Rhett Ayers Butler
@rhettayersbutler.bsky.social
Founder of Mongabay, a platform that delivers news & inspiration from Nature's frontline via a global network of reporters. I'm not very active on this platform. You can find me on LinkedIn and/or follow Mongabay's BlueSky account.
What Craig’s long life reveals about elephant conservation
That Craig died of natural causes is not a small detail. It is, by modern standards, an achievement. Elephants with tusks like his have been selected against by poachers for half a century.
news.mongabay.com/2026/01/what...
That Craig died of natural causes is not a small detail. It is, by modern standards, an achievement. Elephants with tusks like his have been selected against by poachers for half a century.
news.mongabay.com/2026/01/what...
January 5, 2026 at 9:10 PM
What Craig’s long life reveals about elephant conservation
That Craig died of natural causes is not a small detail. It is, by modern standards, an achievement. Elephants with tusks like his have been selected against by poachers for half a century.
news.mongabay.com/2026/01/what...
That Craig died of natural causes is not a small detail. It is, by modern standards, an achievement. Elephants with tusks like his have been selected against by poachers for half a century.
news.mongabay.com/2026/01/what...
What we lost and what we gained in 2025
2025 was a year shaped by both loss and persistence, marked by species formally declared extinct, hundreds of organisms newly described, and uneven conservation outcomes across forests, reefs, and the open ocean.
news.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-...
2025 was a year shaped by both loss and persistence, marked by species formally declared extinct, hundreds of organisms newly described, and uneven conservation outcomes across forests, reefs, and the open ocean.
news.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-...
The conservation ledger: What we lost and what we gained in 2025
Extinction is rarely a moment. It is a process that unfolds offstage, marked by missed sightings, thinning records, and the slow reassignment of hope to footnotes. Discovery, too, is rarely a moment. ...
news.mongabay.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:22 PM
What we lost and what we gained in 2025
2025 was a year shaped by both loss and persistence, marked by species formally declared extinct, hundreds of organisms newly described, and uneven conservation outcomes across forests, reefs, and the open ocean.
news.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-...
2025 was a year shaped by both loss and persistence, marked by species formally declared extinct, hundreds of organisms newly described, and uneven conservation outcomes across forests, reefs, and the open ocean.
news.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-...
Species confirmed extinct in 2025
Extinction is a process that unfolds offstage, marked by missed sightings, thinning records, and the slow reassignment of hope to footnotes. This year, a small group of species crossed a final bureaucratic threshold & were formally listed as extinct by IUCN.
Extinction is a process that unfolds offstage, marked by missed sightings, thinning records, and the slow reassignment of hope to footnotes. This year, a small group of species crossed a final bureaucratic threshold & were formally listed as extinct by IUCN.
December 28, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Species confirmed extinct in 2025
Extinction is a process that unfolds offstage, marked by missed sightings, thinning records, and the slow reassignment of hope to footnotes. This year, a small group of species crossed a final bureaucratic threshold & were formally listed as extinct by IUCN.
Extinction is a process that unfolds offstage, marked by missed sightings, thinning records, and the slow reassignment of hope to footnotes. This year, a small group of species crossed a final bureaucratic threshold & were formally listed as extinct by IUCN.
70 environmental defenders & conservationists who died in 2025
Environmental progress often depends on endurance, sustained over years, by people whose work mattered long before their names did.
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/envi...
Environmental progress often depends on endurance, sustained over years, by people whose work mattered long before their names did.
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/envi...
December 23, 2025 at 4:04 AM
70 environmental defenders & conservationists who died in 2025
Environmental progress often depends on endurance, sustained over years, by people whose work mattered long before their names did.
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/envi...
Environmental progress often depends on endurance, sustained over years, by people whose work mattered long before their names did.
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/envi...
Feedback from across the conservation sector suggests a shift in how the movement talks about itself—from crisis-heavy messaging toward agency and evidence—because constant alarm fatigues audiences while stories of progress keep them engaged.
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/reth...
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/reth...
Rethinking how we talk about conservation—and why it matters
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. For a movement so often framed by loss—and confronting a particularl...
news.mongabay.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Feedback from across the conservation sector suggests a shift in how the movement talks about itself—from crisis-heavy messaging toward agency and evidence—because constant alarm fatigues audiences while stories of progress keep them engaged.
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/reth...
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/reth...
Gramma, a giant who transcended eras, has died, aged about 141
Gramma’s life reminds us that the creatures we nearly lost can become the center of our efforts to make amends.
Gramma’s life reminds us that the creatures we nearly lost can become the center of our efforts to make amends.
November 30, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Gramma, a giant who transcended eras, has died, aged about 141
Gramma’s life reminds us that the creatures we nearly lost can become the center of our efforts to make amends.
Gramma’s life reminds us that the creatures we nearly lost can become the center of our efforts to make amends.
In memory of the Christmas Island shrew
Once abundant on Christmas Island, the tiny, five-gram shrew (Crocidura trichura) filled the night forest with its high, thin cry before vanishing into silence.
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-m...
Once abundant on Christmas Island, the tiny, five-gram shrew (Crocidura trichura) filled the night forest with its high, thin cry before vanishing into silence.
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-m...
In memory of the Christmas Island shrew
It never weighed more than a spoonful of sugar. Five or six grams of life, soft-furred and sharp-nosed, moving through the roots and leaf litter of a tiny island in the Indian Ocean. At night, its voi...
news.mongabay.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:56 PM
In memory of the Christmas Island shrew
Once abundant on Christmas Island, the tiny, five-gram shrew (Crocidura trichura) filled the night forest with its high, thin cry before vanishing into silence.
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-m...
Once abundant on Christmas Island, the tiny, five-gram shrew (Crocidura trichura) filled the night forest with its high, thin cry before vanishing into silence.
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-m...
Jane taught us that every day we live, we make an impact. The choice is ours as to what kind of impact it will be.
Her life proved that one person, rooted in compassion and sustained by hope, can change the world. Now it is up to us to carry that light forward—not as a farewell, but as a promise.
Her life proved that one person, rooted in compassion and sustained by hope, can change the world. Now it is up to us to carry that light forward—not as a farewell, but as a promise.
October 2, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Jane taught us that every day we live, we make an impact. The choice is ours as to what kind of impact it will be.
Her life proved that one person, rooted in compassion and sustained by hope, can change the world. Now it is up to us to carry that light forward—not as a farewell, but as a promise.
Her life proved that one person, rooted in compassion and sustained by hope, can change the world. Now it is up to us to carry that light forward—not as a farewell, but as a promise.
Journalism doesn’t draft statutes, sure land tenure, or plant trees. It supplies the oxygen those actions require: credible information, in time, in public.
Journalism is a catalyst, not a cure. It nudges complex systems by making facts hard to ignore.
www.butlernature.com/2025/09/08/f...
Journalism is a catalyst, not a cure. It nudges complex systems by making facts hard to ignore.
www.butlernature.com/2025/09/08/f...
From facts to outcomes: When journalism moves the needle
The forest in northern Gabon didn’t look like a battleground. It was a patchwork of hunting trails and village paths, home to fruit trees and ancestral graves. When a logging concession encroached and...
www.butlernature.com
September 29, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Journalism doesn’t draft statutes, sure land tenure, or plant trees. It supplies the oxygen those actions require: credible information, in time, in public.
Journalism is a catalyst, not a cure. It nudges complex systems by making facts hard to ignore.
www.butlernature.com/2025/09/08/f...
Journalism is a catalyst, not a cure. It nudges complex systems by making facts hard to ignore.
www.butlernature.com/2025/09/08/f...
Conservation’s mental health epidemic
Conservationists, often seen as tireless stewards of the planet’s dwindling biodiversity, are burning out. In some cases, they are breaking down.
www.butlernature.com/2025/07/17/c...
Conservationists, often seen as tireless stewards of the planet’s dwindling biodiversity, are burning out. In some cases, they are breaking down.
www.butlernature.com/2025/07/17/c...
Conservation’s mental health epidemic
Amid the calls of gibbons and the whir of drones scanning forest canopies, a quieter crisis is unfolding within the ranks of those trying to save nature. Conservationists, often seen as tireless stewa...
www.butlernature.com
July 19, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Conservation’s mental health epidemic
Conservationists, often seen as tireless stewards of the planet’s dwindling biodiversity, are burning out. In some cases, they are breaking down.
www.butlernature.com/2025/07/17/c...
Conservationists, often seen as tireless stewards of the planet’s dwindling biodiversity, are burning out. In some cases, they are breaking down.
www.butlernature.com/2025/07/17/c...
