‘Action on the ground’ in Laos is needed to recover large mammals, protect more species (October 29, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/action-on-the-ground-in-laos-is-needed-to-recover-large-mammals-protect-more-species/
- A new study that examines the status and recovery prospects of large mammals in Laos concludes many losses could have been mitigated with earlier recognition of population declines, better protection of habitats and tighter control of hunting and the illegal wildlife trade.
- Sumatran rhinos and Javan rhinos disappeared from Laos by the 1990s, and the last verified record of tigers was in 2013. Wild water buffalo and the kouprey, both species of wild cattle, have also disappeared.
- The study notes Laos still supports 24 separate populations of Asian elephant and recommends conservation authorities and researchers focus recovery efforts on reconnecting movement corridors, transboundary landscapes and implementing coexistence measures to minimize conflicts and killings.
- Experts say the future of large mammals in Laos depends on the political will to implement existing conservation plans and enforce protections. It also hinges on long-term financial support in a region often overlooked by conservation funders.
‘Historic win’: Australian state approves national koala park despite controversial funding (October 29, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/historic-win-australian-state-approves-national-koala-park-despite-controversial-funding/
- The parliament of Australia’s New South Wales state has passed legislation to create the Great Koala National Park.
- The park, slated to open before the end of 2026, will incorporate 178,000 hectares (440,000 acres) of state forests and other government land into the existing national park estate, creating a protected area spanning 475,000 hectares (1.2 million acres).
- A carbon credit scheme will be used to fund the park in the long term, an approach that has been widely criticized.
- Multiple attempts to amend the carbon credit scheme were voted down in parliament.
Netherlands pledges $500 million to help conserve tropical forests (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/netherlands-pledges-500-million-to-help-conserve-tropical-forests/
The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), which was created to fund long-term conservation of tropical forests, recently received a $500-million pledge, over 10 years, from the Netherlands, a significant boost for forest conservation. The Netherlands announced the pledge in an Oct 26 press release and estimated that the TFFF has the potential to protect 800 […]
Eradicating invasive bass gives endangered South African fish room to recover (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/eradicating-invasive-bass-gives-endangered-south-african-fish-room-to-recover/
An ambitious effort to eradicate invasive spotted bass from South Africa’s Breekkrans River has unfolded about two hours north of Cape Town. Removing the bass has helped give the critically endangered doring fiery redfin (Pseudobarbus doring) a fighting chance against extinction. “Spotted bass were introduced into the river system in the late 1930s,” Martine Jordaan, […]
Suriname’s rich archaeological history may hold keys to conservation (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/surinames-rich-archaeological-history-may-hold-keys-to-conservation/
- For more than two decades, field research by archaeological anthropologist Renzo Duin has documented densely saturated archaeological landscapes beneath forest canopies, usually classified as “untouched.”
- While illegal gold mining pollutes rivers with mercury and cyanide, mapping historical ecological sites in Suriname could leverage Indigenous guardianship to protect the forest’s rich biodiversity.
- Despite the nation’s high-profile pledge to permanently protect 90% of its forests, experts warn that neglecting the historical role of Indigenous stewardship leaves the ecosystem vulnerable to ongoing illegal deforestation.
A town-wide ‘living laboratory’ shows how green spaces can combat climate extremes (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/a-town-wide-living-laboratory-shows-how-green-spaces-can-combat-climate-extremes/
- Two recent studies out of the U.K. town of Guildford, which has been equipped with a suite of sensors to become a “living lab,” show that green spaces provide significant benefits to urban centers — and do so with more detail than many previous studies.
- The first study, focused on a large park, showed that the park made the surrounding area cooler and less noisy, and reduced air pollution, with the park’s effects decreasing with every 100 meters from its border; it also showed that different types of green spaces offer different cooling effects for people within them.
- The second study showed that the type of green space within Guildford mattered when it came to temperature reductions during extreme heat, with large green spaces like woodlands showing the lowest increase in temperature.
- Experts say that these fine-scale details could be helpful for researchers, planners and engineers who want to design urban green spaces to provide cities and towns with greater protections from the impacts of climate change.
Why I sent my archive of nature’s sounds to France (commentary) (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/why-i-sent-my-archive-of-natures-sounds-to-france-commentary/
- Drawing on more than half a century of recording natural soundscapes, soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause reflects on how disappearing wildlife voices reveal ecological decline.
