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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
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		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/by/daniel-kaul/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:16:44 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<title>Stories by Daniel Kaul -</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/by/daniel-kaul/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>The uplifting story of one of Zimbabwe’s pioneering women rangers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-uplifting-story-of-one-of-zimbabwes-pioneering-women-rangers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-uplifting-story-of-one-of-zimbabwes-pioneering-women-rangers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 19:03:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Akana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/16191522/W2iBT42Q-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333004</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Southern Africa, and Zimbabwe]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Environment, Environmental Policy, Forests, Gender, Governance, Politics, Rainforests, Solutions, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For Nyaradzo Auxilia Hoto, one of the most memorable moments of becoming a wildlife ranger was a trip to town. She and her fellow recruits walked through the streets in their new uniforms, on their way to open bank accounts. Soon, they would receive their first salaries. For a woman who had struggled to make [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For Nyaradzo Auxilia Hoto, one of the most memorable moments of becoming a wildlife ranger was a trip to town. She and her fellow recruits walked through the streets in their new uniforms, on their way to open bank accounts. Soon, they would receive their first salaries. For a woman who had struggled to make ends meet in rural Zimbabwe, it was an extraordinary moment. “We were very proud,” she recalled. Hoto, 34, grew up in Huyo, a village in Zimbabwe’s Lower Zambezi Valley, where her family depended largely on growing and selling vegetables. Money was scarce, and although she had done well at school, she could not afford to continue her education beyond secondary school. Marriage, she hoped, might offer a better life. Instead, she says, she endured nearly four years with a violent husband before deciding to leave. She returned to her parents’ home with her young daughter and resumed working in the family garden. Her fortunes changed in 2017, when the International Anti-Poaching Foundation began recruiting local women for Akashinga, a new wildlife protection initiative. Hoto was among 16 women selected from roughly 100 applicants. Many men in her community doubted that women could confront poachers or withstand the demands of ranger work. She went anyway. Within a few years, she had become a ranger sergeant, leading other women on patrol. She later returned to university, graduating in 2023 with a degree in wildlife, ecology and conservation. Today, she works as a biodiversity officer with Akashinga, using&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-uplifting-story-of-one-of-zimbabwes-pioneering-women-rangers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-uplifting-story-of-one-of-zimbabwes-pioneering-women-rangers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333004</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Fundraising to protect oceans, forests and other key nature sites falling short ahead of UN summit</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/fundraising-to-protect-oceans-forests-and-other-key-nature-sites-falling-short-ahead-of-un-summit/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/fundraising-to-protect-oceans-forests-and-other-key-nature-sites-falling-short-ahead-of-un-summit/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 17:54:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Associated Press]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/16175102/AP26287817872784-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=333002</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Adaptation To Climate Change, Climate, Climate Change, climate finance, Climate Justice, Climate Science, Earth Science, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Impact Of Climate Change, Research, Science, and Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Promises by nations to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to finance nature and increase protections for oceans around the globe are falling short ahead of a key U.N. biodiversity conference. The warnings from the head of the conference and environmental groups comes as the countries gather Monday in Yerevan, Armenia for the United Nations [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Promises by nations to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to finance nature and increase protections for oceans around the globe are falling short ahead of a key U.N. biodiversity conference. The warnings from the head of the conference and environmental groups comes as the countries gather Monday in Yerevan, Armenia for the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or COP17. The conference running from Oct. 19 to Oct. 30 is a chance for countries to take stock of their progress after agreeing to a historic deal in 2022. Countries agreed to protect 30% of land and water considered important for biodiversity by 2030 and raise at least $200 billion by 2030. By Michael Casey, Associated Press Banner image: Flamingos feed at Duden Lake near the town of Kulu, in Konya province, Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. Image courtesy of Emrah GurelThis article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/fundraising-to-protect-oceans-forests-and-other-key-nature-sites-falling-short-ahead-of-un-summit/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/fundraising-to-protect-oceans-forests-and-other-key-nature-sites-falling-short-ahead-of-un-summit/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333002</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Legal gaps allow rampant pet trade, poaching reptiles and amphibians towards extinction</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/legal-gaps-allow-rampant-pet-trade-poaching-reptiles-and-amphibians-towards-extinction/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/legal-gaps-allow-rampant-pet-trade-poaching-reptiles-and-amphibians-towards-extinction/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 15:55:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Spoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15152757/Lehmanns-poison-frog-Oophaga-lehmanni.-Credit_-%C2%A9%EF%B8%8FJonathan-Vanegas-WCS-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332764</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Animals, Biodiversity, Crime, Environment, Environmental Law, Extinction, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Herps, Illegal Trade, Law, Law Enforcement, Pet Trade, Pets, Poaching, Reptiles, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Spain’s law enforcement agency, the Civil Guard, announced on Sept. 25, 2026, that it seized 209 reptiles from breeding facilities in Jérica and Sot de Ferrer (Castellón), including critically endangered iguanas endemic to Fiji. Nearly half of the reptiles were protected under CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty. They also seized unlicensed handguns and nearly [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Spain’s law enforcement agency, the Civil Guard, announced on Sept. 25, 2026, that it seized 209 reptiles from breeding facilities in Jérica and Sot de Ferrer (Castellón), including critically endangered iguanas endemic to Fiji. Nearly half of the reptiles were protected under CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty. They also seized unlicensed handguns and nearly 200 rounds of ammunition. Authorities arrested three individuals — two men aged 48 and 51 and a 37-year-old woman — on a litany of charges: Belonging to a criminal organization, wildlife-related offenses, smuggling, money laundering and illegal weapons possession. The alleged traffickers reportedly smuggled reptiles from the wild in the Americas, Africa and Asia, and then bred them without permits, the authorities said. They added that these reptiles were then sold at European reptile and trade fairs, mixing smuggled animals with legally acquired animals — a practice called laundering that’s prevalent in wildlife trade. In this way, traffickers exploit the “legal gray area surrounding documentation that certifies the animals&#8217; origins,” the authorities said in a press release. The Spanish case is just one recent example among a slew of seizures and arrests involving rare tortoises, endangered turtles, poisonous frogs, endemic iguanas and many other protected reptiles and amphibians worldwide. The trade is lucrative — estimated to be worth some $2.5 billion — and comes with little risk. It’s often unregulated. Smugglers are rarely caught, and if they are, they get off by paying a small fine, which is absorbed as the cost of doing business.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/legal-gaps-allow-rampant-pet-trade-poaching-reptiles-and-amphibians-towards-extinction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/legal-gaps-allow-rampant-pet-trade-poaching-reptiles-and-amphibians-towards-extinction/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332764</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Plastic industry bookkeeping plans hide chemical recycling harms, critics say</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/plastic-industry-bookkeeping-plans-hide-chemical-recycling-harms-critics-say/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/plastic-industry-bookkeeping-plans-hide-chemical-recycling-harms-critics-say/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 15:54:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Claire Asher]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15224641/1_B_Plastic_pollution_crisis_UNEP-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332808</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Planetary Boundaries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, Canada, Global, North America, North Carolina, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Business, Chemicals, Circular Economy, Conservation, Energy, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Health, Natural Resources, Plastic, Pollution, Public Health, Recycling, and Waste]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Plastic pollution has rapidly escalated into a global environmental crisis that threatens ecosystem function and human health at an epic scale. Solutions are urgently needed, but while scientists, conservationists and more than 75 nations have called for binding limits on fossil fuel-driven plastic production, the plastics industry is opposed to all limits and is instead [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Plastic pollution has rapidly escalated into a global environmental crisis that threatens ecosystem function and human health at an epic scale. Solutions are urgently needed, but while scientists, conservationists and more than 75 nations have called for binding limits on fossil fuel-driven plastic production, the plastics industry is opposed to all limits and is instead pushing a collection of technologies known as ‘chemical recycling.’ Critics say the industry is utilizing deceptive accounting practices and marketing jargon to rebrand polluting plastic incineration disposal methods. To date, chemical recycling facilities have created a relatively miniscule amount of recycled plastic, according to industry critics. But consumer product labels claiming “20% recycled plastic” have become an increasingly common sight on single-use plastic items. Reading such labels, consumers might logically assume that the product contains 20% recycled material, but that might not be the case. In addition, that potentially misleading label could be greenwashing environmentally damaging plastic incineration. Chemical recycling: Cutting-edge solution or sleight of hand? Chemical recycling, also dubbed ‘advanced recycling’ by the industry, uses chemicals, intense heat and/or pressure to break down plastic waste into its molecular building blocks. This contrasts with traditional ‘mechanical’ recycling methods which shred plastic waste into tiny flakes that can be melted and re-molded into new products. The most common form of chemical recycling, called ‘pyrolysis,’ uses high temperatures and pressure to convert waste plastic into an oil, which can be further processed into a variety of chemicals, some of which can be used to create new plastics.