José Albino Cañas Ramírez, a defender of Indigenous territories, aged 44 (February 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/jose-albino-canas-ramirez-a-defender-of-indigenous-territories-44/
- José Albino Cañas Ramírez, a prominent Indigenous leader and member of the governing council for the Resguardo Cañamomo Lomaprieta, was shot and killed at his home in Caldas, Colombia.
- His death highlights the “double victimization” faced by the Emberá Chamí people, who navigate pressure from both illegal armed groups and extractive development projects.
- As a dedicated community figure, Cañas Ramírez spent his life strengthening local institutions and managing essential services in a region where state support is often absent.
- The killing is part of a broader, persistent pattern of violence against territorial defenders in Colombia, with at least 21 social leaders killed already this year.
Giant tortoises return to Galápagos island 180 years after relatives went extinct (February 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/giant-tortoises-return-to-galapagos-island-180-years-after-relatives-went-extinct/
For the first time in nearly two centuries, giant tortoises are once again roaming Floreana Island in the Galápagos, a conservation milestone more than a decade in the making. Early settlers on Floreana Island altered the landscape and hunted the Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger) into extinction about 180 years ago. But while working […]
Torrential rains unleash landslides that kill 7 in southern Philippines (February 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/torrential-rains-unleash-landslides-that-kill-7-in-southern-philippines/
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Torrential rains set off two landslides that killed seven people and floods that displaced more than 3,000 villagers in the southeastern Philippines, officials said Friday. A boulder-laden landslide buried a house and killed a couple and their two daughters Friday in the coastal city of Mati in Davao Oriental province, disaster-response […]
In Thailand, a coral cryobank tries to buy time for dying reefs (February 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-thailand-a-coral-cryobank-tries-to-buy-time-for-dying-reefs/
- Scientists in Phuket are freezing coral larvae and their symbiotic algae, aiming to create a “living seed bank” to preserve Thailand’s reef genetic diversity amid accelerating climate stress.
- Thailand’s reefs, home to more than 300 coral species, have experienced repeated mass bleaching events since 2022, with damage compounded by tourism pressure, wastewater runoff, sedimentation and overfishing.
- Researchers describe coral cryobanks as a form of “genetic insurance” and ex-situ conservation, but stress they can’t replace in-water protection and must be integrated into broader restoration and marine management strategies.
- Conservation experts say improving water quality, regulating tourism impacts and strengthening community-led marine protection are essential if preserved coral material is to be successfully restored to the wild.
Recycling startups test limits of private solutions to deluge of waste in Lagos (February 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/recycling-startups-test-limits-of-private-solutions-to-deluge-of-waste-in-lagos/
- Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous state, generates nearly 5.5 million metric tons of solid waste every year.
- The state’s formal waste management system handles less than half of this, with homes and businesses improvising disposal of the rest wherever they can: an estimated 40% of this waste is recyclable.
- Pakam Technology Limited is one of several private companies trying to profitably retrieve a greater share of the roughly 6,000 metric tons of recyclable materials thrown away every day.
- Recycling companies say inconsistent enforcement of regulations is a major obstacle to improving recycling rates.
Migrant fishers’ deaths at sea tied to unchecked captain power, study shows (February 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/migrant-fishers-deaths-at-sea-tied-to-unchecked-captain-power-study-shows/
- A new study finds migrant fishers’ deaths at sea stem from systemic labor and governance failures, not isolated safety lapses.
- Far from shore, captains control food, medical care and even how deaths are recorded, with little oversight or accountability.
- Researchers documented 55 cases of Indonesian fishers who died or went missing, showing deaths occur through both direct abuse and prolonged neglect.
- The authors call for stronger international cooperation, mandatory death reporting and supply chain transparency, arguing existing rules alone cannot prevent further fatalities
Malawi’s solar boom is leaving a toxic legacy of lead waste (February 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/malawis-solar-boom-is-leaving-a-toxic-legacy-of-lead-waste/
- The rapid adoption of solar home systems in Malawi is producing a matching increase in the use of lead-acid batteries.
- These batteries have a relatively short lifespan, especially when used with photovoltaic systems, and informal recycling processes release toxic lead and acid into the environment.
- There are more durable, less toxic batteries available, but they cost more.
