It can be done! – Building better dams in the Andean Amazon
More than 150 dams are currently planned for five of the six major Andean tributaries of the Amazon River. Damming those large, free-flowing streams would provide hydropower to half a…
Articles by Liz Kimbrough
Liz Kimbrough is a journalist based in New Orleans, LA. She has studied and written about science and environmental issues for over a decade. Liz holds a BS in Botany from Humboldt State University and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University where she studied the microbiomes of trees. Liz has been a contributor to Mongabay since 2012.
151 dams could be catastrophic to Amazon ecological connectivity
Liz Kimbrough with co-research by Anjali Kumar As South American countries begin to move beyond fossil fuels, many are looking to hydropower. The rivers flowing from the Andes Mountains down…
Proposed Andean headwater dams an ecological calamity for Amazon Basin
Article by Liz Kimbrough with co-research by Anjali Kumar Most "run-of-river" hydroelectric dams in the Amazon Basin are used to divert all of the flow away from the natural river…
Developing land without approval of local people ‘a human rights issue of grave concern,’ says new report
Report stresses the need to include communities in land management decisions to reduce conflict Throughout the tropics, staggering amounts of land have been designated for natural resource extraction—as much as…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Recognize the value of novel forests
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Ariel Lugo Ariel Lugo overlooking an urban watershed in Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy of Ariel Lugo. Think first before you eradicate non-native species…
Gold mining expanding rapidly along Guiana Shield, threatening forests, water, wildlife
Land cleared for mines spotted by innovative mapping technology Gold mining is on the rise in the Guiana Shield, a geographic region of South America that holds one of the…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Harness the power of marketing
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Diogo Veríssimo Curious common marmosets in Northeastern Brazil. Photo by: Diogo Veríssimo. In the Biblical tale of David and Goliath, David, the…
More trouble with tar sands: oil extraction leading to big forest loss in Alberta
Tar sands region lost 775,000 hectares of forest between 2001 and 2013, more loss expected as operations expand In a YouTube video posted Monday, Leonardo DiCaprio challenged Canadian Prime Minister…
Next big idea in forest conservation? DNA fingerprinting trees to stem illegal logging
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Chuck Cannon As a professor at Texas Tech, Dr. Chuck Cannon has been, among other things, working to create a system of…
Next big idea in forest conservation: Reconnecting faith and forests
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Shonil Bhagwat Entrance to a sacred grove in Kodagu, India. Photo courtesy of Shonil Bhagwat. "In Africa, you can come across Kaya…
Roads through the rainforest: an overview of South America’s ‘arc of deforestation’
Road development in Brazilian Amazon states surges, 95 percent of deforestation occurs within 50km of roads When a new road centipedes its way across a landscape, the best of intentions…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Rewards for reforestation
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Susie McGuire and Dr. Ed Louis Jr. Ed Louis (left) and Susie McGuire (right) with aye-aye. Photo courtesy of the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership…
Next big idea in forest conservation? The ‘double-edged sword’ of democracy
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Douglas Sheil The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda hosts nearly half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Photo courtesy of Douglas Sheil.…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Playing games to understand what drives deforestation
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Claude Garcia Ivindo National Park in Gabon. The loss of rainforest is an emerging issue in the Congo Basin. The forests of…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Learning from innovations to make REDD+ work
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Amy Duchelle Brazil nut producer in Pando, Bolivia. Photo by: Amy Duchelle. A scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Work locally, relentlessly, and, if necessary, ignore the government
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Gabriella Fredriksson Sun bears with tracking collars. Photo courtesy of Gabriella Fredriksson. In 1997, Gabriella Fredriksson, then a young PhD student, was…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Linking public health and environmental degradation
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Chris Golden Members of the MAHERY (Madagascar Health and Environmental Research) team that includes social surveyors, lemur researchers, tenrec researchers, veterinarians and…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Crowdsourced forest monitoring
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Carlos Souza Jr. Aerial view of grazing cattle in newly-cleared Amazon in Brazil. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. In the Brazilian Amazon,…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Maps for the masses
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Mark Mulligan Swamp forest in Western Colombia. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Mark Mulligan makes maps for the masses. In his work…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Empowering everyone to watch over forests
