What’s at stake for the environment in Honduras’ presidential election? (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/whats-at-stake-for-the-environment-in-honduras-presidential-election/
- Honduras will hold elections Nov. 30 for president and all 128 seats in Congress.
- The winners will hold office for the next four years, shaping the country’s environmental policies at a time when its many forests and ocean ecosystems are rapidly disappearing.
- Leading candidates include Rixi Moncada of the progressive LIBRE party, Salvador Nasralla of the centrist Liberal party and Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura of the conservative National party.
Central America’s forests are crucial for migrating birds: Study (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/central-americas-forests-are-crucial-for-migrating-birds-study/
As winter closes in across much of North America, migratory birds are heading south to warmer climes and more abundant food. But until recently, scientists didn’t have a good understanding of exactly where they went. Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology U.S. analyzed observations from eBird, a global […]
45 more shark species up for CITES protections; tight vote expected (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/45-more-shark-species-up-for-cites-protections-tight-vote-expected/
- Twenty-nine houndsharks and 16 gulper sharks are up for listing on CITES Appendix II at the wildlife trade regulator’s summit in Uzbekistan this week.
- Conservationists expect the vote to be close, with critics saying “lookalike” species shouldn’t face trade restrictions. Proponents argue it’s necessary given the lack of knowledge among customs officials.
- Houndsharks are widely consumed for their meat in Europe and Australia, while gulpers are hunted for their liver oil.
DRC hit by record deforestation in 2024, satellite data show (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/drc-hit-by-record-deforestation-in-2024-satellite-data-show/
- In 2024, the DRC experienced an uptick in primary forest loss, with 590,000 hectares of forest lost, according to satellite data visualized on Global Forest Watch.
- Subsistence agriculture continues to be the main driver of forest loss, with recent research finding artisanal mining in the eastern DRC results in more forest loss than researchers previously thought.
- Wildfire emerged as a growing concern in the DRC in 2024, and data suggest fire activity may have have intensified further in 2025.
- Escalating conflict and insecurity in the eastern DRC also put increasing pressure on forest resources.
Negotiating Africa’s Energy Future (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/specials/2025/11/negotiating-africas-energy-future/
A decade after countries agreed to the Paris climate agreement, Mongabay reports on an idea often invoked when discussing Africa’s path toward a low-carbon future: a just energy transition. Reporters from across the continent explore what “just” and “clean” energy mean for Africans. These stories show African countries are pursuing their own journeys toward more […]
Fossil fuel failure eclipses Africa’s wins at COP30 (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/fossil-fuel-failure-eclipses-africas-wins-at-cop30/
- African negotiators secured significant gains on just transition, including recognition of clean cooking and energy poverty, marking the first time these priorities entered the formal United Nations climate negotiations.
- Adaptation finance advanced but remains insufficient, with wealthy nations pledging to triple support only by 2035, despite Africa’s urgent needs and widespread concern over loan-heavy climate finance.
- Forest conservation gained new momentum, with broad backing for a global deforestation roadmap and fresh funding initiatives like Brazil’s Tropical Forever Forest Fund (TFFF) and the Canopy Trust targeting Amazon and Congo Basin conservation.
- Failure to agree on a fossil fuel phaseout puts Africa at heightened risk, with scientists warning that if carbon emissions continue to rise unabated, they could fuel more extreme events like droughts and floods, destabilize food systems, and displace people.
How do we stop the next pandemic? (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/video/2025/11/how-do-we-stop-the-next-pandemic/
How do we stop the next big viral outbreak? The answer to that question lies in preventing zoonotic spillovers. Thousands of pathogens have been silently circulating in our forests for centuries. However, climate change, deforestation and the trade of live animals increases the risk of bringing them in close proximity to humans. So how do […]
Deep-diving manta rays use the ocean’s midnight zone to build mental maps, study suggests (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/deep-diving-manta-rays-use-the-oceans-midnight-zone-to-build-mental-maps-study-suggests/
- Oceanic manta rays dive to record depths of 1,250 meters (4,100 feet), according to a first-of-its-kind study to examine in detail the extreme deep-diving behavior of these rays.
