<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" >

	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
		<atom:link href="https://news.mongabay.com/feed/?topic=business&#038;type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/business/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2026 05:49:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
		<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
		<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
		<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4</generator>

<image>
	<url>https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>News on Business</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/business/</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
				<item>
					<title>A year after a wastewater spill in the Philippines, communities fight to save a dying sea</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/a-year-after-a-wastewater-spill-in-the-philippines-communities-fight-to-save-a-dying-sea/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/a-year-after-a-wastewater-spill-in-the-philippines-communities-fight-to-save-a-dying-sea/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Nov 2026 05:17:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pippo Carmona]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/05141918/Jonalyn-Rentuaya-by-Pippo-Carmona-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=335061</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Business, Chemicals, Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Coral Reefs, Disasters, Environment, Health, Industry, Marine, Marine Conservation, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Pollution, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MANJUYOD, Philippines — For years, Jonalyn Rentuaya, president of Alangilanan United Seaweed Growers Association, began her mornings the same way. By 6:00 a.m., she and other seaweed growers in the Alangilanan neighborhood of Manjuyod, would be wading in the shallows of Bais Bay, out on their lines, tending their crop. Then, on Oct. 26, 2025, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MANJUYOD, Philippines — For years, Jonalyn Rentuaya, president of Alangilanan United Seaweed Growers Association, began her mornings the same way. By 6:00 a.m., she and other seaweed growers in the Alangilanan neighborhood of Manjuyod, would be wading in the shallows of Bais Bay, out on their lines, tending their crop. Then, on Oct. 26, 2025, the usually clear waters deepened to the color of dark tea. A flood of waste from an ethanol plant about a kilometer away had poured into the bay. “It was maybe around 7:00 a.m. when the dike broke,” Rentuaya says. “Those on the shore immediately ran for safety because it was like a tidal wave. The pressure was strong.” The embankment holding the waste effluent of Universal Robina Corporation’s (URC) ethanol distillery collapsed, unleashing 255 million liters (67.4 million gallons) of wastewater into the bay, equivalent to about 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools of toxic ooze. Bacteria in the waste multiplied, consuming the dissolved oxygen that fish and other marine life need to breathe. Fish suffocated and seaweed on the lines died, and with them, the livelihoods of the coastal communities vanished. The spill reached 17 coastal villages across Bais and Manjuyod and affected at least 3,000 fishers, fish pen operators and seaweed growers, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Nov. 3, 2025, according to Mongabay reporting at the time. The spill’s impact was compounded by the bay’s ecological significance. Bais Bay opens into the Tañon Strait, the narrow channel separating Negros,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/a-year-after-a-wastewater-spill-in-the-philippines-communities-fight-to-save-a-dying-sea/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/a-year-after-a-wastewater-spill-in-the-philippines-communities-fight-to-save-a-dying-sea/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-335061</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rangers’ role must be built into biodiversity conservation commitments (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/rangers-role-must-be-built-into-biodiversity-conservation-commitments-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/rangers-role-must-be-built-into-biodiversity-conservation-commitments-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Nov 2026 21:07:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Madhu RaoNik Sekhran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/09203428/WW1439035-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=335327</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, Biodiversity, Commentary, Conflict, Conservation, Crime, Finance, Funding, Governance, Human-wildlife Conflict, philanthropy, Poaching, Wildlife, Wildlife Rangers, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[At the COP17 biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia, conservation leaders from around the world gathered to conduct the first global review of progress toward the ambitious goals adopted in 2022 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Among them is Target 3, a commitment to effectively and equitably conserving 30% of the planet’s land and waters [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[At the COP17 biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia, conservation leaders from around the world gathered to conduct the first global review of progress toward the ambitious goals adopted in 2022 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Among them is Target 3, a commitment to effectively and equitably conserving 30% of the planet’s land and waters by 2030 (30&#215;30). But achieving a shift in land and sea management on this scale will depend on something in conservation policy that has too often been overlooked: a large portion of the people responsible for actually making it happen — rangers. For years, the world has debated how much land to protect and how much money to invest in nature, while paying far less attention to the workforce needed to turn those commitments into results. Rangers play a central role in managing protected and conserved areas and delivering commitments on biodiversity, climate, and land degradation. Yet our latest research shows they remain largely absent from the policies and frameworks meant to guide this work. Why rangers matter Effective conservation requires people on the ground who can monitor ecosystems, manage protected and conserved areas, and ensure that rules governing their use are upheld. The International Ranger Federation defines a ranger as any person, regardless of title — wildlife warden, forest guard, game scout, marine ranger, park guard, and others — working in situ to safeguard nature and preserve cultural and historical heritage. Rangers work under many different governance systems and are not limited to government&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/rangers-role-must-be-built-into-biodiversity-conservation-commitments-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/rangers-role-must-be-built-into-biodiversity-conservation-commitments-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-335327</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>South Korea’s beloved squid may vanish from its waters due to climate change, heat waves</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/south-koreas-beloved-squid-may-vanish-from-its-waters-due-to-climate-change-heat-waves/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/south-koreas-beloved-squid-may-vanish-from-its-waters-due-to-climate-change-heat-waves/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Nov 2026 10:13:28 +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/20/2026/11/09083127/2874300199_1750979361_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=335269</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, East Asia, and South Korea]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate, Climate Change, Conservation, Environment, Extreme Weather, Fisheries, Fishing, Food, Food Industry, food security, Global Environmental Crisis, Heatwave, Impact Of Climate Change, Marine, Marine Animals, Natural Resources, Ocean Warming, Oceans, Squid, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SEOUL — Many South Koreans remember days when squid was inexpensive, everyday food: Stir-fried with spicy chili flakes, steamed in a bath of water and soju, or dried and eaten as a bar snack along with a pint of ice-cold beer. Kim Tae-won, a professor at the Department of Ocean Sciences at South Korea’s Inha [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SEOUL — Many South Koreans remember days when squid was inexpensive, everyday food: Stir-fried with spicy chili flakes, steamed in a bath of water and soju, or dried and eaten as a bar snack along with a pint of ice-cold beer. Kim Tae-won, a professor at the Department of Ocean Sciences at South Korea’s Inha University, recalled when he was in high school in the 1990s, “squid was one of the major fishery resources in Korea’s East Sea.” “It was abundant, affordable and a familiar part of everyday meals,” he told Mongabay. But squid prices have skyrocketed in South Korea. One reason is that the country’s squid catch has been declining dramatically, with the current volume only one-sixteenth of that in 2002, according to the country’s national statistics service. Between 2023 and 2025, South Korea’s most prominent fisheries did not produce even 10% of the annual squid catch recorded in the peak production year of 1999, when roughly 225,122 tons of squid were caught from the Korean Peninsula’s surrounding seas. &nbsp; Pacific flying squid (Todarodes pacificus) drying at Daepo Port. Image by Bernard Gagnon via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). A new study, published in the journal Communications Earth &amp; Environment in October, gives a worrying prediction. It estimates that by the 2040s, South Korea will become “a zero-catch state” for the Pacific flying squid (Todarodes pacificus), the country’s most popular squid species, due to climate change and marine heat waves. Researchers at Pukyong National University (PKNU) in Busan cross-examined fishery&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/south-koreas-beloved-squid-may-vanish-from-its-waters-due-to-climate-change-heat-waves/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/south-koreas-beloved-squid-may-vanish-from-its-waters-due-to-climate-change-heat-waves/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-335269</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Kenya launches $160 million conservation initiative to support communities and biodiversity</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/kenya-launches-160-million-conservation-initiative-to-support-communities-and-biodiversity/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/kenya-launches-160-million-conservation-initiative-to-support-communities-and-biodiversity/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Nov 2026 10:52:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lynet Otieno]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Malavika Vyawhare]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/05164636/Rebecca-M-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=335064</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Kenya]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Finance, Conservation Solutions, Ecotourism, Finance, Governance, Plants, Science, Solutions, Tourism, Trees, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The government of Kenya has launched a 10-year, $160 million conservation program that will target 17.3 million hectares (43 million acres) of existing conservation areas and community-managed land across 31 counties. The government projects that the initiative, which also aims to establish 2.7 million hectares of new conserved areas, will benefit 1.6 million people and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The government of Kenya has launched a 10-year, $160 million conservation program that will target 17.3 million hectares (43 million acres) of existing conservation areas and community-managed land across 31 counties. The government projects that the initiative, which also aims to establish 2.7 million hectares of new conserved areas, will benefit 1.6 million people and create nearly 22,800 jobs. Dubbed Thamani Asili (which means “value of nature” in Swahili) the program, announced on Oct. 21, aims to secure long-term financing for protecting biodiversity while improving livelihoods, water security and climate resilience through an $80 million contribution from the government, which philanthropic partners are expected to match. Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano presided over the launch of the program at the Tsavo West National Park, southern Kenya, on behalf of Kenya’s President William Ruto. The 10-year initiative brings together the Kenyan government, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), NGO The Nature Conservancy (TNC), conservation initiative Enduring Earth and other conservation partners. “Using the Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model, Thamani Asili establishes a long-term financing framework designed to move conservation beyond short-term funding cycles towards predictable investment, institutional accountability and measurable results,” a KWS press release about the initiative says. Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Tourism, Rebecca Miano, met with officials from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other conservation partners ahead of presiding over the launch of a $160 million conservation-focused fund, Image courtesy of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). There are four initial priority landscapes for this project:&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/kenya-launches-160-million-conservation-initiative-to-support-communities-and-biodiversity/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/kenya-launches-160-million-conservation-initiative-to-support-communities-and-biodiversity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-335064</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Amazon mapping shows cacao expansion without deforestation in Brazil</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/amazon-mapping-shows-cacao-expansion-without-deforestation-in-brazil/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/amazon-mapping-shows-cacao-expansion-without-deforestation-in-brazil/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Nov 2026 21:28:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rafael Spuldar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandre de Santi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/05082501/1_Cacao_expansion_Para_degraded_land_Embrapa-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=335029</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Brazil, Global, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[agribusiness, Agriculture, Agroforestry, Biodiversity, Business, Cacao, Conservation, Crops, data, Ecosystems, Environment, Forestry, Forests, Industrial Agriculture, Monocultures, Natural Resources, Plants, Rainforests, Remote Sensing, Satellite Imagery, Sustainable Forest Management, Technology, Trees, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[While West Africa clears rainforest for chocolate, Brazilian farmers are reviving degraded pastures.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As record cocoa prices drive farmers in West Africa to clear native forest, a new study suggests the crop is following a different path in the Brazilian Amazon: It&#8217;s spreading onto land that was cleared long ago. Mapping by Embrapa, Brazil&#8217;s state-run agricultural research agency, found that the area on which cacao was growing in Pará, the country&#8217;s top-producing state, grew by a third between 2022 and 2024 to 116,436 hectares (287,700 acres). Nearly all of the cacao was found on old pastures and other previously cleared land, with 96% of the cacao that was mapped in Pará and 98% of it in Rondônia state located in areas deforested before 2020. This is fully compliant with the European Union’s sustainability regulations, strengthening Brazil’s position as a potential cocoa exporter. The study also found a new pattern in how the crop is grown. Until Embrapa’s 2022 mapping, all the cacao it had identified in Pará grew in agroforestry systems. Now almost two-thirds of new plantings are full-sun monocultures, where a single crop is grown in a large area without shade. This type of monoculture yields more beans per tree but is more vulnerable to pests and disease and leaves farmers dependent on a single crop. Cacao mapping in the Amazon traces back to TerraClass, a program run with Brazil’s space agency, INPE, that maps how deforested land in the Brazilian Amazon is used. Adriano Venturieri, a remote sensing specialist at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental in the city of Belém in Pará, led&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/amazon-mapping-shows-cacao-expansion-without-deforestation-in-brazil/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/amazon-mapping-shows-cacao-expansion-without-deforestation-in-brazil/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-335029</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How Ghana’s new license to sell sustainable timber improves institutions &#038; cooperation (analysis) </title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/how-ghanas-new-license-to-sell-sustainable-timber-improves-institutions-collaboration-analysis/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/how-ghanas-new-license-to-sell-sustainable-timber-improves-institutions-collaboration-analysis/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Nov 2026 14:16:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Chris Beeko]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/04171852/Ghanaian-Forestry-Commission-officials-demonstrate-Wood-Tracking-System-to-European-trade-representatives-in-Sefwi-Wiawso-November-2016.-Photo-%40EFI-Flickr-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334994</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, European Union, Ghana, Global, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Analysis, Business, Certification, Commentary, Conservation, Environment, Forestry, Forests, Governance, International Trade, Sustainable Forest Management, timber trade, Trade, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When Ghana began its Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process with the European Union, the attraction was clear. Europe is an important market for Ghanaian timber, international expectations around its legality were changing, and the VPA offered both market access and support for strengthening national forest governance. After a 16-year journey, last year Ghana became the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When Ghana began its Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process with the European Union, the attraction was clear. Europe is an important market for Ghanaian timber, international expectations around its legality were changing, and the VPA offered both market access and support for strengthening national forest governance. After a 16-year journey, last year Ghana became the first African country to earn a Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) license. In a Mongabay commentary published last year, Fred Pearce welcomed that achievement while posing an uncomfortable question: Could Ghana also be the last? With the future direction of FLEGT and the VPA model uncertain, he asked whether the long and difficult process that produced significant change in Ghana might fail to provide a pathway for others. Having been involved in this VPA process from negotiation through implementation, I believe Ghana’s experience suggests a broader way of considering that question. A forestry commission official demonstrates the nation&#8217;s timber tracking system in Ghana&#8217;s Sefwi Wiawso region. Image courtesy of European Forest Institute via Flickr. Whether or not other nations follow Ghana’s lead to their own FLEGT licenses, the process changed the way the nation’s forest sector makes policy, regulates timber, verifies legality and brings government, industry and civil society into the same governance system. Those changes now exist within Ghana’s national institutions, and in my view, this represents the most important legacy of the process. International framework  becomes national process One of the first lessons from Ghana is that externally designed frameworks cannot&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/how-ghanas-new-license-to-sell-sustainable-timber-improves-institutions-collaboration-analysis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/how-ghanas-new-license-to-sell-sustainable-timber-improves-institutions-collaboration-analysis/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334994</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesian company seeks CITES approval to breed and sell rare Asian golden cats</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/indonesian-company-seeks-cites-approval-to-breed-and-sell-rare-asian-golden-cats/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/indonesian-company-seeks-cites-approval-to-breed-and-sell-rare-asian-golden-cats/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Nov 2026 14:03:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Fernanda WenzelSpoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/05121758/1.-Allwetter-Zoo_banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=335038</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Business, Captive Breeding, Cats, Conservation, Controversial, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Governance, Law, Mammals, Pet Trade, Pets, Wildlife, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With their shiny golden or reddish-brown fur, round ears, and white and black facial markings, Asian golden cats are cute. But don’t let their looks fool you: these cats, native to China and South and Southeast Asia, are fiercely territorial, elusive, and highly solitary animals. Because of this, Asian golden cats (Catopuma temminckii) don’t reproduce [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With their shiny golden or reddish-brown fur, round ears, and white and black facial markings, Asian golden cats are cute. But don’t let their looks fool you: these cats, native to China and South and Southeast Asia, are fiercely territorial, elusive, and highly solitary animals. Because of this, Asian golden cats (Catopuma temminckii) don’t reproduce well in captivity, and only a handful of zoos have bred them successfully, always for conservation purposes. Now, a private Indonesian company, PT Alam Nusantara Jayatama, wants to become the first in the world to commercially breed them in captivity, selling their offspring to exotic pet owners across the globe. The company is owned and run by Danny Gunalen, who owns several zoos and animal-breeding facilities in Indonesia. The Indonesian government plans to certify the facility as a legal breeder of Asian golden cats. In August, it sent a public notification to the Secretariat of CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty, which includes 184 nations and the European Union. The signatories to CITES have until Nov. 10, 2026, to object to the registration, otherwise the company will be authorized to export the cats. Only a handful of zoos around the world breed and display Asian golden cats. Image courtesy of @Zoo Heidelberg. The Asian golden cat is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List and is a protected species in most of the countries where it lives. Only about 7,000 are thought to remain in the wild, their numbers decreasing as forests&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/indonesian-company-seeks-cites-approval-to-breed-and-sell-rare-asian-golden-cats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/indonesian-company-seeks-cites-approval-to-breed-and-sell-rare-asian-golden-cats/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-335038</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Scientists call on Ecuador to stop the rising trafficking of Galápagos iguanas</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/scientists-call-on-ecuador-to-stop-the-rising-trafficking-of-galapagos-iguanas/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/scientists-call-on-ecuador-to-stop-the-rising-trafficking-of-galapagos-iguanas/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Nov 2026 12:04:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Spoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/04115037/Marine-iguana-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334877</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Ecuador, Galapagos, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Crime, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environmental Law, Governance, Law, Reptiles, Trade, trafficking, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ecuadorian authorities said they caught a Russian woman at the airport in Quito, the capital city, trying to smuggle 32 live marine iguanas, endemic to the Galápagos Islands. The iguanas — bound and stuffed in eight plastic boxes — were headed to Iceland. The dehydrated lizards were transferred to a conservation center in Pichincha for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ecuadorian authorities said they caught a Russian woman at the airport in Quito, the capital city, trying to smuggle 32 live marine iguanas, endemic to the Galápagos Islands. The iguanas — bound and stuffed in eight plastic boxes — were headed to Iceland. The dehydrated lizards were transferred to a conservation center in Pichincha for specialized care after being found in August, authorities said. About a month later, 24 of the surviving iguanas were released back on Galápagos — where they are believed to be stolen from. In May, authorities arrested three Thai nationals with 12 young marine iguanas destined for Asian markets. A week earlier, four separate cases of these lizards mysteriously appearing on sidewalks in Guayaquil on the mainland were reported. The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), a threatened species, is the only lizard in the world that swims in the ocean and eats sea algae. About 11 subspecies of these colorful lizards are known to science. Under Ecuadorian laws, it&#8217;s illegal to remove any wildlife from the Galápagos. In 2025, the lizards were added to Appendix I of the CITES global wildlife trade treaty, which means they cannot be commercially traded internationally. Yet, they continue being smuggled as collectors in Europe and Asia want them as exotic pets. So far this year, authorities have confiscated nearly 50 marine iguanas. The global commerce is so lucrative that international wildlife traffickers are involved in smuggling them, experts say. Marine iguanas confiscated by authorities from a Russian woman in August 2026.