- Malawi and other countries need better regulation and recycling infrastructure to ensure the benefits of small solar systems are not accompanied by environmental harms.
Sumatra province plan to permit ‘community’ mines alarms civil society (February 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/sumatra-province-plan-to-permit-community-mines-alarms-civil-society/
- The devolved government in West Sumatra province, which is home to 5.8 million people on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, intends to present new zoning plans to the central government that could regulate currently illegal mines operated by small groups of people.
- The small-scale gold mining sector is responsible for lasting environmental damage to both environment and public health, owing in large part to the use of mercury, a banned heavy metal and neurotoxin, to separate gold particles from ores retrieved from valley sides and river basins.
- It remains unclear how the government would treat the use of mercury, which is the subject of international agreement under the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
- The international price of gold has surged by more than 70% since the beginning of last year as central banks and investors buy precious metals to mitigate political uncertainty and high inflation. This has led to a surge in illegal gold mining in forests from the Amazon to Indonesia.
Indonesia faces scrutiny over permit revocations following deadly floods and landslides (February 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/indonesia-faces-scrutiny-over-permit-revocations-following-deadly-floods-and-landslides/
- The Indonesian government is facing new scrutiny of its revocation of 28 forestry, plantation and mining permits following Cyclone Senyar, which triggered landslides and flash floods that killed around 1,200 people.
- An analysis by the NGO Auriga Nusantara found that some of the permits cited in the announcement had already been revoked years earlier, while others had expired before the floods occurred.
- The discrepancies add to growing confusion over which companies are actually linked to the November 2025 floods and landslides and what will happen to former concession areas now slated for transfer to state-owned enterprises under the sovereign wealth fund Danantara.
Loosely social animals at higher risk of decline than social species (February 19, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/loosely-social-animals-at-higher-risk-of-decline-than-social-species/
Social interactions are crucial for the survival of most animal species. Living in groups helps animals spot predators, find food and raise more successful young than they could alone. Conventional wisdom has long held that highly social animals, like lions or capuchin monkeys, are highly vulnerable when their populations decline. But new research suggests that […]
How seabird poop helped fuel ancient civilizations in Peru (February 19, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/how-seabird-poop-helped-fuel-ancient-civilizations-in-peru/
The Chincha Islands off the coast of Peru are home to many seabird species that cover their island homes with thick layers of poop, or guano. New research now suggests that ancient Peruvians in the Chincha Valley on the Peruvian mainland hunted these seabirds, collected their guano, and used it to fertilize their maize crops, […]
Alcoa pays Australian feds $36 million for ‘unlawful’ forest clearing (February 19, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/alcoa-pays-australian-feds-36-million-for-unlawful-forest-clearing/
Pittsburgh-based Alcoa will pay the Australian government a settlement the company put at $36 million for “unlawfully” clearing tracts of endangered forest without approvals between 2019 and 2025. The metals giant began mining bauxite — the raw ingredient for aluminum — from beneath Australia’s Northern Jarrah forest in the 1960s, but its footprint has swelled […]
Argentina considers weakening glacier safeguards in pursuit of critical minerals (February 19, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/argentina-considers-weakening-glacier-safeguards-in-pursuit-of-critical-minerals/
- A bill to reform Argentina’s National Glacier Law would scale back protections that currently restrict mining and other development near glaciers in the Andes and beyond.
- Argentina has 8,484 square kilometers (3,276 square miles) of ice cover spanning 12 provinces and 39 river basins; together, they provide the country with freshwater for drinking, agriculture and other needs.
- If approved, the reform would weaken national environmental standards by allowing provinces to decide whether certain glaciers have a “strategic water function” worth protecting.
- The bill is expected to go to a vote in the Senate later this month and, if passed, would then move on to the lower house of Congress.
New study assesses geoengineering marine ecosystem risks, knowledge gaps (February 19, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-study-assesses-geoengineering-marine-ecosystem-risks-knowledge-gaps/
- A new review study examines the current research regarding the risks that various geoengineering approaches pose to marine ecosystems.
- The study looked particularly at a range of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) methods, along with solar radiation modification (SRM) technologies, and found that some approaches carry fewer risks than others.
- Electrochemical ocean alkalinity enhancement and anoxic storage of terrestrial biomass in the deep ocean (utilizing crop waste, for example) carry fewer risks to marine ecosystems than some carbon dioxide removal methods, such as those that would add nutrients to seawater to promote major plankton growth.
