine wildlife. Living Seawalls principal investigator Louise Firth, right, with postdoctoral researcher Soli Levi at the Living Seawalls installation in Cobh, Ireland, in April 2026. Image by Elizabeth Claire Alberts/Mongabay. Louise Firth, a senior lecturer in environmental sustainability at Ireland’s University College Cork and one of the principal investigators of the Living Seawalls project, is on site to show me the Cobh installation, Ireland’s first. (Since my visit, a second Living…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Living Seawalls is a global initiative that aims to make seawalls, marinas and other hard coastal structures more hospitable to marine wildlife by installing biodiversity-friendly panels, boulders and pilings. - In 2025, Ireland’s first Living Seawalls installation was established at Kennedy Pier in the port town of Cobh, and marine life is already starting to colonize the panels. - While researchers say the panels can help marine life colonize hardened coastlines, and stayed cooler than standard flat seawall surfaces, questions remain about their effect on seawalls’ main function of keeping waves at bay, leading scientists to suggest that design modifications may be needed. authors: | ||
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Youth biodiversity conservation efforts face serious funding challenges, report finds 01 Jul 2026 18:42:40 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/youth-biodiversity-conservation-efforts-face-serious-funding-challenges-report-finds/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: A new report finds that a chronic lack of funding is undermining youth-led environmental work worldwide. The report, titled “Ecologies of Empowerment: Why and how to fund youth-led biodiversity action,” argues that a current lack of adequate funding for youth biodiversity conservation initiatives threatens development of future generations of conservation leadership and action. “Youth are already doing the work, restoring wetlands, defending territories, leading species conservation efforts, training next-generation leaders, and influencing global policy,” lead author of the report Félix Feide, told Mongabay in an email. “A core recognition of the report is that a biodiversity sector without a well-supported regeneration layer, will never be sustainable, and as a result our work will risk failing in the long term.” The report was compiled by the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, The Iris Project, Synchronicity Earth and the Global Landscapes Forum. The report authors surveyed 161 youth-led biodiversity initiatives from 57 countries and found that 93% of the contributors involved in such initiatives are volunteers. The findings also show that 85% of youth initiatives lack adequate funding. “If you are among the fortunate 15% of young people who are able to access funding for biodiversity conservation, that is wonderful,” report co-author Swetha Stotra Bhashyam told Mongabay. “But for the rest of us, the reality is that there is no quick-fix approach, and we can no longer approach this work in isolation.” Roughly 44% of surveyed organizations reported operating on less than $1,000 in 2024 and one-fifth of them had no funding. Most of…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A new report finds that a chronic lack of funding is undermining youth-led environmental work worldwide. The report, titled “Ecologies of Empowerment: Why and how to fund youth-led biodiversity action,” argues that a current lack of adequate funding for youth biodiversity conservation initiatives threatens development of future generations of conservation leadership and action. “Youth are […] authors: | ||
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Sea level rise is ruining coastal Bangladesh with salty water (commentary) 01 Jul 2026 17:10:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/sea-level-rise-is-ruining-coastal-bangladesh-with-salty-water-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: AL Sharia content:encoded: Every morning, before the sun has fully risen over the tidal flats of Satkhira in southwest Bangladesh, women begin walking. They walk two kilometers, sometimes five (about 1.2 to 3.1 miles) and sometimes more, carrying empty vessels that they will fill with water fit for drinking. Then they walk back. Then, some days, they walk again. A UNDP study found that women in coastal Bangladesh spend up to six hours a day on this task alone, six hours that cannot be spent earning, learning or caring for their children, and this is not even a drought zone. This is one of the largest deltas on Earth. The women walk past rivers, channels and flooded fields. The water is everywhere, and none of it is safe. Approximately 20 million people along Bangladesh’s coast cannot safely drink the water that surrounds them. Yet, a UNDP survey found that 73% of residents in five coastal sub-districts of Satkhira consume saline water every single day. The crisis does not make the front pages of international newspapers the way droughts in East Africa or floods in Pakistan tend to. It is slow, structural and unglamorous, which is precisely why it has been allowed to continue for this long. A woman collects water from a pond about 1 km from her home in Shyamnagara, Satkhira district, Bangladesh. Image courtesy of Abu Siddique. The intrusion of saltwater into Bangladesh’s coastal mainland is not simply a consequence of rising seas, though the seas are certainly rising. Studies project…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Projections indicate that Bangladesh faces an amount of sea level rise that will bring major saltwater intrusion into precious freshwater supplies, plus human health impacts, flooding and rampant erosion across coastal areas. - Though Bangladesh did very little to cause climate change, the nation is not without answers, including the government’s Delta Plan 2100, but it is not moving quickly enough to act on them in time to avoid the worst impacts, the author writes. - “What has been missing is not knowledge or technology, but the institutional will to treat this like the emergency that it is,” the writer argues. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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A marine heat wave caused seabird deaths off California. El Nino could worsen the die-off 01 Jul 2026 16:16:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/a-marine-heat-wave-caused-seabird-deaths-off-california-el-nino-could-worsen-the-die-off/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: SAN DIEGO (AP) — Many seabirds are starving to death as a marine heat wave lingers off California and fish seek deeper, cooler waters. That’s according to scientists who say a persistent marine heat wave has shrunk the band of cold, nutrient-rich surface water where krill, anchovies and sardines thrive near the shore. Scientists fear the die off of birds could worsen with El Nino. The natural warming of parts of the central Pacific that alters weather worldwide and spikes global temperatures formed in June. Wildlife rehabilitation facilities in California before El Nino formed were seeing hundreds of emaciated birds brought in by people when the marine heat wave intensified this spring. A veterinarian holds an ailing pelican before surgery at SeaWorld on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) A common murre spreads its wings in a rehabilitation tank at the SeaWorld Animal Rescue Center on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Russell holds the wing of a pelican during surgery at SeaWorld on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) By Julie Watson, Associated Press Banner image: A common murre lies on a beach near Scripps Pier during a survey for dying seabirds Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in San Diego. Image by Gregory Bull via Associated Press This article was originally published on Mongabay description: SAN DIEGO (AP) — Many seabirds are starving to death as a marine heat wave lingers off California and fish seek deeper, cooler waters. That’s according to scientists who say a persistent marine heat wave has shrunk the band of cold, nutrient-rich surface water where krill, anchovies and sardines thrive near the shore. Scientists fear […] authors: | ||
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Leaked document shows EU closer to dropping leather from anti-deforestation law 01 Jul 2026 15:27:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/leaked-document-shows-eu-closer-to-dropping-leather-from-anti-deforestation-law/ author: Andy Lehren dc:creator: Elisângela Mendonça content:encoded: The European Commission is taking further steps to formally exempt the global leather trade from its landmark EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), according to a leaked draft obtained by news outlet Euractiv. The revelation comes just one month after a review of internal documents, first reported by Mongabay, exposed a paradox at the heart of the commission: its own consultants explicitly tied leather to widespread forest destruction, yet commissioners are choosing to ignore the data. In the leaked draft, later reviewed by Mongabay, the commission acknowledged the relatively low compliance cost of including leather, but said “the supply chain considerations and load on the EUDR Information System … justify the proposed removal.” The European Commission did not respond to Mongabay’s questions about the document and its authenticity. The proposal is not yet final. Following a feedback period, concluded on June 1, the formal adoption of the delegated act is expected in “the next weeks,” a European Commission spokesperson told Mongabay, after declining to offer any further comments. After adoption, the usual path includes the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union having two months to object. If they do not object or propose revisions, the changes will be automatically enacted. This means that unless EU lawmakers stage an unexpected, last-minute revolt, the leather industry’s multibillion-dollar pass on deforestation is poised to be finalized, policy analysts say. The decision would come via a delegated act, subject to scrutiny by the European Parliament and Council of the European Union, which have…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A leaked draft document suggests the European Commission will remove leather from the EU Deforestation Regulation, despite internal findings linking it to deforestation. - The commission cites “supply chain considerations and load on the information system” as justifications for exempting leather from the list of deforestation-risk commodities. - The adoption of a proposed delegated act is expected in the “next weeks,” according to the European Commission; it’s still subject to scrutiny by the European Parliament and Council of the European Union, which would have two months to object or change the proposal. - Environmental groups believe the move reflects strong industry lobbying and contradicts evidence linking cattle and leather supply chains to forest loss. authors: | ||
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Nepal’s new government bets on tax revenue over clean energy push 01 Jul 2026 11:37:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/nepals-new-government-bets-on-tax-revenue-over-clean-energy-push/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Rudra Pangeni content:encoded: KATHMANDU — When Balendra Shah took office as Nepal’s new prime minister in March following a landslide victory for his party, he inherited a fuel crisis triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. His government faced a choice between speeding up the clean energy transition or shoring up the public finances needed to sustain it. In its May 29 fiscal policy, it chose the latter. Nepal imports fossil fuels at a cost of 300 billion rupees ($2 billion) a year, including cooking gas that it subsidizes about 9 billion rupees ($59.5 million) annually. On the “clean” side of that equation, nearly all its grid electricity comes from hydropower — so much so that it exports the surplus to India and Bangladesh during the wet season. And on sales of electric vehicles, Nepal ranks second globally, with EVs estimated to account for 73% of new car sales in 2025, thanks to lower import taxes compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. But the new government argues for a shift to raise revenue to fund grid upgrades that would make a clean energy transition possible in the first place. A former bureaucrat and a sitting official both told Mongabay that this logic is backward: that the tax revenue raised will be less than the savings in gas subsidies if it instead encouraged households to switch to electric stoves. In his maiden budget speech, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle announced a 5% value-added tax on high-consuming electricity users, and fresh new taxes on EV…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Nepal has the world’s second-highest rate of electric vehicle adoption, but a newly proposed government tax hike on EV imports and electricity consumption could undermine this transition. - The government argues the previous decade of EV tax breaks was fiscally unsustainable and primarily benefited wealthy buyers in a country where most people can’t afford a car of any kind. - The new tax could also slow households’ switch from gas cooking stoves to electric ones, with critics pointing out that electricity costs are the single strongest predictor for this transition; they also argue the government would save far more by accelerating that switch — and cutting gas subsidies — than it would collect from the new tax. - The policy has also exposed divisions within the government itself: the energy minister backed a pro-consumption strategy just days before the tax landed; engineers have publicly disputed the prime minister’s warnings about grid overload; and officials are already signaling they may raise the rates from 5% to up to 13%. authors: | ||
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Wildlife’s unpredictable movements make climate-change planning difficult 01 Jul 2026 10:40:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/wildlifes-unpredictable-movements-make-climate-change-planning-difficult/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Gloria Dickie content:encoded: New England’s winters have long been a punishing force. Forests fade in and out of deep freezes. Animals pile on fat for warmth in anticipation of the harsh weather to come. Others flee south, seeking warmer refuges. However, over the past 50 years, winters there have become much milder. In the northeastern U.S., winters now average between 4 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 and 2.7 degrees Celsius) warmer than in the 1970s. Snowfall can be sparse, and there are usually fewer days of extreme cold. For decades, ecologists have expected that animals living within narrow climate niches would adapt to rising temperatures by moving northwards or upslope to higher elevations. For example, they thought the American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in the northeastern U.S. would move up into the mountains in search of cold. But in a study published last year, scientists found that despite warmer winters, the squirrels haven’t sought out higher elevations. Rather, they’ve relocated downslope, seemingly drawn by the return of red spruce forest following a period of dieback. The tiny forest critters, it seems, are prioritizing habitat over temperature. The red squirrel isn’t alone. Thousands of plants and animals that scientists thought would be on the move in response to rising global temperatures don’t yet seem to have hit the road. In a 2023 study in the journal Environmental Evidence, scientists reviewed the observed range movements of more than 12,000 species, both terrestrial and marine, to see whether they aligned with what ecologists had expected would…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Ecologists expected many species to shift northward or upslope in response to warming temperatures, but only about half of observed range shifts so far align with their projections. - Species responses are likely shaped by multiple factors — changing habitat, rainfall and food availability — not just temperature. Some species may be unable to move, trapped within a fragmented habitat. - Research shows animals that move toward higher latitudes don’t necessarily fare better. - These mismatches between predictions and reality create more uncertainty for conservation planning and how best to support species adaptation through corridors. authors: | ||