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/plastic-industry-bookkeeping-plans-hide-chemical-recycling-harms-critics-say/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/plastic-industry-bookkeeping-plans-hide-chemical-recycling-harms-critics-say/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332808</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>As US states reduce recently restored wolf populations, here’s what we risk losing (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-us-states-cull-recently-restored-wolf-populations-heres-what-we-stand-to-lose-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-us-states-cull-recently-restored-wolf-populations-heres-what-we-stand-to-lose-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 15:47:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jim and Jamie Dutcher]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/16145555/wolf-howl-c-Jim-and-Jamie-Dutcher-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332799</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[North America and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Canids, Commentary, Ecosystems, Environment, Ethics, Hunting, Mammals, Wildlife, and Wolves]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For centuries, wolves have been cast as vicious, bloodthirsty creatures of nightmares and fairy tales, rather than as deeply social animals with an important place in nature. We wanted to understand the animal behind those stories. So, in the 1990s, we spent six years living alongside a pack of gray wolves (Canis lupus) on the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For centuries, wolves have been cast as vicious, bloodthirsty creatures of nightmares and fairy tales, rather than as deeply social animals with an important place in nature. We wanted to understand the animal behind those stories. So, in the 1990s, we spent six years living alongside a pack of gray wolves (Canis lupus) on the edge of Idaho’s Sawtooth Wilderness. In a remote mountain setting, we camped among wolves, listened to them, filmed them, and slowly became part of their world. What we came to know was an animal very different from the one humans have been taught to fear. We witnessed wolves raise their pups, care for their injured, and mourn their dead. When a mountain lion killed a member of the pack, we saw how the loss affected the wolves for more than six weeks. Above all, we learned that a wolf pack is an extended family devoted to one another by relationships, experience, and knowledge passed from one generation to the next. The Dutchers’ camp was surrounded by chain-link fence, not to protect them from the wolves, but to protect their gear from the animals’ insatiable curiosity. Image © Jim and Jamie Dutcher. That understanding shapes how we see what is happening to wolves across the American West today. After decades of effort and revenue spent to restore gray wolves to a fraction of their former range, U.S. states are now pursuing aggressive policies to radically reduce their numbers once again. In Idaho, legislation enacted in 2021&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-us-states-cull-recently-restored-wolf-populations-heres-what-we-stand-to-lose-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-us-states-cull-recently-restored-wolf-populations-heres-what-we-stand-to-lose-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332799</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Enclosed river:’ Women shellfish gatherers fight for access to mangroves in Brazil</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/enclosed-river-women-shellfish-gatherers-fight-for-access-to-mangroves-in-brazil/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/enclosed-river-women-shellfish-gatherers-fight-for-access-to-mangroves-in-brazil/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 15:38:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolina de Marchi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Xavier Bartaburu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/16152749/adriana_cata_ostras-1800x1012-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332916</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Brazil, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coastal Ecosystems, Community Forests, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Conservation leadership, Culture, Development, Environment, Food, Gender, Governance, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Law, Mangroves, Natural Resources, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Adriana Hora dos Santos stands waist-deep in the water. Her dark hair is tied in a single braid; her arms and torso covered by a pink Lycra shirt. The thick mangrove mud reaches her thighs. Using a machete just over 40-centimeters (16-inches) long, she pries dozens of oysters from the twisted roots with a steady [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Adriana Hora dos Santos stands waist-deep in the water. Her dark hair is tied in a single braid; her arms and torso covered by a pink Lycra shirt. The thick mangrove mud reaches her thighs. Using a machete just over 40-centimeters (16-inches) long, she pries dozens of oysters from the twisted roots with a steady cadence: Not too fast, not too slow. Across the Vaza-Barris river, the buildings of Sergipe’s state capital Aracaju seem otherworldly. Here, one hears the lapping of the water, the strike of the blade and Santos’s voice: “I am, I am a shellfish gatherer / Queen of the mangrove, I am a warrior! / I am, I am a shellfish gatherer / A fighting woman, a striver / It’s the wind that gives it to me / It’s the river, it’s the mangrove, it’s the sea / My chest aches, enclosed river / My chest aches with no fish caught / Come, woman, fight, emancipate yourself / We are Sergipe’s shellfish gatherers!” This is the anthem of the Movement of Women Shellfish Gatherers of Sergipe (MMS), a grassroots collective that has resisted continuous environmental degradation and cultural erasure for decades. Acting as guardians of the mangrove, they do environmental protection work while facing pressures that put their own survival at risk. To hear one of these women is to hear many: Their verbs almost always come in the plural. “We are always in a flock,” Santos says. And it was as a flock that they introduced&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/enclosed-river-women-shellfish-gatherers-fight-for-access-to-mangroves-in-brazil/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/enclosed-river-women-shellfish-gatherers-fight-for-access-to-mangroves-in-brazil/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332916</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Saving big cats: Storytelling duo Steve Winter &#038; Sharon Guynup publish new book</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/saving-big-cats-storytelling-duo-steve-winter-sharon-guynup-publish-new-book/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/saving-big-cats-storytelling-duo-steve-winter-sharon-guynup-publish-new-book/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 15:13:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gloria Dickie]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/16135236/6-BANNER-IMAGE-Hollywood-Cougar-Grey-Large-copy-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332838</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Books, Cats, Culture, Environment, Interviews, Interviews with conservation players, Mammals, Media, Photos, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For more than two decades, National Geographic photographer Steve Winter and environmental journalist Sharon Guynup have followed big cats into some of Earth’s wildest, most dangerous places. Their work has taken them from the jungles of India and Brazil to the high Himalaya, from Southeast Asia’s forests to the African savanna and the urban wilds [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For more than two decades, National Geographic photographer Steve Winter and environmental journalist Sharon Guynup have followed big cats into some of Earth’s wildest, most dangerous places. Their work has taken them from the jungles of India and Brazil to the high Himalaya, from Southeast Asia’s forests to the African savanna and the urban wilds of Los Angeles, documenting the world’s big cats and the ways humans are succeeding or failing in living alongside them. Winter’s iconic photos of tigers, jaguars, snow leopards, cougars and lions have earned some of the field’s highest honors, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year. He is also known for his innovative use of remote camera traps, which has allowed him to capture intimate glimpses of animals that are extraordinarily difficult to observe in the wild. A young male Bengal tiger trips a camera trap in India’s Kaziranga National Park. Image © Steve Winter/Big Cat Voices. Guynup, an award-winning environmental journalist, and now, Mongabay’s global wildlife editor, has penned prolific reporting on numerous topics. She’s especially known for her coverage of big cat conservation, exposés on wildlife trafficking, documenting the creation of wildlife corridors, and alerting the world to the threats posed by zoonotic diseases. The two have been partners in life and work for 37 years (they married just last year), and together have produced investigations delivering real change. Their reporting on captive tigers in the U.S., for example, (featuring Steve’s photos and Sharon’s prose), revealed abuse and wildlife trafficking, contributing to the passage of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/saving-big-cats-storytelling-duo-steve-winter-sharon-guynup-publish-new-book/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332838</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Celebrity shark trapped in South Korean canal stirs concerns over warming seas</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/celebrity-shark-trapped-in-south-korean-canal-stirs-concerns-over-warming-seas/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/celebrity-shark-trapped-in-south-korean-canal-stirs-concerns-over-warming-seas/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 15:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kelly Kasulis-Cho]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Yenni Kwok]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/16144620/AP26273274507289-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332867</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, East Asia, and South Korea]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Animals, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Environment, Fish, Impact Of Climate Change, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Ocean Warming, Oceans, Saltwater Fish, Sharks, Temperatures, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SEOUL — Wedged between skyscrapers and a bustling passenger ferry port in Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, a celebrity of sorts is drawing thousands of admirers as it has been swimming for weeks now in a shallow city canal. Bukangi, a shark named after the waterfront park where she is trapped, has attracted nearly 1.4 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SEOUL — Wedged between skyscrapers and a bustling passenger ferry port in Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, a celebrity of sorts is drawing thousands of admirers as it has been swimming for weeks now in a shallow city canal. Bukangi, a shark named after the waterfront park where she is trapped, has attracted nearly 1.4 million spectators since she was first spotted in mid-September in the southeastern coastal city, according to local authorities. At least two failed attempts to guide the shark from the canal to the open sea have added to the spectacle. Meanwhile, online videos of the marine creature swimming amid Busan’s urban landscape have gone viral on social media. The 3-meter (10-foot) female dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus), categorized as endangered on the IUCN Red List, is so popular that she has been named an official “honorary ambassador” to the city. On Oct. 6, South Korea’s National Institute of Fisheries Sciences (NIFS) identified Bukangi as a dusky shark from the ridge between its dorsal fins. Image by NIFS, 수산자원연구부 via Wikimedia Commons. The Busan city government deploys more than 100 workers daily to monitor her condition and watch out for signs of poor health. Meanwhile, the city’s baseball team released special edition merchandise in her likeness, with a local distillery offering the same treatment on its bottles of soju rice liquor. The public has “developed a sense of affection” for Bukangi, said Hong Sun-kee, director of the Institution for Marine and Island Cultures at Mokpo National University in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/celebrity-shark-trapped-in-south-korean-canal-stirs-concerns-over-warming-seas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332867</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Vulture conservation project to target illegal killing and poisoning in Chad</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/vulture-conservation-project-to-target-illegal-killing-and-poisoning-in-chad/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/vulture-conservation-project-to-target-illegal-killing-and-poisoning-in-chad/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 10:05:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean Mowbray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/16100125/An-Egyptian-vulture-in-Chad.