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		<title>Conservation news</title>
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		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/bhutan/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
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	<title>Bhutan environmental news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/bhutan/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>Bhutan&#8217;s pursuit of happiness takes root on its farms</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/bhutans-pursuit-of-happiness-takes-root-on-its-farms/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/bhutans-pursuit-of-happiness-takes-root-on-its-farms/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Sep 2026 05:49:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Naina Rao]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/09/07054840/village-in-bhutan-e1788760166567-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=328938</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Development, Environment, Environmental Policy, Food, Food Industry, food security, Food Vs Forests Debate, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Natural Resources, Politics, Subsistence Agriculture, Sustainability, and Sustainable Development]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Guided by its national philosophy of Gross National Happiness, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan aims to achieve food self-sufficiency by 2029 under its 13th five-year plan. However, the rugged, landlocked nation faces challenges in the form of steep terrain and logistical bottlenecks, chef and restaurateur Bleu Tshering Dorji told host Mike DiGirolamo on a recent [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Guided by its national philosophy of Gross National Happiness, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan aims to achieve food self-sufficiency by 2029 under its 13th five-year plan. However, the rugged, landlocked nation faces challenges in the form of steep terrain and logistical bottlenecks, chef and restaurateur Bleu Tshering Dorji told host Mike DiGirolamo on a recent episode of the Mongabay Newscast. “We are a mountainous landlocked country, and only a small percentage of our land is, I think, actually suitable for agriculture,” Dorji said. Bhutan’s five-year plan seeks to dramatically boost domestic production of key commodities while supporting smallholder farmers. Agriculture employs more than 40% of Bhutan’s 800,000 citizens, but arable land is extremely limited, and remote farms struggle with unpaved roads and a lack of cold storage. Dorji said the biggest challenge for farmers is getting their produce from farm to market due to the rugged terrain. “Every extra hour in transit affects quality and freshness.” Labor is also increasingly scarce as young people leave agriculture. “We need our young Bhutanese people to be able to see farming as not a last resort, but as a profession that you could be proud of,” Dorji said. To counter these issues, the government is investing approximately $180 million under the plan, with $139 million targeting smallholder farmers, the majority of whom in Bhutan are women, according to the five-year plan. Sonam Wangchuk, an executive specialist at Bhutan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, told DiGirolamo on the newscast that under the current five-year&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/bhutans-pursuit-of-happiness-takes-root-on-its-farms/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/bhutans-pursuit-of-happiness-takes-root-on-its-farms/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-328938</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Bhutan, a philosophy of happiness guides a push for food self-sufficiency</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/08/in-bhutan-a-philosophy-of-happiness-guides-a-push-for-food-self-sufficiency/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/08/in-bhutan-a-philosophy-of-happiness-guides-a-push-for-food-self-sufficiency/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Aug 2026 20:29:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike DiGirolamo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mikedigirolamo]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/07/23171856/39504348814_2873f81ce1_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=podcasts&#038;p=326636</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Development, Environment, Environmental Policy, Food, Food Industry, food security, Food Vs Forests Debate, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Natural Resources, Politics, Subsistence Agriculture, Sustainability, and Sustainable Development]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan is a Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between China and India. Forty percent of its 800,000 citizens work in the agriculture sector. The mountainous country is famous for its breathtaking landscapes and its unique policy of “Gross National Happiness,” instituted in 1972 by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan. My guests on the Newscast [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan is a Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between China and India. Forty percent of its 800,000 citizens work in the agriculture sector. The mountainous country is famous for its breathtaking landscapes and its unique policy of “Gross National Happiness,” instituted in 1972 by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan. My guests on the Newscast this week say this philosophy is the backbone of the nation&#8217;s food system, and its plan for full food self-sufficiency by 2029. “Our food system isn&#8217;t just about producing food. It&#8217;s about sustaining our landscapes, our communities, and our culture,” says renowned chef and restaurateur Bleu Tshering Dorji. She owns two restaurants in the nation&#8217;s capital, Thimphu. She explains the unique challenges farmers she works with face due to climate change and steep mountain terrain. “We are a mountainous landlocked country, and only a small percentage of our land is, I think, actually suitable for agriculture. We don&#8217;t have the luxury of just expanding farmland. We have to make better use of the land that we sort of already have,” she says. “Labor is becoming extremely scarce as young people sort of move away from agriculture, and farmers still have to deal with issues like wildlife conflict, unpredictable weather, and also getting their produce to the market,” Bleu says. She adds the outflow of young people from rural areas, where most of the population currently lives, presents its own set of challenges. “We need our young Bhutanese people to be able to see farming as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/08/in-bhutan-a-philosophy-of-happiness-guides-a-push-for-food-self-sufficiency/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/08/in-bhutan-a-philosophy-of-happiness-guides-a-push-for-food-self-sufficiency/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-326636</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Scientific &#038; traditional knowledge are key for effective &#038; community-centered conservation (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientific-traditional-knowledge-are-key-for-effective-community-centered-conservation-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientific-traditional-knowledge-are-key-for-effective-community-centered-conservation-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Jul 2026 15:52:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Charudutt Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/07/20151938/Tsetsen-Collared-Snow-Leopard-Tost-Mongolia-by-Lkhagvasumberei-Tomorsukh-Snow-Leopard-Trust-SLCF-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=324063</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, Global, Himalayas, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Commentary, Mammals, Snow Leopards, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A group of women often climbs steep cliffs to set up camera traps for snow leopards around Kibber in Spiti Valley, India. The senior women know the landscape intimately, like what areas the animals use and where cameras are likely to capture movement. They have walked these mountains all their lives and know how to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A group of women often climbs steep cliffs to set up camera traps for snow leopards around Kibber in Spiti Valley, India. The senior women know the landscape intimately, like what areas the animals use and where cameras are likely to capture movement. They have walked these mountains all their lives and know how to navigate the most rugged and inaccessible terrain safely, even in snow and ice. This is a kind of access that visiting researchers simply cannot replicate.  Back at the village, they gather around two computer screens. The younger women, who are typically more adept at handling technology, organize and sort the photographic data. Together, they identify individual snow leopards from their coat patterns, building scientific monitoring skills over time. Their work contributes directly to regional and global assessment and monitoring of snow leopard populations. Women hold up their camera traps after completing training. Image courtesy of Kibber women/NCF/HPFD. Who are these scientists conducting camera-trap monitoring of snow leopards? They are not trained researchers. They are women from the Indigenous community of Kibber in Spiti Valley. This work is done alongside their other chores: Livestock rearing, farming, household responsibilities, and community work. They do this, because they are interested in knowing how many snow leopards they are helping protect on their community lands; they take pride in learning research techniques; and they see themselves as part of the global effort to study and protect them.  Lobzang Yangchen, the coordinator of the Kibber team of 11 women, says,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientific-traditional-knowledge-are-key-for-effective-community-centered-conservation-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientific-traditional-knowledge-are-key-for-effective-community-centered-conservation-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-324063</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Is South Asia becoming inhospitable for migratory birds?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/is-south-asia-becoming-inhospitable-for-migratory-birds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/is-south-asia-becoming-inhospitable-for-migratory-birds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jan 2026 10:19:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sadiqur Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abu Siddique]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/21095547/birds-fisherman-bangladesh-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313163</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, South Asia, and Sri Lanka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Environment, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Land Use Change, Migration, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every winter, millions of birds fly thousands of kilometers via the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), from the frozen expanses of Siberia and Central Asia to the warmer South Asia and beyond. The birds’ migration depends on a chain of intact ecosystems: primarily wetlands, riverine forests and coastal mangroves, which serve [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every winter, millions of birds fly thousands of kilometers via the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), from the frozen expanses of Siberia and Central Asia to the warmer South Asia and beyond. The birds’ migration depends on a chain of intact ecosystems: primarily wetlands, riverine forests and coastal mangroves, which serve as their crucial stopover sites for rest and refueling. However, today, many of these habitats and food sources are disappearing. Researchers from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, India, the Maldives, Bhutan and Sri Lanka have assessed that wetland conversion amid agricultural expansion and rapid urbanization, unplanned fishing and pollution are degrading the wetlands, mudflats and river systems across South Asia. Bangladeshi ornithologist Sayam U. Chowdhury, a researcher at the Conservation Research Institute (CRI) under the University of Cambridge, explains how rapid urbanization and the loss of natural wetlands pose a serious threat to migratory