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U.S. East Coast adopts ‘living shorelines’ approach to keep rising seas at bay (April 24, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/u-s-east-coast-adopts-living-shorelines-approach-to-keep-rising-seas-at-bay/ - Along the U.S. East Coast, communities are grappling with the dual destructive forces of rising sea levels and stronger storms pushed by climate change, resulting in effects ranging from ‘ghost forests’ of saltwater-killed coastal trees in the Carolinas, to inundations of New York City’s subway system. - While the usual response has been to build higher seawalls and other concrete or rock structures, a natural approach that aims to protect coastal areas with natural assets that also create habitat and are generally cheaper and less carbon intensive — ‘living shorelines’ — is increasingly taking hold. - State agencies and landowners alike are shoring up the shore with innovative combinations of locally sourced logs, rocks and native plants and shrubs to protect homes, dunes and beaches. - In Maine, where a trio of powerful winter storms recently pummeled the coast, living shorelines designers are in growing demand. | |
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Deforestation haunts top Peruvian reserve and its Indigenous communities (April 24, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/deforestation-haunts-top-peruvian-reserve-and-its-indigenous-communities/ - Peru’s Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, considered one of the best-protected nature reserves in the world, has seen a spike in deforestation on its fringes from the expansion of illegal coca cultivation and mining, and new road construction. - The forest loss appears to be affecting the ancestral lands of several Indigenous communities, including the Harakbut, Yine and Matsiguenka peoples, according to a new report by the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP). - The report found that 19,978 hectares (49,367 acres) of forest have been cleared in the buffer of the reserve over the past two decades. - According to Indigenous leaders, the state is doing “practically nothing” to address deforestation drivers in the buffer zone, and they warn that if left unchecked, the activity will spread into the protected area itself. | |
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Global study maps most detailed tree of life yet for flowering plants (April 24, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/global-study-maps-most-detailed-tree-of-life-yet-for-flowering-plants/ - A new study unveils the most comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary history of flowering plants to date. - The research analyzed 1.8 billion letters of genetic code from more than 9,500 species, clearing up some of the mystery surrounding the rapid rise of flowering plants. - Some data came from dried and preserved specimens from herbarium collections that are nearly 200 years old. - To ensure the widest possible use of this data, the tree and all its underlying data have been made openly and freely accessible to all. | |
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Tribes turn to the U.N. as major wind project plans to cut through their lands in the U.S. (April 24, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/tribes-turn-to-the-u-n-as-major-wind-project-plans-to-cut-through-their-lands-in-southwestern-u-s/ - Last week a United States federal judge rejected a request from Indigenous nations to stop SunZia, a $10 billion dollar wind transmission project that would cut through traditional tribal lands in southwestern Arizona. - Indigenous leaders and advocates are turning to the U.N. to intervene and are calling for a moratorium on green energy projects for all U.N. entities “until the rights of Indigenous peoples are respected and recognized.” - Indigenous leaders say they are not in opposition to renewable energy projects, but rather projects that don’t go through the due process and attend their free, prior and informed consent. - According to the company, the wind transmission project is the largest clean energy infrastructure initiative in U.S. history, and will provide power to 3 million Americans, stretching from New Mexico to as far as California. | |
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All aboard Tren Maya: Here’s what we found riding Mexico’s controversial railway (April 24, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/all-aboard-tren-maya-heres-what-we-found-riding-mexicos-controversial-railway/ - Mongabay sent a team to the Yucatán Peninsula to ride the Tren Maya, a multibillion-dollar train that’s become controversial for its environmental impacts. - Reporter Maxwell Radwin and videographer Caitlin Cooper set out to ride the train from Cancún toward Palenque and back, with a stop in Playa del Carmen. - On their journey, they looked for evidence of deforestation, the relocation of local and Indigenous communities, and the pollution of waterbodies — all part of multiple injunctions filed by communities and activist groups. - In addition to deforestation, one of the major concerns is that pilings under line 5 are penetrating cave systems along the Caribbean coast, threatening freshwater and subterranean habitats. | |
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Forest officer’s killing highlights Bangladesh authorities’ waning power (April 24, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/forest-officers-killing-highlights-bangladesh-authorities-waning-power/ - The recent killing of a forest officer by illegal quarriers in Bangladesh has raised questions about the effectiveness of law enforcement amid intensifying encroachment into protected forests. - Sajjaduzzaman, 30, was struck by the quarriers’ truck after confronting them for digging up a hillside in the southern district of Cox’s Bazar. - Attacks on forest officers by people illegally logging, quarrying, hunting or carrying out other forms of natural resource extraction are a long-running problem, with around 140 officers attacked over the past five years. - Experts have called for a more coordinated approach from various government law enforcement agencies to support the Forest Department in keeping encroachers out of protected areas. | |
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Afro-Brazilian communities fight a rain of pesticides & the company behind it (April 24, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/afro-brazilian-communities-fight-a-rain-of-pesticides-the-company-behind-it/ - Quilombola communities in the Sapê do Norte region of Brazil’s Espírito Santo state have been reporting toxic crop dusting by pulp and paper company Suzano on its eucalyptus plantations. - Inhabitants speak of damage to their gardens, dried-up water sources, dead fish and diseases. - The use of aerial pesticide application has been prohibited in the EU since 2009; in Brazil, the number of people affected by the practice increased by 86% between 2021 and 2022. | |
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Consent and costs are key questions on extraction of ‘energy transition’ minerals (April 23, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/consent-and-costs-are-key-questions-on-extraction-of-energy-transition-minerals/ - The many environmental, social, and health impacts of extracting minerals that power renewable energy, mobile phones and electric vehicles need more debate and detailed media coverage, an Indigenous rights activist and journalist say on the podcast. - Mongabay speaks with Galina Angarova, Indigenous executive director of the SIRGE Coalition, and environmental journalist Ian Morse about critical questions to ask about the demand for certain minerals and who benefits from their extraction. - Research indicates as much as 54% of all transition minerals are on or near Indigenous land, however, no nation has properly implemented the protocols of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), a framework that’s key to ensuring that local communities are aware of, benefit from – and especially are not harmed by – such activities. - The risk of global supply chain disruptions due to the concentration of minerals in relatively few countries, or the potential formation of cartels restricting their supply, adds further complexity to the situation, the two podcast guests say. | |
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Warming seas push India’s fishers into distant, and more dangerous, waters (April 23, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/warming-seas-push-indias-fishers-into-distant-and-more-dangerous-waters/ - Many of India’s more than 4 million fishers are sailing beyond the country’s exclusive economic zone into the high seas in search of a better catch. - Rising sea surface temperatures, overfishing near the shore, and the destruction of reefs have decimated nearshore fisheries, forcing India’s fishers farther out to sea where they face greater risk. - A common danger they run is straying into the waters of another country, which can lead to their boats being seized and the crew being jailed or even killed. - The Indian government has issued policies to protect and recover nearshore fish stocks, even as it encourages fishing in the high seas. | |
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Ecuador’s first Indigenous guard led by Kichwa women: Interview with María José Andrade Cerda (April 23, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/interview-with-maria-jose-andrade-cerda-leader-of-the-indigenous-guard-led-by-kichwa-women-in-ecuador/ - In 2020, over 40 Kichwa women began organizing themselves to defend their territory and expel mining from the Ecuadorian Amazon. This is how Yuturi Warmi, the first Indigenous guard led by women in the region, began. - María José Andrade Cerda, one of the leaders of Yuturi Warmi, explains that Indigenous women have an integral vision for territorial defense. Accordingly, Yuturi Warmi’s work includes not only physically guarding and overseeing their territory but also the defense of their culture, ancestrality, language, education, and health. - In May 2023, María José Andrade Cerda spoke with Mongabay Latam about how they organize themselves and the challenges that women face when defending their territory. | |
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Nepal’s tigers & prey need better grassland management: Interview with Shyam Thapa (April 23, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/nepals-tigers-prey-need-better-grassland-management-interview-with-shyam-thapa/ - Researcher Shyam Thapa, who recently completed his Ph.D. in ecology, highlights flaws in traditional grassland management methods, particularly in Bardiya National Park. - Thapa’s findings suggest the need for improved grassland management to enhance the health and numbers of tiger prey species. - He emphasizes the importance of tailored management approaches based on grassland functionality. - Implementing his study’s recommendations could potentially increase herbivore numbers in tiger habitats, reducing human-wildlife conflicts, Thapa says. | |
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Amid record-high fires across the Amazon, Brazil loses primary forests (April 23, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/amid-record-high-fires-across-the-amazon-brazil-loses-primary-forests/ - The number of fires shows no signs of easing as Brazil’s Roraima faces unprecedented blazes, and several Amazonian countries, including Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela, registered record-high outbreaks in the first quarter this year. - Fire outbreaks in primary (old-growth) forest in Brazil’s Amazon soared by 152% in 2023, according to a recent study, rising from 13,477 in 2022 to 34,012 in 2023. - Fires in the mature forest regions are the leading drivers of degradation of the Amazon Rainforest because the biome hasn’t evolved to adapt to such blazes, according to the researchers. - The fires are a result of a drought that has been fueled by climate change and worsened by natural weather phenomena, such as El Niño, which has intensified dry conditions already aggravated by high temperatures across the world, experts say. | |
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Activists file last-gasp suit as Indonesia fails again to pass Indigenous bill (April 23, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/activists-file-last-gasp-suit-as-indonesia-fails-again-to-pass-indigenous-bill/ - Lawyers for Indonesia’s main Indigenous alliance have initiated legal proceedings against the government for its failure to pass a long-awaited bill on Indigenous rights. - The suit seeks to compel Indonesia’s parliament to expedite passage of the bill, which has remained deadlocked for more than a decade amid intransigence by elected representatives. - “It still needs to be discussed,” a senior parliamentarian from the Golkar party said earlier this month. - However, few expect any progress over the next few months, with a new parliament to be sworn in on Oct. 1 and a new president on Oct. 20. | |
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Bioplastics as toxic as regular plastics; both need regulation, say researchers (April 22, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/bioplastics-as-toxic-as-regular-plastics-both-need-regulation-say-researchers/ - Emerging research shows that plant-based plastics — just like petroleum-based plastics — contain many thousands of synthetic chemicals, with large numbers of them extremely toxic. However, the bioplastics industry strongly denies that bio-based plastics contain hazardous substances. - Scientists are finding that while plant sources for bioplastics, such as corn or cane sugar, may not themselves be toxic or have adverse health impacts, the chemical processes to manufacture bioplastics and the many performance additives needed to give them their attributes (hardness, flexibility, color, etc.) can be quite toxic. - Those doing the research no longer see bioplastics as a solution to the global plastic pollution crisis and would like to see them regulated. However, a very large number of petroleum-based plastics and the chemicals they contain also lack tough government oversight. - This week, representatives from the world’s nations gather for a fourth session to hammer out an international treaty to curb the global plastic pollution crisis. The High Ambition Coalition (including 65 countries) hopes to achieve a binding global ban on the worst toxins in plastics. But the U.S., China and other nations are resisting. | |
