In Raja Ampat, children learn that their knowledge can help protect their islands (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/in-raja-ampat-children-learn-that-their-knowledge-can-help-protect-their-islands/
- Research suggests that children who grow up closely connected to their surroundings can develop sophisticated understandings of their local environment.
- A recent children’s book reading was part of a gathering of Indigenous communities in Arborek that brought together representatives from 20 Indigenous subtribes in Raja Ampat, as well as Indigenous people from other parts of Indonesia and abroad.
- The book turns the biodiversity of Indonesia into a visual story about what could be lost if mining damages the environment.
- The author and illustrator hope that seeing their home, animals and stories represented in a book will encourage the children to tell more stories of their own.
How a rare bird sparked a wildlife movement across 16 villages in Guyana (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/how-a-rare-bird-sparked-a-wildlife-movement-across-16-villages-in-guyana/
- The documentation of the endangered red siskin, a rare bird, in Guyana inspired the creation of the South Rupununi Conservation Society.
- The organization has built a multi-community grassroots conservation approach that is grounded in traditional knowledge, organizes across 16 village boundaries and includes Indigenous villagers, farmers and teachers who research wildlife, develop conservation guidelines and teach local ecology.
- Projects include community conservation zones to protect wildlife such as giant anteaters, the genetic documentation of species and monitoring.
- Short-term funding, development pressure and cultural change threaten the model, even as communities invest their own money into projects.
Xokleng Indigenous people plant thousands of critically endangered pine in Brazil (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/xokleng-indigenous-people-plant-thousands-of-critically-endangered-pine-in-brazil/
The Xokleng Indigenous people of Santa Catarina state of southern Brazil have planted nearly a 100,000 seedlings of a critically endangered native tree, Mongabay contributor Letícia Klein reported. The Brazilian pine (Araucaria angustifolia), or araucária, can grow more than 50 meters (164 feet) tall and has a straight trunk with a broad crown of branches […]
Did you know forests can save themselves? (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/did-you-know-forests-can-save-themselves/
Did you know forests can save themselves? (With a little help from us, of course). Turns out, trees can be super valuable apart from being used for timber. Their seeds, nuts, leaves, bark, and more are natural commodities… and have the potential to prevent logging, support local communities, and protect the health of our precious […]
Rescue networks built by fire: Saving animals from Australia’s bushfires (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/rescue-networks-built-by-fire-saving-animals-from-australias-bushfires/
- While emergency responders prioritized human life and property during Australia’s 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, there were few systems in place to protect wildlife or evacuate and care for domestic animals during and after the fires, exposing a gap in disaster planning.
- Neighbors, wildlife carers, veterinarians, landholders and volunteers rapidly organized evacuations, rescue efforts, feeding stations and supply networks, demonstrating the power of local knowledge and grassroots coordination.
- Fire ecology research suggests animals may be more vulnerable to fire than previously understood, and more research is needed to understand wildlife mortality and survival during and post-bushfire.
- Experts say that community-led efforts could dramatically improve outcomes for both people and animals during disasters with better funding, coordination and institutional support. Community networks offer a blueprint for the future as bushfires become more frequent in a climate-changed world.
In Spain & South Africa, communities use restoration to ‘grow’ fire insurance (commentary) (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/in-spain-south-africa-communities-use-restoration-to-grow-fire-insurance-commentary/
- Managing fire as a part of restoring ecosystems is vital to protecting both communities and economies from disaster: While fire is a natural part of many ecosystems, when forests are poorly managed they become fuel reservoirs just waiting for a spark.
- Spain’s Muga Valley and South Africa’s Langkloof share such a management history but are now pivoting to ecosystem restoration to protect communities, economies and biodiversity.
- “It is the health of the landscape that will determine whether fire acts as a force of connection or destruction. The choice, in effect, is whether we leave that risk unmanaged, or begin to build insurance into the land itself,” a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Local knowledge guides rediscovery of spinach pipefish, not seen in four decades (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/local-knowledge-guides-rediscovery-of-spinach-pipefish-not-seen-in-four-decades/
- Scientists have rediscovered spinach pipefish, a freshwater species endemic to Papua New Guinea’s Sepik River, not seen in nearly 40 years.
