The push for a sustainable artisanal mining in the Peruvian Amazon (September 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/09/the-push-for-a-sustainable-artisanal-mining-in-the-peruvian-amazon/
MADRE DE DIOS, Peru — In Madre de Dios, in the Peruvian Amazon, thousands of people depend on gold mining, while the spread of mercury and deforestation are transforming the country’s most biodiverse tropical forest. In La Pampa, one of the region’s main gold mining hubs, a formalized artisanal mining operation is trying to prove […]
Ituna/Itatá invasion escalates as Indigenous Land faces fires and illegal clearing (September 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/ituna-itata-invasion-escalates-as-indigenous-land-faces-fires-and-illegal-clearing/
More than 500 people have invaded Brazil’s Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Land in recent weeks, opening illegal roads, setting deliberate fires and threatening federal agents. The area is home to the Igarapé Ipiaçava Indigenous people who live in voluntary isolation with no contact with outsiders. On Aug. 26, a federal court ordered the government to deploy the […]
Angolan communities return to seasonal migration amid severe drought (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/angolan-communities-return-to-seasonal-migration-amid-severe-drought/
Several years of severe drought are forcing people to leave their homes in Angola to search for water and food in neighboring Namibia. “There is real hunger and thirst here; that’s why the village has become depopulated,” Nghikembua (not his real name), who lives in Cunene Province in southern Angola, told Amnesty International in 2021. […]
Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open/
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had said the 64-year-old J.H. Campbell plant was needed to ensure […]
Mozambique protects Mount Mabu ‘butterfly forest’ (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/mozambique-protects-mount-mabu-butterfly-forest/
Mozambique has formally protected Mount Mabu, a hotspot of endemic wildlife and home to more than 200 species of butterflies, located in the Lugela district of northern Mozambique. The decree, published on Aug. 24 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, created the 9,341-hectare (23,082-acre) Mount Mabu Community Conservation Area, with stewardship of the […]
Migratory bird species increasingly at risk, report finds, but there is still hope (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/migratory-bird-species-increasingly-at-risk-report-finds-but-there-is-still-hope/
- The new State of the World’s Birds report says 45% of migratory bird species are in decline with 11% threatened with extinction.
- “This report is about migratory birds, but it also serves as a warning about the state of the planet in general,” the report’s lead author says.
- Currently only around 9% of migratory bird species have adequate protection across their full cycle, compared with 45% of non-migratory species, the report states.
- The launch of the report coincided with the signing of the Nairobi Flyways Declaration by governments, conservation organizations and others that are committing to protecting vital flyways.
World Dolphin Day: Reporting unusual behavior, threats and increased protections (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/world-dolphin-day-reporting-unusual-behavior-threats-and-increased-protections/
Nine dolphin species, and several more subspecies and local populations, are currently critically endangered or endangered, according to the most recent assessment by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. September 12 marks World Dolphin Day, an awareness day created in 2022 by marine conservation nonprofit Sea Shepherd to bring attention to the threats that […]
Lack of data hinders fight against environmental crimes in Angola, says environmentalist (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/lack-of-data-hinders-fight-against-environmental-crimes-in-angola-says-environmentalist/
- At 29, Érica Tavares represents a new generation of environmentalists in Angola, where she leads the NGO EcoAngola.
- She advocates for satellite monitoring, specialized oversight and energy solutions to curb illegal deforestation.
- Tavares says the government’s strategies and plans still fall short of what Angolans need to address environmental challenges.
Indigenous knowledge x tech in the search for a tiny Amazon monkey (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/indigenous-knowledge-x-tech-in-the-search-for-a-tiny-amazon-monkey/
- Conservationists are collaborating with Indigenous communities in Ecuador to look for the world’s smallest monkey.
- Pygmy marmosets live high up in trees and are hard to monitor visually; they’re also a key indicator of how forests are faring in the face of deforestation and degradation.
- Conservationists are using passive acoustic monitoring to find the monkeys; they’re also training the communities on using the technology for the future.
Nigeria’s Rachel Ikemeh wins Rolex Award for efforts to save rare red monkey (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/nigerias-rachel-ikemeh-wins-rolex-award-for-efforts-to-save-rare-red-monkey/
Nigerian conservationist Rachel Ikemeh has been named the 2026 Rolex Award laureate, for her work with communities in the Niger Delta to protect the region’s ecology and the critically endangered Niger Delta red colobus monkey. The red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni), a monkey known as epieni by the region’s communities, is listed as one of the […]
Can mining gold be sustainable? (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/can-mining-gold-be-sustainable/
In Madre de Dios, Peru, gold mining is deeply intertwined with the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people. But the industry is also leaving a heavy mark on the Amazon, with mercury pollution and deforestation reshaping one of the world’s most biodiverse forests. In La Pampa, an area known for gold mining, a formalized […]
Javan rhinos survive eruption in Indonesia, but single habitat leaves species vulnerable (September 11, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/javan-rhinos-survive-eruption-in-indonesia-but-single-habitat-leaves-species-vulnerable/
- Indonesia’s critically endangered Javan rhinos appear to have weathered a recent volcanic eruption near their only remaining habitat, highlighting the precarious position of one of the world’s rarest large mammals.
- With the entire wild population concentrated in one coastal national park, the species faces risks from natural disasters as well as the challenges of conservation and population management.
