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Indigenous communities oppose Papua forest rezoning for palm oil 25 Feb 2026 08:09:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/indigenous-communities-oppose-papua-forest-rezoning-for-palm-oil/ author: Hans Nicholas Jong dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong content:encoded: JAKARTA — Indigenous communities in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua accuse the government of underhanded zoning changes to expand the so-called food estate program there to include large-scale oil palm plantations. Indigenous representatives have filed a formal objection to two decrees issued by the Ministry of Forestry that reclassify 486,939 hectares (1.2 million acres) of forest in Merauke, Boven Digoel and Mappi districts, in South Papua province, as nonforest land. This new designation means these forests are now eligible to be cleared for oil palm plantations. The communities say these decrees were issued without consulting them and overlap with areas they’ve long proposed as customary forests, or hutan adat. They allege that the process is being bulldozed through without their knowledge or consent, and that it threatens their customary territories. “This [rezoning] harms communities because they are the owners of those forests, yet they are not recognized as customary owners,” Tigor Hutapea, a lawyer from the NGO Pusaka Bentala Rakyat working with the communities, told Mongabay. He said at least four Indigenous clans in Boven Digoel district are affected by the rezoning as the areas covered by the decrees overlap onto their customary lands. Papuan Indigenous people and activists hold a protest against Merauke Food Estate in front of the Defense Ministry office in Jakarta in 2024. Image © Afriadi Hikmal / Greenpeace. Next-day approval The rezoning follows a proposal to expand the food estate program into a broader agricultural and energy project in South Papua. On Sept. 17, 2025,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Indigenous communities in Indonesian Papua have filed an administrative objection against forestry ministry decrees that reclassify more than a million acres as nonforest land, clearing the way for oil palm development under the government’s food estate program. - The rezoning last September was carried out without the communities’ knowledge or consent, and the affected areas include swaths of forest that they have proposed as customary forests. - The communities only learned of the decision months later, after NGOs obtained the decree. If the ministry fails to respond to their objection, they plan to sue in the State Administrative Court. - The expansion aligns with the government’s drive to boost food and biofuel production, but Indigenous rights advocates warn the plan could cost communities their forests, livelihoods and cultural ties to the land. authors: | ||
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In Myanmar’s limestone hills, people and bats are often too close for comfort 25 Feb 2026 07:28:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-myanmars-limestone-hills-people-and-bats-are-often-too-close-for-comfort/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Carolyn Cowan content:encoded: Limestone karst is like an island. Each rocky formation rises distinctly out of the surrounding landscape. Over time, an array of highly specialized species, each adapted to that particular landform’s jagged forests and dark caves, have evolved. As a result, many karst species are endemic and perilously rare. Myanmar is home to Southeast Asia’s second-largest area of limestone karst, after Indonesia; its rugged peaks cover a total of more than 80,000 square kilometers (31,000 square miles. The area hosts the entire global population of Popa langurs (Trachypithecus popa), one of the world’s most recently described primates, and scores of gecko species described only in the past decade. Scientists say countless others likely remain tucked away in obscurity, waiting to be discovered. Yet despite its biodiversity, less than 1% of Myanmar’s limestone karst is formally protected, prompting concerns from conservationists about fragile wildlife populations that are facing mounting pressure amid a boom in clandestine mining and deforestation across the country to meet rising demand for cement, minerals and timber. Now, a recent census of cave-dwelling bats in northeast Myanmar’s Shan state indicates many karst caverns are becoming increasingly inhospitable for the winged mammals due to human disturbance, posing risks to both bats and people. “Bats are natural reservoirs for many viruses, including coronaviruses,” said Thura Soe Min Htike, conservation officer at the Nature Conservation Society–Myanmar and a co-author of the study. “Understanding how bats interact with their environment, and how humans interact with bats, is an important first step in preventing…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A recent census of cave-dwelling bats in northeastern Myanmar found many karst caverns are increasingly inhospitable for the winged mammals due to human disturbance, posing risks to both bats and people. - Bats are natural reservoirs for many viruses, researchers say, which means managing the ways humans interact with them is vital to managing potential disease spillover, researchers say. - The main sources of disturbance are limestone quarrying, tourism and religious activities, hunting of bats for food, and guano harvesting. - To manage the ecological threats and disease risk, the researchers recommend better conservation protections, improved land-use planning, and dedicated cave management plans that include public education programs on cave hygiene and zoonotic disease risk. authors: | ||
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Amazon riverfolk warn blasting rocks for shipping route will kill fisheries 25 Feb 2026 07:00:24 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/amazon-riverfolk-warn-blasting-rocks-for-shipping-route-will-kill-fisheries/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Tiffany Higgins content:encoded: ITUPIRANGA, Brazil — Ronaldo Macena and Erlan Moraes, traditional riverfolk leaders whose families have lived for generations on the Lourenção Rocks fishery on the Amazon’s Tocantins River, were hopeful in September when a federal judge visited their villages. For several generations, Macena told the judge, the peoples of the Pedral do Lourenção riverfolk territory, as they call it, have thrived in its rocky reaches, gaining not just income and dignified livelihoods but also cultural identification from fishing its stony subaquatic canyons that reach to more than 76 meters (250 feet) deep. But as the federal government seeks to open the river as a new shipping route, their rights have been systematically violated, Macena said, by a federal government that hasn’t treated them as traditional peoples with a distinct “culture, language and traditions” — but instead lumped riverfolk in with urban peoples, leaving their traditional knowledge, fishing and even existence barely acknowledged in government records. Brazil’s federal transport agencies plan to explode the deep, rocky river territory of the Pedral do Lourenção, as riverfolk call it (formally known as Pedral do Lourenço), a first step toward a riverway on the Tocantins River meant to expand exports of grains, minerals and cattle. The project is being executed by Brazil’s infrastructure transport department (DNIT), with studies by the Brazilian engineering consulting firm DTA Engenharia. To turn the river into a shipping route, authorities decided to blow up the rocks of a 35-kilometer (21.7-mile) section of the Lourenção, which is 43-kilometers (26.7-miles) long and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - As Brazil moves to explode the deep, rocky river territory of the Lourenção Rocks, locals on the Tocantins River say the government’s refusal to recognize them as “impacted” excludes thousands of fishers from protections. - Scientists compare the 43-kilometer (26.7-mile) rocky stretch to an “underwater Galapagos,” warning that detonations will destroy the quiet water pockets and deep rocks where rare species breed. - The industrial shipping route is designed to accelerate global exports of soy and minerals, a move critics say prioritizes corporate profit over the survival of traditional peoples. authors: | ||
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Bringing Mongabay’s Amazon narco airstrip exposé to the stage 24 Feb 2026 23:45:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/02/bringing-mongabays-amazon-narco-airstrip-expose-to-the-stage/ author: Mikedigirolamo dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo content:encoded: Mongabay Latam’s multiyear, *award-winning **investigation that uncovered 67 clandestine airstrips in the Peruvian Amazon used for drug trafficking sent waves across the local media landscape. It drew attention to the Indigenous communities impacted by these illegal airstrips and the 15 Indigenous leaders who were killed defending their territory. To communicate this story to a wider audience, Mongabay Latam director Maria Isabel Torres and managing editor Alexa Vélez adapted it into an interactive live theater performance for an audience of 100. They join this week’s podcast to tell the “story behind the story” of what they, their reporters, and Indigenous leaders experienced during this investigation, and how their play adaptation brings that to the eyes and ears of a theatrical audience. “I think that all the journalists in these times, we are very worried [about] trying to find ways to understand our audience and to get their attention. We know that there are news avoiders. We know that there are fake news. So we are trying to look for different ways,” Torres says. The idea behind the concept of a live theatrical performance is to put the audience in the shoes of the reporters and Indigenous leaders on the ground who faced intimidation and threats, they tell me. And to communicate how reporters ultimately uncovered the truth. “Instead of saying that 15 Indigenous leaders were killed, we gave the audience banners with the photos of each of the Indigenous leader, asking them to stand up … at the beginning of the…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Mongabay Latam’s multiyear, *award-winning **investigation that uncovered 67 clandestine airstrips in the Peruvian Amazon used for drug trafficking sent waves across the local media landscape. It drew attention to the Indigenous communities impacted by these illegal airstrips and the 15 Indigenous leaders who were killed defending their territory. To communicate this story to a wider […] authors: | ||
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In Thailand, old camera-trap photos shed new light on Asian tapirs 24 Feb 2026 23:06:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-thailand-old-camera-trap-photos-shed-new-light-on-asian-tapirs/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Carolyn Cowan content:encoded: Researchers in Thailand have used archived camera-trapping data to identify a stronghold for Asian tapirs in the Khlong Saeng–Khao Sok Forest Complex, a lush network of protected areas in the country’s southern Surat Thani province. The new study, led by Wyatt Petersen, a biologist at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi in Thailand, and published in the journal Mammalian Biology, shows how camera-trap “bycatch” data — images of nontarget species — can be used to monitor tapirs (Tapirus indicus). To date, tapirs have mostly been surveyed using visual transects, in which researchers walk along a predefined path through the forest and count any tapirs they can spot along the way. The Asian tapir, sometimes also called the Malayan tapir, is the largest of the world’s four tapir species and the only one found outside Latin America. It ranges from southern Myanmar and Thailand to Sumatra and is considered endangered, with fewer than 2,500 mature individuals remaining, according to the latest assessment conducted in 2014 for the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. Boldly black-and-white patterned adult tapirs can weigh up to 350 kilograms (772 pounds), whereas the more discrete brown coats of calves are flecked with white, perfectly camouflaging them against the dappled light of the forest floor. As nocturnal understory specialists, they have stubbornly thick hides to protect them against scrubby thorns, and a protruding prehensile snout for gathering foliage and fruits that doubles as a “snorkel” while rummaging underwater for aquatic plants. Although Asian tapirs are preyed on…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Archived camera-trap data from southern Thailand’s Khlong Saeng–Khao Sok Forest Complex identified at least 43 individual Asian tapirs, suggesting the area may be a key refuge for the endangered species. - Researchers used “bycatch” images from camera traps originally set to photograph bears to estimate tapir density at 6-10 individuals per 100 square kilometers, showing existing data can help monitor elusive species. - Modeling suggests the forest complex could hold up to 436 mature tapirs, far higher than previous estimates for Thailand and Myanmar combined, though researchers warn the figure may overestimate actual numbers. - Despite the promising findings, Asian tapirs face ongoing threats from habitat loss and snaring, and experts say protecting intact forest strongholds is vital for the species’ survival. authors: | ||
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Indigenous leader assassinated in Colombia’s Caldas department 24 Feb 2026 21:15:14 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/indigenous-leader-assassinated-in-colombias-caldas-department/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: Indigenous leader José Albino Cañas Ramírez was recently shot and killed by two unknown individuals in Colombia’s Caldas department. Indigenous authorities suspect it was a targeted attack linked to his work in defense of one of the oldest Indigenous reserves in Colombia, the Resguardo of Colonial Origin Cañamomo Lomaprieta (RCMLP). It’s a 37.6-square-kilometer (14.5-square-mile) reserve established in 1540 but has been threatened by illegal miners and armed groups for decades. According to a statement released by the RCMLP, the two individuals arrived at the shop attached to the home of Cañas Ramírez at approximately 8:50 p.m. on Feb. 16. As Ramírez prepared to attend to them, they shot him four times and fled along the community’s roads toward Supía, a neighboring municipality. Ramírez died several minutes later, the statement said. Ramírez was an active member of the resguardo’s governing council (cabildo) and an Indigenous authority from the community of Portachuelo, one of 32 Embera Chamí Indigenous communities in the reserve. Ramírez’s responsibilities included territorial protection, conflict resolution and the promotion of cultural preservation within the Portachuelo community. As part of his work, he encouraged young people to stay away from drugs, which has been a growing concern in the community, Hector Jaime Vinasco, a member of the resguardo’s governing council, told Mongabay over a phone call. Illegal mining and armed conflict have threatened the local communities for many years. In recognition of the threats and violence they face, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granted the Embera people precautionary measures…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Indigenous leader José Albino Cañas Ramírez was recently shot and killed by two unknown individuals in Colombia’s Caldas department. Indigenous authorities suspect it was a targeted attack linked to his work in defense of one of the oldest Indigenous reserves in Colombia, the Resguardo of Colonial Origin Cañamomo Lomaprieta (RCMLP). It’s a 37.6-square-kilometer (14.5-square-mile) reserve […] authors: | ||
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Spiro secures $50 million to expand Africa battery-swapping network 24 Feb 2026 15:50:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/spiro-secures-50-million-to-expand-africa-battery-swapping-network/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Financing for electric vehicle transport is ramping up in Africa as confidence rises in the potential for battery swapping, fast charging and other technologies. Spiro, Africa’s largest electric mobility operator, has secured $50 million in debt financing from African Export-Import Bank, or Afreximbank, U.S.-based climate fintech platform Nithio and the Africa Go Green Fund to expand its battery-swapping network. The announcement came days after Arc Ride, another e-mobility firm, received a $5 million equity commitment from the International Finance Corp., or IFC, signaling growing institutional confidence in Africa’s clean transport sector. Gogo Electric, a Ugandan e-bike startup also raised $1 million last week from ElectriFi, the European Union-funded electrification financing funded by the EDFI management firm. Spiro said that it would use the capital to extend its battery-swapping stations to existing and new markets, while advancing technology including automated battery swaps, fast charging and renewable energy integration. “This new funding reinforces our vision of building a robust, scalable energy network tailored for Africa by Africans,” said Kaushik Burman, CEO of Spiro. The e-mobility company operates in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Benin and Togo, with trials in Cameroon and Tanzania. It has deployed more than 80,000 electric motorcycles, circulated more than 300,000 batteries, completed 30 million battery swaps, and established more than 2,500 swap stations. Riders have logged more than 1 billion carbon-free kilometers. “We will use it to deploy energy infrastructure that will contribute meaningfully to a greener future in Africa,” said its founder, Gagan Gupta.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Financing for electric vehicle transport is ramping up in Africa as confidence rises in the potential for battery swapping, fast charging and other technologies. Spiro, Africa’s largest electric mobility operator, has secured $50 million in debt financing from African Export-Import Bank, or Afreximbank, U.S.-based climate fintech platform Nithio and the Africa […] authors: | ||
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Flying along with monarch butterflies 24 Feb 2026 14:17:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/flying-along-with-monarch-butterflies/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Abhishyant Kidangoor content:encoded: Every year, monarch butterflies make their iconic migration across North America. The journey spans thousands of miles and three countries. However, very little is known about this migration, resulting in the lack of concrete data about a very important life stage of these butterflies. Scientists are now using lightweight radio tags to get insights into the mysterious migration of monarch butterflies. Using the technology, they have been able to understand how and where the butterflies move, filling crucial gaps in the data. Watch the latest episode of Then vs Now to learn more.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Every year, monarch butterflies make their iconic migration across North America. The journey spans thousands of miles and three countries. However, very little is known about this migration, resulting in the lack of concrete data about a very important life stage of these butterflies. Scientists are now using lightweight radio tags to get insights into […] authors: | ||
