110,000+ signatures: Petition inspired by Mongabay story on a pristine but threatened PNG island keeps growing
A petition inspired by a Mongabay story has topped its goal of 110,000 signatures, and keeps growing. “Logging, mining companies lock eyes on a biodiverse island like no other” was published on July 31st by Mongabay and the online petition appeared about 10 days later after the story garnered much attention on social media platforms. In the story, writer Gianluca Cerullo explains that Woodlark Island sits far off the coast of Papua New Guinea and is swathed in old growth forests home to animals found nowhere else on the planet. However, the island and its inhabitants face an uncertain future: lured by high-value timber, a logging company is planning to clear 40% of Woodlark’s forests, and researchers say this could drive many species to extinction. The author reports that the company proposes to then plant large tree plantations, and he writes that a gold mine is being proposed for the island as well. The petition is aimed at the Papua New Guinea Forestry Authority and can be viewed here. Banner image via...
Indonesia for Sale series honored with Society of Environmental Journalists award
The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) has given the second feature in the Indonesia for Sale series, “Ghosts in the Machine,” recognition under the Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding In-depth Reporting as part of its annual awards for environmental journalism. Produced in partnership with The Gecko Project, the series has 3 main features so far plus a number of other assets including video and interviews. The SEJ judges wrote this about the story: “A remarkable example of brave, tenacious journalism, methodically unravelling systemic corruption in Indonesia extending to the highest levels of the judiciary. Few consumers in North America can fully appreciate the human and environmental toll exacted by the palm oil industry. In that sense, this story should make us all think more critically about the true cost of our actions, at home and around the world.” Read the winning story here, and here is a quick video description of it: Find part 1 of Indonesia for Sale, about a politician who turned his district into a sea of oil palm for personal benefit here, and part 3, which dived into the secret dealings that stand to destroy another massive tract of rainforest, here. Banner image of an orangutan in Indonesian rainforest by Rhett A. Butler for...
Mongabay in the news, June 2019
Our reporting often appears beyond the bounds of the main Mongabay website, and its multiple language subdomains, when other outlets republish or otherwise use our articles. In the past month many outlets relied on our work including our report from Sri Lanka about elephant calves being killed by exploding traps meant for wild boars, which was written up in Newsweek and then that news was re-relayed in a story that Agence France Presse sent out on its newswire about elephant conservation issues to all its subscribing media outlets, from France 24 to South China Morning Post, Al Arabiya and even The Daily Mail. Mongabay reports are regularly re-reported or republished like this under our Creative Commons license, and we encourage other media outlets to use our features in their own publications (review our republishing policy and guidelines here). Here’s a selection of outlets where our reporting was republished, cited, or re-reported during June 2019: Al Arabiya, Asia Pacific Report, Asia Sentinel, Asia Times, Blesk, CNBC-TV, Cambodia Daily, Channel News Asia, El Colombiano, Daily Mail, Digital Journal, El Disconcierto, Earth.com, Earther, Eco-Business,Economic and Political Weekly, Ecowatch,Environmental Health News, Eurasia Review, FT.lk, FirstPost, France 24, GMA News, Gizmodo-Brasil,Gizmodo-UK, The Guardian, Hans News Service, Huffpost India, India Climate Dialogue, India Times, Indigenous News, Inhabitat, Journal de Cameroun, Kashmir Observer, Lanka Web, Leaders News, The Logical Indian, Manila Bulletin, MSN,The National, News.lk,News 24, The News Minute, Newstage,((o))eco,Odisha Bytes, PTV News, Pacific Standard, Papua New Guinea Today, Pulitzer Center, Pulse Ghana, Pulse Live Kenya, The Quint, RFI News, RTL News, Revelator News, Scroll, Siliconeer, South China Morning Post, Sunday Times/Sri Lanka, VOA News, The Wire,The World News, Yahoo News, Yahoo News Australia, and Yale Environment 360. Banner image: Kirk’s dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii) in Tanzania, image by Rhett A. Butler for...
