Mikayla Raines died on June 20th, aged 30 (June 29, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/mikayla-raines-died-on-june-20th-aged-30/
In a world that treats foxes as either fur or folly, Mikayla Raines saw something else entirely: Sentience. Not the cartoonish cleverness of folklore, nor the soft luxury of fashion, but the quiet, confused lives of animals bred to die or discarded as inconvenient pets. From the age of 15, when she bottle-fed her first […] 
Predatory snakehead fish poses invasive threat after sighting in Sri Lanka reservoir (June 28, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/predatory-snakehead-fish-poses-invasive-threat-after-sighting-in-sri-lanka-reservoir/
- The giant snakehead (Channa micropeltes), a predatory fish native to Southeast Asia, has been found in Sri Lanka’s Deduru Oya reservoir, raising concerns over the invasive species’ potential impact on native freshwater biodiversity and inland fisheries.
- With the ability to grow up to a meter (3 feet) in length, the giant snakehead is larger and more aggressive than Sri Lanka’s largest native snakehead species, posing a threat of outcompeting them and disrupting local aquatic ecosystems.
- Introduced through the aquarium trade, these snakeheads have already become invasive in countries such as the United States and Malaysia, triggering ecological crises that have led to bans, public awareness campaigns, and targeted removal programs.
- With more than 30 invasive fish species now established in Sri Lanka’s waterways, experts warn that weak enforcement and poor regulation over exotic fish imports and aquaculture practices are increasing the risk of further biological invasions.
Commuter traffic stops for whales on Australia’s humpback highway (June 27, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/commuter-traffic-stops-for-whales-on-australias-humpback-highway/
PORT STEPHENS, Australia (AP) — Sydney’s harbor becomes a humpback highway in winter as the whales migrate from feeding grounds in Antarctica to breeding areas off Australia’s coast. Whale watchers are spoiled for sightings during peak traffic weeks in June and July, when 40,000 creatures the size of buses will navigate the waters of New […] 
After USAID cut, Ethiopia’s largest community conservation area aims for self-sufficiency (June 27, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/after-usaid-cut-ethiopias-largest-community-conservation-area-aims-for-self-sufficiency/
- The abrupt end of USAID funding has disrupted conservation progress in Ethiopia’s Tama Community Conservation Area (TCCA), where community-led efforts had curbed illegal hunting and led to an increase in elephant and giraffe populations.
- In response, local leaders and communities are working to become financially self-sufficient by establishing income-generating initiatives.
- But progress is hindered by the lack of a functioning office, expert staff, and basic operational resources.
- While experts recognize the area’s strong potential for ecotourism and community benefit, they warn that poverty, conflict and climate challenges, combined with weak infrastructure, make external technical and financial support critical for a successful transition to self-reliance.
Peter Seligmann steps down from Conservation International board after nearly four decades (June 27, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/peter-seligmann-steps-down-from-conservation-international-board-after-nearly-four-decades/
Peter Seligmann, the founder of Conservation International (CI) and longtime Chair of its Board of Directors, has stepped down from the Board effective June 22, 2025, the organization announced. He will continue to support the organization in the role of Chairman Emeritus. Seligmann co-founded Conservation International in 1987 after a decade at The Nature Conservancy, […] 
Friendship benefits male and female mountain gorillas differently, study shows (June 27, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/friendship-benefits-male-and-female-mountain-gorillas-differently-study-shows/
- A 21-year study of 164 wild mountain gorillas found that strong social bonds produce different health effects for males and females, with males experiencing more illness but fewer injuries when they have close friendships.
- Female gorillas with strong social bonds generally had better health outcomes, experiencing 19% fewer injuries and 14% less illness compared to those with weaker social bonds.
- The benefits and costs of friendship varied based on group size, with females in small groups having fewer offspring despite better health, while those in large groups had more babies but higher rates of illness.
- The research helps explain why animals exhibit such diverse social behaviors and may inform conservation efforts for this endangered species, which numbers just over 1,000 individuals.
