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Turning the tables on lionfish: How Honduran divers are fighting back (August 29, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/08/turning-the-tables-on-lionfish-how-honduran-divers-are-fighting-back/ TELA, Honduras — Mario never set out to become a lionfish hunter. An engineer by training and founder of the local dive center Tela Divers, he simply wanted to do something about the growing number of invasive lionfish appearing on the reef where he learned to dive. Native to the Indo-Pacific and thought to have […] | |
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Siraya language, deemed ‘extinct’ over a century ago, finds its voice again in Taiwan (August 29, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/siraya-language-deemed-extinct-over-a-century-ago-finds-its-voice-again-in-taiwan/ - A family of Siraya activists in Taiwan is a major driving force behind the revival of their ancestral language — more than a hundred years after it was last spoken. - The work to revitalize the Siraya language, which began more than 20 years ago, helped secure the community’s legal recognition as Taiwan’s 17th Indigenous group. - The story of the Siraya language’s revitalization began as a love story between Siraya activist Uma Talavan and Filipino musician Edgar Macapili. - While she could not understand a Dutch missionary’s Siraya translation of the Gospel of Matthew, her husband recognized similarities between the Siraya language and his mother tongue, Bisaya, both of which belong to the Austronesian language family. | |
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7 Indigenous Guarani killed after loose grain trailer hits car in central Brazil (August 29, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/7-indigenous-guarani-killed-after-loose-grain-trailer-hits-car-in-central-brazil/ Seven Indigenous Guarani, including two children and a prominent community leader, were killed Aug. 14 in a crash with a grain cargo trailer that reportedly broke loose from the truck pulling it in central Brazil. All seven were from Kalipety village in the Tenondé Porã Indigenous Territory in São Paulo state. A fisher who witnessed […] | |
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First Nations in Canada call for emergency order to protect southern mountain caribou (August 29, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/first-nations-in-canada-calls-for-emergency-order-to-protect-southern-mountain-caribou/ - Southern mountain caribou are a type of caribou found in mature forests of western Canada, where they subsist on lichen as a winter food. - Habitat loss — primarily driven by logging — has transformed their mature forest habitat, upsetting the predator-prey balance and leading to caribou declines. - In the past 20 years, 15 of 40 southern mountain caribou herds in British Columbia and Alberta have winked out, including a transboundary herd that once ranged into the U.S. states of Idaho and Washington. - In June, the Syilx Okanagan Nation asked the Canadian government to issue an emergency order to protect caribou, with a spokesperson calling provincial efforts insufficient to stop logging of caribou habitat within Syilx Okanagan traditional territory; the Xatśūll First Nation joined the petition in July. | |
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Global sea surface temperatures reach a record high, again (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/global-sea-surface-temperatures-reach-a-record-high-again/ Global sea surface temperatures have reached a record high, raising serious concerns for global Earth systems, according to new data released by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). On Aug. 22, the daily global average sea surface temperature, outside polar regions, reached 21.1° Celsius (69.98° Fahrenheit), exceeding the previous record set in March […] | |
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Why a newly formed lake is sparking fears of more flooding along the Nepal-China border (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/why-a-newly-formed-lake-is-sparking-fears-of-more-flooding-along-the-nepal-china-border/ BENGALURU, India (AP) — Even as rescuers worked through mud and debris Friday in areas devastated by a catastrophic flash flood along the Himalayan border between Nepal and China, authorities warned that a newly formed, overflowing lake could trigger further flooding. Nepalese authorities said all security personnel, rescue workers and members of the public deployed in rescue and relief efforts have been told […] | |
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As Photo Ark turns 20, Joel Sartore photographs 18,000 animal species (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-the-photo-ark-turns-20-joel-sartore-photographs-18000-animal-species/ - Wildlife photographer Joel Sartore’s National Geographic Photo Ark turned 20 this year and reached its 18,000th animal, a critically endangered red handfish. - The project aims to photograph every species living in the world’s zoos, aquariums, and sanctuaries, so the portraits can move people to care about extinction. - Some animals Sartore has photographed, including the northern white rhino Nabiré and the frog Toughie, were among the last of their kind, and have since gone functionally or entirely extinct. - After more than 30 years as a photographer, Sartore keeps a relentless pace and is preparing his son Cole to carry the Photo Ark forward. | |
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Failed environmental safeguards leave coastal Bangladesh facing coal pollution (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/failed-environmental-safeguards-leave-coastal-bangladesh-facing-coal-pollution/ - A major thermal power plant, located in coastal Bangladesh, has been operating without regular air-quality testing, allegedly causing suffering among nearby residents. - A recent study also found a significant decline in air and water quality around the coal-fired thermal power plant. - Meanwhile, the government recently exempted the power plant authority from conducting air-quality tests, as officials say they believe such plants do not generate significant air pollution. - In addition, the plant’s chimney is shorter than the height approved in the initial Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). | |
