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Bangladesh’s political parties share manifestos, leave environmentalists frustrated (February 11, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/bangladeshs-political-parties-share-manifestos-leaves-environmentalists-frustrated/ - Ahead of Bangladesh’s first national elections post the uprising of the previous government in 2024, major political parties have proposed environmental protection plans, which experts term “inadequate” and “unrealistic.” - Crucial issues like biodiversity conservation, climate change-driven internal migration and other environmental actions, like taking up appropriate projects and deliberate fund management, are not addressed, experts say. - They also say the election manifestos completely ignore the reforms in environmental laws enacted by the interim government. | |
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Indonesia’s steel expansion risks a surge in greenhouse gas emissions (February 11, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/indonesias-steel-expansion-risks-a-surge-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions/ - As global demand for steel is rising, Indonesia’s steel industry is one of the country’s largest industrial greenhouse gas emitters and is set to become far more polluting if current trends continue, according to a nonprofit report. - Indonesia’s high emissions stem largely from its reliance on coal-based blast furnace steelmaking, which uses coal both as a chemical input and as a source of the extremely high heat required to smelt iron ore. - The climate footprint of Indonesia’s steel industry is closely tied to public health risks for communities living near major production hubs; steelmaking releases hazardous air pollutants that are linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease and reduced productivity. - The Ministry of Industry has introduced policies intended to promote more sustainable practices across industrial sectors, including steel, but the recent report found that these policies lack binding sector-specific emissions targets, clear transition timelines and enforcement mechanisms. | |
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Trump opens only US marine national monument in Atlantic to fishing — again (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/trump-opens-only-us-marine-national-monument-in-atlantic-to-fishing-again/ - U.S. President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on Feb. 6 to open the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a marine protected area off the northeastern U.S., to commercial fishing. - Trump wrote that reopening the area will not endanger marine species and will help the fishing business, and industry groups praised the proclamation. - Conservationists decried the move, saying the monument is a critical sanctuary for marine life and the food webs that serve the interest of the U.S. public. - The Trump administration has also moved to deregulate the other U.S. marine national monuments, which are in the Pacific Ocean. | |
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60 years of buried lessons on conservation projects from USAID have been saved (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/02/60-years-of-buried-lessons-on-conservation-projects-from-usaid-have-been-saved/ A year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump shut down public access to the Development Experience Clearinghouse, a $30 billion database holding 60 years’ worth of institutional knowledge from more than 150,000 projects administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development. But before the closure, former USAID employee and artificial intelligence scientist Lindsey Moore used a […] | |
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Mexico considers shrinking protected areas for endangered vaquita porpoise (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/mexico-considers-shrinking-protected-areas-for-endangered-vaquita-porpoise/ - Officials in Mexico are considering shrinking a protected area in the Gulf of California, the stretch of water between Baja California and mainland Mexico where the vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is endemic. - The vaquita is the world’s smallest porpoise and the most endangered marine mammal, with only an estimated 10 individuals remaining. - The proposal, not yet public but reviewed by Mongabay, would reduce a gillnet prohibition zone and allow traffic through a zero-tolerance area where all vessel activity is currently banned. - The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and other agencies are developing the new regulations, but it’s unclear when they will be implemented. | |
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Scientists call for ethics rules as AI fuels animal communication research (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/scientists-call-for-ethics-rules-as-ai-fuels-animal-communication-research/ Researchers have proposed a new ethical framework to regulate emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, used to decode animal communication, Ana Cristina Alvarado reports for Mongabay Latam. The proposed guidelines, known as the PEPP Framework, which stands for Prepare, Engage, Prevent and Protect, lay out the principles for studying animal communication responsibly. […] | |
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Biodiversity bonds can work, but their design flaws must be fixed (commentary) (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/biodiversity-bonds-can-work-but-their-design-flaws-must-be-fixed-commentary/ - While development aid is falling globally, many megadiverse countries are juggling debt stress that pushes conservation to the margins. - Numerous financial instruments have arisen to fund conservation, with an equally diverse set of outcomes and an array of opaque metrics. Meanwhile, biodiversity bonds are clear about what success looks like, and how it will be proven. - “Done right, these instruments can fund conservation at meaningful scale; done wrong, they financialize nature and entrench inequity,” a new op-ed argues. - This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
