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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
		<atom:link href="https://news.mongabay.com/feed/?byline=brian-loux&#038;post_type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/by/brian-loux/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 22 May 2026 03:55:11 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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<image>
	<url>https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>Brian Loux Archives</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/by/brian-loux/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>Gunmen kill two rangers in latest deadly attack in DRC’s Virunga National Park</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/gunmen-kill-two-rangers-in-latest-deadly-attack-in-drcs-virunga-national-park/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/gunmen-kill-two-rangers-in-latest-deadly-attack-in-drcs-virunga-national-park/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 May 2026 03:55:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Akana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/22035056/Rangers-Kasereka-Valyathire-Baraka-Munguakonkwa-Mihigo-Jacques-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319958</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, Congo, Congo Basin, and Democratic Republic Of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Politics, Forests, Gorillas, Governance, Green, Mammals, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Gunmen have killed two rangers in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the latest deadly attack in a region roiled by militia violence. Park sources said a heavily armed group opened fire on a control post at Kamuhororo, on the southern shore of Lake Edward inside Virunga, early on May 21. Kasereka [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Gunmen have killed two rangers in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the latest deadly attack in a region roiled by militia violence. Park sources said a heavily armed group opened fire on a control post at Kamuhororo, on the southern shore of Lake Edward inside Virunga, early on May 21. Kasereka Valyathire Baraka, 35, and Munguakonkwa Mihigo Jacques, 34, the rangers on duty at the time, were both killed, according to national park officials. The killings underscore the extreme risks facing conservation personnel in the eastern DRC. Instability here stems from overlapping conflicts between rebel groups including M23, Mai-Mai and scores of militias. Virunga has recorded more ranger deaths than any other protected area in the DRC, making it one of the world’s most dangerous conservation posts. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and biodiversity hotspot, home to two species of great apes: eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Park officials said they haven’t yet identified the attackers. The provincial office of the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), the government agency that manages the DRC’s national parks, described the attack as “odious and unacceptable.” “We call for a thorough and urgent investigation to bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to justice,” Emmanuel de Merode, director of Virunga National Park, said in a statement obtained by Mongabay. More than 200 rangers have been killed in Virunga National Park in the last century. Rangers are often outnumbered by armed groups in the region. There’s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/gunmen-kill-two-rangers-in-latest-deadly-attack-in-drcs-virunga-national-park/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Three Thai nationals suspected of smuggling Galápagos iguanas arrested in Ecuador</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/three-thai-nationals-suspected-of-smuggling-galapagos-iguanas-arrested-in-ecuador/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/three-thai-nationals-suspected-of-smuggling-galapagos-iguanas-arrested-in-ecuador/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 23:39:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Spoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21233641/701876074_1299166468998345_3099907893730859528_n-e1779406698851-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319955</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Ecuador and Galapagos]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Cites, Illegal Trade, Lizards, Marine Animals, Reptiles, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Ecuadorian National Police arrested three Thai nationals on May 19, 2026, at the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil on suspicion of wildlife trafficking. They seized 12 marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), endemic to the Galápagos. The reptiles were found stuffed in handbags with their legs tightly bound. One was dead and those [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Ecuadorian National Police arrested three Thai nationals on May 19, 2026, at the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil on suspicion of wildlife trafficking. They seized 12 marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), endemic to the Galápagos. The reptiles were found stuffed in handbags with their legs tightly bound. One was dead and those that survived had numbness in their limbs, the Ministry of Environment and Energy said in a social media post. The reptiles are now under specialized care.   All four species of endemic Galápagos iguanas, including marine iguanas, are protected under Ecuadorian laws and have the highest level of protections under CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty. Both protections prohibit removing the iguanas from the wild or selling them. “The illegal extraction and trade of Galápagos species poses a threat to one of Ecuador&#8217;s and the world&#8217;s most important natural heritage sites,” the Ministry of Environment and Energy said in a press release. It added the government is monitoring and coordinating efforts to “prevent and punish wildlife crimes.” The operation was carried out by the national police, in coordination with the Environmental Authority, the Galápagos National Park Directorate and the Governing Council of the Galápagos Special Regime. Further investigations are ongoing. In the last week, four separate cases of marine iguanas, discarded on sidewalks in Guayaquil, were also reported, indicating trafficking. That brings the total to 16 suspected smuggled iguanas in about a week. Sandra Altherr, a co-founder of German NGO Pro Wildlife who has been&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/three-thai-nationals-suspected-of-smuggling-galapagos-iguanas-arrested-in-ecuador/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Ebola outbreak reaches major cities in DR Congo, Uganda amid fears of regional spread</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/ebola-outbreak-reaches-major-cities-in-dr-congo-uganda-amid-fears-of-regional-spread/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/ebola-outbreak-reaches-major-cities-in-dr-congo-uganda-amid-fears-of-regional-spread/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 20:51:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elodie Toto]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21204700/AP26141607178356-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319953</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Democratic Republic Of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Diseases, Ebola, Infectious Wildlife Disease, Planetary Health, Wildlife, and Zoonotic Diseases]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was officially confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 15. Less than a week later, the death toll is rising with at least 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths linked to the disease, as well as 51 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was officially confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 15. Less than a week later, the death toll is rising with at least 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths linked to the disease, as well as 51 laboratory-confirmed cases, WHO has reported. The confirmed figures differ from the suspected cases because samples must be analyzed in Kinshasa, around 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) by plane from the outbreak area in Ituri province, before cases can be officially confirmed. In addition, the initial symptoms of the virus are very similar to those of malaria, a disease that is widespread in the region. “We expect those numbers to keep increasing given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. “I have decided that urgent action is needed to prevent further deaths and to mobilize an effective international response.” He also noted the scale of the outbreak could in fact be “much larger” than current estimates, as the epidemic likely began “a couple of months ago.” Faced with the growing number of cases and its international spread, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern on May 17, 2026. The disease, which emerged in rural Ituri province in eastern DRC, now appears to have spread to major cities including Kinshasa and Kampala, the capital of Uganda, as well as Goma,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/ebola-outbreak-reaches-major-cities-in-dr-congo-uganda-amid-fears-of-regional-spread/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Wild animal consumption on the rise in Central Africa, study finds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/wild-animal-consumption-on-the-rise-in-central-africa-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/wild-animal-consumption-on-the-rise-in-central-africa-study-finds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 19:16:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Akana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21191431/20240711_RCLT_WCS_Nicolon_0448-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319951</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Bushmeat, Food, food security, Meat, Urbanization, and Wildilfe]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new study has shed light on the scale of wild meat consumption across Central Africa. According to research led by CIFOR-ICRAF, a roughly 50% increase in the amount of wild meat being consumed is driven largely by growing demand from rapidly expanding urban populations. Published in the journal Nature, the study analyzed data from [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new study has shed light on the scale of wild meat consumption across Central Africa. According to research led by CIFOR-ICRAF, a roughly 50% increase in the amount of wild meat being consumed is driven largely by growing demand from rapidly expanding urban populations. Published in the journal Nature, the study analyzed data from more than 12,000 households across 252 locations in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo between 2000 and 2022. Meat from wild animals continues to serve as a primary source of food for millions of people in the region, particularly traditional hunter-gatherers. According to the study, population growth in Central Africa — from 25 million to 140 million people — has sharply increased demand for both food and income, placing additional pressure on wildlife populations. The study determined 31% of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians in the region are currently at risk of extinction. Researchers found annual wild meat consumption rose from about 730,000 tons in 2000 to 1.1 million tons in 2022. “Wild meat is a fundamental component of diets of rural populations, accounting for 20% of the recommended daily protein intake,” the study noted. The report concluded that ensuring the availability of wild meat in rural areas will require reducing its consumption in large urban centers. The study was co-authored by several researchers affiliated with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). In a press statement obtained by Mongabay, Germain Mavah of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/wild-animal-consumption-on-the-rise-in-central-africa-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Nine killed at illegal mine in latest Sumatra landslide tragedy as gold surge continues</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nine-killed-at-illegal-mine-in-latest-sumatra-landslide-tragedy-as-gold-surge-continues/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nine-killed-at-illegal-mine-in-latest-sumatra-landslide-tragedy-as-gold-surge-continues/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 18:22:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Novia Harlina]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21092147/gold-mining-west-sumatra-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319886</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, and West Sumatra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Disaster, Disasters, Environment, Environmental Law, Gold Mining, Illegal Mining, and Mining]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PADANG, Indonesia — Nine people were killed on May 14 in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province after heavy rain triggered the collapse of a 30-meter (100-foot) cliff at an illegal gold mine. “Three people survived, while nine others who were buried have been recovered deceased,” said Susmelawati Rosya, a spokesperson for the West Sumatra province police. