Study finds bears react, then habituate, to drones
Noisy aliens flying above us might stress us out or cause alarm. As drones fly UFO-like over forests, wetlands, deserts, and oceans, serving as tools to monitor wildlife, detect habitat…
Environmental headlines
Mongabay is a non-profit provider of conservation and environmental science news.
The science of combating climate science misinformation
For more than three decades, fossil fuel interests have waged a campaign to protect their businesses by undermining public trust in climate science and delaying action to forestall global warming.…
Dam holding mining waste collapses in Brazil
The collapse of a dam in southeastern Brazil has killed at least 58 people and left hundreds more missing as they were buried by a wave of toxic mud. The…
Bolsonaro government reveals plan to develop the ‘Unproductive Amazon’
A Brazilian official last week announced plans to build an Amazon River bridge, Trombetas River dam, and highway thru what he called “desert-like” rainforest.
For conservationists, crowdfunding sites raise both funds and awareness
The bill to train two dogs to guard a penguin colony: $18,000. Set up camera traps in one of the world’s most remote, understudied rainforests in New Guinea: $16,000. Build…
Latam Eco Review: Some whales may benefit from Japan’s whaling commission exit
More than 2,000 illegal mining sites in the Amazon, a wetland in Chile threatened by a highway extension, and a possible new monkey species in Peru were among the top…
Marine mammal and sea turtle populations benefitting from Endangered Species Act listing
New research published in the journal PLoS ONE this month finds that the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) is effectively aiding in the recovery of beleaguered populations of marine mammals…
Time to shift focus to existing environmental laws, says new UN report
The most important thing we can do to address climate change isn’t to create new regulations, but ensure that countries comply with the regulations that already exist. That’s according to…
In other news: Environmental stories from around the web, January 25, 2018
Tropical forests Government research highlights the uncertainty ahead for tropical forests (U.S. Department of Energy). Warmer temperatures could lead to plants absorbing less carbon dioxide (The New York Times). East…
Funds tripled and target slashed, but Indonesia still off pace for reforestation
JAKARTA — Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono began his first term as president of Indonesia in 2004 with a pledge to plant a million trees a year, in an effort to make…
After a year of no babies, 3 right whale calves spotted off U.S. coast
There’s finally some good news for the troubled North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered whale species in the world. After a year when no newborns were confirmed,…
As animal tagging goes cutting-edge, ethical questions abound
Devices worn by wild animals that record their location, and in some cases their behavior and environmental conditions, are known as biologgers. They have vastly increased our knowledge of animal…
Of concrete and corruption: Resistance kills Andes Amazon dams
Presidents in Peru and Brazil, and construction firm Odebrecht, schemed to build 22 Marañón River dams; the people and the law defeated them; today the river flows free.
A community in Guyana relies on indigenous knowledge in conservation
YUPUKARI VILLAGE, Guyana — If Russian Dorrick is sure of anything, it’s that his community is capable of protecting their natural environment here in southern Guyana’s epic Kanuku mountain range.…
Romeo finally found his Juliet, and an endangered frog has new prospects for survival
When Valentine’s Day rolled around last year, Romeo found himself without a date. That’s because Romeo is a Sehuencas water frog and, as far as scientists knew at the time,…
Bans on the bird trade in South America yield mixed results
The trade of live birds in South America is down to its lowest levels in years, according to a report released Jan. 16 by conservation NGOs TRAFFIC and WWF. But…
In PNG, a fallen bridge is testament to the chasm in rural development
MADANG, Papua New Guinea — On the banks of the Banab River in Papua New Guinea’s northern province of Madang, rows of makeshift wooden shops, eateries and huts have popped…
In West Papua, a development plan that doesn’t require clearing forest
AYAPOKIAR, Indonesia — Mince and Atafia Momo make light work of the rocky terrain as they press toward higher ground deep in the Tambrauw forest. The pair move with a…
Liberia’s community forestry becoming a front for deforestation: Report
When Liberia emerged from its civil war in 2003, one of the first major acts of its national legislature was to reform the laws that governed logging and forestry in…
Agribusiness harm to Gran Chaco genetic diversity: centuries to heal
Researchers find that the biome, under assault by soy agribusiness, may need 300 to 3,000 years of focused conservation to recover and maintain its genetic diversity.
