WORLD RAINFOREST

By Rhett A. Butler  Last updated Aug 14, 2020

The Tropical Rainforest - information on tropical forests, deforestation, and biodiversity

 

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The Latest News on Rainforests

Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres remains optimistic despite disappointing COP process (Jan 7 2025)
Sunrise over the Pinipini river in the Amazon.The 29th United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, ended late and with a massive finance shortfall of pledged climate finance for countries in the Global South, roughly $1 trillion less than what was sought. Many delegates were already on flights home when the final agreement was reached, while other […]

Atlantic puffins are perilously attracted to artificial light, new study shows (Jan 7 2025)
- When they make their first journey into the ocean, fledgling Atlantic puffins are prone to being stranded on land, imperiling them. For years, scientists have wondered what leads to these strandings.
- A new study provides experimental evidence to show that artificial light lures young puffins toward land, contributing to strandings.
- The study found pufflings don’t have a strong preference for any particular light source or color. However, once stranded, they move more under darkness and high-pressure sodium lights than under LED lights.
- Reducing artificial lights along the coast and offshore could save puffin lives, say conservationists, as Atlantic puffin populations are decreasing in parts of Europe. It can also save other threatened seabirds, such as Leach’s storm petrel found off Canada’s coast.

Indonesian company defies order, plants acacia in orangutan habitat (Jan 7 2025)
- The Indonesian company PT Mayawana Persada has shifted focus from clearing peatlands in western Borneo to planting acacia on previously cleared lands in defiance of a government order to restore damaged peatlands.
- The lands are home to the critically endangered Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), and any habitat loss pushes the animal closer to extinction.
- Mayawana Persada’s concession spans nearly 140,000 hectares (345,900 acres), overlapping with more than 83,000 hectares (205,100 acres) of carbon-rich peatlands and more than 90,000 hectares (222,400 acres) of Bornean orangutan habitat.

U.S. reports first human death from H5N1 bird flu (Jan 7 2025)
A person in the state of Louisiana has died from avian influenza or bird flu, also known as H5N1, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) reported on Jan. 6, marking the first recorded human fatality from H5N1 in the U.S. “The patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and […]

India’s latest forest cover report hints at countrywide degradation (Jan 7 2025)
The latest forest survey report from India suggests a slight increase in the country’s forest and tree cover in recent years. But experts say the net marginal gain masks considerable declines across many biodiversity-rich forests and mangroves as well as in overall forest quality, reports Mongabay India’s Kundan Pandey. The report, published by the Forest […]

Jane Goodall awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (Jan 6 2025)
Jane Goodall in Japan in June 2023. Photo taken by Kaori NishidaOn Saturday, President Joe Biden honored Jane Goodall as one of nineteen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor. This accolade recognizes individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public, or private endeavors. “Dr. […]

We need a North Pole Marine Reserve to secure a healthy future for Arctic waters (commentary) (Jan 6 2025)
- In 2024, the cod fishing moratorium on Newfoundland’s Grand Banks was lifted, 32 years after a historically significant ecological collapse of the fish’s population was caused by overfishing.
- The Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement signed in 2019 provides an example of how to address the threat from such overfishing by using the precautionary principle, international collaboration and science led evaluations of fish stocks.
- The future health of Arctic marine ecosystems can be secured by establishing a North Pole Marine Reserve, a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

Climate change fueled record extreme weather events in 2024 (Jan 6 2025)
Climate change fueled some of the worst extreme weather events on record in 2024, according to a recent report. Researchers at the World Weather Attribution (WWA) and Climate Central reviewed heat waves, droughts, wildfires, storms and floods that struck in 2024, and found that nearly every extreme weather event they studied was “made more intense […]

Latin America in 2024: politics, turmoil and hope (Jan 3 2025)
- In 2024, Latin America continued facing chronic issues of deforestation, ecosystem contamination, violence, habitat loss and political turmoil.
- Changes brought on by presidential elections in several countries have not brought on significant changes for the environment, at least not yet, with effects still to be seen in the years to come.
- Increased criminal activity in the region remains a serious obstacle to conservation work, endangering local and Indigenous communities, while highlighting governments’ inability to tackle narco-trafficking and its associated consequences.