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No protection from bottom trawling for seamount chain in northern Pacific (April 22, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/no-protection-from-bottom-trawling-for-seamount-chain-in-northern-pacific/ - A recent meeting of the intergovernmental body that manages fisheries in the North Pacific Ocean failed to confer new protections for the Emperor Seamount Chain, a massive and richly biodiverse set of underwater mountains south of the Aleutian Islands. - Bottom trawlers plied the Emperors aggressively in the past, decimating deep-sea coral communities and fish stocks. - A proposal by the U.S. and Canadian delegations at the meeting of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) would have temporarily paused the limited trawling that continues there today, but failed to reach a vote. - The NPFC did pass a separate proposal to regulate fishing of the Pacific saury (Cololabis saira), a severely depleted silvery fish that Japanese people traditionally eat in the fall. | |
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Uttarakhand limits agricultural land sales amid protests & tourism development (April 22, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/uttarakhand-limits-agricultural-land-sales-amid-protests-tourism-development/ - Following widespread protests, Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has issued orders to district magistrates to deny permission to sell agricultural lands to those outside the state. - With just 14% of its land designated for agriculture and more than 65% of the population relying on agriculture, calls for legislation to safeguard residents’ land rights have intensified. - With a lack of comprehensive, updated land records, monitoring the usage of farmlands for nonagricultural purposes has become challenging. - Lack of employment opportunities and resources as well as shifting weather patterns and climate change have pushed numerous farmers to sell their land holdings. | |
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A web of front people conceals environmental offenders in the Amazon (April 22, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/a-web-of-front-people-conceals-environmental-offenders-in-the-amazon/ - A paper trail left by a notorious land grabber reveals how he used relatives and an employee as fronts to evade environmental fines and lawsuits, shedding light on this widespread practice in the Brazilian Amazon. - Fronts prevent the real criminals from having their assets seized to pay for environmental fines, besides consuming time and resources from the authorities, who spend years trying to prove who the real financier of the deforestation is. - Experts say it’s best to go after environmental offenders where it hurts the most, by seizing their assets, rather than to chase down their true identity. - This investigation is part of a partnership between Mongabay and Repórter Brasil. | |
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Mexico’s avocado industry harms monarch butterflies, will U.S. officials act? (commentary) (April 22, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/mexicos-avocado-industry-harms-monarch-butterflies-but-will-u-s-officials-act-commentary/ - Every winter, monarch butterflies from across eastern North America migrate to the mountain forests in Mexico, but those forests are threatened by the rapidly expanding avocado industry. - Avocado production in Mexico is tied to deforestation, water hoarding and violence, and much of the resulting crop is exported to the U.S. - Conservation groups are urging the U.S. State Department, USDA and USTR to ban imports of avocados from recently deforested lands in Mexico. - This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay. | |
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Bangladesh uses satellite transmitters on saltwater crocodiles in Asia’s first (April 22, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/bangladesh-using-satellite-transmitters-in-conserving-crocodiles-in-sundarbans/ - On March 13, the Bangladesh forest department tagged satellite transmitters on two saltwater crocodiles for the first time in Asia and released them in the Sundarbans waters. - So far, four saltwater crocodiles — three from captivity and one from the wild — have been tagged and the preparation is in place to tag more. - The forest department has already started collecting data using the satellite transmitters to understand the crocodile’s habits in this ecosystem and identify nesting its hotspots, ecology, mortality rate and habitat range. - Experts say the satellite data will play an important role in crocodile conservation in Bangladesh, where the species is critically endangered, and will help the authorities make proper conservation management plans to protect it. | |
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Study challenges use of charismatic wildlife as umbrella species for conservation (April 20, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/sumatra-wildlife-umbrella-species-tiger-rhino-clouded-leopard-conservation-leuser-biodiversity/ - A new study from Indonesia’s Leuser forests challenges the traditional use of charismatic “umbrella species” like tigers and rhinos to represent ecosystem biodiversity. - Researchers found that focusing on these well-known species neglects other important wildlife and may not accurately represent overall biodiversity. - Instead, the study proposes a data-driven approach using camera-trap data to identify the most suitable umbrella species based on their association with higher levels of community occupancy and diversity. - The study identified the sambar deer and Sunda clouded leopard as better umbrella species than tigers and rhinos in the Leuser Ecosystem, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach to wildlife conservation that includes multiple species, not just the most charismatic ones. | |
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New calf, same threats: Javan rhinos continue to reproduce despite perils (April 19, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/new-calf-same-threats-javan-rhinos-continue-to-reproduce-despite-perils/ - Recent camera-trap images of a Javan rhino calf, estimated to be 3-5 months old in March, demonstrate that the species continues to reproduce despite being beset by challenges. - The species is confined to a single habitat, and while its population is officially estimated at more than 70 individuals, a report last year cast doubt on those figures, alleging that 18 of those rhinos had not been spotted on camera for years. - The peninsula of Ujung Kulon National Park, where all Javan rhinos live, has been closed to all visitors since September 2023 after poaching activity was detected. | |
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Annual ocean conference raises $11.3b in pledges for marine conservation (April 19, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/annual-ocean-conference-raises-11-3b-in-pledges-for-marine-conservation/ - The 9th Our Ocean Conference (OOC) took place in Athens from April 15-17. - Government, NGO and philanthropic delegates made 469 new commitments worth more than $11.3 billion to help protect the oceans, which was lower than in previous years. - While some conference hosts and attendees celebrated the many successes of the OOC, there was also a shared concern that decision-makers aren’t moving fast enough to secure a sustainable future for the global ocean. | |