- Researchers tracked 24 manta rays between 2012 and 2022, attaching special tags to them in waters off Peru, Indonesia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Researchers propose that dives help rays sample stable environmental signals, such as temperature, oxygen levels and possibly magnetic fields, in preparation for navigating the open ocean.
- Extreme dives occurred most frequently when rays left continental shelves, before embarking on long journeys exceeding 200 kilometers (120 miles).
Bird diversity drops in human-dominated habitats, Nepal study suggests (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/bird-diversity-drops-in-human-dominated-habitats-nepal-study-suggests/
- Areas dominated by humans are home to fewer species, with similar ecosystem function and proximity in the evolutionary family tree, a recent study in Nepal’s southern plains suggests.
- Human activities act like a filter, letting only certain birds survive. Even natural areas show signs of such filtering when logging and hunting remove sensitive species, leaving behind only closely related groups of birds that are resilient and adaptable.
- A mosaic landscape provides more “homes” and more ecological roles for birds, helping them survive even amid human disturbances.
Brazil nut hauling effort gets easier with zip lines and ‘Amazon Waze’ (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/brazil-nut-hauling-effort-gets-easier-with-zip-lines-and-amazon-waze/
- Researchers are developing solutions to help Brazil nut collectors in the Amazon Rainforest reduce the physical toll of the trade.
- These include zip lines to haul heavy sacks across difficult terrain, and ergonomic baskets to reduce back strain while picking up the nut pods.
- These new technologies could encourage Indigenous youths to continue the practice, a crucial step for sustaining local communities who keep the Amazon standing.
- These advances are part of Brazil’s national push for a bioeconomy, a model designed to generate economic growth and social inclusion while protecting the rainforest.
How community custody empowered Ecuador’s crab catchers and revived its mangroves (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/how-community-custody-empowered-ecuadors-crab-catchers-and-revived-its-mangroves/
- Under agreements for sustainable use and protection, Ecuador’s environment ministry has granted concessions for 98,000 hectares (about 242,000 acres) of mangrove forests to artisanal fishers in the Gulf of Guayaquil.
- The fishers can catch crabs to sell, but are committed to the protection of this valuable ecosystem, imposing closed seasons twice a year and refraining from catching female and juvenile crabs.
- The concessions represent 62% of the total area of mangrove forests in Ecuador, of which 80% are located in the Gulf of Guayaquil.
- This system has allowed for the conservation of mangroves for 26 years and has been shown to be effective in protecting this type of forest, which is capable of retaining up to five times more carbon than other tropical forests.
Saving forests won’t be enough if fossil fuels beneath them are still extracted, experts warn (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/saving-forests-wont-be-enough-if-fossil-fuels-beneath-them-are-still-extracted-experts-warn/
- A new analysis finds that tropical forests in 68 countries sit atop fossil fuel deposits that, if extracted, would emit 317 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases — more than the remaining 1.5°C (2.7°F) carbon budget — revealing a major blind spot in global climate policy.
- Because Brazil’s proposed Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) focuses only on stopping deforestation, researchers warn it risks missing far larger emissions from potential oil, gas and coal extraction under protected forests.
- India, China and Indonesia hold the largest fossil reserves beneath forests, with Indonesia facing acute trade-offs as most of its coal lies under forest areas where mining threatens biodiversity and Indigenous communities, including rhino habitats in Borneo.
- Experts say that compensating countries for leaving fossil fuels unextracted — through mechanisms like debt swaps or climate finance — could unlock massive climate benefits, but fossil fuel phaseout remains excluded from TFFF negotiations despite growing calls to include it.
As Sri Lanka continues new elephant drive, scientists warn against creating new conflicts (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/as-sri-lanka-continues-new-elephant-drive-scientists-warn-against-creating-new-conflicts/
- In Sri Lanka’s southern district of Hambantota, authorities have launched a large-scale elephant drive, mobilizing wildlife officers, armed forces and villagers to push herds from villages into what is known as the Managed Elephant Reserve (MER).
- Conservationists warn the Hambantota operation could mirror past failed drives, such as the 2006 drive in the south and the 2024 operation in north-central Sri Lanka that left elephant herds stranded.
