The case for field stations (June 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/the-case-for-field-stations/
- A new BioScience paper argues that tropical field stations can help turn global conservation commitments into local action.
- Field stations provide long-term monitoring, training, local employment, and continuity in places where conservation outcomes are often difficult to measure.
- Remote sensing, acoustic monitoring, camera traps, and other technologies are becoming more powerful, but they still need field-based institutions to validate and interpret their findings.
- Many field stations remain financially fragile, even as conservation increasingly depends on the long-term evidence and local relationships they help sustain.
Bangladesh’s lightning death toll persists as years of gov’t safeguards fail (June 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/bangladeshs-lightning-death-toll-persists-as-years-of-govt-safeguards-fail/
- Lightning strikes continue to claim lives, mostly farmers’, in Bangladesh, especially across its northeastern region.
- Despite several measures by the Bangladeshi government, including palm tree plantation and installation of lightning arresters, all efforts so far have largely failed to protect lives.
- Experts suggest building public awareness about thunderstorms and thunder clouds to reduce deaths from lightning strikes.
Old fire hoses become lifelines for Malaysia’s endangered langurs (June 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/old-fire-hoses-become-lifelines-for-malaysias-endangered-langurs/
On Malaysia’s Penang Island, conservationist Yap Jo Leen is turning old fire hoses into lifesaving bridges that help endangered monkeys cross busy roads in residential areas. The idea took root after she witnessed a female dusky langur and her infant get struck by a vehicle in 2016, Yap told Mongabay’s Phil Jacobson and AFP’s Isabelle […]
Pulp and paper giant APRIL’s supplier choices put FSC remedy process to the test (June 23, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/pulp-and-paper-giant-aprils-supplier-choices-put-fsc-remedy-process-to-the-test/
- APRIL’s decision to lower its deforestation cutoff date and source wood from two companies associated with extensive recent forest loss in Indonesia is drawing fresh scrutiny of its efforts to re-enter the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
- FSC told Mongabay it is reviewing APRIL’s updated sourcing policies and said it was “concerned” that such an analysis had become necessary.
- Environmental groups say accepting suppliers linked to extensive recent deforestation undermines the spirit of FSC’s remedy process, which is intended to encourage companies to repair past harms before regaining acceptance.
- APRIL says the changes align with evolving global standards and could help improve sustainability practices across Indonesia’s forestry sector, but critics warn the move risks eroding trust in both APRIL and FSC.
EU votes to end illegal logging agreement with Liberia (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/eu-votes-to-end-illegal-logging-agreement-with-liberia/
The European Union’s parliament voted decisively to end its logging oversight partnership with Liberia on June 17, marking the end of a long-running attempt to reform the country’s timber sector through foreign aid. The vote, which passed with 92% in favor, is expected to lead to a formal decision by the EU to terminate the […]
Tiwi rangers eradicate invasive tropical fire ants in Australia’s Melville Island (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rangers-eradicate-invasive-tropical-fire-ants-in-australias-tiwi-islands/
- Over the last two decades, Indigenous rangers in Australia’s Tiwi Islands came together with scientists, government actors, NGOs and private enterprise to eradicate the invasive tropical fire ant species from Melville Island.
- The species threatens small animals, vulnerable sea turtle hatchlings and nesting birds, according to some studies.
- The eradication program included locating the ant nests, poisoning them at small-scale with Amdro, an insecticide bait, and then monitoring sites to ensure the eradication was complete.
- A member of the eradication effort hopes lessons of the Tiwi eradication program could be replicated in other regions of the country, like Ashmore Reef.
World Rainforest Day: Deforestation must be nearly halved to meet 2030 target (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/world-rainforest-day-deforestation-must-be-nearly-halved-to-meet-2030-target/
Every year, June 22 marks World Rainforest Day, an awareness day launched by Rainforest Partnership in 2017 to advocate for the immediate protection and restoration of the world’s tropical forests. These ecosystems support at least half of all known plant and animal species. They also regulate rainfall and stabilize the global climate. In 2025, less […]
Studying giant devil rays through war in Gaza: Interview with Mohammed Abu Daya (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/studying-giant-devil-rays-through-war-in-gaza-interview-with-mohammed-abu-daya/
- Mohammed Abu Daya is a marine ecologist in Gaza. His research focuses on spinetail devil rays, a large-bodied species of ray that roams the Mediterranean Sea and beyond.
