Audio: DJ remixes the sounds of birds, lemurs, and more to inspire conservation
On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, we take a break from our usual science reporting to look at some of the ways nature inspires people to create art —…
Articles by Mike Gaworecki
Mike Gaworecki is a journalist based in Brooklyn, NY. He has covered environmental science, forests, and climate issues for over a decade. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, Pacific Standard, BillMoyers.com, Alternet, Treehugger, and more. Mike started writing for Mongabay as a contributor on forests in 2014 and joined the staff in September 2015.
How a mass extinction event gave us the majority of frogs alive today
There are three orders in the class Amphibia, collectively comprising nearly 7,700 species. Of those three, the order Anura, which includes frogs and toads, represents 6,787 of the world’s known…
The Chinese town at the epicenter of the global illegal ivory trade
When China announced at the end of 2016 that it would close its domestic ivory market within a year, the news was hailed as a “game changer” for African elephants,…
Rate of human-wildlife conflict in India has researchers making urgent appeals for solutions
Researchers in India are calling for measures to improve human-wildlife conflict management across the country after a study revealed the frequency with which clashes between animals and people are resulting…
‘Tracking Gobi Grizzlies:’ Book excerpt and Q&A with Douglas Chadwick, wildlife biologist and author
When wildlife biologist and author Douglas Chadwick first heard tales of Gobi bears, he was dubious. Stretching across 1,295,000 square kilometers (or about a half million square miles) of southern…
New investor guide aims to help navigate social and environmental risks of commodities supply chains
Six years ago, Boston, Massachusetts-based NGO Ceres started tracking resolutions filed by shareholders asking food and beverage companies to report on how they are managing the risks that come with…
Audio: The fight to save Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem
On this episode, we welcome Gemma Tillack, agribusiness campaign director of the Rainforest Action Network, an NGO based in San Francisco and a group that has been very active in…
Is intensification of beef production really a solution to Amazonian deforestation?
Beef production has become a major driver of tropical deforestation, responsible for as much as 65 percent of rainforest destruction caused by the global agricultural commodities trade in the first…
Warnings and protests mark Brazilian President Temer’s trip to Norway
Brazilian President Michel Temer will be greeted with protests when he arrives in Norway tomorrow for an official visit with Prime Minister Erna Solberg. Meanwhile, Norwegian government officials are warning…
Five new species in world’s largest tree genus found on Sulawesi
The Indonesian island of Sulawesi’s unique fauna has received far more attention than its flora. But the authors of a study describing five new tree species — the first new…
Research suggests less affluent countries more dedicated to wildlife conservation than rich countries
Studies have shown that, due to human activities, species loss over the past century was at least 100 times higher than historical levels, fueling speculation that we’re witnessing a sixth…
DNA analysis reveals a third species of flying squirrel in North America
There are now three species of flying squirrel in North America, and it turns out that the newest member of the family has actually been gliding amongst the treetops of…
Wildlife ecologist killed in Rwandan national park by recently translocated rhino
Anti-poaching efforts in Africa are inherently dangerous, especially given the increasing militarization of the poaching gangs that are decimating elephant and rhino numbers across the continent. But recent news out…
The ‘interval squeeze’: Climate change makes it less likely conifer forests will regenerate after wildfires
The Klamath Region of the Western United States, which spans northern California and southwestern Oregon, is considered a richly biodiverse botanical hotspot. It boasts nearly 30 species of conifer, for…
New ‘Elfin mountain toad’ discovered in Annamite Mountains of Vietnam
A new species of Asian mountain toad belonging to the genus Ophryophryne has been discovered in the the Truong Son or Annamite mountains of Vietnam, an area of high diversity…
Urban heat island effect could more than double climate costs for cities
Economists generally expect climate change to cost a lot of money and impact nearly every sector of the economy. And now, according to new research published in the journal Nature…
Audio: Activists determined to protect newly discovered Amazon Reef from oil drilling
On this episode, we welcome marine biologist and director of Greenpeace USA’s oceans campaigns John Hocevar. When the Greenpeace ship Esperanza embarked on an expedition earlier this year to document…
Australian spider named for world champion surfer
Australian Mick Fanning is a three-time world champion surfer, and now he has another accolade to his name: an eponymous spider species. Pisauridae mickfanningi is a newly discovered species of…
Leonardo DiCaprio teams up with Mexico’s president and wealthiest individual to save the vaquita
Actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio has jumped into the fight to save the critically endangered vaquita together with the president of Mexico and the country’s wealthiest individual. An agreement signed…
Rainforest Alliance, UTZ announce merger to create single sustainability standard and certification program
In a rare instance of a merger in the non-profit world, the Rainforest Alliance and UTZ, two influential agricultural sustainability certification bodies, have announced they will come together under the…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Another Madagascar environmental activist imprisoned
- Indigenous group scores legal victory as dam floods their lands
- Yasuni indigenous peoples’ fight for survival depicted in new documentary
Global forest reporting network
- Leading US plywood firm linked to alleged destruction, rights violations in Malaysia
- Communities struggle to save Sabah’s shrinking mangroves
- Saving the Serranía de San Lucas, a vital link in the ‘jaguar corridor’
Amazon infrastructure
- Amazonian manatee migration at risk from disruption by proposed dams
- Munduruku standoff against Amazon dam builders potentially explosive
- Record Amazon fires stun scientists; sign of sick, degraded forests
Asian rhinos
- When a rhino calls in the forest, this guy hears it: Q&A with a Javan rhino researcher
- Audio: Is forest certification an effective strategy? Plus acoustic ecology of the Javan rhino
- A rhino called hope