waterbirds. Although many people associate waterbirds with fish, most migratory species — including ducks, geese and shorebirds — rely on shallow wetlands, mudflats and nearby agricultural lands. They primarily feed on aquatic vegetation, seeds and invertebrates rather than fish. “When waterbodies are drained, polluted or heavily altered, it destroys the habitats and food resources these birds depend on during their non-breeding season,” Chowdhury tells Mongabay. Bangladesh lies within both the Central Asian and the East Asian-Australian flyways and provides habitat for around 310 migratory bird species, according to Bangladesh’s National Report of COP13’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/is-south-asia-becoming-inhospitable-for-migratory-birds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/is-south-asia-becoming-inhospitable-for-migratory-birds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-313163</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>As climate change burdens grow, community mental health alarm bells ring</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/as-climate-change-burdens-grow-community-mental-health-alarm-bells-ring/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/as-climate-change-burdens-grow-community-mental-health-alarm-bells-ring/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Aug 2025 18:32:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Petro Kotzé]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/18085510/ce563a5a-1757-4f90-99e7-46c44f84c15e-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=304298</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Planetary Boundaries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan, Global, Nigeria, Solomon Islands, and South Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Climate Change, Climate Change Denial, Climate Justice, Conservation, Environment, Extinction, Extreme Weather, Health, Impact Of Climate Change, Planetary Boundaries, Planetary Health, Public Health, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“We are not causing climate change, yet we are the ones heavily affected,” says 26-year-old Solomon Islands health worker Matthew Bibao Paikea, as he expresses ongoing frustration over failing crops, rising disease and an island home slowly succumbing to the sea. “I can’t do anything to change this,” he notes, with resignation and recognition of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“We are not causing climate change, yet we are the ones heavily affected,” says 26-year-old Solomon Islands health worker Matthew Bibao Paikea, as he expresses ongoing frustration over failing crops, rising disease and an island home slowly succumbing to the sea. “I can’t do anything to change this,” he notes, with resignation and recognition of the crisis. In communities worldwide, people like Paikea are grappling with far more than the physical and economic impacts of climate change. Intensifying climate stressors are also eroding mental health and psychosocial well-being. According to the 2023 U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report, threats to mental health and well-being are on the upswing as the world warms, while support to deal with these invisible mental and emotional impacts is lagging. While most research so far has focused on the mental health impacts of acute disasters — think: floods, wildfires and hurricanes — fewer studies have examined the long-term grinding day-to-day impacts of the slow-moving climate crisis, as ever rising sea levels, extreme heat, extended drought, severe storms and drastic climate variability negatively impact economies, food security, freshwater availability, health care and sanitation, emergency response and quality of life. Mental health risks are especially intense in the world’s most vulnerable under-served communities, as at-risk groups and individuals (especially the poor, disabled, very young and very old, and those already suffering mental illness) are battered by the wearing toll. Climate change has begun impacting key industries in the Himalayan nation of Bhutan, including agriculture&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/as-climate-change-burdens-grow-community-mental-health-alarm-bells-ring/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/as-climate-change-burdens-grow-community-mental-health-alarm-bells-ring/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-304298</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Bhutan’s new farm fencing program could be costly for wildlife (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/bhutans-new-farm-fencing-program-could-be-costly-for-wildlife-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/bhutans-new-farm-fencing-program-could-be-costly-for-wildlife-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Aug 2025 18:14:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sangay Wangchuk]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/03/07142214/25009338009_a705ddf0a3_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=303699</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, Himalayas, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animals, Biodiversity, Commentary, Conservation, Environment, Food, food security, Human-wildlife Conflict, Migration, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On July 17, 2025, Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan’s oldest protected area, posted on its Facebook page: “Wild Friends Aren’t Always Friendly.” The message referred to a midnight incident in which elephants damaged several vehicles parked inside a newly constructed parking area secured by a boundary wall, concertina wire fencing, and a thorn-gated entrance. This [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On July 17, 2025, Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan’s oldest protected area, posted on its Facebook page: “Wild Friends Aren’t Always Friendly.” The message referred to a midnight incident in which elephants damaged several vehicles parked inside a newly constructed parking area secured by a boundary wall, concertina wire fencing, and a thorn-gated entrance. This event at Manas is not an isolated occurrence. Across Bhutan, such encounters are becoming increasingly frequent, underscoring an urgent need for large-scale intervention. In response, Bhutan is rapidly expanding its chain-link fencing program nationwide to shield farmers and safeguard food systems. While this infrastructure offers immediate relief and supports agricultural recovery, it also fragments vital wildlife corridors, raising profound ecological and ethical concerns. The urgency to act is clear, yet the long-term consequences challenge Bhutan’s deep-rooted commitment to coexistence with nature. A chain-link fence erected to exclude wildlife from crops in Chanachen village, Chhukha district. Image by Norbu Tshering / Gedu Divisional Forest Office. This urgency stems from a worsening rural crisis. Human-wildlife conflict is not new to Bhutan, but has now reached a critical tipping point. Crop raids by elephants, wild pigs, monkeys and porcupines increasingly force farmers to abandon their fields. Farmland lies fallow not because farmers have given up, but because they can no longer afford to lose another harvest. As agriculture becomes less viable, rural depopulation intensifies, leading to reduced farm labor and an increase in fallow land. These lands are reclaimed by forests, drawing wild animals closer to settlements, which&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/bhutans-new-farm-fencing-program-could-be-costly-for-wildlife-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-303699</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>From Bhutan to Nigeria &#038; Kenya, women endure climate change differently than men</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/from-bhutan-to-nigeria-kenya-women-endure-climate-change-differently-than-men/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/from-bhutan-to-nigeria-kenya-women-endure-climate-change-differently-than-men/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Dec 2024 02:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Choki WangmoJuliet Akoth OjwangKaren CoatesTarinipre Francis]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/12/19135751/IMG20241129124815-1-e1734616731824-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=291914</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, Bhutan, Kenya, and Nigeria]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Environment, Fellows, Flooding, Research, and Women In Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Climate change is not an equal player; neither is environmental degradation. Research shows that both disproportionately affect populations that are already vulnerable. The effects of floods, fires, heat waves and droughts are all more likely to hit harder in communities living under the poverty line or on society’s socioeconomic fringes. And gender is a critical [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Climate change is not an equal player; neither is environmental degradation. Research shows that both disproportionately affect populations that are already vulnerable. The effects of floods, fires, heat waves and droughts are all more likely to hit harder in communities living under the poverty line or on society’s socioeconomic fringes. And gender is a critical factor. Globally, women and girls suffer the effects of climate change more than men. Women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die in environmental disasters. Women also make up the majority of the world’s poor, and they rely more heavily on the environment for their survival. These are all among the reasons why the United Nations says women are key to climate action. And yet, women are also disproportionately neglected in reporting on climate change and the environment — one global analysis found that women account for just 28% of the voices quoted in stories about climate change. Further research shows a myriad of reasons for this: Women are seen as “less credible” sources than men, men fill the majority of newsroom leadership roles, reporters are influenced by cultural norms that don’t prioritize women’s voices and women journalists face greater safety risks in the field — and online — that often curtail their reporting. This year, Mongabay’s fourth cohort of Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows comprised a diverse group of journalists from Bhutan, Nigeria and Kenya — all women. This was not orchestrated; each was selected (as all fellows are)&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/from-bhutan-to-nigeria-kenya-women-endure-climate-change-differently-than-men/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/from-bhutan-to-nigeria-kenya-women-endure-climate-change-differently-than-men/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-291914</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Bhutan, a smoked fish tradition helps sustain a vanishing ethnic group</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/in-bhutan-a-smoked-fish-tradition-helps-sustain-a-vanishing-ethnic-group/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/in-bhutan-a-smoked-fish-tradition-helps-sustain-a-vanishing-ethnic-group/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Nov 2024 03:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Choki Wangmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/10/01120505/smoked-fish-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=289450</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Conservation, Culture, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Food, Freshwater Fish, Indigenous Peoples, Rivers, Traditional Knowledge, and Traditional People]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[RUKHA, Bhutan — The Oleps, the last remaining hunter-gatherers living within Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, take pride in their ancestry as Bhutan’s first inhabitants. With the kingdom’s modernization in the 1960s, these nomadic hunters, once practicing slash-and-burn cultivation in the Jowo Durshing (Black Mountain) area, settled permanently in the Rukha Valley in the 1970s, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[RUKHA, Bhutan — The Oleps, the last remaining hunter-gatherers living within Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, take pride in their ancestry as Bhutan’s first inhabitants. With the kingdom’s modernization in the 1960s, these nomadic hunters, once practicing slash-and-burn cultivation in the Jowo Durshing (Black Mountain) area, settled permanently in the Rukha Valley in the 1970s, in the southern part of Wangdue Phodrang district. They brought