Meeting the mammal that survived the dinosaurs
The female Hispaniolan solenodon caught by Nicolas Corona in the Dominican Republic. She's awaiting being fitted with a radio collar. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs. So, here I am, running in…
Travel News
Using model airplanes to help save the planet
One of the coolest endeavors I've come across in recent years of reporting has been the effort to develop "conservation drones" — model aircraft that are now being used to…
Grant opportunities for in-depth reporting on environmental issues
When I launched Mongabay in 1999 I had no idea it would grow into what it is today: a site that draws more than 2.5 million visitors per month and…
New pictures from Costa Rica
My apologies for the lack of blog updates. Between long-term projects and building up Mongabay.org--the non-profit arm of Mongabay--I haven't had the opportunity to post lately. However I'm happy to…
The best place for frog-spotting in Costa Rica
Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center (CRARC) outside of Siquirres in Limón Province, Costa Rica. I'll be doing a feature story on…
Staying connected in the wilderness
Gone are the days where I can spend a week trekking in the forest without communication, letting Mongabay.com run itself. But the good news (or bad news, depending on how…
Visiting the temperate rainforest of the Pacific Northwest
When most people think of rainforests, the first thing that comes to mind is tropical rainforests like those found in the Amazon, Borneo, and the Congo. But rainforests also exist…
How technology is helping save rainforests
Yesterday I gave a talk at Cisco Systems in San Jose on "How Technology is Helping Save Rainforests". Here's a brief recap. After giving background on Mongabay, I provided a…
Luxury nature travel with a philanthropic twist
A hundred years ago, nature-oriented travel to places like tropical Africa and Asia was often associated with big game hunting. Today cameras have mostly replaced guns as nature-lovers travel to…
Sweat equity: How to bootstrap your startup
NOTE: This post refers to starting up an organization in a marginal niche market: environmental media. The advice may not apply if you're working in a potentially lucrative sector like…
Social media beating Google as a source of web site traffic
Every month I tally the most popular articles on the news section. It should come as no surprise that the most popular articles are usually the ones that have done…
Luxurious/upscale orangutan tourism in Borneo
On my way back from the visit to the Katingan peat swamp in Central Kalimantan, I stayed a night at the "Eco Village" that is part of the Rungan Sari…
Launching an environmental news site overseas
Just over a year ago, the Indonesian-language version of Mongabay went live (the official launch was May 19. 2012, but the site was live before that). Mongabay.co.id was the first…
Captioning pictures
In recent days several readers have asked about the status of the pictures from Aceh and Kalimantan I took last month. Well the pictures are all technically online, but aren't…
Documenting a flight over Borneo’s rainforest (photos)
In November 2012 I had an amazing opportunity to do a flyover of parts of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. We went from Sandakan to the Danum Valley Research Center, flying…
Letting nature do the talking this Earth Day (pictures)
Instead of writing a special article for this Earth Day, we are instead letting nature's beauty do the talking. The photos below were taken by the Mongabay.com team — Rhett…
Palm oil intimidation tactics
The palm oil industry in Indonesia gets a lot of criticism these days from civil society on issues ranging from deforestation, pollution, wildlife-killing, to social conflict. Writing for Mongabay, I…
“Offsetting” carbon emissions from travel, web site traffic
While directly reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a far more effective approach to fighting climate change than "offsetting" them by buying carbon credits, I readily acknowledge that I'm presently not…
Funding environmental reporting trips
There is a common misconception that my reporting trips are sponsored by NGOs, state tourism boards, or other entities. In fact, I fund Mongabay.com-related travel through revenue generated via advertising…
Visiting Aceh’s rainforest
In March 2013 I visited Aceh Province on the western tip of the island of Sumatra for the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation - Asia Chapter meeting. Most of…
Launching the travel blog
Many of the emails I receive include questions about my travels. How did you get there? Where did you stay? How did you find a guide? What did you see?…
Hate flying? climate change will make it even rougher
Climate change will lead to bumpier flights caused by increased mid-air turbulence, according to an analysis by scientists of the impact of global warming on weather systems over the next…
Into the unknown mountains of Cambodia: rare birds, rice wine, and talk of tigers
