Bangladesh and India share closely connected ecosystems and face many similar environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. Bengali is a major language in both countries and is spoken by approximately 300 million people worldwide. Of these speakers, around 180 million live in Bangladesh and 110 million live in India, while the remainder are part of Bengali-speaking communities across the global diaspora.

To better serve Bengali-speaking readers and audiences, Mongabay plans to publish original Bengali-language reporting on the environment, climate change, and conservation. These stories will be written by Bengali-speaking journalists based in Bangladesh and India, ensuring local expertise, regional relevance, and accessible coverage for communities most affected by these issues.

Objectives

Stories supported in this project will feature the scenes and science of Bangladesh and States of India include Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal’s response to climate change, including the solutions needed to address complex problems, transboundary water and reverse environmental degradation.

Suggested story topics and guidelines

We welcome proposals from experienced local journalists for conventional news stories, in-depth features, investigative reports, profiles, and case studies. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

1. The status of the freshwater crisis, including impacts, projections, and solutions. Transboundary issues include water sharing; pollution is also of interest.
2. Agricultural practices, needs, and adaptation approaches.
3. Biodiversity conservation, both terrestrial and marine.
4. Energy transitions and industrialization.
5. Climate change adaptation practices, mitigation measures, and finance.
6. Waste management, including solid waste, plastic waste, and e-waste.
7. Climate data sharing and flood management.
8. Afforestation, deforestation, and coastal management.

Each story needs to be between 800 to 1200 words in length and will include quotes from at least three original interviews. Authors will be expected to provide five to 10 publishable photos free for Mongabay’s use to accompany their articles and captions, and photo credits.

Mongabay will negotiate all fees and contracts on a per-story basis. Completed stories will be paid on a fixed fee basis, with rates depending primarily on the journalist’s experience.  Mongabay.com publishes under an open Creative Commons license that allows for sharing, translation, and re-posting.  More information on Mongabay’s editorial standards and practice can be found here.

How to submit your story pitch

To send Mongabay a pitch, please be prepared to also share your resume/portfolio along with three samples of your work. The story pitch should be roughly 500 words in length and include a title for the project. Viable pitches will clearly explain the specific subject you would like to write about in detail and your approach to covering it and describe a few potential sources.

Support for travel expenses may also be provided by Mongabay. Please include a preliminary travel plan and budget estimate (using this template) if support for travel expenses will be required to carry out reporting. Do not include payments for your work in this budget estimate.

Please use the form below so that the information is directed to the most appropriate editors: