ST ANDREWS, Scotland — Francineia Fontes Baniwa laughs enthusiastically as she tells of a conversation she had with her traveling companion, Nelly Marubo while on the train to Scotland: “Nelly…
On July 19th, 1989, Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi lit the match on twelve tons of elephant tusks soaked in gasoline. The elephants had been the victims of a relentless…
NAPO, Ecuador — Gloria Ushigua, president of the Sápara women’s association, stops by a large, thin, spindly tree that looks almost dead, and breaks off a thin branch. Running her…
Until about 1,000 years ago, Madagascar was home to fantastical creatures like elephant birds, giant fossas and large-bodied lemurs. Unlike their present-day cousins, they were enormous — bigger than the average…
On this episode, we take a look at how the social sciences can boost conservation efforts. Listen here: Our guest is Diogo Verissimo, a Postdoctoral Fellow with the University…
The greatest natural history repository in South America, Brazil’s National Museum was consumed by fire last Sunday — much was destroyed, but not all.
A massive fire ravaged Brazil’s National Museum (Museu Nacional) in Rio de Janeiro on the night of Sept. 2. The losses to the country’s oldest scientific institution and its approximately…
Large mammals living between about 7,000 and 25,000 years ago faced a massive upheaval in their environments on multiple fronts. As the Late Pleistocene was ending, humans were having a big…
Indonesian New Guinea holds some of the largest remnants of old-growth tropical forest on the planet. Yet the region faces increasing pressure to share its riches with the rest of…
The world’s most peace-loving apes will be getting a little love themselves this Valentine’s Day, as the California Senate recently passed a resolution to create the first World Bonobo Day…
In southern Africa, certain hunter-gatherer communities called the San peoples, have traditionally been known to use deadly poison-tipped arrows to hunt big game like gazelles and giraffe. Now, in a…
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.…
Scientists analyzed almost half a million fish bones to shed light on the population history of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in the North Pacific Ocean. Their paper, published in the…
Kelumpang Sarawak (Sterculia megistophylla) in Borneo. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Humans have been actively managing vast areas of Southeast Asia's forests for longer than previously believed, according to research…
Madagascar's first people may not have driven the island's largest animals to extinction, suggests new study. New research indicates that Madagascar was occupied some 2,500 years earlier than previously established.…
Howie Nielsen on a trek earlier this year into a remote portion of Virachey National Park. Photo by: Greg McCann. Ringed with forested mountains forming the borders with Laos and…
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…
Giant lizards in Malaysia are real but customary beliefs in "cryptids" — creatures whose existence hasn't been proven — has motivated conservation in some parts of the world. Cultural practices…
Madagascar was first colonized by a small group of Indonesians who crossed the Indian Ocean some 1,200 years ago, reports a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the…
Skin of female python killed by Agta Negrito men. Photo by: J. Headland. Humans have an ambivalent relationship with snakes. The legless reptiles are often feared and reviled, becoming stand-ins…
Kesenjangan adat istiadat tradisional muda versus tua di Tana Toraja Indonesia Kesenjangan adat istiadat tradisional muda versus tua di Tana Toraja Indonesia Kebangkrutan Budaya: Menjaga Sejarah pada pada Biaya yang…
Primate archaeology: old science gets new members Archaeology, the study of ancient cultures and their artifacts, has always been confined to the technology of humans and direct human ancestors. However,…
Rural depopulation to have biodiversity impacts Rural depopulation to have biodiversity impacts mongabay.com December 1, 2008
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…
Amazon Conservation Team wins "Innovation in Conservation Award" for path-breaking work with Amazon tribes Amazon Conservation Team wins "Innovation in Conservation Award"for path-breaking work with Amazon tribes mongabay.com December 11,…
High death rates drove evolution of human pygmies New theory on the evolution of pygmies mongabay.com December 10, 2007 Early childbearing age in the face of high death rates, drove…
A comprehensive look at the use of animals in Brazilian medicine A comprehensive look at the use of animals in Brazilian medicine Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com December 10, 2007 For millennia…
Amazon rainforest children to get medicinal plant training from shamans Amazon rainforest children to get medicinal plant training from shamans Grant from Nature's Path expands cultural program mongabay.com November 21,…
