Shows
Mongabay NewscastMongabay founder reflects on success, Jane Goodall, and moreHello listeners. This week on the Mongabay Newscast, we ask that you take a few minutes to fill out a brief survey to let us know what you think of our audio reporting, which you can do here. Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Butler was recently awarded the Henry Shaw Medal by the Missouri Botanical Garden and named to the 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leaders list alongside conservation greats such as David Attenborough. The credit for this success belongs to Mongabay, Butler says on this week's podcast. "While my name is on the award, it's for Mongabay...
2025-11-0438 minMongabay NewscastMongabay founder reflects on success, Jane Goodall, and moreHello listeners. This week on the Mongabay Newscast, we ask that you take a few minutes to fill out a brief survey to let us know what you think of our audio reporting, which you can do here. Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Butler was recently awarded the Henry Shaw Medal by the Missouri Botanical Garden and named to the 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leaders list alongside conservation greats such as David Attenborough. The credit for this success belongs to Mongabay, Butler says on this week's podcast. "While my name is on the award, it's for Mongabay...
2025-11-0438 min
Mongabay NewscastThe impact-driven success of Mongabay's nonprofit news modelMedia outlets are downsizing newsrooms and the audience for traditional news is in decline, but Mongabay continues to grow thanks to its impact-driven, nonprofit model. Mongabay's director of philanthropy, Dave Martin, joins the podcast this week to explain the philosophy behind Mongabay's fundraising efforts, why the nonprofit model is essential for impact-driven reporting, and how the organization ensures editorial independence. " Those who fund us and read us, they're really expecting real-world impact and high-quality journalism. So, people are coming back to Mongabay because they're interested in what we're reporting on. There's a really high level of quality th...
2025-04-0837 minMongabay NewscastThe impact-driven success of Mongabay's nonprofit news modelMedia outlets are downsizing newsrooms and the audience for traditional news is in decline, but Mongabay continues to grow thanks to its impact-driven, nonprofit model. Mongabay's director of philanthropy, Dave Martin, joins the podcast this week to explain the philosophy behind Mongabay's fundraising efforts, why the nonprofit model is essential for impact-driven reporting, and how the organization ensures editorial independence. " Those who fund us and read us, they're really expecting real-world impact and high-quality journalism. So, people are coming back to Mongabay because they're interested in what we're reporting on. There's a really high level of quality th...
2025-04-0837 min
Mongabay NewscastJane Goodall and Rhett Butler celebrate Mongabay's 25th anniversaryThe Mongabay Newscast recently traveled to San Francisco to join an event hosted by the popular radio show and podcast, Climate One, reflecting on both Mongabay's 25th anniversary and Jane Goodall's 90th birthday, for a live audience of 1,700. First, Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Ayers Butler discusses the news outlet's biggest successes and impact over a quarter of a century, and then Climate One founder and host Greg Dalton engages Butler and Goodall in conversation about the state of environmental news, the biggest issues they're working on, their inspirations, and what Goodall wants more people to think a...
2024-10-151h 19Mongabay NewscastJane Goodall and Rhett Butler celebrate Mongabay's 25th anniversaryThe Mongabay Newscast recently traveled to San Francisco to join an event hosted by the popular radio show and podcast, Climate One, reflecting on both Mongabay's 25th anniversary and Jane Goodall's 90th birthday, for a live audience of 1,700. First, Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Ayers Butler discusses the news outlet's biggest successes and impact over a quarter of a century, and then Climate One founder and host Greg Dalton engages Butler and Goodall in conversation about the state of environmental news, the biggest issues they're working on, their inspirations, and what Goodall wants more people to think a...
2024-10-151h 19
Mongabay Newscast'Seeking solutions,' Mongabay's new Africa bureau reports the big issues and conservation winsLast year, Mongabay launched a brand-new bureau dedicated to covering the African continent daily in French and English. The team is led by veteran Cameroonian journalist David Akana, who chats with co-host Mike DiGirolamo about the importance of covering the African continent and why news that happens there is of keen interest to audiences worldwide. Akana details his team's coverage priorities, including solutions-oriented stories, which he says are vital to delivering a fair picture of the continent. "The bottom line here is that whatever happens – whether it's in the business of forests [or] biodiversity or cl...
2024-06-2536 minMongabay Newscast'Seeking solutions,' Mongabay's new Africa bureau reports the big issues and conservation winsLast year, Mongabay launched a brand-new bureau dedicated to covering the African continent daily in French and English. The team is led by veteran Cameroonian journalist David Akana, who chats with co-host Mike DiGirolamo about the importance of covering the African continent and why news that happens there is of keen interest to audiences worldwide. Akana details his team's coverage priorities, including solutions-oriented stories, which he says are vital to delivering a fair picture of the continent. "The bottom line here is that whatever happens – whether it's in the business of forests [or] biodiversity or cl...
2024-06-2536 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Can you fund reforestation by cutting trees down?As the world pursues reforestation on an expanding scale, a recurring question is: how do we pay for it? One emerging solution is to grow and harvest timber on the same land where reforestation is happening, as exemplified in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. Another approach is to grow timber trees and natural forests on separate plots of land, with a portion of the profits from timber harvests supporting the reforestation. However, some experts worry that relying too much on timber revenues could harm ecosystems and existing forests, resulting in additional harvesting. Can we balance the need for funding...
2023-02-2718 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Can you fund reforestation by cutting trees down?As the world pursues reforestation on an expanding scale, a recurring question is: how do we pay for it? One emerging solution is to grow and harvest timber on the same land where reforestation is happening, as exemplified in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. Another approach is to grow timber trees and natural forests on separate plots of land, with a portion of the profits from timber harvests supporting the reforestation. However, some experts worry that relying too much on timber revenues could harm ecosystems and existing forests, resulting in additional harvesting. Can we balance the need for funding...
2023-02-2718 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Cheetahs bring vultures back from the brink in MalawiIn a national park in southern Malawi, the reintroduction of cheetahs (and lions) is bringing four critically endangered vulture species back to the skies, after a 20-year absence: the big cats' kill sites have increased the food supply, encouraging the birds to return in a conservation 'win-win.' A project of African Parks and the Endangered Wildlife Trust begun in 2017, the team has since observed tagged vultures in parks outside Malawi, too. Read or share this popular article by Ryan Truscott here: Cheetah reintroduction in Malawi brings vultures back to the skies ...
2023-02-1409 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Cheetahs bring vultures back from the brink in MalawiIn a national park in southern Malawi, the reintroduction of cheetahs (and lions) is bringing four critically endangered vulture species back to the skies, after a 20-year absence: the big cats' kill sites have increased the food supply, encouraging the birds to return in a conservation 'win-win.' A project of African Parks and the Endangered Wildlife Trust begun in 2017, the team has since observed tagged vultures in parks outside Malawi, too. Read or share this popular article by Ryan Truscott here: Cheetah reintroduction in Malawi brings vultures back to the skies ...
