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Indonesia’s 1st Javan rhino translocation ends in death, in conservation setback (December 16, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/indonesias-1st-javan-rhino-translocation-ends-in-death-in-conservation-setback/ - Indonesia’s first effort to translocate a Javan rhino ended in loss when Musofa died days after his move to a protected facility in Ujung Kulon National Park. - Officials said a necropsy found long-standing health problems linked to severe parasitic infection, though questions remain about the sudden decline linked to the relocation. - Conservationists say the setback should not stop efforts to save the species, which faces serious risks from low numbers and limited genetic diversity. | |
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‘Internet of Animals,’ a unified wildlife tracker, set to resume after hiatus (December 16, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/internet-of-animals-a-unified-wildlife-tracker-set-to-resume-after-hiatus/ - A global project that tracks wildlife via satellites has resumed operations after a hiatus of three years. - Project ICARUS, which aims to create the “internet of animals,” capitalizes on advances in wireless tracking technology to monitor individual animals. - The trackers record data that will help scientists track the movements, migrations and behaviors of animals in different parts of the world. - The system also enables scientists and conservationists to understand how animals are interacting with one another and with their respective ecosystems. | |
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Seafloor survey in Cambodia finds simple anti-trawling blocks help seagrass recover (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/seafloor-survey-in-cambodia-finds-simple-anti-trawling-blocks-help-seagrass-recover/ - A recent study provides the first large-scale map of Cambodia’s coastal habitats and reports early seagrass recovery near anti-trawling structures in the Kep Marine Fisheries Management Area. - Surveys across 62,146 hectares (153,566 acres) show a 39% loss of seagrass cover in Kampot province over the past decade. - The study doesn’t examine potential impacts from the planned $1.7 billion Funan Techo Canal, which is set to meet the sea about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) away from the Kep Marine Fisheries Management Area. | |
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From Kalimantan’s haze to Jakarta’s grit: A journalist’s journey (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/from-kalimantans-haze-to-jakartas-grit-a-journalists-journey/ Indonesia’s environmental challenges can feel overwhelming when taken as a whole. A country said to contain more than 17,000 islands, it holds the world’s third-largest tropical rainforest and a resource economy that has reshaped much of that landscape. For many Indonesians, modern development is experienced not in graphs but in the air around them: childhoods […] | |
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Noisy traffic is making Galápagos’ yellow warblers angry (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/noisy-traffic-is-making-galapagos-yellow-warblers-angry/ A recent study found that birds that live closer to roads display more aggression than birds of the same species that live farther away from noisy vehicles, Mongabay’s Spoorthy Raman reported. Researchers looked at the behavioral differences of male Galápagos yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia aureola) on two islands of the Galápagos, an Ecuadorian archipelago in […] | |
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South Sudanese community fights to save land from relentless flooding worsened by climate change (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/south-sudanese-community-fights-to-save-land-from-relentless-flooding-worsened-by-climate-change/ AKUAK, South Sudan (AP) — Flooding worsened by climate change is forcing a community in South Sudan to work constantly to keep water from encroaching on their land. The Akuak community of about 2,000 people has been layering plants and mud to build islands for generations in this swampy area along the Nile River, according […] | |
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A deal signals a new chapter for Chagossians, and one of the world’s largest marine no-fishing zones (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-deal-signals-a-new-chapter-for-chagossians-and-one-of-the-worlds-largest-marine-no-fishing-zones/ - An agreement signed this year transfers sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago from the U.K. to Mauritius. This vast expanse in the middle of the Indian Ocean is home to exceptional marine biodiversity whose protection might soon fall to Chagossians and Mauritius. - The U.K. expelled around 2,000 Chagossians in the late 1960s and early 1970s to make way for a U.S. military base. - The U.K. also unilaterally established a marine protected area there in 2010, in part to keep Chagossians from returning to the islands. The MPA, the largest no-fishing zone in the world, along with the zealously guarded military base, have allowed the marine space to flourish with limited human imprints. - Under the deal, which now awaits ratification by the U.K. parliament, Chagossians can return to the archipelago, except the largest island of Diego Garcia, which will continue to host the military base and remain under U.K.-U.S. control for at least the next 99 years. | |
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Collapses of Amazon riverbanks threaten communities and shipping routes (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/collapses-of-amazon-riverbanks-threaten-communities-and-shipping-routes/ - Extreme droughts, human interventions and growing boat traffic are contributing to riverbank collapses that endanger riverside communities in the Brazilian Amazon. - Four public river ports in Amazonas state have been damaged by riverbank collapses in the past decade, prompting concerns about the safety of Amazon port infrastructure. - Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry is investigating alleged failures to prevent collapses at regional ports that connect riverside communities and provide access to essential services. | |