Bangladesh plans new reserve for trapped elephants (June 27, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/bangladesh-plans-new-reserve-for-trapped-elephants/
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Bangladesh is preparing to add to its tally of 56 protected areas by declaring a new sanctuary in its northeast — not for forests or tigers, but for a group of elephants trapped by geopolitics, reports Mongabay’s Abu […] 
Fire is both destruction and rebirth for Maya communities of Belize (June 27, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/fire-is-both-destruction-and-rebirth-for-maya-communities-of-belize/
- Wildfires in 2024 heavily impacted the Maya communities of southern Belize, burning 43,987 hectares (108,695 acres), a staggering 10.2% of the region’s forest and farmland.
- Fire has always been a sacred element to the Maya people, central in ancestral Mother Earth celebrations and in the traditional practice of slash-and-burn. But it has now become a debated topic, after the 2024 wildfires, exacerbated by the climate crisis.
- The Julian Cho Society, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to the conservation of the Indigenous lands of southern Belize, is working for a rebirth: distributing 30,000 seedlings of ancestral trees to restore fire-scarred farms and implement agroforestry.
Flash floods in Pakistan kill 8 and 58 are rescued after deluge swept away dozens (June 27, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/flash-floods-in-pakistan-kill-8-and-58-are-rescued-after-deluge-swept-away-dozens/
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Flash floods triggered by pre-monsoon rains swept away dozens of tourists in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least eight people. The nationwide death toll from rain-related incidents rose to 18 over the past 24 hours, officials said. Nearly 100 rescuers in various groups rescued a total of 58 people and […] 
WWF’s top leader acknowledges reforms in wake of abuse allegations (June 27, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/wwfs-top-leader-acknowledges-reforms-in-wake-of-abuse-allegations/
- Six years after facing widespread allegations of human rights abuses linked to conservation enforcement, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says it has overhauled how it operates in some of the world’s most sensitive ecosystems.
- The global conservation NGO commissioned an independent panel in 2020 to investigate the allegations, which Mongabay and other media outlets reported extensively. The resulting 160-page report outlined more than 170 recommendations, calling for reforms in WWF’s policies, project oversight, risk management practices, etc.
- Today, WWF claims it has implemented close to 98% of those recommendations. In an interview with Mongabay on the sidelines of the Villars Institute Symposium in Switzerland, director-general Kirsten Schuijt detailed some of the organization’s reforms: the rollout of grievance mechanisms, the creation of an ombuds office and the appointment of WWF’s first Indigenous board member. While some have dismissed the appointment as tokenism or mere box-ticking, Schuijt contends that true success lies in ensuring WWF’s decision-making reflects a diversity of voices.
- WWF is looking to reposition itself with a renewed focus on people-centered conservation. Its new global strategy, Roadmap 2030, places locally led conservation at the heart of its work — marking a decisive shift from fortress-style models to approaches that empower Indigenous peoples and local communities in shaping and delivering conservation on their terms.
What happens to artisanal fishers when a deep-sea fishing port comes to town? (June 27, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/what-happens-to-artisanal-fishers-when-a-deep-sea-fishing-port-comes-to-town/
- A new fishing port slated for completion in June will bring huge commercial vessels into the artisanal fishing community of Shimoni, Kenya.
- Local fishers fear that once the new port comes online, their fishing will become impossible in the near-shore waters they have fished for ages, and the huge vessels will disrupt local seafood markets.
- In 2023, President William Ruto promised to equip the local fishers with boats capable of fishing in the deep sea, but more than a year later, this promise has yet to be fulfilled, and local fishers say that boats the county delivered aren’t up to the task.
- Moreover, they say training will be essential to operate any deep-sea fishing vessels, along with mechanical support, and they worry they won’t be able to afford the upkeep costs.
Author Kim Stanley Robinson on climate fiction & navigating the climate crisis (June 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/author-kim-stanley-robinson-on-climate-fiction-navigating-the-climate-crisis/
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Five years on from the publication of the climate fiction book, The Ministry for the Future, author Kim Stanley Robinson finds little he would change in his sweeping speculative novel —aside from a regrettable mention of blockchain. “What I […] 
Sweden needs a rights of nature legal framework (commentary) (June 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/sweden-needs-a-rights-of-nature-legal-framework-commentary/
- On July 1, the reassessment of Sweden’s hydropower plants will resume under the framework of its national plan.
- This is necessary, a new op-ed argues, because the expansion of hydropower has led to sharply reduced salmon populations, and eels are on the verge of extinction. These species are without rights, yet they have a natural right to exist.