- Experts urge a shift from elephant drives to implementing coexistence strategies, including habitat management and community-based fencing, as outlined in Sri Lanka’s national action plan to mitigate human-elephant conflict.
- Despite having reliable data on Asian elephant behavior and HEC, local scientists lament Sri Lanka is not adopting a scientific approach to find solutions to HEC while repeating past mistakes.
Island-confined reptiles face high extinction risk, but low research interest (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/island-confined-reptiles-face-high-extinction-risk-but-low-research-interest/
Reptile species found only on islands are significantly more vulnerable to extinction than their mainland counterparts, yet remain vastly overlooked by researchers, according to a recent study. “Reptiles, partly due to their ability to endure long periods without food or water, are particularly effective island colonizers,” Ricardo Rocha, study co-author and an associate professor at […]
The roughed-up roughy fish (cartoon) (November 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2025/11/the-roughed-up-roughy-fish-cartoon/
The orange roughy may be among the oldest living deep-sea fish in the world, with a lifespan of up to 250 years. But bottom trawling practices in Australia and New Zealand might have already decimated their slow-breeding populations beyond recovery.
COP30: What did it deliver for the ocean? (November 25, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/cop30-what-did-it-deliver-for-the-ocean/
- As climate change talks took center stage at COP30, a growing number of countries have integrated ocean-based solutions into their national climate commitments.
- A new report found that 92% of coastal and island nations’ updated climate plans now include ocean-related measures, although these strategies still represent only 12% of all proposed climate mitigation actions.
- Brazil and France unveiled a Blue NDC Implementation Taskforce to boost ocean solutions, while countries like the Solomon Islands and Ghana launched new plans for protecting their marine and coastal systems.
Rights to millions of hectares of Indigenous & local communities’ lands restored by ‘barefoot lawyers’ (November 25, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025/11/rights-to-millions-of-hectares-of-indigenous-local-communities-lands-restored-by-barefoot-lawyers/
Nonette Royo is a lawyer from the Philippines and executive director of The Tenure Facility, a group of “barefoot lawyers” working to secure land tenure for Indigenous, local and Afro-descendant communities across the world. To date, the organization has secured more than $150 million in funding and has made progress in securing land rights covering […]
Drought amplifies human-wildlife conflict, study finds (November 25, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/drought-amplifies-human-wildlife-conflict-study-finds/
A recent study from the U.S. state of California finds that the public reported more encounters with wildlife in times of drought. Researchers say they expect such drought-driven human-wildlife interactions in other areas also facing water shortages — a growing problem amid climate change. The researchers analyzed more than 31,000 wildlife-related incidents reported by members […]
Global tiger trafficking crisis worsens with nine big cats seized monthly (November 25, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/global-tiger-trafficking-crisis-worsens-with-nine-big-cats-seized-monthly/
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysa (AP) — Authorities have seized an average of nine tigers each month over the past five years, highlighting a worsening trafficking crisis. A report by TRAFFIC warns that criminal networks are evolving faster than conservation efforts can respond. The global wild tiger population has plummeted to an estimated 3,700-5,500. Despite international protection, […]
Botanists decode secret life of rare plants to ensure reintroduction success (November 25, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/botanists-decode-secret-life-of-rare-plants-to-ensure-reintroduction-success/
- Working with South African daisies, Colombian magnolias and Philippine coffee trees, botanists the world over are discovering the secrets to bringing extremely rare and threatened plants back from the brink of extinction. Reintroductions are often the only way to build back thriving populations, but scientists face numerous hurdles.
- A major barrier is lack of botanical knowledge about rare species, making it hard to produce sufficient viable seeds, determine triggers for germination, and identify suitable seedling habitat. If seeds aren’t available from rare plants, botanists must use cuttings to propagate plants.
- Newly established plant populations often need help in the face of numerous threats. Climate change, for example, can not only create harsh new growing conditions but also fuels the spread of plant pests. Young plants frequently need to be protected from human activities like poaching, intentional burning or land-use change.
- While it can take decades for reintroduced plants to grow into sustainable, self-replenishing populations, project funding is often limited to three years or less, especially in the Global South. Experts say they hope funding will increase as recognition grows that ecosystem restoration requires plant diversity, including rare species.