Video: In this Philippine community, women guard a marine protected area by Rosa Amanda Tuirán 25 September 2020 On the island of Siquijor in the central Philippines, groups of women risk their lives for a cause: to manage and protect their marine sanctuaries. Communities in the central Philippines…

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, Katharina 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…

What is a pampas cat? Candid Animal Cam is back in the Americas by Mongabay.com 22 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 pampas cat. This cat may look…

‘We are all ecstatic’: Rescued wild pangolin gives birth to healthy pup by Mongabay.com 21 September 2020 Ally arrived at the veterinary hospital the way most rescued pangolins do: underweight, dehydrated and suffering from pneumonia. But a routine ultrasound revealed that Ally wasn’t a typical patient —…

Arctic Sea ice melts to second-place finish at annual minimum by Gloria Dickie 21 September 2020 2020 didn’t eclipse all-time record-holder 2012, but it came pretty close; also, the Arctic’s growing heat is likely intensifying Asia’s extreme weather, while waters just beneath the ice are getting increasingly warm.

Two new Javan rhino calves are spotted in the species’ last holdout by Basten Gokkon 21 September 2020 JAKARTA — Conservationists in Indonesia have reported the presence of two newborn Javan rhinoceros calves in the only place on Earth where the critically endangered species is still found, bringing…

Hawaiian reefs lost almost half their fish to pollution and fishing by Elizabeth Claire Alberts 21 September 2020 A healthy coral reef system is like a well-managed city. Each resident fish has a job in maintaining the reef: some nibble away at seaweed threatening to smother the coral,…

Paper giant APP’s Sumatran road project cuts through elephant habitat by Taufik Wijaya 21 September 2020 OGAN KOMERING ILIR, Indonesia — Over the past two decades, much of the forests in Ogan Komering Ilir district in southern Sumatra, Indonesia, have been cleared to make way for…

Solomon Islands environmental defender faces life sentence for arson charge by Louise Hunt 18 September 2020 In June, three environmental defenders from the remote island of Nende celebrated their acquittal from arson charges, along with the many supporters who had attended their trial. But the later…

Fires turn sage brush habitat in Washington into a scorched ‘oblivion’ by Ashley Ahearn 18 September 2020 BRIDGEPORT, Washington — There are fewer than 1,000 sage grouse left in Washington state, and Michael Schroeder has been studying them for more than 30 years. Schroeder is a biologist…

Rieli Franciscato died protecting isolated indigenous peoples in the Amazon (commentary) by Enrique Ortiz 18 September 2020 Rieli Franciscato, one of the most experienced field men of the National Indian Foundation of Brazil (FUNAI, a federal agency to protect Indigenous peoples), died a few days ago with…

Madagascar reopens national parks shuttered by COVID-19 by Rivonala Razafison 17 September 2020 ANALAMAZAOTRA NATIONAL PARK, Madagascar — Hobbled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Madagascar’s tourism industry took its first step toward recovery. On Sept. 5, the quasi-governmental agency Madagascar National Parks (MNP) reopened…

In Brazil’s Pantanal, a desperate struggle to save a hyacinth macaw refuge from fire by Jennifer Ann Thomas 17 September 2020 Firefighters are working around the clock to protect a forested ranch in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state that’s an important refuge of the threatened hyacinth macaw. The Pantanal wetlands in which the ranch is located are experiencing severe wildfires, sparked by human activity and exacerbated by drought and climate change.