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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
		<atom:link href="https://news.mongabay.com/feed/?topic=endangered-species-act&#038;type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/endangered-species-act/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 04:52:18 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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<image>
	<url>https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>News on Endangered Species Act</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/endangered-species-act/</link>
	<width>32</width>
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				<item>
					<title>US move to loosen restrictions on fishing could harm vital ecosystems, experts warn</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/us-move-to-loosen-restrictions-on-fishing-could-harm-vital-ecosystems-experts-warn/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/us-move-to-loosen-restrictions-on-fishing-could-harm-vital-ecosystems-experts-warn/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Sep 2026 10:13:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jules Struck]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Autumn Spanne]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/09/17141756/a.-BANNER-2-AP24197590776091-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=330081</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Cetaceans, Conservation, Endangered Species Act, Environmental Policy, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Marine Mammals, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Overfishing, Politics, Protected Areas, Saltwater Fish, Whales, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The federal agency that oversees U.S. fisheries released a list of priorities on Sept. 2, advancing the Trump administration’s promise to deregulate the domestic industry. The list of 34 priorities was published by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, which oversees scientific research, data collection and regulation of commercial fishing operations in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The federal agency that oversees U.S. fisheries released a list of priorities on Sept. 2, advancing the Trump administration’s promise to deregulate the domestic industry. The list of 34 priorities was published by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, which oversees scientific research, data collection and regulation of commercial fishing operations in the United States alongside regional and tribal councils. The list outlines the agency’s intention to loosen restrictions on where, when and with what gear fishers are allowed to fish. U.S. fisheries are globally recognized as some of the most heavily-regulated and sustainable in the world. Conservationists say the agency’s new priorities are the latest signal from an administration intent on deregulating and defunding the agency. They warn that deregulation will open the door to overfishing and do lasting harm to ecosystems that support ocean health and sustain fisheries. “If we are reducing regulations and overfishing some really valuable fisheries this year or next year, it may take years for those fisheries to get back on track to healthy [stock] levels,” Reggie Paros, senior director of public affairs at the New York-based NGO Environmental Defense Fund, told Mongabay by phone. “The outcomes we would see on the water would be particularly damaging.” A pile of young Atlantic sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) on the deck of the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based fishing vessel Selje, collected during a NOAA survey to help track scallop abundance, distribution, ages, lengths, weights, sex, maturity and disease presence. Image by Catherine Foley/NOAA Fisheries.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/us-move-to-loosen-restrictions-on-fishing-could-harm-vital-ecosystems-experts-warn/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/us-move-to-loosen-restrictions-on-fishing-could-harm-vital-ecosystems-experts-warn/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-330081</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>West Africa’s plan to save its vultures struggles to take flight</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/west-africas-plan-to-save-its-vultures-struggles-to-take-flight/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/west-africas-plan-to-save-its-vultures-struggles-to-take-flight/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Sep 2026 07:58:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean Mowbray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/09/03074809/HoodedVultureNecrosyrtes.monachus_JoshVanDerMeulenINaturalistCCBYNCND4.0-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=328452</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Illegal Wildlife Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Benin, Chad, Nigeria, Togo, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Birds, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Poaching, Poisoning, Raptors, Scavengers, Vultures, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Togo’s vulture population is in crisis. Amid intense persecution for belief-based use and ongoing loss of habitat, surveys between 2021 and 2025 tracked a sharp decline in the numbers of critically endangered hooded vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus) around abattoirs — counting only a few hundred in total across the country. Palm-nut vultures (Gypohierax angolensis) are known [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Togo’s vulture population is in crisis. Amid intense persecution for belief-based use and ongoing loss of habitat, surveys between 2021 and 2025 tracked a sharp decline in the numbers of critically endangered hooded vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus) around abattoirs — counting only a few hundred in total across the country. Palm-nut vultures (Gypohierax angolensis) are known from only one protected area, and white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) are now presumed to be locally extinct, with the last bird in the country seen in 2019. “We’re now in a situation where it’s much harder to find vultures,” Nico Arcilla, president of the International Bird Conservation Partnership (IBCP), said in an interview. “But if you go to the markets you’ll see them, and you know people are finding them.” In neighboring Benin, a major hub for the trade and use of vulture parts, unpublished market data collected by Abiola Chaffra, a research associate with the IBCP, counted 883 vultures for sale in nine markets surveyed in 2023. Surveys conducted between 2025 and 2026 found 535 for sale in 24 markets. “The fact that vultures continue to be sold, including in southern Benin where their numbers have declined sharply or they have even disappeared from the wild, shows that there is still significant pressure on these species,” Chaffra said. Following the surveys in Togo, the IBCP conducted awareness campaigns around slaughterhouses and worked with local authorities and site managers to protect vultures in 2024 and 2025. “During our awareness-raising activities, many people were unaware of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/west-africas-plan-to-save-its-vultures-struggles-to-take-flight/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/west-africas-plan-to-save-its-vultures-struggles-to-take-flight/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-328452</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>America’s retreat from wildlife protection will be felt far beyond its borders</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/americas-retreat-from-wildlife-protection-will-be-felt-far-beyond-its-borders/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/americas-retreat-from-wildlife-protection-will-be-felt-far-beyond-its-borders/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Jul 2026 07:54:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/07/19165702/Florida_Manatee-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=323961</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Founder's briefs]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environmental Law, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For more than half a century, the United States treated the protection of habitat as part of protecting endangered wildlife. The Endangered Species Act prohibited killing protected wildlife, and the government interpreted that protection to include severe damage to the habitat needed for feeding, breeding, and shelter. A developer could violate the act by removing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For more than half a century, the United States treated the protection of habitat as part of protecting endangered wildlife. The Endangered Species Act prohibited killing protected wildlife, and the government interpreted that protection to include severe damage to the habitat needed for feeding, breeding, and shelter. A developer could violate the act by removing a nesting tree if doing so caused a protected animal to die or fail to reproduce, even if no animal was struck by the machinery. On July 10, the Trump administration finalized a rule removing the regulatory definition of “harm” from the act. Under the discarded definition, destroying or degrading habitat counted as harm when it killed or injured wildlife by disrupting feeding, breeding, or sheltering. The new policy takes effect on September 14. Direct injury and killing remain prohibited. Habitat destruction, on its own, will no longer count as an illegal “take” under the law. The administration says the change follows the statute more faithfully and will reduce permitting costs for landowners, farmers, energy producers, and other businesses. The distinction between harming an animal and destroying the habitat it needs does not reflect how wildlife survives. A manatee can starve if dredging and coastal development destroy the seagrass on which it feeds. An ocelot can lose the dense thornscrub on which the remaining South Texas population depends. Salmon may survive the machinery that alters a river, then fail to reproduce because the changed river no longer supports spawning. Ocelot. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/americas-retreat-from-wildlife-protection-will-be-felt-far-beyond-its-borders/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/americas-retreat-from-wildlife-protection-will-be-felt-far-beyond-its-borders/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-323961</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>US proposes endangered species protections for an imperiled Jamaican butterfly</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/us-proposes-endangered-species-protections-for-an-imperiled-jamaican-butterfly/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/us-proposes-endangered-species-protections-for-an-imperiled-jamaican-butterfly/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 May 2026 12:04:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Spoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/06171317/Protographium-marcellinus-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318851</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Caribbean, Jamaica, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environmental Law, Extinction, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Insects, Islands, Over-hunting, Saving Species From Extinction, Solutions, Wildlife, and Wildlife consumption]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently proposed listing Jamaica’s most imperiled butterfly, the Jamaican kite swallowtail, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The species (Protographium marcellinus), a small, fast-flying butterfly, flutters through its limestone forest home. Its wings, painted in streaks of bright turquoise and black with a dash of red, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently proposed listing Jamaica’s most imperiled butterfly, the Jamaican kite swallowtail, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The species (Protographium marcellinus), a small, fast-flying butterfly, flutters through its limestone forest home. Its wings, painted in streaks of bright turquoise and black with a dash of red, sport long, narrow tails. These charismatic butterflies live on this island and nowhere else. In recent years, they’ve nearly disappeared. Back in the 1960s, scientists recorded about 750,000 individuals; that number has plummeted to between 50 and 250 today. In some years, they’ve seen none. It’s such an alarming decline that scientists say this swallowtail should jump two categories on the IUCN Red List, from vulnerable to critically endangered. “This listing would be a real turning point for this species,” said Dianne DuBois, senior scientist at the U.S.