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[PADANG, Indonesia — Nine people were killed on May 14 in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province after heavy rain triggered the collapse of a 30-meter (100-foot) cliff at an illegal gold mine. “Three people survived, while nine others who were buried have been recovered deceased,” said Susmelawati Rosya, a spokesperson for the West Sumatra province police. Local officials said miners had ignored repeated warnings to stop work amid sustained torrential rain, and that the high international price of gold continued to draw people into the risky work. “They were reminded, but they continued with their activities,” said Zainal, the head of Guguk village, an ethnic Minangkabau village where the disaster occurred. On May 13, floodwaters swept away dozens of pontoons used by illegal gold miners near the confluence of three rivers, the Batang Sinamar, Batang Ombilin and Batang Kuantan. A day later, the heavy rain culminated in the fatal landslip at the mining site in Guguk village. Authorities say illegal mining on the rivers has become widespread in recent years. The local karst landscape is around 350 million years old and is being proposed as a global geopark to UNESCO, the United Nations’ science and cultural agency. A row of pontoons used by miners in the proposed Silokek geopark before they were washed away by heavy rain in May, 2026. Image by Novia Harlina/Mongabay Indonesia. Illegal gold mining accidents have repeatedly turned deadly in West Sumatra — and other areas of Sumatra — over the past decade, including landslides and tunnel&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/nine-killed-at-illegal-mine-in-latest-sumatra-landslide-tragedy-as-gold-surge-continues/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Amazon resilient to fire, but diversity loss still a threat, study finds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/amazon-resilient-to-fire-but-diversity-loss-still-a-threat-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/amazon-resilient-to-fire-but-diversity-loss-still-a-threat-study-finds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 15:38:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Suzana Camargo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandre de Santi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21110818/tiger-striped-leaf-frog-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319900</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Biodiversity, Amazon Conservation, Amazon fire beat, Amazon Rainforest, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Fires, Forest Fires, Forest Loss, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, Research, Threats To Rainforests, Threats To The Amazon, and wildfires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Experiment shows the Amazon can recover after fires, but the new forest is a “poorer” version of its former self.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2024, the Brazilian Amazon faced one of the worst fire seasons in its history: 15.6 million hectares (38.5 million acres) were burned, an area the size of Portugal, of which 43% consisted of forest vegetation. According to data from MapBiomas, a collaborative network mapping land use in Brazil, the area destroyed by flames was 117% higher than the historical average. Now, a group of scientists has found a surprising capacity for forest regeneration after fires, although biodiversity loss persisted. The results were presented in a two-decade study in the southeastern Amazon that attempts to predict the risks the world’s greatest rainforest faces as deforestation, reduced precipitation and long-term droughts become more frequent. “Our study brings a message of hope,” said lead author Leandro Maracahipes, a researcher at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) in Brazil and at Yale University in the U.S. “It demonstrates that a highly degraded forest can recover even after many disturbances.” Maracahipes emphasized, however, that this regeneration gives rise to a new type of forest. “It is a new ecosystem. Although it can recover, this forest is much poorer, with a greater number of generalist species, much more vulnerable to new disturbances,” he told Mongabay. Aerial photography of the Amazon Rainforest. Image courtesy of Leandro Maracahipes. Study authors and members of the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) during field research. Image courtesy of Rafael Oliveira. A greater impact on forest edges The experiment began in 2004, during a peak of deforestation in the Amazon, and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/amazon-resilient-to-fire-but-diversity-loss-still-a-threat-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Mangroves are &#8216;powerful and undervalued&#8217; for curbing nitrogen pollution, study finds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/mangroves-are-powerful-and-undervalued-for-curbing-nitrogen-pollution-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/mangroves-are-powerful-and-undervalued-for-curbing-nitrogen-pollution-study-finds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 14:53:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shanna Hanbury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/09/22090822/2-Lake-Atitlan-blue-green-algae-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319946</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Dead Zone, Ecosystem Restoration, Mangroves, Nitrogen Cycle, Nutrient Pollution, Restoration, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Mangrove forests could help sequester more than five million metric tons of nitrogen pollution from coastal ecosystems across the Earth if they are restored and protected, a recent study found. Nitrogen pollution typically comes from synthetic fertilizers largely used in agriculture or from human waste seeping into water sources. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Mangrove forests could help sequester more than five million metric tons of nitrogen pollution from coastal ecosystems across the Earth if they are restored and protected, a recent study found. Nitrogen pollution typically comes from synthetic fertilizers largely used in agriculture or from human waste seeping into water sources. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for life, but in excess it fuels algal blooms, leaving water murky and with a foul smell. In the worst cases, the death of the algal blooms can starve ecosystems of oxygen, leaving large dead zones that can kill fish and other aquatic life. Researchers analyzed data on nitrogen removal by mangroves across the world and estimated mangroves currently sequester around 870,000 metric tons of nitrogen every year. The study found that if mangroves are protected and restored, this number could increase to more than 5 million metric tons a year. This ecosystem service mangroves provide is worth over $8 billion annually, the researchers estimated. “Mangrove forests represent a powerful and undervalued natural mitigation solution for nitrogen pollution,” study co-authors Ziyan Wang and Benoit Thibodeau wrote. Wang and Thibodeau argued nitrogen removal should be treated similarly to carbon storage and suggested creating a market for blue nitrogen credits to help finance the climate solution. They estimated nitrogen credits would be priced at around $10,000 per metric ton, based on previous projects. The total value of a nitrogen removal market would far exceed that of carbon storage in mangrove ecosystems, according to the study. In lakes and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/mangroves-are-powerful-and-undervalued-for-curbing-nitrogen-pollution-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Artisanal mines in Brazil a front for gold laundering, investigation shows</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/artisanal-mines-in-brazil-a-front-for-gold-laundering-investigation-shows/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/artisanal-mines-in-brazil-a-front-for-gold-laundering-investigation-shows/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 14:45:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shanna Hanbury]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21135602/20260226_Poxo_Muybu_baixares_32-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319935</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon and Brazil]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Mining, Gold Mining, Health, Illegal Mining, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Mercury, Nature And Health, Public Health, and Rainforest Mining]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nearly half of permitted small-scale gold mines in a corner of the Brazilian Amazon are likely fronts for laundering gold mined elsewhere, including protected areas and Indigenous territories, a new investigation suggests. Between 2022 and 2026, 263 of the 540 licensed artisanal mining operations in the Tapajós River Basin, or 49%, reported gold sales not [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nearly half of permitted small-scale gold mines in a corner of the Brazilian Amazon are likely fronts for laundering gold mined elsewhere, including protected areas and Indigenous territories, a new investigation suggests. Between 2022 and 2026, 263 of the 540 licensed artisanal mining operations in the Tapajós River Basin, or 49%, reported gold sales not commensurate with the actual mining activity. Satellite imagery analyzed by investigative outlet InfoAmazonia revealed that most of the mining activity in the Tapajós region was happening outside the permitted mining sites, including inside protected areas and Indigenous territories. Roughly 70% of activity was happening within a 10-kilometer (6-mile) radius of the permitted sites, which suggests illegal mining operations may be using the cover of these permits to launder illegal gold into the formal market. The findings are consistent with reports of mercury contamination in the region, which has harmed Indigenous and riverine communities who depend on the rivers for water, food and transportation. Mercury is common in both legal and illegal gold mining operations, despite a prohibition on its use. The