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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
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		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/flagship-species/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2026 17:02:47 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<title>News on flagship species</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/flagship-species/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>Death of iconic elephant in Sri Lanka pushes authorities to fast-track protection efforts</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/death-of-iconic-elephant-in-sri-lanka-pushes-authorities-to-fast-track-protection-efforts/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/death-of-iconic-elephant-in-sri-lanka-pushes-authorities-to-fast-track-protection-efforts/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 15:37:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kamanthi Wickramasinghe]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Dilrukshi Handunnetti]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/23151741/IMG_4528-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=333688</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, South Asia, and Sri Lanka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Animals, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Charismatic Animals, Conflict, Ecology, Ecotourism, Elephants, Encroachment, Endangered Species, Environmental Policy, flagship species, Forest Destruction, Habitat Degradation, Human-wildlife Conflict, Ivory, Land Use Change, Mammals, Megafauna, National Parks, Poisoning, Regulations, Snares, Species, Threatened species, Tourism, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[GALGAMUWA, Sri Lanka – Residents in Galgamuwa, a rural village in Sri Lanka’s North Western Province are mourning the death of an iconic wild, bull elephant that roamed the area. While Galgamuwa is on the frontlines of one of Sri Lanka’s worst human-elephant conflicts, people had a soft spot for this tusker, popularly known as [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[GALGAMUWA, Sri Lanka – Residents in Galgamuwa, a rural village in Sri Lanka’s North Western Province are mourning the death of an iconic wild, bull elephant that roamed the area. While Galgamuwa is on the frontlines of one of Sri Lanka’s worst human-elephant conflicts, people had a soft spot for this tusker, popularly known as Kavantissa. Named after a king who ruled the Kingdom of Ruhuna in ancient Sri Lanka in the 3rd and 2nd centuries B.C.E, Kavantissa was known for its gentle nature. Galgamuwa residents say it never attacked a human in its lifetime. Rathnayake Mudiyanselage Jayathilaka Bandara is a resident in Galgamuwa and an ardent animal lover. Bandara and another local resident named Kumara dedicated their time and effort to protect Kavantissa and the large herd of elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) that became famous for crossing the railway tracks in Kasikote, a town located between Galgamuwa and Ambanpola in the north west. Soon, this crossing became a must see among elephant lovers and Kavantissa would often emerge at the tail end. Bandara tells Mongabay that the demise of Kavantissa is heartbreaking because the iconic tusker was gentle and disciplined. He recalls how Kavantissa would patiently wait for the herd of elephants to cross the railway line before it made its dramatic appearance. “Sometimes it would pause before crossing the road and journey toward the nearby Palukadawala tank,” he said. “Perhaps that was its way of greeting me and Kumara. Kavantissa would sometimes push the electric fence obstructing its&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/death-of-iconic-elephant-in-sri-lanka-pushes-authorities-to-fast-track-protection-efforts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/death-of-iconic-elephant-in-sri-lanka-pushes-authorities-to-fast-track-protection-efforts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-333688</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Sri Lanka elephant found with a gunshot wound. How can tuskers be protected?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/sri-lanka-elephant-found-with-a-gunshot-wound-how-can-tuskers-be-protected/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/sri-lanka-elephant-found-with-a-gunshot-wound-how-can-tuskers-be-protected/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Oct 2026 16:39:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Malaka Rodrigo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Dilrukshi Handunnetti]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/09151713/1.-the-tusker-Kavanthissa-in-middle-with-Chandi-left-and-Raghu-right-c-Pathum-Bandara--768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=332143</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[South Asia and Sri Lanka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Welfare, Animals, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Conservation Solutions, Controversial, Elephants, Endangered Species, flagship species, Habitat, Human-wildlife Conflict, Ivory, Mammals, Solutions, Wildlife, Wildlife Corridors, and Wildlife Rescues]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[COLOMBO –- Wildlife enthusiast Pathum Bandara watched Kavantissa, believed to be Sri Lanka’s tallest living tusker, moving gently through the landscape on Sept. 20 around Galgamuwa in the island’s northwestern dry zone, a well-known human-elephant conflict zone. The following day, Bandara noticed that the elephant was limping. A closer look revealed a gunshot wound on [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[COLOMBO –- Wildlife enthusiast Pathum Bandara watched Kavantissa, believed to be Sri Lanka’s tallest living tusker, moving gently through the landscape on Sept. 20 around Galgamuwa in the island’s northwestern dry zone, a well-known human-elephant conflict zone. The following day, Bandara noticed that the elephant was limping. A closer look revealed a gunshot wound on his right foreleg, close to the knee. The discovery was alarming