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Why a healthy information ecosystem matters (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/why-information-matters-before-decisions-do/ When people think about change, they often look for a central actor. A donor whose gift unlocked progress. An organization whose strategy made the difference. An individual whose decision shifted events. These figures are easy to name and easier to photograph. They offer clarity in systems that are otherwise diffuse. What shapes outcomes often sits […] | |
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Indigenous protests force Brazil to suspend Tapajós River dredging plan (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/indigenous-protests-force-brazil-to-suspend-tapajos-river-dredging-plan/ Brazil has suspended a decree on dredging and privatizing the Tapajós River, a major tributary of the Amazon, after protests shut down a grain terminal — but Indigenous groups are pressing for its full revocation. Hundreds of Indigenous protesters have since Jan. 22 blockaded the Cargill grain facility in the Amazonian city of Santarém over […] | |
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Unidentified oil washes up on South African beaches (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/unidentified-oil-washes-up-on-south-african-beaches/ A mysterious oil spill is raising concern among South African conservationists and coastal communities. On Jan. 22, reports started emerging of congealed oil washing up on South Africa’s southeast coast, stretching from George to Durban, some 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) away. Several beaches closed due to the pollution. Citizen networks are monitoring more than 20 […] | |
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Nepal’s community forests sit on unsold timber (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepals-community-forests-sit-on-unsold-timber/ - Community forests across Nepal produce large volumes of timber that remain unsold due to high government taxes, collection costs and competition from private and imported wood, leaving user groups without revenue for sustainable forest management and conservation, officials admit. - While Nepal’s community forestry program has successfully increased forest cover to 44%, government royalty rates make legally harvested timber expensive, pushing consumers toward cheaper private or imported options like aluminum and UPVC. - Unsold timber undermines forest management programs (planting, thinning, fire prevention), encourages illegal logging and creates storage and decay problems, affecting both environmental conservation and local livelihoods. | |
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Community complaints in limbo as Socfin cuts ties with Earthworm Foundation (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/community-complaints-in-limbo-as-socfin-cuts-ties-with-earthworm-foundation/ - After eight years, multinational plantation company Socfin and the environmental consultancy Earthworm Foundation have cut ties. - Socfin first contracted Earthworm as part of its response to allegations of human rights and environmental violations at Socfin’s plantations in Africa and Southeast Asia. - Community representatives and environmental advocates in Liberia say Earthworm’s recommendations weren’t adequately implemented. | |
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Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro bans shark meat in most state schools (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/brazils-rio-de-janeiro-bans-shark-meat-in-most-state-schools/ The Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro recently announced it has banned the purchase of shark meat for roughly 95% of its state-run schools, citing environmental and health concerns. A July 2025 Mongabay investigation found shark meat was commonly purchased for use across Brazil in public institutions, including eldercare facilities and schools. The exposé found […] | |
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Cambodia’s canal mega-project threatens coastal communities and marine life (February 10, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/cambodias-canal-mega-project-threatens-coastal-communities-and-marine-life/ - The Cambodian government is set to begin construction of the Funan Techo Canal, a nearly $1.2 billion, 180-kilometer (112-mile) waterway navigation project that will cut across four provinces to connect the Mekong River to the sea. - The primary rationale for building the canal is to reduce Cambodia’s shipping costs as well as to generate jobs and economic development. - Mongabay has followed this mega-project’s development for more than a year, speaking with more than 50 people living along the canal’s proposed route. Virtually everyone we spoke with noted that the government has provided very little information about the project, and amid the uncertainty, fear has taken root. - In coastal communities in Kep province, where the canal will meet the sea and a new port and deepwater shipping lanes will be built, fishers we spoke with said they worried they’d lose their homes and that construction would render their already meager fishing grounds barren and inaccessible. | |
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Mongabay’s Rhett Butler on building a global newsroom for local impact (February 9, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/mongabays-rhett-butler-on-building-a-global-newsroom-for-local-impact/ When I launched Mongabay in 1999, I’d just finished college, armed mainly with a love of rainforests, a pile of musty field notes from Borneo to Madagascar and the uneasy realization that the forests I’d explored were vanishing faster than most people knew. I coded the first version of the site by hand in my […] | |
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Animals dying in Kenya as drought conditions leave many hungry (February 9, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/animals-dying-in-kenya-as-drought-conditions-leave-many-hungry/ KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Drought conditions have left over 2 million people facing hunger in parts of Kenya, with cattle-keeping communities in the northeast the hardest hit, according to the United Nations and others. In recent weeks, images of emaciated livestock in the arid area near the Somali border have shocked many in a region […] | |