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As Nepal votes, climate change is an elephant in the room for Sherpa community 24 Feb 2026 14:13:48 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/as-nepal-votes-climate-change-is-an-elephant-in-the-room-for-sherpa-community/ author: Abhaya Raj Joshi dc:creator: Shashwat Pant content:encoded: KATHMANDU — As Nepal gears up for parliamentary elections on March 5, 2026, the remote high-altitude villages of Khumbu, home to the Indigenous Sherpa people, Sagarmatha (Everest) and some of the world’s most iconic trekking trails remain largely untouched by the political frenzy sweeping towns and cities across the country. While posters, rallies and door-to-door campaigns dominate the lowlands, harsh winter conditions coupled with mass seasonal migration have left villages such as Namche Bazaar, Lukla and Pangboche in the Sagarmatha region eerily quiet. “With most residents having moved to Kathmandu [Nepal’s capital], the candidates will arrive here only at the last minute as campaigning [for the Khumbu constituency] goes on in Kathmandu itself,” Sonam Sherpa, a resident of Lukla, told Mongabay by phone. In high-altitude communities beneath Sagarmatha, worsening climate impacts such as retreating Himalayan glaciers and frequent avalanches are growing risks, yet election debates still focus mainly on immediate infrastructure needs such as roads, electricity and drinking water rather than long-term environmental resilience, residents say. “We only talk about climate change among ourselves,” Sonam Sherpa said. The candidates, meanwhile, talk about issues related to infrastructure such as roads and electricity, he adds. Villages wear a deserted look in the Khumbu region in Nepal. Image by Shashwat Pant. Since the first ascent of Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, the Sherpa people, known for their ability to thrive at high altitudes, gained global visibility and mobility. Second-generation Sherpas often pursue higher education and professional careers abroad. Third-generation…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Seasonal migration and low resident voter presence in Nepal’s Sagarmatha (Everest) region mean election campaigns concentrate on infrastructure rather than climate adaptation, leaving long-term environmental resilience underprioritized. - Sherpa communities are witnessing retreating glaciers, erratic snowfall, avalanches and flooding, consistent with IPCC reports on elevation-dependent warming, changing snow and monsoon patterns and downstream water risks. - Everest mountaineering revenue and helicopter tourism generate income, but limited reinvestment in climate adaptation, environmental regulation and sustainable infrastructure threatens ecosystems and the local economy in the face of climate change. authors: | ||
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Botswana shows how smarter cattle herding can save lions, reopen ancient wildlife pathways 24 Feb 2026 13:51:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/botswana-shows-how-smarter-cattle-herding-can-save-lions-reopen-ancient-wildlife-pathways/ author: Sharon Guynup dc:creator: Gloria Dickie content:encoded: The lions that roamed the plains of northern Botswana were dying. One by one, the big cats were succumbing to poisoned bait planted by exasperated villagers. The lions had been chipping away at their livelihood, feasting on the cattle that they left to graze along the Okavango Delta. By the end of 2013, around 30 lions — more than half of the northern Okavango population — had been killed in just one year. More than a decade later, the situation is radically different. The lion population has rebounded. Cub survival rate is up. And cattle losses are dramatically down. It’s the result of years of hard work: restoring traditional herding practices, collaring and tracking lions, and, most recently, establishing a market for ‘wildlife-friendly beef.’ This serves as a model, wildlife advocates say, for other parts of southern Africa where modern grazing practices have collided with big cats’ appetites. “It can be adapted to just about anywhere,” said Andrew Stein, the founder of Communities Living Sustainably Among Wildlife (CLAWS) Conservancy, which is based in Botswana. In the last 25 years, more than half the lions have vanished from the plains of Africa, largely due to conflicts with communities. As human populations have expanded, the animal’s range has shrunk, leaving remnant isolated groups. Today, there are fewer than 25,000 lions left across the continent. But in southern Africa, one large continuous population still roams the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), the world’s largest transnational land-based protected area, which runs across Angola,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Restoring traditional herding practices in northern Botswana has led to a huge decrease in cattle predation and retaliatory lion poisonings in the Okavango Delta region. - More lion cubs are now surviving, with the lion population in northern Botswana up 50% over the past four years. - Experts say bringing back traditional herding practices is the key to restoring migration routes for wildebeest, zebra and many other species. - If herding expands, government officials may consider removing some veterinary cordon fences that have blocked wildlife corridors for decades. authors: | ||
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Measuring what works in conservation 24 Feb 2026 13:24:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/measuring-what-works-in-conservation/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Conservation has never lacked ideas. Protected areas, payments for ecosystem services, community management, certification schemes, and public campaigns have all been promoted as solutions to biodiversity loss. What has often been missing is reliable knowledge about how well these interventions work, for whom, and under what conditions. A growing body of recent research argues that answering those questions requires moving beyond counting activities to establishing causal impact — determining whether observed outcomes can truly be attributed to conservation actions. Two recent commentaries underscore this shift. One, published on Mongabay by Oxford researcher Tanya O’Garra, warns that conservation risks spending scarce funds on “well-intentioned but ineffective efforts” without stronger causal evidence. Another, published in Nature, argues that biodiversity policy suffers from an “evidence problem,” with many interventions not grounded in robust research. Together with recent methodological papers, they reflect a field attempting to move from persuasion to proof. From monitoring to impact evaluation Traditional conservation monitoring focuses on trends: forest cover, species abundance, or compliance indicators. These metrics are valuable but insufficient. A forest might remain intact because of protection, or because it lies far from roads, markets, or settlements. Distinguishing between these possibilities requires impact evaluation — assessing changes that can be causally attributed to an intervention. Impact evaluation centers on a deceptively simple question: what would have happened without the intervention? Because this counterfactual world cannot be observed, researchers approximate it using comparison groups or statistical techniques. The aim is to rule out alternative explanations for observed outcomes.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Conservation has many widely used strategies, but far less reliable evidence about how well they work, making it difficult to direct scarce resources effectively. Researchers increasingly argue that measuring causal impact — not just tracking activities or trends — is essential to understanding real outcomes. - Impact evaluation seeks to determine what would have happened without an intervention, but doing so is challenging because conservation actions occur in complex, real-world settings where experiments are often impractical. Without accounting for factors like location bias, programs can appear more effective than they truly are. - To address this, conservationists are adopting methods from fields such as economics and public health, including randomized trials where possible and quasi-experimental approaches when they are not. Different tools suit different contexts, and evaluation needs evolve as projects move from pilot stages to large-scale implementation. - Evidence gaps, limited resources, and institutional incentives can all discourage rigorous evaluation, yet the stakes are high as biodiversity loss accelerates. Most experts now agree that while not every project requires exhaustive study, systematic learning about what works is crucial to improving conservation outcomes. authors: | ||
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Panama NGOs face lawsuits, asset seizures in fight over port construction 23 Feb 2026 22:07:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/panama-ngos-face-lawsuits-asset-seizures-in-fight-over-port-construction/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: For more than a year, dozens of environmental groups have been fighting the construction of a controversial port in Panama, arguing that it will harm marine life and the mangroves they depend on. Now, two of those groups have had their assets seized amid lawsuits filed by the port’s developer — a move environmental advocates say is highly unusual. The Puerto Barú project, located in Panama’s northwestern Chiriquí province, has been stalled by legal challenges filed by a coalition of environmental groups, which have also led public campaigns claiming the port will destroy breeding grounds of sharks, rays and other marine life. In response, the port’s developer, Ocean Pacific Financial Services Corp., has filed criminal and civil lawsuits against two of the groups, and a court has ordered the seizure of some of their assets. “It’s a very worrying precedent that the judicial system is being used in this way against actions to defend the environment,” said Joana Abrego, legal manager at the Environmental Advocacy Center of Panama (CIAM), a nonprofit and one of the defendants in the lawsuits. Puerto Barú is designed to improve connectivity with the nearby town of David and the Pan-American Highway while also strengthening tourism and agribusiness, according to developers. But the project also includes a 31-kilometer (19-mile) navigation channel to the Pacific coast that must be dredged deep enough for large merchant ships. The area is home to around 25% of Panama’s mangroves, and parts of it are considered an Important Shark and Ray…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Two environmental groups fighting the Puerto Barú project in Panama have been named in lawsuits claiming they defamed the developers and created public confusion about the project. - The Center for Environmental Advocacy of Panama and the Adopt a Panama Rainforest Association (Adopta Bosque) say the port would destroy mangroves and harm vulnerable shark and ray species. - Both organizations have had their assets seized, including bank accounts and properties that serve as private nature reserves. authors: | ||
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Azores dodges proposal to overturn no-fishing zones in its giant new MPA network 23 Feb 2026 19:29:18 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/azores-dodges-proposal-to-overturn-no-fishing-zones-in-its-giant-new-mpa-network/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Maria José Mendes content:encoded: SÃO MATEUS, Portugal — Winter forced Emanuel Alves to remove his boat from the water at the port of São Mateus in the Azores, the Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean. The 64-year-old fisher expressed concern about the giant network of marine protected areas that permeates the archipelago. “Where are we going to fish now?” he asked. The law establishing the Azores Marine Protected Areas Network was approved in October 2024 and took effect just recently, on Jan. 1 this year. The network now safeguards 30% of Azorean waters, 287,000 square kilometers (110,800 square miles) of seascape sheltering a rich array of marine life. Not two weeks later, on Jan. 15, the Azores Parliament voted to uphold a core provision of the MPA network, after it came under fire in recent months: No fishing inside the fully protected areas, which constitute half the vast network. Pico Mountain on Pico Island in the Azores, the tallest mountain in Portugal at 2,351 meters (7,713 feet). Image by Maria José Mendes for Mongabay. The vote effectively killed an earlier move to open these areas to pole-and-line tuna fishing that would have been “catastrophic and damaging to the region,” according to Luís Bernardo Brito e Abreu, coordinator of Blue Azores, a Portugal-based partnership between the Azores regional government, the U.S.-based nonprofit Waitt Institute and the Portugal-based Oceano Azul Foundation that began advocating for the establishment of the MPA network in 2019. “[The] criterion for a total protection area is indeed total protection; there…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A law establishing the Azores Marine Protected Areas Network was approved in October 2024 and took effect recently, on Jan. 1 this year. - The network now safeguards 30% of Azorean waters, 287,000 square kilometers of seascape sheltering a rich array of marine life, and makes up the largest MPA network in the North Atlantic Ocean. - Not two weeks later, on Jan. 15, the Azores Parliament voted on a measure that upholds a core provision of the MPA network, after it came under fire in recent months: No fishing inside the fully protected areas, which constitute half the vast network. - Conservationists expressed satisfaction, broadly, with the agreement, but fishers’ groups expressed disappointment. authors: | ||
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It’s electric: Scientists develop cheap way to keep sharks off fishing hooks 23 Feb 2026 19:08:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/its-electric-scientists-develop-cheap-way-to-keep-sharks-off-fishing-hooks/ author: Rebecca Kessler dc:creator: Edward Carver content:encoded: Unintentional catch is a big reason that more than a hundred shark species are threatened with extinction. Yet creating a small electric field around fishing hooks using cheap inputs — zinc and graphite — is enough to keep many away, a new study indicates. In coastal waters off Florida, small zinc-and-graphite blocks rigged next to fishing hooks reduced shark catch by around two-thirds, according to the study, which was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences on Jan. 15. “This study was part of an effort to reduce the number of sharks that are caught and killed as incidental bycatch in commercial fisheries,” Stephen Kajiura, a professor of biological sciences at Florida Atlantic University and lead author of the study, told Mongabay. “We’re trying to develop a method that will be cheap and effective that the fishermen could use, that would keep the sharks off the hooks but still allow them to catch their target species.” “It’s no good if it impedes the fisherman’s ability to get what they want,” he added. “And that’s the cool thing about this type of repellent … it only repels sharks and not anything else.” A skipper pulls up longlines after catching a large number of piked dogfish (Squalus acanthias) in waters off Chatham, Massachusetts, in 2009. Unlike other shark species, piked dogfish weren’t deterred by an electric field created around fishing hooks, a new study shows. Image by AP Photo/Stephan Savoia. Sharks and related species are especially electrosensitive. Researchers have…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Unintentional catch is a major reason that more than a hundred shark species are threatened with extinction. - A new study found that creating a small electric field around fishing hooks using zinc and graphite is enough to keep many sharks away. - Researchers have for decades tried to take advantage of sharks’ electrosensitivity to develop devices to keep them off fishing hooks. The authors of the new study chose zinc and graphite because they’re nonmagnetic, cheap and readily available materials. - The lead author and two former students are pursuing commercial applications for the new method. authors: | ||
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Supreme Court agrees to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuits 23 Feb 2026 17:38:04 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-from-oil-and-gas-companies-trying-to-block-climate-change-lawsuits/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday that it will hear from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change. The conservative-majority court agreed to take up a case from Boulder, Colorado, among a series of lawsuits alleging the companies deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change. Governments around the country have sought damages totaling billions of dollars, arguing it’s necessary to help pay for rebuilding after wildfires, rising sea levels and severe storms worsened by climate change. The lawsuits come amid a wave of legal actions in states including California, Hawaii and New Jersey and worldwide seeking to leverage action through the courts. Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil appealed to the Supreme Court after Colorado’s highest court let the Boulder case proceed. The companies argue emissions are a national issue that should be heard in federal court, where similar suits have been tossed out. “The use of state law to address global climate change represents a serious threat to one of our Nation’s most critical sectors,” attorneys wrote. President Donald Trump’s administration weighed in to support the companies and urge the justices to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court decision, saying it would mean “every locality in the country could sue essentially anyone in the world for contributing to global climate change.” Trump, a Republican, has criticized the lawsuits in an executive order, and the Justice Department has sought to head some off in court. Attorneys for Boulder had…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday that it will hear from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change. The conservative-majority court agreed to take up a case from Boulder, Colorado, among a series of lawsuits alleging the companies deceived the […] authors: | ||