Mongabay in the news, May 2019
Mongabay’s reporting often appears beyond the bounds of our main website and its multiple language subdomains when other outlets republish or otherwise use our articles. In the past month many outlets used our work including Asia Times, which republished our feature on how shrimp farms threaten Myanmar’s remaining mangroves, and Pacific Standard, which posted a Mongabay feature about companies getting fined for Amazon deforestation. Some other top impressions for Mongabay in the media last month appeared in the journal Science and also on Hawaii Public Radio, which used our reporting in a piece about the death of a rare rhino, which Smithsonian also did. Elsewhere, our reporter Karla Mendes was the subject of a radio interview on WORT in Madison, WI about her reporting from Brazil about the struggle for indigenous land rights under the new president. Mongabay reports are regularly republished like this under our Creative Commons license, and we encourage other media outlets to use our features in their own publications (review our reuse policy and guidelines here). Here’s a selection of outlets where our reporting was republished, cited, or re-reported during May 2019: Animal Politico, Asia Times, Business Insider, CNBC, Cambodia Daily, El Comercio, Common Dreams, El Deber, Diario Metro, El Disconcierto, Earth.com, Eco-Business, Ecowatch, Ethiopia Observer, FirstPost, The Guardian, Hawaii Public Radio, HuffPost India, India Times, Inhabitat, Lado B, Live Science, The Logical Indian, La Mula, The News International, Pacific Standard, El Pais, The Print, Publimetro, Pulitzer Center, Quartz, The Quint, Reader’s Digest, La Red 21, La Republica, SSPX News, Science, Scroll, La Semana, Smithsonian, Undercurrent News, WORT-Madison, The Week, and The Wire. Banner image of an okapi by Rhett Butler for...
Mongabay seeking Conservation Solutions for new Special Reporting Project
Much of the narrative around conservation dwells on doom and gloom – habitats being destroyed, species being pushed closer to extinction, and destructive projects – despite the presence of noteworthy successes and promising practices. A new Mongabay reporting project aims to identify solutions to environmental challenges, so that they can be celebrated and adopted more widely. We’re searching for real-world examples from both land and sea, which can help conservation groups, agencies, and communities address the problems caused by habitat loss, overharvesting, climate change, pollution, and other threats. Through this reporting effort, we aim to help groups who may lack access to information on available tools and strategies, by highlighting where and why conservation efforts have been successful. Highlighting success stories can lead to transformative change by providing practitioners with blueprints and case studies for effective models. For a detailed description of the project and instructions on how to submit your pitch, please click...
New Investigative Special Reporting Project: Cross-Border Commodities
Examining the origins of commodities and products is a rich field for investigative inquiry, with probes of supply chains revealing major cases of environmental criminality, human rights abuses and corruption, prompting action by policymakers. Yet accurately conveying the importance of local environmental trends often requires a collaborative approach to gain a deeper understanding of global and transboundary forces, as well as how these processes intersect with a vast number of communities and ecosystems in ways that defy conventional news narratives. In response, Mongabay is seeking pitches for cross-border investigative reporting projects that go beyond the daily news headlines to uncover wrongdoing at the intersection of global trade and environmental degradation. For a detailed description of the project and instructions on how to submit your pitch, please...
Mongabay founder interviewed about his history with Madagascar
Mongabay founder Rhett A. Butler was recently interviewed by Rainbow Tours for its blog. In the interview, conducted by Rainbow Tours’ Madagascar & Alternative Africa product manager and author/conservation writer Derek Schuurman, Rhett talked about his inspiration for starting Mongabay, including the role his visits to Madagascar played in the site’s origin as well as WildMadagascar.org, Mongabay’s sister site. The strange and unique flora and fauna of Madagascar made it an obsession from the moment I learned about the island. My first visit to Madagascar as a teen was pretty disastrous, but nonetheless I saw so many interesting things that I had to return a few years later. Travel to Madagascar invariably includes highs and lows from amazing wildlife to destroyed landscapes, but I recommend it as a destination for anyone passionate about wildlife who has the ability to weather a bit of adventure. He also revealed that Mongabay is hiring its first journalist dedicated to covering conservation and issues related to it in Madagascar. Malavika Vyawahare — an award-winning environmental journalist who has reported for Hindustan Times, The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera and Scientific American — joined the team in April 2019. Check out the interview at An Interview with Mongabay CEO Rhett...