-based NGO Center for Biological Diversity, which has been fighting for ESA protections for the butterfly since 1994. After a few failed attempts, it sued USFWS in 2021, which resulted in the agency drawing up the current proposal. ESA listings prevent extinction in 99% of the species under the act, but the wait is often quite long, about 12 years on average. Time may not be on its side for the Jamaican kite swallowtail, which hangs on the brink of extinction. “We wish this proposal had come three decades ago,” DuBois said. “We really want to urge the Fish and Wildlife Service to work quickly to finalize these&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/us-proposes-endangered-species-protections-for-an-imperiled-jamaican-butterfly/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/us-proposes-endangered-species-protections-for-an-imperiled-jamaican-butterfly/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-318851</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Warmer climate could slash threatened whitebark pine territory within decades: Study</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/warmer-climate-could-slash-threatened-whitebark-pine-territory-within-decades-study/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/warmer-climate-could-slash-threatened-whitebark-pine-territory-within-decades-study/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2025 21:27:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[John Cannon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/15212045/Clarks_Nutcracker-_Nucifraga_columbiana_9401136533-e1760563385589-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=307732</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[North America and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Forests, Mountains, Protected Areas, Restoration, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Hotter and drier conditions could whittle away 80% of land where whitebark pine grows by the middle of this century, according to a recent study. Scattered across the highest parts of the Rocky Mountains, the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada in the western U.S. and southwestern Canada, the species is a linchpin of alpine ecosystems. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Hotter and drier conditions could whittle away 80% of land where whitebark pine grows by the middle of this century, according to a recent study. Scattered across the highest parts of the Rocky Mountains, the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada in the western U.S. and southwestern Canada, the species is a linchpin of alpine ecosystems. But now, &#8220;It&#8217;s basically just being pushed off the mountain,&#8221; said Sean Parks, a research scientist and the paper’s lead author. &#8220;There&#8217;s nowhere for it to go.&#8221; The work was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. The research also projects that protected areas — places like Yellowstone, Mount Rainier and Yosemite national parks and the designated wilderness around them — will cover three-quarters of the territory best suited for whitebark pine. While such locations could help safeguard existing stands, rules and policies around human interventions in these spots could also snarl restoration efforts. Whitebark pines (Pinus albicaulis) can tower to 18 meters (60 feet) or more, while others carve out a stunted existence known as krummholz — German for &#8220;crooked wood&#8221; — growing only about hip-high on the harshest, most windswept slopes. Whitebark pine, pictured here in the Mammoth Lakes region of the eastern Sierra Nevada. Image courtesy of D.F. Tomback. Across its range, this pine shades and anchors snowpack, slowing its melt and stabilizing the precious provision of water throughout the summer for plants, animals and people. And the thick-scaled, purple-hued cones the tree produces offer valuable sustenance to wildlife as diverse as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/warmer-climate-could-slash-threatened-whitebark-pine-territory-within-decades-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/warmer-climate-could-slash-threatened-whitebark-pine-territory-within-decades-study/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-307732</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>IUCN upholds long-tailed macaques’ endangered status after complaint</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/iucn-upholds-long-tailed-macaques-endangered-status-after-complaint/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/iucn-upholds-long-tailed-macaques-endangered-status-after-complaint/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2025 04:50:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gerald Flynn]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/07/30071210/long-tailed-macaque-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=307660</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Cambodia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Charismatic Animals, Conservation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Monkeys, Pet Trade, Poaching, Population, Primates, Protected Areas, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BANGKOK — The long-tailed macaque will remain on the Red List of the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, despite objections from the biomedical industry arguing the designation hampers research that relies on the primate to test vaccines and drugs. The IUCN escalated the conservation status of the species, Macaca fascicularis, from vulnerable to endangered in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BANGKOK — The long-tailed macaque will remain on the Red List of the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, despite objections from the biomedical industry arguing the designation hampers research that relies on the primate to test vaccines and drugs. The IUCN escalated the conservation status of the species, Macaca fascicularis, from vulnerable to endangered in 2022 after macaques poached from the wild were found to have been laundered into breeding farms in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam supplying laboratories abroad. The National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR), a U.S. lobby group, challenged the listing, but the latest assessment, published Oct. 10, found that wild populations of the macaque had declined by 50-70% over the past three decades. That led the IUCN to reaffirm the species’ endangered listing. “I’m happy to see science prevail, but I’m not happy to see the long-tailed macaques endangered,” Malene Friis Hansen, co-author of the assessment and a leading researcher on the species at Aarhus University in Denmark, told Mongabay by phone. “This is a species of primate that shouldn’t be in this situation — that we’ve pushed such an adaptive synanthrope to this stage should be an eye-opener.” The NABR filed its complaint in 2023, alleging conflicts of interest and scientific errors had influenced the original endangered listing. But last week, the IUCN announced an internal investigation had found no breach of its conflict-of-interest policy. While the IUCN acknowledged that the original assessment contained some “emotive, value-laden language,” it deemed this had no impact on the listing.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/iucn-upholds-long-tailed-macaques-endangered-status-after-complaint/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-307660</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>US proposes zero new protections for traded wildlife at upcoming CITES CoP</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/us-proposes-zero-new-protections-for-traded-wildlife-at-upcoming-cites-cop/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/us-proposes-zero-new-protections-for-traded-wildlife-at-upcoming-cites-cop/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Aug 2025 15:09:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Spoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/15082624/india_165187-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=304329</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Asia, Global, North America, United States, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation leadership, Crime, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Environmental Policy, Governance, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Politics, Saving Species From Extinction, Solutions, Sustainability, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[At the end of 2025, representatives from 185 countries will convene in Uzbekistan to discuss the fate of sharks, African hornbills, hyenas, vultures, palm trees and other threatened species. The group’s decisions will, in part, decide the survival and the future of widely traded fauna and flora as they vote whether to set limits on or [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[At the end of 2025, representatives from 185 countries will convene in Uzbekistan to discuss the fate of sharks, African hornbills, hyenas, vultures, palm trees and other threatened species. The group’s decisions will, in part, decide the survival and the future of widely traded fauna and flora as they vote whether to set limits on or bar the international trade of these species and their parts, including fins, heads and skins. This will be the 20th meeting of signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), one of the world’s oldest conservation treaties. These “Conference of the Parties” (CoP) discussions, held once every three years, will convene from Nov. 24 to Dec. 5 in Samarkand. They offer an opportunity for the world to rein in the unsustainable, multibillion-dollar wildlife trade, both legal and illegal. For species like the elephants, rhinos, tigers and numerous others, trade is the greatest threat to their long-term survival. The United States has traditionally been a leader in conservation, affording and securing protections to species at risk, including those exploited by trade. But this year, the country&#8217;s role seems to have weakened as a leader at CITES: It has sponsored only four proposals for consideration at the upcoming CoP, the lowest in the last 10 CoPs — 25 years. In total, 51 proposals are up for discussion to regulate or ban the international commercial trade of wildlife and its products. For the first time, none of the U.S.-backed proposals support&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/us-proposes-zero-new-protections-for-traded-wildlife-at-upcoming-cites-cop/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/us-proposes-zero-new-protections-for-traded-wildlife-at-upcoming-cites-cop/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-304329</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Report alleges criminality in Cambodian, Vietnamese monkey trade</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/report-alleges-criminality-in-cambodian-vietnamese-monkey-trade/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/report-alleges-criminality-in-cambodian-vietnamese-monkey-trade/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Apr 2025 02:13:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gerald Flynn]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/04/21013607/VN-shipment-1-supplied-by-Animal-Rights-BE-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=297860</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Atlantic Forest, Cambodia, Southeast Asia, and Vietnam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Biodiversity, Conservation, Crime, Diseases, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Environmental Policy, Habitat Loss, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Medicine, Monkeys, Poaching, Primates, Protected Areas, Research, Trapping, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BANGKOK — Many long-tailed macaques imported into the United States from Southeast Asia were likely poached from the wild and then sold as captive-bred to medical research institutions, a recent report alleges. The 137-page report by Sandy River Research details “biologically impossible” birth rates at monkey-breeding facilities across Southeast Asia. It highlights contradictory claims made by [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BANGKOK — Many long-tailed macaques imported into the United States from Southeast Asia were likely poached from the wild and then sold as captive-bred to medical research institutions, a recent report alleges. The 137-page report by Sandy River Research details “biologically impossible” birth rates at monkey-breeding facilities across Southeast Asia. It highlights contradictory claims made by these facilities about their capacities and uses calculations based on publicly available data regarding the export of monkeys, suggesting that wild monkeys are being caught, laundered at scale through the Mekong region’s breeding facilities, and then sold as captive-bred monkeys, mostly to U.S.