UN scientists propose ‘minerals trust’ to power green energy, protect communities
(June 7, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/un-scientists-propose-minerals-trust-to-power-green-energy-protect-communities/
Rapidly scaling up renewable energy to limit future warming requires a sharp increase in the supply of critical minerals like cobalt, nickel and lithium for technologies including solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicles. Yet sourcing these minerals often comes at a steep cost for both the environment and local communities. Now, a coalition of […] In Nepal, northernmost sighting of Eurasian otter raises hope, concerns
(June 7, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/in-nepal-northernmost-sighting-of-eurasian-otter-raises-hope-concerns/
- The northernmost Eurasian otter sighting in Nepal was recorded in the Karnali River, raising hopes for the species’ range expansion. But as the animal was found dead in a fishing net, conservationists highlight challenges to the species’ conservation.
- Researchers emphasize the rarity of such sightings in high-altitude, remote areas like Humla, where otters had been considered cryptic or absent for decades.
- The discovery builds on a series of recent sightings across Nepal, including in urbanized Kathmandu Valley, suggesting a wider distribution than previously known.
- Threats to otters include overfishing, poaching, hydropower projects, sand mining and net entanglement, all of which imperil not just the Eurasian otter but also Nepal’s two other otter species.
Revived hydropower project to bring forced displacement, Peru communities warn
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/revived-hydropower-project-to-bring-forced-displacement-peru-communities-warn/
- The construction of the Pakitzapango hydroelectric dam in Peru’s Junín region should be a matter of national interest, according to a bill proposed in February that claims the project would boost national energy security.
- The dam would be constructed on a sacred gorge on the Ene River that is central to the mythology of the local Indigenous Asháninka population. The reservoir would flood homes and ancestral territories of more than 13 communities, as well as cemeteries where many Asháninka people who were killed during a recent internal war are buried.
- The proposal is a revival of a project that was canceled more than a decade ago due to environmental irregularities and local rejection.
- Community members speaking to Mongabay are worried they will be forced to move, while environmental experts challenged the project’s energy security rationale.
Environmental crimes are often hidden by ‘flying money’ laundering schemes (commentary)
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/environmental-crimes-are-often-hidden-by-flying-money-laundering-schemes-commentary/
- An ancient credit system developed in China that relied on trust to help traders sidestep authorities and taxes is now being used to conceal illegal trafficking and increasingly environmental crimes, too.
- These “flying money” schemes are on the radar of law enforcement agencies, but coordination and implementation of plans to combat them are slow to develop.
- “Law enforcement, nations, conservation groups need more data sharing, more staff embeds, more eyes on the ground — even in China,” a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
How trafficking & misconceptions threaten Nigeria’s wildlife: Q&A with Dr. Mark Ofua
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/how-trafficking-misconceptions-threaten-nigerias-wildlife-qa-with-dr-mark-ofua/
- Veterinarian and wildlife conservationist Dr. Mark Ofua discusses his journey in Nigeria, highlighting efforts to protect species and combat wildlife trafficking.
- He notes societal misconceptions and lack of education as some of the major challenges in addressing wildlife conservation issues among the general public in Nigeria.
- The conservationist shares his experiences on rescue missions, including a particularly challenging encounter with sea turtle traffickers who had him fearing for his life.
- Ofua, who hosts a popular children’s TV show about animals, emphasizes the importance of educating children about wildlife conservation and the role of media in promoting awareness about local wildlife.
Bumble Bee asks court to dismiss lawsuit alleging forced labor in tuna supply chain
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/bumble-bee-asks-court-to-dismiss-lawsuit-alleging-forced-labor-in-tuna-supply-chain/
- In March, four Indonesian men filed a landmark lawsuit in the U.S. against canned tuna giant Bumble Bee Foods, accusing the company of profiting from abuse and exploitation aboard Chinese-owned vessels supplying its tuna.
- The plaintiffs described brutal conditions while working on vessels that allegedly supplied albacore tuna directly to Bumble Bee, including physical violence, inadequate food, lack of medical care and withheld wages.
- Despite claims of traceability and sustainability, Bumble Bee and its parent company, Taiwan-based FCF, have been linked to a network of vessels implicated in labor abuses. Critics argue the company failed to act on repeated warnings from rights groups and resisted regulatory changes.
- On June 2, Bumble Bee filed papers requesting the federal court handling the case dismiss it on legal grounds. The next step will be for a judge to decide whether to dismiss it or let it proceed.
