In the southwesternmost corner of Arizona, the Colorado River weaves in between Mexico and the lands of the Native American Cocopah Tribe. Many spots along the river’s shore are lined with dense thickets of invasive reeds called phragmites that surpass 3 meters (9.8 feet) in height. With rigid, green stems and feathery heads standing high, […]
Tag: mongabay
Study: Singapore biodiversity loss is bad — but not as bad as previous estimate
With its iconic skylines and waterfront vistas, Singapore is today a bustling city-state with one of the highest population densities in the world. Two centuries ago, before the British chose to build the port city in 1819, Singapore was covered by rainforests, mangrove forests and swamp forests. In the two centuries that followed, these forests […]
Togo monkey seizure turns spotlight on illicit wildlife trafficking from DR Congo
LUBUMBASHI, Democratic Republic of the Congo — On Dec. 2, Togolese authorities intercepted 38 monkeys at the airport. They were being sent from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to Thailand and included at least two species classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. Thirty of these animals had not been […]
Camera-traps help identify conservation needs of Thailand’s coastal otters
Otters, with their gleeful yikkering, playful presence and sinuous underwater grace, are emblematic of the joy and resilience of nature in many parts of the world. But they aren’t among the first animals that come to mind when we think of Thailand. Yet several species of the sleek aquatic mammal frolic in Thailand’s watery thoroughfares […]
Community forestry is a conservation solution in Nepal: Q&A with Teri Allendorf
Nepal’s community forestry program has been hailed as a success for helping increase the country’s forest cover from 26% to 45% in 25 years. As part of the program, pioneered in the 1970s, communities manage their forests for their own use and benefits based on an operational plan approved by the divisional forest officer, a […]
‘Really a sad day’ as Norway votes to allow deep-sea mining in Arctic waters
Norway’s parliament has officially voted to allow deep-sea mining to go forward in the Norwegian Sea, despite warnings from scientists and conservationists that it could damage the marine environment. This result was already anticipated in December 2023 after Norway’s minority government negotiated a deal with opposition parties to open up the ocean off Norway’s coast […]
New tool aims to make nature-based solutions projects in SE Asia a better sell
JAKARTA — A coalition of civil organizations has launched a tool to support local NGOs and community groups in Southeast Asia to secure financing for nature-based solutions projects. The tool was launched at the just-concluded COP28 U.N. climate summit in Dubai by the Southeast Asia Climate and Nature-based Solutions (SCeNe) Coalition. The members of the […]
Where do illegal lion parts come from? A new tool offers answers
Over the past 50 years, lion numbers have decreased by three-quarters. Only 20,000 to 40,000 of these majestic big cats survive in the wild today. A third of lion deaths are a result of poaching, and even where lions are killed in retaliation over livestock predation, in many cases their body parts are harvested for […]