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Hà Đình Đức, guardian of Hanoi’s legendary turtle, died at 86 (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/ha-dinh-duc-guardian-of-hanois-legendary-turtle-died-at-86/ On March 15th 1991 Hà Đình Đức happened to be passing Hồ Gươm, the small lake at the center of Hanoi, when he saw its giant softshell turtle surface. Đức went home and marked the date on his calendar. He was a zoologist, but the encounter created an “invisible bond” between himself and the turtle, […] | |
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A sea cucumber venture in Zanzibar seeks to balance business and conservation (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-sea-cucumber-venture-in-zanzibar-seeks-to-balance-business-and-conservation/ - For decades, conservationists have argued that protecting nature cannot rely indefinitely on donor funding. To endure, conservation efforts must generate enough economic value to sustain themselves. - That search for sustainable financing has prompted governments, investors and conservation organizations to experiment with models that seek to align commercial returns with environmental protection. - On Tanzania’s Pemba Island, a company called Asili is betting that sea cucumber ranching can do both. The venture is building the infrastructure needed to cultivate and process sea cucumbers for sale while supporting the restoration and protection of marine ecosystems. - Yet, significant questions remain. Can enough sea cucumbers be produced to make the business commercially viable? Can profits be shared equitably with local communities? And can a model built around conservation and commerce truly deliver on both promises? | |
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Under protection: The environmentalist’s widow in Brazil who had to disappear to survive (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/under-protection-the-environmentalists-widow-in-brazil-who-had-to-disappear-to-survive/ - In 2015, environmentalist Raimundo dos Santos Rodrigues was murdered in an ambush inside the Gurupi Biological Reserve in Brazil’s Maranhão state, where he served as a member of the advisory board. - A local rancher, who was illegally logging inside the reserve, orchestrated the killing. - Rodrigues’ wife Maria survived the attack but has spent more than 10 years living in another state in a government protection program. - Maria experiences a contradiction in her new life: She had to be made invisible by the state to survive the state’s failure to investigate and prosecute socio-environmental crimes. | |
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The conservation population of Australia’s endangered eastern quoll welcomes joeys (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-conservation-population-of-australias-endangered-eastern-quoll-welcomes-joeys/ - The endangered eastern quolls are functionally extinct in the wild on the Australian mainland, but wild populations still survive in Tasmania. - In fox-free Tasmania, predation by cats is likely a driver of wild population decline. - Released captive-bred eastern quolls in Tasmania are now demonstrating successful interbreeding with wild populations. - Meanwhile, work to rewild eastern quolls on the mainland has seen captive-bred quolls released into predator-proof conservation reserves, with plans to scale up over the coming years. | |
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Singapore made a crow-friendly city. Now it wants to shoot them (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/singapore-made-a-crow-friendly-city-now-it-wants-to-shoot-them/ The resumption of a crow-shooting campaign in Singapore has revived intense debate over lethal wildlife management in the highly urbanized city-state. Government officials revived the culling program in response to public complaints about crow attacks on pedestrians and cyclists, reports contributor Robin Hicks for Mongabay. In a public statement in March announcing the resumption of […] | |
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Community programs linked to lower forest loss in Indonesia’s Borneo during COVID-19 (August 28, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/community-programs-linked-to-lower-forest-loss-in-indonesias-borneo-during-covid-19/ - As climate and economic shocks put pressure on tropical forests, a new study suggests support for rural communities could help protect forests while strengthening their ability to withstand crises. - Forest loss in protected areas of West Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of Borneo fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a larger decline in villages receiving health and livelihood support, the study finds. - The findings point to health care, alternative livelihoods and other social support as potential tools for easing pressure on forests and helping forest-dependent communities adapt to future economic and environmental shocks — although the study does not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship. | |
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South Africa’s new gold rush: Big money, high stakes in emerging spekboom restoration sector (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/south-africas-new-gold-rush-big-money-high-stakes-in-emerging-spekboom-restoration-sector/ - After decades of livestock pressure, 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) of farmland in South Africa’s Albany thicket biome need rehabilitation — the way a burn victim needs lifesaving skin grafts. - Carbon finance seems the most likely source of funding, kickstarting the process with the mass planting of an endemic drought-tolerant succulent called spekboom (Portulacaria afra). - Until now, restoration projects have been artisanal, but that’s changed with a $91 million loan to a new entrant and tech giant Amazon throwing its hat into the ring. - A flush of new funding shows growing faith in a business model for ecosystem restoration, but there’s concern that if projects grow too fast and promise more carbon dioxide drawdown than the emerging science can account for, it could leave projects on shaky ground. | |