-Image-courtesy-of-Sahara-Conservation-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=332828</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, and Chad]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conflict, Conservation, Crime, Governance, Human-wildlife Conflict, Illegal Trade, Vultures, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Conservationists are launching a project to protect dwindling vulture populations in Chad amid a Central Africa-wide decline. Run by the nonprofit Sahara Conservation, the project is part of a larger EU-funded LIFE EV Safe Return program that focuses on protecting the endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus). Egyptian vultures migrate from their breeding sites in the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Conservationists are launching a project to protect dwindling vulture populations in Chad amid a Central Africa-wide decline. Run by the nonprofit Sahara Conservation, the project is part of a larger EU-funded LIFE EV Safe Return program that focuses on protecting the endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus). Egyptian vultures migrate from their breeding sites in the mountains of Southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia, to winter feeding sites in sub-Saharan Africa, including in Chad. Sahara Conservation’s efforts will focus on Chad’s Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve and Lake Fitri, which Egyptian vultures visit. Meanwhile, critically endangered Rüppell’s vultures (Gyps rueppelli) and endangered lappet-faced vultures (Torgos tracheliotos) use both areas as their breeding grounds. “This project really aims to tackle the main threats to vultures in Chad, with a focus on Egyptian vultures,” Cloé Pourchier, program officer at Sahara Conservation, told Mongabay in an interview. “Any action for vulture conservation will benefit all species as well.” Indications are that vulture populations in Chad are declining. Like those in West Africa, they’re threatened primarily by demand for belief-based use, where people kill vultures believing the birds’ body parts can bring luck or misfortune. Last year alone, poisoning claimed the lives of more than 100 Rüppell’s vultures in Chad in three incidents. Several birds were decapitated, indicating they were killed for belief-based use. Investigations and interviews with locals by the Sahara Conservation team revealed the birds’ parts were destined for markets in Nigeria and Niger. “They were saying that there were people coming from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/vulture-conservation-project-to-target-illegal-killing-and-poisoning-in-chad/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332828</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Climate change could send more toxic mining waste into coastal waters, study warns</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/climate-change-could-send-more-toxic-mining-waste-into-coastal-waters-study-warns/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/climate-change-could-send-more-toxic-mining-waste-into-coastal-waters-study-warns/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 09:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Madeline Shaw]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Autumn Spanne]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15115700/a.-BANNER-Mariana-dam-disaster-Brazil-23147142874_7e86046655_o1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332723</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Climate Change, Coastal Ecosystems, Dams, Drinking Water, Drought, extractives, Extreme Weather, Flooding, Health, Impact Of Climate Change, Infrastructure, Marine, Mining, Oceans, Pollution, Sea Levels, Storms, Water, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Demand for metals has exploded in recent decades, thanks to population growth, technological innovation, and economic development. The volume of metal ores like iron and copper extracted globally quadrupled during the last half-century, and the trillion-dollar industry shows no signs of slowing down. But the growing demand comes with environmental risks. Both metal mines and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Demand for metals has exploded in recent decades, thanks to population growth, technological innovation, and economic development. The volume of metal ores like iron and copper extracted globally quadrupled during the last half-century, and the trillion-dollar industry shows no signs of slowing down. But the growing demand comes with environmental risks. Both metal mines and the storage facilities that hold vast amounts of toxic mining waste, known as tailings, can release pollution into the surrounding environment, contaminating land and water with heavy metals and harmful chemicals. This pollution can eventually wash downstream, affecting coastal communities and marine ecosystems. An analysis recently published in the journal Earth-Science Reviews warns that climate change could exacerbate the risks of metal mining pollution on marine environments. Researchers examined areas where compounding risks from warmer temperatures, rising seas, and changing weather patterns could release more toxic waste into the landscape over the next century, highlighting the need for remediation and monitoring. They identified the six regions where overlapping hazards pose the highest risk: North America, South America, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, East Asia, and Australia. “We isolate six hotspots, but that makes up a large part of the world,” study lead author Adam Sproson, a research scientist at the National Oceanography Centre in the U.K., told Mongabay. “There’s quite a lot of coastline to cover.” The coastal Levant Mine in Cornwall, U.K., in 2008. This tin and copper mine operated from the 18th century until the 1930s, and its workings extended under the sea. Legacy&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/climate-change-could-send-more-toxic-mining-waste-into-coastal-waters-study-warns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332723</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Seagrass meadows may offer coastal communities a more nutritious catch than reefs</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/seagrass-meadows-may-offer-coastal-communities-a-more-nutritious-catch-than-reefs/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/seagrass-meadows-may-offer-coastal-communities-a-more-nutritious-catch-than-reefs/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 07:13:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rajeev Tyagi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Malavikavyawahare]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15150732/3-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332718</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa and East Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Economics, Environment, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Food, Freshwater Fish, Governance, Marine Animals, Nutrition, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Researchers surveyed 40 sites along the East African coastline from Kenya to Mozambique, studying seagrass and coral reef ecosystems. They found that when it comes to benefits for coastal communities, seagrasses bring something important to the plate. In a paper published in Cell Reports Sustainability, they write that while reefs support “greater fish biomass, abundance, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Researchers surveyed 40 sites along the East African coastline from Kenya to Mozambique, studying seagrass and coral reef ecosystems. They found that when it comes to benefits for coastal communities, seagrasses bring something important to the plate. In a paper published in Cell Reports Sustainability, they write that while reefs support “greater fish biomass, abundance, and richness overall,” fish communities living in seagrass meadows may provide a richer mix of nutrients when seen from the perspective of human sustenance. These marine habitats have gained prominence in recent years not only as fish nurseries but as carbon sinks and acting as the first line of defense against floods and storms. “Protecting seagrass meadows should therefore be seen not only as biodiversity conservation but also as a public health and food security priority,” the study authors write. Rabbitfish in a seagrass meadow. Image courtesy of Benjamin Jones. Lead author Benjamin Jones, a Ph.D. student at Stockholm University at the time of the research, said the study isn&#8217;t about comparing ecosystems, but rather about applying a new lens to marine conservation. Often, a marine ecosystem’s value is determined by fish production. But for vulnerable coastal communities, “the reliability of catching nutritious fish can be just as important as the total number of fish in the sea,” said Jones, who’s now the chief conservation officer at Project Seagrass, a U.K.-based environmental charity. Accounting for fish biomass and depth, the seagrass meadows studied were “1.6 times more nutritionally multifunctional” than coral reefs, according to the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/seagrass-meadows-may-offer-coastal-communities-a-more-nutritious-catch-than-reefs/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332718</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Perpetuating stupidity’: Indonesia comes under fire for response to burning and haze</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/perpetuating-stupidity-indonesia-comes-under-fire-for-response-to-burning-and-haze/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/perpetuating-stupidity-indonesia-comes-under-fire-for-response-to-burning-and-haze/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 06:57:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hans Nicholas Jong]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Hans Nicholas Jong]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/09/17023326/Karhutla-Kalteng-1-Ini-1200x800-1-2-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332817</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Disasters, Ecosystems, Extreme Weather, Fires, Forest Loss, Great Apes, Habitat Loss, Mammals, One Health, Orangutans, Peatlands, Planetary Health, Primates, Public Health, Rainforests, Tropical Forests, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Indonesia is facing growing criticism over its response to a forest and land fire crisis that has sent choking haze billowing into neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, but officials insist the government is not to blame. The president has claimed that a drawdown in firefighting efforts means the number of fires has gone down, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Indonesia is facing growing criticism over its response to a forest and land fire crisis that has sent choking haze billowing into neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, but officials insist the government is not to blame. The president has claimed that a drawdown in firefighting efforts means the number of fires has gone down, while one of his spokespersons trotted out a familiar rebuke that neighboring countries should be grateful for the oxygen they get from Indonesia’s forests and not complain only when they get “sent smoke.” Meanwhile, Malaysia said it was still awaiting a response to its offer of assistance fighting the fires, while Singapore raised the prospect of taking legal action against any Singapore-linked companies behind the burning. Indonesian officials have acknowledged the fires’ effects on neighboring countries, but as of Oct. 16 had issued no public apology for the haze that pushed Kuala Lumpur and Singapore into the ranks of the most polluted cities in the world. Haze from Indonesia’s wildfires obscures the sun in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sept. 15, 2026. Image courtesy of Estelle Ng for Mongabay. Instead, Syahganda Nainggolan, head of the government communications office, said Malaysia and Singapore should see the problem as being “beyond