<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" >

	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
		<atom:link href="https://news.mongabay.com/feed/?topic=invertebrates&#038;type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/invertebrates/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 02:09:05 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
		<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
		<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
		<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2</generator>

<image>
	<url>https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>News on Invertebrates</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/invertebrates/</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
				<item>
					<title>Sri Lanka intensifies fight against dengue and the mosquitos that cause the infection</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/sri-lanka-intensifies-fight-against-dengue-and-the-mosquitos-that-cause-the-infection/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/sri-lanka-intensifies-fight-against-dengue-and-the-mosquitos-that-cause-the-infection/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jul 2026 05:44:59 +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/20/2026/07/02051422/2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=322305</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, South Asia, and Sri Lanka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Diseases, Environment, Governance, Health, Impact Of Climate Change, Insects, and Mosquitoes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[DEMATAGODA, Sri Lanka — Niroshan Peters, 54, a resident of Dematagoda, a densely populated suburb in Colombo, has no option but to live and work in an environment frequently polluted due to careless waste disposal. He blames authorities for not having an effective waste management system, which results in people getting exposed to unhygienic environments. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[DEMATAGODA, Sri Lanka — Niroshan Peters, 54, a resident of Dematagoda, a densely populated suburb in Colombo, has no option but to live and work in an environment frequently polluted due to careless waste disposal. He blames authorities for not having an effective waste management system, which results in people getting exposed to unhygienic environments. “Last week, workers from the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) came to fumigate this area but that alone is not enough,” Peters told Mongabay. “Every time there is a surge in dengue they suddenly remember to carry out fogging and launch dengue prevention drives. But during the rest of the year people continue to dump waste in abandoned lands and contribute to a never-ending problem.” As of July 1, Sri Lanka’s National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) has recorded a total of 56,422 dengue cases and 35 deaths. In 2025, a total of 51,000 cases were reported, indicating an alarming increase in incidence this year. Speaking at a recent briefing, Nalinda Jayatissa, Sri Lanka’s minister of health and media, told Colombo-based journalists that the increasing number of dengue patients could overwhelm hospitals, adding “severe pressure to the healthcare system.” A dominant serotype In Sri Lanka, there are four dengue serotypes — a distinct variation within a species of bacteria or virus — and different serotypes emerge during different peak seasons, said Preshila Samaraweera, consultant community physician at NDCU. However, since 2017, when Sri Lanka experienced one of its major dengue outbreaks resulting in more than 186,000 suspected&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/sri-lanka-intensifies-fight-against-dengue-and-the-mosquitos-that-cause-the-infection/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/sri-lanka-intensifies-fight-against-dengue-and-the-mosquitos-that-cause-the-infection/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-322305</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Tiwi rangers eradicate invasive tropical fire ants in Australia’s Melville Island</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rangers-eradicate-invasive-tropical-fire-ants-in-australias-tiwi-islands/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rangers-eradicate-invasive-tropical-fire-ants-in-australias-tiwi-islands/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jun 2026 19:31:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nick Rodway]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/22184547/Solenopsis_geminata_Francois-Brassard_LR-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321598</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous-led conservation]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Australia and Oceania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation Solutions, Indigenous Peoples, Insects, Sea Turtles, Seabirds, and Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[DERBY, Australia — While Spanish sailors packed in dirt to stabilize the bottom of ships sailing from the Americas in the 16th century, they were unaware that they were also helping tiny stowaways aboard. Research suggests that tropical fire ants sailed across the Pacific Ocean, joining Europeans over the centuries as they landed and colonized [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[DERBY, Australia — While Spanish sailors packed in dirt to stabilize the bottom of ships sailing from the Americas in the 16th century, they were unaware that they were also helping tiny stowaways aboard. Research suggests that tropical fire ants sailed across the Pacific Ocean, joining Europeans over the centuries as they landed and colonized landmasses across the world. Then, in the early 2000s, tropical fire ants (Solenopsis geminata) were detected on Melville Island in the Tiwi Islands, a picturesque archipelago off the coast of Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory. Here, they were able to flourish, according to researchers, and have since become naturalized in parts of the Australian tropics while dominating the environment, eating small mammals, and potentially deterring nesting birds. “The ants have a huge impact on native birds and animals on the Tiwi Islands,” said Stanley Tipungwuti, a ranger on the islands where most identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. But after two decades of effort, and the work of the Tiwi Ranger team, tropical fire ants are deemed no more on Merville Island: In 2025, the species was completely eradicated, according to Ben Hoffmann, who was part of the eradication program from its inception. That same year, the Tiwi Island Rangers received the Territory Indigenous Natural Resource Management Award in Darwin for their efforts. The Tiwi Rangers were the 2025 winners of the Territory NRM Indigenous Natural Resource Management Award. Image by the Territory Natural Resource Management Award, supplied by Tiwi Resources. Hoffmann, principal research&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rangers-eradicate-invasive-tropical-fire-ants-in-australias-tiwi-islands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rangers-eradicate-invasive-tropical-fire-ants-in-australias-tiwi-islands/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321598</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>South African authorities thwart smuggling of 150 venomous scorpions, arrest man</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/south-african-authorities-thwart-smuggling-of-150-venomous-scorpions-arrest-man/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/south-african-authorities-thwart-smuggling-of-150-venomous-scorpions-arrest-man/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Jun 2026 13:42:14 +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/20/2026/06/18155148/Scorpion3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321452</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, South Africa, and Southern Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Arachnids, Conservation, Crime, Environmental Law, Illegal Trade, Invertebrates, Law, Pet Trade, Pets, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[South African police arrested a 28-year-old man at Cape Town International Airport on June 12, 2026. Inside his luggage, tucked between his clothing, authorities discovered 150 live venomous scorpions. Each one was individually wrapped in a clear plastic bag, like candies at a supermarket It’s not known where the alleged smuggler intended to take the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[South African police arrested a 28-year-old man at Cape Town International Airport on June 12, 2026. Inside his luggage, tucked between his clothing, authorities discovered 150 live venomous scorpions. Each one was individually wrapped in a clear plastic bag, like candies at a supermarket It’s not known where the alleged smuggler intended to take the scorpions or for what purpose. An intelligence-led operation targeted the suspect: Authorities acted on a tip about a man in possession of wildlife. The bust was conducted by the Kuilsriver Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit, a special police force, in collaboration with CapeNature, a government agency tasked with environmental protection in the Western Cape. Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg told local media that he was arrested on suspicion of being in “possession of a wild animal under the Nature and Environmental Ordinance Act.” An investigation into the case is ongoing. The commercial value of the seized scorpions is yet to be determined, authorities said. The rescued scorpions are being cared for by the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. In a social media statement, the animal rescue organization said they are ensuring the arachnids receive proper care, and they will try to return them “to their place of origin where possible.” The seized scorpions are being cared for at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. Image courtesy of Cape of Good Hope SPCA/Facebook. Scorpion trade, like other wildlife, is booming The planet is home to more than 2,900 scorpion species; only 25-30 have venom, a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/south-african-authorities-thwart-smuggling-of-150-venomous-scorpions-arrest-man/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/south-african-authorities-thwart-smuggling-of-150-venomous-scorpions-arrest-man/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321452</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How a popular spaghetti dish is threatening Italy’s marine ecosystem</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-a-popular-spaghetti-dish-is-threatening-italys-marine-ecosystem/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-a-popular-spaghetti-dish-is-threatening-italys-marine-ecosystem/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jun 2026 17:47:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manuela Callari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rebecca Kessler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/16113722/Riccio_Viola_URCHIN-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321286</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Europe, European Union, and Italy]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Consumption, Crime, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Food, Food Industry, Illegal Fishing, Invertebrates, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Overconsumption, Overfishing, Surveillance, Tourism, Wildlife, and Wildlife consumption]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[NAPLES — On a warm, moonlit night in May, Maurizio Simeone sat in an ambush at his desk about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Naples, Italy. The marine scientist and director of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Gaiola Underwater Park was watching the grainy live feed from cameras surveilling the MPA as poachers descended [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[NAPLES — On a warm, moonlit night in May, Maurizio Simeone sat in an ambush at his desk about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Naples, Italy. The marine scientist and director of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Gaiola Underwater Park was watching the grainy live feed from cameras surveilling the MPA as poachers descended on the seafloor. “It was midnight. Here they were again,” Simeone told Mongabay. The poachers had come a few nights before to scout the area. Then a second time. This time, Simeone was waiting for them. He rushed to alert the Coast Guard. The poachers operated with ruthless efficiency, using a dangerous illegal