WORLD RAINFOREST

China’s pangolin scale trade declines, study shows, but smuggling persists (Feb 14 2025)
- A study of Chinese court records from 2010 to 2023 found that pangolin scale seizures peaked in 2018 and have since declined; while the authors attribute this to increased enforcement and public awareness in China, independent observers cite global factors like COVID-19 and stricter regulations in source and transit countries.
- The study identified six key cities in China — Bozhou, Chongzuo, Dehong, Beijing, Hong Kong and Kunming — as major transit hubs for the illegal pangolin scale trade, with most scales originating from Africa, particularly Nigeria, and smuggled via seaports and overland routes.
- The clandestine nature of the trade, weak enforcement in rural and border regions, and underreporting mean the true scale of the trade is likely far greater than reported, with corruption and advanced smuggling techniques enabling illegal activities to persist.
- Researchers call for strengthened law enforcement, community engagement, outreach to traditional medicine practitioners, and international cooperation, alongside legislative reforms to ban the domestic use of pangolin scales in traditional Chinese medicine and close wildlife trafficking loopholes.

Climate change made LA fires more likely amid hot, dry conditions: Report (Feb 14 2025)
The devastating fires that swept through parts of Los Angeles, U.S., in January raged for more than three weeks before being fully contained. In that time, they burned through more than 20,200 hectares (50,000 acres) of forests and homes, killing at least 29 people. A recent report from World Weather Attribution (WWA) finds that climate […]

Conservation education is about people too: Interview with Gabon’s Léa Moussavou (Feb 14 2025)
- With nearly 90% forest cover, Gabon is home to a biodiverse landscape that prompts the need for both conservation and environmental education among young generations.
- Environmental educator Léa Coralie Moussavou stresses that conservation is not just about protecting wildlife and forests; it’s also about helping local communities.
- Moussavou spoke to Mongabay about her role as the head of community education and environmental awareness at the NGO Conservation Justice.
- “We need to make people understand that everything is linked, that we are all in the same boat, and that our project is not about protecting animals at the expense of human beings,” Moussavou said.

The culture of corruption across the Amazon Basin (Feb 14 2025)
- Across countries in the Amazon Basin corruption remains a deeply entrenched phenomenon as society has a higher tolerance of fraudulent behavior.
- Corruption encompasses many types of behavior, which can subvert multiple publicly funded activities, while spanning multiple sectors and jurisdictions (national, regional, local).
- Non-elite corruption is more acute in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador and less in Colombia, Brazil, Guyana and Suriname, while elite corruption is widespread and flagrant, with wrongdoers enjoying high levels of impunity.

Deforestation boom in Gran Chaco raises alarm over Argentina’s forest law (Feb 14 2025)
- The Gran Chaco was hit by a rise in deforestation in 2024, damaging the dry forest ecosystem that spans an area more than one and a half times the size of California across Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil.
- In 2024, Argentina lost 149,649 hectares (369,791 acres) of its approximately 52.6 million hectares (130 million acres) of Gran Chaco forest — most of it from agriculture and fires, according to a Greenpeace report.
- The problem may stem from a flawed categorization system in which provincial governments are supposed to rate the rigor of forest protections in different areas.
- Critics of the system say it’s out of date and easily manipulated to allow development in forested areas that should otherwise be protected or exploited sustainably.

Small-scale fishers’ role in feeding the planet goes overlooked: Study (Feb 14 2025)
- A new study found that small-scale fishing accounts for at least 40% of catch worldwide and provides employment for 60 million people, more than a third of whom are women.
- Small-scale fishing could provide a significant proportion of the micronutrient intake for the 2.3 billion people on Earth who live near coastlines or inland bodies of water, the study found.
- More than 60% of small-scale fishing catch in the studied countries came from places where small-scale fishers had no formal rights to participate in management and decision-making processes.
- “We wanted to have a paper that provided key findings at the global level for each of these dimensions, so that it will be clear for governments that small-scale fishing cannot continue to be overlooked in terms of policymaking,” one of the study authors told Mongabay.

The key factors fueling conflict in eastern DRC (Feb 14 2025)
- The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has witnessed armed conflicts running for decades, with a recent onslaught by M23, a Rwanda-backed rebel force, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
- Conflicts in eastern DRC stem from ethnic tensions linked to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, political and corporate corruption, and the lingering effects of Western colonialism, exacerbated by natural resource extraction.
- Experts say that minerals are a significant factor in violence, but not the sole cause, even as armed groups like M23 have used their trade for financing operations.
- The ongoing instability in the eastern DRC necessitates a comprehensive approach beyond addressing conflict minerals and delving into the historical roots of the conflict, says an expert.

