Why are forests vanishing in southeastern Liberia? (July 18, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/07/why-are-forests-vanishing-in-southeastern-liberia/
GRAND GEDEH, Liberia – In the past century, most of West Africa’s Upper Guinean rainforest has been lost to commercial agriculture, infrastructure development and logging. More than half of what’s left is in Liberia, and the remaining rainforest now faces a threat that’s already driven much of the region’s deforestation: cacao production. In the past […]
Can ‘fog harvesting’ help solve water scarcity in Chile’s Atacama Desert? (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/can-fog-harvesting-help-solve-water-scarcity-in-chiles-atacama-desert/
- Communities living in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, look for creative ways to fight water scarcity, including “harvesting” water droplets from the foggy climate.
- Local groups erect large mesh structures that can intercept thousands of liters of water droplets per day from fog being carried by the wind. The water is used for drinking and cultivating fruits and vegetables.
- Researchers have studied the factors that increase harvesting results, including sea level, temperature, solar radiation, and wind speed.
- With more research and support for pilot programs, they say local governments could one day adopt the strategy into their water management plans.
US government announces plans to lease deep-sea mining rights in American Samoa (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/us-government-announces-plans-to-lease-deep-sea-mining-rights-in-american-samoa/
The U.S. government has taken another definitive step toward launching a deep-sea mining industry, starting in the waters of American Samoa, despite public opposition. On July 17, the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA), a new U.S. agency formed by merging the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, announced intentions […]
Beavers flourish in tidal habitats in the Pacific Northwest, study finds (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/beavers-flourish-in-tidal-habitats-in-the-pacific-northwest-study-finds/
Beavers are well-known residents of rivers, lakes and streams across North America. New research finds they are also far more common in estuaries and tidal wetlands than was previously understood. The study suggests the rodents are critical ecosystem engineers in a habitat where twice-daily tides raise and lower water levels, bringing saltwater inland from the […]
How Costa Rica’s extreme climate changes the social behaviors of white-faced capuchin (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/how-costa-ricas-extreme-climate-changes-the-social-behaviors-of-white-faced-capuchin/
- For 33 years, a research team has studied white-faced capuchin monkeys in the tropical dry forests of Costa Rica, gathering data on their complex social lives.
- A new study from the team shows that during extreme climate events, large groups of capuchins may go hungry, while smaller groups may fare better.
- Climate extremes alter the physical landscape, causing animals to change their societal behaviors. For capuchins, this means greater competition for food, heightened territorial sensitivity and fluctuating group sizes.
- While capuchins can adapt to environmental changes over time, there are limits to their resilience, as seen during the severe droughts caused by the El Niño in 2014-2016, when dwindling food sources caused capuchins to abandon societal norms in search of food.
Can harpy eagles attack humans? Amazon case rekindles scientific debate (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/can-harpy-eagles-attack-humans-amazon-case-rekindles-scientific-debate/
- An attack by a harpy against a tourist in French Guiana has sparked a debate about interactions between humans and the world’s largest eagle.
- Field reports indicate that these episodes are uncommon and usually associated with defending prey, but they can result in serious injuries.
- Although rare, these cases expose a conservation dilemma: They may reinforce stigma against the species but also reveal real conflicts about which there is little public debate.
India launches first hydrogen-powered train built in the country to expand clean energy on railways (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/india-launches-first-hydrogen-powered-train-built-in-the-country-to-expand-clean-energy-on-railways/
NEW DELHI (AP) — India rolled out its first domestically built, hydrogen-powered train on Friday, a move aimed at expanding the use of clean energy in its vast rail network. The train made up of two hydrogen-powered driving cars and eight passenger coaches will operate in the northern state of Haryana. It can run at […]
How a community is helping sea turtles hatch in the Philippines (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/how-a-community-is-helping-sea-turtles-hatch-in-the-philippines/
- The municipality of San Vicente in the Philippines’ Palawan is a vital nesting ground for Olive Ridley sea turtles.
- Nesting turtles and their eggs face an array of challenges. Predation by dogs is the most immediate threat, but rising sea levels, more severe storms and tourism development plans also loom large.
- To try to protect the turtles, Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, a Philippine-based NGO, runs a research project and works with paid patrollers to monitor and protect turtles and their nests.
- Community involvement is key to the group’s conservation efforts.
Melanesian nations announce intention to create massive ocean reserve corridor (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/melanesian-nations-announce-intention-to-create-massive-ocean-reserve-corridor/
- Solomon Islands is the latest Pacific island nation to sign on to a new network of marine protected areas (MPAs) known as the Melanesian Ocean Corridor of Reserves, or MOCOR, which was announced by Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji at the first Melanesian Ocean Summit in May.
- Located in the southwestern Pacific, Melanesia is a hotspot for marine biodiversity and the discovery of new species.
- While large marine corridors can be more effective than isolated MPAs, researchers caution that robust management and enforcement are necessary to prevent them from becoming so-called “paper parks.”
- Details about MOCOR’s size, configuration, precise location, governance, enforcement mechanisms and community consultation processes are scarce.
Fighting new oil blocks in the Congo Basin: Interview with activist Pascal Mirindi (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/fighting-new-oil-blocks-in-the-congo-basin-interview-with-activist-pascal-mirindi/
- Pascal Mirindi is a Congolese environmental activist fighting oil exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- In 2022, as the Congolese government promoted new oil blocks in eastern DRC, Mirindi and his friends created a movement to raise community awareness of the dangers of fossil fuel exploitation.
- In late 2024, the Congolese government initiated a green corridor extending from the eastern to the western side of the country, aiming to establish the “largest protected tropical forest in the world,” yet a few months later, the country launched new oil blocks covering 60% of the country’s surface.