-based researchers. The report goes on to note how regulatory failures and a lack of due diligence has ensured that poachers, smugglers, breeding facilities and the biomedical research industry have found ways to profit at the expense of endangered long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). The public health risks of wild-caught monkeys being shipped around the world not only heighten the risk of zoonotic diseases spreading, but also jeopardize the scientific integrity of any research based on the study of wild monkeys, the report added. The “unabated” poaching of long-tailed macaques across Southeast Asia has seen populations plummet, with multiple studies pointing to the demand created by the biomedical research industry as a key driver in the species’ decline in some Southeast Asian countries. Inspections at Brussels Airport found long-tailed macaques exported from Vietnam. Image supplied by Animal Rights BE. The report doesn’t list an author and Sandy River Research states on its website that&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/report-alleges-criminality-in-cambodian-vietnamese-monkey-trade/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/report-alleges-criminality-in-cambodian-vietnamese-monkey-trade/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-297860</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Photos: Top new species from 2024</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/photos-top-new-species-from-2024/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/photos-top-new-species-from-2024/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Dec 2024 22:47:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/04/01222118/Image-1-Leopardus-tigrinus-pardinoides-Cuenca-3-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=292398</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Amazon, Asia, Atlantic Forest, Australia, Cameroon, Central America, Chile, China, Global, India, Indonesia, Latin America, Malaysia, Mekong Basin, Pacific Ocean, Peru, South America, and Vietnam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birding, Birds, Botany, Charismatic Animals, Climate Change, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Cryptic Species, Culture, Deforestation, DNA, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Flowers, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Herps, Insects, Islands, Lizards, Mammals, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, New Discovery, Oceans, Oil Drilling, Plants, Rainforests, Reptiles, Research, Saving Species From Extinction, Snakes, Solutions, Species Discovery, Traditional Knowledge, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A giant anaconda, a vampire hedgehog, a dwarf squirrel, and a tiger cat were among the new species named by science in 2024. Found from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the mountaintops of Southeast Asia, each new species shows us that even our well-known world contains unexplored chambers of life. This year, in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A giant anaconda, a vampire hedgehog, a dwarf squirrel, and a tiger cat were among the new species named by science in 2024. Found from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the mountaintops of Southeast Asia, each new species shows us that even our well-known world contains unexplored chambers of life. This year, in Peru&#8217;s Alto Mayo Landscape alone, scientists uncovered 27 new-to-science species, including four new mammals, during a two month expedition. Meanwhile, the Greater Mekong region yielded 234 new species, and scientists from the California Academy of Sciences described 138 new species globally. The ocean depths continued to surprise, with more than 100 potentially new species found on an unexplored underwater mountain off Chile&#8217;s coast. Two new mammal species were found in India this year, including the world’s smallest otter. Scientists estimate only a small fraction of Earth&#8217;s species have been documented, perhaps 20% at best. Even among mammals, the best-known group of animals, researchers think we’ve only found 80% of species.  Most of these hidden species are likely bats, rodents, shrews, moles and hedgehogs. Members of Indigenous Awajun communities in Peru&#8217;s Alto Mayo assist scientists with their research, such as throwing cast nets to capture fish.  68 fish species were collected, including eight that are new to science. Photo courtesy of Trond Larsen/Conservation International. However, while species may be new to Western science, many have been well known to Indigenous peoples and local communities for generations. These communities often maintain sophisticated classification systems and deep ecological&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/photos-top-new-species-from-2024/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/photos-top-new-species-from-2024/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-292398</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Poll shows voters agree next U.S. President must do more for wildlife and conservation (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/poll-shows-voters-agree-next-u-s-president-must-do-more-for-wildlife-and-conservation-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/poll-shows-voters-agree-next-u-s-president-must-do-more-for-wildlife-and-conservation-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Oct 2024 22:57:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Dr. Robert Shumaker]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/10/08215909/Kemps_Ridley_Sea_Turtle_Texas_5984946972-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=288409</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[North America and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Commentary, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Happy-upbeat Environmental, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[America’s Endangered Species Act was weakened in 2019 through a series of sweeping changes. In March, previous protections were put back in place, and now a new poll shows conservatives and liberals across the nation overwhelmingly want the next U.S. President and Congress to do even more to protect endangered animals. The new data comes [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[America’s Endangered Species Act was weakened in 2019 through a series of sweeping changes. In March, previous protections were put back in place, and now a new poll shows conservatives and liberals across the nation overwhelmingly want the next U.S. President and Congress to do even more to protect endangered animals. The new data comes from a biennial survey and offers a stark contrast to the partisan narratives often used to separate Americans – for the Indianapolis Zoological Society, we commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 1,008 adults throughout the United States with a margin of error of +/- 3% with a confidence level of 95% – which shows that while the nation is certainly divided on many issues, there is encouraging common ground when it comes to wanting the next Administration and the 118th Congress to do more for wild things and wild places. Consider this: nearly nine in ten (87%) adults in America say that when thinking about the issues they will be voting on in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, a candidate’s commitment to animal and environmental conservation is important in their decision. That’s up from 80% when we asked the same question just before the 2020 U.S. presidential election. And sentiment among Republicans spiked the most (14%) over the last four years, going from 68% saying it was important in 2020 to 82% in 2024. Strong bipartisan agreement is also prevalent around Americans’ expectations for the 118th U.S. Congress convening in January. More&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/poll-shows-voters-agree-next-u-s-president-must-do-more-for-wildlife-and-conservation-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/poll-shows-voters-agree-next-u-s-president-must-do-more-for-wildlife-and-conservation-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-288409</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Cambodian official acquitted in trial that exposed monkey-laundering scheme</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/cambodian-official-acquitted-in-trial-that-exposed-monkey-laundering-scheme/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/cambodian-official-acquitted-in-trial-that-exposed-monkey-laundering-scheme/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Mar 2024 05:25:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gerald Flynn]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Gerryflynn]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/11/18065718/Battambang-LTMs-2020-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=280438</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Cambodia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Charismatic Animals, Conservation, Crime, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Environmental Law, Habitat, Habitat Loss, Human-wildlife Conflict, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Law Enforcement, Monkeys, Organized Crime, Poaching, Politics, Rainforests, Research, Social Justice, Tropical Deforestation, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PHNOM PENH — On March 22, a jury in Miami, Florida, found Cambodian forestry official Kry Masphal not guilty of conspiracy and smuggling in relation to allegations that he was involved in exporting wild-caught monkeys to the United States and falsely labeling them as captive-bred. Masphal, the director of the Cambodian Forestry Administration’s Department of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[PHNOM PENH — On March 22, a jury in Miami, Florida, found Cambodian forestry official Kry Masphal not guilty of conspiracy and smuggling in relation to allegations that he was involved in exporting wild-caught monkeys to the United States and falsely labeling them as captive-bred. Masphal, the director of the Cambodian Forestry Administration’s Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity, was arrested on Nov. 16, 2022 while traveling through the U.S. to an international wildlife conference. The arrest came after a five-year investigation led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that centered around the surge in monkey exports from Cambodia to the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic as the demand for primates to test vaccines on soared. Masphal was one of eight people named in an indictment unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2022, but he was the only defendant to appear in court. Others named in the 2022 indictment are Keo Omaliss, head of Cambodia’s Forestry Administration; James Man Sang Lau, founder of Vanny Resources Holdings and Vanny Bio Research (Cambodia) Corporation Ltd.; along with Dickson Lau, Sunny Chan, Raphael Cheung Man, Sarah Yeung and Hing Ip Chung, all of whom work for Vanny Group or Vanny Bio Research in one capacity or another. On paper, Vanny Bio Research runs five facilities breeding long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), but U.S. prosecutors alleged that the company is part of a monkey-smuggling ring that’s been laundering wild-caught long-tailed macaques and — with the support of Masphal and Omaliss — falsifying export&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/cambodian-official-acquitted-in-trial-that-exposed-monkey-laundering-scheme/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/cambodian-official-acquitted-in-trial-that-exposed-monkey-laundering-scheme/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-280438</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>After 50 years of the U.S. Endangered Species Act, we need new biodiversity protection laws (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/after-50-years-of-the-u-s-endangered-species-act-we-need-new-biodiversity-protection-laws-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/after-50-years-of-the-u-s-endangered-species-act-we-need-new-biodiversity-protection-laws-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Feb 2024 19:04:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean O'Brien]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/07/28005047/Julie-Larsen-Maher_8706_Bald-Eagle_SAT_QZ_11-20-09_1210x451-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=278961</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[North America and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Commentary, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Extinction, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Regulations, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) — the most consequential environmental legislation ever created — is ringing in a new year of hope. As we welcome 2024 and celebrate the strides made in biodiversity legislation, let&#8217;s draw inspiration to forge even more robust laws this new year. In the face of the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) — the most consequential environmental legislation ever created — is ringing in a new year of hope. As we welcome 2024 and celebrate the strides made in biodiversity legislation, let&#8217;s draw inspiration to forge even more robust laws this new year. In the face of the urgent biodiversity crisis, our new legislation must match the immediacy of this threat. The loss of plants, animals, and ecosystems may seem hard to miss. After all, everything is in your face these days. The ubiquity of cameras means we are witnesses to global events both large and trivial. From massive wildfires and big-game hunting to individuals tripping while looking at their