Rare bird finding strengthens case to protect Congo rainforest across borders (October 26, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/rare-bird-finding-strengthens-case-to-protect-congo-rainforest-across-borders/
- Scientists have made the first record of a rare bird in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo — inside a biosphere reserve that is severely threatened by deforestation.
- The grey-necked picathartes — a bird of the Lower Guinean rainforest — was not previously thought to live as far south as the DRC.
- But records of it there, as well as recent new records of the same species in the southwestern corner of the Republic of Congo and in Angola’s northern Cabinda province, lend impetus for the proposed Mayombe Forest Transfrontier Protected Area (TFPA) — home to other charismatic species like gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants.
Bangladesh’s hornbills face hunting risk during breeding season (October 26, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-hornbills-face-hunting-risk-during-breeding-season/
- Hornbills in Bangladesh are being targeted during breeding season, when females remain in the nest and chicks are still unable to fly.
- Rescue records from 2023 to 2026 show 26 hornbills, mostly chicks, were taken directly from the nest.
- The rescued birds feed an illegal trade in live hornbills and their body parts, with chicks reportedly sold for up to 100,000 taka ($800) after passing through multiple hands.
- Conservationists warn that the documented rescues may represent only a fraction of the hunting and trafficking taking place and call for stronger enforcement and greater awareness around habitats of hornbills.
Taiwan’s tea growers let nature take back control as climate pressures mount (October 26, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/taiwans-tea-growers-let-nature-take-back-control-as-climate-pressures-mount/
- Alishan, a mountain region in central Taiwan, is famous for producing the prized high-mountain tea, but its tea production has declined in recent years.
- Tea growers are facing threats not only from soil degradation but also from climate change, leading a handful of tea growers to adopt more environmentally friendly farming methods and nature-based solutions.
- Tea farmer Lin Kuang-lin credits his nature-based approach for enabling his plants to weather the ecological challenges.
- Tea growers Yeh Hsin-wen and Chang Chih-tsung have chosen an even more radical approach with their tea farm, with their yefang, or wild-grown, method.
Corals keep a record of pollution, pointing to a new monitoring method: Study (October 26, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/corals-keep-a-record-of-pollution-pointing-to-a-new-monitoring-method-study/
- A recent study found 25 contaminants, including from cosmetic products, medicines and agricultural runoff, in coral tissues from reef sites in Hawaii. Contaminant levels were higher at sites subject to greater human influence.
- The study is among the first to use metabolomics — the study of small molecules in tissues and organisms — to monitor chronic human-caused stress on corals in the wild.
- While a water sample of a coral reef site provides a snapshot of what contaminants are present, coral tissue can reveal those that have accumulated over time.
- The researchers also found that the sites with healthier coral metabolomes seemed to have maintained more coral cover during a 2015-2016 marine heat wave; this suggests that local threats like pollution may leave reefs less resilient to global ones, like rising temperatures, they write.
A millennium of evidence reveals colonial roots of Australia’s wildfire vulnerability (October 26, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-millennium-of-evidence-reveals-colonial-roots-of-australias-wildfire-vulnerability/
A 1,000-year ecological reconstruction reveals that Australia’s ongoing wildfire crisis stems from the colonial disruption of Indigenous fire management rather than climate change alone, according to a study published in Nature. For more than 800 years prior to British colonization in 1788, the Indigenous Gunaikurnai people maintained stable, open eucalypt woodlands across southeastern Australia using […]
5 million Nigerians gain clean cooking access annually, but it’s not enough, experts say (October 26, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/5-million-nigerians-gain-clean-cooking-access-annually-but-its-not-enough-experts-say/
- Nigeria has spent more than a decade trying to shift households away from traditional cooking fuels and has made impressive gains, yet the overall picture shows progress is “uneven.”
- Between 2020 and 2024, the country recorded Africa’s third-fastest growth in clean-cooking access, behind Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya. The number gaining clean cooking access each year averaged 5.4 million in the same time period.
- Yet 168 million Nigerians — more than two-thirds of the population — still cook with polluting fuels such as firewood, charcoal and kerosene.
- Nigeria is home to the world’s second-largest biomass-dependent population after India, according to a U.N.-World Bank assessment, and data show that household fuelwood consumption has risen almost every year between 2019 and 2023.