Ecology vs. development in Karachi: Interview with photographer Salman Baloch (Feb 14 2025)
- Malir, the largest district in Karachi, has long been home to Indigenous Sindhi and Baloch tribes that lived for centuries as communal agrarian societies, dependent on the environment; now, rapid urbanization and development projects threaten the land, water and wildlife.
- Wildlife photographer, activist and writer Salman Baloch has fought against development projects such as the 39-kilometer (24-mile) Malir Expressway and Bahria Town, a 19,000-hectare (46,000-acre) gated suburb of Karachi, both of which pose dire consequences for the region’s wildlife.
- Baloch is also photographically documenting hundreds of bird species that have historically lived in the area.
- Baloch recently spoke to Mongabay about his activism, photography, fears and hopes for the future of Karachi’s wildlife and ecosystems.

In the high Andes, a dream to restore a special forest takes root (Feb 14 2025)
- In 2024, the United Nations recognized seven landmark projects worldwide as outstanding examples of success under its ongoing Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030).
- One of them was Acción Andina (Andean Action), an initiative that has launched 23 restoration and conservation projects focused on the high-altitude Polylepis forests of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Ecuador.
- More than 25,000 people from 200 communities have restored nearly 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of these forest and protected more than 11,250 hectares (27,800 acres) of existing woodland.
- The initiative next aims to expand into Colombia and Venezuela.

Across the world, conservation projects reel after abrupt US funding cuts (Feb 14 2025)
- Along with humanitarian and other forms of aid, the U.S. government is one of the world’s biggest funders of nature conservation projects.
- In 2023 alone, USAID provided $375.4 million to such projects across the world.
- U.S. funding has been spent on a wide range of conservation activities, such as support for wildlife rangers, community conservancies, and forest mapping.
- Sources told Mongabay that the shuttering of USAID and abrupt aid pause has left conservation groups worldwide in a state of uncertainty, with some scaling back their activities and planning to lay off staff.

Two South American scientists win ‘environmental Nobel’ on human-nature divide (Feb 14 2025)
Two scientists from South America won the 2025 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement on Feb. 11 for their work on the often-overlooked connection between human societies and the natural world. The winners, Argentinian ecologist Sandra Díaz and Brazilian anthropologist Eduardo Brondízio, will share a $250,000 award, marking the first time individuals from South America have […]

Science aside, we need art & philosophy for global change: Epidemiologist (Feb 14 2025)
With deforestation and declining biodiversity linked to emerging infectious diseases, one would think the world should look to science for answers. But Dr. Neil Vora, a former epidemic intelligence service officer with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says art and philosophy are just as important. In an episode of Mongabay’s weekly […]

Cargill weakens Amazon no-deforestation vow, raising concerns about wider backslide (Feb 13 2025)
Commodity-trading giant Cargill recently signaled that it will weaken its no-deforestation commitments in the Amazon Rainforest, an investigation by Repórter Brasil has revealed. In its latest sustainability report, released in December 2024, Cargill changed how it measures deforestation in its soy supply chain. It had initially committed to following the guidelines of the Amazon Soy […]

Fossil fuel, plastic, and agrichemical companies coordinate social media on climate change, study finds. (Feb 13 2025)
A recent study reveals a strong connection between three fossil fuel-based industries — oil and gas, plastics, and agrichemicals — and their use of social media to deny climate change and delay climate action. Energy, plastics and agrichemicals all rely on the same feedstock: fossil fuels. The biggest energy companies sell oil and gas predominantly; […]

‘I’m Still Here’ Eunice Paiva’s pivotal role in Brazil’s Indigenous & environmental rights (Feb 13 2025)
- The critically acclaimed film ‘I’m Still Here’ focuses on the personal and political history of Eunice Paiva but offers glimpses of her Indigenous rights work as a lawyer — a rarity in Brazil’s 1980s.
- Paiva is a famed lawyer who went into the field in her 40s after the kidnapping and killing of her husband by Brazil’s military dictatorship.
- Eunice Paiva’s role was critical to the acknowledgement of Indigenous rights in the Constitution of 1988 and the demarcation of Yanomami land in the Amazon Rainforest.
- Mongabay speaks to sources who were close to Eunice Paiva, including a family friend, Indigenous leaders and lawyers, to document her impact on Indigenous rights and the environmental movement in Brazil’s history.

Forest communities craft recommendations for better ART TREES carbon credit standard (Feb 13 2025)
- Fourteen organizations representing Indigenous peoples and local communities across Central and South America submitted recommendations to Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) to demand transparent and inclusive carbon market standards at the jurisdictional level.
- The three major recommendations call for more transparency, inclusivity and accountability in jurisdictional programs of the voluntary carbon market through ensuring rights, free, prior and informed consent, and improved access to fair and equitable benefit-sharing.
- Analyzing the shortcomings of voluntary carbon markets surrounding their standards and certification, the signatories are demanding robust mechanisms that existing standards fail to meet or national legislation fails to implement.
- While opinions on voluntary carbon markets remain largely divided, Indigenous leaders and researchers say properly implementing these recommendations can help the carbon market address a $4.1 trillion gap in nature financing by 2050 and support communities.

