Nearly two-thirds of tropical forests in Southeast Asia have been degraded by logging, agriculture and other human uses, and their fauna have been decimated by hunting and the bushmeat trade.…
Conservation compliance programs could reduce forest loss worldwide Old-growth rainforest in Malaysian Borneo. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Today, conservation compliance is a U.S. policy between governments and farmers that…
Monitor lizards, like this water monitor in Malaysia, are popular both in the pet trade and for consumption. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Searching the globe for undiscovered species takes…
Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest producer of cocoa, also boasts an ecosystem of great biological richness and species diversity, with over 2,250 endemic plants and 270 vertebrate species. Unfortunately, it…
During February, the 14th World Congress on Public Health in Kolkata, India, revealed a new "ground-breaking" report entitled, Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health, which demonstrates human health benefits…
The World in 2050: implications for sustainability Last month, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) published a new edition of its The World in 2050 report. Confirming the findings of previous studies,…
When I was ten, I acquired my first dog. Rani was a Doberman Pinscher—tall, lean, and a huge pushover. She was wonderfully friendly, but sadly misunderstood her whole life, regularly…
Africa's Serengeti conjures up romantic images of millions of migrating wildebeest and zebras, prides of lions feasting on their prey, and hyenas prowling in the background. But not everyone is…
Other Special Reporting Initiative reporting by Barbara Fraser How do parks affect the poor? Jury's still out, some experts say Innovating Brazil nuts: a business with roots in the rainforest…
Peruvian authorities struggle to restore records lost during government transition Gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon. Photos by Rhett A. Butler Non-profit organizations are working with the regional government of…
Other Special Reporting Initiative Articles by Pública Exclusive: Funai confirms that land threatened by dam projects belongs to indigenous tribe After working in the woodland, the Munduruku warriors get together…
Other Special Reporting Initiatives Articles by Pública Dams or indigenous land: the battle over the Munduruku frontier The Brazilian government opposes granting traditional land to the Munduruku people since it…
Other Special Reporting Initiative reporting by Barbara Fraser Innovating Brazil nuts: a business with roots in the rainforest Video: innovative tourism helps protect forests in Amazonian Peru Community tourism fills…
Other Special Reporting Initiative reporting by Barbara Fraser Video: innovative tourism helps protect forests in Amazonian Peru Community tourism fills niche around Tambopata National Reserve Indigenous territories play dual role…
A new short documentary highlights the innovative, locally-grown tourist ventures sprouting up in the buffer zone around Peru's Tambopata National Reserve. Not only do these tourist adventures--some specializing in rehabilitating…
Photograph of newly described frog (Limnonectes larvaepartus) (male, left, and female) from the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is the only frog known that gives direct birth to tadpoles.…
When Víctor Zambrano retired from the military and returned to his family's old homestead outside the fast-growing jungle town of Puerto Maldonado in Peru, he got an unpleasant surprise. Strangers…
Conservation conundrum: indigenous territories or government protected areas Indigenous communities claim—and scientific evidence increasingly shows—that indigenous forested territories are as well protected as, or better protected than, government-designated parks. In…
Enchanted lakes and magic hills: how traditional stories support conservation and abundance "Long ago, when animals were gente..." Those words, uttered countless times by indigenous Amazonian storytellers, blur the boundary…
Regional conservation area safeguards subsistence and spirituality in the Peruvian Amazon For Alfredo Rojas, the history of the remote villages along the Ampiyacu River is one of enslavement. Growing up…
Critically Endangered chimpanzees stand to lose home over giant iron mine in West Africa When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa decades ago well-laid plans often crumbled…
Can alternative income programs save Fiji's reef fish? If a country's residents, historically, didn't fret about their coastal resources or concern themselves with starvation, what happens when those previously abundant…
Researchers find that warming ocean and acidification could hit young sharks hard Fierce predatory sharks rule the oceans from the apex of the food pyramid. But climate change may be…
Marrying religion and conservation could be key to making Fiji's fisheries sustainable Fijians appear to enter life with vocal cords prepped for singing. It's an ideal trait, because most are…
Mongabay.org offers journalists opportunity to report on government muzzling of environmental activists Mongabay.org recently announced a new Special Reporting Opportunity for journalists to focus on governmental shutdown of environmental groups…
Tchimpounga, chimpanzees, and extractive industries in the Republic of Congo "Tchimpounga is not just a sanctuary," shouted Rebeca Atencia above the din of the outboard motor, as she pointed to…
Between the Forest and the Sea: Passing Down Traditions Part I of this series: Life & Climate Change in Guna Yala Part II of this series: The Yarsuisuit Collective In…
31% of Indonesia's land mass allocated for logging, oil palm, fiber plantations Industrial timber concession in Riau, Indonesia. Photo by Rhett Butler. Mina Setra is of Dayak dissent. Her childhood…
Part I of this series: Life & Climate Change in Guna Yala Part III of this series: Passing Down Traditions The indigenous Guna of Panama are at the forefront of…
Part II of this series: The Yarsuisuit Collective Part III of this series: Passing Down Traditions The island-dwelling Guna people of Panama are one of the most sovereign indigenous communities…