Vietnam creates new nature reserve, possible home to elusive ‘Asian unicorn’ by Michael Tatarski 29 September 2020 HO CHI MINH CITY — In a move wildlife conservationists are hailing as a victory, Vietnam has established a new nature reserve encompassing critical habitat for numerous species, several of…

Brazil moves toward transfer of deforestation and fire monitoring to military by Jenny Gonzales 29 September 2020 For three decades, INPE, Brazil’s civilian space agency has successfully and publicly monitored Amazon deforestation and fires. Now Jair Bolsonaro is intent on giving the job over to the secretive Brazilian military.

Indonesia’s new intelligence hub wields data in the war on illegal fishing by Julia John 29 September 2020 In late July, a high-speed chase stirred the waters northeast of Indonesia’s Natuna Islands, as patrol officers pursued a Vietnamese vessel suspected of illegal fishing. Having fled when authorities approached…

World leaders endorse ‘Pledge for Nature’ to address planetary emergency by Liz Kimbrough 29 September 2020 In the midst of a planetary biodiversity crisis, 71 world leaders have endorsed the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Jacinda Ardern, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, Angela…

A Philippine stingless bee helps boost coconut yields and empower women by Mavic Conde 29 September 2020 ALBAY, Philippines — Josefina Dayta is among the fortunate Filipinos who haven’t had to experience job insecurity amid one of the harshest lockdowns imposed by any government during the COVID-19…

How loud are howler monkeys? Candid Animal Cam is in the trees this week by Mongabay.com 29 September 2020 Camera traps bring you closer to the secretive natural world and are an important conservation tool to study wildlife. This week we’re meeting the red howler monkey. As their name…

Spots of hope: Some good news for South Africa’s cheetahs by Tony Carnie 28 September 2020 DURBAN, South Africa — South Africa is home to around 1,300 of the world’s roughly 7,100 remaining cheetahs. It’s also the only country in the world with significant cheetah population…

Shark fin trafficking ring busted as trade ban comes into effect in Florida by Ashoka Mukpo 28 September 2020 U.S. authorities say they’ve broken up a conspiracy to traffic shark fins in and out of Florida by a company based in California, where their sale and export is banned…

The vanishing trails of Sri Lanka’s sloth bears (Commentary) by Ranil P. Nanayakkara 26 September 2020 Bear! The very word may strike terror in the hearts of some, but unknown to many, this wonderful creature is on the brink of extinction in Sri Lanka, with its…

New study shows where we should grow more forest to fight climate change by Morgan Erickson-Davis 25 September 2020 Reforestation is a major tool in the arsenal against global warming, but just how much it can help is still a bit of a mystery. But a new study published…

New partnership brings high-resolution satellite imagery of the tropics to all by Liz Kimbrough 25 September 2020 Satellites are powerful tools for monitoring deforestation. Now, a new partnership aims to make high-resolution, satellite imagery of the tropics free and accessible to everyone. Norway's Ministry of Climate and…

Watch: Rare wildlife caught on camera in a remote Liberian rainforest by Ashoka Mukpo 25 September 2020 A camera trap survey has captured 23 different species of wildlife walking through a remote rainforest in eastern Liberia, including western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and the elusive pygmy hippopotamus…

Ikea faces Swiss complaint over wood believed to have been illegally logged by Victoria Schneider 25 September 2020 The Swiss NGO Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) has lodged a complaint against the local subsidiary of furniture giant Ikea and its CEO, Jessica Anderen, accusing them of violating Swiss wood…

As the Amazon burns, what happens to its biodiversity? by Liz Kimbrough 24 September 2020 The number of fires burning in standing Amazon rainforest spiked dramatically in recent weeks, threatening the forest’s biodiversity — a richness of flora and fauna not adapted to withstand the…

Philippine community goes to court to stop coal plant in ecological haven by Leilani Chavez 24 September 2020 MANILA — Community members and civil society groups have filed a petition against a planned coal-fired power plant in the Philippine province of Palawan, a biodiversity haven that’s one of…

Landed by the thousands: Overfished Congo waters put endangered sharks at risk by Sharon Guynup 23 September 2020 Too many industrial fishing trawlers — mostly Chinese — along with Republic of Congo’s large artisanal fishing fleet. are threatening 42 shark and ray species; all are on the IUCN red list: Report.

Flip-flops, fishing gear pile up at Aldabra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site by Malavika Vyawahare 23 September 2020 The Aldabra coral atoll is a place of mythical beauty, uninhabited and so lost to the world that chartered flights and boats are the only way to get there. But…

Past illegal activity dogs Chinese fleet that fished squid near Galapagos by Michelle Carrere 23 September 2020 SANTIAGO — In early June, a fleet of around 260 boats from China reached the limits of Ecuador’s exclusive economic zone around the Galápagos Islands to fish for Humboldt squid…