Reciprocity, not extraction: Centering an Indigenous approach to forestry (April 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/04/reciprocity-not-extraction-centering-an-indigenous-approach-to-forestry/
Forester and scientist Suzanne Simard is well known for her landmark 1997 paper, which demonstrated that two distinct species of trees could share resources. At the time, it turned traditional Western forestry thinking on its head. Instead of the Darwinian view of trees as being in competition with each other, it introduced the idea that […]
Young conservationists are building hope & optimism despite challenging times (commentary) (April 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/young-conservationists-are-building-hope-optimism-despite-challenging-times-commentary/
- Several recent Mongabay features have shared the emotional strain that conservationists are under from increasing environmental degradation, job losses, moral injury, and a sense of isolation.
- Young people working in conservation face these issues and even more challenges since they’re just beginning their careers, but as young conservationists pushing for optimism in the sector write in a new commentary, there are many avenues for building hope and positivity.
- “Conservation Optimism as a philosophy is rooted in celebrating all successes, no matter the size or scope, and sharing stories of hope which are essential in sustaining our minds, bodies and motivations,” they write.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.
A search engine for the planet opens to the public (April 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/a-search-engine-for-the-planet-opens-to-the-public/
The idea that the Earth can be “searched” like a database has circulated for several years in academic and technical circles. Earth Index, developed by the nonprofit Earth Genome, brings that idea into practical use. Earth Index allows users to scan satellite imagery by visual similarity. A user can highlight an example—a patch of deforestation, […]
Novel DNA research shows massive native ant decline over hundreds of years in Fiji (April 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/novel-dna-research-shows-massive-native-ant-decline-over-hundreds-of-years-in-fiji/
Scientists conducting a DNA analysis of ant specimens collected from across the Fiji islands in the Pacific have been able to reconstruct how entire ant populations rose and fell over thousands of years. The findings, based on specimens held at museums, showed that nearly 80% of the archipelago’s 88 endemic ant species have been declining […]
Saving crocodiles from extinction (April 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/saving-crocodiles-from-extinction/
Community-led efforts are helping revive and save Siamese crocodiles from the brink of extinction. Siamese crocodiles are native to Southeast Asia and considered guardians of the wetlands by many communities. However, their population declined drastically due to hunting and habitat loss as a result of which they have been declared a critically endangered species. In […]
India has a wealth of bats, but our knowledge of them is poor: Report (April 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/india-has-a-wealth-of-bats-but-our-knowledge-of-them-is-poor-report/
India is home to 135 known bat species, but their natural history and ecology remain poorly understood, according to the first nationwide assessment of the country’s bats. The report, developed by 36 experts from 27 institutions in India, was released by the nonprofit organizations Bat Conservation International (BCI) and the Nature Conservation Foundation. “Bats […]
On World Tapir Day, data gaps cloud future of Malaysia’s tapirs (April 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/on-world-tapir-day-data-gaps-cloud-future-of-malaysias-tapirs/
Asia’s only tapir species still remains understudied in Malaysia, researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society say. Recent findings from Thailand suggest that some forest complexes there may hold more Malay, or Asian tapirs (Tapirus indicus) than previously estimated. However, across the border in Malaysia, experts warn that the endangered species faces an uncertain future, complicated […]
Deforestation is surging in Indonesia (April 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/deforestation-is-surging-in-indonesia/
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Indonesia’s forests, long held up as a case of tentative progress, are again under pressure. New analysis shows deforestation rose sharply in 2025, reversing several years of decline and returning to levels not seen in nearly a decade, […]
When protest works: Examples where activists have successfully pushed for change (April 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/when-protest-works/
- In their new book, “Protest: Respect It. Defend It. Use It”, Annie Leonard and André Carothers assemble a series of protest movements to show how collective action has shaped political and social change, relying on examples rather than formal theory.
- Protest is presented as a varied set of tactics, with internal disagreements acknowledged and treated as part of how movements function.
- The book situates current efforts to restrict protest within a longer pattern in which dissent is tolerated when marginal and resisted when effective.
- Across its cases, the book underscores that many rights now taken for granted were contested and that the space for protest remains uncertain.
Restoring land with wildlife & earning carbon credits in the Kalahari Desert (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/restoring-land-with-wildlife-earning-carbon-credits-in-the-kalahari-desert/
In northern South Africa, the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in the Kalahari Desert is teeming with life — and carbon credits. Most carbon credit projects are focused on forests, but globally, soils hold roughly three times more terrestrial carbon than forests. Some scientists also say soil is more stable since it can’t be easily removed in […]
As global 30×30 goal lags, Colombia shows how progress can be made (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/as-global-30x30-goal-lags-colombia-shows-how-progress-can-be-made/
- In 2022, nearly 200 nations pledged to protect and conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030 under Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
- Currently, 18% of land and inland waters, and 10% of marine and coastal areas are protected and conserved.
- Colombia, one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, has exceeded the global average, protecting and conserving 47% of marine and 26% of terrestrial areas.
- This has been achieved through new and expanded public and private protected areas, other area-based effective conservation measures (OECMs), and other means, including Heritage Colombia, an innovative “project for finance permanence” initiative.
