| news | india | latam | brasil | indonesia |
|
A profession built on hope, strained by loss (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/the-emotional-price-of-conservation-work/ - Reports from across the conservation sector point to rising levels of burnout, depression, and distress, driven by constant exposure to environmental decline alongside insecure funding, long hours, and limited institutional support. Surveys suggest a substantial share of professionals—especially early-career staff and women—are experiencing moderate to severe psychological strain. - The work carries a distinct emotional burden. Many conservationists form deep connections to species and places, only to witness their degradation or loss, producing a form of grief that is persistent and often unrecognized outside the field. - Structural conditions amplify the problem. Low pay, short-term grants, isolation in remote postings, and cultural stigma around mental health create an environment where overwork is normalized and seeking help can carry professional risks. - Recent reporting and commentary, including coverage by Mongabay and analyses by practitioners and researchers, have sharpened attention on what some describe as an “epidemic of suffering” in conservation. This growing body of work frames the issue not as isolated cases but as a systemic problem, while also situating it within a broader effort to acknowledge loss, document lived experience, and argue that those working to protect nature should themselves be supported and sustained. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Family and friends help sperm whale mother and newborn during birth (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/family-and-friends-help-sperm-whale-mother-and-newborn-during-birth/ With the notable exception of humans, most mammals give birth alone. But in July 2023, researchers in the Caribbean witnessed something extraordinary: sperm whales not only attending a birth but actively helping both mother and newborn. Some of the whales present were not even related to the mother, known as Rounder. “Kinship barriers dissolved,” notes […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
The squid rush in the South Pacific is forcing regulators to act (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/the-squid-rush-in-the-south-pacific-is-forcing-regulators-to-act/ A recent annual meeting of the fisheries regulator for the South Pacific tackled a familiar challenge: how to manage one of the world’s largest squid fisheries before mounting pressure turns it into a depleted one. The meeting produced some new safeguards, though much of the hard work still lies ahead, reports Francesco De Augustinis. The […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
A 3-limbed Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is now being tracked at sea by satellite (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/a-3-limbed-kemps-ridley-sea-turtle-is-now-being-tracked-at-sea-by-satellite/ JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The veterinary staff at a Florida sea turtle hospital is getting help from space to monitor the animals they have rehabilitated. They’re particularly interested in amputees. Using satellite tracking devices in a collaboration between the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, scientists are learning how well sea […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
4 months after DRC mine spill, residents remain impacted (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/4-months-after-drc-mine-spill-residents-remain-impacted/ - On Nov. 4, 2025, an industrial effluents spill from Congo Dongfang International Mining (CDM), a copper and cobalt plant, contaminated several neighborhoods in Lubumbashi, in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, affecting crops, access to drinking water and residents’ health. - Months later, Mongabay visited three neighborhoods affected by the spill to gather on-the-ground accounts of continued impacts to crops, water and health. - The government announced health assistance measures, treatment, the launch of a compensation process for victims and a collective settlement of $6 million. - According to a human rights organization, the amount is insufficient given the health damage, and residents who speak to Mongabay say they fear they will not be included in compensation and health plans. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Study finds deforestation accounts for major Amazon rainfall decline (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-finds-deforestation-accounts-for-major-amazon-rainfall-decline/ - A study looking at land and atmosphere interactions in the Amazon Basin across four decades found that 52-72% of the rainfall decline in the southern Amazon is due to large-scale deforestation. - Between 1980 and 2019, annual precipitation in the southern Amazon declined by 8-11%, with most of the region losing on average 7.7% of its forest cover over largely the same period. - The research also indicates that climate models might underestimate the contribution of deforestation to precipitation reduction by as much as 50%, which could mean that rainfall thresholds in the Amazon could be crossed earlier than expected. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Why the Amazon can’t be saved by courts alone (commentary) (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/why-the-amazon-cant-be-saved-by-courts-alone-commentary/ - The Amazon cannot be saved by legal recognition alone. Declaring the forest a subject of rights is historic, but without real authority for Indigenous governments, these rights risk remaining largely symbolic. - Protecting the forest requires shared governance: national ministries, regional agencies, and local governments must coordinate decisions with Indigenous authorities who already govern vast Amazonian territories — and protect the knowledge systems that have sustained it for generations. - The limited implementation of the ruling recognizing the Amazon as a subject of rights reflects the gap between judicial decisions and realities on the ground, as well as the political and social complexity of the Amazon across territorial, national, regional, and international scales. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Poop pills and gut microbes: Wildlife microbiome studies aid conservation (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/poop-pills-and-gut-microbes-wildlife-microbiome-studies-aid-conservation/ - Recent research into the human microbiome is revealing how closely connected it is to our health. Similarly, scientists are exploring how the microbiome in wildlife species can aid conservation efforts. - Studies show that human action (including climate change and close proximity to people) is altering the microbiomes of multiple wildlife species. The implications of how these changes may be impacting wildlife survival and health remain unclear. - Researchers are also exploring how supporting a diverse wildlife microbiome can improve animal health in captivity, aid recovery during rehabilitation, and even boost reintroduction success. Microbiome studies are underway on numerous species, ranging from Australian koalas to African meerkats and cheetahs. - Though still an emerging field, fecal microbiota transplants (FMTs) are just one possible tool that researchers and conservationists are exploring in trials to see how the restoration of a healthy diverse microbiome can support wildlife conservation. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
A nature-based solution to save the Mekong Delta’s water future (commentary) (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/a-nature-based-solution-to-save-the-mekong-deltas-water-future-commentary/ - The Mekong Delta — a global rice and aquaculture hub — is increasingly at risk from climate change, with rising seas, salinity intrusion, pollution and groundwater depletion threatening the livelihoods of dependant communities and lives of millions of residents in the delta. - In Vietnam, a proposed nature-based groundwater replenishment system aims to combine water treatment, aquifer recharge and wind energy to boost clean water supply, reduce salinity and stabilize the delta’s fragile ecosystems. - Backers say the plan could deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in annual benefits through higher farm yields, improved public health and stronger climate resilience, though it will require major investment and coordinated governance to succeed. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Birutė Galdikas, primatologist who spent a lifetime studying & defending orangutans, has died at 79 (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/birute-galdikas-primatologist-who-spent-a-lifetime-studying-defending-orangutans-has-died-at-79/ - Birutė Galdikas established one of the longest-running field studies of any wild mammal, helping to transform scientific understanding of orangutans and their behavior. - Her work combined research with hands-on rehabilitation, returning hundreds of orangutans to the wild while navigating debates over the role of intervention in field science. - As Borneo’s forests declined, she expanded her efforts into conservation, founding an organization and working with local communities to protect habitat under growing economic pressure. - As part of the “Trimates”, a group of female researchers recruited by Louis Leakey, she helped bring great apes into public view and frame orangutans as emblematic of broader environmental loss. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Palm oil clearing advances in Bornean orangutan habitat despite red flags (March 26, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/palm-oil-clearing-advances-in-bornean-orangutan-habitat-despite-red-flags/ - A palm oil firm has cleared more than 3,000 hectares (7,500 acres) of forest inside a UNESCO biosphere reserve in Indonesian Borneo, threatening areas identified as orangutan habitat. - The concession overlaps with a wildlife corridor linking two national parks, raising concerns over habitat fragmentation and increased human-orangutan conflict. - Authorities have acknowledged the presence of the habitat inside the company’s concession, but proposed voluntary conservation measures rather than halting clearing, drawing criticism from environmental groups. - The case highlights broader issues of weak enforcement, disputed land rights with Indigenous communities, and supply-chain loopholes that continue to allow deforestation-linked palm oil into global markets. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Compost, racoons and sea turtle predation in Costa Rica (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/compost-racoons-and-sea-turtle-predation-in-costa-rica/ Composting keeps organic waste out of landfills, where it can produce methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. But a new study from Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province finds that when not disposed of properly, organic waste can also trigger a cascade of events resulting in fewer sea turtles. “Normally in Costa Rica we are very used […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Behind the scenes of the Amazon’s gold rush: Director Richard Ladkani on the making of ‘Yanuni’ (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/behind-the-scenes-of-the-amazons-gold-rush-director-richard-ladkani-on-the-making-of-yanuni/ - A new documentary film, “Yanuni,” highlights the journey of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous chief from the Brazilian Amazon, as she moves between two worlds: Brazil’s capital, Brasília, and a remote village in the Xipaia Indigenous Territory. - The film focuses on her ongoing battle to protect the Amazon, alongside her husband, Hugo Loss, the head of Special Operations at Brazil’s environmental protection agency (Ibama), who leads dangerous operations to crack down on illegal mining deep in the Amazon. - In an interview with Mongabay, director Richard Ladkani shares behind-the-scenes insights into the filming process, important conversations and actions that helped shape the narrative and more details about some of the critical moments and events it covers. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
