Ashéninka leader killed while patrolling Indigenous territory in Peru (August 26, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/asheninka-leader-killed-while-patrolling-indigenous-territory-in-peru/
- Ashéninka leader Américo Pascuala Tumisha was shot and killed Aug. 23 while patrolling the territory of the Onconashari Indigenous community in Peru’s Ucayali region.
- Onconashari residents have reported incursions linked to unauthorized copaiba extraction since at least 2020, including threats against community members who objected.
- The community has a long history of territorial monitoring and in 2025 received formal government recognition for its Forest Surveillance and Control Committee, which Pascuala later coordinated.
- Global Witness has documented more than 60 killings and disappearances of environmental and land defenders in Peru since 2012; AIDESEP says at least 38 Indigenous defenders were killed in the Peruvian Amazon between 2014 and 2026.
Can REDD+ deliver for Philippines’ Iraya Mangyan? (August 26, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/can-redd-deliver-for-philippines-iraya-mangyan/
- The Mindoro Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Programme combines Indigenous forest patrols, ancestral-domain support, carbon monitoring and livelihood projects to protect more than 40,000 hectares (nearly 99,000 acres) of Iraya Mangyan forest.
- Indigenous patrollers and local officials say the program has already strengthened monitoring and helped reduce timber poaching and small-scale mining, while surveys have documented hundreds of plant and animal species across the project area.
- Community nurseries and paid conservation roles are creating early livelihood opportunities, but many benefits remain limited and uneven while the project awaits verification, a finalized benefit-sharing agreement and carbon revenue expected no earlier than around 2029.
- Whether the program can deliver lasting benefits will depend on finalizing a transparent revenue-sharing agreement, sustaining patrols and livelihoods during the long wait for carbon income, and ensuring the Iraya retain a meaningful role in decisions over their forests.
At global desertification conference, pastoralists call for greater recognition (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/at-global-desertification-conference-pastoralists-call-for-greater-recognition/
- Hundreds of pastoralists are in Mongolia for the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, or UNCCD, from Aug. 17 to 28, 2026.
- They want stronger protections for Indigenous pastoral traditions, greater access to funding and resources to address climate change, and official recognition of Indigenous knowledge of how to adapt to a hotter, drier world.
- The pace of arable land degradation is 30 to 35 times the historic average, threatening even the most resilient communities, according to the U.N.
- Pastoralist delegates say that though their traditions offer biodiversity benefits, traditional knowledge is not always enough as climate change and land degradation accelerate.
In Bhutan, a philosophy of happiness guides a push for food self-sufficiency (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/08/in-bhutan-a-philosophy-of-happiness-guides-a-push-for-food-self-sufficiency/
Bhutan is a Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between China and India. Forty percent of its 800,000 citizens work in the agriculture sector. The mountainous country is famous for its breathtaking landscapes and its unique policy of “Gross National Happiness,” instituted in 1972 by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan. My guests on the Newscast […]
US proposes rescinding Roadless Rule protections for national forests (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/us-proposes-rescinding-roadless-rule-protections-for-national-forests/
Aug. 25 is a National Day of Action to support U.S. national parks and public lands. One focus of the event is the U.S. government’s intention to rescind a rule that bans road construction and industrial logging across more than 23 million hectares (57 million acres) of national forest land. The 2001 Roadless Rule, has […]
Indonesia charges 72 over fires as haze chokes Borneo and Sumatra (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/indonesia-charges-72-over-fires-as-haze-chokes-borneo-and-sumatra/
Indonesian authorities have charged 72 individuals with intentionally igniting forest fires across five provinces on the island of Borneo and four on Sumatra. Fires across both islands have burned nearly 286,000 hectares (about 707,000 acres) of land from January to Aug. 24 alone, according to FireWatch, a satellite-based monitoring tool developed by forest-mapping platform Nusantara […]
Only 1,325-1,648 wild elephants left in Indonesia, government says (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/only-1325-1648-wild-elephants-left-in-indonesia-government-says/
- The new estimate represents a decline of 41-45% over the 2,400-2,800 estimate published by Indonesia in 2007.
- The launch of the new 2026-2036 strategy and action plan for elephant conservation comes after a long wait since the current plan expired in 2017.