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How Lucia Torres is bringing people into nature’s frame 23 Feb 2026 17:36:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/how-lucia-torres-is-bringing-people-into-natures-frame/ author: Hayat Indriyatno dc:creator: Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo content:encoded: When Lucía Torres tells stories about nature through video, she starts with people. That was the case in one of her favorite reports, about a small town in Mexico that was forced to relocate after years of rising sea levels and increasing storms and floods. By spending time with residents who had lost their homes, she built relationships based on “trust and reciprocity.” The result? “We were able to put a face on who is being affected by climate change,” she says, “which is something very complicated to do.” This ethos now shapes the way she leads Mongabay’s video team as managing editor: stories start with people, whether they are sharing on screen, reporting in the field, or filming behind the lens. “I like to say that at Mongabay we do global journalism but from a local perspective,” Torres says. “Every time we produce a video for Mongabay, there’s a local crew involved in the process of building the story.” Over her five years at Mongabay, Torres has led Mongabay’s expanding video team, with a keen eye for creativity and innovation. Her tenure has seen them test formats, experiment with style, and raise production standards. “It’s really inspirational to see how the type of journalism we are doing is very creative, very new, and very fresh,” she says. The 2022 video series Chasing Deforestation marked a turning point for Mongabay, which demonstrated “how investing in thoughtful scripting, visual storytelling, and strategic delivery can truly elevate the impact of Mongabay’s work.”…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Lucía Torres is the video managing editor at Mongabay and leads efforts to tell environmental stories through people-centered video journalism. - With a background in biology and science journalism, she specializes in solutions-focused storytelling that centers on Indigenous voices and local perspectives. - From covering climate-displaced communities in Mexico to shaping Mongabay’s video strategy, Torres is committed to making complex environmental issues accessible and impactful. - This interview is part of Inside Mongabay, a series that spotlights the people who bring environmental and conservation stories to life across our global newsroom. authors: | ||
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A journey from student to Amazon “Junglekeeper”: Interview with Paul Rosolie 23 Feb 2026 16:13:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-journey-from-student-to-amazon-junglekeeper-interview-with-paul-rosolie/ author: Morgan Erickson-Davis dc:creator: Jeremy Hance content:encoded: Paul Rosolie has had a career unlike any other. First traveling to the Peruvian Amazon at the age of 18, Rosolie partnered with Juan Julio Durand, a local member of the Infierno Indigenous group. Together, the pair explored the primeval forest of the Las Piedras River, a tributary of the Amazon River and a place little seen by outsiders. “It’s climax community, untouched, primordial forest, and we have the chance to save it,” Rosolie tells Mongabay in a new interview. When roads began to breach the region, Rosolie and Durand turned from young explorers into “junglekeepers,” the name of both their nonprofit and a new book by Rosolie. Junglekeepers: What it Takes to Change the World is the personal tale of Rosolie’s rise from a wide-eyed student to heading a multimillion-dollar nonprofit devoted to saving part of the western Amazon — and all the challenges in between. The book recently made The New York Times Best Sellers list. Rosolie says he had many ups and downs in the book. From the Eaten Alive documentary debacle to partnering with billionaire Dax Dasilva to fund the Junglekeepers nonprofit; from discovering the floating forest with its giant anacondas to struggling for years with depression and a plaguing sense of failure. “At 22, people are like, ‘Yes, go follow your dream.’ At 29, people are like, ‘OK, that’s cool. It’s been going on for a while’ … Then, at 33, 35, people are like, ‘Hey, man. How’s that going, jungle boy?’” Rosolie says. The…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Conservationist Paul Rosolie published a new book describing his journey from student to Amazon “Junglekeeper.” - In a wide-ranging interview, Rosolie talks about uncontacted tribes, drug traffickers and the distance he still needs to go to achieve his goal of protecting the Las Piedras River. - Rosolie also discusses the personal challenges and sacrifices of devoting his life to this slice of the Peruvian Amazon. authors: | ||
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Petrostates stymie effort to rein in Arctic shipping carbon emissions 23 Feb 2026 15:41:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/petrostates-stymie-effort-to-rein-in-arctic-shipping-carbon-emissions/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: International shipping is on the rise in the Arctic region now that climate change regularly opens up transpolar sea routes in summer. That surge in traffic is leading to higher emissions of black carbon — colloquially known as soot, considered a “super pollutant.” Those emissions are escalating climate change and quickening sea ice and snow loss across the Arctic, which is already Earth’s most rapidly warming region. At a recent meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), member states (led by Denmark, and including France, Germany and the Solomon Islands), proposed new regulations to require ships sailing in the Arctic to use fuels that emit low amounts of black carbon. But in February, global petrostates, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States, opposed this effort, meant to slow Arctic warming. This delay follows a 2025 postponement of an IMO plan that had been widely expected to succeed, which would have accelerated the decarbonization of global shipping. That plan was blocked by the U.S. along with other oil-producing nations. The just-nixed Arctic proposal would have required ships sailing in the Far North to stop burning residual fuels — responsible for high black carbon emissions — and instead move to less polluting fuels. As spring approaches in the Arctic, an orange horizon backlights a ship’s stack emissions. The Research Vessel Polarstern embarked on a yearlong expedition to drift in Arctic sea ice called the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC). Image by Julienne Stroeve/NSIDC via Flickr (CC…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Black carbon emissions (colloquially known as soot) produced by marine shipping contribute to Earth’s warming climate and also reduce ice and snow cover. In the Arctic, those emissions are hastening regional heating and sea ice loss. - In the 21st century, climate change has so diminished Arctic sea ice thickness and extent that transpolar crossings in summer by large numbers of commercial vessels has not only become possible but also increasingly frequent, resulting in a marked increase in black carbon emissions from dirty fossil fuels. - In February, members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) voted on a proposal by several nations to require use of cleaner polar fuels, which emit lower amounts of black carbon. But the effort was blocked and delayed by large petrostates, including the U.S., Russia and Saudi Arabia. - Implementation of the measure is expected to be delayed by at least two years. With Arctic sea voyages forecast to soar from thousands of trips annually to tens of thousands by 2050, NGOs are calling for greater support for clean polar fuels as a quick and effective way of reducing warming pressure on the Arctic region. authors: | ||
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Mongabay Explains 23 Feb 2026 08:42:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/specials/2026/02/mongabay-explains/ author: Alejandroprescottcornejo dc:creator: content:encoded: Join Mongabay’s reporters as we unpack some of the most urgent and intriguing issues in climate, the environment and biodiversity today. In this multimedia Special Issue, we go beyond the headlines to examine how science, policy and human activity intersect with Nature. We try to answer questions you might not have known to ask, with episodes ranging from how memes influence conservation and ducks improve rice farming, to how corruption fuels Amazon deforestation and why protecting wildlife is critical for preventing the next pandemic.This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Join Mongabay’s reporters as we unpack some of the most urgent and intriguing issues in climate, the environment and biodiversity today. In this multimedia Special Issue, we go beyond the headlines to examine how science, policy and human activity intersect with Nature. We try to answer questions you might not have known to ask, with […] authors: | ||
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After logging bans, Australia turns to “forest thinning”. Does it reduce fire risk? 23 Feb 2026 03:05:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/after-logging-bans-australia-turns-to-forest-thinning-does-it-reduce-fire-risk/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: In the aftermath of Australia’s “Black Summer” bushfires of 2019–20, few policy questions have proved as persistent as how, exactly, to live with fire on a warming continent. Governments promise resilience. Communities demand safety. And industries facing declining markets look for new purposes. Out of this mix has emerged an unlikely battleground: the thinning of native forests. Mechanical thinning — the selective removal of trees to reduce stand density — has long been a conventional forestry practice. What is new is its political repositioning. In Victoria and Western Australia, where governments have largely halted native forest logging, industry advocates now present thinning as a public-interest service: a tool to reduce fuel loads, moderate fire behavior, and protect towns. Critics counter that the same activity, carried out at scale, risks becoming logging by another name. Dave Soldavini holds a baby kangaroo that was rescued from a wildfire in Cobrunga, Australia. Photo credit: Jeremy McMahon/USDAFS Bureau of Land Management via AP A recent perspective paper in Biological Conservation, Ecological trade-offs of mechanical thinning in temperate forests, provides a useful anchor for the debate. Its authors, including David Lindenmayer and colleagues, do not dismiss thinning outright. Instead they catalog a series of trade-offs that are often underplayed in policy discussions: impacts on biodiversity, carbon storage, hydrology, soils, and even fire dynamics themselves. Mechanical thinning, they note, can reduce competition among trees and sometimes lower canopy fuel loads. But it may also increase wind speeds near the ground, promote the growth of flammable…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - As native forest logging ends in parts of Australia, governments and industry are turning to large-scale forest thinning as a tool to reduce bushfire risk, prompting a new debate over how best to protect communities in a warming climate. - Research shows thinning can lower fire severity under some conditions, especially when paired with prescribed burning, but its effectiveness often diminishes during extreme fire weather — the very conditions driving the most destructive fires. - Scientists warn that removing trees can alter forest structure, dry fuels, release stored carbon, and eliminate critical wildlife habitat, meaning the ecological and climate costs may be substantial in high-conservation forests. - The controversy reflects deeper tensions over land use, public safety, and economic transition, with critics arguing that large-scale thinning risks becoming logging by another name while supporters see it as a necessary adaptation to escalating fire danger. authors: | ||
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The cost of compliance with the EUDR will limit its impact on reducing deforestation (commentary) 23 Feb 2026 01:33:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/the-cost-of-compliance-with-the-eudr-will-limit-its-impact-on-reducing-deforestation-commentary/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Bjørn Rask ThomsenDaniel Nepstad content:encoded: The production of food continues to eat its way into the world’s tropical forests. Agricultural expansion drives nearly 90% of global deforestation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The sector therefore represents a critical climate challenge: forest loss and degradation account for about 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions, by estimates from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. One primary strategy to slow deforestation over the past two decades involves food and agri-commodity companies pledging “zero deforestation supply chains”, under pressure from consumers and environmental groups. These commitments have helped reduce deforestation from land uses like soybean production in the Brazilian Amazon through initiatives such as the now-suspended “Brazilian Soy Moratorium”. Tropical deforestation globally has remained persistently high, however. We argue here that the long-term impact of “zero deforestation supply chains” will be limited by the costs of implementing and operating these pledges; companies striving to do their part to reduce deforestation are less price-competitive than those that do not. Adjustments are urgently needed to translate corporate engagement into more collaborative and effective approaches to deforestation. With the goal of mitigating deforestation, the European Union has adopted a “zero deforestation supply chain” approach as the basis of its Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). When and if it is eventually implemented, the EUDR is set to exclude from the EU market those agri-commodities produced on land deforested after 2020. Implementation, originally scheduled for January 2025, has been postponed twice, however, and its future is unclear. EU countries…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Many links in agri-commodity supply chains have very narrow profit margins, making them particularly sensitive to additional costs. - The costs of implementing “zero deforestation” agri-commodity supply chain commitments requiring physical segregation are likely to cause positively engaged companies to avoid commodities grown in regions with active deforestation, leaving companies with no deforestation commitments in their place. - Contrary to dominant beliefs in adding controls and costs, systemically linking markets and public policy in producer regions enables cheaper, more price-competitive and thus more effective forest-climate strategies; jurisdictional REDD+ is poised to provide such a bridge, argue Bjørn Rask Thomsen, Europe Director at Earth Innovation Institute and former food industry CEO and Daniel Nepstad, Executive Director and President at Earth Innovation Institute in this op-ed. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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José Albino Cañas Ramírez, a defender of Indigenous territories, aged 44 20 Feb 2026 21:46:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/jose-albino-canas-ramirez-a-defender-of-indigenous-territories-44/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: José Albino Cañas Ramírez did not die in a war zone, though war had shaped the landscape where he lived. He was shot at his home in the community of Portachuelo, in Colombia’s Caldas department, on the evening of February 16. Two men came to the shop he ran from his house, opened fire, and fled along the footpaths that lace the Indigenous reserve. He was 44. His killing was treated not merely as a private tragedy, but as a public matter of governance. Cañas Ramírez was a cabildante—a member of the governing council—of the Resguardo of Colonial Origin Cañamomo Lomaprieta, an Emberá Chamí territory of more than 23,000 people spread across dozens of communities. His death, leaders said, struck at the very structure of Indigenous self-government. The community of Portachuelo, where Cañas Ramírez lived, lies at the base of a sacred hill called Carbunco. Photo by Héctor Jaime Vinasco, member of the Governing Council of the Cañamomo Lomaprieta Indigenous Reserve of Colonial Origin. The Emberá Chamí, whose name means “people of the mountains,” inhabit the central and western Andes. Their lands are biodiverse, steep, and contested. For decades, they have lived at the intersection of armed conflict and extractive ambition. Guerrilla groups, paramilitaries, criminal networks, miners, and state interests have all sought to control territory that the Emberá consider ancestral. The result has been what activists call a form of “double victimization”: pressure from illegal armed actors on one side, and development projects and resource exploitation on the other.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - José Albino Cañas Ramírez, a prominent Indigenous leader and member of the governing council for the Resguardo Cañamomo Lomaprieta, was shot and killed at his home in Caldas, Colombia. - His death highlights the “double victimization” faced by the Emberá Chamí people, who navigate pressure from both illegal armed groups and extractive development projects. - As a dedicated community figure, Cañas Ramírez spent his life strengthening local institutions and managing essential services in a region where state support is often absent. - The killing is part of a broader, persistent pattern of violence against territorial defenders in Colombia, with at least 21 social leaders killed already this year. authors: | ||
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Giant tortoises return to Galápagos island 180 years after relatives went extinct 20 Feb 2026 21:07:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/giant-tortoises-return-to-galapagos-island-180-years-after-relatives-went-extinct/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: For the first time in nearly two centuries, giant tortoises are once again roaming Floreana Island in the Galápagos, a conservation milestone more than a decade in the making. Early settlers on Floreana Island altered the landscape and hunted the Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger) into extinction about 180 years ago. But while working on Wolf Volcano, roughly 180 kilometers (112 miles) away on Isabela Island, researchers with the Galápagos Conservancy noticed something unexpected. “The tortoises seemed different,” Penny Becker, CEO of Island Conservation told Mongabay in a video call. “They looked different and they were behaving differently.” So, the researchers took DNA samples from those tortoises and compared them with DNA from tortoise bones found in caves on Floreana. “Indeed, there were some pretty strong genetics left in the Wolf [Volcano] population from tortoises that were here on Floreana,” Becker said. How the heavy terrestrial reptiles got to Wolf Volcano remains uncertain. They could have floated on ocean currents or been transported by whaling ships that kept tortoises for food. In any case, scientists launched a breeding program using the Wolf Volcano tortoises to establish a new hybrid population for reintroduction to Floreana. On Feb. 20, with support from local residents and a consortium of partners, 156 endangered tortoises were released. Each of them is between 10 and 13 years old. They will reach sexual maturity at roughly 25 years old, so building a self-sustaining population will take time. Becker is confident in the project’s long-term success. The tortoises’…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: For the first time in nearly two centuries, giant tortoises are once again roaming Floreana Island in the Galápagos, a conservation milestone more than a decade in the making. Early settlers on Floreana Island altered the landscape and hunted the Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger) into extinction about 180 years ago. But while working […] authors: | ||
