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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
		<atom:link href="https://news.mongabay.com/feed/?location=portugal&#038;type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/portugal/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:55:38 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<url>https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>Portugal environmental news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/portugal/</link>
	<width>32</width>
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				<item>
					<title>The European wildcat hovers between recovery and local extinction</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-european-wildcat-hovers-between-recovery-and-local-extinction/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-european-wildcat-hovers-between-recovery-and-local-extinction/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 May 2026 13:12:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean Mowbray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/07014556/Image_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318902</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Czech Republic, Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Turkey]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Cats, Climate, Climate Change, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Diseases, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Forests, Funding, Genetics, Habitat Loss, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Human-wildlife Conflict, Hunting, Mammals, Parasites, Population, Reintroductions, Saving Species From Extinction, Small Cats, Solutions, Species recovery, Wildlife, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A quiet comeback story is unfolding for the European wildcat in the Czech Republic’s Lusatian Mountains. Conservationists tracking this elusive species there have spotted a male and female, named Jonáš and Tonka, the first to be found in the region in nearly a century. This small cat species lives in forests across Europe. It’s doing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A quiet comeback story is unfolding for the European wildcat in the Czech Republic’s Lusatian Mountains. Conservationists tracking this elusive species there have spotted a male and female, named Jonáš and Tonka, the first to be found in the region in nearly a century. This small cat species lives in forests across Europe. It’s doing relatively well in some places and is imperiled in others, like the Czech Republic, where it’s critically endangered. The European wildcat (Felis silvestris), which is around the size of a large housecat, was wiped out because of disappearing habitat — and persecution. They were considered vermin and killed because they preyed on poultry and they were hunted for sport. More recently, they’re sometimes hybridizing, breeding with domestic cats. Numbers are spotty across parts of their range, so overall population numbers and trends, whether they’re rebounding or declining, is currently unknown. That’s a challenge shared by many of the world’s 30-plus small wildcat species that are often overlooked by research and funding. But they are hanging on in the Czech Republic. Earlier this year, Tonka gave birth to at least three kittens, offering hope that a slow wildcat recovery may be underway. Conservationists set up “hair traps,” wooden posts smeared with a lure that attracts the wildcats, then analyzed DNA from fur they left behind when they rubbed on them to mark their territory, as cats do. Genetically confirmed records of wildcat births are “exceedingly rare” in the country, said Kristýna Chroboková, field coordinator with the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-european-wildcat-hovers-between-recovery-and-local-extinction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-european-wildcat-hovers-between-recovery-and-local-extinction/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-318902</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Creating the North Atlantic’s largest MPA network: Interview with Azores President José Manuel Bolieiro</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/creating-the-north-atlantics-largest-mpa-network-interview-with-azores-president-jose-manuel-bolieiro/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/creating-the-north-atlantics-largest-mpa-network-interview-with-azores-president-jose-manuel-bolieiro/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Apr 2026 15:27:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maria José Mendes]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Autumn Spanne]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/08153215/a.-BANNER-%C2%A9gianfrs-iNaturalist-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=317158</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Atlantic Ocean, Europe, European Union, and Portugal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation leadership, Environment, Environmental Law, Fish, Interviews, Interviews with conservation players, Marine, Marine Conservation, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[José Manuel Bolieiro says he’s been an environmentalist for as long as he can remember. He recalls captivating encounters with marine life as a teenager while diving in the North Atlantic waters of his native São Miguel, one of the nine islands that make up the Portuguese-administered Azores archipelago. The gaze of the moray eel [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[José Manuel Bolieiro says he’s been an environmentalist for as long as he can remember. He recalls captivating encounters with marine life as a teenager while diving in the North Atlantic waters of his native São Miguel, one of the nine islands that make up the Portuguese-administered Azores archipelago. The gaze of the moray eel remains etched in his memory: “It&#8217;s impressive because it watches us vigilantly, without aggression,” he tells Mongabay. Bolieiro’s early interactions with the ocean proved formative. A member of the Social Democratic Party, Bolieiro is a former mayor of Ponta Delgada, the largest city in the Azores, and has served as president of the regional government of the Azores since 2020, championing the establishment of a remarkable network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the biodiverse waters around the archipelago. The region is home to numerous species of dolphins and whales, sharks and turtles, and rich in corals, hydrothermal vent ecosystems and seamounts. The previous government of the Azores, which is run as an autonomous region of Portugal, had set a goal of protecting 15% of the archipelago’s waters. But Bolieiro dreamed bigger: He sought marine protection covering 30% by 2030. In 2024, the regional parliament approved legislation for the new Azores Marine Protected Areas Network, and it came into force on Jan. 1 of this year. At 287,000 square kilometers (110,800 square miles) — more than three times the land area of Portugal — it’s now the largest MPA network in the North Atlantic Ocean.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/creating-the-north-atlantics-largest-mpa-network-interview-with-azores-president-jose-manuel-bolieiro/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/creating-the-north-atlantics-largest-mpa-network-interview-with-azores-president-jose-manuel-bolieiro/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-317158</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Azores dodges proposal to overturn no-fishing zones in its giant new MPA network</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/azores-dodges-proposal-to-overturn-no-fishing-zones-in-its-giant-new-mpa-network/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/azores-dodges-proposal-to-overturn-no-fishing-zones-in-its-giant-new-mpa-network/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Feb 2026 19:29:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maria José Mendes]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rebecca Kessler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/23192451/b.-OceanImageBank_EllenCuylaerts_01-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314634</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Atlantic Ocean, Europe, and Portugal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Cetaceans, Conservation, Dolphins, Ecosystems, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Islands, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Regulations, Sea Turtles, Seabirds, and Tuna]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SÃO MATEUS, Portugal — Winter forced Emanuel Alves to remove his boat from the water at the port of São Mateus in the Azores, the Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean. The 64-year-old fisher expressed concern about the giant network of marine protected areas that permeates the archipelago. &#8220;Where are we going to fish [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SÃO MATEUS, Portugal — Winter forced Emanuel Alves to remove his boat from the water at the port of São Mateus in the Azores, the Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean. The 64-year-old fisher expressed concern about the giant network of marine protected areas that permeates the archipelago. &#8220;Where are we going to fish now?” he asked. The law establishing the Azores Marine Protected Areas Network was approved in October 2024 and took effect just recently, on Jan. 1 this year. The network now safeguards 30% of Azorean waters, 287,000 square kilometers (110,800 square miles) of seascape sheltering a rich array of marine life. Not two weeks later, on Jan. 15, the Azores Parliament voted to uphold a core provision of the MPA network, after it came under fire in recent months: No fishing inside the fully protected areas, which constitute half the vast network. Pico Mountain on Pico Island in the Azores, the tallest mountain in Portugal at 2,351 meters (7,713 feet). Image by Maria José Mendes for Mongabay. The vote effectively killed an earlier move to open these areas to pole-and-line tuna fishing that would have been “catastrophic and damaging to the region,” according to Luís Bernardo Brito e Abreu, coordinator of Blue Azores, a Portugal-based partnership between the Azores regional government, the U.S.-based nonprofit Waitt Institute and the Portugal-based Oceano Azul Foundation that began advocating for the establishment of the MPA network in 2019. “[The] criterion for a total protection area is indeed total protection; there&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/azores-dodges-proposal-to-overturn-no-fishing-zones-in-its-giant-new-mpa-network/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/azores-dodges-proposal-to-overturn-no-fishing-zones-in-its-giant-new-mpa-network/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-314634</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Azores must respect its exceptional network of marine protected areas (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/azores-must-respect-its-exceptional-network-of-marine-protected-areas-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/azores-must-respect-its-exceptional-network-of-marine-protected-areas-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Jan 2026 17:01:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Enric Sala]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/10/29054839/Azores-MPA-Network_Andy-Mann-3-768x512-1.