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Two new forest finance initiatives announced at COP30 — Brazil’s $6.7B TFFF and the Canopy Trust — put fresh focus on the Congo Basin.
Norway, a major backer, says the real test is whether they deliver what communities need: direct finance, local ownership, and real benefits.
Norway, a major backer, says the real test is whether they deliver what communities need: direct finance, local ownership, and real benefits.
Norway’s multibillion-dollar bet on forests: An interview with Minister Eriksen
With the announcement of two major forest finance initiatives at the climate talks in Belém, Brazil, there is renewed hope that the Congo Basin, home to the world’s second-largest tropical…
news.mongabay.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Two new forest finance initiatives announced at COP30 — Brazil’s $6.7B TFFF and the Canopy Trust — put fresh focus on the Congo Basin.
Norway, a major backer, says the real test is whether they deliver what communities need: direct finance, local ownership, and real benefits.
Norway, a major backer, says the real test is whether they deliver what communities need: direct finance, local ownership, and real benefits.
[COMMENTARY]
Funding cuts, weak government support, and disinformation are straining conservation efforts. But a new op-ed by longtime USAID experts says programs can still thrive — especially by centering human well-being as key to sustainable development.
** Views expressed are author's.
Funding cuts, weak government support, and disinformation are straining conservation efforts. But a new op-ed by longtime USAID experts says programs can still thrive — especially by centering human well-being as key to sustainable development.
** Views expressed are author's.
Conservation can emphasize human well-being to navigate its current funding crisis (commentary)
Conservation is facing a crisis, fueled by myriad factors including cuts in funding, weakening support from governments, and disinformation. A significant driver of this crisis is a lack of…
news.mongabay.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:21 PM
[COMMENTARY]
Funding cuts, weak government support, and disinformation are straining conservation efforts. But a new op-ed by longtime USAID experts says programs can still thrive — especially by centering human well-being as key to sustainable development.
** Views expressed are author's.
Funding cuts, weak government support, and disinformation are straining conservation efforts. But a new op-ed by longtime USAID experts says programs can still thrive — especially by centering human well-being as key to sustainable development.
** Views expressed are author's.
The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) secured $6.7 billion in sponsor capital at COP30, representing less than a quarter of the $25 billion initially required for a full-scale rollout.
Policy analysts warn that a smaller fund could likely lose the capacity to outpace deforestation drivers.
Policy analysts warn that a smaller fund could likely lose the capacity to outpace deforestation drivers.
Brazil’s forest fund faces a slow takeoff at COP30 despite initial support
Operational rifts and budget constraints choked ambitious funding from rich nations for TFFF at Belém’s summit.
news.mongabay.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:01 PM
The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) secured $6.7 billion in sponsor capital at COP30, representing less than a quarter of the $25 billion initially required for a full-scale rollout.
Policy analysts warn that a smaller fund could likely lose the capacity to outpace deforestation drivers.
Policy analysts warn that a smaller fund could likely lose the capacity to outpace deforestation drivers.
A new study has found that the trunks of trees in the Amazon have become thicker in recent decades — an unexpected sign of the rainforest’s resilience in response to record-high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Why are Amazonian trees getting ‘fatter’?
How have the trees in Amazonia reacted to the rise in CO2 emissions in recent centuries? It is common knowledge that, of all greenhouse gases, CO2 is the most responsible for global warming. The most…
news.mongabay.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:18 PM
A new study has found that the trunks of trees in the Amazon have become thicker in recent decades — an unexpected sign of the rainforest’s resilience in response to record-high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.
The Amazon is often treated as a single forest, yet the risks its people face from extreme weather vary sharply across borders.
A new analysis by researchers from Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and the United States suggests those risks are also widely undercounted.
A new analysis by researchers from Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and the United States suggests those risks are also widely undercounted.
Weather disasters are surging in the Amazon. Reporting isn’t.
The Amazon’s climate hazards are growing faster than governments can track.
news.mongabay.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:14 PM
The Amazon is often treated as a single forest, yet the risks its people face from extreme weather vary sharply across borders.
A new analysis by researchers from Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and the United States suggests those risks are also widely undercounted.
A new analysis by researchers from Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and the United States suggests those risks are also widely undercounted.
🎉 The results are in!