investigation also found permits intended for small-scale, low-impact gold mining were being used by larger, industrial-scale operations. The mining permits were originally designed to be a simplified authorization for individual miners, but are increasingly used for industrial mining that uses heavy equipment, dredging and illegal mercury. For the investigation, InfoAmazonia helped develop a platform called VEIO, or Verification and Investigation of Gold Origin. It cross-references mining and deforestation data with mineral production taxes and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/artisanal-mines-in-brazil-a-front-for-gold-laundering-investigation-shows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Norlan Pagal, fisherman and guardian of Tañon Strait, died on May 14th, aged 56</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/shot-for-defending-the-sea-norlan-pagal-kept-watching-from-shore/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/shot-for-defending-the-sea-norlan-pagal-kept-watching-from-shore/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 12:40:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21123838/Norlan-Pagal-video-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319928</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Communities and conservation, Conservation, Fishing, Illegal Fishing, Marine Conservation, Obituary, and Ocean]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The sea off San Remigio could look gentle from shore. White sand, clear water, and boats moving slowly across Tañon Strait. For many families in Barangay Anapog, in northern Cebu, it was also the pantry and workplace. Fish and shellfish were food, income, and a future to pass on. By the early 2000s, that future [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The sea off San Remigio could look gentle from shore. White sand, clear water, and boats moving slowly across Tañon Strait. For many families in Barangay Anapog, in northern Cebu, it was also the pantry and workplace. Fish and shellfish were food, income, and a future to pass on. By the early 2000s, that future was shrinking. Catches had fallen. Commercial boats entered waters reserved for small fishers. Dynamite and compressors damaged the reefs and frightened those who tried to stop them. The rules were known, but enforcement was weak, meaning that despite the sea’s protected status, it was still being stripped. Norlan Pagal had been a fisherman since 1979. He left school after Grade 4, but he learned fishery law closely and remembered what the sea had once provided. In 2002, when the decline became impossible to ignore, he joined the bantay dagat, the volunteer sea patrol that guards coastal waters in the Philippines. Three years later he became chair of the Anapog Fishermen Association. For more than a decade he helped watch over the Anapog Marine Protected Area and the wider Tañon Strait Protected Seascape. The work was direct and dangerous. He and other volunteers went out in small boats, sometimes paddling to confront fishers using illegal gear. They patrolled, reported violations, organized clean-ups, and helped restore mangroves. Sometimes they succeeded: commercial vessels were caught, sanctuaries defended, and rules enforced in a place where they had often been ignored. At other times the answer was violence. Norlan Pagal.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/shot-for-defending-the-sea-norlan-pagal-kept-watching-from-shore/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>More than 1,000 uncharted coral reefs mapped in vast, understudied northern Australia</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/more-than-1000-uncharted-coral-reefs-mapped-in-vast-understudied-northern-australia/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/more-than-1000-uncharted-coral-reefs-mapped-in-vast-understudied-northern-australia/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 10:45:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Megan Strauss]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20230855/AIMS000008186-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319864</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Australia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation Technology, Coral Reefs, Environment, Mapping, Marine, Marine Conservation, Marine Ecosystems, Oceans, satellite data, and Satellite Imagery]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scientists have layered hundreds of satellite images to reveal more than 1,000 previously uncharted coral reefs in the turbid waters of northern Australia. The number is comparable to the Great Barrier Reef, though many reefs are smaller in size, researchers say. The reefs of northern Australia, while probably known to locals, had previously largely remained [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Scientists have layered hundreds of satellite images to reveal more than 1,000 previously uncharted coral reefs in the turbid waters of northern Australia. The number is comparable to the Great Barrier Reef, though many reefs are smaller in size, researchers say. The reefs of northern Australia, while probably known to locals, had previously largely remained under surveyed. Project leader Eric Lawrey from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) wondered why, as he explored satellite imagery of the coastline and noticed shapes that looked like reefs. The possible reefs were located in deep, turbid and sediment-rich waters, making them hard to discern in a single image. “If you look at any one satellite image, the water just looks like turquoise paint and you can’t really see reefs,” Lawrey said in a media release. So Lawrey had the idea to layer 200 satellite images of each area, taken at different times. In this composite image, “all the swirly patterns of the moving water move around and average out while the reefs are constant,” he said. Using this new composite imagery technique, the team from AIMS in partnership with the University of Queensland (UQ) mapped the reefs from Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia all the way through to western Cape York in Queensland. The resulting work defined the location of more than 3,600 coral reefs and 2,900 rocky reefs, or reefs formed by geological processes. These reefs likely support an array of marine life. The newly mapped reefs of northern and northwestern&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/more-than-1000-uncharted-coral-reefs-mapped-in-vast-understudied-northern-australia/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Bangladesh’s energy crunch highlights the promise — and limits — of solar</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/bangladeshs-energy-crunch-highlights-the-promise-and-limits-of-solar/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/bangladeshs-energy-crunch-highlights-the-promise-and-limits-of-solar/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 10:22:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Md Jahidul Islam]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abu Siddique]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21095035/solar-panels-in-bangladesh-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319893</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative Energy, Clean Energy, electricity, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Politics, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, Renewable Energy, and Solar Power]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As Bangladesh grapples with fuel shortages, power plant outages and rising energy import costs, the country’s small but growing solar sector is helping cushion the grid against widespread blackouts. According to the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), 16 of the 136 power plants and electricity import sources are solar facilities. At least 52 power plants are [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As Bangladesh grapples with fuel shortages, power plant outages and rising energy import costs, the country’s small but growing solar sector is helping cushion the grid against widespread blackouts. According to the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), 16 of the 136 power plants and electricity import sources are solar facilities. At least 52 power plants are currently fully shut down because of gas and coal shortages. Despite having installed electricity generation capacity far exceeding peak demand, Bangladesh has recently struggled in recent months to generate enough power to meet its needs. Fuel supply constraints, maintenance shutdowns and technical faults have forced many gas- and coal-fired plants to operate below capacity, leading to periodic load-shedding, or blackouts, across the country. While fossil fuel-dependent plants have been hampered by supply shortages, solar plants continue generating during daylight hours and remain largely insulated from global fuel price volatility. A BPDB report published May 10 showed that Bangladesh generated and imported a combined 312,620 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity on May 9. Of that total, solar contributed 5,377 MWh, compared to 127,700 MWh from gas and 105,400 MWh from coal. Although solar still accounts for only a small share of the national energy mix, experts say its importance becomes more apparent during crises when fossil fuel-dependent plants can’t operate at full capacity. The same BPDB report showed that Bangladesh faced a generation shortfall of 3,868 megawatts due to gas constraints and an additional 1,668 MW due to plant shutdowns and maintenance. Several major gas-fired plants were operating below capacity because of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/bangladeshs-energy-crunch-highlights-the-promise-and-limits-of-solar/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>In flood-prone Bangladesh, tiny homes are built to move with the river</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/in-flood-prone-bangladesh-tiny-homes-are-built-to-move-with-the-river/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/in-flood-prone-bangladesh-tiny-homes-are-built-to-move-with-the-river/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 08:28:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21082709/Screenshot-2026-05-21-at-11.39.03-AM-scaled-e1779352070266-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319884</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Community Development, Flooding, and Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the northeast of Bangladesh, residents living along the Jamuna River face a relentless cycle of environmental upheaval. Every rainy season, severe flooding routinely invades homes and wipes out crops, turning daily life into a struggle for survival. For families in these areas of low-lying sand beds, locally known as char areas, land is affordable [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the northeast of Bangladesh, residents living along the Jamuna River face a relentless cycle of environmental upheaval. Every rainy season, severe flooding routinely invades homes and wipes out crops, turning daily life into a struggle for survival. For families in these areas of low-lying sand beds, locally known as char areas, land is affordable but highly vulnerable. Rebuilding after each monsoon has historically been an exhausting requirement. However, Mongabay’s Lucia Torres reports in a recent video that an innovative architectural design is helping to ease the struggle. Khandoker Mohammad Bulbul, a newly married farmer who recently moved to the region, explains the economic reality of living in such a high-risk area. &#8220;I can buy seven or eight times more land here because the land price is very low in char areas,&#8221; he tells Mongabay. However, the trade-off for that affordability is constant danger: during floods, Bulbul says, “water enters our