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Green labeler PEFC under fire for certifying Indonesian firm clearing orangutan habitat (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/green-labeler-pefc-under-fire-for-certifying-indonesian-firm-clearing-orangutan-habitat/ - Sustainable forestry certifier PEFC is under fire for its endorsement of Indonesian plantation firm IFP despite it being a major recent deforester, with tens of thousands of hectares cleared in orangutan habitat and ongoing forest loss documented into 2024. - Earthsight and other NGOs say the certification exploits loopholes, including PEFC’s “partial certification” model that lets companies exclude recently cleared areas while still selling certified timber. - Deforestation-linked timber may have entered global supply chains, with mills processing IFP-linked wood exporting large volumes to the EU ahead of the bloc’s new deforestation regulation. - Critics say PEFC’s weak safeguards and Indonesia’s IFCC certification system enable greenwashing, and call for IFP’s certification to be revoked and rules tightened to bar any company or corporate group involved in post-2010 forest clearing. | |
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New technologies offer hope in fight to save the world’s imperiled rosewoods (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/new-technologies-offer-hope-in-fight-to-save-the-worlds-imperiled-rosewoods/ - Rosewood accounts for nearly a third of the value of illegal wildlife trade seizures worldwide, and illegal harvesting of the trees has continued in spite of efforts to regulate its trade and harvest. - Researchers say that new and existing technologies such as AI-equipped drones could help detect the illegal logging of rosewood trees inside inaccessible and remote forests, allowing forest officials to intervene in real time. - AI could also help predict the risk of future rosewood logging activities, helping forest officials focus their monitoring efforts. - In addition, the nonprofit TRAFFIC is currently testing AI-based image recognition tools for species identification, while other scientists are working on techniques that identify rosewood species based on DNA samples. | |
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Artisanal fishers in Liberia question benefits of new tracking devices from government (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/artisanal-fishers-in-liberia-question-benefits-of-new-tracking-devices-from-government/ - The Liberian government earlier this year distributed 400 automatic identification system (AIS) transponders to small-scale fishers in the counties of Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Margibi and Montserrado. - The devices transmit a vessel’s position and speed via radio signals, and Liberian authorities say they hope it will help in speeding up responses to vessels that are in distress. - However, many small-scale fishers appear reluctant to adopt the new device, with some saying they would prefer GPS-equipped devices that let them track their own location. - The Liberia Artisanal Fishermen Association (LAFA), an advocacy group, blames the low adoption rate on the inadequate involvement of fishers during the design and rollout of the project. | |
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Cyclone Ditwah takes heavy toll on Sri Lanka’s biodiversity-rich Central Highlands (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/cyclone-ditwah-takes-heavy-toll-on-sri-lankas-biodiversity-rich-central-highlands/ - Sri Lanka’s ecologically significant Central Highlands suffered severe but still largely undocumented ecological damage following the recent Cyclone Ditwah, which devasted unique yet highly vulnerable ecosystems harboring the country’s richest biodiversity and highest endemism. - Early reports indicate major landslides in the UNESCO-listed Knuckles Mountain Range that led to canopy trees uprooted, forest layers buried and streams clogged with sediment, with inaccessibility delaying a comprehensive assessment. - Illegal construction and poorly planned development in ecologically sensitive zones have intensified disaster’s impacts on the Indian Ocean island. - Conservationists urge Sri Lanka to adopt a science-led post-disaster biodiversity assessment mechanism and climate-resilient land use planning, warning that invasive species, unstable slopes and damaged ecosystems pose long-term ecological and economic risks to this highly significant region. | |
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Malaysian companies dominate PNG forest-clearance permits: report (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/malaysian-companies-dominate-png-forest-clearance-permits-report/ - A recent report examining land-conversion permits issued by the Papua New Guinea government found that 65 of 67 such licenses are controlled by Malaysian-linked companies. - The stated purpose of these permits — Forest Clearing Authorities (FCAs) — is for creation of sustainable jobs via agribusiness and other development projects, but critics contend the licenses have been used to facilitate large-scale logging and timber exports. - After repeated allegations of misuse of the permits, PNG’s government imposed a moratorium on new FCAs in 2023, but exports continue from existing projects. - The 65 licenses examined by the report cover 1.68 million hectares (4.1 million acres) of rainforests, about 88% of which are categorized as ‘undisturbed forest.’ | |
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The vanishing pharmacy: How climate change is reshaping traditional medicine (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/natures-vanishing-pharmacy-how-climate-change-is-reshaping-traditional-medicine/ - Climate change is threatening medicinal plants globally, with rising temperatures, shifting rainfall and habitat loss causing species to lose suitable habitats and face extinction, jeopardizing health care for the 80% of the world’s population that relies on traditional medicine. - Environmental stress from extreme weather is altering the chemical composition of medicinal plants, changing their therapeutic properties and making traditional remedies less predictable or effective. - The loss of these plants means losing not only potential sources for pharmaceutical development (more than 70% of modern drugs derive from natural compounds) but also millennia of Indigenous and traditional knowledge, cultural practices and spiritual connections to healing. - Communities worldwide are fighting back through conservation efforts including creating medicinal plant gardens, developing alternative species lists, training new healers, documenting traditional knowledge and combining agroforestry with forest restoration to protect their health care systems. | |