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Indonesia’s blackouts reignite debate over coal-dependent energy transition 01 Jul 2026 09:45:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/indonesias-blackouts-reignite-debate-over-coal-dependent-energy-transition/ author: Hans Nicholas Jong dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong content:encoded: JAKARTA — Calls are mounting for Indonesia to accelerate its energy transition after widespread blackouts struck Java and Sumatra in recent weeks, exposing what analysts say are deep vulnerabilities in a power system that remains highly centralized and heavily dependent on coal. In late May, large parts of Sumatra lost electricity after a transmission line in Jambi failed. Just days later, a separate outage disrupted power across parts of Java, Indonesia’s most populous island and economic center. While officials initially pointed to technical problems, state utility PLN later said constrained coal supplies had contributed to the Java outage. For energy analysts, the outages underscore a broader structural problem. “The dependence on a centralized, coal-dominated electricity system is a threat to energy supply security,” said Fabby Tumiwa, executive director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR). To reduce the risk of more widespread outages, analysts at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a U.S.-based think tank, said Indonesia should accelerate the deployment of decentralized renewable energy, particularly rooftop solar combined with battery energy storage systems (BESS). “For Indonesia, an archipelago of thousands of islands, rooftop solar combined with battery energy storage systems offers a viable alternative to diesel power, which can be costly and challenging to supply,” IEEFA researchers Mutya Yustika and Randi Bachtiar wrote in a recent analysis. Unlike fossil fuels, they noted, solar power is not vulnerable to fuel supply disruptions or price volatility. Because rooftop systems can be installed on homes, businesses and industrial…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Recent blackouts in Sumatra and Java exposed vulnerabilities in Indonesia’s electricity system, with PLN saying constrained coal supplies contributed to the Java outage. - Energy analysts say the outages exposed the risks of Indonesia’s centralized, coal-dependent electricity system and strengthened the case for distributed renewable energy such as rooftop solar. - A recent study identified six coal plants on Java as priority candidates for early retirement, estimating their closure would eliminate 93.5 million metric tons of annual CO₂ emissions. - Environmental groups say biomass co-firing allows aging coal plants to keep operating while creating new pressures on forests and rural communities supplying wood fuel. authors: | ||
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Recent discoveries of ‘lost’ Mekong giant salmon carp renews hope for the fish 01 Jul 2026 04:31:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/recent-discoveries-of-lost-mekong-giant-salmon-carp-renews-hope-for-the-fish/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: A large fish once feared extinct in Cambodia has been recorded in the country’s waters for the fourth time since 2020, renewing hope for the species. The Mekong giant salmon carp (Aaptosyax grypus), a critically endangered large-sized freshwater fish, was formally described from the Mekong River in 1991. Over the next 14 years, there had been only 20 formal records of the species; none since 2005. However, Bunyeth Chan, a researcher at Svay Rieng University in Cambodia, and his colleagues confirmed three observations in a 2024 study. The three carps had been caught by fishers from different parts of the lower Mekong River Basin between 2020 and 2023. “Those recent observations indicate that the species persists, and that one or more populations of A. grypus inhabit the Cambodian Mekong and its tributaries,” the researchers wrote. The same team confirmed a fourth record of the species, captured by a fisher on Nov. 27, 2025, according to a note recently published in the journal Oryx. “The rediscovery of the giant salmon carp is a reason for hope, not just for this species but for the entire Mekong ecosystem,” Chan said in a statement to Nevada Today in 2024. “The Mekong ecosystem is the most productive river on Earth, producing over two million tons of fish per year worth over $10 billion.” The Mekong giant salmon carp, endemic to the middle and lower reaches of the Mekong River basin, can grow up to 130 centimeters (more than 4 feet) in length and weigh…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A large fish once feared extinct in Cambodia has been recorded in the country’s waters for the fourth time since 2020, renewing hope for the species. The Mekong giant salmon carp (Aaptosyax grypus), a critically endangered large-sized freshwater fish, was formally described from the Mekong River in 1991. Over the next 14 years, there had […] authors: | ||
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The blueprint for building a fairer world without breaking the planet 30 Jun 2026 21:05:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/the-blueprint-for-building-a-fairer-world-without-breaking-the-planet/ author: Mikedigirolamo dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo content:encoded: A group of more than 40 researchers spent 20 months devising a plan for the world to achieve ecological sustainability within planetary boundaries, all while seeing incomes rise for 98% of the global population and reducing working hours for everybody by half to two and a half days a week. The plan to achieve this by 2100 is laid out in the recent “Global Justice Report.” If it sounds utopian, Lucas Chancel, the co-director of the World Inequality Lab and editor of the report, is the first person to acknowledge this, but explains why it’s not only possible — there’s even historical precedent for many of the measures the report outlines. For example, humans used to work almost twice as many hours as they do today for far less pay, and productivity was lower. The reduction in hours worked, plus the increase in productivity, Chancel points out, is the evidence that this could work in the future, namely because the report outlines that productivity must fall. “ If low-income countries increase their productivity and continue to work the same amount of work hours per year, this is going to be a serious problem … from all material constraints that we might have in mind,” Chancel says. Achieving this plan rests on three pillars: decarbonization and the energy transition; a shift towards “sufficiency,” defined here as the reduction of labor and production of superfluous products not needed for human survival; and a “drastic reduction in inequality of income, wealth and power.” Chancel…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A group of more than 40 researchers spent 20 months devising a plan for the world to achieve ecological sustainability within planetary boundaries, all while seeing incomes rise for 98% of the global population and reducing working hours for everybody by half to two and a half days a week. The plan to achieve this […] authors: | ||
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Fossils reveal a prehistoric crocodile relative that walked on two legs 30 Jun 2026 19:50:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/fossils-reveal-a-prehistoric-crocodile-relative-that-walked-on-two-legs/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: Dinosaurs like tyrannosaurs and velociraptors famously walked on two legs. But they weren’t the only bipedal prehistoric creatures to exist. In a study published in June, paleontologists shared the discovery of a new bipedal shuvosaurid, an ancient, distant relative of crocodiles, that lived 212 million years ago in what is now the U.S. state of New Mexico. Unlike modern-day crocs, the newly described Labrujasuchus expectatus was beaked, toothless, had two tiny arms, and walked on two legs. Researchers found fossilized bones of L. expectatus alongside those of bipedal dinosaurs at the Hayden Quarry at the Ghost Ranch site, famous for its well-preserved fossils. They were found in sediments dated to the Late Triassic period. The generic name of the species Labrujasuchus comes from “Ranchos de los Brujos,” or Ranch of the Witches, an old Spanish name for the Ghost Ranch area. The Greek word Σοῦχος (suchus) means crocodile. The species name expectatus references the idea that researchers expected to find a shuvosaurid fossil at the Hayden Quarry. In an email interview with Mongabay, Nathan Smith, study co-author, paleontologist and director of the Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, U.S., said the first shuvosaurid described, which was originally misclassified as a dinosaur, was named Shuvosaurus inexpectatus, as a way to point out that such a bizarre-looking creature was not “expected” in Late Triassic rocks. “So, the ‘expectatus’ name is a cheeky nod to the original Shuvosaurus discovery, and the fact that we definitely expected to come across some…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Dinosaurs like tyrannosaurs and velociraptors famously walked on two legs. But they weren’t the only bipedal prehistoric creatures to exist. In a study published in June, paleontologists shared the discovery of a new bipedal shuvosaurid, an ancient, distant relative of crocodiles, that lived 212 million years ago in what is now the U.S. state of […] authors: | ||
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Gelada monkeys huddle in the cold: Photo of the week 30 Jun 2026 18:05:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/gelada-monkeys-huddle-in-the-cold-photo-of-the-week/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: A group of geladas monkeys (Theropithecus gelada), pictured above, huddle to keep warm on a cold day in the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, Germany. Endemic to Ethiopia’s cold Afroalpine and sub-Afroalpine grasslands, the species is the only primate, apart from humans, that primarily lives on land rather than trees. They spend most of their time grazing grass and have complex social systems focused around vocal communication, hugging, and grooming, especially between females. “On this day … the chill in the air made ideal conditions for a gelada group hug that included some mutual grooming,” Julie Larsen, Mongabay’s photo editor, said of the moment she captured in 2014. “As I looked down on their gathering, the monkey in the middle peered up at me, clearly benefitting from her fortunate position,” she added. “Then, the group closed over her, a single blanket of chocolate-colored shaggy fur against the elements.” According to Dario Fraschetti, a scientific assistant at Wilhelma Zoo, animals with short hair, as in the photograph, are likely females. Males have distinctive long manes and a bright red mark on their chests. Of the 30-40 gelada monkeys that live at the zoo, the vast majority are females, which is similar to their social structure in the wild. The zoo participates in a Europe-wide effort to keep a healthy captive-bred population of the species in partnership with EAZA Ex situ Programme (EEP). Hugging between females in the wild has been observed to increase between unrelated mothers during the first months of their…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A group of geladas monkeys (Theropithecus gelada), pictured above, huddle to keep warm on a cold day in the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, Germany. Endemic to Ethiopia’s cold Afroalpine and sub-Afroalpine grasslands, the species is the only primate, apart from humans, that primarily lives on land rather than trees. They spend most of their time […] authors: | ||
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Cypriot natural gas could start flowing from ExxonMobil’s discoveries by 2033 30 Jun 2026 17:59:04 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/cypriot-natural-gas-could-start-flowing-from-exxonmobils-discoveries-by-2033/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Natural gas could start flowing by 2033 out of two undersea deposits discovered by ExxonMobil off Cyprus, a senior executive with the company said Tuesday, helping to turn the east Mediterranean island nation into a new European energy hub. The largest U.S. oil company and its consortium partner, QatarEnergy, consider the most likely option for getting the gas to market would be conveying it through a pipeline to existing processing facilities in Egypt where it can be liquefied for export, ExxonMobil’s Vice President of Global Exploration John Ardill said. Other options including building onshore facilities in Cyprus or a floating one in waters over the deposits are considered too costly at this point. “Everything you’ve seen between the government of Cyprus and the government of Egypt gives us a lot of confidence that there’s good government to government coordination, the agreements in place to leverage that eastern Mediterranean energy hub concept,” Ardill said. He was speaking after ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy signed a deal with Cyprus declaring the two deposits commercially viable. The deposits — dubbed Glaucus and Pegasus — are located in Block 10 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and are estimated to hold together roughly 7 trillion cubic feet of gas. Ardill said the consortium is looking to expand its presence off Cyprus, expressing interest in exploring an area, or block, on the southwestern corner of the EEZ that is adjacent to an area where it already holds drilling licenses. The consortium will carry out additional drilling at…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Natural gas could start flowing by 2033 out of two undersea deposits discovered by ExxonMobil off Cyprus, a senior executive with the company said Tuesday, helping to turn the east Mediterranean island nation into a new European energy hub. The largest U.S. oil company and its consortium partner, QatarEnergy, consider the most likely option for […] authors: | ||
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Secret Amazon species may be new source of ibogaine for addiction treatment 30 Jun 2026 17:49:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/secret-amazon-species-may-be-new-source-of-ibogaine-for-addiction-treatment/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Jenny Gonzales content:encoded: For generations, the Bwiti religion in Gabon has revered ibogaine, a powerful psychedelic alkaloid extracted from the iboga shrub (Tabernanthe iboga). While ancient African cultures have long held the plant as sacred and understood its spiritual depth, modern science has only recently been exploring its potential as a clinical tool to treat drug addiction. Recent trials and historical accounts suggest ibogaine can reduce withdrawal symptoms and the craving for drugs like heroin and methadone, offering a neurobiological “reset.” Although ibogaine’s medicinal use is still largely unregulated, the global demand for this anti-addiction agent has pushed the African iboga plant into danger. The shrub takes up to 30 years to mature and yields just a single gram of ibogaine; traditional extraction usually requires uprooting the plant, leading to its destruction. This scarcity has fueled poaching and smuggling, prompting the Gabonese government to prohibit its export. Now, a breakthrough has emerged from the Amazon Rainforest, centered on an undisclosed species. The identity of this plant remains a closely guarded secret by Brazilian researcher Ricardo Marques, who spent nearly two years locating it and studying its ecology. This species contains a chemical precursor that can be transformed into ibogaine using a new, potentially sustainable harvesting method that allows the plant to regenerate after extraction. By keeping the plant’s name a secret while training local families in its collection, Marques says he hopes to create a permanent, ethical supply of ibogaine without repeating the ecological harm seen in Africa. Up until now, the only…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new harvesting method allows an undisclosed Amazon plant to provide production of ibogaine, a psychedelic compound known for its largely unregulated and understudied properties in helping chemical addiction. - Regarded as sacred in Gabon, the iboga plant that’s the primary source of ibogaine has been subject to poaching and smuggling, leading to the decline of its natural reserves and encouraging researchers to seek out alternatives. - The substance is at the center of a new political and scientific movement to advance medicinal studies of natural compounds labelled today as illegal drugs. authors: | ||
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Foreign nationals attempt to fly to Europe with rare cacti from southern Brazil 30 Jun 2026 15:49:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/foreign-nationals-attempt-to-fly-to-europe-with-rare-cacti-from-southern-brazil/ author: Xavier Bartaburu dc:creator: Fernanda Wenzel content:encoded: Agents from the Brazilian Federal Police found an unusual cargo with four Czech nationals stopped in February at São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport: 214 cactus specimens and envelopes containing cactus seeds. The material was hidden in beer cans, paper bags and even inside one man’s shoes, according to the pending court case. The plants belonged to seven species, all native to the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. In a report signed by cactus expert Rosana Singer, a biologist at Porto Alegre’s Botanical Garden, two of those species are listed as critically endangered: Parodia nothorauschii and Parodia neohorstii. Four others are endangered, including Gymnocalycium horstii and Frailea curvispina. The Czechs — identified in court documents as Jaroslav Vich, Karel Slajs, Vladimir Bradna and Vladimir Sorma — arrived from Montevideo and were about to board a flight to Vienna. They carried a map of Rio Grande do Sul and a printed itinerary with phrases translated from Czech into Portuguese and Spanish, such as “Do you know where small cacti grow?,” “Are cacti growing here?” and “Sorry. I don’t know if this is private!” The group was detained for one day but is prohibited from leaving Brazil by a court order, which also requested a forensic analysis of their phones. The travelers are now under investigation. Cacti from endangered species endemic to Rio Grande do Sul were seized at Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo. Image: IBAMA Inspection. Within a short period, three other foreigners have been caught trying to leave the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Brazilian authorities detained Czech, German and Russian nationals carrying hundreds of cacti and their seeds, all native to Southern Brazil. - The species targeted are critically endangered and highly prized by collectors worldwide. - The foreigners caught by police include amateur botanists who are renowned among the international cactus-loving community. - Illegal removal from nature harms the preservation of species that can take up to 10 years to become productive. authors: | ||
