Wildfires on doorstep of Indonesia’s new capital as environmental and health crisis flares (September 15, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/wildfires-on-doorstep-of-indonesias-new-capital-as-environmental-and-health-crisis-flares/
- The authority overseeing Indonesia’s new capital city, Nusantara, confirmed on Sept. 9 that fires had broken out within the new capital city administrative area; although, the fires were around 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the core government buildings.
- Five days later senior government officials including Indonesia’s forestry minister visited the site of the fires on the outskirts of the area designated for the government buildings.
- A satellite-monitoring platform FireWatch, recorded more possible fires, known as hotspots, through Sept. 8 than during the same period in 2019, one of Indonesia’s most severe wildfire years.
- Across the country, fires have been accompanied by reports of wildlife deaths and rising respiratory illness, as community and state firefighters scramble to contain blazes intensified by El Niño.
10 promising ways to ‘green’ offshore wind (September 15, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/10-promising-ways-to-green-offshore-wind/
- Offshore wind is expanding as an important renewable energy source that many experts say is essential to meeting climate goals.
- Ensuring wind farms limit environmental harm and work with nature is vital, experts say.
- Several measures can be taken to limit negative impacts on the environment throughout the lifespan of turbines and wind farms, from construction to decommissioning. These range from technical solutions to policy interventions.
- Continued innovation and research is important to ensure measures are backed by monitoring data and science, experts say.
‘They should choose their own destinies’: Manish Chandi on India’s isolated tribes (September 15, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/they-should-choose-their-own-destinies-manish-chandi-on-indias-isolated-tribes/
- Mongabay interviewed Manish Chandi, a former research scholar who has spent over two decades working on tribal communities, about the latest threats and activities affecting the lives of isolated and contacted tribal peoples living in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the southeastern coast of mainland India.
- Isolated tribes, which maintain little to no contact with outsiders, face threats ranging from trawlers entering buffer waters and development projects planned in hunting grounds, to government perspectives that can limit their independence and capacity to decide their future on their own terms.
- Chandi discusses the impact of curious outsiders trying to visit isolated tribes, how contact can affect different tribes differently and how to protect isolated peoples’ autonomy.
- Tribal reserves are large biodiversity hotspots, rivaling protected areas and wildlife sanctuaries in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, says Chandi.
Electric fences that kill and the Maasai trying to save Kenya’s last giant pangolins (September 15, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/electric-fences-that-kill-and-the-maasai-trying-to-save-kenyas-last-giant-pangolins/
- Electric fences were responsible for 14 of the 15 giant ground pangolins found dead near Kenya’s Nyekweri Forest since 2022.
- With fewer than 30 giant ground pangolins believed to remain in the country, all in this one area, landowners are switching off the lowest strands of their electrified fences to create safe passage for these endangered animals.
- This community-led effort has made about 134 kilometers (83 miles) of fencing safer, but habitat loss and continued land subdivision threaten to undermine those gains.
Roads, infrastructure prevent tigers from settling in Indian tiger reserve (September 15, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/roads-infrastructure-prevent-tigers-from-settling-in-indian-tiger-reserve/
A forested tiger reserve in southern India is home to a thriving population of spotted and sambar deer, nilgai antelopes, and wild pigs — all ideal prey for tigers. Yet the reserve has no resident tigers, reports contributor Nivedhika Krishnan for Mongabay India. Kawal Tiger Reserve in the state of Telangana connects key tiger populations […]
EPA eliminates rule that limits planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/epa-eliminates-rule-that-limits-planet-warming-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-power-plants/
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, an action the agency said would remove more than $300 billion in costs for the industry and help “unleash” American energy. The rule change, first proposed last year, represents a […]
Kathmandu Resolution calls for Asia-wide leadership on conservation (commentary) (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/katmandu-resolution-calls-for-asia-wide-leadership-on-conservation-commentary/
- In early June, 500 conservationists largely from Asian countries assembled in Nepal for the 6th Conservation Asia Congress, organized by the regional chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology and other key partners.
- A melting pot for ideas, actions and future collaborations, participants also passed what they called the Kathmandu Resolution 2026.
- The resolution “called for building capacity of the Asian conservation sector through peaceful regional co-operation and trans-Asian collaboration, free movement of knowledge and expertise, mobilizing resources to foster leadership,” and more, a new commentary shares.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Did you know cocoa pulp tastes like lychee?! (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/did-you-know-cocoa-pulp-tastes-like-lychee/
From a symbol of wealth and the food of the gods, to a sweet treat many of us can’t go too long without; the story of cacao (or cocoa, depending on how it was processed), has been intertwined with humanity’s for millennia! In this 4-part series on NTFPs (non-timber forest products) with The Rainforester and […]
Decline of migratory birds spurs calls for coordinated conservation (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/decline-of-migratory-birds-spurs-calls-for-coordinated-conservation/
- More than 100 organizations have signed the Nairobi Flyways Declaration, pledging to integrate conservation of migratory birds’ intercontinental routes into development planning and finance.
- The declaration marked the end of the Global Flyways Summit, organized by BirdLife International in Nairobi from Sept. 8-11, with the organization’s CEO saying pledges from multilateral finance institutions signal a shift toward incorporating biodiversity into the mainstream of development decisions.
- BirdLife also presented the latest edition of its quadrennial “State of the World’s Birds” report at the summit, reporting that 45% of migratory bird species are declining, while about one in nine faces the threat of extinction.