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Sumatra’s ‘natural’ disaster wasn’t natural: How deforestation turned a rare cyclone catastrophic (December 15, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/sumatras-natural-disaster-wasnt-natural-how-deforestation-turned-a-rare-cyclone-catastrophic/ - Cyclone Senyar was an unusually rare event for Sumatra, but the scale of destruction cannot be explained by weather alone. Decades of deforestation, mining, plantations, and peat drainage left watersheds unable to absorb intense rainfall, turning extreme weather into a mass-casualty disaster. - Forest loss and land conversion have systematically weakened Sumatra’s natural defenses. The island has lost millions of hectares of forest since 2001, increasing runoff, destabilizing slopes, and amplifying floods and landslides when heavy rain hits. - Peatland drainage has created a hidden, compounding flood risk. Canals dug for plantations dry and compact peat soils, causing land subsidence and transforming once water-retentive landscapes into low-lying areas prone to chronic inland and coastal flooding. - Rising exposure, not just rising hazards, is driving future risk. Urban expansion into floodplains and degraded catchments means that even rare storms now endanger more people and infrastructure, locking much of Sumatra into a cycle of disaster unless land-use governance changes. | |
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Birds, bugs and butterflies netted in global seizures by Interpol (December 12, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/birds-bugs-and-butterflies-netted-in-global-seizures-by-interpol/ In a single month this year, nearly 30,000 live animals, were seized in a coordinated global crackdown on the illegal trade in wildlife and plants. Known as Operation Thunder and coordinated by Interpol and the World Customs Organization (WCO), it also confiscated tens of thousands of body parts from endangered species, and high-value plants and […] | |
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Illegal fishing, other maritime threats cost Western Indian Ocean $1b a year: Report (December 12, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/illegal-fishing-other-maritime-threats-cost-western-indian-ocean-1b-a-year-report/ Maritime threats in the Western Indian Ocean cost the region roughly $1.14 billion per year, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The losses amount to 5.7% of the region’s gross marine product, a significant economic loss for activities linked to oceans, seas and coastal zones, collectively referred to […] | |
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Banned for years, dangerous pesticides persist in Nigerian farming (December 12, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/banned-for-years-dangerous-pesticides-persist-in-nigerian-farming/ - Nigeria has banned a list of organochlorine pesticides since 2008, due to their potential health effects, but lab tests reveal small amounts of several such substances in soil, vegetable and soil animal samples in farm fields. - Farmers interviewed for this story say they use organochlorine pesticides, which are sold in the local market. - Recent research points to the need for greater education among Nigerian farmers, as many are misusing pesticides (including banned chemicals) and applying them without protective gear; many also suffer health effects from these substances. - Experts emphasize the importance of adopting sustainable agricultural practices, such as integrated pest management (IPM), climate-resilient agriculture and agroecological practices to reduce dependency on synthetic pesticides and to promote soil health. | |
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Nepal Indigenous leaders refile writ petition against hydropower project (December 12, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepal-indigenous-leaders-refile-writ-petition-against-hydropower-project/ - In 2024, Indigenous Bhote-Lhomi Singsa people filed a writ petition against a hydropower project expressing concerns over what they say is a flawed EIA, forged signatures and community rights violations in Lungbasamba landscape, a biocultural heritage home to endangered flora and fauna. - More than a year since the petition, leaders say the construction work has progressed in the absence of an interim order from the court to halt the construction, which has impacted their livelihoods, supported by farming, yak herding and trade in medicinal herbs. - Demanding the project’s cancellation with an interim order to halt the ongoing construction activities, and to declare the EIA void, leaders filed another petition in November. - Given the criticisms over the project and impacts outlined by the EIA report, the company says it still looks forward to the project, which is set to be completed in 2028. | |
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Study finds more ‘laggards’ than ‘leaders’ among high seas fisheries managers (December 12, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/study-finds-more-laggards-than-leaders-among-high-seas-fisheries-managers/ - A new paper suggests that regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) haven’t done a very good job setting up systems to conserve fish stocks and broader ecosystems. - The paper questions RFMOs’ readiness for a coming new era of marine governance, with the high seas treaty set to take effect in January. - The authors rated 16 RFMOs based on 100 management-related questions, such as “Are there consequences for violations of conservation measures …?” and used the answers to help identify “leaders” and “laggards.” The average rating was 45.5 out of 100. - They also determined that on average, more than half of RFMOs’ target stocks are overexploited or collapsed, reinforcing previous research. | |
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Top-down projects, exotic trees, weak tenure: Congo Basin restoration misses the mark (December 12, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/top-down-projects-exotic-trees-weak-tenure-congo-basin-restoration-misses-the-mark/ - Despite a panoply of projects — from tree-planting drives to agroforestry schemes — a new study finds that much of what’s happening in the name of “forest restoration” in the Congo Basin may not be restoring forests at all, but largely focused on growing nonnative, commodity species. - The research found nearly two-thirds of projects favored planting exotic species over native ones, primarily because they grow more quickly, require less care, and their seeds are easier to source. - It also noted a lack of ecological monitoring, with few initiatives tracking tree survival rates, soil recovery or carbon storage, and most lasting less than five years — far too short to measure real ecological impact. - Beyond agroforestry and fuelwood plantations, the study calls for approaches that promote natural regeneration, restore native biodiversity and reconnect fragmented habitats. | |
