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Mongabay
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Award-winning nonprofit media outlet publishing global environmental science & news in 6 languages via bureaus in India, Brazil, Africa, Latin America, Indonesia & US: https://mongabay.com
The global ban on commercial whaling just turned 40 — widely credited with saving great whales from extinction.

Today, the biggest threats aren’t harpoons but fishing gear and ship strikes, which kill 300,000+ whales and dolphins each year.
Global moratorium on whaling, a ‘defining moment,’ turns 40
The global moratorium on commercial whaling reached its 40-year mark in January, during which time it’s been credited with helping Earth’s largest creatures recover from centuries of hunting…
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February 9, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Malaysia has lost ~20% of its coral cover since 2022, with bleaching, pollution and tourism driving the decline.

Even protected reefs are struggling, threatening fisheries and coastal livelihoods. Researchers urge stronger management before recovery slips further.
Malaysia lost 20% of its coral reefs in three years
Malaysia’s coral reefs are shrinking at a pace that is hard to ignore. According to the latest national survey by Reef Check Malaysia, about one-fifth of the country’s coral cover has been lost since…
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February 9, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Floods hit Hat Yai with little warning last November, cutting power, communications and rescue access.

With limited compensation and poor urban planning, the city’s readiness for future extreme weather is in doubt, says an analysis.

** Views are authors'.
Thailand’s Hat Yai picks up the pieces in wake of devastating floods (analysis)
HAT YAI, Thailand — Largely forgotten by the public, politicians and the media, the flood crisis that Hat Yai, the largest city in the south of Thailand, experienced in November 2025 is far from…
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February 9, 2026 at 12:17 PM
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More than half of turtle and tortoise species are threatened with extinction.

In South Carolina, the Turtle Survival Center is racing to keep some from disappearing — breeding rare species and preparing confiscated turtles for survival.
A last refuge for turtles on the brink
The Turtle Survival Center, run by the Turtle Survival Alliance, exists to buy time for species that no longer have much of it. Founded in 2013 in South Carolina, the center functions as a…
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February 9, 2026 at 11:53 AM
Artificial light at night may extend pollen season by 1–2 weeks, raising allergy risks.

Researchers say light pollution is a public-health “blind spot” urban planners should consider.
Light pollution could worsen allergy seasons, new study suggests
Nighttime light is a well-known hazard for migrating birds and sea turtles. New research suggests it may also pose risks for human health. The study finds that plants exposed to artificial light at…
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February 8, 2026 at 4:45 AM
Mulkharka’s Indigenous Tamang residents oppose the planned Nagmati Dam near Kathmandu, warning of displacement, forest loss and seismic risk.

Critics say weak assessments could put downstream communities in danger. With elections ahead, locals want the project debated at the ballot box.
A dam threatens Nepal’s Indigenous community; they want it on the ballot
MULKHARKA, Nepal — Ashok Tamang’s first glimpse of his community’s future flickered on a projector screen inside a local monastery. It was July 2023, and a few dozen people had gathered at the Sonam…
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February 8, 2026 at 4:05 AM
Once hunted for oil and meat, whale sharks are now being rescued by fishers along India’s west coast, with 1,000+ freed since 2001.

Experts say better compensation and social protections are still needed to support the fishers behind these rescues.
Whale sharks released from nets along India’s coast as fishers turn rescuers
On a March morning in the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala state’s capital in southern India, a group of fishers were hauling their kambavala — a traditional net fixed between bamboo poles…
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February 7, 2026 at 4:45 AM
A decade-long seagrass restoration effort in Peninsular Malaysia shows degraded meadows can recover, with high survival rates at a site impacted by coastal development.

Researchers say success depends on understanding local species, adapting methods, and addressing the drivers of decline.
Seagrass restoration in Malaysia finds multi-species approach boosts recovery
In the shallow waters off Johor Bahru’s rapidly urbanizing shoreline in Peninsular Malaysia, a busy assemblage of crabs, marine worms and mollusks are a sign of recovery. Just over a decade ago, the…
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February 7, 2026 at 3:56 AM
A new report maps 816 ocean areas vital for threatened sharks and rays — covering under 3% of the sea in studied regions, suggesting protection is achievable.