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=312627</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Atlantic Ocean, Europe, European Union, and Portugal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, Biodiversity, Commentary, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Governance, Marine, Marine Conservation, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, and Tuna]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[At the end of 2024, the Azores stood as a beacon of hope and a global leader in ocean conservation, having created the largest network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the North Atlantic. The Azores safeguarded 30% of its waters — an expanse more than three times larger than Portugal’s landmass — years ahead [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[At the end of 2024, the Azores stood as a beacon of hope and a global leader in ocean conservation, having created the largest network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the North Atlantic. The Azores safeguarded 30% of its waters — an expanse more than three times larger than Portugal’s landmass — years ahead of the global commitment to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030 (30&#215;30). This decisive action was praised both at home and internationally, with other countries and regions seeking advice from the Azores on how to follow suit. But in a world where major powers are retreating from crucial environmental commitments, the Azores now faces a pivotal test of its own. Early in 2025, a proposal to allow pole-and-line tuna fishing within areas designated as no-take was submitted to the Regional Assembly and is currently under discussion. This maneuver, if successful, risks undoing a monumental achievement. Crucially, half of this network is fully protected, banning all extractive and damaging activities, meaning it far exceeds the European Union’s mandate to fully protect at least 10% of its waters. Allowing industrial tuna fishing within the Azores’ fully protected areas would turn these areas into “paper parks” and defy their very purpose. Rays in the Azores. Image courtesy of Emanuel Goncalves / Oceano Azul Foundation. In other words, these areas would fail to meet the definition of “fully protected” set out in the strict standards established by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/azores-must-respect-its-exceptional-network-of-marine-protected-areas-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/azores-must-respect-its-exceptional-network-of-marine-protected-areas-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-312627</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Embrace ‘blue’ foods as a climate strategy at COP30, fisheries ministers say (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/embrace-blue-foods-as-a-climate-strategy-at-cop30-fisheries-ministers-say-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/embrace-blue-foods-as-a-climate-strategy-at-cop30-fisheries-ministers-say-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Nov 2025 18:26:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[André de PaulaSalvador Malheiro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/11175848/Fishing-boats-in-Grenada-by-Hugh-Whyte-Ocean-Image-Bank-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=309298</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Atlantic Ocean, Brazil, Global, and Portugal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Aquaculture, Bioeconomy, Blue Carbon, blue economy, Climate, Climate Change, Commentary, Ecosystems, Environment, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Food, food security, Governance, Marine, Marine Conservation, Nutrition, Oceans, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As two coastal countries connected by the Atlantic Ocean and five centuries of shared history, Brazil and Portugal have long appreciated the value of “blue” or aquatic foods, including our shared love of bacalhau, or salted cod. Portugal ranks third in the world and first in the EU for per capita fish and seafood consumption, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As two coastal countries connected by the Atlantic Ocean and five centuries of shared history, Brazil and Portugal have long appreciated the value of “blue” or aquatic foods, including our shared love of bacalhau, or salted cod. Portugal ranks third in the world and first in the EU for per capita fish and seafood consumption, while in Brazil, aquatic foods support more than 3 million livelihoods, with consumption of whole, raw fish reaching as much as 800 grams (28 ounces) per day in the Amazon, which is hosting the U.N. climate talks for the first time in its gateway city of Belém. But as our global food system comes under increasing pressure, from climate change to shifting diets, we also share the recognition that blue foods play a crucial role in building more resilient, adaptive, and nutritionally balanced food systems. Fishing vessels like this provide much of the world&#8217;s &#8220;blue&#8221; foods but are only a portion of the overall picture. Image courtesy of Nicolas Job/Ocean Image Bank. The blue food sector, which encompasses the wild harvest and farming of fish, shellfish, seaweed and other aquatic plants and animals, is well-known for providing rich sources of protein and essential micronutrients, such as vitamin B12, iron, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids that are crucial for combating malnutrition, which affects more than 2 billion people worldwide. However, this sector is often overlooked as a climate strategy despite its potential to help meet demand for animal-sourced food with a smaller environmental footprint. Many blue&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/embrace-blue-foods-as-a-climate-strategy-at-cop30-fisheries-ministers-say-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/embrace-blue-foods-as-a-climate-strategy-at-cop30-fisheries-ministers-say-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-309298</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Protecting coastal waters may be the best investment you&#8217;ve never heard of, says Kristin Rechberger</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/protecting-coastal-waters-may-be-the-best-investment-youve-never-heard-of-says-kristin-rechberger/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/protecting-coastal-waters-may-be-the-best-investment-youve-never-heard-of-says-kristin-rechberger/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Apr 2025 22:32:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/04/29033926/Revive-our-ocean-07_NGSPS2016REV_EnricSala_San-Benedicto-UW-729-768x512-1.