because an untreated gunshot wound could become infected and cause severe trauma, potentially threatening an elephant’s ability to walk, feed and survive. The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) dispatched a team to treat the elephant. DWC’s veterinary surgeon Isuru Hewakottage said Kavantissa was sedated to enable the cleaning and treatment of the wound. He received several rounds of powerful antibiotics and remains under observation. Following treatment, Kavantissa has begun moving between small forest patches, sometimes crossing human settlements and the well-known elephant passage near Galgamuwa. The tusker appeared to be recovering but became aggressive after the gunshot injury, sometimes even chasing villagers and wildlife officers, exposing the tusker to renewed threats including the possibility of being fired at, Bandara told Mongabay. Iconic tusker Kavantissa, left, with Sankha, a young elephant, photographed in 2022. Sankha had a mobility restriction caused by a previous gunshot injury and died after falling into a pit. Image courtesy of Pathum Bandara. Bandara recalls the plight of another young tusker once closely associated with Kavantissa. Sankha, a young tusker, was about half Kavantissa’s age and was often seen together during&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/sri-lanka-elephant-found-with-a-gunshot-wound-how-can-tuskers-be-protected/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/sri-lanka-elephant-found-with-a-gunshot-wound-how-can-tuskers-be-protected/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-332143</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Tanzania’s first official wildlife corridor links savanna elephants to rainforest</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/tanzanias-first-official-wildlife-corridor-links-savanna-elephants-to-rainforest/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/tanzanias-first-official-wildlife-corridor-links-savanna-elephants-to-rainforest/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Sep 2026 19:42:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ryan Truscott]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/09/04193627/Corridor_01-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=328811</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Ecosystems, Elephants, Endangered Species, Environment, flagship species, Forests, Hope and optimism, Landscape Restoration, Mammals, Megafauna, Rainforests, Ungulates, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[African savanna elephants in southern Tanzania have an unusual habit: They climb mountains. Up to 1,000 of the pachyderms spend part of their time in the Udzungwa Mountains, clambering up and down steep slopes that are clad in lush, closed-canopy rainforest. “They go everywhere,” said Trevor Jones, director of strategy and development at the Southern [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[African savanna elephants in southern Tanzania have an unusual habit: They climb mountains. Up to 1,000 of the pachyderms spend part of their time in the Udzungwa Mountains, clambering up and down steep slopes that are clad in lush, closed-canopy rainforest. “They go everywhere,” said Trevor Jones, director of strategy and development at the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP), a conservation group. “They can negotiate really quite surprisingly steep gradients that you wouldn’t expect, even to the point [of] occasionally, in the rainy season, sliding down on their bums when a particular slope is too steep.” But some also migrate from the mountains to more typical savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) habitat that lies to the east, across the Kilombero Valley, in Nyerere National Park. A satellite image of the corridor traversing the Kilombero Valley, from the Magombera Forest Reserve in the east to the Udzungwa Mountains in the west. Darker green dots inside the corridor are signs of maturing forest trees planted since 2023. Image courtesy Reforest Africa/Google Earth Researchers like Jones have been trying to understand why these herds have historically used such different parts of the landscape. “It’s a very adaptive population that’s using that mosaic of habitats and resources, from montane forest to lowland forest, and then miombo woodland and open bush in Nyerere,” Jones told Mongabay. “I’m sure some of [the habitats] are crucial for different time periods or different circumstances; in drought, for example, they might have to move to the [mountains] where there would&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/tanzanias-first-official-wildlife-corridor-links-savanna-elephants-to-rainforest/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/tanzanias-first-official-wildlife-corridor-links-savanna-elephants-to-rainforest/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-328811</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Sumatran tiger protection needs more patrols, tougher penalties, study finds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/sumatran-tiger-protection-needs-more-patrols-tougher-penalties-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/sumatran-tiger-protection-needs-more-patrols-tougher-penalties-study-finds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 May 2025 04:37:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Hayat Indriyatno]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/05/14062846/Foto1harimau_Anton-Wisuda-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=299037</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Aceh, Asia, Indonesia, Leuser Ecosystem, North Sumatra, Southeast Asia, and Sumatra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, flagship species, In-situ Conservation, Mammals, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Research, Science, Species, Tigers, Tropical Conservation Science, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Authorities managing one of the last protected areas on Earth that still hosts Sumatran tigers must do more to deter poaching and promote alternative livelihoods for local communities, a new study suggests. Poaching remains the top threat to the