Mongabay in the news, April 2019
Some top impressions for Mongabay in the media last month were in the journal Science which reported on our feature about glow in the dark frogs and Foreign Policy whose article about the presidential election in Indonesia referenced our 2-year investigation of corrupt land deals that underpin the expansion of palm oil in the country. Elsewhere, Public Radio International picked up on Brazil correspondent Sue Branford’s reporting about the new Brazilian President’s plan to open indigenous reserves to mining without their consent in a conversation that aired on many US radio stations including WBFO in Buffalo, NY, and WESA in Pittsburgh, PA. Our reporting also appears beyond the bounds of our main website and its multiple language subdomains when other outlets republish our articles, such as the report about indigenous people responding to deforestation threats in Panama that later appeared at the Pulitzer Center’s website. Mongabay reports are regularly republished like this under our Creative Commons license, and we encourage other media outlets to use our features in their own publications (review our reuse policy and guidelines here). Here’s a selection of outlets that our reporting was republished, cited, or re-reported by during April 2019: Adaderana-Sri Lanka, Asia Times, Asia Sentinel, Asian Correspondent, Business Times, Ecowatch, Foreign Policy, Frontier Myanmar, Gizmodo, Inhabitat, The Island, National Geographic, Pacific Standard, Public Radio International, Pulitzer Center, Science, Smithsonian, WBFO-Buffalo, and WESA-Pittsburgh. Banner image: The critically endangered golden mantella is one of Madagascar’s most threatened amphibian species. Image by Rhett A....
Mongabay seeks writers to investigate deforestation alerts
Mongabay regularly uses satellite imagery and information provided by reports from Global Forest Watch (GFW) to assess and investigate deforestation trends in forested areas ranging from the purely local to the global scale. However, GFW has announced that it will no longer produce investigations related to locations where deforestation is found to be occurring, but instead work with news outlets like Mongabay to collect field intelligence and then report on the findings, in a program called Places to Watch. GFW’s goal is to continue producing timely, data-driven reports spotlighting areas of recent deforestation that pose the biggest threat to the world’s remaining forests, and now aims to partner with outlets like this one to investigate: “Mongabay will be a leading contributor to this initiative by assigning journalists from their global reporting network to follow up on alerts and produce original news stories which add insight, character and context to Places to Watch,” according to their statement about it. Mongabay correspondents will report on these alerts from all over the tropics for its Forest Trackers series, but we are particularly looking for reporters in these regions: Southeast Asia (Laos, Cambodia, The Philippines) Oceania (Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands) Central Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic) West Africa (Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone) South America (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela) Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua) If you are a writer based in the tropics and are available for assignments to investigate alerts from Places to Watch for Mongabay, in the countries listed above or elsewhere, please share your details here. Banner image: Map produced using GFW’s tools for a recent feature in the Forest Trackers series in Cameroon, where a rubber plantation was found to have expanded into 127 square kilometers of primary...
Mongabay in the News, March 2019
The top impression for Mongabay in the media last month was Reuters reporting on our exposé about a Chinese bank-funded dam in endangered orangutan habitat allegedly relying on forged permits: their report was sent across the newswires and republished. Chief Brazil correspondent Sue Branford was interviewed by the large National Public Radio (U.S.) environment show, Living on Earth, about the new Brazilian President’s plan to open indigenous reserves to mining without their consent, hear their conversation that aired across 250 radio stations here. Our reporting also appears beyond the bounds of our main website and its multiple language subdomains when other outlets republish our articles, such as the report about forests absorbing more CO2 as emissions rise that appeared in the Asia Times. Mongabay reports are regularly republished like this under our Creative Commons license, and we encourage other media outlets to use our features in their own publications (review our reuse policy and guidelines here). Here’s a selection of outlets our reporting was republished, cited, or re-reported by during March 2019: Animal Politico, Asia Times, Asian Correspondent, Breaking Belize News, CNBC-TV, Carbon Brief, Chiapas Paralelo, China Dialogue, El Colombiano, El Comercio, Common Dreams, The Dodo, Earth.com, Eco-Business, Ecowatch, FM-Bolivia, FirstPost, Forbes, The Guardian, The Hans-India, Huffpost India, India Blooms, India Times, Indigenous News, Lado B, Living on Earth, Logical Indian, Metro-Nicaragua, Millennium Post, NSS Oaxaca, National Geographic, National Geographic Australia, Pacific Standard, Pagina Siete, Periodico Central, Psychology Today, Publimetro, Reuters, Scroll, La Semana, Smithsonian, Southeast Asia Globe, Speak up for Blue Podcast, Televisa News, Truthout, and The Wire. Banner image of a hyrax in Namibia by Rhett A....