human error” and “truly nature.” “We do not just send smoke; when there is no smoke, we send oxygen,” he said, echoing remarks made by previous administrations during similar fire crises. The statement drew criticism in Malaysia, where Andrew Chen Kah Eng, a politician from Prime Minister&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/perpetuating-stupidity-indonesia-comes-under-fire-for-response-to-burning-and-haze/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332817</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Heavy rain shuts down Istanbul, causing flooding and 3 deaths</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/heavy-rain-shuts-down-istanbul-causing-flooding-and-3-deaths/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/heavy-rain-shuts-down-istanbul-causing-flooding-and-3-deaths/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 21:36:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Associated Press]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15211858/AP26288373387690-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=332806</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Turkey]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Disasters, Environment, Extreme Weather, Flooding, Global Environmental Crisis, and Impact Of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[ISTANBUL (AP) — A heavy downpour has shut down Istanbul, flooded homes and roads and killed at least three people, officials said Thursday, as rescuers evacuated hundreds of stranded people. The downpour Wednesday night flooded homes and businesses and inundated roads and underpasses, stranding vehicles and causing traffic chaos in Turkey’s largest city. In some [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[ISTANBUL (AP) — A heavy downpour has shut down Istanbul, flooded homes and roads and killed at least three people, officials said Thursday, as rescuers evacuated hundreds of stranded people. The downpour Wednesday night flooded homes and businesses and inundated roads and underpasses, stranding vehicles and causing traffic chaos in Turkey’s largest city. In some neighborhoods, the floods swept away cars, sending them crashing into one another. It was the heaviest rainfall in the city in 83 years, said Murat Kurum, the minister for the environment, urbanization and climate change. The Istanbul governor&#8217;s office on Thursday reported three deaths in the city and said five other people were reported missing. A 14-year-old was electrocuted after stepping in a puddle at a park in the Fatih district, and a 34-year-old slipped on a sidewalk in the Sariyer district and hit their head, local media reports said. The governor&#8217;s office said the body of a third victim was discovered near another park in the Kagithane district. More than 3,000 people who were stranded by the floods were safely evacuated throughout the city, Kurum said. The minister, who will chair the U.N. climate change conference, COP31, in the Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya next month, linked the floods to the climate crisis. “Climate change is no longer an issue of the future; it is the most important issue of today,” he told reporters. &#8220;Unfortunately, climate change is affecting rainfall patterns. We are now facing more intense rainfall events.” In Sakarya province, around 150&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/heavy-rain-shuts-down-istanbul-causing-flooding-and-3-deaths/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332806</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How Indian communities earn a living from more than forest timber</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/how-indian-communities-earn-a-living-from-more-than-forest-timber/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/how-indian-communities-earn-a-living-from-more-than-forest-timber/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 16:31:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Stephin Thomas]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15121027/47494613692_42853dfb4e_6k-collecting-mahua-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332703</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, India, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community Forests, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Fellows, Forests, Mongabay.org, Natural Resources, and Sustainable Forest Management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every year between February and May, when mahua flowers begin to fall, Mamta Tigga collects them. Mamta comes from a village in Gumla in the Indian state of Jharkhand and has been collecting mahua (a flower from Madhuca longifolia), gethi kanda (or air potato, Dioscorea bulbifera) and tendu leaves from the Indian ebony tree (Diospyros [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every year between February and May, when mahua flowers begin to fall, Mamta Tigga collects them. Mamta comes from a village in Gumla in the Indian state of Jharkhand and has been collecting mahua (a flower from Madhuca longifolia), gethi kanda (or air potato, Dioscorea bulbifera) and tendu leaves from the Indian ebony tree (Diospyros melanoxylon) for the past three years. All of these plants are important sources of food, medicine and other traditional uses in her culture. Mamta is not just a tribal gatherer, but a homemaker and a mother of two children. Over the years, she has noticed a change in what the forest gives her. &#8220;There is less mahua than before,&#8221; she says, and the amount changes with the weather. When there is more heat, more mahua falls and when it rains, the mahua flower sheds off. “This year there was less mahua, between March to April we usually collect around 4-5 quintal [100 kilograms or 220 pounds] but this time due to excessive rain we got around 25 kg of mahua.” Forest produce is an essential source of income for families like Mamta’s. Her husband is a driver, and often, when they are short on money, the funds collected by selling mahua help them survive. But what happens when the resources people depend on begin to change, while the demand for those products continues to grow? A recent review in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems examines this question in the Indian states of Jharkhand&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/how-indian-communities-earn-a-living-from-more-than-forest-timber/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/how-indian-communities-earn-a-living-from-more-than-forest-timber/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332703</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>New tool reveals siege on Indigenous lands in Bolivia’s Amazon</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/new-tool-reveals-siege-on-indigenous-lands-in-bolivias-amazon/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/new-tool-reveals-siege-on-indigenous-lands-in-bolivias-amazon/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 13:30:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nelfi Fernández Reyes]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15073726/Foto-Principal-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=331568</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Bolivia, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, data, Deforestation, Deforestation Alert System, Drivers Of Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Law, Governance, Illegal Logging, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Reserves, Indigenous Rights, Law, Monitoring, Protected Areas, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For most Indigenous peoples in the Bolivian Amazon, the forest is far more than a collection of trees. It is the casa grande, Spanish for “the main house”, where communities, rivers, wildlife, spiritual beings and ancestral memories coexist. For them, conserving the forest means conserving life itself. Yet data analyzed by Amazonía Traficada (Trafficked Amazon) [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For most Indigenous peoples in the Bolivian Amazon, the forest is far more than a collection of trees. It is the casa grande, Spanish for “the main house”, where communities, rivers, wildlife, spiritual beings and ancestral memories coexist. For them, conserving the forest means conserving life itself. Yet data analyzed by Amazonía Traficada (Trafficked Amazon) — a journalistic collaboration backed by the Pulitzer Center in partnership with Mongabay, Bolivian independent environmental journalism platform RAI Bolivia and the multiplatform newsroom Asuntos Centrales — show that this casa grande is now under siege. According to the analysis, between 2003 and 2023, more than 186,500 hectares (460,900 acres) of forest were cleared across the 48 Indigenous territories of the Bolivian Amazon basin — an area nearly three times the size of Madrid. Of that total, the Bolivian Authority for the Supervision and Social Control of Forests and Land (ABT) authorized only 10%; the remaining 90%, or 168,670 hectares (416,800 acres), was cleared illegally. For Rivelino Segundo, leader of Isoso — the Bolivian Indigenous territory with the largest area of illegal forest clearing, more than 43,000 hectares (106,000 acres) — the deforestation eating into ancestral lands is directly tied to land invasions and an expanding agricultural frontier. Those occupying the land illegally seek to convert forest into farmland, he told Mobgabay: “We are not the ones clearing the land. It is the invaders. [In Isoso], they do it to plant large-scale soy. We, as the Guaraní Indigenous people, coexist with nature.” These findings stem&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/new-tool-reveals-siege-on-indigenous-lands-in-bolivias-amazon/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/new-tool-reveals-siege-on-indigenous-lands-in-bolivias-amazon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-331568</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nations at southern bluefin tuna meeting stop short of adopting new seabird protections</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/nations-at-southern-bluefin-tuna-meeting-stop-short-of-adopting-new-seabird-protections/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/nations-at-southern-bluefin-tuna-meeting-stop-short-of-adopting-new-seabird-protections/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 10:17:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Edward Carver]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Autumn Spanne]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15063719/6_B_Wandering_albatrosses_South_Georgia_Jamie_Latimer-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332681</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arctic Ocean, Asia, Atlantic Ocean, Australia, Belgium, East Asia, Europe, Global, Indian Ocean, Japan, New Zealand, Oceania, Pacific Islands, Pacific Ocean, Polynesia, Southern Ocean, and Taiwan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Bycatch, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Governance, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Saltwater Fish, Seabirds, Tuna, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Seabird protections drew debate at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT), held Oct. 5-8 in Brussels. The eight-member multilateral body that manages the stock has long struggled to curb seabird deaths caused by longline fishing targeting southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) across several oceans. This year’s meeting [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Seabird protections drew debate at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT), held Oct. 5-8 in Brussels. The eight-member multilateral body that manages the stock has long struggled to curb seabird deaths caused by longline fishing targeting southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) across several oceans. This year’s meeting saw a modicum of progress on the issue. Based on recent modeling, the parties agreed on 13 priority seabird species for conservation efforts and designated high-risk areas for them. However, the designations don’t carry any new mandatory protections: Due to the reluctance of some members, the commission stopped short of adopting proposed conservation measures for the high-risk areas, most notably tighter seabird bycatch mitigation requirements. Oliver Yates, head of the marine program at BirdLife International, a U.K.-based NGO, told Mongabay that the identification of high-risk areas was “a good step forward” but said it was a problem that “they&#8217;ve not then adopted any management action to accompany the fishing activity in those spatial areas.” “[T]hey recognise bycatch of seabirds is a very serious issue but again agreed to do nothing about it,” Yates, who attended the Brussels meeting, added in a text message. There are more than a dozen RFMOs in the world, with some overlapping geographically but managing different fish stocks. The map shows the five best-known and most commercially important RFMOs, which focus on tuna and tuna-like species. Image courtesy of Pew Charitable Trusts. Sources: U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO Map Catalog.