The U.S. aims to build an AI and semiconductor hub in the Philippines to reduce reliance on China, but the initiative faces resistance. Local groups warn the project threatens Indigenous Aeta ancestral domain, along with regional water and energy resources. Michael Beltran reports for #Mongabay.

Planned US tech hub in Philippines hit over environmental and Indigenous land concerns

MANILA — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived at the Grand Hyatt Manila on Sept. 10 to address hundreds of foreign business representatives assembled for the Luzon Economic Corridor…

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In Malaysia’s Upper Baram Forest Area, Indigenous communities warn active logging threatens a region envisioned as a peace park. A report questions the legality of timber concessions in primary forest, though officials claim logging was always part of the plan. @daniellek-o.bsky.social reports.

Logging still threatens Bornean forest once envisioned as an Indigenous-led peace park

A conservation park that Indigenous communities from the Malaysian state of Sarawak believed they could co-manage and self-govern has been transformed into a timber concession and stripped of…

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Philanthropy often demands rigid reports, but the Indigenous-led Home Planet Fund takes a different approach: trust-based, unrestricted funding directly to communities. Dilafruz Khonikboyeva joins @mikedigirolamo.bsky.social at the Mongabay Newscast to explain how this model empowers conservation.

The Home Planet Fund succeeds by giving directly to local communities

This week on the Newscast, we’re joined by Dilafruz Khonikboyeva, the founder of the Home Planet Fund, an independent, Indigenous-led nonprofit that provides funding for local and Indigenous…

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Zambia is investigating a suspected anthrax outbreak after 46 hippos died in Muchinga province. With 21 suspected human cases linked to carcass handling, health officials have intensified surveillance and warned communities against consuming meat from dead wildlife. Victoria Schneider reports.

Anthrax suspected in 46 hippo deaths in Zambia amid potential spillover to humans

Zambia investigates suspected anthrax linked to 46 hippo deaths authorities are monitoring potential spillover to livestock and humans.

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In Bangladesh, Rohingya refugees face rising landslide risks on fragile hill slopes. Authorities warn camp expansion will accelerate forest and biodiversity loss, but funding shortages prevent the infrastructure needed to protect both communities and ecosystems. Story by Sadiqur Rahman.

Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps become increasingly vulnerable to landslides

According to a report by the Bangladeshi government, released on Sept. 16, more than 150,000 Rohingya people fleeing persecution in Myanmar have entered the country’s 33 Rohingya camps in Teknaf and U...

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Pakistan's endangered Indus River dolphin population has grown to nearly 2,000 individuals, prompting the creation of a new 400-km protected corridor. Safeguarding the species long-term will require modified barrage operations and community-led sustainable fishing. Fellow Muhammad Talal reports.

Pakistan expands protected habitat for Indus River dolphin as recovery offers hope

Between 11 million and 16 million years ago, during the high sea levels of the middle Miocene period, the ancestors of the Indus River dolphin entered the muddy waters of what is the Indus Basin today...

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Women form the backbone of Nepal's agriculture, yet cultural barriers keep many from owning their land despite legal equality. Experts note that expanding land access for women boosts farm productivity, reduces poverty, and slows environmental degradation. Haven Sager reports for #Mongabay.

In Nepal, women seek ownership rights to the lands they tend

POKHARA, Nepal — Before Binita Bishwokaarma understood Nepal’s property laws, she understood the work required to sustain a farm. Growing up in the village of Sindhupalchok, east of the capital,…

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In a historic first, Caltrans has returned 55 hectares (136 acres) of coastal land to three Coastal Yuki tribes in Northern California. Requested in 2005 after looters disturbed ancestral sites, the land will be used for education and cultural gatherings while remaining public. By Liz Kimbrough.

California Tribes receive beach and ancestral village site back from transportation authority

On the Northern California coast, where the tall trees meet the sea, ancestors of the Coast Yuki people lie buried in an old village site above the bluffs in the U.S. state. Yet despite its cultural…

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The @darwinfoundation.bsky.social has launched a free Galapagos Atlas profiling 68 species to guide future conservation. Beyond mapping iconic wildlife, the guide highlights key knowledge gaps and aims to raise public awareness to prevent new invasive species introductions. Learn more! 👇️

New Galápagos Atlas charts the islands’ biodiversity and the mysteries that remain

A new atlas of biodiversity of the Galápagos Islands highlights the unique evolutionary and ecological diversity of life in the famed archipelago that helped Charles Darwin develop the theory of…

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Researchers have launched "Lost Lakes," an interactive map tracking nearly 4 million Arctic lakes in near real time. As climate warming thaws permafrost, lakes form or abruptly drain away. Monitoring these shifts offers vital clues on ground stability and carbon emissions. Learn more!

