Japan wants to plant no-pollen trees to solve its hay fever crisis (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/japan-wants-to-plant-no-pollen-trees-to-solve-its-hay-fever-crisis/
Two species of trees helped Japan build millions of homes after World War II. However, pollen from those same trees has also fueled a nationwide hay fever allergy. More than 40% of Japan’s population now suffers from hay fever, locally called kafunsho. That’s nearly double the rate in the U.S., reports contributor Jonathan Vit for […]
The EU approved an antideforestation law. The US paper lobby sought to weaken it (September 10, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-eu-approved-an-antideforestation-law-the-us-paper-lobby-sought-to-weaken-it/
- Industry groups from the U.S. and Canadian forestry sector pressured the European Union to reduce rules facing North American timber and paper goods under the new European Union Deforestation Regulation.
- The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has spent nearly $11 million on lobbying efforts since 2023, and its political action committee contributed $272,041.63 in campaign donations since 2025.
- Several lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, got AF&PA campaign donations and have also pressured the EU for looser regulations.
- U.S. and Canadian industry and their governments continue to campaign for exceptions to new European traceability requirements.
Two wild Przewalski’s horse foals born in Kazakhstan after 200 years (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/two-wild-przewalskis-horse-foals-born-in-kazakhstan-after-200-years/
Two Przewalski’s horse foals were born in a reintroduction center in the grasslands of central Kazakhstan in late August. They are reportedly the first wild horses born on Kazakh soil in more than 200 years. The first foal, a male, was born Aug. 22 to a 7-year-old mare named Tessa. The second, also male, followed […]
Nepal’s high-altitude wildernesses & wildlife are increasingly under threat (commentary) (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/nepals-high-altitude-wildernesses-wildlife-are-increasingly-under-threat-commentary/
- High-altitude wildernesses like Limi Valley in Nepal are suffering from human encroachment, which is advancing at an unprecedented pace, pushing wildlife into ever-smaller pockets of shrinking habitat.
- Creatures ranging from wild yaks to Himalayan wolves, snow leopards, Eurasian lynx, Tibetan brown bears and Pallas’s cats are under pressure from a new wave of herders bringing sheep, goats and dogs into the remotest areas, spreading disease and degrading grazing lands.
- “What this high-altitude landscape, its people, and biodiversity need is straightforward: formal legal ecosystem protection from the Nepalese government, led by the stewardship of the Limi community who are best placed to protect it, and supported by conservation organizations,” a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Indigenous land back in Chile brings mixed bag of environmental outcomes: Study (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/indigenous-land-back-in-chile-brings-mixed-bag-of-environmental-outcomes-study/
- A new study found that the restitution of 217,000 hectares (about 538,000 acres) of land to Mapuche communities in Chile did not produce the environmental gains often associated with Indigenous land stewardship.
- Researchers found that restitution was associated with an increase in grasslands and a decline in non-native plantation forests, but found no significant changes in natural forest cover, carbon sequestration, biodiversity or erosion control.
- The study challenges the assumption that Indigenous land restitution automatically results in environmental restoration, while emphasizing that restitution’s primary goals are historical justice and Indigenous self-determination rather than conservation.
- Researchers also pointed out that much of the land that was returned to the Mapuche had already been degraded after decades of intensive agriculture and that Mapuche livelihoods have changed since the 16th century, when they were introduced to livestock by the Spanish.
How to enhance ocean health and resilience with marine rewilding (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/how-to-enhance-ocean-health-and-resilience-with-marine-rewilding/
Ocean ecosystems are under extreme stress on several fronts including overfishing, ocean acidification, climate change and marine warming. While ocean conservation efforts often tend to focus on creating marine protected areas, researchers recently stressed the need to move beyond protection toward active recovery using a different approach: Marine rewilding. In a new perspective paper, the […]
In North Carolina, a race is on to restore critical peatland before it dries up or is destroyed (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/in-north-carolina-a-race-is-on-to-restore-critical-peatland-before-it-dries-up-or-is-destroyed/
BELHAVEN, N.C. (AP) — Scientists and investors are restoring a 23-square-mile tract of peatland in North Carolina to help curb climate-warming emissions and restore native habitat. Ditches have drained water from thousands of years of accumulated peat, leaving the site vulnerable to drought and wildfire and unleashing huge volumes of carbon dioxide. One-third of global […]
Kashmir’s water bodies have declined for decades. Is conservation keeping pace? (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/kashmirs-water-bodies-have-declined-for-decades-is-conservation-keeping-pace/
- A recent study examines 60 years of land use change in Jammu and Kashir and finds a decline in the area’s water bodies while built-up areas expanded markedly.
