Since the closure of USAID an estimated 834,000 people lost their lives as a result of the loss of health assistance. USAID was also one of the largest contributors to conservation ($400m annually). This week on the podcast, Michelle Nijhuis @biographic.bsky.social details the situation a year on.

"Facebook parent company Meta has closed nine groups on the social network after reporters from @mongabay.com and @bellingcat.com cat found evidence of illegal wildlife trade being conducted openly on the platform in Indonesia."

The Mongabay Newscast has a Patreon. If you listen to the show and you want to support independent non-profit audio journalism, considering supporting us here: patreon.com/mongabay @mongabay.com

Tiger populations have risen in some countries, but the global population of the big cat species remains endangered, says Debbie Banks @eia-news.bsky.social. She joins Mongabay’s podcast this week to detail the status of Panthera tigris, and what nations must do to save the species.

How do elephants experience time? Researcher Khatijah Rahmat argues that recognizing "animal temporality" could transform the field of conservation. In this week’s episode of the #Mongabay Newscast, @mikedigirolamo.bsky.social explores how animals’ “time” can reshape protection efforts.

This week on the podcast, researcher Khatijah Rahmat explains how elephants experience time. “I think it increases the depth of empathy we can have for animals,” she says. “… but it also can really challenge some of our current, basic assumptions about how we think about logic and evidence.”

Indigenous scholar Tyson Yunkaporta speaks with me about the Aboriginal perspectives behind his book, 'Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking.' The book explains how stories shape society, how they can harm us and the environment, and how they may save our species:

Mongabay Latam’s investigation that uncovered 67 clandestine narco trafficking airstrips in the Peruvian Amazon made a media splash. But to communicate this story to a wider audience, it was adapted it into an interactive live theater performance. My interview with @mongabaylatam.bsky.social:

Almost three years ago I interviewed @kiliiiyuyan.bsky.social about a project he was working on documenting the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of nine Indigenous communities worldwide. He returns to the podcast to talk about the experience, and the knowledge he's gleaned. Listen here:

A former USAID employee saved 60 years of development project data before the Trump administration shut the platform down (which was worth over $30 billion). She speaks to me about what her open source LLM found, and the lessons that could be applied to conservation projects and international aid:

If you're a reporter covering the environment in Australia, @mongabay.com is seeking your pitches. Please see below for what we are looking for:

“We don’t change our minds usually based on data. We change our minds based on emotion," writer Megan Mayhew Bergman tells me on the @mongabay.com Newscast this week as we discuss the legacy of Rachel Carson's classic, Silent Spring. Listen here:

“Olive groves hold [a] deep cultural significance that goes far beyond agriculture [and] food production,” my guest on the Newscast says. Federica Romano discusses how Europe's olive groves can be saved. “Olive trees have symbolized peace, resilience and continuity through thousands of years."

The week on the Mongabay Newscast I speak with drag artist @pattiegonia.bsky.social. She explains why joy is critical in this moment, and why she feels the environmental movement must prioritize it to succeed. “If we want people to join this movement, we have to make it freaking fun."

Plastic recycling is largely not viable and never has been, but there are clear pathways to solve our plastic pollution crisis, says Judith Enck. She joins me on this week's @mongabay.com Newscast to detail the solutions from her latest book.

I’m a host and producer for Mongabay’s flagship podcast. We had an immense year, and I couldn’t be more proud of the work we did. My editor @erikhoffner.bsky.social oversaw 44 episodes. Here’s our top ten for the year. I hope you enjoy them:

Gregg Treinish didn’t start out as an outdoor enthusiast, but found solace and purpose in nature during his youth. He founded, Adventure Scientists,' using his passion to gather critical data that researchers need for conservation and scientific research. Listen to our conversation @mongabay.com:

This week on the Mongabay Newscast @philjaco.bsky.social explains how he, @bykarlamendes.bsky.social and @pulitzercenter.org's Kuang Keng Kuek Ser uncovered the fact that state governments in Brazil have been serving shark meat to thousands of public institutions. Listen to full story here:

It was a pleasure to speak with @mikedigirolamo.bsky.social on the @mongabay.com podcast to talk about conserving nature and the work we are doing at the Campaign for Nature to advocate for the protection of land and water on the earth. @erikhoffner.bsky.social news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025...

Bill Gates recently claimed that protecting nature or improving human health is an either-or choice, but Russ Feingold, a retired U.S. senator, disagrees. As chair of the Global Steering Committee of the Campaign for Nature, Feingold emphasizes that supporting both nature and people is essential.

This week on the Mongabay Newcast Doug Gordon @thewaroncars.bsky.social details the human health and planetary impact of car dependency and how we might get out of it. Wisdom that he, Sarah Goodyear, and Aaron Naparstek detail in their new book 'Life After Cars.' Listen here:

The European Parliament voted to delay the European Union Deforestation Regulation by yet another year. This landmark anti-deforestation law was supposed to go into effect at the end of 2024. Reporters interested in covering this topic should view @mongabay.com's webinar on how to cover it:

It's not often I can host a panel with reporters in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka simultaneously. My colleagues joined me to discuss covering climate change in South Asia, and they gave excellent insight that I think is crucial for reporters on this beat. Watch here @mongabay.com :

This week on the Newscast I speak with Nonette Royo, executive director of The Tenure Facility, a group of lawyers that have made progress in securing land rights for local and Indigenous peoples' land covering 34 million hectares, an area larger than Greece. news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025...

