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		<title>Conservation news</title>
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		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/social-media/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2026 16:05:03 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<title>News on Social Media</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/social-media/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>Cambodia targets online wildlife trade on social media, but experts say it’s not enough</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/cambodia-targets-online-wildlife-trade-on-social-media-but-experts-say-its-not-enough/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/cambodia-targets-online-wildlife-trade-on-social-media-but-experts-say-its-not-enough/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Aug 2026 12:42:37 +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/20/2026/08/21160626/2-elephant-tusk-offered-for-sale-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=326945</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Cambodia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Crime, Environmental Law, Governance, Illegal Trade, Law, Law Enforcement, Social Media, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Cambodia’s environment ministry has urged the public and social media content creators to stop making or sharing content that encourages the commerce, consumption or capture of wildlife. It has warned that such actions are illegal and pose risks to human health and the country’s wild animals and plants. At a press conference on Aug. 7, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Cambodia’s environment ministry has urged the public and social media content creators to stop making or sharing content that encourages the commerce, consumption or capture of wildlife. It has warned that such actions are illegal and pose risks to human health and the country’s wild animals and plants. At a press conference on Aug. 7, 2026, ministry spokesperson Khvay Atitya called on social media users to refrain from posting wildlife content to garner clicks and promote trade, including sharing photos and videos of eating or preparing dishes made from wildlife and rare plants. “Promoting love for wildlife does not mean keeping wild animals in cages,” Atitya reportedly said in response to questions from the press. “Eating wildlife meat provides no benefit and can pose serious health risks to consumers.” Atitya urged relevant ministries and authorities to take legal action against those involved in online wildlife commerce, stressing that online sales are as illegal as physical trading, according to a report from The Phnom Penh Post. Russell Gray, head of ECO-SOLVE at the Swiss-based Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), who studies the online illegal wildlife trade, said this was a welcome move. “One challenge we consistently see in the online illegal wildlife trade is that it can be treated as separate from the physical wildlife trade, when in reality the two are increasingly inseparable,” Gray said. “Social media, messaging applications and online marketplaces are now the primary infrastructure through which wildlife is advertised, buyers and sellers connect, and trafficking&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/cambodia-targets-online-wildlife-trade-on-social-media-but-experts-say-its-not-enough/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/cambodia-targets-online-wildlife-trade-on-social-media-but-experts-say-its-not-enough/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-326945</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How social media and parrotfish poop are protecting the Maldives</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/how-social-media-and-parrotfish-poop-are-protecting-the-maldives/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/how-social-media-and-parrotfish-poop-are-protecting-the-maldives/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Aug 2026 23:17:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Isabel Gil]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/08/06161801/1-parrotfish-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=325478</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Maldives, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Communication, Conservation, Coral Reefs, Ecosystems, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Governance, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Hope and optimism, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Research, Saltwater Fish, Social Media, Solutions, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It started six years ago when Shaha Hashim began seeing posts across social media: Vulnerable and protected species were being fished throughout the atoll islands of the Maldives, and some were even turning up in fish markets. This included animals like the giant clam (genus Tridacna), Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), and even species of parrotfish [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It started six years ago when Shaha Hashim began seeing posts across social media: Vulnerable and protected species were being fished throughout the atoll islands of the Maldives, and some were even turning up in fish markets. This included animals like the giant clam (genus Tridacna), Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), and even species of parrotfish (subfamily Scarinae). These species weren’t historically targeted by Maldivian fishers, but were rising in popularity over the last decade. This came to a head in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as tourism workers were being let go from their jobs at resorts, and fishing became more popular recreationally, as well as a means of earning money and providing food. “This was the only way for them to earn an income at that time,” Hashim told Mongabay by video call. Today, she’s the co-founder and executive director of Maldives Resilient Reefs (MRR). Hashim said the parrotfish were particularly concerning. At the time, they weren’t a protected species, though they played a key role in recycling sediment and generating new habitat for coral reefs. Protecting them means safeguarding accretion: An important sedimentary process that is intertwined with the resiliency and natural management of atolls. “Accretion really is the deposition of sediment above the water level,” said Paul Kench, a coastal scientist and the pro vice-chancellor of Te Wānanga Pūtaiao Division of STEM at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. He told Mongabay by video call that accretion allows atolls to naturally combat climate change by&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/how-social-media-and-parrotfish-poop-are-protecting-the-maldives/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/how-social-media-and-parrotfish-poop-are-protecting-the-maldives/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-325478</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>First global summit held in Indonesia to tackle animal cruelty content</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/first-global-summit-held-in-indonesia-to-tackle-animal-cruelty-content/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/first-global-summit-held-in-indonesia-to-tackle-animal-cruelty-content/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jun 2026 10:02:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Asad Asnawi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay User]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/23095021/monkey-in-a-cage-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321642</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Animals, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Ethics, Governance, Law, Pets, Regulations, Social Media, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BALI, Indonesia — The booming market for animal abuse content brought dozens of international animal protection organizations to Indonesia in June for the first in-person summit to confront a growing online entertainment industry founded on suffering. The Asia for Animals Coalition (AfA), a network of more than 400 animal welfare and conservation organizations around the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BALI, Indonesia — The booming market for animal abuse content brought dozens of international animal protection organizations to Indonesia in June for the first in-person summit to confront a growing online entertainment industry founded on suffering. The Asia for Animals Coalition (AfA), a network of more than 400 animal welfare and conservation organizations around the world, established the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC) in 2020 in response to the spread of animal cruelty online. Afa is the world’s largest network of animal welfare nonprofits. SMACC then organized its first international summit in Bali on June 11 and 12 to gather advocates and experts to plan tangible steps to address online abuse of animals. “Online animal cruelty is spreading at a scale no single organisation, platform or government can solve alone,” Nicola O’Brien, lead coordinator of the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition, said in a statement. Evidence of animal cruelty on digital platforms collected by SMACC. Image courtesy of SMACC. The rise of animal cruelty influencers Animal cruelty influencers, who storyboard, produce, film and edit scenes of anguish and pain for casual viewers and paying subscribers via social media and other content platforms, are on the rise A 2021 SMACC report identified 5,480 videos depicting animal cruelty that had amassed more than 5.3 billion views across platforms. Of the channels that distributed these videos, 17 had more than 1 million subscribers with two of these counting more than 30 million subscribers each. Online cruelty often involves wildlife listed as endangered&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/first-global-summit-held-in-indonesia-to-tackle-animal-cruelty-content/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/first-global-summit-held-in-indonesia-to-tackle-animal-cruelty-content/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321642</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesia’s native hornbills are being hammered by online and offline trade</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/indonesias-native-hornbills-are-being-hammered-by-online-and-offline-trade/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/indonesias-native-hornbills-are-being-hammered-by-online-and-offline-trade/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jun 2026 23:35:20 +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/20/2026/06/09171905/wreathed-hornbill-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320867</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Global, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Crime, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Illegal Trade, Pet Trade, Research, Social Media, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Among the many inhabitants of Southeast Asia’s dense rainforests are hornbills — a group of birds that stand out with their raucous call, large, ostentatious beak and colorful feathers. Indonesia harbors 13 species, the most of any country in Asia, three of which are found nowhere else. Hornbills are rapidly losing their homes as large [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Among the many inhabitants of Southeast Asia’s dense rainforests are hornbills — a group of birds that stand out with their raucous call, large, ostentatious beak and colorful feathers. Indonesia harbors 13 species, the most of any country in Asia, three of which are found nowhere else. Hornbills are rapidly losing their homes as large swaths of Indonesian forests are cut down to make way for plantations, mining, dams, cities and other development, or are scorched by wildfires. Trade in these birds also poses another serious threat. Hundreds of hornbills are entering the illegal trade in Indonesia, according to a new study published in the journal Wild, some of which are offered for sale online. They’re sold alive as pets or killed for their casques, the ivory-like appendages above their beaks, and their taxidermied heads, which are displayed as home décor. To understand the scope of this trade, researchers analyzed police and customs confiscation data and surveyed online ads from 2015 to 2025. They learned that this illegal commerce is widespread and involves every Indonesian hornbill species and some from Africa and the Philippines as well. Most birds were sold alive, suggesting they’re bought as pets. Facebook was the preferred online marketplace. “The scale of the hornbill trade in Indonesia is probably greater now than I&#8217;ve seen it in the past,” said study author and wildlife trade researcher Chris Shepherd from the U.S.