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=298307</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature conservation Influencers]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Britain, Global, Greece, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal, and Turkey]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, blue economy, Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Economics, Environment, Fishing, Interviews, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Overfishing, Protected Areas, and Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The ocean has long been treated as the world’s forgotten frontier—out of sight, out of mind, and dangerously overused. Yet efforts to reverse decades of neglect are gathering speed. Last week saw the launch of Revive Our Ocean, a new initiative aimed at helping coastal communities create marine protected areas (MPAs) to restore both marine [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The ocean has long been treated as the world’s forgotten frontier—out of sight, out of mind, and dangerously overused. Yet efforts to reverse decades of neglect are gathering speed. Last week saw the launch of Revive Our Ocean, a new initiative aimed at helping coastal communities create marine protected areas (MPAs) to restore both marine life and local economies. The effort, led by Dynamic Planet with support from National Geographic’s Pristine Seas initiative, comes at a pivotal time. In 2023, countries agreed to a historic treaty to safeguard ocean biodiversity. But of the 100-plus nations that signed, only 21 have ratified the deal, with crucial backers such as the United States notably absent. With a 2030 deadline looming to protect 30% of the oceans, Revive Our Ocean’s founders argue that waiting for governments alone will not be enough. &#8220;We&#8217;ve seen that marine protection works,&#8221; says Kristin Rechberger, founder of Dynamic Planet and the force behind the new initiative. &#8220;But the creation of MPAs has been far too slow. To meet 30&#215;30, the world would need to establish over 190,000 new protected areas. That’s why we’re focusing on communities—those who know their waters best.&#8221; Kelp bed in the waters of Arran, Scotland. Credit: Henley Spiers Rechberger&#8217;s optimism is grounded in experience. Over the past decade, Dynamic Planet and Pristine Seas have supported the creation of 29 of the world’s largest marine reserves, covering nearly seven million square kilometers, mostly in remote national waters. Now, attention is shifting closer to shore, where&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/protecting-coastal-waters-may-be-the-best-investment-youve-never-heard-of-says-kristin-rechberger/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/protecting-coastal-waters-may-be-the-best-investment-youve-never-heard-of-says-kristin-rechberger/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-298307</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Getting rewilding right with the reintroduction of small wildcats</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/getting-rewilding-right-with-the-reintroduction-of-small-wildcats/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/getting-rewilding-right-with-the-reintroduction-of-small-wildcats/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Feb 2025 17:05:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean Mowbray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/02/18095213/11-An-ocelot-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=294574</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Argentina, Brazil, Global, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Taiwan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Carnivores, Cats, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Extinction, Habitat, Mammals, Predators, Reintroductions, Restoration, Rewilding, Small Cats, Top Predators, Wildlife, and Zoonotic Diseases]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For the briefest moment earlier this year, the Eurasian lynx — extinct in the U.K. for thousands of years — returned to the wild in Scotland. But this release wasn’t scientifically planned. Rather, it was an illegal act that drew condemnation from authorities and conservationists alike. Though the four lynx were swiftly captured; one died [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For the briefest moment earlier this year, the Eurasian lynx — extinct in the U.K. for thousands of years — returned to the wild in Scotland. But this release wasn’t scientifically planned. Rather, it was an illegal act that drew condemnation from authorities and conservationists alike. Though the four lynx were swiftly captured; one died shortly after. Following the illegal release, Scottish First Minister John Swinney ruled out a legal reintroduction of lynx (Lynx lynx), or other large carnivores, under his government. “Acting illegally and without consultation is extremely damaging to the cause of conservation and well-planned releases,” says Helen Senn, head of conservation and science programs at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. “I think [the illegal release] will really undermine the trust of stakeholders like farmers and landowners [involved] in the process that conservationists go through … to get releases approved.” Senn is part of a legal rewilding project that aims to restore the Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris), also affectionately