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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
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		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/author/manon/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
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	<title>Stories produced by manon for Conservation news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/author/manon/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>Can a swamp stop an army?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/can-a-swamp-stop-an-army/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/can-a-swamp-stop-an-army/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Oct 2026 07:44:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sandy Watt]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Lucia Torres]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/24074353/Mongabay_Thumbnail_PollandWar_Vertical_Featured-338x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333798</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Eastern Europe, Europe, and Poland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conflict, Environment, Military, and War]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Poland’s ancient Białowieża Forest, scientists say wetlands and dense forests could act as natural military defences. At the same time it could be the lifeline the forest needs.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Poland’s ancient Białowieża Forest, scientists say wetlands and dense forests could act as natural military defences. At the same time it could be the lifeline the forest needs.This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/can-a-swamp-stop-an-army/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/can-a-swamp-stop-an-army/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333798</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Restoring a 12,000-year-old forest to help defend Poland’s border</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/10/restoring-a-12000-year-old-forest-to-help-defend-polands-border/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/10/restoring-a-12000-year-old-forest-to-help-defend-polands-border/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Oct 2026 07:30:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Marta KasztelanSandy Watt]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Lucia Torres]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22110303/Mongabay_Thumbnail_PolandWar_Featured-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=videos&#038;p=333529</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Eastern Europe, Europe, and Poland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Conflict, Environment, Military, and War]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[POLAND — Białowieża Forest. Białowieża Forest, one of Europe’s last remaining primeval forests, straddles the border between Poland and Belarus. Its wetlands and ancient trees support a dazzling array of life, but decades of drainage, drought and fragmentation have left the ecosystem under pressure. Now, it faces a new challenge. As the threat from Russia [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[POLAND — Białowieża Forest. Białowieża Forest, one of Europe’s last remaining primeval forests, straddles the border between Poland and Belarus. Its wetlands and ancient trees support a dazzling array of life, but decades of drainage, drought and fragmentation have left the ecosystem under pressure. Now, it faces a new challenge. As the threat from Russia and its ally Belarus grows, Poland is strengthening its eastern border through a project called the East Shield. New military fortifications and infrastructure are planned in the region to bolster existing border security. Scientists warn that further development in and around the forest could be devastating for the ecosystem. They have, however, suggested an alternative: restore the forest, its wetlands and rivers to their natural state. The resulting landscape, dense with trees and boggy with water, not only provides important habitat but can also be practically impenetrable to heavy vehicles and ground forces. Some have dubbed this strategy “warwilding”, using restored natural landscapes as part of military strategy. The idea has found traction within the Polish military, which recognises the strategic value of natural barriers and supports efforts to restore parts of the forest. But recognizing nature’s defensive value is easier than restoring it. Hundreds of kilometers of drainage ditches still carry water away from the forest, while roads provide easy routes through terrain that could otherwise form a natural barrier. Conservationists say large-scale restoration will require coordination, funding and political will, but believe it could also be the forest’s best chance of long-term survival.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/10/restoring-a-12000-year-old-forest-to-help-defend-polands-border/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/10/restoring-a-12000-year-old-forest-to-help-defend-polands-border/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333529</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>World Kangaroo Day: How climate change impacts Australia’s macropods</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/world-kangaroo-day-how-climate-change-impacts-australias-macropods/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/world-kangaroo-day-how-climate-change-impacts-australias-macropods/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Oct 2026 01:00:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Cooper Williams]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Yenni Kwok]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22124702/14582525532_c6239de35c_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333569</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Australia and Oceania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Climate, Climate Change, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Ecosystems, El Nino, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Extreme Weather, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Habitat, Habitat Loss, Impact Of Climate Change, Mammals, Marsupials, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[CANBERRA — World Kangaroo Day, on Oct. 24, celebrates one of Australia’s national symbols and the macropod’s special place in the country’s environment and First Nations cultures. In 2026, as “super El Niño” wreaks havoc across the globe, it is an opportune time to reflect on how climate change has affected the country’s iconic animals. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[CANBERRA — World Kangaroo Day, on Oct. 24, celebrates one of Australia’s national symbols and the macropod’s special place in the country’s environment and First Nations cultures. In 2026, as “super El Niño” wreaks havoc across the globe, it is an opportune time to reflect on how climate change has affected the country’s iconic animals. There are dozens of species — 59 to be exact — belonging to the macropodoidea (meaning large-footed) superfamily living in Australia. The four main species are the red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus), which is the largest in size; the western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus); the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus); the antilopine kangaroo (Osphranter antilopinus). These kangaroo species are abundant in Australia, with a total population estimated to range between 30 million and 50 million, depending on drought and rainfall cycles. Their numbers have been considered so high that state-level governments have introduced controversial cull programs to reduce populations. Lesser-known varieties include the smallest macropod species in the world: the musky rat-kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus), typically weighing around just 500 grams (1.1 pounds); the critically endangered Gilbert’s poteroo (Potorous gilbertii); and Australia’s only two species of tree-kangaroo, the Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) and the Bennett’s tree-kangaroo (D. bennettianus), which live in the forests of Far North Queensland. For the smaller species of kangaroo and wallaby, quokka, bettong and potoroo, which also belong to the macropod superfamily, the situation is dire. Six species of kangaroo have already gone extinct since the colonization of Australia, and 11 of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/world-kangaroo-day-how-climate-change-impacts-australias-macropods/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/world-kangaroo-day-how-climate-change-impacts-australias-macropods/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333569</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Mozambique safari operator wins conservation award at COP17</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/mozambique-safari-operator-wins-conservation-award-at-cop17/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/mozambique-safari-operator-wins-conservation-award-at-cop17/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 21:39:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Akana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23213221/488504017_17850218328436140_7523769475865190060_n-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333792</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Mozambique]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Charismatic Animals, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Conservation leadership, Conservation Solutions, Solutions, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[YEREVAN, Armenia — A Mozambican safari operator credited with helping restore wildlife populations in Mozambique’s Zambezi Delta, has won the 2026 Markhor Award, which recognizes contributions to conservation through sustainable wildlife management. Zambeze Delta Safaris, led by professional hunter Mark Haldane, received the award on Oct. 22, 2026, at the ongoing U.N. Biodiversity Conference, COP17, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[YEREVAN, Armenia — A Mozambican safari operator credited with helping restore wildlife populations in Mozambique’s Zambezi Delta, has won the 2026 Markhor Award, which recognizes contributions to conservation through sustainable wildlife management. Zambeze Delta Safaris, led by professional hunter Mark Haldane, received the award on Oct. 22, 2026, at the ongoing U.N. Biodiversity Conference, COP17, in Yerevan, Armenia. The company combines regulated trophy hunting with wildlife restoration, anti-poaching efforts and community development in an area of Mozambique that was devastated by the country’s civil war. “There is no other way to describe it than it’s a truly humbling feeling,” Haldane told Mongabay in a WhatsApp interview. “In my wildest dreams I never imagined this or anything close to this.” The award comes as governments at COP17 review progress toward global biodiversity targets adopted in 2022. One of them, Target 9, calls for sustainable wildlife management that also benefits communities. A new U.N. assessment warns that the world remains off track to meet its biodiversity commitments by the 2030 deadline. Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), welcomed the recognition. “Here is something we can celebrate,” she said during a press conference announcing the winner. Haldane began working in Coutada 11, a hunting concession in central Mozambique, in 1994, after years of conflict had severely depleted wildlife populations. He later established Zambeze Delta Safaris with Mozambican businessperson Carlos Pacheco Faria. According to the company&#8217;s award nomination, since the safari outfit began working in the region, the African&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/mozambique-safari-operator-wins-conservation-award-at-cop17/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/mozambique-safari-operator-wins-conservation-award-at-cop17/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333792</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Bangladesh’s climate migrants are arriving in cities unprepared to protect them</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-climate-migrants-are-arriving-in-cities-unprepared-to-protect-them/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-climate-migrants-are-arriving-in-cities-unprepared-to-protect-them/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 19:36:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Usraat Fahmidah]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23153115/AP22228819567904-dhaka-climate-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333680</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Cities, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Justice, Development, Environment, Environmental Law, Fellows, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Human Migration, Impact Of Climate Change, Law, and Mongabay.org]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2024, disasters displaced 2.4 million people within Bangladesh even as the International Monetary Fund predicts that rising seas could eliminate more than one-seventh of Bangladesh’s land area and nearly one-third of its food production by 2050. As environmental pressures drive people from their homes, researchers are examining the risks migrants face in the secondary [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2024, disasters displaced 2.4 million people within Bangladesh even as the International Monetary Fund predicts that rising seas could eliminate more than one-seventh of Bangladesh’s land area and nearly one-third of its food production by 2050. As environmental pressures drive people from their homes, researchers are examining the risks migrants face in the secondary cities where they relocate and whether these cities are equipped to accommodate growing numbers of climate-displaced people. To cope with increasing climate-related pressures, migration is often viewed as an adaptive strategy because moving away from areas exposed to hazards such as flooding, cyclones, river erosion and sea-level rise can help people reduce their exposure to climate risks and seek safer housing and more stable livelihoods. In these circumstances, urban informal settlements are often among the first destinations for displaced people. Yet, in Bangladesh, these settlements are risky in nature because of the structural formation, and the residents are exposed to various hazards. This raises a broader question: Are the cities receiving climate migrants equipped to support a safer, more stable future or leaving them more exposed? A new study published in Climate and Development on climate migrants living in informal settlements in southwestern Bangladesh examines what happens to migrants after relocation to secondary settlements. The study findings suggest that moving away from regions affected by climate hazards does not necessarily mean moving toward safety, particularly when urban planning and social protection systems fail to account for their needs. In Shariatpur district, Billal Hossain breaks his&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-climate-migrants-are-arriving-in-cities-unprepared-to-protect-them/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-climate-migrants-are-arriving-in-cities-unprepared-to-protect-them/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333680</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Environmental officials fear new wave of harassment if Flavio Bolsonaro wins in Brazil</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/environmental-officials-fear-new-wave-of-harassment-if-flavio-bolsonaro-wins-in-brazil/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/environmental-officials-fear-new-wave-of-harassment-if-flavio-bolsonaro-wins-in-brazil/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 19:06:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Karla Mendes]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandre de Santi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23184714/20240216_114941-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333772</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Environmental Policy, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Politics, Rainforests, and Threats To Rainforests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The memory of constant surveillance, transfers and locked computers haunts federal environmental servants.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Federal civil servants in environmental and Indigenous affairs fear a resurgence of the intimidation and institutional harassment they faced under the administration of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) if his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, wins the presidency in Brazil. The candidate has announced that he will eliminate &#8220;environmental hurdles&#8221; so rural landowners can do &#8220;whatever they want on their land.&#8221; &#8220;We literally have a target in the middle of our forehead,&#8221; Tânia Maria de Souza, president of the federal environmental civil servants&#8217; association, Ascema, told Mongabay. &#8220;It&#8217;s déjà vu.&#8221; The Bolsonaro administration brought a relentless series of actions against the environment and Indigenous rights. Bolsonaro refused to demarcate any Indigenous territories, fulfilling his 2018 campaign pledge, while deforestation and violence against Indigenous groups and public servants escalated alongside measures to open Indigenous lands to mining and agribusiness in clear violation of the Federal Constitution. &#8220;It was traumatic,&#8221;Alexandre Bahia Gontijo, former director of Ascema and former president of Asibama-DF, which represents IBAMA civil servants in the Federal District, said of the Bolsonaro administration. &#8220;Everyone is extremely apprehensive.&#8221; Activists call Flávio&#8217;s agenda &#8220;the return of the cattle herd,&#8221; referencing a 2020 statement by then-Environment Minister Ricardo Salles that the COVID-19 pandemic was an opportunity to &#8220;let the cattle herd run through&#8221; by changing environmental rules and regulations without drawing scrutiny from the National Congress and the press. Former Environment Minister Ricardo Salles left, with former President Jair Bolsonaro (right). Image courtesy of Marcos Corrêa/PR. Flávio finished first in the opening round&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/environmental-officials-fear-new-wave-of-harassment-if-flavio-bolsonaro-wins-in-brazil/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/environmental-officials-fear-new-wave-of-harassment-if-flavio-bolsonaro-wins-in-brazil/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333772</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Critics call for halt to road construction in Mexico’s Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/critics-call-for-halt-to-road-construction-in-mexicos-sian-kaan-biosphere-reserve/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/critics-call-for-halt-to-road-construction-in-mexicos-sian-kaan-biosphere-reserve/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 18:47:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maxwell Radwin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23172145/32498588713_1c22e72954_3k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333741</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Caribbean, Global, Latin America, Mexico, and North America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Development, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Governance, Habitat, Habitat Loss, Infrastructure, Law, Mangroves, Marine, Protected Areas, and Roads]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MEXICO CITY — In early October, Mexico’s environment ministry published a statement about minimizing infrastructure development inside the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a protected area on the Caribbean coast. But environmental groups say road construction continues to move forward there, threatening mangroves, cenote sinkholes, and dunes. The courts should address a lawsuit filed by local [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MEXICO CITY — In early October, Mexico’s environment ministry published a statement about minimizing infrastructure development inside the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a protected area on the Caribbean coast. But environmental groups say road construction continues to move forward there, threatening mangroves, cenote sinkholes, and dunes. The courts should address a lawsuit filed by local communities to halt the road construction and repair ecological damage, they said. They added that while the statement by the ministry, formally the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), is hopeful, it doesn’t provide the same legal guarantees as a court ruling. “We want certainty for the communities that, first, the project is canceled, and second, that they repair the damage already done,” Viridiana Maldonado, co-coordinator with Territorios Diversos para la Vida, an environmental NGO that supports Indigenous peoples defending the environment, told Mongabay. “Because a good part of the project is already built, the damage is done. They cut down mangroves, they cut down forest, they interrupted hydrological flows.” The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve covers more than 528,000 hectares (1.3 million acres) of mangroves, rainforests, and dunes in the southern state of Quintana Roo. It received UNESCO World Heritage status in 1987 and provides extensive habitat to jaguars (Panthera onca), Central American tapirs (Tapirus bairdii), and hundreds of migratory birds, among other species. The reserve also has 47 community-based tourism initiatives and 140 permits for tourism and recreational activities, according to Semarnat. The Puerta al Mar (“Door to the Sea”) project underway in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/critics-call-for-halt-to-road-construction-in-mexicos-sian-kaan-biosphere-reserve/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333741</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Amazon communities lose water as mining and deforestation reshape rivers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/amazon-communities-lose-water-as-mining-and-deforestation-reshape-rivers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/amazon-communities-lose-water-as-mining-and-deforestation-reshape-rivers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 18:15:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vanessa Romo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexa]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23193910/Arazaire_community_bisected_by_Inambari_River_Vico_Mendez-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333623</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Bolivia, Colombia, Global, Latin America, Peru, South America, and Venezuela]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Science, Conservation, Culture, Deforestation, Drinking Water, Earth Science, Ecosystems, Environment, Forests, Freshwater, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Health, Human Rights, Impact Of Climate Change, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Reserves, Indigenous Rights, Law, Livestock, Mapping, Natural Resources, Pollution, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Research, Rivers, Science, Technology, Tropical Forests, Water, Water Pollution, and Water Scarcity]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“People think that because we live in the forest we have plenty of water, but this is the reality,” Erick Tijé, an Indigenous Harakmbut resident of the southern Peruvian Amazon, says in a tone of disappointment, pointing to the murky water flowing down the Inambari River. That river isn’t what it was five years ago, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[“People think that because we live in the forest we have plenty of water, but this is the reality,” Erick Tijé, an Indigenous Harakmbut resident of the southern Peruvian Amazon, says in a tone of disappointment, pointing to the murky water flowing down the Inambari River. That river isn’t what it was five years ago, when fishing and life along its banks were very different for residents of the Arazaire Indigenous community. Illegal mining stole their water, only to return it to them polluted. Today, they have to buy the water they drink. On the other side of the Peruvian border, in the Colombian Amazon, Lázaro Ibañez, an elder of the Coreguaje people who live in the Jácome Indigenous Reserve, blames cattle ranching and climate change for reducing water availability around their territory. “The cattle have been destroying everything, and now all you can see is pastureland; there are hardly any trees left,” he says, having witnessed how deforestation to create grazing for cattle has gone hand in hand with the drying up of their water sources. Inhabitants of parts of the world’s greatest rainforest face a paradox: they’re surrounded by water, but can’t use it. For Indigenous peoples, it’s also the loss of the spirits that guard their water sources, driven away by the advance of logging and cattle ranching. Reporters from Mongabay, Colombian news outlet El Espectador, and Venezuela’s El Correo del Caroní, in partnership with scientists from Brazil’s Serrapilheira Institute, analyzed more than two decades of satellite&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/amazon-communities-lose-water-as-mining-and-deforestation-reshape-rivers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333623</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>What if Flávio Bolsonaro wins? High stakes for the environment in Brazil’s 2026 elections (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/what-if-flavio-bolsonaro-wins-high-stakes-for-the-environment-in-brazils-2026-elections-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/what-if-flavio-bolsonaro-wins-high-stakes-for-the-environment-in-brazils-2026-elections-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 17:42:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Philip M. Fearnside]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23173041/deforestation-in-the-brazilian-amazon-administration-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333723</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[agribusiness, Commentary, Deforestation, Environmental Policy, Forests, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, Threats To Rainforests, Tropical Deforestation, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Fear and disbelief prevail among those in Brazil who are concerned about the environment. A climate denier and voluble supporter of dismantling Brazil’s environmental agencies may well be the country`s next president. Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (known simply as “Lula”) faces Flávio Bolsonaro, one of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s sons. In [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Fear and disbelief prevail among those in Brazil who are concerned about the environment. A climate denier and voluble supporter of dismantling Brazil’s environmental agencies may well be the country`s next president. Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (known simply as “Lula”) faces Flávio Bolsonaro, one of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s sons. In the first round of the election on October 4th neither reached the required 50% plus one vote needed, and they face each other in a runoff on October 25th. Flávio was two percentage points ahead for valid votes in a poll released on October 21st, although one poll released on October 18th showed Lula ahead by two points. Flávio’s father Jair Bolsonaro’s 2019-2022 term was an environmental disaster, and Flávio frequently claims that his father was the best president Brazil has ever had and that, if elected, he will bring back his father’s policies. Under Jair Bolsonaro the annual deforestation rate in the Amazon rose sharply, peaking in 2021. He made good on his promise not to demarcate “a single centimeter” of Indigenous land. He appointed openly anti-environmental figures to head the Ministry of the Environment and IBAMA (the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), who largely dismantled these agencies and blocked enforcement of environmental laws. Jair Bolsonaro’s constant rhetoric supporting illegal loggers, goldminers and deforesters resulted in surges of these activities, including in Indigenous areas. Most notorious was the invasion of the Yanomami Indigenous Land by over 20,000 goldminers who converted&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/what-if-flavio-bolsonaro-wins-high-stakes-for-the-environment-in-brazils-2026-elections-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333723</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nearly all the world’s coral reefs are at risk of collapse within 50 years, IUCN warns</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/nearly-all-the-worlds-coral-reefs-are-at-risk-of-collapse-within-50-years-iucn-warns/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/nearly-all-the-worlds-coral-reefs-are-at-risk-of-collapse-within-50-years-iucn-warns/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 16:45:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Brown]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23163621/Sea_fans_coral_reef_Pagan_2022-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333739</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Climate, Climate Change, Conservation, Coral Bleaching, Coral Reefs, Ecosystems, Environment, Fisheries, Fishing, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Impact Of Climate Change, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Marine Protected Areas, Mitigation, Oceans, Overfishing, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nearly every shallow-water coral reef ecosystem on Earth is at high risk of ecological collapse by 2075, according to the first coral reef assessment of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE).  The RLE is a scientific framework for assessing the risk of ecosystem collapse. More than 250 experts assessed shallow water coral reef ecosystems [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Nearly every shallow-water coral reef ecosystem on Earth is at high risk of ecological collapse by 2075, according to the first coral reef assessment of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE).  The RLE is a scientific framework for assessing the risk of ecosystem collapse. More than 250 experts assessed shallow water coral reef ecosystems across 127 tropical and subtropical ecoregions worldwide including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia. The Oct. 22 report concluded that 24% of coral reefs are already critically endangered. When scientist include projected heat stress from climate change, they found 96% will be critically endangered in the next 50 years. One coral reef ecosystem, the Western Galapagos Islands, has collapsed already, the assessment found. The assessment identified heat stress from climate change as the single most consistent threat driving coral reef decline worldwide. Heat stress causes coral bleaching, a process in which corals expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissue. Algae provide most of the coral’s food via photosynthesis and prolonged bleaching events leave coral weakened, vulnerable to disease and lead to death. Coral reefs are crucial for marine biodiversity; they “cover less than 1% of the ocean floor,” but support approximately 25% of marine life. In an email to Mongabay Marcos Valderrábano, programme manager for the RLE at IUCN, said that if climate projections are accurate, most corals will suffer repeated severe bleaching, resulting in a less biodiverse ecosystem as corals are replaced by algae and turf.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/nearly-all-the-worlds-coral-reefs-are-at-risk-of-collapse-within-50-years-iucn-warns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333739</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>COP17: Open letter urges governments to keep extractives out of protected areas</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/cop17-open-letter-urges-governments-to-keep-extractives-out-of-protected-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/cop17-open-letter-urges-governments-to-keep-extractives-out-of-protected-areas/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 16:24:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Akana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23161919/658939825_10164173699294660_4388151972032530666_n-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333735</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Climate Change, Critical Minerals, Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Health, Illegal Mining, Mining, Natural Gas, Natural Resources, Oil, Oil Spills, Pollution, and Protected Areas]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[YEREVAN, Armenia — More than 80 conservation, Indigenous and civil society organizations have called on governments meeting at the COP17 U.N. biodiversity summit in Armenia to keep mining, oil and gas operations out of protected areas. &#8220;Meeting a numerical target will mean little&#8221;, if areas designated for conservation remain exposed to industrial activities, the organizations [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[YEREVAN, Armenia — More than 80 conservation, Indigenous and civil society organizations have called on governments meeting at the COP17 U.N. biodiversity summit in Armenia to keep mining, oil and gas operations out of protected areas. &#8220;Meeting a numerical target will mean little&#8221;, if areas designated for conservation remain exposed to industrial activities, the organizations warn in a joint letter released in advance of  COP17 on Oct. 2. An Oct. 8 report by Earth Insight and partners says that nearly 62 million hectares (153 million acres) of protected and conserved areas across the tropics overlap with oil and gas blocks, while mining concessions overlap with 43 million hectares (106 million acres). World leaders agreed in 2022 to protect 30% of the planet&#8217;s land and waters by 2030, a commitment known as “30&#215;30” or Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The signatories argue that this commitment must be achieved &#8220;not just on paper, but in reality.&#8221; Conservation officials argue that mining has no place in protected and conserved areas. &#8220;Protected areas are protected areas,&#8221; Nadège Nzoyem, WWF&#8217;s Congo Basin regional director, said in a recent interview with Mongabay. Madhu Rao, chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, has echoed that concern, arguing that &#8220;some places are so critical that they have to be secured against extractive industries.&#8221; The head of Nigeria&#8217;s National Park Service also acknowledged in a recent interview with Mongabay the challenges posed by illegal mining and insecurity in the country&#8217;s national parks. Signatories to the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/cop17-open-letter-urges-governments-to-keep-extractives-out-of-protected-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333735</doi>				</item>
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					<title>Taiwan shuts schools and grounds flights as Typhoon Champi brushes by</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/taiwan-shuts-schools-and-grounds-flights-as-typhoon-champi-brushes-by/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/taiwan-shuts-schools-and-grounds-flights-as-typhoon-champi-brushes-by/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 16:12:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Associated Press]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23160544/AP26296196543233-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333730</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Taiwan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Disasters, Environment, Extreme Weather, Flooding, Global Environmental Crisis, and Impact Of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan shut down schools and offices and grounded hundreds of flights as Typhoon Champi brushed by the island Friday, packing strong winds and torrential rains. Champi peaked at 298 kph (185 mph) maximum sustained winds earlier this week but has weakened to 155 kph (96 mph) winds as it approached Taiwan [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan shut down schools and offices and grounded hundreds of flights as Typhoon Champi brushed by the island Friday, packing strong winds and torrential rains. Champi peaked at 298 kph (185 mph) maximum sustained winds earlier this week but has weakened to 155 kph (96 mph) winds as it approached Taiwan from the southwest. Its center is forecast to remain offshore as it sweeps by the island&#8217;s northeastern tip before turning north toward Japan&#8217;s southwestern islands. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration urged residents in coastal areas to avoid outdoor activities and driving and be cautious of falling objects. One person was killed Thursday after being swept away by waves in Liuqiu, a small island off the southeastern coast of Taiwan’s main island, according to the fire department. More than 170 other people were injured in the storm. More than 2,600 people have been evacuated from vulnerable, mountainous areas, the government said. All of Taiwan’s 262 domestic flights were canceled, along with 669 international flights, according to the transport ministry. High-speed rail services on the western coast were operating normally. The capital Taipei, in northern Taiwan, saw light showers and gusts of winds. Transportation services including the subway remained open. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visited the island&#8217;s Central Emergency Operation Center in New Taipei City, which spans from near the capital to Taiwan&#8217;s northern coast. Champi has a massive radius of around 320 kilometers (200 miles), large enough to engulf most of Taiwan. Experts expect its biggest effect&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/taiwan-shuts-schools-and-grounds-flights-as-typhoon-champi-brushes-by/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333730</doi>				</item>