- The new plan sorts Indonesia’s wild elephants into 21 population pockets in Sumatra and one in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo.
Congo’s Ebola outbreak records one of its highest weekly death tolls yet (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/congos-ebola-outbreak-records-one-of-its-highest-weekly-death-tolls-yet/
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — More than 300 people died of Ebola in eastern Congo in the past week, one of the highest weekly tolls yet, government data showed Monday, as health workers struggle to catch up with an outbreak that is spreading at unprecedented speed. Ministry of Health data showed that as of Saturday, the outbreak had recorded […]
EU’s deforestation rule could derail Liberia’s cocoa trade (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/eus-deforestation-rule-could-derail-liberias-cocoa-trade/
In Liberia’s Grand Gedeh county, deforestation for cocoa has soared since 2020, pushing the region’s cocoa trade into an uncertain future. The EU is Liberia’s biggest cocoa customer, but is set to implement the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which bans the import of forest products, including cocoa, made on land deforested after Dec. 31, 2020, […]
Inspiring young herpetologists in Sri Lanka: Interview with Anslem de Silva (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/inspiring-young-herpetologists-in-sri-lanka-interview-with-anslem-de-silva/
- Anslem de Silva, Sri Lanka’s pioneering herpetologist, has spent over six decades studying reptiles and amphibians while inspiring generations of conservationists through his work.
- He has authored more than 25 books and 350 scientific papers, shaping global understanding of Sri Lanka’s unique herpetofauna.
- From launching scientific journals such as Lyriocephalus to organizing international crocodile and herpetological conferences, de Silva has created platforms for research and conservation in Sri Lanka and beyond.
- At 86, he is preparing to host the world’s first ever snake conference in Sri Lanka, continuing his lifelong mission to advance snake conservation and awareness.
Cambodia targets online wildlife trade on social media, but experts say it’s not enough (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/cambodia-targets-online-wildlife-trade-on-social-media-but-experts-say-its-not-enough/
- Cambodia’s environment ministry has called on content creators and social media users to stop posting content that promotes the online sale of wildlife products, to tackle the illegal wildlife trade in the country.
- The ministry’s statement comes after a recent undercover investigation by the NGO Earth League International revealed rampant illegal wildlife trade of endangered species products such as rhino horns, ivory, pangolin scales, and tiger bones, claws, skin and meat.
- The investigation found that most consumers of these products in Cambodia were wealthy Chinese government officials and businessmen, while the trafficking was run by “kingpins” who also operate scam centers to defraud people of their money.
- Conservationists say Cambodia’s statement is encouraging, but doesn’t address the bigger issue: organized criminal syndicates that traffic wildlife as part of their business model.
DNA analysis of Asiatic wild dogs scat in India reveals wild prey preference (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/dna-analysis-of-asiatic-wild-dogs-scat-in-india-reveals-wild-prey-preference/
Endangered Asiatic wild dogs in central India almost entirely eat wild prey, even where they overlap with livestock, according to a recent study. The findings show that maintaining healthy wild prey populations is key to conserving the species, reports contributor Rajeev Tyagi for Mongabay India. The study, led by the National Centre for Biological Sciences […]
Palm oil firms kept zero-deforestation pledges, but forests saw little extra benefit (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/palm-oil-firms-kept-zero-deforestation-pledges-but-forests-saw-little-extra-benefit/
- In the past decade, palm oil-producing countries, such as Indonesia, have introduced policies and company-level commitments to curb deforestation.
- In both concessions linked to companies with zero-deforestation commitments (ZDCs) and those not linked to ZDCs, data suggests annualized deforestation has dropped dramatically from the 2000s.
- Despite this drop, a new study suggests ZDCs have not, in fact, led to additional reductions in deforestation.
- A decline in palm oil prices and historic deforestation in concessions may have contributed to this contrasting picture, say researchers.
Plans of Peru’s new administration spur concern among environmentalists (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/plans-of-perus-new-administration-spur-concern-among-environmentalists/
- On July 28, Peru inaugurated its new leader, Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi, from the Popular Force Party.