Australia to see more intense rains as climate change worsens, analysis shows
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/australia-to-see-more-intense-rains-as-climate-change-worsens-analysis-shows/
Scientists have warned that extreme rains could become more common in eastern Australia, following heavy downpours from May 19-23 that caused widespread flooding, claimed five lives and left some 50,000 people stranded. The warning is based on a recent rapid analysis by World Weather Attribution (WWA), a global research network that examines the role of […] Heavy rains inundate northeast India
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/heavy-rains-inundate-northeast-india/
Dozens of people are reported dead amid torrential rains over the past week in India’s northeastern region, local media reported. The most heavily affected states are Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. In Assam, more than 640,000 people have been affected as the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries overflowed beyond danger levels, flooding many areas. Around 40,000 […] Climate change and shrinking Arctic sea ice threaten bowhead whales
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/climate-change-and-shrinking-arctic-sea-ice-threaten-bowhead-whales/
Bowhead whales are endemic to the icy waters of the Arctic and prefer living in shallow waters near sea ice, filtering krill and tiny crustaceans called copepods for food. However, the Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth, and a recent study estimates that if this continues, then by 2100 the whales […] Eucalyptus boom in Brazil’s Cerrado dries up springs, forces out smallholders
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/eucalyptus-boom-in-brazils-cerrado-dries-up-springs-forces-out-smallholders/
A eucalyptus boom in Brazil’s biodiverse Cerrado savanna is drying up land and water springs, making subsistence farming more difficult, local authorities and farmers tell Mongabay. Adilso Cruz, a 46-year-old rancher from the Alecrim settlement in Mato Grosso do Sul state, said the water shortages began around 2013, coinciding with the growth of eucalyptus plantations […] World Oceans Day: Scientists find new clues about frontiers of ocean life
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/world-oceans-day-scientists-find-new-clues-about-frontiers-of-ocean-life/
In 2008, the United Nations recognized June 8 as World Oceans Day to spotlight the rising vulnerabilities facing the oceans that cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface. Seventeen years later, average ocean temperatures have never been higher. Heat stress has hit 84% of the world’s coral reefs. In places as far as Antarctica, whales […] Unnoticed oil & gas threat looms for Indigenous people near Amazon blocks
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/unnoticed-oil-gas-threat-looms-for-indigenous-people-near-amazon-blocks/
- While oil prospects in the Amazon north shore attract international attention, the offer of exploration blocks around Indigenous territories goes unnoticed in Mato Grosso state.
- Brazil will auction 21 blocks in the Parecis Basin, an area with dense Indigenous activity, yet none of these communities have been consulted, as leaders struggle to handle existing threats such as ranchers and miners.
- Impacts on Indigenous territories include the influx of workers and machinery during research and the risk of toxic gas emissions and water pollution if projects move forward.
- The rainforest is the most promising frontier for the oil industry, with one-fifth of the world’s newly discovered reserves from 2022-24.
The reaches, limits and (alleged) biases of feasibility studies and environmental licenses
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/the-reaches-limits-and-alleged-biases-of-feasibility-studies-and-environmental-licenses/
- In the last 20 years, EIA has become a factor already incorporated into the strategic planning of countries, where the potential trade-offs arising from environmental and social impacts are of great importance.
- This is how public consultations arise, allowing civil society to have a voice in the appearance of private or public investment. In all the systems of Panamazonia, the principle is the same: the possibility of canceling a project if its negative impacts are unacceptable.
- For Killeen, one of the most obvious conflicts of interest occurs when the construction contract gives the mining company itself responsibility for conducting both the feasibility study and the environmental assessment.
- Likewise, multilateral financial organizations require high-quality environmental studies, but their credit advisors are evaluated by the number of projects managed, not by their ability to reject high-risk projects.
Researchers race to understand new disease killing Caribbean corals at unprecedented rates
(June 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/researchers-race-to-understand-new-disease-killing-caribbean-corals-at-unprecedented-rates/
- Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a novel coral disease that first emerged in Florida in 2014, and has now spread to 33 countries and territories in the Caribbean, including along the Mesoamerican Reef.
- SCTLD affects an unprecedented number of species (more than 30 species of reef-building corals), spreads quickly, and has a very high mortality rate.
- Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly what causes the disease.
- Researchers are also trying to understand how the coral microbiome is involved in or responds to SCTLD infection, and developing probiotics that they hope will offer an alternative treatment to antibiotics, with fieldwork in Belize, Colombia and elsewhere.
Four new snake species discovered in Papua New Guinea
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/four-new-snake-species-discovered-in-papua-new-guinea/
Herpetology has long navigated through tangled terrain in Papua New Guinea, where species mislabeling and sparse sampling have clouded scientific understanding. But a recent revision has brought rare clarity—and four unexpected discoveries, reports Akhyari Hananto for Mongabay-Indonesia. In April 2025, Fred Kraus of the University of Michigan published a study in Zootaxa identifying four new […] Why Brazil should abandon its plans for oil and gas in Amazonia (commentary)
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/why-brazil-should-abandon-its-plans-for-oil-and-gas-in-amazonia-commentary/
- The Brazilian government has major plans for oil and gas extraction both in the Amazon Rainforest and offshore — including at the mouth of the Amazon River — with a drilling rights auction scheduled for June 17 for fields both in the forest and offshore.