In 2006, Debby Ng was part of a team who bore witness to the destruction of Terumbu Bayan reef in Singapore.
Ng describes the last moments of a pair of clownfish who vigorously defending their fry unaware that nothing could be done to change their fate.
www.butlernature.com/2025/05/15/r...
Ng describes the last moments of a pair of clownfish who vigorously defending their fry unaware that nothing could be done to change their fate.
www.butlernature.com/2025/05/15/r...
Requiem for a Clownfish
On a recent trip, Mongabay board member Debby Ng shared a story that keeps replaying in my mind. It’s been 19 years since her account, but it still cuts raw. I’m sharing it because I’ve witnessed loss...
www.butlernature.com
May 18, 2025 at 4:13 PM
In 2006, Debby Ng was part of a team who bore witness to the destruction of Terumbu Bayan reef in Singapore.
Ng describes the last moments of a pair of clownfish who vigorously defending their fry unaware that nothing could be done to change their fate.
www.butlernature.com/2025/05/15/r...
Ng describes the last moments of a pair of clownfish who vigorously defending their fry unaware that nothing could be done to change their fate.
www.butlernature.com/2025/05/15/r...
Last month marks 20 years since I started the Mongabay news service.
Our growth has been shaped by countless people: brave reporters risking their safety to tell urgent stories, editors refining every detail, partners who believed in our vision, & readers who care deeply.
mongabay.cc/gvDbLS
Our growth has been shaped by countless people: brave reporters risking their safety to tell urgent stories, editors refining every detail, partners who believed in our vision, & readers who care deeply.
mongabay.cc/gvDbLS
Reflections on 20 years of Mongabay News (commentary)
Founder’s Commentary: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis and perspectives. This month marks 20 years since I started the Mongabay news service. At the time,...
news.mongabay.com
May 2, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Last month marks 20 years since I started the Mongabay news service.
Our growth has been shaped by countless people: brave reporters risking their safety to tell urgent stories, editors refining every detail, partners who believed in our vision, & readers who care deeply.
mongabay.cc/gvDbLS
Our growth has been shaped by countless people: brave reporters risking their safety to tell urgent stories, editors refining every detail, partners who believed in our vision, & readers who care deeply.
mongabay.cc/gvDbLS
Marielle Ramires, activist and communicator, died on April 29th, aged 45.
Ms. Ramires co-founded Mídia NINJA in 2013, Brazil’s influential network of independent communicators that defied traditional media paradigms.
www.butlernature.com/2025/05/01/m...
Ms. Ramires co-founded Mídia NINJA in 2013, Brazil’s influential network of independent communicators that defied traditional media paradigms.
www.butlernature.com/2025/05/01/m...
Marielle Ramires, activist and communicator, died on April 29th, aged 45.
When Marielle Ramires disclosed her diagnosis of cancer in December 2024, she chose honesty without despair, revealing vulnerability but emphasizing resilience. Her approach was pragmatic, yet deeply ...
www.butlernature.com
May 1, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Marielle Ramires, activist and communicator, died on April 29th, aged 45.
Ms. Ramires co-founded Mídia NINJA in 2013, Brazil’s influential network of independent communicators that defied traditional media paradigms.
www.butlernature.com/2025/05/01/m...
Ms. Ramires co-founded Mídia NINJA in 2013, Brazil’s influential network of independent communicators that defied traditional media paradigms.
www.butlernature.com/2025/05/01/m...
Half a million barrels of toxic waste off California’s coast were never meant to be seen again—until now
news.mongabay.com/2025/03/5000...
news.mongabay.com/2025/03/5000...
500,000 barrels of DDT in the sea: Interview with documentary directors on California coast crisis
Half a million barrels of toxic waste lurking beneath the waves just miles from California’s coastline sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller. Yet this environmental catastrophe is real, as docu...
news.mongabay.com
March 19, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Half a million barrels of toxic waste off California’s coast were never meant to be seen again—until now
news.mongabay.com/2025/03/5000...
news.mongabay.com/2025/03/5000...
We have entered a new era in the U.S.—one that carries profound risks for journalism.
There is a fine line between fearmongering & foresight. But when an organization supports the livelihoods of many, its leadership has a duty to prepare.
www.butlernature.com/2025/03/06/r...
