Africa’s little-known golden cat gets a conservation boost, with community help

It was mid-2008. Mwezi “Badru” Mugerwa was almost done with his bachelor’s degree in forestry, an academic field that had trained him to view forests as a resource for extraction. However, as he inched closer to graduation, the idea of cutting down trees didn’t sit well with him, and he was looking for ways to […]

As 25 Earth vital signs worsen, scientists warn of ‘irreversible climate disaster’

Earth’s climate system continues to rapidly deteriorate, with global temperatures on track to far overshoot 2° Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit) of warming by the end of the century — a mere 75 years from now. That warning comes from an international group of eminent climate researchers and Earth System scientists who reviewed the planet’s vital signs […]

Mongabay India wins Greenaccord award for environment journalism

Mongabay India has been honored with the 2024 Greenaccord International Media Award, presented annually by the Italy-based nonprofit Greenaccord. The award publicly recognizes news organizations that are committed to “raising public awareness of the most urgent ecological problems of our time and promoting a more sustainable future.” This year’s recipients include two news outlets from Asia: Mongabay […]

Indonesia civil society rallies behind student investigated over nickel protest

AMBON/SURABAYA/JAKARTA, Indonesia — Criminal investigations of environmental advocates in Indonesia continue to undermine civil society in the world’s third-largest democracy, with two anti-mining activists the latest to be hauled before police following a routine demonstration. Investigators with the cybercrime directorate of Indonesia’s national police on Aug. 27 and Sep. 9 summoned university students Christina Rumalatu […]

U. S. government and Indigenous tribes to co-manage newest marine sanctuary

In advance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the U.S., the federal government announced a new national marine sanctuary off the coast of California that will be co-managed with tribes and Indigenous groups in the area. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sactuary will be the third-largest federally protected  stretch of water, encompassing more than 11,600 square […]

As tidal power rides a wave of clean energy optimism, pitfalls persist

In the Pentland Firth off of Scotland’s coast, an array of underwater turbines churn 24/7, spun by powerful ocean tides. Operational since 2018, this tidal stream project reached a milestone last year, generating 51 gigawatt hours of power — a first anywhere in the world for tidal stream technology. Though limited to only four turbines, […]

Why biodiversity credits cannot work

The earth is on the brink of a sixth extinction crisis, making it urgent to expand programs to conserve nature and its biodiversity, especially in tropical countries with the highest biodiversity. One option is the use of market mechanisms such as crediting systems to help conserve tropical forests to limit both the emissions of greenhouse […]

Scientists use fake dolphin carcasses to study real dolphin strandings

Stranded dolphins can tell researchers a lot about the health of dolphin populations and potential dangers to human health. But figuring out how many wash ashore is difficult because scientists rely heavily on the public to report sightings. To better understand how and where ordinary citizens are most likely to report the beached mammals, researchers […]

New tourism restrictions to protect Bangladesh’s unique wetlands and coral-rich island

In a bid to protect biodiversity hotspots in the country, Bangladesh plans to restrict tourism and introduce environment-friendly guidelines and directions for tourists visiting the Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs). The coral reef-rich Saint Martin’s Island and one of the largest haors — a type of wetland ecosystem — in the country, Tanguar Haor, known to […]

Brazil upgrades park to protect Amazon’s tallest tree, allows tourism

South America’s tallest tree, a 400-year-old red angelim in the northern tip of the Brazilian Amazon, is the star of a newly created conservation area called the Giant Trees of the Amazon State Park. The area was officially sectioned off from the larger Paru State Forest on Sept. 30 for stronger protection. At 88.5 meters […]

Angkor Plywood, the ‘timber cartel’ shipping Cambodian forests internationally

Several Cambodian journalists contributed to this report, but have requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the story. STUNG TRENG, Cambodia — Rare timber species likely logged from Cambodia’s embattled protected forests have been exported to Vietnam and China for years by Angkor Plywood, one of the country’s most notorious logging companies, Mongabay can […]

Deforestation remains low, but fires surge in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest

The rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has remained near a six-year low despite a surge in the number of fires burning in Earth’s largest rainforest, according to data released on Friday by Brazil’s national space research institute, INPE. INPE’s deforestation alert system (DETER) reported that 561 square kilometers were cleared in September, bringing […]

Climate change fueled Hurricane Milton’s rapid intensification

Within just over 24 hours of forming in the Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 6, Hurricane Milton grew from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5, the most powerful class of storms. It was a jump in wind speeds of more than 153 kilometers per hour (95 miles per hour) in a day. This […]

West Africa’s forgotten felines endangered by conflict and research gaps

In the border region between Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso lies a network of protected areas that form one of the largest intact wildernesses in West Africa. The W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) Complex is a mosaic of gallery forests, savannas and riparian habitats, and the last refuge for many of the region’s most iconic species, including West […]