How the U.S. got no old growth forest protections from the Biden Administration (commentary) (Jan 3 2025)
- President Biden’s executive order in 2022 directed the U.S. Forest Service to conduct an inventory of mature and old-growth forests on federal lands for “conservation purposes,” but it did nothing to move the needle on old forest protections.
- The national old-growth amendment (NOGA) failed for a variety of reasons, and as a new, anti-conservation administration looms in Washington, not a single acre of old forests was protected by it.
- “I have experienced two Reagan terms, three Bush terms, and a Trump term where conservation groups united in throwing sand in the gears of bad forest policies. And I have lived through two Obama terms and a Biden term where conservation groups could not agree on a unified strategy that has now contributed to the deja vu of having to defend forests all over again, with nothing gained. We must all now unite, put aside our differences, and get ready for the fight of our lives,” an old growth forest expert and conservationist argues in a new op-ed.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

Indonesian president says palm oil expansion won’t deforest because ‘oil palms have leaves’ (Jan 3 2025)
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has called for the expansion of oil palm plantations, saying any criticism that this will cause deforestation is nonsense because oil palms are trees too.
- The remarks have prompted criticism that they go against the established science showing how plantations have driven deforestation, biodiversity loss and carbon emissions.
- Experts have long called for the palm oil industry to improve yields at existing plantations rather than expand into forests and other ecosystems.
- But the main industry association has welcomed the president’s call, and even the Ministry of Forestry under Prabowo has changed its logo from a forest tree to something that resembles oil palm.

Conservation and the rise of corporations in the Pan Amazon (Jan 3 2025)
- Despite agreement on the importance of protecting the Amazon’s biodiversity, most people in the Pan Amazon depend directly or indirectly on conventional development and extractive production models.
- Investments by the extractive sector in the mid-nineteenth century were more successful because they were organized by multinational corporations with experience in managing operations in remote geographies (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname) or by state-owned corporations with practical knowledge of their own country (Brazil, Venezuela).
- In Brazil, some family enterprises evolved into complex holding companies that now finance expansion via joint ventures and international credit markets. A select few have chosen to raise capital by selling equity shares on domestic or international stock markets, although they typically retain majority control to maintain the family legacy.

Amazon communities reap the smallest share of bioeconomy profits (Jan 3 2025)
- Recently praised by environmentalists, governments and companies as a solution for rainforest conservation, bioeconomy has been practiced for centuries by Amazon’s traditional communities.
- Despite their key role in generating income from the standing forest, these communities continue to reap the smallest share of the profits, according to a new book.
- Traditional people need more financing, better access to energy and improved roads to get their products into the market.

Sweden’s wolf hunt starts, aims to halve population (Jan 3 2025)
Sweden has started its 2025 wolf hunt, with an aim to kill 30 wolves between Jan. 2 and Feb. 15. By the end of Jan. 2, hunters had shot 10 wolves (Canis lupus), according to Sweden Herald. Most recent estimates put wolf numbers in Sweden at roughly 375 by late 2023, a decline of nearly […]

New evidence spells massive trouble for world’s sharks, rays and chimaeras (Jan 2 2025)
- A third of the world’s sharks, rays and chimaeras are threatened with extinction, and their numbers have dwindled since 1970, finds a new IUCN report and a study.
- Overfishing is the biggest threat to these marine fish, halving their populations in five decades, followed by the international trade in shark parts, habitat degradation and pollution.
- Scientists call for immediate actions to prevent extinction, regulate trade and manage shark fisheries to promote sustainability.

Conservation corridors provide hope for Latin America’s felines (Jan 2 2025)
- Latin America’s feline species are losing their habitat and becoming trapped in small patches.
- Scientists are concerned about isolated populations and trapped individuals that are unable to migrate. This isn’t the only threat: reprisal hunting, vehicle collisions and the incursion of feral and undomesticated dogs into wild areas means that many cats could be on the path to extinction.
- Researchers say biological corridors are vital for their conservation.

South Australia bans fishing of many sharks and rays in its waters (Jan 2 2025)
The state of South Australia has banned fishing of several endangered or critically endangered sharks and rays in its waters. In a media release dated Dec. 11, the state government said the new rules prohibit both recreational and commercial fishing of critically endangered species such as the whitefin swellshark (Cephaloscyllium albipinnum), oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus […]

Four new tarantula species found in India’s Western Ghats mountains (Dec 31 2024)
- Four new species of tarantulas, including one new genus, have been described from India’s Western Ghats mountains.
- A concerning trend shows that 25% of newly described tarantula species since 2000 have appeared in the pet trade, with some appearing for sale within months of being scientifically described.
- Tarantulas face dual threats from illegal collection for the pet trade and habitat loss in the Western Ghats, where many are found only in small patches of remaining forest surrounded by tea plantations.
- These spiders serve as important predators and indicators of healthy habitats in their ecosystems, but are particularly vulnerable due to their slow reproduction rates and the difficulty in detecting them during smuggling attempts.