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/scientists-call-on-ecuador-to-stop-the-rising-trafficking-of-galapagos-iguanas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/scientists-call-on-ecuador-to-stop-the-rising-trafficking-of-galapagos-iguanas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334877</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>The RSPO closed the case on First Resources. Indonesian forests kept falling for palm oil (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/the-rspo-closed-the-case-on-first-resources-indonesian-forests-kept-falling-for-palm-oil-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/the-rspo-closed-the-case-on-first-resources-indonesian-forests-kept-falling-for-palm-oil-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Nov 2026 10:27:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tom Johnson]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/03102619/First-Resources-RSPO-Commentary-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334809</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Borneo, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Anonymous Companies, Business, Commentary, Conservation, Corporate Environmental Transgressors, Corporations, Crops, Deforestation, Drivers Of Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Law, Food Industry, Forest Destruction, Forest Loss, Forestry, Forests, Governance, Industrial Agriculture, Industry, Law, Media, Palm Oil, Plantations, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, Threats To Rainforests, Tropical Deforestation, Tropical Forests, and Zero Deforestation Commitments]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) — as the name suggests — sets itself up as the arbiter of what is sustainable in the palm oil industry. For that to work, it has to do two things. First, it has to make sensible rules about what is and isn’t sustainable. Second, it has to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) — as the name suggests — sets itself up as the arbiter of what is sustainable in the palm oil industry. For that to work, it has to do two things. First, it has to make sensible rules about what is and isn’t sustainable. Second, it has to enforce those rules, to ensure that companies whose actions fall outside them do not get to market their products as sustainable. If it does not police the rules, the rules don’t really mean all that much. Evidence from a new investigation — and newly unearthed court records — shows that it has failed on that second task. In December 2025, the RSPO Complaints Panel issued its final ruling on a case that had dragged on for more than four years. In a succession of NGO reports dating back to 2017, allegations had piled up connecting Singapore-listed, Indonesian-owned First Resources, an RSPO member and major palm oil producer, to a string of other groups that were still clearing rainforests. First Resources had first committed to “zero deforestation” in 2015 and was able to access markets closed to unsustainable palm oil through its RSPO membership. But through its apparent control of so-called “shadow companies,” the theory went, the Fangiono family that owned First Resources was simultaneously able to keep expanding into rainforests. A complaint alleging that the Fangionos controlled two other groups — Ciliandry Angki Abadi and FAP Agri — was first taken up by the RSPO&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/the-rspo-closed-the-case-on-first-resources-indonesian-forests-kept-falling-for-palm-oil-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/the-rspo-closed-the-case-on-first-resources-indonesian-forests-kept-falling-for-palm-oil-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334809</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Uncertainty surrounds controversial resort in Zanzibar forest reserve as work stalls</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/uncertainty-surrounds-controversial-resort-in-zanzibar-forest-reserve-as-work-stalls/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/uncertainty-surrounds-controversial-resort-in-zanzibar-forest-reserve-as-work-stalls/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Nov 2026 06:48:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Victoria Schneider]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/02181729/Banner-image-Copy-of-3_2-Hyperolius-watsonae_DG-1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334746</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Business, Economics, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Governance, Land Rights, Science, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In March 2026, contractors built a wall along the edge of the Ngezi-Vumawimbi Forest Reserve on Pemba Island, Zanzibar, marking the boundary of what appears to be the site of the planned Mantuli luxury resort within the reserve. According to sources Mongabay spoke to, no further work has taken place since the wall was completed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In March 2026, contractors built a wall along the edge of the Ngezi-Vumawimbi Forest Reserve on Pemba Island, Zanzibar, marking the boundary of what appears to be the site of the planned Mantuli luxury resort within the reserve. According to sources Mongabay spoke to, no further work has taken place since the wall was completed in the first half of 2026. It stands in the very northwest of the island, between a former rubber plantation and land used by local communities for homes and fields of crops like cassava and sweet potatoes. The forest reserve boundary lies just beyond the community land. Ngezi-Vumawimbi is surrounded by 10 villages, with a combined population of more than 20,000 people, according to Tanzania’s 2022 census. Members of surrounding communities enter the reserve to collect firewood and wild fruit, as well as to tend their ancestors&#8217; graves and perform other spiritual practices. Research has established that rural communities across Pemba Island derive around a third of their annual income from forest resources; around Ngezi, the forest notably provides residents with income from the bungo fruit (Saba comorensis), which locals harvest for sale between July and late September. The moist forests of Ngezi host unique species of animals and plants. Image courtesy of Emily Tanganelli. Risk to biodiversity In September 2025, a number of conservationists and researchers published an open letter opposing the Mantuli project in the journal Science. They said the project risked damaging the 1,500-hectare (3,700-acre) Ngezi-Vumavimbi forest reserve, one of East Africa’s most&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/uncertainty-surrounds-controversial-resort-in-zanzibar-forest-reserve-as-work-stalls/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/uncertainty-surrounds-controversial-resort-in-zanzibar-forest-reserve-as-work-stalls/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334746</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Do not ‘engage formally’: UK officials advised against billionaire-run zoo ahead of CITES meeting</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/do-not-engage-formally-uk-officials-advised-against-billionaire-run-zoo-ahead-of-cites-meeting/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/do-not-engage-formally-uk-officials-advised-against-billionaire-run-zoo-ahead-of-cites-meeting/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Nov 2026 06:00:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elisângela MendonçaSpoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Andy Lehren]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/02032118/77_UKZookInvestigation_05-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334634</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Europe, India, Switzerland, and United Kingdom]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Governance, Mongabay investigation, Politics, Raptors, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[LONDON — British officials explicitly advised government ministers to not engage formally with Vantara, the controversial zoo founded and led by Indian billionaire Anant Ambani, according to documents obtained by Mongabay and The Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act. Ambani is the son of one of India’s richest men, Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[LONDON — British officials explicitly advised government ministers to not engage formally with Vantara, the controversial zoo founded and led by Indian billionaire Anant Ambani, according to documents obtained by Mongabay and The Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act. Ambani is the son of one of India’s richest men, Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, a multinational petrochemical and telecommunications conglomerate. Internal British government communications at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show civil servants strongly cautioning against ministerial interactions with Vantara. A central reason why the officials warned colleagues is the U.K. role chairing a committee at CITES, the global treaty regulating trade in endangered wildlife. “Given the ongoing compliance proceedings and continued scrutiny, we do not advise ministers to engage formally with Vantara at this stage,” an unnamed DEFRA official wrote in an email on July 14. The government redacts names of many civil servants, reflecting a policy of withholding junior officials’ personal information unless they are public-facing or already considered public. In a separate internal briefing document obtained by Mongabay and The Guardian and sent later in July, U.K. officials also raised concerns about how the zoo has sought to acquire rare and endangered species. DEFRA’s headquarters in London. Image by Elisangela Mendonça. The zoo describes itself as a “wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre” with more than 150,000 animals. In 2025, the organization drew official scrutiny after reports alleging it acquired endangered species illegally. The facility is not open&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/do-not-engage-formally-uk-officials-advised-against-billionaire-run-zoo-ahead-of-cites-meeting/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/do-not-engage-formally-uk-officials-advised-against-billionaire-run-zoo-ahead-of-cites-meeting/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334634</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>New index tracks countries’ vulnerability to conflict between large and small-scale fishers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/new-index-tracks-countries-vulnerability-to-conflict-between-large-and-small-scale-fishers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/new-index-tracks-countries-vulnerability-to-conflict-between-large-and-small-scale-fishers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Nov 2026 17:19:05 +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/20/2026/11/02153353/3-coast-of-Gambia-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334678</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Business, Conflict, Conservation, Environment, Fisheries, Fishing, Food, Food Industry, food security, Governance, Industrial Agriculture, Industry, Marine, Marine Conservation, Natural Resources, Oceans, and Resource Conflict]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Competition between small-scale fishers and industrial vessels can threaten food security and livelihoods in coastal communities, especially in the Global South. A new study looks at which countries are most vulnerable to this competition and other forms of conflict between the two sectors, such as disputes over fishing grounds or damage to gear. The study, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Competition between small-scale fishers and industrial vessels can threaten food security and livelihoods in coastal communities, especially in the Global South. A new study looks at which countries are most vulnerable to this competition and other forms of conflict between the two sectors, such as disputes over fishing grounds or damage to gear. The study, published Oct. 22 in the journal Nature Food, introduces an index that scores 126 countries on their vulnerability to such conflicts. The scores are based on factors such as how much industrial activity occurs near shore, how reliant countries are on small-scale fishing for food and income, and how weak their governance systems are. Africa ranked as the most vulnerable region, followed by Oceania, Asia and Central and South America. West Africa and South Asia are the most vulnerable subregions, according to the index. At the country level, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Mozambique received the highest conflict vulnerability scores worldwide. “There are lots of diverse ways that industrial fisheries can impact small-scale fisheries,” Melissa Cronin, an assistant professor of fisheries oceanography at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in the U.S. and lead author of the study, told Mongabay. One of the most straightforward ways is via competition for the “exact same target fish species,” she said. “Because industrial vessels or large-scale vessels are so efficient technologically, they can fish much more quickly and … be this kind of bigger predator in the system and outcompete those small-scale fishers. Cronin said she’d become interested in the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/new-index-tracks-countries-vulnerability-to-conflict-between-large-and-small-scale-fishers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/new-index-tracks-countries-vulnerability-to-conflict-between-large-and-small-scale-fishers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334678</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Zanzibar&#8217;s