An interview with Dr. Zeke Davidson on efforts to save Grevy's zebra. Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) is the largest of the zebra species and also the most threatened. Listed as…
Toribia Lero, an indigenous leader from the faction of the indigenous organization CONAMAQ (National Council of Ayllus and Markas of Qullasuyu) that is not recognized by the government sits for…
A thunderhead builds over a lush agricultural mosaic in a coffee growing region of Ethiopia. Photo credit: Evan Buechley. The next time you order that "wake up" cup of Joe…
An aerial view of part of the spill on Wednesday, May 20, 2015. Photo credit: Refugio Response Information website. On Tuesday, an underground oil pipeline burst near Goleta, California, spilling…
Rainforest in Peninsular Malaysia. Photos by Rhett Butler. A crackdown on illegal logging in Peninsular Malaysia's largest continuous forest complex has uncovered three timber "mass graves" – burial sites where…
A Malaysian-flagged vessel was blown up in the waters of Belawan for illegal fishing in Indonesian waters. Photo: Ayat S Karokaro. The Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry redefined fireworks…
Two palm oil plantations have recently been established in Peru, supplanting primary forest. Satellite imagery analysis shows extent of the massive development, which is led by a group of companies…
by 20 May 2015
VICE correspondent Ben Anderson with conservationist Mike Griffiths walking in a hazy Indonesian village. Credit: Jackson Fager/HBO For the sixth episode of its third season, HBO’s Emmy-winning news series, VICE,…
Officers from Indonesia's Natural Resources Conservation Agency carry a dead tiger in West Sumatra. Two of the critically endangered creatures have turned up dead in the province this year. Photo:…
Peatland cleared for palm oil outside Palangkaraya in Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province. Photo: Rhett Butler The charity that Indonesia's Golden Agri-Resources has enlisted to devise and implement its zero-deforestation and…
Roger Federer has responded to two Indonesian activists
A stump is all that remains of an illegally felled tree in the rainforest of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Recent findings indicate amendments made to the Lacey Act in 2008 may…
Forest conversion for agriculture in Colombia. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Over 62 million hectares (240,000 square miles) of forest across Latin America — an area roughly the size of…
For produce raised on some of Senegal’s most fertile cropland, the shortest route to the richest urban markets runs through another country. This geographic reality, with its multiple logistical hurdles,…
Angélica Choc (left), German Chub (front) and other Maya Q'eqchi' seek justice for human rights violations linked to a Canadian mining company. Photo Credit: Rachel Schmidt German Chub faces the…
Yu Feng, a vessel with Taiwanese flags suspected of fishing illegally, sails near Sierra Leone in 2009 before being detained by the U.S. Coast Guard and Sierra Leonean government agencies.…
Forest clearing for oil palm in Sumatra. Photo: Rhett Butler The Mandarin Oriental hotel chain has landed in environmentalists' crosshairs for the practices of its sister company Astra Agro Lestari,…
OTHER REPORTING BY DAVID HILL Brazilian firm's mega-dam plans in Peru spark major social conflict Peru is proposing a huge hydroelectric dam in the Amazon that, if built, will be…
Cleared Cerrado in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler China has been investing heavily in Latin America’s natural resources and crude oil. Recently, the country even pledged to…
In this commentary, David Dellatore, Program Manager at the Sumatran Orangutan Society, questions the value of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council's essay-writing contest which will pay contributors to conclude that…
PLEASE NOTE: Please see this page for the latest numbers Current deforestation rate: alerts are up over this time last year Nearly two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest is located in…
. An outfit usually associated with investigating arms dealers and weapons traffickers is applying its advanced network mapping capabilities to criminal wildlife trafficking syndicates. This week Washington D.C.-based C4ADS unveiled…
Chukchi, where the proposed exporatory drilling is to take place, is home to about 2,000 polar bears. The species is currently declining as global warming melts the sea ice on…
A teak tree in flower. Photo by: Challiyan. Teak (Tectona grandis) is one of the most valued tropical hardwoods for its beauty, durability, and versatility. Teak trees naturally occur in…
A bird in North Sumatra's Mount Leuser National Park. Photo: Rhett Butler Market prices can provide an equally reliable indicator of wildlife declines as field data for a thirtieth of…
With more than 3,000 hectares cleared so far and more to come, Greenpeace and other organizations call for detailed land-use strategy in Cameroon In its push to become a middle-income…
Wildlife trophy room. Photo by: Fabio Venni/Creative Commons 2.0. Trophy hunters may need to find another flight home, as South African Airlines (SAA) has announced a new ban on any…
The Mount Tambora caldera. The area was declared a national park last month. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Indonesian researchers believe they have identified six new animal species in the newly declared…
'Copy-paste' not good enough for civil society groups calling for the policy to be strengthened A Greenpeace activist dons a mask of Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in a smoldering…
A logging road transects Peruvian rainforest (this is not an image of one of the newly detected roads). Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Roads spread out like multi-fingered tendrils, eating…