Conservationists argue that reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 requires tracking ecosystem health rather than just counting species. While a new framework offers a targeted path forward, experts note real progress is limited. Story by @john-cannon.bsky.social for #Mongabay.

Research offers nature-positive path to end and reverse biodiversity loss

From its nests high in the canopy of the Amazon, the harpy eagle depends on — and is critical to — the health of the forest around it. The species controls the numbers of animals such as sloths and…

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War in Iran has crippled scientific research, compounding decades of isolation driven by sanctions. While funding is drying up, grassroots teams like the AvayeBoom Bird Conservation Society continue working to protect critical habitats like the Arjan wetland. @john-cannon.bsky.social reports.

War reveals the isolation of Iran’s scientists

The smiles on the faces of Iman Ebrahimi and his colleagues in the photograph are revealing: After more than a month of war in Iran, a tenuous ceasefire in mid-April offered a brief window for the…

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New from @mongabay.com: Iran's scientists and conservationists — like the team behind AvayeBoom Bird Conservation Society — have kept working through the war, but the conflict has only exposed long-running isolation from global funding, training and collaboration.

War reveals the isolation of Iran’s scientists

The smiles on the faces of Iman Ebrahimi and his colleagues in the photograph are revealing: After more than a month of war in Iran, a tenuous ceasefire in mid-April offered a brief window for the…

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Beavers: 1. Flooding: 0. Our West London Beavers are still helping reduce flood risk and restoring nature, all while growing their family - with more kits born this year. Any name suggestions for the new arrivals? 👀

How Ealing's beavers are tackling flooding

New beavers in west London have prevented flooding to Greenford station three years in a row.

bbc.co.uk

🌱 New global restoration standards (3rd edition) shift the goal from "avoid harm" to "create uplift" for biodiversity. Key addition: a refined Five-star System measuring both ecological AND social success — plus a stronger business case for investment. My latest for @Mongabay.com

Updated standards make the case for restoration: ‘We have to create uplift’

The Society for Ecological Restoration, a U.S.-based conservation organization, published an updated set of standards and principles for restoring ecosystems on June 23, the third edition of the…

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"Healthy people need healthy Country." The Karajarri people of Australia just dedicated the country's first Sea Country Indigenous Protected Area — 237,000 hectares of marine ecosystems in the Kimberley region, 30 years in the making. 🌊 Full story from @mongabay.com:

Karajarri celebrate Australia’s first ‘Sea Country’ Indigenous Protected Area

In northwestern Australia lies a remote and wildly diverse region called the Kimberley. There, the iron-red soils of the Pindan Country connect forests and the Great Sandy Desert, all bracketed by a…

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Two marsupials thought to be extinct for millennia have been rediscovered in Indonesian Papua. Researchers documented the pygmy long-fingered possum and the "Tous" glider. The find was made possible through deep collaboration with Indigenous elders. @john-cannon.bsky.social reports for #Mongabay.

‘Rediscovered’ species in Papua spotlight importance of Indigenous knowledge

It started with a set of photographs, taken of an animal captured in 2015 on the Bird’s Head Peninsula in Indonesian Papua, the western half of the island of New Guinea. The smallish animal with…

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Two marsupial species thought extinct for 6,000 years live on in the forests of Indonesian Papua. The research revealing their existence involved Indigenous knowledge and Western science. Read more at @Mongabay.com.

‘Rediscovered’ species in Papua spotlight importance of Indigenous knowledge

It started with a set of photographs, taken of an animal captured in 2015 on the Bird’s Head Peninsula in Indonesian Papua, the western half of the island of New Guinea. The smallish animal with…

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Scientists have discovered that Congo Basin lakes release carbon far older than previously thought. This "ancient" release challenges our understanding of peatland carbon dynamics and highlights the urgent need for more research into these ecosystems. @john-cannon.bsky.social reports for #Mongabay.

‘Ancient’ carbon venting from lakes in the Congo Basin peatlands: Study

Across the central Congo Basin lies a bastion of carbon that scientists are just beginning to understand. First mapped only about a decade ago, the Cuvette Centrale peatlands are the size of England…

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Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa is reportedly halting wild dolphin sourcing and suspending its captive breeding program. With 20+ Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins involved, experts are now assessing the potential for rehabilitation and transfer to natural sea pens. By Robin Hicks for #Mongabay.