- The research found that socioeconomic factors were more strongly associated with many of the changes than climatic variables examined.
- The findings raise a broader question: As development continues to reshape the landscape, are conservation initiatives and land use planning keeping pace with the pressures on the region’s water bodies?
- Experts say that while development is necessary for economic growth, it needs to be balanced against ecological conservation, while individual water bodies need to be examined according to their specific pressures.
When climate-related hazards rise, so do barriers for people with disabilities (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/when-climate-related-hazards-rise-so-do-barriers-for-people-with-disabilities/
- A new study from Kerala, India, shows how climate disasters deepen inequalities and increase risk for people with disabilities.
- The findings are not unique to India, however; parallels are drawn with Sierra Leone, where more than 9% of the population lives with a disability.
- People with disabilities can face physical, social, economic and institutional barriers, including inaccessible early-warning systems, evacuation routes and shelters, limited access to healthcare and much more.
- People with disabilities are also finding ways to adapt and support each other when disaster strikes.
Caribbean scientists document uncharted deep-sea waters in Trinidad and Tobago (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/caribbean-scientists-document-uncharted-deep-sea-waters-in-trinidad-and-tobago/
- In a milestone for Caribbean science, researchers recently conducted one of the most comprehensive surveys ever undertaken in the deep-sea waters off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago.
- It marks the first time a team of predominantly Caribbean scientists have worked on deep-ocean exploration in the region, according to expedition leader Diva Amon, a deep-sea ecologist and Trinidad and Tobago native.
- The expedition team collected more than 700 specimens, including many Amon believes will be identified as new species, and found 25 cold seep ecosystems formed by methane and other gases emanating from the ocean floor.
- Amon said she hopes the data gathered on the expedition will be used by decision-makers in Trinidad and Tobago to improve stewardship of the country’s waters, which are threatened by oil and gas drilling, plastic pollution and climate change.
New Zealand put fishing boats under camera surveillance. Will it stay the course? (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/new-zealand-put-fishing-boats-under-camera-surveillance-will-it-stay-the-course/
- In recent years, Aotearoa New Zealand has mandated onboard cameras across most of its inshore fleet, alongside other forms of electronic monitoring, covering vessels using six types of fishing gear.
- The rollout, aimed at monitoring catch, discards, protected species interactions, and the use of mitigation devices, has put New Zealand near the leading edge internationally in the use of onboard cameras.
- Conservation-minded experts say the system is far from perfect but has improved transparency and especially the quality of data on bycatch, or unintended catch.
- Shane Jones, the New Zealand government official in charge of fisheries, has expressed skepticism about the onboard camera system and sponsored a bill that would restrict public access to the footage, raising doubts about the program’s future.
Vantara works with lobbyist tied to Trump Jr. and pro-hunting groups (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/vantara-works-with-lobbyist-tied-to-trump-jr-and-pro-hunting-groups/
- Vantara, the controversial billionaire-run Indian zoo, has worked with lobbyists in the U.K. with ties to pro-hunting organizations and the Trump administration, sources told Mongabay.
- Tristan Breijer, a U.K.-based lobbyist at Checkmate Government Relations, invited at least one wildlife conservation organization to a roundtable hosted by Vantara on the sidelines of the CITES Animals Committee in July 2026, according to sources.
- Checkmate was founded by Charles ‘Ches’ McDowell, a hunting friend of Donald Trump Jr. Its long list of clients includes Reliance Industries, the petrochemical giant owned by the Ambani family, which includes Anant Ambani, who started Vantara.
- Conservationists say Vantara’s lobbying efforts at CITES meetings before a key November meeting raises questions about its intentions. India is expected to respond to a CITES report on the origins of some endangered and protected species imported by Vantara. They also question the Indian zoo’s association with lobbyists tied to pro-hunting organizations, when it claims to be rescuing animals from around the world.
Rescuers scramble to save orangutans as El Niño-boosted fires spread across Borneo (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/rescuers-scramble-to-save-orangutans-as-el-nino-boosted-fires-spread-across-borneo/
- Through last month, Indonesian wildlife conservation NGO YIARI and government conservation officials recovered seven critically endangered Bornean orangutans from wildfires raging across the island.
- One of the orangutans died from smoke exposure, while others were taken some to YIARI’s rehabilitation center and some released others into a nearby national park.
- A strengthening El Niño threatens to fuel major fires across Indonesia’s peatlands and mineral soils during this year’s dry season.
- YIARI workers in Ketapang district, a low-lying peatland area in Borneo’s West Kalimantan province, remain on high alert for orangutans stranded or injured by wildfires.