seaweed farmers seek better future through science and partnership (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/zanzibars-seaweed-farmers-see-better-future-through-science-and-partnership-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/zanzibars-seaweed-farmers-see-better-future-through-science-and-partnership-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Nov 2026 17:13:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jenny KrusoeLisa KurbielMariam Mwinyi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/02164416/IMG_7179-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334703</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Global, Indian Ocean, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[algae, Aquaculture, Business, Commentary, Community Development, Conservation, Developing Countries, Development, Environment, Gender, Marine Conservation, Natural Resources, Oceans, Sustainable Development, Trade, and Traditional Knowledge]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Along Zanzibar&#8217;s coastline, thousands of women rise with the tides to cultivate one of our islands&#8217; most important natural resources. Day after day, they wade into the ocean, tending lines of seaweed that support households, strengthen communities, and contribute to a sector that has long been a source of livelihoods and opportunity. Their work reflects [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Along Zanzibar&#8217;s coastline, thousands of women rise with the tides to cultivate one of our islands&#8217; most important natural resources. Day after day, they wade into the ocean, tending lines of seaweed that support households, strengthen communities, and contribute to a sector that has long been a source of livelihoods and opportunity. Their work reflects a remarkable combination of skill, perseverance, and adaptation. For decades, these women have sustained an industry that has connected Zanzibar to global markets while providing income in coastal communities. As climate change reshapes marine ecosystems and global demand evolves, the resilience of these farmers offers an important foundation on which to build the next chapter of the seaweed economy. Each of us is directly connected to this work: Mwinyi serves as First Lady of Zanzibar, Kurbiel leads the U.N. Joint SDG Fund, which supports Zanzibar’s seaweed sector, and Krusoe founded AltaSea, which has participated in international efforts to advance research and investment in the sector. Seaweed farmers in Zanzibar tend their crops using traditional methods. Image courtesy of Kevin Gaines/Kelp Ark. We come to this issue from different backgrounds, but we share a common conviction: Zanzibar&#8217;s seaweed farmers are not the challenge facing the industry. They are its greatest asset. The opportunity before us is to ensure that research, innovation, infrastructure, and investment evolve alongside their commitment and expertise. Across the world, agricultural and marine industries are increasingly turning to science to address the pressures created by climate change, disease, and changing environmental conditions. Zanzibar&#8217;s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/zanzibars-seaweed-farmers-see-better-future-through-science-and-partnership-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/zanzibars-seaweed-farmers-see-better-future-through-science-and-partnership-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334703</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Ecotourism may deter hunters, but also keeps wildlife away, Laos study suggests</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/ecotourism-may-deter-hunters-but-also-keeps-wildlife-away-laos-study-suggests/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/ecotourism-may-deter-hunters-but-also-keeps-wildlife-away-laos-study-suggests/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Nov 2026 14:32:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolyn Cowan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/02142348/Asian_Black_Bear_cubs_Ursus_thibetanus_in_Khao_Yai_national_park_24405284880-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334667</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Laos, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Animals, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Camera Trapping, Conservation, Ecosystems, Ecotourism, Environment, Forests, Governance, Hunting, Mammals, Monitoring, Over-hunting, Rainforests, Research, Tourism, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Clouded leopards, sun bears, and other medium to large mammals living in a protected but intensively hunted landscape in northern Laos might be selecting their forest hangouts based on the chatter of hikers and splashes of kayakers, according to new research. The study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, used camera-trap data from between 2013 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Clouded leopards, sun bears, and other medium to large mammals living in a protected but intensively hunted landscape in northern Laos might be selecting their forest hangouts based on the chatter of hikers and splashes of kayakers, according to new research. The study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, used camera-trap data from between 2013 and 2019 to investigate whether an award-winning community-based ecotourism initiative that has operated tours in Nam Ha National Protected Area since 1999 brings any benefits to local wildlife populations by creating a safe haven from hunting pressure. “Hunting is a really integral part of the local culture, some of it legal, some of it illegal,” William Bleisch, lead author of the study and former program director at the Hong Kong-based China Exploration and Research Society, told Mongabay in an interview. Bleisch said he and his colleagues were curious to find out whether tourism created “a kind of refuge” where people would forgo hunting either because they could see the economic and social benefits of wildlife tourism or because they were afraid of being reported by guides or tourists. To test their theory, the team set up camera traps at 59 sites across the landscape, both within tourism hotspots and at more remote locations in the forest reserve. They recorded a total 45 species of medium to large mammals across the whole landscape, including 15 globally threatened species. They found an average 4.58 species at sites close to trekking trails and kayaking routes, and almost twice&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/ecotourism-may-deter-hunters-but-also-keeps-wildlife-away-laos-study-suggests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/ecotourism-may-deter-hunters-but-also-keeps-wildlife-away-laos-study-suggests/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334667</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Leaders grapple with finance and harmful subsidies at UN’s COP17 biodiversity conference</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/leaders-grapple-with-finance-and-harmful-subsidies-at-uns-cop17-biodiversity-conference/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/leaders-grapple-with-finance-and-harmful-subsidies-at-uns-cop17-biodiversity-conference/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Oct 2026 07:07:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[John Cannon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/31062001/DSC_9185-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334599</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Finance, and Finance]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[YEREVAN, Armenia — Visitors entering the main hallway of the 2026 U.N. biodiversity conference (COP17) encounter a mural of a herd of elephants. The installation, led by the NGO Friends of the Earth International, doesn’t celebrate the gains that some elephant populations have made in recent decades. Instead, it uses the &#8220;elephants in the room&#8221; [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[YEREVAN, Armenia — Visitors entering the main hallway of the 2026 U.N. biodiversity conference (COP17) encounter a mural of a herd of elephants. The installation, led by the NGO Friends of the Earth International, doesn’t celebrate the gains that some elephant populations have made in recent decades. Instead, it uses the &#8220;elephants in the room&#8221; metaphor for the entrenched, but often-ignored financial systems that lead to widespread biodiversity destruction. &#8220;It is astounding that the global economy is spending only $1 on nature protection for each $30 that it spends on nature destruction,&#8221; said An Lambrechts, a biodiversity politics expert with Greenpeace International, at a COP17 press conference. Lambrechts was referring to a key finding from the State of Finance for Nature 2026 report from the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP). WWF International&#8217;s recent Living Planet report found that populations of wild vertebrates fell by an average of 73% between 1970 and 2022. The authors tagged climate change, agriculture and — notably — the flow of money toward nature-averse industries and practices. Industrial logging in Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland province. Image by John Cannon/Mongabay. The 196 parties that adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in 2022 laid out the ambition in its Target 18 of slashing $500 billion annually from subsidies and other financial support for activities that harm biodiversity. Unsustainable fishing and industrial agriculture, for example, contribute directly to the dwindling of plant, animal and fungal life. But financial support for such “nature-negative” activities remains high — at $7.3&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/leaders-grapple-with-finance-and-harmful-subsidies-at-uns-cop17-biodiversity-conference/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/leaders-grapple-with-finance-and-harmful-subsidies-at-uns-cop17-biodiversity-conference/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334599</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Given a chance, women-led microenterprises uplift Nepali communities &#038; conservation</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/given-a-chance-women-led-microenterprises-uplift-nepali-communities-conservation/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/given-a-chance-women-led-microenterprises-uplift-nepali-communities-conservation/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Oct 2026 18:02:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Emma White]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/30164427/Spinning-Wool2_NadiaWhite_19May2026-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334507</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Global, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[agribusiness, Animals, Biodiversity, Business, Cats, Conflict, Conservation, Culture, Environment, Forest Products, Forestry, Forests, Gender, Human-wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Plants, Tigers, Traditional Knowledge, Trees, Wildlife, and Women In Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[NAYA PADAMPUR, Nepal — A spinning wheel whirs on a rooftop in Naya Padampur in south-central Nepal, sending ivory strands of yarn through Bin Maya Gurung’s practiced fingers. Smile lines crinkle at the corners of her eyes as she works. Her limbs move in synchrony with the wheel, both integral parts of the machine that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[NAYA PADAMPUR, Nepal — A spinning wheel whirs on a rooftop in Naya Padampur in south-central Nepal, sending ivory strands of yarn through Bin Maya Gurung’s practiced fingers. Smile lines crinkle at the corners of her eyes as she works. Her limbs move in synchrony with the wheel, both integral parts of the machine that ensures her family’s well-being. She’s sitting at the top of a building that houses a wool spinning enterprise, which has blossomed in the years since she learned to spin wool in the early 2000s. It’s one of many women-led microenterprises that have sprouted across the country. The past few decades have seen many women in rural Nepal venture into the business environment for the first time, as governmental regulations and societal norms started to shift. The benefits for women entrepreneurs are significant, with a 2022 study conducted in the Parbat district of Nepal showing that 96% of women involved in microenterprises felt confident in supporting their families with the money they earned. The microenterprises are also important in another way: They provide an alternative source of income to rural families, lessening their reliance on forest products such as timber. Successful women-led microenterprises — in Nepal and elsewhere — have provided a symbiosis between land and community, allowing conservation efforts to flourish while acting as a catalyst for local income generation and women’s empowerment. The growth of these microenterprises in Nepal mirrors a growing global recognition of the benefits of women’s involvement in both forests and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/given-a-chance-women-led-microenterprises-uplift-nepali-communities-conservation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/given-a-chance-women-led-microenterprises-uplift-nepali-communities-conservation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334507</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Philippines halts U.S. e-waste imports but struggles to police customs-free zones</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/philippines-halts-u-s-e-waste-imports-but-struggles-to-police-customs-free-zones/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/philippines-halts-u-s-e-waste-imports-but-struggles-to-police-customs-free-zones/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Oct 2026 16:13:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Biena MagbitangGabriele Di DonfrancescoHelena Rodríguez GómezLouis Boyd-Madsen]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23181923/GP0STPYT3_Low-res-800px-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333738</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, North America, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[E-waste, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Health, International Trade, Pollution, Trade, and Waste]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[After months of scrutiny, the Philippines has closed its doors to electronic waste from the United States, ending, for now, a stream of shipments that environmental groups have tracked since March 2025. This move marks the clearest government response yet to controversy over suspected U.S. e-waste shipments entering the Philippines via the Subic Bay freeport, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[After months of scrutiny, the Philippines has closed its doors to electronic waste from the United States, ending, for now, a stream of shipments that environmental groups have tracked since March 2025. This move marks the clearest government response yet to controversy over suspected U.S. e-waste shipments entering the Philippines via the Subic Bay freeport, with environmental groups questioning whether cargoes were being properly screened and regulated. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) told Mongabay on Oct. 12 the restriction is not a new U.S.-specific ban. Instead, it said, the policy, which was publicly announced on Sept. 22, will see customs officials enforcing existing rules under the Basel Convention. The convention, an international treaty governing cross-border waste shipments, prohibits e-waste imports from the five countries that are not parties to the treaty — including the United States. Michael Drake Matias, who heads the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau, said customs has stopped allowing waste shipments from all nonparty countries to be unloaded at Philippine ports. Aerial photo obtained by the Basel Action Network on April 27, 2026 of the discarded electronics piling up outside of Jack Electronics, one of the recovery facilities northeast of Subic Bay. Photo credit: Basel Action Network, 2026. Customs-free zones? It remains unclear whether the reinforced restriction resolves a broader enforcement problem created by a 2025 Manila court ruling that disrupted normal pre-shipment controls in the Subic Bay freeport. The case began in 2024, when the customs bureau held shipments belonging to three recycling companies&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/philippines-halts-u-s-e-waste-imports-but-struggles-to-police-customs-free-zones/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/philippines-halts-u-s-e-waste-imports-but-struggles-to-police-customs-free-zones/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333738</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Angola designates Serra do Pingano as a protected area amid rapid forest loss</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/angola-designates-serra-do-pingano-as-a-protected-area-amid-rapid-forest-loss/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/angola-designates-serra-do-pingano-as-a-protected-area-amid-rapid-forest-loss/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Oct 2026 13:12:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Tjyakala]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/30131118/i.-Serra-do-Pingano_Angola_logged1_c_Raffael-Ernst_SGN-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334509</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Angola, and Southern Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Deforestation, Dry Forests, Elephants, Environment, Forestry, Forests, Governance, Primary Forests, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The last large tracts of forest in Serra do Pingano, in northern Angola, are disappearing rapidly, leaving the landscape increasingly bare. Over the past two decades, central Serra do Pingano lost 43% of its original forest cover, while the wider Serra do Pingano Forest Ecosystem (SPFE) lost 21%, equivalent to 536 square kilometers (207 square [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The last large tracts of forest in Serra do Pingano, in northern Angola, are disappearing rapidly, leaving the landscape increasingly bare. Over the past two decades, central Serra do Pingano lost 43% of its original forest cover, while the wider Serra do Pingano Forest Ecosystem (SPFE) lost 21%, equivalent to 536 square kilometers (207 square miles) of forest. The findings appeared in Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution earlier this year. Two of the paper&#8217;s authors are Angolan. Signed by 11 researchers from multiple institutions, the study serves both as an urgent warning and as a call to action to protect what remains of the vanishing forest. After years of appeals, the Angolan government established the Serra do Pingano Conservation Area in April. Located in Uíge province, the SPFE encompasses several densely forested mountain ranges of high biological value. Pingano forms an ecological transition zone between tropical rainforest and miombo savanna, bringing together elements of western Central African forests and species and evolutionary lineages associated with southern and eastern Africa. It also shelters some of Angola&#8217;s last remaining tropical forest south of the Congo River. The Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution study brings together evidence from years of research into the SPFE. One of its co-authors spoke with Mongabay. Thea Lautenschläger, a German ethnobotanist specializing in northern Angola and scientific director of the Botanical Garden of Hamburg, described the threats facing the forest and the species that depend on it. “It is difficult to say to what extent our work directly influenced the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/angola-designates-serra-do-pingano-as-a-protected-area-amid-rapid-forest-loss/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/angola-designates-serra-do-pingano-as-a-protected-area-amid-rapid-forest-loss/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334509</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Suriname’s Amazon, the Wayana community struggling to keep gold miners at bay</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/in-surinames-amazon-the-wayana-community-struggling-to-keep-gold-miners-at-bay/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/in-surinames-amazon-the-wayana-community-struggling-to-keep-gold-miners-at-bay/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2026 18:47:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maxwell Radwin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/29181238/IMG_3302-JPEG-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334444</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, French Guiana, Global, South America, and Suriname]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Business, Conservation, Crime, Deforestation, Drivers Of Deforestation, Education, Environment, Forest Loss, Forests, Gold Mining, Governance, Illegal Mining, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Reserves, Indigenous Rights, Law, Mining, Natural Resources, Rainforests, Threats To Rainforests, Tropical Deforestation, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KAWEMHAKAN, Suriname — Beneath thousands of square kilometers of rainforest here lie vast deposits of gold and other minerals. Around a million ounces are extracted legally every year, but much more remains buried throughout the Amazon. In some of the farthest-flung parts of the rainforest, such as these small villages along the border with French [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KAWEMHAKAN, Suriname — Beneath thousands of square kilometers of rainforest here lie vast deposits of gold and other minerals. Around a million ounces are extracted legally every year, but much more remains buried throughout the Amazon. In some of the farthest-flung parts of the rainforest, such as these small villages along the border with French Guiana, the government hasn’t stopped locals — joined by Brazilian miners and Chinese traders — from clearing the forest in search of gold. Moving up and down the Lawa River and its tributaries, these criminals establish mining camps and trading posts far beyond the reach of most law enforcement, where robberies, extortion and other violent crimes happen out of sight. Many Indigenous Wayana families live on both sides of the Lawa River — which also marks the border with French Guiana — and face a growing list of challenges, including health issues from mercury use on their land and dwindling wildlife populations they’ve long relied on for food. Indigenous Wayana communities have lived in the area for generations but still lack an official land title that might offer some protection. The only airstrip for kilometers around, and the primary practical connection to the capital, Paramaribo, sits in the middle of one of the Indigenous villages, giving leadership some leverage with miners and traders: Unless they want to travel for days by river to get back and forth from the city, it’s important to be on good terms with the community, residents said. These delicate relationships&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/in-surinames-amazon-the-wayana-community-struggling-to-keep-gold-miners-at-bay/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/in-surinames-amazon-the-wayana-community-struggling-to-keep-gold-miners-at-bay/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334444</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Already feeling it’: Northern Amazon waterfall season ends early, hurting livelihoods</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/already-feeling-it-northern-amazon-waterfall-season-ends-early-hurting-livelihoods/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/already-feeling-it-northern-amazon-waterfall-season-ends-early-hurting-livelihoods/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2026 14:03:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Felipe Medeiros]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Xavier Bartaburu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/29092627/Veu_de_Noiva_waterfall_Canta_Roraima_Katarine_Almeida-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334337</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Global, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Business, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Science, Conservation, Culture, Disasters, Drought, Earth Science, Ecosystems, Ecotourism, El Nino, Environment, Extreme Weather, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Impact Of Climate Change, Natural Resources, Rainforests, Research, Science, Tourism, Travel, Water, and Weather]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BOA VISTA, Roraima — “For those who live off the river, water isn’t just scenery: It is also a road, work and income.” That is how tour guide Fredson Guedes, known as “Tarzan,” learned to view the natural world around him over the course of his 55 years. “I work entirely with nature and depend [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BOA VISTA, Roraima — “For those who live off the river, water isn’t just scenery: It is also a road, work and income.” That is how tour guide Fredson Guedes, known as “Tarzan,” learned to view the natural world around him over the course of his 55 years. “I work entirely with nature and depend heavily on it. Just the other day, I was at Serra Grande [an ecotourism destination in the municipality of Cantá, Roraima], working at the Véu de Noiva [bridal veil, in Portuguese] waterfall, but now there is no waterfall anymore. It dried up.” In the Amazonian region of Serra Grande in Brazil, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the state capital, Boa Vista, the seasonal waterfall known as Véu de Noiva usually draws visitors from May through early September during Roraima&#8217;s rainy season. That changed in 2026. By late July, the water that defines the landscape had already vanished. Fábio Wankler, a geologist and professor at the Federal University of Roraima (UFRR), points to a &#8220;super El Niño&#8221; as the driver behind the disruption. The phenomenon, unusually intense this year, has triggered a series of shifts in weather patterns that, across various parts of the country, “have caused longer and more intense periods of drought,” he said. The effects are felt daily. The waterfall, whose cascading flows resemble the delicate lace of a wedding gown, sits along one of the primary routes traveled by Guedes, who navigates the Branco River to reach it at least twice&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/already-feeling-it-northern-amazon-waterfall-season-ends-early-hurting-livelihoods/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/already-feeling-it-northern-amazon-waterfall-season-ends-early-hurting-livelihoods/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334337</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Investigations