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What’s jimbu? The herb that bolsters an iconic Nepali dish could also help save snow leopards 30 Jun 2026 10:48:04 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/whats-jimbu-the-herb-that-bolsters-an-iconic-nepali-dish-could-also-help-save-snow-leopards/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Bibek Bhandari content:encoded: KATHMANDU — In Nepal, there’s a popular saying: “dal bhat power, 24 hour.” It refers to a humble plateful of rice and soupy lentils that Nepalis swear by, both at home and across the diaspora. It’s fuel for the body and a taste of home where it’s a staple meal for lunch and dinner. Now, an aromatic herb from the Himalayas that gives the Nepali staple its distinctive flavor offers Indigenous communities a potential promise: An alternative source of income and fewer conflicts with the iconic snow leopards that live in these mountain peaks. How so? The residents of Phu Valley who cultivate jimbu (Allium przewalskianum) in this high-altitude settlement, located in the trans-Himalayan region of Manang that borders China’s Tibet region will tell you. They grow this herb, also known as Himalayan chive, as a cash crop — and as a way to help save “the big cat of the mountains.” Dried jimbu is usually fried in ghee, or clarified butter, and poured over simmering dal for an earthy flavor. “Whenever we talk about dal bhat, the most famous of them all is the Thakali version prepared by the Thakali communities of the mountains,” said Shailendra Thakali, an expert in environmental conservation, tourism and livelihoods, referring to a version of the dish made by Indigenous people known for their traditional cuisines. “And the Thakali dal bhat owes its unique taste and aroma to jimbu,” Thakali added. Until recently, residents foraged this herb from steep, risky slopes. They used some…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Communities in the remote Himalayan Phu Valley in Nepal have begun farming jimbu, an aromatic chive central to a staple food, dal bhat. Some 37 households are involved in the pilot project. - This herb offers a potential conservation dividend: Its pungent smell deters blue sheep from raiding crops. Since they’re snow leopards’ main prey, it may reduce the cats’ visits to human settlements and lower livestock predation. - Growing jimbu, with three yearly harvests, could generate about 12 million rupees ($79,500) in communities where potato farming offers little cash income. - Experts caution that the model is not universally replicable and warn against blanket adoption across other snow leopard habitats, emphasizing site-specific conservation needs. authors: | ||
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Tiny new marsupial species, not seen in two decades, confirmed from museum specimens 30 Jun 2026 07:43:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/tiny-new-marsupial-species-not-seen-in-two-decades-confirmed-from-museum-specimens/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shreya Dasgupta content:encoded: Researchers have confirmed a new-to-science species of marsupial in Australia’s Northern Territory. The tiny mouse-like carnivore has been named the Arnhem Plateau planigale (Planigale petrophila) after the area where it’s thought to live in; its scientific name translates to rock lover. Planigales are the world’s smallest marsupials, some weighing just a couple of grams. Only seven species were recognized until recently: six from Australia, and one from the island of New Guinea. Previous research has suggested that Planigale ingrami, one of the known Australian species, may actually consist of several different species. One such species, the cracking-clay Pilbara planigale (P. tealei) from Western Australia had earlier been misidentified as P. ingrami, but was formally described as a distinct species in 2023. In the latest study, researchers examined specimens historically labelled as P. ingrami held across museums in Australia and collected DNA from more than 220 such specimens. They showed that planigales long classified as P. ingrami represent four distinct species, including the previously recognized P. tealei. One of them is the Arnhem Plateau planigale, the largest of the four, with dark-gray fur and the longest tail. It’s currently known from just three specimens: two males and one female. All three were collected within 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) of each other on the plateau. “P. petrophila is apparently rare among Australian planigales because, so far, only three specimens have ever been found, and it is known only from a small area of the sandstone plateau and rocky slopes in Kakadu National…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Researchers have confirmed a new-to-science species of marsupial in Australia’s Northern Territory. The tiny mouse-like carnivore has been named the Arnhem Plateau planigale (Planigale petrophila) after the area where it’s thought to live in; its scientific name translates to rock lover. Planigales are the world’s smallest marsupials, some weighing just a couple of grams. Only […] authors: | ||
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Bangladesh unveils sweeping EV incentives to cut emissions and pollution 30 Jun 2026 06:28:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/bangladesh-unveils-sweeping-ev-incentives-to-cut-emissions-and-pollution/ author: Abu Siddique dc:creator: Kamran Reza Chowdhury content:encoded: In an unprecedented move, Bangladesh has upended its previous policy of heavily taxing electric vehicles (EVs) and promoting fossil-fuel-run transport. While placing the tax and tariff proposals for the next fiscal year starting on July 1, finance minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, in his budget speech in the parliament on June 11, unveiled a set of coordinated tariff structures to promote EVs and solar energy to reduce carbon emissions and combat air pollution. The minister offered zero tariffs for the import of electric buses and trucks, the setting up of vehicle charging stations, and the production of solar energy; hiked tariffs for fossil-fuel-powered transport; reduced registration fees for EVs; and introduced a set of incentives with the target of reducing pollution from the transport sector, which contributes 9% of greenhouse gas emissions. This is the first coordinated government initiative for transitioning Bangladesh’s long-overdue modernization of the transport system, as pollutants from thousands of diesel-run buses and trucks aggravate the air pollution in mega-cities like Dhaka and Chattogram. According to UN estimates, more than 235,000 people die from complications due to air pollution every year in Bangladesh, with hundreds of thousands of people suffering from asthma and other respiratory diseases. Traffic in Dhaka. According to UN estimates, more than 235,000 people die from complications due to air pollution every year in Bangladesh. Image by joiseyshowaa/b k via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0). The tax waiver and concession The government has decided to offer a “full exemption (except value-added tax)” on the import…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In the national budget announced on June 11, the Bangladeshi government waived tariffs on the import of electric vehicles (EVs) such as buses and trucks between July 1, 2026, and June 2030, while increasing tariffs on fossil fuel-run vehicles. - A tariff waiver was also announced for setting up charging stations for EVs. - The government aims to replace 25% of buses and 30% of trucks with electric alternatives, in line with the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). - Besides adaptation, the South Asian country is now embarking on mitigation to reduce carbon emissions and air pollution that kill hundreds of thousands of people every year. authors: | ||
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A coastal Philippine farm offers a blueprint for farming with wetlands 29 Jun 2026 23:46:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-coastal-philippine-farm-offers-a-blueprint-for-farming-with-wetlands/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Mavic Conde content:encoded: PITOGO, Philippines — The Glinoga Integrated Farm in Quezon province sits among brackish fishponds, some active, others long abandoned and slowly reclaimed by the landscape. About a four-hour drive from Manila, the farm in Pitogo municipality can be reached by land or sea. Both routes pass through mangroves. “We raised the embankment and kept the mangroves, because the lowest part often floods,” Ninieveh Glinoga, who manages the farm, told Mongabay during a visit in May. The farm’s coconut-covered slopes lead to tidal rice paddies below and wetlands beyond, reflecting the mosaic landscape found across many Philippine coastal communities. As coastal developments across the Philippines erase wetlands that once buffered communities and sustained marine biodiversity, the farm offers a different model: food production intertwined with the coastal ecosystem rather than apart from it. Nipa is seen growing alongside mangroves, during low tide. Image by Mavic Conde for Mongabay. Working with water and natural topography Glinoga’s husband’s family has owned the land for generations. The coconut, cacao and sugarcane that once grew here abundantly sustained the family. But in 2008, the family visited the farm and found it nearly unrecognizable. Years of slash-and-burn farming by a tenant had stripped the land bare. Smoke rose from the ground. “The first thing the tenant fed us was native chicken. There were no greens, just salt,” Glinoga recalled. Her grandmother-in-law, who once managed the farm, could no longer visit due to old age. The relative who next took charge fell ill, leaving the tenant in…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Glinoga Integrated Farm in the Philippines’ Quezon province uses permaculture techniques to grow crops in harmony with the surrounding coastal ecosystem. - One study looking at permaculture farms across 11 provinces in the Philippines found that Glinoga had the highest level of crop diversity among the farms it surveyed. - Farm operator Ninieveh Glinoga converted the farm to a permaculture system after decades of incapacity by relatives and tenants had left the farms soil degraded. authors: | ||
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Aquatic animal and terrestrial meat trades now almost on par, FAO report finds 29 Jun 2026 18:55:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/aquatic-animal-and-terrestrial-meat-trades-now-almost-on-par-fao-report-finds/ author: Autumn Spanne dc:creator: Elizabeth Fitt content:encoded: Rapid aquaculture growth has pushed farmed aquatic animal production to more than 100 million metric tons per year for the first time ever, boosting the trade value of all aquatic animal products almost to parity with the trade value of land-produced meat. That’s according to the latest “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture” (SOFIA) report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The 2026 installment of the report, a biennial collection of data that outlines FAO’s vision for the fishing and aquaculture sectors, was released June 16 at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. “The [aquaculture] sector is evolving very rapidly,” Manuel Barange, director of the FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, told Mongabay. “It’s now achieving levels that fisheries never did. And that is positive because there’s no doubt about it that we’re going to be 10 billion in just a couple or three decades. And everyone has a right to food.” An FAO spokesperson discusses the SOFIA 2026 report during a session held at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, on June 16, 2026. Image by Malavika Vyawahare/Mongabay. Connecting science and policy SOFIA is “one of the most authoritative reports we have,” Paul Orina, director general of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, said at a Mombasa press conference to launch the report. Its value lies in how it “connects science with policy,” he said. The FAO has been giving policymakers, scientists and civil society a deep dive into the global fisheries and aquaculture sectors…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The FAO recently released its State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) report, a biennial collection of data that policymakers, scientists and civil society groups rely on. - Global fisheries and aquaculture production, including algae as well as animal products, reached a record 235 million metric tons in 2024, with farmed aquatic animal production surpassing 100 million metric tons annually for the first time. This brings the total aquatic animal product trade close to that of terrestrial meat. - The report, which covers around 70% of global fisheries, found that sustainably fished stocks fell by 2.1% to a new low of 62.4%. - The report projects continued growth in aquatic animal production from both fisheries and aquaculture, but warns that achieving it sustainably and equitably will require greater investment, effective governance and continued innovation. authors: | ||
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Human rights abuse allegations continue to rise in the mining sector, report finds 29 Jun 2026 18:41:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/human-rights-abuse-allegations-continue-to-rise-in-the-mining-sector-report-finds/ author: Alexandra Popescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: Over the last several years, the United States and European Union have intensified efforts to secure the minerals needed for a clean energy transition. Officials have fast-tracked new projects and signed deals with countries across the globe to ensure access to copper, cobalt, lithium and other minerals that are essential for building solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and other technologies. But as investment grows, so does conflict throughout the sector. Protests and lawsuits are common at mine sites, which can lead to attacks against human rights and environmental defenders. It’s led critics to call for stricter regulations and better communication with local communities. “Resilient mineral supply chains can only be built with respect for people, ecosystems, and local benefits,” Erica Westenberg, director of governance programs at the NGO Natural Resource Governance Institute, said in a report from the Business and Human Rights Centre. Each year, the organization releases the findings of its Transition Mineral Tracker, which monitors allegations of abuse by large-scale mining of bauxite, cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel, iron ore and zinc. For 2025, the NGO reviewed 299 mining operations and their owners, counting 329 allegations of abuse — up from 156 the year before — tied to air and water pollution, public health problems, and labor abuse like poor working conditions and union suppression. There were also 61 cases of protests, 10 strikes and 44 lawsuits, the report said. A breach at a tailing dam at a Sino-Metals Leach Zambia mine near Kitwe. (AP Photo/Richard Kille, File) The…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The U.S. and European Union have intensified efforts to secure the minerals needed for a clean energy transition. But as investment grows, so does conflict throughout the sector. - The Business and Human Rights Centre released the 2025 findings for its Transition Mineral Tracker, which monitors allegations of abuse by large-scale mining of bauxite, cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel, iron ore and zinc. - The NGO reviewed 299 mining operations and their owners, counting 329 allegations of abuse, up from 156 the year before. - The allegations increased in every region of the world, but nowhere has been worse than in South America, which has seen 447 allegations since 2010. authors: | ||
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Hong Kong’s urban cockatoos could be a genetic lifeline for Indonesian ancestors 29 Jun 2026 17:44:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/hong-kongs-urban-cockatoos-could-be-a-genetic-lifeline-for-indonesian-ancestors/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: A noisy population of feral yellow-crested cockatoos living in the dense, urban landscape of Hong Kong may hold the genetic key to saving the species from extinction in Indonesia, according to a new study. The yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) is critically endangered in its native range in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, with fewer than 2,000 individuals remaining in the wild due to habitat loss and the pet trade. However, Hong Kong is home to roughly 200 of these parrots, or about 10% of the global population, which are thought to be descendants of released or escaped pets. For the study, researchers conducted a genomic analysis of the city’s yellow-crested cockatoo population. They found that despite their small number and isolated urban environment, the feral cockatoos have unexpectedly high genetic diversity, comparable to other wild parrot populations. “Instead of dismissing urban, introduced populations as ecologically redundant, we should view them as potential ‘Biodiversity Ark’ that can actively help prevent extinction,” study lead author Astrid Andersson of Hong Kong University said in a press release. The researchers also compared the DNA of Hong Kong’s yellow-crested cockatoo population with museum specimens representing the species’ four recognized subspecies. They found the feral population is a genetic melting pot, carrying signatures from all subspecies. In particular, more than half of the sampled birds belong to a lineage linked to Lombok, an island in eastern Indonesia, where the species is now thought to be locally extinct. This makes the urban population a vital reservoir for genetic lineages…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A noisy population of feral yellow-crested cockatoos living in the dense, urban landscape of Hong Kong may hold the genetic key to saving the species from extinction in Indonesia, according to a new study. The yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) is critically endangered in its native range in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, with fewer than 2,000 individuals […] authors: | ||
