Despite legacy court case, Zambian Vedanta mine pollution continues (October 8, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/despite-legacy-court-case-zambian-vedanta-mine-pollution-continues/
The Zambian government is investigating a chemical spill in its Copperbelt Province allegedly linked to Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), owned by U.K.-based multinational Vedanta Resources. Residents in Chingola district told Mongabay they observed discoloration of the Kafue River and fish die-off on Sept. 28, raising fresh concerns about the environmental and social impacts of mining […]
Africa’s monitored wildlife populations declined 80% since 1970, new report says (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/africas-monitored-wildlife-populations-declined-80-since-1970-new-report-says/
Africa’s monitored wildlife populations have declined an average of 80% since 1970, according to a new global assessment. The report also points to pockets of recovery where conservation efforts have been maintained over decades. The report on the decline in the average size of monitored populations was released Oct. 8 in the Living Planet Report […]
Can WarWilding defend Poland’s borders and save Europe’s last ancient forest? (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/can-warwilding-defend-polands-borders-and-save-europes-last-ancient-forest/
- Poland’s border with Belarus runs through the Białowieża Forest, Europe’s last ancient woodland, home to lynx, wolves and European bison.
- To strengthen national security and deter Russian and Belarusian attacks, Poland launched the East Shield in 2024 — a 700-km (435-mi) border fortification project running along its northeastern and eastern flanks.
- But Polish scientists and conservationists say the East Shield would result in widespread damage to Białowieża Forest; they convinced the military to instead implement “WarWilding” techniques that forgo concrete in favor of using nature to create a defensive barrier called the Green East Shield.
- However, WarWilding proponents say road construction projects threaten to undermine progress on the Green East Shield and are harming the forest and its wildlife.
Arabian Sea humpbacks may be a unique subspecies at risk of extinction (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/arabian-sea-humpbacks-may-be-a-unique-subspecies-at-risk-of-extinction/
Humpback whales found in the Arabian Sea are likely a distinct subspecies, having evolved in isolation for tens of thousands of years, according to a newly published genetic analysis. “Arabian Sea humpback whales have long been an enigma to the scientific community,” lead author Rita Amaral, from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), said in a […]
Tropical Storm Isaias forms, is forecast to become a hurricane and hit US Gulf Coast this week (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/tropical-storm-isaias-forms-is-forecast-to-become-a-hurricane-and-hit-us-gulf-coast-this-week/
MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Isaias formed Wednesday in the warm waters off eastern Mexico and forecasters said it was expected to strengthen into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season before hitting the U.S. Gulf Coast later in the week. The rapidly strengthening storm was on track to tie or break a 121-year-old record […]
‘A few are afraid of the chicks’: Preparing Thailand’s rescued leopard cats for life in the wild (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/a-few-are-afraid-of-the-chicks-preparing-thailands-rescued-leopard-cats-for-life-in-the-wild/
- A government-run wildlife rescue center in northeastern Thailand rehabilitates and releases dozens of leopard cat cubs every year.
- Rescue numbers have risen sharply since 2023, a trend staff at the center attribute to a combination of worsening habitat fragmentation, fire activity and increased use of a government hotline.
- Although the center can monitor camera traps for footage of released cats, they currently have no way to be certain how many of the cats survive after release.
International pledge to fund forest rights exceeds target, but direct funding remains low (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/international-pledge-to-fund-forest-rights-exceeds-target-but-direct-funding-remains-low/
- A report from funders of a pledge to support Indigenous peoples and local communities’ land rights found that donors delivered $2.35 billion between 2021 and 2025, exceeding the $1.7 billion target made at the 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference by 38%.
- The findings also show that 7.2% of funding in 2025 went directly to Indigenous peoples and local communities, up from 2.9% in 2021.
- Authors of the report warn that underfunded regions remain particularly vulnerable to aid cuts, deforestation and extractive pressures.
- A new $1.8 billion five-year pledge announced at COP30 aims to expand its reach to support Afro-descendant communities and other ecosystems, promising more direct, flexible and long-term financing.