2023-02-1409 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Lebanon's inspiring restoration successIn a nation gripped by currency depreciation, harsh economic fallout and civil unrest, the Shouf Biosphere Reserve endures as a rare conservation success story in Lebanon. Previously protected by landmines and armed guards, the region (a UNESCO biosphere reserve) forges ahead with community engagement in tree-planting projects while providing the community with food, fuel, and jobs. Click the play button to hear this popular article by Elizabeth Fitt aloud: From land mines to lifelines, Lebanon's Shouf is a rare restoration success story Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay N...
2022-11-2217 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Lebanon's inspiring restoration successIn a nation gripped by currency depreciation, harsh economic fallout and civil unrest, the Shouf Biosphere Reserve endures as a rare conservation success story in Lebanon. Previously protected by landmines and armed guards, the region (a UNESCO biosphere reserve) forges ahead with community engagement in tree-planting projects while providing the community with food, fuel, and jobs. Click the play button to hear this popular article by Elizabeth Fitt aloud: From land mines to lifelines, Lebanon's Shouf is a rare restoration success story Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay N...
2022-11-2217 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: A "game changing" ecological restoration playbookNine leading forest and climate experts defined 10 principles for equitable and transformative landscapes in a "playbook" for ecosystem restoration. The playbook authors say these steps could be game changing if followed. The plan outlines climate change and forest loss as political, economic and social problems, not just biophysical or environmental. Hear more about the playbook by listening to this reading of the original popular article by Liz Kimbrough, New restoration "Playbook" calls for political, economic, and social change. Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or...
2022-10-1107 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: A "game changing" ecological restoration playbookNine leading forest and climate experts defined 10 principles for equitable and transformative landscapes in a "playbook" for ecosystem restoration. The playbook authors say these steps could be game changing if followed. The plan outlines climate change and forest loss as political, economic and social problems, not just biophysical or environmental. Hear more about the playbook by listening to this reading of the original popular article by Liz Kimbrough, New restoration "Playbook" calls for political, economic, and social change. Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or...
2022-10-1107 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Agroforestry is climate-positive and profitable, investors sayWhat's a climate-friendly and profitable way to farm? Some investors (and many farmers) say it's agroforestry, which combines trees & shrubs with annual crops for mutual benefits: shade-grown coffee or bird-friendly chocolate, for instance. So why have the agriculture sectors of the U.S. and E.U. largely ignored it? That's a question Ethan Steinberg and his partners at Propagate Ventures sought to answer, and then raised $1.5 million in seed funding to help farmers in eight U.S. states transition from conventional agriculture to agroforestry. Hear more about this growing trend in sustainable agriculture by listening t...
2022-09-2712 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Agroforestry is climate-positive and profitable, investors sayWhat's a climate-friendly and profitable way to farm? Some investors (and many farmers) say it's agroforestry, which combines trees & shrubs with annual crops for mutual benefits: shade-grown coffee or bird-friendly chocolate, for instance. So why have the agriculture sectors of the U.S. and E.U. largely ignored it? That's a question Ethan Steinberg and his partners at Propagate Ventures sought to answer, and then raised $1.5 million in seed funding to help farmers in eight U.S. states transition from conventional agriculture to agroforestry. Hear more about this growing trend in sustainable agriculture by listening t...
2022-09-2712 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Spies in the sky, albatrosses alert authorities to illegal fishingCan an albatross detect illegal fishing vessels? Findings from published research say yes: over the course of six-months, 169 albatrosses fitted with radar-detecting trackers covered 47 million square kilometers of the southern Indian Ocean found radar signals from 353 ships. Many of these vessels had no AIS signal, which is an indicator that a ship has switched it off in an attempt to remain hidden, but little did they know that the albatrosses revealed them. Science journalist Shreya Dasgupta reported on the study for Mongabay in 2020, here: Any illegal fishing going on around here? Ask an...
2022-09-1307 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Spies in the sky, albatrosses alert authorities to illegal fishingCan an albatross detect illegal fishing vessels? Findings from published research say yes: over the course of six-months, 169 albatrosses fitted with radar-detecting trackers covered 47 million square kilometers of the southern Indian Ocean found radar signals from 353 ships. Many of these vessels had no AIS signal, which is an indicator that a ship has switched it off in an attempt to remain hidden, but little did they know that the albatrosses revealed them. Science journalist Shreya Dasgupta reported on the study for Mongabay in 2020, here: Any illegal fishing going on around here? Ask an...
2022-09-1307 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Chocolate frog, anyone?Just kidding, you really shouldn't eat this. Last February, researchers described a new-to-science species of frog literally unearthed in the Peruvian Amazon during a rapid inventory of the lower Putamayo Basin. The image of the frog circulated on Twitter where it was likened to the chocolate frogs as seen in the Harry Potter film franchise. One user described the frog as a 'smooth lil fella.' The full scientific description of the tootsie-roll resembling amphibian is available here in the journal Evolutionary Systematics. This episode of Mongabay Reports, features the popular article Chocolate f...
2022-08-3006 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Chocolate frog, anyone?Just kidding, you really shouldn't eat this. Last February, researchers described a new-to-science species of frog literally unearthed in the Peruvian Amazon during a rapid inventory of the lower Putamayo Basin. The image of the frog circulated on Twitter where it was likened to the chocolate frogs as seen in the Harry Potter film franchise. One user described the frog as a 'smooth lil fella.' The full scientific description of the tootsie-roll resembling amphibian is available here in the journal Evolutionary Systematics. This episode of Mongabay Reports, features the popular article Chocolate f...
2022-08-3006 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Can bugs take a bite out of climate change?Cricket One is one of the world's largest cricket farms, and it's serving up an impressive palette of insect protein. Vietnam-based reporter Mike Tatarski reports on companies cashing in on the insect protein wave: coupled with the fact that insects (like crickets) use far less feed than cattle, and produce no methane, there is potential for the industry to replace animal-based protein sources. Could delicacies such as the scorpion skewers served at Bugs Cafe in Cambodia make their way to the West? This episode of Mongabay Reports features the popular 2020 story as read by Mike...
2022-08-1614 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Can bugs take a bite out of climate change?Cricket One is one of the world's largest cricket farms, and it's serving up an impressive palette of insect protein. Vietnam-based reporter Mike Tatarski reports on companies cashing in on the insect protein wave: coupled with the fact that insects (like crickets) use far less feed than cattle, and produce no methane, there is potential for the industry to replace animal-based protein sources. Could delicacies such as the scorpion skewers served at Bugs Cafe in Cambodia make their way to the West? This episode of Mongabay Reports features the popular 2020 story as read by Mike...