‘Staggering’ trade for belief-based use drives hooded vultures to near-extinction in Benin (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/staggering-trade-for-belief-based-use-drives-hooded-vultures-to-near-extinction-in-benin/ - Hundreds of critically endangered hooded vultures and their parts are being illegally sold in markets in Benin, according to recent research. The birds are coveted for their supposed supernatural properties by many practitioners of the traditional Vodùn faith. - During a four-month study, researchers counted 522 birds for sale. Vendors sold them as dried carcasses, heads or live birds in nine markets across southern Benin. and claimed to have sourced them from at least 10 West African countries. - Although hunting and selling hooded vultures in Benin is illegal and cross-border trade is regulated under an international treaty, demand is driving widespread commerce. - Hooded vultures are one of the most threatened raptors, with their numbers declining by 50-96% in recent years. The trade, along with accidental poisoning and habitat loss, could wipe them out, and experts call for greater awareness and better law enforcement in Benin to combat illegal trade. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Five more community-led African groups join global landscape restoration network (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/five-more-community-led-african-groups-join-global-landscape-restoration-network/ - The Global Landscapes Forum recently announced the addition of 12 new “chapter” members to its GLFx network. - The GLFx network connects independent, community-oriented groups worldwide to strengthen their work protecting and restoring healthy forests and other landscapes. - Five of the new members are in Africa, including the School Food Forest Initiative in Uganda, which works with children to plant trees and grow food on school grounds. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
325 Long-neglected migratory freshwater fish species need protection now: Report (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/325-long-neglected-migratory-freshwater-fish-species-need-protection-now-report/ - As national representatives gather at the UN COP15 Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) meeting this week in Brazil, a new global report has been released profiling a dangerously neglected category of migratory animal: the world’s freshwater fish. - Migratory freshwater fish populations have fallen by 81% since 1970, says the report, with 325 species worldwide urgently needing coordinated international conservation action. However, only 23 migratory freshwater fish species are currently listed under CMS. - More than half of the 325 at-risk freshwater migratory fish species documented by the report are in Asia, with the Mekong River of major concern. While international conservation cooperation is urgently needed, China and other Mekong basin nations are non-parties to CMS, as are the U.S. and Russia. - What is needed now, conservationists say, are transnational migratory freshwater fish species conservation action plans that cover entire river systems, with those plans managed cooperatively by multiple nations within each river basin. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Plenty of biodiversity data, but too few conservation answers (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/plenty-of-biodiversity-data-but-too-few-conservation-answers/ - New technologies—from environmental DNA to AI-powered sensors—are generating vast amounts of biodiversity data, creating unprecedented opportunities to monitor nature at scale. - Yet more data does not necessarily improve understanding: conservation still struggles to distinguish real impacts from broader environmental trends, especially without credible counterfactuals. - A growing shift toward impact evaluation and “precision” approaches aims to identify what works, where, and under what conditions, drawing on methods from economics and public health. - The next challenge is not collecting more information, but turning diverse sources of evidence—including Indigenous knowledge—into decisions that improve conservation outcomes. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
In Laos, ancestral spirits are helping save one of the world’s rarest crocodiles (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/in-laos-ancestral-spirits-are-helping-save-one-of-the-worlds-rarest-crocodiles/ - A decade-long conservation program built around local culture is restoring a globally significant population of a critically endangered crocodile species to the Xe Champhone wetlands of central Laos. - Of the world’s 27 crocodilian species, the Siamese crocodile is among just four classified as critically endangered, with fewer than 1,000 thought to survive on Earth. - This month, 56 crocodiles were released back to the Xe Champhone wetlands and the program has released 294 individuals since it began in 2013. - The locals’ spiritual connection to crocodiles, upheld for generations in a landscape stripped of most large wildlife, may be the single most important reason this species still exists here. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
New farming method replaces traditional jhum in crowding Bangladesh hills (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-farming-method-replaces-traditional-jhum-in-crowding-bangladesh-hills/ - Jhum, or shifting agriculture, has long been a common practice among the farmers in in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of southeastern Bangladesh. - However, due to growing demand for arable lands and reducing yields, farmers have started to give up the traditional jhum for profitable cash crops in recent years. - Among the changes adopted, cultivating vegetables using the machan method — using bamboo trellises to grow vines — is growing in popularity as the method ensures enough profit as well as a reduction in soil erosion. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Asian wild dog spotted in Vietnam for the first time in 20 years (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/asian-wild-dog-spotted-in-vietnam-for-the-first-time-in-20-years/ Recent research has confirmed the first sighting of a dhole in more than two decades, a reddish-brown wild dog native to Asia. Before the sighting, the predator was believed to be extinct in Vietnam. The dhole (Cuon alpinus), historically one of the most widespread large carnivores in Asia, was seen on camera-trap footage. The single […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Seabird nests built with plastic waste off the coast of Germany: Photo of the week (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/seabird-nests-built-with-plastic-waste-off-the-coast-of-germany-photo-of-the-week/ The northern gannet, a seabird that lives across the northern Atlantic Ocean, typically builds its nests from seaweed and other aquatic plants. But more recently, its nests have started to include plastic material fished from the ocean. Martin Brogger, a researcher at Argentina’s Institute of Marine Organisms Biology (IBIOMAR), photographed several gannet nests containing plastic […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Canada invests $1m into mining exploration on Indigenous land (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/canada-invests-1m-into-mining-exploration-on-indigenous-land/ A First Nation in Canada’s subarctic Northwest Territories has received C$1.5 million ($1.1 million) in federal funding to explore for elements on its traditional lands. The Tłı̨chǫ own a 39,000-square-kilometer (15,000-square-mile) stretch of boreal forest and tundra. On March 3, they announced a three-year prospecting project with the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. Exploration will […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
As Sri Lankans choke on bad air, authorities cite transboundary pollution (March 25, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/as-sri-lankans-choke-on-bad-air-authorities-cite-transboundary-pollution/ - With an increase in air pollution levels in several areas, Sri Lankan authorities trace transboundary air pollution as a key reason for the island’s poor air quality. - A systematic rise in low air quality has occurred since the 1990s, experts say. - A seasonal trend has been observed during agricultural burning in India with emissions from the coal power plant in Norochcholai, in the island’s northwest, adding to the poor air quality. - Health authorities warn against cardiovascular diseases of people exposed to high levels of fine particulate matter for prolonged periods of time. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
‘We will not know what we lost’: Conservation fallout a year after USAID shutdown (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/03/we-will-not-know-what-we-lost-conservation-fallout-a-year-after-usaid-shutdown/ When then-U.S. president John F . Kennedy created the United States Agency for International Development in 1961, it was meant primarily to administer health and food aid around the world. In the decades since, USAID expanded to become one of the world’s largest financial contributors to conservation, providing nearly $400 million annually before the end […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Another legal challenge for TotalEnergies in South Africa (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/another-legal-challenge-for-totalenergies-in-south-africa/ In August 2025, a South African court canceled an environmental authorization granted to French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies and its joint venture partner Shell to drill offshore exploration wells. Now TotalEnergies is facing fresh legal challenges in South Africa for another proposed project. March 23 and 24, the Western Cape High Court is hearing […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Kenya marks World Meteorological Day amid dozens of flood fatalities (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/kenya-marks-world-meteorological-day-amid-dozens-of-flood-fatalities/ March 23 was world Meteorological Day, which celebrates the science of helping humanity understand and predict the weather. However, in eastern Kenya, the day came as families were mourning the deaths of lives lost to ongoing heavy rains. Two people died after a rain-soaked wall collapsed on them, a little girl was swept away while […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Defying drought and invasives, a feisty Australian marsupial makes a comeback (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/defying-drought-and-invasives-a-feisty-australian-marsupial-makes-a-comeback/ - Not long ago, Australia’s ampurta, also known as the crest-tailed mulgara, hung on the precipice of extinction. Now, a new study has mapped its dramatic resurgence. - This small marsupial increased its range by an area the size of Denmark between 2015 and 2021, building on an ongoing re-expansion. - The ampurta resurged thanks to an introduced disease that drastically reduced the population of nonnative rabbits. That led to a drop in the number of foxes and feral cats that prey on small animals, including ampurtas. - Despite the good news, Australian scientists have serious concerns about a lack of investment in the ongoing biological control of both rabbits and feral cats. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Eastern monarch butterfly populations increase in 2025, but challenges remain (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/eastern-monarch-butterfly-populations-increase-in-2025-but-challenges-remain/ Monarch butterfly populations in North America have been in dramatic decline for several decades. But in a glimmer of hope for the iconic orange-and-black species, the 2025 population estimate was roughly 64% higher compared to the previous year. Scientists split migratory monarchs (Danaus plexippus) into two populations — western and eastern — depending on which […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Vietnam and Russia advance nuclear power deal as energy security concerns grow in Southeast Asia (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/vietnam-and-russia-advance-nuclear-power-deal-as-energy-security-concerns-grow-in-southeast-asia/ HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam and Russia signed a deal to build a nuclear power plant in Vietnam as the Southeast Asian country revives its nuclear plans with hopes of boosting energy security while curbing greenhouse gas emissions. The deal for the Ninh Thuan 1 plant, reported by Vietnamese state media, comes after two similar projects were […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Upemba National Park staff recount assault that left seven dead (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/upemba-national-park-staff-recount-assault-that-left-seven-dead/ - On March 3, a group of militants attacked the headquarters of Upemba National Park in the southern Democratic Republic of Congo. - The attack left seven people dead and caused severe damage to facilities at the headquarters. - A group claiming responsibility for the assault said it was part of an effort to achieve independence for the mineral-rich region of Katanga, of which Upemba is a part. - Upemba National Parks staff members spoke to Mongabay from the DRC about the attack and its aftermath. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
