Rare Southern African succulent listed as critically endangered amid mining threat (October 5, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/rare-southern-african-succulent-listed-as-critically-endangered-amid-mining-threat/
The brown clockfig, an extremely rare succulent growing in the hot, arid border region of Namibia and South Africa, was recently assessed as critically endangered by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. The western Gariep Valley is a vast landscape spanning the southern part of Tsau ǁKhaeb National Park in Namibia and the Richtersveld […]
More Latin American species are surfacing at a Bangkok wildlife market (October 5, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/more-latin-american-species-are-surfacing-at-a-bangkok-wildlife-market/
More Amazonian species, in larger numbers, are appearing for sale on the other side of the planet in Southeast Asia’s exotic pet trade, reports contributor Gloria Dickie for Mongabay. Over the past two years, Scott Roberton, who leads the countertrafficking program for U.S.-based nonprofit Wildlife Conservation Society, has observed a rise in Latin American species, […]
Weak prosecution leaves Southeast Asia’s tigers vulnerable to trafficking: Report (October 5, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/weak-prosecution-leaves-southeast-asias-tigers-vulnerable-to-trafficking-report/
Fewer than half of tiger poaching and trafficking arrests in Southeast Asia result in convictions or legal penalties, providing little deterrent to an illegal black market that is driving wild tigers towards extinction, reports contributor Sean Mowbray for Mongabay. Researchers analyzed 259 tiger seizure cases recorded between 2019 and 2024 across seven range countries: Indonesia, […]
Hunters reportedly kill hundreds of migratory birds stranded by thunderstorm in Malta (October 5, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/hunters-reportedly-kill-hundreds-of-migratory-birds-stranded-by-thunderstorm-in-malta/
A multi-day thunderstorm over the Mediterranean Sea struck Malta, stranding hundreds of passing migratory birds on Sept. 14, 2026. Hunters in the country then shot hundreds of those birds, including protected species, shows evidence gathered by the conservation NGO Birdlife Malta. Malta sits on the Central European-Mediterranean flyway that millions of migratory birds use annually […]
Myanmar’s mines pollute Thai rivers (October 4, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/myanmars-mines-pollute-thai-rivers/
Vast tracts of Thai farmland have been poisoned by chemicals linked to mining in Myanmar, With toxins carried into Thailand by at least six transboundary rivers. A Mongabay investigation has found more than 50 companies in Thailand importing minerals from Myanmar’s polluting mines. Antimony, copper, lead, manganese, tin, tungsten and other critical minerals worth millions […]
Satellite data reveal massive scale of routine oil pollution in oceans. See the map (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/satellite-data-reveal-massive-scale-of-routine-oil-pollution-in-oceans-see-the-map/
Oil slicks from ships and offshore oil platforms cover nearly 1.6 million square kilometers (618,000 square miles) of the ocean surface each year, an area slightly larger than the nation of Mongolia. The estimate comes from a recent report by Skytruth, a U.S.-based nonprofit that used satellite imagery, machine learning and vessel tracking data to […]
Future of Amazon rainforest policies at stake in Brazilian presidential election (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/future-of-amazon-rainforest-policies-at-stake-in-brazilian-presidential-election/
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s upcoming presidential election could reshape the Amazon’s future. Control of the country, which contains about 60% of the rainforest, could pass to Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Experts warn a Bolsonaro victory could reverse deforestation-control policies restored by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. During Jair […]
Vietnam’s fishers face rising costs, declining catches and a contested sea (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/vietnams-fishers-face-rising-costs-declining-catches-and-a-contested-sea/
- As Hanoi leans on fishers to hold the line in contested waters, a distant war and a demanding European compliance regime are squeezing the same boats from opposite directions.
- The fuel crisis caused by the Iran War adds to the pressure.
- Data shows a nearly-19% year-on-year drop in fishing activity during March and April 2026, the height of the fuel crisis.
Probiotics prevented coral bleaching during a Red Sea heat wave: Study (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/probiotics-prevented-coral-bleaching-during-a-red-sea-heat-wave-study/
- A new field study found that two treatments of beneficial bacteria each protected reef corals from bleaching during a heat wave in the Red Sea.
- A heat-killed version of one of the bacterial treatments also protected the corals and may provide a cheaper, more shelf-stable alternative to live probiotics.
- Future studies are needed to determine whether the treatments also help corals stay alive over longer periods of time.
- Though wider implementation of probiotics faces barriers, researchers say many approaches are needed to protect corals in the long term.
Permafrost, wetland, wildfire and freshwater emissions could amplify climate change by up to 30%, study finds (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/permafrost-wetland-wildfire-and-freshwater-emissions-could-amplify-climate-change-by-up-to-30-study-finds/
- As Earth warms, greenhouse gases released by thawing permafrost, wetlands, wildfires, and freshwaters could cause 0.2°-0.4°C (0.4°-0.7°F) of additional warming by 2100, a new study estimates.
- That would amplify human-caused warming since 2020 by 20-30%, with methane accounting for roughly half of the added warming.
- Most climate models leave these natural feedbacks out, so projections of future warming are likely too low and remaining carbon budgets too generous, the authors say.
- Cutting human emissions remains essential, but because some natural sources have no off switch, researchers are exploring ways to remove methane from the atmosphere.
How to grow $25K into community-led conservation: Interview with Tanzania’s Mwambao (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/how-to-grow-25k-into-community-led-conservation-interview-with-tanzanias-mwambao/
- Ali Thani and Lorna Slade shared frustration with top-down conservation and a belief that coastal communities could manage their own resources led them to come together to create the Mwambao Coastal Community Network.
- Their partnership grew from different experiences. Thani, a Tanzanian from the coast who had worked in government and with international conservation groups, brought intimate knowledge of coastal communities; Slade brought decades of experience and understanding of the international institutions financing conservation.