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Costa Rica to require wildlife crossings for roads when they impact fauna (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/costa-rica-to-require-wildlife-crossings-for-roads-when-they-impact-fauna/ Costa Rican lawmakers unanimously voted to require wildlife crossings for new and existing road infrastructure when evidence shows the infrastructure interrupts natural connectivity and threatens wildlife safety. The measure, approved in August 2026, will help wildlife avoid being struck by cars while crossing roads and connect habitat, the regulation notes. Once signed into law by […] | |
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Australia’s 30×30 conservation promise matters a lot, but how it’s achieved is key (commentary) (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/australias-30x30-conservation-promise-matters-a-lot-but-how-its-achieved-is-key-commentary/ - How Australia — one of the planet’s most megadiverse nations — tackles its goal to conserve 30% of its land and seas by 2030 (30×30) may signal whether this, the world’s most ambitious conservation commitment, can succeed. - With just four years to meet its promise, Australia has a way to go, but has also achieved some important milestones in part by involving Indigenous communities closely in the effort. - “If Australia meets the target well, it will help demonstrate that conservation can be representative, rights-based, well-funded, and effective,” 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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13 peccaries sail home to heal a Costa Rican forest (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/13-peccaries-sail-home-to-heal-a-costa-rican-forest/ - Costa Rica’s Osa Conservation moved 13 white-lipped peccaries by truck and boat across the Golfo Dulce to reintroduce the threatened species to Piedras Blancas National Park, where hunters had wiped it out roughly 18 years ago. - The peccaries function as ecosystem engineers, churning soil, dispersing seeds, and digging wallows that become microhabitats, and serve as key prey for jaguars, which had also vanished from the park. - The translocation followed more than a decade of population study, community outreach, and patient corral-baiting, culminating in a 16-hour, 20-person relay to capture, transport, and soft-release the herd, which now appears healthy and cohesive based on tracking data and camera-trap monitoring. - The herd’s long-term safety still hinges on curbing poaching and sustaining local support, and Osa Conservation plans further translocations this year toward a target of 25-30 peccaries in the park. | |
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More than 380 coastal World Heritage Sites may face climate risks, new data shows (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/more-than-380-coastal-world-heritage-sites-may-face-climate-risks-new-data-shows/ - Coral reefs, medieval coastal castles and mangrove forests on UNESCO’s World Heritage list now share something in common: Precise digital boundaries. - A new dataset maps 386 coastal World Heritage Sites, offering the clearest picture yet of what stands to be lost as the world’s climate changes. - Covering 235 million hectares (~581 million acres) of coastline, the new high-resolution, open-access dataset can be used by researchers and local managers to study flooding, erosion and other climate risks faced by heritage sites. - The tool is a critical first step to understand climate risks, but not a substitute for the local knowledge needed to help these places survive, some experts say. | |
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‘Devastating’ rush for critical minerals has little to do with green energy: Report (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/devastating-rush-for-critical-minerals-has-little-to-do-with-green-energy-report/ A new report published by U.S.-based think tank the Oakland Institute warns that the rush for critical minerals comes with massive implications for the world, especially African countries. The report, “RUSH: Global Scramble for Minerals Wages War on People and Planet,” challenges the popular narrative that an expansion of mining operations is necessary for the […] | |
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US environmental groups plan to sue to relist gray whales under Endangered Species Act (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/us-environmental-groups-plan-to-sue-to-relist-gray-whales-under-endangered-species-act/ A group of environmental organizations announced their intent to sue the United States National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) for failing to consider protections for Eastern Pacific gray whales under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) are experiencing a potentially catastrophic population decline, a sharp reversal from what had been considered a conservation […] | |
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Nepal floods highlight growing glacier risks in warming Himalayas (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/nepal-floods-highlight-growing-glacier-risks-in-warming-himalayas/ BENGALURU, India (AP) — Scientists say a deadly flash flood in Nepal on Wednesday was likely caused by a glacier chunk breaking off and temporarily damming a river. This may have led to a surge of water downstream, killing at least 353 people and leaving over 1,300 missing. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude […] | |
