COP30 tropical forest fund may drive debt and deforestation, groups warn (November 7, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/cop30-tropical-forest-fund-may-drive-debt-and-deforestation-groups-warn/
A new global fund meant to reward tropical countries for protecting forests could instead drive deforestation and deepen debt in the developing world, civil society groups warn. The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), launched Nov. 6 in Belém, Brazil, ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, aims to raise $125 billion and promises to pay […]
New pledge, old problems as Indonesia’s latest Indigenous forest promise draws skepticism (November 7, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/new-pledge-old-problems-as-indonesias-latest-indigenous-forest-promise-draws-skepticism/
- Indonesia has pledged to recognize 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres) of Indigenous and customary forests by 2029, a move the government says will curb deforestation and advance Indigenous rights.
- Advocates call the pledge another empty promise, citing years of stalled reforms, including a long-delayed Indigenous Rights Bill and a slow, bureaucratic process that has recognized less than 2% of mapped customary forests.
- Rights groups say state-backed development continues to drive land grabs and forest loss, with a quarter of Indigenous territories overlapping extractive concessions and widespread conflicts linked to the government’s strategic national projects (PSN).
- Critics urge the government to enact legal reforms and recognize Indigenous land beyond the 1.4-million-hectare target, warning that without real action, the pledge will be symbolic rather than transformative.
Brazil launches fund tying forest cash to steep deforestation penalties (November 7, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/brazil-launches-fund-tying-forest-cash-to-steep-deforestation-penalties/
Brazil officially launched a new financial market fund, called the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, or TFFF, at a Nov. 6 event ahead of the COP30 climate summit it will host in Belém. Countries with significant amounts of tropical forest cover can receive up to $4 per hectare ($1.62 per acre) of standing forest per year […]
Europe’s under-pressure bats face ‘astonishing’ threat: Ambush by rats (November 7, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/europes-under-pressure-bats-face-astonishing-threat-ambush-by-rats/
Researchers have captured video of an unexpected predator at two bat hibernation sites in northern Germany: invasive brown rats that lie in wait to intercept the bats mid-flight. Invasive rodents are known predators of native animals on islands, including bats. However, this is likely the first time invasive brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) have been recorded […]
Across the Amazon, impunity among politicians remains chronic (November 7, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/across-the-amazon-impunity-among-politicians-remains-chronic/
- Special protocols for the prosecution of elected officials are used to protect them from trivial or politically motivated proceedings, but they can help them avoid accountability for illegal actions.
- Often, their trials are delayed until the charges are dismissed due to technicalities, to the statute of limitations, or because they have been acquitted by politically influenced judges.
- This type of constitutional impunity has been common in Brazil, Bolivia, and Venezuela, from the Lava Jato case to Hugo Chavez’s legal warfare on his political opponents.
Indigenous delegates prepare for COP30 with focus on justice, land and finance (November 7, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/indigenous-delegates-prepare-for-cop30-with-focus-on-justice-land-and-finance/
- The 2025 U.N. climate conference, COP30, will run from Nov. 10-21 in Belém, Brazil, and is expected to host the largest participation of Indigenous peoples in the conference series’ history, with more than 3,000 Indigenous delegates registered.
- Mongabay spoke with some of the delegates from Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific about their expectations for the conference and their objectives.
- They’re calling for recognition of Indigenous lands as a climate solution, a just energy transition, protection for forest defenders, and financial pledges that ensure at least 20% of forest conservation funds be directed to Indigenous and local communities.
- COP30 is expected to launch initiatives such as the Belém Action Mechanism for a just transition and the Tropical Forest Forever Facility. In the lead up to the conference, governments and donors also announced major commitments to recognize customary lands and provide funding support land rights.
UNESCO biosphere listing raises hope, questions for Malaysia’s Kinabatangan floodplain (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/unesco-biosphere-listing-raises-hope-questions-for-malaysias-kinabatangan-floodplain/
- UNESCO has declared the floodplain around Malaysian Borneo’s Kinabatangan River a biosphere reserve, linking the Heart of Borneo to the Lower Kinabatangan–Segama Wetlands.
- Conservationists warn that the landscape remains heavily fragmented by oil palm plantations and faces persistent threats from pollution and weak land governance.
- They argue that lasting change will require land reform, corporate accountability and stronger coordination between Sabah’s forestry and wildlife authorities.