- Fujimori says she will expand fossil fuel production and mining across the country, as well as road, rail and port networks to facilitate extractive and productive projects.
- Mongabay spoke with legal experts, environmentalists and Indigenous leaders about the government’s plans and what it might mean for the country’s energy transition commitments and the environment.
Bogong moths support Australia’s alpine ecosystems, but face uncertain future (August 25, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/bogong-moths-support-australias-alpine-ecosystems-but-face-uncertain-future/
- Bogong moths are a critical resource for the many rare and wonderful species that live in the Australian Alps, but their future is far from certain.
- The IUCN classifies the bogong moth as an endangered species, but Australia, the only country where the moth is habitually found, has refused to recognize it as such, categorizing it instead as “data deficient”.
- Currently, a network of entomologists, ecologists, data scientists, First Nations peoples, and volunteers is working to address the data gaps, hoping to reapply for a national endangered species listing and identify the best strategies to protect the bogong moth.
- However, tracking a tiny creature that migrates hundreds of kilometers in the dark of night is no easy task.
In Raja Ampat, children learn that their knowledge can help protect their islands (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/in-raja-ampat-children-learn-that-their-knowledge-can-help-protect-their-islands/
- Research suggests that children who grow up closely connected to their surroundings can develop sophisticated understandings of their local environment.
- A recent children’s book reading was part of a gathering of Indigenous communities in Arborek that brought together representatives from 20 Indigenous subtribes in Raja Ampat, as well as Indigenous people from other parts of Indonesia and abroad.
- The book turns the biodiversity of Indonesia into a visual story about what could be lost if mining damages the environment.
- The author and illustrator hope that seeing their home, animals and stories represented in a book will encourage the children to tell more stories of their own.
How a rare bird sparked a wildlife movement across 16 villages in Guyana (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/how-a-rare-bird-sparked-a-wildlife-movement-across-16-villages-in-guyana/
- The documentation of the endangered red siskin, a rare bird, in Guyana inspired the creation of the South Rupununi Conservation Society.
- The organization has built a multi-community grassroots conservation approach that is grounded in traditional knowledge, organizes across 16 village boundaries and includes Indigenous villagers, farmers and teachers who research wildlife, develop conservation guidelines and teach local ecology.
- Projects include community conservation zones to protect wildlife such as giant anteaters, the genetic documentation of species and monitoring.
- Short-term funding, development pressure and cultural change threaten the model, even as communities invest their own money into projects.
Xokleng Indigenous people plant thousands of critically endangered pine in Brazil (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/xokleng-indigenous-people-plant-thousands-of-critically-endangered-pine-in-brazil/
The Xokleng Indigenous people of Santa Catarina state of southern Brazil have planted nearly a 100,000 seedlings of a critically endangered native tree, Mongabay contributor Letícia Klein reported. The Brazilian pine (Araucaria angustifolia), or araucária, can grow more than 50 meters (164 feet) tall and has a straight trunk with a broad crown of branches […]
Did you know forests can save themselves? (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/did-you-know-forests-can-save-themselves/
Did you know forests can save themselves? (With a little help from us, of course). Turns out, trees can be super valuable apart from being used for timber. Their seeds, nuts, leaves, bark, and more are natural commodities… and have the potential to prevent logging, support local communities, and protect the health of our precious […]
Rescue networks built by fire: Saving animals from Australia’s bushfires (August 24, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/rescue-networks-built-by-fire-saving-animals-from-australias-bushfires/
- While emergency responders prioritized human life and property during Australia’s 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, there were few systems in place to protect wildlife or evacuate and care for domestic animals during and after the fires, exposing a gap in disaster planning.
- Neighbors, wildlife carers, veterinarians, landholders and volunteers rapidly organized evacuations, rescue efforts, feeding stations and supply networks, demonstrating the power of local knowledge and grassroots coordination.
- Fire ecology research suggests animals may be more vulnerable to fire than previously understood, and more research is needed to understand wildlife mortality and survival during and post-bushfire.
- Experts say that community-led efforts could dramatically improve outcomes for both people and animals during disasters with better funding, coordination and institutional support. Community networks offer a blueprint for the future as bushfires become more frequent in a climate-changed world.