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Cambodia defies UN call to free ‘arbitrarily jailed’ environmental activists (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/cambodia-defies-un-call-to-free-arbitrarily-jailed-environmental-activists/ - Cambodia insists five environmental activists jailed in 2024 will remain behind bars, after a U.N. working group called their detention arbitrary and urged their immediate release. - The five members of Mother Nature Cambodia were sentenced to six to eight years in prison for allegedly plotting against the government. - The U.N. working group found no legal basis for their detention and said their prosecution and trial violated their rights, including through discriminatory treatment and a lack of a fair trial. - Cambodian officials maintain the activists were detained through lawful judicial proceedings, while rights advocates say the case reflects a broader government crackdown on environmental defenders. | |
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In Java’s hills, former bird hunters are rebuilding a songbird haven (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/in-javas-hills-former-bird-hunters-are-rebuilding-a-songbird-haven/ - Some former hunters on the Indonesian island of Java have abandoned catching birds for the songbird trade and have since become notable local conservation figures. - The Menoreh Hills is a karst biosphere in Central Java province where sightings of songbirds have declined over several years due to hunting and land-use change. - One local songbird, the Javan blue flycatcher, has become critically endangered due to hunting, with population assessments indicating the number of caged birds is at least an order of magnitude greater than the total population living freely in low- and mid-lying forests in Java. | |
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A ‘leading’ Chinese miner of Mozambique’s heavy sands linked to environmental destruction (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-leading-chinese-miner-of-mozambiques-heavy-sands-linked-to-environmental-destruction/ - Rapid loss of mangroves in Mozambique’s Zambezia Province is linked to the activities of Mozambique Heavy Sand Company VIII, which is part-owned by an influential Chinese mining group, Mongabay has found. - The mangrove loss occurred inside a site considered “one of the most diverse and productive river delta systems in the world.” - Satellite imagery suggests it was caused by what appears to be a blocked waterway where sand mining activities took place between 2022 and 2026. - Increasingly, environmentalists are raising the alarm about the environmental impacts of heavy minerals prospecting and mining in vast sections along Mozambique’s coast. | |
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A Sumatran villager lost ground to the sea. So he planted mangroves (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/a-sumatran-villager-lost-ground-to-the-sea-so-he-planted-mangroves/ In a coastal village on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, an oil palm and pineapple grower named Harisyah is fighting rapid coastal erosion. The region’s northern coastline, which sits on carbon-rich tropical peat soils, is losing ground to the sea at a rate of more than 6 meters (20 feet) annually. Researchers attribute the retreat […] | |
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China’s Tianmu Mountain reserve tackles modern conservation amid religious tradition (August 27, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/chinas-tianmu-mountain-reserve-tackles-modern-conservation-amid-religious-tradition/ Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian traditions have long guided the protection of plants and wildlife in a nature reserve on Tianmu Mountain in eastern China. Local temples enforced strict rules and punishments against forest destruction, but, following the reserve’s recent expansion, state regulations now provide the formal legal framework for the area. Local officials say religious […] | |
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Brazil relaxes Belo Monte water rule amid El Niño-fueled Amazon drought risk (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/brazil-relaxes-belo-monte-water-rule-amid-el-nino-fueled-amazon-drought-risk/ Brazilian authorities have temporarily relaxed an environmental rule for the Belo Monte hydropower plant on the Xingu River in the northeastern Amazon. The change comes in anticipation of another potentially severe, El-Niño-fueled dry season. Under the temporary measure, Belo Monte’s operator Norte Energia can cut the flow of the dam’s 119 square-kilometer (46 square-mile) intermediate […] | |
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Pastoralists in a Changing World (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/specials/2026/08/pastoralists-in-a-changing-world/ Pastoralism is one of humanity’s oldest ways of life. Moving livestock across vast landscapes in rhythm with seasonal change and environmental conditions, pastoralist cultures rely on freedom of movement and shared arrangements over how to graze rangelands. Today, pastoralists are navigating profound environmental changes to the lands that have sustained their communities for generations. This […] | |
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Kenya’s clothing waste raises concerns about potential public health risks (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/kenyas-clothing-waste-raises-concerns-about-potential-public-health-risks/ Kenya’s secondhand clothing trade, locally known as mitumba, clothes millions of people and supports an estimated 2 million livelihoods, making it one of Africa’s largest markets for used garments. That makes Kenya a useful lens for understanding the growing global public health problems associated with textile waste disguised as reusable clothing. More than 4.5 billion […] | |
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As hay fever sufferers grow in Japan, the country is looking to plant no-pollen trees (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-hay-fever-sufferers-grow-in-japan-the-country-is-looking-to-plant-no-pollen-trees/ - More than 40% of the population in Japan suffers from hay fever, or kafunsho, an annual affliction. - The majority of Japan’s hay fever sufferers are allergic to the pollen of two trees — sugi and hinoki. Both trees were widely planted in the years following World War II as a much-needed source of timber. - In 2023, the Japanese government announced a solution: Fell 750,000 hectares of sugi and hinoki trees in a bid to cut the problem off at the root. - After decades of work, researchers have developed more than 30 strains of low-pollen and no-pollen sugi trees, which will replace some of the trees cut down. | |