with them the tradition of Nya Dosem, a specially prepared smoked fish made from snowtrout (Schizothorax genus). The Olep lifestyle is fading, with only 20 households remaining in Rukha and nearby Lawa-Lamga. They live near the mighty Black Mountain range within whose huge black boulders of primitive rocks, misty and verdant forest, they believe, are the fortresses of their protective deities. They share their home with charismatic species like the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), Gee’s golden langur (Trachypithecus geei), musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and red pandas (Ailurus fulgens). Despite regulations against fishing without a license, the Harachhu Captured Fisheries Management Group, Bhutan&#8217;s first formalized fishery community mostly made up of Olep people, receives special government permits. According to Tashi Dorji, the group&#8217;s chairperson, the king of Bhutan encouraged the Oleps to settle and benefit from development projects. The fishing permit, which helps the Oleps adjust to settled life, is renewed every 10 years, based on sustainable practices and the community’s income. The Oleps still face challenges adapting to farming, which led to poverty and food scarcity. However, annual fish landings&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/in-bhutan-a-smoked-fish-tradition-helps-sustain-a-vanishing-ethnic-group/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-289450</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Ecotourism offers new hopes for Bhutanese youth — and local environments</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/09/ecotourism-offers-new-hopes-for-bhutanese-youth-and-local-environments/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/09/ecotourism-offers-new-hopes-for-bhutanese-youth-and-local-environments/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Sep 2024 02:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Choki Wangmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/09/05150517/Jigmechhu-Ecotourism-campsite-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=286965</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Development, Economics, Ecotourism, Environment, Fellows, Mountains, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Forest Management, and Travel]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan&#8217;s journey into tourism began in 1974, when the country opened its doors to package tourists, prioritizing sustainable growth and development. Today, with more than 70% forest cover safeguarded by a vast network of protected areas, Bhutan aspires to become a leading ecotourism destination, guided by the national tourism policy of “high-value, low-volume.” But there [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan&#8217;s journey into tourism began in 1974, when the country opened its doors to package tourists, prioritizing sustainable growth and development. Today, with more than 70% forest cover safeguarded by a vast network of protected areas, Bhutan aspires to become a leading ecotourism destination, guided by the national tourism policy of “high-value, low-volume.” But there are some hurdles to overcome. The government defines ecotourism as a “responsible travel to natural areas and habitats, which conserves the environment, respects the culture and traditions of its people, and improves the overall well-being of its citizens within the overall concept of ‘Gross National Happiness.’” Tashi Tenzin, project manager with Department of Tourism Secretariat, says that besides cultural tourism such as festivals and visits to monasteries, which make up 88% of tourism activities, the department is diversifying in order to attract repeat visitors who return to the same destination one or more times. “Nature and community-based activities like high-end fly-fishing and birding have the potential to attract young repeat tourists,” Tashi Tenzin says. This, he says, will not only provide business opportunities but also promote regional development through infrastructure building in other parts of the country. Currently, trekking is a widely popular nature-based tourism activity in Bhutan. The Department of Tourism’s U.N.-sponsored ecotourism project focuses on two key protected areas, Bumdeling and Sakteng wildlife sanctuaries, and extends across five districts in eastern and central Bhutan: Lhuentse, Mongar, Trashigang, Trashi Yangtse and Zhemgang. The Pachu Community Tourism campsite. Image by Choki Wangmo. “Its primary goal&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/09/ecotourism-offers-new-hopes-for-bhutanese-youth-and-local-environments/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/09/ecotourism-offers-new-hopes-for-bhutanese-youth-and-local-environments/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-286965</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘A harmonious human-primate society’: Interview with Whitley winner Kuenzang Dorji</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/07/a-harmonious-human-primate-society-interview-with-whitley-winner-kuenzang-dorji/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/07/a-harmonious-human-primate-society-interview-with-whitley-winner-kuenzang-dorji/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jul 2024 16:10:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Choki Wangmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/07/17082801/Trachypithecus_geei_348837004-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=284447</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, India, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Human-wildlife Conflict, Interviews, Interviews with conservation players, Monkeys, Poaching, Primates, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Kuenzang Dorji&#8217;s lifelong passion for wildlife, fostered since childhood, set the stage for his distinguished career in conservation. His professional journey began as a park ranger at Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park under the Royal Government of Bhutan. In this role, he was tasked with wildlife protection, forest management and law enforcement. A keen interest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Kuenzang Dorji&#8217;s lifelong passion for wildlife, fostered since childhood, set the stage for his distinguished career in conservation. His professional journey began as a park ranger at Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park under the Royal Government of Bhutan. In this role, he was tasked with wildlife protection, forest management and law enforcement. A keen interest in conservation research started with the endangered Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), and he holds the distinction of having been the first Bhutanese biologist to photograph this majestic animal in the wild with camera trap technology. Witnessing the challenges of subsistence farmers sharing the landscape with Gee’s golden langur, Kuenzang Dorji has dedicated most of his two decades of conservation work to this field. He was recognized in May 2024 by the Whitley Fund for Nature for these efforts to protect the endangered golden langur and help address human-wildlife conflict in the country. The Whitley Awards, also known as the “Green Oscars,” are prestigious prizes honoring grassroots conservation leaders of the Global South. Bhutan, along with a small region in western Assam, India, is the last remaining home of Gee’s golden langur. Despite Bhutan’s constitution mandating the protection of at least 60% forest cover, economic expansion — such as for hydropower projects, road construction and housing development — has forced many of the country’s 2,500 golden langurs into closer contact with humans. Traditionally viewed positively in this small, landlocked country of about 800,000 people, the golden langur is now seen as a crop raider by&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/07/a-harmonious-human-primate-society-interview-with-whitley-winner-kuenzang-dorji/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-284447</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Experts highlight importance of ‘prebunking’ to combat climate disinformation</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/experts-highlight-importance-of-prebunking-to-combat-climate-disinformation/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/experts-highlight-importance-of-prebunking-to-combat-climate-disinformation/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 May 2024 02:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Choki Wangmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/05/09164512/climate-protest-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=281889</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Covering Climate Now and Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, Global, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Business, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Change Denial, Corporate Environmental Transgressors, Environment, Ethics, Fellows, Global Warming, information ecosystem, Journalism, Mitigation, Politics, and Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With the rapid expansion of digital and AI tools, climate disinformation has become a major challenge for journalists and media organizations across the world. However, climate disinformation researchers say that &#8220;prebunking&#8221; is one of the best ways to fight it. Prebunking is a vital method used by agencies to tackle false claims before the public [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With the rapid expansion of digital and AI tools, climate disinformation has become a major challenge for journalists and media organizations across the world. However, climate disinformation researchers say that &#8220;prebunking&#8221; is one of the best ways to fight it. Prebunking is a vital method used by agencies to tackle false claims before the public encounters them, helping them spot and resist manipulation. Based on inoculation theory in psychology, prebunking builds mental defenses by revealing deceptive techniques in advance. Beth Goldberg, from Google&#8217;s Jigsaw division, told National Public Radio that she sees prebunking as a shield against manipulation through early awareness. This proactive approach is increasingly used in campaigns to encourage critical thinking and combat false information with accuracy. According to The Guardian reporter Dharna Noor, the stories intended to misinform often follow clear patterns, making it easier to predict the lies they might tell. She spoke at a recent press briefing on how to prebunk climate disinformation hosted by the global journalism collaboration, Covering Climate Now, and the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition. Citing an example of the war in Gaza, Noor said, the American Petroleum Institute launched a big ad campaign, claiming concerns about oil flow from the Middle East during the war. “By understanding these patterns, journalists can address industry tactics before they reach the public.” Prebunking stories often comes before there&#8217;s even a news event, she added. Journalists can prebunk stories, a preemptive strike against misinformation, instead of waiting for people to hear false claims. A&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/experts-highlight-importance-of-prebunking-to-combat-climate-disinformation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/experts-highlight-importance-of-prebunking-to-combat-climate-disinformation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-281889</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>As Bhutan reports big boost in tigers, coexistence strategies become necessary (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/as-bhutan-reports-big-boost-in-tigers-coexistence-strategies-become-necessary-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/as-bhutan-reports-big-boost-in-tigers-coexistence-strategies-become-necessary-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Aug 2023 01:09:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Dechen Dorji]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/08/07224914/WW1297943-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=271920</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Cats, Commentary, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Human-wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Solutions, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On Saturday, July 29, the world celebrated International Tiger Day with good news from my home country of Bhutan, a small Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between India and China. Bhutan’s latest tiger population survey reports 