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					<title>Death of iconic elephant in Sri Lanka pushes authorities to fast-track protection efforts</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/death-of-iconic-elephant-in-sri-lanka-pushes-authorities-to-fast-track-protection-efforts/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/death-of-iconic-elephant-in-sri-lanka-pushes-authorities-to-fast-track-protection-efforts/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 15:37:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kamanthi Wickramasinghe]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Dilrukshi Handunnetti]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23151741/IMG_4528-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333688</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, South Asia, and Sri Lanka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Animals, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Charismatic Animals, Conflict, Ecology, Ecotourism, Elephants, Encroachment, Endangered Species, Environmental Policy, flagship species, Forest Destruction, Habitat Degradation, Human-wildlife Conflict, Ivory, Land Use Change, Mammals, Megafauna, National Parks, Poisoning, Regulations, Snares, Species, Threatened species, Tourism, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[GALGAMUWA, Sri Lanka – Residents in Galgamuwa, a rural village in Sri Lanka’s North Western Province are mourning the death of an iconic wild, bull elephant that roamed the area. While Galgamuwa is on the frontlines of one of Sri Lanka’s worst human-elephant conflicts, people had a soft spot for this tusker, popularly known as [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[GALGAMUWA, Sri Lanka – Residents in Galgamuwa, a rural village in Sri Lanka’s North Western Province are mourning the death of an iconic wild, bull elephant that roamed the area. While Galgamuwa is on the frontlines of one of Sri Lanka’s worst human-elephant conflicts, people had a soft spot for this tusker, popularly known as Kavantissa. Named after a king who ruled the Kingdom of Ruhuna in ancient Sri Lanka in the 3rd and 2nd centuries B.C.E, Kavantissa was known for its gentle nature. Galgamuwa residents say it never attacked a human in its lifetime. Rathnayake Mudiyanselage Jayathilaka Bandara is a resident in Galgamuwa and an ardent animal lover. Bandara and another local resident named Kumara dedicated their time and effort to protect Kavantissa and the large herd of elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) that became famous for crossing the railway tracks in Kasikote, a town located between Galgamuwa and Ambanpola in the north west. Soon, this crossing became a must see among elephant lovers and Kavantissa would often emerge at the tail end. Bandara tells Mongabay that the demise of Kavantissa is heartbreaking because the iconic tusker was gentle and disciplined. He recalls how Kavantissa would patiently wait for the herd of elephants to cross the railway line before it made its dramatic appearance. “Sometimes it would pause before crossing the road and journey toward the nearby Palukadawala tank,” he said. “Perhaps that was its way of greeting me and Kumara. Kavantissa would sometimes push the electric fence obstructing its&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/death-of-iconic-elephant-in-sri-lanka-pushes-authorities-to-fast-track-protection-efforts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333688</doi>				</item>
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					<title>Indonesians allege social media posts on wildfires and haze are being censored</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/indonesians-allege-social-media-posts-on-wildfires-and-haze-are-being-censored/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/indonesians-allege-social-media-posts-on-wildfires-and-haze-are-being-censored/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 14:33:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Winda Charmila]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Yenni Kwok]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23140606/AP26296399833675-indonesia-haze-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333661</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Communication, Controversial, Disasters, Environment, Extreme Weather, Fires, Governance, Health, Law, Media, Pollution, and Social Media]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — On Oct. 15, as thick smog continued to choke millions of people, Indonesian health policy research and advocacy organization the Nalar Rawat Institute shared a post on TikTok and Instagram about the health effects of the country’s wildfires. Little did it know what problems the innocuous posts would create. The TikTok post featured [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — On Oct. 15, as thick smog continued to choke millions of people, Indonesian health policy research and advocacy organization the Nalar Rawat Institute shared a post on TikTok and Instagram about the health effects of the country’s wildfires. Little did it know what problems the innocuous posts would create. The TikTok post featured NASA satellite imagery of carbon monoxide covering the Indonesian archipelago, superimposed on footage of an orange sky in Palangka Raya in Central Kalimantan province. The provincial capital has been one of the areas worst hit by months-long wildfires and haze in 2026. “All of Indonesia&#8217;s sky is covered by carbon monoxide,” the text on the video and the post’s caption read. “The air pollution index reaches 1,200, our living space is no longer habitable.” The figure of 1,200 — four times the hazardous threshold of 300 — came from Ministry of Environment data on the air pollution index in Central Kalimantan on Oct. 14. Not long after, the post, which garnered 500,000 views and 17,500 likes, was removed from TikTok, the NGO said. The Nalar Rawat Institute receives a notice from TikTok, saying its Oct. 15, 2026, post “has been removed for violating our community guidelines”. Image courtesy of Nalar Rawat Institute. According to Fatus Sahara, Nalar Rawat’s communications officer, on the evening of Oct. 15, TikTok notified the NGO that the post violated its community guidelines. The following day, the post vanished and the NGO’s appeal to reinstate it was rejected. “There was no&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/indonesians-allege-social-media-posts-on-wildfires-and-haze-are-being-censored/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333661</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Two Indigenous Brazilians denied their language interpreter at election voting booth</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/two-indigenous-brazilians-denied-their-language-interpreter-at-election-voting-booth/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/two-indigenous-brazilians-denied-their-language-interpreter-at-election-voting-booth/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 11:12:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shanna Hanbury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23105822/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-22-at-17.13.48-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333662</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon and Brazil]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Governance, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Reserves, Indigenous Rights, Law, Politics, and Protected Areas]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Two Indigenous women who do not speak Portuguese were denied assistance from their interpreter while voting in Brazil’s Oct. 4 election. The translator who accompanied them to the polls, community leader Mitore Tiriyó Kaxuyana, is a relative of the women and spoke to Mongabay about what happened. Racela Tiriyó, 23, and Mirami Tiriyó, 33, are [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Two Indigenous women who do not speak Portuguese were denied assistance from their interpreter while voting in Brazil’s Oct. 4 election. The translator who accompanied them to the polls, community leader Mitore Tiriyó Kaxuyana, is a relative of the women and spoke to Mongabay about what happened. Racela Tiriyó, 23, and Mirami Tiriyó, 33, are from the Tumucumaque Park Indigenous Territory in the northeastern Brazilian Amazon. They were both voting for the first time in Macapá, the capital of Amapá state. “They wanted to vote, since they had gotten their voting card, and they asked me for help,” Kaxuyana said. “If we cannot vote in our own language, we need translation … just because we are Indigenous and speak another language we can’t be impeded from voting and exercising our rights.” According to Kaxuyana, poll workers informed her that only voters with disabilities were authorized to receive help from a translator. A supervisor confirmed this to her, she said. The women then voted alone with poll workers unable to provide assistance in Tiriyó, the pair’s native language. Kaxuyana was not allowed to explain the process to them and they left unsure whether their votes had gone through as intended, Kaxuyana said. “They don’t speak Portuguese, only our language,” Kaxuyana said. “For me, it was like prejudice.” The Tumucumaque Park Indigenous Territory is home to about 2,800 people. Kaxuyana said her territory, which she represents as the coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Women of the Tiriyó, Kaxuyana and Txikiyana Peoples&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/two-indigenous-brazilians-denied-their-language-interpreter-at-election-voting-booth/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333662</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Two decades after crash, Nepal still searching for new generation of conservation visionaries</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/two-decades-after-crash-nepal-still-searching-for-new-generation-of-conservation-visionaries/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/two-decades-after-crash-nepal-still-searching-for-new-generation-of-conservation-visionaries/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 09:40:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23093956/IMG_3811-scaled-1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333656</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Science, Conservation, Crops, Earth Science, Ecology, Environment, Environmental Heroes, Environmental Policy, Forests, Governance, Mountains, Natural Resources, Obituary, Politics, Science, Tropical Conservation Science, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Twenty years after a helicopter crash killed some of Nepal’s most prominent environmental figures, the nation is celebrating ecological gains while grappling with a void in visionary leadership, reports Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi. On Sept. 23, 2006, a Russian-built Mi-8 helicopter crashed near the high-altitude mountain village of Ghunsa, killing all 20 passengers and four [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Twenty years after a helicopter crash killed some of Nepal’s most prominent environmental figures, the nation is celebrating ecological gains while grappling with a void in visionary leadership, reports Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi. On Sept. 23, 2006, a Russian-built Mi-8 helicopter crashed near the high-altitude mountain village of Ghunsa, killing all 20 passengers and four crew members. The victims included Gopal Rai, the minister of forests and soil conservation; other senior government officials; a Finnish diplomat; a USAID official; and key WWF staff. They had traveled to Ghunsa to hand over management of the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, in the northeastern corner of Nepal, to local communities.  