into Singapore palm oil firm find family ties to Borneo deforesters</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/investigations-into-singapore-palm-oil-firm-find-family-ties-to-borneo-deforesters/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/investigations-into-singapore-palm-oil-firm-find-family-ties-to-borneo-deforesters/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2026 13:57:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Robin Hicks]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/29135043/DJI_20260701144528_0163_D_SAAJETTY-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334374</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Borneo, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[agribusiness, Agriculture, Anonymous Companies, Business, Commodity agriculture, Corporate Environmental Transgressors, Corporations, Deforestation, Environment, Forestry, Forests, Industrial Agriculture, Palm Oil, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, Threats To Rainforests, and Tropical Deforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Investigations by environmental groups have found new evidence that companies linked to deforestation in Borneo are likely controlled by First Resources, a Singapore-listed plantation firm that produces palm oil marketed as sustainable. A report by Rainforest Action Network (RAN) cites shipping records, internal accounting documents and employee testimonies that link palm oil producers in Indonesia, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Investigations by environmental groups have found new evidence that companies linked to deforestation in Borneo are likely controlled by First Resources, a Singapore-listed plantation firm that produces palm oil marketed as sustainable. A report by Rainforest Action Network (RAN) cites shipping records, internal accounting documents and employee testimonies that link palm oil producers in Indonesia, the Kalimantan Agro Sejahtera (KAS) Group and FAP Agri, to First Resources, which is run by Indonesia’s billionaire Fangiono family. The investigation, conducted from January to July 2026, found that crude palm oil from mills run by the three businesses was transported to a First Resources storage and shipping facility on the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan province, where it was mixed then shipped to refineries for processing. A separate report by NGOs the Environmental Investigation Agency and Kaoem Telapak also suggests ties between First Resources, FAP Agri and KAS Group with evidence of these firms operating as a single corporate group. The findings echo long-held concerns that major agribusiness firms are using opaque corporate structures to gain access to palm oil sourced from plantations that flout sustainability commitments. First Resources adopted a No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation (NDPE) policy in 2015 and is a long-standing member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a global certification body for sustainably produced palm oil. FAP Agri adopted an NDPE policy in 2019. Across the industry, NDPE policies represent a commitment to stop clearing any natural forest and to stop buying from other companies&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/investigations-into-singapore-palm-oil-firm-find-family-ties-to-borneo-deforesters/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/investigations-into-singapore-palm-oil-firm-find-family-ties-to-borneo-deforesters/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334374</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Design conservation with those who will live with it’: 30 by 30 in Africa</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/design-conservation-with-those-who-will-live-with-it-30-by-30-in-africa/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/design-conservation-with-those-who-will-live-with-it-30-by-30-in-africa/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2026 08:58:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sasha Nunneley]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/29083339/DSC05020_AdrianPonsardWCS-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334316</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Liberia, Namibia, Southern Africa, Tanzania, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Finance, Environment, Environmental Policy, Forests, Governance, Indigenous Rights, Oceans, Politics, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Perhaps the best-known target of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is what’s commonly known as “30 by 30,” the aim to bring at least 30% of the world&#8217;s terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems into effective conservation and equitable management by the year 2030. According to Skytruth’s tracker, which combines multiple databases to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Perhaps the best-known target of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is what’s commonly known as “30 by 30,” the aim to bring at least 30% of the world&#8217;s terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems into effective conservation and equitable management by the year 2030. According to Skytruth’s tracker, which combines multiple databases to provide a ready overview, as of October 2026, African countries had secured 19.9% of terrestrial and 17.2% of marine areas, a tick above the global coverage of 18.7% of land, and 10% of marine landscapes. As delegates from around the world gather in the ancient city of Yerevan, Armenia, for the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) to the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity from Oct. 19 to 30, it seems unlikely that the 30 by30 target will be met. Since the GBF was agreed in 2022, diverse observers have argued that we should also be turning our attention to what lies beneath these numbers. “The objective is not simply to reach 30% on paper by 2030,” says Daniel Marnewick, a conservation expert with the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. “It is to secure biodiversity, strengthen ecological resilience, and build conservation approaches that are socially legitimate, locally grounded, and sustainable over the long term.” Beneath the headline figures, Marnewick says, “land and natural resources are under increasing pressure from competing demands, including agriculture, infrastructure, energy, mining, and other forms of economic development.” One obvious obstacle across the African continent arises from governments&#8217; own conflicting priorities.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/design-conservation-with-those-who-will-live-with-it-30-by-30-in-africa/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/design-conservation-with-those-who-will-live-with-it-30-by-30-in-africa/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334316</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Pemba&#8217;s new marine protected areas show the power of collaboration to meet 30&#215;30 goal</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/pembas-new-marine-protected-areas-show-the-power-of-collaboration-to-meet-30x30-goal/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/pembas-new-marine-protected-areas-show-the-power-of-collaboration-to-meet-30x30-goal/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2026 07:45:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sasha Nunneley]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/29063925/DSC04884_AdrianPonsardWCS-scaled-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334310</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, Conservation, Conservation Finance, Environmental Policy, Finance, Fisheries, Governance, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, and Protected Areas]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Omar Hamad Salim, like many other fishermen from Tumbe village, relies on the ocean for food, an income and a way of life. A number of years ago, he and his fellow fishers began returning from the sea with less and less. “Fishers would go to sea and return with very few fish, or sometimes [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Omar Hamad Salim, like many other fishermen from Tumbe village, relies on the ocean for food, an income and a way of life. A number of years ago, he and his fellow fishers began returning from the sea with less and less. “Fishers would go to sea and return with very few fish, or sometimes none at all,” Salim says. “And this was not a temporary situation; the shortage had persisted for an extended period.” Salim is one of 12 elected members of the fisheries committee for the Tumbe shehia, or ward, on the north-eastern shore of Pemba Island, part of the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar. Shehia fishing committees elsewhere on Pemba’s east coast were also worried as their catches shrank. They decided that something had to change. Salim and a few others from Tumbe village conducted a more detailed assessment of what was actually happening, which they then presented to the rest of the village during a public meeting. Fishing committees on Pemba island’s east coast grew worried as their catches shrank. Image courtesy of Adrian Ponsard/WCS. In a phone interview, Jean Mensa, director of the Tanzania Marine Program for conservation organization WCS, told Mongabay that government officials had raised the possibility of establishing a conservation area on Pemba’s eastern coastline with WCS. Villagers in the area, he said, attributed the faltering fisheries primarily to overfishing. The conservation organization seized the opportunity. “We asked them point blank if they wanted to have a marine conservation area in the area,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/pembas-new-marine-protected-areas-show-the-power-of-collaboration-to-meet-30x30-goal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/pembas-new-marine-protected-areas-show-the-power-of-collaboration-to-meet-30x30-goal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334310</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Historic win’: Australian state approves national koala park despite controversial funding</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/historic-win-australian-state-approves-national-koala-park-despite-controversial-funding/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/historic-win-australian-state-approves-national-koala-park-despite-controversial-funding/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2026 01:28:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Paul Harvey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Yenni Kwok]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/28133825/kenny-van-roosbroek-CG2AtzDOLFg-unsplash-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334201</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Australia and Oceania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Controversial, Environment, Environmental Law, Finance, Funding, Governance, Mammals, Marsupials, National Parks, Parks, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SYDNEY — After more than a decade of campaigning, Australian conservation and community groups celebrated a historic win on Oct. 23 after legislation was passed to create the Great Koala National Park in New South Wales (NSW). The campaigners’ success came 10 days after NSW Premier and Labor politician Chris Minns tabled a bill proposing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SYDNEY — After more than a decade of campaigning, Australian conservation and community groups celebrated a historic win on Oct. 23 after legislation was passed to create the Great Koala National Park in New South Wales (NSW). The campaigners’ success came 10 days after NSW Premier and Labor politician Chris Minns tabled a bill proposing the creation of the park in the Mid North Coast region of the state. The park was a key 2023 election promise made by Australia’s Labor Party. “This park will protect our precious Australian wildlife and boost tourism for the region for generations,” Minns wrote on Facebook after the result of the vote. The park, slated to open before the end of 2026, will incorporate 178,000 hectares (440,000 acres) of state forests, primarily earmarked for native timber harvesting, and other government land into the existing national park estate. It will create a protected area spanning 475,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) for 12,000 koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and more than 100 other threatened fauna and flora species, including southern greater gliders (Petauroides volans), glossy black cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus lathami) and rare spider orchids. The park, slated to open before the end of 2026, will incorporate 178,000 hectares (440,000 acres) of state forests. Image courtesy of NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The Gumbaynggirr and Dunghutti people, who have helped shape the national park, “will continue to guide its management,” according to the NSW government. “Eight Aboriginal rangers will be employed through community-controlled organisations and some park roles will&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/historic-win-australian-state-approves-national-koala-park-despite-controversial-funding/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/historic-win-australian-state-approves-national-koala-park-despite-controversial-funding/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334201</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Pangolin scale lawsuit in Indonesia could shake up how wildlife traffickers pay</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/pangolin-scale-lawsuit-in-indonesia-could-shake-up-how-wildlife-traffickers-pay/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/pangolin-scale-lawsuit-in-indonesia-could-shake-up-how-wildlife-traffickers-pay/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Oct 2026 07:53:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolyn Cowan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/28073343/a.