There is a fine line between fearmongering & foresight. But when an organization supports the livelihoods of many, its leadership has a duty to prepare.
www.butlernature.com/2025/03/06/r...
Red lines.
Red lines. (This post discusses threats to press freedom and may be distressing for some readers. Please proceed with care.) We have entered a new era in the United States—one that carries profound ri...
www.butlernature.com
March 6, 2025 at 3:19 AM
We have entered a new era in the U.S.—one that carries profound risks for journalism.
There is a fine line between fearmongering & foresight. But when an organization supports the livelihoods of many, its leadership has a duty to prepare.
www.butlernature.com/2025/03/06/r...
There is a fine line between fearmongering & foresight. But when an organization supports the livelihoods of many, its leadership has a duty to prepare.
www.butlernature.com/2025/03/06/r...
What I wish I knew 25 years ago.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to anyone starting something new, it’s this: Don’t wait until you have all the answers. Start with what you have, and figure it out along the way.
www.butlernature.com/2025/03/02/w...
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to anyone starting something new, it’s this: Don’t wait until you have all the answers. Start with what you have, and figure it out along the way.
www.butlernature.com/2025/03/02/w...
What I wish I knew 25 years ago
What I wish I knew 25 years ago When I started Mongabay, I wasn’t thinking about building a global news organization. I just wanted to share my love for nature and make people care about what was happ...
www.butlernature.com
March 5, 2025 at 3:58 AM
What I wish I knew 25 years ago.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to anyone starting something new, it’s this: Don’t wait until you have all the answers. Start with what you have, and figure it out along the way.
www.butlernature.com/2025/03/02/w...
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to anyone starting something new, it’s this: Don’t wait until you have all the answers. Start with what you have, and figure it out along the way.
www.butlernature.com/2025/03/02/w...
Few ecosystems punch above their weight quite like seagrass meadows. These underwater pastures quietly perform a remarkable array of ecological services.
A new handbook provides guidance on seagrass restoration.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/28/m...
A new handbook provides guidance on seagrass restoration.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/28/m...
March 1st is World Seagrass Day
Few ecosystems punch above their weight quite like seagrass meadows. These humble underwater pastures, spanning over 300,000 square kilometers across six continents, quietly perform a remarkable array of ecological services. They stabilize shorelines, shelter marine life, and sequester carbon at rates up to 40 times greater than terrestrial forests. Yet, like so many unsung heroes […]
www.butlernature.com
March 1, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Few ecosystems punch above their weight quite like seagrass meadows. These underwater pastures quietly perform a remarkable array of ecological services.
A new handbook provides guidance on seagrass restoration.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/28/m...
A new handbook provides guidance on seagrass restoration.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/28/m...
In 2011 I chose to start a non-profit, rather than write a book, because I felt the potential for impact was greater.
Here's a little context about that decision:
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/27/w...
Here's a little context about that decision:
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/27/w...
Why I chose creating a nonprofit over writing a book at a pivotal moment
Not all opportunities are worth taking. In 2010, a high profile literary agent approached me with an enticing offer: Write a book about my journey and the environmental trends shaping the world. It wa...
www.butlernature.com
March 1, 2025 at 1:10 AM
In 2011 I chose to start a non-profit, rather than write a book, because I felt the potential for impact was greater.
Here's a little context about that decision:
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/27/w...
Here's a little context about that decision:
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/27/w...
President Donald Trump last month undid America’s commitment to protecting 30% of U.S. lands & waters by 2030.
In a commentary, Angelo Villagomez & Alia Hidayat argue the decision forces a reckoning that was already underway: How should conservation evolve beyond 30×30?
mongabay.cc/ggEDRA
In a commentary, Angelo Villagomez & Alia Hidayat argue the decision forces a reckoning that was already underway: How should conservation evolve beyond 30×30?
mongabay.cc/ggEDRA
The U.S. terminated its 30×30 conservation plan but this also presents an opportunity (commentary)
In his first week in office back in 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a historic commitment to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. Two years later, the world agreed to a similar co...
news.mongabay.com
February 28, 2025 at 3:11 AM
President Donald Trump last month undid America’s commitment to protecting 30% of U.S. lands & waters by 2030.
