African hornbills gain global protections following Mongabay reporting

9 Feb 2026

African hornbills, charismatic birds critical to seed dispersal and forest health, face severe pressure from the international wildlife trade. From bushmeat to the exotic pet trade to taxidermy, demand for these birds and their parts has grown substantially in recent years. Yet, until late 2025, the trade in African hornbills remained unregulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

As conservationists prepared to advocate for protections at the 20th CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Mongabay’s sustained reporting elevated the urgency of the issue. This coverage complemented a 2025 study led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and outside hornbill experts, which informed the proposal and was reported by several outlets.

Together, this body of evidence and reporting contributed to a unanimous decision to list African hornbills under CITES Appendix II. This designation requires the international trade in the species to be strictly regulated to avoid driving them towards extinction.

Mongabay's reporting used to persuade delegates to vote in favor of the proposal to list African hornbills on CITES Appendix II. This was from the side event prior to the voting. The proposal passed with consensus, meaning no CITES parties objected to the listing. Image courtesy of Nico Arcilla.
Mongabay’s reporting was used to inform delegates ahead of a vote on a proposal to list African hornbills on CITES Appendix II. This was from the side event prior to the voting. The proposal passed with consensus, meaning no CITES parties objected to the listing. Image courtesy of Nico Arcilla.

Mongabay staff writer Spoorthy Raman attended CoP20, where two Mongabay stories were referenced directly during a side event before the vote, according to sources. The first, from March 2018, covered a study revealing that hornbills, vultures and eagles were being hunted for bushmeat in Cameroon in much greater numbers than previously thought. Researchers estimated that the community living around the proposed Ebo National Park in Cameroon’s Littoral region consumed an average of 29 hornbills and eight raptors per month.

The second, from October 2025, reported on the growing international trade in African hornbills. It highlighted that more than 2,500 individuals or their parts were imported into the U.S. between 1999 and 2024, with another 500 sold online. Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo were identified as key source countries. Despite these findings, African hornbills were still unregulated under CITES, unlike their Asian counterparts.

Impact

Both articles were featured in the CoP20 side event, where they were cited in discussions leading up to the vote. Mongabay’s journalism contributed to African hornbills being listed on CITES Appendix II at the 2025 conference. The proposal passed with consensus, meaning no party objected to the listing, signaling wide international recognition of the threats hornbills face and the need for further regulation. Following the vote, Raman published a story documenting this significant conservation milestone.

Raman noted that many CoP20 attendees praised Mongabay’s continued coverage of wildlife trade issues. “Not many outlets cover wildlife trade, and many people I spoke to at the CoP applauded that Mongabay has extensive reportage on this, which can be used for policymaking,” she said. “By attending the CoP, we complete the feedback loop!”

This case demonstrates how consistent, long-term environmental journalism can help inform global policy. By exposing both local hunting pressures and international trade dynamics, Mongabay’s reporting contributed to real-world impact for conservation and for the forests that depend on hornbills to thrive.

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Banner image: Black-casqued hornbill. Photo by Bernard DUPONT via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).