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/nations-at-southern-bluefin-tuna-meeting-stop-short-of-adopting-new-seabird-protections/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/nations-at-southern-bluefin-tuna-meeting-stop-short-of-adopting-new-seabird-protections/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332681</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Belize looks to the deep sea to complete its 30% ocean protection pledge</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/belize-looks-to-the-deep-sea-to-complete-its-30-ocean-protection-pledge/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/belize-looks-to-the-deep-sea-to-complete-its-30-ocean-protection-pledge/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 07:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Marco Lopez]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rebecca Kessler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/13165408/OceanImageBank_ConnorHolland_25-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332483</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Belize, Central America, and North America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deep Sea, Ecosystems, Environment, Fisheries, Fishing, Habitat, Marine, Marine Conservation, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Overfishing, and Protected Areas]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Belize is turning to its deep waters to fulfill its pledge to protect 30% of its ocean and achieve the sixth milestone of its Blue Bond agreement. A draft marine spatial plan submitted on Sept. 8 for government approval proposes closing the final gap to 30% by establishing three offshore marine protected areas (MPAs). Officials [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Belize is turning to its deep waters to fulfill its pledge to protect 30% of its ocean and achieve the sixth milestone of its Blue Bond agreement. A draft marine spatial plan submitted on Sept. 8 for government approval proposes closing the final gap to 30% by establishing three offshore marine protected areas (MPAs). Officials say the choice serves two ends at once: protecting distinctive deepwater features the country has never fully safeguarded, and steering clear of the coastal grounds fishers depend on. The decision to protect offshore areas emerged from previously agreed criteria for establishing marine protected areas, according to Samir Rosado, who led the plan’s development as head of marine spatial planning at the government’s Coastal Zone Management Authority &amp; Institute (CZMAI). “These criteria contain social as well as ecological considerations for the identification of the areas,” Rosado told Mongabay in an email. “Overwhelmingly, stakeholders expressed their absolute reluctance to increase protections in nearshore areas as they believe this space was already saturated. A gap analysis was done on the representation of ecosystems within the existing MPA network, and it confirmed this.” With more than 50% of Belize’s corals and nearly 40% of its seagrass already within MPAs, he said the underrepresented features of Belize’s MPA network were in the deep. For local fishers who pushed back hard against earlier proposals to close traditional inshore fishing grounds instead, the new zones, sitting well beyond the waters where they work, are welcome. However, experts say this decision is unlikely&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/belize-looks-to-the-deep-sea-to-complete-its-30-ocean-protection-pledge/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/belize-looks-to-the-deep-sea-to-complete-its-30-ocean-protection-pledge/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332483</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Cambodia was told to clean up its monkey trade. Regulators say it still hasn’t</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/cambodia-was-told-to-clean-up-its-monkey-trade-regulators-say-it-still-hasnt/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/cambodia-was-told-to-clean-up-its-monkey-trade-regulators-say-it-still-hasnt/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 06:53:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gerald Flynn]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/11/18065718/Battambang-LTMs-2020-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332680</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Cambodia, and Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Business, Charismatic Animals, Conservation, Crime, Endangered Species, Governance, Habitat Loss, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Medicine, Monkeys, Poaching, Primates, Research, Science, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Global wildlife trade authorities say Cambodia has made little progress in cleaning up its monkey export industry, a year after the country was flagged as needing major reforms in how it manages the capture, breeding, and export of monkeys used in biomedical research. In November 2025, following years of controversies, the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Global wildlife trade authorities say Cambodia has made little progress in cleaning up its monkey export industry, a year after the country was flagged as needing major reforms in how it manages the capture, breeding, and export of monkeys used in biomedical research. In November 2025, following years of controversies, the secretariat of CITES, the global wildlife trade convention, issued a series of recommendations to Cambodia. In a document released Oct. 5, CITES stated that limited improvements to Cambodia’s monkey farm governance mean it “cannot confirm or rule out the occurrence of fraud or corruption” in the country’s trade of long-tailed macaques, a species listed as endangered. The statement comes ahead of the Nov. 2-6 CITES Standing Committee meeting in Geneva, where parties to the convention will assess progress made by countries placed under review. Countries unable to meet CITES standards can face trade bans. Monkey poaching has reportedly declined in Cambodia as the populations and habitats of long-tailed macaques are believed to have declined in recent years. Images supplied by source. Cambodia has faced widespread condemnation since a five-year United States Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) investigation found substantial evidence of Cambodian monkey farms laundering wild-caught monkeys as captive-bred. This, experts have warned, heightens the risk of zoonotic disease spillover — the transmission of pathogens from wildlife to humans — while also posing a threat to Cambodia’s wild population of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), which dropped between 50% and 70% in the last three decades.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/cambodia-was-told-to-clean-up-its-monkey-trade-regulators-say-it-still-hasnt/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332680</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Thailand seizes ivory shipment from Zambia, to launch DNA investigation</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/thailand-seizes-ivory-shipment-from-zambia-to-launch-dna-investigation/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/thailand-seizes-ivory-shipment-from-zambia-to-launch-dna-investigation/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 06:40:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15063534/African-elephants-Loxodonta-africana-in-Luangwa-Valley-Zambia-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=332682</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Southeast Asia, Thailand, and Zambia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Crime, Elephants, Governance, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Ivory, Mammals, Trade, Ungulates, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Authorities in Thailand say they have seized about 400 pieces of African elephant ivory in a shipment of timber from Zambia, and are now testing the contraband to identify the origin of the animals. The tusks were found concealed inside logs in two containers declared as holding processed timber at Laem Chabang Port, Chonburi province, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Authorities in Thailand say they have seized about 400 pieces of African elephant ivory in a shipment of timber from Zambia, and are now testing the contraband to identify the origin of the animals. The tusks were found concealed inside logs in two containers declared as holding processed timber at Laem Chabang Port, Chonburi province, according to an Oct. 7 announcement by the Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Thailand’s environment minister, Suchart Chomklin, said in the statement that a team of DNP academics and forensic experts have been asked “to officially inspect and count the confiscated items and conduct DNA testing.” The DNP added the testing will help determine the origin of the elephants from which the ivory was taken. This “will be used to coordinate with [Interpol] to identify the main perpetrators and the destination countries.” “The fact that DNA analysis is being initiated at an early stage demonstrates considerable leadership in the fight against the illegal trafficking of ivory and should assist in determining the source country as it is unlikely that all the ivory in the consignment is from Zambia elephants,” Mary Rice, executive director of the Environmental Investigation Agency U.K., told Mongabay by email. Rice added that another large seizure made earlier this year in Zambia hasn’t yet undergone DNA analysis. Under the regulations of CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty, ivory seizures of more than 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) should trigger collection of DNA samples for forensic analysis within 90&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/thailand-seizes-ivory-shipment-from-zambia-to-launch-dna-investigation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332682</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>World Mushroom Day: From food to plastic replacement</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/world-mushroom-day-from-food-to-plastic-replacement/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/world-mushroom-day-from-food-to-plastic-replacement/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 05:56:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Brown]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/15055357/Mycena_chlorophos-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=332678</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation Solutions, Environment, Food, Food Industry, food security, Fungi, Plastic, Pollution, Solutions, Waste, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A mushroom is analogous to a flower on a plant — it’s the reproductive organ of a fungus, which protects and distributes fungal spores. Mushrooms are critical part of our ecosystems. For humans and other animals, mushrooms are also food. And they may be part of the solution for food security and solving the plastic [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A mushroom is analogous to a flower on a plant — it’s the reproductive organ of a fungus, which protects and distributes fungal spores. Mushrooms are critical part of our ecosystems. For humans and other animals, mushrooms are also food. And they may be part of the solution for food security and solving the plastic crisis. On Oct. 15, World Mushroom Day, we highlight three such stories that Mongabay has covered. Mushrooms can help inspire eco-friendly solutions to problems Mushrooms are helping us create low-cost, sustainable housing materials and additional income for farmers, according to Gabriela D’Elia, director of the Fungal Diversity Survey. In a Mongabay video titled “Fungi are our climate allies” published last year, D’Elia cited examples of projects that are using mushrooms to address food security and waste management. For example, a company called Evocative uses a mushroom called artist’s conk (Ganoderma applanatum) to create materials that can possibly replace leather, plastic, and other packaging materials, D’Elia said. “Fungi are showing us new ways to live in allyship with the planet,” D’Elia added. Golden oyster mushrooms are crowding out native fungi in North America Golden oyster mushrooms, known for their bright yellow caps and earthy flavors, are prized edible mushrooms. They’re native to Asia, but have gained