Africa secures major clean energy deals as France deepens investment push (May 13, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/africa-secures-major-clean-energy-deals-as-france-deepens-investment-push/
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — French and African leaders have announced more than $11 billion in renewable energy investments across Africa, underscoring the continent’s growing importance in the global push for cleaner energy and industrial development. The commitments were unveiled Tuesday during a closed-door CEO forum held alongside the France-Africa Summit in Nairobi, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, […]
Kenya’s Ruto rejects “raw mineral export” future for Africa (May 13, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/kenyas-ruto-rejects-raw-mineral-export-future-for-africa/
- As the world transitions from fossil fuels to green energy, increasing numbers of investors are seeking opportunities in Africa in a bid to secure access to the critical minerals needed for that transition.
- Kenyan President William Ruto has called for a new economic model that builds industrial value chains within Africa and avoids repeating the exploitative patterns that defined mineral extraction in the past.
- As several African countries tighten mining laws and negotiate new deals with foreign investors, civil society groups and researchers warn that the global rush for Africa’s critical minerals risks reproducing extractive models that have historically fueled environmental destruction, displacement and inequality and provided little by way of economic benefits for Africans.
- Countries with contested histories of natural resource extraction in Africa, including France, are increasingly acknowledging that critical minerals and rare earth elements should be processed locally on the continent. French President Emmanuel Macron has argued that Europeans are not the “predators of this century.”
The Southern Ocean is key to our planet’s future & we have a chance to protect it this year (commentary) (May 13, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-southern-ocean-is-key-to-our-planets-future-we-have-a-chance-to-protect-it-this-year-commentary/
- The wildlife-rich Southern Ocean is not simply another stretch of water in need of protection: just one part of it — the Antarctic Peninsula — is home to roughly a third of the global krill population, which sustains large populations of whales, penguins, seals, seabirds, fish and more.
- The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is responsible for governing these waters, and the U.K. is set to chair its pivotal 45th annual meeting this year.
- This is an opportunity to act on Southern Ocean conservation, a new op-ed by former U.K. environment minister Zac Goldsmith argues, but that’s not all: “It would also send a powerful signal, at a time when multilateralism is under strain, that countries can still come together around shared values and act for the global good,” he writes.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
As elephants return in eastern Zambia, communities adapt to coexistence (May 13, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/as-elephants-return-in-eastern-zambia-communities-adapt-to-coexistence/
- Four years ago, more than 200 elephants were relocated to Malawi’s Kasungu National Park, which shares an open border with three farming districts in eastern Zambia.
- The elephants regularly move into farms, sometimes raiding granaries and destroying crops and posing a risk to people.
- Amid deep skepticism, conservationists and wildlife officials are working with locals to change attitudes, turning conflict into coexistence.
Ecuador failing to end Yasuní oil drilling: Interview with Waorani leader Juan Bay (May 13, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/ecuador-failing-to-end-yasuni-oil-drilling-interview-with-waorani-leader-juan-bay/
- Mongabay recently interviewed Juan Bay, the president of the Waorani Nation (NAWE) in Ecuador, on the stalled efforts to shut down oil drilling in Yasuní National Park that overlaps with Indigenous territories.
- A voter referendum in 2023 required the Ecuadorian government to shut down the 43-ITT oil block by August 2024, and the decision was backed up in a 2025 ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR).
- Since then, however, there’s been virtually no progress, Bay said, with the government having shuttered just 10 out of 247 oil wells in the block.
- Bay said communities continue to suffer from the environmental and cultural destruction caused by oil exploitation, as well as the internal divisions that formed between some Waorani communities.
In eastern Indonesia, communities revive customary systems to protect the seas (May 13, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/in-eastern-indonesia-communities-revive-customary-systems-to-protect-the-seas/
- A new documentary, “Jejak Wallacea,” highlights how coastal communities across eastern Indonesia are reviving customary marine management systems to protect ecosystems threatened by destructive fishing, turtle hunting and habitat loss.
- Communities featured in the film use locally rooted approaches including seasonal fishing closures, turtle hatcheries, mangrove restoration, customary sanctions and community patrols to manage reefs, fisheries and coastal forests.
- Conservation groups behind the project say community-led systems rooted in Indigenous and local knowledge can succeed where top-down conservation models and formal protected areas alone often fall short.
- The initiatives have helped protect species including sea turtles, dugongs and thresher sharks, but organizers say long-term success depends on stronger government recognition and support for community-based conservation.
Sawfish in Sri Lanka may be ‘functionally extinct,’ but refuges remain (May 13, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/sawfish-in-sri-lanka-may-be-functionally-extinct-but-refuges-remain/
The sawfish, recognizable by its distinctive saw-shaped snout or rostrum, is now thought to be “functionally extinct” in Sri Lankan waters. This, researchers say, means that while a few individuals may still exist, their numbers are likely too low to maintain a viable breeding population, reports contributor Malaka Rodrigo for Mongabay. In a 2021 study, […]
Wetland destruction blamed for rise in croc attacks on Indonesia’s Bangka Island (May 13, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/wetland-destruction-blamed-for-rise-in-croc-attacks-on-indonesias-bangka-island/
The destruction of coastal wetlands for illegal tin mining and oil palm plantations is to blame for a surge in crocodile attacks on people on Indonesia’s Bangka Island, residents say. Mongabay Indonesia contributor Taufik Wijaya reported that in February this year, a 40-year-old fisherman was killed by a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) in the Menduk […]
New study explores how reforestation could help Java’s leopards survive (May 13, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-study-explores-how-reforestation-could-help-javas-leopards-survive/
- A new study finds that strategically restoring degraded forests could help reconnect fragmented habitat for the endangered Javan leopard, giving the species more room to move across densely populated Java.
- Researchers created the first islandwide model of habitat connectivity for the species, showing how targeted reforestation could help offset some of the barriers created by roads, railways and urban development.
- Conservationists say isolated leopard populations face increasing risks from habitat loss, human conflict, disease and inbreeding, with only an estimated 320 Javan leopards remaining in the wild.
- Experts caution that the model still needs to be tested with real-world tracking data, but say reconnecting forests will be essential for the long-term survival of Java’s last apex predator.
New data platform aims to reduce conflicts between First Nations and businesses in Canada (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-data-platform-aims-to-reduce-conflicts-between-first-nations-and-businesses-in-canada/
- Mongabay spoke with Robert Jago, founder of a comprehensive Indigenous-led data platform compiling information on every First Nation in Canada.
- The platform organizes and verifies contact information, territory maps, governance background and more, to facilitate collaboration between Indigenous communities, business and government.
- A goal of the platform, Jago said, is to reduce conflicts between extractive industries and Indigenous peoples, given that lack of access to accurate information is at the root of many such conflicts.
- Canada has plans to expand extractive, energy and infrastructure projects across the country, including on Indigenous lands and in the Arctic region.
Long dubbed a ‘climate refuge,’ warming Tasmanian forests need our help (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/long-dubbed-a-climate-refuge-warming-tasmanian-forests-need-our-help/
- Tasmania has long been considered a global “climate refuge,” where cool, ocean-influenced conditions allow species like the giant freshwater crayfish to persist as mainland Australia warms.
- But new research shows that the world’s climate refuges are not immune to threats: shifting rainfall, warming waters, sediment runoff, land-use change and other impacts are eroding the ecological conditions that sustain numerous species.
- In Tasmania, emerging pressures are impacting the island’s biodiversity, ranging from warming and sedimentation in forest streams affecting sensitive crayfish habitat, to declining oxygen levels putting the endemic Maugean skate at risk.
- Scientists say protecting climate refuges now requires active coordinated management between federal, state and local partners, with multimillion-dollar investments in watershed restoration and ongoing conservation efforts.
Protest works, but is under attack and needs your help, veteran activists say (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/05/protest-works-but-is-under-attack-and-needs-your-help-veteran-activists-say/
“We are experiencing what some people call sort of a shutdown of the public square in the United States and around the world,” says veteran environmental activist André Carothers. Along with the former executive director of Greenpeace US, Annie Leonard, the two have co-authored a new book about the history of protest, why it works, […]
Agriculture drives most tropical peatland loss in Indonesia, Peru and DRC: Study (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/agriculture-drives-most-tropical-peatland-loss-in-indonesia-peru-and-drc-study/
Agriculture is the biggest driver of peatland loss in Indonesia, Peru and the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the largest expanses of tropical peatlands in the world, a recent study has found. Peatlands are crucial in the fight against climate change: They cover less than 3% of the world’s landmass, but sequester more carbon […]
How grape farmers are restoring Armenia’s wine heritage while safeguarding ecosystems (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/how-grape-farmers-are-restoring-armenias-wine-heritage-while-safeguarding-ecosystems/
- Winemaking in the area that is now Armenia has a history going back 6,000 years.