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Abandoned tuna-fishing devices pollute the Galápagos Marine Reserve (February 9, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/abandoned-tuna-fishing-devices-pollute-the-galapagos-marine-reserve/ - The tuna industry commonly uses fish aggregating devices (FADs) to efficiently collect large volumes of fish; when these devices are lost or abandoned, they can harm marine wildlife and habitats. - In Ecuador, lost FADs can drift into the Galápagos Marine Reserve, a protected area with hundreds of endemic and threatened species, where they pollute the environment with plastic, harm reefs and entangle wildlife. - Local agencies and organizations are developing ways to prevent FADs from entering the marine reserve in the first place and trying to clean up the mess they make when they do get in. | |
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‘We have to bring trust’ into funding talks: Valéria Paye on Indigenous-led funds (February 9, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/we-have-to-bring-trust-into-funding-talks-valeria-paye-on-indigenous-led-funds/ - Indigenous-led funds provide direct funding and support for Indigenous movements, including on the frontlines of environmental change. - Mongabay speaks with Valéria Paye, executive director of the Podáali Fund (the Indigenous fund for the Brazilian Amazon), about how their approach differs from mainstream philanthropy by prioritizing trust, reciprocity and Indigenous leadership, governance and management. - She explains how supporting Indigenous peoples and their territories is a form of “climate policy” and highlights the strong presence of and global support for Indigenous peoples at U.N. climate conference COP30 in Brazil as the reason for tangible outcomes such as the legal recognition of several Indigenous territories. - Paye shares key lessons from her experience to date with the Podáali Fund, why she thinks the Tropical Forests Forever Fund is “no different” from other state-established funds and her advice for non-Indigenous organizations that want to support Indigenous environmental stewardship. | |
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Rodent burrows offer unusual sanctuary to Africa’s smallest wildcat (February 9, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/rodent-burrows-offer-unusual-sanctuary-to-africas-smallest-wildcat/ - New research shows female black-footed cats rely heavily on abandoned springhare burrows to shelter themselves and raise their kittens, using a constantly shifting network of underground dens to survive Southern Africa’s harsh, semiarid landscape. - Mothers rotate frequently among multiple dens — sometimes almost daily once kittens begin to move — a strategy likely aimed at avoiding predators and minimizing scent trails. - Despite weighing as little as 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds), black-footed cats are among the most active and efficient hunters of any feline, ranging over large territories at night and retreating underground by day. - With low reproductive rates, disease pressure and a population of around 10,000, the species’ survival depends on protecting both springhares and the working landscapes of livestock farms, where burrow loss, overgrazing and predator control can indirectly threaten the cats. | |
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Landslides claim more than 220 lives in DRC’s Rubaya coltan mining site (February 9, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/landslides-claim-more-than-220-lives-in-drcs-rubaya-coltan-mining-site/ - In the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 200 people have died in landslides at an artisanal coltan mine in Rubaya, in the east of the country. - The accident occurred as a result of successive risky activities on the rugged and unstable terrain, which was prone to landslides; prior to the accident, heavy rains had fallen on the region. - According to an expert contacted by Mongabay, safety measures are not generally respected in these artisanal mines where thousands of Congolese “diggers” operate. | |
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Gerard C. Boere, conservationist and designer of flyways, died Jan 6, aged 83 (February 9, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/gerard-c-boere-conservationist-and-designer-of-flyways-died-jan-6-aged-83/ At the edges of continents, where water thins into mud and birds gather before long journeys, conservation has often been a matter of persistence. It has required people willing to think across borders, seasons, and political cycles. Long before such thinking was fashionable, a small group of scientists and civil servants argued that migratory birds […] | |
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Financing biodiversity: Lisa Miller on investing in nature (February 9, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/financing-biodiversity-lisa-miller-on-investing-in-nature/ - Lisa Miller’s path into biodiversity finance grew out of an early fascination with animals, later shaped by training in zoology, museum science, and science communication in Australia. - After nearly two decades working in technology, she began asking how capital, business models, and execution could be redirected toward slowing and reversing biodiversity loss. - That question led to the creation of the Wedgetail Foundation, which blends philanthropy, investment, and direct land stewardship to support conservation and restoration in practice. - In January 2026, Lisa Miller spoke with Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Ayers Butler about her journey, her approach to investing in nature, and what it takes to make biodiversity work endure. | |
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Tipping points and ecosystem collapse are the real geopolitical risk (commentary) (February 9, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/tipping-points-and-ecosystem-collapse-are-the-real-geopolitical-risk-commentary/ - Robert Muggah of the Igarapé Institute argues that climate tipping points and large-scale biodiversity loss now pose a more profound threat to global security than many conventional risks, undermining food systems, water supplies, public health, and state legitimacy across borders. - Drawing on a newly released UK security assessment and wider research, he shows how ecosystem collapse creates cascading, non-linear shocks — from inflation and political polarization to displacement and conflict — that current economic and risk models consistently underestimate. - He concludes that protecting and restoring nature, alongside a rapid energy transition, is not a secondary environmental concern but a core security and economic strategy, and often cheaper than coping with systemic collapse after the fact. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
