Saving Bangladesh’s last rainforest
When most people think of Bangladesh's native ecosystems, the Sundarbans — the world's largest mangrove forest — are probably the first thing that come to mind. But the Sundarbans aren't…
Articles by Rhett A. Butler
Rhett Butler is the founder and CEO of Mongabay. Rhett founded Mongabay out of his passion for wildlife and wild places. He has traveled widely in the tropics and enjoys photography, hiking, and scuba-diving.
Rainforest destruction rises in the Brazilian Amazon
Newly released data suggest that rainforest destruction in the Brazilian Amazon has reached the highest level since 2009. In the past week, Brazil's National Space Research Institute (INPE) and Imazon,…
On eve of Olympics, Amazon deforestation surges in Brazil
Preliminary data suggests deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon may be on the rise after years of remaining at historic lows. According to data released last week by Imazon, a group…
Illegal wildlife trade in Asia decimating species, warn scientists
Asia's burgeoning demand for wildlife is decimating wild populations around the planet, hastening the demise of biodiversity already under threat from habitat destruction and climate change, warned scientists meeting last…
10 reasons to be optimistic for forests
It's easy to be pessimistic about the state of the world's forests. Rates of forest loss remain persistently high, especially in the tropics and boreal regions. Drought, fragmentation, degradation via…
The top 10 most biodiverse countries
Author's note: after posting, I located a better data set on plant species diversity, which altered the original rankings dropping Peru from #4 to #6. May 22 has been designated…
Conservation giant puts $100M into Amazon protected areas
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation — the biggest private supporter of conservation in the world's largest rainforest — has pledged another $100 million toward efforts to establish and support…
New Rainforest Alliance head: technology could improve commodity certification
In January, Rainforest Alliance, one of the world's most influential environmental groups for its work in developing eco-certification as a mechanism for raising social and environmental standards for commodity production,…
For Leap Day, 35 pictures of frogs
Leap Day only happens every four years but when the next one comes around, the planet may have lost a few more frog species: amphibians are the most endangered group…
77 inspiring rainforest pictures
Mongabay was born out of my love for rainforests so for this Valentine's day, I'm doing something a little different: posting a bunch of my favorite rainforest photos from the…
Fires burned 26% of forestry giant’s South Sumatra plantations in 2015
Peat fires burned 293,065 hectares of land within concessions managed by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) suppliers during last year's haze crisis, an area amounting to 37 percent of its…
Indonesia appoints conservationist to save country’s declining peatlands
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has appointed conservationist Nazir Foead to head up a newly-created peatland restoration agency, which aims to resurrect peatlands devastated by recent fires. The establishment of the…
What’s ahead for rainforests in 2016? 10 things to watch
Between Indonesia's massive forest fires, the official approval of REDD+ at climate talks in Paris, and the establishment of several major national parks, there was plenty to get excited about…
50+ companies being investigated or punished for Indonesia’s haze crisis
More than 50 plantation companies are being punished or investigated by the Indonesian for fires linked to the choking haze that polluted skies across Southeast Asia this fall. A week…
The year in rainforests: 2015
Between the landmark climate agreement signed in Paris in December 2015, Indonesia's fire and haze crisis of the late summer and early fall, and continuing adoption of zero deforestation policies…
Mongabay’s 10 most popular conservation news stories in 2015
In 2015 Mongabay published nearly 1,300 news stories in English and over 600 articles in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Japanese, and Chinese. Mongabay-Indonesia posted over 1,800 stories in Indonesian.…
Christmas gift to the planet: massive rainforest reserve created in Borneo
Christmas has come early for some of the planet's most endangered animals: the Malaysian state of Sabah has established a 68,000-hectare rainforest reserve that houses orangutans, elephants, and clouded leopards,…
How does the global commodity collapse impact forest conservation?
Since early 2014, prices for most commodities produced in the tropics have plunged. Palm oil is down by 40 percent, logs from Malaysia and Cameroon are off by roughly a…
Norway extends forest conservation initiative
The Norwegian government has extended its multi-billion dollar forest protection initiative. At the Paris climate convention on Friday, Norwegian Minister of Environment and Climate Tine Sundtoft said the country would…
New short film urges world to ‘stop the burning’
If world leaders are serious about addressing climate change, staving off the sixth great extinction, and raising living standards of the world's rural poor, they must 'stop the burning' of…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Murder of activist in India highlights growing risk to environmental defenders
- Number of murdered environmental activists rose once again in 2017
- Indonesia to investigate death of journalist being held for defaming palm oil company
Indonesias forest guardians
- Papuan chef Charles Toto serves up sustainability and environmental protection in a platter
- 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
Amazon infrastructure
- China increasingly involved in Brazil’s ambitious Amazon rail network
- Amazon and climate science threatened if Bolsonaro elected Brazil’s president (commentary)
- Grainrail: ‘2nd revolution in Brazilian agribusiness’ and Amazon threat
Asian rhinos
- For Javan rhinos, the last holdout may also be a deadly disease hotspot
- ‘At capacity’? A Nepali park reckons with its rhinos
- What’s killing Nepal’s rhinos?