The crash occurred the next day as the group was taking off from Ghunsa. “For the community, this was the beginning,” said Ghana Shyam Gurung, now country representative for WWF Nepal. Seven WWF staff died in the crash, the single greatest loss of life in the history of the organization. Among them were Harka Gurung, Chandra Gurung, and Mingma Norbu Sherpa, and their loss left an institutional vacuum. “We didn’t just lose people that day. We lost the pace we were moving at,”said Sarita Jnawali, a former conservationist with the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC). Shiv Raj Bhatta, an ecologist at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, who lost key supervisors in the crash, recalled the immediate aftershock. “I wondered how we would ever produce people of that height again,” Bhatta said. The community-based conservation framework championed by that generation laid&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/two-decades-after-crash-nepal-still-searching-for-new-generation-of-conservation-visionaries/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/two-decades-after-crash-nepal-still-searching-for-new-generation-of-conservation-visionaries/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333656</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>This spider catapults ants</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/this-spider-catapults-ants/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/this-spider-catapults-ants/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 09:37:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Romi Castagnino]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sam Lee]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23093626/Mongabay_Thumbnail_BallistaSpider_Featured-338x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333655</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Australia and Oceania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Arachnids, Biodiversity, New Discovery, Spiders, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A newly discovered Australian ballista spider has evolved one of the most specialized hunting strategies ever seen. Instead of chasing prey, it builds a spring-loaded silk snare that appears to target a single species: The aggressive green tree ant. Scientists think the spider may even lure the ants into attacking the trap, causing them to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A newly discovered Australian ballista spider has evolved one of the most specialized hunting strategies ever seen. Instead of chasing prey, it builds a spring-loaded silk snare that appears to target a single species: The aggressive green tree ant. Scientists think the spider may even lure the ants into attacking the trap, causing them to trigger the catapult on themselves. It&#8217;s the first known spider whose web is designed for one prey species — and the first where the prey activates the trap.This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/this-spider-catapults-ants/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/this-spider-catapults-ants/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333655</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Ahead of landmark climate trial in Canada, Indigenous youth eye impacts in the North</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/ahead-of-landmark-climate-trial-in-canada-indigenous-youth-eye-impacts-in-the-north/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/ahead-of-landmark-climate-trial-in-canada-indigenous-youth-eye-impacts-in-the-north/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 07:00:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elizabeth Rusch]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22223723/All-plaintifs-case-filing-day-2019-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333591</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Canada and North America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Justice, Environment, Environmental Law, Governance, Human Rights, Impact Of Climate Change, Indigenous Peoples, Law, and Law Enforcement]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Earlier this year, one of Leandrea Taylor Reeves’s best friends fell ill with a cold. “Maybe you need to go gather some Labrador,” said Reeves’ grandmother, observing the friend. For as long as Reeves could remember, her community, part of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation in Yukon, Canada, gathered and steeped the leaves and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Earlier this year, one of Leandrea Taylor Reeves’s best friends fell ill with a cold. “Maybe you need to go gather some Labrador,” said Reeves’ grandmother, observing the friend. For as long as Reeves could remember, her community, part of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation in Yukon, Canada, gathered and steeped the leaves and flowers from the evergreen shrub in hot water to make a medicinal tea that treats coughs and colds. Reeves, 22, told Mongabay she had plenty of experience harvesting Labrador (Rhododendron groenlandicum) and knew what to look for and where. But as she searched along the edge of the boreal forest, she couldn’t find much. After coming across a short Labrador bush and plucking a tiny harvest, she handed her grandmother a huge Ziplock bag with only the very bottom filled. “Nana,” Reeves said. “There are none there.” The decline in Labrador near her community is one of a myriad of climate change impacts Reeves worries is affecting Canada’s North. Reeves is part of a group of plaintiffs comprising 14 other youth across the country. They are suing Canada and the attorney general of Canada for its continued support of fossil fuels, a net-zero emissions plan that allows an increase in emissions, and actions on climate change that infringes on their rights to life, liberty and security under Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The five-week trial of La Rose v. His Majesty the King beginning on Oct. 26, 2026, in Vancouver,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/ahead-of-landmark-climate-trial-in-canada-indigenous-youth-eye-impacts-in-the-north/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333591</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>World Snow Leopard Day: Community action and new science foster coexistence with humans</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/world-snow-leopard-day-community-action-and-new-science-foster-coexistence-with-humans/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/world-snow-leopard-day-community-action-and-new-science-foster-coexistence-with-humans/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 06:21:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23062110/snow-leopard-WWF-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333651</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Camera Trapping, Cats, Cattle, Charismatic Animals, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Governance, Habitat, Habitat Loss, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Interviews, Interviews with conservation players, Leopards, Livestock, Mammals, Mountains, Snow Leopards, Threatened species, Ungulates, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Snow leopards range across Asia’s rugged mountains, where they face mounting threats from climate change, declining wild prey, and retaliatory killings from local herders. Today, on Oct. 23, International Snow Leopard Day, we look back at recent Mongabay reporting highlighting how innovative science, climate-ready habitat, and community-centered conservation are helping these big cats share mountain [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Snow leopards range across Asia’s rugged mountains, where they face mounting threats from climate change, declining wild prey, and retaliatory killings from local herders. Today, on Oct. 23, International Snow Leopard Day, we look back at recent Mongabay reporting highlighting how innovative science, climate-ready habitat, and community-centered conservation are helping these big cats share mountain landscapes with human neighbors. Sharing the Himalayan heights A 2025 government survey found roughly 397 snow leopards living in Nepal.  A separate study published earlier this year revealed that snow leopards (Panthera uncia), common leopards (Panthera pardus), and Himalayan wolves (Canis lupus chanco) all live together in Nepal’s Lapchi Valley. They coexist largely by targeting different prey species, Mongabay’s Liz Kimbrough reported. Wild blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), for example, make up nearly half of the snow leopard’s prey. Study lead researcher Narayan Prasad Koju told Mongabay that maintaining such wild ungulate populations is critical to preventing the predators from targeting livestock. “When wild prey declines, all three predators shift toward livestock, which triggers retaliatory killings and destabilizes the whole system.” Community concerns about conservation In an interview with Mongabay, Rodney Jackson, founder and board president of the U.S.-based Snow Leopard Conservancy, said conservationists must shift focus from counting the carnivores to addressing the immediate needs of herding families who lose livestock to the big cats. “The cost is being borne by the communities,” Jackson told Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi, adding that ongoing human-wildlife conflict undermines trust from local communities who continue to struggle to live&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/world-snow-leopard-day-community-action-and-new-science-foster-coexistence-with-humans/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333651</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Googly-eyed buoys and kites help keep seabirds out of fishing nets, study finds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/googly-eyed-buoys-and-kites-help-keep-seabirds-out-of-fishing-nets-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/googly-eyed-buoys-and-kites-help-keep-seabirds-out-of-fishing-nets-study-finds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 04:55:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23043242/FISHTEK-LEB-stills-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333625</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Britain, England, Europe, Global, and United Kingdom]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Environment, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Marine Animals, Research, Saltwater Fish, Science, Seabirds, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Off the coast of Cornwall in southwest England, a pole rises from a buoy with a pair of big eyes on top. The head spins, creating what researchers call an “animated eye effect.” Its job is to scare away seabirds away before they dive into the fishing net below. On other nets, a kite shaped [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Off the coast of Cornwall in southwest England, a pole rises from a buoy with a pair of big eyes on top. The head spins, creating what researchers call an “animated eye effect.” Its job is to scare away seabirds away before they dive into the fishing net below. On other nets, a kite shaped like a bird of prey flies from a pole. According to a new study in Conservation Letters, both devices reduced the chance that diving seabirds would drown in gillnets. Nets fitted with the kites had 71% lower odds of catching an auk, the bird family that includes guillemots and razorbills. Nets fitted with the buoys had 59% lower odds. “People may enjoy seeing seabirds around our coasts, but very few witness the moment when a diving bird encounters fishing gear,” lead author Tom Horton, a research fellow at the University of Exeter, told Mongabay. Razorbills are among the seabirds that get caught in fishing nets. Thousands of birds are die in fishing nets each year. Image courtesy of Nina Constable. Gillnets are a major threat to diving birds because the birds forage underwater, where they can get tangled in the mesh, the authors write. Gillnets in the Baltic Sea and Northeast Atlantic kill more than 95,000 seabirds a year, according to a 2024 review. Across all European fisheries, about 31,000 common guillemots (Uria aalge) die as bycatch each year, the same review found. Fixes have been hard to find. An earlier trial of the eye&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/googly-eyed-buoys-and-kites-help-keep-seabirds-out-of-fishing-nets-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333625</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Mass