survival of the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) population in Indonesia’s Gunung Leuser National Park, a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Authorities managing one of the last protected areas on Earth that still hosts Sumatran tigers must do more to deter poaching and promote alternative livelihoods for local communities, a new study suggests. Poaching remains the top threat to the survival of the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) population in Indonesia’s Gunung Leuser National Park, a habitat it shares with other critically endangered species such as the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) and orangutan (Pongo abelii). A recently published study in the Journal of Environmental Management looks at how effective management of integrated protected areas has been in this context, including assessing patrol strategies and wildlife trafficking interventions. “We want to know whether our approach is effective in reaching our conservation goals,” study lead author Adhi Nurul Hadi, a wildlife researcher at the University of Indonesia and a Ministry of Forestry official, told Mongabay in an email. Gunung Leuser National Park is part of the Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh province in northern Sumatra. A rescued Sumatran tiger being released in Gunung Leuser National Park. Image courtesy of the Indonesian Ministry of Environment. Adhi said conservation works tend to have a singular focus, such as protecting conservation areas through patrols, or reducing threats from the illegal wildlife trade. Integrated planning and evaluation of conservation efforts constitute a more recent approach, he said. This starts with addressing urgent tasks such as snare removal, and encompassing long-term approaches such as patrols and antitrafficking efforts, which require substantial time, resources and funding.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/sumatran-tiger-protection-needs-more-patrols-tougher-penalties-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/sumatran-tiger-protection-needs-more-patrols-tougher-penalties-study-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-299037</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Experts aim to protect one of Brazil’s giant emblematic tree species</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/experts-aim-to-protect-one-of-brazils-giant-emblematic-tree-species/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/experts-aim-to-protect-one-of-brazils-giant-emblematic-tree-species/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Jun 2024 14:59:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jenny Gonzales]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/06/18144914/3.-Located-in-the-Amapa-state-the-second-largest-red-angelim-ever-found-is-85.4-meters-280-feet-tall-and-has-a-circumference-of-9.8-meters-32-feet.-Photo-courtes-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=283374</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, flagship species, Forest Loss, Forests, Governance, Infrastructure, Mining, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Threats To Rainforests, Trees, Tropical Deforestation, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[&#8220;What makes these trees so special is still a great mystery, and it takes time and studies to unravel,&#8221; Eric Gorgens said. The professor of spatial and environmental analysis at the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM) was talking about the giant red angelim (Dinizia excelsa Ducke), an Amazonian tree with heights [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[&#8220;What makes these trees so special is still a great mystery, and it takes time and studies to unravel,&#8221; Eric Gorgens said. The professor of spatial and environmental analysis at the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM) was talking about the giant red angelim (Dinizia excelsa Ducke), an Amazonian tree with heights of up to 60 meters (196 feet) found in several rainforest areas of Brazil and Guyana. But it was in the Jari River Basin, between the Brazilian states of Pará and Amapá, that angelins up to almost 90 meters high (295 feet) were discovered a few years ago, with Gorgens part of that expedition. Until then, scientists hadn’t thought trees that tall existed in the Amazon. &#8220;The tropical climate brings many difficulties to the survival of trees due to the aggressive environment, high humidity, strong winds and favorability to pests and diseases,&#8221; Gorgens added. &#8220;Despite this scenario, the tallest is between 400 and 600 years old, 88.5 meters [290 feet] tall and capable of sequestering carbon equivalent of a 1-hectare (2.4-acre) forest with an average canopy of 45 meters [147 feet].&#8221; With the United Nations COP30 to be held in 2025 in Belém, Pará, efforts to legally protect giant trees have gained momentum. In Pará, the Institute for Forestry and Biodiversity Development (Ideflor-Bio) aims to reduce the area of the Paru State Forest (Flota da Paru) — which hosts the tallest known red angelim and is the world’s third-largest sustainable-use tropical forest reserve at 3.6&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/experts-aim-to-protect-one-of-brazils-giant-emblematic-tree-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/experts-aim-to-protect-one-of-brazils-giant-emblematic-tree-species/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-283374</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study challenges use of charismatic wildlife as umbrella species for conservation</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/sumatra-wildlife-umbrella-species-tiger-rhino-clouded-leopard-conservation-leuser-biodiversity/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/sumatra-wildlife-umbrella-species-tiger-rhino-clouded-leopard-conservation-leuser-biodiversity/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Apr 2024 01:08:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/11/08210100/animals_00055-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=281163</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Leuser