In Ethiopia, women and faith drive effort to restore biodiversity
ENTOTO, Ethiopia — In a tiny home not far from the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, 80-year-old Aragash Boka finally rests from a long day’s work carrying an awkward, heavy…
Environmental headlines
Mongabay is a non-profit provider of conservation and environmental science news.
Mongabay’s top 5 forests stories of 2019 (so far) for International Forests Day
Forests have been at the core of Mongabay's coverage since our founding 20 years ago. So for the International Day of Forests 2019, below are the top 5 most read…
Tapirs could be key in helping degraded rainforests bounce back
Tapirs may help rainforests recover after destructive human use and increase the amount of carbon they hold, new research has found. The study, based in the Brazilian Amazon, found that…
‘The ultimate agricultural practice’: Q&A with organizers of World Agroforestry Congress 2019
Agroforestry is an agricultural technique that combines trees with shrubs, crops and livestock in a system that produces food, supports biodiversity, builds soil horizons and water tables, and sequesters carbon from…
Protecting small, old-growth forests fails to preserve bird diversity: Study
Recent research suggests that designating small fragments of old-growth temperate forests as protected areas is not sufficient to halt loss of bird diversity, and that better monitoring and management of…
Chilean law pits indigenous people against salmon industry
On Oct. 8 last year, Chile’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Huilliche-Chono indigenous people of Pu Wapi in their bid to take on management of 80 square kilometers…
Bolsonaro on the move: International meetings push agribusiness agenda
Brazil’s president met with Donald Trump this week, with trade and agribusiness topping the agenda; a USAID $100 million Amazon biodiversity impact investment fund was also advanced.
Sea otters leave behind unique archaeological traces, study finds
Sea otters get creative when it comes to satisfying their hunger. While they use their teeth to crack open hard-shelled prey like mussels and clams, they’ve also been seen using…
Indonesia wins $2.52 million settlement for coral damage by foreign ships
JAKARTA — Indonesia has clinched a $2.52 million settlement from the operators of two foreign-flagged ships that damaged coral reefs in the sea off southeastern Sumatra in 2017. The Bahamian-flagged…
Audio: What underwater sounds can tell us about Indian Ocean humpback dolphins
On today’s episode, we speak with marine biologist Isha Bopardikar, an independent researcher who is using bioacoustics to study humpback dolphins off the west coast of India. Listen here: …
Brazil’s key deforestation drivers: Pasture, cropland, land speculation
80% of Brazilian deforestation between 2000-2014 resulted from new pasture creation, with 20% directly due to new croplands; however, land speculation drove the process.
An island mapped for mines gets a reprieve after violent protests
KENDARI, Indonesia — A coil of barbed wire separated Southeast Sulawesi Deputy Governor Lukman Abunawas and his police escort from the angry crowd as he read out the statement they…
Tear down the dams: New coalition strives to enshrine rights of orcas
When Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, triggering the First World War, Granny was out under the sea half a world away, catching salmon and communicating with her pod…
Bid to protect Borneo’s wild cattle hinges on whether it’s a new species
LAMANDAU, Indonesia — At the headwaters of the Belantikan River on the island of Borneo, an organization committed to protecting orangutans is extending its efforts to a slightly less charismatic…
Super variable California salamander is ‘an evolutionist’s dream’
The ensatina is a fairly common salamander. From southern British Columbia in Canada to northern Baja California in Mexico, it can be found lurking under logs in forests along the…
As Arctic neared 2019 winter max, Bering Sea was virtually ice-free
Though sea ice extent was up across much of the Arctic at winter maximum, the Bering Sea lost an ice area the size of Montana, and Greenland has been receiving winter rains.
Investors warn soy giants of backlash over deforestation in South America
The world’s leading companies involved in the soy trade are being challenged to come clean about their impact on the environment and to completely eliminate deforestation from their operations. The…
Invasive plants a fast-growing threat to India’s rhinos
On a gloomy afternoon in May 2018, conservation biologist Bibhab Talukdar was visiting Pobitora National Park in India's Assam state. As he rode an elephant into the grasslands at the…
Possible vaquita death accompanies announcement that only 10 are left
On March 13, scientists announced that around 10 vaquitas (Phocoena sinus) are left on Earth, just as the environmental group Sea Shepherd said it had found one of the porpoises…
Vietnam a challenging yet rewarding country for environmental reporting (insider)
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — As the sun began to set behind the mountains of far northern Vietnam, two plainclothes policemen barged into the country house where I was…