- Efforts to give the rhinos greater protection have included plans for a second habitat and attempts to move the animals to safer areas.
Court rules residents of a US city don’t have a constitutional right to lead-free water (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/court-rules-residents-of-a-us-city-dont-have-a-constitutional-right-to-lead-free-water/
A U.S. federal court recently ruled that residents of Jackson, Mississippi, don’t have a constitutional right to truthful information from public officials, nor the right to municipal drinking water that is free of lead, a neurotoxin. “The Constitution does not provide redress for every governmental wrongdoing,” Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt of the U.S. Court of […]
Japan deploys equipment to Indonesia’s Borneo to help fight wildfires causing toxic haze (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/japan-deploys-equipment-to-indonesias-borneo-to-help-fight-wildfires-causing-toxic-haze/
MEMPAWAH, Indonesia (AP) — A Japanese military transport ship docked on the island of Borneo on Thursday as part of a disaster relief mission to help fight wildfires in Indonesia that are causing a toxic haze impacting people’s health in other countries. Japan deployed 300 crew members, landing ship JS Kunisaki and three CH-47 helicopters, […]
Amazon Fund grantees fear a new funding freeze after Brazil’s election (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/amazon-fund-grantees-fear-a-new-funding-freeze-after-brazils-election/
- As Brazil approaches a pivotal presidential election, grantees of the Amazon Fund warn that a radical change in administration could derail its recent momentum, which saw annual financing quadruple.
- While the fund helped drive Amazonian deforestation to its lowest level in a decade, experts warn a new disruption would have greater impacts amid the growing climate crisis.
- International donors are already signaling caution, as widespread anxiety reflects the trauma of 2019, when the previous government dismantled Brazil’s environmental frameworks.
Offshore wind may be good for the climate but can it be good for the ocean, too? (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/offshore-wind-may-be-good-for-the-climate-but-can-it-be-good-for-the-ocean-too/
- Offshore wind energy is on the rise. Many experts regard it as pivotal to building renewable energy grids around the globe, while also noting that it affects the marine environment.
- On one hand, offshore wind farms can create mini marine protected areas by prohibiting harmful practices like bottom trawling, and could eventually enable restoration of depleted habitats like oyster reefs.
- But they also bring notable challenges. Alongside well-documented threats to birds and bats, several issues remain poorly understood, such as how large-scale wind platforms might affect ocean circulation, temperature and the movement of sediment.
- Researchers say a host of measures can be taken to address some environmental challenges, while underlining the need for continued investment and innovation in solutions.
‘Forgotten fauna’: Little known river sharks and rays face increased extinction risk (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/forgotten-fauna-little-known-river-sharks-and-rays-face-increased-extinction-risk/
- Dozens of shark and ray species are known to spend some or all of their life cycle in freshwater environments, but they remain among the least studied and least protected.
- According to the IUCN, 76% of non-marine sharks and rays in the Indo-Pacific region are threatened with extinction — about twice the rate of their marine relatives.
- Rivers and estuaries are heavily impacted by human activities, and many non-marine sharks and rays have already disappeared from parts of their historic range, with some at risk of vanishing before their conservation needs are understood.
As saltwater advances, Gambian farmers rethink how to protect rice fields (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/as-saltwater-advances-gambian-farmers-rethink-how-to-protect-rice-fields/
- Every year, the villagers of Kiang Jifarong in the Gambia contribute their labor and money to building earthen dikes from clay and mud in an effort to keep seawater out of their rice farms along the Bintang Bolong estuary.
- Stretches of salt-blighted or barren plots and growing numbers of farmers moving inland to higher ground are a sign that rising sea levels and uncertain rainfall that could flush saline water out of the estuarine landscape are overcoming this defense.
- The villagers look enviously at a UNDP-funded concrete dike at a nearby village, but one sustainable development expert says permanent dikes often aggravate the problem.
Children’s health at risk in south Borneo as El Niño intensifies Indonesia wildfires (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/childrens-health-at-risk-in-south-borneo-as-el-nino-intensifies-indonesia-wildfires/
- Wildfires across Borneo and Sumatra are raising health risks for local populations, with some health offices reporting rising rates of respiratory disease.
- Mothers in Indonesia’s South Kalimantan province report extensive stress from caregiving and domestic responsibilities as family members fall ill amid harmful air quality caused by hinterland fires.
- A strong El Niño is expected to prolong Indonesia’s main dry season, possibly beyond October, elevating risks to people and wildlife from wildfires.
- Southeasterly trade winds have spread wildfire pollution beyond Indonesia to neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, whose governments have issued health advisories for their citizens.
Huge AI data center project blindsides water-stressed town in Brazil (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/huge-ai-data-center-project-blindsides-water-stressed-town-in-brazil/
- Atlas Renewable Energy is planning a 1-gigawatt data center in the Paracatu municipality that exceeds the combined power capacity of all such facilities currently installed in Brazil.
- The project risks depleting fragile Cerrado springs in a municipality where around 80% of the territory faces water conflicts and demand already exceeds 100% of available groundwater reserves.
- Local authorities and residents say they were never consulted about the multi-billion-dollar investment, which was only revealed to them through inquiries from reporters.
- The project reflects a global trend of tech giants seeking out resource-rich countries like Brazil to power an increasingly water and energy intensive AI boom.