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In the cloud forests of Brava, Cabo Verde, community youth bend over thorny shrubs, pulling out these invasive plants that choke the native orchids and grasslands. Not far away, herders guide their cattle through cleared pastures, benefiting directly from the restoration work. These community members are inspired by an initiative that commenced thousands of kilometers away in India, where villagers and conservationists are wrestling with Lantana camara, an ornamental plant from Central America that has spread like wildfire, threatening forests, wildlife, and livelihoods alike. Yet in both places, these struggles are not just about removing a plant—they are about securing a future where people and ecosystems can coexist. Image courtesy of the author.

Local communities are conservation’s most undervalued asset (commentary)

José Monteiro, Moreangels Mbizah, Damian Bell, Monicah Mbiba 3 Mar 2026
A captive black and rufous elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi), a resident of various kayas. Image by Joey Makalintal via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

Biodiversity bonds can work, but their design flaws must be fixed (commentary)

Anna Comacchio 10 Feb 2026
Forester kangaroos at The Quoin. Photo credit Doug Gimesy

Financing biodiversity: Lisa Miller on investing in nature

Rhett Ayers Butler 9 Feb 2026
A forest elephant near Ngounié, Gabon. Image by marcusgmeiner via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC 4.0)

What’s next for the major pledge to halt & reverse Congo Basin deforestation?

Latoya Abulu 5 Feb 2026
Puzzle of a natural history museum diorama. Image by Erik Hoffner for Mongabay.

Conservation programs must embrace causal evidence when evaluating impact (commentary)

Tanya O’Garra 3 Feb 2026

In the Brazilian Amazon, community conservation success comes with a cost: Study

Logan Rance 29 Jan 2026
Rainforest in Brunei in 2025. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler

The year in rainforests 2025: Deforestation fell; the risks did not

Rhett Ayers Butler 26 Dec 2025
Drone photo of a river meandering through the Alto Mayo landscape. The diversity of rivers and wetlands in the region contribute to the extraordinary variety of plants and animals found there, and are critical for sustaining local Indigenous communities. Image by Trond Larsen courtesy of Conservation International.

When abandoned conservation projects are counted as progress, what are we protecting? (commentary)

Ajay Sawant 18 Dec 2025

Mexico is inflating its climate spending by billions of dollars. Here’s how.

Maxwell Radwin 11 Dec 2025
A soy plantation borders native Cerrado vegetation, highlighting pressures on Brazil’s ecosystems and the need for community-led bioeconomy alternatives.

New financial tools boost traditional bioeconomy projects in the Amazon

Sarah Brown 8 Dec 2025
Early-career conservationists take part in the 2025 EDGE Conservation Tools Course, part of a global fellowship program that supports emerging leaders to drive locally led conservation. Image by Paul Barnes /EDGE of Existence, Zoological Society of London.

Small grants can empower the next generation of conservationists

Rhett Ayers Butler 1 Dec 2025
Indigenous participants at the Free Land Camp on April 10, where they discuss rights, territorial protection, and their role in COP30. Image by AP Photo/Eraldo Peres.

What was achieved for Indigenous peoples at COP30?

Sonam Lama Hyolmo 27 Nov 2025

Big finance still funds deforestation, 10 years after Paris pact

Aimee Gabay 25 Nov 2025
Logging concession near Ndolou, Gabon

Norway’s multibillion-dollar bet on forests: An interview with Minister Eriksen

David Akana 25 Nov 2025
A farmer cuts cacao pods from the tree in Colombia.

Conservation can emphasize human well-being to navigate its current funding crisis (commentary)

24 Nov 2025

With COP30, Indigenous Brazilians strive for new resources to protect nature

Sara Baptista 20 Nov 2025
Early-career conservationists take part in the 2025 EDGE Conservation Tools Course, part of a global fellowship program that supports emerging leaders to drive locally led conservation. Image by Paul Barnes /EDGE of Existence, Zoological Society of London.

Small grants are key to a successful next generation of conservationists (commentary)

Paul Barnes 14 Nov 2025
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre with Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil. Image courtesy of Ricardo Stuckert.

Donors renew $1.8 billion pledge for Indigenous land rights

Shanna Hanbury 12 Nov 2025
TFFF roundtable in Belém, Brazil on Nov. 6. Image courtesy of Fernando Donasci/MMA.

COP30 tropical forest fund may drive debt and deforestation, groups warn

Shanna Hanbury 7 Nov 2025
Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva at a Nov. 6 press conference. Image courtesy of Fernando Donasci/MMA.

Brazil launches fund tying forest cash to steep deforestation penalties

Shanna Hanbury 7 Nov 2025

Indigenous delegates prepare for COP30 with focus on justice, land and finance

Sonam Lama Hyolmo 7 Nov 2025
Indigenous leader Alessandra Korap Munduruku confronted Anglo American over its attempts to mine on protected Indigenous land, leading the mining giant to withdraw its prospecting applications. Image courtesy of the Goldman Environmental Prize.

Climate finance must reach Indigenous communities at COP30 & beyond (commentary)

Suzanne Pelletier and Victor Gil 5 Nov 2025
People walking through Rothbury Estate. Image courtesy of John Millard.

Wildlife charities a third of the way to buying key UK nature refuge

Shanna Hanbury 5 Nov 2025

State-NGO collaboration expands protection for Patagonia’s biodiversity hotspot

Mark Hillsdon 16 Oct 2025
Indigenous guide at Sani Isla in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler.

COP26 pledge to support Indigenous & local forest tenure was just met. What was learned?

Aimee Gabay 9 Oct 2025
Sumatran rhino. Image by Rhett Ayers Butler

Navigating conservation’s crisis (commentary)

Rhett Ayers Butler 21 Sep 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Brazil in 2024 and signed deals with President Lula on transition minerals.

Brazil’s market-based forest fund gets new endorsers ahead of COP30 debut

Lucas Berti 10 Sep 2025
Gurung women harvesting foxtail millet. Image by Sonam Lama Hyolmo/Mongabay.

New report recommends ways to increase women’s access to funding

Aimee Gabay 5 Sep 2025

Norway pledges more direct funding to support Indigenous peoples in Brazil

Aimee Gabay 19 Aug 2025
Beach on Mioskon Island in Raja Ampat. Photo by Rhett Bulter/Mongabay.

Unrestricted funding is key for frontline conservation groups: Mongabay podcast

Mongabay.com 12 Aug 2025
With support from the DGM, Indigenous Cibarani people from Indonesia secured an official customary forest designation, enabling them to improve their livelihoods. Photo by CIF.

How a quiet climate finance model is funneling money directly to communities

Aimee Gabay 22 Jul 2025
A mangrove forest in the Raja Ampat archipelago in Indonesia.

How much does it cost to restore a mangrove forest?

Rhett Ayers Butler 22 Jul 2025

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