house. Sometimes it comes up to our waist.” To break this cycle, architects from Dhaka are collaborating with rural communities to build Khudi Bari, or tiny houses, designed to withstand climate extremes. These simple, flood-resistant structures are engineered to respond to the region’s shifting topography and the constant threat of river erosion. The Khudi Bari concept offers two distinct advantages for river-basin communities. First, the dwellings are elevated off the ground, protecting families and food supplies during high water. Second, because the flooding rivers constantly change the topography of the area, the houses are designed to be easily relocated&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/in-flood-prone-bangladesh-tiny-homes-are-built-to-move-with-the-river/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>New survey methods uncover new insights into Madagascar’s biodiversity</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-survey-methods-uncover-new-insights-into-madagascars-biodiversity/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-survey-methods-uncover-new-insights-into-madagascars-biodiversity/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 08:15:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mino Rakotovao]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/19192316/RoyalBluePansy.Junonia.radama_MoramangaMadagascar_AndrianiainaAngeloINaturalistBYNC4.0-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319759</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Madagascar, and Southern Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environment, Forests, Rainforests, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Conservation biologist Dimby Raharinjanahary spent years walking through Madagascar’s forests, counting some of the island’s most visible species, such as lemurs and birds. Raharinjanahary was head of monitoring and research for the country’s national parks service from 2012 to 2018, when monitoring still relied largely on tracking a handful of species as indicators of forest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Conservation biologist Dimby Raharinjanahary spent years walking through Madagascar’s forests, counting some of the island’s most visible species, such as lemurs and birds. Raharinjanahary was head of monitoring and research for the country’s national parks service from 2012 to 2018, when monitoring still relied largely on tracking a handful of species as indicators of forest condition and ecosystem health. “Conservation is based on a few target species. If you don’t see them, you say the forest is degraded,” he tells Mongabay. “But the opposite can also be true: you find them, and the forest is still degraded.” Raharinjanahary, now director of monitoring at the Madagascar Biodiversity Center, is part of a global initiative called LIFEPLAN that is working to improve this. LIFEPLAN expands biodiversity monitoring beyond a few target species to include a much wider range of organisms, including hyper-diverse and still poorly known groups such as arthropods and fungi. Setting up a Malaise trap for insects. Image courtesy of Dimby Raharinjanahary. Building a global picture of biodiversity Across 83 sites worldwide, researchers affiliated with LIFEPLAN simultaneously tracked arthropods, fungi, mammals and birds. Their work built on an earlier effort, the Insect Biome Atlas, which mapped insect biomass in Sweden and Madagascar between 2019 and 2020, before expanding into a broader global program covering multiple groups of organisms. The expanded program is using identical methods, repeated year-round and across continents to compare biodiversity consistently across sites and, in turn, explore how changes in climate or human pressure may shape future&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-survey-methods-uncover-new-insights-into-madagascars-biodiversity/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Climate change triples chance of deadly 2026 South Asia pre-monsoon heatwave: Report</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-change-triples-chance-of-deadly-2026-south-asia-pre-monsoon-heatwave-report/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-change-triples-chance-of-deadly-2026-south-asia-pre-monsoon-heatwave-report/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 06:55:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21065448/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-3.12.10-PM-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319879</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, India, Pakistan, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Agriculture, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Change And Extreme Weather, Drought, Extreme Weather, Heatwave, Science, and Weather]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From mid-April through May 2026, India and Pakistan were gripped by a heatwave that saw daily maximum temperatures soar above 46° Celsius (114.8° Fahrenheit) in numerous cities. This ongoing period of intense heat has resulted in at least 10 reported deaths in Karachi, Pakistan and 6 reported cases of deaths from heat stroke in India, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From mid-April through May 2026, India and Pakistan were gripped by a heatwave that saw daily maximum temperatures soar above 46° Celsius (114.8° Fahrenheit) in numerous cities. This ongoing period of intense heat has resulted in at least 10 reported deaths in Karachi, Pakistan and 6 reported cases of deaths from heat stroke in India, as of April 27. A &#8220;super-rapid&#8221; study released by scientists from the World Weather Attribution indicates that such high temperature conditions in April are becoming more frequent, now occurring once every five years in the region. The researchers also found human-induced climate change made the 15-day heatwave period from April 15-29 approximately three times more likely than it would have been in a pre-industrial climate. The same heat “event would have been about 1°C (1.8°F)  cooler in a pre-industrial climate.” &#8220;What used to be rare heat in South Asia is now a regular reality,&#8221; Mariam Zachariah, a research associate in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London, said in a statement. She noted the pre-monsoon period in the region is becoming both longer and hotter, forcing hundreds of millions to face extreme heat for a greater portion of the year. The sweltering conditions triggered record-high electricity demand across India and induced agricultural drought affecting over 1 million square kilometers (386,102 square miles), threatening the food security and livelihoods of millions dependent on farming. The heat also coincided with major election periods and census operations, exposing millions of voters and officials to dangerous conditions.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-change-triples-chance-of-deadly-2026-south-asia-pre-monsoon-heatwave-report/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>World burned less coal in 2025, but built more plants over energy uncertainty</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/world-burned-less-coal-in-2025-but-built-more-plants-over-energy-uncertainty/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/world-burned-less-coal-in-2025-but-built-more-plants-over-energy-uncertainty/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 06:46:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ashoka Mukpo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Malavikavyawahare]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20102003/24190342154_a7040c07b5_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319798</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central America, East Africa, United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coal, Economy, electricity, Energy, Energy Politics, Environment, Governance, Government, and Mining]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Coal use across the world continued to drop in 2025, but there was an increase in the capacity to burn it, according to an annual report by data analysis group Global Energy Monitor. Overall power generation from coal declined by 0.6% last year, but the amount that was on call if needed for power grids [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Coal use across the world continued to drop in 2025, but there was an increase in the capacity to burn it, according to an annual report by data analysis group Global Energy Monitor. Overall power generation from coal declined by 0.6% last year, but the amount that was on call if needed for power grids rose by 3.5%. Most of that growth was concentrated in China, where additional coal capacity is increasingly considered a backup option to ensure energy security. While China added 78.1 gigawatts of coal power capacity in 2025, its actual use of coal power fell by 1.2%. This decline was notable as it came amid an overall rise in Chinese energy demand. According to the report, more than 90% of that increased demand was met not with coal, but with wind and solar. While China remains far and away the world’s largest user of coal, more of its energy needs are being met with renewables. India added the second-highest coal power capacity in 2025, but it also showed movement toward a cleaner grid. Along with record solar and wind power additions, renewables made up more than half of the country’s overall power capacity for the first time. Christine Shearer, lead researcher of the report on the global coal power fleet, said most of the new coal capacity added in India and China was commissioned years ago, before the market dynamics around renewables had changed. “By the time all these coal plants began operating in 2025, cheaper alternatives&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/world-burned-less-coal-in-2025-but-built-more-plants-over-energy-uncertainty/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>New conservation effort launched to protect coral reefs in Yap</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/new-conservation-effort-launched-to-protect-coral-reefs-in-yap/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/new-conservation-effort-launched-to-protect-coral-reefs-in-yap/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 04:55:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21045351/NudibranchpairYellow2001-scaled-e1779339285528-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319874</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Federated States Of Micronesia, Pacific, and Pacific Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Change And Conservation, Climate Change And Coral Reefs, Coral Reefs, Marine Biodiversity, Marine Conservation, Oceans, and Oceans And Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Conservation groups have launched a new initiative to safeguard coral reefs in Yap, a state in the Federated States of Micronesia, through both scientific innovation and traditional stewardship. The Yap Resilience Hub, a partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF), is a three-year project that seeks to support local [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Conservation groups have launched a new initiative to safeguard coral reefs in Yap, a state in the Federated States of Micronesia, through both scientific innovation and traditional stewardship. The Yap Resilience Hub, a partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF), is a three-year project that seeks to support local conservation efforts through 2028. “Coral reefs are central to life in Yap and across island communities because they provide food, support livelihoods, and sustain cultural practices,” Berna Gorong, capacity building manager at TNC Micronesia &amp; Polynesia, told Mongabay by email. The reefs are traditional fishing grounds managed under community and clan tenure and “closely tied to identity, stewardship, and