ANURADHAPURA, Sri Lanka — Current climate models forewarn that Sri Lanka’s dry zone is likely to become drier due to climate change, resulting in water shortages for agriculture. A country…
OAHU, Hawaii — Tucked at the base of the Ko’olau Mountains on the eastern side of the Hawaiian island of Oahu lies He’eia fishpond. Built around 800 years ago by…
Intact forests are among the few places on earth where native trees and animals can fulfill their ecological roles outside the influence of industrial humankind. Some interpret “intact” to mean…
ncovering the history of human habitation in the Amazon rainforest is challenging. The humid, tropical climate and dynamic forest landscape, where organic materials decay rapidly, can be an enemy of…
Other stories in Mongabay’s series on the Maya Biosphere Reserve: Killing of Guatemalan activist in the Maya Biosphere Reserve raises alarm Successes and many challenges in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve…
Other stories in Mongabay’s series on the Maya Biosphere Reserve: Killing of Guatemalan activist in the Maya Biosphere Reserve raises alarm Successes and many challenges in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve…
Other stories in Mongabay’s series on the Maya Biosphere Reserve: Killing of Guatemalan activist in the Maya Biosphere Reserve raises alarm Communities lead the way in rainforest conservation in Guatemala…
Andean community leaders show hydrologists and project developers from Lima damaged amunas. These pre-Incan canals collect excess river water in the wet season so it can recharge pools and groundwater…
Media coverage of ruins raises controversy among scientists, but leads to stepped-up protection efforts in long-neglected region Temple at Tikal, a Mayan city in Guatemala. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.…
Modern day signs of human activity in the Amazon rainforest. Courtesy of NASA. Click to enlarge. Researchers are planning to use drones equipped with vegetation-penetrating lasers to scan the Amazon…
Indigenous group hopes the monument will help them protect an embattled Amazon reserve A still from the film, The Reunion, showing the Rostro Harakbut. A new short film documents the…
What happened to Egypt's Serengeti-like ecosystem? Art helps scientists unravel the past The scientists found that major disappearances coincided with climate and environmental changes. Click here to see a Brazilian…
The Amazon rainforest in Yasuni National Park in Ecuador. Photo by: Jeremy Hance. The Amazon is the largest tropical forest on the planet, covering about 6.5 million square kilometers, although…
The Amazon forest along the Tambopata River in Peru. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. A study last month in the journal Science argued that pre-Columbian peoples had little impact on…
The Congo rainforest today in Gabon. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Three thousand years ago (around 1000 BCE) several large sections of the Congo rainforest in central Africa suddenly vanished…
The Maya city of Tulum. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Researchers have garnered further evidence for a smoking gun behind the fall of the great Maya civilization: deforestation. At the…
Nile crocodile in Madagascar. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. DNA has shown that the Nile crocodile is in fact two very different species: a bigger, more aggressive crocodile and a…
Recovery of forests following the collapse of human populations in the Americas after the arrival of Europeans may have driven the period of global cooling from 1500-1750 known as the…
Ancient Amazon tribes lived in sustainable "garden cities", argues new research Researchers have uncovered new evidence to support the controversial theory that parts of the Amazon were home to dense…
Charcoal signatures: Heavily-populated Amazon was decimated by old world disease Charcoal signatures: Heavily-populated Amazon was decimated by old world disease Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com June 9, 2008 Ecologists and archaeologists agree…
Ancient Amazon fires linked to human populations Ancient Amazon fires linked to human populations Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com February 20, 2008 European contact resulted in both a steep decline in…
Chocolate first used more than 3100 years ago Chocolate first used more than 3100 years ago mongabay.com November 12, 2007 Cacao, the source of chocolate, was in use at least…
Crop domestication originated in compost piles Crop domestication originated in compost piles mongabay.com August 19, 2007 New research lends support to the theory that backyard gardens and refuse heaps played…
Failing water supplies destroyed Angkor Wat in Cambodia Failing water supply destroyed lost city of Angkor Wat Ancient city, one of the largest ever known, done in by environmental degradation…
Killers of renowned anthropologist sentenced in Brazil Killers of renowned anthropologist sentenced in Brazil mongabay.com July 12, 2007 The men charged with the 2005 killing of University of Vermont anthropology…
Peanuts, cotton, squash first farmed in Peru 6,000-10,000 years ago Peanuts, cotton, squash first farmed in Peru 6,000-10,000 years ago mongabay.com June 28, 2007 Anthropologists have discovered the earliest-known evidence…
Polynesians brought chickens to Americas before Columbus Polynesians brought chickens to Americas before Columbus Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com June 4, 2007 New DNA analysis shows that Polynesians introduced chickens to…
Maize cultivated at least 7,300 years ago in Mexico Maize cultivated at least 7,300 years ago in Mexico Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com April 9, 2007 Anthropologists have found the earliest…