131 more tigers living in the wild, a 27% increase from its first systematic survey in 2015. This second national tiger [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On Saturday, July 29, the world celebrated International Tiger Day with good news from my home country of Bhutan, a small Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between India and China. Bhutan’s latest tiger population survey reports 131 more tigers living in the wild, a 27% increase from its first systematic survey in 2015. This second national tiger survey is the product of over 300 field staff setting up 1,200 camera trap stations across some of the most treacherous terrain in the Himalayan mountains — a testament to Bhutan’s unwavering commitment to conservation. Bhutan’s achievement is reason to celebrate, to be sure. But the tiger’s turnaround begs an important question: will people in Bhutan and other tiger range countries necessarily be enthusiastic about growth in tiger populations? After all, people don’t always welcome wildlife thriving in their neighborhoods. So let’s be clear. For all the benefits that healthier tiger populations bring to local communities and range countries alike, there are also challenges, such as the prospect of more human-tiger conflicts and reduced tolerance to co-existence with large predators. Managing these conflicts in a manner that is equitable, practical and sustainable is vital for the continued preservation of tigers and for the communities that share their habitat. A village in Wangdue Phodrang. Most Bhutanese people live in rural areas, where livestock roam freely, making them easy prey for tigers. Image by Baron Reznik via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). Bhutan’s efforts to boost tiger numbers are part of a global endeavor to save the tiger. The beginning of the 20th century&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/as-bhutan-reports-big-boost-in-tigers-coexistence-strategies-become-necessary-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-271920</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>&#8216;Your tiger killed my cattle’: As big cats thrive in Bhutan, farmers struggle</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/your-tiger-killed-my-cattle-as-big-cats-thrive-in-bhutan-farmers-struggle/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/your-tiger-killed-my-cattle-as-big-cats-thrive-in-bhutan-farmers-struggle/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jan 2023 08:05:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Heather Richardson]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/01/19124042/bengal-tiger-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=264722</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Cats, Conflict, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Governance, Human-wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Tigers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The village of Rukubji, in Bhutan’s central Wangdue Phodrang district, lies in a valley at the intersection of three rivers, its surrounding hillsides scattered with yak herder tents or swathed in forest. In October 2022, a camera trap set just outside the village recorded a female tiger and her two cubs prowling among the pine [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The village of Rukubji, in Bhutan’s central Wangdue Phodrang district, lies in a valley at the intersection of three rivers, its surrounding hillsides scattered with yak herder tents or swathed in forest. In October 2022, a camera trap set just outside the village recorded a female tiger and her two cubs prowling among the pine trees. Like many areas of Bhutan, the region seems to have experienced an increase in the big cats. But while the presence of breeding apex predators might sound like good biodiversity news, it’s not so simple for the people living alongside them. Tigers are endangered, their numbers having fallen from a possible 100,000 a century ago to 3,200 in 2010, when they became the subjects of one of the world’s most ambitious conservation targets. TX2, as it became known, was the shared goal of 13 governments of tiger-range countries to double the global tiger population to 6,000 by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger. Though the target wasn’t met, the global population is now estimated at an average of 4,500 individuals. Bhutan’s first tiger survey in 2014-15 estimated 103 individuals. The second survey, due to be published in early 2023, will show an increase, says Tshering Tempa of the Bhutan Tiger Center (BTC), part of the Department of Forests and Park Services. Many villages in Bhutan are surrounded by hillsides that are scattered with yak herder tents or swathed in forest. Image by Terry Feuerborn via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0). The overall population increase has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/your-tiger-killed-my-cattle-as-big-cats-thrive-in-bhutan-farmers-struggle/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/your-tiger-killed-my-cattle-as-big-cats-thrive-in-bhutan-farmers-struggle/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-264722</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Tigers threatened by a vast network of planned roads across Asia</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/tigers-threatened-by-a-vast-network-of-planned-roads-across-asia/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/tigers-threatened-by-a-vast-network-of-planned-roads-across-asia/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2020 11:21:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/15032842/Malayan-tiger-animals_01913-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=230512</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forest Destruction, Forests, Green, Illegal Logging, Infrastructure, Logging, Mammals, Poaching, Rainforests, Tigers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Bukit Tigapuluh landscape in Indonesia has been sliced and diced by roads, opening its forests to threats from the outside. As forest vanishes in the region, so too does its population of endangered Sumatran tigers. A rapidly expanding road network in Asia threatens to usher in similar problems for tigers (Panthera tigris) elsewhere in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae). Photo by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay. The Bukit Tigapuluh landscape in Indonesia has been sliced and diced by roads, opening its forests to threats from the outside. As forest vanishes in the region, so too does its population of endangered Sumatran tigers. A rapidly expanding road network in Asia threatens to usher in similar problems for tigers (Panthera tigris) elsewhere in Indonesia and beyond. According to a new study published in the journal Science Advances, nearly 24,000 kilometers (15,000 miles) of new roads will be built in tiger conservation landscapes (TCLs) in Asia by 2050. Using a recently developed global roads data set, University of Michigan conservation ecologist Neil Carter and his colleagues calculated the extent of planned and existing road networks across a 13-country range in Asia and the potential impacts of those roads to the globally endangered tiger. The analyses covered a nearly 1.16-million-square-kilometer (448,000-square-mile) range across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam. &#8220;Our analysis demonstrates that, overall, tigers face a ubiquitous and mounting threat from road networks across much of their 13-country range,&#8221; Carter said in a statement. Royal Bengal tiger in Corbett National Park. Photo by Udayan Dasgupta/Mongabay. Tigers are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, with fewer than 4,000 individuals still remaining in the wild. Tiger conservation has been flagged as a global conservation priority, and the international initiative TX2 has set a goal of doubling global tiger numbers between&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/tigers-threatened-by-a-vast-network-of-planned-roads-across-asia/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-230512</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Protected landscape across India-Bhutan border a refuge for wildlife during armed conflict</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/protected-landscape-across-india-bhutan-border-a-refuge-for-wildlife-during-armed-conflict/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/protected-landscape-across-india-bhutan-border-a-refuge-for-wildlife-during-armed-conflict/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Aug 2018 08:47:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/08/16060037/1.-Panthera-tigris-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=209404</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, India, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Camera Trapping, Conflict, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Protected Areas, Research, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From the late 1980s until 2003, recurring ethno-political violence rocked Manas National Park, a protected area in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, in the Himalayan foothills. The conflict changed the park’s spread and abundance of wildlife, including the endangered Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). But Manas’s continuity with Bhutan’s Royal Manas National Park (RMNP) has [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From the late 1980s until 2003, recurring ethno-political violence rocked Manas National Park, a protected area in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, in the Himalayan foothills. The conflict changed the park’s spread and abundance of wildlife, including the endangered Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). But Manas’s continuity with Bhutan’s Royal Manas National Park (RMNP) has helped shelter and preserve its overall wildlife diversity, according to a new study published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The study looked at the state of wild mammals in the aftermath of the unrest, and underscored the importance of landscape connectivity for giving a fighting chance to species to survive in the face of conflicts and other disturbances, said lead author M. Firoz Ahmed, a scientist with the NGO Aaranyak. Manas National Park (MNP), flanking the banks of the gurgling Manas River, abuts with RMNP in the north and forms an integral part of the Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA), an India-Bhutan partnership promoting landscape-level ecosystem management. “If we model our conservation areas in such a way so that animals can move during disturbances and then they can move back to reoccupy their home ranges or territories, then we have a chance to keep the biodiversity intact,” Ahmed told Mongabay-India. The TraMCA, conceived by officials from the forest departments of Assam and Bhutan and partnering NGOs, is now a model for the international conservation community and is being mainstreamed by both the Indian and Bhutan governments, Ahmed said. Map of the Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TRaMCA).&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/protected-landscape-across-india-bhutan-border-a-refuge-for-wildlife-during-armed-conflict/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/protected-landscape-across-india-bhutan-border-a-refuge-for-wildlife-during-armed-conflict/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-209404</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Range countries to lead new estimate of global snow leopard population as downgraded threat status remains controversial</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/range-countries-to-lead-new-estimate-of-global-snow-leopard-population-as-downgraded-threat-status-remains-controversial/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/range-countries-to-lead-new-estimate-of-global-snow-leopard-population-as-downgraded-threat-status-remains-controversial/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Mar 2018 17:20:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/03/26163259/Snow_leopard_-_Uncia_uncia-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=205218</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, South Asia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Cats, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Human-wildlife Conflict, Hunting, Mammals, Poaching, Population, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[No one really knows for sure how many snow leopards there are left in the world, but an initiative spearheaded by snow leopard range countries and scientists announced last week aims to change that. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is found in 12 countries in Central and South Asia. Its elusive nature and inaccessible, mountainous [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[No one really knows for sure how many snow leopards there are left in the world, but an initiative spearheaded by snow leopard range countries and scientists announced last week aims to change that. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is found in 12 countries in Central and South Asia. Its elusive nature and inaccessible, mountainous habitat were once believed to be keeping the snow leopard population relatively stable, but in recent years habitat loss and degradation, declining prey due to illegal hunting, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade have all taken their toll, and the species is widely believed to be in decline. The species had been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986 until late last year, when its threat status was downgraded to Vulnerable — ostensibly welcome news that ultimately proved quite controversial. The IUCN reported that &#8220;new available data&#8221; had led to the threat status downgrade. But even the IUCN notes in its assessment of the snow leopard population that “There are no robust estimates of Snow Leopard global population size and the various figures available are best regarded as guesses.&#8221; Those best guesses place the global snow leopard population anywhere between about 4,000 to 7,500 individuals, according to the IUCN Red List. The newly announced Population Assessment of the World’s Snow Leopards initiative, called PAWS for short, will be overseen by the Steering Committee of the Global Snow Leopard &amp; Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), which is comprised of the Environment&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/range-countries-to-lead-new-estimate-of-global-snow-leopard-population-as-downgraded-threat-status-remains-controversial/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/range-countries-to-lead-new-estimate-of-global-snow-leopard-population-as-downgraded-threat-status-remains-controversial/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-205218</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Snow leopards no longer ‘endangered,’ but still in decline and in need of urgent conservation measures</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/snow-leopards-no-longer-endangered-but-still-in-decline-and-in-need-of-urgent-conservation-measures/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/snow-leopards-no-longer-endangered-but-still-in-decline-and-in-need-of-urgent-conservation-measures/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Sep 2017 20:05:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/09/26194528/Panthera_uncia_Shynghyz_Tama_Zoo_2015-09-20-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=199460</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, South Asia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Mammals, Research, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species had bad news about the conservation status of many species, including some that were previously so abundant that their entry onto the list as endangered or even critically endangered came as something of a surprise. There was at least one species for whom the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species had bad news about the conservation status of many species, including some that were previously so abundant that their entry onto the list as endangered or even critically endangered came as something of a surprise. There was at least one species for whom the update bore welcome news, however: the snow leopard, which has been listed as Endangered since 1986 but has now had its threat status downgraded to Vulnerable. “Thanks to new available data, the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) has moved from the Endangered to Vulnerable category,” the IUCN reported before warning that &#8220;its population continues to decline and it still faces a high risk of extinction through habitat loss and degradation, declines in prey, competition with livestock, persecution, and poaching for illegal wildlife trade.” Many scientists and conservationists were quick to underscore the point made by the IUCN about the need for continued conservation efforts to reverse the snow leopards’ ongoing decline and ensure the survival of the species, regardless of its status on the Red List. Indeed, some experts argue that moving the species from Endangered to Vulnerable might not have been warranted at all. The IUCN itself noted that there have been a number of successes in the fight to save snow leopards, while acknowledging that there is a lot of work left to be done: “Thanks to significant investments in conservation for this species, including anti-poaching efforts, initiatives to reduce conflict with livestock, and awareness-raising&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/snow-leopards-no-longer-endangered-but-still-in-decline-and-in-need-of-urgent-conservation-measures/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/snow-leopards-no-longer-endangered-but-still-in-decline-and-in-need-of-urgent-conservation-measures/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-199460</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Is the snow leopard actually 3 distinct subspecies?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/new-research-suggests-there-are-three-distinct-subspecies-of-snow-leopard/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/new-research-suggests-there-are-three-distinct-subspecies-of-snow-leopard/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 May 2017 11:33:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/05/26154216/Snow_leopard_portrait-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=196165</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Conservation, Environment, Mammals, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[New research published in the Journal of Heredity suggests that there are three subspecies of snow leopard, which researchers say could create new conservation opportunities for the elusive species that inhabits remote, high-altitude habitat across Central and South Asia. All snow leopards were believed to belong to one monotypic species, Panthera uncia, prior to the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[New research published in the Journal of Heredity suggests that there are three subspecies of snow leopard, which researchers say could create new conservation opportunities for the elusive species that inhabits remote, high-altitude habitat across Central and South Asia. All snow leopards were believed to belong to one monotypic species, Panthera uncia, prior to the present study. Though the cats’ range is immense, extending across 1.6 million square kilometers (more than 600,000 square miles) and 12 Asian countries, while also being largely inaccessible to humans, as it includes some of the highest and coldest mountain ranges in the world, hunting and poaching still pose such a serious threat to snow leopards that an estimated population of just 3,500 to 7,000 individuals remains in the wild today. Because of the forbidding terrain they call home, snow leopards are the last of the big cat species — which also includes jaguars, leopards, lions, and tigers — to have been subjected to a subspecies assessment. A research team led by Dr. Jan E. Janecka, a professor of biological science at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, conducted the first range-wide genetic assessment of snow leopards by analyzing the DNA in scat samples collected on wildlife trails and other areas frequented by the cats. Janecka and team determined that there are three primary “genetic clusters” of snow leopards, each of which qualifies as its own subspecies: a Northern subspecies in the Altai region, a Central subspecies in the core Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau regions, and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/new-research-suggests-there-are-three-distinct-subspecies-of-snow-leopard/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-196165</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Silent soldiers of the extreme, or why I’m glad I’m not a wild yak</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/11/silent-soldiers-of-the-extreme-or-why-im-glad-im-not-a-wild-yak/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/11/silent-soldiers-of-the-extreme-or-why-im-glad-im-not-a-wild-yak/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Nov 2016 17:31:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Joel Berger]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/11/22172959/FEATURED-yak-592x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=191134</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Animals]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, and China]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Commentary, Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Global Environmental Crisis, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Mammals, Mass Extinction, Natural Capital, Overconsumption, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Right up front, this is a story about unsung species — not those megafauna with the extraordinary symbolism of a snow leopard, a blue whale, or a rhino. These little-known, mostly unrecognizable species are from remote areas where conditions are extreme, where tourists rarely visit. But first, a quiz for context; you may wish to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Yak females at glacial edge. Photo courtesy of Joel Berger / WCS Right up front, this is a story about unsung species — not those megafauna with the extraordinary symbolism of a snow leopard, a blue whale, or a rhino. These little-known, mostly unrecognizable species are from remote areas where conditions are extreme, where tourists rarely visit. But first, a quiz for context; you may wish to try this one on your friends: What single country has moose and elephants, tigers and caribou? If unsure, narrow things by adding brown bears and leopards, then wild camels. Befuddled? Include truly well known icons like the graceful spotted giant flying squirrel and humped-back dolphins; the bulbous-nosed takin or proboscis-swinging saiga too. Now add the pygmy slow loris. An answer will assuredly emerge once we cap the list: giant panda. Most people know the plight of China’s giant pandas, but few will know the stories associated with a handful of uncommon, unique and beautiful large mammals found at the ecological hard edges and margins of the world. Perhaps it’s because these unknowns are far from effective markets vitalized by the deftness of a digital media, the savvy of conservation-minded NGOs, or just lacking charisma. If this is the case, then might a brighter future simply require us doing better to increase recognition? Or, is the problem that these unknown animals — these emissaries of hope — are from the planetary margins, where few of us are willing to peer deeply into Bhutan’s forested&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2016/11/silent-soldiers-of-the-extreme-or-why-im-glad-im-not-a-wild-yak/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-191134</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Understanding the ghost of the mountain</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/understanding-ghost-mountain/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/understanding-ghost-mountain/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Aug 2016 20:13:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Julia John]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sue Palminteri]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/08/01193349/feature-crop-wt-520x281.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildtech-mongabay-com.mongabay.com/?p=185481</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Camera Trapping, cameras, data, GPS, Mapping, Monitoring, Population, Remote Sensing, Research, Snow Leopards, Surveying, Technology, Tracking, Wildlife, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The grayish-white form of the ghost of the mountain slinks through the snowcapped slopes of Central Asia. Its remote, harsh habitat, cryptic coat and elusive nature have impeded investigation and made monitoring the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) arduous, if not impossible. Technological advances, however, are changing that. New population estimates for the big cat, based [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The grayish-white form of the ghost of the mountain slinks through the snowcapped slopes of Central Asia. Its remote, harsh habitat, cryptic coat and elusive nature have impeded investigation and made monitoring the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) arduous, if not impossible. Technological advances, however, are changing that. New population estimates for the big cat, based on a knowledge review process begun in 2008 incorporating increasingly sophisticated technology, are higher than prior ones. A study of Snow Leopard Conservation Units comprising 44 percent of the species’ three million-square-kilometer range suggests there could be 4,678 to 8,745 individuals just within surveyed areas. Till now, scientists believed the global snow leopard population numbered between 3,920 and 7,500.  