Can we stop ships from killing the Mediterranean’s last great whales? (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/09/can-we-stop-ships-from-killing-the-mediterraneans-last-great-whales/
Collisions with ships are a leading anthropogenic killer of the Mediterranean’s two endangered large-bodied cetacean species, sperm and fin whales. In 2025, thousands of vessels traveled through the Mediterranean’s key whale habitats at speeds above 15 knots (28 km/h), the threshold at which vessel strikes are almost always fatal, according to an analysis by Magma […]
Panama looks to science, fishers, and the law to protect its sharks and rays (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/panama-looks-to-science-fishers-and-the-law-to-protect-its-sharks-and-rays/
- In Panama, various initiatives are underway to reduce bycatch of sharks and rays, led by biologists, NGOs, politicians, and local restaurants.
- Many industrial fishing boats carry biologists with them to help train the crew on how to free marine animals accidentally caught in their nets.
- A bill is also currently in discussion in the legislature that proposes measures to restore and conserve shark and ray populations.
- According to local experts, the bill would mark a major step forward for shark conservation, but still has significant weaknesses because the country lacks data on shark and ray populations, especially on breeding sites.
Against the odds, endangered dolphins survive in Bangladesh’s polluted river (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/against-the-odds-endangered-dolphins-survive-in-bangladeshs-polluted-river/
- The Buriganga River in Bangladesh is one of the five most polluted rivers in the world, with heavy metal pollution from chromium, lead and cadmium.
- However, a recent survey found that around 20 Ganges river dolphins survive in this toxic river.
- More than 2,000 Ganges river dolphins were recorded across 4,900 kilometers (3,045 miles) across 45 rivers in Bangladesh in another survey.
- For river dolphins to survive in Bangladesh, the country needs to keep a check on the intense pollutions and on harmful fishing methods, conservationists say.
Pacific bluefin tuna will get some help as countries agree to new harvest strategy (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/pacific-bluefin-tuna-will-get-some-help-as-countries-agree-to-new-harvest-strategy/
- The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), a multilateral body that manages tuna and other fish stocks in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, held its annual meeting Aug. 31- Sept. 4 in Portugal.
- Commission members agreed to adopt a harvest strategy to ensure sustainable long-term management for Pacific bluefin tuna, which a decade ago had fallen to 2.6% of its historic population due to excessive catches, but has since recovered substantially following implementation of a stock rebuilding plan.
- The new Pacific bluefin tuna harvest strategy allows for slight increases in catches, but automatic reductions should a new decline occur.
- IATTC members failed to reach an agreement on an anticipated multispecies management framework for three other tuna species — bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack — that would have triggered fishing restrictions should any of their populations decline.
Nearly forgotten languages are finding new words for Colombia’s dragonflies (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/nearly-forgotten-languages-are-finding-new-words-for-colombias-dragonflies/
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. When researchers began cataloging dragonflies in Guainía, a remote region in eastern Colombia, the scientific record contained only about 10 species. By working with Indigenous communities, they’ve found nearly 120. “When we started, very little was known,” Yiselle […]
Longest African mammal movement recorded by Zambian wild dogs (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/longest-african-mammal-movement-recorded-by-zambian-wild-dogs/
Three male African wild dogs in Zambia have travelled more than 4,000 kilometers, about 2,500 miles, in search of new territory and mates, according to a new study. This nine-month odyssey, about half the distance between Cairo and Cape Town, reveals how these endangered animals connect populations and ecosystems that are far apart within Southern […]
Biodiversity corridor payments boost household incomes in Vietnam’s Annamite mountains (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/biodiversity-corridor-payments-boost-household-incomes-in-vietnams-annamite-mountains/
- A recent study in Vietnam’s central Annamite mountains found biodiversity corridors linking protected areas can significantly boost the income of households living inside them.
- The researchers interviewed 120 families both inside and outside of biodiversity corridors to assess how conservation incentive payments affect people’s lives and views of conservation.
- The study found households inside biodiversity corridors earned substantially more, primarily from conservation-linked payments and activities, than those outside corridors, who depended more on plantations and forest resources.
- The researchers say their findings underscore how well-managed conservation-linked payments can align intact ecosystems with viable livelihoods, offering a practical model for conservation.
A clownfish’s last stand (September 14, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/a-clownfishs-last-stand/
- A clownfish’s defense of her eggs became one of the final recorded moments on a Singapore reef buried by land reclamation.
- Singapore has lost about 65% of its coral reef habitat and more than 45% of its original seagrass cover, largely to coastal development.
- The proposed Western Island has renewed concern about the future of the reefs and marine life around Singapore’s southern islands.
- This is a reflection by Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler on what reclamation looks like below the water.
How burnt coconut helped discover new to science endemic species in Sri Lanka (September 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/how-burnt-coconut-helped-discover-new-to-science-endemic-species-in-sri-lanka/
- Scientists have formally described Mus dumbara, a new species of spiny mouse from Sri Lanka’s Dumbara or Knuckles Mountain Range after years of waiting.
- Collected for the first time in 2004, it took more than two decades of morphological and genetic analysis to establish it as a distinct species from the other spiny mouse species found in Sri Lanka.
- Subsequent efforts to find fresh specimens of the elusive mouse proved unsuccessful, despite around 1,900 trap nights in the area, leaving scientists with limited information about its current population and distribution.
- Found only from a small area of the Knuckles Range so far, the discovery highlights the island’s overlooked biodiversity of small mammals and the need for further surveys to understand the species’ ecology and conservation needs.
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 […]