Singapore resort said to halt controversial dolphin sourcing, breeding

SINGAPORE — The Resorts World Sentosa casino and entertainment complex in Singapore has halted sourcing dolphins from the wild for its aquarium, Mongabay has learned. The resort’s Oceanarium has also…

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Mountain gorilla twins occur in less than 1% of births, yet Virunga just welcomed its second pair of 2026. This "extraordinary" growth reflects the tireless work of rangers in the DRC to protect this endangered species from poaching and conflict. More in this report by David Akana for #Mongabay.

‘Extraordinary’: Second set of rare mountain gorilla twins born in DRC’s Virunga

Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo recorded the birth of a second set of mountain gorilla twins this year. According to park authorities, the twins were born into the Baraka…

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How humans treat the natural world is increasingly dominated by a small class of elite political entities and corporations, argues political ecologist Bram Buscher on this week’s @mongabay.com Newscast. Speaking truth to this power is essential for the environmental movement to succeed, he says.

Meaningful conservation demands truth, not just facts, says political ecologist

The people and policies that control how humans treat the natural world are increasingly dominated by a small class of elite political entities and corporations, argues our guest, political ecologist ...

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Kick off your morning with a very nice write up in Mongabay about our recent Lac Mai paper. @johansix.bsky.social @jordonhemingway.bsky.social @saegroupethz.bsky.social

John Cannon@john-cannon.bsky.social · 4mo ago

A recent study reveals that lakes in the Congo Basin are releasing ancient carbon from peatlands. Read more in my latest for @mongabay.com

A recent study reveals that lakes in the Congo Basin are releasing ancient carbon from peatlands. Read more in my latest for @mongabay.com

‘Ancient’ carbon venting from lakes in the Congo Basin peatlands: Study

Across the central Congo Basin lies a bastion of carbon that scientists are just beginning to understand. First mapped only about a decade ago, the Cuvette Centrale peatlands are the size of England…

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In South Africa’s Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, rewilding meets climate action. By restoring and managing native wildlife, the reserve boosts soil carbon storage. #Rewilding #ClimateAction #CarbonCredits #WildlifeConservation More at @mongabayorg: buff.ly/wc00bUt

PNG’s New Ireland coastal waters causing fish deaths, human sickness, with little response from government authorities so far. My latest for @mongabay.com:

PNG’s New Ireland coastal waters causing fish deaths, human sickness

For several months, the waters around New Ireland province in Papua New Guinea have been causing illness, skin irritation and the death of sea life, according to communities living along the east…

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"- ...If they change existing ecosystems or use too much land...the importance of more careful site selection for these projects. - The authors of the study also note the importance of reducing humanity’s CO2 emissions, rather than relying solely on removing CO2 from the atmosphere later on."

John Cannon@john-cannon.bsky.social · 5mo ago

My latest for @mongabay.com: Planting trees helps fight climate change & restore biodiversity. But a new study finds that land-intensive carbon removal projects like reforestation or bioenergy crops often overlap with global biodiversity hotspots.

Five environmental activists from Mother Nature Cambodia remain imprisoned after the Cambodian Supreme Court denied their release. Thun Ratha, Ly Chandaravuth, Yim Leanghy, Long Kunthea & Phuon Keoraksmey have been held for more than 600 days. Learn more in this report by @john-cannon.bsky.social.

Cambodia’s Supreme Court denies release of five imprisoned environmental activists

Five environmental activists in Cambodia will remain in prison, where they have been for more than 622 days, after the country’s Supreme Court decided not to allow them to go free as they appeal…

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My latest for @mongabay.com: Planting trees helps fight climate change & restore biodiversity. But a new study finds that land-intensive carbon removal projects like reforestation or bioenergy crops often overlap with global biodiversity hotspots.