- Mwambao has since grown into a multimillion-dollar organization and helped communities experiment with fisheries closures, co-management and livelihood programs. But its experience has not been uniformly successful, with different degrees of acceptance from communities.
- Its growth also raises a harder question for its founders: can a community-led model remain truly community-led as the organization itself becomes larger?
Uganda and NGO to co-manage sector of national park home to tree-climbing lions (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/uganda-and-ngo-to-co-manage-sector-of-national-park-home-to-tree-climbing-lions/
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have signed a 10-year agreement to co-manage a portion of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for its tree-climbing lions. WCS will take over some day-to-day roles for the Ishasha Sector in the south of the park, including those covering biodiversity management, community engagement and […]
As Hong Kong heats up, calls grow for tougher rules to protect outdoor workers (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-hong-kong-heats-up-calls-grow-for-tougher-rules-to-protect-outdoor-workers/
- Hong Kong’s heat stress warning system has been widely criticized as ineffective, failing to raise alerts even when temperatures hit a record high.
- Although the system has since been revamped, critics say the government’s heat stress guidelines to protect workers are flawed.
- Unlike mainland China and other countries, Hong Kong doesn’t require employers to stop high-risk work or let workers rest when heat warnings are issued.
- Workers’ rights advocates also urge authorities to codify heatstroke as an occupational disease.
Wildlife traffickers are now targeting Indonesia’s critically endangered maleo birds (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/wildlife-traffickers-are-now-targeting-indonesias-critically-endangered-maleo-birds/
- Sulawesi’s critically endangered maleo birds are increasingly targeted by wildlife traffickers, according to a new study that documented seizures of smuggled birds Some were carried by families with children, young couples or single mothers to try to avoid detection.
- Researchers found that 25 live juvenile maleos were seized by enforcement agents in 2024 in India or en route there. Conservationists say they may have been smuggled from hatcheries built to conserve the critically endangered species. None were repatriated alive to Indonesia.
- Maleos are a protected species in Indonesia, and all international commercial trade is banned under CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty.
- Researchers urge authorities in India, Indonesia and Thailand to increase surveillance and enforcement in airports and build a mechanism to return seized birds to Indonesia, where they could potentially be released back into the wild.
As fires spread, Indonesia’s rubber growers draw on traditional ways to fight back (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-fires-spread-indonesias-rubber-growers-draw-on-traditional-ways-to-fight-back/
- Data from remote sensing platforms indicates Indonesia is likely experiencing its worst wildfires crisis in years as a strong El Niño deepens the country’s main dry season over Sumatra and Borneo islands.
- In South Sumatra province, rubber tree growers in the Tempirai customary zone say they use fire only after the end of the dry season, after they have planted food crops, and that fires began to afflict this area of South Sumatra province after the oil palm industry began operating in the peatland.
- That may reflect the relative resilience of oil palm trees to wildfires compared with rubber trees, which are much more vulnerable to incineration.
- “If a fire breaks out here, we’re finished — so right now, fire is our enemy,” one latex tree grower told Mongabay Indonesia.
Women shoulder the burden of expanding wildfires in rural India (October 2, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/women-shoulder-the-burden-of-expanding-wildfires-in-rural-india/
In the Indian Western Himalayas, women are the primary first responders to escalating forest fires. They risk their physical safety to protect homes and livelihoods despite receiving little formal support or equipment and no pay, reports contributor Swati Thapa for Mongabay. Uttarakhand is the most fire-prone state in India’s Western Himalayas. High-elevation warming exceeds global […]
Mangroves keep waves at bay. A new study helps scientists predict how (October 1, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/mangroves-keep-waves-at-bay-a-new-study-helps-scientists-predict-how/
- Mangrove forests can help protect tropical coastal areas from rising sea levels and storm surges.
- New research presents a model by which to predict how much mangroves can reduce — or attenuate — large waves associated with severe storms such as typhoons.
- The researchers also created an online tool that can be used by practitioners to estimate the attenuation impact of mangroves anywhere around the world.
- The authors say their work can be used for ecological restoration and coastal engineering, and to help “vulnerable coastal communities deploy adaptive defenses before disaster strikes.”
India’s isolated island tribes need autonomy to survive rising threats, says scholar (October 1, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/indias-isolated-island-tribes-need-autonomy-to-survive-rising-threats-says-scholar/
Isolated and contacted Indigenous tribes in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands face threats from illegal fishing, mega-development projects and misinformed government welfare policies that undermine their self-sufficiency, says Manish Chandi, a former research scholar who has spent decades working with tribal communities in the region. Chandi worked with the communities while he was with the […]
A first in Brazil: Black-faced lion tamarins vaccinated (October 1, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/a-first-in-brazil-black-faced-lion-tamarins-vaccinated/
- In restinga shrub areas of the Atlantic Forest on the coast of Paraná state, researchers have carried out the first yellow fever vaccinations of black-faced lion tamarins.
- The initiative took place in July 2026 and aims to protect the species, known locally as the “caissara lion tamarin,” from disease outbreaks that could further reduce its small wild population.
- The primate is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, with a population estimated at fewer than 400 individuals in the wild and none in captivity, increasing the risk of sudden extinction.
Wind turbine taller than the Eiffel Tower aims to boost German electricity production (October 1, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/wind-turbine-taller-than-the-eiffel-tower-aims-to-boost-german-electricity-production/
SCHIPKAU, Germany (AP) — A wind turbine described by its developer as the world’s tallest now rises 365 meters (1,197 feet) above the sparsely populated landscape of eastern Germany, surpassing the height of the Eiffel Tower. The colossal turbine has been built at an existing wind farm in Lusatia, southeast of Berlin. Once a major […]