sloth deaths prompt US bill calling for import ban</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/mass-sloth-deaths-prompt-us-bill-calling-for-import-ban/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/mass-sloth-deaths-prompt-us-bill-calling-for-import-ban/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 04:54:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bobby Bascomb]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/04/28114256/SLOTH_TW_034450_JWeditA-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333627</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Business, Governance, Mammals, Pet Trade, Sloths, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Rescues, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On Oct. 20, International Sloth Day, a bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. Congress to ban the import of wild sloths into the United States. The proposed legislation comes months after the deaths of 58 of the approximately 69 sloths imported to Sloth World, a Florida-based tourist attraction. “We owe it to these animals, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On Oct. 20, International Sloth Day, a bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. Congress to ban the import of wild sloths into the United States. The proposed legislation comes months after the deaths of 58 of the approximately 69 sloths imported to Sloth World, a Florida-based tourist attraction. “We owe it to these animals, and to the people in our community who spoke up, to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again,” Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democratic representative from Florida, said in a statement. The bill’s co-sponsor is Republican Laurel Lee. The Stopping Legalized Organized Trafficking and Harm to Sloths (SLOTHS) Act would allow limited imports of live sloths to institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for breeding purposes. Another exception would permit import of dead sloths for use in research, a press release notes. If the SLOTHS Act passes, illegal import could carry fines of up to $100,000. The push to ban sloth imports came from two Costa Rica-based NGOs, the Sloth Conservation Foundation and the Sloth Institute. When they analyzed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trade records, they discovered that more than 1,100 sloths were imported to the U.S. in the decade between 2011 and 2021: 100-plus sloths each year. “So, Sloth World is the biggest example of one owner importing a lot of sloths and then, of course, basically all of them dying, but it&#8217;s just not the only example,” Sam Trull, Sloth Institute co-founder and executive director, told Mongabay&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/mass-sloth-deaths-prompt-us-bill-calling-for-import-ban/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333627</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Scorched sanctuaries: The race to save Borneo’s orangutans from fires</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/scorched-sanctuaries-the-race-to-save-borneos-orangutans-from-fires/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/scorched-sanctuaries-the-race-to-save-borneos-orangutans-from-fires/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 23:08:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Garry Lotulung]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22223758/55-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333592</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Borneo, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and West Kalimantan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Disasters, Environment, Extreme Weather, Fires, Forest Loss, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Great Apes, Habitat Loss, Mammals, Orangutans, Peatlands, Primates, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Thick smog covers the forest canopy in Ketapang, West Kalimantan, dimming the sun. On the front lines, forest and land fires are not just destroying habitats; they are pushing local primates close to extinction. In the middle of this crisis, Veterinarian Komara and the Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI) team stay alert. Between Aug. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Thick smog covers the forest canopy in Ketapang, West Kalimantan, dimming the sun. On the front lines, forest and land fires are not just destroying habitats; they are pushing local primates close to extinction. In the middle of this crisis, Veterinarian Komara and the Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI) team stay alert. Between Aug. 1 and Oct. 21, 2026, 53 Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) were rescued from fires through joint emergency operations by the West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and YIARI. Veterinarian Komara, right, from Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), along with other veterinarians, treats a female orangutan and her baby after being rescued from a burned forest and peatland area in Pelang village, Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Sept. 18, 2026. Bornean orangutans are one of three orangutan species in the world, and the only one found on the island of Borneo. All three species of orangutan are critically endangered. Image by Garry Lotulung for Mongabay. A fire burns at a palm oil plantation in Sungai Putri village, Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, Aug. 19, 2026. Image by Garry Lotulung for Mongabay. Fires are an increasingly deadly threat to orangutans. The flames not only kill the animals but also destroy their homes, reduce their food and cut off the paths they use to move between groups. The scale of forest and land fires in West Kalimantan makes the impact clear: 48,536 hectares (119,935 acres) have burned in the province in 2026, an area around&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/scorched-sanctuaries-the-race-to-save-borneos-orangutans-from-fires/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/scorched-sanctuaries-the-race-to-save-borneos-orangutans-from-fires/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333592</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Another mining-linked pollution incident raises alarm over Zambia’s Kafue River</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/another-mining-linked-pollution-incident-raises-alarm-over-zambias-kafue-river/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/another-mining-linked-pollution-incident-raises-alarm-over-zambias-kafue-river/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 17:48:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Chisapi Kumbutso]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22174656/LastYear-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333587</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Zambia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Crime, Ecosystems, Environment, Freshwater, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Health, Illegal Mining, Mining, Pollution, Rivers, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Zambian government has ordered a copper miner to assess its infrastructure for weaknesses and clean up areas affected by pollution of the Kafue River, after residents downstream of the plant that processes the mine’s waste reported changes in the river’s color, taste, and smell on Sept. 28. The order also requires Konkola Copper Mines [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Zambian government has ordered a copper miner to assess its infrastructure for weaknesses and clean up areas affected by pollution of the Kafue River, after residents downstream of the plant that processes the mine’s waste reported changes in the river’s color, taste, and smell on Sept. 28. The order also requires Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) to cover laboratory testing and related costs. The pollution was traced to a leaking pipe at KCM’s tailings leach plant and an overflow from a pollution control dam on the Mushishima Stream, a tributary of the Kafue. The company disputes allegations that it caused the pollution, saying it detected the river’s discoloration and reported the incident to local authorities. The incident has renewed concerns about recurring pollution in the Kafue, which Misozi Ngulube, director-general of Zambia’s Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA), has described as the country’s most polluted water body. In February 2025, the breach of a tailings dam operated by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, also on the Kafue, released more than 50 million liters (13 million gallons) of toxic sludge into a tributary. The spill killed fish more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream, damaged crops, and disrupted local water supplies. The government reported three cases of minor illness, but the event raised broader concerns for communities and wildlife. Ngulube told Mongabay that pollution in the Kafue comes largely from agriculture, industry, and mining. She said WARMA has acquired a water-quality monitoring system and is working toward real-time pollution detection. However, monitoring alone can’t&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/another-mining-linked-pollution-incident-raises-alarm-over-zambias-kafue-river/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/another-mining-linked-pollution-incident-raises-alarm-over-zambias-kafue-river/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333587</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Water, carbon &#038; the ‘tree of life’: Interview with Venezuela&#8217;s guardian of morichales</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/water-carbon-the-tree-of-life-interview-with-venezuelas-guardian-of-morichales/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/water-carbon-the-tree-of-life-interview-with-venezuelas-guardian-of-morichales/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 17:19:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Diego Ávila Muskus]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22113920/1-Sanchez-Mercado-B-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333540</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, South America, and Venezuela]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Culture, Ecosystems, Environment, Fellows, Indigenous Peoples, Interviews, Interviews with conservation players, Media, Mongabay.org, Plants, Research, Traditional Knowledge, Traditional People, Trees, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[While global climate conversations tend to center on the Amazon and temperate forests, a vital, quiet freshwater oasis across the Venezuelan savannas and floodplains is disappearing under the radar. Standing tall in these landscapes is a palm intrinsically linked to the culture of Latin America&#8217;s Indigenous peoples, a palm whose unique physiology regulates freshwater bodies [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[While global climate conversations tend to center on the Amazon and temperate forests, a vital, quiet freshwater oasis across the Venezuelan savannas and floodplains is disappearing under the radar. Standing tall in these landscapes is a palm intrinsically linked to the culture of Latin America&#8217;s Indigenous peoples, a palm whose unique physiology regulates freshwater bodies and conceals a massive, overlooked potential for climate change mitigation: the moriche palm (Mauritia flexuosa). This species forms dense ecosystems known as morichales, dominating the landscapes of the Eastern Llanos and the Orinoco Delta in Venezuela, with its presence stretching across the Neotropics. Studies conducted in the Colombian Altillanura show that morichales are capable of capturing 590.8 tons of carbon per hectare, positioning them among the ecosystems best adapted to capture carbon in soil and biomass. Yet, the moriche palm faces mounting pressures. Standing on the frontline of its defense and conservation is Miguel Ángel Sánchez-Mercado, a Venezuelan biologist, professor and researcher at the Universidad Bolivariana in Maturín, Monagas state. For him, conservation should strive to build a profound collective awareness of the ecosystem. His ultimate hope, after countless sunrises in the morichales, is the continued fight to preserve these ecosystems by fully integrating human beings as an active part of the solution rather than merely treating them as a threat to these invaluable