Climate or biodiversity? Global study maps out forestation’s dilemma

Planting trees is a vital strategy to combat both climate change and the biodiversity crisis. As forests grow, they sponge carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide renewed habitat for…

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My latest for @mongabay.com: The 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework Fund is helping channel resources to nations & Indigenous communities, but funding is still far short of what’s needed. #Biodiversity #Conservation

Big biodiversity goals run up against small funding realities

Mexico’s sundry landscapes have few parallels. Straddling the northern boundary of the Tropic of Cancer, the country boasts low-lying deserts and humid rainforests, scrubby chaparral and tangled…

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Wild chimps are boldest in infancy, not adolescence like humans, according to a recent study. Young chimps take the biggest physical risks in trees, then mellow with age, hinting that human caregiving may delay risk-taking. Read more from @mongabay.com.

Risk-taking comes earlier in chimpanzees than in humans, study finds

Chimpanzees appear to be the biggest daredevils when they’re infants. Humans tend to take more chances and put themselves in the most danger in adolescence, so the expectation has been that…

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The Earth Rover Project is focused on assessing soil health and providing the data -- and perhaps one day the actionable advice -- that could help farmers around the world. More from @mongabay.com: news.mongabay.com/2026/01/eart...

Earth Rover Program seeks to track the world’s soil health

With a synchronized tap from run-of-the-mill hammers on metal plates resting on the ground, researchers kneeling in nine fields across four continents believe they’ve hit upon more than just the earth...

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Drainage ditches in peatland oil palm plantations are an overlooked climate threat. New research shows these water-filled channels emit outsized amounts of methane, meaning emissions from drained peatlands may be far higher than previously estimated. Read more from @mongabay.com:

Ditches on peatland oil palm plantations are an overlooked source of methane: Study

The water-filled ditches that laced through the oil palm plantation in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, nagged at Kuno Kasak when he saw them in 2022. He knew that these canals,…

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Clean energy access in Africa could be central to “the bargain of the century.” Economist Fadhel Kaboub says it’s not just about tech, but jobs, industry and fairness. Read more from @mongabay.com:

‘The bargain of the century’: An economist’s vision for expanding clean energy access in Africa

Many observers see industrialization as the key to boosting clean electricity access for people living in Africa and across the Global South. They argue that building up economies with industry will…

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The past year has seen climate backsliding, rising fossil fuel support and stalled protections. But @mongabay.com's annual book list highlights changemakers confronting hard truths and turning hope into action for people, wildlife and the planet. Read more:

10 notable books on conservation and the environment published in 2025

The year 2025 might be seen as one of backsliding when it comes to tackling the environmental crises that face our planet. Political leadership in places like the U.S. and elsewhere chose to throw…

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Satellite maps will be a critical tool for compliance with the EU's deforestation regulation (EUDR), set to go into effect at the end of 2026. But analyses show gaps in what's available, making the use of other tools necessary. More from @mongabay.com

Researchers find concerning gaps in global maps used for EUDR compliance

A recent scientific review of forest maps used to ensure compliance with the European Union’s Regulation on Deforestation-free products, known as the EUDR, suggests that most may over- or…

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Amid discussions of the energy transition in Africa at #COP30, WRI's Rebekah Shirley discusses what it will take to expand energy access across the continent. More @Mongabay.com

‘The perfect ingredients’: WRI Africa deputy director shares vision for the continent’s energy transition

The quest to bring energy to Africans who need it often centers on the relatable electrical needs that arise in the home: lighting, phone charging, and a connection to what’s going on in the broader…

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The energy access gap for millions of Africans has sparked calls for a “just” energy transition that expands renewable energy without unfairly burdening people, communities or countries. Read more in my latest piece for @mongabay.com as #COP30 begins in Brazil.

What does the just energy transition mean for Africa?

When two Mongabay reporters visited the village of Lukwangulo in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they encountered a reality that’s common in many parts of rural Africa: Families spend valuable time…

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Interesting perspective from @nytimes.com centering on recent events in Sierra Valley near my home: The Reality of Living With Wolves, Bears and Mountain Lions www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/o...

Opinion | The Reality of Living With Wolves, Bears and Mountain Lions

nytimes.com

Much of the habitat of whitebark pine, an iconic, high-elevation tree species in western North America, won't be suitable by 2050, says a new study. The new maps the authors produced will help guide ongoing restoration efforts. More from @mongabay.com: buff.ly/YmC5KDw