-based Center for Biological Diversity. “It&#8217;s becoming, perhaps, trendier to keep hornbills.” Indonesia is infamous for its songbird&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/indonesias-native-hornbills-are-being-hammered-by-online-and-offline-trade/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/indonesias-native-hornbills-are-being-hammered-by-online-and-offline-trade/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320867</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Facebook is a hub for illegal wildlife trade, and that’s by design, report says</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/facebook-is-a-hub-for-illegal-wildlife-trade-and-thats-by-design-report-says/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/facebook-is-a-hub-for-illegal-wildlife-trade-and-thats-by-design-report-says/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 11:04:39 +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/20/2026/05/01050735/Tiger-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318531</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Crime, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Gibbons, Illegal Trade, Law, Leopards, Mass Extinction, Pangolins, Regulations, Sea Turtles, Social Media, Technology, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With just the click of a button or a swipe on a phone, it’s possible to buy almost anything online, including rare or endangered animals. From quirky shark trophies to exotic live birds, contraband rhino horns or ivory, buyers can flock to e-commerce platforms and find them all. Traffickers hide behind their screens while profiting [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With just the click of a button or a swipe on a phone, it’s possible to buy almost anything online, including rare or endangered animals. From quirky shark trophies to exotic live birds, contraband rhino horns or ivory, buyers can flock to e-commerce platforms and find them all. Traffickers hide behind their screens while profiting from online sales of protected species as these animals dwindle in the wild. “It&#8217;s the largest wildlife market,” said wildlife trade researcher Chris Shepherd from the Center for Biological Diversity. “It&#8217;s easy, it&#8217;s convenient; you can operate anonymously from the comfort of your home. You don&#8217;t have the expenses of setting up a shop.” Online commerce in illicit wildlife products continues to grow, involving more species and wider geographies. It’s an illicit industry run by kingpins with well-connected networks, and it’s hard to prosecute. Catching online criminals is extremely challenging. “Wildlife markets have moved from physical locations into online locations, and that&#8217;s mirroring broader trends in the global economy,” said Simone Haysom, director of environmental crime programs at the Swiss-based organization Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. In a recent report, Haysom and her colleague Russell Gray analyzed online wildlife trade data from April 2024 to March 2026. They focused on 10 countries across three continents, places where environmental crime and internet use are high, making them fertile grounds for online wildlife trafficking. They found some 266,535 wildlife products posted on 61 online marketplaces, worth about $66 million. About 75% of the nearly 22,000 ads&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/facebook-is-a-hub-for-illegal-wildlife-trade-and-thats-by-design-report-says/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/facebook-is-a-hub-for-illegal-wildlife-trade-and-thats-by-design-report-says/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-318531</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Facebook shuts Indonesia groups after Mongabay and Bellingcat report illegal wildlife trade</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/facebook-shuts-indonesia-groups-after-mongabay-and-bellingcat-report-illegal-wildlife-trade/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/facebook-shuts-indonesia-groups-after-mongabay-and-bellingcat-report-illegal-wildlife-trade/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Mar 2026 09:48:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Achmad Rizki MuazamFoeke Postma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/19094632/20251014_153119-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=315939</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Jakarta, Southeast Asia, and West Java]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Corporate Environmental Transgressors, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporations, Crime, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Gibbons, Green, Illegal Trade, Law, Law Enforcement, Mammals, Monkeys, Pet Trade, Poaching, Social Media, Trade, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story was produced in collaboration with Bellingcat. Read their version here, and Mongabay-Indonesia&#8217;s version here. JAKARTA — A new report by Mongabay and independent journalism organization Bellingcat has uncovered several Facebook groups selling protected species in Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. In a Facebook group whose Indonesian name translates [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story was produced in collaboration with Bellingcat. Read their version here, and Mongabay-Indonesia&#8217;s version here. JAKARTA — A new report by Mongabay and independent journalism organization Bellingcat has uncovered several Facebook groups selling protected species in Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. In a Facebook group whose Indonesian name translates to “West Bogor Animal Selling and Trading Forum,” reporters last year found a member of that group advertising a rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) for sale. In Indonesia, all hornbill species are protected by law. In comments below the post advertising the caged bird, one member warns: “Careful not to get caught.” “That’s the risk,” replied the seller. Another advertisement featured two infant Javan silvery gibbons (Hylobates moloch), fewer than 2,500 mature individuals of which are left in the wild. This species is also protected by law. The West Bogor Animal Selling and Trading Forum group on Facebook added more than 200 advertisements in just one week. Eighteen of them were for threatened species. In total, reporters uncovered a total of nine Facebook groups selling animals like these threatened apes and hornbills. Three of the groups have been active for more than five years. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, states that trade of animals on its platforms is prohibited. Among thousands of adverts posted in the nine groups were a handful of animal photos with the same poster in frame, giving away the location as Station Sato, a quiet pet store in Cibinong, a southern suburb of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/facebook-shuts-indonesia-groups-after-mongabay-and-bellingcat-report-illegal-wildlife-trade/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/facebook-shuts-indonesia-groups-after-mongabay-and-bellingcat-report-illegal-wildlife-trade/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-315939</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Out of captivity, into conflict: slow lorises struggle to survive after release</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/out-of-captivity-into-conflict-slow-lorises-struggle-to-survive-after-release/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/out-of-captivity-into-conflict-slow-lorises-struggle-to-survive-after-release/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Feb 2026 15:07:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolyn Cowan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/26101245/Nishat-one-of-the-two-Bengal-slow-lorises-Nycticebus-bengalensis-to-survive-being-released.-Image-courtesy-of-Marcel-Stawinoga-scaled-e1772101486176-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314846</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, South Asia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Animals, Biodiversity, Conflict, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Habitat Loss, Illegal Trade, Mammals, Pet Trade, Primates, Rainforests, Reintroductions, Research, Rewilding, Slow Loris, Social Media, Wildlife, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Wildlife Rescues, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife releases are usually joyous events. Uplifting scenes of animals cautiously nosing the air as they take their first tentative steps into freedom warm our hearts. However, new research suggests the wild can be a “death trap,” especially if the released individuals lack the essential skills to find food and integrate with wild populations, or [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife releases are usually joyous events. Uplifting scenes of animals cautiously nosing the air as they take their first tentative steps into freedom warm our hearts. However, new research suggests the wild can be a “death trap,” especially if the released individuals lack the essential skills to find food and integrate with wild populations, or are set free into unsuitable habitat. The new study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, follows the fate of nine Bengal slow lorises (Nycticebus bengalensis) released into a forest reserve in Bangladesh. The researchers found only two of the nine survived beyond six months. Several died within days or weeks. Slow lorises, with their wide eyes and plump bodies, are one of the world’s most trafficked primates. Despite their venomous bite that can prove fatal to people and their nocturnal habits, they’re highly sought after in the pet trade and for use as tourist photo props — a demand fueled by ill-informed social media videos displaying them in domestic settings or captivity. All nine slow loris species, which range across South and Southeast Asia, are also threatened by deforestation and poachers who kill them for use in traditional medicines. A 2010 study found lorises were the most in-demand animal in traditional medicine stores in Cambodia. Tragically, these pressures act in synergy. Habitat loss pushes lorises closer to forest edges and humans, who at best mistakenly think them lost and take them into captivity with a view to relocating them to a habitat that’s more “wild.”&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/out-of-captivity-into-conflict-slow-lorises-struggle-to-survive-after-release/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/out-of-captivity-into-conflict-slow-lorises-struggle-to-survive-after-release/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-314846</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Viral hyena incident reveals Nepal’s growing online information disorder</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/viral-hyena-incident-reveals-nepals-growing-online-information-disorder/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/viral-hyena-incident-reveals-nepals-growing-online-information-disorder/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jan 2026 08:16:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sonam Lama Hyolmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/11/05193312/tz_2395a-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313579</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Nepal, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Artificial Intelligence, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Law, Law Enforcement, Media, Social Media, Technology, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — On Nov. 8, 2025, a sense of anxiety swept through Rangeli municipality in eastern Nepal. Social media photos appeared to show a cackle of spotted hyenas entering the town from the nearby India-Nepal border. As the images went viral and were picked up by national media, the District Forest Office deployed a team [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[KATHMANDU — On Nov. 8, 2025, a sense of anxiety swept through Rangeli municipality in eastern Nepal. Social media photos appeared to show a cackle of spotted hyenas entering the town from the nearby India-Nepal border. As the images went viral and were picked up by national media, the District Forest Office deployed a team to capture the animals, but to no avail. “No one could confirm the sighting, and we later found the information to be false,” said district forest officer Utsav Thapa. The hyenas in the image (Crocuta crocuta), found in Africa, are also not native to Nepal, it was later revealed. The incident shows how online misinformation is increasingly shaping public perception in the country, including in the wildlife and conservation sector. Such false reports often create confusion and fear, leading to negative views of wild animals, said Gobinda Pokharel, a researcher and conservation officer at the National Trust for Nature Conservation Nepal. “When it comes to wildlife, even many mainstream media publish unverified reports that help spread false information,” Pokharel told Mongabay. “Such instances not only incite fear and confusion but also affect people’s perception of animals, their behavior and, eventually, their conservation.” The hyena incident is not a single isolated case. As internet and smartphone use become pervasive, various forms of misinformation ranging from fake wildlife sightings to protest-related falsehood, are spreading rapidly across social and mainstream media. The trend has fueled public fear while intensifying debates over regulation, digital literacy and freedom of expression.