- Under intense pressure, the head of the federal environmental agency has now overridden his technical staff to allow the proposed mouth-of-the-Amazon project to move forward for approval.
- In addition to the risk of an uncontrollable oil spill, the economics of opening this and other new oilfields implies continued extraction long past the time when burning fossil fuels must cease if a global climate catastrophe is to be avoided.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Latin American banks still slow to protect the environment, report finds
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/latin-american-banks-still-slow-to-protect-the-environment-report-finds/
- Across Latin America, banks have failed to integrate sustainability regulations into lending, bond issuance and financial advisory services, according to a WWF sustainable finance assessment.
- WWF examined the policies of 22 banks across Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and found that the countries’ financial sectors had largely failed to implement protections against nature-related risks, such as deforestation and biodiversity loss.
- Only six of the 22 banks have policies that acknowledge the “societal and economic risks” associated with environmental degradation, and just two of them have made net-zero carbon emission commitments for their lending portfolios.
New method can detect nearly every coral genus in Japan from water samples
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/new-method-can-detect-nearly-every-coral-genus-in-japan-from-water-samples/
- Environmental DNA (eDNA) coral research involves analyzing water samples to identify corals based on the DNA that they secrete into the water, largely via their mucus.
- eDNA research on corals can help scientists understand the changes wrought by global warming and marine pollution by providing coral identification data faster and in some cases more accurately than visual surveys by scientists.
- A team of marine scientists based in Japan, an archipelagic nation with a high level of coral biodiversity, has used an eDNA method to develop a system that can detect nearly all of the country’s 85 reef-building coral genera; no other research group in the world has achieved the same level of detection accuracy and coverage for corals using eDNA.
- They released their findings in a study published on May 22.
Methods to recognize the Amazon’s isolated peoples: Interview with Antenor Vaz
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/methods-to-recognize-the-amazons-isolated-peoples-interview-with-antenor-vaz/
- Mongabay interviewed Antenor Vaz, an international expert on recognition methodologies and protection policies for Indigenous peoples in isolation and initial contact (PIACI), about the importance of confirming and recognizing the existence of isolated peoples.
- Vaz is a regional adviser for GTI-PIACI, an international working group committed to the protection, defense and promotion of the rights of PIACI, which recently launched a report to help governments, Indigenous organizations and NGOs prove the existence of Indigenous peoples living in isolation.
- In this interview, Vaz highlights strategies states can use to confirm and recognize the existence of isolated peoples while maintaining the no-contact principle.
Climate strikes the Amazon, undermining protection efforts
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/climate-strikes-the-amazon-undermining-protection-efforts/
Fires raged across the Amazon rainforest in 2024, annihilating more than 4.6 million hectares of primary tropical forest—the most biodiverse and carbon-dense type of forest on Earth. That loss, which is larger than the size of Denmark, was more than twice the annual average between 2014 and 2023, according to data released last month by […] Hundreds die after flash floods tear through Nigerian market town
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/hundreds-die-after-flash-floods-tear-through-nigerian-market-town/
At least 200 people have been confirmed dead and 500 more remain missing after flash floods devastated a Nigerian market town, media reported. Torrential rain started early on May 29, and within just a few hours caused intense flooding in the town of Mokwa, Niger state, a major trading hub for northern farmers selling beans, […] Clouded leopard seen preying on Bengal slow loris in rare photograph
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/clouded-leopard-seen-preying-on-bengal-slow-loris-in-rare-photograph/
In December 2024, a camera trap installed in Dehing Patkai National Park in northeast India’s Assam state captured a rare scene: a clouded leopard with a Bengal slow loris in its mouth. Both species are extremely elusive, so the photograph is rare confirmation that the medium-sized wildcat preys on the small, endangered primate, reports contributor […] In a big win, Yurok Nation reclaims vital creek and watershed to restore major salmon run
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/in-a-big-win-yurok-nation-reclaims-vital-creek-and-watershed-to-restore-major-salmon-run/
- Four dams are now down on the Upper Klamath River in northern California in the largest river restoration project in U.S. history. But a rarely mentioned cold-water creek is essential to restoring health to what was once the third-largest salmon run on the West Coast of North America.
- Blue Creek is located just 25 km (16 mi) from the mouth of the Lower Klamath at the Pacific Ocean. Critically, it’s the first cold-water refuge for migrating salmon that enables the fish to cool down, survive, and move farther upriver to spawn. The dams and logging have damaged this important watershed for decades.
- The Yurok, California’s largest Indigenous tribe, lost ownership of Blue Creek to westward U.S. expansion in the late 1800s. In 2002, a timber company, negotiating with the Yurok, agreed to sell back the 19,000-hectare (47,100-acre) watershed to the tribe.