daily life,” Gorong said. The Yap Resilience Hub plans to rely on a steering committee of government, traditional leaders and community representatives to help identify candidate reef areas for protection. The reefs will be selected based on five criteria, Gorong said, including their ecological condition and potential for recovery, connectivity to other reef systems, and community and governance readiness. Once priority reefs are identified, she said the project will support local action plans, ensuring that community priorities and local leadership remain at the forefront of the conservation strategy. “Capacity building and capacity-needs assessments will be central so local partners can sustain the work beyond the project period,” Gorong said. “By pairing community priorities with science, planning, and capacity building, [the project] aims to strengthen reef resilience and support the long-term well-being of Yap’s people and coastal&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/new-conservation-effort-launched-to-protect-coral-reefs-in-yap/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Rural women at increasing risk of human-wildlife conflict in Nepal</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict-in-nepal/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict-in-nepal/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 04:16:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21041540/women-under-a-tree-e1779336981974-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319872</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Cats, Conflict, Conservation Solutions, Elephants, Environment, Gender and Conservation, Human Rights, human-elephant conflict, Human-wildlife Conflict, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[While Nepal celebrates tripling its wild tiger population, rural women in forest-edge communities face escalating danger. A demographic shift driven by large-scale migration of men abroad has in part forced women to take on nearly all agricultural and household responsibilities. Described as the &#8220;feminization of agriculture,&#8221; the shift has pushed women into high-risk forest edges [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[While Nepal celebrates tripling its wild tiger population, rural women in forest-edge communities face escalating danger. A demographic shift driven by large-scale migration of men abroad has in part forced women to take on nearly all agricultural and household responsibilities. Described as the &#8220;feminization of agriculture,&#8221; the shift has pushed women into high-risk forest edges for daily subsistence work, such as collecting firewood and fodder, reports contributor Tulsi Rauniyar for Mongabay. Most fatal wildlife encounters occur during routine activities. Binita Pariyar, a 17-year-old from a marginalized Dalit family, was killed by a tiger in December 2025 while cutting grass in the forest for her livestock. Following her death, five more people were killed in forests around Bardiya National Park within four weeks. Recent research indicates that nearly one-third of fatal attacks happen while herding cattle, and another third occur during grass cutting. Forest department records also show the majority of those attacked while cutting grass from 2021-2025 have been women. The forests they go to are specifically designated for the collection of fodder, firewood and grazing materials. Data from 2024 show that 84% of recorded attacks in Bardiya district occurred within 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of forest boundaries. Many recent deaths have taken place in and around the Khata Corridor, a stretch of forest connecting Bardiya National Park with Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary across the Indian border. “Wildlife movement in the corridor often peaks in the early morning and at dusk, along forest edges, trails and water sources,” said Rama Mishra,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rural-women-at-increasing-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflict-in-nepal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Nepal proposes park for &#8216;problem&#8217; tigers amid rising conflicts</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/nepal-proposes-park-for-problem-tigers-amid-rising-conflicts/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/nepal-proposes-park-for-problem-tigers-amid-rising-conflicts/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 04:03:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21040311/Bengal_tiger_in_Sanjay_Dubri_Tiger_Reserve_December_2024_by_Tisha_Mukherjee_-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319870</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conflict, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Human-wildlife Conflict, Mammals, National Parks, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Nepal government has proposed the creation of a park to house &#8220;problem&#8221; tigers – individuals involved in human fatalities. The big cats would be moved from current overcrowded holding centers to a 50-hectare (124-acre) facility, planned for the Durganar–Tikauli forest near Chitwan National Park, according to authorities, reports Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi and contributor [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Nepal government has proposed the creation of a park to house &#8220;problem&#8221; tigers – individuals involved in human fatalities. The big cats would be moved from current overcrowded holding centers to a 50-hectare (124-acre) facility, planned for the Durganar–Tikauli forest near Chitwan National Park, according to authorities, reports Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi and contributor Mukesh Pokhrel. Nepal’s tiger conservation has shown success, with the population of endangered Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) growing from 121 in 2009 to 355 in 2022. However, as the tiger population rises, so do human-tiger conflicts. Between 2019 and 2023, government records show 38 people died in tiger attacks, and 15 tigers were subsequently captured by authorities and placed in temporary holding centers. “Currently, we need to spend around 1.5 million rupees [about $10,000] annually for each captive tiger even if we feed it minimally,” said Hari Bhadra Acharya, a senior ecologist with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation under the Ministry of Forests and Environment, who chairs the committee that’s exploring the plan. According to Acharya, the proposed park would be self-financed, using tourism revenue from ticket sales to the park to fund food and veterinary care. This would allow the tigers to live in environments where they can roam and hide in tall grass rather than being confined to “cramped cages,” he added. Research indicates that only a small fraction of Nepal’s tiger population come into conflict with people. A 2017 study led by Babu Ram Lamichhane found that fewer than&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/nepal-proposes-park-for-problem-tigers-amid-rising-conflicts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Thai island community rallies to protect beloved dugongs, revive declining seagrass</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/thai-island-community-rallies-to-protect-beloved-dugongs-revive-declining-seagrass/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/thai-island-community-rallies-to-protect-beloved-dugongs-revive-declining-seagrass/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 01:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolyn Cowan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20144955/9.-IMG_9401_Tipusa-Sansawang-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319813</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Southeast Asia, and Thailand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Coastal Ecosystems, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Dugong, Fisheries, Marine Animals, Marine Ecosystems, Marine Mammals, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Restoration, Seagrass, Solutions, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KOH LIBONG, Thailand — Growing up on the island of Koh Libong, Tipusa Sangsawang remembers fondly how vast numbers of dugongs used to feed on local seagrass meadows teaming with fish, crabs and mollusks. “Out there, it was like a football field,” Tipusa says, as she watches waves lap across a seemingly barren sandflat that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KOH LIBONG, Thailand — Growing up on the island of Koh Libong, Tipusa Sangsawang remembers fondly how vast numbers of dugongs used to feed on local seagrass meadows teaming with fish, crabs and mollusks. “Out there, it was like a football field,” Tipusa says, as she watches waves lap across a seemingly barren sandflat that fringes this stretch of shoreline. “It used to be green all around this area. Now, it’s only sand.” Fascinated by dugongs (Dugong dugon) since childhood, Tipusa remembers forming a special bond with one particular individual. Marium was an infant dugong brought into the care of marine officials in mid-2019 after fishers discovered her stranded ashore in Krabi province. With no mother or herd, she was moved to a semiwild enclosure farther south in Trang province, near Koh Libong, where authorities hoped to rehabilitate her. Tipusa was a member of the recovery team. She devoted all her time to Marium, swimming alongside her and monitoring her progress daily. The chubby and charismatic youngster quickly became a national sweetheart through social media. “She was like an angel who came to us with a message from the ocean,” Tipusa says. Despite the team’s efforts, Marium died 114 days after her initial rescue, having contracted a blood infection that autopsies indicated was likely linked to plastic ingestion. Her death sparked a rise in public awareness of marine plastic pollution in Thailand. The loss also strengthened Tipusa’s resolve to protect ocean life. “I told Marium she would be the last&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/thai-island-community-rallies-to-protect-beloved-dugongs-revive-declining-seagrass/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Mexico rejects ‘Perfect Day’ waterpark on Caribbean coast, citing environmental risks</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/mexico-rejects-perfect-day-waterpark-on-caribbean-coast-citing-environmental-risks/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/mexico-rejects-perfect-day-waterpark-on-caribbean-coast-citing-environmental-risks/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 23:04:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maxwell Radwin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20230103/AP17220597899958-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319863</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Mexico]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coral Reefs, Development, Ecotourism, Infrastructure, Mangroves, Ocean, Roads, Seagrass, and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Environmental authorities in Mexico have rejected the proposal for a large waterpark in the southern state of Quintana Roo, citing risks for coastal ecosystems and local communities. Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day Mexico would have covered more than 80 hectares (200 acres) in the village of Mahahual with the “ultimate vacation for families,” including pools, restaurants [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Environmental authorities in Mexico have rejected the proposal for a large waterpark in the southern state of Quintana Roo, citing risks for coastal ecosystems and local communities. Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day Mexico would have covered more than 80 hectares (200 acres) in the village of Mahahual with the “ultimate vacation for families,” including pools, restaurants and beaches. But officials this week shot down the project citing concerns about its potential impact on mangroves and coral reefs. “We are not going to do anything that puts the ecological balance of that area at risk,” President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo told the media at her daily morning press conference on Monday, May 18 Royal Caribbean told Reuters it ​respected Mexico’s decision to cancel the project and is still optimistic about investing in the country. The following day, Tuesday, May 19, Mexico’s secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, confirmed the decision at a press conference. “We, at Semarnat, will not approve it,” she said. By law, the agency reviews development projects and must approve their environmental viability before construction can begin. Mahahual, historically a fishing village, is located approximately 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, which is home to coral reefs and seagrass, among other sensitive marine ecosystems. The town itself also has around 50 hectares (124 acres) of mangroves and wetlands, according to an environmental impact assessment (EIA). Since 2001, a port used by cruise ships has steadily increased tourism to the area. Royal Caribbean, a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/mexico-rejects-perfect-day-waterpark-on-caribbean-coast-citing-environmental-risks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Three baby pumas born in Minnesota, US, is a first in more than 100 years</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/three-baby-pumas-born-in-minnesota-us-is-a-first-in-more-than-100-years/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/three-baby-pumas-born-in-minnesota-us-is-a-first-in-more-than-100-years/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 21:32:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bobby Bascomb]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20212943/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-3.07.17-PM-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319861</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Habitat, Habitat Loss, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A female puma with her three kittens spotted on a trail camera in Minnesota marked a historic moment, according to scientists. The sighting in March was the first time in more than a century that pumas have been observed breeding in the state. The recording was the result of an unrelated project with deer. Scientists [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[A female puma with her three kittens spotted on a trail camera in Minnesota marked a historic moment, according to scientists. The sighting in March was the first time in more than a century that pumas have been observed breeding in the state. The recording was the result of an unrelated project with deer. Scientists with the University of Minnesota&#8217;s Voyageurs Wolf Project (VWP) detected that one of their radio-collared deer was dead. Upon investigation, they found, “the carcass buried under a pile of leaves on a hillside — a tell-tale sign of feline predation,” VWP said in a statement.   At first, the researchers suspected a bobcat killed the deer, so they set up two trail cameras. They were surprised to find an adult female puma and her three kittens instead. “Without a doubt, our best trail camera capture yet,” VWP said. Pumas (Puma concolor), also known as cougars, mountain lions or panthers, have nearly as many names as habitats. Before settlers arrived in the New World, the cats could be found all the way from the subarctic in Canada to South America, from the Amazon to Patagonia. They ranged across the entire U.S. before hunting and habitat loss drove the largest remaining breeding populations to a few pockets of wilderness in the country’s west. There have been occasional sightings of pumas in the eastern U.S., such as in Connecticut. However, those were likely either escaped pets or lone males in search of a territory and a mate. Females&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/three-baby-pumas-born-in-minnesota-us-is-a-first-in-more-than-100-years/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Humanity’s ancient bond with biodiversity is visible in rock art (analysis)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/humanitys-ancient-bond-with-biodiversity-is-visible-in-rock-art-analysis/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/humanitys-ancient-bond-with-biodiversity-is-visible-in-rock-art-analysis/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 21:22:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kerry Bowman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20204407/ancient-rock-art-e1779309915617-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319834</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Analysis, Animals, Arts, Biodiversity, Commentary, Conservation, Environmental Ethics, Ethics, Green, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Cultures, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Across continents and cultures, one of the most striking features of ancient rock art is how often it places the natural world at its center. Whether etched into sandstone cliffs in the Sahara, painted in hidden shelters in Southern Africa, or drawn on stone faces deep in the Amazon, the recurring subject is not architecture, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Across continents and cultures, one of the most striking features of ancient rock art is how often it places the natural world at its center. Whether etched into sandstone cliffs in the Sahara, painted in hidden shelters in Southern Africa, or drawn on stone faces deep in the Amazon, the recurring subject is not architecture, warfare or abstract political power. It is animals, forests, rivers, spirits of the land and the intimate relationship between people and the living world around them. I have seen rock art in remote regions of the Amazon, left by ancient San communities in Angola, across the Ennedi Plateau in Chad, and in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, I have come to believe that these works reveal something profound: long before the language of “biodiversity” existed, many human societies understood that their survival, identity and spirituality were inseparable from the ecosystems that sustained them. Modern conservation discourse often treats biodiversity as a scientific concept — a measurable index of species richness, ecological resilience and genetic variation. This framing is useful, but it can obscure an older and deeper truth. For much of human history, biodiversity was not an abstraction. It was immediate, sacred and embedded in daily life. The extraordinary prevalence of animal and ecological imagery in rock art across the world suggests that early human societies recognized, at minimum intuitively, the centrality of the natural world to both material survival and cultural meaning. Ancient rock art depicting wildlife and humans, Ennedi Plateau, Chad. Image courtesy&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/humanitys-ancient-bond-with-biodiversity-is-visible-in-rock-art-analysis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Torrential rain and floods batter China, killing at least 12 and forcing mass evacuations</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/torrential-rain-and-floods-batter-china-killing-at-least-12-and-forcing-mass-evacuations/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/torrential-rain-and-floods-batter-china-killing-at-least-12-and-forcing-mass-evacuations/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 20:46:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Associated Press]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20204438/AP26140181722060-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319854</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[China]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change And Extreme Weather, Disasters, Extreme Weather, and Flooding]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BEIJING (AP) — Torrential rain and floods hit parts of China this week, killing at least 12 people and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate, state media reported. State broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday five deaths and 11 people missing in Shimen County of Hunan province in central China after rain battered the region. A [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BEIJING (AP) — Torrential rain and floods hit parts of China this week, killing at least 12 people and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate, state media reported. State broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday five deaths and 11 people missing in Shimen County of Hunan province in central China after rain battered the region. A rescue operation is underway. By Tuesday evening, more than 19,000 had been relocated, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported. Xinhua said the county recorded a cumulative rainfall of 339 millimeters (about 13 inches) within a 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m. on Monday. One of its towns once received a rainfall of 240 millimeters (about 9 inches) within just a few hours, breaking historical records, it said. In nearby Hubei province, some streets were turned into rivers and rescuers had to deploy inflatable boats to help stranded residents. Some houses were flooded or collapsed, Xinhua reported. Three people were killed and four others were missing as of Tuesday morning, it said. CCTV on Tuesday also reported that heavy rain and floods have caused four deaths and left five others missing in Guizhou Province in southwestern China. In some areas, houses flooded, roads were damaged, and communications were disrupted, it said. One area had to relocate more than 3,700 people, Xinhua added. Flood-induced casualties are common in China. Last July, rains and flooding killed dozens of people in Beijing. Separately, 10 people were killed after a pickup truck fell off a bridge in the southern region of Guangxi on Saturday,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/torrential-rain-and-floods-batter-china-killing-at-least-12-and-forcing-mass-evacuations/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Bangladesh salt farmers struggle as climate shifts disrupt harvests</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/bangladesh-salt-farmers-struggle-as-climate-shifts-disrupt-harvests/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/bangladesh-salt-farmers-struggle-as-climate-shifts-disrupt-harvests/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 14:59:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sifayet Ullah]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abu Siddique]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20144909/farmer-collects-mature-salt-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319814</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change And Food, Climate Justice, Environment, Food, Food Crisis, Food Industry, food security, and Impact Of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Bent over a salt bed, a 55-year-old farmer, Nasir Uddin, was scooping up and throwing out water with a hand-made pot from his field was flooded by a few hours of heavy overnight rain. On his 0.5 hectares (1.2 acres) of salt plot located in southeastern Bangladesh, nearly 18 maunds of salt (each maund is [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Bent over a salt bed, a 55-year-old farmer, Nasir Uddin, was scooping up and throwing out water with a hand-made pot from his field was flooded by a few hours of heavy overnight rain. On his 0.5 hectares (1.2 acres) of salt plot located in southeastern Bangladesh, nearly 18 maunds of salt (each maund is equal to 40 kilograms, or 88 pounds) had been washed away just a day before harvesting. “I was expecting to collect salt today [April 16]. But the rain has damaged all the salt,” said Nasir, a farmer from Moulabir Gona village of Kutubdia subdistrict in Cox’s Bazar district. The farmer said the rainfall on April 15 happened when production is usually at its peak. “We didn’t experience rainfall in March-April in the past. But over the last 8-10 years, rain has started occurring during this time, even in December and January, during winters,” said Nasir, who has been cultivating salt for around 28 years. Like Nasir, thousands of salt farmers across the coastal belt are now facing similar losses from unseasonal rain, as erratic weather increasingly disrupts production. A salt farmer carries harvested salt from the field, transporting it for storage in nearby pits. Image by Sifayet Ullah. Climate variability emerges as a growing threat Salt farming is one of the largest seasonal livelihoods in the country. In the ongoing season, farming has taken place on more than 27,520 hectares (68,000 acres) of land across Cox’s Bazar’s Sadar, Kutubdia, Maheshkhali, Chakaria, Pekua, Eidgaon and Teknaf&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/bangladesh-salt-farmers-struggle-as-climate-shifts-disrupt-harvests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Ghost shark, carnivorous sponge among 1,000+ newly discovered marine species</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/ghost-shark-carnivorous-sponge-among-1000-newly-discovered-marine-species/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/ghost-shark-carnivorous-sponge-among-1000-newly-discovered-marine-species/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 11:58:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20115244/8-Carnivorous-Tree-Sponge.