Latin America in 2024: politics, turmoil and hope
Fri 5:33pmThroughout a year in which Latin America saw elections in six countries and prepared for the biodiversity COP16 in Colombia, the region continued its struggle with extreme weather events, criminal activity threatening ecosystems and development encroaching on…How the U.S. got no old growth forest protections from the Biden Administration (commentary)
Fri 12:39pmWikipedia defines a ‘nothing-burger’ as “a situation that receives a lot of attention but which, upon closer examination, reveals to be of little to no real significance.” That unfortunately applies to the Forest Service’s national old-growth…Indonesian president says palm oil expansion won’t deforest because ‘oil palms have leaves’
Fri 10:06amJAKARTA — In a controversial speech, Indonesia’s new president argued oil palm plantations are like forests, calling for their expansion by stating, ‘oil palms are trees … they’ve got leaves.’” Environmental activists and experts have…Conservation and the rise of corporations in the Pan Amazon
Fri 9:15amThe constituency for the conservation of the Pan Amazon is broad-based and diverse. Academics and civil society organizations have been successful in framing conservation of the Amazon as an issue of global importance. They have formed an alliance with…Amazon communities reap the smallest share of bioeconomy profits
Fri 8:12amTraditional people need more financing, better access to energy and improved roads to get their products into the market.Sweden’s wolf hunt starts, aims to halve population
Fri 8:07amSweden has started its 2025 wolf hunt, with an aim to kill 30 wolves between Jan. 2 and Feb. 15. By the end of Jan. 2, hunters had shot 10 wolves (Canis lupus), according to Sweden Herald. Most recent estimates put wolf numbers in Sweden at roughly 375 by late…New evidence spells massive trouble for world’s sharks, rays and chimaeras
Thu 9:30amEvolution has perfected the world’s sharks and rays for more than 420 million years. Unlike the ammonites or pterosaurs that they once shared the oceans with, sharks and rays persevered through five mass extinctions. But now, their resilience has been put to…Conservation corridors provide hope for Latin America’s felines
Thu 7:35amThe jaguar moves between patches of forest in the Mesoamerican Corridor across Central America. Meanwhile, the majestic Colombian Massif still serves as a refuge for the oncilla, while the puma silently roams the vast expanses of the Paraguayan Chaco fleeing…South Australia bans fishing of many sharks and rays in its waters
Wed 10:54pmThe state of South Australia has banned fishing of several endangered or critically endangered sharks and rays in its waters. In a media release dated Dec. 11, the state government said the new rules prohibit both recreational and commercial fishing of…Four new tarantula species found in India’s Western Ghats mountains
Tue 10:02amA researcher described four new species of tarantulas, including one new genus, from India’s Western Ghats, a chain of mountains running along the country’s west coast. “Most people in India are not even aware that there are tarantulas in India when…An underground gold war in Colombia is ‘a ticking ecological time bomb’
Tue 10:00amNearly 100 underground tunnels, running a combined length of more than 84 kilometers, or 52 miles, crisscross and plunge into the depths of the mountain that hosts the Zijin gold mine in Buriticá, northeastern Colombia. Since 2021, those tunnels have been…Sunken ships in Sri Lanka’s Colombo attract more fish than coral reefs
Tue 8:40amCOLOMBO – The MV Thermopylae Sierra, a 155-meter (508-foot) bulk carrier flying the Cypress flag, was anchored off Sri Lanka’s west coast by court order following a legal dispute. Neglected for three years without proper maintenance, the vessel eventually…Mongabay’s most impactful investigations of 2024
Tue 7:43amThis year, Mongabay published in-depth investigations on critical environmental issues. Our reporting revealed evidence of ecosystem destruction and its consequences for people worldwide, showcasing the importance of journalism in protecting our planet. Here…Companies banking on tech and collaboration to comply with EUDR
Tue 5:00amThe EU Deforestation Regulation, or EUDR, will require companies importing certain products into the European Union to trace the origins of these products all the way back up the supply chain to prove that they’re not associated with deforestation. It takes…10 notable books on conservation and the environment published in 2024
Tue 2:04amThe weight of the crises our planet faces can feel overwhelming and disempowering. And the books that made Mongabay’s annual list take a hard look at the challenges — deforestation and species loss, climate-driven fires and coral bleaching, and inequality…Camera traps reveal first jaguar in northwestern Ecuador forests in years
Tue 12:16amTwo separate camera-trap surveys have captured videos and images of jaguars in two different forests in Ecuador’s northwest, where the animal hadn’t been spotted for several years. Subsequent analysis confirmed that it was the same individual moving…Road to recovery: Wild animals staging a comeback in 2024