Nigeria arrests suspected pangolin trafficking kingpin on the run (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/nigeria-arrests-suspected-pangolin-trafficking-kingpin-on-the-run/
Authorities in Nigeria have arrested the suspected kingpin of a transnational pangolin trafficking network, the latest in a series of high-profile wildlife busts in the country. Shamsideen Abubakar was linked to a September 2021 case in which authorities seized 1,009.5 kilograms (2,226 pounds) of scales in Lagos, estimated to have come from at least 5,451 […]
Rare, high-altitude jaguar sighting in Honduras raises hope for conservation (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/rare-high-altitude-jaguar-sighting-in-honduras-raises-hope-for-conservation/
- For the first time in a decade, camera traps set up high in the Sierra del Merendón mountain range in Honduras captured images of a male jaguar.
- The cat was documented at an altitude of 2,200 meters (about 7,200 feet), much higher than their normal range. Jaguars typically live below 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
- These mountains can act as a high-elevation corridor for animals to move between landscapes in Honduras, Guatemala and beyond.
- Jaguars, like all big cats, continue to lose habitat and are targeted by poachers. But this cat moving back into its former territory shows that conservation efforts, such as anti-poaching patrols, land protection and the introduction of prey species, may be working.
Offshore wind’s clean energy potential remains largely untapped, say experts (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/offshore-winds-clean-energy-potential-remains-largely-untapped-say-experts/
- Offshore wind has enormous clean energy potential across the globe. Though the sector has expanded in recent years that potential remains largely untapped.
- Today, China and European nations lead the way in developing offshore wind farms, with the U.S. hampered by the Trump administration, and other nations just beginning to tap into the potential of marine wind.
- Currently, about 80 gigawatts of power is generated by existing marine wind farms. According to some estimates, more than 2,000 GW of offshore wind is needed to meet climate goals, requiring a huge expansion including in deeper waters using floating platforms.
Researchers say remote Lake Superior island’s wolves are thriving as packs prey on moose (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/researchers-say-remote-lake-superior-islands-wolves-are-thriving-as-packs-prey-on-moose/
Wolves on a remote island in Lake Superior appear to be thriving, but they’re making deep dents in the moose population that they rely on as a leading food source, according to a report released Monday. Isle Royale is a 134,000-acre (54,200-hectare) national park in far western Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Minnesota, and Thunder Bay, […]
Peru bets on bamboo to restore nature in its main coca-growing region (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/peru-bets-on-bamboo-to-restore-nature-in-its-main-coca-growing-region/
- Since 2023, Peruvian development agency PROVRAEM has spent nearly $5 million planting almost 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of bamboo across the VRAEM, the country’s largest coca-producing region, promoting it as a legal, environmentally restorative alternative to illegal coca cultivation.
- On one farm in Pichari, growing bamboo as a monoculture has created a self-sustaining microclimate that has attracted more than 50 squirrel monkeys and dozens of bird species to what was once degraded land.
- The farm has since expanded into a successful ecotourism venture, and Peruvian authorities are promoting it as a model of success for their program.
- But bamboo is no miracle crop, experts say: It takes up to eight years to reach a first mature harvest, doesn’t bring nearly as much income as high-yielding coca, and its biodiversity benefits only hold when plantations are connected to larger forest corridors.
What it takes to make conservation work in Central Africa: Luis Arranz’s 46-year journey (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/what-it-takes-to-make-conservation-work-in-central-africa-luis-arranzs-46-year-journey/
Luis Arranz arrived in Africa in 1980 with little more than a degree in biology and a determination to work in the field. Without contacts or a clear path, he drove south from Spain in a small Citroën 2CV, crossing the Sahara over several weeks and repairing the car as it failed along the way. […]
A blue-nosed chameleon in Madagascar: Photo of the week (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/a-blue-nosed-chameleon-in-madagascar-photo-of-the-week/
Blue-nosed chameleons, a lizard species found only in northern Madagascar, are known for their colorful noses, which brighten when they get excited. For many years, lack of data meant the blue-nosed chameleon was classified as the species Calumma boettgeri, a chameleon whose nose, while also prominently shaped, isn’t blue. It was only in 2015 that […]
Celebrating the ‘gardeners of the forest’ on World Tapir Day (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/celebrating-the-gardeners-of-the-forest-on-world-tapir-day/
Described as “gardeners of the forest,” tapirs help maintain healthy ecosystems by dispersing seeds and landscaping the vegetation. Yet they remain underfunded for research. All four tapir species — the Asian (Malayan) tapir (Tapirus indicus), Baird’s tapir (T. bairdii), the lowland or South American tapir (T. terrestris) and the mountain tapir (T. pinchaque) — are […]
Heat, fires and agribusiness squeeze traditional Amazon açaí harvesters (April 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/heat-fires-and-agribusiness-squeeze-traditional-amazon-acai-harvesters/
- Intensive farming of the popular açaí berry grew by 70% since 2015, while community cooperatives reported losses of 35% or more during recent heat waves and fires.
- Industrial açaí crops often rely on artificial irrigation and nonnative honeybees, adapting the Amazon to intensive methods rather than benefiting from the biome’s own systems.
- Market analysis indicates increasing international demand and rising prices, a trend that pushes for high-yield commercial monocultures over forest-based extraction.