New Special Reporting Project: Changing Africa
The African continent is undergoing accelerating changes. Urban and rural populations alike are growing rapidly, paced by rising demand for things like food and fuel, electricity and construction materials. The continent has also been a site for the extraction of resources propping up the wealthy North for centuries – palm oil, rubber, slaves; timber, crude oil, coltan – with often devastating impacts on the environment. Looming over all of this are the growing impacts of global warming on harvests, habitat, rivers, coastlines. There are complex choices ahead for people and policymakers in Africa and beyond. The Changing Africa project will look at these in the context of the natural world that everything rests upon, strengthening accurate and useful understandings of wildlife and ecosystems, considering both fruitful and harmful connections between conservation and development, and contributing to better protection of the natural world. For a full detail description and how to submit your pitch, please click...
New Opportunity: Video Manager
Online video news provides a powerful and popular way of covering compelling stories and reach new audiences. To scale up and systematize Mongabay’s video program, we’re hiring a Video Manager to create, commission, and edit original content sourced from a global network of videographers inspired by conservation and environmental science. For a full detailed job description and how to apply, please click...
Summer Internship at Mongabay – Now Accepting Applications
Mongabay is now accepting summer internship applications! Be sure to view our two available opportunities both playing a crucial role in writing environmental and conservation news stories. This opportunity will provide you with the necessary tools and resources to help develop your writing skills and have your news stories be published on our renowned website. View the full internship details here and how to apply. Application Deadline May...
![[VIDEO] ‘Dawning Anew’ environmental journalism discussion at CU Boulder](https://mongabay.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/madagascar_2238-240x240.jpg)
[VIDEO] ‘Dawning Anew’ environmental journalism discussion at CU Boulder
In March, Mongabay staff were invited to visit the University of Colorado-Boulder to discuss our model for non-profit environmental journalism with their journalism students and environmental reporting fellows. As part of that trip an evening public discussion was planned – “Global Environmental Journalism: Under Siege or Dawning Anew?”– featuring Mongabay’s founder Rhett A. Butler and two contributing writers with CU ties, Chris Lett and Taran Volckhausen. Hosted by the Center for Environmental Journalism and partners at the Albert A. Bartlett Science Communication Center and College of Media, Communication and Information, the discussion was wide-ranging, from finding funding to reporting on solutions to environmental challenges vs. the constant stream of ‘hard news’ type stories. Mongabay.com was described as “one of the most successful environmental journalism startups in the world” in the event’s promotional materials, and the program was described further by the hosts this way, “CU Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism brought together Rhett Butler, the founder and CEO of Mongabay; Chris Lett, an Emmy-nominated journalist and Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism; and Taran Volckhausen, a Mongabay contributor and freelance multimedia journalist for an in-depth discussion about global environmental journalism. Watch here: “Butler shared Mongabay’s growth story — from his apartment to a global, multi-million-dollar environmental publication,” the event description continued. “He talked about what stories Mongabay is currently looking for, what the publication will want more of in the future, and what needs more coverage now — helpful for any journalist interested in working with Mongabay! All three talked about some of the biggest issues facing environmental journalism today. Michael Kodas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and deputy director of the Center for Environmental Journalism, moderated the panel.” Many thanks to the Center for Environmental Journalism , Ted Scripps Fellowships in Environmental Journalism program and their partners at CU for hosting Mongabay. Banner image of dawn in Madagascar by Rhett A....
