Two things you can do for World Ranger Day
“When you next read a story to a young child that involves a wild animal, like I do with my son, think about who is protecting those animals and ecosystems;…
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).
Business owners in top Belize destination want increased mangrove protections
SAN PEDRO, Belize - Walking the shore of San Pedro provides a solid picture of the tension between natural resources and the economy in this, the top tourist town in…
Lawyer opposing U.S. resort developer in Baja Mexico jailed 62 days
PUNTA LOBOS, Mexico - Every morning at dawn, the fishermen of Punta Lobos take their boats out to the high seas to find shrimp boats and give bread, cookies, and…
On poaching in South Africa, education “has saved more wildlife than any guard with a gun”
HOEDSPRUIT, South Africa – Vince Barkas, a grizzled high-school dropout with a sharp tongue and piercing blue eyes, is at war in the grasslands and savannas here in northeast South…
Singapore statement on International Day of the Tropics: infrastructure deficit must be met sustainably (commentary)
By the middle of the century most of the world’s projected population of 9.5 billion people will be living in the Tropics, including almost two-thirds of its children. The region…
Conservation comics to the rescue
Comics have a way of rendering the seemingly mundane aspects of important events and pursuits, like conservation, as something verging on heroic. Or perhaps it just makes them more relatable…
Ten good news stories for Endangered Species Day
Each year on Endangered Species Day we’re reminded of how dire the prospects for many species in this world really are. So we wanted to share 10 good news stories…
Should we be optimistic about the future of the earth? (commentary)
My wife and I attended the presidential inauguration in January. Of course, I thought I knew who was going to be elected. But, my wife reminds me often that my…
Mexican ecologist José Sarukhán wins 2017 Tyler Prize
The 2017 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement will be awarded to Mexican ecologist José Sarukhán on May 4 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., for his scientific contributions to the…
Giraffes are endangered, groups argue, file petition with U.S.
Five conservation organizations filed a petition today with the United States Government to list the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) as an endangered species. In December 2016, the International Union for the…
Fantastic Beasts star Alison Sudol talks conservation and inspiration
Musician and actress Alison Sudol has been connected to nature since she was a very young child growing up in Seattle. Playing under the name A Fine Frenzy in recent years,…
Iconic musician Paul Simon announces tour supporting biodiversity
DURHAM, North Carolina - Listening to Paul Simon talk is a little like listening to him sing. His voice is melodic and soothing; his words are thoughtful and evocative, capable…
E.O. Wilson on Half-Earth, Donald Trump, and hope
At 87, E.O. Wilson has lost none of his intellectual rigor. His sentences are long, rolling, full of enough parentheticals to make Proust smile, and delivered in a wonderfully soothing,…
Can fig trees regrow lost rainforests?
“By themselves the figs could build a forest,” ecologist EJH Corner wrote almost a century ago. Now a fascinating book, Gods, Wasps, and Stranglers: the secret history and redemptive future…
Jane Goodall on zoos and tech as conservation tools
Famed conservationist Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), UN Messenger of Peace, and Mongabay.com advisory board member visited Hawai’i last month for the World Conservation Congress, the International Union…
“Carbon farming” good for the climate, farmers, and biodiversity
Conversations that involve lowering the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by agricultural means rarely include the sort of techniques championed by award-winning author, Yale University lecturer, and Project Drawdown…
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
- Malaysia’s last Sumatran rhino dies, leaving Indonesia as the final refuge
- Indonesia plans IVF for recently captured Sumatran rhino
- Malaysian attempt at Sumatran rhino IVF fails on low quality of sperm