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Sumatran flood disaster may have wiped out a key Tapanuli orangutan population, scientists fear (December 12, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/sumatran-flood-disaster-may-have-wiped-out-key-tapanuli-orangutan-population/ - As many as 35 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans — 4% of the species’ total population — may have been wiped out in the catastrophic floods and landslides that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra recently, scientists warn, after the discovery of a carcass. - Satellite and field evidence show massive destruction of the western block of the Batang Toru ecosystem, with thousands of hectares of steep forest slopes destroyed — an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest great ape. - Conservationists have lost contact with monitored orangutans in the disaster zone, raising fears more individuals were killed or displaced as feeding areas and valleys were obliterated. - The tragedy has renewed calls to safeguard the Batang Toru ecosystem by halting industrial projects and granting it stronger protection, as climate-driven disasters escalate across Sumatra. | |
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The Amazon’s lakes are heating up at ‘alarming’ rate, research finds (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/the-amazons-lakes-are-heating-up-at-alarming-rate-research-finds/ Five out of 10 lakes in the central Amazon had daytime temperatures over 37° Celsius, (98.6° Fahrenheit) during the region’s 2023 extreme heat wave, a recent study found. One of the most well-known water bodies is Tefé Lake in Amazonas state, northern Brazil. In September and October 2023, 209 pink and grey river dolphins, roughly […] | |
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Elephant seals can recognize the voices of their rivals (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/elephant-seals-can-recognize-the-voices-of-their-rivals/ Elephant seals spend most of their lives at sea, returning to shore just twice every year to molt and breed. The breeding season typically includes males weighing thousands of kilograms violently clashing with each other to compete for females. New research finds the hefty mammals remember the voices of rivals they’ve met before and retreat […] | |
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African environment programs still try to fill funding gap since USAID freeze (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/african-environment-programs-still-try-to-fill-funding-gap-since-usaid-freeze/ - Close to a year after the suspension of USAID funding in Africa, the future of many environmental programs remains uncertain. - Alternative funding is sought from the EU, World Bank and private sector initiatives, yet experts say a significant climate finance gap remains, especially as some of these sources curtail their funding as well. - Africa receives just 3-4% of global climate finance, according to the African Development Bank Group; while the continent contributes just 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it remains especially vulnerable to climate disasters. | |
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Global manta and devil ray deaths far exceed earlier estimates: Study (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/global-manta-and-devil-ray-deaths-far-exceed-earlier-estimates-study/ - A new global assessment estimates more than 259,000 manta and devil rays (genus Mobula) die in fisheries each year, far exceeding previous figures, with researchers warning that the true toll is likely higher due to major data gaps. - Small-scale fisheries account for 87% of global mortality, with India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Peru responsible for most mobulid deaths . - The study documents steep, long-term declines, including in Mozambique, the Philippines and the eastern Pacific Ocean. Yet many losses came to light only recently due to late adoption of monitoring and weak reporting. - Researchers say the recent uplisting of all mobulid species to CITES Appendix I, which bans international commercial trade, is a key step, but note that national-level protections, improved data reporting, gear reforms, and better spatial management are needed to reduce mortality. | |
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Africa’s wildlife has lost a third of its ‘ecological power,’ study says (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/africas-wildlife-has-lost-a-third-of-its-ecological-power-study-says/ - A recent study quantifies the impact of biodiversity loss on ecological functions by tracking energy flows within them. It found that declines in birds and small mammals have led to a significant erosion of ecological functions in sub-Saharan Africa. - The study crunched data on nearly 3,000 bird and mammal species found in the region, which performed 23 key ecosystem functions, ranging from pollination to nutrient disposal. - In the paper, the researchers group animals according to the ecological roles they play. By taking into account species present in an area, their abundance, body sizes, diets, and metabolic rates, they turn the animal’s food consumption into a measure of energy flow. - The analysis found that the “ecological power” of wild mammals and birds weakened drastically, by about 60%, in areas converted to agricultural land; however, in well-managed protected areas, ecological functions are almost 90% intact. | |
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As fish catches fall and seas rise, Douala’s residents join efforts to restore mangroves (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/as-fish-catches-fall-and-seas-rise-doualas-residents-join-efforts-to-restore-mangroves/ - Cameroon’s coastal fisheries are in decline, leaving fishers with dwindling catches — a crisis linked directly to the depletion of the country’s mangroves, experts say, which are breeding grounds for fish. - The expansion of urban settlements, conversion of coastal land for agriculture, and sand extraction drives mangrove loss in Cameroon; another key driver is the use of mangrove wood for smoking fish. - The Cameroon government and NGOs have set themselves an ambitious goal of restoring 1,000 hectares (nearly 2,500 acres) of mangrove forests by 2050. - A key strategy involves engaging local communities in the replanting process and providing alternative livelihoods, such as urban farming and beekeeping, to reduce dependence on mangrove wood. | |
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South Greenlanders speak out on rare earths interests (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/video/2025/12/south-greenlanders-speak-out-on-rare-earths-interests/ QAQORTOQ, Greenland – South Greenland is increasingly targeted for new mining projects as global demand for critical minerals continues to grow. These developments promise jobs, revenue and the prospect of greater economic independence. Yet for small-scale fishermen like Jens Peter, the expansion of mining into coastal zones presents real risks, including potential restrictions on access […] | |
