Chile’s plan to protect another 10% of its ocean is stalled by the new government (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/chiles-plan-to-protect-another-10-of-its-ocean-is-stalled-by-the-new-government/
The expansion of two vast Pacific marine parks near Chile have been suspended for six weeks, leaving protections for around 337,000 square kilometers (130,000 square miles) of ocean in limbo. Former President Gabriel Boric signed a decree creating marine parks Juan Fernández II and Nazca-Desventuradas II on March 10, his last day in office. Together […]
Scientists forecast wildfire risk for species survival under climate change (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/scientists-forecast-wildfire-risk-for-species-survival-under-climate-change/
A new study warns climate change could increase the global area susceptible to wildfires in the future, putting many more species at risk than today. Previous research has shown that climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires as precipitation patterns change and vegetation becomes drier in parts of the world. Researchers have now projected […]
Elephants adjust what they eat in altered habitats, signaling growing pressure (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/elephants-adjust-what-they-eat-in-altered-habitats-signaling-growing-pressure/
Asian elephants are adapting to rapidly changing landscapes by diversifying their diets — a sign of resilience, but also a warning about the pressures reshaping their habitats, according to a recent study from Malaysia. Researchers collected feces from wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) across two distinct landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia: one with primary and secondary […]
Brazil FOIA confirms Lula & Macron talked before key CITES vote on endangered tree (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/brazil-foia-confirms-lula-macron-talked-before-key-cites-vote-on-endangered-tree/
- Earlier in 2026, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s office denied to Mongabay that he had had a phone call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, before a decisive vote at the 2025 meeting of CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty to secure the highest trade protections for endangered Brazilwood.
- But after Mongabay’s Freedom of Information Act request, Lula’s office confirmed the two leaders had, in fact, been in direct communication during the CITES summit. The confirmation comes after allegations that last-minute political maneuvers by France diluted Brazil’s proposal and resulted in reduced protections. France has not responded to Mongabay’s similar freedom of information request, and has declined to comment about any communications between Lulu and Macron at the CITES summit.
- Brazilwood is highly sought-after by the music industry to craft violin bows costing up to $8,200 apiece. The species, endemic to Brazil, has declined by 84% over the last three generations and is now critically endangered.
Disaster impacts in 2025 were ‘typical’ despite no mega-disasters: Report (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/disaster-impacts-in-2025-were-typical-despite-no-mega-disasters-report/
More than 110 million people were affected by 358 reported disasters in 2025, according to the annual report by the Emergency Events Database. The year was consistent with a typical year of disaster impacts, with no mega-disasters recorded. The report looked at nine different types of disasters and only found above-average impacts from storms. The […]
Indigenous peoples’ health cannot be separated from the environment, U.N. delegates warn (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/indigenous-peoples-health-cannot-be-separated-from-the-environment-un-delegates-warn/
- At the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, experts called attention to the impacts of conflict on Indigenous health, particularly through food systems, water and damage to ecosystems they depend on.
- A widely discussed study, published by former permanent forum member Geoffrey Roth, argued that sectoral approaches to health have “consistently failed Indigenous Peoples” by confining health to a “clinical and public health” mandate.
- As a public health solution, advocates at the forum pushed for the WHO and member states to focus their attention on land tenure and ecosystem stewardship.
How much does a penguin weigh? (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/how-much-does-a-penguin-weigh/
The African penguins are the only species of penguins in Africa. However, they are critically endangered due to shortage of food. Sardines and anchovies form a big part of their diet. Due to rising ocean temperatures, pollution and overfishing, fish stocks have massively declined in recent decades. As a result, African penguins are struggling to […]
Oil spill continues in Gulf of Mexico vulnerable habitats, while Pemex admits fault (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/oil-spill-continues-in-gulf-of-mexico-vulnerable-habitats-while-pemex-admits-fault/
- An oil spill has contaminated 933 kilometers (about 580 miles) of shoreline along the western Gulf of Mexico, impacting the Mexican states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Campeche and Tabasco in eastern Mexico.