- However, better models, increased field testing, and better geoengineering regulatory oversight are needed to fully assess potential geoengineering marine ecosystem impacts, especially if commercialization proceeds. Public fears over field testing also need to be allayed.
Africa’s vulture safe zones face tough test across vast landscapes (February 19, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/africas-vulture-safe-zones-face-tough-test-across-vast-landscapes/
- Vulture safe zones have multiplied across Southern Africa to address the numerous threats facing these scavengers.
- The vulture safe zone concept originated in Asia as a response to the drastic decline in the region’s vulture populations due to diclofenac poisoning.
- Opinions are mixed on their effectiveness to address the multitude of threats facing species in Africa.
- In the coming months, conservation organizations are aiming to streamline the concept in Africa, with the aim of standardizing how these safe zones operate and monitor populations, and ultimately how they protect threatened species.
The Amazon’s most valuable export isn’t timber — it’s rain (February 19, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/the-amazon-generates-20-billion-of-dollars-worth-of-rainfall-each-year-study-finds/
- Tropical forests actively generate rainfall by releasing moisture into the atmosphere, with each square meter producing hundreds of liters of rain annually across surrounding regions. Clearing even small portions can measurably reduce precipitation, especially during dry seasons.
- Much of the rain that falls far inland originates from forests through long-distance moisture transport known as “flying rivers,” meaning farms, cities, and reservoirs may depend on ecosystems located hundreds or thousands of kilometers away.
- Reduced rainfall from deforestation can undermine agriculture, river flows, and hydropower, revealing forests as a form of natural water infrastructure that supports food production, energy systems, and economic stability.
- By assigning a monetary value to forest-generated rainfall, researchers estimate the service in the Amazon alone is worth on the order of tens of billions of dollars annually, underscoring that forest loss threatens not only biodiversity and carbon storage but regional climate systems themselves.
Peru mining pollution linked to children’s cognitive impairment: Study (February 18, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/peru-mining-pollution-linked-to-childrens-cognitive-impairment-study/
A recent study in Forensic Science International suggests a link between exposure to heavy metals from mining operations and reduced cognitive performance in children in Peru. Researchers say the findings highlight the long-term impact of mining pollution on children’s neurocognitive development and demonstrate that exposure is not a one-time event. The research focused on children […]
Why so many mangrove restoration projects fail (February 18, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/why-so-many-mangrove-restoration-projects-fail/
Mangroves have become a favored solution in climate and conservation circles. They absorb carbon, blunt storm surge and support fisheries. Funding has followed. Yet outcomes often lag ambition. In parts of Southeast Asia and Latin America, research suggests that roughly 70% of restoration projects struggle to establish healthy forests. Seedlings die. Sites flood incorrectly. Community […]
Amazon villages build autonomous energy systems after mega-dam failed pledges (February 18, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/amazon-villages-build-autonomous-energy-systems-after-mega-dam-failed-pledges/
- A pilot project in the Tapajós-Arapiuns Reserve is providing 24-hour electricity through an integrated system of solar panels and river-based hydrokinetic turbines.
- The project’s hydrokinetic turbines use specialized filter systems and slow-rotation grids designed to generate electricity without harming local river fauna.
- Roughly 990,000 people in the Brazilian Amazon still lack access to electricity despite the region hosting some of the world’s largest hydropower facilities.
In Ecuador’s Chocó, roads shape the fate of the rainforest (February 18, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-ecuadors-choco-roads-shape-the-fate-of-the-rainforest/
- The Chocó rainforest in northwestern Ecuador has experienced some of the worst deforestation in the world, with only around 3% tree cover remaining in the western lowlands.
- A lot of the deforestation can be traced to an influx of loggers in the 1990s and the many roads and trails that they created in the process, which are now being used by new settlers.
- In an effort to save a part of the Chocó, the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation has been building a reserve by buying up parcels of land, one at a time. Its Canandé Reserve has grown to roughly 19,000 hectares (47,000 acres) but still faces pressure from roads and trails built by expanding communities.
- Residents respect the need to conserve the forest but also express a desire to improve connectivity, with the ability to travel within the area and to nearby cities.