-%C2%A9-thepunggolin-original-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334087</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Business, Conservation, Corporations, Crime, Environment, Governance, Illegal Trade, Organized Crime, Pangolins, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When customs officials at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port opened a shipping container flagged for inspection in February 2026, they expected to find sea cucumbers and instant noodles as indicated on the consignment paperwork. Instead, they found 3,053 kilograms (6,730 pounds) of dried pangolin scales destined for Cambodia. It was among Indonesia’s largest seizures of the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When customs officials at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port opened a shipping container flagged for inspection in February 2026, they expected to find sea cucumbers and instant noodles as indicated on the consignment paperwork. Instead, they found 3,053 kilograms (6,730 pounds) of dried pangolin scales destined for Cambodia. It was among Indonesia’s largest seizures of the illegal commodity in recent years, sparking an unusual lawsuit against the alleged offenders that experts say could be an innovative way to hold wildlife traffickers accountable for the damage they inflict upon ecosystems and biodiversity. As in many other countries, Indonesia primarily uses criminal laws to prosecute wildlife crimes, an approach that has historically resulted in relatively short prison sentences and fines that rarely approach maximum statutory penalties. However, Indonesian conservation NGO Science for Endangered and Trafficked Species (SCENTS) Foundation is taking a different approach. In parallel to the state-led criminal prosecution, the NGO has raised a civil lawsuit demanding the alleged traffickers pay to repair the ecological harm caused by removing thousands of pangolins from their wild habitats. “What was lost in this case was not merely three tonnes of scales,” Ma’ruf Erawan, director of SCENTS Foundation, said. “Behind those scales were thousands of pangolins removed from the wild, together with ecological functions and the values we all hold for Indonesian nature. The offenders must be held accountable for all the harm they caused.” The organization, represented legally by Jakarta-based law firm NET Attorney, filed the civil lawsuit on Sept. 2 at the East&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/pangolin-scale-lawsuit-in-indonesia-could-shake-up-how-wildlife-traffickers-pay/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/pangolin-scale-lawsuit-in-indonesia-could-shake-up-how-wildlife-traffickers-pay/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334087</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Photographer Tom Hegen’s aerial eye reveals the true scale of the critical mineral age</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/photographer-tom-hegens-aerial-eye-reveals-the-true-scale-of-the-critical-mineral-age/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/photographer-tom-hegens-aerial-eye-reveals-the-true-scale-of-the-critical-mineral-age/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Oct 2026 02:05:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolyn Cowan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/27140221/Tom-Hegen-The-Mineral-Age-Press-7-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334027</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, Borneo, Central Kalimantan, Global, South America, Southeast Asia, and Sulawesi]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Critical Minerals, Energy, Energy Transition, Gold Mining, Governance, Illegal Mining, Interviews, Mining, Natural Resources, Photos, Renewable Energy, Supply Chain, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From the air, the vivid lithium fields of Chile’s Atacama Desert look like an intricate computer circuit board, hinting at the technological destination of this increasingly crucial mineral. Photographer Tom Hegen has spent the past six years documenting some of the world’s most significant mining regions that supply the critical minerals needed for modern technologies [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From the air, the vivid lithium fields of Chile’s Atacama Desert look like an intricate computer circuit board, hinting at the technological destination of this increasingly crucial mineral. Photographer Tom Hegen has spent the past six years documenting some of the world’s most significant mining regions that supply the critical minerals needed for modern technologies and the green energy transition. Shooting primarily aerial images using small aircraft, drones, and high-resolution cameras, Hegen captures heavily impacted landscapes in meticulous detail. His images depict vast, immersive scenes of the wider consequences of mineral extraction that might otherwise remain hidden from view at ground level: snaking watercourses discolored by mercury, settlements disappearing under piles of mining waste, and coastal sediment plumes smothering artisanal fishing grounds. “An elevated perspective offers a powerful way to observe, understand, and reflect on how we have transformed the Earth&#8217;s landscapes,” Hegen told Mongabay. By creating visually striking images, Hegen said he hopes to encourage people to look more closely. Lithium mining in the Atacama Desert, Chile, 2021. Lithium is one of the key elements in electric batteries, with global demand for the metal expected to surge to 25 times the amount being mined today. Image courtesy of Tom Hegen. A prior photographic project documenting the effects of climate change in the Arctic sparked Hegen’s interest in the energy transition and the critical minerals on which it depends. Although research suggests expanded mining to meet the demands of the energy transition would require less mining overall than the current&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/photographer-tom-hegens-aerial-eye-reveals-the-true-scale-of-the-critical-mineral-age/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/photographer-tom-hegens-aerial-eye-reveals-the-true-scale-of-the-critical-mineral-age/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334027</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Influence without enforcement’: Indonesia’s fires test Singapore’s anti-haze law</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/influence-without-enforcement-indonesias-fires-test-singapores-anti-haze-law/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/influence-without-enforcement-indonesias-fires-test-singapores-anti-haze-law/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Oct 2026 11:11:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gabrielle See]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/27100929/AP26282576385450-singapore-haze-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=334000</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Disasters, Environment, Environmental Law, Extreme Weather, Fires, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Health, Industry, Law, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SINGAPORE — As Singapore comes off its longest streak of unhealthy air since the 2015 Southeast Asian haze crisis, authorities have served notices to 20 firms linked to Indonesia’s fires, but have stopped short of taking further legal action. Half of the notices were sent to concession holders in Sumatra and Kalimantan where the fires [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SINGAPORE — As Singapore comes off its longest streak of unhealthy air since the 2015 Southeast Asian haze crisis, authorities have served notices to 20 firms linked to Indonesia’s fires, but have stopped short of taking further legal action. Half of the notices were sent to concession holders in Sumatra and Kalimantan where the fires originated, while the other half went to Singapore-based entities with ties to them. Of the 10 Indonesian plantation companies identified, three of them — PT Bumi Andalas Permai, PT Bumi Mekar Hijau and PT SBA Wood Industries — have had separate investigations open against them by Singaporean authorities since 2015, with no public outcome. All three are tied to the Asia Pulp &amp; Paper (APP) conglomerate, as is PT Buana Megatama Jaya, which was also issued a notice to extinguish fires in its concession. The other six companies issued the notices requiring them to act against fires are PT Paramitra Mulia Langgeng, PT Sumatera Alam Anugerah, PT Hutan Lestari Raya, PT Bangkanesia, PT Mananjung Hayak and PT Baratama Putra Perkasa. A spokesperson from Singapore’s National Environmental Agency told Mongabay by email it could not disclose further details into existing investigations. The agency did not respond to questions as to whether it would escalate against repeat offenders. Based on the government’s current investigations, Singapore-headquartered APP, Singapore-listed First Resources and Bumitama Agri, and privately held First Borneo Plantations, whose ownership is tied to Singapore, already appear to be linked to the haze-causing fires in Indonesia, Singapore’s senior&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/influence-without-enforcement-indonesias-fires-test-singapores-anti-haze-law/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/influence-without-enforcement-indonesias-fires-test-singapores-anti-haze-law/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334000</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Canadian-backed potash mine in Brazil has dried up sacred Amazon springs, say residents</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/canadian-backed-potash-mine-in-brazil-has-dried-up-sacred-amazon-springs-say-residents/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/canadian-backed-potash-mine-in-brazil-has-dried-up-sacred-amazon-springs-say-residents/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Oct 2026 20:28:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimee Gabay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/26133313/AP25066522713919-Mura-Amazonas-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333876</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Canada, Latin America, North America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Business, Conservation, Culture, Environment, Environmental Law, Freshwater, Freshwater Fish, Governance, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Reserves, Indigenous Rights, Industry, Law, Law Enforcement, Mining, Natural Resources, and Traditional People]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The construction of an access road for a potash mining project in Autazes, in Brazil’s Amazonas state, has caused at least two sacred springs to dry up, according to the Indigenous Mura people. It is the latest in a series of controversies spanning a decade that has plagued the Potássio Autazes project. “There is a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The construction of an access road for a potash mining project in Autazes, in Brazil’s Amazonas state, has caused at least two sacred springs to dry up, according to the Indigenous Mura people. It is the latest in a series of controversies spanning a decade that has plagued the Potássio Autazes project. “There is a profound sense of loss,” Filipe Mura, chief of the affected Lago do Soares village, told Mongabay via WhatsApp. “We realize we may be losing what belongs to us — our territory, our culture, and, above all, the very life that exists in this place.” In Mura traditional cosmology, all springs, rivers, lakes and forests have a guardian, or owner, who must be treated with respect, residents tell Mongabay. “If a spring dries up, it means its keeper has departed — and when the keeper leaves, they take with them the animals, the fertility of the soil, and all the blessings of that region,” Willian Rodrigues Filgueira, a professor from the Mura Baixo Madeira Indigenous territory, which neighbors the affected Lago do Soares/Urucurituba territory, and member of the Organization of Mura Indigenous Leaders of Careiro da Várzea (OLIMCV), told Mongabay via WhatsApp. The loss of a spring, therefore, disrupts the spiritual balance that sustains life in the territory. Residents also said that the company behind the project has begun to clear-cut the area — the process of cutting down all trees in a section of forest at the same time — where it intends to build&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/canadian-backed-potash-mine-in-brazil-has-dried-up-sacred-amazon-springs-say-residents/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/canadian-backed-potash-mine-in-brazil-has-dried-up-sacred-amazon-springs-say-residents/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333876</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Bangladesh’s hornbills face hunting risk during breeding