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Brazil boosts protection of Amazon mangroves with new reserves in Pará state (April 19, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/brazil-boosts-protection-of-amazon-mangroves-with-new-reserves-in-para-state/ - The state of Pará has created two new conservation areas along the Amazonian coastline, placing almost all of its mangroves under federal protection. - The two reserves mean that an additional 74,700 hectares (184,600 acres) have been included in the largest and most conserved continuous belt of mangroves on the planet. - The process to create the reserves took more than 13 years and faced several setbacks; the final outcome has been celebrated by environmentalists as a victory for local communities and biodiversity. - The new extractive reserves allow resident populations to engage in traditional and sustainable extractive practices such as fishing and hunting, while keeping out big businesses, such as commercial aquaculture or logging. | |
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In Philippines’ restive south, conflict is linked to reduced biodiversity (April 19, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/in-philippines-restive-south-conflict-is-linked-to-reduced-biodiversity/ - Mindanao, the Philippines’ second largest island group, has a troubled history of conflict dating back to the Spanish colonial era in the 16th century. - A recent study of Mindanao found that higher levels of both state and non-state conflict correlated with reduced biodiversity and forest cover. - The security problems associated with conflict also mean there are gaps in knowledge about the biodiversity of conflict-affected areas, and difficulties in implementing and monitoring programs to protect natural resources. | |
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Indonesian capital project finally gets guidelines to avoid harm to biodiversity (April 19, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/indonesian-capital-project-finally-gets-guidelines-to-avoid-harm-to-biodiversity/ - Beset by criticism over its environmental and social impacts, the controversial project of building Indonesia’s new capital city in the Bornean jungle has finally come out with guidelines for biodiversity management. - The country’s president has hailed the Nusantara project as a “green forest city,” but just 16% of its total area is currently intact rainforest. - The new biodiversity master plan outlines a four-point mitigation policy of avoiding harm, minimizing any inevitable impacts, restoring damaged landscapes, and compensating for residual impacts. - The master plan considered input from experts, but several didn’t make it into the final document, including a call for the mitigation policy to extend to a wider area beyond the Nusantara site. | |
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Deforestation alerts in the Brazilian Amazon fall to a 5-year low (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/deforestation-alerts-in-the-brazilian-amazon-fall-to-a-5-year-low/ - Forest clearing detected by Brazil’s deforestation alert system fell to the lowest level in nearly five years. - According to data released last week by the country’s space agency, INPE, deforestation registered over the past twelve months amounts to 4,816 square kilometers, 53% below the level this time last year. - The drop in deforestation has occurred despite a severe drought affecting much of the Amazon basin. | |
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UN puts spotlight on attacks against Indigenous land defenders (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/un-puts-spotlight-on-attacks-against-indigenous-land-defenders/ - At the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, experts called attention to the criminalization of Indigenous Peoples worldwide, exacerbated by intersecting interests in extractive industries, conservation, and climate mitigation. - While Indigenous peoples are affected by the global trend of using criminal law to dissuade free speech and protests, the bulk of criminalization of Indigenous Peoples happens because of a lack of — or partial implementation of — Indigenous rights in national laws. - Urgent actions are needed to address systemic issues, including legal reforms, enhanced protections for defenders, and concerted efforts to prevent and reverse the criminalization of Indigenous communities. | |
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Sierra Leone cacao project boosts livelihoods and buffers biodiversity (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/sierra-leone-cacao-project-boosts-livelihoods-and-buffers-biodiversity/ - The Gola rainforest in West Africa, a biodiversity hotspot, is home to more than 400 species of wildlife, including endemic and threatened species, and more than 100 forest-dependent communities living just outside the protected Gola Rainforest National Park and dependent on the forest for their livelihoods. - In the last few decades, logging, mining, poaching and expanding agriculture have driven up deforestation rates and habitat loss for rainforest-dependent species, prompting a voluntary REDD+ carbon credit program in 2015 to incentivize conservation and provide alternative livelihoods. - One activity under the REDD+ project is shade-grown cacao plantations, which provide a wildlife refuge while generating income for cacao farmers in the region. - Independent evaluations have found that the REDD+ program has slowed deforestation, increased household incomes, and avoided 340,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually — all while enjoying support from local communities. | |
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Cross-border Indigenous efforts in Peru & Brazil aim to protect isolated groups (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/cross-border-indigenous-efforts-in-peru-brazil-aim-to-protect-isolated-groups/ - Indigenous organizations in Peru and Brazil are joining forces to push their respective governments to safeguard the Yavarí-Tapiche Territorial Corridor, which covers 16 million hectares (39.5 million acres) across both countries. - The cross-border initiative aims to protect the ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples in isolation and initial contact who travel freely across both borders and are threatened by those who engage in illegal activity in or near their territories. - The Indigenous organizations plan to create a commission, made up of groups from both sides of the border, to exchange knowledge and define cross-border Indigenous policies for the protection of isolated peoples, such as measures to prevent territorial invasions and collaborate on health matters. | |
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Circular solutions vital to curb enviro harm from cement and concrete (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/circular-solutions-vital-to-curb-enviro-harm-from-cement-and-concrete/ - Concrete is ubiquitous in the modern world, but building cities, roads and other infrastructure and more comes with an environmental cost. Cement and concrete production is responsible for significant pollution, human health impacts and vast amounts of climate-fueling emissions. - Manufacturing cement is particularly problematic as the chemical process used to make it produces nearly 8% of global carbon emissions. Experts also underline that demand for the mined and quarried aggregate materials used to make concrete, such as sand, is responsible for biodiversity and ecosystem harm. - Demand for cement and concrete is set to grow, especially in developing countries to improve infrastructure and living standards. Experts say that solutions reigning in the sector’s environmental footprint are vital, especially curbing greenhouse gas emissions that could absorb a major chunk of our remaining carbon budget. - Solutions to address these challenges include a suite of technological advances, material changes, improved resource efficiency, and circular economy approaches. Some specifics: electrifying cement kilns, low-carbon concrete, carbon capture, and bio-architecture utilizing natural building materials. | |