- The discovery came during a two-week survey led by local scientists and community members. Local fisherwoman Helen Asu netted two spinach pipefish, which scientists sent to experts for confirmation of the taxonomy.
- Scientists say the rediscovery offers hope that populations of the little-known, elusive fish still survive and provides an opportunity to understand more about its life cycle, habitat and ecology.
- The discovery highlights the importance of combining local knowledge with scientific research.
Daniel Janzen and the long work of bringing back a forest (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/daniel-janzen-and-the-long-work-of-bringing-back-a-forest/
- Daniel Janzen’s scientific work helped reshape ecologists’ understanding of tropical forests, especially the relationships among plants, insects, pathogens, predators, and seeds.
- With Winnie Hallwachs and Costa Rican partners, he helped turn degraded ranchlands in Guanacaste into a protected, working landscape that now connects ecosystems from the Pacific coast to cloud forest and Caribbean rain forest.
- ACG’s parataxonomists, educators, field staff, directors, and neighboring communities have made the project durable through their day-to-day work, linking conservation to local employment, education, and scientific expertise.
- Janzen and Hallwachs’s more recent work on DNA barcoding and bioliteracy aims to help Costa Rica identify, study, and value the extraordinary diversity of life within its borders.
Antarctic krill fishery closes months early amid increasing fishing pressure (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/antarctic-krill-fishery-closes-months-early-amid-increasing-fishing-pressure/
- The krill fishery in the Southern Ocean has closed more than three months early after reaching its annual catch limit of 620,000 metric tons — a precautionary quota established to prevent overfishing.
- Krill forms the foundation of the Antarctic food web, with penguins, whales, seals, fish, squid and other animals depending on the tiny shrimp-like crustacean.
- The early closure of the fishery is linked to the growth of the krill-targeting fleet, as well as to what some scientists call an “unprecedented” concentration of fishing activities in areas where krill is most abundant.
- Scientists are raising concerns about the combined impacts of overfishing and climate change on both krill and the Antarctic and Southern Ocean wildlife it nourishes.
A deadly cross over: In South Africa, rabies moves from land animals to seals (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-deadly-cross-over-in-south-africa-rabies-moves-from-land-animals-to-seals/
- Cape Town, South Africa, has recorded 135 incidents of aggressive seal behavior toward humans since September 2021, including injuries that led to hospitalizations.
- Researchers suspect the cause is rabies, a disease normally associated with land animals but has leapt to Cape fur seals.
- Since May 2024, rabies cases have been confirmed in Cape fur seals along the Western Cape and Northern Cape coastlines of South Africa — the first time the virus has established itself in a marine mammal population anywhere in the world.
- Beyond attacks on humans, researchers worry whether the disease will spread to other marine mammals, as seals interact with different species.
Dragonflies help protect water and ancestral Indigenous languages in Colombia (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/dragonflies-help-protect-water-and-ancestral-indigenous-languages-in-colombia/
- Researchers investigating Colombia’s remote region of Guainía have identified nearly 120 dragonfly and damselfly species, uncovering a biodiversity hotspot for these insects.
- Dragonflies rely on pristine freshwater ecosystems, but their aquatic habitats face growing pressure from regional deforestation, unmanaged waste and exponential tourism.
- By naming in their ancestral languages and monitoring local dragonflies, communities are deepening their understanding of ecosystem health and connecting biodiversity and ancestral wisdom with water protection.
Bangladesh’s green building drive grows beyond factories amid climate pressures (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/bangladeshs-green-building-drive-grows-beyond-factories-amid-climate-pressures/
- Currently, Bangladesh has 35 certified green buildings and sustainable offices in various non-manufacturing sectors, and the concept is gaining more ground.
- The country is encouraging LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certification for industries, and holds 53 of the world’s top 100 highest-scoring green factories.
- Key drivers behind green construction include lowering carbon emissions and ensuring sustainable development, besides the wellbeing of industry employees and connected workers.
- Mongabay spoke with a few major corporate companies, builders and experts about the adoption of green building initiatives in Bangladesh to understand where industries in the country stand in support of this approach.
Indonesia integrates Indigenous data in bid to put customary lands on map (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/indonesia-integrates-indigenous-data-in-bid-to-put-customary-lands-on-map/
- The Indonesian government has integrated data from its Ministry of Culture, the Ancestral Domain Registration Agency and AMAN, the country’s largest Indigenous peoples’ alliance, to build a new dataset covering 3,857 Indigenous communities.
