Open dumping & failed reforms bury Sri Lankan cities in waste problem (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/open-dumping-failed-reforms-bury-sri-lankan-cities-in-waste-problem/
- In a landmark decision, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court recently determined that long-term waste dumping at a site in Meethotamulla violated residents’ fundamental rights and faulted the authorities for allowing the dump to expand beyond permitted limits.
- After years of unregulated dumping and ignored warnings, in 2017, the same garbage mound collapsed, killing 32 people, including children, destroyed more than 140 homes and displaced hundreds.
- The country generates around 8,000-10,000 metric tons of municipal solid waste daily, with Colombo contributing about 500 metric tons, while more than 260 open dumpsites, including 20 large ones, continue to operate countrywide.
- Systems are gradually shifting toward composting, waste-to-energy incineration and engineered sanitary landfill disposal, but weak segregation, limited capacity and continued reliance on open dumping persist.
Singapore to halt sourcing and breeding dolphins (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/singapore-to-halt-sourcing-and-breeding-dolphins/
Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa will stop sourcing wild dolphins for its aquarium and is suspending its captive-breeding program, according to insiders, reports Mongabay contributor Robin Hicks. Anbarasi Boopal, former co-chief executive of Singapore animal welfare charity Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), said this was a positive step. However, she called for transparency about […]
Little-known company targets South African biodiversity hotspot for mining (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/little-known-company-targets-south-african-biodiversity-hotspot-for-mining/
- South Africa’s remote, semiarid Northern Cape province risks environmental damage by an inexperienced mining company that wants to prospect for the minerals critical for the renewable energy sector.
- Environmentalists have drawn attention to the “exceptionally poor” impact assessment studies, suggesting a lack of planning and consideration that heightens the risk of impacts on the environment and local communities.
- The potential impacts include groundwater contamination in a water-scarce region and the risk of radioactive dust polluting the soil and water sources.
- The company that’s applied to prospect seven tracts of land in the province only registered as a business in 2023 and has no public track record as a mining company.
Citizen science helps reconnect Singapore treetops for elusive leaf-eating langurs (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/citizen-science-helps-reconnect-singapore-treetops-for-elusive-leaf-eating-langurs/
- Singapore’s fragmented forests are home to a small population of Raffles’ banded langurs, one of the world’s most threatened primates.
- Citizen scientists are helping conservationists protect the arboreal species across the island’s densely urbanized landscape.
- By collecting long-term and consistent data in known strongholds, volunteers have identified langur food plants and movement corridors, boosting efforts to enrich and reconnect their habitats.
- The citizen science program has also built public awareness of the elusive species, one of only three primates left in Singapore, an outcome experts hope will rouse wider support for biodiversity protection amid intense development pressure.
After 110-kilo ivory bust, familiar questions over Kenya’s follow-through (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/after-110-kilo-ivory-bust-familiar-questions-over-kenyas-follow-through/
In late January, Kenyan authorities arrested two men in possession of more than a hundred kilos of ivory in the town of Namanga, on the border with Tanzania. According to Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), police and wildlife officers were on a covert operation at a hotel when they caught three men — identified […]
Chile’s plan to protect another 10% of its ocean is stalled by the new government (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/chiles-plan-to-protect-another-10-of-its-ocean-is-stalled-by-the-new-government/
The expansion of two vast Pacific marine parks near Chile have been suspended for six weeks, leaving protections for around 337,000 square kilometers (130,000 square miles) of ocean in limbo. Former President Gabriel Boric signed a decree creating marine parks Juan Fernández II and Nazca-Desventuradas II on March 10, his last day in office. Together […]
Scientists forecast wildfire risk for species survival under climate change (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/scientists-forecast-wildfire-risk-for-species-survival-under-climate-change/
A new study warns climate change could increase the global area susceptible to wildfires in the future, putting many more species at risk than today. Previous research has shown that climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires as precipitation patterns change and vegetation becomes drier in parts of the world. Researchers have now projected […]
Elephants adjust what they eat in altered habitats, signaling growing pressure (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/elephants-adjust-what-they-eat-in-altered-habitats-signaling-growing-pressure/
Asian elephants are adapting to rapidly changing landscapes by diversifying their diets — a sign of resilience, but also a warning about the pressures reshaping their habitats, according to a recent study from Malaysia. Researchers collected feces from wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) across two distinct landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia: one with primary and secondary […]
Brazil FOIA confirms Lula & Macron talked before key CITES vote on endangered tree (April 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/brazil-foia-confirms-lula-macron-talked-before-key-cites-vote-on-endangered-tree/
- Earlier in 2026, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s office denied to Mongabay that he had had a phone call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, before a decisive vote at the 2025 meeting of CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty to secure the highest trade protections for endangered Brazilwood.
- But after Mongabay’s Freedom of Information Act request, Lula’s office confirmed the two leaders had, in fact, been in direct communication during the CITES summit. The confirmation comes after allegations that last-minute political maneuvers by France diluted Brazil’s proposal and resulted in reduced protections. France has not responded to Mongabay’s similar freedom of information request, and has declined to comment about any communications between Lulu and Macron at the CITES summit.
- Brazilwood is highly sought-after by the music industry to craft violin bows costing up to $8,200 apiece. The species, endemic to Brazil, has declined by 84% over the last three generations and is now critically endangered.
Disaster impacts in 2025 were ‘typical’ despite no mega-disasters: Report (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/disaster-impacts-in-2025-were-typical-despite-no-mega-disasters-report/
More than 110 million people were affected by 358 reported disasters in 2025, according to the annual report by the Emergency Events Database. The year was consistent with a typical year of disaster impacts, with no mega-disasters recorded. The report looked at nine different types of disasters and only found above-average impacts from storms. The […]
Indigenous peoples’ health cannot be separated from the environment, U.N. delegates warn (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/indigenous-peoples-health-cannot-be-separated-from-the-environment-un-delegates-warn/
- At the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, experts called attention to the impacts of conflict on Indigenous health, particularly through food systems, water and damage to ecosystems they depend on.
