The mine that promised to protect the environment: A cautionary tale
Did one of the largest mining companies in the world make good on its promise to protect the environment as it extracted precious minerals from one of the poorest countries…
Articles by Malavika Vyawahare
Madagascar staff reporter, international news. Formerly science and environment reporter at Hindustan Times, India. Columbia Journalism School Alum. Words in The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera and Scientific American.
Tweets at @MalavikaVy
Himalayan glaciers melting twice as fast in recent years, study shows
Himalayan glaciers, considered the “third pole” of the world because of the sheer volume of ice they hold, melted twice as quickly between 2000 and 2016 compared to 1975 and…
A four-year ox-cart ride around Madagascar: Q&A with Alexandre Poussin
When discovering a new country, most travelers are inclined to take the path well-trodden: a train ride, a road trip, perhaps a bike tour. French explorer and writer Alexandre Poussin,…
Deforested areas bleed heat to nearby forests, drive local extinctions
Areas cleared of forests bleed heat to neighboring forests, and this fuels increases in temperatures there, new research has found. Average temperatures in forests around the world are already rising…
Lions vs. porcupines: A thorny tale with a moral about man-eaters
For those who relish a meaty David vs. Goliath story, the contest between a porcupine and a mighty African lion is a must-watch. Male African lions (Panthera leo) are about…
A Malagasy community races the timber mafia to save its forest
Vohibola Forest is home to several species of microfauna: from tiny frogs that fit on a fingertip, to Lilliputian chameleons of all shades. It is also one of the last…
Conservationists call for lasting ban on trade in Malagasy precious timber
For over a decade Madagascar has wrestled with a thorny question: What to do with stockpiles of illegal precious timber in government custody? A new analysis contends that selling off…
It’s now or never for Madagascar’s biodiversity, experts say
As President Andry Rajoelina marked 100 days at the helm of Madagascar on April 30, an international team of conservation experts weighed in on how to shape the country’s conservation…
An epic Pacific survey reveals mixed fortunes for green and hawksbill turtles
First the good news: A sweeping survey of the Pacific Basin has found the population of endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) there is increasing. However, the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata),…
That Malagasy forest featured in Netflix’s ‘Our Planet’? It’s vanishing fast
Viewers inspired by Netflix’s new series “Our Planet” to explore the stunning landscapes it captures may find one destination shockingly different from its lustrous on-screen depiction: Between the shooting for…
Colorful display of newly described stick insects confounds scientists
If in the midst of a forest you chance upon a crawling twig, you may be in the presence of a stick insect. This group of insects, which evolved specifically…
Ice-free Alps? It could be a reality by 2100
The iconic snow-capped Alpine peaks may be a thing of the past for future generations if average global temperatures keep rising unchecked, a new study warns. The study, in the…
Natural forests best bet for fighting climate change, analysis finds
Natural forests are 40 times more effective than plantations for storing carbon, making them the best option for slowing the global average temperature rise, a group of scientists says. Forests…
Human population boom led to Madagascar’s megafauna extinction: Study
Until about 1,000 years ago, Madagascar was home to fantastical creatures like elephant birds, giant fossas and large-bodied lemurs. Unlike their present-day cousins, they were enormous — bigger than the average…
Sri Lanka set to become first nation to protect all mangroves
This World Mangrove Day, the tropical island-nation of Sri Lanka is getting its own mangrove museum. The museum, inaugurated by the Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena today, will showcase how mangroves…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Deaths, arrests and protests as Philippines re-emerges from lockdown
- In Brazil, COVID-19 outbreak paves way for invasion of indigenous lands
- On anniversary of nun’s murder Amazon land rights activists at high risk
Indonesias forest guardians
- Reforesting a village in Indonesia, one batch of gourmet beans at a time
- Restoring Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, one small farm at a time
- Indigenous Iban community defends rainforests, but awaits lands rights recognition
Amazon infrastructure
- Coronavirus puts Brazil’s quilombos at risk; will assistance come?
- Amazon road projects could lead to Belize-size loss of forest, study shows
- Bolsonaro revives a plan to carve a road through one of Brazil’s last untouched areas
Asian rhinos
- A new sanctuary for the Sumatran rhino is delayed amid COVID-19 measures
- U.S. fund that supports Sumatran rhino research faces deep cuts under Trump
- Reproductive woes spell need for more viable females in Sumatran rhino program