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Nigeria can build the new coastal highway and also protect natural areas (commentary) (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/nigeria-can-build-the-new-coastal-highway-and-also-protect-natural-areas-commentary/ - To improve living conditions in Nigeria, new roads like the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway are needed. - But these can and must be built in such a way that protects mangroves, swamps, and remnant forests, using knowledge and tools like environmental and social impact assessments. - “The question is not whether Nigeria should develop. It is whether development will be intelligent enough to avoid destroying the natural infrastructure that already protects coastal communities,” 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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At least 75 killed and hundreds missing after flash floods in Nepal and China (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/at-least-75-killed-and-hundreds-missing-after-flash-floods-in-nepal-and-china/ UDIN DHUNGA, Nepal (AP) — Flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China have killed at least 75 people and left hundreds missing. On Wednesday, officials in Nepal reported 403 people missing, including 341 foreign nationals. Many were said to be on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in China’s autonomous region of Tibet. […] | |
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Blast fishing destroys reefs. Underwater microphones can help detect it (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/blast-fishing-destroys-reefs-underwater-microphones-can-help-detect-it/ - Once home to a pristine and vibrant network of coral reefs, the Spermonde Archipelago off the coast of South Sulawesi in Indonesia has had its coral decimated by the illegal practice of blast fishing, in which improvised explosives are tossed into the sea to kill and stun fish en masse. - A new study harnesses acoustic data to produce what is likely the first rigorous estimate of the frequency and intensity of bomb fishing in the archipelago. - Using low-cost microphones and an easy-to-run algorithm, the researchers detected more than 3,500 so-called fish bombs going off in their study area within the archipelago — an average of 23 blasts a day, or almost one every hour. - The scientists believe their approach could help communities and NGOs around the world design targeted interventions to combat the practice, which can devastate not only reefs but the broader marine ecosystems. | |
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Scientists discover 149 new deep-sea species at remote Indian Ocean seamounts (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/scientists-discover-149-new-deep-sea-species-at-remote-indian-ocean-seamounts/ - A new study details a deep-sea expedition near the remote Christmas and Cocos islands, where researchers visited unexplored seamounts and identified 149 previously unknown marine species, including black corals, sea worms, sea cucumbers and a variety of fish. - At a site they dubbed “The Shark Tooth Graveyard,” researchers discovered around 1,000 shark teeth, covering more than 22 million years of evolution. - Researchers from institutions in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S. surveyed the seafloor down to 5,431 meters (17,818 feet), where conditions are cold, dark and high-pressure with limited food options for benthic species. - Deep-sea research is notoriously challenging, but scientists stress the importance of exploring these ecosystems as they face growing threats from warming oceans, pollution, overfishing and deep-sea mining. | |
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‘They will do it legally or illegally’: Interview with James Giahyue on Liberia’s cocoa boom (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/they-will-do-it-legally-or-illegally-interview-with-james-giahyue-on-liberias-cocoa-boom/ - In July, Mongabay published a feature investigation and video report about deforestation in southeastern Liberia dude to cacao cultivation. - The remote region contains some of West Africa’s last intact rainforests, many of which are under threat due to the emergence of the cacao industry there. - Liberian journalist James Giahyue told Mongabay that poverty and the involvement of local politicians are helping to drive deforestation there. | |
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Kenyan investigators arrest 4 people linked to 18 Amboseli elephant deaths (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/kenyan-investigators-arrest-4-people-linked-to-18-amboseli-elephant-deaths/ At least four suspects have been arrested in connection with the deaths of 18 elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem in southern Kenya, near the border with Tanzania. Preliminary investigations by a multiagency team suggest poisoning from agricultural pesticides, authorities say. In July, 16 elephants were found dead at Kimana Sanctuary and Kuku Group Ranch in […] | |
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In South Africa, renewable energy latest part of timber industry’s green efforts (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/in-south-africa-renewable-energy-latest-part-of-timber-industrys-green-efforts/ - A 10-year agreement provides York Timber Holdings with access to renewable electricity “at scale,” an official with the timber company said. - The agreement will reduce the sawmill’s greenhouse gas emissions, while reducing its exposure to electricity tariff hikes and potential future carbon-based costs, according to the company. - “Renewable energy is just one element of sustainability. Responsible management of plantations, conservation of biodiversity and water stewardship are just as important,” a forestry specialist said. | |