Invading the globe: Bird flu now threatens Australia and Oceania (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/invading-the-globe-bird-flu-now-threatens-australia-and-oceania/
- A deadly strain of avian flu, H5N1, has spread across the globe since it emerged in Europe in 2020, infecting hundreds of species and decimating domestic poultry, seabird and marine mammal populations.
- In June, bird flu breached the last uninfected continent, Australia, and has since infected numerous bird species — and spilled over into mammals, including critically endangered Australian sea lions.
- Wildlife disease tracking and data collection are guiding current mitigations, such as carcass removal. The New South Wales government launched an immunization trial for vulnerable captive birds in August and began vaccinating little penguins in the wild on Sept. 18. But little can be done to stop the spread.
- A comprehensive One Health perspective that incorporates human, wildlife and livestock health could aid efforts to prevent outbreaks of zoonotic disease that pass between them all.
International Whaling Commission rejects push to revive commercial whaling (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/international-whaling-commission-rejects-push-to-revive-commercial-whaling/
- At the recent biennial meeting of the International Whaling Commission, Antigua and Barbuda introduced a controversial resolution on the “sustainable use” of whales, which introduced a path toward the reintroduction of commercial whaling. The resolution was ultimately withdrawn.
- A separate bid to establish a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary failed to pass, as it has at several previous meetings.
- Delegates did approve resolutions aimed at addressing cetacean strandings, the fish maw trade and vessel strikes, as well as the “Hobart Declaration” commemorating the 80th anniversary of the IWC.
- Observers criticized the IWC for failing to adequately address climate change, but also praised the body as a whole for remaining steadfast in supporting the ban on commercial whaling and for its contributions to science and conservation efforts.
Wild tulips in Central Asia have become rare, expert says (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/wild-tulips-in-central-asia-have-become-rare-expert-says/
More than half of the world’s wild tulip species assessed so far are threatened with extinction, reports Mongabay’s Shreya Dasgupta. “For a flower this famous, it may surprise people how rare its wild relatives have become,” Brett Wilson, co-founder of the Wild Tulip Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global nature conservation authority, told Mongabay […]
Colombia’s new government backs fracking as debate over energy future heats up (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/colombias-new-government-backs-fracking-as-debate-over-energy-future-heats-up/
- Colombia’s new president has pledged to reopen the door to fracking, reviving plans for two pilot projects in Puerto Wilches municipality that were halted under his predecessor, Gustavo Petro.
- Supporters say fracking could help shore up dwindling gas supplies, while critics warn it could expose communities and ecosystems to environmental risks and prolong the country’s reliance on fossil fuels.
- Puerto Wilches’s wetlands and waterways support communities and threatened wildlife, including West Indian manatees, Magdalena River turtles and Magdalena catfish, raising concerns over water use, wastewater, and other impacts from fracking.
- The debate reflects a broader tension in Colombia’s energy transition, with renewable energy expanding rapidly even as delays and declining gas reserves fuel calls for continued investments in fossil fuels.
Death of anti-plague lab worker in Russia prompts quarantines and international concern (October 7, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/death-of-anti-plague-lab-worker-in-russia-prompts-quarantines-and-international-concern/
The reported death of a 28-year-old laboratory technician in eastern Siberia has triggered regional quarantines and international attention over fears of the cause of death and a lack of transparency. According to local media reports, Darya Shipilova, a technician employed at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, died on Oct. […]
New crocodile species found fossilized in stone used to build Egypt’s Great Sphinx (October 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/new-crocodile-species-found-fossilized-in-stone-used-to-build-egypts-great-sphinx/
- Researchers have identified a new species of extinct long-snouted crocodile from 45-million-year-old fossils found in the same limestone formation used to build Egypt’s Great Sphinx.
- The fossils were dug up in the 1920s and lumped in with the living false gharial, but CT scans revealed features that set the ancient crocodile apart as its own species.
- Its closest living relatives, the gharial and false gharial, are critically endangered and endangered respectively.
