Forest conversion for agriculture in Colombia. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Over 62 million hectares (240,000 square miles) of forest across Latin America — an area roughly the size of…
In this commentary, David Dellatore, Program Manager at the Sumatran Orangutan Society, questions the value of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council's essay-writing contest which will pay contributors to conclude that…
PLEASE NOTE: Please see this page for the latest numbers Current deforestation rate: alerts are up over this time last year Nearly two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest is located in…
. An outfit usually associated with investigating arms dealers and weapons traffickers is applying its advanced network mapping capabilities to criminal wildlife trafficking syndicates. This week Washington D.C.-based C4ADS unveiled…
A high profile pledge by the world's largest meat company to limit deforestation for cattle production in the Amazon appears to be working, resulting in a dramatic increase in compliance…
Peat forest canopy in Riau, Indonesia. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), an Indonesian forestry giant that was once one of the biggest targets for environmentalists…
The green iguana is one of more than 100 species of reptiles and amphibians found in La Sierra del Divisor. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. The fate of La Sierra…
One of the world's largest fabric makers for the fashion industry today announced a policy to exclude fiber produced at the expense of endangered forests, reports Canopy, an environmental group…
Due to its widening impact on tropical forests yet high profit margins, palm oil is one of the most polarizing crops in the tropics. Scientists and environmentalists warn of the…
Think of it as trying to help the long-lost cousins who never left your home town. Researchers and friends at the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) are doing just that for…
Forest cover status in Sarawak, Sabah, and Brunei as of 2009, according to Bryan et al 2013. Sarawak's leader has allegedly pledged to stop granting industrial timber and palm oil…
A large male Sumatran orangutan is released, some 50 kilometers from where he was rescued in the Leuser Ecosystem. Photo: Paul Hilton for OIC. Conservationists rescued another orangutan stranded in…
CAO lasers easily penetrate forest canopies to reveal minute variations in ground elevation associated with soils. This images shows a ground elevation map in dense tropical forest of western Amazon.…
University of Maryland map showing forest loss since 2000 in Sarawak. After decades of intense logging that has left its rainforests degraded, fragmented, and stripped of valuable timber in many…
Simple, automated speaker systems can help keep elephants out of agricultural areas Elephants in Namibia. The search for effective measures to reduce human-elephant conflict is a top priority for wildlife…
Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jeffery), captive, Philippine Eagle Center, Davao, Mindanao, Philippines. Image credit Klaus Nigge. Seven conservationists have taken home Whitley Awards for their efforts to protect wildlife in developing…
. Up to 64 percent of above-ground biomass in selectively logged forests may consist of dead wood left over from logging damage, argues a paper published this week in Environmental…
. Communities in the Central African rainforest can now report illegal logging in their territories as it happens, potentially enabling real-time law enforcement action. The system, developed in a partnership…
Global Forest Watch image showing deforestation alerts, oil palm plantations, and protected areas in Sumatra. Click to enlarge. The world's leading forest monitoring platform may soon help predict deforestation before…
Summary of main pressures on forests in different deforestation fronts. Graphics courtesy of WWF's LIVING FORESTS REPORT: SAVING FORESTS AT RISK. Click to enlarge. Environmental group WWF has released a…
Deforestation for palm oil production in Malaysian Borneo. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Last week, the London-based think tank Innovation Forum convened a two-day conference on the subject of sustainable…
Global Forest Watch map showing forest loss between 2001 and 2013 in Peru's Alto Nanay Pintuyacu Chambira conservation area and Alto Purus National Park New NASA data shows a jump…
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon — the planet's largest rainforest — continues to pace well ahead of last year's rate, reveals data released by Imazon, a Manaus-based nonprofit. According to…
A new study attempts to place a value of goods and services afforded by the ocean, estimating that if the planet's seas were classified as a country, it would rank…
Cleared peat forest and a drainage canal in PT RAPP's concession on Pulau Padang, Riau. Courtesy of the Bruno Manser Fund. Environmentalists are asking tennis star Roger Federer to deliver…
Here at Mongabay we've developed a bit of a policy of not making a big deal for Earth Day. We believe that people should respect the planet on a daily…
Norway's Government Pension Fund Global — the world's largest sovereign wealth fund — is adopting standards to avoid investing in companies linked to tropical deforestation, sending a strong signal that…
Fast food giant McDonald's will combat deforestation across its main commodity supply chains, including palm oil, beef, paper and packaging, coffee, and poultry. The commitment is the most comprehensive of…
A group of prominent researchers, philanthropists, and activists are calling for a doubling of the planet's native forest canopy by 2035 as a way to make a "U-turn" on global…