Mongabay feature selected for ‘best science and nature writing’ anthology
Mongabay is pleased to announce that senior correspondent Jeremy Hance’s feature, The great rhino U-turn, has been selected for inclusion in a highly regarded annual anthology that celebrates the best writing from the genre. This marks the first time that a Mongabay feature has been selected. “The news that my article on Sumatran rhinos was going to be included in ‘The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2019′ came totally out of the blue, it’s a huge honor and I’m over the moon about it!” Hence exclaimed. “I think it’s especially exciting since wildlife conservation writing sometimes takes a back seat to other environmental and hard science stories when it comes to recognition in the field.” Mongabay Founder and CEO Rhett A. Butler said, “It is a tremendous honor for Mongabay that Jeremy’s story was selected as one of the best science and nature pieces. We’re very proud of him and grateful for his reporting for Mongabay. We’re also very pleased that the piece focused on the Sumatran rhino, which is on the verge of extinction in the wild.” The selected feature is part three of a four-part series on Sumatran rhino conservation, and details how researchers at the Cincinnati Zoo finally unlocked the mysteries of the species’ reproduction. This is key because there are very few of the animals left in the world, and captive breeding and reintroduction is one of the most viable strategies for saving the species. But it took 17 years of work to make captive breeding work, so Jeremy’s fascinating chronicle of this herculean effort serves as a valuable and inspiring example of dedication and good science in service to conservation. “My hope is that inclusion in this anthology will bring greater attention to the plight of Sumatran rhinos, a species that desperately needs the Indonesian government and conservationists to act, and act quickly if we’re not to lose the singing rhino,” Jeremy continued, referring to the creature’s charming habit of vocalizing musically, sounds which he likens to whale songs. “Also, a hat tip to Isabel Esterman, the stellar editor of this piece, without whom neither of my series on Sumatran rhinos would have ever happened.” The book will also feature essays that appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Pacific Standard, New York Times Magazine, and others, and will be in bookstores this October. One can pre-order a copy here. Read Jeremy’s story here and follow the links from there to parts one, two, and four. Mongabay’s entire series on Asian rhinos can be found here. Banner image: A Sumatran rhino calf, born in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo, displays the species’ characteristic shaggy fur. Transferring rhinos to zoos in the...
Mongabay in the News, February 2019
The biggest impression for Mongabay in the media last month came from news that our Latin America bureau Mongabay-Latam and its partner at the major Bolivian daily newspaper El Deber had won the El Rey Award, also known as the King of Spain International Journalism Award, for Roberto Navia Gabriel’s investigative report on illegal trafficking in jaguar fangs, which was produced and published by both media outlets (ore about the winning project here). The El Rey is the top prize recognizing Spanish and Portuguese-language journalism in Ibero-America. Our reporting also appears beyond the bounds of our main website and its multiple language subdomains when other outlets republish, quote from, or re-report our findings. Animal Politico picked up our story about a monarch butterfly reserve near Mexico City during February, and Cambodia Daily republished our feature about the Prey Lang Forest, for instance. Mongabay reports are regularly republished like this under our Creative Commons license, and we encourage other media outlets to republish our features in their own publications (learn how to do this here). Here’s a selection of outlets our reporting appeared in during February 2019: Asian Correspondent, Business Insider, CNBC TV18, Cambodia Daily, El Comercio, El Deber, EJU-TV, Eco-Business, EcoWatch, El Espectador, FirstPost, IPP Media, India Times, International News Lens, Lado B, La Mula, The Logical Indian, The News Minute, Online Khabar, Pacific Standard, La Prensa, Publico, Publimetro, Science, Scroll, La Semana, Weekend Leader, The Wire. Banner image of a spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) in Panama by Rhett A. Butler for...