dubbed the “Highland tiger” by the Scottish people, even though it’s not much bigger than a house cat. This project is supported and funded by the Scottish government so will be unaffected by Swinney’s recent statement barring large carnivore reintroductions. The Scottish wildcat — a subpopulation of the European wildcat that arrived on what is today the island of Britain at the end of the last ice age 9,000 years ago, and which has remained isolated from mainland populations — was declared “functionally extinct” in 2018 largely due&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/getting-rewilding-right-with-the-reintroduction-of-small-wildcats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/getting-rewilding-right-with-the-reintroduction-of-small-wildcats/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-294574</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>A lithium &#8216;gold mine&#8217; is buried under one of Europe’s last heritage farming systems</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/a-lithium-goldmine-is-buried-under-one-of-europes-last-heritage-farming-systems/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/a-lithium-goldmine-is-buried-under-one-of-europes-last-heritage-farming-systems/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Dec 2023 20:06:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Marta Vidal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/12/11162120/Communal-potato-harvest-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=276562</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Europe, European Union, and Portugal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Batteries, Biodiversity, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Culture, Electric Cars, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Land Conflict, Land Rights, Lithium, Mining, Politics, Protests, Renewable Energy, Solar Power, Supply Chain, Technology, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[COVAS DO BARROSO, Portugal — In the hills of Barroso high in northeastern Portugal, the water gushes down small channels built many centuries ago, winding through a mosaic of pastures, oak and pine forests, and arable and fallow land. Sitting on her porch overlooking a carefully kept garden full of flowers and vegetables, Aida Fernandes [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[COVAS DO BARROSO, Portugal — In the hills of Barroso high in northeastern Portugal, the water gushes down small channels built many centuries ago, winding through a mosaic of pastures, oak and pine forests, and arable and fallow land. Sitting on her porch overlooking a carefully kept garden full of flowers and vegetables, Aida Fernandes remembers the day she first started taking part in her village’s community-managed irrigation system. “I was 12 years old. My father got me a small hoe and told me to be careful not to fall into the water. I grew up connected to the land and was told I should take care of it,” says Fernandes, now a 45-year-old farmer. The ancient water channels, known as levadas, divert the water flow from the mountains to the plains. The collective efforts to maintain the levadas help retain the scant water resources and distribute them throughout the rugged landscape, keeping the slopes green even in the driest months. But the year Fernandes inherited the age-old tradition and took her share of responsibility for Covas do Barroso’s ancestral water system was also when she first encountered a researcher studying the region’s minerals. “I was tending my family’s cows and a geologist asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up,” Fernandes recalls. While many of her friends and neighbors migrated to look for opportunities in cities or abroad, she decided to stay. “I chose to give continuity to what I inherited from my ancestors and to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/a-lithium-goldmine-is-buried-under-one-of-europes-last-heritage-farming-systems/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-276562</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>From the ocean floor, a startup livestreams the rise of coral cities</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/from-the-ocean-floor-a-startup-livestreams-the-rise-of-coral-cities/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/from-the-ocean-floor-a-startup-livestreams-the-rise-of-coral-cities/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Nov 2021 14:11:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Claire Turrell]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Genevieve Belmaker]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/11/10100233/coral-reef-conservation-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=249279</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Global, Indian Ocean, Malaysia, Portugal, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Conservation Technology, Coral Reefs, data, Ecosystem Engineers, Ecosystems, Environment, Innovation, Marine, Marine Conservation, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Solutions, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nestled on the ocean floor in Southeast Asia are five sensor-filled boxes that will reveal the future of coral reefs. For the past year, from their secret location, the Bluboxx project has been livestreaming data on the health of the coral reef to researchers in Southeast Asia. While groundbreaking, these Bluboxxes are part of a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nestled on the ocean floor in Southeast Asia are five sensor-filled boxes that will reveal the future of coral reefs. For the past year, from their secret location, the Bluboxx project has been livestreaming data on the health of the coral reef to researchers in Southeast Asia. While groundbreaking, these Bluboxxes are part of a grander plan: they mark the beginning of a network of engineered underwater