In a commentary, Angelo Villagomez & Alia Hidayat argue the decision forces a reckoning that was already underway: How should conservation evolve beyond 30×30?
mongabay.cc/ggEDRA
In a commentary, Angelo Villagomez & Alia Hidayat argue the decision forces a reckoning that was already underway: How should conservation evolve beyond 30×30?
mongabay.cc/ggEDRA
The concept of the “extinction of experience” has been used to describe the dwindling human connection with nature, often applied to the general public.
But ecologists themselves are not immune. Across universities and research institutions, field-based studies are in retreat.
mongabay.cc/w0Tc9L
But ecologists themselves are not immune. Across universities and research institutions, field-based studies are in retreat.
mongabay.cc/w0Tc9L
Ecologists are spending less time in the field. That could be a problem.
Ecologists are spending less time in the field. That could be a problem. There was a time when an ecologist’s education was not complete without the mud of a marsh on their boots or the scent of damp ...
www.butlernature.com
February 25, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The concept of the “extinction of experience” has been used to describe the dwindling human connection with nature, often applied to the general public.
But ecologists themselves are not immune. Across universities and research institutions, field-based studies are in retreat.
mongabay.cc/w0Tc9L
But ecologists themselves are not immune. Across universities and research institutions, field-based studies are in retreat.
mongabay.cc/w0Tc9L
Amidst the ashes, pangolins rebuild.
A recent study underscores what is at stake when pangolins disappear from an ecosystem: resilience. Pangolins play a vital role in ecological recovery, particularly in landscapes ravaged by fire.
news.mongabay.com/2025/02/pang...
A recent study underscores what is at stake when pangolins disappear from an ecosystem: resilience. Pangolins play a vital role in ecological recovery, particularly in landscapes ravaged by fire.
news.mongabay.com/2025/02/pang...
Pangolin burrows are biodiversity magnets in burnt forests, study shows
Pangolins, the world’s most trafficked mammals, hit the headlines more often for the illegal trade in their scales and meat than for their cherished role in their environment. As insectivores, these s...
news.mongabay.com
February 21, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Amidst the ashes, pangolins rebuild.
A recent study underscores what is at stake when pangolins disappear from an ecosystem: resilience. Pangolins play a vital role in ecological recovery, particularly in landscapes ravaged by fire.
news.mongabay.com/2025/02/pang...
A recent study underscores what is at stake when pangolins disappear from an ecosystem: resilience. Pangolins play a vital role in ecological recovery, particularly in landscapes ravaged by fire.
news.mongabay.com/2025/02/pang...
Randy Borman, the man who became Cofán.
Randy Borman was never meant to be Cofán. And yet, from the moment he was born in 1955, deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, he belonged to them.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/19/r...
Randy Borman was never meant to be Cofán. And yet, from the moment he was born in 1955, deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, he belonged to them.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/19/r...
Randy Borman, the man who became Cofán
Randy Borman was never meant to be Cofán. And yet, from the moment he was born in 1955, deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, he belonged to them. His parents, American missionaries, had come to translate th...
www.butlernature.com
February 19, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Randy Borman, the man who became Cofán.
Randy Borman was never meant to be Cofán. And yet, from the moment he was born in 1955, deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, he belonged to them.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/19/r...
Randy Borman was never meant to be Cofán. And yet, from the moment he was born in 1955, deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, he belonged to them.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/19/r...
Down to less than 10 individuals, the vaquita teeters on the brink of extinction. Here's how people are trying to save it.
news.mongabay.com/2025/02/cons...
news.mongabay.com/2025/02/cons...
February 19, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Down to less than 10 individuals, the vaquita teeters on the brink of extinction. Here's how people are trying to save it.
news.mongabay.com/2025/02/cons...
news.mongabay.com/2025/02/cons...
Vimla Bahuguna, who spent a lifetime defending India’s forests, empowering women, and championing the rights of the poor, died on Feb 14th, at the age of 93.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/16/o...
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/16/o...
Obituary for Vimla Bahuguna, A Guardian of Forests, A Champion of Women
Vimla Bahuguna, who spent a lifetime defending India’s forests, empowering women, and championing the rights of the poor, died on February 14th, at the age of 93. Her passing, four years after that of...
www.butlernature.com
February 17, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Vimla Bahuguna, who spent a lifetime defending India’s forests, empowering women, and championing the rights of the poor, died on Feb 14th, at the age of 93.
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/16/o...
www.butlernature.com/2025/02/16/o...