2022-08-1614 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Chimpanzee tool innovation reveals cultural evolutionSonso Chimpanzees in Uganda began using a new method to drink water pooled in logs, 'moss-sponging.' Previously known to use balled-up leaves, the chimps began using this new technique with moss, researchers believe, because it is more effective at getting water into their mouths. But then, the technique spread to a neighboring community of chimps, leading researchers to believe that this is evidence of cultural evolution in chimpanzees, a behavior previously only thought to exist in humans. Researchers published their findings in a study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences back in 2018. ...
2022-08-0207 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Chimpanzee tool innovation reveals cultural evolutionSonso Chimpanzees in Uganda began using a new method to drink water pooled in logs, 'moss-sponging.' Previously known to use balled-up leaves, the chimps began using this new technique with moss, researchers believe, because it is more effective at getting water into their mouths. But then, the technique spread to a neighboring community of chimps, leading researchers to believe that this is evidence of cultural evolution in chimpanzees, a behavior previously only thought to exist in humans. Researchers published their findings in a study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences back in 2018. ...
2022-08-0207 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: New Guinea has the most plant species of any islandA report published in the journal Nature concludes that New Guinea is the most floristically diverse and speciose island on the planet. In addition to being the second largest island in the world, New Guinea is the world's largest tropical island. More than two-thirds of its 13,634 plant sepecies are endemic, occurring nowhere else in the world. New Guinea is not without its conservation challenges. If you are a regular listener of the Mongabay Explores Podcast you'll recall our third season, which explains the historical context, challenges, and drivers of deforestation on the island over seven episodes. Despite the...
2022-07-1907 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: New Guinea has the most plant species of any islandA report published in the journal Nature concludes that New Guinea is the most floristically diverse and speciose island on the planet. In addition to being the second largest island in the world, New Guinea is the world's largest tropical island. More than two-thirds of its 13,634 plant sepecies are endemic, occurring nowhere else in the world. New Guinea is not without its conservation challenges. If you are a regular listener of the Mongabay Explores Podcast you'll recall our third season, which explains the historical context, challenges, and drivers of deforestation on the island over seven episodes. Despite the...
2022-07-1907 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Will the vaquita vanish?This week the world marks Save the Vaquita Day. Our featured article examines a threat to this critically endangered marine mammal (Phocoena sinus), a small porpoise that lives only in the Upper Gulf of California, and of which only 8 remain in the wild. Mongabay reports that a recent CITES decision lifting a prohibition on the export of captive-bred totaoba fish from Mexico could paradoxically spell disaster for vaquitas--which drown in nets that are set to capture the fish illegally, to feed a black market which will likely continue to thrive if a legal trade in...
2022-07-0510 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Will the vaquita vanish?This week the world marks Save the Vaquita Day. Our featured article examines a threat to this critically endangered marine mammal (Phocoena sinus), a small porpoise that lives only in the Upper Gulf of California, and of which only 8 remain in the wild. Mongabay reports that a recent CITES decision lifting a prohibition on the export of captive-bred totaoba fish from Mexico could paradoxically spell disaster for vaquitas--which drown in nets that are set to capture the fish illegally, to feed a black market which will likely continue to thrive if a legal trade in...
2022-07-0510 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: 'Lost' Amazonian cities reveal sustainability secretsOur featured article this week examines archaeological research revealing details of a massive, Pre-Columbian urban settlement in the Amazon, 4,500 square kilometers in size, that provides valuable insights into how humanity could develop sustainable cities without degrading their environments. To also read & share the story, go here: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/lost-amazonian-cities-hint-at-how-to-build-urban-landscapes-without-harming-nature/ Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to have access to our latest episodes at your fingertips. If you enjoy this se...
2022-06-2211 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: 'Lost' Amazonian cities reveal sustainability secretsOur featured article this week examines archaeological research revealing details of a massive, Pre-Columbian urban settlement in the Amazon, 4,500 square kilometers in size, that provides valuable insights into how humanity could develop sustainable cities without degrading their environments. To also read & share the story, go here: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/lost-amazonian-cities-hint-at-how-to-build-urban-landscapes-without-harming-nature/ Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to have access to our latest episodes at your fingertips. If you enjoy this se...
2022-06-2211 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Palm oil investigation with BBC and Gecko Project exposes corporate theft from communitiesOur featured article this week summarizes a joint investigation Mongabay recently conducted with BBC News and The Gecko Project, uncovering how companies have cut local & Indigenous communities out of the profits from Indonesia's palm oil boom, despite being legally required to share those profits. Major brands including Kellogg's, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, and numerous others have sourced palm oil from these plantations. To also read & share the story, go here: 'A hidden crisis in Indonesia's palm oil sector: 6 takeaways from our investigation.' https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/a-hidden-crisis-in-indonesias-palm-oil-sector-6-takeaways-from-our-investigation/ Read the responses from consumer g...
2022-06-0707 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Palm oil investigation with BBC and Gecko Project exposes corporate theft from communitiesOur featured article this week summarizes a joint investigation Mongabay recently conducted with BBC News and The Gecko Project, uncovering how companies have cut local & Indigenous communities out of the profits from Indonesia's palm oil boom, despite being legally required to share those profits. Major brands including Kellogg's, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, and numerous others have sourced palm oil from these plantations. To also read & share the story, go here: 'A hidden crisis in Indonesia's palm oil sector: 6 takeaways from our investigation.' https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/a-hidden-crisis-in-indonesias-palm-oil-sector-6-takeaways-from-our-investigation/ Read the responses from consumer g...
2022-06-0707 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Can celebrities 'rewrite extinction'?'Rewriting Extinction' is a new conservation funding group trying to reach fresh audiences that has so far raised $180,000 for projects in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Critics of the organization say 'Rewriting Exctinction' has made exaggerated claims about what it can, or has, achieved. Some experts say the effort should still be applauded. This episode features the popular article "Can celebrities and social media influencers really 'rewrite extinction'?" by James Fair: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/can-celebrities-and-social-media-influencers-really-rewrite-extinction/ Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our...
2022-05-2510 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Can celebrities 'rewrite extinction'?'Rewriting Extinction' is a new conservation funding group trying to reach fresh audiences that has so far raised $180,000 for projects in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Critics of the organization say 'Rewriting Exctinction' has made exaggerated claims about what it can, or has, achieved. Some experts say the effort should still be applauded. This episode features the popular article "Can celebrities and social media influencers really 'rewrite extinction'?" by James Fair: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/can-celebrities-and-social-media-influencers-really-rewrite-extinction/ Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our...
2022-05-2510 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores: She's here! A Sumatran rhino is bornMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. On March 24th, Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry announced the birth of a new female Sumatran rhino calf at the SRS captive breeding facility at Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia's Lampung province. For this bonus episode of Mongabay Explores, we speak with senior staff writer for Indonesia, Basten Gokkon. He explains the significance of this event, the difficulty in breeding Sumatran rhinos, and what this birth means for the future of this critically endangered species. If y...