smartphones, we see it all. What we do not see slowly unfolding is the extinction crisis. Yet, contrary to its seemingly gradual pace, species are vanishing 1,000 times faster than the natural background rate of extinction – a pace that surpasses even the aftermath of the comet that led to the demise of the dinosaurs. It’s difficult to visualize the insect apocalypse, three billion fewer birds in North America, or the moment of extinction for the one million species at risk of disappearing from the planet, and here in the United States 34% of plant and 40% of animal species are at risk of extinction. Statistics from NatureServe’s 2023 Biodiversity in Focus: U.S. Edition report, which found over one-third of biodiversity is currently at risk of extinction in the United States. Graphic courtesy&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/after-50-years-of-the-u-s-endangered-species-act-we-need-new-biodiversity-protection-laws-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/after-50-years-of-the-u-s-endangered-species-act-we-need-new-biodiversity-protection-laws-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-278961</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Let&#8217;s give the wary wolverine some space (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/01/lets-give-the-wary-wolverine-some-space-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/01/lets-give-the-wary-wolverine-some-space-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jan 2024 20:22:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gabe Schepens]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/01/12185941/WolverinePhoto_MBarrueto_CC2.0_small-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=277651</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Canada, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Carnivores, Commentary, Conservation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Habitat, Mammals, Predators, Research, Scavengers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[An iconic inhabitant of rugged mountains in western Canada, the wolverine (Gulo gulo) covers tens of kilometers per day, running over treacherous terrain in search of oft-dead meat. For many avid mountain adventurers, a mere glimpse of a wolverine can be a once-in-a-lifetime encounter — even wolverine experts recount tall tales of times they briefly [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[An iconic inhabitant of rugged mountains in western Canada, the wolverine (Gulo gulo) covers tens of kilometers per day, running over treacherous terrain in search of oft-dead meat. For many avid mountain adventurers, a mere glimpse of a wolverine can be a once-in-a-lifetime encounter — even wolverine experts recount tall tales of times they briefly saw a blur slinking away between alpine boulders and shrubbery. The lore surrounding this elusive carnivore is in fact representative of its shy personality. Wolverine are extremely solitary animals that purposefully avoid humans, making their conservation a delicate coexistence. In the contiguous U.S., wolverines received protection under the Endangered Species Act in December 2023 after many years of legal wrangling. The status listing was based on years of science which identified habitat degradation and climate change as primary concerns for the small remaining population of an estimated 300 wolverines. This recent decision is an important reminder of the precarious state of wolverines and adds momentum to conservation initiatives for connected cross-border populations living in southern British Columbia and Alberta. A wolverine rolls playfully, showing off its huge claws. In mountainous areas, these carnivores den in deep snow, but ever earlier spring snowmelt may make them vulnerable to climate change. Photo by Maia C. via Flickr. The situation for wolverines in Canada’s southern mountains is not quite this dire, but it’s heading in the same direction. Over the past decade, wolverine densities in the Canadian Rockies have declined by 39%. Even protected areas like Banff National&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/01/lets-give-the-wary-wolverine-some-space-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-277651</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Photos: Top species discoveries from 2023</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/photos-top-species-discoveries-from-2023/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/photos-top-species-discoveries-from-2023/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Dec 2023 15:36:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/12/27150956/chameleon-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=277110</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Australia, Brunei, Ecuador, Global, India, Japan, Madagascar, Pacific Ocean, Panama, Peru, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Thailand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birding, Botany, Charismatic Animals, Climate Change, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Cryptic Species, Culture, Deforestation, DNA, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Flowers, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Herps, Insects, Islands, Lizards, Mammals, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, New Discovery, Oceans, Oil Drilling, Plants, Rainforests, Reptiles, Research, Saving Species From Extinction, Snakes, Solutions, Species Discovery, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scientists named hundreds of new to science species this year, including an electric blue tarantula, two pygmy squids, a silent frog, and some thumb-sized chameleons. These newly uncovered creatures give us just a glimpse into the immense biodiversity yet to be found across the planet. “I think most people believe that we know most species [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Scientists named hundreds of new to science species this year, including an electric blue tarantula, two pygmy squids, a silent frog, and some thumb-sized chameleons. These newly uncovered creatures give us just a glimpse into the immense biodiversity yet to be found across the planet. “I think most people believe that we know most species on Earth … but in the best-case scenario, we know 20% of Earth’s species,” Mario Moura, a professor at the Federal University of Paraíba in Brazil, told Mongabay in a March 2021 interview. Experts estimate only 10-20% of Earth&#8217;s species have been documented by Western science. This year, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences described 153 new plant, animal and fungi species. Since 2020 alone, researchers have classified 100,000 new plant and fungus species. However, at this pace, researchers say documenting all life could take centuries, and many species may go extinct before they’re even named. More than a million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction, suggests the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Many new species of plants, fungi, and animals are assessed as vulnerable or critically endangered with extinction as soon as they’re found. “There is something immensely unethical and troubling about humans driving species extinct without ever even having appreciated their existence and given them consideration,” Walter Jetz, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale University, told Mongabay, It’s important to note that although a species may be newly described by science, Indigenous people&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/photos-top-species-discoveries-from-2023/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/photos-top-species-discoveries-from-2023/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-277110</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Montana cannot be trusted with grizzly bear &#038; wolf management (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/montana-cannot-be-trusted-with-grizzly-bear-wolf-management-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/montana-cannot-be-trusted-with-grizzly-bear-wolf-management-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2023 22:52:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lara Birkes]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/11/17040402/WOLF-cropped-e1682981335598-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=268143</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Montana, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Bears, Carnivores, Commentary, Conservation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Hunting, Trophy Hunting, Wildlife, and Wolves]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Whether you live in Big Sky country, have enjoyed its natural wonders as a tourist, or marveled at the iconic imagery of Yellowstone National Park’s bears and wolves from afar – what’s happening to wildlife in the American West should concern you. Montana’s state legislature has proposed a litany of extreme anti-wildlife bills despite widespread, diverse, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Whether you live in Big Sky country, have enjoyed its natural wonders as a tourist, or marveled at the iconic imagery of Yellowstone National Park’s bears and wolves from afar – what’s happening to wildlife in the American West should concern you. Montana’s state legislature has proposed a litany of extreme anti-wildlife bills despite widespread, diverse, and credible opposition. The onslaught began in 2021 and continues in this legislative session with the introduction of bills that go from bad to worse. Last session those included snaring, night shooting and baiting wolves, and approving bounties to encourage more killing. It targeted black bears too, allowing the use of hounds after Montana had banned that for a century. And it opened up unlimited wolf take along Yellowstone’s border, despite the fact that those wolves spend 96% of their time in the Park and provide incredible research data that helps us manage them everywhere. A grizzly bear cub in Montana. Image by Marshal Hedin published to the Creative Commons. This year that effort continues, and the Legislature is making it clear that the next species it wants to target is grizzly bears. They are still protected under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), which has led to a remarkable comeback for a species that was almost wiped out before we began strong conservation work. That helped us get back to where we are today, with more than 2,000 grizzlies in the northern Rockies. But now, Montana lawmakers and Gov. Greg Gianforte are pushing measures that&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/montana-cannot-be-trusted-with-grizzly-bear-wolf-management-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/montana-cannot-be-trusted-with-grizzly-bear-wolf-management-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-268143</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Top 15 species discoveries from 2022 (Photos)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2022-photos/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2022-photos/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Dec 2022 17:52:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/03/11184718/FISHCirrhilabrus-finifenmaa_4%C2%A9-Yi-Kai-Tea-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=264198</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Brazil, Cameroon, Central America, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Global, Guinea, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Japan, Latin America, Madagascar, Maldives, Pacific Ocean, Panama, Peru, South America, Southeast Asia, and Thailand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birding, Botany, Charismatic Animals, Climate Change, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Cryptic Species, Culture, Deforestation, DNA, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Flowers, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Herps, Insects, Islands, Lizards, Mammals, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, New Discovery, Oceans, Oil Drilling, Owls, Plants, Rainforests, Reptiles, Research, Saving Species From Extinction, Shipping, Snakes, Solutions, Species Discovery, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A resplendent rainbow fish, a frog that looks like chocolate, a Thai tarantula,  an anemone that rides on a back of a hermit crab, and the world&#8217;s largest waterlily are among the new species named by science in 2022. In this well-trodden world, finding a new species is a glimpse of the uncharted riches of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A resplendent rainbow fish, a frog that looks like chocolate, a Thai tarantula,  an anemone that rides on a back of a hermit crab, and the world&#8217;s largest waterlily are among the new species named by science in 2022. In this well-trodden world, finding a new species is a glimpse of the uncharted riches of biodiversity still hidden around the globe. Scientists estimate that only 10% of all the species on the planet have been described. Even among the most well-known group of animals, mammals, scientists think we have only found 80% of species. Most of these hidden species are likely