popularity throughout North America, where they’re spreading across forests and displacing native fungal species, a 2025 study found. Aishwarya Veerabahu, lead author and a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S., told Mongabay’s Shreya Dasgupta that the study was prompted by&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/world-mushroom-day-from-food-to-plastic-replacement/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332678</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>From paper parks to lasting protection, here’s what works in marine conservation</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/from-paper-parks-to-lasting-protection-heres-what-works-in-marine-conservation/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/from-paper-parks-to-lasting-protection-heres-what-works-in-marine-conservation/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 03:23:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/12123146/64-Peruvian-artisanal-fisher-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332276</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Founder's briefs]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Mesoamerica, Mexico, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Coral Reefs, Fisheries, Fishing, Mangroves, Marine, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Restoration, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In recent years, there has been a steady stream of ocean conservation pledges, from French Polynesia extending marine protection across its nearly 5 million-square-kilometer exclusive economic zone, including more than 1 million square kilometers of highly or fully protected waters, to the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), where Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In recent years, there has been a steady stream of ocean conservation pledges, from French Polynesia extending marine protection across its nearly 5 million-square-kilometer exclusive economic zone, including more than 1 million square kilometers of highly or fully protected waters, to the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), where Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama agreed to establish a contiguous, transboundary safe passage of more than 500,000 square kilometers (193,000 square miles) for migratory species. There is also much greater recognition of the contributions made by traditional stewards, including Indigenous communities, artisanal fishers, and other coastal communities. On paper, at least, this would seem to bode well for progress toward protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. Yet at the same time that these announcements are being made, we also hear about “paper parks” — those protected in name only — industrial fishing vessels entering protected areas, boats turning off their transponders, and abandoned fishing gear drifting through supposedly protected waters. Coral reef in the Pacific. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler / Mongabay Over the summer, looking across academic literature and Mongabay’s multilingual coverage, I tried to pin down what the evidence actually shows about marine conservation outcomes in the Americas. Merging peer-reviewed datasets with field reporting has its limitations, but it helps bridge a common divide: studies document broader ecological trends, while journalists track the political compromises and enforcement lapses that shape what happens on the water. Unsurprisingly, the central takeaway is that marine conservation is most likely to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/from-paper-parks-to-lasting-protection-heres-what-works-in-marine-conservation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/from-paper-parks-to-lasting-protection-heres-what-works-in-marine-conservation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332276</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Artificial mangrove roots offer a stopgap for Thailand’s eroding coastline</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/artificial-mangrove-roots-offer-a-stopgap-for-thailands-eroding-coastline/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/artificial-mangrove-roots-offer-a-stopgap-for-thailands-eroding-coastline/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 02:01:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolyn Cowan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14130912/CP_01-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332587</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Southeast Asia, and Thailand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Climate, Climate Change, Coastal Ecosystems, Erosion, Infrastructure, Mangroves, Nature-based climate solutions, Oceans, Research, Sea Levels, and Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Residents of Phra Samut Chedi, one of Thailand’s most erosion-prone districts, have long struggled against coastal erosion. It’s located in the muddy heart of the Chao Phraya River Delta, where Bangkok’s major watercourse empties into the Gulf of Thailand. Here, roughly 20-60 meters (about 66-200 feet) of land is claimed by the sea annually, eating [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Residents of Phra Samut Chedi, one of Thailand’s most erosion-prone districts, have long struggled against coastal erosion. It’s located in the muddy heart of the Chao Phraya River Delta, where Bangkok’s major watercourse empties into the Gulf of Thailand. Here, roughly 20-60 meters (about 66-200 feet) of land is claimed by the sea annually, eating into farmland and forcing families to relocate their homes. However, a new study suggests a new coastal defense system based on artificial mangrove roots could offer struggling communities some respite. Trialed at 11 sites in Phra Samut Chedi and other parts of Samut Prakan province over 15 months, the nature-inspired system encouraged a varying amount of sediment deposition at 10 of the sites, according to the study published in Ocean &amp; Coastal Management. Success varied by site, ranging from 16-88 centimeters (6-35 inches) of sediment retention, depending on localized conditions. By helping stabilize the shoreline, the researchers say the system could potentially function as an effective hybrid nature-based solution — a mechanism whereby engineered or “bioinspired” structures work in consort with natural ecological processes, such as mangrove restoration. Butsawan Bidorn, senior author of the study and an assistant professor of coastal engineering at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, said the dynamic nature of the Chao Phraya Delta means rapid and accessible solutions are key. “Aquaculture farmers sent us a video of the waves hitting their dikes,” Butsawan told Mongabay in an interview. “By the next day, the dike had collapsed and they’d lost everything. They need&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/artificial-mangrove-roots-offer-a-stopgap-for-thailands-eroding-coastline/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332587</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Chinese social media used to promote illegal wildlife trade in Laos</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/chinese-social-media-used-to-promote-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-laos/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/chinese-social-media-used-to-promote-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-laos/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 23:12:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14225509/pangolin-hands-banner_6176-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332530</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, China, East Asia, Laos, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporations, Crime, Governance, Mammals, Pangolins, Social Media, Wildlife, Wildlife consumption, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“The wet markets in Laos are like wildlife parks; however, while you can only look at the animals in our zoos back in China, the wild animals in Lao markets can be eaten.” So proclaimed a Chinese vlogger as he toured a wildlife market. As he explored, he filmed himself showing off bear paws, various [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“The wet markets in Laos are like wildlife parks; however, while you can only look at the animals in our zoos back in China, the wild animals in Lao markets can be eaten.” So proclaimed a Chinese vlogger as he toured a wildlife market. As he explored, he filmed himself showing off bear paws, various birds, dried rats, monitor lizards, and a live pangolin in his hands. The Chinese Embassy in Laos has issued repeated warnings to citizens that “Lao law prohibits the sale of ivory, rhinoceros horns, pangolins, and other wildlife products. Violators will be punished by law.” But vloggers continue to imply, incorrectly, that such sales are legal. “Brothers, look at what this is. This is not a zoo, but a wet market in Laos. The owner just weighed it and said it&#8217;s 3.3 kilograms for 1,200 Chinese yuan [about $54 per kilo or $24.60 per pound]. Back in China, let alone 3.3 kilograms, even for a single scale, you would have to go to jail,” he added, referring to the pangolin. Videos like this are easily found on Chinese social media platforms — WeChat Channels (known as Weixin Channels in mainland China), Douyin, and Xiaohongshu — using Chinese search terms like 老挝穿山甲 (Laowo chuanshanjia or Lao pangolin); 老挝野味 (laowo yewei or Lao wild game); and 老挝熊掌 (Laowo xiongzhang or Lao bear paw). With the opening of the China-Laos Railway in 2021 and the lifting of China&#8217;s pandemic lockdowns in early 2023, Laos has become a top choice&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/chinese-social-media-used-to-promote-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-laos/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/chinese-social-media-used-to-promote-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-laos/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332530</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>“Stunningly short-sighted.” NOAA grant cuts threaten US climate resilience</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/stunningly-short-sighted-noaa-grant-cuts-threaten-us-climate-resilience/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/stunningly-short-sighted-noaa-grant-cuts-threaten-us-climate-resilience/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 22:52:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bobby Bascomb]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14224341/PHOTO-Biloxi-Mississippi-living-shoreline-060622-NOAA-Eric-Sparks.jpg-copy-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=332665</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Climate Change, Climate Change Denial, Disasters, Environment, Extreme Weather, Fires, Flooding, Global Environmental Crisis, and Impact Of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[After Donald Trump began his second term as president of the U.S. in 2025, his administration moved to dramatically cut federal funding for agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which administers grants for community-based projects that often focus on climate resilience. The nonprofit Grant Witness has created a database of those awards [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[After Donald Trump began his second term as president of the U.S. in 2025, his administration moved to dramatically cut federal funding for agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which administers grants for community-based projects that often focus on climate resilience. The nonprofit Grant Witness has created a database of those awards and found that as of Sept. 2, NOAA awarded just 229 grants this year, a 74% drop compared to an average of 891 by that date in an average year. NOAA also terminated at least 26 existing grants including $1.2 million for the nonprofit New Orleans Community Support Foundation. The grant was intended to support climate-resilient water management, particularly for Black and Indigenous communities in New Orleans, a flood-prone city chronically facing extreme weather events and sea level rise. The grant would have supported “planning around infrastructure to prevent flooding and other types of challenges associated with living on the coast,” Scott Delaney, a co-founder of Grant Witness, told Mongabay in a video call. NOAA also terminated more than $2.5 million in funding for the University of Washington’s Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative. In a statement, organizers said the termination was “a major blow to climate adaptation and community-based resilience in the Northwest.” The grant supported ongoing projects with rural and tribal communities in the region to build