2022-05-1115 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores: She's here! A Sumatran rhino is bornMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. On March 24th, Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry announced the birth of a new female Sumatran rhino calf at the SRS captive breeding facility at Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia's Lampung province. For this bonus episode of Mongabay Explores, we speak with senior staff writer for Indonesia, Basten Gokkon. He explains the significance of this event, the difficulty in breeding Sumatran rhinos, and what this birth means for the future of this critically endangered species. If y...
2022-05-1115 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: Community empowerment and forest conservation grow from the galip nutMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. By 2025, the edible nut industry will be worth an estimated $2 billion globally. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), a traditional and plentiful staple, the galip nut (Canarium indicum), holds the promise of tapping into that demand. Its familiarity and the ease with which it can be grown together with coffee and cocoa is adding up to a new source of income for thousands of small scale farmers across PNG while preserving forest cover. On this episode of Mongabay Explores, w...
2022-04-2748 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: Community empowerment and forest conservation grow from the galip nutMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. By 2025, the edible nut industry will be worth an estimated $2 billion globally. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), a traditional and plentiful staple, the galip nut (Canarium indicum), holds the promise of tapping into that demand. Its familiarity and the ease with which it can be grown together with coffee and cocoa is adding up to a new source of income for thousands of small scale farmers across PNG while preserving forest cover. On this episode of Mongabay Explores, w...
2022-04-2748 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: Who is destroying these rainforests? The Tanah Merah mystery.Mongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. The Tanah Merah project sits in the heart of New Guinea covering 2,800 square kilometers (1,100 square miles). Roughly twice the size of Greater London, it threatens not only dense, primary, tropical rainforest and Indigenous land, but also could release as much carbon as the U.S. state of Virginia emits by burning fossil fuels for an entire year. However, the true owners of the project have been hidden by a web of corporate secrecy for more than a decade...
2022-04-1348 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: Who is destroying these rainforests? The Tanah Merah mystery.Mongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. The Tanah Merah project sits in the heart of New Guinea covering 2,800 square kilometers (1,100 square miles). Roughly twice the size of Greater London, it threatens not only dense, primary, tropical rainforest and Indigenous land, but also could release as much carbon as the U.S. state of Virginia emits by burning fossil fuels for an entire year. However, the true owners of the project have been hidden by a web of corporate secrecy for more than a decade...
2022-04-1348 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Degraded forests still provide immense valueA recent study conducted in Malaysian Borneo shows that degraded forests can still provide immense value. The study details five key ecological services provided by degraded forests to Indigenous communities. Yet a government effort aims to convert degraded forests in Malaysian Borneo into timber plantations, despite the fact that researchers say these ecological services cannot be replaced with plantations. This episode features the popular article, "Even degraded forests are more ecologically valuable than none, study shows," by Sheryl Lee Tian Tong: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/even-degraded-forests-are-more-ecologically-valuable-than-none-study-shows/ Please invite your friends to su...
2022-03-3006 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Degraded forests still provide immense valueA recent study conducted in Malaysian Borneo shows that degraded forests can still provide immense value. The study details five key ecological services provided by degraded forests to Indigenous communities. Yet a government effort aims to convert degraded forests in Malaysian Borneo into timber plantations, despite the fact that researchers say these ecological services cannot be replaced with plantations. This episode features the popular article, "Even degraded forests are more ecologically valuable than none, study shows," by Sheryl Lee Tian Tong: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/even-degraded-forests-are-more-ecologically-valuable-than-none-study-shows/ Please invite your friends to su...
2022-03-3006 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: 'Ghosts of the rainforest'Mongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. New Guinea's dense tropical montane forests are home to 12 of 14 tree kangaroo species. Over the past couple of decades, conservationists have leveraged these charismatic, intelligent marsupials to spearhead community development, conservation efforts, and the establishment of protected areas. In Papua New Guinea, the Torricelli mountain range is home to three species of tree kangaroo, including the critically endangered tenkile. This mountain range sits in the crosshairs of a road project threatening to encroach upon the region; however, the government is i...
2022-03-1658 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: 'Ghosts of the rainforest'Mongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. New Guinea's dense tropical montane forests are home to 12 of 14 tree kangaroo species. Over the past couple of decades, conservationists have leveraged these charismatic, intelligent marsupials to spearhead community development, conservation efforts, and the establishment of protected areas. In Papua New Guinea, the Torricelli mountain range is home to three species of tree kangaroo, including the critically endangered tenkile. This mountain range sits in the crosshairs of a road project threatening to encroach upon the region; however, the government is i...
2022-03-1658 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: A long and winding roadMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. Subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts and stay tuned for subsequent episodes in this season. Spanning over 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) and being built over the course of decades, the Trans-Papua Highway cuts across the entire length of Indonesian New Guinea's two provinces, including 7 key protected areas. While the project is nearly complete, experts warn it will cost billions annually to maintain, and threaten to open up untouched rainforest to palm oil expansion contributing an additional 4.5 million hectares...
2022-03-0246 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: A long and winding roadMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. Subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts and stay tuned for subsequent episodes in this season. Spanning over 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) and being built over the course of decades, the Trans-Papua Highway cuts across the entire length of Indonesian New Guinea's two provinces, including 7 key protected areas. While the project is nearly complete, experts warn it will cost billions annually to maintain, and threaten to open up untouched rainforest to palm oil expansion contributing an additional 4.5 million hectares...
2022-03-0246 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: Protecting paradiseMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. Subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts and stay tuned for subsequent episodes in this season. New Guinea is home to the third-largest tropical rainforest in the world—of which 80% is still intact. The two-nation island also contains 44 species of unique birds-of-paradise and dense biodiverse regions unlike anywhere else on the planet. Because of its one-of-a-kind biodiversity, and relatively undeveloped landscape, New Guinea is in a unique position to conserve its forest cover as part of an economy that serves its local in...
2022-02-1651 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: Protecting paradiseMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. Subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts and stay tuned for subsequent episodes in this season. New Guinea is home to the third-largest tropical rainforest in the world—of which 80% is still intact. The two-nation island also contains 44 species of unique birds-of-paradise and dense biodiverse regions unlike anywhere else on the planet. Because of its one-of-a-kind biodiversity, and relatively undeveloped landscape, New Guinea is in a unique position to conserve its forest cover as part of an economy that serves its local in...