cities that are designed to save coral. The first two cities will be launched in 2022, one in Sultan Iskandar Marine Park, Malaysia, which is home to dugongs and turtles, and the other along the Comporta coastline of Portugal. The 72-square-kilometer (28-square-mile) Comporta reef is ultimately expected to cost 200-500 million euros ($226-556 million), and they aim to have started building the pilot project in time for the U.N. Ocean Conference that takes place in Lisbon in 2022. While the summit serves as a clear deadline, the Blue Oasis Technology team behind the project has another deadline that it’s working toward, and which it says is more concerning: 90% of corals could go extinct by 2050 if no action is taken to protect reefs, according to a report from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Coral reefs support a quarter of all marine life species, as well as half a billion people across the globe. This grand plan for underwater coral cities came from Dutch engineer and scuba diver Jeroen van de Waal. “There are literally dozens of startups today that have&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/from-the-ocean-floor-a-startup-livestreams-the-rise-of-coral-cities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/from-the-ocean-floor-a-startup-livestreams-the-rise-of-coral-cities/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-249279</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Conservation actions see Iberian lynx claw back from brink of extinction</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/conservation-actions-see-iberian-lynx-claw-back-from-brink-of-extinction/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/conservation-actions-see-iberian-lynx-claw-back-from-brink-of-extinction/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Mar 2021 05:40:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Johan Augustin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Hayat Indriyatno]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/03/12184321/Iberian_Lynx_endrino03-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=240452</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Europe, Mediterranean Sea, Portugal, and Spain]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Captive Breeding, Cats, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Endangered Species, Forest Fragmentation, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Human-wildlife Conflict, Hunting, Reintroductions, Rewilding, Roadkill, Saving Species From Extinction, Solutions, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It’s midday in summer, the mercury climbing above 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit), and nature guide Nuno Roxo is leading us on a hike in Guadiana Valley National Park in Portugal. The high grass and herbs, battered by the strong sun, have not seen any rain for several months. We continue down a narrow trail, used [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It’s midday in summer, the mercury climbing above 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit), and nature guide Nuno Roxo is leading us on a hike in Guadiana Valley National Park in Portugal. The high grass and herbs, battered by the strong sun, have not seen any rain for several months. We continue down a narrow trail, used by wildlife such as boars and deer. Rabbits bolt off into the bushes. The scenario looks promising for the return of the region’s top predator, for which rabbits are the favorite prey: the Iberian lynx. Nuno says that in his many years of guiding, he’s only caught a glimpse of the elusive cats once, quickly whizzing by. The best chance to see them, he says, is by the sheep pens, where the lynx lie in ambush — but not for the sheep. “The lynx catch the foxes that come to kill the sheep, so the landowners appreciate having lynx on their property,” Nuno says. Iberian lynx in Spain. Image by Frank Vassen via Flickr (CC BY 2.0). It wasn’t always so. Half a century ago, the Iberian Peninsula, comprising Spain and Portugal, was home to thousands of Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). The species is about half the size of the more common Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) found in cooler climates further north, but shared the same bad reputation for preying on livestock. That made it a favorite target of farmers, who saw it as vermin, as well as hunters who sought out its pelt and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/conservation-actions-see-iberian-lynx-claw-back-from-brink-of-extinction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/conservation-actions-see-iberian-lynx-claw-back-from-brink-of-extinction/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-240452</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Purus-Madeira: journey to the Amazon’s newest deforestation frontier</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/10/purus-madeira-journey-to-the-amazons-newest-deforestation-frontier/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/10/purus-madeira-journey-to-the-amazons-newest-deforestation-frontier/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Oct 2018 11:24:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gustavo FaleirosMarcio Isensee e Sá]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Willie Shubert]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/09/28214738/00-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=210706</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, Madeira, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Cattle, Conservation, Controversial, Crime, Deforestation, Drivers Of Deforestation, Environment, Forests, Green, Illegal Logging, Infrastructure, Land Conflict, Land Grabbing, Land Rights, Land Use Change, Logging, Politics, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, Ranching, Roads, Saving Rainforests, Threats To Rainforests, timber trade, Traditional People, and Tropical Deforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