They stress that they can’t say the population has increased but their ability to estimate it has improved. “New technologies in the hands of respected experts across snow leopard range, yielded, for the most part, the raw data for a more robust population estimate,” said Tom McCarthy, Director of Panthera’s Snow Leopard Program. Snow leopard approaches camera trap, Kyrgyzstan. Photo credit: Panthera-SAEF-NAS-UW. Collars, Cameras, Poop and GIS McCarthy has used telemetry and camera traps, two such technologies, for decades. In the early 1990s, he conducted a large study in Mongolia using standard VHF tags attached to collars. Following the signals of these tags was difficult, requiring researchers to hike on the ground with handheld antennas—a time-consuming and frustrating process—or track from a small aircraft—a costly and risky option. But now GPS satellite tags track the cats as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/understanding-ghost-mountain/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-188511</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Getting SMART about Wildlife Crime</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/03/getting-smart-about-wildlife-crime/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/03/getting-smart-about-wildlife-crime/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Mar 2016 15:17:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Julia John]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Martin K]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/03/01221853/23495339186_ab3450175d_o-e1456948971880-440x330.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bangladesh, Belize, Bhutan, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Global, and Laos]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Analysis, Dolphins, Elephants, GPS, Law Enforcement, Monitoring, Poaching, Protected Areas, Technology, Tigers, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From Laos to Belize, forest personnel use the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) to more efficiently anticipate and combat wildlife crime.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Judging by his army green forester’s uniform, baseball cap emblazoned with a tiger head on the front and WWF panda logo on the side, and wildlife law enforcement experience, you wouldn’t think Jampel Landhep grew up shooting endangered animals. When he was five years old, Landhep began hunting with his father, a Bhutanese poacher who scrupulously trained him in identifying wildlife signs and setting traps. Four years later, however, after killing a serow – a Himalayan goat-antelope – calf and its anguished mother, the ranger’s father cried and prayed in repentance, and taught little Landhep nonviolence toward animals instead. After high school, the boy trained to become a ranger and put his father’s lesson into practice. Since 2011, he’s been atoning for his family’s poaching legacy by patrolling Bhutan’s Royal Manas Park, where he’s been using the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) over the past three years to enhance wildlife law enforcement. Jampel Lendhup (center) patrolling Bhutan’s Manas National Park with fellow rangers. Photo credit: Rohit Singh/WWF TAI. SMART software facilitates the management, analysis and reporting of observed field data, often within protected areas. Data collected during ranger patrols are fed into the program, which converts it to maps and other visual displays to help reserve managers see where rangers go, what they see and where, and how they respond. It is thus a tool for planning, adaptive management and capacity building that helps managers and other users identify current threats, crime hotspots, and potentially more effective enforcement approaches.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2016/03/getting-smart-about-wildlife-crime/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-181685</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Photos: Hundreds of new species discovered in the Eastern Himalayas</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2015/10/photos-hundreds-of-new-species-discovered-in-the-eastern-himalayas-2/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2015/10/photos-hundreds-of-new-species-discovered-in-the-eastern-himalayas-2/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Oct 2015 17:32:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/10/03151339/new-Protobothrops-himalayansus-pitviper-c-Liang-Zhang-520x328.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Tibetan Plateau]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Climate Change, Fish, Plants, and Reptiles]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Eastern Himalayas in South Asia is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, and now there are more than 200 new species known to science to prove the point — among them, a blue-eyed frog, a “bejeweled” pit viper and a fish that can live out of water for four days. Between 2009 and 2014, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Eastern Himalayas in South Asia is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, and now there are more than 200 new species known to science to prove the point — among them, a blue-eyed frog, a “bejeweled” pit viper and a fish that can live out of water for four days. Between 2009 and 2014, according to a new report released on World Habitat Day by the World Wildlife Fund, scientists working with a variety of organizations and research institutions discovered 133 plants, 39 invertebrates, 26 fish, 10 amphibians, one reptile, one bird and one mammal in the Eastern Himalayas. Increasing our knowledge of this region teeming with life is all the more important given how many threats it’s currently facing. The WWF report notes that previous research has shown only 25% of the original habitat in the Eastern Himalays remains intact, and lists a number of threats to the region, including agriculture, forest destruction as a result of unsustainable and illegal logging, fuelwood collection, overgrazing by livestock, poaching, mining and pollution. In the forward to the report, Lyonpo Yeshey Dorji, Minister for Agriculture and Forests in Bhutan, a country on the eastern end of the Himalayas, writes that the region is at severe risk from climate change, which is already having an adverse impact on biodiversity and ecosystems health due to warmer temperatures, increased flooding, droughts and shifting weather patterns. “With the risk of climate change coupled with increasing human pressures and threats, we must continue to enhance monitoring&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2015/10/photos-hundreds-of-new-species-discovered-in-the-eastern-himalayas-2/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-149284</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>A sketch of the yeti: saving the Himalayan brown bear</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/05/a-sketch-of-the-yeti-saving-the-himalayan-brown-bear/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/05/a-sketch-of-the-yeti-saving-the-himalayan-brown-bear/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2014 18:36:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2014/05/a-sketch-of-the-yeti-saving-the-himalayan-brown-bear/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Bears, Environment, Green, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Overall, the brown bear is one of the most widespread bear species in the world, found in much of Eurasia and North America, in quite large numbers. A subspecies called the Himalayan brown bear is not so fortunate. It occupies higher reaches of the Himalayas in remote, mountainous areas of Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet and India. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Overall, the brown bear is one of the most widespread bear species in the world, found in much of Eurasia and North America, in quite large numbers. A subspecies called the Himalayan brown bear is not so fortunate. It occupies higher reaches of the Himalayas in remote, mountainous areas of Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet and India. Its populations are small and isolated, and it is extremely rare in many parts of its range. Over the last ten years, researchers in Pakistan, Nepal and India have been chalking out the status of the subspecies (Ursus arctos isabellinus), by conducting field surveys for bear signs and through conversations with local people. The bear populations in some parts of Nepal and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China (TAR) belong to a separate subspecies (U. a. pruinosus), divided by a gap in distribution of the two subspecies between western Nepal and India. Political boundaries block connection of the last few strongholds of the Himalayan brown bear, with increased human presence and livestock conflicts worsening the situation. A Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus). Photo credit: Usman Ghani. The Himalayan brown bear is one of the most ancient brown bear lineages. It’s a very large animal, with a big head, small eyes and stocky limbs. It is believed by some that the bear’s ability to walk upright probably gave rise to the legend of the Yeti or &#8220;Abominable Snowman.&#8221; People from the area call the brown bear &#8220;spang drenmo&#8221; (&#8220;spang&#8221; means grass&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2014/05/a-sketch-of-the-yeti-saving-the-himalayan-brown-bear/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-25306</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Yeti may be undescribed bear species</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/10/yeti-may-be-undescribed-bear-species/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/10/yeti-may-be-undescribed-bear-species/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Oct 2013 18:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2013/10/yeti-may-be-undescribed-bear-species/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, India, and Nepal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Bears, Cryptic Species, Cryptozoology, Environment, Green, Mammals, Mountains, Polar Bears, Primates, Science, Species Discovery, Strange, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The purported Yeti, an ape-like creature that walks upright and roams the remote Himalayas, may in fact be an ancient polar bear species, according to new DNA research by Bryan Sykes with Oxford University. Sykes subjected two hairs from what locals say belonged to the elusive Yeti only to discover that the genetics matched a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The purported Yeti, an ape-like creature that walks upright and roams the remote Himalayas, may in fact be an ancient polar bear species, according to new DNA research by Bryan Sykes with Oxford University. Sykes subjected two hairs from what locals say belonged to the elusive Yeti only to discover that the genetics matched a polar bear jawbone found in Svalbard, Norway dating from around 120,000 (though as recent as 40,000 years ago). &#8220;I don&#8217;t think it means there are ancient polar bears wandering around the Himalayas,&#8221; Sykes told the Independent. &#8220;It could mean there is a subspecies of brown bear in the high Himalayas descended from the bear that was the ancestor of the polar bear. Or it could mean there has been more recent hybridization between the brown bear and the descendent of the ancient polar bear.&#8221; Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) may have separated from brown bears (Ursus arctos) as recently as 150,000 years ago, but more recent research argues for a longer evolution, around 4-5 million years ago. Hybridization remains possible between the two species, and is currently a threat to polar bears as their climate heats up from global warming melting the ice the bears depend on. The theory that the Yeti is in fact an unknown bear is not a new one. In his searches for the Yeti, mountaineer Reinhold Messner found a reference to the Yeti in a 300-year-old Tibetan manuscript that described it as a type of bear. Artist&#8217;s rendition of the Yeti.