Rhett Ayers Butler

Rhett Ayers Butler

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About

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.

LinkedIn Profile | Personal website | Contact

Some background on Mongabay's origin:

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2292 stories
Bob Weir. From his website.

Bob Weir, a musician who took the environment seriously

Rhett Ayers Butler 11 Jan 2026
Madhav Gadgil in 2016. Photo by Syed Shiyaz Mirza

Madhav Gadgil, advocate of democratic conservation, has died at 83

Rhett Ayers Butler 8 Jan 2026
Mushrooms in San Mateo County, California. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler.

An inventory of life in California

Rhett Ayers Butler 6 Jan 2026
The Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler.

The climate fight may not be won in the Amazon, but it can be lost there

Rhett Ayers Butler 5 Jan 2026

Biologist kidnapped in Mexico

Rhett Ayers Butler 4 Jan 2026
Craig. Photo by Cristina Mittermeier

What Craig’s long life reveals about elephant conservation

Rhett Ayers Butler 3 Jan 2026
Truphena Muthoni hugging a tree for 72 consecutive hours. Image by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga via X.

From Chipko to Nyeri: The enduring logic of the tree hug

Rhett Ayers Butler 2 Jan 2026
Purisima Creek, California in December 2025. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler

The conservation ledger: What we lost and what we gained in 2025

Rhett Ayers Butler 1 Jan 2026
Emma Johnston. Photo by The University of New South Wales

Emma Johnston, a marine ecologist with institutional reach, has died at 52

Rhett Ayers Butler 31 Dec 2025
Sunset over Borneo in 2025. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler

Mongabay’s most popular stories of 2025

Rhett Ayers Butler 31 Dec 2025
Richard Frederick Bradshaw. Photo courtesy of Phillips, Hager & North (PH&N).

Investor Dick Bradshaw took a long view of conservation

Rhett Ayers Butler 31 Dec 2025
Tatiana Schlossberg. Photo by Steven Senne/Associated Press

Tatiana Schlossberg, environmental journalist, has died, aged 35

Rhett Ayers Butler 30 Dec 2025
Andy Mahler in Bloomington, December 2024. Photo by Steven Higgs

Andy Mahler, advocate for public forests in America

Rhett Ayers Butler 30 Dec 2025
Elizabeth Erasito.

Elizabeth Erasito, custodian of Fiji’s parks and places

Rhett Ayers Butler 30 Dec 2025
George Teariki-Mataki Mateariki. Photo from Cook Islands Tourism

George Teariki-Mataki Mateariki, the Birdman of Atiu, has died, aged 67

Rhett Ayers Butler 29 Dec 2025
California redwood forest in December 2025. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler

15 forces that could reshape conservation in the next 10 years

Rhett Ayers Butler 28 Dec 2025
Brigitte Bardot. Photo: Getty

Brigitte Bardot, who turned fame into a lifelong fight for animals

Rhett Ayers Butler 28 Dec 2025
Clark Lungren. Courtesy of the Lungren family.

Clark Lungren and the case for compromise in conservation

Rhett Ayers Butler 28 Dec 2025
Joann Andrews

Joann Andrews, a patient force behind Yucatán’s protected landscapes

Rhett Ayers Butler 27 Dec 2025
Jay M Savage. Screenshot from an interview with OTS.

Jay M. Savage, witness to disappearing frogs and builder of tropical science

Rhett Ayers Butler 27 Dec 2025
Kristina-Maria-Gjerde. Image courtesy of the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI).

Kristina Gjerde, defender of the deep ocean, has died

Rhett Ayers Butler 26 Dec 2025
Rainforest in Brunei in 2025. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler

The year in rainforests 2025: Deforestation fell; the risks did not

Rhett Ayers Butler 26 Dec 2025
Stuart Brooks. Photo courtesy of The National Trust for Scotland.

Stuart Brooks, peat protector, has died

Rhett Ayers Butler 26 Dec 2025
Tell Hicks, from his Facebook page.

Tell Hicks, reptile artist

Rhett Ayers Butler 25 Dec 2025
Two male ibex in front of Mont Aiguille in the Dauphiné Alps, France.

France’s largest rewilding project

Rhett Ayers Butler 25 Dec 2025
William Bond. Photo courtesy of the University of Cape Town.

William Bond, grasslands researcher who reminded conservation that context matters, has died

Rhett Ayers Butler 24 Dec 2025
Weather over Jambi. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler.

2025: A year of consequence for Mongabay’s journalism

Rhett Ayers Butler 24 Dec 2025
Joanna Macy. Courtesy of the Macy family

Joanna Macy, author and teacher who turned despair into connection and agency

Rhett Ayers Butler 23 Dec 2025
Neddy Mulimo in the field. Image courtesy of Giraffe Creatives Portraits.

Neddy Mulimo treated ranger welfare as conservation

Rhett Ayers Butler 23 Dec 2025

Daniel Ole Sambu, who helped lions and people coexist, died at age 51

Rhett Ayers Butler 22 Dec 2025
Bee Smith, from her Instagram account.

Bethany “Bee” Smith, researcher who documented a megamouth shark alive, died in a diving accident, aged 24

Rhett Ayers Butler 22 Dec 2025
Conservationists, environmental defenders, and scientists who died in 2025.

Environmental defenders & conservationists who died in 2025

Rhett Ayers Butler 22 Dec 2025

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