											<grant>
							<![CDATA[201300759.02]]>
						</grant>
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay begins a new series in which our contributors drive the BR-319 highway into one of the Amazon’s most remote wild areas – a region facing rapid deforestation.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When we arrived in Realidade, in Amazonas state in the Madeira basin, we were received with immediate suspicion. Our first stop was at the sawmill of Adilson Balbinotti, an agitated man in his 50’s. As we parked our pickup truck, he ducked his head in the passenger window and spotted our cameras, GPS units and mobiles, which displayed maps noting the most recent deforestation alerts. We explained that we were journalists, and he quickly assured us he had no problem speaking with us about his business. “Everything we do here is legal,” he guaranteed. Balbinotti is typical of many entrepreneurs from Brazil’s South arriving in the Amazon. He is known as Gauchinho, a nickname that refers to his state of origin, Rio Grande do Sul; a southern source of loggers, sawmill operators, cattle ranchers and farmers since the first Amazon migration wave hit back in the 1970s. Businessmen like Balbinotti began arriving in Realidade roughly 10 years ago. They were attracted by the hope of new economic opportunities brought by a government pledge to pave and improve the BR-319, a federal road that crosses through the village. Timber ready to be processed at one of the sawmills located in the village of Realidade, state of Amazonas, Madeira basin. Image by Marcio Isensee e Sa/InfoAmazonia. Realidade was first occupied 40 years ago, when Brazil’s government – then a military dictatorship – established a land distribution policy highly favorable to outsiders, while also surveying and constructing the original BR-319, an 890 kilometer&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2018/10/purus-madeira-journey-to-the-amazons-newest-deforestation-frontier/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-210706</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Scientists identify individual lizards by their irises</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/10/scientists-identify-individual-lizards-by-their-irises/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/10/scientists-identify-individual-lizards-by-their-irises/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2013 20:50:00 +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/2013/10/scientists-identify-individual-lizards-by-their-irises/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Europe and Portugal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Green, Innovation, Islands, Lizards, Reptiles, Science, Strange, Technology, Wildlife, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Institutions and governments have been scanning human irises for years to verify one&#8217;s identity&#8212;Google has been using this method since 2011&#8212;but could iris-scanning be employed on other species as well? According to a new study in Amphibia-Reptila, the answer is &#8220;yes.&#8221; Scientists have recently employed iris scanning to visually distinguish individuals of an imperiled gecko [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Institutions and governments have been scanning human irises for years to verify one&#8217;s identity&#8212;Google has been using this method since 2011&#8212;but could iris-scanning be employed on other species as well? According to a new study in Amphibia-Reptila, the answer is &#8220;yes.&#8221; Scientists have recently employed iris scanning to visually distinguish individuals of an imperiled gecko subspecies (Tarentola boettgeri bischoffi) found on Portugal&#8217;s Savage Islands off the coast of Western Sahara. But why would you never need to tell wild geckos apart? &#8220;Individual recognition of geckos (or any other animal) is of the outmost importance for the estimation of key population features such as population size, site fidelity and movement patterns that are essential for the development of effective conservation strategies,&#8221; explains lead author Ricardo Rocha to mongabay.com. In fact telling geckos apart has been so important to conservation initiatives that scientists have already employed a number of strategies including marking individuals with paint or transponders. But the most commonly used method has been toe-clipping. &#8220;[This is] a method where the first bone of certain digits is removed, according to a predetermined numbering code. Many species of geckos rely on toe pads that enable them to climb and therefore toe-clipping has been strongly criticized for being too intrusive and for possibly affecting the welfare and even survival of the marked animal,&#8221; says Rocha. The stunning iris of a gecko from the Savage Islands, Tarentola boettgeri bischoffi. Photo by: Ricardo Rocha. If effective, iris-scanning could be a much less intrusive way to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2013/10/scientists-identify-individual-lizards-by-their-irises/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-26178</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>New illegal logging ban in EU could sever all ties with companies working in DRC</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/03/new-illegal-logging-ban-in-eu-could-sever-all-ties-with-companies-working-in-drc/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/03/new-illegal-logging-ban-in-eu-could-sever-all-ties-with-companies-working-in-drc/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Mar 2013 20:15:00 +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/2013/03/new-illegal-logging-ban-in-eu-could-sever-all-ties-with-companies-working-in-drc/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Belgium, Central Africa, China, Congo