- Today, many species of crocodilians face conservation threats, though some have seen tremendous recovery due to conservation efforts
Indigenous activist Kynan Tegar on Indonesia’s fires, and defending the Earth (October 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/10/indigenous-activist-kynan-tegar-on-indonesias-fires-and-defending-the-earth/
Indigenous activist and filmmaker Kynan Tegar joins the Mongabay Newscast this week to discuss the impacts of the fires devastating Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. Some 48,000 hectares (about 119,000 acres) of land have burned so far this year; Kynan says these fires are intentional on the part of agricultural corporations. […]
100 conservation projects are looking for funding after USAID’s closure (October 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/100-conservation-projects-are-looking-for-funding-after-usaids-closure/
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Twenty months after the dismantling of USAID, a new analysis documents what the international development agency’s disappearance has meant for conservation projects around the world. Projects have stalled or collapsed in countries from Kenya to Bangladesh, reports Mongabay’s […]
Solar power helps Amazon communities ditch diesel and prepare for El Niño drought (October 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/solar-power-helps-amazon-communities-ditch-diesel-and-prepare-for-el-nino-drought/
SANTAREM, Brazil (AP) — Off-grid solar power is spreading across Brazil’s Amazon, helping remote communities prepare for severe drought while replacing costly, polluting diesel generators. In Nova Sociedade, where residents walked up to 20 kilometers for water during the historic 2024 drought, solar panels now power pumps supplying clean water to 36 families. Household systems […]
In Australia’s Wet Tropics, restoration misses the forest for the tree cover (October 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/in-australias-wet-tropics-restoration-misses-the-forest-for-the-tree-cover/
- A survey of 25 organizations working on rainforest restoration in Australia’s Wet Tropics found that nearly all monitor their sites, but about half keep no records and simply check sites visually.
- The groups ranked habitat connectivity, biodiversity, and threatened species habitat as their top goals, yet measured success mainly by canopy closure, tree survival, and the end of weeding.
- About 42% stop monitoring once the canopy closes, usually within three to five years, long before the slower recovery of rainforest plants and animals can be tracked.
- Most groups said monitoring would be a high priority if they had more funding, and the survey authors warn that short-term checks won’t provide the proof of recovery that carbon and biodiversity markets require.
Science, Indigenous knowledge team up to restore Canada’s kelp. (Sea otters help, too.) (October 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/science-indigenous-knowledge-team-up-to-restore-canadas-kelp-sea-otters-help-too/
- In Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia, a partnership between the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, Redd Fish Restoration Society and West Coast Kelp grows kelp at scale to support an ecosystem in decline.
- The fur trade eradicated sea otters; their return enables kelp to thrive.
- Underwater cameras are monitoring the newly formed kelp forest.
- The success of the project will be measured by science and the return of ecological abundance.
The Indonesians facing El Nino’s fires have lessons to teach us (commentary) (October 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-indonesians-facing-el-ninos-fires-have-lessons-to-teach-us-commentary/
- The world is facing an El Niño event of unprecedented proportions.
- Millions of Indonesians have already been breathing toxic wildfire smoke and bravely fighting the blazes for months, although this event’s likely record-breaking fire season has barely kicked into gear.
- “These communities are inspiring, and they can teach us some lessons about resilience and fortitude in the face of a Super El Niño that’s coming for many of us,” a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Artificial nests give Hong Kong’s cockatoos a home – and a chance to study their behavior (October 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/artificial-nests-give-hong-kongs-cockatoos-a-home-and-a-chance-to-study-their-behavior/
- Hong Kong-based biologist Astrid Andersson and arborist Harry Wong run a conservation project that seeks to protect the city’s feral yellow-crested cockatoos (Cacatua sulphurea).
- The critically endangered species enjoys a stable population in Hong Kong, numbering around 200 or about 10% of the global population.
- With few natural nesting spaces available, Andersson and Wong make artificial nest boxes and install them in public parks and on school campuses.
- Each box is equipped with an internal camera connected to a mobile signal, allowing researchers to remotely monitor breeding behavior.