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2013/10/yeti-may-be-undescribed-bear-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-26239</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Planet organic: achieving sustainable food security and environmental gains</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/03/planet-organic-achieving-sustainable-food-security-and-environmental-gains/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/03/planet-organic-achieving-sustainable-food-security-and-environmental-gains/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Mar 2013 18:24:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Thomas Handley]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2013/03/planet-organic-achieving-sustainable-food-security-and-environmental-gains/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, and Bhutan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Developing Countries, Economics, Environment, Food, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Mitigation, Pesticides, Pollution, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Organic vegetables for sale in Argentina. Photo by: René Piamonte. The global farmland area certified organic has expanded more than threefold to 37 million hectares since 1999, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute. The Institute argues that organic farming has the potential to contribute to sustainable food security by improving nutrition intake [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Organic vegetables for sale in Argentina. Photo by: René Piamonte. The global farmland area certified organic has expanded more than threefold to 37 million hectares since 1999, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute. The Institute argues that organic farming has the potential to contribute to sustainable food security by improving nutrition intake and sustaining rural livelihoods, while reducing vulnerability to climate change and enhancing biodiversity. &#8220;Organic farming is now established in international standards, and 84 countries had implemented organic regulations by 2010,&#8221; wrote Catherine Ward and Laura Reynolds, Worldwatch researchers and lead authors of the report. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements defines organic agriculture has a production system that relies on ecological processes rather than the use of synthetic inputs (e.g. chemical fertilizers and pesticides). While organic farming has been practiced throughout most of human history, its modern roots lie in the middle of the last century. The period following World War II has come to be known as the &#8220;golden age of pesticides&#8221; because the use of agricultural chemicals was rife. But as the health and ecological ramifications of agrochemicals became clear, governments started to regulate their use and consumers started to demand organically certified foods. &#8220;Although organic agriculture often produces lower yields on land that has recently been farmed conventionally, it can outperform conventional practices—especially in times of drought—when the land has been farmed organically for a longer time,&#8221; said Reynolds, a researcher with Worldwatch&#8217;s Food and Agriculture Program in a recent press&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2013/03/planet-organic-achieving-sustainable-food-security-and-environmental-gains/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-29373</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Chasing down &#8216;quest species&#8217;: new book travels the world in search of rarity in nature</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/02/chasing-down-quest-species-new-book-travels-the-world-in-search-of-rarity-in-nature/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/02/chasing-down-quest-species-new-book-travels-the-world-in-search-of-rarity-in-nature/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Feb 2013 15:50:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2013/02/chasing-down-quest-species-new-book-travels-the-world-in-search-of-rarity-in-nature/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, India, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Birds, Cats, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Ecology, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Green, In-situ Conservation, Jaguars, Mammals, Predators, Rainforests, Religions, Rhinos, Top Predators, Wildlife, and Wolves]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A poster-child for rare species: the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) captured on camera trap in its last stand: Ujung Kulon National Park Java, Indonesia. Photo by: © Mike Griffiths / WWF-Canon. In his new book, The Kingdom of Rarities, Eric Dinerstein chases after rare animals around the world, from the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A poster-child for rare species: the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) captured on camera trap in its last stand: Ujung Kulon National Park Java, Indonesia. Photo by: © Mike Griffiths / WWF-Canon. In his new book, The Kingdom of Rarities, Eric Dinerstein chases after rare animals around the world, from the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in Brazil to the golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) in Bhutan to Kirtland&#8217;s warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) in the forests of Michigan. Throughout his journeys, he tackles the concept of rarity in nature head-on. Contrary to popular belief, rarity is actually the norm in the wildlife world. &#8220;Most people, and even many scientists remain unaware that the vast majority of species on Earth are considered to be rare,&#8221; Dinerstein told mongabay.com in a recent interview. One of the difficulties of modern conservation is determining which species are naturally rare, and thus have special adaptations to survive in low numbers, and which have been made rare by the increasingly-massive human footprint. &#8220;Some species have always been rare, such as species that live in unusual habitats on the tops of single tropical mountains. Then there are creatures like the five living rhinoceros species that were widespread and abundant until humans started to hunt or poach them and convert their habitats to agricultural crops. As conservationists it&#8217;s vital to distinguish between [these],&#8221; says Dinerstein. But being rare doesn&#8217;t mean a species has no ecological importance. In fact, some of the animals with the smallest density have the biggest impacts. &#8220;We know&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2013/02/chasing-down-quest-species-new-book-travels-the-world-in-search-of-rarity-in-nature/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-29577</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Top forest policies recognized</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/top-forest-policies-recognized/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/top-forest-policies-recognized/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Mar 2011 19:13:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/03/top-forest-policies-recognized/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, Gambia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Norway, Rwanda, Switzerland, Turkey, United States, and Vietnam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Law, Forests, Green, Law, and Rainforests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[19 forest policies have been nominated for an award by the World Future Council, a global think tank. The policies come from 16 countries: Bhutan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, Gambia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Norway, Rwanda, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States of America and Vietnam. Nominations were made by various international organizations, including UN [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[19 forest policies have been nominated for an award by the World Future Council, a global think tank. The policies come from 16 countries: Bhutan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, Gambia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Norway, Rwanda, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States of America and Vietnam. Nominations were made by various international organizations, including UN agencies. The contest aims to raise awareness of the policies and accelerate policy action. &#8220;Winners will represent the most inspiring, innovative and influential forest policies which contribute to the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations,&#8221; said the World Future Council in a statement. The awards will be announced September 21. The jury includes Jan McAlpine, Director, United Nations Forum on Forests; Professor Marie Claire Cordonier Segger, Director, Center for International Sustainable Development Law; Jakob von Uexkull, Chair, World Future Council and Right Livelihood Award; Tewolde Berhan Egziabher, Director General, Environmental Protection Authority, Ethiopia; and Pauline Tangiora, Maori elder from the Rongomaiwahine tribe, among others. It was not immediately clear whether policy enforcement will be a factor in determining the winner. Several of the recognized forest policies have been undermined by lack of enforcement. Nepal, India, and Brazil have seen substantial deforestation since their nominated policies were enacted.This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/top-forest-policies-recognized/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32781</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Tigers discovered living on the roof of the world</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2010/09/tigers-discovered-living-on-the-roof-of-the-world/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2010/09/tigers-discovered-living-on-the-roof-of-the-world/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Sep 2010 19:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2010/09/tigers-discovered-living-on-the-roof-of-the-world</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bhutan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Animals, Big Cats, Carnivores, Cats, Environment, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Mountains, Predators, Strange, Tigers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A BBC film crew has photographed Bengal tigers, including a mating pair, living far higher than the great cats have been documented before. Camera traps captured images and videos of tigers living 4,000 meters (over 13,000 feet) in the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan. The discovery is particularly surprising as most tigers inhabit forests, where [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A BBC film crew has photographed Bengal tigers, including a mating pair, living far higher than the great cats have been documented before. Camera traps captured images and videos of tigers living 4,000 meters (over 13,000 feet) in the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan. The discovery is particularly surprising as most tigers inhabit forests, where as these cats were surviving above the tree line. Bengal tigers, one of five surviving subspecies, are also found in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Bhutan is thought to have less than 100 tigers, however the new discovery of viable tiger habitat may change the estimate. Classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, tigers are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for thief body parts which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Although benefactors of some of the world&#8217;s most intensive conservation attention, tiger populations continue to drop. A special BBC program on the discovery, Lost Land of the Tiger, will air on BBC One. Related articles Saving wild tigers will cost $82M/year (09/15/2010) The cost of maintaining the planet&#8217;s 3,500 remaining wild tigers is around $80 million a year, according to a new study published in the journal PLoS Biology. Photo: Live tiger cub found in check-in baggage among stuffed tiger toys (08/27/2010) A two-month old tiger cub was found drugged and concealed among stuffed-tiger toys in a woman&#8217;s luggage at Bangkok&#8217;s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Sunday, reports TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. Myanmar creates world&#8217;s largest tiger reserve, aiding many endangered