2022-02-1651 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: 'Carbon cowboys' and illegal loggingSince 2014, Papua New Guinea has been the world's largest tropical timber exporter: more than 70% of that is considered illegal. Timber companies continue to possess land originally owned by local Indigenous communities through legal loopholes: while the carbon market has gained popularity as an alternative source of revenue for Indigenous communities, it suffers from some of the same land rights abuses as timber extraction. For this episode of Mongabay Explores we interview Gary Juffa, governor of Oro province in Papua New Guinea, and investigative journalist, Rachel Donald. If you missed episode one of Mongabay Explores New Guinea you can find...
2022-02-0154 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: 'Carbon cowboys' and illegal loggingSince 2014, Papua New Guinea has been the world's largest tropical timber exporter: more than 70% of that is considered illegal. Timber companies continue to possess land originally owned by local Indigenous communities through legal loopholes: while the carbon market has gained popularity as an alternative source of revenue for Indigenous communities, it suffers from some of the same land rights abuses as timber extraction. For this episode of Mongabay Explores we interview Gary Juffa, governor of Oro province in Papua New Guinea, and investigative journalist, Rachel Donald. If you missed episode one of Mongabay Explores New Guinea you can find...
2022-02-0154 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: Protecting unparalleled biodiversityMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. Subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts and stay tuned for subsequent episodes in this season. New Guinea is one of the most most biodiverse regions on the planet and also the world's largest tropical island. It makes up less than 0.5% of the world's landmass, but is estimated to contain as much as 10% of global biodiversity. To unpack the vast biodiversity of New Guinea, conservation policy, and NGO efforts to protect land, culture and Indigenous rights, we spoke with...
2022-01-051h 15Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores New Guinea: Protecting unparalleled biodiversityMongabay Explores is an episodic podcast series that highlights unique places and species from around the globe. Subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts and stay tuned for subsequent episodes in this season. New Guinea is one of the most most biodiverse regions on the planet and also the world's largest tropical island. It makes up less than 0.5% of the world's landmass, but is estimated to contain as much as 10% of global biodiversity. To unpack the vast biodiversity of New Guinea, conservation policy, and NGO efforts to protect land, culture and Indigenous rights, we spoke with...
2022-01-051h 15
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Earth Defenders Toolkit strengthens Indigenous voicesThe Earth Defenders Toolkit is a collection of apps that support local autonomy of Indigenous lands, giving communities ownership of critical data and reducing the need for outside support. The toolkit, which includes mapping apps like 'Mapeo,' keep the needs of Indigenous communities at the forefront, overcoming barriers inherent to technology, like participation and security. This episode features the popular article, "Sharing solutions: How a digital toolkit is strengthening Indigenous voices," by Caitlin Looby: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/08/sharing-solutions-how-a-digital-toolkit-is-strengthening-indigenous-voices/ Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever th...
2021-11-1706 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Earth Defenders Toolkit strengthens Indigenous voicesThe Earth Defenders Toolkit is a collection of apps that support local autonomy of Indigenous lands, giving communities ownership of critical data and reducing the need for outside support. The toolkit, which includes mapping apps like 'Mapeo,' keep the needs of Indigenous communities at the forefront, overcoming barriers inherent to technology, like participation and security. This episode features the popular article, "Sharing solutions: How a digital toolkit is strengthening Indigenous voices," by Caitlin Looby: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/08/sharing-solutions-how-a-digital-toolkit-is-strengthening-indigenous-voices/ Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever th...
2021-11-1706 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Lost chameleon reappearsThe rare Champman's pygmy chameleon has been missing in the wild for over two decades. First described in 1992, it was finally seen in a dwindling patch of rainforest in the Malawi Hills in 2016. Researchers say there are likely more. However, they are unable to travel the long distances between the shrinking patches of their forest home. Scientists' findings of the rare chameleon call for conservation of the chameleon's habitat, which has seen an 80% deforestation rate over the past 40 years. This episode features the popular article, "Rare pygmy chameleon, lost to science, found in dwindling Malawi forest," by Li...
2021-11-0305 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Lost chameleon reappearsThe rare Champman's pygmy chameleon has been missing in the wild for over two decades. First described in 1992, it was finally seen in a dwindling patch of rainforest in the Malawi Hills in 2016. Researchers say there are likely more. However, they are unable to travel the long distances between the shrinking patches of their forest home. Scientists' findings of the rare chameleon call for conservation of the chameleon's habitat, which has seen an 80% deforestation rate over the past 40 years. This episode features the popular article, "Rare pygmy chameleon, lost to science, found in dwindling Malawi forest," by Li...
2021-11-0305 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: New species of North America's rare spotted skunks discoveredResearchers analyzed spotted skunk DNA and found that rather than the four skunk species previously recognized by science, there are actually seven. Referred to as the "acrobats of the skunk world" these small carnivores use impressive handstands to warn predators that a noxious spray is coming their way. The plains spotted skunk (included among them) is in significant decline, but figuring out the different species lineages may inform and aid conservation efforts. This episode features the popular article, "In search of the 'forest ghost,' South America's cryptic giant armadillo," by Liz Kimbrough:
2021-10-1905 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: New species of North America's rare spotted skunks discoveredResearchers analyzed spotted skunk DNA and found that rather than the four skunk species previously recognized by science, there are actually seven. Referred to as the "acrobats of the skunk world" these small carnivores use impressive handstands to warn predators that a noxious spray is coming their way. The plains spotted skunk (included among them) is in significant decline, but figuring out the different species lineages may inform and aid conservation efforts. This episode features the popular article, "In search of the 'forest ghost,' South America's cryptic giant armadillo," by Liz Kimbrough:
2021-10-1905 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Can climate-friendly agroforestry transform farming in the U.S. Midwest?Monocultures of corn and soybeans carpet 75% of the U.S. Midwest, leading to soil erosion, water pollution, and massive greenhouse gas emissions. However, a new wave of farmers is breaking the monocrop monotony by growing these annuals between long rows of perennial shrubs like American hazelnuts, which keep soils intact while harboring beneficial bugs and sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere. Hazelnuts are a huge market internationally and have big potential in the U.S. either as a snack or an oilseed, since the fatty acid profile is very similar to olive oil. Listen...
2021-09-0816 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Can climate-friendly agroforestry transform farming in the U.S. Midwest?Monocultures of corn and soybeans carpet 75% of the U.S. Midwest, leading to soil erosion, water pollution, and massive greenhouse gas emissions. However, a new wave of farmers is breaking the monocrop monotony by growing these annuals between long rows of perennial shrubs like American hazelnuts, which keep soils intact while harboring beneficial bugs and sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere. Hazelnuts are a huge market internationally and have big potential in the U.S. either as a snack or an oilseed, since the fatty acid profile is very similar to olive oil. Listen...