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/viral-hyena-incident-reveals-nepals-growing-online-information-disorder/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-313579</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Wildlife attacks and strange animal behavior — fake images spark conservation concerns</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/wildlife-attacks-and-strange-animal-behavior-fake-images-spark-conservation-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/wildlife-attacks-and-strange-animal-behavior-fake-images-spark-conservation-concerns/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Jan 2026 11:04:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean Mowbray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/26155651/AI-generated-photo-of-a-puma-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313184</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Artificial Intelligence, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Journalism, Photos, Social Media, Technology, Videos, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When Houssein Rayaleh received a WhatsApp message from a local ecotourism guide showing footage of a lioness in Djibouti, he was excited. The video showed the big cat running directly in front of a moving vehicle along Route Nationale 11, a road that Rayaleh knows well. This was shocking. Lions are officially extinct here: There [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When Houssein Rayaleh received a WhatsApp message from a local ecotourism guide showing footage of a lioness in Djibouti, he was excited. The video showed the big cat running directly in front of a moving vehicle along Route Nationale 11, a road that Rayaleh knows well. This was shocking. Lions are officially extinct here: There are no records of Panthera leo in this Horn of Africa country. “I said whoa, we have a lion in Djibouti,” says Rayaleh, the CEO and founder of the NGO Djibouti Nature. So he forwarded the video on to the Cat Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. “As it happened, it was a fake,” Rayaleh says. Certain details spring out in the video identifying it as an AI-generated video, says Urs Breitenmoser, co-chair of the group. “The lion behaves very strangely and there are also a few sequences where you can actually see that it is morphologically not quite correct.” https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/26153828/AI-generatedVideo_1.mp4 This  video of a lion sighting in Djibouti was debunked, created using AI. Lions are locally extinct there. Video courtesy of Houssein Rayaleh. Creator unknown. Luke Hunter, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s big cats program, described the video as “obviously very fake” after viewing it. But to the untrained eye, these details are nearly impossible to spot, and some damage may already be done, Rayaleh says. It may have spread far and wide across the country via WhatsApp and social media channels. He received messages, including questions from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/wildlife-attacks-and-strange-animal-behavior-fake-images-spark-conservation-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-313184</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Early-career journalists join the next wave of environmental reporting (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/early-career-journalists-join-the-next-wave-of-environmental-reporting-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/early-career-journalists-join-the-next-wave-of-environmental-reporting-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Nov 2025 15:55:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shradha Triveni]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/06115703/Adobe-Express-file-24-e1762430282780-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=308971</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Letters to the Future]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, India, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Journalism, Media, Pollution, and Social Media]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[&#160; English poet Thomas Gray famously wrote, “where ignorance is bliss, ‘Tis folly to be wise.” He wasn’t particularly speaking of journalists or of Earth’s precarious future. I believe that ignorance is the enemy of journalism, it is no bliss, but the very thing we are meant to expose. Perhaps ignorance is an ally of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In this series, Our Letters to the Future, the sixth cohort of Mongabay’s Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows share their views on environmental journalism, conservation and the future for their generation, amid multiple planetary crises. Each commentary is a personal reflection, based on individual fellows’ experiences in their home communities and the insights gained through the past six months of the fellowship. The series spans the Global South — Malaysia, India, Colombia, Brazil, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo — showcasing a broad diversity of ideas and the common ground these young environmental journalists share as they embark on their careers. &nbsp; English poet Thomas Gray famously wrote, “where ignorance is bliss, ‘Tis folly to be wise.” He wasn’t particularly speaking of journalists or of Earth’s precarious future. I believe that ignorance is the enemy of journalism, it is no bliss, but the very thing we are meant to expose. Perhaps ignorance is an ally of politics and the greatest of all blisses for capitalists. As I write this, Delhi gasps for breath. How can one ignore that? Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted cities in the world’s most populous nation, and a mirror to our collective neglect. This is just an isolated example. There’s more to the story of global environmental crises. But the question I’m most often asked by friends and family isn’t, “What will you do about it?” but “Why do you care?” . People do yoga early morning at the Lodhi garden as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/early-career-journalists-join-the-next-wave-of-environmental-reporting-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-308971</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Bangladesh, a botanist brings quick, fun lessons to social media</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/in-bangladesh-a-botanist-brings-quick-fun-lessons-to-social-media/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/in-bangladesh-a-botanist-brings-quick-fun-lessons-to-social-media/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jan 2025 13:22:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mohammad Al-Masum Molla]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abu Siddique]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/01/17131249/among-the-flowers-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=293082</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Botany, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Conservation leadership, Education, Environment, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Plants, Social Media, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the bustling city of Dhaka, Azharul Islam Khan is developing a growing community of plant enthusiasts, one video at a time. With a degree in botany from Dhaka University and a 27-year-long career in the pharmaceutical industry, 54-year-old Azharul has always had a passion for plants. But it wasn’t just his formal education that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the bustling city of Dhaka, Azharul Islam Khan is developing a growing community of plant enthusiasts, one video at a time. With a degree in botany from Dhaka University and a 27-year-long career in the pharmaceutical industry, 54-year-old Azharul has always had a passion for plants. But it wasn’t just his formal education that fueled his love for botany. He says he believes that anyone can learn to identify plants, regardless of academic background. This belief drove him to take his plant knowledge beyond the classroom and into the homes of thousands of people through short engaging videos on Facebook and YouTube. Some of his videos have even gone viral, receiving more than 10 million views within just 24 hours. Azharul’s journey of plant identification began in 2008, but it was only recently in 2023 that he decided to go online to share his wealth of knowledge with the world. He says that formal education is not necessary to learn about the natural world. “You don’t need a degree to recognize plants,” he says. “You just need curiosity and a willingness to observe.” His knowledge of scientific names and deep understanding of plant characteristics comes from years of self-study and experience. He is particularly passionate about preserving medicinal and endangered species. Of the estimated 6,000 flora species found in Bangladesh, 127 species are listed as endangered and 262 as vulnerable. Azharul’s focus is on discovering rare and endangered species, and he keeps their locations private to protect them from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/in-bangladesh-a-botanist-brings-quick-fun-lessons-to-social-media/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-293082</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Internet crackdown shrinks already constrained room for activism in Vietnam</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/internet-crackdown-shrinks-already-constrained-room-for-activism-in-vietnam/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/internet-crackdown-shrinks-already-constrained-room-for-activism-in-vietnam/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Dec 2024 13:33:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hướng Thiện]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/12/24132918/vietnam-deforestation-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=292270</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Southeast Asia, and Vietnam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Climate Change, Conflict, Environment, Environmental Law, Governance, Journalism, Law, Politics, Protests, Social Media, and Surveillance]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For Thảo, a journalist based in Hanoi, online reports from Vietnamese internet users were key to her and her colleagues’ coverage of Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath. The storm, the biggest in Asia this year and the strongest to strike Vietnam in 70 years, made landfall in the country’s north on Sept. 7. Millions pf [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For Thảo, a journalist based in Hanoi, online reports from Vietnamese internet users were key to her and her colleagues’ coverage of Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath. The storm, the biggest in Asia this year and the strongest to strike Vietnam in 70 years, made landfall in the country’s north on Sept. 7. Millions pf people were reportedly affected, especially in northern areas overwhelmed by severe flooding and landslides. The government estimated that Yagi caused about $2 billion worth of damage to the Vietnamese economy and could hinder its GDP growth by 0.15%. “Many state media outlets did not have the budget to dispatch reporters to the affected regions,” says Thảo, who’s affiliated with a state media outlet and asked not to use her real name. “Plus, many [state-affiliated] reporters were not willing to visit the sites for safety reasons. Those who could reach affected areas reported blocked and damaged roads due to heavy flooding.” That made reports from citizen journalists of prime importance, she says. Yet not all such contributions to the coverage of the unprecedented disaster were welcomed by the state. Amid the typhoon, the Vietnamese government warned citizens of the “storm” of fabricated news on social media. The Ministry of Public Security’s Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Bureau also threatened rigorous action against individuals and organizations spreading what it deemed to be inaccurate information that might adversely impact natural disaster prevention and control efforts. On the ground, this meant fines for users deemed to be publishing&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/internet-crackdown-shrinks-already-constrained-room-for-activism-in-vietnam/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-292270</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Unlike: Brazil Facebook groups give poachers safe space to flex their kills</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/unlike-brazil-facebook-groups-give-poachers-safe-space-to-flex-their-kills/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/unlike-brazil-facebook-groups-give-poachers-safe-space-to-flex-their-kills/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Dec 2024 16:08:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Adele Santelli]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Xavier Bartaburu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/12/19145101/Screenshot_20241114_202357_Facebook-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=292023</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Brazil, Latin America, and South Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Hunting, Poaching, Research, Social Media, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Between 2018 and 2020, users of Facebook groups in Brazil shared more than 2,000 records of wildlife poaching, amounting to 4,658 dead animals: everything from pacas and armadillos to capybaras and various species of birds. That was the finding from a study carried out by a group of researchers led by Brazilian biologist Hani R. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Note: This article contains graphic images of dead animals that might be upsetting. Between 2018 and 2020, users of Facebook groups in Brazil shared more than 2,000 records of wildlife poaching, amounting to 4,658 dead animals: everything from pacas and armadillos to capybaras and various species of birds. That was the finding from a study carried out by a group of researchers led by Brazilian biologist Hani R. El Bizri from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development. They collected and analyzed data from the five most relevant Brazilian Facebook poaching groups, both open and private, to understand how the activity impacts biodiversity. By identifying the patterns of illegal hunting in Brazil, it was possible to map the municipalities and biomes in which poaching took place; estimate the number of poachers involved and the number of animals killed; identify the species affected; and count the amount of meat in tons, in order to know how much biomass was removed from the habitats. The survey showed that illegal hunting took place in all of the country&#8217;s biomes and in 14% of Brazilian municipalities, spread across all states. There were an estimated 1,400 poachers involved and a total of 29 metric tons of wild meat obtained from the activity. A total of 157 species were killed, from small amphibians to large mammals. Of these, 19 were threatened species, such as tapirs, peccaries, jacutinga birds and coandu-mirim dwarf porcupines, a species only described by science in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/unlike-brazil-facebook-groups-give-poachers-safe-space-to-flex-their-kills/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-292023</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Social media influencers&#8217; behavior with marine wildlife is risky for animals, too (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/social-media-influencers-bad-behavior-with-marine-wildlife-is-risky-for-animals-too-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/social-media-influencers-bad-behavior-with-marine-wildlife-is-risky-for-animals-too-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Oct 2024 16:53:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Erica Carone]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/08/29122448/White_shark-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=288063</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Cetaceans, Commentary, Conservation, Environment, Ethics, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Sharks, Social Media, Whales, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Many of us have likely come across that viral video on social media  –  a young woman touching the back of a large, possibly pregnant, great white shark, swimming alongside it for about 10 seconds. The woman in question, Ocean Ramsey, has two million followers on Instagram and has been capturing attention by demonstrating that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Many of us have likely come across that viral video on social media  –  a young woman touching the back of a large, possibly pregnant, great white shark, swimming alongside it for about 10 seconds. The woman in question, Ocean Ramsey, has two million followers on Instagram and has been capturing attention by demonstrating that when approached in a certain way, sharks are not a threat to humans. But this is just one of many social accounts that showcase close encounters with marine wildlife. Seeing images of people swimming alongside giant sperm whales resting vertically with their calves, floating among groups of nurse sharks, or stroking manta rays has become more common than ever before. While there is an initial fascination in witnessing a human swim peacefully next to what many consider their worst nightmare, or treating a giant like a pet, it raises important questions about the real purpose of such interactions. Moreover, can we be certain that encouraging this shift from fear to confidence is having a net positive effect on the protection of both species involved – humans and wildlife? In a world where over 60% of the global population uses social media, several studies have demonstrated that these platforms can be powerful tools for conservation communication, helping to inform, educate, and drive engagement. Accounts like those of Oceana (with three million followers) and Ocean Conservancy (with over 460,000 followers), for instance, share daily sea life images, promoting awareness campaigns, interviews with experts and communities, and encouraging&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/social-media-influencers-bad-behavior-with-marine-wildlife-is-risky-for-animals-too-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/social-media-influencers-bad-behavior-with-marine-wildlife-is-risky-for-animals-too-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-288063</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Kenyan farmers turn to WhatsApp &#038; AI tools to combat crop diseases</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/kenyan-farmers-turn-to-whatsapp-ai-tools-to-combat-crop-diseases/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/kenyan-farmers-turn-to-whatsapp-ai-tools-to-combat-crop-diseases/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jun 2024 05:00:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Juliet Akoth Ojwang]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Karen Coates]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/06/26174659/maize-farmer-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=283717</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Kenya]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence, Conservation, Crops, Diseases, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Farming, Fellows, Governance, Pesticides, Politics, Social Media, Technology, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As millions of farmers suffer each year from crop and livestock deaths due to pests and diseases, some growers in Africa are turning to a host of advanced technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and online tools to complement the services offered by extension agents in helping farmers combat these losses. PlantVillage (PV), a U.S.-based nonprofit that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As millions of farmers suffer each year from crop and livestock deaths due to pests and diseases, some growers in Africa are turning to a host of advanced technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and online tools to complement the services offered by extension agents in helping farmers combat these losses. PlantVillage (PV), a U.S.-based nonprofit that aims to improve the lives of farmers and agricultural productivity globally through knowledge and technology, is one key example. The organization’s eponymous AI PlantVillage app uses a technology called TensorFlow to identify objects on plant leaves and patterns indicating disease outbreaks. The tool, which is developed by using images of both healthy and diseased crop leaves, can therefore help with detecting diseases and pest symptoms for crops such as maize, cassava, Irish potatoes, finger millet and many others. &#8220;We integrated AI into our programs because relying solely on extension officers in the field for surveillance often isn&#8217;t sufficient,&#8221; Lawrence Ombwayo, the associate director of PlantVillage Kenya, told Mongabay in an interview. He explained that the app was developed to enhance the organization’s extension system, given that agricultural extension services in Kenya and across Africa are under-resourced. The organization found that relying exclusively on its extension officers limited its reach to farmers, hindering PV’s ability to disseminate information about current and emerging crop threats and reducing surveillance of the challenges farmers face, Ombwayo added. Smallholder women farmers grow maize along with oranges, avocados and a variety of vegetables in Machakos, Kenya. Image by McKay Savage via&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/kenyan-farmers-turn-to-whatsapp-ai-tools-to-combat-crop-diseases/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/kenyan-farmers-turn-to-whatsapp-ai-tools-to-combat-crop-diseases/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-283717</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How real action on environmental justice comes from Latin America’s community alliances (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/how-real-action-on-environmental-justice-comes-from-latin-americas-community-alliances-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/how-real-action-on-environmental-justice-comes-from-latin-americas-community-alliances-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jun 2024 22:13:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Eliana Lafone]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/01/01002345/panama_rainforest_0204_1800-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=282899</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Ecuador, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Climate Justice, Endangered Environmentalists, Environment, extractives, Forests, Governance, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Media, Mining, Rainforests, Social Justice, Social Media, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Escazú Agreement was seen as a real breakthrough when it came into force in April 2021, and is the only binding treaty to have emerged from the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. Negotiated between nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, it was the first agreement in the world designed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Escazú Agreement was seen as a real breakthrough when it came into force in April 2021, and is the only binding treaty to have emerged from the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. Negotiated between nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, it was the first agreement in the world designed to protect environmental defenders and to promote public participation and access to information and justice in environmental matters. Such an initiative is much needed: Latin America and the Caribbean have seen intense environmental degradation in recent decades and those who defend its natural riches are at extreme risk, with the region considered the deadliest in the world for environmental defenders. But the agreement has not lived up to its promises. Although it was initially signed by 25 nations, it was only ratified by 16 and among those who have still not ratified it are some of the most dangerous for environmental defenders, notably: Brazil, Peru and Guatemala. Even supportive nations are failing to deliver. After ratifying the agreement in 2020, Ecuador restructured its Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition to include units dedicated to public participation and the protection of environmental defenders. However, calls from local groups in Napo, a province in the Ecuadorian rainforest, for the authorities to protect the rivers from mercury – a poisonous heavy metal miners use to extract gold – are falling on deaf ears. Confluence of the Piatara and Jatunyaku rivers, which Kichwa communities in Napo Province