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.

New artificial intelligence could save both elephant and human lives by Claudia Geib 17 September 2020 When the elephant arrived in the night, on the hunt for sugarcane, Uthorn Kanthong was waiting for him. Like many of his neighbors, the 69-year-old Thai farmer had taken to…

Beyond tourism: A call for business ideas that protect African wildlife, ecosystems by Heather Richardson 16 September 2020 CAPE TOWN — An innovation challenge launched this month hopes to inspire new ideas for businesses that will provide people in Africa with sustainable incomes while protecting ecosystems. The African…

BlackRock, other asset managers enabling deforestation, says Friends of the Earth by Ashoka Mukpo 16 September 2020 The environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth has blasted BlackRock and other asset management titans in a new report that says they aren’t doing enough to curb global deforestation.…

Podcast: Great ape ‘forest gardeners of Africa’ benefit from conservation victory by Mike Gaworecki 16 September 2020 On today's episode of the Mongabay Newscast we’re discussing great ape conservation in Africa and how that goes hand-in-hand with efforts to protect the second-largest rainforest in the world. Listen…

We are failing to save the planet’s species, finds UN report by Liz Kimbrough 16 September 2020 As the planet plunges headlong into its sixth mass extinction, caused by humans, biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate. Global targets to slow this alarming trend have not…

Indonesian lobster exporters, advised by a smuggler, flout domestic requirements by Fathul Rakhman 16 September 2020 LOMBOK, Indonesia — Jafarudin, a fisherman from Indonesia’s Lombok Island, had been looking forward to the resumption of baby lobster exports. Months before the Indonesian fisheries ministry made an official…

Birthday party on ship may have led to oil spill in Mauritius, Panama regulator says by Mongabay.com 16 September 2020 A Japanese ship that wrecked off the coast of Mauritius in July and sparked one of the worst environmental disasters in the country’s history may have run aground because of…

In Brazil’s Bahia, peasant farmers and cowboys keep the Cerrado alive by Caio de Freitas Paes 15 September 2020 For more than a century, the natural cycles of the Cerrado grasslands have guided the lives of the farmers and cowboys in the deep west of Brazil’s Bahia state. Residents…

Game changer: NASA data tool could revolutionize Amazon fire analysis by Shanna Hanbury 15 September 2020 A new automated near real time fire monitoring system could inform smarter strategies and solutions for curbing Amazon fires and reducing impacts; researchers call it a valuable tool for Amazon conservation.

500 years of species loss: Humans drive defaunation across Neotropics by Elizabeth Claire Alberts 15 September 2020 A new study provides an in-depth look at the detrimental impacts of human activities on wildlife in the Neotropical region of the Americas over the past 500 years. The study,…

Bolivia’s jaguar seizures down as suspicions rise over new mafia by Vanessa Romo 15 September 2020 In 2016, in the midst of the first investigations into jaguar trafficking in Bolivia, biologist Ángela Núñez received a short audio clip via Whatsapp: "Teeth, tiger". That was all she…

Biologists warn ‘extinction denial’ is the latest anti-science conspiracy theory by Mike Shanahan 14 September 2020 Biodiversity scientists are being urged to “fight the creeping rise of extinction denial” that has spread from fringe blogs to influential media outlets and even into a U.S. Congressional hearing.…

Can public lands unify divided Americans? An interview with John Leshy by Rhett A. Butler 14 September 2020 It might be hard to believe in the current political climate, but public lands were a unifying issue for Americans until quite recently. Most Americans have supported the idea of…

Poaching pressure mounts on jaguars, the Americas’ iconic big cat by Vanessa Romo 14 September 2020 In late November 2019, authorities in Peru found two jaguar cubs in a house in Chanchamayo, in the country’s central Amazonian region. The cubs were so young that they still…

Rise in Amazon deforestation slows in August, but fires surge by Mongabay.com 11 September 2020 Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon was more than 20 percent lower for the second straight month relative to the prior year according to data released today by Brazil's national space…