Art and science must come together for coral reef conservation, biologists argue (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/art-and-science-must-come-together-for-coral-reef-conservation-biologists-argue/
Art and science can work together to raise public awareness and propel conservation efforts needed to safeguard coral reef ecosystems, a group of coral scientists argues in a new research article published in Science Advances. Coral reefs are among Earth’s most threatened ecosystems amid climate change, coral bleaching and threats from mining. However, most people […]
Move over bears. Fat Marmot Week puts a spotlight on the alpine rodents (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/move-over-bears-fat-marmot-week-puts-a-spotlight-on-the-alpine-rodents/
GOTHIC, Colo. (AP) — Fat Marmot Week is coming soon. Last winter was tough for the groundhog-like rodents living in the Colorado mountains. Researchers say there wasn’t enough snow to keep marmots’ burrows warm while they hibernated, causing many of the animals to freeze to death. The marmots that survived are doing well. They’ve fattened […]
Angola’s peatlands highly underestimated, new study suggests (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/angolas-peatlands-highly-underestimated-new-study-suggests/
- New research mapping out the Angolan Highlands Water Tower (AWHT), a stretch of elevated plateau spanning 380,382 km², finds that a significantly larger portion of the region hosts peatland than previously thought.
- The findings show that the AWHT, named thus because it receives and regulates vast amounts of rainwater, and because it feeds important freshwater systems across southern Africa, is also a critical carbon sink.
- The research can inform national carbon policies and conservation strategies for these peatlands which store thousands of years-old carbon, experts said.
- The biggest threats to the AHWT’s peatlands are human-made including slash and burn agriculture and the unsustainable use of peat — partially decomposed plant material that builds up in waterlogged soils — which result in the release of CO2.
How ‘gentle power’ can preserve traditional biodiversity in Tokyo (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/how-gentle-power-can-preserve-traditional-biodiversity-in-tokyo/
- In Japan, satoyama are rural landscapes with natural attributes that have also been shaped by centuries of human activity.
- Tokyo’s satoyama provide habitat for many kinds of animals, including ecologically sensitive amphibians.
- A recent study examined a satoyama conservation initiative in Tokyo, finding that it succeeded by prioritizing mutual trust and collaboration — an approach the study defines as “gentle power”.
- Yet, some say this approach, which is based on volunteer participation, can stagnate as the volunteers are typically older, leading to the challenge of “how to pass this on to the younger generation.”
Southeast Asia is a hotspot for oak trees, many under ‘dire threat’ (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/southeast-asia-is-a-hotspot-for-oak-trees-many-under-dire-threat/
- A recent report sheds light on Southeast Asia’s important oak tree diversity and underlines that many of these species are highly threatened.
- Many threatened oak species in the region have limited distribution data, lack protected area coverage and aren’t found in ex situ collections.
- The report authors are calling for surveys targeted at oaks, expansion of protected areas, and propagation of seedlings for restoration.
Spain proposes 23 new marine protected areas in the Canary Islands and Mediterranean (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/spain-proposes-23-new-marine-protected-areas-in-the-canary-islands-and-mediterranean/
- The proposal represents Spain’s latest effort to advance protection of 30% of its waters by 2030.
- It looks to protect 22,405 square kilometers (8,651 square miles) of marine waters, primarily in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean around the Canary Islands, as well as four sites in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Conservation groups have raised concerns in recent years about the state of Spain’s marine protected areas, highlighting a significant discrepancy between areas designated “on paper” and those that are subject to effective protection.
Hands On: Stories that build change (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/specials/2026/08/hands-on-solutions/
Communities across the globe are responding to environmental pressures like climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution with local knowledge and practical action. This Mongabay multimedia Special Issue documents what communities are doing to adapt through hands-on activities—showcasing applied wisdom, craftsmanship, and worldviews that are crucial to navigating environmental crises at the local level
Reconnecting the skies: Linking flyways for migratory seabirds across continents (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/reconnecting-the-skies-linking-flyways-for-migratory-seabirds-across-continents/
- Seabirds are the most threatened group of birds, with more than 30% at risk of extinction. Migratory seabirds are especially vulnerable.