- Since 2013, Abu Daya has monitored the impact that local fisheries have on spinetail devil rays, which are listed as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List. Palestinian fishers occasionally target the rays when they stray into Gaza’s coastal water, as other fishing resources in the area have been depleted due to longstanding Israeli restrictions.
- Displaced by Israeli bombings during the war in Gaza that began in 2023, Abu Daya now lives in a tent, with limited access to basic necessities like food and drinking water, or to the internet. His university office has been destroyed, and he can no longer conduct research at sea. Yet he continues to carry out his scientific work, in the hope that it will help improve the conservation of devil rays globally.
- In 2025, at the height of the war, Abu Daya co-authored an international research paper documenting the behavior of spinetail devil rays and showing the importance of the Levantine region for the conservation of this species.
Brazil curbs Amazon deforestation in Piripkura, but ranchers’ cattle linger (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/brazil-curbs-amazon-deforestation-in-piripkura-but-ranchers-cattle-linger/
- A crackdown by the Brazilian government on land-grabbers who establish cattle ranches and other agricultural activities in the Piripkura Indigenous Territory, home to the last two known isolated Piripkura people, have seen some success with tree cover loss in 2025 down.
- While there was very little deforestation from 2024-2025, authorities told Mongabay that 1,000 cattle left by the invaders still remain in the territory, and they have still not received authorization from the federal government to remove them.
- The presence of cattle encourages ranchers to enter the land to care for them, said sources, though some remain there legitimately.
- Authorities have implemented a succession of land use restriction orders since 2008 to prevent the entry of land grabbers, though a recent court decision has provisionally allowed some ranchers to remain in the Indigenous land until the conclusion of the demarcation process.
Study offers first map of Amazon’s climate-resilient upslope corridors (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/study-offers-first-map-of-amazons-climate-resilient-upslope-corridors/
- Worsening climate change creates enormous challenges for ecosystems and individual species. As the world warms, plants and animals must quickly migrate to cooler places to stay resilient and survive. But today such migrations are often blocked by deforestation, human infrastructure and lack of conserved lands.
- In the tropics, vast lowlands can require species to move large distances north or south to escape warming. The most rapid path to climate-resilience is upslope migration, with plants and animals relocating shorter distances uphill to cooler places.
- A new study has mapped major elevational gradients in the Amazon that offer the best possibility for connectivity and upslope relocation in the biome — overlaying elevational gradients, amount of forest cover, fragmentation and protected areas.
- This broad-brush research could aid policymakers in identifying the most viable upslope corridors, helping nations and NGOs target best opportunities for land protection to enhance connectivity and aid species survival.
Apes can imagine too (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/apes-can-imagine-too/
Turns out imagination is not unique to humans. A series of experiments has shown that a language-trained bonobo was able to distinguish real from fake objects and engage in pretend play. Scientists sat down for a “tea party” with Kanzi to understand how the ape would respond to make-believe scenarios. The results have shown that […]
US moves to allow commercial fishing in Pacific marine protected areas (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/us-moves-to-allow-commercial-fishing-in-pacific-marine-protected-areas/
On June 11, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive proclamation to open additional commercial fishing grounds in remote areas of the Pacific. The proclamation says restoring access to these areas “will promote economic opportunity.” However, local groups warn it will open the door to overfishing in a crucial marine habitat and sacred cultural site. […]
France sizzles in a week of punishing heat as red alerts spread (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/france-sizzles-in-a-week-of-punishing-heat-as-red-alerts-spread/
PARIS (AP) — France gritted its teeth Monday for a week of record-busting temperatures, sweltering under a grueling heat wave that combines daytime highs above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and sleep-robbing sweaty nights. The national weather service, Méteo France, said that most of the country — the largest in the European Union and second most populated — […]
South America’s farms depend, in part, on a healthy Amazon (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/south-americas-farms-depend-in-part-on-a-healthy-amazon/
- The Amazon is not only a carbon store; it is also a major source of atmospheric moisture that helps sustain rainfall across much of South America.