- After two months of contradictory theories about what could have caused the spill, Mexico’s national oil company, Pemex, admitted the spill was caused by a leak in one of its pipelines.
- Local communities have had to reduce or stop their fishing and ecotourism activities due to a lack of information from authorities about the risks of coming into contact with the water, and despite a government-led cleanup, residents continue to document damages to the environment, such as oil-slicked vegetation and intoxicated or dead fauna.
- Conservationists say the containment of the spill is urgent for the protection of more than 1,000 marine species, among them, endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles whose nesting season is underway on the beaches of northern Veracruz and Tamaulipas.
Study finds bottom trawling nets 3,000 marine fish species, including threatened ones (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/study-finds-bottom-trawling-nets-3000-marine-fish-species-including-threatened-ones/
How many marine fish species do bottom trawls catch? Researchers now have a list, and it’s long, running to some 3,000 species, according to a recent study. Bottom trawling is a commercially popular, and controversial, fishing method in which boats drag weighted nets along the seafloor. Usually they target commercially valuable marine life at the […]
Forest-focused environment laws may be pushing farming into other ecosystems (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/forest-focused-environment-laws-may-be-pushing-farming-into-other-ecosystems/
Grasslands, wetlands and other nonforest ecosystems are being converted to agricultural land far faster than forests. However, they remain largely overlooked by Europe’s flagship antideforestation law and other environmental policies, according to a new report by the Rainforest Alliance, World Resources Institute and partner organizations. The report found such ecosystems are being lost to agriculture […]
AI tool listens for endangered orcas in real time to reduce human disturbance (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ai-tool-listens-for-endangered-orcas-in-real-time-to-reduce-human-disturbance/
- An AI initiative is listening to southern resident orcas in real-time to help them steer clear of vessels and noisy coastal construction.
- OrcaHello builds on a network of underwater microphones to detect orcas and push out alerts that have helped pause coastal construction and redirect boat traffic as the orcas pass by.
- Southern resident orcas are considered an endangered subspecies, with only 76 remaining individuals.
- Major threats to the species include a decline in their food sources, primarily Chinook salmon, along with noise pollution and vessel traffic.
New atlas aims to help save Africa’s disappearing wetlands (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/new-atlas-aims-to-help-save-africas-disappearing-wetlands/
Since 1970, more than a third of the world’s wetlands have been lost, at a rate three times faster than forest loss. To help governments and funders prioritize wetlands in need of protection or restoration, the global nonprofit Wetlands International has launched the new Wetland Atlas. The interactive atlas integrates spatial information on different wetlands […]
In Nepal, controversial dam threatens endangered pangolins: Study (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-nepal-controversial-dam-threatens-endangered-pangolins-study/
- The proposed Nagmati Dam in Nepal’s capital potentially threatens critically endangered Chinese pangolins by flooding their prime habitat.
- Researchers warn that pangolins are especially vulnerable due to their small home ranges and specific habitat needs, meaning even limited habitat loss could have severe population impacts.
- The dam’s environmental impact assessment is criticized for failing to properly acknowledge or evaluate risks to these threatened species.
- Beyond pangolins, other threatened wildlife in the park — including leopards and Himalayan black bear — may face displacement, increasing ecological stress and conflict risks.
Why forest conservation is also public health (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/why-forest-conservation-is-also-public-health/
- A new study from Madagascar provides the first complete mitochondrial genomes for two endemic tuft-tailed rats, offering a clearer baseline for identifying and tracking native rodent species.
- Fieldwork found these native rodents only in intact forest, while degraded areas were dominated by invasive black rats, suggesting a shift in community composition linked to habitat change.
- Understanding which rodent species are present, where they live, and how their populations change is critical not just for biodiversity, but for identifying how pathogen dynamics may shift across landscapes.
- The research illustrates how improved ecological monitoring can connect conservation and public health, supporting the view that protecting ecosystems and managing disease risk are closely linked.
