Scientists discover carbon ‘fingerprint’ in tree rings
As they grow, trees and other plants take carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere and, through photosynthesis, use it to build their tissues by converting it to a type…
Articles by Morgan Erickson-Davis
Morgan has been writing for Mongabay since 2008 and came on full-time in 2014. Trained in biology, Morgan has taken any available opportunity to learn more about the world, from working as a fisheries biologist aboard longliners and freighters in the South Pacific to evaluating river health in western Montana. Morgan spent eight years editing technical papers before jumping into journalism, with more than 50 manuscripts under her belt. Currently, she manages Mongabay's forests and global palm oil reporting programs.
New species of ‘exploding ant’ discovered in Borneo
High up in the treetops of Borneo live “exploding ants,” so named because of their unique defensive behavior. When a potential enemy threatens their colony, these ants kill themselves by…
Colombia grants ‘historic’ protections to rainforest, indigenous groups
In a move described as “unprecedented,” Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos announced Tuesday that the country intends to add 8 million hectares (80,000 square kilometers or 31,000 square miles) to…
Global warming may poison monarch butterflies, study finds
Monarch butterflies depend on milkweed and its poisonous compounds that are deadly to most other insects. But a new study finds global warming may be making the very plant monarch…
46% of Albertine Rift species may be threatened by 2080, study finds
East Africa’s Albertine Rift extends nearly a thousand miles from the border between northwestern Uganda and northeastern DRC down through Rwanda and Burundi to Malawi. Dotted with mountains and pockmarked…
Rubber plantation in Cameroon edges closer to UNESCO World Heritage Site
An industrial rubber plantation is currently developing land right on the edge of Cameroon’s Dja Faunal Reserve. And it's getting closer, according to an analysis of satellite data released by…
Ire and ore: Demands grow for clarity around Cambodian gold mine
A gold mine in the remote northern Cambodian province of Preah Vihear is being opposed by local people who claim they have lost their land and are being manipulated by…
Frogs may be ‘fighting back’ against deadly pandemic
A deadly disease that has ripped through frog populations around the world, contributing to huge declines in many species and the outright extinction of several others, has shown little sign…
Colombia scraps Amazon highway plans due to deforestation concerns
Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos declared earlier this month that a controversial highway project that would cut through the Amazon will not be completed. Santos pointed at rampant deforestation and…
‘A real surprise’: Study reveals low phosphorus doesn’t hinder rainforest growth
Scientists have long believed the lack of nutrients in tropical forests soils meant that they weren’t very productive when it came to plant growth. But at the same time, trees…
Better agricultural planning could prevent 88% of biodiversity loss, study finds
Better planning could save a lot of wildlife, according to results from a study published recently in Global Change Biology. It found that nearly 90 percent of the biodiversity that…
Conservationists rush to save Bolivian turtles threatened by egg trafficking
BENI DEPARTMENT, Bolivia — The sound of hundreds of excited children drowns out the gentle hum of nature. Those closest to the shoreline hold in their hands, some for the…
Sarawak makes 80% forest preservation commitment, but some have doubts
The Malaysian state of Sarawak is committing to the preservation of 80 percent of its land area as primary and secondary forest, according to an announcement by Sarawak Chief Minister…
Carbon credit prices too low to protect forests from rubber, study finds
Rubber plantations cover around 86,000 square kilometers (33,200 square miles) in Southeast Asia and conservationists worry they are posing an increasingly major threat to the region’s rainforests. A new study…
Europe’s beetle species plummet as trees disappear
Saproxylic beetles live in and eat dead and decaying wood, and play important ecological roles in nutrient recycling and pollination, and as an important food source for birds and other…
Mangrove deforestation may be releasing more CO2 than Poland, study finds
Seemingly nondescript messes of tangled branches and exposed roots, mangrove forests cling to the coasts of many tropical countries. However, mangroves are far from unexceptional, providing critical ecosystem services like…
Why intact forests are important
When it comes to habitat quality and ecosystem services, research has shown that natural landscapes do it best. A new study, published today in Nature, adds fodder to this argument,…
Tropical forest fragmentation nearing ‘critical point,’ study finds
Deforestation in the tropics is caused by many different human activities that vary in intensity depending on location. In South America, industrial agriculture is the big driver of deforestation while…
Land plants may have evolved much earlier than we thought
A new study drastically upends conventional wisdom about when plants colonized land, pushing back the date about 80 million years to around half a billion years ago. The new date…
Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon dropped 13 percent in 2017
A recent analysis of satellite images gives a glimpse into Peru’s widespread deforestation in 2017. The analysis, which was produced by the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), found…
Special series
Conservation in madagascar
- More than 40 percent of Madagascar’s freshwater life sliding toward extinction, IUCN finds
- Madagascar: Conservation official arrested for killing 11 endangered lemurs
- Will Madagascar’s industrial shrimp trawlers make way for local fishers?
Indonesias forest guardians
- In eastern Indonesia, a forest tribe pushes back against miners and loggers
- Faith in the forest helps Indonesia’s Dayaks keep plantations, loggers at bay
- Reliance on natural healing cultivates respect for nature in Indonesian village
Amazon infrastructure
- Brazil’s actual forest-related CO2 emissions could blow by Paris pledge
- Brazil’s high court curbs executive power to dismember protected areas
- NGOs denounce Tapajós basin intimidation, violence, Brazil inaction
Asian rhinos
- Kaziranga’s rhino census finds the population is growing, but more slowly than expected
- Save the Sumatran rhino ‘because we can’ (commentary)
- Javan rhino population holds steady amid ever-present peril