- Researchers have described six marine flyways used by migratory pelagic seabirds, aerial corridors that cross the national waters of 56 countries; the high seas are used by at least 151 species.
- In March, the U.N. Convention on Migratory Species adopted a resolution on marine flyways, creating a structure for international cooperation on protections.
- Researchers are using seabird tracking data to identify key sites along marine flyways that need protection or mitigation measures against threats.
Six things to know about Asia’s heatwave and the health impacts (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/six-things-to-know-about-asias-heatwave-and-the-health-impacts/
- This year’s extreme weather has been linked to El Niño, which, according to weather experts, could be one of the strongest ever recorded.
- Record-breaking temperatures were recorded in South Korea and Hong Kong, and mercury exceeded 40°C in Japan and China.
- Apart from heatstroke risks, higher temperatures during El Niño can accelerate the life cycle of Aedes mosquitoes, which transmit dengue, and shorten the time for the virus to replicate, experts warn.
This tiny Thai lizard shares its name with a ‘House of the Dragon’ beast (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/this-tiny-thai-lizard-shares-its-name-with-a-house-of-the-dragon-beast/
Researchers have described a new-to-science species of horned lizard from the high-elevation, evergreen forests of western Thailand. The lizard, named the Syrax mountain horned dragon, or Acanthosaura syrax, in a recent study, was discovered in Mae Wong National Park. The species name syrax refers to the yellow dragon ridden by Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen in the […]
Hermit crabs and cockroaches emerge as unlikely seed dispersers on a Japanese island (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/hermit-crabs-and-cockroaches-emerge-as-unlikely-seed-dispersers-on-a-japanese-island/
In the humid, coastal forests of Japan’s Ishigaki Island, near Okinawa, a parasitic plant relies on some unusual allies to spread its seeds: land hermit crabs and cockroaches, according to a recent study. The plant, fungus root (Balanophora fungosa), is non-photosynthetic, meaning it lacks chlorophyll and can’t make its own food. Instead, it grows as […]
To secure protected areas from wildlife trafficking, criminal networks must be dismantled (commentary) (August 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/secure-protected-areas-from-wildlife-trafficking-criminal-networks-must-be-dismantled-commentary/
- Well managed protected areas can reduce the illegal wildlife trade, but the reality is that this crime will persist as long as trafficking networks remain, a new op-ed says.
- Corruption often provides traffickers a way to circumvent and undermine even well-managed protected areas, suppressing enforcement and concealing wildlife losses.
- “The question is not whether we can afford to invest in dismantling trafficking networks. Given what we now know about their reach and capacity, the question is whether we can afford not to,” a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Drugs are becoming institutionalized: Interview with Ticuna leader in Peru’s Amazon (August 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/drugs-are-becoming-institutionalized-interview-with-ticuna-leader-in-perus-amazon/
- Mongabay interviewed Francisco Hernández Cayetano, president of the Federation of Ticuna and Yagua Communities of the Lower Amazon, about substance abuse problems affecting Ticuna youth.
- He says many youth are addicted to drugs and alcohol, which they picked up while working as coca harvesters for drug traffickers due to a lack of alternative employment options.
- The arrival of narcotraffickers, as well as illegal miners, has also led to deforestation and water pollution in Peru.
- In this interview with Mongabay, Hernández describes efforts to bring Ticuna leaders from the Amazon’s tri-border area together to discuss solutions to their shared problems.