method known as the hookah system. A compressor on a small boat pumps air through a hose to a diver, allowing them to stay underwater for hours and systematically strip the seabed. Every 20 minutes, the diver resurfaced to hand over a net full of purple sea urchins (Paracentrotus lividus), grab an empty net and then dive back down. When the authorities moved in, the two men on the boat began dumping hundreds of sea urchins and their gear into the sea, as the diver quickly resurfaced. The three men were old acquaintances of Simeone’s. “They are repeat offenders. It’s not the first time we’ve caught them,” Simeone said. Illegally harvested sea urchins seized in July 2024. Image courtesy of Maurizio Simeone. During a previous bust a year earlier, the vessel was apprehended with a staggering haul: 976 sea urchins pulled from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-a-popular-spaghetti-dish-is-threatening-italys-marine-ecosystem/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-a-popular-spaghetti-dish-is-threatening-italys-marine-ecosystem/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321286</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Australian authorities seize 100,000 live cockroaches in crackdown on exotic insect trade</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/australian-authorities-seize-100000-live-cockroaches-in-crackdown-on-exotic-insect-trade/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/australian-authorities-seize-100000-live-cockroaches-in-crackdown-on-exotic-insect-trade/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jun 2026 19:11:19 +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/20/2026/06/15145844/4282167421_06254f145e_3k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321200</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Australia, East Africa, Madagascar, and Oceania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Crime, Environmental Law, Illegal Trade, Insects, Invertebrates, Law, Law Enforcement, Pet Trade, Pets, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On June 5, Australian authorities announced that they confiscated more than 100,000 live exotic cockroaches from an unnamed commercial breeder in Bathurst, a town in New South Wales (NSW), about 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Sydney. It was the largest bust of illegal invertebrates ever made in the country. The insects were estimated to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On June 5, Australian authorities announced that they confiscated more than 100,000 live exotic cockroaches from an unnamed commercial breeder in Bathurst, a town in New South Wales (NSW), about 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Sydney. It was the largest bust of illegal invertebrates ever made in the country. The insects were estimated to be worth about AU$200,000 (about $140,000 at current exchange rates). They included dubia cockroaches (Blaptica dubia), endemic to South America, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) found only in the island nation of Madagascar. They were bred to be sold as food for pet reptiles, authorities said. Hissing cockroaches are also sought after as pets since they don’t have wings and can’t fly away. No one has been charged with a crime, according to a statement by an environment agency spokesperson. Australia has strict biosecurity laws, permitting live import of only certain animal species; controls are needed to effectively protect crops, plants and native wildlife. The legally-imported list excludes exotic insects like cockroaches that can become invasive or spread diseases “We’re seeing illegal breeding and trading of exotic cockroaches, and we’re putting pet businesses and pet owners on notice,” a spokesperson from the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, the agency responsible for environmental protection, said in a press release. “If you are found to possess, breed or trade exotic cockroaches such as dubia cockroaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches, they will be seized and you could face penalties under federal law.” Officials&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/australian-authorities-seize-100000-live-cockroaches-in-crackdown-on-exotic-insect-trade/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/australian-authorities-seize-100000-live-cockroaches-in-crackdown-on-exotic-insect-trade/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321200</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>Heat, fires and agribusiness squeeze traditional Amazon açaí harvesters</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/heat-fires-and-agribusiness-squeeze-traditional-amazon-acai-harvesters/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/heat-fires-and-agribusiness-squeeze-traditional-amazon-acai-harvesters/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Apr 2026 07:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carla Ruas]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandre de Santi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/23204151/e.-GP0STPODX_Low-res-800px-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318072</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Bees, Bioeconomy, Climate, Climate Change, Conservation, Crops, Drought, El Nino, Environment, Farming, Fires, Food, Forests, Heatwave, Indigenous Peoples, Monocultures, Rainforests, and Weather]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The global craze for açaí is driving a plantation boom that leaves the forest’s original harvesters behind.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[ACARÁ, Brazil — “I’ve spent my whole life working with açaí,” said Eliseu Carvalho, 57, who cultivates the berry in a floodplain area next to his home in the municipality of Acará, in the Brazilian state of Pará. “I’ve always made a living from it.” But after a devastating wildfire near his community, Carvalho is now considering abandoning açaí harvesting altogether. Acará is one of the most productive açaí regions in the state of Pará, with thousands of small-scale producers working in forest patches and along riverbanks. In 2024, the municipality was severely affected by an intense wildfire season. More than 18 million hectares (44.5 million acres) — an area the size of Cambodia — burned in the Amazon that year, according to the Brazilian collaborative research network MapBiomas. Most of the burning occurred in forest areas, threatening frontline communities. Carvalho said he watched the flames burn for more than 20 days and consume almost 30 hectares (74 acres) of forestland. Prolonged drought conditions had left the humid vegetation unusually dry, leaving it much more susceptible to fire. “The flames spread through roots and organic matter,” he told Mongabay in Acará. “We would put them out on the surface, but they kept burning underground.” Açaí farmer Eliseu Carvalho shows his land in Acará, where a devastating wildfire burned down their açaí production in 2024. Image by Carla Ruas. When firefighters and volunteers finally managed to control the fire, about 2 hectares (5 acres) of açaí palms had burned to the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/heat-fires-and-agribusiness-squeeze-traditional-amazon-acai-harvesters/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/heat-fires-and-agribusiness-squeeze-traditional-amazon-acai-harvesters/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-318072</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Thomas J. Walker studied the songs of crickets and katydids</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/thomas-j-walker-studied-the-songs-of-crickets-and-katydids/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/thomas-j-walker-studied-the-songs-of-crickets-and-katydids/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Apr 2026 12:38:26 +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/20/2026/04/17123030/thomas-j-walker-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=317632</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Insects, Invertebrates, and Obituary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Late summer evenings in much of North America carry a particular kind of insistence. It comes not from anything visible, but from a steady, patterned sound: a rasp, a pulse, a sequence that seems at once mechanical and expressive. For generations it was treated as background, a seasonal accompaniment to heat and dusk. Yet for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Late summer evenings in much of North America carry a particular kind of insistence. It comes not from anything visible, but from a steady, patterned sound: a rasp, a pulse, a sequence that seems at once mechanical and expressive. For generations it was treated as background, a seasonal accompaniment to heat and dusk. Yet for those who listened more closely, the sound suggested something else—a system, perhaps even a language, shaped by anatomy but not wholly explained by it. Understanding that gap—between structure and performance, between what could be seen and what had to be heard—became a life’s work for Thomas J. Walker, an entomologist who approached insects not simply as specimens but as part of an acoustic world. He died on April 8th 2026, aged 94. He was born in 1931 in Dyersburg, Tennessee, and raised on a farm during the Depression. The setting was unremarkable in one sense; many naturalists trace their beginnings to such places. But the combination of agricultural routine and long hours outdoors left him attentive to patterns that others ignored. Boy Scouts and farm work provided structure, though not direction. That came later, through formal study, first at the University of Tennessee and then at Ohio State University, where he completed a doctorate in entomology. Walker joined the University of Florida in 1957 and remained there for more than four decades. His academic titles changed—assistant professor, then professor, and eventually professor emeritus—but his interests remained consistent. He focused on insect ecology, behavior and systematics,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/thomas-j-walker-studied-the-songs-of-crickets-and-katydids/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/thomas-j-walker-studied-the-songs-of-crickets-and-katydids/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-317632</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Works on planned luxury resort on Pemba island go ahead despite concerns</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/works-on-planned-luxury-resort-on-pemba-island-go-ahead-despite-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/works-on-planned-luxury-resort-on-pemba-island-go-ahead-despite-concerns/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Mar 2026 16:39:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Victoria Schneider]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/10163217/9B-Road-building-VC-scaled-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=315515</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Corporate Social Responsibility, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Green, Insects, Islands, Mammals, Rainforests, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Earlier this year, workers built a concrete perimeter wall for a planned resort on Pemba Island off the coast of Tanzania. There’s scant public information about the Mantuli development, but the wall is just a few hundred meters west of the 1,440-hectare (3,558-acre) Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve, where scientists have identified more than 80 new [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Earlier this year, workers built a concrete perimeter wall for a planned resort on Pemba Island off the coast of Tanzania. There’s scant public information about the Mantuli development, but the wall is just a few hundred meters west of the 1,440-hectare (3,558-acre) Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve, where scientists have identified more than 80 new species of plants in recent years — some of which they fear would be driven to extinction by the development. According to a noticeboard near the forest and plans previously published on the website of South Africa-based Acoarch Architects, the luxury resort’s chalets, pools, fitness center and coffee lounge will stretch along 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) of Vumawimbi Beach, denying residents of nearby Makangale village access to the sea. Some of the online content has since been removed, and the architecture firm didn’t respond to Mongabay’s inquiries. Tim Caro is an evolutionary ecologist who has conducted research in the area and is a member of U.K.