In less than one year, Japan killed more than 14,000 bears. That amounts to one of, it not THE, largest cull of a large carnivore this century. And most were moon bears, a species deemed vulnerable to extinction. My latest feature for @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Japan killed 14,000 bears after a rise in deadly attacks on people – but will it work?

Bears killed 13 people in Japan last year, as a lack of forest foods increased conflicts. Yet some say the country’s controversial cull could threaten the endangered species

theguardian.com

In one district in northwestern Nepal, scientists found that bees were directly responsible for 20% of people's vitamin A, vitamin E and folate intake. My latest for @theguardian.com:

Pollinators in peril: scientists reveal the hidden human health costs of the world’s disappearing bees

Crops and flowers rely on them for survival, but wild bees are declining – and crucial nutrients will go missing from our diets as a result

theguardian.com

bioGraphic is one of the best nature-focused outlets in the world. Deeply nuanced features, unbelievable photos, in-depth news reporting—all without a paywall. More than ever, nature needs great storytellers. If you know funders who appreciate the essential role of science journalism, reach out!

bioGraphic@biographic.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Last week the bioGraphic team learned that, owing to an ongoing financial deficit, the California Academy of Sciences—where we’ve made our home for the past decade—will no longer be able to provide us with financial support, including support we were expecting this year.

It is so hard to watch the journalism crisis hit your favorite publications. We need way more nature/biodiversity reporting, not less!

Jude Isabella@judeisabella.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Last week the @biographic.bsky.social team learned that, owing to an ongoing deficit, the California Academy of Sciences will no longer provide us with financial support. We're reaching out to foundations that support environmental journalism. We've got plans, we just need some help!

Why do mayflies do that strange, vertical climb and then float back to Earth? Scientists think they have an answer — and yes, it has to do with sex. @theguardian.com @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social

Older than the dinosaurs: scientists finally unlock secret of the mayfly’s dance

The bizarre vertical flight pattern has long puzzled experts but new research reveals why it may play a crucial role in the insect’s survival

theguardian.com

Chimpanzees can remember old friends for decades. When presented with stronger evidence, chimps also rationally revise their previously held beliefs. Bonobos can play make believe. My latest feature for @theguardian.com explores the amazing minds of great apes. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Bonobos enjoy pretend tea parties and chimps think rationally: why apes are more like us than we ever thought

A series of stunning findings about great apes’ mental capabilities in recent years has transformed how we see our closest relatives

theguardian.com

Eight Bears is in great company with @zoeschlanger.bsky.social and @jonathanslaght.com in @parademag.bsky.social wrap-up of popular environmental books for Earth Day. parade.com/news/popular...

12 Popular Books About Nature to Read This Earth Day, According to Goodreads Members

Get closer to Mother Nature with these Goodreads Earth Day picks.

parade.com

At least 100 shadow fleet vessels traveled Russia's Northern Sea Route in 2025, more than half of which were oil & LNG tankers. Often old ships with no ice class, watchdogs say a spill here could be almost impossible to clean up. My latest for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Fuel eating microbes, chemicals and fire: the race to discover new ways to contain Arctic oil spills

As the rising number of vessels in the icy waters increases the risk of environmental disaster, scientists are scrambling to find potential solutions

theguardian.com

Over the years, the Arctic Council has become adept at working quietly in the background. That may yet be its saving grace, writes @gloriadickie.bsky.social.

Can the Arctic Council Survive?

With the rift over Greenland, the intergovernmental body finds itself in troubled waters again.

foreignpolicy.com

What an invigorating weekend at the Power of Storytelling festival in Bucharest. My fellow speakers were absolutely phenomenal and I so appreciate everyone who shared their Romanian bear stories with me. 🫶🐻

I’ve arrived in Bucharest for the sold-out Power of Storytelling festival where I’ll be speaking about climate journalism, all things bears and, ultimately, how we find hope on a struggling planet. www.thepowerofstorytelling.org/speakers/

In the 'Polar Bear Capital of the World', hungry bears are scrounging on the garbage from 25,000+ tourists. My latest feature for @thewalrus.ca explores the challenges the tiny town of Churchill is facing after a fire burned down its waste mgmt facility in 2024. thewalrus.ca/churchills-f...

Churchill’s Famous Polar Bears Left to Eat Trash | The Walrus

The animals gave the town a global reputation. Now it’s struggling to keep them away from its garbage

thewalrus.ca

More migratory species populations are in decline and 26 species now have a higher extinction risk then they did two years ago. Latest for @mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2026/03/outl...

Outlook for migratory species worsens amid habitat loss & avian flu, report finds

From shorebirds flying between their Arctic breeding grounds and southerly foraging ranges to freshwater fish returning to native spawning streams, migratory animals are struggling. About half of all ...

news.mongabay.com

📣 Submissions are now OPEN for the 2026 CCNow Journalism Awards! 🔔

“We’re on this speeding train to a cliffside, and we’re proposing slowing down by minute fractions. We need to stop it—like now.” How Gen Z is thinking about geoengineering, in my latest for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/0503202...

A New Generation of Climate Scientists Warm Up to Solar Geoengineering - Inside Climate News

Fed up with a lack of action on climate change, some students are researching dimming the sun despite the pushback from other scientists.

insideclimatenews.org

I started reading Kathryn Lavelle's Reluctant Conquest: American Wealth, Power and Science in the Arctic last fall. Little did I know just how relevant the topic would become. My latest for @foreignpolicy.com: foreignpolicy.com/2026/01/30/r...