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Malawi police arrest elephant poachers in Kasungu National Park (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/malawi-police-arrest-elephant-poachers-in-kasungu-national-park/ - Police and wildlife authorities in Malawi have arrested two men suspected of having killed an elephant in Kasungu National Park. - Residents of villages just outside the park’s boundaries informed police about two men selling elephant meat, who were subsequently found in possession of 16.6 kg (36.6 lbs) of ivory. - Kasungu forms part of a transfrontier conservation area that extends into Zambia, a previous poaching hotspot where authorities have spent the past five years strengthening enforcement in collaboration with the International Fund for Animal Welfare. - In July 2022, 263 elephants were translocated to Kasungu from Liwonde National Park in southern Malawi; communities have reported increased raids by elephants on farms and granaries since then, with four people killed by elephants between July and October. | |
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Snack giant PepsiCo sourced palm oil from razed Indigenous land – investigation (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/snack-giant-pepsico-sourced-palm-oil-from-razed-indigenous-land-investigation/ - In the last few years it is likely that PepsiCo has been using in its production palm oil from deforested land claimed by the Shipibo-Konibo people in eastern Peru, a new investigation has found. - Palm oil from Peru enters PepsiCo’s supply chain via a consortium that shares storage facilities with Ocho Sur, the second largest palm oil producer in the country which has been associated with deforestation and violation of Indigenous peoples’ rights. In the last three years, further deforestation occurred within the company’s land, the investigation found. - Some of the forest loss on company-run oil palm plantations occurred on land claimed by the Santa Clara de Uchunya community of Shipibo-Konibo Indigenous people. - PepsiCo manufactures at least 15 products containing Peruvian palm oil that could be linked to deforestation. The company has pledged to make 100% of its palm oil supply deforestation-free by the end of 2022 and for its operation to be net zero by 2040. | |
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Drone cameras help scientists distinguish between drought stress & fungus in oaks (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/drone-cameras-help-scientists-distinguish-between-drought-stress-fungus-in-oaks/ - Scientists have used remote sensing, spectroscopy and machine learning to detect sick oak trees and distinguish between drought stress and oak wilt, a fungal disease. - A recently published study describes how researchers established a link between physiological traits of trees and light reflectance to monitor the progression of symptoms in trees afflicted by oak wilt and drought. - They used the data to build a predictive model that can identify symptoms and detect sick oaks 12 days before visual symptoms appear. - Oaks are vital for climate regulation and carbon sequestration; however, the trees face threats to their survival because of a fatal fungal disease as well as the worsening impacts of climate change. | |
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How predatory fishing has decimated Brazil coastal fish populations for decades (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/how-predatory-fishing-has-decimated-brazil-coastal-fish-populations-for-decades/ - A study by the ReefSYN group analyzed reef fish landings between 1950 and 2015, finding significant changes in the species caught. - Reduced catch volumes, increased diversity of species and catches of small fish at the bottom of the food chain indicate unsustainable fishing. - The lack of updated official data since 2015 makes fisheries management, monitoring and control more difficult in Brazil, but new measures by the Ministries of Fisheries and the Environment aim to improve this scenario. | |
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In largest ever study, Indigenous and local communities report the impacts of climate change (April 18, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/in-largest-ever-study-indigenous-and-local-communities-report-the-impacts-of-climate-change/ - Indigenous peoples and local communities are reporting a series of tangible and nuanced impacts of climate change, according to a new study. - The study collected 1,661 firsthand reports of change in sites across all inhabited continents and aggregated the reports into 369 indicators of climate change impacts, including changes in precipitation, plant cultivation and marine ecosystems. - Existing measures to track climate change impacts are barely able to relate to the diverse and complex ways in which local people experience and observe environmental changes, according to the authors. For instance, instrumental measurements might capture changes in rainfall patterns but miss crucial relationships between climate change awareness, sensitivity and vulnerability. - This research constitutes the largest global effort by Indigenous peoples and local communities to compile and categorize local observations of climate change and its impacts. | |
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Report links H&M and Zara to major environmental damage in biodiverse Cerrado (April 17, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/report-links-hm-and-zara-to-major-environmental-damage-in-biodiverse-cerrado/ - A report by U.K. investigative NGO Earthsight links supply chains of fashion giants H&M and Zara to large-scale illegal deforestation, land-grabbing, violence and corruption in Brazil. - The country’s Cerrado region, home to a third of Brazil’s species, has already lost half of its vegetation to large-scale agriculture and is under increasing pressure from a booming cotton industry. - The two major producers linked to illicit activities, SLC Agrícola and Grupo Horita, deny the accusations, as does Abrapa, Brazil’s producer association, which also oversees cotton certification implementation in the country. - Earthsight found that most of the tainted cotton it tracked had the Better Cotton label, raising the alarm over the practices and traceability of the certification system. | |
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Panama delays promised relocation of sinking island community (April 17, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/panama-delays-promised-relocation-of-sinking-island-community/ - The government of Panama continues to delay the process of relocating almost 1,300 Indigenous Guna inhabitants from an island experiencing rising sea levels due to climate change. - The lack of space on the tiny Caribbean island of Gardi Sugdub means there’s no room to relocate, and a new site on the mainland for the community has been in the works since 2019. - But plans for the relocation have been repeatedly delayed due to administrative issues, previous COVID-19 restrictions and poor budgeting, leaving residents skeptical that government promises will be upheld. - Members of this fishing community have also expressed concern about the relocation site, which is a 30-minute walk from the coast, and about the design of the new homes, for which the government didn’t seek Guna input. | |