Southeast&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2010/09/tigers-discovered-living-on-the-roof-of-the-world/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-33616</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nations vulnerable to global warming present demands: carbon levels below 350ppm and billions in aid</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/11/nations-vulnerable-to-global-warming-present-demands-carbon-levels-below-350ppm-and-billions-in-aid/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/11/nations-vulnerable-to-global-warming-present-demands-carbon-levels-below-350ppm-and-billions-in-aid/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Nov 2009 18:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2009/11/nations-vulnerable-to-global-warming-present-demands-carbon-levels-below-350ppm-and-billions-in-aid/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bangladesh, Bhutan, Caribbean, East Africa, Ethiopia, Europe, Kenya, Maldives, Nepal, Tanzania, United States, and Vietnam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Emissions, Climate Change, Disasters, Drought, Economics, Environment, Green, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Impact Of Climate Change, Mitigation, Politics, Pollution, Sea Levels, Solutions, Sustainability, and Sustainable Development]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A group of nations especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change have released a declaration calling for developed countries to keep CO2 emission below 350 parts per million (ppm) and to give 1.5 percent of their gross domestic product to aid developing nations in adapting to the myriad impacts of climate change. &#8220;Anthropogenic climate [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[A group of nations especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change have released a declaration calling for developed countries to keep CO2 emission below 350 parts per million (ppm) and to give 1.5 percent of their gross domestic product to aid developing nations in adapting to the myriad impacts of climate change. &#8220;Anthropogenic climate change poses an existential threat to our nations, our cultures and to our way of life, and thereby undermines the internationally-protected human rights of our people,&#8221; the declaration states, which is supported by nations attending the summit, including the Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Kiribati, Barbados, Bhutan, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. These countries have already been severely impacted by rising seas, extensive droughts, and melting glaciers. &#8220;Developed countries bear the overwhelming historic responsibility for causing anthropogenic climate change and must therefore take the lead in responding to the challenge,&#8221; the declaration reads, outlining that this role should involve mitigation, adaptation, technology, and financing the solutions. NASA image showing the extent of the drought in East Africa this year which left millions hungry. The image compares the growth of vegetation between July 21st and October 10, 2009 to the average growth over the same period from 2002-2008. Green areas show better-than-average growth, tan areas reflect average conditions, and brown areas show poorer-than-average growth. Image courtesy of NASA. In the declaration they state that developed nations should &#8220;provide public money amounting to at least 1.5% of their gross domestic product, in addition to innovative sources of finance,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2009/11/nations-vulnerable-to-global-warming-present-demands-carbon-levels-below-350ppm-and-billions-in-aid/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-36184</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Apple&#8217;s Snow Leopard helps real-life cats</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/09/apples-snow-leopard-helps-real-life-cats/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/09/apples-snow-leopard-helps-real-life-cats/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Sep 2009 19:32:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2009/09/apples-snow-leopard-helps-real-life-cats/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Carnivores, Cats, Conservation, Environment, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Apple&#8217;s release of its new operating system, dubbed &#8220;Snow Leopard&#8221;, is helping raise awareness of the plight of one of the world&#8217;s most endangered big cats, reports the Snow Leopard Trust, a group working to protect the real-life snow leopard in its mountainous habitat across Central Asia. &#8220;This is a boon for wild snow leopards,&#8221; [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[Apple&#8217;s release of its new operating system, dubbed &#8220;Snow Leopard&#8221;, is helping raise awareness of the plight of one of the world&#8217;s most endangered big cats, reports the Snow Leopard Trust, a group working to protect the real-life snow leopard in its mountainous habitat across Central Asia. &#8220;This is a boon for wild snow leopards,&#8221; said Brad Rutherford, Executive Director of the Snow Leopard Trust, &#8220;Apple is helping to show the world the beauty and majesty of this rare creature.&#8221; Rutherford says the software launch has made consumers aware that the snow leopard is indeed a real animal and encouraged some of Apple&#8217;s partners to support snow leopard conservation, including donating a portion of profits. More than three dozen Apple Specialist stores from California to New York are helping the Snow Leopard Trust sell cub adoption kits (specially priced for Mac’s new OS release) to raise money for conservation. Tekserve, an Apple Specialist retailer in New York, has decided to donate all the proceeds from the first 100 Mac OS X operating systems they sell. A full list of participating Apple Specialists is available at www.applespecialist.com/adoptions. &#8220;The launch of the new OS will hopefully put snow leopards front and center and drive people to find out more,&#8221; Rutherford said. &#8220;We have a new donor match going on through October,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;For all the Apple partners, anything they give will be matched—that means they can have double the impact for snow leopard conservation.” The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is one&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2009/09/apples-snow-leopard-helps-real-life-cats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-36348</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Photos: hundreds of new species discovered in Himalayan region, threatened by climate change</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/photos-hundreds-of-new-species-discovered-in-himalayan-region-threatened-by-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/photos-hundreds-of-new-species-discovered-in-himalayan-region-threatened-by-climate-change/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Aug 2009 16:47:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2009/08/photos-hundreds-of-new-species-discovered-in-himalayan-region-threatened-by-climate-change/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Animals, Birds, Climate Change, Conservation, Environment, Extinction, Fish, Forests, Frogs, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Herps, Impact Of Climate Change, In-situ Conservation, Mammals, Monkeys, Plants, Primates, Rainforests, Reptiles, Saving Species From Extinction, Solutions, Species Discovery, and Wildlife]]>
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											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scientists from a variety of organizations have found over 350 new species in the Eastern Himalayas over the past ten years according to a new report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The discoveries have included a &#8216;flying&#8217; frog, the world&#8217;s smallest and oldest deer, and a fossil of the world&#8217;s oldest gecko frozen in [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[Scientists from a variety of organizations have found over 350 new species in the Eastern Himalayas over the past ten years according to a new report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The discoveries have included a &#8216;flying&#8217; frog, the world&#8217;s smallest and oldest deer, and a fossil of the world&#8217;s oldest gecko frozen in amber. WWF, whose report on the region is entitled Where World’s Collide, warns that these rare biological treasures, as well as numerous other species, are threatened in the Eastern Himalayas by climate change. The report highlights the over three hundred species discovered from 1998 to 2008 in the region, which includes Bhutan, northeast India, northern Myanmar, Nepal, and southern Tibet. Flying frog (Rhacophorus suffry). The bright green, red-footed tree frog Rhacophorus suffry, a so-called &#8216;Flying frog&#8217; because long webbed feet allow the species to glide when falling, was described in 2007. Photo by: © Totul Bortamuli / WWF Nepal &#8220;This enormous cultural and biological diversity underscores the fragile nature of an environment which risks being lost forever unless the impacts of climate change are reversed,&#8221; said Tariq Aziz, the leader of WWF&#8217;s Living Himalayas Initiative. &#8220;People and wildlife form a rich mosaic of life across this rugged and remarkable landscape, making it among the biologically richest areas on Earth. But the Himalayas are also among the most vulnerable to global climate change.&#8221; The region has a startling biodiversity. So far 10,000 plants, 977 birds, 300 mammals, 269 freshwater fish, 176 reptiles, and 105 amphibians have&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/photos-hundreds-of-new-species-discovered-in-himalayan-region-threatened-by-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-36475</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How to Save Snow Leopards</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2008/10/how-to-save-snow-leopards/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2008/10/how-to-save-snow-leopards/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Oct 2008 14:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2008/12/how-to-save-snow-leopards/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Carnivores, Cats, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Hunting, In-situ Conservation, Interviews, Mammals, Poaching, Sustainable Development, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[How to Save Snow Leopards How to Save Snow Leopards: An interview with Dr. Rodney Jackson of the Snow Leopard Conservancy Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com October 28, 2008 The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is one of the rarest and most elusive big cat species with a population of 4,500 to 7,500 spread across a range [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[How to Save Snow Leopards How to Save Snow Leopards: An interview with Dr. Rodney Jackson of the Snow Leopard Conservancy Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com October 28, 2008 The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is one of the rarest and most elusive big cat species with a population of 4,500 to 7,500 spread across a range of 1.2 to 1.6 million kilometers in some of the world&#x27;s harshest and most desolate landscapes. Found in arid environments and at elevations sometimes reaching 18,000 feet (5,500 meters), the species faces great threats despite its extreme habitat. These threats vary across its range, but in all countries where it is found &#8212; Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and possibly Myanmar &#8212; the species is at risk. In some countries snow leopard are directly hunted for their pelt, in others they are imperiled by depletion of prey, loss of habitat, and killing as a predator of livestock. These threats, combined with the cat&#x27;s large habitat requirements, means conservation through the establishment of protected areas alone may not be enough save it from extinction in the wild in many of the countries in which it lives. Camera trap picture of a wild snow leopard. Photo courtesy of the Snow Leopard Conservancy Working to stave off this fate in half a dozen of its range countries is the Snow Leopard Conservancy. Founded by Dr. Rodney Jackson, a biologist who has been studying snow leopard in the wild for 30 years,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2008/10/how-to-save-snow-leopards/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-37901</doi>				</item>
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