depend&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/how-real-action-on-environmental-justice-comes-from-latin-americas-community-alliances-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/how-real-action-on-environmental-justice-comes-from-latin-americas-community-alliances-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-282899</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Online trade in Philippine hornbills threatens birds and forests</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/online-trade-in-philippine-hornbills-threatens-birds-and-forests/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/online-trade-in-philippine-hornbills-threatens-birds-and-forests/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Aug 2023 15:46:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jhesset O. Enano]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/08/29123029/Luzon-Hornbill-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272692</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Wild Bird Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Business, Conservation, Crime, Ecosystem Engineers, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Illegal Trade, Industry, International Trade, Seed Dispersal, Social Media, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MANILA – Hornbills in the Philippines already suffer from habitat loss and forest conversion, but the illegal sale of these endangered birds in the online market could further plunge their numbers in the wild, according to a recently published study. This possible decrease in their populations due to poaching could have a knock-on effect on [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MANILA – Hornbills in the Philippines already suffer from habitat loss and forest conversion, but the illegal sale of these endangered birds in the online market could further plunge their numbers in the wild, according to a recently published study. This possible decrease in their populations due to poaching could have a knock-on effect on forests, especially on fruit-bearing trees, for which hornbills play a key role in dispersing seeds. Online surveys conducted by the wildlife monitoring group TRAFFIC between 2018 and 2022 revealed that these threatened birds are being sold on Facebook, despite the social network’s policy against the trade of live animals and Philippine laws that seek to protect wildlife from illegal possession and trade. The report found a total of 143 hornbills being offered for sale during the five-year monitoring period. Prices ranged from as low as 1,500 pesos (about $26) for an endemic species to 30,000 pesos ($529) for nonnative species. The study said the low asking prices meant they were likely poached from the wild, given the difficulty of breeding and maintaining the birds in captivity. (Left) A typical post on social media offering to sell wildlife in 2018 included details such as the price and location. (Right) Evolving trade: A post offering to sell a nestling hornbill in April 2023 used code (C1 = for sale) and an envelope emoji (i.e., send a private message). Images from Facebook. Most of the hornbills seen sold online were Luzon tarictic hornbills (Penelopides manillae), which are classified&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/online-trade-in-philippine-hornbills-threatens-birds-and-forests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/online-trade-in-philippine-hornbills-threatens-birds-and-forests/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-272692</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>A thriving online market for wild birds emerges in Bangladesh</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/a-thriving-online-market-for-wild-birds-emerges-in-bangladesh/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/a-thriving-online-market-for-wild-birds-emerges-in-bangladesh/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Aug 2023 14:38:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maksuda Aziz]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abu Siddique]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/08/29135331/scaly-breasted-munia-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272698</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Wild Bird Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bangladesh, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Business, Conservation, Crime, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Illegal Trade, Industry, International Trade, Social Media, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“As cheap as water” is a common saying in Bangladesh. Despite the fact that water is actually not cheap, salespeople nonetheless love to use the expression to draw the attention of potential customers. These days, social media marketplaces use this phrase to advertise something extremely valuable: wild birds. Though selling, buying and caging wild birds [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“As cheap as water” is a common saying in Bangladesh. Despite the fact that water is actually not cheap, salespeople nonetheless love to use the expression to draw the attention of potential customers. These days, social media marketplaces use this phrase to advertise something extremely valuable: wild birds. Though selling, buying and caging wild birds is against the law, these birds are being sold publicly at a relatively low price. The Wildlife Conservation and Security Act of 2012 makes it illegal to purchase, sell or transfer local bird species. Over the course of a monthlong investigation, Mongabay discovered up to 10 Facebook pages, profiles and YouTube channels selling wild birds like the scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata), blossom-headed parakeet (Psittacula roseata), Alexandrine parakeet (Psittacula eupatria), red turtle dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica), common hill myna (Gracula religiosa), and common myna (Acridotheres tristis),. Many other pages and groups promote the taming of wild birds. One YouTube channel was selling Accipitridae birds like eagles, hawks and Brahminy kites (Haliastur indus). The blossom-headed parakeet is a near threatened species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The most commonly sold of these species — which are barred from sale — the Alexandrine parakeet, is near threatened globally. A red turtle dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica), one of the wild birds openly sold in Bangladesh. Image by Vijay Anand Ismavel via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). Three big online retailers Masud Rana and Arif from Mirpur, Dhaka, and Ibrahim from Tangi Bazar&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/a-thriving-online-market-for-wild-birds-emerges-in-bangladesh/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/a-thriving-online-market-for-wild-birds-emerges-in-bangladesh/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-272698</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>A Southeast Asian marine biodiversity hotspot is also a wildlife trafficking hotbed</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/a-southeast-asian-marine-biodiversity-hotspot-is-also-a-wildlife-trafficking-hotbed/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/a-southeast-asian-marine-biodiversity-hotspot-is-also-a-wildlife-trafficking-hotbed/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jun 2023 15:22:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Keith Anthony Fabro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/06/07111640/green-sea-turtle-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=269488</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Illegal Wildlife Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Ecosystems, Elasmobranchs, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Extinction, Fish, Fishing, Food, Food Industry, Illegal Fishing, Illegal Trade, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Saltwater Fish, Social Media, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new report has highlighted the maritime border zone between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines as a hotbed for the illegal wildlife trade, and called for urgent intergovernmental action to protect this biodiversity hotspot at the apex of the Coral Triangle. Wildlife trade monitoring nonprofit TRAFFIC documented and analyzed the seizure of more than 25,000 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new report has highlighted the maritime border zone between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines as a hotbed for the illegal wildlife trade, and called for urgent intergovernmental action to protect this biodiversity hotspot at the apex of the Coral Triangle. Wildlife trade monitoring nonprofit TRAFFIC documented and analyzed the seizure of more than 25,000 live animals and more than 120,000 metric tons of wildlife, parts and plants from the illegal trade between June 2003 and September 2021 in the Sulu-Celebes seas region. “The sheer volume of hundreds of marine and terrestrial species poached and trafficked through this lesser-known seas is a wake-up call for action before it’s too late,” report co-author Serene Chng, senior program officer of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, said in a statement. The communities that live alongside these seas have long had strong transboundary relationships and connections due to their shared cultures and engagement in local trade, often involving illegal, unreported and untaxed goods. TRAFFIC found the illegal wildlife trade through the Sulu and Celebes seas is primarily between the three Southeast Asian countries, rather than destined for other countries — though the arrests of some Chinese and Vietnamese nationals suggests some involvement by international syndicates. The smuggling of marine turtles — nearly all of which are endangered or critically endangered — is a major issue in the Sulu-Celebes seas region, with all three countries implicated in the trade. Image courtesy of TRAFFIC. Marine wildlife targeted TRAFFIC logged 452 confiscations of live animals and wildlife parts in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/a-southeast-asian-marine-biodiversity-hotspot-is-also-a-wildlife-trafficking-hotbed/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-269488</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study: Online trade in arachnids threatens some species with extinction</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/study-online-trade-in-arachnids-threatens-some-species-with-extinction/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/study-online-trade-in-arachnids-threatens-some-species-with-extinction/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Mar 2023 11:24:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ryan Truscott]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/02/24122811/Harpactira_pulchripes01-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=265931</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Illegal Wildlife Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa and Angola]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Arachnids, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Extinction, Illegal Trade, Insects, Pet Trade, Pets, Social Media, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When John Midgley dug a golden brown tarantula out of its burrow in the remote woodlands of southeastern Angola, he felt he had found “one of the most astonishing animals ever.” Examining the spider by headlamp in his camp, the South African entomologist marveled at the horn on its back, longer than any found on [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When John Midgley dug a golden brown tarantula out of its burrow in the remote woodlands of southeastern Angola, he felt he had found “one of the most astonishing animals ever.” Examining the spider by headlamp in his camp, the South African entomologist marveled at the horn on its back, longer than any found on similar species from the same genus, Ceratogyrus, or baboon spiders, because of their hairy appearance. Midgley knew something else: that this eye-catching appendage, given its novelty, would likely put the animals at risk from traders and collectors of exotic pets. He and his team made every effort to mitigate this. When it came to publishing their paper, they intentionally left out the GPS coordinates for where they’d located the species, he recalled. But the spiders are relatively easy to find in the wild, he concedes. “Any experienced collector — legal or illegal — would be able to find several per trip,” he told Mongabay. Now, more than six years after it was revealed to the world, it does appear that some of the spiders known to Angolans as chandachuly and to Midgley and his co-authors as Ceratogyrus attonitifer, have found their way into the online trade. That&#8217;s according to Alice Hughes, the lead author of a recent study on the vast and unregulated global trade in invertebrates. “We only see trade [about chandachuly] being discussed [online] so