Criminal probe clears Sloth World of criminal neglect in deaths of 57 animals (August 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/criminal-probe-clears-sloth-world-of-criminal-neglect-in-deaths-of-57-animals/
Authorities in the U.S. state of Florida have cleared a controversial startup of criminal neglect after dozens of wild-caught sloths that it imported from South America for tourism purposes died. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) opened an investigation following the closure of the Sloth World facility in April this year. On Aug. 19, it […]
Climate change drove extreme July heat in European seas, study finds (August 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/climate-change-drove-extreme-july-heat-in-european-seas-study-finds/
European coastal waters recorded unprecedented sea surface temperatures in July 2026. A new study has found that human-induced climate change primarily drove the temperature surge, pushing marine ecosystems past their limits. The rapid analysis was conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA), a global network of researchers who analyze the influence of climate change in extreme […]
Indigenous fishers rethink shark hunting & protect species on Colombia’s coast (August 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/indigenous-fishers-rethink-shark-hunting-protect-species-on-colombias-coast/
- In the Colombian department of La Guajira, at South America’s northernmost tip, Indigenous Wayuu fishers from the community of Punta Gallinas are working with marine biologists to conserve and document shark populations.
- Despite a 2021 law banning targeted shark and ray fishing in Colombia, the meat remains a vital protein source in one of the country’s most remote and food-insecure regions.
- Colombian shark conservation initiative Proyecto Puyuii is working with Wayuu fishers to record shark species in the understudied waters of La Guajira, implementing sustainability measures such as larger-mesh nets, safe release techniques and avoiding longlines.
- With sustainable tourism touted as a potential economic alternative to shark fishing, some fishers argue that compensation will need to be offered before they can afford to stop.
Nepal pushes for hydropower in protected areas through legal grey area (August 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/nepal-pushes-for-hydropower-in-protected-areas-through-legal-grey-area/
- Nepal’s government is allowing hydropower development inside protected areas, despite a January 2025 Supreme Court ruling that invalidates the legal provision for this activity.
- With the court’s full verdict still unpublished, the government has interpreted the ruling and continued to issue land-use and environmental permits.
- Mongabay’s investigation finds that 10 private hydropower projects, totaling more than 360 MW, have received permits since January 2026, affecting about 85 hectares across the Annapurna, Gaurishankar and Kanchanjunga protected areas, and the buffer zones of Makalu Barun and Langtang national parks.
- Officials say they are relying on 2023 guidelines and cabinet decisions covering projects licensed before July 2024, while the country’s wildlife department has continued approving feasibility studies, environmental assessments and transmission lines in protected-area buffer zones.
Sloth bears help shape India’s dry forests as unlikely seed dispersers (August 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/sloth-bears-help-shape-indias-dry-forests-as-unlikely-seed-dispersers/
Sloth bears play a critical role in structuring India’s dry deciduous forests by dispersing viable seeds and influencing plant regeneration, reports contributor Sneha Mahale for Mongabay India. “Dry deciduous forests’ plant compositions are a function of sloth bear presence, movement, and dietary habits,” study co-author K.S. Gopi Sundar, an independent scientist, told Mongabay India. For […]
Why every endangered species needs a champion: a conversation with conservationist Bill Konstant (August 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-every-endangered-species-needs-a-champion-a-conversation-with-conservationist-bill-konstant/
- Wildlife conservationist Bill Konstant has spent more than four decades helping build species-conservation programs, connect field biologists with funding, and support threatened wildlife around the world.
- Konstant argues that successful conservation often depends on strong local leadership, committed species champions, diverse teams and relatively small, strategically targeted grants that can launch or sustain field projects.
- He sees the growth of career biologists and conservation organizations in primate range countries as one of the field’s most encouraging changes, even as habitat loss and wildlife population declines remain persistent problems.
- Konstant spoke with Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler in August 2026 about his career, his memoir Wrestles With Wolves, and what decades of species conservation have taught him about how conservation succeeds.
Dolphin mother and calf observed using shells to catch fish in Australia (August 19, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/dolphin-mother-and-calf-observed-using-shells-to-catch-fish-in-australia/
A small population of dolphins in Shark Bay in Western Australia have a documented history of using an unusual tool to help them catch fish: Large, empty snail shells. For the first time, scientists have now observed the same behavior in a different dolphin population on Australia’s east coast. Researchers even filmed a baby dolphin […]