- A widely discussed study, published by former permanent forum member Geoffrey Roth, argued that sectoral approaches to health have “consistently failed Indigenous Peoples” by confining health to a “clinical and public health” mandate.
- As a public health solution, advocates at the forum pushed for the WHO and member states to focus their attention on land tenure and ecosystem stewardship.
How much does a penguin weigh? (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/how-much-does-a-penguin-weigh/
The African penguins are the only species of penguins in Africa. However, they are critically endangered due to shortage of food. Sardines and anchovies form a big part of their diet. Due to rising ocean temperatures, pollution and overfishing, fish stocks have massively declined in recent decades. As a result, African penguins are struggling to […]
Oil spill continues in Gulf of Mexico vulnerable habitats, while Pemex admits fault (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/oil-spill-continues-in-gulf-of-mexico-vulnerable-habitats-while-pemex-admits-fault/
- An oil spill has contaminated 933 kilometers (about 580 miles) of shoreline along the western Gulf of Mexico, impacting the Mexican states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Campeche and Tabasco in eastern Mexico.
- After two months of contradictory theories about what could have caused the spill, Mexico’s national oil company, Pemex, admitted the spill was caused by a leak in one of its pipelines.
- Local communities have had to reduce or stop their fishing and ecotourism activities due to a lack of information from authorities about the risks of coming into contact with the water, and despite a government-led cleanup, residents continue to document damages to the environment, such as oil-slicked vegetation and intoxicated or dead fauna.
- Conservationists say the containment of the spill is urgent for the protection of more than 1,000 marine species, among them, endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles whose nesting season is underway on the beaches of northern Veracruz and Tamaulipas.
Study finds bottom trawling nets 3,000 marine fish species, including threatened ones (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/study-finds-bottom-trawling-nets-3000-marine-fish-species-including-threatened-ones/
How many marine fish species do bottom trawls catch? Researchers now have a list, and it’s long, running to some 3,000 species, according to a recent study. Bottom trawling is a commercially popular, and controversial, fishing method in which boats drag weighted nets along the seafloor. Usually they target commercially valuable marine life at the […]
Forest-focused environment laws may be pushing farming into other ecosystems (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/forest-focused-environment-laws-may-be-pushing-farming-into-other-ecosystems/
Grasslands, wetlands and other nonforest ecosystems are being converted to agricultural land far faster than forests. However, they remain largely overlooked by Europe’s flagship antideforestation law and other environmental policies, according to a new report by the Rainforest Alliance, World Resources Institute and partner organizations. The report found such ecosystems are being lost to agriculture […]
AI tool listens for endangered orcas in real time to reduce human disturbance (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ai-tool-listens-for-endangered-orcas-in-real-time-to-reduce-human-disturbance/
- An AI initiative is listening to southern resident orcas in real-time to help them steer clear of vessels and noisy coastal construction.
- OrcaHello builds on a network of underwater microphones to detect orcas and push out alerts that have helped pause coastal construction and redirect boat traffic as the orcas pass by.
- Southern resident orcas are considered an endangered subspecies, with only 76 remaining individuals.
- Major threats to the species include a decline in their food sources, primarily Chinook salmon, along with noise pollution and vessel traffic.
New atlas aims to help save Africa’s disappearing wetlands (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/new-atlas-aims-to-help-save-africas-disappearing-wetlands/
Since 1970, more than a third of the world’s wetlands have been lost, at a rate three times faster than forest loss. To help governments and funders prioritize wetlands in need of protection or restoration, the global nonprofit Wetlands International has launched the new Wetland Atlas. The interactive atlas integrates spatial information on different wetlands […]
In Nepal, controversial dam threatens endangered pangolins: Study (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/in-nepal-controversial-dam-threatens-endangered-pangolins-study/
- The proposed Nagmati Dam in Nepal’s capital potentially threatens critically endangered Chinese pangolins by flooding their prime habitat.
- Researchers warn that pangolins are especially vulnerable due to their small home ranges and specific habitat needs, meaning even limited habitat loss could have severe population impacts.
- The dam’s environmental impact assessment is criticized for failing to properly acknowledge or evaluate risks to these threatened species.
- Beyond pangolins, other threatened wildlife in the park — including leopards and Himalayan black bear — may face displacement, increasing ecological stress and conflict risks.
Why forest conservation is also public health (April 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/why-forest-conservation-is-also-public-health/
- A new study from Madagascar provides the first complete mitochondrial genomes for two endemic tuft-tailed rats, offering a clearer baseline for identifying and tracking native rodent species.
- Fieldwork found these native rodents only in intact forest, while degraded areas were dominated by invasive black rats, suggesting a shift in community composition linked to habitat change.
- Understanding which rodent species are present, where they live, and how their populations change is critical not just for biodiversity, but for identifying how pathogen dynamics may shift across landscapes.
- The research illustrates how improved ecological monitoring can connect conservation and public health, supporting the view that protecting ecosystems and managing disease risk are closely linked.
How marine flyways could help save the world’s declining seabird population (April 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/04/how-marine-flyways-could-help-save-the-worlds-declining-seabird-population/
The routes taken by migratory birds, known as flyways, often cross vast expanses of ocean. Six of these marine flyways have now been formally recognized by the U.N.’s Convention on Migratory Species, at the suggestion of scientists who published their findings on these flyways in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology. Tammy Davies, […]