- Mirindi spoke with Mongabay in June about his activism and the future of the DRC.
Rivers are not just water bodies: Interview with the Waterman Of Odisha (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/rivers-are-not-just-water-bodies-interview-with-the-waterman-of-odisha/
- Ranjan Panda — social ecologist, journalist and researcher — is popularly known as the Waterman of Odisha.
- Panda highlights the invisible and noneconomic losses that communities living in coastal areas deal with due to climate change.
- In this interview, he highlights how rivers should be seen beyond their two boundaries of flow; how there is a stark difference in the ways rural and urban India see rivers.
Ancient rock structures help restore biodiversity on the US-Mexico border (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/ancient-rock-structures-help-restore-biodiversity-on-the-us-mexico-border/
- On the border between the United States and Mexico, ranchers are struggling under shifting climatic conditions, including extreme drought and intense flooding.
- Small rock structures known as trincheras are an ancient method of slowing water flow, reducing erosion and improving subsoil quality, allowing life to rebound in degraded rangelands.
- A growing body of research indicates that rock detention structures like trincheras help improve drought resilience, increase biodiversity and water yields.
- In Sonora, a state dominated by private rangelands, momentum is growing to build these structures and adopt a wider range of “regenerative ranching” practices, as conservationists and ranchers work together.
Nepal’s birdwatchers can fill gaps in conservation data (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/nepals-birdwatchers-can-fill-gaps-in-conservation-data/
Nepal’s expanding birdwatching community offers a vital lifeline for both biodiversity monitoring and ecotourism, reports contributor Bibek Bhandari for Mongabay. According to a recent study, a growing interest in birdwatching, particularly among younger generations, is helping bridge gaps in ecological data while promoting Nepal as a birdwatching destination. Nepal is home to more than 900 […]
Ronald Sanabria sought to make tourism more sustainable (July 17, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/ronald-sanabria-sought-to-make-tourism-more-sustainable/
- Ronald Sanabria helped turn sustainable tourism from a set of good intentions into a discipline of standards, training, certification, and market access.
- His work at the Rainforest Alliance focused on making tourism useful to the places it depended on, especially small businesses and community-based enterprises.
- He understood that tourism could protect forests and support local livelihoods only if hotels, tour operators, governments, and buyers changed how they worked.
- His influence endured less through public recognition than through the institutions he helped build and the many people he helped make sustainability usable.
‘Chasing Deforestation’ in Liberia: Behind the scenes with Mongabay (July 16, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/chasing-deforestation-in-liberia-behind-the-scenes-with-mongabay/
- In a new episode of “Chasing Deforestation,” Mongabay investigates the emergence of a cocoa industry in southeastern Liberia that is destroying its forests.
- Mongabay reporters traveled deep into the Liberian rainforest to find illegal cacao farms with the help of forest rangers and eco-guards.
- The investigation was led by Mongabay Africa bureau features writer Ashoka Mukpo.
The vanishing forests on Liberia’s cocoa frontier (July 16, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-vanishing-forests-on-liberias-cocoa-frontier/
- Liberia’s remote southeast, home to some of West Africa’s last remaining rainforests, is facing a deforestation crisis driven by cacao farming.
- Tens of thousands of workers from neighboring Côte d’Ivoire have migrated across the border in recent years, driven by land shortages and a price boom.
- This “cocoa rush” destroyed more forest in Liberia’s Grand Gedeh county last year than in any county on record since 2002.
From Mardi Gras to marsh: Glass Half Full turns party glass into Louisiana coastline (July 16, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/from-mardi-gras-to-marsh-glass-half-full-turns-party-glass-into-louisiana-coastline/
- A New Orleans based business, Glass Half Full, collects glass from bars, restaurants, and drop-off sites, recycling it into new bottles and fine silica sand.
- The recycled sand is used by ReCoast, the nonprofit’s restoration arm, to restore land by building small experimental islands and berms.
- Louisiana loses roughly a football field of land to the sea every hour, a crisis that Glass Half Full’s young founder, Franziska Trautmann, describes as a looming threat.
- Early results from the glass sand restoration is promising: vegetation is returning, sediment is sticking, and wildlife is moving in; but the work is constrained by two bottlenecks: not enough glass, and not enough funding.
Gray whales are suffering catastrophic population decline in the Pacific Ocean (July 16, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/gray-whales-are-suffering-catastrophic-population-decline-in-the-pacific-ocean/
Gray whales are experiencing a potentially catastrophic population decline, a sharp reversal from what had been considered a conservation success. As of July 6, 2026, there were 145 gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) stranding deaths in the Pacific, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data. The environmental non-profit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) […]
Amazon deforestation falls to 10-year low in first half of 2026 (July 16, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/amazon-deforestation-falls-to-10-year-low-in-first-half-of-2026/
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen to its lowest level in the past 10 years, according to satellite data published by Brazil’s National Space Agency (INPE). Between January and June 2025, a total of 2,090 square kilometers (807 square miles) of deforestation was recorded in the Brazilian Amazon. In the same months of 2026, […]
Invasive giant prawn spreads through protected areas in Brazil (July 16, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/invasive-giant-prawn-spreads-through-protected-areas-in-brazil/
- A study led by researchers from Brazil and Uruguay confirmed the presence of invasive prawns in several conservation areas along the Brazilian coast, including estuaries listed by UNESCO as Natural World Heritage Sites.
- Considered an opportunistic predator and highly adaptable to different marine conditions, the giant river prawn competes with native species for food and shelter, in addition to being a potential vector for diseases.
- While scientists demand concrete actions to stop the advancement of this intrusive crustacean, small-scale fishers report significant drops in their capture of native animals, warning about the impact of invasive species on their livelihoods.