MONGABAY

MARCH 20. 2025

Court orders Trump administration to address pesticide risks to endangered species

A U. S. federal judge recently ordered the Trump administration’s Fish and Wildlife Service to complete assessments on the impacts of six pesticides and the steps needed to protect endangered species from them. This isn’t the first time pesticide safety has come before the Trump administration.

Fish-tracking robot aims to make fishing more sustainable in developing nations

LAKE CHILWA, Malawi — When fishers on Lake Chilwa cast their nets, they don’t know whether there are fish below, or something else entirely. “We don’t go out in the lake to check what we have where.

US jury sides with pipeline company in lawsuit against Greenpeace

A jury in the U. S. state of North Dakota has found the environmental advocacy group Greenpeace liable for defamation against Texas-based Energy Transfer, operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Greenpeace has denied the claim, saying the company is using the lawsuit to intimidate and silence peaceful protest.

Housing affordability through sustainability? Mongabay podcast explores

Countries all over the world face huge deficits in affordable housing today. But pursuing a circular economy, or the practice of making a good’s life cycle less resource-intensive, can pave the way for less expensive and longer-lasting houses, Mongabay’s Mike DiGirolamo found in an episode of the Mongabay Explores podcast published last December.

Scientists cherish win against online ornamental trade in bats

Bat researchers recently declared a “major victory” in helping stop the online ornamental trade of bats, especially the painted woolly bat that’s sought as a décor or trinket for its brightly colored body and cute, furry face.

Brazil declares environmental emergency ahead of 2025 fire season

Brazil has declared a nationwide environmental emergency to prevent another devastating fire season in 2025. In 2024, record-breaking blazes scorched millions of hectares of native vegetation in the Amazon Rainforest and other biodiversity-rich biomes. The measure, decreed by environment minister Marina Silva on Feb.

A curious conservationist who walked along India’s coastlines to learn about sea turtles

Satish Bhaskar was a curious man. From a very young age he was fascinated with the sea and the diverse marine creatures, especially turtles. When he learnt that sea turtles were being exploited in India for their eggs, shells and flesh, he understood the importance of documenting and protecting nesting turtle beaches.

Bleak future for Karoo succulents as desert expands in South Africa

Sometimes words fall hopelessly short. This might explain the silences between the two botanists as their vehicle crunches over a gravelly Richtersveld moonscape, a desert that straddles the South African and Namibian border along the Orange River.

Ecuador must improve conditions for uncontacted Indigenous communities, human rights court rules

An international court published its ruling this month that the Ecuadorian government was responsible for a long list of human rights violations against uncontacted Indigenous communities in the Amazon Rainforest. It’s the first case of its kind examining protections for people who live outside of regular contact with the rest of the world.

Colombia’s top oil company concealed environmental damages: Investigation

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — A green iguana rests above the letters spelling Ecopetrol at the headquarters of Colombia’s largest company, located in the heart of Bogotá, the capital city.

‘3,000 year-old’ trees in Tanzania are new species

Botanist Andrea Bianchi and local plant experts Aloyce Mwakisoma and his brother Ruben were exploring two tiny village forest reserves in the Udzungwa mountains in 2019, when they stumbled upon some imposing trees. Bianchi turned to the Mwakisoma brothers for advice, but even they had never seen this kind of tree before.

MARCH 19. 2025

17 dead as Cyclone Jude wreaks havoc in East Africa

Sixteen people died in Mozambique and one in Madagascar after Cyclone Jude pivoted through the region last week, according to the latest European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) report. More than 130 people were injured while four were recorded missing as of March 18.

Why are the British flooding parts of their coast?

SOMERSET, England — Steart Marshes, in southwest England, may not be the most picturesque nature reserve in the British Isles, but it is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating.

‘Unprecedented’ Supreme Court bill threatens Indigenous rights in Brazil

Presented in February by Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes, a draft bill violates Indigenous people's constitutional rights by stripping their veto power against impactful activities on their ancestral lands and adding further obstacles to an already long land demarcation process.