Camera traps take first photos of rare island antelope on Zanzibar (April 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/camera-traps-take-first-photos-of-rare-island-antelope-on-zanzibar/
Conservationists have captured the first camera trap images of the highly elusive Pemba blue duiker, a tiny antelope that lives in a remnant of native forest in the north of Zanzibar’s Pemba Island. Standing just 30 centimeters (12 inches) high at the shoulder, the Pemba blue duiker is possibly a subspecies of the blue duiker […]
After harsh winter, Ukrainians find joy in releasing bats rescued from war (April 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/after-harsh-winter-ukrainians-find-joy-in-releasing-bats-rescued-from-war/
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — As night falls over a nature park on the edge of Kyiv, children crowd around volunteers who carefully open cloth bags and release bats into the twilight. As each one takes flight, snapping through the air, more than 1,000 spectators cheer and applaud — families, off-duty soldiers, and bat enthusiasts, a few […]
A Congo Basin-led bioeconomy could boost Central Africa’s green transition (analysis) (April 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-congo-basin-led-bioeconomy-could-boost-central-africas-green-transition-analysis/
- As the global economy shifts toward greener, more sustainable models, the Congo Basin has a unique opportunity to position itself within this landscape by building a resilient bioeconomy that prioritizes local value creation while preserving critical ecosystems.
- Despite its rich natural endowments, this region often faces a paradox: while conservation protects, extraction exploits, and agreements frequently stall.
- “Promoting innovative approaches to biodiversity value creation directly supports efforts to enhance innovation and competitiveness, while emphasizing the need for durable, inclusive systems that capture long-term value for local communities,” a new analysis argues.
- This article is an analysis. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
A unique clearing in Central Africa draws elephants from the dense forests (April 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-unique-clearing-in-central-africa-draws-elephants-from-the-dense-forests/
- Dzanga Bai is an exceptional forest clearing where hundreds of elusive forest elephants gather, offering scientists and visitors opportunities to observe their behavior, social interactions and family dynamics in the open.
- Mineral-rich soil and shallow pools draw elephants and other wildlife like bongos and forest buffalo, making the clearing a unique ecological hotspot and a valuable site for long-term research on a little-understood species.
- Dzanga Bai is a growing tourism spot for the Central African Republic, but growth remains limited by difficult access, infrastructure constraints and perceptions of insecurity.
10 years after Vietnam’s Formosa steel plant spill, justice for victims remains elusive (April 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/10-years-after-vietnams-formosa-steel-plant-spill-justice-for-victims-remains-elusive/
- This month marks the 10th anniversary of a marine disaster in Vietnam, caused by the release of toxic chemicals by the Formosa steel plant off the coast of Hà Tĩnh province.
- At least 100 metric tons of dead fish washed ashore beginning April 6, 2016, sickening thousands of people and shutting down the fishing and tourism industries.
- After widespread public mobilization, the company admitted responsibility and agreed to pay $500 million in compensation.
- Thousands of Formosa victims say they have not been properly compensated; lawsuits against the company are stalled; and victims and their supporters face repression, including imprisonment, inside Vietnam.
10% of the ocean is protected. Now just 20% more to go (April 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/10-of-the-ocean-is-protected-now-just-20-more-to-go/
- Data from the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas (WDPCA) indicate that more than 10% of the ocean is now protected, marking a significant milestone for ocean conservation efforts.
- With a global goal to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, experts warn that efforts must accelerate dramatically: An area roughly the size of the Indian Ocean must be protected within the next four years to meet the goal.
- While overall coverage is important, protection levels vary widely. For instance, only about 3.3% of the ocean is currently classified as fully or highly protected — and that number may even decrease.
- Experts have also raised concerns about the quality and effectiveness of many areas designated as “conserved,” which are now counted alongside traditional marine protected areas.
Far from home, a Rwandan doctor fulfills her calling among CAR forest communities (April 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/far-from-home-a-rwandan-nurse-fulfills-her-calling-among-car-forest-communities/
- Alphonsine Colombe Irahali is a Rwandan doctor stationed in Bayanga, a remote outpost near Dzanga-Sangha National Park in the Central African Republic.