-registered charity Friends of Ngezi, which works with communities and promotes conservation of the forest. He said around a third of Makangale residents are involved in fishing, launching their boats from Vumawimbi Beach, which is also a popular recreational spot for island residents. &#8220;According to weekly reports we receive from members of the community, the perimeter wall blocks Makangale villagers&#8217; access to their fishing sites, to the graves of their ancestors, to their football field, and to paths to other villages,&#8221; a representative of Friends of Ngezi told Mongabay&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/works-on-planned-luxury-resort-on-pemba-island-go-ahead-despite-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/works-on-planned-luxury-resort-on-pemba-island-go-ahead-despite-concerns/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-315515</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Insects are moving pharmaceutical pollutants from rivers to land; risks unknown</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/insects-are-moving-pharmaceutical-pollutants-from-rivers-to-land-risks-unknown/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/insects-are-moving-pharmaceutical-pollutants-from-rivers-to-land-risks-unknown/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Feb 2026 15:59:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean Mowbray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/13093317/Image_2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314235</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Planetary Boundaries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Freshwater, Health, Insects, Planetary Health, Poisoning, Pollution, Public Health, Waste, Water Pollution, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Pharmaceuticals that people globally rely on for daily health — including antibiotics, antidepressants and painkillers — are entering ecosystems via wastewater, posing poorly understood risks. Once there, aquatic insects can accumulate these chemical contaminants, with their predators transporting them back onto land, raising concern among scientists. A recent paper found that a host of pharmaceuticals [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Pharmaceuticals that people globally rely on for daily health — including antibiotics, antidepressants and painkillers — are entering ecosystems via wastewater, posing poorly understood risks. Once there, aquatic insects can accumulate these chemical contaminants, with their predators transporting them back onto land, raising concern among scientists. A recent paper found that a host of pharmaceuticals can accumulate in winged species such as caddisflies and mayflies at different life stages, with the quantity varying among species. The paper’s first author, Marek Let, from the University of South Bohemia, says pharmaceutical pollution might not be as concerning as pesticide contaminants because medical drugs are generally found in low concentrations. But he adds that some pharmaceutical compounds can be incredibly toxic. These include sertraline (the active ingredient of the commonly prescribed antidepressant Zoloft), which his study found can bioamplify in caddisflies, increasing in concentration as the insect passes through its life cycle. Other antidepressants, including norsertraline and venlafaxine (the active ingredient in the popular prescription drug Effexor), as well as theophylline (prescribed to treat asthma symptoms) also bioamplify in caddisflies. A wastewater discharge pipe. Even when wastewater is treated it can still contain pollutants, including pharmaceuticals. So building more wastewater treatment plants is not the optimal solution, Previšić says. “Our input needs to be reduced.” Image by U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). “This study also proves that the pharmaceuticals do not stay in the water, and they can be emitted into the terrestrial environment and contaminate some terrestrial predators,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/insects-are-moving-pharmaceutical-pollutants-from-rivers-to-land-risks-unknown/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/insects-are-moving-pharmaceutical-pollutants-from-rivers-to-land-risks-unknown/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-314235</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Citizen science rediscovers rare South African moth</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/citizen-science-rediscovers-rare-south-african-moth/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/citizen-science-rediscovers-rare-south-african-moth/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Feb 2026 13:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ryan Truscott]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/11114336/Drepanogynis-insciata-Cameron-Scott-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314094</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, South Africa, and Southern Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Citizen Science, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Grasslands, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Insects, Moths, Rediscovered Species, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A strikingly handsome emerald-green moth, lost to science for nearly one-and-a-half centuries, has been rediscovered in South Africa by citizen scientists who posted photographs of it online. The moth, Drepanogynis insciata, whose body and wing margins look as though they’ve been stained with red wine, was thought to be extinct. The species hadn’t been recorded [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A strikingly handsome emerald-green moth, lost to science for nearly one-and-a-half centuries, has been rediscovered in South Africa by citizen scientists who posted photographs of it online. The moth, Drepanogynis insciata, whose body and wing margins look as though they’ve been stained with red wine, was thought to be extinct. The species hadn’t been recorded since two male specimens were collected near the Western Cape town of Swellendam around 1875. Scientists only knew of the moth from those two faded specimens, which are kept in London’s Natural History Museum. However, according to a recent article in ZooKeys, a dozen separate sightings were recorded in four different locations between 2020 and 2023 and uploaded onto iNaturalist, the citizen science website. They were the first photographs ever taken of live specimens. Male specimens of Drepanogynis insciata have now been observed in the Gondwana Private Nature Reserve on four occasions. Image courtesy of Mikael Englund. Screenshot of iNaturalist page showing pictures of D. insciata. When the first of those photographs, taken by Cameron Scott in the Gondwana Private Game Reserve, around 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of Swellendam, was uploaded to the site in September 2020, South African lepidopterist Hermann Staude got a tip-off about his intriguing picture. “I looked, and there it was — insciata — [a] living animal,” Staude told Mongabay. “That was quite an incredible feeling, to all of a sudden see something that you thought might have been extinct.” Staude asked Scott to catch a moth if he saw&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/citizen-science-rediscovers-rare-south-african-moth/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/citizen-science-rediscovers-rare-south-african-moth/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-314094</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Pesticides found in 70% of European soils, harming beneficial life: Study</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/pesticides-found-in-70-of-european-soils-harming-beneficial-life-study/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/pesticides-found-in-70-of-european-soils-harming-beneficial-life-study/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Feb 2026 19:29:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/06190852/header-Plump_Springtail_iNat_105831052_-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313903</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Europe]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agrochemicals, Chemicals, Environment, Fungi, Green, Insects, Pesticides, and Soil Carbon]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For farmers, sometimes the easiest way to save a crop or prevent catastrophic insect damage is to spray a pesticide. But this common practice is wreaking havoc on the soil, according to new research published recently in the journal Nature. The study examined soil from 26 European countries, finding that pesticide contamination is widespread beyond [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For farmers, sometimes the easiest way to save a crop or prevent catastrophic insect damage is to spray a pesticide. But this common practice is wreaking havoc on the soil, according to new research published recently in the journal Nature. The study examined soil from 26 European countries, finding that pesticide contamination is widespread beyond agricultural lands and substantially damages the beneficial soil organisms essential for healthy ecosystems. Researchers found pesticide residues in 70% of the 373 soil samples collected from agricultural fields, grasslands and forests. The contamination emerged as the second-strongest factor shaping soil biodiversity patterns, surpassed only by basic soil properties like texture and pH. &#8220;This contamination has a major impact on various beneficial soil organisms, such as mycorrhizal fungi and nematodes, impairing their biodiversity,&#8221; Marcel van der Heijden, a professor at the University of Zurich&#8217;s Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and one of the study&#8217;s lead authors, said in a statement. Mycorrhizal fungi form partnerships with the roots of plants and generally help plants obtain minerals and water from soil. Image by Wilhelm Zimmerling PAR via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Mycorrhizal fungi, which form partnerships with plant roots to help crops absorb water and nutrients, were among the organisms most affected by pesticide exposure. The fungicide bixafen, commonly used to combat harmful fungi on cereal crops, proved especially damaging to multiple types of soil organisms studied. The harmful effects of pesticides on birds, bees and other insects have been well documented. However, impacts on soil&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/pesticides-found-in-70-of-european-soils-harming-beneficial-life-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/pesticides-found-in-70-of-european-soils-harming-beneficial-life-study/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-313903</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>An inventory of life in California</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/an-inventory-of-life-in-california/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/an-inventory-of-life-in-california/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jan 2026 23:50:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/06234519/ca_huddart_park_180107197-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=312680</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, North America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Citizen Science, Conservation, DNA, Ecology, Environment, Fungi, Green, Insects, Invertebrates, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[&#160; Why Mongabay is reporting on California’s biodiversity Mongabay’s coverage of biodiversity has long been associated with tropical forests and far-flung frontiers. Yet California—wealthy, populous, and intensively studied—presents a different kind of challenge. It is one of the planet’s biodiversity hotspots, and yet much of its life remains undocumented, unnamed, and unaccounted for. That contradiction [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[&nbsp; Why Mongabay is reporting on California’s biodiversity Mongabay’s coverage of biodiversity has long been associated with tropical forests and far-flung frontiers. Yet California—wealthy, populous, and intensively studied—presents a different kind of challenge. It is one of the planet’s biodiversity hotspots, and yet much of its life remains undocumented, unnamed, and unaccounted for. That contradiction sits at the heart of the California All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (CalATBI), a statewide effort to catalogue life before it disappears. Over the past several months, Mongabay has reported on CalATBI and its partners as they attempt something unusually comprehensive: to build a verifiable, statewide baseline robust enough to support decades of future decisions. What follows draws on