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One mountain lion changed the food web in a California suburb, study finds 29 Jun 2026 17:13:43 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/one-mountain-lion-changed-the-food-web-in-a-california-suburb-study-finds/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Liz Kimbrough content:encoded: When a mountain lion moved into a small suburban preserve near California’s Stanford University in the U.S. around 2012, its presence transformed the local food web, suggesting that apex predators can reshape ecosystems even in heavily developed landscapes. A recent study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution drew on nine years of camera trap data from Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, a 4.9-square-kilometer (nearly 2-square-mile) patch of oak woodland and grassland in the San Francisco Bay Area, surrounded by roads and residential neighborhoods. After mountain lion (Puma concolor, also known as puma or cougar) activity began increasing around 2012, researchers documented ripple effects through multiple species. Coyotes and deer shifted away from nighttime activity. Gray foxes expanded into niches left vacant by retreating competitors. Brush rabbits became more active in the mornings, and woody plant density jumped 64-fold over 17 years. These types of multi-level effects are called trophic cascades. The most well-known example comes from the U.S., as dramatic changes occurred in Yellowstone National Park when wolves were reintroduced to their former range in 1996. “Much like the well-documented cascade triggered by wolves in Yellowstone, we found that increasing mountain lion activity coincided with changes cascading through the food web, from deer and coyotes down to foxes, rabbits, and woody plants,” lead author Chinmay Sonawane, a Stanford Ph.D. candidate, said in an email to Mongabay. “These findings provide clear, empirical evidence of the profound structural role mountain lions play,” Zara McDonald, biologist and president of the Felidae Conservation Fund…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The presence of a mountain lion in a small biological preserve near Stanford University in California transformed the local food web. - A recent study drew on nine years of camera trap data from Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve and found that when a puma began to visit, coyotes, deer, gray foxes and brush rabbits changed their behavior and native plant density increased. - About 82% of protected areas in the United States are smaller than 5 square kilometers, roughly 2 square miles, making small suburban preserves increasingly important for wildlife as urban development expands. - Jasper Ridge is far too small to support its own population of mountain lions, but is linked to the Santa Cruz Mountains, underscoring the importance of wilderness corridors in supporting wildlife. authors: | ||
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As Amazon oil drilling begins, scientists warn of risks to a little-known reef 29 Jun 2026 15:47:40 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/as-amazon-oil-drilling-begins-scientists-warn-of-risks-to-a-little-known-reef/ author: Xavier Bartaburu dc:creator: Suzana Camargo content:encoded: The Amazon region always invites superlatives: the world’s largest tropical forest, the planet’s largest continuous mangrove belt, the river with the largest water volume and length on Earth. That makes any kind of exploratory activity in the region — and its potential impacts on this unique ecosystem — cause for great concern. That’s the case with exploration activities currently being carried out by Brazilian state‑owned oil and gas company Petrobras in the area known as the Equatorial Margin. This area includes the coastal and offshore strip starting at the mouth of the Amazon river and fanning out into the Atlantic, off the Brazilian states of Amapá and Rio Grande do Norte. The environmental license for Petrobras to start prospecting for oil and gas was granted by Brazil’s federal environmental agency, IBAMA, in October 2025, after several denied requests, strong political pressure — including from President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva himself — and strong criticism from environmentalists and civil society organizations. One of the key concerns raised by experts about Petrobras’s operation centers on the Amazon Reef system, located less than 40 kilometers (25 miles) from block FZA‑M‑59, where Petrobras is drilling its Morpho well. Known since the 1970s, the Amazon Reef system was only officially described by a group of Brazilian researchers in 2016. The following year, a Greenpeace research vessel equipped with a small submarine released the rare images of that environment, which covers an estimated 9,500 square kilometers (about 3,700 square miles) and serves as a biodiversity corridor…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Brazilian state oil and gas company Petrobras has started drilling in the Equatorial Margin after years of political, scientific and environmental disputes over the risks posed by oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon River. - Researchers warn that the Amazon Reef system harbors a wealth of biodiversity and has not been widely studied, despite being close to Petrobras’s exploration block. - Scientists disagree about the composition and extent of the Amazonian reefs, while environmentalists denounce attempts to downplay their ecological importance. - Experts warn that an oil spill could reach mangroves, small-scale fisheries, and even neighboring countries, due to strong marine currents in the area. authors: | ||
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São Tomé declares first two of eight planned marine protected areas 29 Jun 2026 15:25:10 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/sao-tome-declares-first-two-of-eight-planned-marine-protected-areas/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Victoria Schneider content:encoded: The West African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe has formally designated its first two protected sites off its coast. This comes less than a year after presenting its plans to establish a national network of eight marine protected areas (MPAs) covering 93 square kilometers (36 square miles) in the Gulf of Guinea. The two MPAs include Ilhéu das Rolas–Malanza–Jalé, on the southern coast of São Tomé Island, and Santana, on the island’s eastern coast. Nilton de Sousa Pontes, minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, announced the official designation during the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. “These [newly protected] areas include critical coastal and marine habitats, such as mangroves, nesting beaches, rocky reefs and important fishing grounds, and support emblematic and threatened species including marine turtles, seabirds and other marine biodiversity,” João Pessoa, the country’s Director of Fisheries, told Mongabay via email. Santana covers 7.4 km2 (2.86 mi2) of coastal waters, of which 1 km2 (0.4 mi2) is a fully protected no-take zone where industrial fishing and the collection of other marine resources are prohibited. The rest is reserved for authorized use by artisanal fishers using legal gear, scientific research and other low-impact activities. Ilhéu das Rolas-Malanza-Jalé covers 55.8 km2 (21.54 mi2), with 8 km2 (3 mi2) under full protection from any extractive or destructive activities. The remaining six MPAs will be located around Príncipe Island. They have been approved by the Council of Ministers and are awaiting promulgation by the president before publication in the Official Gazette,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The West African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe has formally designated its first two protected sites off its coast. This comes less than a year after presenting its plans to establish a national network of eight marine protected areas (MPAs) covering 93 square kilometers (36 square miles) in the Gulf of Guinea. The two […] authors: | ||
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The Ideas Shaping Environmental Action 29 Jun 2026 12:43:14 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/specials/2026/06/the-ideas-shaping-environmental-action/ author: Lemae Mortimer dc:creator: Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo content:encoded: What ideas are shaping responses to the environmental crisis? The Mongabay Newscast picks the brains of authors, researchers, activists and storytellers exploring the systems behind biodiversity loss and climate change. From economic inequality and governance to Indigenous knowledge and climate fiction, this podcast series examines how ideas about change take shape, gain influence and tackle resistance. Through these conversations, the podcast looks at how narratives, institutions and power dynamics shape environmental decision-making and competing visions for the future.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: What ideas are shaping responses to the environmental crisis? The Mongabay Newscast picks the brains of authors, researchers, activists and storytellers exploring the systems behind biodiversity loss and climate change. From economic inequality and governance to Indigenous knowledge and climate fiction, this podcast series examines how ideas about change take shape, gain influence and tackle […] authors: | ||
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Telling one guiña from another: It’s all about the angle 29 Jun 2026 11:30:52 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/telling-one-guina-from-another-its-all-about-the-angle/ author: Alexandra Popescu dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: Guiña are small-forest-dwelling felids found in Chile and Argentina that are distinguished only by small, subtle black dots, making it difficult to tell one cat from another. A change in camera trap angle could open the door to a better understanding of their populations, with important conservation implications, a recent study says. Normally, researchers place camera traps at ground level to snap pictures of cats as they walk by. But telling one guiña (Leopardus guigna) from another from that angle proved incredibly challenging. “One of the fundamental questions in ecology is always how many individuals are there or what are the densities,” Nicholas Galvez, an associate professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, told Mongabay in an interview. “Sometimes that sounds like a very easy question, but it’s actually really difficult to answer in the field, especially with a species so small and cryptic.” To solve that problem, Galvez and his team switched their cameras to point downward, in a “zenith” position, attaching them to tree branches and poles in a temperate forest in Chile’s Reñihué Valley, in northern Patagonia. That switch enabled the scientists to identify 12 individuals based on their unique markings on their backs. The findings were published in the journal Oryx. Ilaria Agostini, a researcher with Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council, said it’s exciting research. “For the first time, it seems feasible to identify individuals in this very subtly marked cat,” she said in a video interview. When using camera traps for her own…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Guiña are small cats found in Chile and Argentina. Though in 2025 the IUCN downlisted the species to least concern, not enough is known about populations under threat from habitat loss, persecution and forest fires. - To help fill those gaps, researchers switched the angle of the camera traps used for surverying the species to film guiña individuals from above rather than at ground level. That enabled them to identify individual cats during camera trapping between February 2019 and November 2020 in a protected area in Reñihué Valley, Chile. - If used more widely in camera trap surveys, this technique could help accurately estimate guiña populations in the wild. - The researchers also say this technique could be applied to other small cat species. authors: | ||
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Thai farmers fear water woes from planned LNG plant 29 Jun 2026 02:30:04 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/thai-farmers-fear-water-woes-from-planned-lng-plant/ author: Philip Jacobson dc:creator: Gerald Flynn content:encoded: PHANOM SARAKHAM, Thailand — On a December afternoon, Suphut Hom Chunthit and his wife were tending to their 12 durian trees. Suphut showed reporters his homemade irrigation system, a series of pipes carrying water from the nearby Yang Deng canal. The durian trees were in their fourth year, Suphut said, so they should fruit and be ready for harvest later in 2026 — if they survive. “Last year, we could only water the durian trees for 15 minutes a day,” said Suphut, who also grows cassava, rice, plums, rubber and rambutan in Phanom Sarakham, a district in Thailand’s Chachoengsao province. “It’s barely enough to keep them alive.” Three kilometers, less than 2 miles, down the road from Suphut’s 8-hectare (20-acre) farm sits the 304 Industrial Park (Chachoengsao), home to electronics, automotive and food-processing plants, and a biomass power station. The park is also the site of the planned 600-megawatt Burapa power plant. But locals like Suphut say they fear the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility could exacerbate water shortages and air pollution linked to the expansion of industry in Chachoengsao. The Burapa plant will need up to 12,000 cubic meters (424,000 cubic feet) of water daily, per its 2021 environmental impact assessment (EIA) — equivalent to the daily consumption of some 49,000 Chachoengsao residents, as measured by a 2024 study. Meanwhile, Phanom Sarakham district already faces a “medium-high” risk of drought, according to the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas. Suphut Hom Chunthit stands among durian trees on his…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Farmers in Thailand’s Chachoengsao province worry a planned 600-megawatt LNG power plant could increase water shortages and air pollution in an area already facing recurring drought. - The project is the latest chapter in an 18-year struggle by local communities, who previously helped stop the same development when it was planned as a coal-fired power station and continue to challenge it on environmental and health grounds. - Opponents also question why the plant is needed at all, arguing Thailand already has excess generating capacity and that expanding LNG infrastructure could deepen fossil-fuel dependence while delaying a shift to renewable energy. authors: | ||
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Mel Sunquist, field biologist and mentor to generations of conservationists 28 Jun 2026 23:37:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/mel-sunquist-field-biologist-and-mentor-to-generations-of-conservationists/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: In the 1970s, studying wild tigers still involved more nerve than equipment. A biologist could not rely on camera traps, GPS collars, or satellite-linked data. To understand where a tiger went, what it killed, how far it ranged, and how its territory overlapped with others, someone had to follow it through forests and grasslands with a receiver, a notebook, and enough judgment to stay useful without getting in the way. Radio collars began to change what was possible. They made the movements of secretive carnivores traceable in a new way. For tigers, jaguars, pumas, ocelots, and other animals that were rarely seen directly, they allowed field biologists to replace guesses with records. The work still depended on patience, careful handling, and a capacity to keep thinking when weather, roads, animals, or people refused to cooperate. Mel Sunquist in India. Courtesy of Ullas Karanth Melvin Eugene Sunquist, who died on May 9th at the age of 85, belonged to that generation of field scientists. Born in Morris, Minnesota, in 1941, he became one of the leading biologists of wild cats and large carnivores. He worked in Asia, Latin America, Panama, and Florida, and spent much of his academic life at the University of Florida, where he taught wildlife ecology and conservation from 1987 until his retirement in 2014. To students and colleagues he was “Mel,” a name that suited his manner: steady, spare with words, dry in humor, and difficult to unsettle. Following tigers His best-known early work was on tigers…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Mel Sunquist helped pioneer the use of radio telemetry to study wild tigers, jaguars, and other elusive carnivores, transforming how scientists understood their behavior and ecology. - His research in Nepal provided some of the first detailed evidence of tiger movements, territories, and social organization, laying foundations for modern tiger conservation. - As a professor at the University of Florida, he trained generations of wildlife biologists, many of whom went on to lead conservation programs and research around the world. - Remembered for his humility, patience, and deep respect for animals, Sunquist taught that careful observation, sound science, and thoughtful mentorship were as important to conservation as the discoveries themselves. authors: | ||