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International hesitancy to adopt environmental regulations threatens Indigenous rights (April 17, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/international-hesitancy-to-adopt-environmental-regulations-threatens-indigenous-rights/ - In recent years, state and corporate actors have been hesitant to adopt measures to reach climate and biodiversity goals, in some cases watering down regulatory frameworks or pulling out of voluntary commitments. - Industry experts, the private sector and environmental organizations say this is not surprising, but for different reasons: Some argue the measures are too difficult to meet, while others say parties are putting profits before sustainability. - The EU has struggled to pass its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), a new legislative framework that aims to enhance the protection of the environment and human rights. Meanwhile, major banks and financial institutions are pulling away from various voluntary frameworks, such as Climate Action 100+ (CA100+) and the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). - Critics warn that a lack of such regulations could deprive Indigenous peoples of important protections to safeguard and guarantee their rights. | |
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The environmental mismanagement of enduring oil industry impacts in the Pan Amazon (April 17, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/the-environmental-mismanagement-of-enduring-oil-industry-impacts-in-the-pan-amazon/ - The history of extractivism in the Pan Amazon shows that environmental damage has been commonplace, only now there are new demands from the parent companies that influence all service providers involved. - In this section, Killeen explains that any hydrocarbon project (whether oil or gas) entails a high risk of social conflict with the communities living next to exploration and exploitation areas. - The governments of countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Brazil must ensure that there is real environmental responsibility for the oil spills that are damaging ecosystems and the livelihoods of communities. | |
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Indigenous efforts to save Peru’s Marañon River could spell trouble for big oil (April 17, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/indigenous-efforts-to-save-perus-maranon-river-could-spell-trouble-for-big-oil/ - In March, the Federation of Kukama Indigenous Women in the Parinari district of Loreto won a lawsuit against the oil company Petroperú and the Peruvian government, protecting the Marañon River from oil pollution. - Since the 1970s, the exploration of oil reserves in the Peruvian Amazon has resulted in hundreds of oil leaks and spills, compromising the health of Indigenous communities. - While the defendants have already appealed the decision, a favorable ruling in higher courts could force oil and gas companies to answer for decades of pollution in the Peruvian Amazon. | |
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Sumatra villages count cost of deadly river tsunami swelled by illegal logging (April 17, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/sumatra-villages-count-cost-of-deadly-river-tsunami-swelled-by-illegal-logging/ - Several days of extreme rainfall beginning March 7 triggered fatal flash flooding across Indonesia’s West Sumatra province, resulting in at least 30 deaths and devastating villages on the fringe of Kerinci Seblat National Park. - Deforestation upstream of the affected areas has exacerbated the risk of landslides and flash floods, according to officials. - The Indonesian Forum for the Environment, a national civil society organization, called for government action to address illegal logging and land management practices to prevent future disasters. | |
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Hyundai ends aluminum deal with Adaro Minerals following K-pop protest (April 17, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/hyundai-ends-aluminum-deal-with-adaro-minerals-following-k-pop-protest/ - The South Korean auto company Hyundai has ended its 2022 agreement for procuring aluminum for its electric vehicles from Adaro Minerals, which plans to build 2.2 gigawatts of coal-fired power plants to power its aluminum smelter. - The decision follows campaigns coordinated by Kpop4Planet, a climate movement led by K-pop fans who protested Hyundai’s business with Adaro. - Climate group Market Forces has estimated Adaro’s coal plants would emit 5.2 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year, and activists say Hyundai would be pushed further from reaching its goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. - The campaign collected more than 11,000 petition signatures from K-pop fans in 68 countries. | |
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Protected areas bear the brunt as forest loss continues across Cambodia (April 17, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/protected-areas-bear-the-brunt-as-forest-loss-continues-across-cambodia/ - In 2023, Cambodia lost forest cover the size of the city of Los Angeles, or 121,000 hectares (300,000 acres), according to new data published by the University of Maryland. - The majority of this loss occurred inside protected areas, with the beleaguered Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary recording the highest rate of forest loss in what was one of its worst years on record. - A leading conservation activist says illegal logging inside protected areas is driven in part by demand for luxury timber exports, “but the authorities don’t seem to care about protecting these forests.” - Despite the worrying trend highlighted by the data, the Cambodian government has set an ambitious target of increasing the country’s forest cover to 60% by 2050. | |
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Resource wars and the geopolitics behind climate-fueled conflicts (April 16, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/resource-wars-and-the-geopolitics-behind-climate-fueled-conflicts/ - Journalist Dahr Jamail joins the Mongabay Newscast to discuss the history and present context of resource wars, which he says are putting pressure on the planet’s ecological limits. - Noted for his work as an unembedded journalist during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Jamail says resource-based motives are behind many if not most conflicts today. - Scientists have warned governments this risks wasting time and money that could otherwise be spent on addressing the looming threats of climate change. - One estimate puts the total cost of all post-9/11 wars at $8 trillion to the U.S. alone, and the death toll at between 4.5 million and 4.7 million people. | |
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Caribbean startups are turning excess seaweed into an agroecology solution (April 16, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/caribbean-startups-are-turning-excess-seaweed-into-an-agroecology-solution/ - Sargassum, a type of brown macroalgae, has been inundating beaches across the Caribbean since 2011. It comes from the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. - The seaweed has harmed Caribbean economies and human health, making it a national emergency in some island-nations. - Over the past decade, entrepreneurs and scientists have found ways to turn sargassum into nutrient-rich biofertilizers, biostimulants and other organic products to boost agricultural yields while cutting back on chemicals. - But there are hurdles to scaling the industry, including sargassum’s inconsistent arrival, heavy metal content and fast decomposition rates. | |