The findings arrive ahead of a U.N. migratory species summit where marine protections are on the agenda.
New global map shows where sharks and rays most need protection
Shark and ray populations are struggling across the world due to overfishing and other threats. A new report delineates 816 areas of the ocean that should be protected to help them recover. The…
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February 5, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Colombia is pushing for a binding global minerals treaty to tackle mining harms through supply-chain traceability.

But resistance at UNEA-7 watered the proposal down to a nonbinding resolution — leaving traceability out as NGOs and some states vow to keep fighting for stronger rules.
What’s happening with the global treaty to trace critical minerals?
The negotiations were intense, says Julia Peña Niño, the Colombia country manager at the Natural Resource Governance Institute. At the seventh U.N. Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Nairobi last…
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February 5, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Sustainable food entrepreneur Ramon “Chin-Chin” Uy Jr. spoke with Mongabay on Negros Island, host of Slow Food’s first Asia-Pacific conference.

The gathering spotlighted agroecology, biodiversity and climate-resilient food — and why Negros is being called the region’s “agroecology capital.”
Why is a Philippine island now the Asia Pacific center for agroecology? Interview with Ramon ‘Chin-Chin’ Uy Jr.
Ramon “Chin-Chin” Uy Jr. is a sustainable-food entrepreneur based on Negros Island in the Philippines, which recently hosted the global “good food” movement Slow Food’s first-ever regional conference…
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February 4, 2026 at 10:21 PM
More than 50 years after Silent Spring, Rachel Carson’s legacy still shapes environmental thought.

On the Mongabay Newscast, writer Megan Mayhew Bergman explores how Carson fused science with emotion — helping spark a movement and showing why moral clarity still matters today.
Writer Megan Mayhew Bergman on science, emotion, and the lasting power of ‘Silent Spring’
It’s been more than half a century since the publication of Silent Spring by the scientist and creative writer Rachel Carson. The seminal volume caught the attention of U.S. presidents, artists and…
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February 4, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Legacy PFAS in North Atlantic pilot whales have dropped 60% over the past decade, reflecting earlier chemical phaseouts.

But researchers warn of “regrettable substitution,” as replacement PFAS may pose similar risks — even as newer chemicals appear to be accumulating more on land than at sea.
Lower levels of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in North Atlantic whales show regulations work: Study
North Atlantic long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) now have 60% lower concentrations of some legacy PFAS than they did a decade ago, offering rare good news about the effectiveness of…
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February 4, 2026 at 8:20 PM
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Tree planting pledges often favor scale over ecology — sometimes replacing savannas with monocultures.

The Global Biodiversity Standard aims to change that by certifying restoration projects based on measurable biodiversity gains, not tree counts.
Getting forest restoration right
Tree planting has become a favored response to environmental loss. Governments, companies, and philanthropies announce large targets with reassuring round numbers. Forests, after all, store carbon,…
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February 4, 2026 at 7:18 PM
From above, Brunei’s Temburong forests reveal rivers threading through largely intact canopy — a rarity on much of Borneo.

In this reflection, Mongabay founder & CEO Rhett Ayers Butler writes about aerial photography as an exercise in patience, restraint, and noticing what remains.
From above: Aerial Borneo
Aerial photography invites a level of uncertainty. The ground offers clues but rarely the full picture. Once the view lifts, certain patterns begin to register: peat-dark water cutting through…
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February 4, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Major soy traders including Cargill, ADM and Bunge are exiting the Amazon Soy Moratorium — a move that could raise deforestation by 30% by 2045.

Observers warn it sends a “green light” to land speculators, even as forest loss threatens rainfall, yields and long-term market stability.
Amazon deforestation may rise 30% as major traders exit historic soy pact
As global soy giants walk away from a landmark pact, land grabbers move in to clear the forest for new crops.
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February 4, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Isabel Esterman, Mongabay’s Southeast Asia managing editor, says journalism’s impact is cumulative — built by staying on stories long enough to shift understanding, from Sumatran rhino numbers to contested land deals.

