Endangered environmentalists
Green groups under threat from governments and corporate actors: As climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction worsen across the globe, environmental groups are responding by ratcheting up the pressure on governments and corporations to act. Many governments have responded by increasing restrictions on environmental NGOs, including revoking charity status, increasing sentences for protestors, and passing legislation restricting NGO activity.
Vietnamese environmentalist sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax evasion
Son of slain Quilombola leader will still strive for community’s rights
Video: Five Tembé Indigenous activists shot in Amazonian ‘palm oil war’
Indigenous activists demand justice after 5 shot in Amazonian ‘palm oil war’
Climate of fear persists among Nepal’s eco defenders as threats rise
Global forest reporting network
A new 100-page report raises alarm over Chevron’s impact on planet
Science refutes United Cacao’s claim it didn’t deforest Peruvian Amazon
‘We are invisible’: Brazilian Cerrado quilombos fight for land and lives
Chimps in Sierra Leone adapt to human-impacted habitats, but threats remain
Cocaine blamed for rising deforestation in Peru’s Bahuaja-Sonene National Park
Devastating Laos dam collapse leads to deforestation of protected forests
Indonesian coal
Biomass-burning coal plants leave the air even dirtier, Java communities say
Indonesians uprooted by mining industry call for a fairer future amid presidential vote
Experts see red over Indonesia’s planned green investment label for coal plants
Indonesian voters want a clean energy plan, but candidates haven’t delivered
Report: Forest-razing biomass plant in Indonesia got millions in green funds
U.S. firm quits Indonesian gasification project in major blow to coal ambitions
Southeast asian infrastructure
Focusing on the social and environmental impacts of roads, dams, mines, and other infrastructure projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea.
Study: Indonesia’s new capital city threatens stable proboscis monkey population
Indonesia’s new capital ‘won’t sacrifice the environment’: Q&A with Nusantara’s Myrna Asnawati Safitri
Small farmers in limbo as Cambodia wavers on Tonle Sap conservation rules
To build its ‘green’ capital city, Indonesia runs a road through a biodiverse forest
Robust river governance key to restoring Mekong River vitality in face of dams
As hydropower dams quell the Mekong’s life force, what are the costs?
Amazon infrastructure
Mouth of the Amazon oil exploration clashes with Lula’s climate promises
Electricity day and night: Solar power is changing isolated Amazon communities
Road network spreads ‘arteries of destruction’ across 41% of Brazilian Amazon
‘Lost’ Amazonian cities hint at how to build urban landscapes without harming nature
Making room in the Atlantic Forest for the largest primate in the Americas
New transport infrastructure is opening the Amazon to global commerce
Asian rhinos
New calf, same threats: Javan rhinos continue to reproduce despite perils
Nepali experts question rhino relocation within park for population balance
To help beleaguered Javan rhinos, study calls for tree felling, captive breeding
New calf brings new hope, and new concerns, for embattled Sumatran rhinos
Boost for Sumatran rhino IVF plan as eggs extracted from Bornean specimen
Indonesia reports a new Javan rhino calf, but population doubts persist
Indonesian fisheries
In Java Sea, vigilantism and poverty rise as purse seine fishing continues
Putting a value on Indonesia’s marine resources: Interview with Annisya Rosdiana & Heidi Retnoningtyas
Tropical forest loss puts 2030 zero-deforestation target further out of reach
Indonesian court jails environmentalist for flagging illegal farms in marine park
Indonesian activists face jail over FB posts flagging damage to marine park
In Raja Ampat, pearl farming balances business and ecological sustainability
Global environmental impacts of u s policy
President Biden signs order aimed at protecting old-growth forests across U.S.
FOREST Act bill would hold global suppliers accountable for illegal deforestation
As the rest of world tackles plastics disposal, the U.S. resists
As climate chaos escalates in Indian Country, feds abandon tribes
COP24: Trumpers tout clean coal; protesters call it ‘climate suicide’
COP24: US, Russia, Saudis downplay IPCC report in display of disunity
Conservation in madagascar
Madagascar has been a global conservation priority for decades, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in conservation funds from international donors, but rising deforestation, commercial exploitation of wildlife, and degradation of critical habitats suggest that conservation investments may not be reaching their full potential. This series investigates the effectiveness of past conservation spending in Madagascar, examining the factors that contribute to or hinder success, with the aim of informing future investments.
Newly described gecko from Madagascar a master of disguise
Fire imperils Madagascar’s baobabs: Q&A with park director Diamondra Andriambololona
Extreme reforestation: Baobab planters confront fires, loggers, cattle and more
Eight new-to-science geckos described from biodiversity haven Madagascar
Rio Tinto-owned mine is polluting Malagasy water with uranium and lead, NGOs say
Even as the government bets big on carbon, REDD+ flounders in Madagascar
Conservation effectiveness
The conservation sector must communicate better (commentary)
Thailand tries nature-based water management to adapt to climate change
Forest restoration to boost biomass doesn’t have to sacrifice tree diversity
How scientists and a community are bringing a Bornean river corridor back to life
Forest restoration can fare better with human helping hand, study shows
From rat-ridden to reserve, Redonda is an island restoration role model
Global agroforestry
An ancient agricultural system, agroforestry combines trees with shrubs, crops, and livestock in a system that produces food, supports biodiversity, builds soil horizons and water tables, and sequesters carbon from the atmosphere – this series explores how and where it is being practiced by Indigenous communities, traditional agriculturists, and new farmers.