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After intense flooding, Kruger National Park rushes to repair damage (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/after-intense-flooding-kruger-national-park-rushes-to-repair-damage/ In mid-January, intense flooding across South Africa’s Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces forced Kruger National Park to briefly close to day visitors. Now, South African National Parks (SANParks) says it has reopened some roads and camp infrastructure. “Restoration efforts are ongoing, and visitor safety remains our highest priority,” the agency wrote in a Feb. 2 update. […] | |
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Encouragement boosts people’s likelihood to take climate action (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/encouragement-boosts-peoples-likelihood-to-take-climate-action/ The fight against climate change is often framed as a sacrifice: eat less meat and drive less often. But those actions could also be framed positively: eat more plants and ride bikes more often. A new study finds presenting environmental action in a more proactive light makes people more likely to act and feel happier […] | |
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Kathy Jefferson Bancroft, guardian of a stolen lake (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/kathy-jefferson-bancroft-guardian-of-a-stolen-lake/ - For decades, Kathy Jefferson Bancroft challenged the idea that Owens Lake was merely a technical problem, insisting it be understood as a living place with history, meaning, and obligations. - As Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Lone Pine Paiute–Shoshone Tribe, she worked at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and Western science, pressing agencies to account for longer timescales and deeper responsibilities. - Her advocacy helped protect sacred sites, resist destructive mining and mitigation schemes, and reshape how land and water decisions were made in California’s Owens Valley. - Bancroft’s work rested on a simple proposition that unsettled bureaucracies: water is not something to be managed at will, but something that carries memory, limits, and consequence. | |
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Pesticides found in 70% of European soils, harming beneficial life: Study (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/pesticides-found-in-70-of-european-soils-harming-beneficial-life-study/ - A new study found pesticide residues in 70% of soil samples across 26 European countries, making contamination the second-strongest factor shaping soil biodiversity after basic soil properties. - The pesticides severely harmed beneficial organisms like mycorrhizal fungi and nematodes that help plants absorb nutrients, and disrupted critical soil functions, including phosphorus and nitrogen cycling. - Pesticide contamination extended beyond farmland into forests and grasslands where pesticides aren’t applied, likely due to spray drift, with some chemicals persisting in soil for years. - Researchers say current regulations are inadequate because they test pesticides on only a few individual species rather than examining effects on entire soil communities and the ecosystem functions they perform. | |
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AI-generated wildlife photos make conservation more difficult (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/ai-generated-wildlife-photos-make-conservation-more-difficult/ Anyone who looks at a social media feed with any regularity is likely familiar with the deluge of fabricated images and videos now circulating online. Some are harmless curiosities (other than the resource use). Others are more troubling. Among the most consequential are AI-generated depictions of wildlife, which are beginning to distort how people understand […] | |
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Morocco evacuates 140,000 people as torrential rains and dam releases trigger floods (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/morocco-evacuates-140000-people-as-torrential-rains-and-dam-releases-trigger-floods/ RABAT, Morocco (AP) — More than 140,000 people were evacuated from their homes in northwestern Morocco as heavy rainfall and water releases from overfilled dams led to flooding, the Interior Ministry said. Stormy weather also disrupted maritime traffic between Morocco and Spain. Torrential rains and water releases from overfilled dams raised water levels in recent days in rivers […] | |
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What is lost when environmental coverage is cut (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/what-is-lost-when-environmental-coverage-is-cut/ - The Washington Post’s decision to cut a large share of its climate and environmental reporters is not just a newsroom story; it reflects a broader weakening of the institutions that sustain a shared, reliable public record on complex and contested issues. - Environmental reporting plays an underappreciated coordinating role, helping policymakers, regulators, markets, and communities see how dispersed decisions connect and where responsibility plausibly lies—work that becomes most visible when it is diminished. - Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Ayers Butler argues that cuts to environmental journalism thin the information infrastructure societies rely on to recognize risks and respond before harm becomes harder to reverse. - This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