- It took Western Rivers Conservancy, an Oregon-based NGO, nearly two decades to raise the $60 million needed to buy the watershed. In a historic transition, Blue Creek returns this spring to the Yurok for conservation in its entirety. The tribe considers the watershed a sacred place.
Study shows Vietnam’s ethnic communities’ grapple with hydropower plant impacts
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/study-shows-vietnams-ethnic-communities-grapple-with-hydropower-plant-impacts/
- A recently published study based on fieldwork in northwest Vietnam shows how even small hydropower projects can have a large impact on communities.
- With an increase in small hydropower projects, residents of Bien La commune report loss of farmlands, fishing, local jobs and culture, as well as insufficient compensation.
- While these impacts force the villagers to migrate to other districts in search of jobs, the community women try to revive their culture of traditional textiles and indigo dyeing to preserve their way of life.
Pay-to-release program reduces shark deaths, but backfires in some cases
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesia-shark-ray-bycatch-fishing-marine-conservation-incentives-release/
- A pay-to-release program for threatened sharks and rays significantly reduced bycatch in Indonesia, with 71% of wedgefish and 4% of hammerheads released alive; but it also led some fishers to intentionally catch these species to claim incentives.
- Unequal payments across regions (ranging from $1 to $135 per fish) and the absence of national protective laws have complicated conservation efforts in key fishing areas like East Lombok and Aceh Jaya.
- A rigorous randomized controlled trial revealed unintended consequences: wedgefish mortality dropped by just 25%, while hammerhead mortality rose by 44% due to incentive-driven targeting.
- Local NGO KUL, which runs the program, has revised it to limit payouts and promote gear swaps, aiming to better align conservation outcomes with fisher livelihoods in the world’s top shark- and ray-catching nation.
Villagers in Sumatra bring ancient forest flavors back to the table
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/villagers-in-sumatra-bring-ancient-forest-flavors-back-to-the-table/
- Women living around the 7th-century Muaro Jambi temple complex in Sumatra, Indonesia, have revived ancient ingredients and cooking techniques to serve one-of-a-kind meals to visitors.
- Their dishes are inspired by the plants and animals depicted on the bas-reliefs of another ancient Buddhist site: Borobudur in Java.
- The ancient menu has proved popular both among visitors and locals, who are rediscovering their agrobiodiverse heritage.
- The women have nurtured an ancient food forest and garden in Muaro Jambi to conserve the diverse wild plants and varieties in their menus.
Indonesia new capital yet to spark electricity for low-income neighbors on Borneo
(June 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesia-new-capital-yet-to-spark-electricity-for-low-income-neighbors-on-borneo/
- In a district that holds Indonesia’s biggest coal reserves and sits near the new national capital, the country’s largest construction site, a large share of households in Paser district remain without an electricity connection.
- Data published by Indonesia’s statistics agency showed 10% of Paser district had yet to receive a connection to the grid.
- Households without electricity told Mongabay Indonesia that the lack of basic infrastructure provided by the state restricted economy activity and cultivated security fears at night.
Is rising CO2 really bad for the world’s drylands? Mongabay podcast probes
(June 4, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/is-rising-co2-really-bad-for-the-worlds-drylands-mongabay-podcast-probes/
Increased carbon dioxide emissions since industrialization have accelerated climate change, and its widespread negative impacts have been reported worldwide. But the rising concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere are also making some parts of our planet greener in what’s called the CO2 fertilization effect. Some politicians claim this effect means more atmospheric CO2 is doing […] Indigenous forest stewards watch over one of the world’s rarest raptors
(June 4, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/indigenous-forest-stewards-watch-over-one-of-the-worlds-rarest-raptors/
The Philippine eagle is considered one of the world’s rarest birds of prey, with roughly 400 breeding pairs left in the wild. Amid ongoing threats from logging and hunting, Indigenous forest rangers are helping conservationists protect the species’ nests and habitat, Mongabay contributor Bong S. Sarmiento reported last year. Datu Julito Ahao of the Obu […] Carbon capture projects promise a climate fix — and a fossil fuel lifeline
(June 4, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/carbon-capture-projects-promise-a-climate-fix-and-a-fossil-fuel-lifeline/
- Governments across Southeast Asia are looking at carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as a way to meet climate targets.
- Projects have been proposed in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, with Japanese companies involved in all three countries.
- Critics say CCS costs too much to be commercially viable, underperforms at capturing carbon, and serves as a diversion from actually reducing emissions.