Mongabay’s reporting on insects, fungi, museum collections, and field science in California. It is not a catalogue of threats, nor a tour of charismatic species. It is a portrait of an infrastructure project—scientific, institutional, and human—designed to answer a basic question that turns out to be surprisingly hard to settle: what lives here? Discovering what still lives here &nbsp; California has never lacked for ambition. Its 20th-century infrastructure projects—like dams, aqueducts, and freeways—are known for their scale and confidence. CalATBI belongs to that lineage, though its raw material is not concrete or steel, but beetles, spores, DNA fragments, and pinned moths. The premise is straightforward. California cannot protect what it has not documented. Despite centuries of natural history, thousands of species remain undescribed, particularly among insects, fungi, and soil organisms. Many exist only as fleeting presences, active for&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/an-inventory-of-life-in-california/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/an-inventory-of-life-in-california/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-312680</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘I’m proud to be the first published Asháninka researcher’: Richar Antonio Demetrio on bees</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/im-proud-to-be-the-first-published-ashaninka-researcher-richar-antonio-demetrio-on-bees/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/im-proud-to-be-the-first-published-ashaninka-researcher-richar-antonio-demetrio-on-bees/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jan 2026 20:42:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Xilena Pinedo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/02202653/Richar-Demetrio-4-e1767386534375-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=312570</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Bees, Biodiversity, Conservation, Culture, Earth Science, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Rainforests, Science, and Traditional Knowledge]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Indigenous Asháninka belief, bees were once spirits in human form. Stories tell of a woman who enjoyed making masato, a traditional Amazonian fermented beverage. Every day, she would boil and mash the yuca, patiently fermenting it and offering the drink to whoever stopped by. Whole families would go and sit to drink it. The [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Indigenous Asháninka belief, bees were once spirits in human form. Stories tell of a woman who enjoyed making masato, a traditional Amazonian fermented beverage. Every day, she would boil and mash the yuca, patiently fermenting it and offering the drink to whoever stopped by. Whole families would go and sit to drink it. The woman made more and the masato never ran out. Word spread throughout the forest until it reached Avireri, the god of creation, who went to the community to see the woman with his own eyes. He tried the masato and waited for it to run out, but it never did. Intrigued, the god looked at her and asked, “Why does your masato never run out? I’d better turn you into a bee.” Thus, the legend goes, stingless bees were born, destined from that moment on to make the sweetest honey in the Peruvian Amazon. Richar Antonio Demetrio had to leave his community in search of better formal educational opportunities, but he returned to study their knowledge using scientific methods. Image courtesy of Richar Antonio Demetrio. This story, which has been passed down from generation to generation among the more than 50,000 Asháninka who currently live in Peru, is now enshrined in a scientific paper. Published in the journal Ethnobiology and Conservation in March 2025, the study documents, for the first time, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) about stingless bees in two communities of the central Peruvian rainforest, Marontoari and Pichiquia. The study reveals that Asháninka communities&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/im-proud-to-be-the-first-published-ashaninka-researcher-richar-antonio-demetrio-on-bees/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/im-proud-to-be-the-first-published-ashaninka-researcher-richar-antonio-demetrio-on-bees/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-312570</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Deep-sea mining interests raise alarms among Mariana Trench communities</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/deep-sea-mining-interests-raise-alarms-among-mariana-trench-communities/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/deep-sea-mining-interests-raise-alarms-among-mariana-trench-communities/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Dec 2025 16:02:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elizabeth Claire Alberts]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/10140058/o.-Sea-Cucumber-Ocean-Exploration-Trusts-cam1_20250516105916-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=311050</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Pacific Ocean and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Critical Minerals, Deep Sea, Deep Sea Mining, Ecosystems, Environment, Governance, Invertebrates, Marine, Mining, Oceans, and Regulations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[U.S.-led plans to mine the deep seabed have gained momentum since President Donald Trump signed an executive order that called for the industry’s rapid formation to bolster U.S. national security. One recent development emerged in November, when U.S. agency Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) signaled its intent to open offshore areas of the Commonwealth [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[U.S.-led plans to mine the deep seabed have gained momentum since President Donald Trump signed an executive order that called for the industry’s rapid formation to bolster U.S. national security. One recent development emerged in November, when U.S. agency Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) signaled its intent to open offshore areas of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) — an area known to harbor mineral-rich seamounts, hydrothermal vents and abyssal plains — to deep-sea mineral exploration and development. On Nov. 12, BOEM issued a request for information, or RFI, which indicated its interest in offering mineral rights to companies through lease agreements along the CNMI’s outer continental shelf, a process that could eventually allow commercial mining to proceed on CNMI’s deep seabed. The publication of the RFI included the opening of a 30-day public comment period. Yet several government officials in both the CNMI and the neighboring island nation of Guam — both of which are U.S. territories that could be directly affected by deep-sea mining in the region — have raised concerns about the brief window they’ve been given to respond to BOEM’s proposal. Some local residents are also pushing back against the proposal, arguing that deep-sea mining would irreversibly damage the marine environment, while disregarding the community’s deep cultural connection to the ocean. If seabed mining does go ahead in the region, critics say it would become another form of colonial exploitation in a region already heavily used by the United States for commercial and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/deep-sea-mining-interests-raise-alarms-among-mariana-trench-communities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/deep-sea-mining-interests-raise-alarms-among-mariana-trench-communities/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-311050</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Warmer climate triggers pest infestations in Bangladesh, India tea estates</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/warmer-climate-triggers-pest-infestations-in-bangladesh-india-tea-estates/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/warmer-climate-triggers-pest-infestations-in-bangladesh-india-tea-estates/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Dec 2025 06:55:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sadiqur Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abu Siddique]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Food systems]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/05145135/tea-looper-moth-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310646</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, India, South Asia, and Sri Lanka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Conservation, Crops, Environment, Food, Food Industry, food security, Human-wildlife Conflict, Industrial Agriculture, Insects, Plantations, Research, Temperatures, Weather, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The extended summers, delayed monsoons and shorter winters — collectively featuring a warmer climate — are triggering pest infestations across tea estates in Bangladesh and India. Entomologists have observed significant growth of several pests, including red spider mites (Oligonychus coffeae) and thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis), which were minor in the tea gardens even a decade ago. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The extended summers, delayed monsoons and shorter winters — collectively featuring a warmer climate — are triggering pest infestations across tea estates in Bangladesh and India. Entomologists have observed significant growth of several pests, including red spider mites (Oligonychus coffeae) and thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis), which were minor in the tea gardens even a decade ago. Moreover, rising temperatures have contributed to the reemergence of the devastating looper caterpillars (Biston suppressaria) in many tea gardens. Tea (Camellia sinensis) plants are known to be vulnerable to attack from insects, mites and nematode pests. Tea plantation researchers in Bangladesh and India (the world’s second&#8211;largest tea producer) have rung the warning bell, stating that tea mosquito bugs (Helopeltis theivora), red coffee borers (Zeuzera coffeae), green weevils (Hypomeces pulviger) and red slug caterpillars (Eterusia aedea) are booming in tea estates, in addition to red spider mites, thrips and looper caterpillars. Bangladesh Tea Research Institute’s principal scientific officer in the Entomology Division, Mohammad Shameem Al Mamun, tells Mongabay, “Due to rising temperatures, pest infestation is increasing as well as pest status is changing.” Based on local meteorological data, the Bangladesh Tea Association estimates that the average maximum temperatures (daytime) slightly reduced from 33.9° Celsius (93° Fahrenheit) to 31.2°C (88.2°F), but the minimum temperatures (nighttime) rose from roughly 16°C (61°F) to 20.7°C (69.3°F) in the Sylhet region between 2011 and 2024. A pair of green weevils (Hypomeces pulviger). Image by Ian Jacobs via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0). (Left) A red spider mite-infested tea leaf. (Right) Green weevil-infested&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/warmer-climate-triggers-pest-infestations-in-bangladesh-india-tea-estates/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/warmer-climate-triggers-pest-infestations-in-bangladesh-india-tea-estates/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-310646</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Another threat to reefs: Microplastic chemicals may harm coral reproduction</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/another-threat-to-reefs-microplastic-chemicals-may-harm-coral-reproduction/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/another-threat-to-reefs-microplastic-chemicals-may-harm-coral-reproduction/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Dec 2025 18:16:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kari Goodbar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/05181248/Goodbar-Photo-6-plastic-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310668</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Hawaii, Pacific Islands, Pacific Ocean, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Coral Reefs, Green, Invertebrates, Microplastics, Oceans, Plastic, Pollution, Waste, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the sliver of a new moon shines over Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu, millions of tiny orbs ascend from a reef and swirl in the water column. These spheres are bundles of coral eggs and sperm responding to lunar cycles and chemical cues in the water that tell them when to fertilize and where to settle [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the sliver of a new moon shines over Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu, millions