resilience to extreme heat, drought and sea level rise associated with climate change. “I believe that inclusion of terms like ‘indigenous,’ ‘resilience,’ and ‘climate change’ in the grant&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/stunningly-short-sighted-noaa-grant-cuts-threaten-us-climate-resilience/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/stunningly-short-sighted-noaa-grant-cuts-threaten-us-climate-resilience/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332665</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Act before El Niño: Expert worries about deepening hunger in East and South Africa</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/act-before-el-nino-expert-worries-about-deepening-hunger-in-east-and-south-africa/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/act-before-el-nino-expert-worries-about-deepening-hunger-in-east-and-south-africa/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 19:46:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Akana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14194014/Banner-image-vehicule-et-inondation-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332647</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and South Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate, Climate Change, climate finance, Climate Science, Development, Earth Science, Economics, Environment, Food, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Health, Hunger, Ocean Warming, Oceans, Research, Science, Water, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[El Niño, a naturally occurring climate pattern that involves unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean can alter atmospheric circulation and significantly influence rainfall and temperatures patterns far beyond the ocean, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The WMO, the United Nations’ weather agency, says this warming is already [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[El Niño, a naturally occurring climate pattern that involves unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean can alter atmospheric circulation and significantly influence rainfall and temperatures patterns far beyond the ocean, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The WMO, the United Nations’ weather agency, says this warming is already underway and getting stronger. In an Oct. 8 update, it put the chance of an El Niño continuing through February 2027 at nearly 100%. It expects the event to be strongest in December. Regional forecasters predict a 90% chance of heavier-than-usual rain in southern Ethiopia, central to southern Somalia and northeastern Kenya between October and December 2026. Excessive rainfall could cause flooding, destroy crops, spread disease and make health services inaccessible in some areas, depending on local conditions and the season. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) map illustrates typical seasonal rainfall shifts associated with El Niño, rather than a specific forecast for 2026. Graphic courtesy of NOAA. Action Against Hunger, an international aid organization, says families in southern Madagascar are enduring food shortages earlier than usual following a season of poor harvests. Its teams are treating children for malnourishment, as households continue to endure worsening food insecurity. Cuts in aid are also making help to tackle malnourishment harder to obtain. The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Aug. 21 that 205 health and nutrition facilities in Somalia had closed because of funding cuts, forcing families to travel farther to find care.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/act-before-el-nino-expert-worries-about-deepening-hunger-in-east-and-south-africa/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332647</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Supreme Court declines to hear the case of a lobster fisherman who opposes boat tracking</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/supreme-court-declines-to-hear-the-case-of-a-lobster-fisherman-who-opposes-boat-tracking/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/supreme-court-declines-to-hear-the-case-of-a-lobster-fisherman-who-opposes-boat-tracking/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 19:42:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Associated Press]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14193657/AP26257564634869-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=332655</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Fisheries, Fishing, Governance, Mammals, Marine, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Supreme Court has declined to hear the case of a lobster fisherman who alleged the government requiring commercial fishing boats to use electronic tracking devices amounts to unreasonable search and seizure. Maine lobster fisherman Frank Thompson sued after his state began requiring all federally permitted lobstermen to install GPS trackers [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Supreme Court has declined to hear the case of a lobster fisherman who alleged the government requiring commercial fishing boats to use electronic tracking devices amounts to unreasonable search and seizure. Maine lobster fisherman Frank Thompson sued after his state began requiring all federally permitted lobstermen to install GPS trackers on their boats to collect data that will help manage the industry. Thompson appealed to the high court after losing at the appeals court level. The Supreme Court formally denied Thompson&#8217;s petition on Oct. 5. The decision allows the state to collect “critically important” data, said Carl Wilson, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. “It will inform the lobster stock assessment, enhance offshore enforcement, and support better decision-making in a range of federal management contexts,” Wilson said in a statement. Thompson&#8217;s lawsuit raised questions about the limits of government surveillance and the ways commercial fisheries are managed. Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented Thompson, said in a Tuesday statement that “the fight over whether the government can use industry regulations to sidestep Fourth Amendment protections is far from over.” The foundation said in a blog post that the court&#8217;s decision means some 1,200 Maine lobster fishermen who hold federal permits can be tracked. However, the legal battle over government surveillance isn&#8217;t over, the foundation said. Environmental groups that have called for more commercial fishing surveillance cheered the decision. Some have said the industry needs to be monitored more closely to protect rare North Atlantic&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/supreme-court-declines-to-hear-the-case-of-a-lobster-fisherman-who-opposes-boat-tracking/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/supreme-court-declines-to-hear-the-case-of-a-lobster-fisherman-who-opposes-boat-tracking/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332655</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Researchers uncover hidden routes and patterns of Amazon wildlife trade</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/researchers-uncover-hidden-routes-and-patterns-of-amazon-wildlife-trade/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/researchers-uncover-hidden-routes-and-patterns-of-amazon-wildlife-trade/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 17:36:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Fernanda Wenzel]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandre de Santi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14163904/Podocnemis-unifilis_tracaja_Valdemir-Cunha-_-Greenpeace-1-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332625</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Global, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Birds, Business, Conservation, Crime, Environment, Fish, Governance, Illegal Logging, Illegal Trade, Mammals, Pet Trade, Pets, Reptiles, Research, Trade, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Rare fish and turtles sell for pennies at home, fetching fortunes in distant global markets.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Home of the world&#8217;s largest biodiversity, the Brazilian Amazon is one of the main hubs for international wildlife trafficking. Every day, thousands of animals are taken from the rainforest to be sold in other parts of the country and abroad. Despite its key role in this illegal market, there is still a lack of information about wildlife trafficking in the region. ​ Data on animal seizures is scattered at the municipal, state and federal levels. The lack of an integrated system, along with the region&#8217;s vast territories and porous international borders, makes it difficult to get a full picture of wildlife trafficking in the rainforest. ​ “Every river you travel on in the Amazon will have traffic incidents,” conservation intelligence specialist Antônio de Carvalho, from the conservation NGO WCS Brazil, told Mongabay in a phone interview. ​ WCS Brazil is currently working on a Global Wildlife Trafficking Observatory, which will rely on artificial intelligence to gather information about wildlife trafficking from news websites and academic researchers. The goal is to support the work of investigators, environmental agents and journalists. ​ “A lot of data on seizures is lost because the seizure is simply carried out and the animals are released right there on the spot, and that doesn’t even make it into official statistics,” Carvalho said. The zebra pleco (Hypancistrus zebra) lives only in a small stretch of the Xingu River, in Pará, and is highly coveted as an ornamental fish. Image courtesy of Birger A. In another attempt to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/researchers-uncover-hidden-routes-and-patterns-of-amazon-wildlife-trade/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332625</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Residents of South Africa’s Limpopo province hold breath amid fears of repeat floods</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/residents-of-south-africas-limpopo-province-hold-breath-amid-fears-of-repeat-floods/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/residents-of-south-africas-limpopo-province-hold-breath-amid-fears-of-repeat-floods/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 17:10:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bernard Chiguvare]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14141642/IMG_20260922_082425-limpopo-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332612</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, South Africa, and Southern Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Justice, Disasters, Environment, Extreme Weather, Fellows, Flooding, Global Environmental Crisis, Impact Of Climate Change, and Mongabay.org]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[TSHAKHUMA, South Africa — Divhani Rashaka moved up and down the yard of the homestead he has looked after for 26 years, looking toward the Tshamugwana River. He recounted experiencing several floods in the time he has lived here. The riverbed, a few meters from his house in the Tshakhuma area of Limpopo province in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[TSHAKHUMA, South Africa — Divhani Rashaka moved up and down the yard of the homestead he has looked after for 26 years, looking toward the Tshamugwana River. He recounted experiencing several floods in the time he has lived here. The riverbed, a few meters from his house in the Tshakhuma area of Limpopo province in the north of South Africa, is now covered with tall grass and bushes. Channels carved into the ground during the January floods show where water found its way toward the house. Rashaka, who is a resident of Tshiswiswini village, has placed stones along some of the channels in an effort to slow or redirect the water if heavy rains return. Farther up the yard, between his house and his neighbor&#8217;s, the grass had also grown thick, but Rashaka and his neighbor cleared the area to allow water to pass through more easily. Beyond these small measures, Rashaka has no formal plan for protecting his homestead, should it flood again. In January, floods affected communities across Limpopo, killing people, damaging homes and infrastructure, washing away food and disrupting schooling and access to some areas. Tshakhuma was among the communities badly affected. During these floods, 21 families whose homes were badly damaged were relocated to temporary accommodation at a lodge in Nkuna village, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away, while temporary residential units were being prepared. If another flood comes, Rashaka said, he will have to rely on those around him. “I can seek shelter from my&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/residents-of-south-africas-limpopo-province-hold-breath-amid-fears-of-repeat-floods/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/residents-of-south-africas-limpopo-province-hold-breath-amid-fears-of-repeat-floods/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332612</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Mangroves gain ground globally, marking turnaround after decades of loss</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/mangroves-gain-ground-globally-marking-turnaround-after-decades-of-loss/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/mangroves-gain-ground-globally-marking-turnaround-after-decades-of-loss/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 16:54:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Samuel Ogunsona]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Autumn Spanne]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14134939/a.