An underground gold war in Colombia is ‘a ticking ecological time bomb’ (Dec 31 2024)
- In Colombia’s Buriticá municipality, a gold mine owned by Chinese company Zijin has become a hotspot of environmental damage, criminal activity and conflict.
- Zijin announced earlier this year that it had lost control of 60% of its mining operations to the illegal miners, who have taken over the mine’s tunnels or collapsed them.
- Illegal mining has expanded in and around the mine, with miners using mercury, explosives and heavy machinery to extract gold, contaminating ecosystems and threatening the geological stability of the area.
- The illegal miners flock here from around the country, and are associated with the Gaitanista Army of Colombia (EGC), also known as the Gulf Clan, Colombia’s largest criminal armed group.

Sunken ships in Sri Lanka’s Colombo attract more fish than coral reefs (Dec 31 2024)
- Shipwrecks host more diverse fish assemblages compared with natural coral reefs off the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s commercial capital.
- Research shows that shipwrecks provide more complex structures with various microhabitats, attracting fish and offering both food and safety, making them more appealing than coral reefs.
- Scientists used the diver operated video recording method, in which a diver carries a video camera along a predefined transect, for allowing species identification and quantification later in the laboratory.
- Sri Lankan waters contain 115 known shipwrecks, with the oldest being the Godawaya wreck, dating back to the second century BCE, and they play a significant role in dive tourism.

Mongabay’s most impactful investigations of 2024 (Dec 31 2024)
- This year, Mongabay published in-depth investigations on critical environmental issues worldwide.
- Stories ranged from illegal Amazon airstrips to rhino poaching in Indonesia and a Cambodian ‘timber cartel’.
- We close out 2024 with a look back at some of these reports.

Companies banking on tech and collaboration to comply with EUDR (Dec 31 2024)
- The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which takes effect at the end of 2025, will require companies to trace commodity origins along the entire supply chain to ensure they’re deforestation-free.
- Technological solutions, such as satellite data and precise digital mapping, have become essential tools to assess deforestation risks and ensure compliance across complex supply chains.
- Tech isn’t a silver bullet though, experts say, and the best results will blend technological tools, strong partnerships and human collaboration across the supply chain.
- Smallholders in particular risk exclusion from global markets due to challenges in meeting EUDR compliance, especially due to limited access to technology and data tools.

10 notable books on conservation and the environment published in 2024 (Dec 31 2024)
- The 2024 books that made this year’s list at Mongabay center primarily on humanity’s place in nature, both as a way to understand environmental problems and how to deal with them.
- The authors explore topics ranging from Arctic warming and Indigenous land rights, to deforestation and coral bleaching.
- The list below features a sample of important literature on conservation and the environment published in 2024.
- Inclusion in this list does not imply Mongabay’s endorsement of a book’s content; the views in the books are those of the authors and not necessarily of Mongabay.

Camera traps reveal first jaguar in northwestern Ecuador forests in years (Dec 31 2024)
Two separate camera-trap surveys have captured videos and images of jaguars in two different forests in Ecuador’s northwest, where the animal hadn’t been spotted for several years. Subsequent analysis confirmed that it was the same individual moving between the two forests, according to a new study. The first camera-trap survey by researchers from the Central […]

Road to recovery: Wild animals staging a comeback in 2024 (Dec 31 2024)
Conservation news is often heartbreaking, with reports of dramatic biodiversity loss globally year after year. But in 2024, there were several reasons for cheer as well, with conservationists finding that certain species, once at the brink of extinction, are making a comeback. Here are five species that researchers confirmed were showing hopeful signs of recovery […]

Bangladesh adopts new technology to fight wildlife crimes (Dec 31 2024)
- Bangladesh’s forest department has recently included modern technologies and tools to strengthen its crime combat arsenal, after having lagged behind its surrounding countries for over a decade.
- So far, Bangladesh’s wildlife crime control is mostly dependent on volunteers connected by telecommunication and social media.
- Experts say use of technology helps deploy the country’s limited resources to address wildlife crime and prevent wildlife deaths more effectively.