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How intermediaries are reshaping mangrove restoration (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/california-ngo-uses-science-storytelling-to-boost-global-mangrove-restoration/ - Despite growing global interest in mangrove conservation and restoration, many projects fail; experts say one reason is that restoration efforts are often led by small community groups with limited resources and expertise. - Over the past five years, Seatrees, a California-based NGO, has supported mangrove restoration projects in Kenya, Mexico, the U.S. and Indonesia by providing funding to scale up tree planting, produce storytelling materials and build capacity in science, monitoring and impact measurement. - In Kenya, where their restoration efforts are most advanced, Seatrees and its local project partner have supported more than 30 community groups to plant more than 1 million mangrove seedlings, maintain nurseries, dig trenches to improve hydrology and patrol forest areas for illegal logging — while paying participants for this important work. - Seatrees has recently funded the creation and operation of a mangrove seedling nursery in the Florida Keys, run by CoastLove, a local NGO that engages residents and tourists in hands-on activities. | |
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Bolivia Indigenous communities, local gov’ts help protect nearly 1 million hectares (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/bolivia-indigenous-communities-local-govts-help-protect-nearly-1-million-hectares/ - Bolivia has created four new protected areas covering 907,244 hectares (2.2 million acres) of Amazon lowlands and Andean highlands, creating corridors intended to improve wildlife migration and maintain forest-based economies for local families. - Because the creation of nationally protected areas has slowed in Bolivia in recent years, conservation groups have looked to departmental and local governments for help protecting the rainforest. - The new protected areas help strengthen wildlife corridors between larger national parks. | |
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Partnering up to run a DRC reserve: Interview with Forgotten Parks’ Christine Lain (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/partnering-up-to-run-a-drc-reserve-interview-with-forgotten-parks-christine-lain/ - In 2017, Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo was largely a “paper park,” badly underfunded and encroached on by poachers, farmers, artisanal miners and armed groups, with its wildlife in steep decline. - That year, Forgotten Parks signed a 15-year deal with the DRC government to manage the park. - The agreement was one of a growing number of public-private partnerships for conservation in Africa. - Mongabay spoke to Forgotten Parks’ DRC director, Christine Lain, about how Forgotten Parks approaches its work at Upemba. | |
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Risk-taking comes earlier in chimpanzees than in humans, study finds (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/risk-taking-comes-earlier-in-chimpanzees-than-in-humans-study-finds/ - A study found that chimpanzees tend to take more physical risks as infants and young animals rather than as adolescents, like humans. - The researchers hypothesize that the level of care humans provide may cut down on the risks young children might otherwise take. - The team tracked how often 119 chimps dropped or leaped through the forests without holding onto any branches at Uganda’s Ngogo Chimpanzee Project, and analyzed the results according to the animals’ ages. - Infant and young chimpanzees were more likely to launch themselves through the trees than adolescents or adults, despite the risk of injury. | |
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Ethiopia’s Renaissance mega-dam fuels energy hopes and regional anxiety (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/ethiopias-renaissance-mega-dam-fuels-energy-hopes-and-regional-anxiety/ - Ethiopia inaugurated Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam in 2025, positioning itself as a regional energy exporter while millions of its citizens still lack access to electricity. - Egypt, which lies downstream in the Nile Basin, views the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as an existential threat, warning of risks to Nile water security and regional stability. - Scientists caution that dam failures or mismanagement could trigger catastrophic flooding in Sudan and Egypt. - Critics argue that the dam may serve as a geopolitical and public relations tool, while its environmental and social impacts remain insufficiently assessed. | |
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Critical shark and ray habitats in Western Indian Ocean largely unprotected: Study (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/critical-shark-and-ray-habitats-in-western-indian-ocean-largely-unprotected-study/ - Almost half of the Western Indian Ocean’s shark and ray populations are considered threatened with extinction, as populations decline. - The Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) project has mapped out 125 areas across the Western Indian Ocean that are critical for the survival of many species. - Yet only 7.1% of these ISRAs fall within existing marine protected areas, and just 1.2% are in fully protected areas where fishing is prohibited. - Researchers identified challenges related to fishing pressure as the most significant threat to sharks and rays in the region. | |
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Mines, dams move in as protection slips in a Cambodian wildlife sanctuary (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/mines-dams-move-in-as-protection-slips-in-a-cambodian-wildlife-sanctuary/ - Since 2020, at least five companies have been granted mining concessions in land designated as a community protected area adjoining Cambodia’s Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary. - Satellite analysis and on-the-ground reporting reveal that marble extraction has been underway since 2021, with companies piling up and shipping out thousands of blocks of marble, leaving behind cleared forests and water-filled pits. - Government officials and mining companies did not respond to interview requests, but local residents and community chiefs say they have not been consulted, or been given adequate compensation, as quarries tore through land in the community zone. - Lumphat sanctuary is also under pressure from industrial agriculture and a planned hydropower development. | |
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From Kigali to the Congo Basin: Aimable Twahirwa’s path in environmental journalism (February 6, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/from-kigali-to-the-congo-basin-aimable-twahirwas-path-in-environmental-journalism/ - Aimable Twahirwa is a Central and West Africa staff writer at Mongabay, based in Kigali, Rwanda. - He has worked as a journalist for 25 years, reporting on development, climate change, biodiversity and conservation across Africa and beyond. - His work has appeared in major outlets including Nature Publishing Group, Inter Press Service, Thomson Reuters Foundation, SciDev.Net and AllAfrica. - 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. | |