Tue 12:03amConservation news is often heartbreaking, with reports of dramatic biodiversity loss globally year after year. But in 2024, there were several reasons for cheer as well, with conservationists finding that certain species, once at the brink of extinction, are…Bangladesh adopts new technology to fight wildlife crimes
Mon 10:00pmThe Bangladeshi government’s forest department recently added surveillance drones to their arsenal of conservation tools. Wildlife inspectors started using this technology to prepare a dragnet around a poaching hotspot with an aerial view. In mid-November,…Campaigners celebrate as firm making first-ever GMO fish ceases operations
Mon 9:56pmIn 2015, AquaBounty Technologies became the first company in North America, and likely the world, to get regulatory approval to sell a genetically engineered animal for human consumption. Its Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), spliced with genes from other fish,…A deadly parasite turns jaguar conservation into a human health priority
Mon 3:00pmIn Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, Paul Raad crouched in the undergrowth, scanning the ground for signs of jaguar activity. He wasn’t looking for the big cats themselves; instead, the veterinarian from São Paulo State University…The Amazon in 2025: Challenges and hopes as the rainforest takes center stage
Mon 2:48pmThe Amazon Rainforest, where next year’s COP30 climate summit will be hosted, is reeling from two consecutive years of severe drought, with major rivers at record lows, leading to water shortages and transportation disruptions for local communities.In DRC bid to grow more food, smallholders are overshadowed by industrial farming
Mon 1:20pmBUDJALA, Democratic Republic of Congo — “We are in a province with an agropastoral vocation,” says Jean Guillaume Ngbanga Masolo, provincial inspector for agriculture in South Ubangi province. From his office in the capital, Gemena, Ngbanga Masolo…Sea change for soy champion Brazil as it wrestles with EUDR compliance
Mon 10:10amEarlier this year, commodity-trading giant Cargill exported a shipment of soy from Brazil to Europe, aiming to test whether it would comply with the European Union’s new regulation on deforestation-free products, or EUDR. It found that although the shipment…Tortoise protection culture prompts efforts to curb trafficking in Madagascar
Mon 5:00amTAOLAGNARO, Madagascar – Acting on a tip from a village informant, Fabian met a colleague at the edge of the spiny forest reserve just after nightfall. Together, they cycled quietly through the community-managed forest, looking for the poachers. The dry,…Indigenous runners complete seven-month journey for Mother Earth and solidarity
Mon 2:00amSILVANIA, Colombia — On a warm but overcast afternoon, hundreds of Indigenous representatives and spiritual leaders gathered to witness a remarkable convergence of native nations from across the Americas. Serving as ambassadors and messengers, runners took…Southeast Asia in review: 2024
Sun 11:33pm2024 was a year marked by a COP climate summit so dismal that many governments and analysts questioned whether the annual meetings are even worth holding. While world leaders failed to secure meaningful action, extreme weather events battered Southeast Asia,…Marine protection efforts in 2024 were still a drop in the ocean
Sun 10:46pmIn 2022, the world agreed at a U.N. biodiversity summit to protect 30% of Earth’s land and water by 2030. While protected areas already account for almost 15% of the planet’s land, protection for the world’s oceans is lagging far behind, at just over 8%.…Rainforest Outlook 2025: Storylines to watch as the year unfolds
Sun 10:39pmAs 2025 dawns, here is a look at some of the storylines that could shape the fate of tropical forests this year. More reading: The year in tropical rainforests: 2024 How geopolitics could impact rainforests in 2025 In the aftermath of a politically turbulent…‘Wild Frequencies’: Podcast miniseries from India explores wild animal sounds
Sun 10:32pmWatching wild animals can be exhilarating, educational and a richly rewarding experience. But spotting wildlife and keeping them in sight is often challenging. So wildlife researchers are increasingly turning to learning about animals through the sounds they…Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys were found in only two places on Earth. Now it’s one
Dec 27, 2024, 1:45 pmConservationists searching for Vietnam’s critically endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkey, one of the world’s most threatened primates, have found no sign of the species in one of the two forest patches where it was thought to remain. This is cause for…
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Welcome to EcoTopical Your daily eco-friendly green news aggregator.
Leaf through planet Earths environmental headlines in one convenient place. Read, share and discover the latest on ecology, science and green living from the web's most popular sites.
Leaf through planet Earths environmental headlines in one convenient place. Read, share and discover the latest on ecology, science and green living from the web's most popular sites.