Betting on agroforestry in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest
GUAPIRUVU, Brazil – To reach Guapiruvu one has to drive 20 kilometers (12 miles) on a gravel road. The first houses are big, solid, holiday homes for the wealthy people…
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 Washington Post, and my work has also appeared in The Guardian, 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).
Agroforestry: An increasingly popular solution for a hot, hungry world
At first glance Cameroon's western regions seem lush, but a closer look shows a land degraded by overgrazing, unsustainable cropping practices, deforestation of vegetation for firewood, and uncontrolled bush fires.…
Author Steven Kotler on tackling the biodiversity crisis with technology
Steven Kotler is a leading thinker on how technology can be employed to halt the global loss of biodiversity. Recently the prolific author and journalist convened a weekend forum for…
From tarsiers to cloud rats, scientist strives to save Philippine species
In 2012, Dr. Milada Rehakova’s research brought her back to Dinagat Island, Philippines. It was her second expedition to the island in pursuit of insights on the tarsier, but she…
On World Elephant Day, troubling times for African elephants
Every year on August 12, the world celebrates elephants, but recent years have not been great for these iconic animals. According to research published last year, the African elephant population…
Madagascar’s radiated tortoises have personalities, too
A 350-kilometer drive away from the frenzy of the nearest city, the thatched desert village of Lavavolo, Madagascar seems to lie in infinite stillness. But homeostasis is never a given.…
Welcome to Mongabay’s New Website
As you may have noticed, we've redesigned Mongabay.com. The site has gone through many changes since its founding in 1999, and this one is perhaps the biggest one yet. For…
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;…
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,…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Deaths, arrests and protests as Philippines re-emerges from lockdown
- In Brazil, COVID-19 outbreak paves way for invasion of indigenous lands
- On anniversary of nun’s murder Amazon land rights activists at high risk
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
- Communities on Brazil’s ‘River of Unity’ tested by dams, climate change
- Coronavirus puts Brazil’s quilombos at risk; will assistance come?
- Amazon road projects could lead to Belize-size loss of forest, study shows
Asian rhinos
- Poaching in Indonesia’s biodiverse Leuser Ecosystem on the rise amid COVID-19
- A new sanctuary for the Sumatran rhino is delayed amid COVID-19 measures
- U.S. fund that supports Sumatran rhino research faces deep cuts under Trump