Expedition charts Cook Islands seafloor, amid scrutiny over mining motives (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/expedition-charts-cook-islands-seafloor-amid-scrutiny-over-mining-motives/
- Between Oct. 1 and 21, a U.S government-funded vessel, the E/V Nautilus, conducted an expedition in the Cook Islands’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), following an agreement between the U.S. and the Cook Islands to “advance scientific research and the responsible development of seabed mineral resources.”
- During the 21-day expedition, the E/V Nautilus mapped more than 14,000 square kilometers (5,400 square miles) of the Cook Islands’ seafloor while also documenting deep-sea biodiversity.
- Environmental activists protested the expedition, arguing it would help accelerate deep-sea mining in the Cook Islands. The crew of the E/V Nautilus, however, rejects the accusation.
- The Cook Islands government has issued three deep-sea mining exploration licenses, which will expire in 2027. One company operating in the Cook Islands has said it hopes to apply for an exploitation license in 2027.
Researchers define the importance of the ‘circular seabird economy’ (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/researchers-define-the-importance-of-the-circular-seabird-economy/
In a review article published in Nature, researchers have introduced a new term to describe the importance of seabirds across land and marine ecosystems: the circular seabird economy. Although seabirds spend most of their lives at sea, they return to land to breed, often forming colonies of thousands of individuals. This influx of birds, bringing […]
Leaders of world’s biggest polluters skip UN climate summit (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/leaders-of-worlds-biggest-polluters-skip-un-climate-summit/
BELEM, Brazil (AP) — World leaders gathering in a coastal city in the Brazilian Amazon for the U.N.‘s annual climate summit hope it’s a rare opportunity to turn previous commitments into practical steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve rainforests and make good on pledges to finance clean energy. But the heads of the world’s […]
Healthy rivers, healthy people: A Brazil project links human & ecosystem well-being (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/healthy-rivers-healthy-people-a-brazil-project-links-human-ecosystem-well-being/
- A night fishing trip 30 years ago showed Brazilian public health doctor Apolo Heringer the meaning of health: a clean river full of fish — a notion that inspired the Manuelzão Project to restore the Velhas River Basin in southeastern Brazil.
- The basin includes Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region (BHMR), capital of Minas Gerais, the third-largest metropolitan region in Brazil and home to approximately 5.7 million people in 34 cities; here, the combination of high population density, inadequate urban planning and lack of infrastructure has damaged the rivers that cross the region.
- After sewage treatment plants began operating in the area, fish started returning to the waters; the dorado (Salminus franciscanus) was chosen as an indicator of good water quality since it needs a lot of oxygen to survive and polluted waters have low oxygen levels.
- Connections between the river, its health and people’s understanding are crucial to the Manuelzão Project and its goals for collective health.
The uncertain future of DRC’s traditional medicine, a heritage to save (commentary) (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/the-uncertain-future-of-drcs-traditional-medicine-a-heritage-to-save-commentary/
- Congolese traditional medicine, rooted in cultural heritage, is disappearing due to the dominance of modern medicine; in rural areas, traditional healers remain essential, yet their knowledge is largely undocumented and often undervalued.
- Conflicts, climate change and loss of biodiversity further threaten medicinal plants and cultural transmission.
- There is an urgent need to recognize, protect and preserve this heritage through ethnobotany and inclusive health policies.
- This commentary is part of Our Letters to the Future, a series produced by the Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows as their final fellowship project. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
No, Bill Gates, we don’t have to choose between people & planet (commentary) (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/no-bill-gates-we-dont-have-to-choose-between-people-planet-commentary/
- A new essay by billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, “Three Tough Truths About Climate,” marks a dangerous shift that could undermine his notable contributions to solving the climate crisis, the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, argues in a new op-ed.
- His suggestion that the world must choose between financing development or climate action falsely presents a zero-sum situation, she says, adding that Gates must publicly set the record straight before this idea is further used as a justification for backsliding on climate action.
- “The great challenge of our time is to build a future where every person can thrive on a healthy planet. That means rejecting the idea that we must choose between human progress and environmental protection,” Robinson writes.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
Kenya court upholds cancellation of 1,050 MW coal plant license (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/kenya-court-upholds-cancellation-of-1050-mw-coal-plant-license/
Kenya’s Environment and Land Court has upheld a 2019 ruling that revoked the environmental license for the proposed 1,050-megawatt Lamu coal-fired power plant, effectively halting the controversial project. Justice Francis Njoroge dismissed an appeal from the Amu Power Company, finding the project’s environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) was inadequate and public participation deficient. The […]
Vietnam’s protected areas fall short of safeguarding most bats, study finds (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/vietnams-protected-areas-fall-short-of-safeguarding-most-bats-study-finds/
- Bats play crucial roles in biodiverse ecosystems the world over, yet they’re often overlooked in conservation planning.