Meet the 5 winners of Mongabay’s Wildlife Wonders Photo Contest: Anand G Krishnan, Tayla McCurdy, Gunjan Soni, Divyashree Ashwath & Aqil Fadhlullah.
Huge thanks to judge Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo.
See the winning photos 👉 www.instagram.com/p/DRec6sdDU6_/
Meet the 5 winners of Mongabay’s Wildlife Wonders Photo Contest: Anand G Krishnan, Tayla McCurdy, Gunjan Soni, Divyashree Ashwath & Aqil Fadhlullah.
Huge thanks to judge Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo.
See the winning photos 👉 www.instagram.com/p/DRec6sdDU6_/
November 25, 2025 at 4:35 PM
🎉 The results are in!
Meet the 5 winners of Mongabay’s Wildlife Wonders Photo Contest: Anand G Krishnan, Tayla McCurdy, Gunjan Soni, Divyashree Ashwath & Aqil Fadhlullah.
Huge thanks to judge Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo.
See the winning photos 👉 www.instagram.com/p/DRec6sdDU6_/
Meet the 5 winners of Mongabay’s Wildlife Wonders Photo Contest: Anand G Krishnan, Tayla McCurdy, Gunjan Soni, Divyashree Ashwath & Aqil Fadhlullah.
Huge thanks to judge Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo.
See the winning photos 👉 www.instagram.com/p/DRec6sdDU6_/
Located off the coast of the Brazilian states of Bahia and Espírito Santo, the vast Abrolhos Seascape is home to some of the South Atlantic Ocean’s richest marine biodiversity.
Yet little legislation has been created to protect this region, leaving it at risk of predatory fishing & deep-sea mining.
Yet little legislation has been created to protect this region, leaving it at risk of predatory fishing & deep-sea mining.
Abrolhos: A South Atlantic marine treasure in need of protection
Located off the south coast of Bahia state and the north coast of Espírito Santo state in Brazil, the Abrolhos Seascape is known for its rich concentration of marine biodiversity, which is among the…
news.mongabay.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Located off the coast of the Brazilian states of Bahia and Espírito Santo, the vast Abrolhos Seascape is home to some of the South Atlantic Ocean’s richest marine biodiversity.
Yet little legislation has been created to protect this region, leaving it at risk of predatory fishing & deep-sea mining.
Yet little legislation has been created to protect this region, leaving it at risk of predatory fishing & deep-sea mining.
Communities along Cambodia’s O’Ta Bouk River are experiencing severe water contamination, skin ailments and the collapse of fish stocks, which they blame on an unregulated gold mine operating upstream inside Virachey National Park.
Toxic runoff from politically linked gold mine poisons Cambodian rivers, communities
*Sources have requested pseudonyms be used to protect their identity out of fear of retaliation from the government or mining companies BANGKOK, Thailand/RATANAKIRI, Cambodia — “When you touch the…
news.mongabay.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Communities along Cambodia’s O’Ta Bouk River are experiencing severe water contamination, skin ailments and the collapse of fish stocks, which they blame on an unregulated gold mine operating upstream inside Virachey National Park.
As French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume work on its multibillion-dollar offshore gas project in northern Mozambique, it faces a criminal complaint back home over its role in funding an army unit accused of torturing and executing dozens of civilians in 2021.
TotalEnergies faces criminal complaint in France over alleged massacre in Mozambique
As French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume work on its multibillion-dollar offshore gas project in northern Mozambique, it faces a criminal complaint back home over its role in…
news.mongabay.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:53 AM
As French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume work on its multibillion-dollar offshore gas project in northern Mozambique, it faces a criminal complaint back home over its role in funding an army unit accused of torturing and executing dozens of civilians in 2021.
Pangolins, the scaly anteaters that are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, face a host of challenges throughout their range, including South Asia.
The IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group is working on a global action plan to conserve the species, with subgroups working on regional plans.
The IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group is working on a global action plan to conserve the species, with subgroups working on regional plans.
Protecting pangolins IRL, not just on paper: Interview with conservationist Kumar Paudel
KATHMANDU — Of the eight known species of pangolins found in Asia and Africa, three are listed as critically endangered on the Red List that’s maintained by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation…
news.mongabay.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Pangolins, the scaly anteaters that are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, face a host of challenges throughout their range, including South Asia.
The IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group is working on a global action plan to conserve the species, with subgroups working on regional plans.
The IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group is working on a global action plan to conserve the species, with subgroups working on regional plans.
Mongabay Latam has won the Global Investigative Journalism Network’s Global Shining Light Award for its investigation into illegal airstrips in the Amazon rainforest.
Mongabay Latam wins the Global Shining Light Award for investigative journalism
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Few newsrooms venture far into the darker corners of the Amazon.…
news.mongabay.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Mongabay Latam has won the Global Investigative Journalism Network’s Global Shining Light Award for its investigation into illegal airstrips in the Amazon rainforest.
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The Kaiowá and Mbarakay face a long pattern of violence as they try to return to their tekoha, despite their territory being officially recognized.
Recent assaults reflect a recurring cycle in which reoccupations are met with armed reprisals.
The Kaiowá and Mbarakay face a long pattern of violence as they try to return to their tekoha, despite their territory being officially recognized.
Recent assaults reflect a recurring cycle in which reoccupations are met with armed reprisals.
A killing with precedent: Kaiowá man’s murder fits a pattern in Brazil
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Early on November 16th, gunfire broke the quiet around Pyelito Kue…
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:21 PM
[FOUNDER'S BRIEF - @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social]
The Kaiowá and Mbarakay face a long pattern of violence as they try to return to their tekoha, despite their territory being officially recognized.
Recent assaults reflect a recurring cycle in which reoccupations are met with armed reprisals.
The Kaiowá and Mbarakay face a long pattern of violence as they try to return to their tekoha, despite their territory being officially recognized.
Recent assaults reflect a recurring cycle in which reoccupations are met with armed reprisals.
Sapariah “Arie” Saturi grew up in West Kalimantan amid recurring forest and peatland fires, experiences that shaped her understanding of Indonesia’s environmental crises.
She joined Mongabay Indonesia at its inception and helped build it into a national environmental newsroom.
She joined Mongabay Indonesia at its inception and helped build it into a national environmental newsroom.
Bearing witness to Indonesia’s environmental challenges: Sapariah Saturi
Indonesia’s environmental issues often feel too vast to take in at once. A nation said to have more than 17,000 islands, it contains the world’s third-largest tropical rainforest and one of its…
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Sapariah “Arie” Saturi grew up in West Kalimantan amid recurring forest and peatland fires, experiences that shaped her understanding of Indonesia’s environmental crises.
She joined Mongabay Indonesia at its inception and helped build it into a national environmental newsroom.
She joined Mongabay Indonesia at its inception and helped build it into a national environmental newsroom.
Sea otters living along the coastline of Canada’s British Columbia province are exposed — and absorb — forever chemicals, a new study shows.
Each of the 11 sea otters tested carried residues PFAS chemicals, with concentrations higher for those living near dense human populations or shipping lanes.
Each of the 11 sea otters tested carried residues PFAS chemicals, with concentrations higher for those living near dense human populations or shipping lanes.
‘Forever chemical’ contamination could undermine sea otters’ fragile recovery in Canada
Sea otters living along the coastline of Canada’s British Columbia province carry residues of “forever chemicals” in their bodies, according to a new study, and those living near dense human…
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Sea otters living along the coastline of Canada’s British Columbia province are exposed — and absorb — forever chemicals, a new study shows.
Each of the 11 sea otters tested carried residues PFAS chemicals, with concentrations higher for those living near dense human populations or shipping lanes.
Each of the 11 sea otters tested carried residues PFAS chemicals, with concentrations higher for those living near dense human populations or shipping lanes.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), a scheme to transfer water from Lesotho’s river systems to neighboring South Africa, also aims to provide hydropower to Lesotho’s people.
However, complainants from impacted and displaced communities accuse the developers of “greenwashing.”
However, complainants from impacted and displaced communities accuse the developers of “greenwashing.”
Lesotho communities allege greenwashing by project transferring water to South Africa
Communities in Lesotho have filed a complaint with the African Development Bank over a controversial initiative that transfers water from the country to neighboring South Africa, one of the biggest…
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:18 PM
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), a scheme to transfer water from Lesotho’s river systems to neighboring South Africa, also aims to provide hydropower to Lesotho’s people.
However, complainants from impacted and displaced communities accuse the developers of “greenwashing.”
However, complainants from impacted and displaced communities accuse the developers of “greenwashing.”