Howie Nielsen on a trek earlier this year into a remote portion of Virachey National Park. Photo by: Greg McCann. Ringed with forested mountains forming the borders with Laos and…
Warlords, sorcery, and wildlife: an environmental artist ventures into the Congo
Roger Peet (in blue shirt) posing with Forest Rangers. Photo courtesy of Roger Peet. Last year, Roger Peet, an American artist, traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to…
Jaguars, tapirs, oh my!: Amazon explorer films shocking wildlife bonanza in threatened forest
Watching a new video by Amazon explorer, Paul Rosolie, one feels transported into a hidden world of stalking jaguars, heavyweight tapirs, and daylight-wandering giant armadillos. This is the Amazon as…
Beyond the resorts: traveling the real and wild Dominican Republic (photos)
Rainforest-covered karst mountains with pristine mangroves beneath characterizes one of the most stunning protected areas in the Caribbean: Los Haitises National Park. Photo by: Jeremy Hance. For its stunning variety…
Burma: slowly opening its doors
Bagan temple, Myanmar. As a 'road junky', I know what you're thinking: 'Burma is reforming so quickly, let's rush off to Burma before tourists snatch up all its unspoiled beauty!'…
The vanishing Niger River imperils tourism and livelihoods in the desert
Contrary to conception, the Sahara Desert’s most common feature is really the Hamada, or stone plateaus and gravel plains, which cover over three quarters of its surface, and harbors at…
Exploring Asia’s lost world
Abandoned by conservationists and the global community, Virachey National Park in Cambodia remains a wildernesses of surprises. An interview with Greg McCann. Haling-Halang and the barrier mountains separating Cambodia and…
Hugh Powell: birds lend invaluable insight into ecosystems
Hugh Powell "iPhoniscoping" snow petrels in Antarctica. Photo by: Chris Linder. Hugh Powell is science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as well as a contributor to Woods Hole…
Picture of the day: beach on a tropical island paradise
Beach on Nosy Mangabe, a tropical island paradise for wildlife enthusiasts. Photo by Rhett Butler. A question commonly asked of me is "What is the origin of the name mongabay?"…
How do tourists view the Serengeti?
Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, an immense expanse of East African savanna, is a world famous tourist destination because of its plentiful megafauna, particularly the great migrating herds of wildebeest.…
Special series
Forest Trackers
- Narco airstrips beset Indigenous communities in Peruvian Amazon
- 15 illegal narco-trafficking airstrips found near Peru Indigenous communities
- Satellite data show bursts of deforestation continue in Indonesian national park
- Fires rip through Indigenous territories in Brazilian Amazon
Oceans
- Indonesia seeks alternative funding as USAID freeze delays marine conservation efforts
- Funerary practices in Fiji protect marine areas while honoring the deceased
- Tourists are back at this Instaworthy Philippine town, but can its sewage system keep up?
- Study suggests algal blooms disorient whales, putting them in danger
Amazon Conservation
- ‘World’s largest’ carbon credit deal in the Amazon faces bumpy road ahead
- New conservation model calls for protecting Amazon for its archaeological riches
- Brazil dredges Amazon rivers to ease drought isolation, raising environmental concerns
- ‘We need white men on our side to save the Amazon from destruction,’ 92-year-old Indigenous Chief Raoni says
Land rights and extractives
- Should mining companies consider no-go zones where isolated Indigenous peoples live? (Commentary)
- Brazil sets a date to remove illegal miners from Munduruku land, more details await
- Peruvian logger loses FSC label after latest clash with isolated Mashco Piro
- A national park and its rangers in Bolivia endure persisting road construction, illegal mining
Endangered Environmentalists
- Environmental & rights activists flee and hide as M23 captures DRC’s cities
- Environmental journalist in Cambodia shot and killed by suspected logger
- Vietnam sentences yet another energy expert over renewables research
- Mother Nature Cambodia activists sentenced to prison — again
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- On a Borneo mountainside, Indigenous Dayak women hold fire and defend forest
- Fenced in by Sulawesi national park, Indigenous women make forestry breakout
- In Borneo, the ‘Power of Mama’ fight Indonesia’s wildfires with all-woman crew
- Pioneer agroforester Ermi, 73, rolls back the years in Indonesia’s Gorontalo
Conservation Effectiveness
- How effective is the EU’s marquee policy to reduce the illegal timber trade?
- How sharing and learning from failures can transform conservation (commentary)
- Is planting trees as good for the Earth as everyone says?
- Failure in conservation projects: Everyone experiences it, few record it
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- An ‘ocean grab’ for a property megaproject leaves Jakarta fishers grounded
- 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