Lawsuit is latest push to curb bottom trawling in protected European waters (Feb 13 2025)
- The fishing practice of bottom trawling continues in European marine protected areas (MPAs) despite conservation concerns over its destruction of seabed habitats and indiscriminate catches.
- Four NGOs have sued the Netherlands to stop bottom trawling in the Dutch section of Dogger Bank, an MPA in the North Sea, citing its ecological importance.
- Advocacy efforts across Europe, including other lawsuits, have led to some restrictions on the practice, such as the closure of the U.K. section of Dogger Bank to bottom trawling, but most European MPAs remain insufficiently protected, a 2024 study indicates.
- Fishing interests often disagree with the NGOs’ position on bottom trawling in MPAs, saying that regulated bottom trawling can coexist with conservation goals and support communities socioeconomically, and that blanket restrictions risk marginalizing fishing communities without addressing broader environmental challenges like pollution or climate change.

Forest of rare trees in Zanzibar now earmarked for ‘eco-resort’ (Feb 13 2025)
- Botanists surveying a remote forest reserve on Pemba Island in Tanzania’s Zanzibar archipelago have discovered a forest of rare trees — the only place in Africa where they’re known to occur in the wild.
- The botanical survey, the first of its kind in 35 years, has shed light on Ngezi Forest Reserve’s rich plant biodiversity.
- But the section of intact coastal forest where the Intsia bijuga trees grow is earmarked for a new “eco-resort.”
- The forest’s status as a reserve has not been withdrawn, meaning any developments within its boundaries could be illegal.

Researchers find two individuals of UK’s ‘loneliest bat’ species (Feb 13 2025)
For more than two decades, researchers knew of just a single, male individual of the greater mouse-eared bat that would repeatedly hibernate in an unused railway tunnel in Sussex, U.K. This male bat became known as the “loneliest soul in Britain” since he was without a companion. But researchers have now found that he isn’t […]

‘Truffle dogs’ help sniff out two new truffle species (Feb 13 2025)
Two dogs specially trained to sniff out truffles have helped researchers identify two new-to-science truffle species in the U.S., according to a recent study. Truffles, synonymous with luxury fine dining, are the fruiting bodies of fungi belonging to the genus Tuber, which grow underground in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of trees like oak, […]

Massive songbird seizure highlights Indonesia’s unrelenting illegal wildlife trade (Feb 13 2025)
- Indonesian authorities seized 6,860 smuggled songbirds in East Java, highlighting the persistent illegal songbird trade fueled by deep cultural practices.
- The shipment originated from West Nusa Tenggara province, east of Java, reflecting shifting trade routes after a similar October 2024 bust in Sumatra disrupted supply chains from that island west of Java.
- While the confiscated birds were from species unprotected under current laws, violations included the lack of capture permits and required health certificates, with 579 birds found dead.
- Experts warn the weak regulation of the songbird trade threatens wild populations, increases extinction risks, and poses public health concerns through potential zoonoses.

Mammals, birds in Vietnam’s rare coastal forests revealed by camera traps (Feb 13 2025)
- A new camera-trapping study has found several rare and threatened species in Vietnam’s Nui Chua National Park, home to one of mainland Southeast Asia’s last remnants of dry coastal forest.
- However, the findings also indicate intense pressure on wildlife populations within the reserve from habitat fragmentation and snaring.
- The study found a relatively high diversity of species in transitional habitats between different types of forest, indicating a need for more nuanced conservation planning to target localized measures, the authors say.
- The findings reaffirm the importance of Vietnam’s dry coastal forests for biodiversity and the need for strengthened protection to reduce pressure on wildlife from snaring and habitat degradation.

Giant Rats: Sniffing Out Wildlife Crime | Wild Targets (Feb 12 2025)
MOROGORO, Tanzania – Rats have long been misunderstood, often seen as pests rather than pals. However, the African giant pouched rat, the largest in the world, possesses special qualities that have caught the attention of a group of scientists in Tanzania. These experts believe rats can be crime-fighting allies against wildlife trafficking. This innovative approach […]

Meet the giant rats fighting wildlife trafficking (Feb 12 2025)
- Scientists are training the first generation of rats in Tanzania to detect illegal wildlife trafficked products.
- Their research shows that African giant pouched rats can locate concealed wildlife products such as pangolin scales, rhino horns and ivory in shipments.
- This innovative approach could reshape antitrafficking efforts and shed new light on the illegal wildlife trade.

Declining biodiversity and emerging diseases are entwined, more study needed (Feb 12 2025)
- A new review study traces the complex links between biodiversity loss and emerging infectious diseases — though one doesn’t necessarily lead to the other.
- Instead, complex interactions between factors (including climate change, habitat loss, agricultural practices, and closer contact between wildlife, livestock and people) can contribute to emergent infectious diseases and new pandemics.
- It’s now well understood that human actions are causing a major increase in pandemics. To stave off future global outbreaks, researchers say we need to better understand the shared upstream drivers of both biodiversity loss and emerging disease.
- The study highlights significant gaps in the monitoring and surveillance of wildlife pathogens worldwide. It suggests that prevention and early interventions targeting locales and situations where emergent disease spillover is likely are important to avoiding future human pandemics.