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What’s next for the major pledge to halt & reverse Congo Basin deforestation? (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/whats-next-for-the-major-pledge-to-halt-reverse-congo-basin-deforestation/ - In January, high-level policymakers came together to discuss the implementation of the recent Belém Call to Action for the Congo Basin Forests, a $2.5 billion pledge to conserve the world’s second-largest rainforest. - Central topics included the need for innovative funding approaches, such as moving beyond traditional donors in the Global North, direct funding for communities, the need to fund projects that link forest conservation with socioeconomic development and how to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. - For this commitment to work, where other environmental pledges have failed, panelists said there must be clear, traceable financing channels, strong institutional coordination, strong legal frameworks and genuine engagement of civil society and local actors. - The Congo Basin, covering several Central African countries in a wide green canopy, is facing several threats, chronic underfunding — and attention — for its conservation. | |
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Plastic household waste burned as fuel on rise in Global South, risking health (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/plastic-household-waste-burned-as-fuel-on-rise-in-global-south-risking-health/ - Urban households in developing countries are burning plastic waste in their homes to dispose of waste and as a cooking fuel to a greater extent than realized, according to a new study. - Researchers surveyed urban households in 26 Global South countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, revealing that this practice is widespread in some regions — particularly in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. - Data suggest that urban households are burning plastics as fire starters, as a secondary fuel source and due to no alternatives to waste disposal. - The burning of plastics is linked to serious health risks as well as environmental pollution. The authors urge further studies, along with targeted solutions to support marginalized communities with better fuel alternatives for cook fires and for plastic disposal. | |
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NOAA’s satellites capture extreme cold in striking detail (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/noaas-satellites-capture-extreme-cold-in-striking-detail/ When an Arctic blast pushed deep into the southeastern United States last weekend, it left behind more than freeze warnings and broken records. Over the Atlantic, the cold air reorganized the lower atmosphere into long, parallel cloud bands—patterns that meteorologists recognize as a signature of intense cold moving over warmer water—captured in striking detail by […] | |
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Local communities join global push to protect European, Arctic & US peatlands (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/local-communities-join-global-push-to-protect-european-arctic-us-peatlands/ - A conservation effort across Finland, Canada’s Arctic and the U.S. is trying to establish one of the first coordinated efforts to protect and restore peatlands in Europe and North America. - At the same time, communities and organizations are leading research activities, preserving Indigenous knowledge and creating artistic spaces to raise awareness about peatland conservation. - Although peatlands cover only about 3-4% of the Earth’s surface, studies show they contain up to one-third of the world’s soil carbon. - Given that peatlands are overlooked and face growing risks, sources say a cross-regional approach is timely for advancing peatland conservation while helping communities become better prepared and more resilient to climate change and mining impacts. | |
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Successful campaign proves Ghana’s forests are worth more than gold (commentary) (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/successful-campaign-proves-ghanas-forests-are-worth-more-than-gold-commentary/ - An unprecedented campaign recently pushed Ghana’s government to repeal legislation allowing mining in forest reserves. - Originally passed in 2022, the regulations had opened up nearly 90% of Ghana’s forest reserves to mining, but the campaign spurred nationwide protests, petitions, a strike and a prayer walk on the streets of Accra. - “Together, we rallied behind the idea that our forests are more important to us than gold. But as momentous as repealing the legislation is, it’s only a staging post in a longer journey to end the devastation that mining is inflicting in Ghana,” 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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Global moratorium on whaling, a ‘defining moment,’ turns 40 (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/global-moratorium-on-whaling-a-defining-moment-turns-40/ The global moratorium on commercial whaling reached its 40-year mark in January, during which time it’s been credited with helping Earth’s largest creatures recover from centuries of hunting pressure. The moratorium went into effect in January 1986 following a 1982 vote by member countries of the International Whaling Commission. Though a few countries have continued […] | |
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Malaysia bans e-waste imports, vows to end illegal dumping (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/malaysia-bans-e-waste-imports-vows-to-end-illegal-dumping/ KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia has announced an immediate and full ban on the importation of electronic waste, as the government vowed the country would not be a “dumping ground” for the world’s waste. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said in a statement late Wednesday that all electronic waste, commonly known as e-waste, would be reclassified under the […] | |
