Sea otters were nearly hunted into extinction a century ago for their luxurious pelts. But they have been surging in population in the Gulf of Alaska, bringing both benefits to nearshore ecosystems and drawbacks to the shellfish economy. Described by commercial shellfish harvesters and Native Alaskans as pillagers of clams and crabs, sea otters are seen by many marine biologists as having positive impacts on kelp forests. by Justin Catanoso
Conservation news
Booming sea otters and fading shellfish spark values clash in Alaska
HOMER, Alaska — Roarke Brown, a charter boat captain since 1972 in this picturesque fishing village, remembers being able to tread out onto the K...
 #news #otters #Alaska
When environmental journalism in Latin America needed a regional voice, Maria Isabel Torres, Program Director of Mongabay Latam, focused on building one rooted in collaboration, empathy, and impact. From cross-border investigations on deforestation to stories amplifying women and Indigenous defenders, Maria Isabel and the team at Mongabay Latam have reshaped how environmental issues are reported across the region. Meet the person behind this journalism:
Conservation news
She built a newsroom across 7 countries—Here’s how she did it
As Mongabay continues to expand its impact across the globe, few leaders embody the spirit of its mission more fully than Maria Isabel Torres, the ...
For decades, conservationists have warned that the planet’s attention—and its purse—are skewed toward the charismatic few. A sweeping analysis of some 14,600 conservation projects over 25 years confirms that bias in stark terms. The authors, led by Benoit Guénard, found that 83 percent of funding and 84 percent of projects went to vertebrates, leaving plants, invertebrates, fungi, and algae to divide the scraps. by Rhett Ayers Butler
Conservation news
The bias in saving nature: How conservation funding favors the familiar
With the World Conservation Congress meeting this week, I thought it was useful to revisit a study published earlier this year on conservation fu...
 #news #conservation #amphibians
In the past few years, previously spotless air-conditioned icons of Singapore such as Changi Airport and the Apple Store have experienced infestations and diseases on indoor greenery. Experts say the rise in extreme temperatures as the city-state loses forest cover explains the migration of flies, bees, butterflies and rats into cooler indoor environments. by Robin Hicks
Conservation news
As Singapore heats up, pests are seeking refuge indoors
SINGAPORE — Singapore’s reputation as one of the world’s cleanest cities is being put to the test by a surge in rodent and insect infestation...
 #animal behavior #climate change #insects #pesticides #singapore
🌿 Mongabay founder & CEO Rhett Ayers Butler has been awarded the 2025 Henry Shaw Medal by the Missouri Botanical Garden — one of the oldest conservation honors. The award recognizes individuals whose work has advanced science, conservation, and public understanding of nature. While many recipients have been scientists, Rhett joins a distinguished group from outside academia, including the National Geographic Society and the U.K.’s King Charles III. by Bobby Bascomb
Conservation news
Mongabay founder Rhett Butler wins the Henry Shaw Award
Mongabay founder Rhett Butler has been awarded the 2025 Henry Shaw Medal from the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, U.S.
Brazil’s antitrust regulator, CADE, on Sept. 30 decided to suspend the Amazon soy moratorium from Jan. 1, 2026. Depending on the probe’s course of action, this could dismantle one of the nation’s most important private sector pacts credited with slowing deforestation of the tropical rainforest for soy plantations. by Shanna Hanbury
Conservation news
Brazil soy deal that curbs Amazon deforestation to be suspended in 2026
Brazil’s antitrust regulator, CADE, on Sept. 30 decided to suspend the Amazon soy moratorium from Jan. 1, 2026. Depending on the probe’s course...
 #news #deforestation #soy #conservation #Amazon #rainforests #Brazil
The IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, has established a new expert group that will help shape conservation priorities for a previously overlooked but vital group of organisms: microbes. In a recent commentary, the Microbial Conservation Specialist Group (MCSG) announced that it will look at the status and threats to various beneficial microbes that are critical for the health of humans and ecosystems. by Shreya Dasgupta
Conservation news
New conservation panel to focus on microorganisms crucial for human and planet health
The IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, has established a new expert group that will help shape conservation priorities for a previou...
 #news #microbes #conservation
Brazil’s President Lula has personally cemented his support for the project and set his cabinet to work out a deal to renew the BR-319 highway, which passes through one of the most preserved areas of the Amazon. Scientists warn the highway will create a “fishbone effect” of illegal side roads, fueling deforestation that could push the Amazon past a critical tipping point and trigger its irreversible conversion into a savanna. by Rafael Spuldar
Conservation news
New deal pushes Amazon’s controversial ‘tipping point road’ ahead
Brazil’s environment minister bets on safeguards for the highway, but history shows similar plans have failed.
 #news #Amazon #Brazil
A new study found that 75 streams in Alaska’s Brooks Range have turned orange due to thawing permafrost, which releases metals that exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safety thresholds for aquatic life. The contamination threatens fish populations that Indigenous communities depend on for food and income. Scientists warn that this climate change impact is irreversible and spreading. by Liz Kimbrough
Conservation news
Alaskan rivers turn orange as permafrost thaws, threatening fish and communities
The writer John McPhee once described Alaska’s Salmon River as having “the clearest, purest water” he’d ever seen. Today, t...
 #news #biodiversity #fish #climatechange #indigenouspeople
Forged signatures. Flawed assessments. Secret night-time bulldozing. Mongabay uncovered how a hydropower project in Nepal’s sacred mountains was 90x bigger than reported—threatening Indigenous yak herders, red pandas, and snow leopards. Within weeks, 30+ organizations cited our coverage, and in 2025 it won the Indigenous Media Award. This is the power of independent journalism. 🌍 Support our efforts:
Environmental Journalism and Education
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Environmental Journalism and Education
Report drives scrutiny of planned hydropower project in Nepal opposed by Indigenous communities, wins award - Environmental Journalism and Education
Tucked between mountains sacred to Indigenous peoples in eastern Nepal, a conflict has been brewing between a hydropower company and yak herders. I...