- Her daily routine consists of traveling from village to village to provide care to communities that rarely have access to it.
- She says she fully embraces her calling as a doctor in communities that are virtually excluded from the formal health care system, with very positive results.
- Through mobile clinics, her team conducts tuberculosis and HIV screenings, raises awareness among the population and encourages vaccination, thereby helping to improve the health conditions of the people living around the protected area.
Mitchell Byrd, ornithologist who helped bring bald eagles back from the brink in the Chesapeake area (April 6, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/mitchell-byrd-ornithologist-who-helped-bring-bald-eagles-back-from-the-brink-in-the-chesapeake-area/
- Mitchell Byrd spent decades tracking bird populations in the Chesapeake Bay, helping document and support the recovery of bald eagles from near disappearance in Virginia.
- His work combined long-term field research with practical conservation, from aerial surveys to engaging landowners and shaping habitat protection efforts.
- As co-founder of the Center for Conservation Biology, he trained generations of scientists, extending his influence far beyond the region where he worked.
Hidden cameras reveal macaws’ secret lives (April 5, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/hidden-cameras-reveal-macaws-secret-lives/
High up in the Amazon canopy, camera traps have recorded the entire breeding cycle of red-and-green macaws in Peru’s Madre de Dios region. Researchers watched these birds team up to defend their nest, raise a chick, and face rivals — all from a single artificial nest box. As natural nesting spaces are lost to logging, […]
Once lost, now found: Five “missing” bird species rediscovered in 2025, offering hope (April 4, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/once-lost-now-found-five-missing-bird-species-rediscovered-in-2025-offering-hope/
- Birders in 2025 rediscovered five species of birds that scientists hadn’t documented in the wild for at least 10 years, according to the latest update of the Lost Birds List.
- All of the “found” birds are endemic to islands in Southeast Asia and Oceania.
- Two birds, one considered extinct and one reclassified as a subspecies, were taken off the list in 2025 and another bird, not seen in 94 years, was documented early this year.
- Six new species will be added to the list in 2026, those not documented in the wild for a decade. This puts the list at 120 birds — down from 163 when it started in 2022.
Researchers uncover 10 new moth species and 7 new genera in Hawaiʻi (April 4, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/researchers-uncover-10-new-moth-species-and-7-new-genera-in-hawai%ca%bbi/
Researchers in Hawai’i have described 10 new species and seven new genera of moths, highlighting how much remains unknown about the Pacific archipelago’s biodiversity. Hawai’i is home to a large number of endemic species, plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth. Discovery of a new species is so common, “nobody turns their head,” study […]
Orcas never seen before in Seattle delight whale watchers with a visit (April 3, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/orcas-never-seen-before-in-seattle-delight-whale-watchers-with-a-visit/
Seattle (AP) — When tourists travel to Seattle, it’s common to take in the Space Needle and the downtown skyline from Puget Sound. It’s an itinerary that a newly arrived pod of killer whales appears to be following too. Three orcas that had not previously been recorded in the Seattle area have delighted whale watchers with several […]
Kenya to receive 4 mountain bongos from European zoos (April 3, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/kenya-to-receive-4-mountain-bongos-from-european-zoos/
The Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC) is on track to receive four male mountain bongos from European zoos, a move aimed at helping boost the population of one of Africa’s most endangered antelope. The transfer was led by experts from Chester Zoo, in England, in collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the European Association […]
Canadian muskoxen hit by double punch of novel diseases and climate change (April 3, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/canadian-muskoxen-hit-by-double-punch-of-novel-diseases-and-climate-change/
- New emerging diseases and other threats, including climate change, are upending muskox recovery in parts of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
- An emerging pathogen, dubbed Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Arctic clone, was linked to widespread muskox mortalities on Victoria and Banks islands from 2009-14. Another outbreak was identified on Ellesmere Island in 2021.
- Brucellosis, a zoonotic disease, is now appearing in muskoxen on Victoria Island and parts of the mainland, with rates increasing since 2015.