- The database will document and register customary territories and capture cultural aspects as well, including Indigenous languages, local foods and traditional knowledge.
- It is hoped that the database will provide greater visibility of Indigenous territories and enable them to be incorporated into permitting, development planning and spatial planning, but it does not grant legal recognition to Indigenous communities or customary territories.
Brazil’s unique data center boom rides on clean power despite social burden (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/brazils-unique-data-center-boom-rides-on-clean-power-despite-social-burden/
- An exclusive analysis found at least 36 renewable energy companies have pivoted toward building massive server hubs to cash in on excess generation.
- Nearly 80% of slated districts overlap with traditional lands where communities are unaware of industrial risks to hydrological cycles and biodiversity.
- Government officials marketed the country’s green matrix to global investors while leveraging the power surplus in high-stakes trade talks with the United States.
Wind energy surplus fuels unregulated data centers in Brazil’s dry land (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/wind-energy-surplus-fuels-unregulated-data-centers-in-brazils-dry-land/
- The energy firm Serena filed 12 requests to build data centers in a remote town of only 11,000 people already affected by wind farms in Brazil.
- The project sits in a protected area, stressing the waters of the Itaparica Lagoon, local fishers and Quilombola communities.
- Tech firms in Brazil are exploiting a lack of specific regulations and renewable power surplus to plan data centers without undergoing environmental licensing.
World must look to the past to prepare for likely unprecedented El Niño (August 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/world-must-look-to-the-past-to-prepare-for-likely-unprecedented-el-nino/
- A potentially historic El Niño is gathering strength and likely to peak between Nov. 2026-Jan. 2027. Latest projections suggest the event could become the strongest ever measured. Countries around the world are bracing for impacts.
- Past very strong El Niño events, with record heat, drought, precipitation, floods, and wildfires, have taken a toll in human lives, human health, national and community economies, and ecosystems. Some effects can linger as much as a decade, after these events.
- While some nations, such as Peru and Sri Lanka, are preparing for a record El Niño, many are unable to, with the United Nations now making a $202 million El Niño Joint Anticipatory Action Appeal to aid 22 high-risk countries in Asia, Oceania, Africa and Latin America.
- In this story, experts outline some lessons that can be learned from history’s most powerful past El Niño events and the preparations that will be required to protect vulnerable populations during the potentially unprecedented 2026-27 event.
Patricio Segura, journalist who defended Patagonia’s rivers, died of hantavirus, aged 54 (August 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/patricio-segura-journalist-who-defended-patagonias-rivers-has-died-of-hantavirus-at-54/
The fight to stop five dams on the Baker and Pascua rivers began in one of Chile’s least populous regions, far from Santiago, where national energy policy was set. HidroAysén said Chile needed the project to meet rising demand for electricity. Patricio Segura, working from Aysén in Chilean Patagonia, spent years picking apart that case. […]
Pete Brosius brought Penan forest stewardship in Sarawak into court (August 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/pete-brosius-brought-penan-forest-stewardship-into-court/
In the early 1990s, the logging roads running through Sarawak’s Upper Baram became the site of a bitter confrontation. Penan families built wooden barricades and faced off bulldozers, timber trucks, and state security forces. As the protests drew international attention, the government of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud restricted media access and portrayed the Penan […]
Hands On series: stories that build change (August 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/hands-on-series-stories-that-build-change/
How does a community adapt to challenging times? A tiny home built to withstand floods. Ancient floating gardens bringing a canal back to life. Giant fishing nets and the people working to protect a threatened tradition. Across Bangladesh, Mexico and Thailand, communities are finding practical ways to protect their homes, food systems, waterways and livelihoods. […]
Art and science must come together for coral reef conservation, biologists argue (August 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/art-and-science-must-come-together-for-coral-reef-conservation-biologists-argue/
Art and science can work together to raise public awareness and propel conservation efforts needed to safeguard coral reef ecosystems, a group of coral scientists argues in a new research article published in Science Advances. Coral reefs are among Earth’s most threatened ecosystems amid climate change, coral bleaching and threats from mining. However, most people […]