Fungi are our climate allies | Against All Odds
(June 4, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/video/2025/06/fungi-are-our-climate-allies-against-all-odds/
In recent years, we’re learning more about how fungi work, what they can do, and how they can help mitigate the climate crisis. They play a crucial role in balancing ecosystems, and keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. Innovative researchers are also investigating ways fungi can replace plastic, keep toxins out of our soils, and […] Signs of hope as elephant seals rebound from avian flu in remote Chilean fjord
(June 4, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/signs-of-hope-as-elephant-seals-rebound-from-avian-flu-in-remote-chilean-fjord/
- An outbreak of avian flu in 2023 hammered a colony of southern elephant seals in Chile’s Tierra del Fuego region, leading to a 50% decline in its population.
- But over the 2024-2025 breeding season, the colony’s population recovered, with 33 pups being born.
- An alliance between the Chilean branch of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the regional environmental department has been monitoring this particular colony for years, braving the remoteness and extreme weather at the southern tip of the Americas.
- Experts posit that the site, Jackson Bay, may serve as a natural refuge from the avian flu because it’s geographically isolated as a fjord.
A new report lists the world’s 25 most endangered primates. Most people have never heard of them.
(June 4, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/a-new-report-lists-the-worlds-25-most-endangered-primates-most-people-have-never-heard-of-them/
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. A new report, “Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates,” catalogs the species closest to the brink. Compiled by more than 100 scientists and conservationists, it’s a stark warning: without urgent action, some of our closest […] Researchers identify 22 key areas for protecting struggling giant otters
(June 4, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/researchers-identify-22-key-areas-for-protecting-struggling-giant-otters/
- The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is an endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- A recently published report authored by more than 50 researchers from 12 South American countries identifies and prioritizes 22 areas for giant otter conservation.
- The main threats to giant otters include habitat destruction, overfishing and pollution of water sources by agricultural and extractive industries.
- The results of the report will be shared with the 12 governments of the countries that encompass the species’ historical distribution.
Samoa’s new marine spatial plan protects 30% of the country’s ocean
(June 4, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/samoas-new-marine-spatial-plan-protects-30-of-the-countrys-ocean/
- The Samoan government announced June 3 that it has enacted a law establishing a marine spatial plan to sustainably manage 100% of its ocean by 2030.
- The country has also created nine new marine protected areas that cover 30% of its ocean.
- Fishing is prohibited in the new protected areas, which include a migration route for humpback whales.
- The plan became law on May 1.
Mining company returns to haunt Thailand’s Karen communities as resistance mounts
(June 4, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/mining-company-returns-to-haunt-thailands-karen-communities-as-resistance-mounts/
- A long-dormant fluorite mine is being reopened in northern Thailand, but the ethnically Karen communities that live in Mae Hong Son province’s Mae La Noi district are staunchly resisting the return of the mining company.
- Universal Mining, a Thai company, aimed to reopen its fluorite mine in 2021 following an injection of Chinese investments, but so far has failed to secure the environmental impact assessment needed to recommence mining operations in Mae La Noi.
- Experts warn that Universal Mining may be able to find a way around the environmental regulations as the Thai government has earmarked parts of Mae La Noi for extraction in its national mining strategy.
- According to rights advocates, the conflict brewing between the mining company and the Karen communities is a reflection of limited rights Thailand gives its Indigenous People.
Female bonobos wield power through unity: Study
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/female-bonobos-wield-power-through-unity-study/
Male bonobos are larger and stronger than females, so researchers have found it puzzling that the female apes enjoy high status in bonobo society. After analyzing three decades of behavioral data, researchers recently shared a study that pinpoints their source of power: female alliances and coalitions. “Only [among] bonobos, females form coalitions to gain power […] Kim Stanley Robinson’s ‘Ministry for the Future’ may hold lessons for the present
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025/06/kim-stanley-robinsons-ministry-for-the-future-may-hold-lessons-for-the-present/
Roughly five years since Kim Stanley Robinson’s groundbreaking climate fiction novel, The Ministry for the Future, hit shelves and The New York Times bestseller list, there’s little he says he’d change about the book, were it to be published again, he tells Mongabay’s podcast. The utopian novel set in a not-so-distant future depicts how humans […] Peril and persistence define the path of Africa’s conservationists
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/peril-and-persistence-define-the-path-of-africas-conservationists/
- Local conservationists across Africa face threats, isolation and underfunding, as illustrated by Nigerian conservationist Itakwu Innocent, who survived an assassination attempt and has endured years of violence and ostracism for protecting wildlife and opposing poaching in his community.
- Women and young scientists in particular face systemic barriers in conservation, including gender bias and limited access to funding and recognition, despite taking leadership roles and driving grassroots initiatives in places like Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria.
- Funding disparities and broken promises by international NGOs have undermined trust in conservation efforts, making it harder for local scientists like Owan Kenneth to gain community support without financial incentives.
- Despite these challenges, recognition and success stories are emerging, with initiatives like fellowships and community-led reforms helping figures such as Adekambi Cole, Bashiru Koroma and Asuquo Nsa Ani make tangible conservation gains and inspire others.