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Brazil’s illegal gold trade takes a hammering, but persists underground (April 16, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/brazils-illegal-gold-trade-takes-a-hammering-but-persists-underground/ - Measures throughout 2023 to curb the illegal gold trade in Brazil led to a 20% drop in the country’s exports of the precious metal. - In Itaituba, the hub of the Amazon illegal gold trade, taxes from gold sales fell by more than 90% in just the first quarter of this year. - Experts attribute this drop to police raids on illegal mining operations and on requirements for sellers to issue electronic invoices. - But they warn the illegal gold still persists, shifting to unofficial channels to evade the eye of regulators. | |
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Global coral bleaching now underway looks set to be largest on record (April 16, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/global-coral-beaching-now-underway-looks-set-to-be-largest-on-record/ - Scientists say that coral reefs are currently undergoing a global bleaching event, with more than 54% of the world’s coral reef areas in the territorial waters of over 50 countries experiencing heat stress. According to one scientist, the percentage of areas dealing with bleaching-level heat stress “has been increasing by roughly 1% per week.” - To assess the current bleaching event, scientists drew on satellite-derived sea surface temperature data and in-water measurements. - Experts say the current El Niño, a phase in the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern, in combination with rising global sea temperatures, is responsible for the extensive coral bleaching. - Mongabay interviewed scientists most familiar with coral reef bleaching data, and experts attending the 9th Our Ocean Conference in Athens, taking place from April 15-17. | |
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Climate change could drive mammal extinction in Brazil’s Caatinga, study warns (April 15, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/climate-change-could-drive-mammal-extinction-in-brazils-caatinga-study-warns/ - According to a new study, 91.6% of terrestrial mammal communities in the Caatinga will lose species by 2060, with 87% of them being deprived of their habitats if the temperature in the region increases by at least 2°C. - Small mammals will suffer the strongest impact, and some species may disappear from the biome, such as the giant anteater and the giant armadillo. - In addition to more drought and rising temperatures, deforestation caused by wind farms also threatens some species, such as the jaguar. - In a previous study, the same researchers had warned that 99% of plant communities in the Caatinga will lose species by 2060. | |
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Rapid growth of Bolivia’s lithium industry creating new problems for local communities (April 15, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/rapid-growth-of-bolivias-lithium-industry-creating-new-problems-for-local-communities/ - A lithium plant is using untested equipment and potentially mismanaging its use of freshwater, raising concerns for residents about whether the Bolivian government can responsibly manage the rapid growth of the industry. - Activists are concerned about what they found during a recent inspection of lithium facilities in the Salar de Uyuni, a salt flat with an estimated 21 million tons of lithium. - They called for increased transparency about what lithium facilities are able to produce and how much water and electricity they’re using. | |
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It will take 880 years to achieve UN ocean conservation goals, at this rate (commentary) (April 15, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/it-will-take-880-years-to-achieve-un-ocean-conservation-goals-at-this-rate-commentary/ - Indigenous conservationist Angelo Villagomez will speak at the Our Ocean conference, one of the largest and highest profile conferences of its kind, this week in Athens, Greece. - He plans to say that ocean conservation has lost momentum toward protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 and that a lot more needs to be done to address the human dimensions of conservation, including guaranteeing access rights, equity, and justice. - “At this rate, raising the area of global ocean protection from 8% to 30% will take an additional 880 years,” he argues in a new op-ed. - This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay. | |
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On the trail of Borneo’s bay cat, one of the world’s most mysterious felines (April 15, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/on-the-trail-of-borneos-bay-cat-one-of-the-worlds-most-mysterious-felines/ - The bay cat, named for its brownish-red coat, is arguably the most elusive of all the world’s wildcats. And among the most endangered. - The bay cat is the only feline endemic to Borneo. Researchers — some of whom have never seen the cat in the wild — say it is potentially threatened by habitat loss and killings by locals, with accidental snaring another possible major cause of loss. - But the biggest threat may be ignorance. In order to better protect this species, researchers urgently need to figure out: Why is it so rare? And why is it vanishing? - Jim Sanderson, the world’s leading expert on wildcats, suggests research on the bay cat should focus on why it’s so uncommon, what is causing its decline, and how to reduce those threats. Then conservationists can make a viable plan to protect it. | |
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Faced with an extreme future, one Colombian island struggles to rebuild (April 15, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/faced-with-an-extreme-future-one-colombian-island-struggles-to-rebuild/ - In 2020, Hurricane Iota destroyed most of the housing and infrastructure on the Island of Providencia, in Colombia’s Caribbean archipelago of San Andres. - Although the government sent aid and rebuilt homes, communities complained they were left out of the consultation process and that the reconstruction had been poorly done, without addressing the island’s increased vulnerability to climate change. - Locals sued the government, obtaining a reopening of consultations, which the new left-wing government has agreed must reach a solution that accords with the islanders’ traditional customs. - More than 700 islands in the Caribbean could be increasingly exposed to more extreme weather, as climate change threatens to make events such as hurricanes more destructive. | |
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Conservationists welcome new PNG Protected Areas Act — but questions remain (April 12, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/conservationists-welcome-new-png-protected-areas-act-but-questions-remain/ - In February 2024, Papua New Guinea’s parliament passed the Protected Areas Bill, first introduced two decades ago, into an act, which aims to establish a national system of protected areas to achieve the conservation target of protecting 30% of PNG’s territory by 2030. - The act lays out a legal framework for working with customary landowners in the country to earmark protected areas, establishes regulations to manage these areas and provides provisions for alternative livelihoods to forest-dependent communities. - The act also mandates the establishment of a long-term Biodiversity and Climate Task Fund, which communities can access to implement their management plans and conservation objectives. - While conservationists say the act is a good step toward protecting biodiversity, they raise concerns about its implementation and whether the promised benefits of protected areas will reach landowning communities. | |