bats, rodents, shrews, moles, and hedgehogs. “Based on our analysis, a conservative estimate would be that there are hundreds of species of mammals worldwide that have yet to be identified,” Bryan Carstens, a professor at The Ohio State University, told Mongabay. This year, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences named 146 new species, including “44 lizards, 30 ants, 14 sea slugs, 14 flowering plants, 13 sea stars, seven fishes, four beetles, four sharks, three moths, three worms, two scorpions, two spiders, two lichens, one toad, one clam, one aphid, and one sea biscuit.” Around 2,000 new species of plants and fungi are found each year, according to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew). These are potential sources of food, medicines, and other solutions. Unfortunately, many new species of plants, fungi, and animals are assessed as Vulnerable or Critically Endangered with extinction. “There is something immensely unethical and troubling&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2022-photos/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2022-photos/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-264198</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Alleged macaque-smuggling ring exposed as U.S. indicts Cambodian officials</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/alleged-macaque-smuggling-ring-exposed-as-u-s-indicts-cambodian-officials/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/alleged-macaque-smuggling-ring-exposed-as-u-s-indicts-cambodian-officials/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Nov 2022 07:33:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gerald Flynn]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/11/18054548/Cropped-troupe-of-LTMs-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=262745</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Cambodia, Hong Kong, New York, Southeast Asia, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Welfare, Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Corporate Environmental Transgressors, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporations, Corruption, Crime, Deforestation, Developing Countries, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Extinction, Forest Destruction, Forest Loss, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Human-wildlife Conflict, Illegal Trade, Lacey Act, Law Enforcement, Medicine, Monkeys, Organized Crime, Poaching, Primates, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Saving Species From Extinction, Solutions, Tropical Deforestation, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PHNOM PENH — Eight people, including two Cambodian Forestry Administration officials, have been charged by U.S. federal prosecutors for their alleged involvement in an international monkey smuggling ring. One of the officials charged, Kry Masphal, was arrested at New York City&#8217;s John F. Kennedy International Airport, en route to Panama, where he was to have [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[PHNOM PENH — Eight people, including two Cambodian Forestry Administration officials, have been charged by U.S. federal prosecutors for their alleged involvement in an international monkey smuggling ring. One of the officials charged, Kry Masphal, was arrested at New York City&#8217;s John F. Kennedy International Airport, en route to Panama, where he was to have represented Cambodia at an international conference on the global wildlife trade. In a Nov. 16 press statement, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that as many as 3,000 wild long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) have been laundered through Vanny Bio Research’s facilities in Cambodia since at least December 2017. Cambodian Forestry Administration officials allegedly received cash payments for each animal captured in the wild and then created fake papers from CITES, the global convention on the wildlife trade, that mislabeled the long-tailed macaques as captive-bred monkeys. The two officials, Masphal and Keo Omaliss, have both worked as CITES representatives for Cambodia, with Omaliss also serving as director-general of the Forestry Administration, while Masphal works beneath him as deputy director of the Forestry Administration’s Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity. Both were named in a 27-page indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida that was unsealed after Masphal’s Nov. 16 arrest as he was headed to the CITES conference in Panama. Cambodia&#8217;s population of the endangered long-tailed macaque remains unknown to researchers, but they are typically found across the country. Photo by Gerald Flynn/Mongabay. Also charged were James Man Sang Lau, founder and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/alleged-macaque-smuggling-ring-exposed-as-u-s-indicts-cambodian-officials/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/alleged-macaque-smuggling-ring-exposed-as-u-s-indicts-cambodian-officials/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-262745</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>The Socorro isopod: Endangered but important (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/the-socorro-isopod-critically-endangered-but-important-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/the-socorro-isopod-critically-endangered-but-important-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Aug 2022 20:20:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nick D’Onofrio]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/08/19193538/Thermosphaeroma_thermophilum_male-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=259434</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[New Mexico, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Commentary, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Extinction, and Invertebrates]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Near the city of Socorro in the state of New Mexico lies a small spring. It is only here where one of the most endangered isopods, the Socorro isopod (Thermosphaeroma thermophilum), lives. Also known as the Socorro sowbug, they are a species of isopod commonly referred to as roly-polies, or woodlice. They are not insects [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Near the city of Socorro in the state of New Mexico lies a small spring. It is only here where one of the most endangered isopods, the Socorro isopod (Thermosphaeroma thermophilum), lives. Also known as the Socorro sowbug, they are a species of isopod commonly referred to as roly-polies, or woodlice. They are not insects but actually are crustaceans, more closely related to crabs and shrimp than insects. The Socorro isopods are brown and live underwater in a thermal spring with temperatures ranging from 77 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. Socorro isopods are important omnivores in their ecosystem. Like their terrestrial counterparts, Socorro isopods consume detritus, which is dead and decaying matter such as leaves, dead plants, and rotting wood, that can accumulate in the water. They also feed on algae. In ponds and other bodies of water, if there is an overabundance of algae, the algae produces toxins that kill fish and birds and are even harmful to humans. So, Socorro isopods, despite their limited range, play an important role within their ecosystem. Today, if you visit the native spring where they still live, you will see concrete pools and lighting set up around the spring vent, because the spring was used as a bathhouse in the early 1900s. “Where the concrete infrastructure exists, everything flows through it and those tanks just kind of guide the water. It hasn’t been problematic to our knowledge for isopod persistence, and going in there and doing any type of renovation or removing the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/the-socorro-isopod-critically-endangered-but-important-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-259434</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Monarch butterflies are officially endangered</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/monarch-butterflies-are-officially-endangered/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/monarch-butterflies-are-officially-endangered/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jul 2022 19:31:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/01/27070416/monarch-banner-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=258478</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, Canada, Central America, Latin America, Mexico, and North America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Butterflies, Climate Change, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Forests, Governance, Green, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The iconic monarch butterfly has been listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global authority on the conservation status of species. An endangered listing means the species is likely to go extinct without significant intervention. The listing of migratory monarchs (Danaus plexippus plexippus) on IUCN Red List of Threatened [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The iconic monarch butterfly has been listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global authority on the conservation status of species. An endangered listing means the species is likely to go extinct without significant intervention. The listing of migratory monarchs (Danaus plexippus plexippus) on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species comes as no surprise. Monarch numbers have plummeted more than 95% since the 1980s. Scientists point to climate change, habitat loss and the use of herbicides and pesticides as drivers of this loss. “It’s been so sad to watch their numbers decline so much, so anything that might help them makes me happy, and I think that this designation might help them,” Karen Oberhauser, a conservation biologist at the University of Wisconsin who has studied monarchs for more than three decades told The New York Times. There are two populations of migratory monarch butterflies in North America, both renowned for their impressive overland journeys spanning up to 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles). Eastern monarchs spend the winter in Mexico, while the western monarchs winter in California. In the spring, all monarchs migrate north, some as far as Canada. This migratory cycle covers thousands of miles and takes three or four generations. Monarch population estimates are taken at their overwintering grounds. Monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico. Image by Rafael Saldaña via Flickr (CC BY 2.0). Approximately 90% of migratory monarchs belong to the eastern population, which has been declining for decades. The area inhabited by monarchs&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/monarch-butterflies-are-officially-endangered/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/monarch-butterflies-are-officially-endangered/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-258478</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Beenome’ project aims to boost bee conservation with genetic mapping</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/beenome-project-aims-to-boost-bee-conservation-with-genetic-mapping/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/beenome-project-aims-to-boost-bee-conservation-with-genetic-mapping/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Jun 2022 16:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/06/30152526/Screen-Shot-2022-06-30-at-8.25.01-AM-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=257801</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Bees, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Governance, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Insects, and Pollinators]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From tiny, jewel-toned metallic bees to cartoonish and lumbering bumblebees, the United States is home to more than 4,000 native and 55 non-native bee species. Now, scientists have announced a plan to map the genomes of at least 100 of these species, representing each of the major bee taxonomic groups in the U.S. The project [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From tiny, jewel-toned metallic bees to cartoonish and lumbering bumblebees, the United States is home to more than 4,000 native and 55 non-native bee species. Now, scientists have announced a plan to map the genomes of at least 100 of these species, representing each of the major bee taxonomic groups in the U.S. The project “will help researchers answer the big questions like what genetic differences make some bee species more vulnerable to climate change or whether a bee species is likely to be more susceptible to a pesticide,&#8221; entomologist Jay Evans with the ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, and co-lead of the project, said in a statement. A metallic bee (Augochloropsis fulgida) collected in West Virginia. The United States has more than 4,000 native bee species. Photo byUSGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab via Flickr. Public Domain. The &#8220;Beenome100&#8221; project, a first-of-its-kind library of genetic information led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), will create a digital repository of the complete set of genes present in 100 bee species. With this genetic map in hand, scientists can link specific genes to bee functions. &#8220;We don&#8217;t know much about [bees] even though they are lovely in their many forms, and very diverse. Just the sizes and shapes and colors are awe-inspiring,&#8221; Sam Droege, head of the U.S. Geological Survey&#8217;s Bee Inventory and Monitoring program, told Wired. Catching and identifying bees in the field is tough, especially when they can be as small as the 2-millimeter (0.08-inch) solitary Perdita minima bee.