of tiny orbs ascend from a reef and swirl in the water column. These spheres are bundles of coral eggs and sperm responding to lunar cycles and chemical cues in the water that tell them when to fertilize and where to settle down for their next phase of development. The Hawaiian archipelago’s position near the Pacific Garbage Patch means these bundles often share the water column with microplastics, nefarious little particles that may interfere with these natural chemical cues. Most previous research on corals and microplastics has focused on the effects on adult corals of ingesting or absorbing plastic particles. Few studies have addressed larval stages of coral development or the impact of water contaminated with plastic residue, known as leachate. A coral head in Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu. Image courtesy of Ocean Image Bank/Toby Matthews. The effects of leachate on coral reproduction are complex, according to coral biologist Keiko Wilkins, a researcher at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her most recent study, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, details how leachate affects two different phases of coral reproduction. “The effects that we’re seeing on the fertilization and the effects that we’re seeing on the larvae settling are very different,” Wilkins said. Corals reproduce sexually through one of two methods: spawning or brooding. Spawning coral species release eggs and sperm into the water for external fertilization, while brooding species release larvae that have already fertilized internally. Plastic&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/another-threat-to-reefs-microplastic-chemicals-may-harm-coral-reproduction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/another-threat-to-reefs-microplastic-chemicals-may-harm-coral-reproduction/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-310668</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Saving critical winter habitat for monarch butterflies may depend on buy-in from their human neighbors</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/saving-critical-winter-habitat-for-monarch-butterflies-may-depend-on-buy-in-from-their-human-neighbors/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/saving-critical-winter-habitat-for-monarch-butterflies-may-depend-on-buy-in-from-their-human-neighbors/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Dec 2025 13:39:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Claudia Steiner]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/03133322/Photo4_Monarch-butterfly-resting-on-a-plant-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310462</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Central America, Latin America, Mesoamerica, and Mexico]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Butterflies, Community Forests, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Green, Insects, Invertebrates, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) population has plummeted by 80% to 95% since the 1990s, depending on the region and monitoring method. A major cause of the species’ decline is deforestation in central Mexico, where eastern monarchs spend the colder winter months of their annual migration from Canada and the northern United States. Since 1980, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) population has plummeted by 80% to 95% since the 1990s, depending on the region and monitoring method. A major cause of the species’ decline is deforestation in central Mexico, where eastern monarchs spend the colder winter months of their annual migration from Canada and the northern United States. Since 1980, the Mexican government has worked to conserve critical winter monarch habitat by cracking down on logging, one of the leading causes of habitat degradation. They ultimately designated 563 square kilometers (217 square miles) of forest as the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, banning logging, hunting, and foraging in certain locations and restricting it in others. Mountains in central/southern Mexico. Photo by José López-García The project has yielded mixed results for the habitat, however, with logging continuing in some areas despite the prohibition. To understand why, a team of researchers studied the protection of the forest with a focus on how the involvement of the local communities affected conservation outcomes in the Reserve over a 50-year period. The study, published in Environmental Conservation, demonstrates that community buy-in can make or break a conservation project. “People must be consulted in order for the conservation strategy to be successful,” said study co-author Gustavo Cruz-Bello, an ecologist and social scientist at the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City. Oyamel fir trees. Photo by José López-García The Reserve represents a complex web of human and natural interdependence. Monarchs rely on the oyamel fir forest in the mountains of the Michoacán and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/saving-critical-winter-habitat-for-monarch-butterflies-may-depend-on-buy-in-from-their-human-neighbors/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/saving-critical-winter-habitat-for-monarch-butterflies-may-depend-on-buy-in-from-their-human-neighbors/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-310462</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Octopuses use their arms to sense and respond to microbiomes on the seafloor</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/octopuses-use-their-arms-to-sense-and-respond-to-microbiomes-on-the-seafloor/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/octopuses-use-their-arms-to-sense-and-respond-to-microbiomes-on-the-seafloor/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Dec 2025 13:01:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pepper St. Clair]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/29164711/Stclair_octopuses_and_microbes_2-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310384</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Animals, Biodiversity, Environment, Green, Invertebrates, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From the beginning of life on Earth, microbes, small but influential single-celled organisms, have shaped the environment that animals must adapt to in order to survive. Distinct microbial populations, known as microbiomes, inhabit nearly every surface on Earth. Now scientists have found that octopuses can detect signals from the microbiomes they encounter, revealing one of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From the beginning of life on Earth, microbes, small but influential single-celled organisms, have shaped the environment that animals must adapt to in order to survive. Distinct microbial populations, known as microbiomes, inhabit nearly every surface on Earth. Now scientists have found that octopuses can detect signals from the microbiomes they encounter, revealing one of the ways these cephalopods navigate their environment. Humans can also detect signs of microbial activity, such as when we smell that meat has gone bad or milk has spoiled. But we can’t sense those microbes by touch. Octopuses, on the other hand, touch and taste the world with their arms, which collectively have more neurons than their central brain. Those arms are also lined with chemotactile receptors, which enable them to reflexively react to specific chemical signals from microbiomes as they explore their environment, according to research published recently in Cell. The California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides). Photo by Anik Grearson. Microbes have long been known to influence internal animal development, disease, and digestion. To explore whether the microbiomes in our environment also shape external animal behavior, a team led by biologist Rebecka Sepela, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, chose as their subject the octopus — an animal that does a lot of exploring by touch. “There&#8217;s a huge interest in this right now. From human biology to animal biology, from agriculture to medicine,” said Spencer Nyholm, an invertebrate zoologist and microbiologist at the University of Connecticut, who was not involved&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/octopuses-use-their-arms-to-sense-and-respond-to-microbiomes-on-the-seafloor/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/octopuses-use-their-arms-to-sense-and-respond-to-microbiomes-on-the-seafloor/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-310384</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Amazon&#8217;s stingless bee propolis shows potent healing power, studies show</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/amazons-stingless-bee-propolis-shows-potent-healing-power-studies-show/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/amazons-stingless-bee-propolis-shows-potent-healing-power-studies-show/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Dec 2025 07:30:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lucas Berti]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandre de Santi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/12142842/153800040o-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=309389</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Bees, Biodiversity, Bioeconomy, Business, Conservation, Environment, Pollinators, Rainforests, Reforestation, Sustainability, Traditional Knowledge, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Fueled by açaí flowers, a bee's resin once used for war wounds is now evolving as a new ingredient for cosmetics.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Açaí’s deep purple pulp is widely considered a “superfood” for its antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. The berry grows naturally in the Amazon and has become a star for the rainforest’s bioeconomy, reaping more than $1 billion worldwide. Now, a growing body of research is showing that its antioxidant properties are not exclusive to the berry and are also present in its neighbors. A study by scientists from Brazil’s agricultural research company, Embrapa, in partnership with the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), has shed light on the pharmaceutical potential of a cream formulated with propolis produced by native Amazonian stingless honeybees, known as meliponines. The experts identified healing and anti-inflammatory properties of substances sourced from the propolis (a resinous substance collected by honeybees from tree buds, used by them to fill crevices and to seal and varnish honeycombs) of the species Scaptotrigona aff. postica, popularly known in the northern Brazilian region and nearby areas as abelha-canudo. According to the findings, dermatological tests showed results comparable to those of healing ointments available in average cosmetic markets, giving positive perspectives for the creation of by-products. “The propolis-based cream directly influenced the lesion maturation process and exhibited a milder inflammatory response,” according to the study, published in October 2024, while describing that “biopharmaceuticals such as propolis-based creams offer advantages such as minimal side effects, low chemical residues, and negligible preservatives.” Despite being far less numerous and well-known than their more famous stinging “cousins” — particularly for not producing honey in the same quantity and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/amazons-stingless-bee-propolis-shows-potent-healing-power-studies-show/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/amazons-stingless-bee-propolis-shows-potent-healing-power-studies-show/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-309389</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Inside California’s race to document its insects: A conversation with Chris Grinter</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/inside-californias-race-to-document-its-insects-a-conversation-with-chris-grinter/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/inside-californias-race-to-document-its-insects-a-conversation-with-chris-grinter/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Nov 2025 21:08:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/20055234/cas-Chris_Grinter_Kathryn_WhitneyCCalifornia_Academy_of_Sciences-7098-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=308687</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Insects, Interviews, and Invertebrates]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Christopher C. Grinter has spent much of his life surrounded by insects, though not in the way most people imagine. As Senior Collection Manager of Entomology at the California Academy of Sciences, he oversees one of the