2021-09-0816 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: 'Extinction denial' is the latest anti-science conspiracy theoryThere's a growing refusal by some to acknowledge the ongoing global extinction crisis being driven by human actions, conservation scientists say. These views are pushed by many of the same people who also downplay the impacts of climate change, and go against the actual evidence of widespread species population declines and recent extinctions. Listen to a September 2020 report published at Mongabay.com about this news via this episode of Mongabay Reports, which shares evergreen articles from Mongabay.com, read by host Mike DiGirolamo. This episode features the popular article, "Biologists warn 'exctinction denial...
2021-08-1908 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: 'Extinction denial' is the latest anti-science conspiracy theoryThere's a growing refusal by some to acknowledge the ongoing global extinction crisis being driven by human actions, conservation scientists say. These views are pushed by many of the same people who also downplay the impacts of climate change, and go against the actual evidence of widespread species population declines and recent extinctions. Listen to a September 2020 report published at Mongabay.com about this news via this episode of Mongabay Reports, which shares evergreen articles from Mongabay.com, read by host Mike DiGirolamo. This episode features the popular article, "Biologists warn 'exctinction denial...
2021-08-1908 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Two new Javan rhino calves spotted in the species' last holdoutIndonesia recently announced exciting news, the sighting of two Javan rhino calves in Ujung Kulon National Park, the last place on Earth where the critically endangered species is found. The new additions bring the estimated population of the species to 73; conservationists have recorded at least one new calf a year joining the population since 2012. Listen to a June 2021 report published at Mongabay.com about this news via this episode of Mongabay Reports, which shares evergreen articles from Mongabay.com, read by host Mike DiGirolamo. This episode features the popular article, "Two new Javan...
2021-07-2204 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Two new Javan rhino calves spotted in the species' last holdoutIndonesia recently announced exciting news, the sighting of two Javan rhino calves in Ujung Kulon National Park, the last place on Earth where the critically endangered species is found. The new additions bring the estimated population of the species to 73; conservationists have recorded at least one new calf a year joining the population since 2012. Listen to a June 2021 report published at Mongabay.com about this news via this episode of Mongabay Reports, which shares evergreen articles from Mongabay.com, read by host Mike DiGirolamo. This episode features the popular article, "Two new Javan...
2021-07-2204 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Camera traps in trees reveal a richness of species in Rwandan parkWildlife researchers often use motion-sensing cameras, also known as camera traps, to study animals in the wild. However, these are usually positioned at ground level, leaving a diverse world of animals unexamined: those that dwell in the trees above. Camera traps set in trees in Rwanda's Nyungwe National Park captured 35 different mammal species over a 30-day period, including a rare Central African oyan, a small catlike mammal that had not previously been documented there. Mongabay Reports is a new series that shares evergreen articles like this from Mongabay.com, read by host Mike DiGirolamo. This...
2021-06-2404 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: Camera traps in trees reveal a richness of species in Rwandan parkWildlife researchers often use motion-sensing cameras, also known as camera traps, to study animals in the wild. However, these are usually positioned at ground level, leaving a diverse world of animals unexamined: those that dwell in the trees above. Camera traps set in trees in Rwanda's Nyungwe National Park captured 35 different mammal species over a 30-day period, including a rare Central African oyan, a small catlike mammal that had not previously been documented there. Mongabay Reports is a new series that shares evergreen articles like this from Mongabay.com, read by host Mike DiGirolamo. This...
2021-06-2404 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: How many trees are on the Earth?When it comes to the world's forests, two commonly asked questions are "How many trees are on Earth?" and "How many are cut down each year?" A study in the journal Nature proposed answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Mongabay Reports is a new series that shares evergreen articles like this from Mongabay.com, read by host Mike DiGirolamo. This episode features one of our most read stories of the last several years: "How many trees are cut down every year?" Though it was published in late 2015, the information is quite relevant today. Please invite your friends t...
2021-05-2704 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Reports: How many trees are on the Earth?When it comes to the world's forests, two commonly asked questions are "How many trees are on Earth?" and "How many are cut down each year?" A study in the journal Nature proposed answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Mongabay Reports is a new series that shares evergreen articles like this from Mongabay.com, read by host Mike DiGirolamo. This episode features one of our most read stories of the last several years: "How many trees are cut down every year?" Though it was published in late 2015, the information is quite relevant today. Please invite your friends t...
2021-05-2704 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Solutions and optimism that drive conservation'I'm amazed how resilient, adaptable and optimistic the people of Sumatra are,' conservationist and HAkA Sumatra founder Farwiza Farhan says in the first moments of this episode about the women and communities she works with during the final episode of Mongabay's special series on Sumatra. The giant Indonesian island of course faces many environmental challenges, but there is also tremendous hope and good progress thanks to the work of people like her and educator Pungky Nanda Pratama, who also joins the show to describe how his Jungle Library Project & Sumatra Camera Trap Project are opening the...
2021-03-171h 11Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Solutions and optimism that drive conservation'I'm amazed how resilient, adaptable and optimistic the people of Sumatra are,' conservationist and HAkA Sumatra founder Farwiza Farhan says in the first moments of this episode about the women and communities she works with during the final episode of Mongabay's special series on Sumatra. The giant Indonesian island of course faces many environmental challenges, but there is also tremendous hope and good progress thanks to the work of people like her and educator Pungky Nanda Pratama, who also joins the show to describe how his Jungle Library Project & Sumatra Camera Trap Project are opening the...
2021-03-171h 11
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Restoration for peat's sakeOnce drained for palm oil or other agricultural uses, Indonesia's peatlands become very fire prone, putting people and rich flora and fauna--from orchids to orangutans--at risk. Over a million hectares of carbon-rich peatlands burned in Indonesia in 2019, creating a public health crisis not seen since 2015 when the nation's peatland restoration agency was formed to address the issue. To understand what is being done to restore peatlands, we speak with the Deputy Head of the National Peatland Restoration Agency, Budi Wardhana, and with Dyah Puspitaloka, a researcher on the value chain, finance and investment team at...
2021-03-0348 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Restoration for peat's sakeOnce drained for palm oil or other agricultural uses, Indonesia's peatlands become very fire prone, putting people and rich flora and fauna--from orchids to orangutans--at risk. Over a million hectares of carbon-rich peatlands burned in Indonesia in 2019, creating a public health crisis not seen since 2015 when the nation's peatland restoration agency was formed to address the issue. To understand what is being done to restore peatlands, we speak with the Deputy Head of the National Peatland Restoration Agency, Budi Wardhana, and with Dyah Puspitaloka, a researcher on the value chain, finance and investment team at...
2021-03-0348 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: where are the rhinos?The Sumatran rhino is a ridiculously cute but cryptic species that teeters on the brink: with an estimated 80 individuals left in the wilds of its super dense rainforest home, experts are also divided on *where* they are. With conflicting and sometimes misleading data on their whereabouts, it is exceedingly difficult to track them down, and to therefore protect them. To discuss this 'rhino search and rescue' as she calls it, host Mike DiGirolamo contacted repeat guest Wulan Pusparini, who studied them as a species conservation specialist with the Wildlife Conservation Society before pursuing her Ph.D. in E...