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/beenome-project-aims-to-boost-bee-conservation-with-genetic-mapping/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/beenome-project-aims-to-boost-bee-conservation-with-genetic-mapping/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-257801</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>California court ruling opens door for protection of insects as endangered species</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/california-court-ruling-opens-door-for-protection-of-insects-as-endangered-species/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/california-court-ruling-opens-door-for-protection-of-insects-as-endangered-species/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jun 2022 19:14:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/06/02190726/Bcrotchii_20180622_213903_XS-SMcK_0-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=256776</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Bees, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Governance, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Insects, and Pollinators]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A California court has ruled that state legislation on endangered species can apply to invertebrates. The decision this week by the Third District Court of Appeal means insects, including four endangered native Californian bumblebee species and the monarch butterfly, will receive much-needed protection under the California Endangered Species Act. “We are celebrating today’s decision that insects and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A California court has ruled that state legislation on endangered species can apply to invertebrates. The decision this week by the Third District Court of Appeal means insects, including four endangered native Californian bumblebee species and the monarch butterfly, will receive much-needed protection under the California Endangered Species Act. “We are celebrating today’s decision that insects and other invertebrates are eligible for protection under CESA,” Sarina Jepsen, director of endangered species at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, said in a press release. “The Court’s decision allows California to protect some of its most endangered pollinators, a step which will contribute to the resilience of the state’s native ecosystems and farms.” In 2018, the Xerces Society, the Center for Food Safety (CFS), and Defenders of Wildlife petitioned the state of California to list four species of native bumblebees as endangered under CESA. The California Fish and Game Commission voted to begin the process of listing these bees as endangered in 2019, but were then sued by a “consortium of California&#8217;s large scale industrial agricultural interests,” according to a Xerces Society press release. The trial court sided with the agricultural consortium, and the conservation groups appealed that decision in 2021. The decision this week marks a win for the conservation groups. The four species are the western bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis), whose relative abundance has declined by 84%; the Suckley cuckoo bumblebee (Bombus suckleyi) which is considered critically endangered on the IUCN Red List and whose range has shrunk by 58%; the Crotch&#8217;s bumblebee (Bombus crotchii), now&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/california-court-ruling-opens-door-for-protection-of-insects-as-endangered-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/california-court-ruling-opens-door-for-protection-of-insects-as-endangered-species/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-256776</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Western monarchs make a spectacular comeback in California</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/01/western-monarchs-make-a-spectacular-comeback-in-california/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/01/western-monarchs-make-a-spectacular-comeback-in-california/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jan 2022 16:06:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/01/27154753/monarchbanner-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=252055</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, Global, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Butterflies, Climate Change, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Forests, Governance, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[After reaching a historic low, the population of monarch butterflies overwintering in California has increased a hundredfold, according to the annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count. More than 247,000 butterflies were counted in 2021, up from 2,000 butterflies in 2020. “We’re ecstatic with the results and hope this trend continues,” said Emma Pelton, the western monarch [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[After reaching a historic low, the population of monarch butterflies overwintering in California has increased a hundredfold, according to the annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count. More than 247,000 butterflies were counted in 2021, up from 2,000 butterflies in 2020. “We’re ecstatic with the results and hope this trend continues,” said Emma Pelton, the western monarch lead with  Xerces Society, the organization that manages the annual count. Each year, volunteers and scientists count the orange-winged wonders in their overwintering locations, 283 sites this year. The highest number of monarchs (95,000) was reported from Santa Barbara County, including a single site on private property with 25,000 butterflies. Very few butterflies were seen in the San Francisco Bay area, with only 600 counted at overwintering sites from Mendocino to San Mateo counties. Monarchs Clustering on Monterey Pine in California. Photo courtesy of Carly Voight / Xerces Society Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have two populations, western and eastern. As winter descends, the larger, eastern population heads for the warm weather in Mexico, while the Western monarchs fly to central and southern California. In their wintering grounds, butterflies go into a suspended state which allows them to live several months using very little energy. Those that survive the winter migrate north to lay their eggs and feed on milkweed. Up to four generations live and die each year before a new batch returns to their warm winter resting places where they gather on tree branches in heavy orange huddles. Multiple generations, with complex life cycles&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/01/western-monarchs-make-a-spectacular-comeback-in-california/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/01/western-monarchs-make-a-spectacular-comeback-in-california/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-252055</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>2021’s top ocean news stories (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/2021s-top-ocean-news-stories-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/2021s-top-ocean-news-stories-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Dec 2021 15:18:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Callie SteffenDouglas McCauleyEmma CritchleyMolly Morse]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rebecca Kessler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/12/27050449/8.-Algal_bloom-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=251144</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Justice, Commentary, Conservation, COVID-19, Critically Endangered Species, Deep Sea, Deep Sea Mining, Economics, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Environmental Policy, Fishing, Governance, Illegal Fishing, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Marine Mammals, Marine Protected Areas, New Discovery, Oceans, Overfishing, Plastic, Politics, Pollution, Protected Areas, Science, Shipping, Social Justice, Species Discovery, Transparency, Water Pollution, Whales, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[1. The ocean-climate nexus The presence of the ocean was felt more strongly than ever at this year’s U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP 26), held Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 in Glasgow, Scotland. In fact, the COP designated an entire day as “ocean day.” Importantly, the negotiating language explicitly mentioned the ocean for the first [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[1. The ocean-climate nexus The presence of the ocean was felt more strongly than ever at this year’s U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP 26), held Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 in Glasgow, Scotland. In fact, the COP designated an entire day as “ocean day.” Importantly, the negotiating language explicitly mentioned the ocean for the first time. Many countries included commitments to conserve, restore and sustainably manage coastal marine ecosystems that store “blue carbon,” such as mangrove habitats, seagrass meadows and coral reefs, as part of their nationally determined contributions. Simon Kofe, the foreign minister of Tuvalu, illustrated just how critical the link between climate and ocean is by delivering his speech knee-deep in rising seawater surrounding the Pacific island. A coalition of ocean advocates and heads of state, the Blue Leaders, also called for immediate action to address the impacts of climate change on the ocean. With 2021 marking the start of the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science, the increased focus on the ocean at COP26 was timely. Tuvalu’s foreign minister, Simon Kofe, addresses COP 26. Image courtesy of Ministry of Justice, Communication and Foreign Affairs, Tuvalu Government. 2. Big investments for conservation This was a year that big donors stepped up big for oceans and the planet. Jeff Bezos pledged to donate $1 billion to ocean and land conservation over the next decade as part of the Bezos Earth Fund. Some of the programs in the fund include ocean carbon sequestration projects, such as mangrove restoration and seaweed farming.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/2021s-top-ocean-news-stories-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/2021s-top-ocean-news-stories-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-251144</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Top 15 species discoveries from 2021 (Photos)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2021-photos/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2021-photos/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Dec 2021 18:29:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/12/21182636/Screen-Shot-2021-12-21-at-12.26.13-PM-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=250851</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Brazil, Ecuador, Global, Guiana Shield, India, Latin America, South America, Venezuela, West Africa, and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animals, Ants, Bats, Biodiversity, Birding, Botany, Carnivores, Cetaceans, Charismatic Animals, Climate Change, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Cryptic Species, Culture, Deforestation, DNA, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Flowers, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Herps, Insects, Islands, Lizards, Mammals, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Marine Mammals, New Discovery, Oceans, Oil Drilling, Orchids, Owls, Plants, Plastic, Rainforests, Reptiles, Research, Saving Species From Extinction, Shipping, Snakes, Solutions, Species Discovery, Tropical Forests, Whales, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With humans sending probes to Mars and the sun, one might think we’ve already explored the full extent of our own planet. But scientists say we’ve only begun to find and describe the riches here on Earth. “I think most people believe that we know most species on Earth … but in the best-case scenario, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With humans sending probes to Mars and the sun, one might think we’ve already explored the full extent of our own planet. But scientists say we’ve only begun to find and describe the riches here on Earth. “I think most people believe that we know most species on Earth … but in the best-case scenario, we know 20% of Earth’s species,” Mario Moura, a professor at the Federal University of Paraíba in Brazil, told Mongabay in a March 2021 interview.  