On Manatee Appreciation Day, remember these gentle giants who protect aquatic ecosystems (commentary) (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/on-manatee-appreciation-day-remember-these-gentle-giants-who-protect-aquatic-ecosystems-commentary/ - Slow-moving, peaceful and curious, manatees quietly maintain the health and balance of aquatic ecosystems, from rivers to bays and coasts worldwide. - Manatee Appreciation Day is observed annually on the last Wednesday of March, and it’s a good time to remember why these animals matter, and the people who have dedicated their lives to protecting them. - “The gentle giants of our oceans have survived for millions of years. Whether they survive the next century depends on all of us,” a new op-ed argues. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
China’s deep-sea mining fleet may also track US submarines (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/03/chinas-deep-sea-mining-fleet-may-also-track-us-submarines/ A Mongabay and CNN investigation found the eight Chinese state-owned ships that conduct deep-sea mining research in China’s mining areas allocated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) actually spent little time in these exploration areas, while spending much of their remaining time operating in militarily strategic waters. Many of these vessels are linked to the […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Argentina updates national IUCN mammal list with new focus on non-native species (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/argentina-updates-national-iucn-mammal-list-with-new-focus-on-non-native-species/ - The Argentine Society for the Study of Mammals reviews the national IUCN Red List of mammal species the goal of better understanding population trends and threats across the country’s many ecosystems. - This time around, scientists evaluated 417 mammal species, 22 more than the 395 species evaluated in 2019. - The increase reflects newly discovered mammals but also taxonomic revisions to mammals that were once grouped together and are now recognized as distinct species. - For the first time, SAREM also used the environmental impact classification for alien taxa, known as EICAT, to determine how much damage non-native species were doing to biodiversity in the country. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Conservation win as first palm cockatoo chick fledges from artificial hollow in Australia (March 24, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/conservation-win-as-first-palm-cockatoo-chick-fledges-from-artificial-hollow-in-australia/ Conservationists in Australia are celebrating the fledging of a palm cockatoo chick, a species considered endangered in the country. It fledged from an artificial log hollow installed on a tree for breeding cockatoos. The structure is one of 29 such spaces created as part of People For Wildlife’s (PFW) Breeding Habitat Restoration Project, in partnership […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
The ocean’s enforcement gap (March 23, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/the-oceans-enforcement-gap/ - Governments have designated vast marine protected areas and pledged to conserve 30% of the ocean by 2030, enforcement often lags behind these commitments. - Research shows that the ecological benefits of marine protected areas depend less on their size than on whether rules are visible, monitored, and enforced. - New tools—such as satellite imagery, vessel-tracking systems, and data analytics—are making it easier and cheaper to detect illegal fishing and focus enforcement efforts. - As monitoring improves, the future of ocean conservation may depend less on creating new protected areas than on ensuring existing rules are consistently applied. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Indigenous groups demand halt to Belo Sun Amazon gold mine (March 23, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/indigenous-groups-demand-halt-to-belo-sun-amazon-gold-mine/ More than 120 Indigenous protesters have occupied a federal building in Altamira in the Brazilian Amazon since Feb. 23. They are demanding that authorities block a Canadian mining company’s license to open one of the country’s largest open-air gold mines on the Xingu River. Led by a movement of Indigenous women, the protest follows a […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Huge amounts of nanoplastics discovered in tap and bottled water (March 23, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/huge-amounts-of-nanoplastics-discovered-in-tap-and-bottled-water/ The amount of nanoplastics in drinking water in the U.S. has been wildly underestimated. That’s according to a new study that found the amount of plastic in both tap and bottled water was 10-100 times higher than previous estimates. For the new study, researchers used more advanced methodology and found more plastic. “It is like […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Can this giant freezer de-extinct animals? (March 23, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/can-this-giant-freezer-de-extinct-animals/ We’re losing species at an alarming rate. Could freezing the genetic material of the world’s most endangered animals help save them? Biotech start-up Colossal Biosciences is developing a “biovault” — a massive facility designed to store the frozen DNA of threatened species. Their founder calls it “a backup plan for life on Earth.” But can […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
