Ethics News

Sawmill in Indonesia. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Last year researchers took the first ever publicly-released video of an African golden cat (Profelis aurata) in a Gabon rainforest. This beautiful,…

An interview with Dr. Sarah Bexell. The vanishing giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is just one victim of the global environmental crisis. Photo by: Sarah Bexell. Several years ago while teaching…

Climatologist Peter Gleick with the Pacific Institute has admitted to obtaining documents from the conservative advocacy group, the Heartland Institute, through a fake name and leaking them to the press.…

Our generation of ecological writers, scientists, and activists confront a situation without historical analog. 21st Century naturalists and environmentalists genuinely concerned about enjoying and preserving wilderness are forced to accept…

The view from Lazy Point. Photo courtesy of Carl Safina. Being compared—by more than one reviewer—to Henry Thoreau and Rachel Carson would make any nature writer's day. But add in…

An interview with Kirsten Conrad. Just the mention of the idea is enough to send shivers down many tiger conservationists' spines: re-legalize the trade in tiger parts. The trade has…

In June a German court handed down a guilty verdict to the Magdeburg Zoo director, Kai Perret, and three employees for euthanizing three tiger cubs in 2008. The zoo decided…

With 18,000 islands spanning two major bigeographic realms (and a curious outlier in Sulawesi) across an area of nearly 2 million square kilometers, Indonesia is one of the world's most…

Would a climate change tribunal offer justice to those affected by global warming? If Lord Bertrand Russell were still alive today, he would most likely be appalled by the Global…

In April marine scientist Jennifer Jacquet made the case on her blog Guilty Planet that people should abstain from eating seafood to help save life in the ocean. With fish…

Elephants die significantly earlier in zoos than in wild Elephants die significantly earlier in zoos than in wild Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com December 11, 2008

Intentions matter. This simple wisdom becomes quite apparent the older we become. Though we don't always have control on the outcome of our effort, our intentions often dictate how happy…

Philosophical shift in conservation reintegrates humans in parks Philosophical shift in conservation reintegrates humans in nature Not all conservation is wilderness conservation Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com February 28, 2007 Humans…

How many whales are enough? How many whales are enough? mongabay.com November 29, 2006 Iceland's decision to resume hunting endangered fin whales raises an important question: how many whales are…

How to travel ethically How to travel ethically: An interview with writer and responsible tourism expert Jeff Greenwald Rhett Butler, mongabay.com November 27, 2006 Ecotourism is hot. Travel companies everywhere…

United States acting unethically on global warming says new report United States acting unethically on global warming says new report mongabay.com November 8, 2006 For all the lip service the…