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El Niño is disrupting the Pacific’s marine food web from the bottom up (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/el-nino-is-disrupting-the-pacifics-marine-food-web-from-the-bottom-up/ As the 2026 El Niño strengthens in the equatorial Pacific, satellites are capturing the first major signs of disruption to the marine food web. According to by NASA’s Earth Observatory observations, satellite measurements show a substantial drop in surface concentrations of chlorophyll across the Central Pacific compared with neutral conditions in June 2025. Chlorophyll is […] | |
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Indigenous water systems gain ground as climate pressures intensify in Bolivia (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/indigenous-water-systems-gain-ground-as-climate-pressures-intensify-in-bolivia/ - When a 2022 drought hit Bolivia’s Ascensión de Guarayos, restoring traditional paúros helped the community survive after the municipal reservoir ran dry. - The youth-led effort to revive paúros has grown into a broader conservation project, including a legally protected urban ecological corridor. - The initiative is part of a global trend to restore Indigenous water systems as low-cost, climate-resilient solutions to growing water scarcity. - Experts say blending traditional and modern approaches can strengthen water security — but only if local communities lead and retain control. | |
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Tracing the origins of tulips: Interview with botanist Brett Wilson (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/tracing-the-origins-of-tulips-interview-with-botanist-brett-wilson/ - A massive genetic analysis of wild tulips has confirmed that Central Asia is the birthplace of tulips, but no single country can rightfully claim the flower originated within its borders. - The researchers of the study also traced the closest ancestors of the popular garden tulips down to two possible candidates, Tulipa suaveolens and T. scardica. - Brett Wilson, the study’s lead author and co-founder of the IUCN SSC Wild Tulip Specialist Group, told Mongabay that “urgent action is needed … if we are not going to lose a great many of these species.” - More than half of all wild tulips assessed on the IUCN Red List are threatened with extinction. | |
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Can big tech stop wildlife crime? (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/can-big-tech-stop-wildlife-crime/ There’s a new, unlikely ally in the fight against illegal wildlife crime: Big tech. Earlier this year, new commitments from household names including Paypal, Meta, eBay and Etsy were announced at the United For Wildlife Business Forum to End Wildlife Trade. Wildlife trafficking is a sophisticated international crime worth billions of dollars. As wildlife trade […] | |
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Polluted waterways and water shortages complicate the fight against Ebola in the DRC (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/polluted-waterways-and-water-shortages-complicate-the-fight-against-ebola-in-the-drc/ - Safe access to water is scarce across parts of Ituri province, which is the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. - The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids like blood, saliva and urine of an infected person. It is, therefore, crucial, in order to prevent the spread of the disease, to be able to wash regularly. Response teams also need access to water to clean equipment and areas used by patients. - People sometimes use taps and showers installed at Ebola treatment centers to collect water, potentially increasing contact between healthy and infected people. - Artisanal and small-scale mining in the region also put pressure on local water resources, by turning some waterbodies muddy. | |
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Ashéninka leader reportedly killed while patrolling Indigenous territory is found alive (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/asheninka-leader-killed-while-patrolling-indigenous-territory-in-peru/ - Ashéninka leader Américo Pascuala Tumisha was reportedly shot and killed Aug. 23 while patrolling the territory of the Onconashari Indigenous community in Peru’s Ucayali region. He was subsequently found to be alive. - Onconashari residents have reported incursions linked to unauthorized copaiba extraction since at least 2020, including threats against community members who objected. - The community has a long history of territorial monitoring and in 2025 received formal government recognition for its Forest Surveillance and Control Committee, which Pascuala later coordinated. - Global Witness has documented more than 60 killings and disappearances of environmental and land defenders in Peru since 2012; AIDESEP says at least 38 Indigenous defenders were killed in the Peruvian Amazon between 2014 and 2026. | |
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Can REDD+ deliver for Philippines’ Iraya Mangyan? (August 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/can-redd-deliver-for-philippines-iraya-mangyan/ - The Mindoro Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Programme combines Indigenous forest patrols, ancestral-domain support, carbon monitoring and livelihood projects to protect more than 40,000 hectares (nearly 99,000 acres) of Iraya Mangyan forest. - Indigenous patrollers and local officials say the program has already strengthened monitoring and helped reduce timber poaching and small-scale mining, while surveys have documented hundreds of plant and animal species across the project area. - Community nurseries and paid conservation roles are creating early livelihood opportunities, but many benefits remain limited and uneven while the project awaits verification, a finalized benefit-sharing agreement and carbon revenue expected no earlier than around 2029. - Whether the program can deliver lasting benefits will depend on finalizing a transparent revenue-sharing agreement, sustaining patrols and livelihoods during the long wait for carbon income, and ensuring the Iraya retain a meaningful role in decisions over their forests. | |