world’s major scientific archives of insects, a record of life that stretches from the smallest moth to the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Christopher C. Grinter has spent much of his life surrounded by insects, though not in the way most people imagine. As Senior Collection Manager of Entomology at the California Academy of Sciences, he oversees one of the world’s major scientific archives of insects, a record of life that stretches from the smallest moth to the largest butterfly. His work helps support the California All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (CalATBI), an effort to document every species in the state before they vanish. Grinter’s fascination began far from California. Growing up in suburban Chicago, he watched butterflies drift through his backyard and wanted to know their names. “It all started with butterflies,” he says. His parents took him to a members’ night at the Field Museum, where he saw an insect collection for the first time. “I had my mind blown.” He began volunteering there, labeling and databasing specimens, and eventually joined scientists in the field. Butterflies led him to moths—far more numerous and largely unseen. “An urban backyard probably has at least a few species of microlepidoptera that still need a scientific name,” he says. Chris Grinter. Photo © California Academy of Sciences That early curiosity became a career in taxonomy and curation. When CalATBI launched, Grinter’s team received funding for large-scale fieldwork across California, collecting hundreds of thousands of insects and covering tens of thousands of miles. The scale of the effort was unlike anything seen in a generation. It produced both scientific treasure and the occasional misadventure—like the time their van&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/inside-californias-race-to-document-its-insects-a-conversation-with-chris-grinter/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/inside-californias-race-to-document-its-insects-a-conversation-with-chris-grinter/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-308687</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Turning outdoor exploration into environmental discovery: Gregg Treinish and the rise of Adventure Scientists</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/turning-outdoor-exploration-into-environmental-discovery-gregg-treinish-and-the-rise-of-adventure-scientists/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/turning-outdoor-exploration-into-environmental-discovery-gregg-treinish-and-the-rise-of-adventure-scientists/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Nov 2025 22:25:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/11173751/gregg-okavango-header-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=308688</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Citizen Science, Conservation, DNA, Environment, Insects, Interviews, Invertebrates, Research, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Some revolutions begin not with technology, but with a feeling. For Gregg Treinish, that feeling was guilt. He was spending years on long wilderness expeditions—crossing ranges, sleeping rough, watching the world’s edges—and began to wonder what any of it added up to. “I was spending years in the wilderness, doing long expeditions, and I began [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Some revolutions begin not with technology, but with a feeling. For Gregg Treinish, that feeling was guilt. He was spending years on long wilderness expeditions—crossing ranges, sleeping rough, watching the world’s edges—and began to wonder what any of it added up to. “I was spending years in the wilderness, doing long expeditions, and I began to feel selfish for being out there without making a difference,” he says. “I wanted to stay in the outdoors, but I also wanted my time to matter and to contribute to something bigger than myself.” Gregg Treinish in the Oakavango. National Geographic Society’s Okavango Wilderness Project carried out extensive exploration and data-collection across the Okavango River Basin — from the Angolan highlands through Namibia to the Okavango Delta in Botswana, producing one of the most detailed scientific baselines ever gathered for the ecosystem. Photo courtesy of Adventure Scientists. That reckoning became Adventure Scientists, an organization that mobilizes outdoor enthusiasts to collect data for research and conservation. Founded more than a decade ago, it has since grown from an idea scribbled between treks into an operation that partners with agencies, universities, and businesses to fill data gaps in biodiversity, climate, forests, and freshwater. Its volunteers—hikers, climbers, divers, paddlers—now deliver samples and observations that influence policy, corporate practices, and scientific understanding. Treinish insists the success of the project has little to do with personal brilliance. “I have no special skills as a scientist or as an adventurer,” he says. “That’s exactly why I believed this idea&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/turning-outdoor-exploration-into-environmental-discovery-gregg-treinish-and-the-rise-of-adventure-scientists/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/turning-outdoor-exploration-into-environmental-discovery-gregg-treinish-and-the-rise-of-adventure-scientists/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-308688</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>California’s grand insect census</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/californias-grand-insect-census/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/californias-grand-insect-census/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2025 00:20:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/28235544/desert_20240416_102834-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=308312</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Biology, Conservation, DNA, Endangered Species, Environment, Green, Insects, Interviews, Invertebrates, Surveying, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[California has a way of exaggerating things—mountains, deserts, and egos. But its insects? They take excess to another level. Somewhere between the redwoods and the Salton Sea live perhaps 60,000, maybe over 100,000 species. Nobody really knows. That’s the problem—and the provocation—behind the California Insect Barcode Initiative, a monumental effort to document them all, one [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[California has a way of exaggerating things—mountains, deserts, and egos. But its insects? They take excess to another level. Somewhere between the redwoods and the Salton Sea live perhaps 60,000, maybe over 100,000 species. Nobody really knows. That’s the problem—and the provocation—behind the California Insect Barcode Initiative, a monumental effort to document them all, one DNA sequence at a time. Austin Baker, a postdoctoral researcher at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, is leading the charge. His brief is almost absurdly ambitious: to collect, sequence, and catalog every insect species in the state. Every fly, ant, and beetle that hums, crawls, or burrows across the Golden State. “You could visit any vegetated area across that state and potentially collect several new (undiscovered and unnamed) insect species,” he says. Insect collection locations across California for the barcoding initiative. Points are colored by the ecoregion where the collection occurred. The task sounds Sisyphean. California’s habitats are diverse—fog-draped coasts, alpine forests, and blistering high deserts. Baker and his colleagues, working under the umbrella of the California All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (CalATBI), are sampling every ecoregion recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency. Each biome gets its turn. “We’ve decided to try to sample every ecoregion within the state using as many collecting techniques as we can,” Baker explains. And not just once. Many insects emerge only for a few fleeting weeks each year, so the team deploys passive traps that can sit in place for months, quietly filling with wings, legs, and data.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/californias-grand-insect-census/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/californias-grand-insect-census/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-308312</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>As Singapore heats up, pests are seeking refuge indoors</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/as-singapore-heats-up-pests-are-seeking-refuge-indoors/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/as-singapore-heats-up-pests-are-seeking-refuge-indoors/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Oct 2025 07:08:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Robin Hicks]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/09070714/Dorsal_view_of_Papilio_demoleus_Linnaeus_1758_%E2%80%93_Lime_Swallowtail_02-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=307253</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Singapore, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Animal Welfare, Cities, Climate, Climate Change, Conservation, Environment, Forests, Global Warming, Insects, Pesticides, Rodents, Temperatures, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SINGAPORE — Singapore’s reputation as one of the world’s cleanest cities is being put to the test by a surge in rodent and insect infestations that experts say is being fueled by climate change and heat stress. At Changi Airport, famous for its indoor gardens that embody the “City in Nature” image Singapore markets to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SINGAPORE — Singapore’s reputation as one of the world’s cleanest cities is being put to the test by a surge in rodent and insect infestations that experts say is being fueled by climate change and heat stress. At Changi Airport, famous for its indoor gardens that embody the “City in Nature” image Singapore markets to the world, lush plant displays have been succumbing to disease and insect attacks. In the last two years, swaths of greenery have had to be replaced. It’s a similar story at the iconic floating Apple Store at Marina Bay Sands, where a circle of Chinese banyan trees lines the interior of its glass dome, encircling the latest iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. Last year, the trees had to be replaced because of insect infestations. “The insects are coming inside — to escape the heat,” says Veera Sekaran, a botanist at the National University of Singapore and founder of Greenology, the firm that manages landscaping at both Changi and Apple’s flagship store. “Heat stress doesn’t just affect people.” Biological markers for heat stress Plants grown in artificial indoor environments are already vulnerable to disease. When insects move in to feed on sap or build nests, they become even more susceptible, Sekaran tells Mongabay. “The best biological markers are the little creatures, because their tolerance to extremes is very low,” he tells Mongabay. “This is especially true in the tropics, where temperatures are usually stable. For a butterfly, a 1-degree [Celsius, or 1.8° Fahrenheit] temperature rise is very&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/as-singapore-heats-up-pests-are-seeking-refuge-indoors/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/as-singapore-heats-up-pests-are-seeking-refuge-indoors/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-307253</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Fears of major locust swarms wane in the Sahel but agencies step up monitoring</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/fears-of-major-locust-swarms-wane-in-the-sahel-but-agencies-step-up-monitoring/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/fears-of-major-locust-swarms-wane-in-the-sahel-but-agencies-step-up-monitoring/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Oct 2025 11:59:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Stephanie Achieng’]]>
