Using plants instead of vulture parts for belief-based practices is helping to tackle poaching of the birds in some regions of Nigeria, say conservationists.

Vulture populations have collapsed in Nigeria. The country was once home to seven vulture species; recent surveys recorded only two, the critically endangered hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) and the palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis). Habitat loss, poisoning and poaching for belief-based uses, such as the use of vulture parts in traditional medicines or to bring luck or success, are the primary drivers of their rapid decline.

In recent years conservation groups, including the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), have engaged with traditional medicine practitioners to reduce demand for vulture parts.

Stella Egbe, species conservation manager at NCF, told Mongabay that many practitioners are switching to plant alternatives, likely because of awareness-raising, increased law enforcement and higher prices of vulture parts in some regions.

Chief Samson Ola Soyoye, vice president of the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners, told Mongabay the use of vulture parts has a long history in medicinal practices in Nigeria. “That’s when the vultures were many but now [they are] rapidly going into extinction,” he said. “My view is to look for alternative plants instead of vultures.”

More than 20 plants are now used in place of vulture parts in some places, Egbe said, adding that the conservation status of the plant alternatives also needs to be assessed.

To date, the African mahogany tree (Khaya ivorensis), also known as oganwo, is the only species used as an alternative by practitioners that is assessed by the IUCN Red List. It’s listed as vulnerable owing to large declines in numbers. Another species, the violet tree (Securidaca longipedunculata), known locally as ipeta, is also thought to be declining owing to overharvesting. Egbe said NCF plans to cultivate medicinal plant species that are at risk of being overharvested in protected areas.

Soyoye said his organization has had success engaging with registered practitioners in southwest Nigeria to encourage the uptake of plant alternatives, but awareness needs raising to reach more. Enforcement at a national level to tackle vulture killings and the sale of their parts in markets is also required, he said.

Regional differences in the uptake of plant alternatives follows patterns of traditional beliefs, said Michael Manja Williams, a PhD Candidate at the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University. In south and east Nigeria, cultural norms generally prohibit the killing of vultures, aligning with conservation messages, so practitioners are often more willing to stop using their parts, he told Mongabay. In the north and west, beliefs link the presence or sight of vultures to bad luck or ill omens and demand for vulture parts appears to be growing there.

Overall, Egbe said she is “cautiously optimistic” about the progress made, but added “We’re still far away from celebrating the successful recovery of vulture populations.”.

Banner image: A hooded vulture. Image by Mibby23 via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).

Once a lush field of green, the seagrass meadows surrounding Thailand’s Koh Libong are now largely barren stretches of sand, devastating the island’s iconic dugong population, reports Mongabay’s Carolyn Cowan.

Koh Libong’s seagrass meadows were once Thailand’s largest, and a critical coastal habitat that is protected nationally. Yet, between 2020 and 2024, seagrass cover in these protected waters shrank by up to 50%. Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) attributes this decline to a range of factors, from marine heat waves to river-mouth dredging.

The dugong (Dugong dugon) feeds on fish, crabs and mollusks in seagrass meadows. Until recently, Koh Libong’s waters had one of Southeast Asia’s largest dugong populations. As the meadows have died off, dugong numbers have dramatically declined. Autopsies of emaciated dugongs that washed ashore suggest many deaths were due to starvation.

The ecological decline in Koh Libong has also jeopardized the livelihoods of the island’s 3,000 residents, who depend on healthy nearshore ecosystems for fishing and dugong tourism.

Local fisher Torfar Jongarap once harvested food by walking the shoreline. Now, to chase unpredictable catches farther out at sea, his fuel costs have tripled. “The food chain is degraded,” Torfar told Mongabay. “Before, everyone could go looking for food near to the shore. But now we all need boats.”

Tipusa Sangsawang, coordinator of the Dugong Guardians, a volunteer network spanning the island’s eight villages, leads community efforts to monitor the local dugong population and manage its marine habitats. The group also collaborates with researchers from Prince of Songkhla University to trial seagrass transplantation techniques.

Tipusa’s commitment is deeply personal: She was part of the team that cared for Marium, an orphaned infant dugong, whose death in 2019 from a blood infection linked to plastic ingestion sparked national outcry. “The day she died, I promised her I’d look after her family,” Sangsawang said.

In early 2025, experts estimated as few as 10 dugongs remained near the island, but recent surveys provide a glimmer of hope. DMCR aerial surveys in early 2026 estimated the local population has risen to 33 individuals, including several mother-calf pairs.

Despite these gains, the community remains vigilant. Tipusa recently observed a speedboat endangering a group of grazing dugongs, underscoring the need for greater public awareness and for marine officials to enforce protection zones to mitigate the risk of fatal collisions as the marine mammals return to the area.

Tipusa said she believes the island’s youth are the next generation of environmental stewards. “The energy I received through Marium, I now feel it in the children,” she said. “That keeps me going.”

Read the full story by Carolyn Cowan here.

Banner image: Dugongs are often stranded on sandbars around Koh Libong after being caught by the retreating tide while feeding on seagrass, prompting rapid rescue efforts from the community network. Image courtesy of Tipusa Sangsawang.