- These emerging diseases were identified, researched and tracked via an innovative community-based wildlife health surveillance program that teams up Inuit hunters and trappers, scientists and government agencies. Muskoxen are a key food source for many Inuit communities and play a vital role in Arctic ecology. Their loss could put food security and Indigenous culture at risk.
How an engineer brought degraded wetlands back to life in drought-hit Bangladesh (April 3, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/how-an-engineer-brought-degraded-wetlands-back-to-life-in-drought-hit-bangladesh/
- In drought-hit regions of Bangladesh, excavation and restoration of wetlands are crucial for local ecosystem and agriculture.
- An engineer at a government agency, A.K.M. Fazlul Haque challenges anomalies in wetland regulations around the country’s northern region.
- His efforts serve the community and biodiversity, and Fazlul’s story shows that conservation is a continuous struggle.
Pyrenees brown bear population climbs to an estimated 130 in latest census (April 3, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/pyrenees-brown-bear-population-climbs-to-an-estimated-130-in-latest-census/
The annual census of brown bears in the Pyrenees mountain range of Spain, France and Andorra estimated that 130 bears are now living in the region with an average annual population growth rate of more than 11% over the last 18 years. The subpopulation of Pyrenees brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) has been steadily increasing […]
Unwrapping deforestation: Your chocolate Easter bunny may harm the environment (April 3, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/unwrapping-deforestation-your-chocolate-easter-bunny-may-harm-the-environment/
- The United Kingdom’s cocoa imports drove more than 2,000 hectares of deforestation in 2025 alone, mainly in Côte d’Ivoire (78%) and Ghana (18%), according to an analysis by climate NGO Global Witness.
- Total post-2021 losses linked to chocolate products exceeded 8,244 hectares. For all commodities — including palm oil, soy, beef, coffee and rubber — the deforestation exposure was 52,000 hectares.
- Britain continues to be exposed to deforestation despite enacting the 2021 Environment Act, designed to purge illegal forest destruction from supply chains. The reason is that the U.K. has not put in place key rules.
- Promised regulations remain stalled, with no timeline from the government to implement them. This leaves companies without due diligence rules and consumers remain exposed to goods linked to deforestation.
Indonesian geothermal projects stall amid Indigenous concerns over justice (April 3, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/indonesian-geothermal-projects-stall-amid-indigenous-concerns-over-justice/
An island in eastern Indonesia was meant to lead the country’s transition into renewable energy. But nearly a decade later, the “geothermal island” has suspended projects due to local resistance and concerns for justice and safety. Mongabay’s Basten Gokkon reports that, back in 2017, up to 21 geothermal sites were identified on the island of […]
Indonesia’s deforestation surges 66% in 2025, reversing years of decline (April 3, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/indonesias-deforestation-surges-66-in-2025-reversing-years-of-decline/
- New satellite data show that deforestation in Indonesia surged in 2025, up 66% from the previous year, marking a sharp reversal after several years of decline.
- The implications extend beyond forest loss, as rising deforestation could derail Indonesia’s climate goals, including its target of turning the forestry and land use sector into a net carbon sink by 2030.
- NGO Auriga Nusantara points to policy decisions under both the current and former administrations; at the same time, government-backed projects have been allowed to expand into forest areas, often without adequate spatial planning.
Today is Jane Goodall Day. Her movement continues. (April 3, 2026)
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/today-is-jane-goodall-day-her-movement-continues/
- April 3, now recognized as Jane Goodall Day, is intended as a day of action—an invitation to carry forward the habits and responsibilities she encouraged, rather than simply commemorate her life.
- From Roots & Shoots to community-led conservation models like Tacare, her work continues through people who apply her approach locally, linking the well-being of people, animals, and the environment.
- Colleagues at the Jane Goodall Institute describe a consistent throughline in her thinking: start small, stay attentive, and build change through actions that accumulate over time.
- The day reflects a broader idea at the center of her life’s work—that progress depends less on scale or certainty than on individuals choosing to act, where they are, with what they have.