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‘My mother would not be happy with the state of the planet’: Interview with Wanjira Mathai (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/my-mother-would-not-be-happy-with-the-state-of-the-planet-interview-with-wanjira-mathai/ - Twenty years after Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize, her daughter Wanjira Mathai says the world has grown more fragmented even as environmental crises deepen — but insists there are bright spots Africa must seize on. - Wanjira warns that her mother would be troubled by the pace of climate action and the growing dangers faced by environmental defenders, but she believes Africa’s youth, green industrialization, and renewable energy potential offer unprecedented hope. - Speaking after a Nairobi event honoring her mother’s legacy, Wanjira reflects on the “power of one,” Africa’s leadership gaps and opportunities, and what it means to “bask in her mother’s light” while carving her own path. | |
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Study warns of major funding gap for 30×30 biodiversity goal (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/study-warns-of-major-funding-gap-for-30x30-biodiversity-goal/ A new study launched at the U.N. Environment Assembly in Nairobi warns that international funding to help countries meet the global “30×30” biodiversity target is rising but remains billions of dollars short of what is needed. The State of International 30×30 Funding report has tracked public and philanthropic support for protected and conserved areas in […] | |
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Climate change is straining Alaska’s Arctic. A new mining road may push the region past the brink (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/climate-change-is-straining-alaskas-arctic-a-new-mining-road-may-push-the-region-past-the-brink/ AMBLER, Alaska (AP) — In Northwest Alaska, a proposed 211-mile mining road has divided an Inupiaq community already devastated by climate change. The Western Arctic Caribou Herd has plummeted 66% in two decades while salmon runs have collapsed from record rainfall and warming waters. The Trump-approved Ambler Access Road would unlock copper deposits and other […] | |
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Small cat conservationists hail Uganda’s new Echuya Forest National Park (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/small-cat-conservationists-hail-ugandas-new-echuya-forest-national-park/ - Uganda’s Echuya Forest Reserve will become a national park, alongside five other forest areas. That news is being heralded by small cat conservationists as a win for the threatened African golden cat (Caracal aurata) and other wildlife that dwell in the forest. - African golden cats are forest dependent and considered vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN. They’re especially threatened by snaring across their range. It’s unknown exactly how Echuya’s population is faring, but camera-trapping efforts in 2015 required 90 days to record just one of these elusive cats. - Data coming out of Uganda suggest that national parks can act as strongholds for the felid, raising hopes that Echuya’s population can recover and possibly thrive. - Wildcat conservationists have also developed programs to build engagement and benefit communities near the new park, initiating goat and sheep “seed banks” as alternatives to bushmeat, setting up savings and loan associations to improve quality of life, and arranging community soccer matches to build goodwill. | |
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Nepal’s cities must plan for resilience and inclusion for the future & nature (commentary) (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/nepals-cities-must-plan-for-resilience-and-inclusion-for-the-future-nature-commentary/ - The current growth trajectory of Nepal’s cities appears to be unsustainable and unready for the increasing stresses of climate change, an environmental engineer writes. - Unplanned expansion and the breakdown of the natural/urban interface are diminishing wildlife in this nation, and women suffer disproportionately from the impacts, with an increase in the time spent on water collection of up to 30%, for example. - But, as this new op-ed argues, “If cities learn from each other, they will see transformed public open spaces, demonstrating how we can turn a climate liability into a community asset.” - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
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Mexico is inflating its climate spending by billions of dollars. Here’s how. (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/mexico-is-inflating-its-climate-spending-by-billions-of-dollars-heres-how/ - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took office last year touting her climate science background, yet continues to neglect renewable energy and conservation while subsidizing state-owned oil company Pemex. - Funds her government earmarked for climate change and a renewable energy transition are actually going to infrastructure, oil and gas, and other projects unrelated to the environment, a review of the 2026 budget shows. - In one case, more than $40 million for a train line is counted twice but only spent once, misrepresenting how much money the government is dedicating to the environment. | |
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Despite a growing planetary crisis, leaders find hope in community efforts (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/despite-a-growing-planetary-crisis-leaders-find-hope-in-community-efforts/ - This week in Nairobi, yet another report on the planet’s decline was released, at the seventh United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), amid dire alarms on everything from wetlands to pollution and climate disinformation. - Yet cost-effective solutions exist, and leaders called for multilateral approaches that move toward a more circular economy. - Grassroots leaders say they find hope in real-world examples of restoration and reform efforts led by community groups and in the growing evidence that, even in a destabilized world, communities, institutions and governments are laying the foundations of a livable future. | |