A deadly strain of avian influenza, H5N1, that has killed millions of wild and domestic birds and mammals across the globe, has for the first time reached Australia’s shores.

Australian authorities confirmed that two migratory seabirds, a brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus) and a northern giant petrel (Macronectes halli), have both tested positive for H5N1, a strain of what’s officially known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The sick birds were discovered along the southern coast of Western Australia. They have since died.

Both the brown skua and giant petrel breed in the subantarctic regions and migrate to northern, warmer waters, including those around Australia, during the harsh polar winter.

Bird flu is caused by a highly contagious virus that has now infected animals on every continent. Sporadic human cases have also been recorded.

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said in a press briefing that there is no evidence of mass mortality in Australian wildlife and that bird flu hasn’t as yet affected Australia’s poultry or livestock.

As of March 2026, the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus strain has infected more than 560 wild bird species and more than 100 species of mammals, according to the U.N.

“We can’t overstate how significant this moment is for Australian wildlife,” BirdLife Australia CEO Kate Millar said in a statement. “This virus has devastated wildlife populations overseas. This could be the beginning of a long fight to protect birds and wildlife in Australia.”

Avian influenza viruses are common in their natural hosts — ducks, geese, gulls, terns and swans. Most strains are mild, much like the common cold.  But when bird flu “jumps” to domestic poultry, particularly flocks raised in industrial-scale conditions, it can mutate and spread back into wild birds as a lethal virus. H5N1 appeared in its present form in Europe in 2020 and quickly spread along migratory flyways. It can be contracted by contact with virus-containing feces or eating infected animals.

The federal government has pledged A$11.2 million ($7.8 million) to ramp up preparedness for Australia’s most at-risk native species. But BirdLife’s Millar said this isn’t enough to protect at-risk species “now that H5 bird flu is here”.

Jane Younger, senior lecturer at the University of Tasmania, wrote in The Conversation that the spread of H5N1 to Australia’s endemic birds, such as Tasmania’s shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta) and the orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster), could be disastrous. Transmission to ducks would also be concerning, as the birds can spread the virus through fresh water, Younger wrote.

Animals that scavenge, such as the iconic Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), could also be at risk, according to Jack Gough, advocacy director at the Invasive Species Council.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) called for more funding for Australia’s veterinarians, who are at the frontlines of surveillance, diagnosis and confirmation of bird flu. “Readiness is not free,” said AVA president Dr. Diana Barker.

Banner image: A brown skua. Image by Antoine Lamielle via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries.

In Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, researchers and trackers are working to habituate a group of about 60 bonobos. The aim is to help the great apes accept a limited human presence, first for research, and later for carefully managed tourism.

The process is slow. Trackers may leave camp around 3 a.m. to reach the previous night’s nesting site before the bonobos (Pan paniscus) wake. They then follow the group through the forest until the endangered apes build new nests in the evening.

“The whole idea of habituation is that you meet the group every day in a very friendly, non-interactive way so they accept you as part of the forest,” Felix Bofeko, an assistant researcher in the program, told Mongabay’s David Akana.

Habituation requires the same people, same restraint, and same routine, repeated long enough for the animals to stop treating human presence as a threat. When the work began, the bonobos fled at the sight of people. Now, Bofeko says, researchers can sometimes remain with them for two or three hours. Two visitors may be tolerated. Three or four may still be too many.

The work has value even before tourism begins. Habituated animals can be observed more closely. Researchers can collect fecal and urine samples for genetic, pathogen, and diet analysis. Salonga is part of the Bonobo Diversity Project gathering standardized data across the DRC. Camera traps and acoustic monitoring are also being introduced, with the hope that real-time systems could eventually detect gunshots and help guide patrols.

Health risks must be managed carefully. Great apes are vulnerable to human-borne diseases, including respiratory infections. Salonga’s staff follow screening and hygiene protocols, wear masks near bonobos, and keep a minimum distance from the animals. The closer conservation gets to wildlife, the more it depends on discipline.

The project also shows how much field conservation depends on local relationships. Salonga’s managers have hired locals, including former hunters whose knowledge of the forest makes them strong trackers. More than 10 local people now have jobs linked to the project. Park staff have also installed internet hubs and complaints channels in nearby communities, giving residents a more regular way to communicate with management.

That work matters because many people around Salonga have long associated the park with restrictions, enforcement, and arrests for poaching. Bonobo tourism remains a future prospect. The more immediate change is that some residents are being paid for knowledge that once supported hunting and is now being used for protection.

For funders and conservation planners, Salonga offers a useful lesson. The visible result may one day be a visitor watching bonobos in the forest. The work behind it is less visible: patient tracking, health protocols, local hiring, basic infrastructure, and enough continuity for both people and animals to adjust.

Read the full story by David Akana here.

Banner image: A bonobo in Salonga National Park. Image courtesy of Alice Péretié/Chengeta Wildlife.

