Founder's briefs News

Founder’s Briefs is an occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Rhett founded Mongabay in 1999 to raise awareness about tropical forests and biodiversity. In 2012, he transitioned Mongabay to a non-profit organization and oversaw its growth into a multinational, multilingual news service. Beyond Mongabay, Rhett has advised a range of institutions, while his writing and photography have appeared in hundreds of publications. Rhett's work has been recognized with the Heinz Award and the Parker/Gentry Award, among other honors.

Jane with Uruhara pant-hooting, 1996. Photo by Michael Neugebauer

Jane Goodall (1934–2025): primatologist, conservationist, and messenger of hope

Rhett Ayers Butler 1 Oct 2025

Daripalli Ramaiah. Image courtesy of Ministry of Jal Shakti, India

Daripalli Ramaiah, India’s tree man, died April 12, aged 87

Rhett Ayers Butler 15 Apr 2025

Blue dart frog. Image by Rhett Butler.

The currency of impact: Why nonprofit models might be the future of serious journalism

Rhett Ayers Butler 14 Apr 2025

Kanzi, the bonobo, died aged 44 in March 2025. Image ©️Ape Initiative.

Kanzi the bonobo redefined what it means to be human

Rhett Ayers Butler 4 Apr 2025

Forest restoration is booming but biodiversity isn’t

Rhett Ayers Butler 31 Mar 2025

Two Sumatran rhinos. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.

Life on Earth is changing — not just in numbers, but in essence

Rhett Ayers Butler 31 Mar 2025

Elisabeth Vrba. Photo by J Play.

Elisabeth Vrba, the woman who timed evolution, died February 5th, aged 82

Rhett Ayers Butler 28 Mar 2025

An archival image of Satish Bhaskar holding a hawksbill turtle. Image courtesy of Satish Bhaskar.

The Turtle Walker: Satish Bhaskar, sea turtle conservationist

Rhett Ayers Butler 28 Mar 2025

A mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Virunga National Park. Image by John Cannon/Mongabay.

The untold environmental toll of the DRC’s conflict

Rhett Ayers Butler 28 Mar 2025

Vincent van der Merwe (1983-2025), champion of the cheetah

Rhett Ayers Butler 26 Mar 2025

(left) Endangered Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus), Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Florida. by David Hinkel. (right) Manatee. Photo courtesy of NOAA's National Ocean Service

Manatees in peril as human pressures push gentle giants toward the brink

Rhett Ayers Butler 26 Mar 2025

David Myers. Courtesy of the Wildlands Conservancy.

David Myers, conservationist and land broker for nature, dies at 73

Rhett Ayers Butler 25 Mar 2025

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