** Her interview is part of the 'Inside Mongabay' series.
Inside Mongabay with Isabel Esterman and the long arc of environmental reporting
For Isabel Esterman, journalism’s influence is often cumulative. It comes from staying with a subject long enough for the evidence to become harder to ignore. “It’s not one story,” she tells…
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February 4, 2026 at 4:35 PM
[COMMENTARY]

Conservationists must move beyond assumptions and test whether their actions truly work, a new op-ed argues, adding: “What’s needed now is making causal evaluation standard practice rather than the exception."

** Views are author's.
Conservation programs must embrace causal evidence when evaluating impact (commentary)
In 2006, Paul Ferraro and Subhrendu Pattanayak issued an urgent warning: conservation lacked the causal evidence needed to know what actually works. This mattered because decades of conservation…
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February 4, 2026 at 3:40 PM
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The U.K. now warns biodiversity loss is a national security risk, threatening food supply, stability, migration and conflict.

With Britain importing ~40% of its food, ecosystem collapse abroad could quickly become a domestic crisis.
When nature becomes a security risk
Britain’s national security thinking has traditionally been shaped by familiar concerns: hostile states, terrorism, energy supply, and, more recently, cyber threats. A new assessment from the U.K.…
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February 4, 2026 at 2:40 PM
African wild dogs — long seen as strict carnivores — have been recorded eating fruit for the first time.

Researchers in Botswana observed an entire pack swallowing jackalberries daily, hinting the endangered species may be more adaptable than once thought.
African wild dogs break the carnivore rule in Botswana
For the first time, “hyper-carnivorous” African wild dogs have been recorded eating fruit, a behavior so far documented only in a small part of Botswana’s wildlife-rich Okavango Delta.   The wild…
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February 4, 2026 at 1:30 PM
[COMMENTARY]

In this new op-ed, forestry expert Aida Greenbury warns Indonesia’s $9.2B forest restoration plan lacks transparency and could shift costs to taxpayers. She calls for stronger accountability and for companies linked to deforestation to fund most recovery.

** Views are author's.
The fair costs for forest rehabilitation in Indonesia (commentary)
A week ago, the media reported that the Ministry of Forestry estimated the total cost of rehabilitating Indonesia’s forests and critical lands at Rp153.78 trillion, or about US$9.2 billion, over nine…
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February 4, 2026 at 12:17 PM
Division, a 4-year-old North Atlantic right whale, was found dead off North Carolina after a severe fishing-gear entanglement responders couldn’t fully remove.

He had already survived three earlier entanglements — underscoring the chronic human threats facing a species of only ~380 whales.
Division’s final journey
Division was four years old when he died, a young age even by the shortened standards now applied to North Atlantic right whales. His body was found in late January, adrift off the coast of North…
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February 4, 2026 at 11:53 AM
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Christ Jacob Belseran has won the Oktovianus Pogau Award for courage in journalism. The Mongabay Indonesia contributor reports on mining and Indigenous land rights in Maluku despite intimidation — a reminder of why independent reporting matters.
Christ Jacob Belseran wins the Oktovianus Pogau Award for courage in journalism
Today Christ Jacob Belseran received the Oktovianus Pogau Award for courage in journalism from Pantau Foundation. The citation is usually reserved for reporters who continue their work despite…
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February 4, 2026 at 4:41 AM
A false claim about hyenas entering a town in eastern Nepal shows how fast online misinformation is spreading as internet use grows.

Experts warn it’s eroding trust and distorting views of wildlife, as Nepal debates regulation versus media literacy.
Viral hyena incident reveals Nepal’s growing online information disorder
KATHMANDU — On Nov. 8, 2025, a sense of anxiety swept through Rangeli municipality in eastern Nepal. Social media photos appeared to show a cackle of spotted hyenas entering the town from the nearby…
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February 3, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Who gets to tell conservation stories matters.

In 2026, Mongabay is expanding the Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship — our largest cohort yet. A paid, remote opportunity for early-career journalists from tropical countries.

Apply: form.jotform.com/242843950588...
February 3, 2026 at 12:10 AM