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Conservation news

Environmental science and conservation news

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Bird flu hits migrating cranes hard in Germany as the...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

LINUM, Germany (AP) — In a spot outside Berlin that’s usually a paradise for birdwatchers, volunteers have recovered nearly 2,000 dead cranes in recent days as bird flu has hit the migrating birds hard. Linum, a small village about an hour’s travel from the German capital, is a popular resting spot for thousands of cranes […]

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UK fish stocks in trouble as catch limits exceed...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

Nearly half of the United Kingdom’s most commercially valuable fish populations are either overexploited, critically low or both, according to a new report warning that the government continues to set catch limits above scientific advice. The report, “Deep Decline,” by conservation nonprofit Oceana UK, found that 17 of 105 U.K. fish stocks are both overfished […]

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With ‘terrifying’ trade in African hornbills,...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

For millions of years, the African landscape — the rainforests, woodlands, savannas and scrublands — has echoed with the booms and cackles of large, raucous, strange-looking birds: hornbills. When U.S. ornithologist Nico Arcilla came to Gabon in the late 1990s as a Peace Corps volunteer, these noisy birds enchanted her. “There’d be a big flock […]

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Report finds dangerous mercury levels, highlights...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

Shark meat sold across Europe may be serving up more than seafood. Dangerously high levels of methylmercury, toxic to humans, were present in nearly a third of shark meat samples taken from European restaurants, fishmongers and supermarkets, according to a new report by a group of marine conservation NGOs. The findings suggest that Europeans are […]

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Potential wind slowdown threatens renewable energy...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

Climate change may be causing long-term global wind speeds to slow down, a shift that will likely lead to a dangerous rise in local temperatures, worsening air pollution and disruption to renewable energy systems, Mongabay writer Sean Mowbray reported. A warming atmosphere is likely weakening the forces that govern wind speeds, leading to more frequent […]

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Landmark conviction exposes Sri Lanka’s deep-rooted...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

COLOMBO — In a landmark ruling hailed as a major victory for Sri Lanka’s wildlife conservation, the Colombo High Court in September convicted a person for the illegal possession of a wild-caught elephant and sentenced him to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of 20.6 million rupees (nearly US$70,000). A three-member bench […]

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Colony of world’s highest-flying bird under threat in...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

LUKU CENTRAL FOREST RESERVE, Uganda — Ornithologist Ivan Oruka stops suddenly near the foot of a cliff that’s streaked with the telltale whitewash of bird droppings. He quickly presses his binoculars to his eyes. Against the clear blue sky, on a bright September morning, at least 29 large birds circle effortlessly above on broad, dark […]

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In search of a real wild date (cartoon)

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

Despite being one of the most wide-ranging wildcat species, the Afro-Asian wildcat faces a threat from its own evolutionary successor—the domestic cat. Interbreeding leads to hybridization and genetic dilution for the species, adding yet another conservation challenge as it already faces threats from habitat loss across most of its range.

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Filipino survivors of deadly 2021 typhoon planning to...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

Nearly 70 Filipinos affected by a deadly 2021 typhoon are planning to sue oil giant Shell in its home country of the U.K. for the damages they suffered. Typhoon Rai, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Odette, was one of the most devastating storms in the Philippines’ recorded history. It killed more than 400 […]

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Two years later, no closure for family of missing...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

Two years after Samuel Abayateye went missing from a fishing boat he was tasked with monitoring, Ghanaian authorities are no closer to announcing what happened to him. They also still haven’t shared with his family the results of a DNA test from a body that washed up near the family home shortly after his disappearance. […]

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Why facts alone won’t save the planet

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. When I think about what makes someone care about the natural world, it rarely begins with statistics or graphs. It begins with a moment. For me, it was an encounter I had at age 12 with frogs in […]

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Ousted Nepal gov’t cleared easier path for...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/29

KATHMANDU — Nepal’s outgoing government, toppled by two days of nationwide Gen Z protests, granted national priority status to six commercial cable car projects, according to documents released by the new government recently. The decision made by the cabinet of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, but published after the interim caretaker government took office, […]

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Supporting journalism: The catalytic role of...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/26

When a logging concession in Gabon threatened a community’s ancestral forest, their appeals to officials went nowhere—until the story was reported. Once the facts reached the public record, the environment minister revoked the company’s permit and moved to legally protect the forest, officially recognizing a community’s stewardship. The example illustrates a quiet but potent truth: […]

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FSC to vote on new traceability rules amid fraud...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/26

The world’s largest green timber label will vote next week on whether to begin work on new traceability rules, amid renewed scrutiny and accusations over whether the body is doing enough to prevent fraud within its supply chains. The Bonn-based Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) bills itself as “the world’s most trusted mark for sustainable forestry.” […]

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Radioactive leak in Banten exposes workers to danger...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/25

SERANG, Indonesia — The rain had just passed over Nambo Udik, a village in Cikande, Serang, Banten. The air hung heavy and damp, and puddles lingered in the muddy yard in front of Sakinah and Roni’s home. These days, the couple spends most of their time indoors, gazing out at the quiet street. It has […]

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Dom Phillips & Bruno Pereira ‘would be killed again,’...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/24

SÃO PAULO AND RIO DE JANEIRO — Despite government efforts to halt violence in the Amazon region where British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were killed three years ago, the threats remain, prominent Indigenous leader Beto Marubo said. “Unfortunately, I can say that if Dom and Bruno were in the Javari Valley […]

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How to clean solar panels in arid areas? Waterless...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/24

As the world grapples with the challenges of meeting rising electricity demand, particularly in developing countries, solar energy has emerged as a beacon of hope. In sub-Saharan Africa, where energy poverty is a persistent challenge, the potential for solar energy is vast. Monocrystalline photovoltaic (PV) panels have become a popular choice for solar energy generation […]

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In memory of the Christmas Island shrew

Conservation news ·

2025/10/24

It never weighed more than a spoonful of sugar. Five or six grams of life, soft-furred and sharp-nosed, darting among the roots and leaf litter of a tiny island in the Indian Ocean. At night, its voice—a thin, high cry, part bat and part whisper—once filled the forest of Christmas Island. Now the forest is […]

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Has Uganda done enough to prevent pollution of Lake...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/24

Fears of underinvestment in mitigation against oil spills, poor waste disposal and water overuse remain a major concern for environmentalists, even as Uganda insists adequate measures are in place to protect Lake Albert and the surrounding ecosystem from the adverse effects of petroleum exploration and development. A report commissioned by my organization, Environmental Defenders — […]

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International Gibbon Day: Spotlighting the...

Conservation news ·

2025/10/24

Gibbons, commonly called lesser apes, aren’t as well-known as some of their great ape cousins like chimpanzees or gorillas. But the lives of these highly arboreal primates are no less fascinating. They reside in the canopy of the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia, living in small family groups, each patrolling its own territory, […]

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