International Gibbon Day: Stories of threats and survival (October 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/international-gibbon-day-stories-of-threats-and-survival/
Twenty species of gibbons swing through the tropical forests of Asia, all are threatened by human activities like deforestation, hunting and trafficking baby gibbons for the exotic pet trade. In recognition of International Gibbon Day on Oct. 24, here are three recent Mongabay stories about the threats gibbons face and the people working to protect […]
Sri Lanka mourns iconic tusker amid renewed calls to address human-elephant conflict (October 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/sri-lanka-mourns-iconic-tusker-amid-renewed-calls-to-address-human-elephant-conflict/
- The death of Kavantissa, one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic wild tuskers, sparked widespread public grief, political attention and criticism of wildlife authorities over elephant protection and veterinary care.
- Questions over the treatment provided before his death have prompted calls for an independent, evidence-based investigation, with experts cautioning against drawing conclusions before clinical findings are assessed.
- Sri Lanka recorded 455 wild elephant deaths in 2025, including 79 from gunshot injuries as the primary cause, highlighting the continuing threat posed by human-elephant conflict.
- Kavantissa’s head was separated and buried securely to protect his tusks, but conservationists argued that cremating the entire body would send a stronger message that a living tusker is worth more than its ivory.
Can a swamp stop an army? (October 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/can-a-swamp-stop-an-army/
In Poland’s ancient Białowieża Forest, scientists say wetlands and dense forests could act as natural military defences. At the same time it could be the lifeline the forest needs.
Restoring a 12,000-year-old forest to help defend Poland’s border (October 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/10/restoring-a-12000-year-old-forest-to-help-defend-polands-border/
POLAND — Białowieża Forest. Białowieża Forest, one of Europe’s last remaining primeval forests, straddles the border between Poland and Belarus. Its wetlands and ancient trees support a dazzling array of life, but decades of drainage, drought and fragmentation have left the ecosystem under pressure. Now, it faces a new challenge. As the threat from Russia […]
World Kangaroo Day: How climate change impacts Australia’s macropods (October 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/world-kangaroo-day-how-climate-change-impacts-australias-macropods/
- World Kangaroo Day celebrates the iconic Australian animal and the special place it has in the country’s environment and First Nations cultures.
- Kangaroos, and the broader macropod family, are losing habitat from worsening drought and bushfires in Australia. Critically endangered species, including Gilbert’s potoroo and the mala, face extinction amid added pressures from climate change.
- There are growing concerns over super El Niño, expected to bring increased droughts, extreme heatwaves and severe bushfires in 2026-2027.
- Balancing urban development and prioritizing conservation will be critical to protecting species from worsening climate events.
Mozambique safari operator wins conservation award at COP17 (October 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/mozambique-safari-operator-wins-conservation-award-at-cop17/
YEREVAN, Armenia — A Mozambican safari operator credited with helping restore wildlife populations in Mozambique’s Zambezi Delta, has won the 2026 Markhor Award, which recognizes contributions to conservation through sustainable wildlife management. Zambeze Delta Safaris, led by professional hunter Mark Haldane, received the award on Oct. 22, 2026, at the ongoing U.N. Biodiversity Conference, COP17, […]
Bangladesh’s climate migrants are arriving in cities unprepared to protect them (October 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-climate-migrants-are-arriving-in-cities-unprepared-to-protect-them/
- Climate migration is often considered an adaptation strategy, as it moves people out of harm’s way from the immediate shocks of climate change.
- But a new study involving climate migrants in informal settlements in southwest Bangladesh finds that relocation can create new forms of vulnerabilities.
- As climate migration increases, Bangladesh’s secondary cities lack policy implementations that ensure migrants can access safe housing, services and stable livelihoods after they arrive.
Environmental officials fear new wave of harassment if Flavio Bolsonaro wins in Brazil (October 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/environmental-officials-fear-new-wave-of-harassment-if-flavio-bolsonaro-wins-in-brazil/
- Federal employees in the environmental and Indigenous affairs sectors fear a return to the institutional harassment and dismantling of institutions they faced during the Jair Bolsonaro administration if his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, wins the runoff election Sunday, Oct. 25.
- Complaints of harassment and violence filed with the Federal District Labor Prosecutor’s Office nearly tripled during Jair Bolsonaro’s four-year term.
- The weakening of regulatory agencies has led to record levels of deforestation in the Amazon and intensified violence against Indigenous groups that protect the forest.