Ecosystem]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Aceh, Asia, Indonesia, Leuser Ecosystem, North Sumatra, Southeast Asia, and Sumatra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, flagship species, In-situ Conservation, Mammals, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Research, Science, Species, Tropical Conservation Science, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — In wildlife conservation management, the best species to focus on to maximize protection of a region’s biodiversity aren’t necessarily the most charismatic ones, a new study from Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem suggests. Conservation managers have long prioritized the management of what are known as umbrella species, on the basis that protecting these high-profile species [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — In wildlife conservation management, the best species to focus on to maximize protection of a region’s biodiversity aren’t necessarily the most charismatic ones, a new study from Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem suggests. Conservation managers have long prioritized the management of what are known as umbrella species, on the basis that protecting these high-profile species also protects the ecosystem in which they live. These species tend to be ones that roam wide and large areas, which for conservation management purposes makes them representative of other, lesser-known, species. As a result, these umbrella species usually get special attention from conservation managers, funders and authorities. However, researchers from Indonesia and the U.K. have found that focusing on the usual charismatic species, like tigers and rhinos, leads to neglect of the needs of other wildlife. In a new paper published in Biological Conservation, they note that these non-flagship species might actually be better representatives of the broader biodiversity of a particular ecosystem than those considered the umbrella species. “Our study proposes a new framework to identify the best umbrella species using camera trap data collected from the field and accounting for imperfect detection i.e. that species might be undetected during surveys but they are present,” study lead author Ardiantiono, a Ph.D. student at the School of Anthropology and Conservation at the University of Kent, U.K., told Mongabay in an email interview. The Leuser Ecosystem in northern Sumatra is the largest remaining intact swath of tropical rainforest in Sumatra. Image courtesy of Global Forest&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/sumatra-wildlife-umbrella-species-tiger-rhino-clouded-leopard-conservation-leuser-biodiversity/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/sumatra-wildlife-umbrella-species-tiger-rhino-clouded-leopard-conservation-leuser-biodiversity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-281163</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>World’s newest great ape faces habitat loss, multiple threats: Will it survive?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/worlds-newest-great-ape-faces-habitat-loss-multiple-threats-will-it-survive/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/worlds-newest-great-ape-faces-habitat-loss-multiple-threats-will-it-survive/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Apr 2023 03:44:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hans Nicholas Jong]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/12/18031527/14.-ORANGUTAN-TAPANULI-2-c-Aditya-Sumitra-Mighty-Earth-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=267500</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Great Apes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, North Sumatra, Southeast Asia, and Sumatra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Energy, Environment, flagship species, Forest Destruction, Forests, Gold Mining, Great Apes, Hydroelectric Power, Infrastructure, Mammals, Mining, Orangutans, Palm Oil, Plantations, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, Renewable Energy, Roads, Species Discovery, Threats To Rainforests, Tropical Deforestation, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — When scientists made the bombshell announcement in 2017 that the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) was a new species, the apes were immediately put under the global spotlight. With fewer than 800 individuals surviving in a tiny tract of forest in the western part of Indonesia, scientists declared the Tapanuli orangutan as the rarest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — When scientists made the bombshell announcement in 2017 that the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) was a new species, the apes were immediately put under the global spotlight. With fewer than 800 individuals surviving in a tiny tract of forest in the western part of Indonesia, scientists declared the Tapanuli orangutan as the rarest great ape as well as the most threatened great ape. Within a month of its identification as a unique species, a report by the IUCN calculated the apes&#8217; population had plummeted by 83% over the course of three generations. The decline was attributed to killings by hunters or as a result of conflict with humans, along with  habitat loss from agriculture and industrial development, including a gold mine and a planned hydroelectric plant. So what does becoming the most endangered ape in the world overnight get you? Apparently not much, according to Amanda Hurowitz, the senior director for Asia at U.S.