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Torrential rains unleash landslides that kill 7 in southern Philippines 20 Feb 2026 18:56:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/torrential-rains-unleash-landslides-that-kill-7-in-southern-philippines/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Torrential rains set off two landslides that killed seven people and floods that displaced more than 3,000 villagers in the southeastern Philippines, officials said Friday. A boulder-laden landslide buried a house and killed a couple and their two daughters Friday in the coastal city of Mati in Davao Oriental province, disaster-response and provincial officials said. Rescuers used earth-moving equipment to retrieve the bodies, according to Ednar Dayanghirang, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense. In Monkayo, a gold-mining town in Davao de Oro province near Davao Oriental, the remains of three people were dug up after their house was buried late Thursday by a landslide, Dayanghirang and other officials said. Nearly 10,000 were affected by the downpours in recent days, including more than 3,200 people who were forced to move to emergency shelters or with relatives, Dayanghirang said. Several outlying provinces and towns were forced to cancel classes and work, he said. The downpours and thunderstorms occurred well ahead of the typhoon season, which usually starts in June, and were caused by cold wind interacting with warm and moist air from the Pacific, forecasters said. About 20 typhoons and storms each year batter the Philippine archipelago, which also lies in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common, making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone. By Associated Press Banner image: Rescuers wading along a flooded street as they try to locate trapped residents when another storm earlier this…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Torrential rains set off two landslides that killed seven people and floods that displaced more than 3,000 villagers in the southeastern Philippines, officials said Friday. A boulder-laden landslide buried a house and killed a couple and their two daughters Friday in the coastal city of Mati in Davao Oriental province, disaster-response […] authors: | ||
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In Thailand, a coral cryobank tries to buy time for dying reefs 20 Feb 2026 17:26:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-thailand-a-coral-cryobank-tries-to-buy-time-for-dying-reefs/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Neelanjana Rai content:encoded: In a quiet laboratory at Phuket Rajabhat University in southern Thailand, Preeyanuch Thongpoo is attempting to freeze time. As a molecular biologist, her work focuses on the cryopreservation of live larvae and algae to facilitate future restoration. Inside, suspended in liquid nitrogen at -196° Celsius (-321° Fahrenheit), are vials containing microscopic algae no bigger than specks of dust. Her team is deep-freezing the vital symbiotic algae of the cauliflower coral (genus Pocillopora), from the family Symbiodiniaceae. These live inside coral tissues and provide most of the energy corals need to survive. The larvae of the cauliflower coral itself, a rugged pioneer known for recolonizing heat-damaged reefs, have been preserved in separate vials. Working as part of the Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) initiative, Preeyanuch is building more than a repository; she is creating a “living seed bank” aimed at supporting future reef restoration. Preeyanuch Thongpoo works to preserve coral specimens in hopes it will buy “crucial time” to prevent extinctions. Image courtesy of Preeyanuch Thongpoo. This effort comes at a precarious moment for Thailand’s marine heritage. Coral reefs in Thailand are under pressure from both global climate change and local stressors, including tourism and coastal development. Recent coast-to-coast surveys show that Thailand’s coral reefs, home to more than 300 species of reef-building corals, are losing structural complexity and shifting in species composition after repeated mass bleaching events driven by extreme marine heat waves between 2022 and early 2024, with heat stress in 2024-2025 likely compounding the declines. Tourism,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Scientists in Phuket are freezing coral larvae and their symbiotic algae, aiming to create a “living seed bank” to preserve Thailand’s reef genetic diversity amid accelerating climate stress. - Thailand’s reefs, home to more than 300 coral species, have experienced repeated mass bleaching events since 2022, with damage compounded by tourism pressure, wastewater runoff, sedimentation and overfishing. - Researchers describe coral cryobanks as a form of “genetic insurance” and ex-situ conservation, but stress they can’t replace in-water protection and must be integrated into broader restoration and marine management strategies. - Conservation experts say improving water quality, regulating tourism impacts and strengthening community-led marine protection are essential if preserved coral material is to be successfully restored to the wild. authors: | ||
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Recycling startups test limits of private solutions to deluge of waste in Lagos 20 Feb 2026 14:26:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/recycling-startups-test-limits-of-private-solutions-to-deluge-of-waste-in-lagos/ author: Terna Gyuse dc:creator: Abdulwaheed Sofiullahi content:encoded: OJUELEGBA, Nigeria — On the bustling streets of this central Lagos neighborhood, it’s easy to buy a drink. Hawkers weave between buses and motorcycles with wheelbarrows of bottled water and canned beverages. Finding a bin for the empty container is much harder. Many end up on the ground. Glass, cardboard, aluminum and — most commonly — plastic collect in piles at busy junctions and in open gutters, mixed with food waste and refuse from nearby shops and homes. Drains clog, and stagnant water lingers. Bayo Adeolu, proud holder of a degree in plant biology from the University of Lagos, spent months tramping these same streets in search of work. He endured rejection after rejection, then tried selling used phones with a friend, but competition in this saturated market beat them back. One afternoon, scrolling through social media, a post caught his eye. “Earn-As-You-Waste,” it read, advertising an information session for Pakam, a company promoting recycling as a source of income. At the session, Pakam’s staff explained how participants could earn money by collecting recyclable waste from the company’s clients. Registered collectors, they said, would be trained to sort and weigh the waste, record this shabby bounty digitally, and transport the recovered materials to aggregation points. The state of Lagos state generates nearly 5.5 million metric tons of solid waste every year, according to the state waste management authority — or roughly 15,000 metric tons a day. A 2024 World Bank study estimated that nearly 40% of this rubbish is recyclable…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous state, generates nearly 5.5 million metric tons of solid waste every year. - The state’s formal waste management system handles less than half of this, with homes and businesses improvising disposal of the rest wherever they can: an estimated 40% of this waste is recyclable. - Pakam Technology Limited is one of several private companies trying to profitably retrieve a greater share of the roughly 6,000 metric tons of recyclable materials thrown away every day. - Recycling companies say inconsistent enforcement of regulations is a major obstacle to improving recycling rates. authors: | ||
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Migrant fishers’ deaths at sea tied to unchecked captain power, study shows 20 Feb 2026 13:31:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/migrant-fishers-deaths-at-sea-tied-to-unchecked-captain-power-study-shows/ author: Philip Jacobson dc:creator: Basten Gokkon content:encoded: The deaths of migrant fishers at sea are largely driven by structural labor and governance failures, rather than by safety or compliance issues alone, a new study shows. Migrant sea workers, especially those recruited from low-wage Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, often experience violence and fatal abuse while aboard distant-water fishing vessels, those that operate in the seas outside any one country’s jurisdiction. The study, published Jan. 27 in the journal Maritime Studies, found that deaths of migrant fishers at sea are frequently the result of systemic working conditions that give boat captains control over basic living and survival conditions, making fatalities a predictable outcome rather than isolated incidents. “In seeking a conceptual framework to analyse these deaths at sea, we employed necropolitics, as it captures how power operates through death and the threat of death as instruments of governance,” lead author Christina Stringer, director of the Centre for Research on Modern Slavery at the University of Auckland Business School, Aotearoa New Zealand, told Mongabay by email. Indonesian migrants on board foreign fishing boats describe experiencing overwork, withholding of wages, debt bondage, and even physical and sexual violence. Image courtesy of Greenpeace. The paper is based on systematic analysis of 55 documented cases of Indonesian fishers who died or went missing on distant-water fishing vessels owned by or operating under the flags of China, Taiwan and South Korea. Using the idea of “necropolitics,” which refers to the power to decide who lives and who dies, the authors found that…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new study finds migrant fishers’ deaths at sea stem from systemic labor and governance failures, not isolated safety lapses. - Far from shore, captains control food, medical care and even how deaths are recorded, with little oversight or accountability. - Researchers documented 55 cases of Indonesian fishers who died or went missing, showing deaths occur through both direct abuse and prolonged neglect. - The authors call for stronger international cooperation, mandatory death reporting and supply chain transparency, arguing existing rules alone cannot prevent further fatalities authors: | ||
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Malawi’s solar boom is leaving a toxic legacy of lead waste 20 Feb 2026 09:03:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/malawis-solar-boom-is-leaving-a-toxic-legacy-of-lead-waste/ author: Terna Gyuse dc:creator: Charles Mpaka content:encoded: BLANTYRE, Malawi — On Lagson Gumbo’s side of the stream, BCA is a slum. Running parallel to the trickle of murky water is a narrow, dusty street lined with small, unplastered houses and shops trading in groceries, cheap alcohol and artisan services for residents of this crowded sector of Malawi’s principal commercial city, Blantyre. On the stream’s other bank is an affluent neighborhood with the same name. In the wealthy BCA, Blantyre’s City Council provides waste collection services, removing rubbish to a site on the city’s outskirts. It’s an open landfill where people from low-income settlements scavenge for whatever they find worth for reuse or sale. On the side where Gumbo lives and works, there’s no formal waste management. Residents dump rubbish from homes and shops into the stream. Kitchen waste and used nappies, old tires and plastic bottles and carrier bags get thrown into gullies and any other unoccupied spaces nearby. There are also batteries. At his makeshift workshop, Gumbo sorts through metal plates he has extracted from expired lead-acid batteries. Before him is a smoldering charcoal stove and a plastic bag filled with pellets of lead — also extracted from batteries. He puts the lead in a small tin container, pours acid over it and sets it on the stove to heat. “These pieces were positive cells in the batteries,” he says, gesturing to the plates he’s laid out on a small worktable. “When a battery stops functioning, it is not the negative electrodes that have expired. It…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The rapid adoption of solar home systems in Malawi is producing a matching increase in the use of lead-acid batteries. - These batteries have a relatively short lifespan, especially when used with photovoltaic systems, and informal recycling processes release toxic lead and acid into the environment. - There are more durable, less toxic batteries available, but they cost more. - Malawi and other countries need better regulation and recycling infrastructure to ensure the benefits of small solar systems are not accompanied by environmental harms. authors: | ||
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Sumatra province plan to permit ‘community’ mines alarms civil society 20 Feb 2026 07:41:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/sumatra-province-plan-to-permit-community-mines-alarms-civil-society/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Jaka Hendra Baittri content:encoded: PADANG, Indonesia — The government of West Sumatra plans to move forward with a legal pathway for up to 300 small mines operating illegally in the heavily forested province, joining several other devolved governments grappling with how to treat the vast number of unlicensed mines operating across Indonesia. “Environmental damage brings long-term problems, therefore we can’t stay silent,” West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansarullah said in a statement. If approved by Indonesia’s mining and energy ministry, West Sumatra could add substantially to the total number of “community mining zones” already created by the government to date. A crucial distinction is that this deregulation initiative is expanding on paper but remains incipient in practice. By 2024, Indonesia had agreed to 1,215 of these Wilayah Pertambangan Rakyat mining zones in 19 of the country’s 38 provinces, with the zones applying to extraction of commodities like gold and sand. Crucially, however, the government has so far awarded only a handful of the practical permits that actually allow a mine to operate. The development in West Sumatra takes place amid a nationwide crackdown by a military-led forestry task force, which has seized millions of hectares of unlicensed forest operations, shifting its focus from plantations in 2025 to mining in 2026. The government of West Sumatra in 2025 issued calls for a crackdown on illegal mining, but a change in tactics is now underway, recent statements by Mahyeldi indicate. “Regulations must be followed,” the governor added. “But we also have to prepare solutions in order for…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The devolved government in West Sumatra province, which is home to 5.8 million people on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, intends to present new zoning plans to the central government that could regulate currently illegal mines operated by small groups of people. - The small-scale gold mining sector is responsible for lasting environmental damage to both environment and public health, owing in large part to the use of mercury, a banned heavy metal and neurotoxin, to separate gold particles from ores retrieved from valley sides and river basins. - It remains unclear how the government would treat the use of mercury, which is the subject of international agreement under the Minamata Convention on Mercury. - The international price of gold has surged by more than 70% since the beginning of last year as central banks and investors buy precious metals to mitigate political uncertainty and high inflation. This has led to a surge in illegal gold mining in forests from the Amazon to Indonesia. authors: | ||
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Indonesia faces scrutiny over permit revocations following deadly floods and landslides 20 Feb 2026 03:55:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/indonesia-faces-scrutiny-over-permit-revocations-following-deadly-floods-and-landslides/ author: Hans Nicholas Jong dc:creator: Hans Nicholas Jong content:encoded: JAKARTA — The Indonesian government’s revocation of 28 forestry, plantation and mining permits after the deadly Sumatra floods is facing new scrutiny after researchers found that several of the concessions cited in the announcement had already expired, been revoked years earlier or are located outside the disaster-hit watersheds. The revocations, announced after Cyclone Senyar triggered landslides and flash floods that killed about 1,200 people, mark a shift in enforcement. Instead of focusing on court-led environmental cases and restoration orders, officials say the land will be managed by state-owned enterprises under the sovereign wealth fund Danantara. Civil society groups say that risks turning a disaster response into a restructuring of control over forest and resource assets. Officials have said the 28 companies violated environmental and forestry regulations through their activities such as forest clearing and thus contributed to ecological damage linked to the disasters. However, an analysis by the NGO Auriga Nusantara found that some of the permits cited in the announcement had already been revoked years earlier, while others had expired before the floods occurred. The discrepancies add to growing confusion over how the policy is being implemented, which companies are actually linked to the November 2025 floods and landslides and what will happen to the former concession areas now slated for transfer to state-owned enterprises under Danantara. “We found that several companies’ concessions are not located in the disaster-affected areas — they are quite far from the disaster zones,” Auriga legal director Roni Saputra told Mongabay. A woman stands…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Indonesian government is facing new scrutiny of its revocation of 28 forestry, plantation and mining permits following Cyclone Senyar, which triggered landslides and flash floods that killed around 1,200 people. - An analysis by the NGO Auriga Nusantara found that some of the permits cited in the announcement had already been revoked years earlier, while others had expired before the floods occurred. - The discrepancies add to growing confusion over which companies are actually linked to the November 2025 floods and landslides and what will happen to former concession areas now slated for transfer to state-owned enterprises under the sovereign wealth fund Danantara. authors: | ||