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Nigel Sizer Forest clearing in Malaysian Borneo. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Nigel Sizer has worked on the forefront of global forest…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Connecting deforestation to disease
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Thomas Gillespie Abel Nzeheke of the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project, preserves a lowland gorilla fecal sample for later analysis in the Republic…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Quantifying the cost of forest degradation
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Phillip Fearnside Pasture meets gallery forest in the Brazilian Amazon. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. How much is a forest really worth?…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Privatizing conservation management
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Erik Meijaard Stunning wildlife encounter along the Kinabatangan River, Sabah. Although they are called the Bornean pygmy elephant, there is nothing small…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Integrating demand for food with the need to save wild areas
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Mitch Aide Urban areas encroaching on agricultural lands in China. Photo courtesy of Mitch Aide. Will it be possible safeguard the world's…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Applying genomics to conservation issues
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Jaboury Ghazoul Tropical rainforest in Sumatra. Jaboury Ghazoul uses his expertise in plant ecology to address societal issues ranging from climate change…
Next big idea in conservation? Recognizing we are our own obstacles
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Cynthia Ong Forever Sabah workshop with indigenous leaders in Borneo. Cynthia Ong is not satisfied with the conservation status-quo. Her work aims to…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Incentivizing keeping primary forests intact
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Corey Bradshaw Primary peat forest in Sumatra. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Much of Dr. Corey Bradshaw's work has a singular aim: to…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Connecting forest fragments
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Stuart Pimm Aerial view of forest fragment in Costa Rica. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Dr. Stuart Pimm is an expert in extinctions:…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Using drones to catch poachers, monitor forests
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Lian Pin Koh Collage of photos showing orangutan nests taken from a conservation drone. Photo courtesy of ConservationDrones.org. At the foothills of the…
Next big idea in forest conservation? Global road map to mitigate damage from roads
Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with William F. Laurance Logging road in Borneo. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. In the world of conservation, Dr. William Laurance is a household…
Special series
Forest Trackers
- New concession in Botum Sakor National Park handed to Cambodia’s Royal Group
- Elephants invade as habitat loss soars in Nigerian forest reserve
- In Brazil’s Amazon, a ‘new agricultural frontier’ threatens protected lands
- Cambodia awards swath of national park forest to tycoon Ly Yong Phat’s son
Oceans
- Seventy-plus nations sign historic high seas treaty, paving way for ratification
- First Nation and scientists partner to revive climate-saving eelgrass
- ‘Totally unsustainable’ sand mining harms marine environments, new data suggest
- A Philippines NGO project aimed to protect villages from typhoons: What went wrong?
Amazon Conservation
- Brazil Supreme Court quashes time frame proposal in win for Indigenous rights
- EU bill and new green policies spur progress on Brazil’s cattle tracking
- Meatpacking giant and Amazon deforester JBS bid for NYSE listing challenged
- In Roraima, Indigenous communities forge sustainable solutions amid threats
Land rights and extractives
- Son of slain Quilombola leader will still strive for community’s rights
- South Africa community members decry traditional leaders’ power amid mine plans
- Can upcoming referendum in Ecuador stop oil drilling in Yasuní National Park?
- Elders call for Indigenous cultural preservation in new Indonesia capital
Endangered Environmentalists
- Son of slain Quilombola leader will still strive for community’s rights
- Video: Five Tembé Indigenous activists shot in Amazonian ‘palm oil war’
- Indigenous activists demand justice after 5 shot in Amazonian ‘palm oil war’
- Climate of fear persists among Nepal’s eco defenders as threats rise
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- Pioneer agroforester Ermi, 73, rolls back the years in Indonesia’s Gorontalo
- After 20 years and thousands of trees planted, Kalimantan’s veteran forester persists
- Aziil Anwar, Indonesian coral-based mangrove grower, dies at 64
- A utopia of clean air and wet peat amid Sumatra’s forest fire ‘hell’
Conservation Effectiveness
- Group certification helps Malaysia’s Sabah aim for palm oil sustainability
- A Philippines NGO project aimed to protect villages from typhoons: What went wrong?
- From debt to diversity: A journey of rewilding, carbon capture and hope
- Progress is slow on Africa’s Great Green Wall, but some bright spots bloom
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- Indonesia’s new capital ‘won’t sacrifice the environment’: Q&A with Nusantara’s Myrna Asnawati Safitri
- Small farmers in limbo as Cambodia wavers on Tonle Sap conservation rules
- To build its ‘green’ capital city, Indonesia runs a road through a biodiverse forest
- Robust river governance key to restoring Mekong River vitality in face of dams