Moura is the co-creator of a study that maps out places in the world likely to hold the highest number of species unknown to science. As it turns out, there are a lot. This year, Mongabay reported on newly described species from nearly every continent, including a fuzzy orange bat from West Africa, tiny screech owls from Brazil, an acrobatic North American skunk, a snake from the Himalayas (found on Instagram), a new whale species in the Gulf of Mexico, an Ecuadoran ant whose name broke the gender binary, and an Australian “killer tobacco.” Map showing the portion of undiscovered species worldwide. Image by Mario R. Moura. (Moura and Jetz 2021) “Every year, as scientists explore the world’s ecosystems, search herbaria and fungaria, sequence organisms’ DNA and, increasingly, browse social media, they come across species of plants and fungi that have not been scientifically described,” says the “State of the World’s Plants and Fungi 2020” report, released by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. However, though a species may be new&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2021-photos/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2021-photos/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-250851</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Pepé Le New: Meet the acrobatic spotted skunks of North America</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/pepe-le-new-meet-the-acrobatic-spotted-skunks-of-north-america/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/pepe-le-new-meet-the-acrobatic-spotted-skunks-of-north-america/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Sep 2021 15:04:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/09/15144713/Skunk_Western-Spotted-Skunk-captured-during-BioBlitz-2014-at-Knickerbocker-Ranch-c-Robby-Heischman-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=247175</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Mexico, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animals, Biodiversity, Carnivores, Charismatic Animals, Climate Change, Conservation, Cryptic Species, DNA, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Mammals, New Discovery, Species Discovery, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[To hear an audio reading of this article listen here: The familiar striped skunk of North America (think of the cartoon Pepé Le Pew) has a lesser-known cousin: the spotted skunk. These polka-dotted relatives are smaller, about the size of a fat squirrel, and do impressive handstands to warn predators before they launch their stinky [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[To hear an audio reading of this article listen here: The familiar striped skunk of North America (think of the cartoon Pepé Le Pew) has a lesser-known cousin: the spotted skunk. These polka-dotted relatives are smaller, about the size of a fat squirrel, and do impressive handstands to warn predators before they launch their stinky spray. And now, this skunk group has a few more members. Researchers analyzed spotted skunk (Spilogale spp.) DNA and found that rather than the four skunk species previously recognized by science, there are actually seven. Their findings are published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. A spotted skunk performing its signature handstand. Image by Jerry W. Dragoo courtesy of the Field Museum. Scientists used DNA from 203 skunk specimens, both modern species and those preserved in museum collections. “If we’re trying to tell the full story of skunk evolution we need as many samples as we can,” Ferguson says. “For example, we didn’t have any modern tissues from Central America or the Yucatan. We were able to use museum collections to fill those holes.” Skunks are notoriously difficult to study in the wild, partly because catching them is an easy way to get sprayed, and also because they are adept tree climbers who live in remote areas. For the researchers to get enough specimens to study differences in spotted skunk DNA, they used a method common in the days of the Wild West: wanted posters. Researchers put up wanted posters throughout Texas to encourage&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/pepe-le-new-meet-the-acrobatic-spotted-skunks-of-north-america/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/pepe-le-new-meet-the-acrobatic-spotted-skunks-of-north-america/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-247175</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Fewer than 100 of these giant whales make up a newly described species</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/fewer-than-100-of-these-giant-whales-make-up-a-newly-described-species/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/fewer-than-100-of-these-giant-whales-make-up-a-newly-described-species/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Feb 2021 19:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Teresa L. Carey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rebecca Kessler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/02/04185211/1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=239292</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Florida, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Cetaceans, Critically Endangered Species, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Global Environmental Crisis, Green, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Marine Mammals, Oceans, Oil Drilling, Plastic, Shipping, Species Discovery, and Whales]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For decades, scientists observed a puzzling group of whales in the Gulf of Mexico. The animals looked like Bryde&#8217;s whales — but not quite. They fed like Bryde&#8217;s whales — but at greater depths. What were they? With genetic data and a chance stranding, the scientists finally have their answer. The so-called Gulf of Mexico [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For decades, scientists observed a puzzling group of whales in the Gulf of Mexico. The animals looked like Bryde&#8217;s whales — but not quite. They fed like Bryde&#8217;s whales — but at greater depths. What were they? With genetic data and a chance stranding, the scientists finally have their answer. The so-called Gulf of Mexico Bryde&#8217;s whale is actually a unique species — and for years, it hid in plain sight. A Rice’s whale swims in the Gulf of Mexico. Image courtesy of NOAA. Patience leads to discovery Researchers first reported a Bryde’s whale (pronounced &#8220;broo-dus,” Balaenoptera edeni) in the Gulf of Mexico in 1965 and began tracking a small group of the animals in earnest in 1997. Survey data eventually showed the group lived year-round in the Gulf of Mexico, keeping to a small area along the continental shelf near Florida’s panhandle. Noting the differences from either of the two recognized subspecies of Bryde’s whale, which live in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, they suspected the whales in the Gulf might belong to a unique species all their own. In 2014, researchers with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published the results of a DNA analysis showing that the whales in the Gulf were genetically distinct enough to at least be designated as the third subspecies of Bryde’s whale, if not their own species. &#8220;That is when we got really intrigued by how different they look genetically,” said lead author Patricia Rosel, a research geneticist at&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/fewer-than-100-of-these-giant-whales-make-up-a-newly-described-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/fewer-than-100-of-these-giant-whales-make-up-a-newly-described-species/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-239292</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>No endangered listing for monarch butterflies as western count hits alarming low</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/no-endangered-listing-for-monarch-butterflies-as-western-count-hits-alarming-low/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/no-endangered-listing-for-monarch-butterflies-as-western-count-hits-alarming-low/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Dec 2020 10:28:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/02/26134041/Monarch-nectaring-on-swamp-milkweed-A.-incarnata-Idaho_XS-SMcK-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=237917</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[North America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Butterflies, Climate Change, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Extinction, Forest Destruction, Forests, Governance, Green, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The iconic monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) meets the criteria to be listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act — but will not be listed just yet because priority will be given to other species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced Dec. 15. This leaves the monarch as “a candidate species” for possible listing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The iconic monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) meets the criteria to be listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act — but will not be listed just yet because priority will be given to other species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced Dec. 15. This leaves the monarch as “a candidate species” for possible listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the future. As a candidate, its status will be reviewed each year until it is either added to the ESA or the populations recover. “We in the Fish and Wildlife Service just concluded one of the most rigorous species status assessments ever conducted by our agency,” Charles Wooley, regional director for the USFWS in the Department of the Interior’s Great Lakes region, said in a press briefing. The species assessment, Wooley said, informed the USFWS decision that “listing the monarch is warranted but precluded at this time by higher priority listing actions.” The “warranted-but-precluded” status is used by the USFWS when the service does not have enough resources, financial and/or human, to complete the process of listing a species because it must focus on other more vulnerable species or species involved in settlements due to litigation or court orders. Currently, 161 other species are considered a higher priority than the monarch butterfly, including several freshwater snails and mussels, salamanders, frogs, snakes, crayfish, turtles, beetles, plants, birds, and the little brown bat. Monarch butterflies on a branch in Michoacan Mexico. Photo by JHVEPhoto via Shutterstock. There are two populations&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/no-endangered-listing-for-monarch-butterflies-as-western-count-hits-alarming-low/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/no-endangered-listing-for-monarch-butterflies-as-western-count-hits-alarming-low/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-237917</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Does trophy hunting hurt giraffe populations? A planned lawsuit says it does</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/10/does-trophy-hunting-hurt-giraffe-populations-a-planned-lawsuit-says-it-does/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/10/does-trophy-hunting-hurt-giraffe-populations-a-planned-lawsuit-says-it-does/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2020 15:14:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elizabeth Claire Alberts]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Elizabethalberts]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/10/16145435/10724131114_92ea844813_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=235856</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Charismatic Animals, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Giraffes, Green, Human-wildlife Conflict, Hunting, Over-hunting, Species, Trophy Hunting, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Skinned, stuffed and tanned, wild giraffes are up for sale at dozens of stores across the United States. While importing and selling wild giraffes and giraffe products, such as giraffe rugs and taxidermied trophies, is legal in the U.S., conservationists and animal welfare advocates say these practices are nudging the species closer toward extinction. On [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Skinned, stuffed and tanned, wild giraffes are up for sale at dozens of stores across the United States. While importing and selling wild giraffes and giraffe products, such as giraffe rugs and taxidermied trophies, is legal in the U.S., conservationists and animal welfare advocates say these practices are nudging the species closer toward extinction. On Oct. 15, a coalition of groups, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International (HSI), and the Center for Biological Diversity, filed a notice of intent to sue the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The federal agency is tasked with managing wildlife and natural habitats, but the groups say it’s failing to protect giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) through the nation’s Endangered Species Act (ESA). Three years ago, the coalition had petitioned USFWS