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Kenya’s overcrowded safaris: Wildlife for who? 28 Jun 2026 18:23:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/kenyas-overcrowded-safaris-wildlife-for-who/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Izzy Sasada content:encoded: Thinking of going on safari? You’re not alone. The popularity of African safaris has led to a boom in safari companies, and scenes of overcrowded wildlife sightings and new tourism developments are becoming increasingly common in places like Kenya’s Maasai Mara. Recently, a Kenyan court dismissed a legal challenge against The Ritz-Carlton, Masai Mara Safari Camp, allowing the controversial luxury development to continue operating, despite concerns from conservationists and Maasai leaders that it could disrupt an important wildebeest migration route. From the colonial origins of national parks to modern luxury tourism, conservation in Africa has often been shaped by outsiders’ visions of nature. In this episode of Conservation Entangled, host @izzysasada explores how these tensions are still playing out today.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Thinking of going on safari? You’re not alone. The popularity of African safaris has led to a boom in safari companies, and scenes of overcrowded wildlife sightings and new tourism developments are becoming increasingly common in places like Kenya’s Maasai Mara. Recently, a Kenyan court dismissed a legal challenge against The Ritz-Carlton, Masai Mara Safari […] authors: | ||
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Women patrol Tanzania’s Pemba waters in a community-led push to protect the sea 27 Jun 2026 11:38:18 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/women-patrol-tanzanias-pemba-waters-in-a-community-led-push-to-protect-the-sea/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: David Akana content:encoded: PEMBA, Tanzania — Patrolling the sea is not the kind of work many women on Tanzania’s Pemba Island are traditionally expected to do. Yet, for Amina Gharib Issa, it has become part of her life recently. At 55 years old, Issa has spent years around the sea, including as a fisher. But when fish stocks began dwindling and communities in Pemba introduced temporary closures, periods during which fishing is suspended to allow marine life to recover, she took on the task of helping patrol the waters to ensure the rules were respected. She is part of a seven-member community patrol team that goes out about eight times a month, checking boats, fishing gear and licenses. The work can mean hours on the water, sometimes in rough conditions, for pay of about $8 a day. In much of Pemba, women participate widely in fisheries, but being out on patrol with men is another matter. The community is predominantly Muslim, and gender roles can be closely examined. “Some of the women are not permitted by their husbands,” Ali Said Hamad, a member of the Mwambao team, said, explaining one of the reasons more women do not join. Said has spent decades on these waters — not as an enforcement officer — but helping implement community-led conservation programs. For those women who do patrol the waters, family support can make the difference. Issa said her husband supported her decision to take part. Her work is part of a broader community-led conservation effort supported…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - More than 1.8 million people live in Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous archipelago that united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form present-day Tanzania. - Of Zanzibar’s population, roughly 550,000 people live on Pemba Island, one of its two main islands, where many households depend directly on the surrounding marine ecosystem for food, income, and livelihoods. - Across the island, a community-led approach to marine resource management is taking root. Local communities are organized through Shehia Fisheries Committees and Collaborative Management Groups, which develop and implement rules governing the use of marine resources, including fisheries and locally managed conservation areas. - Enforcing those rules, however, is not always straightforward. Community patrol teams often lack the legal authority needed to take action against offenders. In a largely Muslim society where marine patrols have traditionally been dominated by men, women are increasingly joining these teams to help monitor fishing activities and encourage compliance. authors: | ||
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Honduras taps armed forces to eliminate deforestation by 2029. Is it working? 27 Jun 2026 06:34:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/06/honduras-taps-armed-forces-to-eliminate-deforestation-by-2029-is-it-working/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Fritz Pinnow content:encoded: RÍO PLÁTANO BIOSPHERE RESERVE, Honduras — Deep inside Honduras’ protected forests, a battle is taking place between environmental defenders and deforestation. Deforestation rates in the country are among the highest in the Americas, threatening one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems. In 2024, its government launched a plan to eliminate deforestation by 2029, with a special focus on recovering land used by criminal groups for timber trafficking. The “Zero Deforestation by 2029” plan, launched by the National Defense and Security Council in May 2024, declared a state of emergency for the country’s forests and set aside funds to retake control of protected areas where agriculture, livestock, mining and other illegal activities have been thriving, often with the involvement of powerful criminal groups. And part of this plan involves building up an “environmental protection battalion” of 8,000 troops. However, the militarization of conservation has always been a controversial issue. “Militarization […] is not a long-term solution,” says Professor Kendra McSweeney, Professor of Geography, at The Ohio State University, who has been studying conservation in Central America. “Absent a larger investment in public policies, in leadership and in legal regimes that will enforce the law in those areas, it cannot work.” With young civilian scientists now leading armed patrols into jungles with cartel activity, the question remains: can militarized conservation stop forest loss, or is it creating new risks for conservation, environmental protectors and forests alike? Mongabay’s Video Team wants to cover questions and topics that matter to you. Are there any…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: RÍO PLÁTANO BIOSPHERE RESERVE, Honduras — Deep inside Honduras’ protected forests, a battle is taking place between environmental defenders and deforestation. Deforestation rates in the country are among the highest in the Americas, threatening one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems. In 2024, its government launched a plan to eliminate deforestation by 2029, with a […] authors: | ||
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Extreme heat wave in France kills hundreds of thousands of poultry 26 Jun 2026 22:24:17 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/extreme-heat-wave-in-france-kills-hundreds-of-thousands-of-poultry/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Shanna Hanbury content:encoded: Record temperatures have been causing mass poultry deaths in western France since June 22, Reuters reported. The heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit), is also behind the drowning of 40 people. Météo-France, the French national weather service, wrote in a statement that June 24 and 25 were the hottest days recorded in France since records began in 1947. Yann Nedelec, head of ANVOL, a French poultry-sector organization, estimated that at least several hundred thousand poultry in both indoor and outdoor farms died, though he told Reuters it was too soon for a precise death count. Chicken farmer Clement Blanchard, based in Saint-Andre-Goule-d’Oie, a commune in Pays de la Loire, told Reuters that around 700 of his chickens had died over the span of a few days, compared to an average death rate of one or two per day. “We’re faced with the same thing with our animals as we are ourselves: they suffer enormously from the heat, and so at times like this there are abnormally high death rates,” he told Reuters. Stéphane Delapré, a poultry breeder in Beauvoir-sur-Mer in Normandy, northwestern France, told AFP that the heat on June 22 had killed roughly half of his 17,600 chickens. “Half of the chickens died, suffocated by the heat: those that were in the buildings and also those that were under the trees,” he said. “In [my] 42-year … career, I have never seen anything like it.” The Chamber of Agriculture in both Brittany and Pays de Loire,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Record temperatures have been causing mass poultry deaths in western France since June 22, Reuters reported. The heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit), is also behind the drowning of 40 people. Météo-France, the French national weather service, wrote in a statement that June 24 and 25 were the hottest days recorded in […] authors: | ||
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French court orders TotalEnergies to disclose climate impacts in vigilance plan 26 Jun 2026 20:03:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/french-court-orders-totalenergies-to-disclose-climate-impacts-in-vigilance-plan/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Victoria Schneider content:encoded: A French court has delivered a landmark judgment against oil and gas giant TotalEnergies SE, holding it accountable for the carbon footprint associated with its global operations. On June 25, the Paris Judicial Court ordered the multinational business to revise its vigilance plan in relation to its climate risk assessment. The order requires the company to include Scope 3 emissions, which encompasses those stemming from the use of its products and other indirect emissions, as well as measures to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with those activities. The case was brought in 2020 by the civil society organizations Notre Affaire à Tous, Sherpa, Zéa and France Nature Environnement, together with the city of Paris. It was heard in January 2026. “The judgment sends a very clear message that fossil fuel companies are responsible for all of their emissions, including those generated by customers using their products,” Anne Stévignon, legal specialist in litigation and advocacy at Notre Affaire à Tous, said during an online press conference attended by Mongabay on the day of the ruling. Stévignon added that the decision confirms France’s Duty of Vigilance Law applies to climate risks generated by multinational corporations. The 2017 legislation requires large French companies to publish and implement annual vigilance plans identifying risks to human rights, health and safety, and the environment throughout their global operations. They must also present measures to prevent or mitigate such risks. The claimants had sought broader relief than the court granted. They argued that TotalEnergies should be…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A French court has delivered a landmark judgment against oil and gas giant TotalEnergies SE, holding it accountable for the carbon footprint associated with its global operations. On June 25, the Paris Judicial Court ordered the multinational business to revise its vigilance plan in relation to its climate risk assessment. The order requires the company […] authors: | ||
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How snow leopards, wolves and leopards share the same Himalayan valley, study 26 Jun 2026 15:54:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-snow-leopards-wolves-and-leopards-share-the-same-himalayan-valley-study/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Liz Kimbrough content:encoded: Three of Asia’s most formidable predators share territory in a remote Nepal valley by eating different prey, according to a new study. Researchers found that diet, not time or space, is what keeps snow leopards (Panthera uncia), common leopards (Panthera pardus), and Himalayan wolves (Canis lupus chanco) from coming into direct conflict. The study, published in PLOS One, drew on more than six years of camera-trapping and scat analysis in the Lapchi Valley of the Gaurishankar Conservation Area in Nepal’ s central Himalayas. Researchers set 26 cameras across the landscape over three survey periods between 2018 and 2025 and identified each predator’s diet by analyzing fecal DNA and examining prey hair under a microscope. Blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) are an important food source for the snow leopards in Nepal. Photo courtesy of Narayan Koju. Snow leopards, they found, fed mainly on wild ungulates, including blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), musk deer (Moschus leucogaster), Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), and Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis). Blue sheep alone made up nearly half their diet. Himalayan wolves ate a mix of wild prey like blue sheep and musk deer as well as livestock such as goats, horses, and yaks (Bos grunniens). Leopards relied heavily on livestock and animals associated with human settlements, including dogs, though barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) and goral (Naemorhedus goral) also appeared in their scats. Snow leopards and wolves shared roughly three-quarters of their prey, far more than either shared with leopards. Of the three, snow leopards had the narrowest diet, concentrating…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Three apex predators (snow leopards, common leopards, and Himalayan wolves) coexist in a remote valley in Nepal’s central Himalayas by relying on different food sources. - Researchers analyzed six years of camera-trap footage and fecal DNA from the Lapchi Valley to discover that snow leopards eat mainly wild ungulates, leopards feed on livestock and animals near human settlements, and wolves eat a mix of both. - All three predators are mostly nocturnal and use overlapping terrain, but their specialized diets prevent direct conflict among these similarly sized apex predators. - Protecting abundant wild prey is the most effective way to keep all three predators away from livestock and reduce retaliatory killings that threaten their survival. authors: | ||
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India’s fishers confront homegrown ‘ghost gear’ problem 26 Jun 2026 15:21:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/indias-fishers-confront-homegrown-ghost-gear-problem/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Robert Bociaga content:encoded: KOCHI, India — In the early light at Thoppumpady fishing harbor in the city of Kochi, coils of blue and green nylon nets lay heaped on the concrete docks, stiff with salt after a long night at sea. Many had been patched and repatched so often that they were barely holding together. Nets too damaged to mend are often cut loose offshore. Once they sink, few are ever recovered. Across India’s west coast, lost fishing gear known as “ghost gear” has become a significant source of marine pollution. Nets vanish whole or in fragments, slipping into the waters of the Arabian Sea where they continue trapping fish, turtles and other marine life long after fishers abandon them. India operates one of the world’s largest marine fishing sectors, supporting an estimated 14.5 million livelihoods along more than 7,500 kilometers (4,660 miles) of coastline. While national estimates are scarce, a 2022 study in the southwestern state of Kerala, where Kochi is located, found that fishers lost, abandoned or discarded about 21% of their fishing gear annually. That’s more than 10 times the global average of 1.82% estimated by another study, which highlights the scale of material entering India’s marine environment. Despite growing concern among researchers and conservationists, India lacks a systematic way to track, retrieve or recycle lost fishing gear, as well as accessible mechanisms to collect and safely dispose of end-of-life nets and other equipment before they are discarded at sea. The government regulates fisheries tightly in many respects — from…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Across India’s west coast, fishers often abandon or discard their damaged gear at sea after seabed snags, mounting economic pressures, and increasingly crowded near-shore waters make recovery difficult, creating a constant stream of “ghost gear” into the Arabian Sea. - Once lost, fishing gear continues to function, whether it drifts through the water column or settles on the seabed, trapping marine life or entangling marine habitat. - Incentive schemes, retrieval efforts, recycling initiatives and other efforts to reduce harm show promise in some places in India. But experts say they tend to remain piecemeal and face common challenges such as a lack of recycling infrastructure and dependence on short-term funding. - Many experts say the key to addressing India’s ghost gear problem lies in moving from ad hoc initiatives to institutionalized systems that intervene across the gear’s lifecycle, from design and use to end-of-life disposal. authors: | ||