How the U.S. Forgot it Was an Arctic Nation

The story of how Washington neglected the Arctic—until Trump 2.0.

foreignpolicy.com

The Indonesian govt has revoked the permits of 28 companies & launched a $284 million lawsuit against 6 companies it says were responsible for enviro damages prior to the Nov. landslides that killed up to 11% of the world's Tapanuli orangutan population. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Indonesia takes action against mining firms after floods devastate population of world’s rarest ape

Conservationists hail the ‘desperately needed’ measures and urge greater protection after up to 11% of endangered Tapanuli orangutans wiped out

theguardian.com

A rule established by the U.S. Forest Service to justify the clearing of tens of thousands of acres of forest in the name of reducing wildfire risk was unlawfully created & applied, a fed court has found, invalidating its future use. @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/2101202...

Decades-Old Rule that Allowed Logging on Vast Swaths of US Land Ruled Unlawful by Oregon Court - Inside Climate News

The Forest Service didn’t make a ‘reasoned decision’ in using a categorical exclusion to exempt timber harvests from environmental reviews to ease wildfire mitigation and habitat improvement, the judg...

insideclimatenews.org

Thailand's Andaman Sea dugong population may have fallen by as much as half in response to a mass seagrass die-off. Dozens of dead + stranded dugongs have been washing ashore, and the sea cows have moved from Trang province to Phuket. Latest for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Looking for Miracle: why have so many dugongs gone missing from Thailand’s shores?

The Andaman coast was one of very few places in the world with a viable population but then dead dugongs began washing up. Now half have gone

theguardian.com

The impacts of California's worsening megafires are likely to yield mixed results for the bird species that thrive in these fire-ridden forests. While some species thrive after fire, others are being sickened by wildfire smoke. news.mongabay.com/2025/12/how-...

How are California's birds faring amid ever more frequent wildfires?

In the forests of the Sierra Nevada, the black-backed woodpecker is without parallel. The bird appears almost born of fire, thriving on the flames that flicker through California’s coniferous forests ...

news.mongabay.com

Last month I traveled to the southern ranges of Thailand's Western Forest Complex to document the expansion of Indochinese tigers into the area for @mongabay.com. After nearly disappearing in the country, today Thailand boasts more than 200 of the big cats. news.mongabay.com/2025/12/hope...

Hope for tigers grows as Thailand safeguards a key link in their habitat

KANCHANABURI, Thailand — Following the path of the tiger isn’t easy. Yet the three rangers, clad in camouflage, move lithely through the steep bamboo thicket, tracking the muddy hoofprints of a sambar...

news.mongabay.com

Devastating news out of North Sumatra where scientists estimate up to 11% of the world's Tapanuli orangutan population perished in recent catastrophic flooding and landslides. Climate-fueled extreme rain + deforestation to blame. My latest for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Indonesia floods were ‘extinction level’ disturbance for world’s rarest ape

Conservationists fear up to 11% of Tapanuli orangutan population perished in disaster that also killed 1,000 people

theguardian.com

Satellite images reveal the Martabe gold mine in northern Sumatra has begun expanding toward key habitat used by the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan. Campaigners say the mine's expansion could push the ape to extinction. My latest for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/environment/...

It’s the world’s rarest ape. Now a billion-dollar dig for gold threatens its future

Tapanuli orangutans survive only in Indonesia’s Sumatran rainforest where a mine expansion will cut through their home. Yet the mining company says the alternative will be worse

theguardian.com

Capybaras are having a moment in Asia. The giant rodents are everywhere — from bag charms to viral TikTok songs to coffee shops. But how did this South American species end up more than 10,000 miles from home? My latest for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Cuddling capybaras and ogling otters: the problem with animal cafes in Asia

A boom in places offering petting sessions is linked to a rise in the illegal movement of exotic and endangered species, say experts

theguardian.com

Scientists have theorized since the 1970s that volcanic activity may be tied to retreating glaciers. @gloriadickie.bsky.social accompanies researchers putting that theory to the test in Iceland, where rapid ice loss seems to have set volcanoes stirring. www.reuters.com/investigates...

I wrote about the rise of durian diplomacy for @foreignpolicy.com this week. China is inking a raft of new trade deals with Southeast Asian neighbours, and Malaysia hopes the pungent fruit will help build bridges in Asia and beyond. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/17/d...

The Rise of Durian Diplomacy

In Asia, soft power rests on a divisive, spiky fruit.

foreignpolicy.com

In January, scientists are headed to Antarctica to study whether or not we could put a giant curtain to stop the Doomsday glacier from breaking down. #climate #Geoengineering Great piece by @gloriadickie.bsky.social for @mongabay.com. news.mongabay.com/2025/09/scie...

Scientists weigh giant sea curtain to shield ‘Doomsday Glacier’ from melting

Thwaites Glacier rises above the Amundsen Sea in the Antarctic, a towering white cliff abutting cerulean waters. Roughly the size of Great Britain and spanning 120 kilometers (80 miles) across, Thwait...

news.mongabay.com

This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.

Washington Post Columnist Says She Was Fired for Posts After Charlie Kirk Shooting

nytimes.com

Honoured to have won in the Natural World category for my @reuters.com feature on the troubling link between climate change and volcanic eruptions. Thanks to the judges for their kind words, and congrats to all the other winners! 🌋

Covering Climate Now@coveringclimatenow.org · 12mo ago

🥁 Drumroll please... An investigation into the fossil fuel industry’s role in anti-protest laws; A profile of a Palestinian woman collecting climate-resilient heirloom seeds; And a sprawling television series tackling the profound fight between saving the planet and growing our economies...

‘You’re going about your day and suddenly see a little Godzilla’: Bangkok reckons with a giant lizard boom

‘You’re going about your day and suddenly see a little Godzilla’: Bangkok reckons with a giant lizard boom

Viral videos have shifted public opinion about water monitors, long held in contempt in Thai culture, even as rising numbers of the reptiles pose problems for residents

theguardian.com