- Concerned about political threats to science, Krause transferred a copy of his extensive recording archive to a foundation in Paris to safeguard it for future generations.
- In this commentary, he argues that nature’s interdependence offers lessons for human societies about diversity, equity and inclusion, and calls for protecting both living ecosystems and the scientific records documenting their loss.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
US public lands tracker highlights the collective impact of Trump policies (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/us-public-lands-tracker-highlights-the-collective-impact-of-trump-policies/
In his second term as the U.S. president, Donald Trump has taken actions to remove protections from at least 34.8 million hectares (86 million acres) of public lands, according to the advocacy group Center for American Progress. The nonprofit Conservation Lands Foundation (CLF) recently catalogued 12 such policy actions in its newly released Public Lands […]
Cyclone batters India’s eastern coast, killing 3 and damaging homes and farmland (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/cyclone-batters-indias-eastern-coast-killing-3-and-damaging-homes-and-farmland/
KAKINADA, India (AP) — A powerful cyclone battered India ’s Andhra Pradesh state on Wednesday, killing at least three people and damaging homes and farmland after authorities evacuated tens of thousands of people, officials said. Cyclone Arnab made landfall early Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm before weakening to a severe cyclonic storm as […]
As wildfires rage, Canadian researchers study the life that comes after (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-wildfires-rage-canadian-researchers-study-the-life-that-comes-after/
- As climate change intensifies, bringing record drought and historic wildfires, scientific studies of fire-adapted organisms in British Columbia, Canada’s Interior, are shedding new light on how important fires are for renewing forest biodiversity.
- Fungi are pioneers in recovery from fire. Pyrophilous (Fire-loving) fungi, for example, can digest charcoal, help bind soil, and support nutrient cycling in the months after a blaze.
- Insects and birds also play a critical role. Heat-sensing beetles reproduce more successfully in freshly burned environments, while three-quarters of native B.C. land bird species respond positively, neutrally, or a combination of both ways to wildfire.
- Research shows mammals, including at-risk Canada lynx, can return to burned landscapes sooner than expected if sufficient forest structure remains. Today’s rapid increase in wildfire frequency and intensity can be devastating, but forests are resilient and can recover, especially when aided by fire-informed research.
A rare hound with a storied past faces an uncertain future in Bangladesh (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/a-rare-hound-with-a-storied-past-faces-an-uncertain-future-in-bangladesh/
- A native Bangladeshi breed of dog, the Sarail or Bengal hound, is thought to have originated more than 200 years ago in the small town of Sarail.
- It’s origin story is fuzzy: that it claims lineage from the English grayhound is undisputed, but there’s debate about the rest of the mix, whether wolf or a local hunting dog known as pahari daal kutta.
- Currently, there are fewer than three dozen purebred Sarail sighthounds thought to exist across the country, with no plans by the government to protect this native breed.
- Artificial breeding, like artificial insemination, can save the Sarail hound from extinction, experts say.
‘A proper seat at the table’: Lucy Mulenkei on Indigenous decision-making at the COP17 biodiversity summit (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/a-proper-seat-at-the-table-lucy-mulenkei-on-indigenous-decision-making-at-the-cop17-biodiversity-summit/
- At the 2026 U.N. biodiversity conference (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, discussions are underway to finalize the operations, governance, and modus operandi of the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) — a group which would significantly boost the decision-making of Indigenous peoples and local communities at future biodiversity COPs.
- Mongabay spoke with Lucy Mulenkei, co-chair of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity who was among those who had worked to get the new body over the line.
- She discussed the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j), barriers that still exist to stop it from becoming operational and hopes for the biodiversity conference.
- While barriers still exist for this historic body, such as finalizing the modus operandi and opposition by some parties, she is optimistic the COP will end positively.
This flower smells like rotting flesh (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/this-flower-smells-like-rotting-flesh/
Meet the Rhizanthes lowii, a rare parasitic flowering plant that has evolved its stink to attracting flies that help pollinate the flower. It blooms for only a few days, and is found in the jungles of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo—which are home to some of the strangest plants on Earth. Join Conservation Entangled host Izzy on […]
As the sea swallows a Nigerian community, migratory bird habitat disappears (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-the-sea-swallows-a-nigerian-community-migratory-bird-habitat-disappears/
- Every year, migratory birds arrive at the wetlands at Ayetoro, in southwestern Nigeria; some will remain here through the Northern Hemisphere winter, while others rest and refuel and continue on to other places.