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Laser scanning forests may boost carbon estimates, but credibility questions linger 26 Jun 2026 14:55:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/laser-scanning-forests-may-boost-carbon-estimates-but-credibility-questions-linger/ author: Morgan Erickson-Davis dc:creator: Shradha Triveni content:encoded: Forests are natural carbon sinks. But as reforestation of degraded land is becoming a global climate solution, a persistent question lingers: How do we know how much carbon a forest is actually storing? Researchers say ground-based laser scanning, or LiDAR, could improve the efficiency of measuring the outcomes of reforestation. And a recent paper published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence found that LiDAR scanning in Australia offered an improvement over other methods of carbon estimation. LiDAR instruments emit thousands of tiny laser pulses to create complex and intricate 3D maps of a forest’ structure, allowing researchers to more accurately estimate how much carbon is contained in its trees. Co-author of the paper Alexander W. Cheesman, a senior research fellow at James Cook University, North Queensland, Australia, calls the technology “transformative.” “Traditional field surveys heavily relied on manually measuring the height and diameter of a relatively small number of trees. But laser scanning captures the whole forest in 360 degrees, recording every stem, every branch and the shape of the canopy,” Cheesman told Mongabay during a virtual interview over Google Meet. In Australia, the Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM) is the government’s main tool to track carbon stored in soil and roots (belowground carbon) and vegetation (aboveground carbon). It is used for national greenhouse gas reporting to the United Nations and to assess carbon credit within the country, through the government’s Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme. Rather than directly measuring carbon, FullCAM simulates the movement of carbon through ecosystems by…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Ground-based laser scanning, called LiDAR, can be used to make detailed maps of forest structure. - Such detail can allow for more accurate estimates of the amount of carbon stored in aboveground vegetation, which is helpful for assessing the outcomes of reforestation projects and assigning an accurate number of carbon credits. - Carbon credits, bought and sold on the carbon market, are used by companies and other entities to offset their own greenhouse gas emissions. - But experts caution that transparency, not estimation accuracy, remains the carbon market’s biggest challenge. authors: | ||
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A trailblazing Ugandan championing women in African fisheries: Q&A with Lovin Kobusingye 26 Jun 2026 13:45:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-trailblazing-ugandan-championing-women-in-african-fisheries-qa-with-lovin-kobusingye/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: David Akana content:encoded: Speaking at a gathering of ocean conservation groups and development practitioners in Watamu, Kenya, Lovin Kobusingye had a simple message: The women who catch, process and sell fish are still largely missing from conversations about Africa’s growing blue economy. For Kobusingye, the challenges facing women in fisheries are part of her everyday life. “My reality every day is that I wake up to an industrial person taking over my landing place, taking over my fishing zone,” she told the audience, describing how tourism developments and other coastal investments increasingly compete with traditional fishing communities for access to the sea. Kobusingye said many women face dangers in the fisheries sector, poor working conditions and growing pressure from developments that compete for access to the coast. In some communities, traditional rights are overlooked by the government; while rising seas, erosion and declining fish catches are making an already difficult livelihood even harder, she told the attendees of the meeting organized by the Ocean Resilience Climate Alliance (ORCA). Despite these challenges, Kobusingye said women remain central to sustaining fisheries and coastal economies. They process fish, trade seafood and support households, including paying school fees, from the income they earn. Yet despite their role in the sector, many women still have little say in how fisheries are managed. Lovin Kobusingye is also the founder and CEO of Kati Farms Ltd, an agro-processing firm. Image courtesy of Kati Farms Ltd. “If you are invisible, you receive invisible budgets. If you are invisible, you receive invisible…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In fishing communities along Africa’s coast, women are often the backbone of household economies. They process and sell fish, support households and pay school fees, often while facing significant economic and social challenges. - Hotels, ports and other developments are reshaping many African coastlines. While they can bring jobs and investment, some women working in fisheries say they are also being pushed away from traditional landing sites and areas they have depended on for generations. - At a recent gathering of marine organizations in Kenya, one woman stood before the audience to share the realities faced by women fishers, fish traders and others working across the fisheries value chain. - Uganda’s Lovin Kobusingye knows those realities well. Having overcome numerous obstacles of her own to become a successful entrepreneur, she now advocates on behalf of millions of women working across Africa’s fisheries value chain, many of them women whose contributions to fisheries remain largely unseen and undervalued. authors: | ||
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Vietnamese environmental lawyer Dang Dinh Bach released after 5 years in prison 26 Jun 2026 13:16:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/vietnamese-environmental-lawyer-dang-dinh-bach-released-after-5-years-in-prison/ author: Philip Jacobson dc:creator: Naina Rao content:encoded: Vietnamese environmental lawyer Dang Dinh Bach was released from prison on June 24 after serving a full five-year sentence for tax evasion, charges advocates say were a pretext to silence his activism against coal mining. Bach, the founder and former director of the Law and Policy of Sustainable Development Research Center, was arrested in 2021 after he helped lead a 17-day protest against the expansion of coal mining in Vietnam. His release was confirmed by the Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition (VCDC), a group of more than 30 international and regional human rights and climate justice organizations. In a statement released through the coalition, Bach expressed his appreciation for the global campaign for his freedom. “I’m grateful to be back home and reunited with my family,” he said, noting that his immediate priority was reconnecting with his wife and his young son, who was only 2 weeks old when they were separated. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out and shown support.” Bach’s legal work was highly influential in Vietnam’s environmental landscape. VCDC said he contributed to the country’s Environmental Protection Law and helped lay the groundwork for Vietnam’s $15.5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). The VCDC noted that Bach’s expertise and dedication are vital to Vietnam’s climate goals, stating that such work is “best served by people of Bach’s expertise, integrity, and dedication working alongside government, not behind bars.” While celebrating Bach’s release, the coalition said it remains concerned about his security. It has called on Vietnamese authorities…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Vietnamese environmental lawyer Dang Dinh Bach was released from prison on June 24 after serving a full five-year sentence for tax evasion, charges advocates say were a pretext to silence his activism against coal mining. Bach, the founder and former director of the Law and Policy of Sustainable Development Research Center, was arrested in 2021 […] authors: | ||
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France confirms its first Ebola case as DRC outbreak continues to grow 26 Jun 2026 12:36:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/france-confirms-its-first-ebola-case-as-drc-outbreak-continues-to-grow/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Elodie Toto content:encoded: A positive case of Ebola disease has been identified in France, a first for the Western European country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the patient is a healthcare worker from the NGO Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) who contracted the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) before returning to France. “This case is a reminder of the risks faced by frontline defenders. Almost 80 health workers have been infected,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press conference on June 24, 2026, at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. “The risk to the rest of the world remains low.” Since May 15, the DRC has been facing a new Ebola outbreak. This time caused by the Bundibugyo variant, a strain of the disease for which there is currently no approved treatment or vaccine. Since the outbreak was declared, the death toll has continued to rise. According to the latest figures, 1,048 confirmed cases have been reported, including 267 deaths. Mongabay contacted the French Ministry of Health, which declined to comment. During an interview given by the health minister, Stéphanie Rist, on national television. She said the infected health care worker had arrived in France at the very beginning of the illness. “He did not know he was sick; he showed no symptoms and was not contagious,” Rist said. “During the flight, he developed headaches and alerted the crew. He was taken into care upon landing and is currently in isolation at a hospital.” …This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A positive case of Ebola disease has been identified in France, a first for the Western European country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the patient is a healthcare worker from the NGO Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) who contracted the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) before returning to France. […] authors: | ||
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Three years after Cyclone Freddy, farms remain under water in Malawi’s Elephant Marsh 26 Jun 2026 10:39:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/three-years-after-cyclone-freddy-farms-remain-under-water-in-malawis-elephant-marsh/ author: Terna Gyuse dc:creator: Charles Mpaka content:encoded: NSANJE DISTRICT, Malawi — From his canoe, floating in a shallow channel in a corner of southern Malawi’s Elephant Marsh, Fred Nsema points at two palm trees standing knee-deep in a sprawling cover of water lilies and water hyacinth. Nsema used to shelter from the heat under them, sipping a traditional fermented drink prepared from millet by his wife. But along with more than a 1,000 other families here in the Lower Shire Valley, home to Elephant Marsh, he and his wife lost their farmland to floods caused by Cyclone Freddy in 2023. “That field was our lifeline,” Nsema says as he uses a long bamboo pole to stop the canoe before it’s drawn into a channel of water rushing past the submerged site of his former farm. “We would harvest half a ton of cabbages there. Beans too, and rice and sweet potatoes. Twice a year for some of the crops. That farm was everything to us.” Fred Nsema’s (left) farm was flooded by Cyclone Freddy in 2023. The waters have still not receded. Image by Charles Mpaka for Mongabay. Hundreds of thousands of people in the Lower Shire Valley rely on the wetland for their livelihoods. According to the 2018 census, the population of the two districts that Elephant Marsh spreads across is 860,000 — a startling five-fold increase from the population figure recorded 10 years earlier. “It’s a vital resource for many people here; but that is also why it is under severe strain, because farming has…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Hundreds of thousands of people depend on Malawi’s Elephant Marsh for their livelihoods. - Despite the name, there are no longer elephants in these wetlands, whose boundaries expand and contract with seasonal rains, but they provide habitat for hippos, crocodiles, fish and more than 100 waterbird species as well as thousands of farming and fishing households. - The water from floods caused by 2023’s Cyclone Freddy never receded from large parts of the marsh, and this has displaced more than 1,000 farming households. - Ongoing changes to the landscape upstream and in the marsh itself have destabilized the wetlands’ ability to absorb seasonal flooding. Increasingly frequent storms like Freddy are a further challenge to the ecosystem’s functioning. authors: | ||
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Our Ocean Conference in Kenya ends with $6.4 billion in pledges, review of past promises 26 Jun 2026 07:11:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/our-ocean-conference-in-kenya-ends-with-6-4-billion-in-pledges-review-of-past-promises/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Malavika Vyawahare content:encoded: MOMBASA — Africa was front and center at the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya, the first time the annual gathering was held on the continent. The conference is built around voluntary commitments from a range of actors including governments, nonprofits, institutions and the private sector. The meeting in Mombasa, a port city on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, brought 6,000 delegates together under the theme “Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future.” The focus was on expanding protections, strengthening marine security, developing sustainable blue economies and fisheries, and addressing problems such as marine pollution and climate change. A preliminary roundup showed that more than 104 players came forward to announce commitments that would mobilize $6.4 billion. “When we launched this conference in 2014, we wanted more than speeches, we wanted people to come to the table with an announcement of specifically what they will do and when and how much it will cost,” John Kerry, the former U.S. secretary of state who founded the conference, said at the opening ceremony on June 17. Turning ambition into action was a recurring theme across the three-day conference. “We did not come to Mombasa to add our names to a longer list of promises. We came to turn the tide,” Kenya’s President William Ruto said at the closing ceremony on June 18. “Let the measure of this conference not be what we pledged on the shore, but what we deliver in the waters.” The East African nation laid out more than 40 commitments backed by…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Governments, nonprofits, institutions and the private sector made more than 300 voluntary commitments and mobilized $6.4 billion for ocean conservation at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, which closed June 18. It was the first time the annual gathering took place in Africa. - The conference host, Kenya, laid out more than 40 commitments backed by more than $1 billion in finance for the expansion of marine protected areas, fisheries monitoring, climate finance and blue economy. - With less than five years remaining to meet the goal of protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, a lot of attention was on governments to accelerate the process, but experts continued to call for strengthening of existing protections alongside expansions. - Between 2014 and now, more than 3,200 commitments totaling $176 billion have been made at these conferences, and about 85% of those commitments have been fulfilled or are in the process. authors: | ||
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Bangladesh tests a return to the wild for extinct peafowl populations 26 Jun 2026 06:45:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/bangladesh-tests-a-return-to-the-wild-for-extinct-peafowl-populations/ author: Abu Siddique dc:creator: Abu Siddique content:encoded: Conservation authorities in Bangladesh say they’re still on track to fully release peafowl back into the wild, under a program that began with a “soft” release of the birds last year. But experts warn against rushing the release, noting that because the species has long been extinct in the wild in Bangladesh, habituating captive-raised birds to life in the forest won’t be easy. The Bangladesh Forest Department, with the support of nongovernmental organization Creative Conservation Alliance, in May 2025 moved 20 captive-raised common Indian peafowls (Pavo cristatus) into a forest enclosure within Madhupur National Park, which falls under the jurisdiction of the forest department’s Tangail division. Since then, the five males and 15 females have produced a dozen eggs, with one wild-born chick successfully hatching, according to Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain, an officer with the Tangail Forest Division. “Now the chick is 6 months old. This year, we are expecting more from the group,” he said. “Our plan is to release only the chicks in the wild as they are growing up in a natural condition and making themselves adaptive for the wild.” Hossain said the 20 birds initially moved into the enclosure will not be part of that full release into the wild since they grew up in captivity. Instead, they will serve as parent stock. The peafowl chick being considered for release in the wild. Image by Md Mosharraf Hossain. The peafowl’s history in Bangladesh According to a 2024 study, peafowls are a common wild bird across South…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In 2025, Bangladesh released 20 peafowls from captivity into a forest-based enclosure as part of plans to fully reintroduce the species into the country’s wild. - The sole chick to hatch from this group is now 6 months old and being considered for full release. - The Bangladesh Forest Department says it expects more chicks from this year’s breeding and plans to gradually release these into the wild too, specifically into Madhupur National Park, north of Dhaka. - Conservationists warn that releasing captive peafowl stock into the wild has a high chance of failure and could spread diseases to other wild species. authors: | ||