-based campaign group Mighty Earth. “Since it [the species] was described, not much has changed. You would think new species of orangutan, new species of great ape, the world would pull up its sleeves and decide to save it,” she told Mongabay. “Unfortunately, the Tapanuli orangutan face many of the same threats they did in 2017. “So they’re really a species that we identified when they’re already on the brink, and unfortunately our actions have probably pushed them further to the brink of extinction,” Hurowitz said. A numbers game In its orangutan conservation action plan document&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/worlds-newest-great-ape-faces-habitat-loss-multiple-threats-will-it-survive/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-267500</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>New map identifies risks, and potential sanctuaries, for Brazil’s diving duck</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/new-map-identifies-risks-and-potential-sanctuaries-for-brazils-diving-duck/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/new-map-identifies-risks-and-potential-sanctuaries-for-brazils-diving-duck/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Sep 2021 17:50:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolina Pinheiro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Maria Angeles Salazar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/09/02174509/Brazilian-merganser-duck-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=246704</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Brazil, Cerrado, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Dams, Deforestation, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, flagship species, Freshwater, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Hydroelectric Power, Pollution, Rivers, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The first signal of the day is the sun stretching steadily upward amid a gigantic sea of mountains. The mass of rock, forest and water is so huge that the horizon doesn&#8217;t seem to fit into the gaze of those walking along the web of dirt roads where gates open onto valleys and meadows. This [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The first signal of the day is the sun stretching steadily upward amid a gigantic sea of mountains. The mass of rock, forest and water is so huge that the horizon doesn&#8217;t seem to fit into the gaze of those walking along the web of dirt roads where gates open onto valleys and meadows. This region in southwestern Minas Gerais state, Brazil, is home to a veritable nursery of springs. There are so many headwaters here that scientists call the place an immense water reservoir. The main river that starts here in the Canastra Mountains is the São Francisco river. The region is also a complex mosaic of biodiversity, home to several species of fauna and flora found nowhere else on Earth. One of these is the Brazilian merganser (Mergus octosetaceus), a duck that’s among the top 10 most threatened birds on the planet, and which, in 2018, was officially designated by the government as a symbol of Brazilian waters. Field biologist Wellington Viana, one of the scientists who monitors the ducks here, says there are just over 200 individuals left in the wild. The IUCN, which lists the species as critically endangered, puts the global population at an estimated 250. “About 140 — the largest population in the world — live in Canastra Mountains National Park and its surrounding areas, always distributed along riverbanks, usually located above the waterfalls,” Viana says. The Brazilian Merganser once ranged across several areas of the Cerrado grasslands and Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/new-map-identifies-risks-and-potential-sanctuaries-for-brazils-diving-duck/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-246704</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Protecting pandas shields other species in China</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2015/11/protecting-pandas-shields-other-species-in-china/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2015/11/protecting-pandas-shields-other-species-in-china/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Nov 2015 19:07:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Laurel Hamers]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/11/03132138/1117-giant-panda-1200-444x330.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia and China]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, flagship species, Forests, Parks, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With its furry face and adorable antics, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) attracts an equally giant wave of financial support. Zoos pay the Chinese government up to $1 million each year to host pairs of pandas, and conservation groups pour millions of dollars into protecting the species. Some see this effort to save the panda [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With its furry face and adorable antics, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) attracts an equally giant wave of financial support. Zoos pay the Chinese government up to $1 million each year to host pairs of pandas, and conservation groups pour millions of dollars into protecting the species. Some see this effort to save the panda from extinction as a waste of precious money that could conservationists could use to help other species. But a study published recently in Conservation Biology suggests that shielding the giant panda’s habitat also benefits many other species found only in China. “What the Chinese government has done, over the last decade or so, is to very deliberately increase the area it has set aside for nature reserves,” said Stuart Pimm, a conservation biologist at Duke University and coauthor of the paper. “I think we were very pleasantly surprised by how effective the conservation was.” A giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) climbs a tree at the Bifengxia Giant Panda Breeding and Conservation Center in Sichuan, China. Photo by Binbin Li, Duke University Pimm and his colleague Binbin Li, also at Duke University, examined maps published by the IUCN showing the rough distributions of endemic mammals, birds, and amphibians – species found only in China. Such maps can be misleading, Pimm said, because they don’t always account for limiting factors like elevation or actual availability of habitat. So he and Li trimmed the ranges of the species appropriately to create updated maps. Then they calculated how well China’s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2015/11/protecting-pandas-shields-other-species-in-china/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-160929</doi>				</item>
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