- Increasingly powerful tides linked to rising sea levels are rapidly eroding the coastline here, damaging local community infrastructure as well as the wetlands that shorebirds rely on.
- A project run by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation has trained and equipped members of the local community to help gather data about bird populations.
- More funding is needed both to monitor this wetland and to address the severe coastal erosion, advocates say.
Pangolin scale lawsuit in Indonesia could shake up how wildlife traffickers pay (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/pangolin-scale-lawsuit-in-indonesia-could-shake-up-how-wildlife-traffickers-pay/
- A civil lawsuit filed by an Indonesian NGO against individuals and companies accused of trafficking more than 3 metric tons of pangolin scales in Indonesia could mark a turning point in how wildlife criminals are held accountable for the harms they inflict on biodiversity and ecosystems, according to experts.
- The lawsuit, seeks to make the alleged traffickers pay to remedy the ecological harms caused by removing thousands of pangolins from their wild habitats, including funding forest restoration and pangolin monitoring.
- Experts say the legal approach, which uses civil and environmental liability laws that also exist in many other countries, can be used in conjunction with conventional criminal prosecutions to implement meaningful conservation remedies.
- To date, the East Jakarta District Court has successfully summoned all but one individual defendant, who remains wanted by police. The first mediation hearing is set for Nov. 5, after which, if no settlement is reached, the case will proceed to trial.
Artificial nests help Hong Kong’s rare cockatoos cope with a ‘housing crisis’ (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/artificial-nests-help-hong-kongs-rare-cockatoos-cope-with-a-housing-crisis/
In the urban landscape of Hong Kong, artificial nest boxes are providing shelter and research opportunities for one of the world’s most threatened parrot species. The yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) is critically endangered, with fewer than 2,000 individuals remaining across its native range in eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste. However, Hong Kong hosts roughly 200 wild […]
A Thai rescue center gives injured leopard cat cubs a second chance (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-thai-rescue-center-gives-injured-leopard-cat-cubs-a-second-chance/
At a government wildlife rescue center in Thailand, dozens of lost and injured baby leopard cats are receiving a second chance at life in the wild. Annual admission of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation rescue center in Khon Kaen, in northeastern Thailand, have surged from an […]
Photographer Tom Hegen’s aerial eye reveals the true scale of the critical mineral age (October 28, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/photographer-tom-hegens-aerial-eye-reveals-the-true-scale-of-the-critical-mineral-age/
- As the world shifts to cleaner energy to address climate change, demand is soaring for transition minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements, used in green technologies.
- Aerial photographer Tom Hegen has spent the past six years documenting where these critical minerals come from, exploring some of the world’s most significant mining regions.
- Hegen’s images reveal in meticulous and beautiful detail the wider landscapes impacted by mineral extraction, highlighting the environmental, social, and geopolitical costs.
- In this interview with Mongabay, Hegen says he hopes his images encourage viewers to look closer and consider how their actions and consumption habits can support greater responsibility, transparency, and accountability throughout global supply chains.
New report maps widespread criminal presence across six Amazonian countries (October 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/new-report-maps-widespread-criminal-presence-across-six-amazonian-countries/
New mapping by Amazon Underworld finds that criminal networks or armed groups operate in nearly three-fifths of Amazon municipalities across the six countries surveyed, which include Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Of the 1,310 municipalities examined, researchers found illicit actors in 768 of them, or 59%. Colombia had the highest proportion of affected […]
Kashmir’s springs are drying up. Scientists say saving them starts uphill (October 27, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/kashmirs-springs-are-drying-up-scientists-say-saving-them-starts-uphill/
- Research in the Sindh Basin in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, in the northwestern Himalayas, has identified the elevations where many springs receive their water.
- The challenge now is whether conservation efforts will protect those landscapes, or continue focusing on the springs themselves.
- Experts say restoring Kashmir’s springs require protecting the landscapes that replenish groundwater, not just improving spring outlets.