Area the size of Puerto Rico burned in Indonesia’s fire crisis
JAKARTA — Fires in Indonesia have razed an area the size of Puerto Rico, following a sharp spike in burning in September. The fires this year, the worst since 2015,…
Madagascar calls for assistance as fires imperil its protected areas
Fires razed more than 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of forestland in Madagascar’s Ankarafantsika National Park in August and September — four times the size of New York City’s Central Park.…
‘Witnessing extinction in the flames’ as the Amazon burns for agribusiness
TRIUNFO DO XINGU, Brazil — The rolling hills of the Triunfo do Xingu protected area in northern Brazil are a patchwork of vibrant emerald green and deep burnt orange. Dark…
The unrecognized cost of Indonesia’s fires (commentary)
As Indonesia’s forests go up in smoke, the world may be losing a lot more than we currently understand.
As wildfires roil Sumatra, some villages have abandoned the burning
UPANG CERIA/GELEBAK DALAM, Indonesia — Boat drivers sometimes decide not to work when the smoke is thick on the Musi River out of fear of a dangerous collision. For the…
Indonesian enforcement questioned as fires flare up on the same concessions
JAKARTA — At least three companies whose concessions were burned in the 2015 fires that razed huge swaths of forest in Indonesia are also caught up in this year’s fires,…
Fires still being set in blazing Bolivia (commentary)
Despite over six weeks of firefighting, the infernos destroying Bolivia’s forests continue to spread. 5.3 million hectares (about 13.1 million acres) — an area larger than the whole of Costa…
New app tracks down forest fires in Bolivia
A new app aimed at tracking forest fires in Bolivia could shake up the way authorities and firefighters battle fires, allowing them to pinpoint their locations more accurately and safely.…
A newborn dies amid Indonesia fire crisis, as parents fear for their kids’ health
PEKANBARU, Indonesia — September 16 was a happy day for Evan Zendrato and Lasma Yani Zega. The young couple gave birth to a boy weighing 2.8 kilograms (6.1 pounds). They…
Panthera: At least 500 jaguars lost their lives or habitat in Amazon fires
The fires ravaging the Amazon forest in Brazil and Bolivia this year have burned key habitats of at least 500 adult, resident jaguars as of Sept. 17, rendering them dead…
‘We’ve been negligent,’ Indonesia’s president says as fire crisis deepens
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s president has admitted negligence on the part of the government, as top officials engage in a blame game amid the worst spate of forest fires since 2015…
Indigenous communities, wildlife under threat as farms invade Nicaraguan reserve
Torrential rain creates a deafening roar as it strikes the metal roof of community leader Ubence Zelaya’s two-bedroom home on the southern border of the Mayagna indigenous territory. Zelaya lives…
Mexican officials battle a tide of fire eating away at a protected reserve
CAMPECHE, Mexico —When a fire broke out in June in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in southern Mexico, more than 200 volunteer firefighters and specialists were deployed to help keep it…
Worldwide deforestation rising despite bold commitments, report finds
A landmark pledge known as the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) aimed at stopping the loss and degradation of forests is falling short of its goals, according to a…
Indonesian minister draws fire for denial of transboundary haze problem
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s environment minister risks undermining the country’s credibility if she continues denying, in the face of overwhelming data, that haze from Indonesian forest fires is affecting neighboring Malaysia…
Photos: Forest fires rage on Sumatra oil palm concessions
JAMBI, Indonesia — Clouds of haze have blanketed parts of Jambi province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, as slash-and-burn clearing to make way for oil palm plantations rages on.…
Diplomatic row heats up as haze from Indonesian fires threatens Malaysia
Hotspots signaling fires in Indonesian Borneo and Sumatra have increased nearly sevenfold over a four-day period in September, according to official reports. The national disaster management agency on Sept. 2…
Disaster strikes in Bolivia as fires lay waste to unique forests
This story is a journalistic collaboration between Mongabay’s Latin America (Latam) team and the Bolivian newspaper Página Siete “Fire is a monster and is threatening us. Everything is ashes and…
Fires in Brazil’s Amazon have devastating consequences
A dense layer of pollution has plagued the Brazilian cities of São Paulo, Manaus and Cuiabá for days on end, rolling in from the large number of fires burning mainly…
Brazil’s satellite agency resumes releasing deforestation data
Brazil's National Space Research Institute INPE resumed releasing deforestation data after nearly a month-long hiatus that followed the firing of the agency's director on August 2. The newly released data,…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- ‘Weird’ police probe rules Indonesian activist died in drink-driving crash
- Suspicions of murder in death of Indonesian environmental activist
- Oil palm, cattle and coca take a toll on Colombia’s indigenous Jiw
Indonesias forest guardians
- Reforesting a village in Indonesia, one batch of gourmet beans at a time
- Restoring Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, one small farm at a time
- Indigenous Iban community defends rainforests, but awaits lands rights recognition
Amazon infrastructure
- Yanomami Amazon reserve invaded by 20,000 miners; Bolsonaro fails to act
- Amazon infrastructure puts 68% of indigenous lands / protected areas at risk: report
- Amazon fish kill at Sinop spotlights risk from 80+ Tapajós basin dams
Asian rhinos
- Malaysian attempt at Sumatran rhino IVF fails on low quality of sperm
- At India’s Assam Zoo, decades of experience lead to rhino-breeding success
- For India’s flood-hit rhinos, refuge depends increasingly on humans
