Trekking the boreal forest for biodiversity (insider)
Near the Arctic Circle in late summer 2011, I waited at a petrol station on the outskirts of a large tract of Sweden’s boreal forest. My Volvo had completely cooled…
Articles by Erik Hoffner
As an editor for Mongabay, I work to keep readers informed about the latest developments in conservation news and science. I'm also a freelancer for publications like The Guardian and Washington Post, and my work has also appeared in National Geographic News Watch, OnEarth, Yale Environment 360, The Sun, Grist, World Ark, and Earth Island Journal (see a list of recent articles at http://www.erikhoffner.com/writing).
In Bosnia-Herzegovina, grassroots opposition stalls another hydropower project
KRUŠČICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina – On the banks of a river in central Bosnia, a group of women have been standing guard. The village of Kruščica is named after its river, which descends…
Latam Eco Review: Pumas hate disco and Ecuador’s newly described glass frog
Ecuador’s most recently described glass frogs, a model plan for coastal management in Colombia, and using lights to scare away pumas in Chile were among the top recent stories from our…
Mongabay’s top 5 forests stories of 2019 (so far) for International Forests Day
Forests have been at the core of Mongabay's coverage since our founding 20 years ago. So for the International Day of Forests 2019, below are the top 5 most read…
‘The ultimate agricultural practice’: Q&A with organizers of World Agroforestry Congress 2019
Agroforestry is an agricultural technique that combines trees with shrubs, crops and livestock in a system that produces food, supports biodiversity, builds soil horizons and water tables, and sequesters carbon from…
In East Africa, spread of sickle bush drives conflict with wildlife
ARUSHA, Tanzania — At the Randilen Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in northern Tanzania, the searing heat and parched terrain make it an attractive hour for a cold swim. A herd of…
Taiwan: Extinct leopard subspecies allegedly seen by rangers
This week news broke that a Formosan clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyura) was spotted by rangers in a remote part of Taiwan. Officially declared extinct in 2013 after a years-long project…
Meet eight female conservation scientists who inform and inspire
The study and advancement of science is one key to achieving the world's agreed-to development goals, the UN says. Despite this, half the world's population, women and girls, are still…
Latam Eco Review: Pirate fishers in the Caribbean and many new reserves created
The recent top stories from Mongabay Latam, our Spanish-language service, include a 'pirate' fishing vessel being welcomed in Panama, news of forestry officials indicted for illegal logging in Peru’s Amazon,…
Agroforestry empowers Morocco’s mountain women
OUEZZANE, Morocco — Suisi Rheia was checking the olives on her tree in front of the community huilerie, or olive oil mill. It was already mid-November 2018, but some fruits…
Should Trump be listening to indigenous people on fire management?
It was only a tweet, but the U.S. President again this week used an inaccurate statement about forest management to make a broader political point: Forest managers and ecologists have…
Agroforestry helps Tajikistan farmers overcome resource pressures
ISFARA, Tajikistan — Ayubhudja Yahyehudjaev stands between rows of fruit trees in the hills above town, glad and proud that this agroforestry test garden of nearly 0.6 hectares (1.5 acres)…
PNG farmers use agroforestry to fight crop diseases and reduce labor
LAE, Papua New Guinea — Across the more than 600 islands that make up Papua New Guinea, the majority of the country’s culturally diverse population relies on agriculture for both…
Ethiopia: Khat farming threatens food security, biodiversity, women, and agroforestry
WONDO GENET, Ethiopia – Agroforestry has been the major agricultural farming system in southern Ethiopia’s Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) regional state for millennia, passed on from generation to…
‘We see its value’: Ugandan communities benefiting from agroforestry
BUTANDA, Uganda — On a forested hill in the highlands of Butanda, in western Uganda, James Rwebishengye and Florence Atwine have created a diverse forest canopy of more than 200…
Latam Eco Review: Whale attacks, palm oil woes, and hope for vaquitas
Peruvian palm oil, orca attacks on humpback whales, and mining in an Amazon national park are among the recent top stories from Mongabay Latam, our Spanish-language service. Orcas attack young…
Agroforestry ‘home gardens’ build community resilience in southern Ethiopia
BULE, Ethiopia — A small village 370 kilometers (230 miles) south of the capital, Addis Ababa, Bule is believed to be the birthplace of traditional “home garden” agroforestry in Ethiopia.…
Chile fishers brace for fallout after massive mining port is approved
LA HIGUERA, Chile — On Jan. 30, 2015, the Chilean environmental agency granted permission for the construction and operation of the Cruz Grande port in La Higuera, a community in…
Agroforestry supports food security and conservation in Papua New Guinea
GILDIPASI, Papua New Guinea — After a short walk from his community on Papua New Guinea’s northern coast, Yat Paol clears away dried leaves from a shady patch of ground…
Agroforestry saves soil and boosts livelihoods in Tajikistan
FAIZOBOD, Tajikistan — Mirzoli Azizov, a 54-year-old farmer, is sorting apples from the second harvest this year from his agroforestry gardens in this district 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Iran sentences eight conservationists convicted of spying
- Watchdog denounces arrests of four anti-mining activists in Indonesia
- Activists fighting for their lands swept up in Philippines crackdown
Indonesias forest guardians
- Reforesting a village in Indonesia, one batch of gourmet beans at a time
- Restoring Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, one small farm at a time
- Indigenous Iban community defends rainforests, but awaits lands rights recognition
Amazon infrastructure
- Brazil works behind scene to greenlight Manaus-Boa Vista transmission line
- Yanomami Amazon reserve invaded by 20,000 miners; Bolsonaro fails to act
- Amazon infrastructure puts 68% of indigenous lands / protected areas at risk: report
Asian rhinos
- Indonesia to capture 3 wild Sumatran rhinos to add to breeding population
- Newly spotted calves boost Javan rhino population to 72
- Malaysia’s last Sumatran rhino dies, leaving Indonesia as the final refuge