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Corridors, not culls, offer solution to Southern Africa’s growing elephant population (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/corridors-not-culls-offer-solution-to-southern-africas-growing-elephant-population/ - Elephant populations in Southern Africa are stable or growing, but the space available for them is not. - Often, elephant populations are constrained, increasing their impact on the environment or surrounding communities, and triggering calls for controversial solutions, like culls or contraception. - But studies in a region that hosts 50% of Africa’s remaining savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) show how the animals make use of wildlife corridors to move between protected areas and neighboring countries. - Encouraging elephants to migrate can help relieve overpopulation in some areas, but any corridor invariably intersects with human communities, making it both vital ecological infrastructure and a social challenge. | |
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Choosing coexistence over conflict: How some California ranchers are adapting to wolves (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/choosing-coexistence-over-conflict-how-some-california-ranchers-are-adapting-to-wolves/ - California’s expanding gray wolf numbers — a conservation success for an endangered species — have worried ranchers in recent years as wolf-related livestock kills mount. - Some ranchers are adapting to the changing landscape, using short-term nonlethal deterrents, some of which are funded by a state compensation program. - A few ranchers are exploring long-term approaches, such as changing their ranching practices and training their cattle to keep them safe from wolves. - While change is hard, ranchers acknowledge that learning to live with the new predator is the only way forward, and it pays to find ways to do so. | |
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Chris Grinter has spent much of his life surrounded by insects (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/chris-grinter-has-spent-much-of-his-life-surrounded-by-insects/ Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Chris Grinter has spent much of his life surrounded by insects — though not in the way most people imagine. As senior collection manager of entomology at the California Academy of Sciences, he oversees one of the world’s […] | |
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Wildlife and communities bear the cost as Simandou rail corridor advances across Guinea (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/wildlife-and-communities-bear-the-cost-as-simandou-rail-corridor-advances-across-guinea/ - A 650-km (400-mi) railway corridor is being built that will link the iron ore mine in eastern Guinea to the country’s Atlantic port of Moribaya. - Its route crosses forests that are home to some of the last populations of forest elephants and western chimpanzees in the country, with NGOs warning of disruptions and fragmentation of vital habitat, putting several species at risk of local extinction. - Villagers along the route also complain that dust and pollution have impacted their livelihoods, and that compensation has been delayed or incomplete. - Experts and civil society actors are calling for a strategic environmental study and better implementation of environmental and social management plans. | |
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Unregulated tourism risks disrupting Timor-Leste’s whale migration (December 11, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/unregulated-tourism-risks-disrupting-timor-lestes-whale-migration/ - 2025 has been a big whale tourism season in Timor-Leste; operators were fully booked during the peak season of September to December. - But increasingly aggressive practices fueled by competition between tour operators could mean “another Sri Lanka,” where whales already stressed by climate-induced food scarcity are disappearing from the area. - East Timorese are mostly excluded from the sector, which is controlled by expats and foreign tour operators raking in thousands from “bucket listers” and social media “influencers.” - Whale tourism in Timor-Leste needs regulation, enforcement and legal compliance to ensure sustainable, inclusive growth, experts say. | |
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Deep-sea mining interests raise alarms among Mariana Trench communities (December 10, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/deep-sea-mining-interests-raise-alarms-among-mariana-trench-communities/ - On Nov. 12, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a request for information (RFI), indicating its interest in “leasing” marine minerals located on the CNMI’s outer continental shelf, a process that would allow commercial mining to proceed on the seabed of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). - Critics say BOEM’s handling of the RFI was rushed and opaque, noting that the agency failed to consult the CNMI and Guam governments or communities before opening a brief 30-day window for public comment. - Critics also warn that deep-sea mining could irreversibly harm the marine environment and undermine the region’s deep cultural ties to the ocean, while amounting to another form of U.S. colonial exploitation in the Pacific. | |
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Real-time deforestation alerts get an AI boost to identify the causes (December 10, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/real-time-deforestation-alerts-get-an-ai-boost-to-identify-the-causes/ - A new alert system developed by online deforestation-tracking platform Global Forest Watch tells users what’s causing the deforestation. - The new alert system deploys AI models to classify deforestation alerts based on what’s causing them, from agriculture (large- and small-scale), to mining and wildfires. - While the data currently focus on the Amazon Rainforest, Congo Basin and Indonesia — home to most of the world’s tropical rainforests — the team plans to expand to other forests as well as non-forest ecosystems. | |
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Boom in burning waste for fuel could put human health and environment at risk (December 10, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/boom-in-burning-waste-for-fuel-puts-human-health-and-environment-at-risk/ - Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) — conglomerated waste often composed of up to 50% plastic — is being burned globally in waste-to-energy incinerators, cement kilns, paper mills, and by other industries. - Proponents say RDF reduces fossil fuel use and produces cleaner energy, while diverting waste from landfills. - Critics say a lack of monitoring often hides RDF’s true environmental and human health footprint, and that when burned alongside fossil fuels, the technology can significantly worsen pollution. Health issues potentially connected to RDF contaminants range from cancer to hormone disruption. - That’s a major concern as RDF ramps up, with countries in the Global South especially starting to use and dispose of waste in this way. Burning RDF and the incineration of plastic waste has been linked to greenhouse gas emissions and also extremely toxic pollutants such as dioxins. | |