4 million lakes in ‘Lost Lakes’ map offer clues to Arctic permafrost

The Arctic is dotted with millions of lakes that sit on persistently frozen soil called permafrost. These lakes are crucial for the region’s wildlife and local communities. However, as temperatures…

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Deforestation in the Amazon fell to a 10-year low under President Lula, but Brazil's tight election puts those gains at risk. Experts warn a victory by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro could revive policies favoring agribusiness and mining, threatening Indigenous lands and climate targets. Learn more!

Tight Brazil election challenges fragile gains for Amazon conservation

As South America turns right, Brazil’s vote could leave the Amazon without conservation leaders.

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Unseen for 13 years, the rare Ghana cuckooshrike has re-emerged in Côte d’Ivoire’s Taï National Park. Enabled by local collaboration and the Search for Lost Birds project, the discovery underscores the need to safeguard West Africa's remaining intact forest sanctuaries. John Cannon reports.

‘Lost’ bird reappears in West Africa’s forests after more than a decade

When Paulo Ditzel first laid eyes on the bird, he knew he’d seen something special: a vibrant orange body with yellow and black wings and tail feathers, topped by a dark head set off by…

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Following #USAID’s closure, a report by One Earth Partners reveals that critical environmental projects in fragile ecosystems have stalled or collapsed. Based on 150 interviews, the analysis includes a list of 100 key initiatives searching for new funding. @shokes.bsky.social reports.

New report reveals the environmental cost of USAID’s destruction

Nearly two years after U.S. President Trump’s decision to dismantle international development agency USAID removed nearly $1 billion from global conservation and environment funding, the agency’s…

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Two decades after a helicopter crash claimed 24 of Nepal’s top conservationists, the loss of visionary leadership is still felt. While tiger numbers tripled on community models built by that "lost generation," rising human-wildlife conflict demands a new approach. Abhaya Raj Joshi reports.

Two decades on, Nepal’s conservationists search for new ‘dream’ generation

KATHMANDU — In September 2006, Nepal’s then Minister of Forests and Soil Conservation Gopal Rai and a contingent of conservation leaders flew to a remote village in eastern Nepal to hand over a…

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What it looks like is an aposematically colored insect (wasp?) emerging from a burrow in the soil!

Mongabay@mongabay.com · 2d ago

Botanists in Thailand have discovered Thismia daemona, a new "fairy lantern" species with a devil-like appearance. The non-photosynthetic plant lives hidden beneath leaf litter and feeds on fungi. Found at a single site, fewer than 50 individuals exist, making it critically endangered.

Wildfires in West Kalimantan are threatening critical Bornean orangutan habitat, including Gunung Palung National Park. With thousands of hotspots detected, field crews are working around the clock to fight blazes that are rapidly shrinking the forest orangutans rely on. Hans Nicholas Jong reports.

As fires spread in Indonesia, Bornean orangutans run out of forest to flee

JAKARTA — As fires continue to engulf large swaths of forest in Indonesian Borneo, orangutans have increasingly fewer places to flee, with fires either surrounding them or eliminating the forest on…

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Botanists in Thailand have discovered Thismia daemona, a new "fairy lantern" species with a devil-like appearance. The non-photosynthetic plant lives hidden beneath leaf litter and feeds on fungi. Found at a single site, fewer than 50 individuals exist, making it critically endangered.

A ‘devil-like’ flower from Thailand is new to science — and critically endangered

Botanists in Thailand have identified a new-to-science species of “fairy lantern” — plants that live almost entirely buried under leaf litter, emerging aboveground only occasionally to flower.…

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So cool

Mongabay@mongabay.com · 3d ago

Sperm whales rest vertically below the ocean surface, but how do they stay in place? A new study demonstrates that the whales release air bubbles to counteract upward buoyancy, allowing them to remain submerged while resting, a finding that could help assess risks from ship strikes.

Long thought to live almost exclusively in Vietnam and Laos, the endangered northern pygmy slow loris has a much larger wild population in China than previously known. Despite the promising finding in Guangxi, the species faces ongoing threats from habitat loss and hunting. By Matthew Burkhart.

A rare slow loris may have a much larger population in China than scientists thought

Plump, fuzzy and venomous, with wide eyes, a button nose and sharp teeth, northern pygmy slow lorises were thought to reside almost exclusively in Vietnam and Laos. However, new research has…

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In its first major wildlife crime operation, Australia’s new National EPA disrupted a Sydney trafficking ring allegedly supplying native reptiles to foreign nationals for export. Authorities seized 36 animals alongside over $215,000 in cash and gold bullion. Johan Augustin reports for #Mongabay.