Pangolins, the scaly anteaters that are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, face a host of challenges throughout their range, including South Asia. The IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group is working on a global action plan to conserve the species, with subgroups working on regional plans.

Patricia Wright, a pioneering primatologist who established the Centre ValBio research station in Madagascar, joins the Mongabay Newscast to discuss her conservation breakthroughs and the challenges the island faces. Listen here @mongabay.com:

Yancoal (Moolarben) is trying to expand a coal mine in New South Wales that would clear 113 hectares of koala habitat if it is approved.

"Australians are skipping meals," said Foodbank Australia chief executive Kylea Tink. "They're not knowing what they're going to put in their children's lunch boxes the next day." 20% of the country lives in severe food insecurity:

The former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, disagrees with Bill Gates in a commentary for @mongabay.com edited by @erikhoffner.bsky.social. "His suggestion that the world must choose between financing development or climate action falsely presents a zero-sum situation."

This week on the podcast, I speak with our founder and CEO, @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social who reflects on his longtime friendship with Jane Goodall, being named to the @forbes.com 2025 sustainability leaders list, and being awarded the Henry Shaw Medal. Listen here:

I’ve been hosting the Mongabay Newscast for nearly 3 years. We’ve had some great conversations about the biggest environmental challenges of our time. Myself and @erikhoffner.bsky.social took home an award. But we want to hear from you. How has the Newscast impacted you? Tell us: lnkd.in/gKc5AQtg

Australia’s “humpback comeback” is making waves globally. Numbers of whales on the east coast have rebounded to an estimated 50,000 from a historic low. Wildlife scientist and whale expert @drvanessapirotta.bsky.social joins me on the podcast this week @mongabay.com to chat about this achievement:

The world is deeply unserious about dealing with climate change. We need to reduce emissions by 50% in 5 years and we're nowhere near that.

The Indigenous Pakayaku in Ecuador’s Amazon have kept mining, logging & oil out of their community's forests for generations @mongabay.com's reporter visited to meet their 45 women warriors who patrol 99,000 acres of rainforest to detect incursions Few have been allowed to witness this until now:

AUSSIE BIRD COUNT STARTS TODAY! aussiebirdcount.org.au Spend 20 minutes counting the birds you encounter. Log them. Repeat as many times as you like. Proper science! There are also prizes.

We love fan mail at @mongabay.com's podcast A new listener loved the optimism of our host @mikedigirolamo.bsky.social's discussion with global #rewilding advocate Ben Goldsmith, hear why they made this climate activist cry from #conservationoptimism here: news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025...

Psychologist @drjuliashaw.bsky.social joins Mongabay’s podcast to discuss her latest read, examining some of the highest-profile environmental crimes and why they occur, in 'Green Crime: Inside the Minds of the People Destroying the Planet and How to Stop Them.' 🎙️Listen: @mongabay.com

Policies enacted by 7 nations and one international agreement have been recognized by the World Future Council for “top policy solutions for [humans], nature and generations to come.” I spoke with the council’s CEO, Neshan Gunasekera, about the eight World Future Policy Award laureates. Listen:

“it is no longer defensible for companies proposing new or extended fossil fuel projects to claim the climate harms will be negligible. Our research shows the harms are, in fact, tangible and quantifiable – and no project is too small to matter.” theconversation.com/for-the-firs...

"World’s 20 largest fossil fuel producing countries are on track to produce more than twice the amount of coal, oil and gas in 2030 than would be consistent with the global goal to limit warming to 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit), according to the new Production Gap Report 2025." From Bobby Bascomb

Really enjoying listening to @corinanewsome.bsky.social discuss how birding can be a pathway to #racial justice, particularly in overburdened communities. #birding #envjustice

Wildlife biologist Corina Newsome joins me on this week's podcast to talk about how birding is beneficial for racial justice and conservation at large. “ What birds require of us will benefit us in ways that are far beyond bird conservation." Listen @mongabay.com

By now, many of you are aware of the passing of Jane Goodall. Mongabay CEO, Rhett Butler, shares some words and reflections on her legacy. "She described humanity as standing at the mouth of a dark tunnel with a star shining at the end—hope. To reach it, she said, required collective effort."

This week on the podcast for @mongabay.com I speak with @apcwildlife.bsky.social about his journey to wildlife photography, the healing he found behind the lens, and his work with Mongabay as the senior marketing associate. “This huge hole in my life led me back to nature."

I've reviewed lot of books for @mongabay.com on our weekly podcast. Here are some brief thoughts on those I've read this year so far, and why I recommend them. 'The Ministry for the Future' - Kim Stanley Robinson 'Hope Dies Last' - Alan Weisman 'Nature's Last Dance' - Natalie Kyriacou. (1/4)

Australia is one of the countries in this list that plans to ramp up (not reduce) coal mining. The Labor party (which partly campaigned on climate action) is the party in power.

Great to see our Founder & CEO, @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social at @mongabay.com on the @forbes.com 2025 Sustainability Leaders List: "After [he] learned that a rainforest he visited with his family in Borneo would be cut down for wood pulp, he was inspired to start [Mongabay]."

❓Got questions about the EU Deforestation Regulation❓ Our Policy Lead was part of an informative webinar for journalists - hosted by @mongabay.com - discussing why the #EUDR is important, how it will be enforced and what journalists should consider when covering recent attacks on the law.

Canadian mining companies are 'getting away with atrocities' in South America and across the globe, says Brandi Morin. She shares the details with @racheldonald.bsky.social on this episode of the Mongabay Newscast. Listen now @mongabay.com