- Environmental officials and Indigenous experts have launched campaigns and open letters to mobilize the public to vote for incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and defend them and regulatory agencies.
Critics call for halt to road construction in Mexico’s Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (October 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/critics-call-for-halt-to-road-construction-in-mexicos-sian-kaan-biosphere-reserve/
- A road through Mexico’s Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, on the Caribbean coast, threatens mangroves and forest ecosystems, environmental groups say.
- Local communities have filed an injunction to permanently cancel the project and restore areas that have been damaged by construction.
- In early October, the country’s environment ministry published a statement about minimizing infrastructure inside the reserve — but environmental groups say they want more information about the future of the road project specifically.
- They argue the courts should address an ongoing injunction request against the road, saying it would guarantee protections for the reserve.
Amazon communities lose water as mining and deforestation reshape rivers (October 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/amazon-communities-lose-water-as-mining-and-deforestation-reshape-rivers/
- An investigation analyzed 722 micro watersheds that feed the Beni River in Bolivia, the Caquetá River in Colombia, the Madre de Dios River in Peru, and the Caroní River in Venezuela. These areas are home to 74 Indigenous groups spread across 202 territories.
- In all four river basins, natural water resources are under pressure. Mining activity has left behind large pools of artificial or anthropogenic (human-made) water, and where livestock ranching has taken hold, the water has disappeared.
- Over the 25 years analyzed, the four catchment areas lost nearly 33,000 hectares (81,500 acres) of natural water, an area more than double the size of Colombia’s Tayrona National Park. The greatest loss occurred in the Colombian Caquetá catchment area, which crosses a department where extensive livestock ranching has long been the main economic activity.
- In the three basins with mining activity — the Madre de Dios, Beni, and Caroní — artificial water sources appeared: four in every five hectares of these water sources are on Indigenous territory.
What if Flávio Bolsonaro wins? High stakes for the environment in Brazil’s 2026 elections (commentary) (October 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/what-if-flavio-bolsonaro-wins-high-stakes-for-the-environment-in-brazils-2026-elections-commentary/
- If Flávio Bolonaro wins Brazil’s 25 October runoff election the consequences for the environment will be enormous, especially in the Amazon but also for the world, argues Philip Fearnside, a researcher who has worked in the Brazilian Amazon for 50 years.
- Flávio, son of Brazil’s anti-environmental former president Jair Bolsonaro, is slightly ahead of incumbent President Lula in the polls, but the difference is within the margin of error. Flávio, who denies anthropogenic climate change and has supported a series of anti-environmental bills as senator, plans to follow in his father’s footsteps.
- The Amazon rainforest is near a series of tipping points, beyond which risk of the forest collapsing rises sharply. If the forest collapses, the emission of greenhouse gases would push global climate past the point where warming escapes from human control. Flávio’s policies would increase this risk.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Nearly all the world’s coral reefs are at risk of collapse within 50 years, IUCN warns (October 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/nearly-all-the-worlds-coral-reefs-are-at-risk-of-collapse-within-50-years-iucn-warns/
Nearly every shallow-water coral reef ecosystem on Earth is at high risk of ecological collapse by 2075, according to the first coral reef assessment of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE). The RLE is a scientific framework for assessing the risk of ecosystem collapse. More than 250 experts assessed shallow water coral reef ecosystems […]
COP17: Open letter urges governments to keep extractives out of protected areas (October 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/cop17-open-letter-urges-governments-to-keep-extractives-out-of-protected-areas/
YEREVAN, Armenia — More than 80 conservation, Indigenous and civil society organizations have called on governments meeting at the COP17 U.N. biodiversity summit in Armenia to keep mining, oil and gas operations out of protected areas. “Meeting a numerical target will mean little”, if areas designated for conservation remain exposed to industrial activities, the organizations […]
Taiwan shuts schools and grounds flights as Typhoon Champi brushes by (October 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/taiwan-shuts-schools-and-grounds-flights-as-typhoon-champi-brushes-by/
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan shut down schools and offices and grounded hundreds of flights as Typhoon Champi brushed by the island Friday, packing strong winds and torrential rains. Champi peaked at 298 kph (185 mph) maximum sustained winds earlier this week but has weakened to 155 kph (96 mph) winds as it approached Taiwan […]