French company stops US offshore wind projects in $1B deal with Trump administration (March 23, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/french-company-stops-us-offshore-wind-projects-in-1b-deal-with-trump-administration/ The Department of Interior says a French energy company has agreed to give up two U.S. offshore wind leases and invest in fossil fuel projects instead. The department said Monday that TotalEnergies committed to invest approximately $1 billion in oil and natural gas production in the United States. That is the amount the company paid […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
How Namibia’s bird conservation projects build community resilience (commentary) (March 23, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/how-namibias-bird-conservation-projects-build-community-resilience-commentary/ - Droughts and land degradation often erode communities’ social bonds, but in the Karas region of Namibia, bird conservation initiatives have become a rallying point. - Women and youth are at the forefront of these initiatives, which has inspired confidence among peers and shown that conservation is not the domain of scientists alone, but also a practice of everyday community resilience. - “It is time for policymakers, NGOs, and donors to support these initiatives not just as biodiversity projects, but as investments in community well-being,” a new op-ed argues. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Songbird trade threatens lesser-known ‘master birds’ with secondary extinctions: Study (March 23, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/songbird-trade-threatens-lesser-known-master-birds-with-secondary-extinctions-study/ - Master birds are used in songbird competitions in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world to “teach” competitors elements of their songs. This trade, largely unknown and under-researched, is pushing some species to the brink of extinction. - A recent market study investigated the trade in crested jayshrikes, a popular master bird in Indonesia, and discovered rampant trade: This bird was sold openly across the country, despite its protected species status. - The trade in master birds has driven serious declines of numerous species in the wild, including the Javan green magpie. - To save these rapidly disappearing birds, the researchers say that stricter law enforcement is urgently needed to shut down illegal markets and stem the trade. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
World Water Day: Earth’s freshwater reveals new species & faces mounting threats (March 22, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/world-water-day-earths-freshwater-reveals-new-species-faces-mounting-threats/ Water covers most of our planet, yet less than 3% of it is freshwater and most of it is contained in glaciers, making it not readily usable. Contamination and overuse threaten the valuable supplies of freshwater that humans and other animals, especially aquatic organisms, depend on to live. On World Water Day, a United Nations […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
PNG’s New Ireland coastal waters causing fish deaths, human sickness (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/pngs-new-ireland-coastal-waters-causing-fish-deaths-human-sickness/ - Communities on the east coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland province report that contact with the seawater there has made people sick since December 2025; residents have also reported spikes in the number of dead fish and other marine life along the shoreline. - A group of local and international NGOs has responded, providing help with sampling to determine the cause and raising money for the affected villages. - New Ireland’s coastal communities depend on the sea for food, but government officials have warned against eating fish until the cause of the problems has been identified. - Government ministries have been aware of the situation for at least two months, and while leaders say that tissue, water and soil samples have been collected, no results have been released yet. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Captive-bred Panamanian golden frogs released to the wild (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/captive-bred-panamanian-golden-frogs-released-to-the-wild/ Since 2009, no one has seen a Panamanian golden frog in the wild. These bright yellow frogs disappeared completely when an amphibian fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, swept through Panama reaching El Valle de Anton, the last stronghold of golden frogs. Researchers at the Smithsonian Institution predicted these declines based on the pattern of disease spread, but […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Vatican launches campaign to encourage divestment from mining industries (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/vatican-launches-campaign-to-encourage-divestment-from-mining-industries/ ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Friday launched a campaign to encourage divestment from mining industries, saying the Catholic Church should invest its money in ways that are consistent with its ecological teachings. The effort, which also involves other Christian organizations, takes as its inspiration Pope Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical “Praised Be.” The document, and the ecological movement it […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Proboscis monkey found in Thailand adds to evidence of cross-border illegal trade (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/proboscis-monkey-found-in-thailand-adds-to-evidence-of-cross-border-illegal-trade/ - In January, an injured proboscis monkey was found near a railway track in Thailand’s Samut Sakhon province and brought to a nearby clinic. - Proboscis monkeys are an endangered species endemic to Borneo, and international trade is banned except for research or conservation purposes — no permits that would allow such trade exist for the species in Thailand. - Historically, trafficking for pets or zoos has not been a major threat to proboscis monkeys because it is very difficult to keep them alive in captivity, but recent research has found an uptick in live trade of the species. - The monkey is currently recovering from its injuries at a government-run rehabilitation center, and while he will never be able to live in the wild again, officers there say he may be transferred back to his native range once his health is stable. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Deep-sea mining rules face delays despite urgent push (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/deep-sea-mining-rules-face-delays-despite-urgent-push/ Commercial deep-sea mining hasn’t yet begun, but it soon could — with the potential to reshape vast stretches of the ocean as companies move to extract minerals from the seafloor. However, this nascent industry lacks a set of international rules to govern it, and a recent meeting of the regulatory body charged with drafting one […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Many Indigenous peoples in Asia feel excluded from nat’l biodiversity planning: Report (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/many-indigenous-peoples-in-asia-feel-excluded-from-natl-biodiversity-planning-report/ - Many Indigenous peoples in Asia say they have little sway on their nation’s biodiversity goals, despite calls in the global U.N. biodiversity agreement for their full and effective participation in decision-making, according to recent reports. - The research found 13% of survey respondents participated in state-led consultations with Indigenous peoples while almost 60% reported that participation was not meaningful. - However, the research also found that Indigenous peoples increasingly participated in the NBSAP revision processes compared with a previous global biodiversity agreement for the 2011-20 period. - Some Indigenous sources said they felt like their participation was tokenistic and recommend the creation of an Indigenous-led version of the national biodiversity targets to help influence policy. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
World Rewilding Day: Hope for species and ecosystems (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/world-rewilding-day-hope-for-species-and-ecosystems/ World Rewilding Day on March 20 celebrates human efforts to rewild and restore degraded areas. Rewilding can focus on a single species, a city park, or even an entire island, and Mongabay has reported on such efforts from around the word. Rewilding in France’s Dauphiné Alps France’s largest rewilding project is underway in the Dauphiné […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Deadly Indonesia landfill collapse a ‘serious warning’ of systemic failure (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/deadly-indonesia-landfill-collapse-a-serious-warning-of-systemic-failure/ A mountain of waste at Indonesia’s largest landfill recently collapsed following days of extreme rainfall that destabilized the massive pile. The tragedy resulted in seven confirmed deaths. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Shipping’s biofuel gamble could deepen Africa’s land squeeze and food insecurity (commentary) (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/shippings-biofuel-gamble-could-deepen-africas-land-squeeze-and-food-insecurity-commentary/ - Using crops as fuel to cut emissions from the shipping sector could cause more harm than good, the authors of a new op-ed argue. - Next month, leaders will gather at the UN’s International Maritime Organization meeting to lay down the rules for decarbonizing shipping, and African governments must ensure that crop-based biofuels are not a part of the solution, they say. - “African states should demand that food-based biofuels are excluded from shipping’s decarbonization targets, and insist on robust sustainability criteria to prevent the conversion of forests, peatlands, and other high-biodiversity or community-managed areas into fuel plantations,” the authors say. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
California condors nesting in Pacific Northwest for first time in a century, on Yurok territory (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/california-condors-nesting-in-pacific-northwest-for-first-time-in-a-century-on-yurok-territory/ - A pair of California condors reintroduced by the Yurok Tribe to Northern California appear to be incubating the first egg in the Pacific Northwest in more than a century, nesting in a remote old-growth redwood. - The birds, both nearly 7 years old and among the first cohort released in 2022, are being monitored via satellite transmitters; direct confirmation of the egg is not yet possible. - The discovery is a milestone for a species whose global population dropped to 22 individuals in 1982 and has since recovered to 607 — though threats still including lead poisoning and avian influenza persist. - The Northern California Condor Restoration Program, a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks, plans to continue annual releases for at least 20 years, with the goal of establishing a self-sustaining Pacific Northwest flock. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Jakarta port authorities seize 3 tons of pangolin scales in Cambodia-bound container (March 20, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/jakarta-port-authorities-seize-3-tons-of-pangolin-scales-in-cambodia-bound-container/ - A spot inspection of a 20-foot container by customs authorities at Indonesia’s largest port in late February uncovered more than $10 million in pangolin scales. - There are eight species of the herbivorous pangolin, all categorized as threatened due to habitat loss and poaching, which is largely to supply raw material for Chinese traditional medicine, despite the total absence of any scientific proof of medicinal benefit. - Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Indonesia’s premier forestry faculty, estimate that every kilogram of pangolin scales requires the death of up to five pangolins. - Separately, a police officer convicted last year over a scheme to trade 1.2 metric tons of pangolin scales stolen from a police evidence room had his nine-year sentence reduced to seven on appeal. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Should potentially harmful chemicals be appraised by class, not one at a time? (March 19, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/should-potentially-harmful-chemicals-be-appraised-by-class-not-one-at-a-time/ - Everyday household items very likely contain synthetic chemicals that were never tested for long-term safety. And even when one chemical is proven harmful, manufacturers often quickly replace it with a similar substitute that in time is often found to be equally dangerous, a cycle scientists call “regrettable substitution” or the “toxic treadmill.” - In response, some scientists and health advocates are pushing for a “Six Classes” framework that evaluates entire groups of chemicals, or chemically related subgroups, together, flagging them for scrutiny before harm is documented rather than after. - The framework targets six broad categories of chemicals that share many common traits: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), flame retardants, phthalates and bisphenols, antimicrobials, certain solvents, and certain metals. - The chemical industry argues that grouping diverse chemicals oversimplifies the science and isn’t a workable system, but proponents say the framework is not meant to result in blanket bans but to create a more effective screening tool that better protects consumers. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Juliette Chapalain on building networks and nurturing talent to tell Africa’s environmental stories (March 19, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/juliette-chapalain-on-building-networks-and-nurturing-talent-to-tell-africas-environmental-stories/ - Juliette Chapalain is Mongabay Africa’s multimedia and fellowship editor, leading the bureau’s video, podcast and fellowship initiatives. - She has more than a decade of experience across French and international media, including TV5 Monde, Arte and BBC News. - Through Mongabay’s fellowship program, she mentors and trains African environmental journalists, helping build a diverse network of storytellers driving impact across the continent. - This interview is part of Inside Mongabay, a series that spotlights the people who bring environmental and conservation stories to life across our global newsroom. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
New mapping data show where oil blocks threaten Venezuela’s protected areas (March 19, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-mapping-data-show-where-oil-blocks-threaten-venezuelas-protected-areas/ - New mapping analysis by Mongabay reveals the potential threat from oil extraction to numerous ecosystems in Venezuela, including mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, coral reefs and Amazon rainforest, among others. - Venezuela has 538,883 km2 (208,064 mi2) of protected areas and 177,843 km2 (68,666 mi2) of oil blocks, some of them already in production and others in the pre-exploration or exploration phases. - An estimated 70,785 km2 (27,330 mi2)— or around 13% — of those oil blocks overlap with protected areas. - If oil production ramps up to the 60-year historical average by 2036 — around 2.5 million barrels — the country would extract around 70 billion barrels and release an estimated 33.1 gigatons of CO2 by 2100, according to Climate Interactive’s calculator for fossil fuel extraction from biomass-rich areas. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Contested Amazon dam called to review water flow as river ecosystem fails (March 19, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/contested-amazon-dam-called-to-review-water-flow-as-river-ecosystem-fails/ - A federal court and Brazil’s environmental agency ordered the Belo Monte hydropower plant to revise the Xingu River’s water-sharing plan, a decade after its debut, but a legal stay blocks enforcement of the ruling. - The plant’s water flow has been subject to several complaints, as low water levels in the Volta Grande do Xingu have dried flooded forests and rock habitats, disrupting fish and turtle reproduction and threatening endemic species. - “Increasing the amount of water is the only solution to restore this ecosystem,” says Josiel Juruna, coordinator of an Indigenous-led monitoring program documenting the impacts. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Investigation links DRC air pollution concerns to major copper-cobalt plant (March 19, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/investigation-links-drc-air-pollution-concerns-to-major-copper-cobalt-plant/ In 2024, the mother of a 6-month-old baby described to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) what happened to her son after one of Africa’s largest copper and cobalt processing complexes was built just a few hundred meters from their home. “One evening, he started vomiting blood. He vomited more than three times, and then he […] | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Eight arrested as Europe cracks down on lucrative eel smuggling syndicates (March 19, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/eight-arrested-as-europe-cracks-down-on-lucrative-eel-smuggling-syndicates/ - Authorities in France and Spain have arrested eight suspects tied to a cross-border syndicate, accused of trafficking critically endangered European eels. - Investigators say more than 7 million juvenile glass eels, worth nearly 600,000 euros (690,000 dollars), were smuggled over two years’ time. - The arrests follow a year-long joint probe by investigators from the two countries into illegal fishing and laundering of eel catches. - The case highlights the scale of an illicit trade that persists despite bans and trade protections for the species. | |
| Check Twitter | |
|
Indonesia court orders release of withheld impact studies on new capital (March 19, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/indonesia-court-orders-release-of-withheld-impact-studies-on-new-capital/ - Indonesia mining industry watchdog Jatam has won a case at the country’s Supreme Court requiring the government to disclose environmental impact assessments pertaining to two utility water projects at the country’s new capital city site. - In 2019, then-president Joko Widodo announced he would move the capital of the world’s fourth-most-populous country from Jakarta to Nusantara, a new site surrounded by forests and Indigenous communities on the east coast of Borneo. - At issue are the Sepaku Semoi Dam and Sepaku River intake, two infrastructure projects at Nusantara that have impacted local Indigenous populations, Jatam said. - The NGO called the ruling a victory for transparency, but criticized efforts to withhold documents and pointed to a 2008 law as well as Indonesia’s Constitution requiring public access to information. | |
| Check Twitter | |