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Asia’s shark and ray hotspots remain poorly protected, study finds 26 Jun 2026 03:52:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/asias-shark-and-ray-hotspots-remain-poorly-protected-study-finds/ author: Dilrukshi Handunnetti dc:creator: Malaka Rodrigo content:encoded: COLOMBO — The majority of 122 marine areas identified across Asia as critical for the survival of sharks, rays and chimaeras remain largely unprotected despite supporting some of the world’s most threatened marine species, according to a new study. Published in Biodiversity and Conservation, the study assessed the network of important shark and ray areas (ISRAs) across 19 Asian countries and territories and found that only 5.4% of their total area overlaps with recognized marine protected areas (MPAs). Just 2.8% falls within fully protected no-take zones where extractive activities are strictly prohibited. Critically endangered sharpnose guitarfish landed from the Palk Bay ISRA are recorded in a fish market in the village of Mathagal, Sri Lanka’s Jaffna district. Fish markets and landing sites are valuable points for fisheries data collection and monitoring. Image courtesy of Blue Resources Trust. Together, these ISRAs cover more than 1 million square kilometers (approximately 386,102 square miles) of ocean and support sharks, rays and chimaeras, also known by the umbrella term elasmobranchs. Nearly three-quarters of these species are listed as threatened with extinction on the IUCN red list, highlighting the urgency of conserving these habitats, said study lead author Adriana Gonzalez-Pestana, a Ph.D. candidate at Charles Darwin University (CDU) in Australia and member of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group ISRA project. IUCN is the global wildlife conservation authority. Critically endangered stripenose guitarfish caught within the Pasikuda & Kalkuda ISRA in Sri Lanka’s east and being sold at a local fishery. Image courtesy of Blue Resources…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new regional assessment has identified 122 important shark and ray areas (ISRAs) across Asia, spanning more than 1 million square kilometers (386,102 square miles) and supporting 121 species, many of them threatened with extinction. - Despite their ecological importance, only 5.4% of these habitats overlap with existing marine protected areas with only 2.8% falling within fully protected no-take zones, highlighting major conservation gaps. - Sri Lanka has five identified ISRAs, home to nine species with eight of them threatened with extinction, but only Pigeon Island in the island’s east is formally protected, with most areas still functioning as active fishing grounds. - The new study underscores an urgent need to move from mapping to management, using ISRAs to guide marine spatial planning, fisheries regulation and habitat protection ahead of global 30×30 ocean targets. authors: | ||
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Chewing sounds can help decode an animal’s diet using AI, new study finds 26 Jun 2026 02:29:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/chewing-sounds-can-help-decode-an-animals-diet-using-ai-new-study-finds/ author: Abhishyantkidangoor dc:creator: Abhishyant Kidangoor content:encoded: What does an eagle ray’s menu look like? An artificial intelligence model can now answer that question by listening to sounds of the animal chewing on food. Scientists developed the machine learning algorithm to detect the sound of shells being crushed by predators when they feed on mollusks. According to a study published in the journal Ecological Informatics, the model can also identify the prey based on the sounds. “A lot of animals out there, particularly marine animals, have the unique ability to crush shells open,” Matt Ajemian, assistant research professor at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University in the U.S. who was part of the research, told Mongabay in a video interview. “But we don’t know how much they eat and what they feed on. So we wanted to see if we could remotely detect an animal feeding on a clam versus a gastropod.” Keeping track of predator-prey interactions is crucial, especially in the face of rapidly changing marine habitats. Monitoring what and how much larger predators are eating is important to understand the resources they depend on and subsequently plan effective conservation action. Conversely, it’s also critical to have data on how much pressure there is on shellfish populations that serve as prey. “For example, in a clam bed or seagrass bed, we want to know how much prey is removed by a predator over the course of a year,” Ajemian said. However, gathering this data is not an easy task. Tracking predators underwater is…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Scientists have developed an AI model that can listen to the chewing sounds of predators and identify what they are eating. - The tool was trained with audio of whitespotted eagle rays crushing open shells of the mollusks they are preying on. - It’s crucial to understand predator-prey interactions to figure out the resources the predator depends on and the pressure it puts on prey. authors: | ||
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Seizures reveal macabre grey parrot blood trade in Cameroon 25 Jun 2026 18:50:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/seizures-reveal-macabre-grey-parrot-blood-trade-in-cameroon/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Spoorthy Raman content:encoded: The blood of African grey parrots is emerging as a new, macabre illegal wildlife product traded in Cameroon, analysts from TRAFFIC, a nonprofit that monitors wildlife trafficking, reported. This grim trade in grey parrots, an endangered species long coveted by exotic bird collectors, first came to light in 2025, when forest officials patrolling Cameroon’s Lobéké National Park caught trappers with live birds and interrogated them. “Poachers entering the park trap live birds, then kill them, extract their blood and transport them,” said Biloa Donatien Joseph Guy, the park’s conservator, adding that they haul the blood in bottles and jerry cans — normally used to carry fuel. While park authorities haven’t seized blood from apprehended suspects, poachers have been caught with live birds. Further investigations into these cases are ongoing. When last assessed by the IUCN in 2020, grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), native to the rainforests of West and Central Africa, were declining, largely because of the pet trade. These beautiful, long-lived birds are among the most intelligent animals on the planet, thought to be as smart as a 5-year-old child. These parrots ‘talk,’ mimicking human speech with uncanny accuracy, making them a popular pet. They appear in videos across TikTok and YouTube, further fueling the demand. As a result, these birds have been poached to near-extinction, commanding exorbitant prices from collectors worldwide. Between 1982 and 2001, more than 1.3 million wild-caught grey parrots entered the international trade, according to IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, making them one of the most…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A grim, illicit trade in the blood of endangered African grey parrots is emerging near Cameroon’s Lobéké National Park, a stronghold for the species, according to TRAFFIC, a wildlife trafficking monitoring NGO. - This trade first came to light in 2025 when forest authorities apprehended individuals caught illegally trapping grey parrots in the park. During interrogation, the poachers said that blood was extracted from trapped birds and likely used for medicine and religious practices. - These intelligent birds are in demand as pets worldwide; their skulls and colorful feathers are used in belief-based practices, as a cure for speech problems and as decor. Decades of trade has pushed African grey parrots to the brink of extinction. - Not a lot is known about this blood trade, but conservationists say it points to a general trend where wildlife traffickers are shifting to hard-to-detect products, making it challenging to combat illegal commerce. authors: | ||
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Amazon floodplains cocoa offers a climate-resilient and sustainable chocolate 25 Jun 2026 18:10:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/amazon-floodplains-cocoa-offers-a-climate-resilient-and-sustainable-chocolate/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Cícero Pedrosa NetoSam Cowie content:encoded: BACARENA, Brazil — Sunlight peeps through dense Amazonian foliage as Elene Elda Mota and her husband Giovanne guide their small motorboat down a narrow stream. Equipped with machetes and baskets, they disembark and make their way through the thick forest until they reach a tree bearing dozens of bright yellow cocoa pods. Here, in the Amazon floodplains of Barcarena, in northern Pará state, near where some Amazon rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean, cocoa grows in a natural agroforestry system. “Our cocoa is native cocoa,” Elene said. “We don’t plant our cocoa, we just manage it.” Protected and irrigated by the forest canopy of the floodplains, Elene’s cocoa is more resistant to pests like vassoura de bruxa, a fungus that devastated Brazilian crops in the 1980s, as well as climate change impacts like droughts and heavy rains. It also offers a diverse range of earthy, fruity and acidic flavors, which Elene has utilized to produce an expanding range of artisanal cocoa and chocolate products. Caramelized cocoa nibs are her best seller, she said, and she also produces artisanal chocolate bars, creams and other sweet spreads, cocoa powders and oils. Cocoa and chocolate producer Elene Elda Mota navigates an Amazon river and a new artisanal scene. Image by Cícero Pedrosa Neto. In recent years, the Amazon state of Pará, Brazil’s largest cocoa producer, has emerged as a new frontier, or terroir, for fine and artisanal chocolate. Like Burgundy wine from France or Ethiopian coffee, the concept of its terroir flavor is rooted…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Traditional communities in Pará, Brazil’s top cocoa-producing state, are managing native species that naturally resist pests and extreme weather. - The dense forest canopy of the floodplains provides natural irrigation and protection for cocoa trees against extreme droughts, heavy rain and pests. - Global demand for organic and ethically sourced chocolate is expected to rise, positioning Amazonian states to fill international supply gaps, despite hurdles. - Experts compare Pará’s emerging artisanal chocolate sector to Burgundy wine or Ethiopian coffee due to the unique “terroir” flavors of its native beans. authors: | ||
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Trump admin persists in quixotic quest against wind power despite legal defeat 25 Jun 2026 16:59:09 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/trump-admin-persists-in-quixotic-quest-against-wind-power-despite-legal-defeat/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is continuing its campaign to end wind energy development through a series of executive orders, lawsuits, and lease buybacks. This is despite a recent court defeat and its own Department of Energy estimating the country could be powered by wind alone. Trump has made no secret of his disdain for renewable energy. “We don’t want wind, and we don’t want solar because they’re a blight on our country,” he said in 2025. On the first day of his second term, Jan. 20, 2025, Trump issued a presidential action to remove leasing opportunities for all new and renewed offshore wind projects. He also directed the government to “conduct a comprehensive review of the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases.” In response, attorneys general from 17 states successfully sued the administration. A district court ruled the government’s action was “arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law.” The administration appealed, but on June 10, the Department of Justice filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss the case. The U.S. Court of Appeals did so on June 15. Andrea Campbell, the attorney general for the state of Massachusetts, one of the litigators behind the lawsuit, said in a statement: “Massachusetts has directed hundreds of millions of dollars into offshore wind development, and the court correctly protected those critical investments from the Trump Administration’s unlawful order.” While the administration abandoned the appeal, it has been buying back leases for wind farms. On June 17, the administration announced plans to pay…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is continuing its campaign to end wind energy development through a series of executive orders, lawsuits, and lease buybacks. This is despite a recent court defeat and its own Department of Energy estimating the country could be powered by wind alone. Trump has made no secret of his disdain for […] authors: | ||
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Nepal’s Central Zoo faces questions over its bird flu response 25 Jun 2026 16:55:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/nepals-central-zoo-faces-questions-over-its-bird-flu-response/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Deepak Adhikari content:encoded: KATHMANDU — A dead crow was found inside Nepal’s Central Zoo around “mid-June,” the exact date remains unknown. Then birds including a barn owl (Tyto alba) tested positive for avian influenza (bird flu) in a rapid test. Zoo authorities then sent samples to the Central Veterinary Laboratory on June 15. The zoo and officials from the semi-government body running it have given conflicting accounts of when the first deaths were detected and when bird flu was suspected. The facility remained open for several days, raising questions over its disease response during a major outbreak in Kathmandu Valley, where infected crows and fowl had already been reported in nearby Kirtipur. Ganesh Koirala, spokesperson for the Central Zoo, said officials found a dead crow inside the zoo on June 13. “Although the rapid test had already indicated infection, laboratory confirmation was necessary,” Koirala said. “It took 72 hours for the lab to send the results.” That account differs from Rachana Shah, spokesperson for the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), the semi-government body that manages the zoo. She said a crow and a pigeon were found dead on June 12, a date also confirmed by a veterinary official. House crows make a nest on a tree in Kathmandu. Image courtesy of Dinesh Bhusal. “During summer, pigeons and crows can also die because of heat stress, so at that point we could not immediately conclude that it was bird flu,” she said. But Koirala’s timeline indicated the zoo had an early warning by…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - At least 40 animals have died at Nepal’s Central Zoo since a bird flu outbreak began in mid-June, most of them raptors and carnivores including a common leopard, though the zoo has refused to officially confirm the toll. - Officials gave conflicting dates for when the first dead birds were found, and the zoo stayed open until June 19 despite a positive rapid test on June 14, a five-day gap that allowed the virus to spread through the facility. - Investigators suspect feral crows were the likely vector, with a nest found near the barn owl enclosure and droppings possibly contaminating the owl’s water supply; contaminated raw chicken fed to carnivores is also being examined. - The inquiry into the response is being led by the same spokesperson who has publicly defended the zoo’s handling of the outbreak. authors: | ||
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Not all coral reefs are doomed as a result of climate change, study suggests 25 Jun 2026 15:03:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/not-all-coral-reefs-are-doomed-as-a-result-of-climate-change-study-suggests/ author: Shreya Dasgupta dc:creator: Elodie Toto content:encoded: One third of the world’s coral reefs may be able to withstand the impacts of climate change by 2050, according to a study conducted by the conservation NGO Wildlife Conservation Society and researchers from Macquarie University in Australia. The findings of the study, yet to be peer-reviewed, were presented on June 16 during the Our Ocean Conference held in Mombasa, Kenya. “This study proves that there is hope,” Joseph Maina, an associate professor at Macquarie University who contributed to the study, told Mongabay during a phone interview. For the study, Maina and colleagues combined more than 45,000 field observations of coral reefs from 1960-2025, with 42 different environmental and human-pressure factors, such as temperature, heat stress, cyclones, fishing pressure and connectivity. They used this data to train an artificial intelligence model to predict the future of coral reefs by 2050, in a scenario where greenhouse gas emissions stay high. The results were striking. The program mapped 552,969 square kilometers (213,503 square miles) of coral reef extent. Of this, one-third, or approximately 165,922 km2 (64,063 mi2) of the reefs could be climate-resilient; that is, they could maintain healthy coral communities in the face of climate change impacts. These coral reefs are spread across 71 countries, but more than a half occur in five countries: The Bahamas, Cuba, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. According to Maina, some African countries such as Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania also host a significant proportion of reefs that appear resilient to climate change. However, Maina said that…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: One third of the world’s coral reefs may be able to withstand the impacts of climate change by 2050, according to a study conducted by the conservation NGO Wildlife Conservation Society and researchers from Macquarie University in Australia. The findings of the study, yet to be peer-reviewed, were presented on June 16 during the Our […] authors: | ||