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UN honors five climate ‘Champions of the Earth’ (December 10, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/un-honors-five-climate-champions-of-the-earth/ The United Nations Environment Programme on Dec. 10 announced its five “2025 Champions of the Earth,” the U.N.’s highest environmental honor. Since 2005, UNEP’s Champions of the Earth has recognized individuals, groups and organizations who have contributed significantly toward transforming the environment for the better. The award celebrates four categories of contribution: policy leadership, inspiration […] | |
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With a target on their bellies, can California’s sturgeon survive? (December 10, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/with-a-target-on-their-bellies-can-californias-sturgeon-survive/ - California’s green sturgeon and white sturgeon face numerous threats from dams, harmful algal blooms and overfishing. - White sturgeon are highly prized for their eggs, which are made into caviar. - Their numbers have dropped so precipitously that they’re now being considered for protection under the California Endangered Species Act. - The state banned commercial sturgeon fishing in 1954, but the amount of poaching and caviar trafficking is unknown, and there have been cases linked to criminal networks involved in other illegal activities. | |
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UK, Dutch agencies pull funding from Total’s controversial Mozambique LNG project (December 10, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/uk-dutch-agencies-pull-funding-from-totals-controversial-mozambique-lng-project/ U.K. and Dutch export credit agencies have withdrawn their financial commitments for French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies’ gas project in Mozambique, in an unprecedented move that marks the latest setback for the controversial project. UK Export Finance (UKEF), a government agency, and Netherlands-based Atradius, both of which provide companies with loans, guarantees and insurance […] | |
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New mapping reveals hidden mining boom in Laos that threatens the Mekong (December 10, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/new-mapping-reveals-hidden-mining-boom-in-laos-that-threatens-the-mekong/ - Satellite analysis has identified 517 suspected riverbank mines in Laos, many likely illegal, with clusters along key Mekong tributaries, raising fears of widespread, unmonitored contamination. - Officials in Attapeu province confirmed illegal mining remains pervasive despite crackdowns, with most operations missing from official records and many linked to Vietnamese or Chinese supply chains. - The mining surge, including gold and rare earth extraction, poses major risks to ecosystems and communities in the Mekong Basin, where water testing capacity is weak and signs of declining fish populations and polluted rivers are emerging. - Researchers say Mekong countries must coordinate regionally and engage China, the main importer of the region’s mining output, while strengthening enforcement and environmental oversight to address a rapidly expanding, largely unregulated mining sector. | |
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Hope, solidarity & disappointment: A familiar mix for Indigenous delegates at COP30 (December 10, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/hope-solidarity-disappointment-a-familiar-mix-for-indigenous-delegates-at-cop30/ - COP30, held in Brazil, was promoted as both the “Amazonian COP” and the “Indigenous COP,” where more than 900 Indigenous representatives from around the world formally took part in the negotiations. - While Brazil announced the demarcation of new Indigenous territories and 11 signatories issued a joint commitment to strengthen land tenure for Indigenous peoples, wider frustrations overshadowed these measures. - Indigenous delegates described a familiar pattern: They were invited into the venue but not into the center of decision-making; that divide was visible in the Global Mutirão, the main COP30 outcome, in which Indigenous peoples appear in the preamble but are absent from the operative paragraphs — the part of the text that directs how countries must act and report. | |
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What would this scientist tell Trump? Interview with Robert Watson, former chair of the IPCC (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/what-would-this-scientist-tell-trump-interview-with-robert-watson-former-chair-of-the-ipcc/ - This week, the UN Environment Program launched the Global Environment Outlook 7 (GEO-7), a stark assessment that comes on the heels of US President Donald Trump’s dismissal of climate change as a “con job.” - In this context, Mongabay interviewed GEO-7 co-chair Sir Robert Watson about what to tell a political leader who rejects the science. - “The evidence is definitive,” says Watson, who argues that countries must rethink their economic and financial systems and that science must be heard in the rooms where power lies. | |
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The last of the Vaquita Porpoise (cartoon) (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2025/12/the-last-of-the-vaquita-porpoise-cartoon/ With an estimated less than 10 individuals alive, the vaquita porpoise of the Gulf of California is on the brink of extinction. Entanglement in gill nets used for fishing totoaba fish in the Sea of Cortez has been the prime threat to vaquitas, and while bans are already in place, the lack of enforcement leaves […] | |
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Environmental activists remain jailed in Cambodia on Human Rights Defenders Day (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/environmental-activists-remain-jailed-in-cambodia-on-human-rights-defenders-day/ Environmental activists remain jailed in Cambodia on Human Rights Defenders Day In honor of Human Rights Defenders Day on Dec. 9, Mongabay looks back at The Clearing, a documentary about young Cambodian activists currently jailed for their environmental and social activism. Filmmakers Andy Ball and Marta Kasztelan produced the video for Mongabay with support from the […] | |