-Credit_-ROV-SuBastian_Schmidt-Ocean-Institute-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319809</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Marine Animals, Marine Biodiversity, Marine Conservation, New Species, Oceans, and Species Discovery]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The third year of a global Ocean Census has revealed 1,121 potentially new-to-science marine species, including a worm that lives inside a “glass castle,” a ghost shark, and a carnivorous sponge. The Ocean Census, launched in April 2023, aims to discover and describe marine life “at speed and at scale” before it is lost. The [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The third year of a global Ocean Census has revealed 1,121 potentially new-to-science marine species, including a worm that lives inside a “glass castle,” a ghost shark, and a carnivorous sponge. The Ocean Census, launched in April 2023, aims to discover and describe marine life “at speed and at scale” before it is lost. The initiative is a joint mission of the Nippon Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropic organization in Japan, and Nekton, a marine science and conservation institute in the U.K. In just three years, scientists from around the world have discovered more than 2,000 marine species. Of these, roughly half were found between April 2025 and March 2026, Michelle Taylor, head of science at the Ocean Census, told Mongabay by email. Among the newly described species is a polychaete worm, Dalhousiella yabukii, discovered last year during a deep-sea expedition off Tokyo. The worm, found at a depth of 791 meters (2,595 feet), lives in symbiotic relationship within a glass sponge. These sponges build castle-like structures using silica, the same material in glass. “The polychaete gains protection from the spiky glass silica spines that form the sponge architecture and the sponge gains nutrients from the polychaete. A match made in deep-sea heaven,” Taylor said. Newly discovered polychaete worm, Dalhousiella yabukii, that lives inside a &#8220;glass-castle&#8221;. Image courtesy of The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census/JAMSTEC. Other discoveries include a new species of ghost shark off Australia’s Queensland coast; a vibrant new ribbon worm found off Timor-Leste; and a shrimp discovered in a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/ghost-shark-carnivorous-sponge-among-1000-newly-discovered-marine-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Communities say sacred groves are shrinking in India’s eastern ghats</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/communities-say-sacred-groves-are-shrinking-in-indias-eastern-ghats/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/communities-say-sacred-groves-are-shrinking-in-indias-eastern-ghats/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 11:44:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Brown]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20113951/Sacred_grove_surrounded_by_paddyfields_Coorg-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319807</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, India, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Forests, Green, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Research, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Sacred groves in the Indian state of Odisha continue to be protected now, as they have for hundreds of years because of cultural and spiritual values associated with them, a recent study has found. However, the forests are decreasing in size, nearly all residents interviewed by researchers said. India is estimated to have roughly 100,000 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Sacred groves in the Indian state of Odisha continue to be protected now, as they have for hundreds of years because of cultural and spiritual values associated with them, a recent study has found. However, the forests are decreasing in size, nearly all residents interviewed by researchers said. India is estimated to have roughly 100,000 sacred groves, the most of any country. The state of Odisha in the Eastern Ghats, a mountain range in India’s eastern coast, has more than 2,000 such groves, but they are poorly understood, the authors wrote. So, the research team interviewed 148 people living around 10 sacred groves in the state’s Mayurbhanj district to understand how they perceive the customs, uses, rules and traditions associated with those forests. Although the Santals, one of the largest tribal groups in India, dominate Mayurbhanj, the interviewees represented a diverse mix of “tribal or caste groups, including Santals, Gonds, Kolhas, Bhuyans, Gauda, Bathudi, Bhumij and Ho Munda,” the authors wrote. This suggests “that the sacred grove is a cultural concept that transcends not only ethnic groups but also other general communities in the district,” they added. The interviews revealed that the villages maintain and preserve the sacred groves as a form of worship for the forest god. Rules include no cutting trees in the groves or extracting natural resources for commercial sale, the respondents said. At the same time, the interviewees said they use 28 different species of plants from the sacred groves “for medicinal and religious purposes.” They&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/communities-say-sacred-groves-are-shrinking-in-indias-eastern-ghats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>A fever of mobula rays off Mexico’s coast: Photo of the week</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-fever-of-mobula-rays-off-mexicos-coast-photo-of-the-week/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-fever-of-mobula-rays-off-mexicos-coast-photo-of-the-week/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 11:13:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shanna Hanbury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20111214/mexico_250611_151714242z-copy-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319627</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Mexico and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Endangered Species, Marine Animals, Marine Biodiversity, Oceans, Rays, and Sharks And Rays]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[During the mobula ray’s migration season, which runs from late April to July, the marine animals form massive aggregations called fevers. The image above was captured by Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett A. Butler in Baja California, a northwestern state of Mexico. The region is home to at least five species of mobula rays. Mobula [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[During the mobula ray’s migration season, which runs from late April to July, the marine animals form massive aggregations called fevers. The image above was captured by Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett A. Butler in Baja California, a northwestern state of Mexico. The region is home to at least five species of mobula rays. Mobula munkiana, commonly known as Munk’s devil ray or Munk’s pygmy devil ray, is the most common, and is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The other four species are much scarcer due to slow reproductive rates and population decline due to fishing bycatch. The bentfin devil ray (Mobula thurstoni), spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular) and sicklefin devil ray (Mobula tarapacana) are all critically endangered. The oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris) is listed as endangered. Banner image: A fever of mobula rays photographed underwater in June 2025. Images by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-fever-of-mobula-rays-off-mexicos-coast-photo-of-the-week/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Electric fences help farmers and elephants coexist in Zambian borderlands</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/electric-fences-help-farmers-and-elephants-coexist-in-zambian-borderlands/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/electric-fences-help-farmers-and-elephants-coexist-in-zambian-borderlands/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 10:46:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ryan Truscott]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/19164707/Elephants.Loxodonta.africana_LiwondeNPMalawi_StGeorgesFlickrBYNCND2.0-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319713</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Southern Africa, and Zambia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conflict, Conservation, Corridors, Elephants, Endangered Species, Environment, Fences, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Mammals, Protected Areas, Tracking, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[LUNDAZI, Zambia — “It’s not possible [to coexist with elephants], because they are animals and we are human beings — they should have their own home,” says Esnart Banda, a Zambian farmer whose maize and tobacco fields lie 5 meters, just 16 feet, from the boundary of Malawi’s Kasungu National Park. Just two thin strands [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[LUNDAZI, Zambia — “It’s not possible [to coexist with elephants], because they are animals and we are human beings — they should have their own home,” says Esnart Banda, a Zambian farmer whose maize and tobacco fields lie 5 meters, just 16 feet, from the boundary of Malawi’s Kasungu National Park. Just two thin strands of orange, plastic-coated wire now stand between Banda’s crops and Kasungu’s elephants. The wires, known as polywire fencing and supplied by conservation group IFAW and Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), are strung taut between straight, evenly cut fence poles that Banda and her helpers erected. To the uninitiated, they hardly seem capable of stopping a herd of elephants. But Banda herself attests to their effectiveness. “It’s strong, it helps us,” she tells Mongabay. “If somebody touches it, they fall.” Farmer Harry Msimuko stands in front of wires that carry a powerful electric charge, protecting his own crops and those of 19 other households from elephants from nearby Kasungu National Park. Image by Ryan Truscott for Mongabay. On a neighboring farm, within sight of the bare granite faces of Malawi’s Miwonde Hills, Harry Msimuko shows off the “power house” in his living room: two solar-powered batteries with wiring snaking up the wall. When he flicks a switch at night, pulses of electricity run along 6 kilometers (nearly 4 miles) of fencing enclosing not only his crops but those of 19 neighbors. The only recent conflict, he says, has been with hyenas crossing from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/electric-fences-help-farmers-and-elephants-coexist-in-zambian-borderlands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>New animals discovered in Cambodian caves</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/new-animals-discovered-in-cambodian-caves/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/new-animals-discovered-in-cambodian-caves/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 08:58:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shanna Hanburry]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sam Lee]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20090458/Pit-viper-trimeresurus-lii-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319793</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Cambodia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Caves, Ecosystems, New Species, Science, Species Discovery, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scientists have discovered at least 11 new species in Cambodia&#8217;s karst ecosystems — dramatic landscapes of caves and rocks that create isolated habitats. These new species, as well as other endangered animals in the region highlight the importance of protecting these rare ecosystems.