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At global desertification conference, pastoralists call for greater recognition (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/at-global-desertification-conference-pastoralists-call-for-greater-recognition/ - Hundreds of pastoralists are in Mongolia for the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, or UNCCD, from Aug. 17 to 28, 2026. - They want stronger protections for Indigenous pastoral traditions, greater access to funding and resources to address climate change, and official recognition of Indigenous knowledge of how to adapt to a hotter, drier world. - The pace of arable land degradation is 30 to 35 times the historic average, threatening even the most resilient communities, according to the U.N. - Pastoralist delegates say that though their traditions offer biodiversity benefits, traditional knowledge is not always enough as climate change and land degradation accelerate. | |
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In Bhutan, a philosophy of happiness guides a push for food self-sufficiency (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/08/in-bhutan-a-philosophy-of-happiness-guides-a-push-for-food-self-sufficiency/ Bhutan is a Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between China and India. Forty percent of its 800,000 citizens work in the agriculture sector. The mountainous country is famous for its breathtaking landscapes and its unique policy of “Gross National Happiness,” instituted in 1972 by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan. My guests on the Newscast […] | |
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US proposes rescinding Roadless Rule protections for national forests (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/us-proposes-rescinding-roadless-rule-protections-for-national-forests/ Aug. 25 is a National Day of Action to support U.S. national parks and public lands. One focus of the event is the U.S. government’s intention to rescind a rule that bans road construction and industrial logging across more than 23 million hectares (57 million acres) of national forest land. The 2001 Roadless Rule, has […] | |
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Indonesia charges 72 over fires as haze chokes Borneo and Sumatra (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/indonesia-charges-72-over-fires-as-haze-chokes-borneo-and-sumatra/ Indonesian authorities have charged 72 individuals with intentionally igniting forest fires across five provinces on the island of Borneo and four on Sumatra. Fires across both islands have burned nearly 286,000 hectares (about 707,000 acres) of land from January to Aug. 24 alone, according to FireWatch, a satellite-based monitoring tool developed by forest-mapping platform Nusantara […] | |
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Only 1,325-1,648 wild elephants left in Indonesia, government says (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/only-1325-1648-wild-elephants-left-in-indonesia-government-says/ - The new estimate represents a decline of 41-45% over the 2,400-2,800 estimate published by Indonesia in 2007. - The launch of the new 2026-2036 strategy and action plan for elephant conservation comes after a long wait since the current plan expired in 2017. - The new plan sorts Indonesia’s wild elephants into 21 population pockets in Sumatra and one in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. | |
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Congo’s Ebola outbreak records one of its highest weekly death tolls yet (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/congos-ebola-outbreak-records-one-of-its-highest-weekly-death-tolls-yet/ BUNIA, Congo (AP) — More than 300 people died of Ebola in eastern Congo in the past week, one of the highest weekly tolls yet, government data showed Monday, as health workers struggle to catch up with an outbreak that is spreading at unprecedented speed. Ministry of Health data showed that as of Saturday, the outbreak had recorded […] | |
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EU’s deforestation rule could derail Liberia’s cocoa trade (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/eus-deforestation-rule-could-derail-liberias-cocoa-trade/ In Liberia’s Grand Gedeh county, deforestation for cocoa has soared since 2020, pushing the region’s cocoa trade into an uncertain future. The EU is Liberia’s biggest cocoa customer, but is set to implement the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which bans the import of forest products, including cocoa, made on land deforested after Dec. 31, 2020, […] | |
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Inspiring young herpetologists in Sri Lanka: Interview with Anslem de Silva (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/inspiring-young-herpetologists-in-sri-lanka-interview-with-anslem-de-silva/ - Anslem de Silva, Sri Lanka’s pioneering herpetologist, has spent over six decades studying reptiles and amphibians while inspiring generations of conservationists through his work. - He has authored more than 25 books and 350 scientific papers, shaping global understanding of Sri Lanka’s unique herpetofauna. - From launching scientific journals such as Lyriocephalus to organizing international crocodile and herpetological conferences, de Silva has created platforms for research and conservation in Sri Lanka and beyond. - At 86, he is preparing to host the world’s first ever snake conference in Sri Lanka, continuing his lifelong mission to advance snake conservation and awareness. | |