season</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-hornbills-face-hunting-risk-during-breeding-season/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-hornbills-face-hunting-risk-during-breeding-season/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Oct 2026 12:23:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sifayet Ullah]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abu Siddique]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/26120203/great-hornbill-nest-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333837</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Crime, Environment, Governance, Hunting, Research, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Hornbills are being targeted during their breeding season in Bangladesh, with rescue records over the last several years showing a concentration of cases between May and August, when the forest dwellers are nesting, breeding and raising chicks. Analyzing rescue data from the Forest Department and Bangladesh Police, Mongabay found at least 26 birds, including 14 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Hornbills are being targeted during their breeding season in Bangladesh, with rescue records over the last several years showing a concentration of cases between May and August, when the forest dwellers are nesting, breeding and raising chicks. Analyzing rescue data from the Forest Department and Bangladesh Police, Mongabay found at least 26 birds, including 14 great hornbills (Buceros bicornis) and 12 oriental pied hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris), were rescued in 12 separate cases between May and August from 2023 to 2026. (The reporter collected the data manually; hence we have no links) Eight of these cases were recorded in the southeastern part of the country, where hornbill habitats are located. A 2018 Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Bangladesh report also found that hornbills were collected in the Chattogram Hill Tracts during the nesting season. According to a 2021 study published in Scientific Reports, this species&#8217; breeding season runs from March to mid-August. “The risk to hornbills during this period is closely tied to their unique breeding behavior. The female seals herself inside a tree cavity with mud or vegetation and cannot leave the nest during the breeding period. The male stays outside and repeatedly brings food to the female, and later to the chicks, inside the cavity. This makes the nest easier for hunters to trace, while reaching the cavity gives them access to both the female and the chicks,” said hornbill researcher Humayra Mahmud, an assistant professor of zoology at Noakhali Science and Technology University. A male oriental pied hornbill at&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-hornbills-face-hunting-risk-during-breeding-season/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/bangladeshs-hornbills-face-hunting-risk-during-breeding-season/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333837</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Taiwan’s tea growers let nature take back control as climate pressures mount</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/taiwans-tea-growers-let-nature-take-back-control-as-climate-pressures-mount/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/taiwans-tea-growers-let-nature-take-back-control-as-climate-pressures-mount/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Oct 2026 11:09:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aylin Ho]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Yenni Kwok]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23155216/Lin-Kuang-li-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333721</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, East Asia, and Taiwan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, Agroforestry, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Food, Food Industry, food security, Natural Resources, Plants, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MEISHAN TOWNSHIP, Taiwan — Lin Kuang-li’s tea plants blend in among the dozens of others that blanket this tea-producing village in Alishan, a mountain range in Taiwan. Yet the leaves he produces are slightly different from those of his neighbors. The 60-year-old is the sixth generation of his family to grow tea, primarily high-mountain Ch’ing-hsin [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MEISHAN TOWNSHIP, Taiwan — Lin Kuang-li’s tea plants blend in among the dozens of others that blanket this tea-producing village in Alishan, a mountain range in Taiwan. Yet the leaves he produces are slightly different from those of his neighbors. The 60-year-old is the sixth generation of his family to grow tea, primarily high-mountain Ch’ing-hsin (Qing Xin) oolong, in Longyanlin village, in Meishan township, Chiayi county. In 1976, his late father, Lin Yun-fa, started the business to boost the village’s struggling economy. Today, it has been half a century since the hills of Longyanlin began to be intensively cultivated. The plantations are aging, and the soil is becoming depleted. It seems fortunate that 30 years ago, Lin Kuang-li decided to switch to natural farming and stopped using pesticides. It was a risky bet, but he is proud of the results. The farmer takes a handful of soil and squeezes it in his hands. “My soil is now in excellent health,” he tells Mongabay. Alishan, in the central part of the island, is famous for producing Taiwan’s highly prized high-mountain tea, known as kao-shan cha in Mandarin. These oolong tea varieties, grown at elevations higher than 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) in Alishan and other misty alpine regions, are famous for their fragrant aroma, smooth texture and low bitterness. Lin Kuang-li stands among his Ch’ing-hsin oolong tea plants in Longyanlin village, Meishan township, Chiayi county, in Taiwan’s Alishan tea-growing region, on Sept. 24, 2026. Image by Aylin Ho for Mongabay. However, tea&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/taiwans-tea-growers-let-nature-take-back-control-as-climate-pressures-mount/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/taiwans-tea-growers-let-nature-take-back-control-as-climate-pressures-mount/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333721</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>5 million Nigerians gain clean cooking access annually, but it&#8217;s not enough, experts say</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/5-million-nigerians-gain-clean-cooking-access-annually-but-its-not-enough-experts-say/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/5-million-nigerians-gain-clean-cooking-access-annually-but-its-not-enough-experts-say/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Oct 2026 06:40:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ini Ekott]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Malavika Vyawhare]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/25192259/cooking-gas-cylinder-drawing-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333820</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Nigeria, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Business, charcoal, Clean Energy, Economics, Energy, Environment, Food, Fuelwood, Governance, Natural Resources, Pollution, and Population]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[UYO, Nigeria — Before dawn, Happiness Emmanuel is already at the fire. She crouches beside a three-legged metal stand outside her home in Uyo city, southeastern Nigeria, splashing kerosene over damp firewood before striking a match. By sunrise, she is selling akara, a popular bean fritter, to commuters and schoolchildren stopping at her roadside stall. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[UYO, Nigeria — Before dawn, Happiness Emmanuel is already at the fire. She crouches beside a three-legged metal stand outside her home in Uyo city, southeastern Nigeria, splashing kerosene over damp firewood before striking a match. By sunrise, she is selling akara, a popular bean fritter, to commuters and schoolchildren stopping at her roadside stall. Emmanuel’s wood-fired setup is a familiar sight across this oil-rich region and Nigeria at large. The West African nation has spent more than a decade trying to shift households away from traditional cooking fuels such as firewood, charcoal and kerosene and by one measure it is succeeding. Between 2020 and 2024, an average of 5.4 million Nigerians a year gained access to clean cooking, more than in any other African country, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The share of the population with access rose by 2.3 percentage points a year, the third-fastest improvement on the continent after Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya. Those gains have only just kept pace with the population growth. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, added about 4.8 million people a year between 2022 and 2025, according to Worldometer estimates. In 2024, about 168 million Nigerians, nearly three in four people in the country, still cooked with polluting fuels, making Nigeria home to the world&#8217;s second-largest biomass-dependent population after India, according to the latest joint U.N. and World Bank tracking report on global energy access. What’s more, the trend in actual fuelwood consumption is moving in the opposite direction. U.N. energy&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/5-million-nigerians-gain-clean-cooking-access-annually-but-its-not-enough-experts-say/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/5-million-nigerians-gain-clean-cooking-access-annually-but-its-not-enough-experts-say/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333820</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Sri Lanka mourns iconic tusker amid renewed calls to address human-elephant conflict</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/sri-lanka-mourns-iconic-tusker-amid-renewed-calls-to-address-human-elephant-conflict/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/sri-lanka-mourns-iconic-tusker-amid-renewed-calls-to-address-human-elephant-conflict/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Oct 2026 14:59:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Malaka Rodrigo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Dilrukshi Handunnetti]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/24140644/3-Sri-Lanka-Tusker-death-Kavantissa-c-Sahan-GUnarathne-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333803</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, South Asia, and Sri Lanka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Charismatic Animals, Conservation, Controversial, Development, Elephants, Encroachment, Endangered Species, Environment, Ex-situ Conservation, Extinction, Fences, Forest Destruction, Fragmentation, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Human-wildlife Conflict, Ivory, Land Use Change, Mammals, National Parks, Protected Areas, Protests, Wildlife, and Wildlife Rescues]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[COLOMBO – The death of Kavantissa, one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic wild tuskers (Elephas maximus maximus), following a gunshot injury triggered an extraordinary wave of public grief, political attention and criticism of wildlife authorities.The elephant’s final days brought together politicians, Buddhist monks, wildlife enthusiasts and veterinarians in a collective effort to save a giant [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[COLOMBO – The death of Kavantissa, one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic wild tuskers (Elephas maximus maximus), following a gunshot injury triggered an extraordinary wave of public grief, political attention and criticism of wildlife authorities.The elephant’s final days brought together politicians, Buddhist monks, wildlife enthusiasts and veterinarians in a collective effort to save a giant that had captured the hearts of many Sri Lankans. A photograph of Sri Lanka’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, an ardent elephant enthusiast kissing the elephant’s head went viral on social media as did the environment minister Dhammika Patabendi visiting the elephant amidst heavy rain. Buddhist monks chanted Pirith (traditional Buddhist verses to invoke blessings), while a prominent businessman Dudley Sirisena offered to fund treatment, including a foreign veterinary team being flown in. Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was among those who paid tribute to the magnificent tusker as well. Kavantissa’s death sparked widespread public attention as shown in this Google Trends results, showing heightened interest among Sri Lankans searching the term ‘Kavantissa’ since the day the elephant’s critical condition became public knowledge. Graph via Google Trends. Despite the intensive efforts of wildlife veterinarians, Kavantissa suffered cardiac arrest on the evening of Oct. 16. Senior wildlife veterinary surgeons were present, and one reportedly climbed onto his chest in an attempt to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Their efforts failed, and the tusker died at around 6:18 p.m. His death was followed by an outpouring of grief and anger, with many demanding accountability from the Department of Wildlife Conservation&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/sri-lanka-mourns-iconic-tusker-amid-renewed-calls-to-address-human-elephant-conflict/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/sri-lanka-mourns-iconic-tusker-amid-renewed-calls-to-address-human-elephant-conflict/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333803</doi>				</item>
			</channel>
</rss>