- “Some might object that a river or an eel cannot speak in a courtroom. But there are also humans who lack that ability. In such cases, a legal guardian is appointed. In the same way, nature can be given representatives to act on its behalf in court,” the author writes.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
As ocean acidification ramps up, experts call for speedy ocean protection (June 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/as-ocean-acidification-ramps-up-experts-call-for-speedy-ocean-protection/
- Scientists have known for decades that soaring atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions are causing changes in ocean chemistry, threatening marine life and ecosystems.
- In June 2025, a study found that ocean acidification has passed a safe threshold across large swathes of the world’s marine environment, not only near the sea surface, but also up to 200 meters (656 feet) deep. The effect is especially severe in polar regions.
- Ocean acidification is an added stressor to marine life already facing pressure from multiple threats connected to climate change (including marine heatwaves and reduced oxygen levels in seawater), along with other direct human impacts including pollution, overfishing and deep-sea mining.
- Carbon emissions need to be deeply slashed and ocean protections greatly enhanced to allow ecosystems time to adapt and one day recover, say experts.
Indigenous guards: The shield of Colombia’s Amazon (June 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/the-indigenous-guardians-shielding-colombias-amazon/
- For years, using organization and collaboration, unarmed guards in Colombia have acted as protective barriers of territories, the environment and communities.
- These days, the guards combine their traditional knowledge with monitoring technology, such as GPS and satellite imagery, so the data can be used by government entities.
- Working to protect their territory has put them in danger: Between 2014 and 2024, at least 70 Indigenous guardians have been killed in Colombia.
- A team of journalists tracked five cases in the Colombian departments of Amazonas, Putumayo and Guainía to get a firsthand look at these defense processes and the risks Indigenous guardians face.
Regulation on oil palm expansion in Peru’s Amazon could endanger forests, say critics (June 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/regulation-on-oil-palm-expansion-in-perus-amazon-could-endanger-forests-say-critics/
- A resolution issued by Peru’s Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI) aims to boost the sustainable development of palm oil production in the country.
- Critics argue that it will lead to increased deforestation and that Indigenous organizations were excluded from the regulation’s drafting process.
- Oil palm is cultivated to obtain palm oil, which is used as a raw material in beauty products, toiletries, food and biodiesel.
- The regulation adds to at least two other recent measures by the Peruvian government with potential environmental impacts.
Why is star anise disappearing from northeastern India? (June 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/video/2025/06/why-is-star-anise-disappearing-from-northeastern-india/
ARUNACHAL PRADESH — India. Over 60% of star anise trees have vanished from the region in just 84 years, pushing this valuable spice toward endangerment and leaving the Indigenous Monpa community struggling to sustain it. Now, conservation efforts are stepping in. The World Wide Fund for Nature-India is helping to form village committees that support […] 
Nicaragua government tied to illegal land invasions in wildlife refuge, documents suggest (June 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/nicaragua-government-tied-to-illegal-land-invasions-in-wildlife-refuge-documents-suggest/
- Río San Juan Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Nicaragua has suffered a wave of deforestation in recent years, fueled by land deals that allow settlers to clear the rainforest for farming, mining and cattle ranching.
- Without government support, Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities have patrolled the forests on their own but are overwhelmed by the number of people settling in the area.
- Some residents have crossed the border into Costa Rica due to security concerns.
- Recently, the government also authorized more dredging on the San Juan River, despite losing a previous case about dredging at the International Court of Justice.
Colombian waste pickers inundate iconic Bogota square with plastic bottles to protest falling wages (June 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/colombian-waste-pickers-inundate-iconic-bogota-square-with-plastic-bottles-to-protest-falling-wages/
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Dozens of Colombian waste pickers inundated Bogota’s iconic Bolivar Square with about 15 tons of recyclable goods Tuesday to protest decreasing income and tougher conditions for scavengers. They collect trash from homes, factories and office buildings and sell it to local recycling plants. The demonstration was organized by 14 waste picker […] 
Balancing wildlife and human needs at Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth park (June 26, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/balancing-wildlife-and-human-needs-at-ugandas-queen-elizabeth-park/
To the outside world, Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park is a model of successful conservation of wildlife amid declining populations in other parts of Africa. But while elephant, giraffe and buffalo populations have grown as much as sixfold, the people inside the park live with a colonial legacy that restricts both their livelihoods and their access […]