On Malaysia’s Penang Island, conservationist Yap Jo Leen is turning old fire hoses into lifesaving bridges that help endangered monkeys cross busy roads in residential areas. The idea took root after she witnessed a female dusky langur and her infant get struck by a vehicle in 2016, Yap told Mongabay’s Phil Jacobson and AFP’s Isabelle Leong in a joint interview.

Dusky langurs (Trachypithecus obscurus) are small primates with dark gray to blackish fur, distinct large white patches around their eyes, and white fur around their mouth. The species is considered endangered on the IUCN Red List, according to the latest assessment, done in 2015.

Yap said that in 2016, as a postgraduate student, she started following a family of dusky langurs that included an individual she called Ah Lai. Over the next year, she recorded several instances of the langurs trying to cross a busy road. People living in the residential areas also reported that dusky langurs and macaques frequently made road crossings. Since 2019, Yap’s organization, the Langur Project Penang (LPP), has installed three artificial canopy bridges to help the langurs cross roads safely. The bridges are all made from repurposed fire hoses donated by local fire departments.

The initiative has seen remarkable success, said Yap. The first bridge they installed, known as “Ah Lai’s Crossing,” has been credited with zero langur roadkill deaths on that stretch of road. Beyond langurs, the bridge is also used by nine other wildlife species, including macaques, squirrels, and slow lorises.

Yap said LPP operates on three core pillars: scientific conservation, environmental education, and citizen science. She said understanding the dusky langurs is a key part of her work and a bridge to understanding ourselves. “I always believe that the primates, humans and monkeys, we all share a similarity, which is connection,” she said.

To gather data on the primates, LPP relies on a long-term team of volunteers known as “Duskies,” aged 17 to 65. These trained citizen scientists track langur movements, help identify the plants they see the primates eating, and engage with local residents to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Yap said residents also help by remotely sharing data on monkey sightings in towns, cities, and recreational forests. For Yap, conservation should be accessible to everyone. “Primate observation is more than just scientists’ work — it can be everyone’s hobby, like bird-watching,” she said.

Ultimately, Yap said, the project’s success isn’t measured solely by the number of bridges built, but by fostering a culture of community stewardship. By reframing “conservation as conversation,” LPP aims to inspire Malaysians to coexist respectfully with the urban wildlife in their own backyards.

Read the full interview by Phil Jacobson and Isabelle Leong here.

Banner image: Two dusky langurs that the Langur Project Penang has named Kim, left, and Sunny engage in grooming at a playground near a residential area in the Tanjung Bungah area of George Town on Malaysia’s Penang Island. Image by Mohd Rasfan/AFP.

The European Union’s parliament voted decisively to end its logging oversight partnership with Liberia on June 17, marking the end of a long-running attempt to reform the country’s timber sector through foreign aid. The vote, which passed with 92% in favor, is expected to lead to a formal decision by the EU to terminate the agreement.

The EU’s “Voluntary Partnership Agreement” (VPA) with Liberia was part of its signature effort to tackle illegal logging and deforestation in timber-exporting countries. It was designed to help overhaul Liberia’s logging industry, long associated with corruption and environmental mismanagement, and facilitate legal trade with the EU.

Under the terms of the agreement, the EU provided funding for Liberia to set up tracking and transparency systems for timber shipments. Liberia committed to verifying that all logs shipped out of its ports were felled legally and to carve out space for local environmental groups to monitor its compliance with the agreement.

Similar agreements were signed with eight other countries, including four in Africa.

But more than a decade after the December 2013 agreement was implemented many of the EU’s expectations were unmet, including the development of a licensing system for Liberian logs to access EU markets, a centerpiece of the agreement. 

After repeatedly missing deadlines, the licensing system was never implemented. Last year, the EU Commission recommended the VPA be canceled.

Environmental groups opposed the commission’s recommendation, saying that despite the agreement’s weaknesses it had been invaluable in promoting local oversight of the notoriously opaque timber sector.

“Across our countries, the VPA process has strengthened legal frameworks, improved timber traceability, and created governance structures that took years to build,” a group of civil society groups, including 10 from Liberia, wrote in a statement.

Last year, former Liberian President and Nobel Laureate Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf also called for the EU to refrain from canceling the agreement in an op-ed she penned for The Guardian.

Jean-Marc Germain, a member of the EU Parliament from France, told Mongabay via email that the cancellation vote was driven by the body’s centrist and right-wing blocs.

“The [Socialists & Democrats] Group opposed cancelling the agreement, but a majority composed by centrist, right-wing and far-right parties chose to press ahead,” he said.

Last year, the EU terminated a similar agreement with Cameroon.

The Brussels-based NGO FERN told Mongabay that the EU’s decision to cancel the two VPAs is part of a broader policy shift away from governance reform efforts toward one that  emphasizes trade and compliance with new deforestation rules. It will likely be replaced by a “Forest Partnership” agreement with fewer obligations and no formal oversight role for local watchdog groups.

“To date, there has been no structured way for civil society, Indigenous Peoples, or forest communities to participate in or input into Forest Partnerships,” said Alexandra Benjamin, forest governance policy advisor at FERN.

Banner image: A truck loaded with timber, bound for Port Buchanan Liberia (2013). Image by Flore de Preneuf/PROFOR via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)