New maps reveal Earth’s largest land mammal migration
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/new-maps-reveal-earths-largest-land-mammal-migration/
Researchers have released new maps documenting the “Great Nile Migration,” the Earth’s largest-known land mammal migration across South Sudan and Ethiopia. The maps chart the seasonal movements of two antelope species, the white-eared kob (Kobus kob leucotis) and the tiang (Damaliscus lunatus tiang). Every year, around 5 million white-eared kob and 400,000 tiang migrate across […] World Bank uses climate crisis as cover for land-grabbing, Oakland Institute says
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/world-bank-uses-climate-crisis-as-cover-for-land-grabbing-oakland-institute-says/
The World Bank promotes expansion of private land ownership and title to improve efficient land use and recently announced billions of dollars to support these policies, claiming it will also facilitate carbon projects including offsets and afforestation. But analysis by the Oakland Institute (OI) argues those investments overwhelmingly benefit big business at the expense of […] The Tropical Forest Forever Facility needs more local and Indigenous focus (commentary)
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/the-tropical-forest-forever-facility-needs-more-local-and-indigenous-focus-commentary/
- The new Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) aims to fund forest conservation by paying nations an annual fee of $4 for every hectare of forest they maintain.
- The fund’s launch is expected to be a major focal point of the COP30 climate summit in November, and the TFFF secretariat is currently negotiating many of its fine details, which are expected to be released at the end of June. A new briefing prepared by 40+ environmental, human rights and Indigenous organizations lays out their concerns about the TFFF’s equity issues, and describes how they should be tackled.
- “About 20% of the funds are expected to be allocated to Indigenous and local communities. This is a step in the right direction, but for the TFFF’s funding to reach its intended recipients, it must go directly to them, to the largest extent possible, rather than as in the current proposal, with payments being in the hands of national governments,” a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Green groups oppose Qatari luxury resort near pristine world heritage site
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/green-groups-oppose-qatari-luxury-resort-near-pristine-world-heritage-site/
- Construction has begun on a Qatari-backed project to build 37 luxury villas on Assomption Island, the gateway to Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Seychelles that is home to one of the last remaining populations of giant tortoises.
- The resort threatens the entire cluster of islands and atolls (Aldabra, Assomption, Cosmoledo and Astove — known collectively as the Aldabra Group), according to activists, who cite the risk of invasive species.
- Activists say the project’s environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) was rushed, does not meet global standards, and is marred by conflicts of interest.
- An official at the Seychellois government-owned enterprise responsible for developments on islands like Assomption and Aldabra, which aims to turn the island into a “vibrant revenue-generating asset,” said the resort will increase activities on the islands and possibly attract more Seychellois to these remote islands.
Police in Indonesia’s Halmahera Island charge 11 farmers in latest nickel flashpoint
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/police-in-indonesias-halmahera-island-charge-11-farmers-in-latest-nickel-flashpoint/
- Officers with North Maluku province police arrested 27 people from the coastal village of Maba Sangaji in late May, and later charged 11 of the detained men with weapons and public order offenses.
- A lawyer for the 11 facing prosecution said the bladed instruments seized from them were farming tools, and did not reflect any criminal intent in demonstrating against a mining company.
- The villagers accuse nickel-mining company PT Position of quarrying their customary forest, causing damage to local crops and pollution of a river flowing through the area.
- Maba Sangaji is around 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Weda Bay Industrial Estate, a vast minerals processing site established in 2018 by China mining conglomerates Huayou, Tsingshan and Zhenshi.
EUDR risk classifications omit governance & enforcement failures, critics say
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/eudr-risk-classifications-omit-governance-enforcement-failures-critics-say/
- Critics say the EU’s anti-deforestation law, the EUDR, uses a risk classification system that overlooks critical issues like governance, corruption and law enforcement capacity, missing systemic failures and enforcement gaps — the very conditions that enable illegal deforestation to flourish.
- A Forest Trends analysis warns that this approach may lead to misclassification of countries with weak enforcement and high illegality as “low risk.”
- These shortcomings in the benchmarking system have triggered growing unease among countries affected by the EUDR, including some that say their deforestation risk has been misrepresented.
- Set to take effect at the end of this year, the EUDR will ban imports of seven forest-linked commodities — soy, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, timber, rubber and beef — unless they can be proven to be deforestation-free and legally produced.
Cargo ship carrying ‘hazardous material’ capsizes off India coast
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/cargo-ship-carrying-hazardous-material-capsizes-off-india-coast/
On the morning of May 25, a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, MSC ELSA 3, carrying roughly 640 declared containers, sank off the coast of Kerala state in southern India. Indian authorities rescued all 24 crew on board, but most of the containers remain untraced and their contents unknown, raising environmental concerns, reports contributor Navya PK for […] Critically endangered chameleon discovered outside its known habitat in Madagascar
(June 3, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/critically-endangered-chameleon-discovered-outside-its-known-habitat-in-madagascar/
- In April, researchers found individuals of a critically endangered chameleon species in southwestern Madagascar.