it is likely occurring at very low levels,” Hughes told Mongabay. “They [collectors] like new things.” (A) Aerial view of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/study-online-trade-in-arachnids-threatens-some-species-with-extinction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/study-online-trade-in-arachnids-threatens-some-species-with-extinction/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-265931</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>To get young Filipinos into farming, initiatives reach them via TikTok, school</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/to-get-young-filipinos-into-farming-initiatives-reach-them-via-tiktok-school/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/to-get-young-filipinos-into-farming-initiatives-reach-them-via-tiktok-school/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Oct 2022 14:20:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Janine Peralta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/10/27135810/Kids-Who-Farm-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261906</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Education, Environment, Farming, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Nature-based climate solutions, Social Media, Solutions, Subsistence Agriculture, Sustainability, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao, 12-year-old Raaina Hinay teaches people how to farm. Hinay is a co-founder of Kids Who Farm, an NGO based in the city of Zamboanga that teaches communities and schools how to start their own micro farms. Hinay started Kids Who Farm in 2019, when she was only 9 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao, 12-year-old Raaina Hinay teaches people how to farm. Hinay is a co-founder of Kids Who Farm, an NGO based in the city of Zamboanga that teaches communities and schools how to start their own micro farms. Hinay started Kids Who Farm in 2019, when she was only 9 years old, inspired by her desire to save her school’s unmaintained fruit garden. “[The garden] is flourishing now,” she tells Mongabay. Since then, Hinay and her father have been leading workshops on the basics of sustainable farming for kids as young as herself and even adults, to assist them in setting up their own businesses. Hinay’s first workshop, at the age of 9, was with a class of university students more than twice her age. “After that, we started teaching more communities and schools on how to build their own garden, almost anyone,” Hinay says. Raaina Hinay, co-founder of Kids Who Farm, leads workshops along with her father on the basics of sustainable farming. Image courtesy of Kids Who Farm. A microfarm at a school in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Image courtesy of Kids Who Farm. Over the past three years, Kids Who Farm has established 38 community food gardens and school micro farms in 25 barangays, or wards, throughout Zamboanga City, and in two barangays in the northern Mindanao city of Cagayan de Oro, with 180 youth volunteers participating. The NGO has trained up to 3,000 young people on sustainable farming. Hinay&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/to-get-young-filipinos-into-farming-initiatives-reach-them-via-tiktok-school/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/to-get-young-filipinos-into-farming-initiatives-reach-them-via-tiktok-school/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-261906</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Survey finds thriving online market for Indonesian birds in Philippines</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/survey-finds-thriving-online-market-for-indonesian-birds-in-philippines/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/survey-finds-thriving-online-market-for-indonesian-birds-in-philippines/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Oct 2022 19:02:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Danielle Keeton-Olsen]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/10/26115516/4-Moluccan-Cockatoo-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261852</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Illegal Wildlife Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Business, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Illegal Trade, Industry, International Trade, Social Media, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Protected by law but threatened by trade, rare and endangered parrots native to Indonesia are frequently sold via Facebook in the Philippines, a new survey has found. The analysis of online sales, government seizures and trade data compiled by the U.K.-based wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC indicates strong market demand in the Philippines for birds native [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Protected by law but threatened by trade, rare and endangered parrots native to Indonesia are frequently sold via Facebook in the Philippines, a new survey has found. The analysis of online sales, government seizures and trade data compiled by the U.K.-based wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC indicates strong market demand in the Philippines for birds native to Indonesia. Though officials have stepped up seizures, researchers say regulation of online sales remains absent or inconsistent, and warn that poached birds could potentially be sold from the Philippines to other countries. Researchers surveyed 20 Facebook groups known to sell wild birds between January 2018 and December 2019, finding 501 posts by vendors in the Philippines selling a total 841 birds native to Indonesia. These species, which aren’t found in the Philippines, were mostly native to the eastern Indonesian islands of Papua and the Wallacea biodiversity hotspot. Researchers identified 25 different species of birds from the posts, 24 of which were regulated by CITES, the global convention on the wildlife trade. Image courtesy of TRAFFIC. Serene Chng, one of the report’s authors, said researchers scanned sales posts for visual indications that the birds had been caught in the wild: birds that appeared injured or had missing feathers from being caught, or lacked tags used by captive breeders like microchips or closed rings around their legs. More than half of the posts analyzed advertised birds the researchers suspected were wild-caught. The most common bird found among the trading posts was Eclectus roratus or the eclectus&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/survey-finds-thriving-online-market-for-indonesian-birds-in-philippines/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/survey-finds-thriving-online-market-for-indonesian-birds-in-philippines/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-261852</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study shines light, and raises alarm, over online trade of West African birds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/study-shines-light-and-raises-alarm-over-online-trade-of-west-african-birds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/study-shines-light-and-raises-alarm-over-online-trade-of-west-african-birds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jun 2022 10:06:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elizabeth Claire Alberts]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Elizabethalberts]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/06/23092731/7-West-African-birds-trade-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=257620</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Illegal Wildlife Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Crime, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Parrots, Research, Social Media, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With its bright green plumage and range of vocalizations, the rose-ringed parakeet is one of the most sought-after birds in the pet trade. To supply ongoing demand for these birds, traders capture them from their native ranges in parts of Africa and Asia, then sell them to buyers across the world. The rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With its bright green plumage and range of vocalizations, the rose-ringed parakeet is one of the most sought-after birds in the pet trade. To supply ongoing demand for these birds, traders capture them from their native ranges in parts of Africa and Asia, then sell them to buyers across the world. The rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) has been so widely trafficked that, in 1976, countries moved to list the species on Appendix III of CITES, the global wildlife trade convention, in an effort to monitor and regulate the trade. But in 2007, CITES delisted the rose-ringed parakeet, along with 115 other wild bird species found in West Africa, possibly in response to the European Union banning the import of wild-caught birds in 2005, experts say. While the EU ban did reduce some trade, experts say that sales are picking up in the Middle East and South Asia, and that the lack of CITES regulations has made it very difficult to monitor the trade, particularly when it comes to birds originating from West Africa. “We know that the unsustainable trade in wild birds from the region has caused populations of some species to collapse but for most species there is essentially no monitoring of populations in the wild,” Rowan Martin, a wild bird expert who holds positions at both the Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and the World Parrot Trust, told Mongabay in an email. “We simply don’t know if the trade in these species is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/study-shines-light-and-raises-alarm-over-online-trade-of-west-african-birds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/study-shines-light-and-raises-alarm-over-online-trade-of-west-african-birds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-257620</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>That ‘killer’ spider story you read online? Fake news, most probably</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/that-killer-spider-story-you-read-online-fake-news-most-probably/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/that-killer-spider-story-you-read-online-fake-news-most-probably/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2022 13:15:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Cassie Freund]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/05/20132733/Argiope-bruennichi-wasp-spider-3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=256142</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Arachnids, Biodiversity, data, Human-wildlife Conflict, Insects, Media, Research, Social Media, and Spiders]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The prevalence of political and scientific misinformation in the media is a hot-button topic these days, and rightfully so — it has serious negative consequences for society. Emerging research shows that not even the animal kingdom is safe from the dangers of misinformation: a new study has quantified the global spread of misinformation about spiders, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The prevalence of political and scientific misinformation in the media is a hot-button topic these days, and rightfully so — it has serious negative consequences for society. Emerging research shows that not even the animal kingdom is safe from the dangers of misinformation: a new study has quantified the global spread of misinformation about spiders, yielding clues about how to stem the flow of falsehoods. The research, posted as a pre-print and currently under peer review, is the product of a massive effort by more than 60 scientists around the world led by ecologist Stefano Mammola of the Italian National Research Council. They compiled a database of 5,348 news articles about human-spider encounters from 81 countries and written in 41 languages. Mammola and his colleagues analyzed each article in the database, recording whether they contained factual errors about spiders and whether they used sensationalistic language and/or images, such as the words “killer,” “terror” and “nightmare,” to describe the encounters. They found the articles were rife with misinformation: nearly half (47%) of the total news articles contained factual errors, and 43% were sensationalistic. According to Mammola, spiders are a perfect focal organism for examining scientific misinformation in the media because they arouse a lot of emotion — much of it fear — in humans. Media outlets capitalize on these strong emotions to get readers to click on their articles. Sensationalized headlines about spiders. Researchers found that nearly half (47%) of the total news articles contained factual errors, and 43% were sensationalistic.