- A new Nature study finds that deforestation lowers the warming threshold at which large parts of the Amazon could lose stability.
- Recent droughts, El Niño conditions, and fire risk show why degraded forests are less able to withstand climate stress and recover afterward.
- Protecting intact forests, restoring degraded areas, and reducing fire are increasingly important for climate resilience, biodiversity, and South America’s food system.
Power lines threaten Sri Lanka’s iconic migrant flamingos (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/power-lines-threaten-sri-lankas-iconic-migrant-flamingos/
The lagoons of Mannar in northern Sri Lanka attract large flocks of pink and white greater flamingos every year, which drive a vital tourism industry in the region. However, recent fatalities of the migratory birds from collisions with power cables there have sparked urgent concerns regarding the impact of power infrastructure in the wetlands, reports […]
Community more crucial than snow leopard counting: Interview with Rodney Jackson (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/community-more-crucial-than-snow-leopard-counting-interview-with-rodney-jackson/
- Rodney Jackson, a pioneering snow leopard researcher, has worked across the species’ range — the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.
- In 1981, he founded the nonprofit Snow Leopard Conservancy, focused on community-based conservation in Asia’s high mountain landscapes, and is one of the field’s most cited researchers. Since retiring in 2022, he serves as the president of the Conservancy’s board, focusing on strategy, mentorship and special projects.
- Jackson recently spoke to Mongabay about the big cat’s population monitoring technology, human-wildlife conflict in mountain communities, failure to center herding communities’ needs, and limited collaboration between major snow leopard organizations.
Antarctica’s first plant risk assessment raises concerns for a rare moss (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/antarcticas-first-plant-risk-assessment-raises-concerns-for-a-rare-moss/
In Antarctica’s extreme cold, plants blanket small ice-free areas in bursts of green. These include two native species of flowering plants, 116 moss species, and several liverworts and lichens. Until now, however, none had been assessed for their extinction risk in Antarctica. For the first time, researchers have evaluated the conservation status of an Antarctic […]
A few seconds with one of West Africa’s rarest birds (June 22, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/a-few-seconds-with-one-of-west-africas-rarest-birds/
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. The white-necked picathartes is easy to miss. In Taï National Park, in southwestern Côte d’Ivoire, it nests beneath rocky overhangs, shaping mud cups against stone walls deep inside the forest. It may appear for only a few seconds, […]
Mona Khalil, who left safety in Europe to protect sea turtles in Lebanon, was killed by an Israeli airstrike (June 21, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/mona-khalil-left-safety-in-europe-to-protect-sea-turtles-in-southern-lebanon/
- Mona Khalil died on June 19 after being wounded when an Israeli strike hit her home at Mansouri beach in southern Lebanon.
- For more than 25 years, she protected endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles that nested on a narrow stretch of coast near Tyre.
- She left a settled life in the Netherlands to return to Lebanon, where she turned her family home into the Orange House, a conservation project and guesthouse.
- Her work combined daily field labor, public education, local advocacy, and resistance to pollution, dynamite fishing, coastal development, and war.
Accountability advocates ‘shocked’ as Canadian government eliminates watchdog agency (June 20, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/accountability-advocates-shocked-as-canadian-government-eliminates-watchdog-agency/
- Canada created a watchdog agency in 2019 to investigate human rights abuses overseas involving Canadian corporations, including leading mining concerns. It was called the office of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE). But for more than a year, its top position remained vacant.
- Mongabay reported earlier this month that the office had at least 24 active complaints and that additional communities around the world were ready to make complaints once the office was properly staffed.
- Now, in a move that stunned observers and drawn sharp criticism from activists, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced he has closed the agency.