Reptiles, gold and money: How Australia is cracking down on wildlife trafficking

In Australia in May 2026, Yang Zeng, a 28-year-old Chinese national who was unlawfully in the country, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Zeng was convicted on nine charges related to…

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Mexico’s proposed 2027 budget faces scrutiny as funds earmarked for energy transition include billions for state oil company Pemex and railways, despite cuts to climate adaptation. Watchdogs urge lawmakers to redirect funds toward forest, water, and ecosystem protection. Maxwell Radwin reports.

Critics question oil and gas spending in Mexico’s proposed climate budget

MEXICO CITY — President Claudia Sheinbaum this month presented a draft fiscal budget for 2027, outlining the national government’s plans for everything from tax rates and health care to…

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Rising demand for copper, driven by EV production, AI data centers, and renewable energy, is pushing mining deep into untapped wildlands. As mega-projects expand in the Andes, experts warn the green energy transition faces a severe environmental dilemma. Gerry McGovern and Sue Branford report.

Copper boom fueling energy transition puts Earth’s wildlands at risk

In the high Andes of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, you can still find the vicuña, a shy, elusive camelid, revered by Indigenous people. It has reasons to be cautious of humans. Long-prized for…

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Sperm whales rest vertically below the ocean surface, but how do they stay in place? A new study demonstrates that the whales release air bubbles to counteract upward buoyancy, allowing them to remain submerged while resting, a finding that could help assess risks from ship strikes.

Sperm whales blow bubbles to stay afloat while resting, research shows

Sperm whales are the only whales known to rest vertically, floating steadily just below the ocean’s surface. Scientists have hypothesized that the whales release air bubbles to help them stay…

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Expanding high-demand aquaculture could claim up to 46% of wild-caught fish for feed by 2040, according to a new report. The findings have heightened debate at a key U.N. fisheries meeting between policymakers & small-scale fishers over global marine management. @francescomda.bsky.social reports.

46% of wild-caught fish could be fed to farmed fish and shrimp by 2040, says report

ROME — Nearly half of the wild-caught fish harvested globally could be used to produce feed for farmed aquaculture products by 2040 if the industry were to grow exponentially in line with a roadmap…

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46% of wild caught fish could be food for farmed fish by 2040 🐟🐟🐟according to report by Changing Markets Foundation news.mongabay.com/2026/09/45-o... See the article in @mongabay.com

46% of wild-caught fish could be fed to farmed fish and shrimp by 2040, says report

ROME — Nearly half of the wild-caught fish harvested globally could be used to produce feed for farmed aquaculture products by 2040 if the industry were to grow exponentially in line with a roadmap de...

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Photojournalist Federico Borella has spent four years documenting Sri Lanka’s human-elephant conflict. His work explores the complex balance between human suffering, deep cultural affection for elephants, and the potential for coexistence. An interview by Dilrukshi Handunnetti. mongabay.cc/IHXuUO

A new study in Bali finds coral reefs continue to decline despite restoration efforts that ignore root causes like runoff & wastewater. Uncoordinated governance stalls progress, but tourism could help fund and implement long-term solutions if properly managed. Carolyn Cowan reports for #Mongabay.

Tourism has the potential to reverse coral decline at Bali travel hotspot: Study

Sanur is where tourism took off in Bali. A coastal town overlooking the Lombok Strait where the Pacific Ocean flows into the Indian Ocean, artists and travelers began frequenting its shores in the…

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[Commentary] A recent river disaster on the Tibetan Plateau serves as a severe warning against proposed hydropower projects on the Karnali, Nepal's last undammed river. Gary Wockner and Megh Ale argue that keeping the Karnali free-flowing is vital for safety, biodiversity, and cultural heritage.

For wild rivers like the Karnali, Nepal’s disaster is a warning and an answer (commentary)

Recently, a glacial collapse on the Tibetan Plateau sent a wall of water and debris roaring across the Nepal-China border. As of this publication, more than 1,000 people are confirmed dead and over…

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Five infant orangutans found in an Indian forest, far from their native homes in Indonesia and Malaysia, have prompted international repatriation efforts. As governments investigate how the endangered primates were moved, work is underway to safely return them to the wild. By Junaidi Hanafiah.

Five orangutans found in India face long road back home to Indonesia

ACEH, Indonesia — The five infant orangutans found roaming a woodland in India’s Odisha state earlier this month may have been trafficked across several international borders — and now face a long…

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