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Loosely social animals at higher risk of decline than social species 19 Feb 2026 22:27:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/loosely-social-animals-at-higher-risk-of-decline-than-social-species/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: Social interactions are crucial for the survival of most animal species. Living in groups helps animals spot predators, find food and raise more successful young than they could alone. Conventional wisdom has long held that highly social animals, like lions or capuchin monkeys, are highly vulnerable when their populations decline. But new research suggests that more loosely social animals, like agoutis or tapirs, may actually face greater risk when their numbers fall. Researchers reviewed existing models, data and case studies looking at the relationship between social interactions and survival. Michael Gil, a co-author of the study, with the University of Colorado Boulder, told Mongabay in an interview that highly social animals tend to have a stable number of social interactions, “and they’re going to maintain that; even if the population declines, they’re going to figure out a way to maintain that,” he said. If part of an African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) pack is killed off, for example, the remaining animals will do everything they can to join a new group, their immediate survival depending on it. Loosely social species respond differently. “As the populations decline, their social interactions also decline because they do not make up for it,” Gil said. That means there are fewer squirrels, for instance, to keep an eye out and warn of predators. Or smaller schools of fish that can hunt together. If those populations decrease, then their social interactions also decline, which can lead to more population declines. It becomes “a dangerous feedback loop,”…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Social interactions are crucial for the survival of most animal species. Living in groups helps animals spot predators, find food and raise more successful young than they could alone. Conventional wisdom has long held that highly social animals, like lions or capuchin monkeys, are highly vulnerable when their populations decline. But new research suggests that […] authors: | ||
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How seabird poop helped fuel ancient civilizations in Peru 19 Feb 2026 18:33:30 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/how-seabird-poop-helped-fuel-ancient-civilizations-in-peru/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: David Brown content:encoded: The Chincha Islands off the coast of Peru are home to many seabird species that cover their island homes with thick layers of poop, or guano. New research now suggests that ancient Peruvians in the Chincha Valley on the Peruvian mainland hunted these seabirds, collected their guano, and used it to fertilize their maize crops, which helped expand pre-Inca societies. The researchers analyzed ancient cobs of maize (Zea mays), some of them more than 2,200 years old, collected from archaeological sites in Peru. They found nitrogen levels in the maize that were much higher than natural soil conditions would allow. However, those nitrogen levels matched the levels found in 11 seabird species collected from the area, including the Peruvian booby (Sula variegata), Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus) and guanay cormorant (Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum). The match suggested that guano from seabirds that was used to fertilize the maize, which allowed the Chincha Kingdom to grow into a major civilization of 100,000 people. The Inca Empire farther inland took notice of the Chincha Kingdom’s crop success. “The height of guano use was likely around AD 1250, which also represents the height of the Chincha Kingdom,” Jacob Bongers, lead author of the study with the University of Sydney in Australia, told Mongabay in an email. Bongers, a digital archaeologist, said it’s difficult to confirm details, but the Inca later controlled the Chincha Valley and “Chincha became the guano supplier for the Inca during this time.” Jordan Dalton, an archaeologist at the State University of New…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: The Chincha Islands off the coast of Peru are home to many seabird species that cover their island homes with thick layers of poop, or guano. New research now suggests that ancient Peruvians in the Chincha Valley on the Peruvian mainland hunted these seabirds, collected their guano, and used it to fertilize their maize crops, […] authors: | ||
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Alcoa pays Australian feds $36 million for ‘unlawful’ forest clearing 19 Feb 2026 16:58:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/alcoa-pays-australian-feds-36-million-for-unlawful-forest-clearing/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: Pittsburgh-based Alcoa will pay the Australian government a settlement the company put at $36 million for “unlawfully” clearing tracts of endangered forest without approvals between 2019 and 2025. The metals giant began mining bauxite — the raw ingredient for aluminum — from beneath Australia’s Northern Jarrah forest in the 1960s, but its footprint has swelled in recent years, drawing new scrutiny from regulators and the public. Senator Murray Watt, Australia’s environment and water minister, said the payment — $55 million in Australian dollars — settles a longstanding question of whether Alcoa should enjoy exemptions from federal environmental processes. “We are committed to responsible operations and welcome this important step in transitioning our approvals to a contemporary assessment process that provides increased certainty for our operations and our people into the future,” Alcoa President and CEO William F. Oplinger said in a statement. “We’re proud of our more than 60 years as a leading Australian aluminum producer and the role we are now playing in support of critical minerals production.” “It’s well and truly the largest amount that’s been paid by way of an enforceable undertaking around the environment laws nationally,” Watt said in an interview with Australian broadcasters Feb. 18. Alcoa maintains it has complied with federal law but agreed to the payments to “acknowledge historical clearing.” The agreement includes an 18-month exemption for the company to operate while seeking those approvals. Last year, Pittsburgh’s Public Source traveled to Australia to investigate Alcoa’s plans for the forest, environmental effects and community concerns. Alcoa, a…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Pittsburgh-based Alcoa will pay the Australian government a settlement the company put at $36 million for “unlawfully” clearing tracts of endangered forest without approvals between 2019 and 2025. The metals giant began mining bauxite — the raw ingredient for aluminum — from beneath Australia’s Northern Jarrah forest in the 1960s, but its footprint has swelled […] authors: | ||
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Argentina considers weakening glacier safeguards in pursuit of critical minerals 19 Feb 2026 15:25:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/argentina-considers-weakening-glacier-safeguards-in-pursuit-of-critical-minerals/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: Officials in Argentina are considering a reform to the country’s glacier protection law, a change critics say would weaken environmental regulations and clear the way for expanded mining in some of the country’s most fragile ecosystems. The bill to reform the glacier law is scheduled for a vote in the Senate later this month; if passed, it would then move on to the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the National Congress. Lawmakers will have to decide whether they want to scale back protections that currently restrict mining and other development near glaciers in the Andes and beyond. “This reform, if approved, would set a negative precedent for other environmental protection regulations and puts at risk strategic resources for the provision of freshwater and the regulation of watersheds that supply different localities and jurisdictions in our country,” the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN), an NGO, said in a statement. Argentina has 8,484 square kilometers (3,276 square miles) of ice cover spanning 12 provinces and 39 river basins, according to the National Glacier Inventory, a scientific registry and map database overseen by the Argentine Institute of Snow Research, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences (IANIGLA). Glaciers are important freshwater reserves, supplying water for drinking, agriculture and other needs throughout the country. They feed into around 40% of the country’s watersheds and provide access to water to 7 million residents, or around 18% of Argentina’s population, according to FARN. A tourist takes pictures of the Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A bill to reform Argentina’s National Glacier Law would scale back protections that currently restrict mining and other development near glaciers in the Andes and beyond. - Argentina has 8,484 square kilometers (3,276 square miles) of ice cover spanning 12 provinces and 39 river basins; together, they provide the country with freshwater for drinking, agriculture and other needs. - If approved, the reform would weaken national environmental standards by allowing provinces to decide whether certain glaciers have a “strategic water function” worth protecting. - The bill is expected to go to a vote in the Senate later this month and, if passed, would then move on to the lower house of Congress. authors: | ||
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New study assesses geoengineering marine ecosystem risks, knowledge gaps 19 Feb 2026 15:22:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-study-assesses-geoengineering-marine-ecosystem-risks-knowledge-gaps/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Ruth Kamnitzer content:encoded: Science has made it clear: The prospect of heat waves without end, increasingly destructive floods, relentless drought, rapidly rising sea levels, and the risk of “point of no return” tipping points require humanity to swiftly stop burning fossil fuels to avoid catastrophe. But with political will and action lagging, some researchers say now is the time to evaluate the safety and feasibility of geoengineering. These are a suite of proposed technologies that could potentially delay the worst warming or sequester carbon, thus buying civilization time as it struggles to slash fossil fuel emissions. One place scientists are looking for geoengineering solutions is the world’s oceans, which store vast amounts of carbon, including about a quarter of anthropogenic emissions. Some researchers are especially interested in a set of geoengineering methods collectively dubbed marine carbon dioxide storage (mCDR). Still others are looking at ways to artificially cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight into space, especially above oceans. One major concern with all these untried technologies is that, if widely implemented, they could profoundly impact marine ecosystems, says Kelsey Roberts, a research associate at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in the U.S. In a recent Reviews of Geophysics paper, Roberts and co-authors examined eight geoengineering interventions most likely to directly impact marine ecosystems, identifying knowledge gaps and risks. “If we implement some of these insane science fiction-sounding technologies, what would happen to the fish? What would happen to the megafauna … and particularly, [what’s] the importance for global food security?” Roberts asks. Illustration…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A new review study examines the current research regarding the risks that various geoengineering approaches pose to marine ecosystems. - The study looked particularly at a range of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) methods, along with solar radiation modification (SRM) technologies, and found that some approaches carry fewer risks than others. - Electrochemical ocean alkalinity enhancement and anoxic storage of terrestrial biomass in the deep ocean (utilizing crop waste, for example) carry fewer risks to marine ecosystems than some carbon dioxide removal methods, such as those that would add nutrients to seawater to promote major plankton growth. - However, better models, increased field testing, and better geoengineering regulatory oversight are needed to fully assess potential geoengineering marine ecosystem impacts, especially if commercialization proceeds. Public fears over field testing also need to be allayed. authors: | ||
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Africa’s vulture safe zones face tough test across vast landscapes 19 Feb 2026 10:39:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/africas-vulture-safe-zones-face-tough-test-across-vast-landscapes/ author: Terna Gyuse dc:creator: Sean Mowbray content:encoded: Protecting vulture populations in Africa presents some unique challenges for conservationists. These slow-breeding and ecologically vital scavengers range over vast territories and are vulnerable to poisons targeting other species and expanding infrastructure like power lines. Creating “vulture safe zones” has emerged as a way to address these broad and varied threats, but putting them into practice is proving difficult. South Africa’s oldest vulture safe zone is centered in Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, in the southern Kalahari Desert. Since the 114,000-hectare (282,000-acre) safe zone was established in 2019, on land owned by the wealthy Oppenheimer family, its managers have taken steps to protect critically endangered white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) and endangered lappet-faced vultures (Torgos tracheliotos) nesting there. Establishing the reserve as a safe zone involved things like covering reservoirs with nets to prevent drowning, and halting the use of lead ammunition. Wendy Panaino, an ecologist at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, told Mongabay that, ultimately, the aim is to make this 120,000-hectare (296,000-acre) reserve a safe haven for threatened species like the white-backed, lappet-faced and white-headed vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis). “Tswalu was a massive success,” says Linda van der Heever, species project manager at BirdLife South Africa. “It really is, in many senses, a textbook vulture safe zone.” A vulture in Tswalu-Kalahari Reserve, South Africa. This reserve was designated as vulture safe zone in 2019. Image courtesy of Duncan MacFadyen / Tswalu-Kalahari Reserve. In the past decade, several safe zone projects of this kind have kicked off in Africa, each adopting a variety of measures…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Vulture safe zones have multiplied across Southern Africa to address the numerous threats facing these scavengers. - The vulture safe zone concept originated in Asia as a response to the drastic decline in the region’s vulture populations due to diclofenac poisoning. - Opinions are mixed on their effectiveness to address the multitude of threats facing species in Africa. - In the coming months, conservation organizations are aiming to streamline the concept in Africa, with the aim of standardizing how these safe zones operate and monitor populations, and ultimately how they protect threatened species. authors: | ||
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The Amazon’s most valuable export isn’t timber — it’s rain 19 Feb 2026 00:40:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/the-amazon-generates-20-billion-of-dollars-worth-of-rainfall-each-year-study-finds/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Rainfall is often treated as a gift of geography — a function of latitude, oceans, and atmospheric circulation. A growing body of research suggests that in the tropics, it is also a product of ecosystems. Forests do not merely receive rain. They help generate it, regulate its distribution, and sustain the conditions that allow it to persist. “Quantifying tropical forest rainfall generation”, a review paper recently published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, attempts to measure a process long recognized but rarely expressed in concrete terms: how much rain forests themselves produce. By combining satellite observations with climate models, the authors estimate that each square meter of tropical forest generates roughly 240 liters of rainfall per year across the broader landscape, rising to about 300 liters in the Amazon Basin. Rather than treating forests as passive recipients of climate, the study depicts them as active participants in shaping it. The mechanism begins with evapotranspiration. Trees draw water from soils and release it into the atmosphere through their leaves. This vapor contributes to cloud formation and precipitation downwind. While the physics is familiar, the novelty lies in quantifying the effect at scale. On average, each percentage point of tropical forest loss reduces regional rainfall by about 2.4 millimeters annually, with larger effects in the Amazon. Satellite observations suggest even stronger impacts than most models, implying that current projections may underestimate the hydrological consequences of deforestation. Sunrise over the Pinipini river in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo: Rhett A. Butler Forests export…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Tropical forests actively generate rainfall by releasing moisture into the atmosphere, with each square meter producing hundreds of liters of rain annually across surrounding regions. Clearing even small portions can measurably reduce precipitation, especially during dry seasons. - Much of the rain that falls far inland originates from forests through long-distance moisture transport known as “flying rivers,” meaning farms, cities, and reservoirs may depend on ecosystems located hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. - Reduced rainfall from deforestation can undermine agriculture, river flows, and hydropower, revealing forests as a form of natural water infrastructure that supports food production, energy systems, and economic stability. - By assigning a monetary value to forest-generated rainfall, researchers estimate the service in the Amazon alone is worth on the order of tens of billions of dollars annually, underscoring that forest loss threatens not only biodiversity and carbon storage but regional climate systems themselves. authors: | ||
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Peru mining pollution linked to children’s cognitive impairment: Study 18 Feb 2026 22:31:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/peru-mining-pollution-linked-to-childrens-cognitive-impairment-study/ author: Bobbybascomb dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: A recent study in Forensic Science International suggests a link between exposure to heavy metals from mining operations and reduced cognitive performance in children in Peru. Researchers say the findings highlight the long-term impact of mining pollution on children’s neurocognitive development and demonstrate that exposure is not a one-time event. The research focused on children living near a heavily contaminated mining district in Cerro de Pasco, in Peru’s Andes Mountains. Extensive mining for lead, zinc and silver has been ongoing there for almost 400 years, since Spanish colonial rule. Industrial mining has intensified over recent decades, exposing residents to contamination from modern mining and a host of serious health consequences, including cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The study looked at metal concentrations in 81 exposed children and 17 unexposed children and compared their neurocognitive abilities and IQs. Exposed children had lead concentrations in their hair of 4.30 mg/kg, 43 times the recommended safe limit of 0.10 mg/kg set by the Micro Trace Laboratory in Germany. They also had elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium and manganese — all toxic heavy metals. The researchers found cognitive performance was lower in the children who had been exposed to mining pollutants compared with those who hadn’t; the mean IQ was 12.3 points lower. Other variables, including verbal comprehension, perceptive analysis and memory, were also impaired in the children with a high body burden from mining. “Simply put, pollution from mining increases children’s exposure to metals that are toxic to the developing brain,” Lucía Ordóñez…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: A recent study in Forensic Science International suggests a link between exposure to heavy metals from mining operations and reduced cognitive performance in children in Peru. Researchers say the findings highlight the long-term impact of mining pollution on children’s neurocognitive development and demonstrate that exposure is not a one-time event. The research focused on children […] authors: | ||