to uplist giraffes as an endangered species through the ESA, but the agency failed to respond, even though it’s legally obligated to do so within a year, Laura Smythe, staff attorney at HSUS, told Mongabay in an email. The groups filed an initial lawsuit against USFWS in 2018, which prompted the agency to say that giraffes may qualify for protection under the ESA — but no further steps were taken, according to HSUS. Giraffe in Uganda. Image by Rod Waddington / Flickr. The agency’s inaction, Smythe said, implies that it is “catering to the special interests of trophy hunters, and not doing what is in the best interest of the species.” “[T]he U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/10/does-trophy-hunting-hurt-giraffe-populations-a-planned-lawsuit-says-it-does/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-235856</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Less than a thousand remain: New list of animals on the brink of extinction</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/less-than-a-thousand-remain-new-list-of-animals-on-the-brink-of-extinction/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/less-than-a-thousand-remain-new-list-of-animals-on-the-brink-of-extinction/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jun 2020 14:43:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/06/09130346/E1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=231218</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Climate Change, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Deforestation, Diseases, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Extinction, Forest Destruction, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Green, Herps, Impact Of Climate Change, Insects, Mammals, Mass Extinction, Pangolins, Pet Trade, Poaching, Pollution, Rainforests, Reptiles, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The giant panda, tiny tamaraw buffalo, riverine rabbit and Iberian lynx all have something in common: they join a growing list of animals on the brink of extinction. A newly published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences lists 515 animal species with fewer than a thousand individuals remaining. Overall, the report [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The giant panda, tiny tamaraw buffalo, riverine rabbit and Iberian lynx all have something in common: they join a growing list of animals on the brink of extinction. A newly published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences lists 515 animal species with fewer than a thousand individuals remaining. Overall, the report is grim: Earth is experiencing its sixth mass extinction; extinction rates are accelerating; and humans are to blame. Researchers evaluated 29,374 land-based vertebrates using IUCN Red List and Birdlife International data. They identified 75 mammal, 335 bird, 41 reptile and 65 amphibian species “on the brink of extinction.” The majority of these critically endangered animals are concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions, where biodiversity is highest. More than half of the species on the list have fewer than 250 individuals remaining. A Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus), one of the rarest mammals in the world, in Ujung Kulon National Park. Fewer than 100 individuals remain in the wild. Image by Stephen Belcher/Dok. Balai Taman Nasional Ujung Kulon via International Rhino Foundation. Fewer than 250 northern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus krefftii) remain in the wild. Image by Fleshpiston via Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Fewer than 200 mountain chicken frogs (Leptodactylus falla) remain in the Caribbean due to hunting and fungal pathogens.  Photo by Tim Vickers via Wikimedia Commons Public Domain. New Zealand&#8217;s flightless, nocturnal, kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) population has dwindled to around 200 individuals. Image by New Zealand Department of Conservation (CC BY 2.0). “The ongoing sixth&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/less-than-a-thousand-remain-new-list-of-animals-on-the-brink-of-extinction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-231218</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Historic agreement gives monarch butterflies the ‘right-of-way’</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/historic-agreement-gives-monarch-butterflies-the-right-of-way/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/historic-agreement-gives-monarch-butterflies-the-right-of-way/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2020 12:06:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/01132235/Monarch-Butterflies-on-tree-branch-in-Michoacan-Mexico-J-By-JHVEPhoto-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=230453</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Butterflies, Conservation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Governance, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Insects, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The side of the road isn’t usually thought of as ideal habitat. But for insects, such as butterflies and their caterpillars, the long expanses of land along roads and utility corridors add up to a considerable amount of home turf. More than 45 transportation and energy companies, as well as dozens of private landowners, have [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The side of the road isn’t usually thought of as ideal habitat. But for insects, such as butterflies and their caterpillars, the long expanses of land along roads and utility corridors add up to a considerable amount of home turf. More than 45 transportation and energy companies, as well as dozens of private landowners, have agreed to create or maintain monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) habitat along “rights-of-way” corridors across the United States. Utility corridors can provide habitat for insects. Photo by markjohnrichards (CC BY-SA 2.0). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) have signed a historic agreement that allows participant landholders to dedicate a percentage of their lands to monarch conservation management in exchange for regulatory flexibility on the rest of their enrolled lands. Populations of both eastern monarchs and western monarchs have declined by more than 80% over the past decade and are nearing a tipping point for migratory collapse. In light of these declines, the USFWS is set to decide in December 2020 if the monarch butterfly will be classified as a federally endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Land managers and businesses expressed concerns that if they voluntarily created monarch habitat and the monarch was then listed as federally endangered species, the resulting regulations to protect monarchs could complicate their operations or subject them to additional permitting requirements. “Some companies wanted to wait to see how the listing would play out,” Iris Caldwell, a program manager at the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/historic-agreement-gives-monarch-butterflies-the-right-of-way/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-230453</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Western monarch butterfly numbers critically low for second straight year</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/western-monarch-butterfly-numbers-critically-low-for-second-straight-year/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/western-monarch-butterfly-numbers-critically-low-for-second-straight-year/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Feb 2020 14:17:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/02/26133804/MonarchCloseVoight-min-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=227404</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Butterflies, Climate Change, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Encroachment, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Forests, Governance, Green, Insects, Invertebrates, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Monarch butterfly populations are at a critical low, according to the annual Western Monarch Count in California. In the fall and winter, western monarchs (Danaus plexippus plexippus) stop to roost along the Pacific coast in California. Here, under the direction of the Xerces Society, nearly 200 trained volunteers find and count monarchs for the annual [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Monarch butterfly populations are at a critical low, according to the annual Western Monarch Count in California. In the fall and winter, western monarchs (Danaus plexippus plexippus) stop to roost along the Pacific coast in California. Here, under the direction of the Xerces Society, nearly 200 trained volunteers find and count monarchs for the annual Western Thanksgiving and New Year’s counts, now in its 23rd year. And for the second year in a row, the counts have generated troubling numbers. Fewer than 30,000 individuals were found — the number, researchers say, may be the tipping point for the population. Western monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus plexippus) stop to overwinter along the Pacific coast in California. Photo courtesy of Carly Voight / Xerces Society. “For an animal that ranges across the entire West and has historically been in the millions, we just don’t know how low it can go,” Emma Pelton, the western monarch lead at the Xerces Society, told Mongabay. “So, 30,000 is a best guess. The past two years have been really testing that guess. If they do collapse it would look like a downward spiral of the population … it would never really recover.” This year, volunteers counted 29,418 monarchs. And although this is 2,200 more individuals than last year, the increase, according to the Xerces Society, represents no meaningful difference in the population. Instead, it attributes the number to greater surveying effort by more volunteers. “We had really hoped last year was an all-time low and that we&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/western-monarch-butterfly-numbers-critically-low-for-second-straight-year/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-227404</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rare songbird recovers, moves off endangered species list</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/10/kirtlands-warbler-bird-endangered-species-act/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/10/kirtlands-warbler-bird-endangered-species-act/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Oct 2019 20:44:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/10/11082010/Dendroica_kirtlandii_-Michigan_USA_-male-8_5-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=223376</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[North America and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Endangered Species, Endangered Species Act, Environment, Forests, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The recovery of a rare bird species that was close to extinction five decades ago is now being heralded as a conservation success story. The Kirtland’s warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii), also known as the jack pine warbler, a small songbird that nests only in young jack pine forests in northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario, was never [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The recovery of a rare bird species that was close to extinction five decades ago is now being heralded as a conservation success story. The Kirtland’s warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii), also known as the jack pine warbler, a small songbird that nests only in young jack pine forests in northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario, was never really considered to be an abundant species. During the first ever census of the bird in 1951, birders and researchers counted 432 singing males (a rough proxy of the number of breeding pairs). A decade later, the number rose to 502 singing males. The third census in 1971, however, revealed a population crash: researchers counted only 203 singing males, a number that saw subsequent slight dips and rises, but remained low throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Consequently, the warbler, known for its distinct yellow throat, chest and belly and blue-gray head and back, became one of the first species to be listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). But thanks to decades of conservation actions, the bird is now thriving, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) says. There are more than 2,300 singing males (or breeding pairs) of the warbler as per latest estimates, and due to its recovery, the species has been removed from the federal list of endangered species. “The delisting of the Kirtland’s Warbler is cause for celebration and proof that the Endangered Species Act works,” Shawn Graff, vice president of the American Bird Conservancy’s (ABC) Great Lakes program, said&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/10/kirtlands-warbler-bird-endangered-species-act/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-223376</doi>				</item>
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