2021-02-1825 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: where are the rhinos?The Sumatran rhino is a ridiculously cute but cryptic species that teeters on the brink: with an estimated 80 individuals left in the wilds of its super dense rainforest home, experts are also divided on *where* they are. With conflicting and sometimes misleading data on their whereabouts, it is exceedingly difficult to track them down, and to therefore protect them. To discuss this 'rhino search and rescue' as she calls it, host Mike DiGirolamo contacted repeat guest Wulan Pusparini, who studied them as a species conservation specialist with the Wildlife Conservation Society before pursuing her Ph.D. in E...
2021-02-1825 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Omens and optimism for orangutansThe Sumatran orangutan is a lowland species that has adapted to life among this Indonesian island's highlands, as it has lost favored habitat to an array of forces like deforestation, road projects, plus the trafficking of young ones to be sold as pets, so this great ape is increasingly in trouble. On this episode, Mongabay speaks with the founding director of Orangutan Information Centre in North Sumatra, Panut Hadisiswoyo, about these challenges plus some hopeful signs. His center is successfully involving local communities in this work: over 2,400 hectares of rainforest have been replanted by local...
2021-02-0248 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Omens and optimism for orangutansThe Sumatran orangutan is a lowland species that has adapted to life among this Indonesian island's highlands, as it has lost favored habitat to an array of forces like deforestation, road projects, plus the trafficking of young ones to be sold as pets, so this great ape is increasingly in trouble. On this episode, Mongabay speaks with the founding director of Orangutan Information Centre in North Sumatra, Panut Hadisiswoyo, about these challenges plus some hopeful signs. His center is successfully involving local communities in this work: over 2,400 hectares of rainforest have been replanted by local...
2021-02-0248 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Elephants and eternityThe Sumatran elephant is a small species of Asian elephant whose numbers are dwindling as their lowland forest habitats are converted to crops like oil palms. Experts say that Indonesia has 10 years to turn this trend around and save them from the eternity of extinction--and that doing so will have many additional benefits for human communities and wildlife. To explore the issues surrounding the species' conservation, we spoke with 3 guests: Leif Cocks, the founder of the International Elephant Project, Sapariah "Arie" Saturi, Mongabay-Indonesia's Senior Writer who's reported regularly on the issue; and Dr. Wishnu Sukmantoro an elephant ex...
2021-01-2142 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Elephants and eternityThe Sumatran elephant is a small species of Asian elephant whose numbers are dwindling as their lowland forest habitats are converted to crops like oil palms. Experts say that Indonesia has 10 years to turn this trend around and save them from the eternity of extinction--and that doing so will have many additional benefits for human communities and wildlife. To explore the issues surrounding the species' conservation, we spoke with 3 guests: Leif Cocks, the founder of the International Elephant Project, Sapariah "Arie" Saturi, Mongabay-Indonesia's Senior Writer who's reported regularly on the issue; and Dr. Wishnu Sukmantoro an elephant ex...
2021-01-2142 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Tiger on the highwayThe wildlife rich island of Sumatra is experiencing a road building boom, causing some of its iconic creatures to be seen by construction workers: a photo of a Sumatran tiger crossing a highway work-site went viral this summer, for example. This smallest of all tiger subspecies still needs its space despite its stature: up to 250 square kilometers for each one's territory. A single road cut into their forest habitat encroaches on these key areas, where less than 400 of these critically endangered animals persist. Road building creates access to impenetrable forests that are home to all k...
2020-12-1643 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Tiger on the highwayThe wildlife rich island of Sumatra is experiencing a road building boom, causing some of its iconic creatures to be seen by construction workers: a photo of a Sumatran tiger crossing a highway work-site went viral this summer, for example. This smallest of all tiger subspecies still needs its space despite its stature: up to 250 square kilometers for each one's territory. A single road cut into their forest habitat encroaches on these key areas, where less than 400 of these critically endangered animals persist. Road building creates access to impenetrable forests that are home to all k...
2020-12-1643 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Will the world's newest great ape species face a dammed future?North Sumatra is home to 1 of only 8 known great ape species in the world, the newly described Tapanuli orangutan, first classified in 2017 after its habits and DNA proved them to be unique. As with many animals in Sumatra, they are amazing creatures that are critically threatened, with a maximum of 800 individuals estimated to be living in an increasingly fragmented habitat. Now a hydroelectric dam proposed for the center of the animals' tiny territory further challenges this special species' chances of survival, as well as that of 23 other threatened species which also live in the area. T...
2020-12-0344 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Will the world's newest great ape species face a dammed future?North Sumatra is home to 1 of only 8 known great ape species in the world, the newly described Tapanuli orangutan, first classified in 2017 after its habits and DNA proved them to be unique. As with many animals in Sumatra, they are amazing creatures that are critically threatened, with a maximum of 800 individuals estimated to be living in an increasingly fragmented habitat. Now a hydroelectric dam proposed for the center of the animals' tiny territory further challenges this special species' chances of survival, as well as that of 23 other threatened species which also live in the area. T...
2020-12-0344 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Deforestation demystifiedSumatra contains some of the largest tracts of intact rainforest left in the world, but it's at the center of a complicated web of deforestation drivers, many of which began during the Dutch colonial era and are now spurred further by corruption and the global demand for cheap palm oil used in a wide range of consumer products. To understand the rapid expansion of industrial-scale agribusinesses that market both palm oil and pulp & paper to the global market from this, the largest island in the Indonesian Archipelago, podcast host Mike DiGirolamo speaks with Nur "Yaya" Hidayati and...
2020-11-1847 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra: Deforestation demystifiedSumatra contains some of the largest tracts of intact rainforest left in the world, but it's at the center of a complicated web of deforestation drivers, many of which began during the Dutch colonial era and are now spurred further by corruption and the global demand for cheap palm oil used in a wide range of consumer products. To understand the rapid expansion of industrial-scale agribusinesses that market both palm oil and pulp & paper to the global market from this, the largest island in the Indonesian Archipelago, podcast host Mike DiGirolamo speaks with Nur "Yaya" Hidayati and...
2020-11-1847 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra, Episode 1: A landscape like no other"Sumatra is like a fossil relic of rare species...a giant, rhino horn-shaped island blanketed in the richest rainforest you can imagine...there's nothing like it," one of our guests declares. The 6th largest island in the world and the 2nd largest economy in Indonesia, Sumatra is the only place in the world where you can you find tigers, elephants, rhinos and orangutans all living together in an incredibly rich landscape of rainforests that, until recently, were largely untouched by human activities. But that's changing rapidly, and this new biweekly series from Mongabay Explores dives i...