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Why so many mangrove restoration projects fail 18 Feb 2026 21:12:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/why-so-many-mangrove-restoration-projects-fail/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Mangroves have become a favored solution in climate and conservation circles. They absorb carbon, blunt storm surge and support fisheries. Funding has followed. Yet outcomes often lag ambition. In parts of Southeast Asia and Latin America, research suggests that roughly 70% of restoration projects struggle to establish healthy forests. Seedlings die. Sites flood incorrectly. Community interest fades. The problem is not enthusiasm. It is execution. Much restoration is driven by small, community-based groups with deep local knowledge but limited access to capital, technical advice or long-term support. Catherine Lovelock, a mangrove ecologist at the University of Queensland, points out that success depends as much on social and economic conditions as on planting techniques. Mangroves, she notes, thrive only when tides inundate them for a few hours at a time. Too much water or too little can doom a site. Just as important are land tenure, livelihoods and incentives to protect restored areas once planting ends. A growing set of nonprofits is positioning itself as an intermediary between funders and communities. One example is Seatrees, which does not run projects directly but backs local partners with funding, scientific guidance, monitoring support and communications. Over the past five years, it has supported mangrove work in places as varied as Kenya, Mexico, Indonesia and Florida, Mongabay’s Marina Martinez reports. The approach is selective. Seatrees looks for groups that already have experience and local legitimacy but face capacity gaps. Projects must have permission to operate and clear buy-in from communities and Indigenous stakeholders. In…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Mangroves have become a favored solution in climate and conservation circles. They absorb carbon, blunt storm surge and support fisheries. Funding has followed. Yet outcomes often lag ambition. In parts of Southeast Asia and Latin America, research suggests that roughly 70% of restoration projects struggle to establish healthy forests. Seedlings die. Sites flood incorrectly. Community […] authors: | ||
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Amazon villages build autonomous energy systems after mega-dam failed pledges 18 Feb 2026 19:22:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/amazon-villages-build-autonomous-energy-systems-after-mega-dam-failed-pledges/ author: Alexandre de Santi dc:creator: Jorge C. Carrasco content:encoded: When Brazil approved the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric complex on the Xingu River, in Pará state, the megaproject promised to profoundly change the national and local energy landscapes, creating a large offer of clean energy to power industries, illuminate homes and bring development to isolated communities that historically had little to no access to power. However, nearly a decade after the operations of the fourth-largest hydropower facility in the world began in 2016, the reality is starkly different. Vulnerable communities that highly depended on fishing have been severely economically affected, and many riverside families remain disconnected from the grid or pay some of the highest electricity bills in the country. A study published in 2024 by researchers from the State University of Campinas in Brazil and Michigan State University in the U.S., funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), identified in a household survey covering 500 families in Altamira, Pará, that a vast majority of these families (86.8%) suffered a negative impact on electricity prices after the construction of Belo Monte. The research shows that not only did the “energy progress” promised in the past never materialize, but also that tariffs soared while communities living in the shadow of the Amazon’s largest dam still face blackouts and prohibitive costs. General view of the solar energy system after installation in the Porto Rico community. Image courtesy of Renato Chalu. Lower-income families in small communities in the Amazon region were hit the hardest, not only paying more for electricity,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A pilot project in the Tapajós-Arapiuns Reserve is providing 24-hour electricity through an integrated system of solar panels and river-based hydrokinetic turbines. - The project’s hydrokinetic turbines use specialized filter systems and slow-rotation grids designed to generate electricity without harming local river fauna. - Roughly 990,000 people in the Brazilian Amazon still lack access to electricity despite the region hosting some of the world’s largest hydropower facilities. authors: | ||
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In Ecuador’s Chocó, roads shape the fate of the rainforest 18 Feb 2026 19:05:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-ecuadors-choco-roads-shape-the-fate-of-the-rainforest/ author: Alexandrapopescu dc:creator: Maxwell Radwin content:encoded: HOJA BLANCO, Ecuador — Some parts of the rainforest in northwestern Ecuador used to be so dense and impenetrable that only a few hundred people were believed to live there. Even when loggers moved into the area in the 1980s and 1990s, setting up the first roads, it would take hours to travel only a few miles. It’s one of the rainiest regions on the planet, and the terrain rises sharply into the western Andes before dropping off into rivers and valleys. Because it was so inaccessible, the area remained one of the most biodiverse on the planet, with thousands of endemic plant species and hundreds of birds and amphibians. But in recent decades, much of that biodiversity has been lost. The region, known as the Chocó, has experienced historic deforestation, with only around 3% of its lower-elevation forest — below 900 meters (3,000 feet) — still remaining. In one area of the Chocó, in Esmeraldas province, the rise in deforestation coincided with the arrival of timber companies like Endesa-Botrosa, which built some of the first roads while logging the forest. Even when the companies reduced their work in the area a few years ago, deforestation continued to pose a major threat — largely because the companies left behind roads that people want to extend, conservation groups in the area say. Today, many of the roads that used to take hours to navigate are relatively clean and patched up, allowing people from other parts of the country to move in.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The Chocó rainforest in northwestern Ecuador has experienced some of the worst deforestation in the world, with only around 3% tree cover remaining in the western lowlands. - A lot of the deforestation can be traced to an influx of loggers in the 1990s and the many roads and trails that they created in the process, which are now being used by new settlers. - In an effort to save a part of the Chocó, the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation has been building a reserve by buying up parcels of land, one at a time. Its Canandé Reserve has grown to roughly 19,000 hectares (47,000 acres) but still faces pressure from roads and trails built by expanding communities. - Residents respect the need to conserve the forest but also express a desire to improve connectivity, with the ability to travel within the area and to nearby cities. authors: | ||
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‘Ridiculous’ plan developed at Florida zoo saves wild rhino’s eyesight in Africa 18 Feb 2026 16:58:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/ridiculous-plan-developed-at-florida-zoo-saves-wild-rhinos-eyesight-in-africa/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Corralling a wild rhinoceros into a small chute to give it eyedrops might seem like a crazy plan. But if it’s crazy and it works, then it’s not crazy. Animal behaviorists partnering with the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society in Florida traveled to Africa in August to help an endangered white rhino with a life-threatening, parasitic eye infection. Daniel Terblanche, a security manager with Imvelo Safari Lodges, said no one in Zimbabwe would have come up with the plan. “Believe me, we didn’t think of it; it was a completely ridiculous idea to us,” Terblanche said. “But without trying all of the things that we could to rectify that situation, we would have been in trouble, I think.” Outside of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative, with support from Imvelo Safari Lodges, engages local communities to reintroduce southern white rhinos to communal lands for the first time in the nation’s history. Palm Beach Zoo CEO and President Margo McKnight was visiting the area last year when Imvelo Safari Lodges managing director Mark Butcher told her a health scare with a male rhino named Thuza could jeopardize the future of the program. “This rhino had bleeding eyes. He was rubbing his eyes,” Butcher said. “And I was looking at a potential where this guy was gonna lose his eyesight. And this is in a pilot project that’s got fantastic vision for a future for conservation throughout Africa.” Thad and Angi Lacinak, founders of Precision Behavior, traveled…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Corralling a wild rhinoceros into a small chute to give it eyedrops might seem like a crazy plan. But if it’s crazy and it works, then it’s not crazy. Animal behaviorists partnering with the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society in Florida traveled to Africa in August to help an endangered […] authors: | ||
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Banks must step in before the Amazon Soy Moratorium collapses (commentary) 18 Feb 2026 16:39:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/banks-must-step-in-before-the-amazon-soy-moratorium-collapses-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Ginger Cassady content:encoded: The Amazon Rainforest is approaching a dangerous threshold. Scientists warn that continued deforestation could push the world’s largest rainforest past a tipping point, transforming it into a degraded, fire-prone savanna that emits more carbon than it stores. One of the most effective barriers preventing that outcome is now being dismantled. For nearly 20 years, the Amazon Soy Moratorium has helped protect millions of hectares of forest. It stopped major traders from buying soy grown on land deforested after 2008, breaking the link between agricultural expansion and forest destruction. Earlier this month, following sustained lobbying and political pressure, Brazil’s leading soy industry association withdrew from the agreement, effectively collapsing a system that had become the backbone of responsible soy production in the Amazon. The moratorium helped drive a nearly 70% reduction in deforestation across monitored regions, even as soy production soared. It proved that strong rules and monitoring, backed by market pressure, can protect forests while supporting livelihoods and economic growth. A section of the Amazon rainforest stands next to soy fields in Belterra, Para state, Brazil, on Nov. 30, 2019. Image by AP Photo/Leo Correa. If it collapses fully, the consequences will be devastating. Researchers estimate that Amazon deforestation could rise by 30% in the coming decades, wiping out years of progress and pushing the rainforest closer to irreversible collapse. That would release billions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere and accelerate the climate and biodiversity crises already devastating communities worldwide. The unraveling of the moratorium is not happening…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Finance is often portrayed as distant from environmental destruction, but in reality, it sits at the center: banks and investors decide which business models survive and which harms they will tolerate. - Right now, a successful agreement called the Amazon Soy Moratorium, which has helped protect millions of hectares of forest by stopping major traders from buying soy grown on Amazon land deforested after 2008, is on the brink of collapse due to industry pressure — but banks can play a role in ensuring these traders stay in the pact and don’t let it unravel. - “Financial institutions should make continued access to capital conditional on compliance with the moratorium’s core principles: no deforestation after 2008, full traceability, and zero tolerance for forest destruction in the Amazon biome,” a new op-ed argues. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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Researchers eye jaguar conservation wins under Brazil Indigenous stewardship project 18 Feb 2026 16:20:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/researchers-eye-jaguar-conservation-wins-under-brazil-indigenous-stewardship-project/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: James HallKarla Mendes content:encoded: PAU BRASIL, Brazil — Indigenous leader Fábio Titiah recalls the night he walked the trail to the village of Água Vermelha, in the Caramuru-Paraguassu Indigenous Territory. At around 10 p.m., a shadow burst from the undergrowth and sprang across the road. He says he saw, startled, its glistening, pitch-black pelt and recognized it as one of the rarest animals of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest: a black jaguar (Panthera onca). For Titiah, one of the 21 caciques (chiefs) of the Caramuru-Paraguassu territory in Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia, the fleeting sighting of the big cat was a spiritual encounter and a sign of changes afoot in Indigenous lands. “There was a time when we started the reclamation process, when we [re]occupied our territories, and found a large part of our land transformed into cattle pasture,” Titiah tells Mongabay at his house in the municipality of Pau Brasil, adjacent to the Caramuru-Paraguassu territory, where he’s a city councilor. “Then our people left a good part of these areas to regenerate. Some animals that hadn’t been seen here before started appearing. The jaguar started to return.” The transformation of the Caramuru-Paraguassu territory has been enabled in part by Ywy Ipuranguete (“beautiful lands” in the Tupi-Guarani language), a nationwide project to strengthen and support Indigenous stewardship across 15 Indigenous territories. Building on the recognition of Indigenous lands as vital for wildlife and ecosystems, Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples launched the initiative to safeguard about 6 million hectares (15 million acres) of some of Brazil’s most…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The jaguar is listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List due to threats such as habitat loss and overhunting, but finds a safe haven in Brazil within protected areas and Indigenous lands. - A pioneering new Brazilian initiative seeks to strengthen the protection of 15 Indigenous territories and their biodiversity through land sovereignty, environmental restoration and monitoring. - The initiative may benefit jaguar conservation in one of the big cat’s last remaining strongholds. - The initiative is still in its early stages, and so far there are little to no links between the project and jaguar conservation programs. But researchers say they hope conservation efforts, even if not explicitly aimed at jaguars, can have a ripple effect on protecting the species. authors: | ||
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The most desirable songbird in Indonesia is disappearing from the wild 18 Feb 2026 16:12:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/02/the-most-desirable-songbird-in-indonesia-is-disappearing-from-indonesias-forests-wild-targets/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Rizky Maulana YanuarSandy Watt content:encoded: SUMATRA, Indonesia — Armed with a machete, some sticky gum and a recording of birdsong on his phone, “Peni” makes his way into the forest. He’s searching for songbirds in the Sumatran jungle, specifically the white-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus), known locally as murai batu. The popularity of murai batu has boomed in the past decade due to its complex song and striking looks. In Java, keeping caged birds is more than a hobby — it’s deeply cultural, indicating status and maintaining a connection to nature. The booming competition circuit has transformed this traditional pastime into a lucrative industry, with prizes such as cars and large sums of cash up for grabs. A champion murai batu can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Murai batu is a widespread species, its natural range reaching from India to Papua New Guinea. However, within Indonesia and other countries with a cage-bird tradition, the species faces serious decline. Conservationists say some subspecies within Indonesia have been driven to extinction, while many forests on Java, Indonesia’s most populated island, are believed to be largely devoid of murai batu, pushing the search for new birds to other parts of Indonesia. Until 2018, murai batu was listed as a protected species under Indonesian law. However, it was removed after lobbying from breeder associations, a decision that critics say has made enforcement difficult at a time when murai batu were already under pressure from poaching and habitat loss. For poachers like Peni, catching murai batu once offered a…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: SUMATRA, Indonesia — Armed with a machete, some sticky gum and a recording of birdsong on his phone, “Peni” makes his way into the forest. He’s searching for songbirds in the Sumatran jungle, specifically the white-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus), known locally as murai batu. The popularity of murai batu has boomed in the past decade […] authors: | ||