CU-Boulder and Mongabay to discuss environmental journalism, 3/20
Mongabay staff and writers will join a panel discussion hosted by the University of Colorado-Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism (CEJ) on March 20th on the topic, “Global Environmental Journalism: Under Siege or Dawning Anew?” On the panel are photojournalist and CEJ deputy director Michael Kodas, Mongabay’s Editor-in-Chief and CEO Rhett Butler, and two Mongabay writers with CU ties: journalism school alum Taran Volckhausen, who has filed over a dozen stories for Mongabay, usually on issues inside Colombia, and Chris Lett, a former CNN producer and current Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at CEJ. The free public event comes amid a visit by Butler and Mongabay Contributing Editor Rebecca Kessler to discuss trends and developments in environmental journalism with CU students at CEJ’s invitation. More information from CEJ about the event: “Come hear from the founder and journalists of one of the most successful environmental journalism startups in the world, Mongabay, as they describe the challenges faced by reporters covering environmental issues in the global tropics and the hope and success that new models of environmental journalism are having on issues ranging from deforestation to species extinction. Mongabay.com has a global audience of more than 30 million readers and publishes daily in 9 languages via 4 international bureaus which it is currently planning to expand. It is a nonprofit news organization founded 20 years ago this year that now has video and podcasting units.” Wednesday, March 20 7-8:30pm SEEC Auditorium (room C120), CU Boulder East Campus, 4001 Discovery Drive Sponsors: Center for Environmental Journalism ||| Albert A. Bartlett Science Communication Center ||| College of Media, Communication and Information ||| Mongabay.com Questions: [email protected] If you are in the greater Boulder region, please join us for this wide-ranging journalism discussion! Read our latest news from nature’s frontline here. Banner image: CU’s campus is framed by the famous Flatirons, image courtesy of The University of Colorado...
Story Pitches: Two opportunities to write about oceans and fisheries for Mongabay
It’s 2019, and science leaves little doubt that the world’s oceans are changing, fast. Temperatures and high-tide lines are rising. PH and sea ice are declining. Some species are moving into new geographies; others are succumbing to overfishing and other pressures. At the same time, humanity’s interaction with the sea is changing, too. Mongabay is pleased to announce two special reporting initiatives focused on the status of the oceans around the world with a focus on marine conservation and the fishing industry. We welcome story proposals from experienced journalists for articles to be published by December 2019. The Indonesian Fisheries reporting initiative will examine the country’s unrivaled marine biodiversity, the methods of its fishing sector, and communities grappling with the fallout from overfishing by devising new ways to manage and protect marine ecosystems. Please click here to read the full-detail description of the Indonesian Fisheries opportunity. The Sea Change reporting initiative will explore innovative practices, policies, and technologies in marine conservation and the fishing industry. We will cover a wide variety of story lines around the globe, while prioritizing those that focus on efforts to reduce illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing in overfished regions, and on developments in China, Indonesia, India, West Africa, and the South Pacific. Please click here to read the full-detail description of the Sea Change opportunity....
New Opportunity: Program Associate
Mongabay is excited to announce a Program Associate position. Since its founding in 1999, Mongabay.com has become one of the top sources for tropical forest news, analysis, and information on the Internet. The site today draws more than three million visitors per month, making it among the most visited eco-focused destinations on the internet. Mongabay is seeking an organized, analytical, and insightful Program Associate to support the continued growth in size and capacity of the organization. This role will provide administrative, technical, and development support to Mongabay’s journalism programs under the supervision of the Global Program Director. For a full detailed job description and how to apply, please click...
New Opportunity: Investigations Editor
Mongabay is excited to announce an Investigations Editor position. Mongabay’s international team of editors and staff writers have produced impactful investigative reporting series on critical environmental and conservation issues including illegal wildlife and commodities trading, the dealings of international agribusiness and mining operations, and the fundamental transformation of ecosystems currently driving existential threats to biodiversity. To scale up and systematize Mongabay’s investigative reporting, we’re building a dedicated investigative program focused on exposing crimes against the environment and its defenders, improving transparency and accountability within natural resource industries and developing collaborative cross-border investigative partnerships. Mongabay seeks an analytical, rigorous, and collaborative investigative journalist motivated to find unanswered questions, develop hypotheses, assess and verify evidence, and organize facts to create compelling environmental reporting. For a full detailed job description and how to apply, please click...
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Mongabay in the news, February 2020 Mar 24, 2020 -
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