- Furcifer belalandaensis had not previously been recorded outside of a tiny area threatened by deforestation for charcoal and agriculture, and by the development of a major mining project.
- Researchers working to improve knowledge of the Belalanda chameleon’s distribution were excited to find three of the rare reptile five kilometers (three miles) away, in the PK32-Ranobe protected area.
- But Ranobe’s forests are also under pressure; captive breeding and revising the protected area’s management plan are among of the conservation measures being considered to ensure the species’ survival.
Brazil set to blast 35 km river rock formation for new Amazon shipping route
(June 2, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/brazil-set-to-blast-35-km-river-rock-formation-for-new-amazon-shipping-route/
- The Brazilian environmental agency, IBAMA, approved a license to blast a natural rock barrier on the Tocantins River in Pará state to enable boats to pass during the dry season, as part of wider efforts to build a massive waterway for commodities.
- Federal prosecutors requested the suspension of the license due to missing studies and other issues.
- A federal court stated that the proposed blasting will have a limited and controlled impact, asserting there are no Indigenous, Quilombola (Afro-Brazilian) or riverine communities living in that section of the Tocantins River — a claim that advocates say is inaccurate.
- Rock removal will impact endangered fish, Amazon turtles and the Araguaia river dolphin, which is found only in this region and feeds on fish that spawn in Pedral do Lourenço.
Marine artificial upwelling, problematic climate solution slow to advance
(June 2, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/marine-artificial-upwelling-problematic-climate-solution-slow-to-advance/
- Artificial upwelling is a form of geoengineering that aims to use pipes and pumps to channel cool, nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean to the surface. In doing so, it could fertilize surface waters, prompting the growth of plankton, which can then absorb and store large amounts of atmospheric carbon.
- Long considered a potential marine carbon dioxide removal (CDR) method, artificial upwelling has more recently been coupled with seaweed farming to potentially soak up even more atmospheric CO2.
- But technological challenges have plagued open-water upwelling experiments, while environmentalists worry that large-scale use could ultimately prove ineffective and ecologically harmful.
- Experts state that though upwelling could prove a viable solution to improve fisheries and protect coral reefs from marine heat waves, more research is needed. Considering the rapid current pace of climate change, it’s debatable as to whether implementation at scale could come in time to stave off dangerous warming.
After terror attacks, Mozambique nature reserve faces ‘new reality’
(June 2, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/after-terror-attacks-mozambique-nature-reserve-faces-new-reality/
- On April 29, ISIS-affiliated insurgent fighters attacked a conservation outpost inside Niassa Special Reserve in northern Mozambique.
- The attack claimed the lives of two rangers working with the Niassa Carnivore Project, and another two remain missing.
- Mozambican officials said last week there were “clear indications” that the fighters had left the reserve.
What does it take to expose 67 illegal airstrips in the Amazon? A year of reporting — and the trust of local communities
(June 2, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/what-does-it-take-to-expose-67-illegal-airstrips-in-the-amazon-a-year-of-reporting-and-the-trust-of-local-communities/
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. At the close of SF Climate Week, María Isabel Torres, program director of Mongabay Latam, shared how local journalism is driving environmental change across Latin America. Speaking as a Peruvian journalist based in Lima, María Isabel detailed investigations […] A fragile win as Indonesia cancels high-risk mine permit after court ruling
(June 2, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/a-fragile-win-as-indonesia-cancels-high-risk-mine-permit-after-court-ruling/
- Indonesia’s environment ministry has finally revoked a permit for a controversial zinc-and-lead mine in earthquake-prone Dairi district, following a Supreme Court ruling and years of community protests over safety and environmental risks.
- The court last August found the mine’s planned tailings dam posed unacceptable dangers due to high seismic activity, landslide risk, and unstable terrain; experts called the location one of the worst possible sites for such a project.
- The revocation sets a legal precedent by confirming that environmental approvals under Indonesia’s deregulation law can be challenged in court, strengthening public access to environmental justice.
- Despite the ruling, concerns persist that developer PT Dairi Prima Mineral may seek a new permit, as similar cases have seen revoked projects revived; activists urge the government and China, a key investor, to respect the court decision.
Ecological crisis in Brazil’s Pantanal fuels human-jaguar conflict
(June 2, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/ecological-crisis-in-brazils-pantanal-fuels-human-jaguar-conflict/
- The recent death of a man by a jaguar in Brazil’s Pantanal wetland has drawn public attention to the challenges of local coexistence between humans and the largest felines in the Americas.