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Scientists discover a new whale highway after tagging a pygmy blue whale by drone 18 Feb 2026 15:38:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/scientists-discover-a-new-whale-highway-after-tagging-a-pygmy-blue-whale-by-drone/ author: Isabel Esterman dc:creator: Claire Turrell content:encoded: Indonesian scientists have attached a satellite tag onto an endangered pygmy blue whales for the first time by drone. The tag’s data not only revealed a new feeding site for the species (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), but also a previously undocumented path it takes to the South Antarctic. Unlike Antarctic blue whales, pygmy blue whales prefer tropical waters and are found in the Indian Ocean. They’re known to migrate between the west coast of Australia and Indonesia. However, their journey south between Indonesia and Australia is rarely documented and their habits are more of a mystery. A pygmy blue whale is observed by a research drone during the Marine Migratory Species Expedition 2025 in the North Wetar Sea, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, Oct. 9, 2025. (HO/Konservasi Indonesia) From Oct. 5-16, 2025, a team of 20 scientists from Konservasi International, Thrive Conservation, the Elasmobranch Institute and universities from Indonesia and Timor-Leste focused their research on the Lesser Sunda landscape, which is part of the Coral Triangle. The study area also includes the Ombai Strait, known as one of the most important migratory corridors for pygmy blue whales. In December 2025, Indonesia created the new 325,238 hectare West Wetar Marine Protected Area, found within the Lesser Sunda seascape, the scattering of Indonesian islands closest to Australia. During the expedition, the team also gathered data to help the government create an offshore marine protected area in the Banda Sea. The pygmy blue whale’s biggest threats include ship strikes in busy shipping lanes, ocean noise…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Scientists in Indonesia have tagged a pygmy blue whale for the first time using a drone. - Data from the tag revealed a previously unknown path used by the species on its southern migration from Indonesia to the west coast of Australia. - The biggest threats to the pygmy blue whale include ship strikes in busy shipping lanes, ocean noise pollution, and climate change. - A team from Timor-Leste will now repeat the drone tagging protocol in their waters. authors: | ||
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Coral bleaching: How warming seas are transforming the world’s reefs 18 Feb 2026 08:53:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/coral-bleaching-how-warming-seas-are-transforming-the-worlds-reefs/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: In ordinary circumstances coral reefs are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, built slowly by animals that appear to be plants. Each coral polyp houses microscopic algae that convert sunlight into sugars, supplying most of the coral’s energy. When conditions deteriorate, especially when water becomes too warm, this partnership breaks down. The coral expels its symbionts, loses its color, and turns white. This is coral bleaching. The coral is still alive, but weakened. If stressful conditions persist, many die. Bleaching is not new, but its scale is. Before the late 20th century, mass events were rare. Over the past four decades they have become increasingly frequent and severe, driven primarily by ocean warming. A rise of only 1–2 °C above typical summer temperatures can trigger widespread bleaching across entire regions. A newly published global analysis in Nature Communications provides a stark benchmark. During the Third Global Coral Bleaching Event from 2014 to 2017, marine heatwaves affected reefs worldwide for an unusually prolonged period. Based on more than 15,000 reef surveys, researchers estimate that over half of the world’s reefs experienced moderate or worse bleaching, and roughly 15% suffered moderate or greater mortality. The scale of damage exceeded that of any previously recorded global bleaching event, underscoring the accelerating impact of ocean warming on reef systems. Global distribution of heat stress from the first three Global Coral Bleaching Events That episode is now often treated as a reference point because it was both global and sustained. Unlike earlier events, it…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Mass coral bleaching occurs when unusually warm ocean temperatures disrupt the partnership between corals and the microscopic algae that supply most of their energy, leaving corals weakened and often leading to widespread mortality if heat stress persists. - The 2014–2017 Global Coral Bleaching Event was the most severe on record, affecting more than half of the world’s reefs, and a new global bleaching event that began in 2023 suggests that large-scale damage is continuing as oceans warm. - Bleaching interacts with other pressures — including ocean acidification, overfishing, pollution, coastal development, and destructive fishing — reducing reefs’ ability to recover and increasing the risk of long-term degradation. - While conservation, restoration, and experimental interventions may help protect resilient reefs or buy time locally, scientists emphasize that limiting global warming is critical to preserving coral reefs as diverse, functioning ecosystems. authors: | ||
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Southern elephant seals recover in Southern Africa, but global picture is mixed 18 Feb 2026 07:07:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/southern-elephant-seals-recover-in-southern-africa-but-global-picture-is-mixed/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Charles Mpaka content:encoded: The southern elephant seal population in South Africa has seen its conservation status improve from near threatened to least concern, with a recent assessment citing the absence of serious threats to the species’ breeding colonies. Elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are native to sub-Antarctic islands, including Prince Edward Island and Marion Island, which are part of South Africa. They breed on these two islands, and while the colonies are separate, some seals move between the two populations, which allows interbreeding and increases genetic diversity of the species. According to the recently published 2025 Mammal Red List for Southern Africa, “no serious threats have been affecting the land breeding colonies” of the two islands in the last 40 years, resulting in an increase in elephant seal numbers. The latest assessment was part of a collaboration between the nonprofit Endangered Wildlife Trust and the South African National Biodiversity Institute that brought together 163 researchers from 40 institutions to update the conservation statuses of 336 mammal species native to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). The review was guided by the standards set down by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority that puts out the global edition of the Red List. The assessment found that 20% of the 336 species are threatened with extinction while 11% are categorized as near threatened. Of the 67 endemic species, those found nowhere else on Earth, 29 are threatened with extinction. Apart from the southern elephant seal, the researchers noted that the status of…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - The southern elephant seal’s conservation status in South Africa has improved from near threatened to least concern, with experts citing four decades without major threats to its breeding colonies on Marion and Prince Edward islands. - About 5,500 seals are estimated across the two islands, with nearly 1,400 pups recorded in 2023; strong legal protections and marine protected area status have supported recovery. - Scientists caution that the causes of a sharp population decline in the late 20th century remain poorly understood, with possible links to food availability, climate change and oceanographic shifts. - While South Africa’s population is recovering, other southern elephant seal populations face threats, including a devastating bird flu outbreak in Argentina, prompting debate about the species’ global conservation status. authors: | ||
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From chemistry to regeneration: Agriculture’s next transformation has begun (commentary) 17 Feb 2026 21:53:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/from-chemistry-to-regeneration-agricultures-next-transformation-has-begun-commentary/ author: Erik Hoffner dc:creator: Sallie Calhoun content:encoded: Agriculture is on the cusp of its most profound transformation in a century. Just as the Green Revolution shifted farming from sun and soil to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, we are just beginning another revolution: returning to an agriculture based on biology rather than chemistry. This isn’t new knowledge; rather, it’s wisdom refined over millennia that we temporarily abandoned. If we embrace it, this transition could restore ecosystems, strengthen rural economies, and secure a healthier food future for all. For most of human history, farming relied on natural systems: the symbiosis between plants, soil and sun. That changed in the 20th century when synthetic fertilizers and pesticides made soil little more than a prop to hold up a plant that was externally fed everything it needed, and was stripped of its biodiversity. The approach boosted yields, but at enormous costs that we’re just now beginning to grasp fully: degraded soils, contaminated water, rising chemical input dependence (and correlated rising costs to farmers, even as food gets cheaper), which all result in collapsing farm economics and ecosystems. The system is locked in a treadmill of toxicity and debt. Sheep graze in the vineyard at Paicines Ranch. Image by Alicia Arcidiacono / Paicines Ranch. Nature’s intelligence Regenerative agriculture offers a path forward, and away from agrichemicals and bare ground. It builds on thousands of years of Indigenous knowledge, farmer-led innovation, organic farming and agroecological science that challenge chemical dependency and center biology in agriculture, while avoiding rigid prescriptions that risk turning principles…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Just as the Green Revolution shifted farming from sun and soil to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, we are now seeing a new revolution, one of returning to an agriculture based on biology rather than chemistry. - The current, chemically dependent model has produced a lot of food but at great cost to soil health, biodiversity and livelihoods. - “Society must recognize the truth: we cannot continue to poison our environment in the name of food production, and regeneration is the only viable future,” a new op-ed argues. - This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. authors: | ||
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Kiliii Yüyan puts Indigenous ‘Guardians of Life’ and their planetary stewardship in focus 17 Feb 2026 21:28:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/02/kiliii-yuyan-puts-indigenous-guardians-of-life-and-their-planetary-stewardship-in-focus/ author: Mikedigirolamo dc:creator: Mike DiGirolamo content:encoded: National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan returns to the Mongabay Newscast to share his experience creating his new book, Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet from specialty publisher Braided River. This book documents the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of nine Indigenous communities worldwide, featuring contributions and essays from many members of these communities, along with Yüyan’s own photography. TEK, Yüyan says, isn’t exactly traditional so much as it is ecological knowledge that is place-based. While it draws on thousands of years of knowledge, it also innovates in society as we know it, and can offer social, cultural and ecological benefits that neoliberal economics does not. For example, visitors to the Pacific island nation of Palau receive a stamp in their passport that declares they will protect the reef (one of the largest marine protected areas in the world) for all the people and the grandchildren of Palau. The country’s governance structure quite literally integrates family in policing the marine protected area. Yüyan describes what happens if you go hunting in the MPA: You’ll probably get stern shaming from your Aunty, and the whole community will know about it. “The real magic that I discovered [in Palau] as I started talking to people was that the traditional governance structure that they’re all used to over there is what makes it work. What makes it work is family ties.” Many of the Indigenous communities featured in the book are sovereign nations or part thereof, for whom “laws and…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan returns to the Mongabay Newscast to share his experience creating his new book, Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet from specialty publisher Braided River. This book documents the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of nine Indigenous communities worldwide, featuring contributions and essays from many members of […] authors: | ||
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Some forest restoration linked to short-term rise in zoonotic diseases 17 Feb 2026 20:22:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/some-forest-restoration-linked-to-short-term-rise-in-zoonotic-diseases/ author: Glenn Scherer dc:creator: Bobby Bascomb content:encoded: Deforestation and land use change can accelerate the spread of zoonotic diseases — infectious illnesses that can spread from animals to humans — including malaria and COVID-19. While habitat restoration is crucial for addressing biodiversity loss and climate change, new research suggests counterintuitively that it can also temporarily increase the risk of certain zoonotic diseases in some areas. Human encroachment into wild spaces for development and agriculture increases contact with disease-spreading wildlife. In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, for example, researchers found mosquitoes were more likely to feast on humans when their natural hosts became scarce as a result of deforestation. Despite a global push to restore degraded ecosystems, scientists have known little about how restoration affects zoonotic disease risk. To fill that gap, Adam Fell with the University of Stirling in Scotland, and lead author of a new study, conducted a large meta-analysis of scientific literature, case studies and policy reports. “We only found something like 39 [relevant] studies, out of thousands that we looked through,” Fell told Mongabay in a video call. The results were very context-dependent, he said. In some cases, reforestation actually increased the spread of zoonotic diseases in the short term. One explanation offered by researchers is that rodents — a common vector for infectious disease — are among the first colonizers in a disturbed landscape, and with them can come an uptick in zoonotic diseases like hantavirus. In the long term, Fell added, ecosystems tend to find balance as larger animals, like ungulates and bobcats, return…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Deforestation and land use change can accelerate the spread of zoonotic diseases — infectious illnesses that can spread from animals to humans — including malaria and COVID-19. While habitat restoration is crucial for addressing biodiversity loss and climate change, new research suggests counterintuitively that it can also temporarily increase the risk of certain zoonotic diseases […] authors: | ||
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Amazon deforestation on pace to be the lowest on record, says Brazil 17 Feb 2026 20:03:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/amazon-deforestation-on-pace-to-be-the-lowest-on-record-says-brazil/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: Brazil’s latest satellite alerts indicate that deforestation in the Amazon has continued to fall into early 2026, extending a downward trend that began after a sharp rise earlier in the decade. Data released by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show that 1,325 square kilometers of forest clearing were detected between Aug. 1, 2025 — the start of Brazil’s deforestation year — and Jan. 31, 2026. That is down from 2,050 square kilometers during the same period a year earlier and represents the lowest figure for this interval since 2014. Over a longer horizon, the picture is similarly positive from a conservation perspective. Alerts for the trailing 12 months totaled 3,770 square kilometers, compared with 4,245 square kilometers at this time last year, also the lowest since 2014. These figures come from INPE’s DETER system, which uses near-real-time satellite imagery primarily to guide enforcement. While less precise than annual surveys, DETER is widely regarded as a reliable indicator of short-term trends. Accumulated deforestation for Aug 1-Jan 31 in recent years according to INPE’s DETER alert system. Image by Mongabay Data from INPE’s DETER and Imazon’s SAD detection systems showing deforestation in the Legal Amazon (“Amazonia”). Image by Mongabay Speaking at a press conference announcing the data last week, Environment Minister Marina Silva said the decline reflects coordinated government action. She noted that most high-deforestation municipalities have now joined federal initiatives aimed at curbing illegal clearing. “Of the 81 municipalities with the highest deforestation rates, 70 have already made this…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Near-real-time satellite alerts show Amazon deforestation in Brazil continuing to decline into early 2026, with clearing from August through January falling to its lowest level for that period since 2014. - Over the previous 12 months, detected forest loss also dropped to a 2014 low, reinforcing a broader downward trend that is corroborated by official annual data and independent monitoring. Clearing in the neighboring Cerrado savanna has also fallen - Environment Minister Marina Silva attributed the decline to strengthened enforcement and municipal cooperation, saying Brazil could record the lowest Amazon deforestation rate since record-keeping began in 1988 if current efforts continue. - While the data is positive for conservation advocates, short-term satellite data can fluctuate seasonally, and long-term outcomes will depend on economic pressures, infrastructure expansion, and climate-driven risks such as drought and fire. authors: | ||