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How leopards and wolves share the same Himalayan valley, study 25 Jun 2026 14:34:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/how-leopards-and-wolves-share-the-same-himalayan-valley-study/ author: Liz Kimbrough dc:creator: Liz Kimbrough content:encoded: Three of Asia’s most formidable predators share territory in a remote Nepal valley by eating different prey, according to a new study. Researchers found that diet, not time or space, is what keeps snow leopards (Panthera uncia), common leopards (Panthera pardus), and Himalayan wolves (Canis lupus chanco) from coming into direct conflict. The study, published in PLOS One, drew on more than six years of camera-trapping and scat analysis in the Lapchi Valley of the Gaurishankar Conservation Area in Nepal’ s central Himalayas. Researchers identified each predator’s diet by analyzing fecal DNA and examining prey hair under a microscope. Snow leopards fed mainly on wild ungulates, including blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), musk deer (Moschus leucogaster), Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), and Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis). Blue sheep alone made up nearly half their diet. Leopards relied heavily on livestock and animals associated with human settlements, including dogs, though barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) and goral (Naemorhedus goral) also appeared in their scats. Himalayan wolves ate a mix of wild prey like blue sheep and musk deer as well as livestock such as goats, horses, and yaks (Bos grunniens). Dietary overlap between snow leopards and wolves was substantial, while leopards showed far less overlap with either species. All three predators were active mostly at night and used overlapping terrain. “The biggest surprise is that space and time are not what keep peace among the top three predators,” lead author Narayan Prasad Koju of Nepal Engineering College told Mongabay in an email. “The fact…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Three of Asia’s most formidable predators share territory in a remote Nepal valley by eating different prey, according to a new study. Researchers found that diet, not time or space, is what keeps snow leopards (Panthera uncia), common leopards (Panthera pardus), and Himalayan wolves (Canis lupus chanco) from coming into direct conflict. The study, published […] authors: | ||
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As temperatures soar, Paris court set to rule on landmark climate change case 25 Jun 2026 13:57:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/as-temperatures-soar-paris-court-set-to-rule-on-landmark-climate-change-case/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A day after France hit record high temperatures, a court in Paris is set to rule Thursday on a landmark climate change case that could see energy giant TotalEnergies forced to reduce its oil and gas production. The lawsuit, brought by a group of NGOs and the city of Paris, argues the French corporation is violating a 2017 law that requires companies to prevent human rights abuses and environmental risks. It is the first time that the so-called corporate duty of vigilance law is being applied to climate change. Environmental groups Notre Affaire à Tous, Sherpa, ZEA, France Nature Environnement launched the proceedings in 2020. They claim that TotalEnergies is one of the largest historical emitters of greenhouse gas and have asked the court to require the company to reduce oil production by 37 percent and gas production by 25 percent by 2030. The lawsuit also asks for a halt to all new fossil fuel projects. The decision comes as Europe is in the midst of a brutal heatwave. Punishing temperatures extended to the United Kingdom and Spain, where weather agencies issued red alerts — like France — about the risks of extreme heat for tens of millions of people. The iconic Eiffel Tower and the Louvre museum have been forced to restrict visiting hours and school and transportation schedules have been interrupted across the continent. Human-caused climate change is tied to increasingly extreme weather, and U.N. climate agency projections say the next five years are likely to shatter more…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A day after France hit record high temperatures, a court in Paris is set to rule Thursday on a landmark climate change case that could see energy giant TotalEnergies forced to reduce its oil and gas production. The lawsuit, brought by a group of NGOs and the city of Paris, argues […] authors: | ||
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Crackdown on snares in Sumatra as elephant, sun bear and tiger rescued 25 Jun 2026 13:00:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/crackdown-on-snares-in-sumatra-as-elephant-sun-bear-and-tiger-rescued/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Jaka Hendra BaittriVinolia content:encoded: PADANG, Indonesia — Authorities in a stronghold for Sumatran tigers have warned the public against using snares to trap wild boar following the dramatic rescue of an 11-month old female tiger cub last month. While it is not illegal to set a snare for the purpose of trapping wild boar or animals that are not protected by law, the West Sumatra government said any protected species caught in a snare will now lead to criminal liability. The new clarification was set out in a letter issued in late May by the West Sumatra province office of Indonesia’s conservation agency, the BKSDA. It cites a 2024 amendment to Indonesia’s 1990 conservation law governing the protection of wildlife. “The situation has become dangerous because people are setting these snares,” explained Rizaldi, a conservation scientist at Andalas University in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province. The evacuation of a Sumatran tiger trapped in a wild boar snare in Pasaman. Image courtesy of BKSDA West Sumatra. Renewed attention on snares The recent crackdown on snares was sparked after a Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) was discovered in a wild boar snare in Padang Mantiggi Utara village located in West Sumatra’s Pasaman district. Officials from the West Sumatra BKSDA, the conservation agency, arrived at the scene at around 13:30 on May 21, where they found a young female tiger in distress and pain. A snare was wrapped around the animal’s neck, trunk and right foreleg, in about five loops. “She struggled for a while…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - In May and June this year, animal rescuers with Indonesia’s state conservation agency, the BKSDA, rescued a Sumatran tiger, a Sumatran elephant and a sun bear in separate incidents after the animals were caught in snares. - Farmers set snares to catch wild boar, which are regarded as a pest to crops, but tiger poachers are also believed to use them to trap critically endangered Sumatran tigers for the illegal wildlife trade. - After recent rescues, the conservation agency published a letter stating that authorities consider the snare to be potentially unlawful and telling farmers to remove any existing snares. authors: | ||
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In Kenya’s Mida Creek, fishers confront a changing ocean with hope 25 Jun 2026 09:24:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-kenyas-mida-creek-fishers-confront-a-changing-ocean-with-hope/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: David Akana content:encoded: WATAMU, Kenya — By midday, the fish still hadn’t arrived. Since 8 a.m., Alice Kazungu had been sitting at the Mida Creek landing site on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, waiting for fishers to return from the water. Hours later, she was still waiting. Around her, another woman scanned the creek for signs of approaching canoes. Some fishers had already returned empty-handed. Others had not returned at all. For Kazungu, a fishmonger and vice chair of the newly formed Mida Beach Management Unit (BMU), the long wait has become part of daily life. BMUs are the building blocks of fisheries co-management in Kenya, bringing together stakeholders in the sector including fishers, fish sellers and traders. Alice Kazungu, a fishmonger and vice chair of the newly formed Mida Beach Management Unit (BMU), in Watamu, Kenya. Image by David Akana/Mongabay. “There was a time when there was so much fish around here,” she says, pointing to the creek around her. “Now they [the fishers] bring back only two or three kilograms.” For Kazungu, the dwindling catch has become a question of survival. Married and raising children, she depends almost entirely on selling fish for income. When there is no fish, she occasionally sells palm wine tapped from coconut trees. But that is not enough to replace a livelihood built around the ocean. “When I go home, the children ask for food,” she says. “That is what worries me.” Her story echoes across Mida Creek, a sprawling network of mangroves, mudflats and tidal channels…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Scientists say that the oceans are warming and absorbing more than 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These rising temperatures are placing growing stress on marine ecosystems, fueling coral bleaching, disrupting breeding cycles of marine organisms, and reshaping fish habitats. - In the Western Indian Ocean – including along Kenya’s coast – warming is occurring faster than the global average in some places, raising fresh concerns for communities whose food security and livelihoods depend on the sea. - Along the shores of Mida Creek in Watamu, one of Kenya’s best-known coastal destinations on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, fishers say they are already feeling the effects. Many report traveling farther offshore in search of fish and returning with smaller catches than they did a generation ago. - During a recent reporting trip, Mongabay met fishers and women involved in the fish value chain who spoke about declining catches and fears for the future. At the same time, they pointed to local efforts to restore mangroves, protect fish breeding grounds, and clean beaches as reasons to hold on to hope for Mida Creek’s future. authors: | ||
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On the brink of extinction, the Javan green magpie gets a conservation lifeline 25 Jun 2026 07:48:30 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/on-the-brink-of-extinction-the-javan-green-magpie-gets-a-conservation-lifeline/ author: Philip Jacobson dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: Teetering on the brink of extinction, Indonesia’s Javan green magpie may have a conservation lifeline after national and international conservation NGOs launched an action plan to preserve it in the wild. Javan green magpies (Cissa thalassina) are endemic to the upland forests of West Java province, but have been assessed as critically endangered, with as few as 50 of the birds remaining in the wild. Habitat loss and poaching for the songbird trade have greatly reduced their numbers and led to local extinctions in some areas. “Very few have ever been recorded in the wild,” says Andrew Owen, head of birds at Chester Zoo in the U.K. “The fact that the Javan green magpie is now so rare is also a reason why some people want to catch them and keep them.” In recent years, the Javan green magpie has barely appeared in markets, experts say, though that’s likely due to its increasing rarity in the wild. Surveys carried out between 2018 and 2021 across 12 previously inhabited sites recorded no birds, raising the alarm. “We must assume that excessive trade has pushed this once reasonably widespread but perhaps never common species to the very brink of extinction,” the authors wrote in a 2023 study. These birds, known locally as ekek geling for their unique call, are sought after as so-called master birds in the songbird trade. Master birds rarely compete and instead are used to “train” competition birds. Javan green magpies received official protected status in 2019. With the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The critically endangered Javan green magpie, an Indonesian songbird with perhaps as few as 50 individuals left in the wild, has become the focus of a new 10-year conservation action plan developed by nearly 50 experts and conservation organizations. - Once widespread in West Java’s upland forests, the species has been driven to the brink by habitat loss and trapping for the songbird trade, with surveys between 2018 and 2021 failing to find any birds at many former strongholds. - The plan aims to protect remaining habitat, work with local communities to reduce trapping, strengthen enforcement against illegal trade, and support future conservation translocations using birds bred in captivity. - Conservationists say the effort could also benefit other threatened species and mountain forest ecosystems, but warn that increased attention on the bird could inadvertently stimulate demand from wildlife traffickers and collectors. authors: | ||
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Rewilding Rio: Conservationists restock an ‘empty forest,’ one species at a time 24 Jun 2026 22:48:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rewilding-rio-conservationists-restock-an-empty-forest-one-species-at-a-time/ author: Xavier Bartaburu dc:creator: Suzana Camargo content:encoded: In 2008, biologist Alexandra Pires had just completed her doctoral thesis, which described how agoutis, a large guinea pig-like rodent, were important for the regeneration of plant species in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. When she told this to Ivandy Castro‑Astor, a researcher at Tijuca National Park, in the hills outside Rio de Janeiro, she learned that the rodents no longer existed there. Proof of this were the abundance of seeds from a tree known in Brazil as cutieira or “agouti tree” (Joannesia princeps), which were rotting on the forest floor. “How can there be no agoutis in Tijuca National Park?” Pires recalls thinking at the time, to which Castro‑Astor replied: ‘I think you should release some agoutis there!’” Eighteen years later, visitors to Tijuca can now observe red-rumped agoutis (Dasyprocta leporina), along with brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba) and yellow‑footed tortoises (Chelonoidis denticulata). Their presence in the forest is the result of the reintroduction program carried out by Refauna, an initiative of which Pires is the scientific director, with support from the Brazilian government’s Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). In early January, it was the turn of blue‑and‑yellow macaws (Ara ararauna) to make a comeback. Extinct in Rio de Janeiro for 200 years, today they’re once again flying in the skies over the city. Refauna’s goal is to put an end to what’s known as empty forest syndrome, a concept identified by U.S. conservationist Kent Redford in 1992. In such forests, while the trees and other vegetation appear intact, the animals essential…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Rewilding efforts in Tijuca National Park on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro have been reintroducing species previously extinct in the area, such as agoutis, howler monkeys, toucans, and now, blue‑and‑yellow macaws. - The return of the animals is aimed at reviving the “empty forest,” since they’re essential for seed dispersal and regeneration of the Atlantic Forest. - Studies show that toucans introduced in Tijuca 50 years ago have already reprised their ecological role, interacting with plant species from their original diet. - Despite the progress, challenges persist, such as adaptation of the species to their new home; the latest to be released, the macaws, have had to be recaptured and are now undergoing new training. authors: | ||
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New analysis breaks down 2025 Amazon deforestation, with good news and bad news 24 Jun 2026 15:40:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/new-analysis-breaks-down-2025-amazon-deforestation-with-good-news-and-bad-news/ author: Alexandra Popescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: Each year, researchers at the University of Maryland’s GLAD Lab in the U.S. develop one of the most important data sets on global forest loss. The data is derived from NASA and European Space Agency satellite imagery and, in the Amazon Rainforest, often helps environmental groups and government officials make decisions about conservation. The figures for 2025 were published at the end of April, following months of processing and quality checks. But a comprehensive analysis, highlighting year-on-year trends and hotspots, was only recently released by Mapping of the Andes Amazon Project (MAAP), an Amazon Conservation initiative to track forest loss in the Amazon basin. While the data suggests that several metrics for measuring forest loss are down from previous years, they’re still concerningly high overall, researchers said. Agriculture, cattle ranching and mining continue to destroy hundreds of thousands of hectares of primary forest, often in protected areas and Indigenous territory. “I have a hard time saying it’s good news if deforestation is lower than previous years, but was still a million [hectares],” Matt Finer, MAAP director and senior research specialist, told Mongabay. He said it’s far from the zero-deforestation rate needed in the region. A: Soy frontiers of southeast Brazil; B: Soy frontiers of southern Bolivia; C: Trans-Amazonian Highway; D: BR-364; E: Agricultural areas in central Peru; F: Arc of deforestation in northwest Colombia; G: Gold mining areas in southern and central Peru: H: Gold mining areas in northern Ecuador; I: Gold mining areas in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname; J: Indigenous…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Amazon Conservation’s Mapping of the Andes Amazon Project (MAAP) published its annual analysis of 2025 forest loss in the Amazon Rainforest, using the data developed by the University of Maryland’s GLAD Lab. - Last year, there were 736,484 hectares (1,819,891 acres) of deforestation, largely from agriculture, mining, and roads and infrastructure. Nearly 132,000 hectares (326,179 acres) of it was illegal, occurring inside protected areas and Indigenous territories, the analysis found. - Researchers said this year could be far worse than 2025 as the current El Niño continues to warm up the Pacific Ocean, creating heat waves and dry conditions that lead to more forest fires. authors: | ||
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