Trade in wild birds going ‘unchecked’ in Vietnam: new report
Thousands of birds, suspected to have been caught from the wild, are being sold openly in Vietnam, according to a new report by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. Many…
Articles by Shreya Dasgupta
Shreya is a science and environmental writer based in India. A former wildlife researcher, she writes about animals, conservation, biology, people and places. Her work has appeared in BBC Earth, New Scientist, Ensia, The Scientist, The Guardian and others. She lives in Bangalore with her husband and cat.
Does forest certification really work?
Tropical timber has earned a bad reputation. When we think of timber from lush, tropical forests, it conjures up images of valuable old-growth trees pillaged by logging companies and illegal…
Pangolins reduced to small, isolated populations in Bangladesh: new study
Pangolins, one of the most trafficked mammals in the world, are fast disappearing from earth. Yet, we know very little about these solitary animals. Even basic information such as pangolins'…
What works in conservation? In-depth series starts next week
How do you solve a conservation problem? Do you protect a wild leopard that has entered a village by removing it and releasing it into a forest far, far away?…
Deforestation in Cambodia linked to ill health in children
Rapid deforestation in Cambodia is threatening the health of young children, concludes a new study published in the Lancet Planetary Health. Researchers have found that the loss of dense forest…
Jackie Chan joins the fight for endangered pangolins
Martial arts superstar Jackie Chan has joined the fight to stop the poaching of the world's most trafficked mammal -- the pangolin or scaly anteater. In a video entitled "Kung…
Video: Hatchlings boost hope for extremely rare duck
In July this year, three villagers discovered a bird's nest inside a hollow of the Koki tree in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary (KPWS), Cambodia. The nest was special -- it…
Good quality monitoring surveys key to wildlife conservation: new study
A biodiversity crisis is looming upon us. We are now in the middle of a “sixth great extinction” of animal species, scientists warn, with loss of species about 1,000 times…
How animals react to a solar eclipse
For a few minutes on Monday, August 21, the moon will blot out the sun completely, causing a total solar eclipse. The skies along a narrow 70-mile-wide band across the…
9 rare Siamese crocodiles hatch in Cambodia
On June 28, 2017, conservationists chanced upon a nest containing 19 eggs of the extremely rare Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) in the Sre Ambel District of Koh Kong Province in Cambodia. This…
High volumes of ivory continue to be sold online in Japan
Thousands of jewelry, seals, scrolls and other items made of elephant ivory continue to be sold online in Japan each week, concludes a new report by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade…
Watch: $8 million worth elephant ivory crushed in New York City
Hundreds of pieces of jewelry, sculptures and vases made of elephant ivory were destroyed at New York City's Central Park on Thursday. The ivory, weighing nearly two tons, is estimated…
Conservation community failing to use evidence to make decisions, scientists say
How do you save a species or protect a habitat? For the past few decades, scientists have been calling for an increased use of scientific evidence -- carefully controlled, peer-reviewed…
Rare bird not seen in 60 years rediscovered
In a remote forest in western Venezuela, scientists have rediscovered a bird that was last seen more than 60 years ago. The plump, brown Táchira antpitta (Grallaria chthonia) was first…
Meet the new giant sunfish that has evaded scientists for centuries
The massive ocean sunfish -- an odd-looking fish with a flat, rigid, tailless body -- is not only the world's largest bony fish, but also one of the most elusive…
First ever photos of wild lion nursing leopard cub
Last Tuesday, a guest at Ndutu Lodge in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area observed something unusual: a five-year-old wild lioness nicknamed Nosikitok was nursing a leopard cub estimated to be only a few weeks old. Lions have…
Illegal mining threatens last remaining habitat of green peafowl in China
Illegal mining and hydropower expansion could spell doom for China's green peafowl, according to a new report by Greenpeace East Asia. The extremely rare green peafowl (Pavo muticus) is a close cousin…
Hong Kong officials seize ‘largest ever’ ivory shipment worth $9 million
On July 4, Hong Kong customs officials seized about 7.2 metric tons of ivory tusks in what they estimate to be the world's largest seizure of ivory tusks over the…
Harry Potter may have sparked illegal owl trade in Indonesia
The Harry Potter books and movies seem to have fueled a dramatic rise in the number of owls being traded as pets in Indonesia, a new study concludes. In the…
Photos: Four new species of burrowing frogs discovered in India
Scientists have described four new species of burrowing frogs in India, adding to the rapidly growing list of new amphibian species that have recently been discovered in the country. The…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Yasuni indigenous peoples’ fight for survival depicted in new documentary
- Leading ivory trade investigator slain in Tanzania
- 2016 was even deadlier for environmental and indigenous activists than 2015
Global forest reporting network
- Communities struggle to save Sabah’s shrinking mangroves
- Saving the Serranía de San Lucas, a vital link in the ‘jaguar corridor’
- Monkey rediscovered in Brazil after 80 years
Amazon infrastructure
- Temer uses controversial deforestation data in speech to UN
- Amazon dam defeats Brazil’s environment agency (commentary)
- Andes dams could threaten food security for millions in Amazon basin
Asian rhinos
- Can the Javan rhino be saved before disaster strikes?
- Javan rhinos face human incursions into their last remaining habitat
- India and Nepal team up to rescue flooded rhinos