Campaigners celebrate as firm making first-ever GMO fish ceases operations (Dec 31 2024)
- AquaBounty Technologies, the first company in North America to get regulatory approval to sell a genetically engineered animal for human consumption — an Atlantic salmon spliced with genes from other fish — announced on Dec. 11 that it was closing its last facility, ceasing fish farming activities, and culling remaining stock.
- A coalition of conservation and Indigenous groups that had campaigned against AquaBounty celebrated the announcement, saying the company’s work posed environmental and public health risks.
- AquaBounty’s proponents contend that the salmon was completely safe and more sustainably produced than some farmed alternatives, and that decades-long campaigning against it had contributed to the company’s failure.

A deadly parasite turns jaguar conservation into a human health priority (Dec 30 2024)
- Analysis of jaguar droppings in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands have uncovered the presence of Spirometra tapeworms, a parasite with significant ecological and public health implications that can be dangerous to people in its larval form.
- Pantanal ranchers typically see jaguars as pests because they prey on livestock; however, conservationists aim to reframe these big cats as allies in ecological balance, as they control parasite-carrying prey and serve as vital bioindicators of the biome’s health.
- The underreporting of parasitical infections in humans caused by Spirometra reveals a gap in public health awareness in Brazil, making the discovery of the parasite in jaguars a key breakthrough toward protecting communities.
- Educational workshops and practical measures, such as electric fencing, have significantly reduced jaguar-livestock conflicts while improving community practices and promoting coexistence between humans and the big cats.

The Amazon in 2025: Challenges and hopes as the rainforest takes center stage (Dec 30 2024)
- The Amazon Rainforest, where next year’s COP30 climate summit will be hosted, is reeling from two consecutive years of severe drought, with major rivers at record lows, leading to water shortages and transportation disruptions for local communities.
- While deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon plunged during that period, the rainforest remains under threat from land grabbing, illegal gold mining, diminishing rainfall, and outbreaks of fire, many of them ignited by criminals.
- The world’s greatest tropical rainforest has also drawn the interest of carbon traders, but evidence of fraud within some carbon credit projects unearthed by Mongabay highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the carbon market.
- Amid all these threats, reforestation and restoration projects led by Indigenous communities and conservation organizations offer hope for a sustainable future for the Amazon.

In DRC bid to grow more food, smallholders are overshadowed by industrial farming (Dec 30 2024)
- More than 25 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo suffer food insecurity, largely due to insecurity and inadequate infrastructure.
- South Ubangi province is mostly free of the armed conflict prevalent in the eastern part of the country, but nearly three-quarters of its residents face high levels of food insecurity.
- Agriculture is the livelihood for 80% of people in the province and the government is exploring ways to reinforce their production.
- For the most part, this means incentivizing massive agro-industrial plantations, even at the expense of overlooking smallholder farmers, but some experts say this won’t guarantee improved food security.

Sea change for soy champion Brazil as it wrestles with EUDR compliance (Dec 30 2024)
- A dry run of a shipment of soy by commodities trader Cargill from Brazil to Europe, replicating the requirements to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), found that although the company met several requirements, it still faced other challenges.
- The EUDR, initially planned to come into effect this month and recently postponed for another year, will require suppliers to prove that their products exported to the EU aren’t sourced from illegally deforested areas.
- To comply with the EUDR requirements, companies from the soy industry are setting up new business structures to provide 100% traceability point by point from the producer to the port, until it enters the ship, in addition to tackling logistics challenges, says the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove).
- California-based nonprofit CTrees says it’s uncertain whether the EUDR will result in a significant reduction in deforestation, and raised concerns on the potential exclusion of smallholders and local communities from the supply chain because of the difficulty of getting them to meet compliance requirements.

Tortoise protection culture prompts efforts to curb trafficking in Madagascar (Dec 30 2024)
- Community-led antitrafficking networks are proving pivotal in helping authorities intercept poachers targeting critically endangered and endemic tortoises in southern Madagascar’s fast-disappearing spiny forests.
- Illegal hunting, both for their meat and to supply the pet trade, has decimated the species’ population in recent decades.
- Indigenous people living in the range of the imperiled species are motivated to protect them due to long-standing traditional beliefs that value and respect the tortoises.
- But local efforts can’t solve everything; experts urge more action at national and international levels to step up law enforcement, combat systemic corruption, and crack down on the transnational criminal networks orchestrating the trade.