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Traceability is no silver bullet for reducing deforestation (commentary) (April 12, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/traceability-is-no-silver-bullet-for-reducing-deforestation-commentary/ - The European Union, UK and US have passed, or are in the process of passing, legislation which places a duty on companies to prove that products they import do not come from recently deforested land. - Businesses and governments are ramping up efforts to address emissions and deforestation in their supply chains, but the scale at which these initiatives are being implemented limits their effectiveness in tackling deforestation. - Investments by companies and governments in farm-level traceability must be backed up by landscape approaches that address the systemic drivers of deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss, a new op-ed argues. - This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay. | |
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Bonobos, the ‘hippy apes’, may not be as peaceful as once thought (April 12, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/bonobos-the-hippy-apes-may-not-be-as-peaceful-as-once-thought/ - Bonobos have a reputation of being the hippies of the ape world, due to their propensity to “make love, not war.” - But a new study reveals that bonobos, found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo, may not be as peaceful as once thought. - Researchers discovered aggressive acts between bonobos from the same group exceeded those recorded among chimpanzees, and that aggressive male bonobos were more successful in mating. - The study provides a more nuanced analysis of these endangered apes, but also highlights the need to protect them from hunting and habitat loss. | |
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Between Brazil’s Caatinga & Cerrado, communities profit from native fruits (April 12, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/between-brazils-caatinga-cerrado-communities-profit-from-native-fruits/ - People from the Caatinga, geraizeiros, veredeiros, Quilombolas and Indigenous communities in the northern region of Minas Gerais, in Brazil, have been generating income by harvesting native fruits such as umbu, buriti, coquinho azedo and pequi. - The Grande Sertão Cooperative serves as the primary purchaser of this produce, spanning 36 municipalities and supporting approximately 2,000 families. During the last harvest, the cooperative processed 700,000 kilograms (1.5 million pounds) of pequi. - Building the kitchen, laying the floor or buying a cupboard are common reports from the extractivist women who benefit from their new profits; they now make money from fruit that used to go to waste. - Valuing native species also plays a crucial role in preserving the health of threatened biomes; for instance, the Caatinga is currently the third-most-deforested biome in Brazil, and approximately half of the Cerrado has already been lost. | |
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New technologies to map environmental crime in the Amazon Basin (commentary) (April 12, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/new-technologies-to-map-environmental-crime-in-the-amazon-basin-commentary/ - Environmental crimes like land grabbing, illegal deforestation, and poaching hinder climate action, deter investment in sustainable practices, and threaten biodiversity across major biomes worldwide. - Despite challenges such as vast territories difficult to police and weak rule of law, new technologies like geospatial and predictive analytics are being leveraged to enhance the detection and disruption of these activities. - Innovative approaches, including public-private partnerships and AI tools, show promise in improving real-time monitoring and enforcement, although they require increased investment and training to be truly effective, argue Robert Muggah and Peter Smith of Instituto Igarapé, a “think and do tank” in Brazil. - This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay. | |
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Rainwater reserves a tenuous lifeline for Sumatran community amid punishing dry season (April 11, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/rainwater-reserves-a-tenuous-lifeline-for-sumatran-community-amid-punishing-dry-season/ - Kuala Selat village lies on the coast of Indragiri Hilir district on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. - In the first half of the year, residents of the village arrange buckets and drums to collect rainwater to meet their daily needs. - They will then stockpile water to last through the dry months from June-September, but a longer dry spell has led to an acute shortage of water. - Residents say they believe the water crisis in the village was linked to bouts of diarrhea, and that many fled the village during an outbreak. | |
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Research links deforestation in Cambodia to stunting in kids, anemia in women (April 11, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/research-links-deforestation-in-cambodia-to-stunting-in-kids-anemia-in-women/ - An analysis of public health data in Cambodia has found increased rates of malnutrition among children born in areas where deforestation had recently occurred. - It also found that pregnant women in these areas were more likely to suffer from anemia, a condition that often correlates with incidences of malaria. - Cambodia has lost nearly 30% of its forest cover this century, while more than 30% of its children under 5 have stunted growth due to malnutrition. - The study illustrates how deforestation and the ecological disruptions it causes can compound previously existing rural health issues. | |
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New online tool is first to track funding to Indigenous, local and Afro-descendant communities (April 11, 2024) https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/new-online-tool-is-first-to-track-funding-to-indigenous-local-and-afro-descendant-communities/ - The Path to Scale dashboard is the first online tool developed to track all funding for Indigenous peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant peoples’ forest stewardship and land tenure. - It’s already highlighted several trends, including that disbursements globally have averaged $517 million per year between 2020 and 2023, up 36% from the preceding four years, but with no evidence of increased direct funding to community-led organizations. - Although information gaps exist based on what’s publicly available, Indigenous leaders say the tool will be useful to track progress and setbacks on funding pledges, as well as hold donors and organizations accountable. - According to developers, there’s an increased diversity of funding, but it’s still insufficient to meet the needs of communities. | |
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