How marine flyways could help save the world’s declining seabird population (April 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/04/how-marine-flyways-could-help-save-the-worlds-declining-seabird-population/
The routes taken by migratory birds, known as flyways, often cross vast expanses of ocean. Six of these marine flyways have now been formally recognized by the U.N.’s Convention on Migratory Species, at the suggestion of scientists who published their findings on these flyways in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology. Tammy Davies, […]
Appeals court keeps ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ open, rejecting need for federal environmental review (April 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/appeals-court-keeps-alligator-alcatraz-open-rejecting-need-for-federal-environmental-review/
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” will remain open, an appeals court decided Tuesday, upholding its earlier decision to block a judge’s order for the facility to wind down operations because it didn’t comply with federal environmental law. A majority on the three-judge panel from the Eleventh […]
New treaty to end the fossil fuel era is needed more than ever (commentary) (April 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/new-treaty-to-end-the-fossil-fuel-era-is-needed-more-than-ever-commentary/
- As oil prices rise along with the social and environmental tolls of both war and continuing fossil fuel use, delegates from 50 nations are about to gather in Colombia to frame a treaty that moves the world more quickly toward a renewable future.
- Policy breakthroughs can occur outside formal U.N. processes like this, and the Santa Marta conference beginning April 24 seeks to add momentum for a Fossil Fuel Treaty.
- “The end of fossil fuels is no longer a distant goal; it is an unfolding reality. The task now is to govern it,” a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Vaupés River contamination identified near rapidly expanding Amazonian town (April 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/vaupes-river-contamination-identified-near-rapidly-expanding-amazonian-town/
- Indigenous people who live downstream from a rapidly expanding Amazonian town on the banks of the Vaupés River told Mongabay the river is contaminated by sewage and has made people sick.
- To verify this, Mongabay obtained water quality studies from the Corporation for Sustainable Development of the Northern and Eastern Amazon, which confirmed that sewage contamination and organic load are above safe limits and may impact public health and the quality of the aquatic ecosystem.
- Traditionally, the Macaquiño community downstream considers the Vaupés River to be a living being with whom they coexist and depend on it for bathing, fishing and human consumption.
- Public authorities in Mitú said the contamination stems in part from the municipality’s poorly constructed wastewater treatment plant, which was built on a flood zone and therefore frequently collapses, dumping untreated sewage into the river.
At the U.N., Indigenous leaders tackle how to enforce global climate court rulings (April 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/at-the-u-n-indigenous-leaders-tackle-how-to-enforce-global-climate-court-rulings/
- In the last year, international courts issued an advisory opinion and ruling calling on state governments to be accountable for the impacts of climate change, to reduce fossil fuel emissions and to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into climate policies.
- At the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Indigenous representatives say that U.N. member states would prefer to ignore their climate obligations, leaving open the question of whether these rulings can be implemented, enforced, and used to protect Indigenous land and rights.
- In Latin America and the Caribbean, there exist strong legal frameworks that coexist with persistent failures in implementation, according the the special rapporteur on Indigenous peoples.
- The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights is currently considering a case on states’ climate obligations, including how African governments should handle climate-related displacement.
Chinese court cases reveal most trafficked rhino horns come from Southern Africa (April 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/chinese-court-cases-reveal-most-trafficked-rhino-horns-come-from-southern-africa/
- A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency analyzed more than 250 rhino horn trafficking cases prosecuted in China between 2013 and 2025 to understand smuggling routes and trends within the country.
- Chinese courts have convicted more than 500 traffickers, who received an average of 4.5 years in prison and fines of about 92,322 yuan ($13,540). Most rhino horns smuggled into China came from South Africa and Mozambique, entering by land across the border from Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos.
- Rhino horns are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, but most court cases involved sculpted rhino horns and trinkets sold in antique and curio shops. About one-third of consumers were in big cities: Beijing, Jiangsu and Shanghai.
- Unrelenting demand for rhino horns, along with attempts by Southern African countries to open legal trade in stockpiled horns, could make it challenging to fight trafficking, as poaching decimates rhino populations across their African and Asian ranges.