-cymatics-in-IgPRUfFP6sU-unsplash-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332579</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Forest Loss, Habitat Loss, Mangroves, Marine, Marine Conservation, Nature-based climate solutions, Oceans, Research, and Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[After decades of losses, new data show the world’s mangrove forests are beginning to rebound. It marks a modest but significant turnaround for the salt-tolerant coastal trees and shrubs, which provide vital ecosystem services, including carbon storage, habitat for thousands of species and protection from storms and erosion. Global mangrove cover increased by 477 square [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[After decades of losses, new data show the world’s mangrove forests are beginning to rebound. It marks a modest but significant turnaround for the salt-tolerant coastal trees and shrubs, which provide vital ecosystem services, including carbon storage, habitat for thousands of species and protection from storms and erosion. Global mangrove cover increased by 477 square kilometers (184 square miles) between 1985 and 2025, according to the latest Global Mangrove Watch (GMW) data released in July. Restoration and stronger protections drove the modest net gains, which represent a 0.3% increase over four decades. The new assessment follows a separate study, published in June, that reached a similar conclusion about overall growth in mangrove cover. GMW, a mapping initiative of the NGO consortium known as the Global Mangrove Alliance, has tracked mangrove gains and losses since 2011. In this third update, researchers used 10-meter (33-foot) resolution satellite imagery and machine learning to map changes in mangrove cover across 108 countries. It’s the first of the updates to span a 39-year period, from 1985 to 2024, according to Lammert Hilarides, the GMW program lead at the Netherlands-based NGO Wetlands International. The previous version only tracked changes in the data since 1996, covering about 24 years. “The importance of tracking changes in mangroves lies in the need to have accurate information if you want to successfully halt loss, protect and restore mangroves,” Hilarides told Mongabay by email. He added that the new data show significant differences between regions, countries and the timing of gains&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/mangroves-gain-ground-globally-marking-turnaround-after-decades-of-loss/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332579</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Invasive lionfish reach Brazil’s largest coral reefs. Local fishers fight back</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/invasive-lionfish-reach-brazils-largest-coral-reefs-local-fishers-fight-back/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/invasive-lionfish-reach-brazils-largest-coral-reefs-local-fishers-fight-back/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 14:38:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shanna Hanbury]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14143651/peixeleao2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=332622</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Brazil]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Coral Reefs, Ecosystems, Environment, Fish, Invasive Species, Marine, Marine Animals, Saltwater Fish, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Fishers have caught at least 440 invasive lionfish off the coast of Porto Seguro in northeastern Brazil in recent weeks. The local government paid fishers to harvest the fish in an attempt to curb the rapid spread of a species that can decimate native fish stocks, Mariana Martins writes for Mongabay Brasil. Lionfish (Pterois volitans), [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Fishers have caught at least 440 invasive lionfish off the coast of Porto Seguro in northeastern Brazil in recent weeks. The local government paid fishers to harvest the fish in an attempt to curb the rapid spread of a species that can decimate native fish stocks, Mariana Martins writes for Mongabay Brasil. Lionfish (Pterois volitans), which are native to the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, have no natural predators along Brazil’s coastline and are preying upon the young of local species. The fish have already damaged coral reef ecosystems in the North Atlantic, including the Caribbean. Now they have also reportedly reached the Abrolhos reefs, the largest and richest reef system in the South Atlantic. “By preying on juveniles of commercially exploited species, there is a depletion of fish populations,” Carlos Hackradt, biologist and coordinator of the Marine Ecology and Conservation Laboratory at the Federal University of Southern Bahia, told Martins. “This brings serious consequences for the ecosystem, affects the fishing economy and harms tourism on degraded reefs.” Abrolhos is home to mushroom-shaped coral structures, locally known as chapeirões, and supports at least 90 coral and 266 fish species, including the goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) and blue parrotfish (Scarus coeruleus), which are nationally listed as critically endangered and endangered, respectively. Abrolhos is also the main breeding and nursing ground for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Western South Atlantic. While the presence of lionfish there has been confirmed, their extent has not yet been measured. “It has only just happened,” Hackradt&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/invasive-lionfish-reach-brazils-largest-coral-reefs-local-fishers-fight-back/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332622</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>The jaguarundi is relatively easy to see. That may have hidden its decline</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/the-jaguarundi-is-relatively-easy-to-see-that-may-have-hidden-its-decline/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/the-jaguarundi-is-relatively-easy-to-see-that-may-have-hidden-its-decline/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 14:38:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/08/17060844/2-jaguarundi-otter-cat-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=332621</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Founder's briefs]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Mammals, Small Cats, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Founder&#8217;s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. The jaguarundi was recently recategorized from least concern to near threatened on the IUCN Red List, reports contributor Sean Mowbray for Mongabay. The small cat, which ranges from Mexico to southern Brazil and Argentina and lives in a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Founder&#8217;s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. The jaguarundi was recently recategorized from least concern to near threatened on the IUCN Red List, reports contributor Sean Mowbray for Mongabay. The small cat, which ranges from Mexico to southern Brazil and Argentina and lives in a variety of habitats, is in decline due to human-wildlife conflict, dangerous roadways, attacks by dogs, and infectious disease, according to researchers. The reclassification of the jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) to a higher threat category may be surprising because it’s one of the most frequently seen small cats in the Americas, as it’s active during the daytime and often lives in open areas. “It’s easier to be seen and because of that, people perceived it as common,” said Tadeu de Oliveira, who led the assessment as co-chair of the Cat Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. “But when you quantify it data-wise, it shows to be otherwise.” Conservationists say they hope the reclassification will give the jaguarundi more attention. Its otter-like appearance, color variants, and wide range of vocalizations make it an especially charismatic species. Read the full story by Sean Mowbray here. Banner image: Jaguarundis are sometimes known as the “otter cat” due to their distinctive, uncat-like appearance. They’re unique for their wide range of vocalizations, including “chirping” like a bird. Image by Wild Cats Brazil-Americas Conservation Program/Gatos do Mato.This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/the-jaguarundi-is-relatively-easy-to-see-that-may-have-hidden-its-decline/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332621</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>South African coal mine advances amid legal challenge and mounting water concerns</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/south-african-coal-mine-advances-amid-legal-challenge-and-mounting-water-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/south-african-coal-mine-advances-amid-legal-challenge-and-mounting-water-concerns/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 12:31:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elaine Mills]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Malavikavyawahare]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/14111040/1_Coal-plant-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332558</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, South Africa, and Southern Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coal, Economics, Environment, Environmental Policy, Governance, Illegal Mining, Mining, Natural Resources, Politics, Rivers, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A Chinese-controlled coal mine in South Africa’s Limpopo province is moving toward full production even as a legal challenge mounted by a coalition of community members and environmental groups remains unresolved amid concerns about water security in the region. Kinetic Development Group controls MC Mining, whose Makhado hard-coking-coal project is expected to reach steady-state operation [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A Chinese-controlled coal mine in South Africa’s Limpopo province is moving toward full production even as a legal challenge mounted by a coalition of community members and environmental groups remains unresolved amid concerns about water security in the region. Kinetic Development Group controls MC Mining, whose Makhado hard-coking-coal project is expected to reach steady-state operation by the end of the year. Earlier this year, the Hong Kong-listed Kinetic group acquired a 51% stake in MC Mining for $90 million. The open-cast mine lies within the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, which includes the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Ramsar-designated Makuleke wetlands. Environmental groups say clearing for the mine has destroyed sensitive habitat, including protected baobab and marula trees native to the region’s savannas and woodlands. The Makhado mine’s coal-handling and processing plant (CHPP). Image courtesy of MC Mining. Contested environmental authorization Makhado’s developers first received an environmental authorization, or EA, in August 2013. This original authorization has been amended several times over the years, and one such amendment has become highly controversial. In May 2021, the then-Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) amended the Makhado EA to remove a condition that required mining to begin by a fixed deadline. In June 2021, a coalition of community, farming, and environmental groups appealed the decision to remove the deadline. (The DMRE has since become the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.) The appellants argued the DMRE had effectively given the project an open-ended authorization without proper public participation&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/south-african-coal-mine-advances-amid-legal-challenge-and-mounting-water-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332558</doi>				</item>
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