- People are not typical prey for jaguars, but more frequent fires and natural prey scarcity have driven the big cats to encroach on ranches and farms, where domestic animals make for easy pickings — but also where confrontation with humans can erupt.
- Pantanal communities complain about the lack of security to which they are exposed, arguing that protection of jaguars by environmental agencies should also include balanced coexistence with the human population.
World Peatland Day: Protecting a crucial carbon sink
(June 2, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/world-peatland-day-protecting-a-crucial-carbon-sink/
Peatlands are one of the world’s biggest carbon sinks. These naturally waterlogged boggy swamps can hold thousands of years’ worth of compressed, partially decomposed vegetation matter — despite covering just 3-4% of Earth’s land surface, they’re thought to store more carbon per area than the world’s forests combined. In honor of World Peatland Day on […] Derek Pomeroy, a leading figure in Ugandan ornithology died on May 29th, aged 90
(May 31, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/05/derek-pomeroy-a-leading-figure-in-ugandan-ornithology-died-on-may-30th-aged-90/
If Derek Pomeroy said to meet him at 7am, you were expected to be there by exactly 7am—not a minute later. Punctuality was not just a preference; it was a principle. Whether in a zoology lab, a birdwatching field station, or over tea at Makerere University, order and discipline mattered. Behind that exacting standard, however, […] After 15 years, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court blocks road upgrade in national park
(May 31, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/after-15-years-sri-lankas-supreme-court-blocks-road-upgrade-in-national-park/
- In a landmark judgment, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court recently ended a 15-year legal battle over plans to upgrade a road through Wilpattu National Park, making conservationists heave a sigh of relief.
- The court ruling follows an election pledge by Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the presidential race to reopen the road, which drew sharp criticism from environmentalists.
- The proposed road would have reduced travel time but fragmented critical habitats besides increasing the threat of roadkill due to speeding vehicles.
- The ruling highlights the judiciary’s crucial role in upholding environmental protections, especially when political leaders push development agendas that threaten ecologically sensitive areas.
Valmik Thapar, India’s tiger man, died on May 31st, aged 73
(May 31, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/valmik-thapar-indias-tiger-man-died-on-may-31st-aged-73/
- Valmik Thapar, who died at 73, was a fierce and lifelong advocate for India’s wild tigers, dedicating five decades to their protection.
- He combined impassioned storytelling with field observation, helping reveal previously unknown aspects of tiger behavior and ecology in Ranthambhore.
- Thapar was a vocal critic of India’s forest bureaucracy, arguing that real conservation required political will, public pressure, and protected spaces free from human interference.
- Despite setbacks, his efforts contributed to a rebound in India’s tiger population, securing a lasting legacy for both the species and the man who championed it.
From local planting to national plan, Belize bets on mangrove recovery
(May 30, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/from-local-planting-to-national-plan-belize-bets-on-mangrove-recovery/
- Mangroves in Belize protect coastlines, are nursery grounds for fish, and store vast amounts of carbon.
- In 2021, the government of Belize committed to restoring 4,000 hectares (nearly 10,000 acres) of mangroves, and protecting an additional 12,000 hectares (nearly 30,000 acres) within a decade, as part of its emissions reduction target under the Paris climate agreement.
- To support this restoration target, WWF Mesoamerica is developing a national mangrove restoration action plan.
- Restoration initiatives are already underway in areas like Gales Point, Placencia Caye and elsewhere.
Study identifies US regions that benefit birds, people & climate the most
(May 30, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/05/study-identifies-us-regions-that-benefit-birds-people-climate-the-most/
A new study identifies key regions across the U.S. where investments can deliver triple benefits for people, the climate and birds. These conservation sweet spots support significant numbers of more than half of U.S. bird species, including 75% of forest birds. “We wanted to think about how places that we might focus our conservation attention […] Dom Phillips’ posthumous book centers on collaborative work for saving the Amazon
(May 30, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/dom-phillips-posthumous-book-centers-on-collaborative-work-for-saving-the-amazon/
- On June 5, 2022, British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were brutally killed in the Javari Valley region, in the Brazilian Amazon; Phillips was investigating illegal fishing in the region for his book.
- Three years later, the book How to save the Amazon — A journalist’s fatal quest for answers, by Phillips with contributors, will be launched beginning May 31 in the United Kingdom, the United States and Brazil, accompanied by dedicated events in the three countries.
- “Emotionally, it has several meanings for me. Firstly, because it’s like realizing Dom’s death, because he was still writing, he was still alive,” Phillips’ widow Alessandra Sampaio tells Mongabay.
- Anthropologist Beatriz Matos, Pereira’s widow, says the book is also intertwined with Pereira’s work and also with everyone who works to defend the Amazon and the Indigenous peoples. “It’s very important that this work is not interrupted. It’s very important that the stories he was telling are told.”