A recent study in Thailand finds that raising native tree seedlings inside repurposed bottle crates improves performance compared to standard methods in community-run nurseries.
In Thailand, a cheap bottle crate hack gives tree saplings a fighting chance
A surprisingly simple and creative innovation could help restoration projects in the tropics, according to a recent study. Researchers from the Forest Restoration Research Unit at Thailand’s Chiang…
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:15 PM
A recent study in Thailand finds that raising native tree seedlings inside repurposed bottle crates improves performance compared to standard methods in community-run nurseries.
The U.N.’s recent “Adaptation Gap Report” reveals a massive shortfall between the funds needed for climate adaptation and the financing available.
Some experts argue that given the role that Africa's forests play in storing carbon, it is owed double the amount that it needs in adaptation funds.
Some experts argue that given the role that Africa's forests play in storing carbon, it is owed double the amount that it needs in adaptation funds.
Experts say wealthy nations owe Africa double its climate adaptation needs
As negotiations at this year’s United Nations climate summit, or COP30, near the finish line in Belém, Brazil, the gap in financing for climate adaptation continues to be a sticking point. New…
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:14 PM
The U.N.’s recent “Adaptation Gap Report” reveals a massive shortfall between the funds needed for climate adaptation and the financing available.
Some experts argue that given the role that Africa's forests play in storing carbon, it is owed double the amount that it needs in adaptation funds.
Some experts argue that given the role that Africa's forests play in storing carbon, it is owed double the amount that it needs in adaptation funds.
[COMMENTARY]
“This is the Amazon COP. If it ends with a decision that ignores Indigenous rights and props up offset markets that science says cannot work, it will squander the moral clarity of this moment,” a new op-ed argues.
** The views expressed are those of the author.
“This is the Amazon COP. If it ends with a decision that ignores Indigenous rights and props up offset markets that science says cannot work, it will squander the moral clarity of this moment,” a new op-ed argues.
** The views expressed are those of the author.
It’s time to end the carbon offset era, COP30 scientists & communities say (commentary)
At COP30 in Belém, the first climate summit held in the Amazon, something rare has happened. For years, the risks and failures of carbon offsetting have been dismissed as activist exaggeration or…
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:10 AM
[COMMENTARY]
“This is the Amazon COP. If it ends with a decision that ignores Indigenous rights and props up offset markets that science says cannot work, it will squander the moral clarity of this moment,” a new op-ed argues.
** The views expressed are those of the author.
“This is the Amazon COP. If it ends with a decision that ignores Indigenous rights and props up offset markets that science says cannot work, it will squander the moral clarity of this moment,” a new op-ed argues.
** The views expressed are those of the author.
A report from the Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group says that agribusiness Pronaca contaminated for decades the Tsáchila Indigenous Territory in Ecuador.
IDB financed meat & poultry company that polluted Indigenous Ecuador lands: Report
In Peripa, an Indigenous Tsáchila village in Ecuador, there are still traditional healers, but medicinal plants are disappearing. Rivers no longer heal — instead, they make people sick. In the late…
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:15 AM
A report from the Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group says that agribusiness Pronaca contaminated for decades the Tsáchila Indigenous Territory in Ecuador.
[FOUNDER'S BRIEF - @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social]
Suriname is stepping into the spotlight at COP30.
With 93% forest cover and one of the few net-negative carbon footprints, it’s pushing a bold message: nations that keep forests standing should be paid for it.
Suriname is stepping into the spotlight at COP30.
With 93% forest cover and one of the few net-negative carbon footprints, it’s pushing a bold message: nations that keep forests standing should be paid for it.
Why don’t forest protectors get paid? asks Suriname’s president
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. At the U.N. Climate Change Conference, COP30, in Brazil, Suriname…
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:30 AM
[FOUNDER'S BRIEF - @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social]
Suriname is stepping into the spotlight at COP30.
With 93% forest cover and one of the few net-negative carbon footprints, it’s pushing a bold message: nations that keep forests standing should be paid for it.
Suriname is stepping into the spotlight at COP30.
With 93% forest cover and one of the few net-negative carbon footprints, it’s pushing a bold message: nations that keep forests standing should be paid for it.
The first time Virgilio Viana saw the Amazon up close, he was a 16-year-old with a backpack & very little sense of what he was walking into.
Something in that journey stayed with him, so much so that eventually, he left a professorship for the more complicated work of governing the forest itself.
