Curiosity saves the cat: Tourism helps reinvent the jaguar
From villain to hero, the jaguar (Panthera onca) stands at the cusp of a radical overhaul in its public image. As the largest cat in the Americas, the species commands…
Articles by Maria Salazar
Maria Angeles lives in Spain. She started translating for Mongabay in 2013 after finishing her postgraduate studies. She is now helping the team as the Translation Coordinator. Apart from her work for Mongabay, she works part-time as a translator and interpreter. Before joining the team, she worked as an English teacher and volunteered her time translating for different non-profits. She wants to contribute to make the world a better place to live in with her work
Keeping lions at bay to keep them going
Living together can be hard. But put people and their livestock close to lions and other hungry predators, and it’s as hard as it gets. In East Africa, wildlife and…
A global view from a mountain town: how conservation became ingrained in Monteverde
Sitting in a cloud forest on top of the Cordillera de Tilarán, the mountaintop town of Monteverde, Costa Rica seems isolated. But, its view stretches far beyond its boundaries. In…
Taking on the plastic straw: Q&A with Adrian Grenier, actor and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador
Sometimes humans invent things, seemingly benign things, that end up having profound and unpredictable effects. The invention of plastic must have been a marvel in the early 20th century. Entrepreneurs…
Massive highway planned for Philippines’ Palawan Island
Plans are underway for the construction of a massive superhighway on the highly biodiverse Palawan Island in the Philippines. The project would aim to expand the island’s existing road into…
The “dolphin who became man”: will the boto survive the catfish trade?
Over thirty years ago, armed with a romantic dream of studying dolphins and a motorboat engine borrowed from a friend, Dr. Fernando Trujillo set off towards the small Amazonian village…
How effective are wildlife corridors like Singapore’s Eco-Link?
Despite the 28 years that have passed since the Iron Curtain fell, the Western red deer (Cervus elaphus) living on either side of the Czech Republic and Germany have never…
Mothers vs. loggers: the destruction of Białowieża Forest splits Poland
In a recently logged clearing outside Krakow, Poland, a woman sits on a tree stump, nursing her child. She looks down affectionately, her purple knitted cap and magenta jacket vividly…
Empowering communities fighting new mines: an interview with filmmaker Jessie Landerman
It is no secret that mining destroys environments and communities throughout the world. But, beneath the surface there are specific details that are not as widely known. Communities affected by…
Fighting climate change with compassion, one letter at a time
What can you do that transcends climate policy and unites us all in a better, more resilient future? Imagine writing a letter to your children about climate change that they’ll…
Kiribati confronts climate upheaval by preparing for ‘migration with dignity’
High tide keeps getting higher on the islands of the Republic of Kiribati – 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean that rest only a few feet above sea level.…
Protecting fish and fishers: Economists say catch shares work
In marine fisheries, the infamous “race to fish” has long been known to shorten fishing seasons and deplete fish populations. In an archetypal display of the tragedy of the commons…
A dangerous path: New highway could jeopardize tigers in India
On May 1, forestry officials in the Indian state of Uttarakhand discovered a tiger cub, abandoned and injured. They attempted to rescue the animal, but had arrived too late –…
Whale entanglements skyrocket off the U.S. West Coast
During the 2016 fishing season, 71 whales were entangled off the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California, the highest number ever recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).…
‘The ones we named are all dead now’: dolphins and fishers struggle to survive in Myanmar
Drifting down the moonlit Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) River in Myanmar, gangs of fishermen drop car batteries into the water. Electrocution, or “shock,” fishing is punishable by hefty fines and years in…
Why not both? Rainforest diversity stems from two seemingly irreconcilable processes
It’s crowded in the tropics. Take the plant world: 1,000 tree species can coexist in a small equatorial area of only a quarter kilometer squared, according to one forest ecologist,…
Reef Market Economy: Energetics key to keeping fish in the sea and the store
Coral reefs may be underwater, but they are also under fire: overfishing is dramatically altering these underwater treasures. While most people never get to see these ecosystems up close, they…
Lizard DNA reveals India’s grasslands are likely pre-human – and need protection
It started out as an interest in lacertids – a family of small lizards native to Asia, Europe, and Africa – an itch to “understand what was going on with…
‘Who wants to go for holiday to see large clear-cuts?’: Slovakia turns against its national parks
The largest member of the grouse family, the capercaillie, is losing ground in the Carpathian Mountains. A recent study published in the journal of Landscape Ecology found that suitable habitat…
Guatemalan authorities destroy secret airstrip in Laguna del Tigre National Park
(This is a collaborative article by Mongabay Latam and Plaza Pública, a Guatemalan investigative news outlet) The spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Julia Barrera, told Plaza Pública and Mongabay…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Yasuni indigenous peoples’ fight for survival depicted in new documentary
- Leading ivory trade investigator slain in Tanzania
- 2016 was even deadlier for environmental and indigenous activists than 2015
Global forest reporting network
- Communities struggle to save Sabah’s shrinking mangroves
- Saving the Serranía de San Lucas, a vital link in the ‘jaguar corridor’
- Monkey rediscovered in Brazil after 80 years
Amazon infrastructure
- Temer uses controversial deforestation data in speech to UN
- Amazon dam defeats Brazil’s environment agency (commentary)
- Andes dams could threaten food security for millions in Amazon basin
Asian rhinos
- Can the Javan rhino be saved before disaster strikes?
- Javan rhinos face human incursions into their last remaining habitat
- India and Nepal team up to rescue flooded rhinos