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Cambodia targets online wildlife trade on social media, but experts say it’s not enough (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/cambodia-targets-online-wildlife-trade-on-social-media-but-experts-say-its-not-enough/ - Cambodia’s environment ministry has called on content creators and social media users to stop posting content that promotes the online sale of wildlife products, to tackle the illegal wildlife trade in the country. - The ministry’s statement comes after a recent undercover investigation by the NGO Earth League International revealed rampant illegal wildlife trade of endangered species products such as rhino horns, ivory, pangolin scales, and tiger bones, claws, skin and meat. - The investigation found that most consumers of these products in Cambodia were wealthy Chinese government officials and businessmen, while the trafficking was run by “kingpins” who also operate scam centers to defraud people of their money. - Conservationists say Cambodia’s statement is encouraging, but doesn’t address the bigger issue: organized criminal syndicates that traffic wildlife as part of their business model. | |
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DNA analysis of Asiatic wild dogs scat in India reveals wild prey preference (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/dna-analysis-of-asiatic-wild-dogs-scat-in-india-reveals-wild-prey-preference/ Endangered Asiatic wild dogs in central India almost entirely eat wild prey, even where they overlap with livestock, according to a recent study. The findings show that maintaining healthy wild prey populations is key to conserving the species, reports contributor Rajeev Tyagi for Mongabay India. The study, led by the National Centre for Biological Sciences […] | |
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Palm oil firms kept zero-deforestation pledges, but forests saw little extra benefit (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/palm-oil-firms-kept-zero-deforestation-pledges-but-forests-saw-little-extra-benefit/ - In the past decade, palm oil-producing countries, such as Indonesia, have introduced policies and company-level commitments to curb deforestation. - In both concessions linked to companies with zero-deforestation commitments (ZDCs) and those not linked to ZDCs, data suggests annualized deforestation has dropped dramatically from the 2000s. - Despite this drop, a new study suggests ZDCs have not, in fact, led to additional reductions in deforestation. - A decline in palm oil prices and historic deforestation in concessions may have contributed to this contrasting picture, say researchers. | |
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Plans of Peru’s new administration spur concern among environmentalists (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/plans-of-perus-new-administration-spur-concern-among-environmentalists/ - On July 28, Peru inaugurated its new leader, Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi, from the Popular Force Party. - Fujimori says she will expand fossil fuel production and mining across the country, as well as road, rail and port networks to facilitate extractive and productive projects. - Mongabay spoke with legal experts, environmentalists and Indigenous leaders about the government’s plans and what it might mean for the country’s energy transition commitments and the environment. | |
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Bogong moths support Australia’s alpine ecosystems, but face uncertain future (August 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/bogong-moths-support-australias-alpine-ecosystems-but-face-uncertain-future/ - Bogong moths are a critical resource for the many rare and wonderful species that live in the Australian Alps, but their future is far from certain. - The IUCN classifies the bogong moth as an endangered species, but Australia, the only country where the moth is habitually found, has refused to recognize it as such, categorizing it instead as “data deficient”. - Currently, a network of entomologists, ecologists, data scientists, First Nations peoples, and volunteers is working to address the data gaps, hoping to reapply for a national endangered species listing and identify the best strategies to protect the bogong moth. - However, tracking a tiny creature that migrates hundreds of kilometers in the dark of night is no easy task. | |
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In Raja Ampat, children learn that their knowledge can help protect their islands (August 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/in-raja-ampat-children-learn-that-their-knowledge-can-help-protect-their-islands/ - Research suggests that children who grow up closely connected to their surroundings can develop sophisticated understandings of their local environment. - A recent children’s book reading was part of a gathering of Indigenous communities in Arborek that brought together representatives from 20 Indigenous subtribes in Raja Ampat, as well as Indigenous people from other parts of Indonesia and abroad. - The book turns the biodiversity of Indonesia into a visual story about what could be lost if mining damages the environment. - The author and illustrator hope that seeing their home, animals and stories represented in a book will encourage the children to tell more stories of their own. | |
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How a rare bird sparked a wildlife movement across 16 villages in Guyana (August 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/how-a-rare-bird-sparked-a-wildlife-movement-across-16-villages-in-guyana/ - The documentation of the endangered red siskin, a rare bird, in Guyana inspired the creation of the South Rupununi Conservation Society. - The organization has built a multi-community grassroots conservation approach that is grounded in traditional knowledge, organizes across 16 village boundaries and includes Indigenous villagers, farmers and teachers who research wildlife, develop conservation guidelines and teach local ecology. - Projects include community conservation zones to protect wildlife such as giant anteaters, the genetic documentation of species and monitoring. - Short-term funding, development pressure and cultural change threaten the model, even as communities invest their own money into projects. | |
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