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Malaria outbreak among Indigenous Pirahã linked to forest loss, satellite data find 17 Feb 2026 18:16:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/malaria-outbreak-among-indigenous-piraha-linked-to-forest-loss-satellite-data-find/ author: Latoya Abulu dc:creator: Aimee Gabay content:encoded: Tucked into Brazil’s Amazon forest, along the Maici River where recently contacted Pirahã people live, journalists observed a dramatic uptick in forest loss. According to data from Global Forest Watch, the Pirahã Indigenous Territory lost 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres) of tree cover in 2024, roughly the size of more than 6,000 soccer fields, representing the largest spike of deforestation between 2001 and 2024. But the cause was beyond the usual culprits of deforestation in the Amazon. In fact, national authorities say, it was part of an effort to address issues vulnerable Indigenous communities face following land invasions: food insecurity and the spread of diseases. The recent spike is mostly due to land clearings to improve food security and a health crisis in the affected population, said Daniel Cangussu, coordinator of the Madeira Ethno-Environmental Protection Front (FPE Madeira-Purus), a branch of Funai, Brazil’s Indigenous agency, which specializes in monitoring and protecting isolated and recently contacted people in the southern Amazonas region. Cangussu said via WhatsApp that Funai and the Pirahã people cleared land to plant crops such as cassava for the roughly 800 people who live there. For several decades, the Pirahã Indigenous people have faced a multitude of issues, from illegal loggers and hunters to invasions by outsiders seeking to extract natural resources from their territory in Brazil’s Amazonas state. Wildlife that people would hunt have been scared away, and fish stocks also declined due to the destruction. In recent years, government officials discovered the population was suffering from a…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - According to data from Global Forest Watch, the Pirahã Indigenous Territory in Brazil lost 7,000 hectares of tree cover from 2002-24. - A large spike occurred in 2024, when the territory lost 3,200 hectares of tree cover. - Government officials told Mongabay that the recently contacted Pirahã people are facing a malaria outbreak, and the deforestation is the result of an effort by Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency to improve food security. - The situation is complex, conservationists say, and although the clearings to plant crops may exacerbate the risk of malaria, the Pirahã people need food to improve their ability to fight the disease. authors: | ||
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Scientists can’t agree on where the world’s forests are 17 Feb 2026 17:42:43 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/scientists-cant-agree-on-where-the-worlds-forests-are/ author: Rhett Butler dc:creator: Rhett Ayers Butler content:encoded: A deceptively simple question underlies many global environmental policies: where, exactly, are the world’s forests? A new study suggests the answer depends heavily on which map one consults—and that the differences are large enough to reshape climate targets, conservation priorities, and development spending. Researchers Sarah Castle, Peter Newton, Johan Oldekop, Kathy Baylis, and Daniel Miller compared ten widely used global forest datasets derived from satellite imagery. These products underpin everything from carbon accounting to biodiversity assessments. Yet they rarely agree. Across the area identified as forest by at least one dataset, only about 26% was classified as forest by all of them. Even after adjusting maps to a common spatial scale, agreement improved only modestly. This divergence stems partly from differing definitions. Some datasets count areas with sparse tree cover as forest; others require dense canopy. A threshold of 10% canopy cover, for example, will include savannas and woodland mosaics, while a 70% threshold captures only closed forests. Resolution also matters. High-resolution imagery can detect narrow forest strips or small patches that coarser data miss. Methodological choices—such as sensor type, machine-learning algorithm, and training data—introduce further variation. A) Spatial agreement of forest cover classifications between eight land cover datasets. Spatial agreement is defined as the number of datasets that define a pixel as forest, between 1 and 8. Full agreement between all eight datasets corresponds to a value of eight (dark green), and no agreement between the datasets corresponds to a value of 1 (dark purple). No color (gray) indicates…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A global comparison of ten satellite-based forest datasets found striking disagreement about where forests are located, with only about a quarter of mapped forest area recognized by all sources. Differences in definitions, resolution, and methodology mean that estimates of forest extent vary widely depending on the map used. - The inconsistencies are greatest in dry forests and fragmented landscapes, where sparse tree cover makes classification difficult. Even small technical choices—such as canopy thresholds or sensor type—can determine whether an area counts as forest at all. - These discrepancies translate into large differences in real-world indicators. Estimates of forest carbon in Kenya, forest-proximate poverty in India, and habitat loss in Brazil varied dramatically across datasets, with potential implications for funding, policy, and conservation priorities. - Because forest maps underpin climate targets, biodiversity planning, and development decisions, the authors urge treating estimates as ranges rather than precise figures and testing results across multiple datasets. Greater standardization and transparency, they argue, will be essential for credible monitoring of global environmental goals. authors: | ||
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Kenya launches a carbon registry to boost climate finance and credibility 17 Feb 2026 16:31:55 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/kenya-launches-a-carbon-registry-to-boost-climate-finance-and-credibility/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Associated Press content:encoded: NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya has launched its first national carbon registry, a centralized system to track carbon credit projects, prevent double counting and strengthen transparency in climate markets. The platform positions Kenya to attract global climate financing as demand grows for credible carbon offsets under the Paris Climate agreement. Officials say the registry will ensure emissions reductions are verified and that communities benefit from carbon trading. Backed by international partners including Germany, the system is meant to boost investor confidence and align carbon projects with national climate targets. Africa holds vast carbon sinks but gets only a small share of global carbon market investment. By Allan Olingo, Associated Press Banner image: Fisherman Guni Mazeras, 62, casts a net backdropped by mangrove trees in Vanga, Kwale County, Kenya on Monday, June 13, 2022. Locals living in once-heavily forested regions across Africa are starting to find their land in high demand as governments and companies seek to improve their climate credentials through carbon credit schemes, where tree-planting offsets carbon dioxide emissions. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)This article was originally published on Mongabay description: NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya has launched its first national carbon registry, a centralized system to track carbon credit projects, prevent double counting and strengthen transparency in climate markets. The platform positions Kenya to attract global climate financing as demand grows for credible carbon offsets under the Paris Climate agreement. Officials say the registry will […] authors: | ||
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That “butterfly” you saw? It was probably a moth 17 Feb 2026 15:26:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/that-butterfly-you-saw-it-was-probably-a-moth/ author: Sam Lee dc:creator: Romi Castagnino content:encoded: Most people think moths are dull, nocturnal, and nothing like butterflies. That couldn’t be more wrong. In the Amazon rainforest, moths come in every color, shape, and size — and many are active during the day. In fact, while there are only about 18,000 species of butterflies worldwide, there are over 160,000 species of moths. From fuzzy antennae to nighttime science traps, this is a closer look at one of the most overlooked — and misunderstood — creatures in the rainforest. I’m Romi Castagnino and this is Stranger Creatures — decoding the Amazon’s strangest survivors, one episode at a time. Episodes each week!This article was originally published on Mongabay description: Most people think moths are dull, nocturnal, and nothing like butterflies. That couldn’t be more wrong. In the Amazon rainforest, moths come in every color, shape, and size — and many are active during the day. In fact, while there are only about 18,000 species of butterflies worldwide, there are over 160,000 species of moths. […] authors: | ||
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Helicopter translocation brings isolated banteng to safer grounds in Cambodia 17 Feb 2026 13:34:10 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/helicopter-translocation-brings-isolated-banteng-to-safer-grounds-in-cambodia/ author: Philip Jacobson dc:creator: Carolyn Cowan content:encoded: Earlier this month, a team of conservationists translocated 16 critically endangered banteng into Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary in northeast Cambodia in a bid to boost numbers that had dwindled to critical levels. The group of wild cattle was captured and transported from a nearby unprotected forest facing imminent conversion to farmland. The operation was the second phase of largescale efforts to save the herd, led by Cambodia-based social enterprise Rising Phoenix in partnership with local wildlife authorities. “With proper law enforcement, no poaching and suitable habitat in Siem Pang, I think there is a very positive future for them,” said Romain Legrand, biodiversity research and monitoring manager with Rising Phoenix. “The population is going to grow quickly, I’m sure.” Together with the first translocation carried out in May 2025, the recent operation brings the total rehomed banteng (Bos javanicus) population in the reserve to 32 individuals, including breeding-age adults and calves, according to Legrand. Banteng are strikingly patterned bovids, their bright white legs and snowy rumps contrasting sharply against their russet coats. The species used to range across Southeast Asia, with Cambodia’s once-extensive dry dipterocarp forests home to a significant portion of the global population. However, decades of deforestation and hunting for their meat, horns and hides have decimated their numbers — the latest IUCN Red List assessment puts their global population at no more than 8,000 individuals. In Cambodia, the species hangs on as sporadic groups eking out an existence in a handful of isolated forest patches. While tigers…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Earlier this month in northeastern Cambodia, conservationists deployed helicopters, trucks and more than 50 personnel to translocate a group of critically endangered banteng into a protected reserve. - Banteng, a type of wild cattle that once roamed widely across Southeast Asia, have suffered crippling population declines due to hunting and deforestation. - The effort is part of wider plans to secure a future for the species in Cambodia while rewilding Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary, a site that experts say is one of Cambodia’s best protected sites. - Against the backdrop of intense forest loss, even within protected areas, experts say translocation of isolated animals away from frontiers of development could offer a viable future for conservation in Cambodia. authors: | ||
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UN recognition is latest boost to restoring spekboom across South Africa’s semidesert Karoo 17 Feb 2026 12:40:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/un-recognition-is-latest-boost-to-restoring-spekboom-across-south-africas-semidesert-karoo/ author: Terna Gyuse dc:creator: Joe Walsh content:encoded: “Spekboom is everywhere, it’s all anyone talks about … what used to be an Angora goat farming town is now a spekboom town,” says field ecologist Rae Attridge. In the past two years, Nat Carbon, the carbon project developer Attridge works for, has planted 10,000 hectares (nearly 25,000 acres) of spekboom in the Klein Karoo, a semidesert region of South Africa. Their work is the first phase of an effort to restore 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of degraded land on five farms near Jansenville in Eastern Cape province. The company is one of more than 60 entities carrying out spekboom thicket restoration projects across 800,000 hectares (2 million acres), all loosely tied up under what the United Nations calls the Thicket Restoration Movement. The Subtropical Thicket Restoration Programme was started in 2004 by the South African government with $8 million of funding intended to catalyze large-scale investment into thicket restoration efforts in the region. These were the first green shoots of a growing collection of projects now recognized by the U.N. In 2009, researchers had planted spekboom (Porticularia afra) on 331 quarter-hectare plots scattered across over roughly 7.5 million hectares (18.5 million acres) of the biome to evaluate the potential for restoration. These earlier experiments found that thicker stems would increase survival rates, but watering at planting time had a negligible impact. It also found that animals, both wild and domestic, easily found their way to these small poorly protected plots. An Angora goat in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Since 2004, the South African government has been working to restore spekboom thickets in a semiarid region of the country. - This biome, anchored by the hardy, carbon-sequestering spekboom plant, has been massively degraded by two centuries of expanding farming and livestock herding. - That long arc of conversion of thicket landscapes to farm and rangeland is now dying, as overgrazing, climate change and shifting markets for agricultural products take their toll. - Dozens of private operators have joined the government in trying to restore this biome’s original thicket cover, attracted by the potential for income from carbon credits. authors: | ||
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Indonesia says intervention in notorious Sumatran national park part of new ‘model’ 17 Feb 2026 09:44:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/indonesia-says-intervention-in-notorious-sumatran-national-park-part-of-new-model/ author: Mongabay Editor dc:creator: Suryadi content:encoded: PELALAWAN, Indonesia — A radical new policy to relocate people living in a notoriously deforested national park on Sumatra has moved hundreds of families to date, with Indonesian officials presenting the controversial program as a blueprint for other protected areas across Asia’s largest remaining tropical forests. “This activity will serve as a model for other locations in restoring national parks,” Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said in a statement. Tesso Nilo is one of the few remaining habitats of the critically endangered Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatrensis) and Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae). The forest is also home to thousands of plant species. The lowland national park in Sumatra’s Riau province has suffered extensive deforestation, however, despite being granted the highest level of state protection two decades ago. Tesso Nilo was designated a national park in 2004 on a former logging timber concession. Following a subsequent expansion in 2009, Tesso Nilo National Park now spans 81,793 hectares (202,115 acres) — an area larger than New York City. Data from Global Forest Watch, a satellite platform managed by the World Resources Institute, showed Tesso Nilo National Park lost 78% of its old-growth forest between the expansion in 2009 and end-2023. Fieldworkers in Riau say the extraordinary level of destruction in Tesso Nilo reflects complex challenges to the rule of law on the ground, from community encroachment and migration to corruption and organized criminality, which successive local and national governments have failed to control. In an attempt to halt the crisis,…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - Tesso Nilo National Park was established in 2004 and expanded in 2009 in Sumatra’s Riau province, but has since lost more than three-quarters of its old-growth forest, largely to smallholder oil palm farms, according to remote-sensing platform Global Forest Watch. - Last year, officials working under a new nationwide forestry task force began work to relocate hundreds of farming families living inside the park, in a radical attempt to regain control of a protected area that’s been almost entirely destroyed. - The government is framing the Tesso Nilo policy around efforts to save Domang, one of the critically endangered Sumatran elephant calves living within the national park. - The intervention in Tesso Nilo sparked some low-intensity violence last year, including destruction of a shelter in the forest used by national park staff as a base for fieldwork, prompting a surge in military presence to bolster security as the operation proceeds. authors: | ||
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Floods linked to climate change hit nearly 1 million in Southern Africa 17 Feb 2026 06:56:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/floods-linked-to-climate-change-hit-nearly-1-million-in-southern-africa/ author: Malavikavyawahare dc:creator: Victoria Schneider content:encoded: Devastating floods that swept across Southern Africa since December 2025, killing at least 280 people and affecting almost a million, were likely intensified by the impacts of climate change, scientists say. The region’s rainy season hit hard in Mozambique, Eswatini, Madagascar, South Africa and Zimbabwe, displacing 150,000 people and destroying 105,000 hectares (nearly 260,000 acres) of farmland. Most recently, Cyclone Gezani hit Madagascar on Feb. 10, leaving dozens dead. The storm also caused deaths and damages in flood-battered Mozambique. A rapid study by World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international consortium of scientists and institutions that investigates the role of human-caused climate change in extreme weather events, found that a warming climate, combined with La Niña weather patterns, aggravated the extreme rains. “The most striking finding was that the rainfall accumulated over just 10 days exceeded the region’s average annual rainfall. This was unprecedented,” one of the study’s lead authors, Izidine Pinto, climatologist and researcher for weather and climate models at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, told Mongabay. He added that some weather stations recorded more than 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain in just 24 hours. The authors noted that structural vulnerabilities in the affected areas made the climatic shocks even deadlier and more destructive. Mozambique, in particular, Pinto said, was not prepared for such heavy rainfall. The WWA scientists analyzed 10-day maximum rainfall accumulations during the rainy season in Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) and Zimbabwe from December to the beginning of February. By combining this…This article was originally published on Mongabay description: - A rapid analysis of heavy floods that occurred between December 2025 and January 2026 in Southern Africa finds that climate change has exacerbated extreme rainfall events. - Scientists found that rainfall events in the region seem to be becoming more intense, and the likelihood of extreme precipitation occurring is higher in a warmer world. - Despite limitations of climate models in the African context, scientists say they’re confident that weather patterns are shifting due to climate change. - The study also revealed that the impacts were heightened due to structural and social vulnerabilities in the affected countries, with Mozambique being the hardest hit. authors: | ||
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