Something in that journey stayed with him, so much so that eventually, he left a professorship for the more complicated work of governing the forest itself.
A forest worth more standing: Virgilio Viana on what it will take to protect the Amazon
The first time Virgilio Viana saw the Amazon up close, he was a 16-year-old with a backpack, two school friends and very little sense of what he was walking into. They arrived by land, drifting along…
news.mongabay.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:30 PM
The first time Virgilio Viana saw the Amazon up close, he was a 16-year-old with a backpack & very little sense of what he was walking into.
Something in that journey stayed with him, so much so that eventually, he left a professorship for the more complicated work of governing the forest itself.
Something in that journey stayed with him, so much so that eventually, he left a professorship for the more complicated work of governing the forest itself.
Congo Basin countries have announced the launch of a payments for environmental services, or PES, initiative at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, intended to encourage practices favorable to forest protection and restoration.
Congo Basin nations roll out community payments for forest care
Congo Basin countries have announced the launch of a payments for environmental services, or PES, initiative at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, intended to encourage practices favorable to…
news.mongabay.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Congo Basin countries have announced the launch of a payments for environmental services, or PES, initiative at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, intended to encourage practices favorable to forest protection and restoration.
Christopher C. Grinter of the California Academy of Sciences discusses documenting California’s insect diversity through the CalATBI.
From DNA barcoding to voucher specimens, he says these tools help track species amid rapid biodiversity loss.
From DNA barcoding to voucher specimens, he says these tools help track species amid rapid biodiversity loss.
Inside California’s race to document its insects: A conversation with Chris Grinter
Christopher C. Grinter has spent much of his life surrounded by insects, though not in the way most people imagine. As Senior Collection Manager of Entomology at the California Academy of Sciences,…
news.mongabay.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Christopher C. Grinter of the California Academy of Sciences discusses documenting California’s insect diversity through the CalATBI.
From DNA barcoding to voucher specimens, he says these tools help track species amid rapid biodiversity loss.
From DNA barcoding to voucher specimens, he says these tools help track species amid rapid biodiversity loss.
[COMMENTARY]
“Governments meeting at COP20 in Uzbekistan should follow the science...and help save these sharks and rays from the brink of extinction. It’s the only way to give these species a fighting chance at survival,” a new op-ed argues.
** Views expressed author's.
“Governments meeting at COP20 in Uzbekistan should follow the science...and help save these sharks and rays from the brink of extinction. It’s the only way to give these species a fighting chance at survival,” a new op-ed argues.
** Views expressed author's.
For sharks on the brink of extinction, CITES Appendix II isn’t protective enough (commentary)
Sharks are some of the most threatened animals on Earth, with approximately one-third of all species assessed as threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List. These animals are not only older than…
news.mongabay.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:10 AM
[COMMENTARY]
“Governments meeting at COP20 in Uzbekistan should follow the science...and help save these sharks and rays from the brink of extinction. It’s the only way to give these species a fighting chance at survival,” a new op-ed argues.
** Views expressed author's.
“Governments meeting at COP20 in Uzbekistan should follow the science...and help save these sharks and rays from the brink of extinction. It’s the only way to give these species a fighting chance at survival,” a new op-ed argues.
** Views expressed author's.
The Nassau grouper, a large-bodied top predator, was once the most abundant and commercially important fish in the Caribbean.
In winter, groupers gather en masse at special places to breed, but many of these so-called fish spawning aggregation sites have been dwindling or succumbing to overfishing.
In winter, groupers gather en masse at special places to breed, but many of these so-called fish spawning aggregation sites have been dwindling or succumbing to overfishing.
Study finds important Nassau grouper spawning site in Belize near collapse
HOPKINS, Belize — The Nassau grouper is drawn by the winter moon, between December and March, to special places where hundreds of the cryptic fish engage in a reproductive dance that sometimes lasts…
news.mongabay.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:21 PM
The Nassau grouper, a large-bodied top predator, was once the most abundant and commercially important fish in the Caribbean.
In winter, groupers gather en masse at special places to breed, but many of these so-called fish spawning aggregation sites have been dwindling or succumbing to overfishing.
In winter, groupers gather en masse at special places to breed, but many of these so-called fish spawning aggregation sites have been dwindling or succumbing to overfishing.