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/that-killer-spider-story-you-read-online-fake-news-most-probably/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/that-killer-spider-story-you-read-online-fake-news-most-probably/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-256142</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘It’s just a bird’: Online platforms selling lesser-known Indonesian species</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/its-just-a-bird-online-platforms-selling-lesser-known-indonesian-species/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/its-just-a-bird-online-platforms-selling-lesser-known-indonesian-species/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 May 2022 14:31:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean Mowbray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/05/17140144/pink-headed-fruit-dove-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=255923</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Illegal Wildlife Trade and Wild Bird Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Law, Law Enforcement, Pet Trade, Poaching, Social Media, Trade, trafficking, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Trade in endangered species online is an increasingly popular avenue for traders and traffickers. A recent review, published in the journal Oryx, highlights a related trend: lesser-known species that have traditionally flown under the radars of both traders and conservationists are appearing online. Earlier this year, Vincent Nijman, a professor of anthropology with the Oxford [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Trade in endangered species online is an increasingly popular avenue for traders and traffickers. A recent review, published in the journal Oryx, highlights a related trend: lesser-known species that have traditionally flown under the radars of both traders and conservationists are appearing online. Earlier this year, Vincent Nijman, a professor of anthropology with the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group at Oxford Brookes University in the U.K., scanned Facebook groups and online platforms for listings of the pink-headed fruit dove (Ptilinopus porphyreus). This “inconspicuous” species has rarely been found in marketplaces in its native Indonesia. “It took me literally a few hours to find a decent number of them online,” Nijman told Mongabay. “[Y]ou can find many more of them online than what we’ve seen over, let’s say, four or five decades of surveying [physical] markets.” In total, Nijman found 56 of these birds listed for sale online. Prices started as low as $20 for a single bird. To Nijman, this demonstrates that even species that previously would have garnered little interest in physical markets are now sellable online. “Because even if it&#8217;s very niche, with the internet and with basically online advertising, with good courier services, and with a lack of enforcement … all these things combined means that if you want to sell pink-headed fruit doves, you can do that,” he said. “You can turn it into a business.” A one-day survey of online platforms found 56 pink-headed fruit doves for sale. Image courtesy of Achmad Ridha Junaid/Burung Indonesia.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/its-just-a-bird-online-platforms-selling-lesser-known-indonesian-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/its-just-a-bird-online-platforms-selling-lesser-known-indonesian-species/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-255923</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘A risky business’: Online illegal wildlife trade continues to soar in Myanmar</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/a-risky-business-online-illegal-wildlife-trade-continues-to-soar-in-myanmar/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/a-risky-business-online-illegal-wildlife-trade-continues-to-soar-in-myanmar/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Apr 2022 05:25:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolyn Cowan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Hayat Indriyatno]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/04/04043001/Pangolin_RhettAButler-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=254414</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Atlantic Forest, Myanmar, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, COVID-19, Crime, Critically Endangered Species, Diseases, Elephants, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Hunting, Illegal Trade, Ivory, Law, Law Enforcement, Pandemics, Pangolins, Poaching, Social Media, Technology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Wildlife, Wildlife consumption, Wildlife Trade, Wildlife Trafficking, and Zoonotic Diseases]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Amid lockdowns, travel restrictions and wet market closures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, wildlife traders shifted their business online. A trade once dominated by face-to-face interactions now sees sellers and buyers chat via social media, conduct mobile banking transactions, and deliver live animals or their parts by courier — often without fear of legal repercussions. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Amid lockdowns, travel restrictions and wet market closures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, wildlife traders shifted their business online. A trade once dominated by face-to-face interactions now sees sellers and buyers chat via social media, conduct mobile banking transactions, and deliver live animals or their parts by courier — often without fear of legal repercussions. New research from WWF shows that this trend has taken root in Myanmar. The report, based on monitoring in the Southeast Asian country during 2021, shows that trade in protected wild animals and their body parts via Facebook is escalating. Beyond the impact of the trade on the country’s biodiversity, the report highlights the risks to public health from the trade of several high-risk species, namely civets and pangolins, that are considered to be potential vectors in passing zoonotic, or animal-borne, diseases to humans. It also lays out the mechanisms that facilitate the trade and presents possible ways to curb it. An Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) advertised for sale in a Facebook post in Myanmar during 2021. Image © WWF Asia-Pacific “With Asia’s track record as a breeding ground for many recent zoonotic diseases, this sharp uptick in online trade of wildlife in Myanmar is extremely concerning,” said Shaun Martin, WWF regional lead on illegal wildlife trade cybercrime and report co-author. Martin added that despite widespread knowledge of the biodiversity crisis and the lessons learned over the past few years about the virus spillover risk inherent in the wildlife trade, evidence shows that animals&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/a-risky-business-online-illegal-wildlife-trade-continues-to-soar-in-myanmar/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/a-risky-business-online-illegal-wildlife-trade-continues-to-soar-in-myanmar/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-254414</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Want a wild bird on the hush-hush in Singapore? There’s a Facebook group for that</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/want-a-wild-bird-on-the-hush-hush-in-singapore-theres-a-facebook-group-for-that/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/want-a-wild-bird-on-the-hush-hush-in-singapore-theres-a-facebook-group-for-that/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Dec 2021 15:09:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sheryl Lee Tian Tong]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sheryl Lee Tian Tong]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/12/20150301/sc2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=250877</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Wild Bird Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Singapore]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Business, Conservation, Crime, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Governance, Law Enforcement, Poaching, Social Media, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Singapore’s live bird trade is thriving on Facebook largely unlicensed, according to a new report from watchdog group TRAFFIC, which notes the persistence of the illicit pet trade despite clampdowns by local authorities and calls for a compulsory wildlife-pet registration system. Researchers tracked 44 Singapore-based Facebook groups selling wildlife between December 2018 and April 2019, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Singapore’s live bird trade is thriving on Facebook largely unlicensed, according to a new report from watchdog group TRAFFIC, which notes the persistence of the illicit pet trade despite clampdowns by local authorities and calls for a compulsory wildlife-pet registration system. Researchers tracked 44 Singapore-based Facebook groups selling wildlife between December 2018 and April 2019, and counted 662 unique traders, most of them unlicensed and therefore acting illegally. They recorded 3,354 live animals for sale, 99% of them birds. Some of these birds had been smuggled from abroad or poached locally, they found. Although 13 of these groups were shut down by Singapore’s National Parks Board (NParks) and Facebook, five have resurfaced as of April 2021, the report said. “These observations point towards the persistent behaviour of online traders and buyers to circumvent regulatory actions, and the continued usage and relevance of online platforms in the trade of live birds in Singapore,” the researchers wrote. Screenshot of group administrators indicating awareness of regulatory actions carried out by Facebook to suspend or close groups and accounts trading wildlife, and their workarounds to circumvent the ban. Image courtesy of TRAFFIC. Singapore’s efforts to target the illicit wildlife pet trade have so far focused on monitoring and enforcement actions at the trader level instead of imposing licensing requirements at the consumer level, the report said. Pet shops, breeders and importers must be licensed to sell wildlife, which must come from legal sources, and which is mostly limited to birds and a small number&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/want-a-wild-bird-on-the-hush-hush-in-singapore-theres-a-facebook-group-for-that/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-250877</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>In China, agroforestry serves up tea with a spoonful of sustainability</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/in-china-agroforestry-serves-up-tea-with-a-spoonful-of-sustainability/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/in-china-agroforestry-serves-up-tea-with-a-spoonful-of-sustainability/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Nov 2021 15:00:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sheryl Lee Tian Tong]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sheryl Lee Tian Tong]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/11/07075756/169185764_2958110104433891_6315465559156068499_n-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=249117</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[China]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Agriculture, Agroecology, Agroforestry, Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Business, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Community Development, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Consumer Action, Deforestation, Development, Ecology, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Policy, Farming, Food, Forest Carbon, Forests, Governance, Industrial Agriculture, Insects, Mammals, Plantations, Social Media, Solutions, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SINGAPORE — On a vast plateau atop Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan, China, nearly a mile above sea level, grows a forest of ancient tea trees. During summer, silvery cobwebs line the gnarled specimens, some of which are more than 200 years old and up to 8 meters (26 feet) tall. Workers perch on their branches, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SINGAPORE — On a vast plateau atop Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan, China, nearly a mile above sea level, grows a forest of ancient tea trees. During summer, silvery cobwebs line the gnarled specimens, some of which are more than 200 years old and up to 8 meters (26 feet) tall. Workers perch on their branches, filling bag after bag of fragrant tea leaves. Overhead, 50 m (164 ft) evergreen trees loom, casting the forest in their dappled shade. William Osmont, owner of the tea forest and a Yunnan-based tea production company called Farmerleaf, tells Mongabay in a phone interview the yield from such “ancient tea gardens” is far poorer than what you would get from a monoculture tea plantation, or even a younger and more productive tea forest. But the unusually complex and concentrated flavors makes it worthwhile. “Just like in wine, every place has a different taste,” he says. “Ancient tea gardens have a different ecosystem. They have