Rainforest in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Photo by Rhett A. Butler 2012 was another year of mixed news for the world's tropical forests. This is a look at some of the…
Rebecca Tarbotton, the executive director of the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) died Wednesday. She was 39. Tarbotton died in rough surf off a beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where she…
Thousands of species were described for the first time by scientists in 2012. Some of these were 'cryptic species' that were identified after genetic analysis distinguished them from closely related…
Peat drainage canal and stacks of MTH harvested from forest clearance by APRIL wood supplier PT. RAPP in Kampar peninsula. Some CITES-protected ramin trees were “saved” and left standing. Photo…
by 26 December 2012
If you think your grandparents are old wait until you hear about this. Scientist have just found tree species in the amazon that are older than eight million years! That’s…
by 26 December 2012
In a new Lion King-fashioned twist the people of Madagascar may begin replacing lemur meat with insects. This could be a cost effective and nutritious step into a more environmental…
A Road Trip with the Isenharts. Isenharts with Chinese Host Family. All photos courtesy of the Isenhart Family. Passing values from one generation to the next is a central theme…
There are a surprising number of Christmas-colored animals. Below is a small set of red-and-green creatures photographed by Rhett A. Butler during his reporting travels. Happy holidays from all of…
Red-eyed tree frog. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Happy holidays and best wishes for 2013 from all of us at Mongabay.com
Spatial extent and severity of the 2005 Amazonian drought based on forest canopy water stress (measured by seasonal [JAS] standardized anomaly of QSCAT backscatter data). Courtesy of Saatchi et al…
Conversion of Amazon forest for cattle pasture in Brazil. Deforestation in the Amazon leads to a substantial loss in microbial biodiversity potentially reducing the ecological resilience of affected areas, report…
In the course of reporting for Mongabay.com, I spent time in several countries in 2012, including Indonesia, Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, and Malaysia, among others. Some of my key stories can…
Norway will pay Guyana $45 million for maintaining its low deforestation rate under a climate partnership between the two countries. The payment is based on Guyana's deforestation rate of 0.054…
Aptostichus barackobamai. Photo by Jason Bond. One of 33 newly described species of trapdoor spiders is named after President Barack Obama, reports Wired. Like other trapdoor spiders, Aptostichus barackobamai dig…
Top: a map of Antarctica showing the extent of surface melting in January 2005 observed from space. Bottom: Time series of mean January temperature at Byrd Station from 1957 to…
Deforestation for an industrial rubber plantation in Laos. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Ivory smuggling surged in 2011, reaching its highest levels in nearly 20 years, says a new report…
Deforestation for an industrial rubber plantation in Laos. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Questions surrounding the disappearance of 60-year-old Sombath Somphone deepened after the government of Laos denied kidnapping and…
Colorful tiger beetle in Java. Photo by Rhett A. Butler For the month of December, I'll be posting some of my favorite pictures from 2012. All of these photos were…
Chinese Yellow-headed Box Turtle. Photo by Julie Larsen Maher of WCS Turtle conservationists received some good news this week when five critically endangered Chinese yellow-headed box turtles hatched at Wildlife…
In a recent forum held at the Harvard School of Public Health four expert panelists discussed the most important lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy. Daniel Schrag, climate scientist and Director…
Treefrog in the Borneo rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler For the month of December, I'll be posting some of my favorite pictures from 2012. All of these photos were…
Mendocino coastline. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Today President Obama announced the government would add almost 3,000 square miles of California coastline to the National Marine Sanctuary system, reports the…
Borneo rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler For the month of December, I'll be posting some of my favorite pictures from 2012. All of these photos were taken during the…
Forest cleared in October 2011 on Muara Tae customary land, in a concession issued to PT Munte Wani Jaya Perkasa (credit: EIA/Tom Johnson) The body that sets social and environmental…
Deforestation by forest type/classification in DRC, 2000-2005 and 2005-2010. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has its first Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) project validated and verified…
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Brazil has launched a new platform that enables farmers and ranchers who have cleared forest beyond the legal minimum to come into compliance by purchasing…
Researchers in Australia have described three new lizard species from the northwestern part of the continent. The new species — the Elegant Rainbow Skink (Carlia decora), the Orange-flanked Rainbow Skink…
Tampolo Marine Park. Photo by Rhett A. Butler For the month of December, I'll be posting some of my favorite pictures from 2012. All of these photos were taken during…
Conversion of lowland rainforest in Borneo for palm oil production. Photo by Rhett A. Butler For the month of December, I'll be posting some of my favorite pictures from 2012.…
Draco lizard at night in Sabah, Malaysia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler For the month of December, I'll be posting some of my favorite pictures from 2012. All of these…