						</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/20/2025/10/07105308/a0de24da-834d-4829-bcf2-1eee387a48bc-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=307150</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Algeria, East Africa, Mali, North Africa, and Tunisia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Crops, Disasters, Farming, Food, food security, Global Environmental Crisis, Health, Human-wildlife Conflict, Insects, Monitoring, Weather, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[NAIROBI — In May and June, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s commission for controlling desert locust outbreaks in West and Northwest Africa warned that heavy rainfall and vegetation in North Africa could support major locust swarms in the Sahel this year. These fears are now receding as experts say major swarms are unlikely while the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[NAIROBI — In May and June, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s commission for controlling desert locust outbreaks in West and Northwest Africa warned that heavy rainfall and vegetation in North Africa could support major locust swarms in the Sahel this year. These fears are now receding as experts say major swarms are unlikely while the FAO and national authorities are maintaining their monitoring. Teams in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia responded with ground and aerial control operations, supported by the FAO. By July, reported locust numbers had declined significantly. Cyril Piou, locust forecasting officer at FAO, said heavy storms across Mauritania, Mali and Niger in late July and August meant large locust swarms could still occur. “As anticipated, locust activity decreased in North Africa following the end of the spring breeding season. However, heavy rains in parts of the Sahel could create favorable breeding conditions if they continue in September,” he told Mongabay. For now, field reports are encouraging. “No reports of desert locust presence were received from the field,” said Sory Cissé, national director of Mali’s locust control unit. “The situation has remained calm throughout Mali and the wider Sahel, from Mauritania to Chad via Niger,” he told Mongabay. He noted that alternating torrential rains and long dry spells have discouraged breeding so far. While this situation could still change as the rainy season unfolds, Piou agreed that the risk of major swarming in 2025 is receding. “Given that locust populations were already significant during the spring, this summer’s breeding&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/fears-of-major-locust-swarms-wane-in-the-sahel-but-agencies-step-up-monitoring/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/fears-of-major-locust-swarms-wane-in-the-sahel-but-agencies-step-up-monitoring/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-307150</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rainwater reveals the hidden life of rainforest canopies, study shows</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/rainwater-reveals-the-hidden-life-of-rainforest-canopies-study-shows/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/rainwater-reveals-the-hidden-life-of-rainforest-canopies-study-shows/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Sep 2025 17:45:33 +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/20/2025/09/09172519/fouquet_IMG_3248_Trachycephalus_hadroceps-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=305681</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, French Guiana, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Bats, Climate Change, Community Development, Conservation, Deforestation, DNA, Ecology, Forests, Insects, Monitoring, Planetary Boundaries, Plantations, Rainforests, Sloths, Species, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the rainforest, much of life dwells in the tree canopy. But getting up there to study it isn&#8217;t easy. By the time a human has clumsily lumbered up from the ground, most of the critters have scattered. So a team of researchers had an idea: Why not collect the rainwater that trickles down through [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the rainforest, much of life dwells in the tree canopy. But getting up there to study it isn&#8217;t easy. By the time a human has clumsily lumbered up from the ground, most of the critters have scattered. So a team of researchers had an idea: Why not collect the rainwater that trickles down through the trees and analyze the water for traces of DNA? Every living thing, from the tiniest moss to the largest monkey, sheds microscopic pieces of itself. Cells slough off. Saliva droplets land on leaves. Waste products get deposited on branches. When rain falls through the forest canopy, it washes all this biological debris downward, creating what scientists call rainwash, a carrier of environmental DNA, or eDNA. To gather the rainwash, researchers repurposed ordinary umbrellas, drilling holes and attaching tubes to funnel water into collection devices, and hung them under trees in the Amazonian forests of French Guiana. Researchers repurposed umbrellas into low-cost rainwash collectors to study life in the canopy of French Guiana. Image courtesy of Amaia Iribar, CRBE, CNRS. &#8220;We wanted to develop something low cost and easily usable for all the local actors for conservation,&#8221; Lucie Zinger, a researcher at the France-based Center for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (CBRE), told Mongabay. &#8220;So, the idea of the umbrella comes from something cheap and easy to use.&#8221; The resulting study, published in Science Advances, found that the rainwater eDNA method detected a remarkable diversity of life in the canopy: 562 different taxa across plants, vertebrates&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/rainwater-reveals-the-hidden-life-of-rainforest-canopies-study-shows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/rainwater-reveals-the-hidden-life-of-rainforest-canopies-study-shows/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-305681</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Post-Blob, California’s kelp crisis isn’t going away</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/post-blob-californias-kelp-crisis-isnt-going-away/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/post-blob-californias-kelp-crisis-isnt-going-away/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Sep 2025 14:44:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Helvarg]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/18153613/kelp-in-california-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=305387</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Oceans and Planetary Boundaries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[California, North America, Pacific Ocean, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Animals, Biodiversity, Climate, Climate Change, Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Global Warming, Habitat, Habitat Loss, Invertebrates, Law, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Marine Mammals, Ocean Warming, Oceans, Plants, Reintroductions, Research, Restoration, Temperatures, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[FORT BRAGG, U.S. — In 2024, I was scuba diving in Northern California’s Casper Cove where the Watermen’s Alliance, a group of ex-abalone sports divers, has been culling purple urchins since 2020. It had been six years since abalone season shut down, following the region’s kelp forest collapse. About 4 meters (13 feet) down, I [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[FORT BRAGG, U.S. — In 2024, I was scuba diving in Northern California’s Casper Cove where the Watermen’s Alliance, a group of ex-abalone sports divers, has been culling purple urchins since 2020. It had been six years since abalone season shut down, following the region’s kelp forest collapse. About 4 meters (13 feet) down, I spotted a few surviving red abalones, their thick-muscled feet showing from under their single shells as they clung to the bottom of boulders. Purple urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) clustered near them. I also spotted a single white anemone (Diadumene leucolena) and a spiny, bulbous-eyed Cabezon fish (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus) amid scattered stalks of remnant kelp. A short distance away, it was all bare rock and purple pin-cushion-like urchins. It’s different than watching videos of urchin barrens: Aside from being wet and cold and breathing underwater, I was taken by the scale: it’s so expansive, even with only 2 m (6 ft) of visibility in the murky water. As far as you go along the northern rim of the cove, there are purple urchins, thousands and tens of thousands, where a kelp forest once thrived. I spread my arms to measure what I guesstimated was a square meter and counted some 120 urchins. To bring kelp back, that number would have to drop to 2 per square meter. That’s when kelp spores can take hold again. This requires a lot of urchin-smashing, which these divers were carrying out with rock hammers. To clear one acre (less than half&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/post-blob-californias-kelp-crisis-isnt-going-away/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/post-blob-californias-kelp-crisis-isnt-going-away/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-305387</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Belize project seeks out heat-resilient corals to protect its reefs</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/belize-project-seeks-out-heat-resilient-corals-to-protect-its-reefs/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/belize-project-seeks-out-heat-resilient-corals-to-protect-its-reefs/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Aug 2025 19:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Marco Lopez]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/19191745/shark-coral-banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=304503</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Belize, Caribbean, and North America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Coral Bleaching, Coral Reefs, Ecosystems, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Green, Invertebrates, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Ocean Warming, Oceans, Research, Temperatures, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[HOPKINS, Belize — Heaters, pumps and computerized meters rigged to an everyday picnic icebox may seem like a high school science project. But this heat stress tank may hold the key to finding the most heat-resilient corals in Belize’s waters. As climate change and other human-caused stressors continue to push these rainforests of the sea [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[HOPKINS, Belize — Heaters, pumps and computerized meters rigged to an everyday picnic icebox may seem like a high school science project. But this heat stress tank may hold the key to finding the most heat-resilient corals in Belize’s waters. As climate change and other human-caused stressors continue to push these rainforests of the sea closer toward collapse, finding and protecting coral with the highest chance of surviving in the world to come has become a key method to ensuring marine life and the ecosystem services they provide are preserved. This is what the multinational collaborative effort known as the Super Reefs program hopes to help Belize achieve. The initiative is helmed by experts from the U.S.-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Stanford University and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), along with officials from the Belize government and other Belizean stakeholders. “Not all corals are born the same,” Anne Cohen, a tenured scientist at WHOI, who started the Super Reefs program in 2017, told Mongabay. In 2015, Cohen witnessed how extreme heat killed off 98% of the coral in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, west of Hawai‘i. “That’s just one example of the kinds of things that have been happening since the mid-1990s,” Cohen said. “So, we were in the Pacific, along with many other coral reef groups around the world, we were monitoring these events and the impact on the reefs, but I also noticed that there were some coral reefs and some parts of coral reefs that&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/belize-project-seeks-out-heat-resilient-corals-to-protect-its-reefs/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/belize-project-seeks-out-heat-resilient-corals-to-protect-its-reefs/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-304503</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Sheila Colla, advocate for bees, died on July 6th, aged 43</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/sheila-colla-advocate-for-bees-died-on-july-6th-2025-aged-43/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/sheila-colla-advocate-for-bees-died-on-july-6th-2025-aged-43/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jul 2025 14:56:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/07/15144541/Ontario_Nature_Education_Award_2023_Dr_Sheila_Colla-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=302525</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Canada and North America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Bees, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Green, Insects, Invertebrates, Obituary, and