more biodiversity and are closer to a regular forest. And their tea is richer with a more complex fragrance. “When you drink it, you get a good sweetness in the throat,” he adds. “Good tea has a concentrated presence in the mouth that is very much like a good wine or a good chicken soup. And it can make you feel very, very calm or a bit high.” Contrast that with the way tea is commonly grown in larger tea estates, in monocultures of small bushes sprayed heavily with chemical fertilizers&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/in-china-agroforestry-serves-up-tea-with-a-spoonful-of-sustainability/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/in-china-agroforestry-serves-up-tea-with-a-spoonful-of-sustainability/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-249117</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Unregulated by U.S. at home, Facebook boosts wildlife trafficking abroad</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/unregulated-by-u-s-at-home-facebook-boosts-wildlife-trafficking-abroad/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/unregulated-by-u-s-at-home-facebook-boosts-wildlife-trafficking-abroad/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jun 2021 09:11:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ian Morse]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/06/08090025/cheetahs-header-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=243403</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global, Mexico, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Cheetahs, Conservation, Crime, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Governance, Green, Hunting, Illegal Trade, Ivory, Organized Crime, Pet Trade, Poaching, Social Media, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife consumption, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Despite a 2019 self-imposed ban, Facebook continues linking wildlife traffickers with buyers around the globe, while the U.S. government has so far done little to regulate trade facilitated by Facebook and other social media firms.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In a matter of seconds, anyone can find evidence of wildlife trafficking on Facebook, according to independent researchers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) experts. Even using simple search terms returns thousands of posts that offer wildlife and body parts up for sale. Elephant ivory from Thailand, pangolin scales from Vietnam, and sun bears from Malaysia. Tigers, walrus, tortoises, rhinos, sea turtles and shark fins have all been found for sale on the world’s biggest social media platform, even though it says it has banned the trade on its site. Patricia Tricorache, an independent wildlife researcher, monitors cheetah cubs appearing on social media every day. From her home in Mexico, she watches online as cheetahs exchange hands, shuffled from their home in the Horn of Africa to collectors’ homes in Saudi Arabia — posted on Facebook and its subsidiary, Instagram. The animals are likely doomed. Usually, cubs only last among traffickers and buyers for a few months before they die. But U.S.-headquartered Facebook, Tricorache says, is shielded by U.S. laws designed to protect free speech. As a result, the company, which boasts 2.7 billion global users, has long dodged responsibility for hosting wildlife traffickers — a trade that researchers say has only increased since the company committed to stopping it in 2019. “Facebook is like the cop that stands outside the house while the house is being robbed,” Tricorache says. “It’s like they’re watching all this happening and saying, ‘well it wasn’t my precinct or I wasn’t on duty,’&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/unregulated-by-u-s-at-home-facebook-boosts-wildlife-trafficking-abroad/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/unregulated-by-u-s-at-home-facebook-boosts-wildlife-trafficking-abroad/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-243403</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Wildlife trafficking, like everything else, has gone online during COVID-19</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/wildlife-trafficking-like-everything-else-has-gone-online-during-covid-19/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/wildlife-trafficking-like-everything-else-has-gone-online-during-covid-19/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Jun 2021 00:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Imelda AbanoLeilani Chavez]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Leilani]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/05/31124816/5691981871_b9d541d2ff_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=243146</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Thailand, and Vietnam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[COVID-19, Crime, Elephants, Environmental Law, Forests, Hunting, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Ivory, Law, Law Enforcement, Natural Resources, Pandemics, Pangolins, Rhinos, Social Media, Tigers, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wildlife, Wildlife consumption, Wildlife Corridors, Wildlife Rescues, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MANILA — When COVID-19 emerged in early 2020 in Southeast Asia, its governments took rapid containment actions: lockdowns, travel restrictions and trade suspensions, alerting the public about the virus. The pandemic has also put illegal or unsustainable wildlife trade under the spotlight due to enhanced restrictions on movement and increasing awareness about the public health [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MANILA — When COVID-19 emerged in early 2020 in Southeast Asia, its governments took rapid containment actions: lockdowns, travel restrictions and trade suspensions, alerting the public about the virus. The pandemic has also put illegal or unsustainable wildlife trade under the spotlight due to enhanced restrictions on movement and increasing awareness about the public health risks associated with wildlife consumption. The long-term impacts, though, remain to be seen. Recent reports on wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia suggest that, compared to 2019, on-the-ground activity has decreased due to pandemic restrictions and weakened demand for wildlife products. However, advertisements and trade continue to proliferate on social media platforms, and there is evidence that traders may be resorting to stockpiling animal parts in anticipation of demand recovering as restrictions are eased. Data from the fourth edition of the Counter Wildlife Trafficking Digest of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), released May 21 this year, indicate that seizures of pangolin parts in China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand dropped significantly in 2020, with 48 incidents in 2020 compared to 82 in 2019. The total volume of seizures also fell sharply to 9,765 kilograms (10.8 tons) of pangolin products from 2019’s 155,795 kg (171.7 tons). The report also found decreases in both the number and volume of seizures of tiger parts and elephant products. A total of 121 reported ivory seizures was recorded for 2020, down by 36% from 380 in 2019. Recent data from the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/wildlife-trafficking-like-everything-else-has-gone-online-during-covid-19/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-243146</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Fear not the bobcat (Commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/fear-not-the-bobcat-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/fear-not-the-bobcat-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Apr 2021 16:15:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mark Elbroch]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/04/23160259/bobcat-video-header-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=241950</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Cats, Commentary, Environment, Green, Human-wildlife Conflict, Small Cats, Social Media, Strange, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The video of a bobcat attacking a couple in North Carolina is frightening, and we wish them a hasty recovery. Rest assured, however, that such behavior – and the infection of wild cats with rabies – is abnormal. Although rare, attacks from rabid bats, raccoons and skunks are more likely. Healthy wild cats don’t bother [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The video of a bobcat attacking a couple in North Carolina is frightening, and we wish them a hasty recovery. Rest assured, however, that such behavior – and the infection of wild cats with rabies – is abnormal. Although rare, attacks from rabid bats, raccoons and skunks are more likely. Screen grab of the bobcat video posted by The New York Times. Healthy wild cats don’t bother people. Overwhelmingly, wild cat encounters in the United States leave the two-legged awestruck, clutching their phones to snap photos rather than calling 911. “When cats attack” moments are characteristically the result of unique circumstances, like the Utah jogger charged by a female puma to drive him away from her kittens. Viral videos capturing outlier acts of aggression paint inaccurate portraits of hostile carnivores, rather than accurately illustrating their elusive nature and roles strengthening ecosystems supporting human life. Bobcat in the snow. Photo credit: Nick Garbutt In celebrating Earth Day this week, let’s not allow unnecessary fear of our wild neighbors mar our connection with nature and wild cats. Mark Elbroch is Panthera&#8216;s Puma Program DirectorThis article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/fear-not-the-bobcat-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/fear-not-the-bobcat-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-241950</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>The ‘Cougar Conundrum’: Q&#038;A with author Mark Elbroch</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/the-cougar-conundrum-qa-with-author-mark-elbroch/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/the-cougar-conundrum-qa-with-author-mark-elbroch/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2020 00:58:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[John Cannon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[John Cannon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/08/20003805/F61_NealWight-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=234046</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Canada, North America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Books, Cats, Conflict, Conservation, Environment, Hunting, Interviews, Mammals, NGOs, Over-hunting, Predators, Social Conflict, Social Media, Top Predators, Trophy Hunting, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2016, a mountain lion known as P-45 killed 10 alpacas on a ranch in California’s Santa Monica Mountains. That’s rare behavior for a mountain lion, writes wildlife biologist Mark Elbroch in his new book, Cougar Conundrum: Sharing the World with a Successful Predator. Even so, the killing spree touched off a firestorm of controversy [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2016, a mountain lion known as P-45 killed 10 alpacas on a ranch in California’s Santa Monica Mountains. That’s rare behavior for a mountain lion, writes wildlife biologist Mark Elbroch in his new book, Cougar Conundrum: Sharing the World with a Successful Predator. Even so, the killing spree touched off a firestorm of controversy over what to do about the problem. Livestock owners argued for the right to kill problem pumas. Animal rights advocates said that pumas like P-45 are critical to the survival of the small population living in this part of southern California. The polarization is common in wildlife management, with entrenched views on each side and very little common ground on which to build consensus. But the community persisted, said Elbroch, the puma program director for Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization. In the end, ranchers were authorized to go after problem mountain lions only after they’d tried and failed other measures to deter them, an outcome that was criticized. But Elbroch said it could also be seen as an example of a compromise that, in his view, happens far too infrequently in wildlife management. “I would argue that, at least on a local scale, the Malibu community wrestled with the cougar conundrum and came up with a solution,” he writes. “Not everyone involved was happy with the end result, but it’s the process that’s most important, not the outcome.” The book, published on Aug. 13, likewise wrestles with the vexing questions that living alongside&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/the-cougar-conundrum-qa-with-author-mark-elbroch/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-234046</doi>				</item>
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