Basin, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Europe, France, Netherlands, and Portugal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community Development, Corruption, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Governance, Green, Illegal Logging, Law, Logging, Natural Resources, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, Threats To Rainforests, Trees, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Yesterday, the EU joined the U.S. and Australia in banning all timber that was illegally harvested abroad. The new regulation could have a major impact on where the EU sources its timber, and no where more so than the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to a new report by Greenpeace, the DRC&#8217;s current moratorium [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Yesterday, the EU joined the U.S. and Australia in banning all timber that was illegally harvested abroad. The new regulation could have a major impact on where the EU sources its timber, and no where more so than the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to a new report by Greenpeace, the DRC&#8217;s current moratorium on industrial logging is being systematically circumvented making all timber from the country suspect. &#8220;Logging companies, including multinationals, are routinely flouting Congolese law, with complete impunity,&#8221; said Irène Wabiwa, forests campaigner with Greenpeace Africa. &#8220;Many are involved in large-scale timber laundering and as a result, the government is denied tax revenues.&#8221; Despite the moratorium on industrial logging set up in 2002, companies are using artisanal permits meant for smallscale logging, according to the new report, Cut It Out: Illegal Logging in the DRC. One of the most popular targets is the wengé tree (Millettia laurentii). Although listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the tree is often illegally cut and exported to the EU or China. But the new law across the 27 countries that make-up the EU means buyers must practice diligent caution. Wengé log and stump in DRC forest, likely illegally logged. Photo: © Greenpeace. &#8220;DRC timber is clearly extremely high risk,&#8221; the report reads. &#8220;The lack of independent systems to verify legality in DRC makes it difficult&#8212;if not impossible&#8212;for EU-based timber traders to comply with the new due diligence requirements.&#8221; During recent investigative visits to DRC ports and forests in the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2013/03/new-illegal-logging-ban-in-eu-could-sever-all-ties-with-companies-working-in-drc/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-29469</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Common toads ravaged by killer disease in Portugal</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/01/common-toads-ravaged-by-killer-disease-in-portugal/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/01/common-toads-ravaged-by-killer-disease-in-portugal/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Jan 2013 15:44:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Darren Lloyd]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2013/01/common-toads-ravaged-by-killer-disease-in-portugal/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Europe and Portugal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Animals, Chytridiomycosis, Conservation, Diseases, Ecology, Environment, Frogs, Fungi, Global Environmental Crisis, Green, Herps, In-situ Conservation, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[An adult common midwife toad. Photo by: Gonçalo M. Rosa. The chytrid fungus&#8212;responsible for millions of amphibian deaths worldwide&#8212;is now believed to be behind a sudden decline in the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans), according to a new paper in Animal Conservation. Researchers have detected the presence of the deadly fungus in the Serra da [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[An adult common midwife toad. Photo by: Gonçalo M. Rosa. The chytrid fungus&#8212;responsible for millions of amphibian deaths worldwide&#8212;is now believed to be behind a sudden decline in the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans), according to a new paper in Animal Conservation. Researchers have detected the presence of the deadly fungus in the Serra da Estrela, north-central Portugal, home to a population of the midwife toad. &#8220;Our findings point to an outbreak of [the disease] chytridiomycosis likely being responsible for the population decline and observed disappearance of this species,&#8221; lead author Gonçalo M. Rosa told mongabay.com. Microscopic fungi, namely Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which live in aquatic conditions, are responsible for the disease. The disease compromises the osmotic properties of amphibian skin, as well as an individual&#8217;s electrolyte blood levels, eventually leading to cardiac arrest. The IUCN describes chytridiomycosis as &#8220;the worst infectious disease ever recorded among vertebrates in terms of the number of species impacted, and its propensity to drive them to extinction.&#8221; It has the potential to cause massive population declines in a matter of weeks while also disproportionately eliminating species that are rare, specialized and endemic. Midwife toad tadpole. Photo by: Gonçalo M. Rosa. In 2009, scientists in north-eastern Portugal found a number of dead common midwife toads; tests soon uncovered the presence of Bd. The extent of the outbreak was still unknown. Only recent have studies revealed the full effects. &#8220;This was one of the most abundant amphibian species at the park and shockingly our study shows&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2013/01/common-toads-ravaged-by-killer-disease-in-portugal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-29759</doi>				</item>
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