- However, the practice nearly vanished from Armenia during the Soviet era, in the 20th century.
- Wine producers in Armenia are now working to rebuild their craft, establishing “vertical” vineyards in mountainous provinces like Vayots Dzor.
- Many producers employ organic farming techniques to protect neighboring ecosystems, such as using cover crops instead of fertilizer to restore soil nitrogen.
Sour on the ‘blue economy,’ small-scale fishers seek ‘blue justice’ instead (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/sour-on-the-blue-economy-small-scale-fishers-seek-blue-justice-instead/
- The blue economy is a somewhat ambiguous term that’s been used in international policy circles for the past decade and a half.
- The World Bank defines it as “the sustainable use of resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and job creation while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.”
- In recent years, some small-scale fishers and coastal community members have started to question the blue economy agenda, arguing that it’s bad for them and the ecosystems they depend on — a kind of cover for business as usual.
- Groups of small-scale fishers are now working together across countries and continents to fight for their interests, and some are calling for “blue justice,” a concept that centers human rights and marine tenure rights.
Who are the women sustaining luxury fishing in Brazil’s Pantanal? (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/who-are-the-women-sustaining-luxury-fishing-in-brazils-pantanal/
- In the heart of the Pantanal wetland, women from riverine communities spend up to 12 hours a day in murky waters, surrounded by caimans and snakes, to gather live bait that feeds a multimillion-dollar fishing tourism industry.
- Sportfishing in the Pantanal generates around $20 million a year, but the gatherers receive only a few cents for each piece of bait.
- During the close season, from November to February, when fishing is banned, they are supposed to receive compensation from the state; but this season there was still no payment as of early February.
- According to government data, women make up 40% of professional fishers in Brazil’s two Pantanal states, and they do most bait collection in the biome.
South Africa declares natural disaster as flooding kills at least 10 (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/south-africa-declares-natural-disaster-as-flooding-kills-at-least-10/
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 10 people are dead with many homes destroyed in flooding caused by torrential rains across six provinces in South Africa that have hit informal settlements especially hard. South African authorities have declared a natural disaster for the flooding, thunderstorms, high winds and even snowfall that have affected parts of the Western Cape, […]
New Jaguar Rivers Initiative aims to reconnect South America’s fragmented ecosystems (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-jaguar-rivers-initiative-aims-to-reconnect-south-americas-fragmented-ecosystems/
- Four major conservation groups have joined forces to establish the Jaguar Rivers Initiative across South America’s Paraná River Basin.
- Its goal is to protect the big cat and other threatened species, rewild native wildlife, and protect land throughout the basin, a biodiversity hotspot shared by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
- Many rivers form the borders between the four countries, and by collaborating on protections, the initiative seeks to reconnect fragmented habitat, using rivers and riparian forests to rebuild wildlife corridors.
- By 2030, the initiative plans to protect at least 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of land in these countries, preserving approximately 34 million metric tons of carbon at risk of being released through deforestation, fire and land-use change.
No beak = weak? Not for this New Zealand parrot that’s the alpha male of his flock (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/no-beak-weak-not-for-this-new-zealand-parrot-thats-the-alpha-male-of-his-flock/
For many birds, survival depends heavily on their beaks. Beaks are used for eating, hygiene and even fighting, so a broken or deformed beak can often be a death sentence. But for one kea parrot, an endangered species endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand, scientists observed the exact opposite, despite the bird missing its entire upper […]
Can Bangladesh’s new law save its natural wetlands? (May 12, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/can-bangladeshs-new-law-save-its-natural-wetlands/
- For the first time, Bangladesh has enacted a dedicated law on the conservation of its unique natural wetlands, such as the haors, baors and beels.
- Experts have assessed that the new law overlaps with already existing conservation tools.
- However, better coordination with related government agencies has been suggested for the expected outcome.