guardians of the climate. Miguel Ángel Sánchez-Mercado, a Venezuelan biologist, professor and researcher is on the frontline of the moriche palm&#8217;s defense and conservation. Image courtesy of Miguel Angel Sánchez-Mercado. Mongabay&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/water-carbon-the-tree-of-life-interview-with-venezuelas-guardian-of-morichales/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/water-carbon-the-tree-of-life-interview-with-venezuelas-guardian-of-morichales/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333540</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Facing pushback on data centers, tech giants are promising hosts more money and fewer secrets</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/facing-pushback-on-data-centers-tech-giants-are-promising-hosts-more-money-and-fewer-secrets/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/facing-pushback-on-data-centers-tech-giants-are-promising-hosts-more-money-and-fewer-secrets/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 17:16:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Associated Press]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22170935/AP26294600886978-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333582</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Air Pollution, Business, Climate, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Health, Pollution, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With host communities across the U.S. turning against their gargantuan data centers, America’s technology giants are promising to take fewer taxpayer handouts, keep fewer secrets or shower more money onto the communities willing to allow the server warehouses. The promises come as anti-data center sentiment has become a potent issue in the midterm election with [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With host communities across the U.S. turning against their gargantuan data centers, America’s technology giants are promising to take fewer taxpayer handouts, keep fewer secrets or shower more money onto the communities willing to allow the server warehouses. The promises come as anti-data center sentiment has become a potent issue in the midterm election with control of Congress and 36 governors’ offices on the line. In addition to ramping up financial incentives, officials with Google and Meta said in interviews with The Associated Press they are trying to address mistrust by being more transparent with communities where they would like to build. By Marc Levy and Kaitlyn Huamani, Associated Press Banner image: Anti-data center demonstrators protest at the Pennsylvania state Capitol, Oct. 6, 2026, in Harrisburg, Pa. Image courtesy of Marc Levy, Associated Press. This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/facing-pushback-on-data-centers-tech-giants-are-promising-hosts-more-money-and-fewer-secrets/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/facing-pushback-on-data-centers-tech-giants-are-promising-hosts-more-money-and-fewer-secrets/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333582</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Deforestation in Brazil&#8217;s Amazon and Cerrado savanna at lowest rate ever recorded</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/deforestation-in-brazils-amazon-and-cerrado-savanna-at-lowest-rate-ever-recorded/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/deforestation-in-brazils-amazon-and-cerrado-savanna-at-lowest-rate-ever-recorded/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 12:33:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shanna Hanbury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22121645/CV_Black_Carbon_Brazil_EDITORIAL_09-1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333555</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, and Cerrado]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Avoided Deforestation, Deforestation, Drivers Of Deforestation, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Politics, Remote Sensing, Satellite Imagery, Solutions, and Tropical Deforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As Brazilians head to the polls to vote in a runoff election, Amazon deforestation is also on the ballot. New data from Brazil&#8217;s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) find that incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva presided over the lowest deforestation levels ever recorded in both the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savanna. Between [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As Brazilians head to the polls to vote in a runoff election, Amazon deforestation is also on the ballot. New data from Brazil&#8217;s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) find that incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva presided over the lowest deforestation levels ever recorded in both the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savanna. Between August 2025 and July 2026, deforestation fell to 3,335 square kilometers (1,288 square miles), registering a drop of nearly 42% from the previous year and the lowest rate of deforestation since satellite monitoring began in 1988. “In 2021, deforestation peaked under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to its highest level since 2008. More than 13,200 km2 (5,097 mi2) of forest was cleared — nearly four times the 2025-26 figure. “Without a doubt, what we are seeing is very positive,” University of São Paulo climate scientist Carlos Nobre told Mongabay in an audio message. “I am also sure that this is the lowest deforestation in the Amazon’s history since the military dictatorship began heavily deforesting the Amazon in the mid-1970s.” Brazil was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1964 till 1985. The nation did not keep year-on-year deforestation data during that period, but INPE estimates suggest an average of 21,130 km2 (8,158 mi2) of forest were cleared every year between 1978 and 1988. The Cerrado, a tropical savanna and one of Brazil&#8217;s main agricultural regions, also recorded its lowest deforestation level last year since monitoring began for that biome in 2001. Between August 2025 and July 2026,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/deforestation-in-brazils-amazon-and-cerrado-savanna-at-lowest-rate-ever-recorded/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/deforestation-in-brazils-amazon-and-cerrado-savanna-at-lowest-rate-ever-recorded/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333555</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Deadly gold rush continues as latest landslide kills four in Sumatra</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/deadly-gold-rush-continues-as-latest-landslide-kills-four-in-sumatra/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/deadly-gold-rush-continues-as-latest-landslide-kills-four-in-sumatra/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 11:13:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vinolia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22110831/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-11-sumatra-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333530</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and West Sumatra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Crime, Disasters, Environment, Gold Mining, Governance, Illegal Mining, Landslides, and Mining]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PADANG, Indonesia — Four gold miners were killed after a hillside in the Jorong Jujutan forest of Sumatra’s South Solok district gave way in the early hours of Oct. 6. The landslide marked the latest fatalities in the so-called artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector, which has killed more than 50 people in just [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[PADANG, Indonesia — Four gold miners were killed after a hillside in the Jorong Jujutan forest of Sumatra’s South Solok district gave way in the early hours of Oct. 6. The landslide marked the latest fatalities in the so-called artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector, which has killed more than 50 people in just one of Indonesia’s 38 provinces in the last15 years, according to the country’s largest environmental pressure group. Local authorities identified the latest victims as Dani, Defriadi, Rafli and Zul Fatrianto. The men were recovered at around 5 a.m., approximately four hours after the fatal landslip. “The other workers who were nearby attempted to give assistance, but the thick layer of mud and rocks made it impossible to save the four,” the chief of South Solok district police Andreanaldo Ademi told Mongabay Indonesia. Illegal gold mining accidents have repeatedly led to loss of life in Indonesia, including recent landslides that buried miners in the West Sumatra districts of Sijunjung, Solok, South Solok and West Pasaman districts. The West Sumatra office of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Indonesia’s largest environmental nonprofit, has recorded 52 deaths among miners in the last 15 years. However, Tommy Adam, director of Walhi’s chapter in West Sumatra, said the true number could be far higher. A gold mine operating in a forest area in Batang, in the upper reaches of the Batang Sangir River, South Solok. Image by Vinolia/Mongabay Indonesia. Global challenges and framework At least 20 million people work&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/deadly-gold-rush-continues-as-latest-landslide-kills-four-in-sumatra/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/deadly-gold-rush-continues-as-latest-landslide-kills-four-in-sumatra/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333530</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘A decision to decide’: Greenland moves to suspend seabed mining until 2029</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-decision-to-decide-greenland-moves-to-suspend-seabed-mining-until-2029/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-decision-to-decide-greenland-moves-to-suspend-seabed-mining-until-2029/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 10:44:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shanna Hanbury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22104348/Inuit_Longline_Fishing_Boats-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333527</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Greenland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deep Sea, Deep Sea Mining, Ecosystems, Environment, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Governance, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Mining, Natural Resources, Oceans, Politics, and Saltwater Fish]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Greenland’s parliament has asked the government to pause licensing on seabed mining amid concerns about foreign interests in mining and potential environmental consequences for marine life. The Oct. 15 measure directed the government, called Naalakkersuisut, to present a law to the parliament, called Inatsisartut, in early 2027 to suspend seabed mining until at least 2029. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Greenland’s parliament has asked the government to pause licensing on seabed mining amid concerns about foreign interests in mining and potential environmental consequences for marine life. The Oct. 15 measure directed the government, called Naalakkersuisut, to present a law to the parliament, called Inatsisartut, in early 2027 to suspend seabed mining until at least 2029. “This is a decision to decide. An important one, and not the same thing as protection,” Jenseeraq Poulsen, executive director of Oceans North Kalaallit Nunaat, an environmental nonprofit, told Mongabay by email. Of the Greenlandic parliament’s 31 members, 17 were present, and all voted in favor of the proposal across party lines. On Oct. 14, a day before the vote, U.S. President Donald Trump said that “massive” oil, gas and mineral exploration was getting ready to begin in Greenland, a statement at odds with the recent decision from Greenland’s parliament. “On a question that has divided this parliament before, and in a month when there is considerable external interest in Greenland’s minerals, Inatsisartut spoke with one voice,” Poulsen said. “Every member present voted for it.” The resolution was first proposed in February 2026 by Pipaluk Lynge, a representative of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party. In the original proposal, she stated concerns over endangering Greenland’s marine environment due to other countries’ interest in deep-sea mining, and potential impacts on game animals and fishing. According to the 2026 report from Greenland’s national statistics organization, more than 90% of Greenland’s exports come from the fishing industry. According to a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-decision-to-decide-greenland-moves-to-suspend-seabed-mining-until-2029/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-decision-to-decide-greenland-moves-to-suspend-seabed-mining-until-2029/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333527</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rare Indonesian maleo birds face new threat from international exotic pet trade</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/rare-indonesian-maleo-birds-face-new-threat-from-international-exotic-pet-trade/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/rare-indonesian-maleo-birds-face-new-threat-from-international-exotic-pet-trade/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 08:59:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/22085840/Four-of-the-eight-maleos-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333524</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Crime, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Governance, Illegal Trade, Research, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife traffickers are increasingly targeting critically endangered maleo birds from coastal Indonesia for the international exotic pet trade, according to a recent study. In 2024, enforcement agencies recorded three separate seizures totaling 25 live juvenile maleo birds (Macrocephalon maleo) en route to or within India. The ground-dwelling, black-and-white birds are endemic to the Indonesian island [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife traffickers are increasingly targeting critically endangered maleo birds from coastal Indonesia for the international exotic pet trade, according to a recent study. In 2024, enforcement agencies recorded three separate seizures totaling 25 live juvenile maleo birds (Macrocephalon maleo) en route to or within India. The ground-dwelling, black-and-white birds are endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Just 4,000 to 7,000 breeding pairs are thought to remain there due to severe habitat destruction and egg poaching, reports Mongabay’s Spoorthy Raman. While all international commercial trade in maleos is banned under Indonesian law and CITES, the global wildlife trade convention, the new study marks the first documented evidence of the species entering illicit international commerce. Researchers found that trafficking syndicates recruited couriers including young couples, families with children, and a single mother. They were offered paid holidays and cash to carry the birds through international transit hubs in Jakarta, Mumbai, and Bangkok to avoid detection. “All evidence we have so far points to a domestic pet market in India,” said study co-author Uttara Mendiratta, a wildlife trade researcher in India and consultant with the Wildlife Trust of India. “We also see social media posts where influencers or celebrities are seen with rare wildlife as pets.” “We were not expecting to see maleos because we have not seen them in international trade before,” said lead author Chris Shepherd, senior conservation advocate at the U.S.-based Center for Biological Diversity. Shepherd said that while 25 birds may seem like a small number, removing them&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/rare-indonesian-maleo-birds-face-new-threat-from-international-exotic-pet-trade/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333524</doi>				</item>
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					<title>Extractive industries threaten global goal to protect 30% of nature by 2030, report finds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/extractive-industries-threaten-global-goal-to-protect-30-of-nature-by-2030-report-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/extractive-industries-threaten-global-goal-to-protect-30-of-nature-by-2030-report-finds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Oct 2026 19:50:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimee Gabay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/21144245/alain-bonnardeaux-CeaBZ2F49x4-unsplash-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333467</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, extractives, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Reform, Land Rights, Law, Mining, Natural Resources, Protected Areas, Tropical Forests, and Tropics]]>
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											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new report by Earth Insight finds more than 61.5 million hectares (151.9 million acres) of protected and conserved areas — an area roughly 2.5 times the size of the United Kingdom — overlap with ongoing and planned oil and gas blocks across the tropical countries. Another 42.7 million hectares (105.5 million acres) of protected [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[A new report by Earth Insight finds more than 61.5 million hectares (151.9 million acres) of protected and conserved areas — an area roughly 2.5 times the size of the United Kingdom — overlap with ongoing and planned oil and gas blocks across the tropical countries. Another 42.7 million hectares (105.5 million acres) of protected lands overlap with mining blocks or concessions. “[The] analysis reveals a major gap between conservation commitments and the industrial pressures facing areas already counted as protected and conserved,” Florencia Librizzi, deputy director at Earth Insight and author of the report, told Mongabay over email. Released on Oct. 8, the report arrived less than two weeks before delegates from around the world gather in Yerevan, Armenia, for the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP17) from Oct. 19 – 30. The findings show that expanding protected areas is not enough, according to the report. At COP15 in 2022, 196 nations pledged to conserve at least 30% of the world’s land, inland waters and coastal and marine areas by 2030 (known as “30&#215;30”) under Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This year, delegates will assess global progress toward the 30&#215;30 goal. But instead, the report says governments should evaluate which ecosystems are being preserved, ensure enforcement is effective and prevent industrial activities from undermining conservation efforts. A coalition of NGOs, including Earth Insight, the World Commission on Protected Areas, the KBA Secretariat, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) and others analyzed extractive pressures from a host&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/extractive-industries-threaten-global-goal-to-protect-30-of-nature-by-2030-report-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333467</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nature has a new Noah’s Ark moment at the biodiversity summit (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/nature-has-a-new-noahs-ark-moment-at-the-biodiversity-summit-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/nature-has-a-new-noahs-ark-moment-at-the-biodiversity-summit-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Oct 2026 19:21:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Glenn Hurowitz]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/21175138/ani-adigyozalyan-_vg33BH0KPM-unsplash-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333507</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, Biodiversity, Commentary, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Health, One Health, Planetary Health, Religions, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Delegates from most of the world’s governments are assembling this week in Yerevan, Armenia for the latest summit of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17), whose aim is to prevent the extinction of our fellow creatures, and promote sustainable and just land use. There could be no more fitting location: in the Bible, Mount [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Delegates from most of the world’s governments are assembling this week in Yerevan, Armenia for the latest summit of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17), whose aim is to prevent the extinction of our fellow creatures, and promote sustainable and just land use. There could be no more fitting location: in the Bible, Mount Ararat is where Noah’s Ark found dry land after the great flood – and where the animals he had rescued, two by two – finally disembarked: “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. Then God said to Noah, ‘Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you — the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground — so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.’” (Genesis 8). Thousands of years later, our fellow creatures need another rescue in the shadow of Mount Ararat, via this summit. That is fitting, because, as a lifelong environmentalist, I have personally never seen a time where politicians around the world seem to care less about nature than they do right now. A wreathed hornbill, found across South and Southeast Asia. Image by Nick Volpe via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC 4.0). A leading edge of this political assault on nature is the U.S. Government, even though America was in many ways the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/nature-has-a-new-noahs-ark-moment-at-the-biodiversity-summit-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333507</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>A &#8216;Treasury of Ice&#8217; goes on show, revealing relics as Swiss glaciers rapidly melt</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-treasury-of-ice-goes-on-show-revealing-relics-as-swiss-glaciers-rapidly-melt/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-treasury-of-ice-goes-on-show-revealing-relics-as-swiss-glaciers-rapidly-melt/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Oct 2026 17:37:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Associated Press]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/21173018/AP26292529051456-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333504</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Switzerland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate, Climate Change, Ecosystems, Environment, Freshwater, Glaciers, Global Environmental Crisis, and Impact Of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[LUCERNE, Switzerland (AP) — A bow once used to fire arrows in an ancient hunt. A crunched tube of mayonnaise and a discarded wine bottle. An alpinist&#8217;s cracked helmet. A statuette dating back to Roman times. The Glacier Garden in Lucerne is showcasing artifacts like these in a new exhibit of relics that have emerged [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[LUCERNE, Switzerland (AP) — A bow once used to fire arrows in an ancient hunt. A crunched tube of mayonnaise and a discarded wine bottle. An alpinist&#8217;s cracked helmet. A statuette dating back to Roman times. The Glacier Garden in Lucerne is showcasing artifacts like these in a new exhibit of relics that have emerged from Switzerland&#8217;s vaunted glaciers over the years, with more expected to come as global warming accelerates the thaw. The exhibit, whose title translates as “Treasury of Ice” from German, comes as Swiss glaciologists recently reported that Switzerland lost 5.5% of its total glacier volume this year, the second-biggest decline on record. “The glaciers are disappearing very, very fast now and before that completely happens, we want to show to the people that this is a very important and interesting archive of what we will lose, unfortunately,” said Andreas Burri, director of the Glacier Garden, an open-air museum. The exhibit features an array of relics — a cow skull, boots, a primitive sort of Swiss army knife, ski gear — as well as videos from Swiss glaciers, charts showing the level of thaw over the years, and a mockup of a glacier flow. Some, Burri says, was just rubbish. “It’s trash. People either lost it or threw it away. We don’t really know for sure,” he said. &#8220;But it does give an idea of the variety of things that are now being found as the glaciers melt away.” The remnants from the ice are stacked on&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-treasury-of-ice-goes-on-show-revealing-relics-as-swiss-glaciers-rapidly-melt/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333504</doi>				</item>
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