2020-10-2248 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores Sumatra, Episode 1: A landscape like no other"Sumatra is like a fossil relic of rare species...a giant, rhino horn-shaped island blanketed in the richest rainforest you can imagine...there's nothing like it," one of our guests declares. The 6th largest island in the world and the 2nd largest economy in Indonesia, Sumatra is the only place in the world where you can you find tigers, elephants, rhinos and orangutans all living together in an incredibly rich landscape of rainforests that, until recently, were largely untouched by human activities. But that's changing rapidly, and this new biweekly series from Mongabay Explores dives i...
2020-10-2248 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 6: Hellbenders and super spreadersHellbenders are North America's largest salamanders, living in rivers and growing to an incredible length of over two feet. Eastern newts are tiny and terrestrial, but both are susceptible to a fungal pathogen called Bsal. While Bsal has yet to make an appearance in the global hotspot of salamander diversity that is North America, it has wreaked havoc on populations in Europe, so biologists worry its impact could be even worse if it does. Eastern newts' susceptibility to Bsal coupled with their notable mobility mean they could act as "super-spreaders" of Bsal if the fungus ever gets...
2020-07-2951 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 6: Hellbenders and super spreadersHellbenders are North America's largest salamanders, living in rivers and growing to an incredible length of over two feet. Eastern newts are tiny and terrestrial, but both are susceptible to a fungal pathogen called Bsal. While Bsal has yet to make an appearance in the global hotspot of salamander diversity that is North America, it has wreaked havoc on populations in Europe, so biologists worry its impact could be even worse if it does. Eastern newts' susceptibility to Bsal coupled with their notable mobility mean they could act as "super-spreaders" of Bsal if the fungus ever gets...
2020-07-2951 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 5: Policy possibilities?The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service imposed a trade ban on 201 salamander species in 2016 in order to prevent the import of the the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ('Bsal') which could be a major threat to the world's salamander hotspot of North America (and the U.S. in particular). However, the recent discovery that frogs can also carry Bsal has led scientists to urge the American government to ban the import of all salamander and frog species to the country. But what other policies or regulations could be enacted to prevent Bsal from wiping out...
2020-07-1533 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 5: Policy possibilities?The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service imposed a trade ban on 201 salamander species in 2016 in order to prevent the import of the the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ('Bsal') which could be a major threat to the world's salamander hotspot of North America (and the U.S. in particular). However, the recent discovery that frogs can also carry Bsal has led scientists to urge the American government to ban the import of all salamander and frog species to the country. But what other policies or regulations could be enacted to prevent Bsal from wiping out...
2020-07-1533 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 4: The 'Bsal battalion'North America (and the US in particular) is the world's hotspot of salamander diversity, hosting about 1/3 of all species. Researchers think that about half of these may be susceptible to a deadly fungus called Bsal, and believe it's a matter of time before it gets to North America. If and when it does, it could mean devastation and maybe extinction for a massive amount of amphibians. To head off the threat, scientists created the Bsal Task Force in 2015 and in this fourth "Mongabay Explores" bonus episode, host Mike DiGirolamo interviews the group's Dr. Jake Kerby who is a...
2020-07-0130 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 4: The 'Bsal battalion'North America (and the US in particular) is the world's hotspot of salamander diversity, hosting about 1/3 of all species. Researchers think that about half of these may be susceptible to a deadly fungus called Bsal, and believe it's a matter of time before it gets to North America. If and when it does, it could mean devastation and maybe extinction for a massive amount of amphibians. To head off the threat, scientists created the Bsal Task Force in 2015 and in this fourth "Mongabay Explores" bonus episode, host Mike DiGirolamo interviews the group's Dr. Jake Kerby who is a...
2020-07-0130 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 3: On the HuntReporter Benji Jones and wildlife disease ecologist with U.S. Geological Survey, Daniel Grear, join this special edition of Mongabay's podcast to discuss the hunt for Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) in North America, which Benji has described as "searching for a needle in a haystack except the needle is invisible and the hay stretches for thousands of miles." Host Mike DiGirolamo talks with Jones and Grear about the search, the difficulty in finding it, and what we can expect if the disease ever makes its way to U.S. shores. This third bonus episode of the...
2020-06-1127 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 3: On the HuntReporter Benji Jones and wildlife disease ecologist with U.S. Geological Survey, Daniel Grear, join this special edition of Mongabay's podcast to discuss the hunt for Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) in North America, which Benji has described as "searching for a needle in a haystack except the needle is invisible and the hay stretches for thousands of miles." Host Mike DiGirolamo talks with Jones and Grear about the search, the difficulty in finding it, and what we can expect if the disease ever makes its way to U.S. shores. This third bonus episode of the...
2020-06-1127 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 2: Great diversity and dangerWhy are salamanders so incredibly diverse in the United States? Among other things, a fluke of geography contributed to making it the global hotspot of salamander diversity. But now, another pandemic is on the march toward the U.S., and this time it's got salamanders in its sights. In this second special episode about salamanders, we'll give you the full context. How big a role do these ubiquitous animals play in the environment, and what would it mean to forest biodiversity, climate change, and forest food chains to lose whole populations of salamanders? ...
2020-06-0420 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 2: Great diversity and dangerWhy are salamanders so incredibly diverse in the United States? Among other things, a fluke of geography contributed to making it the global hotspot of salamander diversity. But now, another pandemic is on the march toward the U.S., and this time it's got salamanders in its sights. In this second special episode about salamanders, we'll give you the full context. How big a role do these ubiquitous animals play in the environment, and what would it mean to forest biodiversity, climate change, and forest food chains to lose whole populations of salamanders? ...
2020-06-0420 min
Mongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 1: Are we ready?Another pandemic is currently on the march, and it's got salamanders in its sights. You may not have heard about 'Bsal' before, but it nearly wiped out a population of salamanders in Europe, and scientists worry it could invade the United States--the home of the world's greatest diversity of salamanders--next. Is the U.S. ready for Bsal, and can a pandemic in this global salamander hotspot be prevented, unlike the one that's currently crippling human societies globally? What's being done, and what would it mean to lose salamanders on a landscape-wide level in North America? ...
2020-05-2039 minMongabay NewscastMongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 1: Are we ready?Another pandemic is currently on the march, and it's got salamanders in its sights. You may not have heard about 'Bsal' before, but it nearly wiped out a population of salamanders in Europe, and scientists worry it could invade the United States--the home of the world's greatest diversity of salamanders--next. Is the U.S. ready for Bsal, and can a pandemic in this global salamander hotspot be prevented, unlike the one that's currently crippling human societies globally? What's being done, and what would it mean to lose salamanders on a landscape-wide level in North America? ...
2020-05-2039 min