Pollinators]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Most people would have walked past the flower. Even fewer would have recognized the insect on it. But in 2009, Sheila Colla did both. As her car left Ontario’s Pinery Provincial Park, she called for it to stop. There, small and inconspicuous, was Canada’s last known rusty-patched bumblebee. A fuzzy blur of wings and urgency, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Most people would have walked past the flower. Even fewer would have recognized the insect on it. But in 2009, Sheila Colla did both. As her car left Ontario’s Pinery Provincial Park, she called for it to stop. There, small and inconspicuous, was Canada’s last known rusty-patched bumblebee. A fuzzy blur of wings and urgency, it had once been common. Now it was vanishing. So, too, was the world it helped sustain. Colla had been looking for this bee for years. She was not a nostalgic naturalist pining for lost meadows. She was a scientist of rare clarity, trained at the University of Toronto and York University, where she later became a professor. Long before pollinators became fashionable mascots for corporate “sustainability,” she sounded the alarm about their disappearance. Her research identified the culprits—disease spillover from managed bees, climate change, invasive species—and she translated these findings for policymakers, citizens, and children alike. She did not just publish in peer-reviewed journals; she taught entire cities to plant differently, think differently, live differently. At a time when honeybees stole the spotlight, she reminded the public that the vast majority of North America’s 4,000 wild bee species do not make honey. They do not live in hives. They are solitary, vulnerable, essential. Rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis). Photo by Jill Utrup/USFWS With her field guide Bumble Bees of North America, and the bestseller A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee, she made complex ecological science accessible. More than 20,000 people bought her guidebook; tens&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/sheila-colla-advocate-for-bees-died-on-july-6th-2025-aged-43/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/sheila-colla-advocate-for-bees-died-on-july-6th-2025-aged-43/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-302525</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Restoration, protection aim to save Belize’s coral reef from extreme heat and disease</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/restoration-protection-aim-to-save-belizes-coral-reef-from-extreme-heat-and-disease/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/restoration-protection-aim-to-save-belizes-coral-reef-from-extreme-heat-and-disease/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jul 2025 04:48:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Marco Lopez]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rebecca Kessler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/07/08101002/fish-belize-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=302027</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Atlantic Forest, Belize, Caribbean, and North America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Coral Bleaching, Coral Reefs, Diseases, Ecosystems, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Invertebrates, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Ocean Warming, Oceans, Temperatures, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PLACENCIA, Belize — After Hurricane Iris decimated the coral reef at Laughing Bird Caye National Park in 2001, many wrote off the UNESCO World Heritage site as a coral graveyard. But a small group from the coastal village of Placencia, Belize, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the island, saw hope. In 2006, the park [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[PLACENCIA, Belize — After Hurricane Iris decimated the coral reef at Laughing Bird Caye National Park in 2001, many wrote off the UNESCO World Heritage site as a coral graveyard. But a small group from the coastal village of Placencia, Belize, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the island, saw hope. In 2006, the park had just 6% live coral cover. By 2023, it had reached approximately 60% — the result of the group planting more than 92,000 fragments of coral within the 1-hectare (2.5-acre) shallow fringing reef. The group, Fragments of Hope (FOH), is a Belize-based nonprofit organization focused on restoring coral reef habitats. Their work at Laughing Bird Caye is widely regarded as the best example of reef restoration in the Caribbean. But while the park stands as a beacon of hope for coral restoration, it has not been immune to the onslaught of record-breaking temperatures occurring globally. “2024 was the worst bleaching event since we’ve been recording around 2008,” Lisa Carne, FOH’s founder, said during an interview with Mongabay. Many of the corals planted at Laughing Bird have succumbed to extreme heat stress and disease. At Moho Caye, another restoration site, live coral cover dropped from more than 50% to less than 5%, “likely reflecting similar declines at Laughing Bird,” Carne said. It’s not just Laughing Bird and Moho. Unprecedented coral bleaching, a relatively new illness called stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), and other threats to corals are negatively impacting reef health across Belize, and it&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/restoration-protection-aim-to-save-belizes-coral-reef-from-extreme-heat-and-disease/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/restoration-protection-aim-to-save-belizes-coral-reef-from-extreme-heat-and-disease/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-302027</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>U.S. federal agency clears ways for deep-sea mining — and companies are lining up</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/u-s-federal-agency-clears-ways-for-deep-sea-mining-and-companies-are-lining-up/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/u-s-federal-agency-clears-ways-for-deep-sea-mining-and-companies-are-lining-up/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jul 2025 00:57:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elizabeth Claire Alberts]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/07/08051333/Iridigorgia_-_Flickr_-_NOAA_Ocean_Exploration_%5E_Research-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=301999</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Atlantic Ocean, North America, Oceania, Pacific Ocean, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Critical Minerals, Deep Sea, Deep Sea Mining, Ecosystems, Environment, Governance, Green, Invertebrates, Marine, Mining, Oceans, and Regulations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network, where Elizabeth Claire Alberts is a fellow. On June 25, the United States Department of the Interior (DOI), a department within the federal government that manages the nation’s natural resources, announced plans to accelerate the initiation of deep-sea mining in U.S. waters, effectively enacting [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network, where Elizabeth Claire Alberts is a fellow. On June 25, the United States Department of the Interior (DOI), a department within the federal government that manages the nation’s natural resources, announced plans to accelerate the initiation of deep-sea mining in U.S. waters, effectively enacting President Trump’s executive order that calls for fast-tracking the industry. As part of this effort to briskly move things along, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), an agency within DOI, will be introducing various policy changes, such as expediting the permitting process, extending the duration of prospecting permits and reducing the timelines for environmental reviews. Critics have raised concerns over these developments, not only due to the controversial nature of deep-sea mining, but also because of the hurried pace at which BOEM is advancing these plans. While deep-sea mining has not yet started anywhere in the world, many experts warn that the industry could cause irreversible harm to marine ecosystems that are already under substantial stress from human-driven climate change and other environmental pressures. Industry proponents, however, argue that deep-sea mining is vital for securing reliable supplies of critical minerals needed for the green transition, energy security and defense. The majority of deep-sea mining interest has focused on polymetallic nodules — potato-sized rocks containing nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese — but mineral deposits can also be found on the cobalt-rich crusts of seamounts or ridges, or the sulfide deposits around hydrothermal vents. These unassuming brown&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/u-s-federal-agency-clears-ways-for-deep-sea-mining-and-companies-are-lining-up/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/u-s-federal-agency-clears-ways-for-deep-sea-mining-and-companies-are-lining-up/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-301999</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Agencies race to prevent new food crisis as locusts return to northern Africa</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/agencies-race-to-prevent-new-food-crisis-as-locusts-return-to-northern-africa/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/agencies-race-to-prevent-new-food-crisis-as-locusts-return-to-northern-africa/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jul 2025 17:25:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Stephanie Achieng’]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/07/03085409/Driving-through-a-Desert-Locust-swarm-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=301865</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Algeria, Chad, East Africa, Niger, North Africa, and Tunisia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Chemicals, Climate Change, Conservation, Crops, Disasters, Environment, Farming, Food, food security, Global Environmental Crisis, Health, Human-wildlife Conflict, Insects, Monitoring, Pesticides, Poisoning, Pollution, Weather, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[NAIROBI — Swarms of desert locusts are moving across parts of North Africa. With unusually heavy rains in late 2024 supporting growth of vegetation, and rising temperatures since February 2025 speeding their reproductive cycle, ideal breeding conditions for locusts are in place. Significant outbreaks have already been reported in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, while smaller [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[NAIROBI — Swarms of desert locusts are moving across parts of North Africa. With unusually heavy rains in late 2024 supporting growth of vegetation, and rising temperatures since February 2025 speeding their reproductive cycle, ideal breeding conditions for locusts are in place. Significant outbreaks have already been reported in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, while smaller bands have appeared elsewhere across the Sahara Desert’s northern boundary, and in Saudi Arabia. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and its regional partners have issued caution-level alerts for Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Chad, and Niger. The FAO is coordinating efforts with national authorities to prevent the insects from spreading south into the Sahel, where further rains could trigger a new wave of breeding. “The current outbreaks are due to very favorable breeding conditions over a six-month period in the northern Sahel, following significant rainfall in August and September 2024,” said Cyril Piou of FAO’s Desert Locust Information Service (DLIS). Newly hatched desert locusts near Medenine, Tunisia. Image © Cyril Piou/FAO. Map of desert locusts&#8217; breeding and invasion areas courtesy of FAO. For now, these outbreaks are significant, but not on the scale of those that preceded swarms that devastated East Africa in 2019 and 2020. That earlier crisis affected more than 20 countries, with swarms covering hundreds of square kilometers and threatening the food security of more than 20 million people. It was triggered by an unusual combination of cyclones and sustained rains that enabled desert locusts to breed rapidly&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/agencies-race-to-prevent-new-food-crisis-as-locusts-return-to-northern-africa/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/agencies-race-to-prevent-new-food-crisis-as-locusts-return-to-northern-africa/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-301865</doi>				</item>
			</channel>
</rss>