Africa’s little-known golden cat gets a conservation boost, with community help

It was mid-2008. Mwezi “Badru” Mugerwa was almost done with his bachelor’s degree in forestry, an academic field that had trained him to view forests as a resource for extraction. However, as he inched closer to graduation, the idea of cutting down trees didn’t sit well with him, and he was looking for ways to […]

As 25 Earth vital signs worsen, scientists warn of ‘irreversible climate disaster’

Earth’s climate system continues to rapidly deteriorate, with global temperatures on track to far overshoot 2° Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit) of warming by the end of the century — a mere 75 years from now. That warning comes from an international group of eminent climate researchers and Earth System scientists who reviewed the planet’s vital signs […]

Mongabay India wins Greenaccord award for environment journalism

Mongabay India has been honored with the 2024 Greenaccord International Media Award, presented annually by the Italy-based nonprofit Greenaccord. The award publicly recognizes news organizations that are committed to “raising public awareness of the most urgent ecological problems of our time and promoting a more sustainable future.” This year’s recipients include two news outlets from Asia: Mongabay […]

Indonesia civil society rallies behind student investigated over nickel protest

AMBON/SURABAYA/JAKARTA, Indonesia — Criminal investigations of environmental advocates in Indonesia continue to undermine civil society in the world’s third-largest democracy, with two anti-mining activists the latest to be hauled before police following a routine demonstration. Investigators with the cybercrime directorate of Indonesia’s national police on Aug. 27 and Sep. 9 summoned university students Christina Rumalatu […]

U. S. government and Indigenous tribes to co-manage newest marine sanctuary

In advance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the U.S., the federal government announced a new national marine sanctuary off the coast of California that will be co-managed with tribes and Indigenous groups in the area. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sactuary will be the third-largest federally protected  stretch of water, encompassing more than 11,600 square […]

As tidal power rides a wave of clean energy optimism, pitfalls persist

In the Pentland Firth off of Scotland’s coast, an array of underwater turbines churn 24/7, spun by powerful ocean tides. Operational since 2018, this tidal stream project reached a milestone last year, generating 51 gigawatt hours of power — a first anywhere in the world for tidal stream technology. Though limited to only four turbines, […]

Why biodiversity credits cannot work

The earth is on the brink of a sixth extinction crisis, making it urgent to expand programs to conserve nature and its biodiversity, especially in tropical countries with the highest biodiversity. One option is the use of market mechanisms such as crediting systems to help conserve tropical forests to limit both the emissions of greenhouse […]

Scientists use fake dolphin carcasses to study real dolphin strandings

Stranded dolphins can tell researchers a lot about the health of dolphin populations and potential dangers to human health. But figuring out how many wash ashore is difficult because scientists rely heavily on the public to report sightings. To better understand how and where ordinary citizens are most likely to report the beached mammals, researchers […]

New tourism restrictions to protect Bangladesh’s unique wetlands and coral-rich island

In a bid to protect biodiversity hotspots in the country, Bangladesh plans to restrict tourism and introduce environment-friendly guidelines and directions for tourists visiting the Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs). The coral reef-rich Saint Martin’s Island and one of the largest haors — a type of wetland ecosystem — in the country, Tanguar Haor, known to […]

Brazil upgrades park to protect Amazon’s tallest tree, allows tourism

South America’s tallest tree, a 400-year-old red angelim in the northern tip of the Brazilian Amazon, is the star of a newly created conservation area called the Giant Trees of the Amazon State Park. The area was officially sectioned off from the larger Paru State Forest on Sept. 30 for stronger protection. At 88.5 meters […]

Angkor Plywood, the ‘timber cartel’ shipping Cambodian forests internationally

Several Cambodian journalists contributed to this report, but have requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the story. STUNG TRENG, Cambodia — Rare timber species likely logged from Cambodia’s embattled protected forests have been exported to Vietnam and China for years by Angkor Plywood, one of the country’s most notorious logging companies, Mongabay can […]

Deforestation remains low, but fires surge in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest

The rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has remained near a six-year low despite a surge in the number of fires burning in Earth’s largest rainforest, according to data released on Friday by Brazil’s national space research institute, INPE. INPE’s deforestation alert system (DETER) reported that 561 square kilometers were cleared in September, bringing […]

Climate change fueled Hurricane Milton’s rapid intensification

Within just over 24 hours of forming in the Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 6, Hurricane Milton grew from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5, the most powerful class of storms. It was a jump in wind speeds of more than 153 kilometers per hour (95 miles per hour) in a day. This […]

West Africa’s forgotten felines endangered by conflict and research gaps

In the border region between Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso lies a network of protected areas that form one of the largest intact wildernesses in West Africa. The W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) Complex is a mosaic of gallery forests, savannas and riparian habitats, and the last refuge for many of the region’s most iconic species, including West […]