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Malaysia lost 20% of its coral reefs in three years (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/malaysia-lost-20-of-its-coral-reefs-in-three-years/ Malaysia’s coral reefs are shrinking at a pace that is hard to ignore. According to the latest national survey by Reef Check Malaysia, about one-fifth of the country’s coral cover has been lost since 2022, a decline compressed into just three years. What had been gradual erosion now looks more like a slide. The 2025 […] | |
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Thailand’s Hat Yai picks up the pieces in wake of devastating floods (analysis) (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/thailands-hat-yai-picks-up-the-pieces-in-wake-of-devastating-floods-analysis/ - Despite a history of flooding and forecasts of heavy La Niña rains, the Thai city of Hat Yai received little effective warning before floodwaters surged last November to devastating levels. - Power, communications and access were cut, and rescue services struggled to reach flooded areas, leaving residents to survive by sheltering with neighbors under extreme conditions. - Many lost everything, and government compensation is limited, while decades of poor urban planning raise doubts about Hat Yai’s ability to withstand future extreme weather events under a changing climate. - This article is an analysis. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
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A last refuge for turtles on the brink (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/a-last-refuge-for-turtles-on-the-brink/ The Turtle Survival Center, run by the Turtle Survival Alliance, exists to buy time for species that no longer have much of it. Founded in 2013 in South Carolina, the center functions as a high-security refuge and breeding facility for some of the world’s rarest freshwater turtles and tortoises. It houses hundreds of animals representing […] | |
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Light pollution could worsen allergy seasons, new study suggests (February 5, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/light-pollution-could-worsen-allergy-seasons-new-study-suggests/ Nighttime light is a well-known hazard for migrating birds and sea turtles. New research suggests it may also pose risks for human health. The study finds that plants exposed to artificial light at night (ALAN) produce pollen for an extended period of time, which is “a major public health issue,” Andrew Richardson, an ecologist with […] | |
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A dam threatens Nepal’s Indigenous community; they want it on the ballot (February 4, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-dam-threatens-nepals-indigenous-community-they-want-it-on-the-ballot/ - Residents of Mulkharka, largely from the Indigenous Tamang community, learned only in 2023 about plans for the Nagmati Dam near their settlement on the northern edge of Kathmandu and now strongly oppose it, saying officials highlighted benefits but hid social, environmental and safety risks. - Locals fear displacement as well as loss of forests, rituals, grazing land and medicinal plants, with estimates of up to 80,000 trees cut, increased human-wildlife conflict and erosion of ancestral ties to the land. - Critics and engineers warn the $190 million dam is unnecessary and systemically risky, citing weak environmental assessments, seismic vulnerability and catastrophic flood potential for downstream Kathmandu if the dam fails. - As Nepal heads into parliamentary elections, Mulkharka residents want the dam debated at the ballot box calling for development models that prioritize community consent, ecological safety and accountability. | |
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Agave or bust! Mexican long-nosed bats head farther north in search of sweet nectar (February 4, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/agave-or-bust-mexican-long-nosed-bats-head-farther-north-in-search-of-sweet-nectar/ ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Mexican long-nosed bats have a taste for agave, their tongues designed to lap up the famous desert plant’s nectar during nightly flights. It’s not just a means of satisfying taste buds. It’s a matter of fueling up for an arduous journey. The endangered species migrates each summer from Mexico into the […] | |
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Whale sharks released from nets along India’s coast as fishers turn rescuers (February 4, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/whale-sharks-released-from-nets-along-indias-coast-as-fishers-turn-rescuers/ - Once hunted and butchered for oil and meat, whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are now being rescued by fishers along India’s western Arabian Sea coast. - Since 2001, the nonprofit Wildlife Trust of India has been educating fishing communities about whale sharks, training fishers in safe disentanglement techniques and offering compensation for destroyed nets. - During that time, more than a thousand whale sharks have been released from accidental entanglement in fishing nets along India’s west coast. - However, experts say the compensation for rescues remains insufficient and that social security, insurance, training and livelihood-linked incentives should be offered to protect the fishers who engage in whale shark rescues. | |
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Seagrass restoration in Malaysia finds multi-species approach boosts recovery (February 4, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/seagrass-restoration-in-malaysia-finds-multi-species-approach-boosts-recovery/ - Seagrass restoration is increasingly recognized as crucial for addressing the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. - However, much remains unknown about the most effective techniques, especially in tropical ecosystems where long-term projects struggle for funding. - A decade-long seagrass recovery program in Peninsular Malaysia has achieved high survival rates at a site heavily impacted by coastal development, raising hopes that degraded meadows can be revitalized. - The study also identified several factors that can increase success, including: knowledge of the biology of local seagrass species, adapting methods to suit local environmental and physical conditions, and properly addressing the original drivers of decline. | |