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Scientists have discovered at least 11 new species in Cambodia&#8217;s karst ecosystems — dramatic landscapes of caves and rocks that create isolated habitats. These new species, as well as other endangered animals in the region highlight the importance of protecting these rare ecosystems.This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/new-animals-discovered-in-cambodian-caves/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>In Malaysia, a bridge helps endangered langurs and humans coexist</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/05/in-malaysia-a-bridge-helps-endangered-langurs-and-humans-coexist/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/05/in-malaysia-a-bridge-helps-endangered-langurs-and-humans-coexist/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 03:46:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Isabelle LeongPhilip Jacobson]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/19093450/A7KH3XT-langur-crosses-bridge-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=custom-story&#038;p=319692</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Malaysia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Deforestation, Development, Endangered Species, Environment, Featured, Forestry, Forests, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Human-wildlife Conflict, Innovation In Conservation, Mammals, Monkeys, Primates, Rainforests, urban ecology, Urban Planning, Urbanization, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Malaysia’s Penang state, conservationists and residents are collaborating to reduce conflict between humans and endangered dusky langurs displaced by urban development and habitat loss. The Langur Project Penang built a canopy bridge to help langurs safely cross a busy road and access more habitat, reducing time spent in residential areas and lowering complaints from [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Malaysia’s Penang state, conservationists and residents are collaborating to reduce conflict between humans and endangered dusky langurs displaced by urban development and habitat loss. The Langur Project Penang built a canopy bridge to help langurs safely cross a busy road and access more habitat, reducing time spent in residential areas and lowering complaints from residents. Malaysia’s wildlife agency receives thousands of wildlife complaints annually, and often responds with trapping, relocation or culling; but conservationists argue education and coexistence measures can be more sustainable responses to increasing human-wildlife encounters. The project’s success has depended heavily on local support and citizen scientists, with some residents gradually shifting from frustration toward compassion and acceptance of living alongside wildlife. TANJUNG BUNGAH, Malaysia — The 50-year-old mango tree growing through Tan Soo Siah’s second-story terrace is a favorite stopping place for the family of endangered monkeys that has taken up residence in a small park near his home in Malaysia’s Penang state. “Since everybody chases them away, I try to let them have a rest here,” says Tan, 64, who likes to watch the dusky langurs (Trachypithecus obscurus) from his bedroom window, peeking up at them playing in the foliage. Not everyone in Taman Concord, a residential community home mostly to retirees like Tan, is as taken with the langurs&nbsp;as he is. Around three years ago, the monkeys were inciting complaints from seniors who were fed up with langurs leaping across their houses, damaging their rooftops and denuding their gardens. Tan Soo Siah, a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/05/in-malaysia-a-bridge-helps-endangered-langurs-and-humans-coexist/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/05/in-malaysia-a-bridge-helps-endangered-langurs-and-humans-coexist/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>Smallholders are not the weak link in forest protection (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/smallholders-are-not-the-weak-link-in-forest-protection-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/smallholders-are-not-the-weak-link-in-forest-protection-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 02:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aida Greenbury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/20021450/kalbar_drone_190243-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319771</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Borneo, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Commentary, Deforestation, Editorials, Environment, Forests, Green, Tropical Forests, and Zero Deforestation Commitments]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In general, plantation companies view local communities and smallholders as obstacles to expanding operations and to securing social licenses. In deforestation-free supply chains, smallholders are also often treated as a risk. In my experience, this is one reason forest protection efforts fail: we don’t want to understand why smallholders are perceived as a risk. Yet [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[In general, plantation companies view local communities and smallholders as obstacles to expanding operations and to securing social licenses. In deforestation-free supply chains, smallholders are also often treated as a risk. In my experience, this is one reason forest protection efforts fail: we don’t want to understand why smallholders are perceived as a risk. Yet many of the people closest to the forest are also the ones with the strongest reason to keep it standing. That was not how I saw things at the start of my career. Years inside corporate sustainability changed my view, as did many difficult conversations with communities. Customary forest behind smallholders oil palm plantation in Sanggau, West Kalimantan. Photo by Aida Greenbury. People often asked me, “How did someone like you, a corporate slave, end up working for smallholders?” It’s a long story. I worked for corporations for many years. Some people might remember me as Managing Director of Sustainability at one of the largest integrated forestry, pulp and paper companies headquartered in Indonesia. A forest-based company of that size in Indonesia is frequently criticized for deforestation. More than a decade ago, before I left the company, that work led me to help develop the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA), a multistakeholder initiative to develop a deforestation-free methodology for extractive companies operating in humid tropical regions. With many existing deforestation standards unclear and rife with loopholes, adopting a clear, science-based deforestation-free methodology, supported by companies, NGOs, and other global stakeholders, was what I needed to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/smallholders-are-not-the-weak-link-in-forest-protection-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>An Australian icon, the platypus is struggling — and scientists still lack answers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/an-australian-icon-the-platypus-is-struggling-and-scientists-still-lack-answers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/an-australian-icon-the-platypus-is-struggling-and-scientists-still-lack-answers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2026 02:16:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Paul Harvey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/17224328/Image-6-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319612</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Australia and Queensland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Citizen Science, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Change And Conservation, Conservation, Drought, Environment, Habitat, Mammals, Research, wildfires, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The platypus is an evolutionary anomaly. This duck-billed, semiaquatic mammal is both unique and rare. It’s just one of five egg-laying mammals on the planet. It nurses its young. And it also has reptilian traits: It has a cloaca, maintains a low body temperature (32° Celsius, or 90° Fahrenheit) and males have venomous spurs. It [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The platypus is an evolutionary anomaly. This duck-billed, semiaquatic mammal is both unique and rare. It’s just one of five egg-laying mammals on the planet. It nurses its young. And it also has reptilian traits: It has a cloaca, maintains a low body temperature (32° Celsius, or 90° Fahrenheit) and males have venomous spurs. It prefers the lush rivers along Australia’s east coast, using electroreception, sensing electrical stimuli to detect favored food, which includes larvae, shrimp and small crayfish on the riverbed. The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) usually feeds during twilight at dusk and dawn, and is elusive,  spending much of its life submerged. Its true population remains unknown. The IUCN Red List estimates 50,000 and classifies the species as near threatened. But that listing was based on an assessment done in 2014, which even then noted it was a “best estimate” and the population was decreasing. Gilad Bino, who leads the University of New South Wales Platypus Conservation Initiative, said he doubts those numbers. Platypuses are hard to find and count. They face a host of challenges, including destruction of their riparian habitat and encroaching human development. New research shows that environmental “threat scenarios” are raising the platypus’s risk of extinction. More frequent and extreme weather events endanger platypuses when drought dries the waters they inhabit, wildfires blaze through or floods inundate burrows before the animals can escape. The research, published in the journal Australian Mammalogy, calls for a proactive response, based on habitat and risk. But effective conservation, the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/an-australian-icon-the-platypus-is-struggling-and-scientists-still-lack-answers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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