Summit on migratory species sides with science, throws shade on deep-sea mining

Summit on migratory species sides with science, throws shade on deep-sea mining

Whale shark in Ras Mohammed National Park. Image by Cinzia Osele Bismarck / Ocean Image Bank By Elizabeth Claire Alberts via Mongabay Migratory species that travel long distances in the ocean, including sharks, turtles and dolphins, face an unprecedented number of threats resulting from human actions. At the latest assembly of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), representatives of governments made a series of decisions […]

February 27, 2024 20

Environment

Scientists discover a new species of giant snake

A team of scientists has identified a new species of giant anaconda. The northern green anaconda is thought to be one of the largest ever.

February 24, 2024 15

Africa

‘Time bomb’: The used cars causing pollution and accidents in Africa

Every year, around four to five million used cars are shipped to Africa, mostly from Europe, North America and Japan, to be sold in countries where newer vehicles are too expensive for most. But these old cars, often in poor condition, are also bringing high levels of pollution to the continent, as well as causing accidents on the roads. Some are now campaigning for governments to take action.

February 23, 2024 28

Environment

How do whales sing?

In a paper published Wednesday, scientists studied the voice boxes, or larynxes, from three dead, stranded baleen whales. Scientists say they are one step closer to figuring out how humpback and other types of whales sing: with specialized voice boxes that allow them to produce music loud enough to travel through the ocean.

February 23, 2024 13

Environment

Activists urge Australia to end lucrative links to Myanmar junta’s mines

A protest against the military coup in Myanmar, February 14, 2021, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). By Alex Shaw via Mongabay Pro-democracy activists have urged the Australian government to crack down on domestic companies involved in Myanmar’s mines, saying these firms are funding human rights abuses and environmental destruction carried out by the country’s military junta. In statements marking the anniversary of the February 2021 coup that overthrew the Southeast […]

February 23, 2024 19

Africa

Climate change, extreme weather & conflict exacerbate global food crisis

Global food insecurity has risen substantially since pre-pandemic times, exacerbated by extreme weather, climate change, war and conflict. What the U.N. World Food Program calls “a hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions” plays out differently around the world. In this story, three of Mongabay’s Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows detail the local situation in their region – from rising inflation and flooding in Nigeria to diminished local food […]

February 22, 2024 24

Africa

Antibiotic use on Kenya’s dairy farms is putting consumers and animals at risk

By Dishon Muloi, International Livestock Research Institute and Arshnee Moodley, CGIAR System Organization Farmers often use antibiotics to keep their livestock healthy. They’re sometimes used as “quick fixes”, to avoid more costly management measures like regular disinfection, waste management, routine vaccination or provision of clean drinking water. Animal husbandry now accounts for about two thirds of the global consumption of antibiotics. As livestock and fish production […]

February 22, 2024 16

Environment

Earth’s early evolution: fresh insights from rocks formed 3.5 billion years ago

The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains look peaceful today - but 3.5 billion years ago the earth there was roiled by volcanoes. Instinctively RDH/Shutterstock Jaganmoy Jodder, University of the Witwatersrand Our Earth is around 4.5 billion years old. Way back in its earliest years, vast oceans dominated. There were frequent volcanic eruptions and, because there was no free oxygen in the atmosphere, there was no ozone layer. It was a dynamic and […]

February 22, 2024 26

Environment

Scientists study levels of toxic mercury in Antarctic mammals

Marine biologists collect skin samples from humpback whales and leopard seals in Antarctica to detect the presence of mercury in their bodies. The toxic heavy metal is believed to reach the ocean through rivers or rain. According to the UN environmental agency UNEP, if an animal consumes mercury, it may suffer "reproductive failure, behavioural changes and may even (die)."

February 21, 2024 23