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New global map shows where sharks and rays most need protection (February 3, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-global-map-shows-where-sharks-and-rays-most-need-protection/ - A new report delineates 816 areas of the ocean that should be protected to help shark and ray populations recover following decades of overfishing. - The areas, each of which hosts key activities such as reproduction for at least one threatened shark or ray species, are visible on an online atlas open to the public. - The ISRAs don’t take up all that much of the ocean’s surface: less than 3% for the nine regions where research has been completed, which shows how achievable conservation of sharks and rays is, the lead author said. - The report was released ahead of a major meeting of the parties of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), a United Nations treaty, in Brazil in March, where area-based management decisions for marine species are on the agenda. | |
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What’s happening with the global treaty to trace critical minerals? (February 3, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/whats-happening-with-the-global-treaty-to-trace-critical-minerals/ - Colombia has been pushing for a binding global minerals treaty at several key U.N. meetings, including at the seventh U.N. Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) last December. - It hopes to address the socioenvironmental problems caused by minerals and metals mining through the creation of international traceability and due diligence mechanisms across mineral supply chains. - At UNEA-7, a joint proposal put forward by Colombia and Oman encountered resistance from several member states for traceability, political and economic reasons, ending with a nonbinding resolution that was stripped of its original ambition. Traceability, which experts warn is essential to address mining risks, did not make it into the final resolution. - NGOs and certain states say they will continue pushing for a global treaty on traceability at upcoming conferences, while other mineral frameworks emerge — including those seeking to accelerate investment in critical mineral mining. | |
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Why is a Philippine island now the Asia Pacific center for agroecology? Interview with Ramon ‘Chin-Chin’ Uy Jr. (February 3, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-is-a-philippine-island-now-the-asia-pacific-center-for-agroecology-interview-with-ramon-chin-chin-uy-jr/ - Ramon “Chin-Chin” Uy Jr., is a sustainable food entrepreneur based on Negros Island in the Philippines, which recently hosted the global “good food” movement Slow Food’s first-ever regional conference in Asia and the Pacific. - The gathering last November brought together farmers, chefs, food artisans and policymakers from across the region to discuss agroecology, biodiversity and climate-resilient food systems. - Mongabay reporter Keith Anthony Fabro sat down with Uy during the event to discuss agroecology in the region and what it means that Negros Island is being heralded as its “capital.” | |
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Writer Megan Mayhew Bergman on science, emotion, and the lasting power of ‘Silent Spring’ (February 3, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/02/writer-megan-mayhew-bergman-on-science-emotion-and-the-lasting-power-of-silent-spring/ It’s been more than half a century since the publication of Silent Spring by the scientist and creative writer Rachel Carson. The seminal volume caught the attention of U.S. presidents, artists and musicians, spurring the environmental movement and leading to the eventual ban of the toxic pesticide DDT. Joining the Mongabay Newscast is environmental writer […] | |
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Lower levels of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in North Atlantic whales show regulations work: Study (February 3, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/lower-levels-of-pfas-forever-chemicals-in-north-atlantic-whales-show-regulations-work-study/ - North Atlantic pilot whales now have 60% lower concentrations of some legacy PFAS (forever chemicals) than they did a decade ago, according to a Harvard University-led study. - This represents roughly a decade-long lag after major manufacturers began phasing out production of the most problematic legacy PFAS in the early 2000s due to toxicity concerns. - The study also reveals a troubling pattern known as “regrettable substitution,” where banned harmful substances are replaced by similar chemicals that cause comparable harm. - The findings contrast with trends in human blood samples, where total organofluorine levels have remained stable or even increased despite declining concentrations of legacy PFAS, suggesting newer replacement PFAS may be accumulating primarily on land. | |
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From above: Aerial Borneo (February 3, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/02/from-above-aerial-borneo/ Aerial photography invites a level of uncertainty. The ground offers clues but rarely the full picture. Once the view lifts, certain patterns begin to register: peat-dark water cutting through forest, the abrupt change from canopy to cleared land, the geometry of river bends, or mountains rising in the distance. At times, the colors can be […] | |
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Conservation programs must embrace causal evidence when evaluating impact (commentary) (February 3, 2026) https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/conservation-programs-must-embrace-causal-evidence-when-evaluating-impact-commentary/ - A couple of seminal studies published almost 20 years ago found that conservationists needed to start examining whether their actions were actually causing the desired effects. - Assessing conservation projects through a causal lens takes more effort but can ultimately be a big piece of the puzzle that helps practitioners identify cause-and-effect relationships between various factors. - “What’s needed now is making causal evaluation standard practice rather than the exception. With biodiversity in crisis, we can’t afford to keep guessing whether our actions work,” a new op-ed argues. - This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay. | |
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