- New research from Vietnam indicates the existing network of protected areas fails to adequately safeguard the small flying mammals, risking continued population declines.
- The study identifies priority areas where Vietnam’s efforts to expand its protected area network would most benefit bats in the central highlands, the western central coast and the northwest regions.
- Experts say a lot could be achieved for bats in Southeast Asia by ending the illegal wildlife trade, particularly the “frivolous” international ornamental bat trade.
In Honduras, local communities miss out on benefits of large-scale renewables (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/in-honduras-local-communities-miss-out-on-benefits-of-large-scale-renewables/
- About 1.4 million Hondurans still lack access to electricity, energy demand is increasing and climate change is intensifying, while the country continues to rely on fossil fuels. Yet, in southern Honduras, large-scale renewable energy projects have sparked sharp criticism from local communities.
- Community members complain of unbearable heat, water scarcity and deforestation. They say they feel the impacts of large renewable energy projects, but not the benefits, noting that they still lack access to the electricity grid and face some of the highest electricity prices in the region.
- Community leaders who resist renewable energy projects report being threatened. Experts, activists and community members say better protection for community leaders is urgently needed.
- Despite Honduras’s need for an energy transition, the government and companies involved in these projects have failed to secure community support. Instead, locals call for a “just transition” that ensures affordable energy.
Women can help rebuild our relationship with lions: Voices from the land (commentary) (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/women-can-help-rebuild-our-relationship-with-lions-voices-from-the-land-commentary/
- The inclusion of women in Africa’s lion conservation efforts is essential to not only to protect the species, but to do so sustainably with the buy-in of nearby communities — which at times can have a tense and challenging relationship with the predatory species, say members of the Mama Simba, a program within Ewaso Lions made up of Samburu women in Kenya.
- The women say they remember how, when they were young, wildlife was in abundance, that their parents and grandparents lived alongside wildlife in harmony and that lions held a powerful place in their culture, identity and daily lives.
- “Everything changes when women are not asked to sit on the sidelines but invited to lead,” they say in this opinion piece.
- This commentary is part of the Voices from the Land series, a compilation of Indigenous-led opinion pieces. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
Karen community fighting corn and coal for clean air in northern Thailand (November 6, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/karen-community-fighting-corn-and-coal-for-clean-air-in-northern-thailand/
- Northern Thailand is trapped in a cycle of air pollution driven by maize cultivation for the animal feed industry, with field burning each year choking the region in hazardous haze.
- Government crackdowns and “zero-burn” policies have failed because impoverished farmers see no viable alternative to burning amid falling yields and mounting debt.
- Deforestation, soil erosion and flooding linked to maize farming have devastated ecosystems and rural livelihoods across Chiang Mai province.
- Even as some communities ban maize cultivation to fight haze, new coal projects threaten to undo their gains, revealing Thailand’s conflicting approach to environmental governance.
Armored worms and death-ball sponges among array of life newly documented from the deep sea (November 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/armored-worms-and-death-ball-sponges-among-array-of-life-newly-documented-from-the-deep-sea/
- A deep-sea expedition has recorded 30 previously unknown species from one of the planet’s most inaccessible regions, at depths of up to 700 meters, or 2,300 feet, in the Southern Ocean.
- The astonishing array of deep-sea life included a carnivorous “death-ball” sponge, unknown sea stars spanning multiple families, and new crustaceans.
- Researchers gathered nearly 2,000 specimens representing 14 major animal groups while documenting new hydrothermal vents, vibrant coral gardens, and evidence of explosive undersea volcanism.
- Scientists estimate up to 2 million marine species exist, yet only 240,000 have been formally identified, meaning roughly 10% of ocean life has been cataloged.
Journalism is failing to report on environmental leaders’ fights (commentary) (November 5, 2025)
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/journalism-is-failing-to-report-on-environmental-leaders-fights-commentary/
- Environmental leaders in Latin America are facing out-of-control violence and deaths, with little accountability.
- Journalism is failing environmental leaders by focusing on statistics instead of their stories.
- Journalists must immerse themselves in the field, along with environmental leaders, to expose their fights and struggles.
- This commentary is part of Our Letters to the Future, a series produced by the Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows as their final fellowship project. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.