Colombia’s Indigenous guardians adapt as pressures mount on the ‘Heart of the World’ (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/colombias-indigenous-guardians-adapt-as-pressures-mount-on-the-heart-of-the-world/
- Indigenous Wiwa families in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are moving farther downslope in an effort to preserve community cohesion amid climate and security pressures.
- The mountain range’s Indigenous nations continue to hold to a “law of origin” that guides their path amid intensifying pressures from armed violence, resource extraction, and climate change.
- Wiwa leaders describe sacred sites, rivers and forests as “living curricula,” inseparable from cultural and ecological responsibilities.
- Recent protections have expanded the protected parts of the Sierra Nevada and prohibited new bids for mining and fossil fuel extraction.
To save Europe’s raptors, conservationists say, look to West Africa (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/to-save-europes-raptors-conservationists-say-look-to-west-africa/
- The fate of an osprey that was tagged in Scotland and shot in Ghana highlights the dangers migratory raptors face far from their European breeding grounds.
- Researchers found strong migratory links between Northern Europe and West Africa by analyzing records from 257 tagged raptors.
- Habitat loss, hunting and belief-based trade threaten both migratory and resident raptors across West Africa.
- Conservationists say better tracking, monitoring, and collaboration between European and West African institutions could help protect raptors along their entire migratory routes.
Colorful Himalayan pheasants face a less rosy future under human pressure (September 9, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/colorful-himalayan-pheasants-face-a-less-rosy-future-under-human-pressure/
In the Indian Himalayas, numerous species of colorful pheasants roam the understory, pecking at seeds, roots, leaves, berries, and insects. These large, ornate birds are vital to the Himalayan ecosystem. But some species now face increasing pressures from habitat degradation and hunting, reports contributor Hirra Azmat for Mongabay India. Among them is the white-crested kalij […]
Sickles, sarees and smoke: Women on the frontlines of Uttarakhand forest fires (September 8, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/sickles-sarees-and-smoke-women-on-the-frontlines-of-uttarakhand-forest-fires/
- Uttarakhand is the most fire-prone state in the Indian Western Himalayas, where wildfire seasons are expanding — and women are taking the lead on fighting fires in their communities.
- Traditional gender roles assigning household and caregiving work to women is a reason why women are first responders to fire.
- In addition, many men have left rural villages in Uttarakhand to search for opportunities elsewhere; women often stay behind for agriculture and feel obliged to protect their land and animals.
- Despite a lack of formal employment, equipment and support for their firefighting work, Uttarakhand women successfully work to stop fires at their source, protecting their villages from hazard.
Indigenous peoples near Congo parks propose diverse solutions for the future of conservation (September 8, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/indigenous-peoples-near-congo-parks-propose-diverse-solutions-for-the-future-of-conservation/
- Mongabay spoke with Indigenous people and members of local communities living near four national parks in the Congo Basin, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to gather their testimonies and learn about the solutions they envision for reconciling forest conservation with the rights of nearby communities.
- Many Indigenous peoples wish to return to their ancestral lands from which they were displaced when the national parks were established; though some still prefer that authorities continue to lead conservation efforts.
- Others, however, believe they should remain outside the parks, while calling for better living conditions and greater access to resources and economic opportunities to prevent environmental destruction.
- Initiatives such as community forest concessions, local employment and ecotourism programs seek to reconcile conservation, land rights and the needs of communities, but their implementation continues to face tensions and significant challenges.
A health crisis for Peru’s recently contacted people brings planetary health to the fore (September 8, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/09/a-health-crisis-for-perus-recently-contacted-people-brings-planetary-health-to-the-fore/
Mongabay staff writer Aimee Gabay joins the Newscast this week to discuss her reporting trip to the Peruvian Amazon, where she spoke with the Indigenous Matsés community. She made the trip initially to examine environmental threats to Matsés territory. Instead, she found them suffering from an epidemic of malaria and hepatitis B, which they have […]
Singkil peat swamp: The embattled orangutan capital of the world (September 8, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/singkil-peat-swamp-the-embattled-orangutan-capital-of-the-world/
- The Singkil peat swamp, part of Sumatra’s Leuser ecosystem, is a critical habitat for Sumatran orangutans.
- Although legally protected, the Singkil peat swamp is being cleared and drained for oil palm and other crops.
- Drained and deforested peat swamps are highly flammable, and Indonesia’s fire season is beginning.
- This photo essay highlights the beauty and diversity of Singkil, as well as documenting some of the many threats facing the ecosystem.