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‘Myopic’ fisheries managers toy with a new ‘tragedy of the commons’ (commentary) (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/myopic-fisheries-managers-toy-with-a-new-tragedy-of-the-commons-commentary/ - There are many examples of “tragedies of the commons,” whether in the atmosphere as a result of carbon dioxide pollution, or in the oceans because of marine plastics. But arguably the largest in the world is caused by overfishing, a new op-ed argues. - The general absence of effective fisheries regulations that ensure the conservation of healthy fish populations endangers whole oceans and the billions of people who depend upon fish for their livelihoods. - “Currently, fisheries ministers are myopically obsessed with the pain the industry always claims it would suffer next year if the right conservation policies were adopted. They should look instead at how long we have been getting it wrong, and how quickly things could be turned round,” a new op-ed argues. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
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New report warns of mounting planetary crises — and pathways to hope (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/new-report-warns-of-mounting-planetary-crises-and-pathways-to-hope/ A global U.N. report released Dec. 9 warns that the planet is on track for deeper climate shocks, accelerating biodiversity loss, worsening land degradation and deadly pollution — unless countries drastically transform how economies are powered, fed and governed. The 7th edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), produced by 287 scientists from 82 countries, […] | |
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Can we create new inland seas to lower sea level rise? Interview with researcher Amir AghaKouchak (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/can-we-create-new-inland-seas-to-lower-sea-level-rise-interview-with-researcher-amir-aghakouchak/ - A new research project is looking into the possibility of reflooding the Qattara Depression, a massive low-lying desert area in Egypt, to help counter sea level rise. - Scientists forecast global sea levels will rise by at least 30 centimeters (12 inches) over present-day levels by the end of the century — and that’s a conservative prediction. - Mongabay spoke with Amir AghaKouchak, the project’s leader, who says reflooding the Qattara Depression could also bring potential benefits to Egypt, including aquaculture, renewable energy and tourism. - The idea remains in its infancy and would require the backing of the Egyptian government as well as a great deal of further study. | |
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Governments must prioritize nature protection, former US senator Russ Feingold says (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025/12/governments-must-prioritize-nature-protection-former-us-senator-russ-feingold-says/ Bill Gates recently claimed that protecting nature or improving human health is an either-or choice, but former national leaders like Russ Feingold, a retired U.S. senator, and Mary Robinson, former Irish president, disagree. As chair of the Global Steering Committee of the Campaign for Nature, a nonprofit organization uniting prominent politicians in support of nature […] | |
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Iain Douglas-Hamilton, elephant protector, has died at 83 (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/iain-douglas-hamilton-elephant-protector-has-died-at-83/ - Iain Douglas-Hamilton was a pioneering elephant researcher who spent nearly 60 years studying Africa’s elephants, beginning in Tanzania’s Lake Manyara National Park with the first scientific study of elephant behavior in the wild. - A leading voice against the ivory trade, he helped drive the 1989 global ban after witnessing devastating population declines in the 1970s and 1980s. - As founder of Save the Elephants, he advanced GPS tracking and new conservation strategies that transformed protection efforts across Africa. - Also a mentor and advocate, Douglas-Hamilton is celebrated for his communication skills and unwavering belief that protecting elephants is a generational responsibility — a mission that continues through the people and systems he helped build. | |
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Stricter rules adopted to protect sloths from pet trade and selfie tourism (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/stricter-rules-adopted-to-protect-sloths-from-pet-trade-and-selfie-tourism/ - CITES, the global wildlife trade regulation, has agreed to implement stricter rules for the trade in two sloth species increasingly targeted by the tourism industry. - Thanks to its peaceful and friendly appearance, sloths are a prime target for tourists to take selfies with, and even for the pet trade, fueling trafficking in their range countries across South and Central America. - The new trade restrictions were approved by the recent CITES summit and will come into force within 90 days. - A dozen of the proposals presented at the summit covered wildlife species threatened by the illegal pet trade, highlighting what conservationists say is a concerning trend. | |
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Balancing evidence and empathy in an age of doubt (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/balancing-evidence-and-empathy-in-an-age-of-doubt/ Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. People often say that good journalism requires a 30,000-foot view. I’ve found the opposite to be true. The stories that move the world rarely start in boardrooms or at summits; they start with someone standing knee-deep in a […] | |
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Death toll rises in Sumatra flood catastrophe as gov’t moves to protect Batang Toru forest (December 9, 2025) https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/death-toll-rises-in-sumatra-flood-catastrophe-as-govt-moves-to-protect-batang-toru-forest/ - The number confirmed killed following the most fatal flooding to hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra for decades increased to almost 1,000 on Dec. 9. - On Dec. 6, Indonesia’s Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq suspended companies operating in the badly affected Batang Toru ecosystem, an old-growth Sumatran rainforest home to the Tapanauli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis), the world’s most endangered species of ape. - The chief executive of Mighty Earth praised the move, saying reducing deforestation was critical to avoiding a repeat of the disaster. - In the week beginning Dec. 8, first responders in three provinces continued work in challenging terrain to recover the dead and rescue the injured two weeks after a rare cyclone, named Senyar, made landfall over Indonesia’s largest island. | |
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