[good news] #China recently destroyed 300 dams along a tributary of the Yangtze River (after losing two of its native wildlife icons — the baiji river dolphin & the Chinese paddlefish to dams & overfishing, and almost losing its sturgeon) New via @mongabay.com: news.mongabay.com/custom-story...

Paris Agreement at ten – ‘brakes slammed on’ emissions growth, finds analysis Annual increase in carbon emissions slowed fivefold to just 0.32% since the landmark Agreement was signed eciu.net/media/press...

Eleven years after the murders of four Indigenous leaders of the Alto Tamaya Saweto community, an appeals court ratified the sentences for four loggers. The defendants failed to attend the hearing, and an arrest warrant was issued for the four loggers.

Autumn brings abundance of another sort Milkweed feeds more than monarchs now See this print of mine & others at @mongabay.com’s group photo exhibit near #Boston called #Biophilia celebrating humanity’s connection w/ nature Full exhibit details at my Instagram page: www.instagram.com/erikhoffner

People who appreciate the intoxicating euphoria of reading from a real dictionary expertly hand-crafted by diligent human lexicographers. Also. people who love the Oxford Comma more than some family members.

Aimee Roberson, executive director of Cultural Survival, joins Mongabay’s podcast to discuss how her organization helps Indigenous communities maintain their traditions, languages and knowledge while living among increasingly Westernized societies.

Autumn brings abundance of another sort Milkweed feeds more than monarchs now See this print of mine & others at @mongabay.com’s group photo exhibit near #Boston called #Biophilia celebrating humanity’s connection w/ nature Full exhibit details at my Instagram page: www.instagram.com/erikhoffner

New research analyzing more than 3,000 tropical forest sites reveals that areas with fewer seed-dispersing animals store up to four times less carbon than forests with healthy wildlife populations. The study found that 81% of tropical trees rely on animals to disperse their seeds.

If you use LinkedIn, did you not realize you were *automatically opted in for training their #AI on your data* like me? Here's how to opt out: find your settings > data privacy > data for generative AI Turn 'off'

This big beautiful non-native bug is a growing pest for Northeast U.S. gardeners & esp wineries But a new study reveals an #agroecology answer: milkweed This monarch butterfly fave intercropped w/ grapes kills 60-80% in 24 hrs: projects.sare.org/sare_project... Might boost monarch numbers too?

Where the bird girls of bluesky at 👀 my latest on @popsugar.com is for you ❤️‍🔥🐦‍⬛❤️‍🔥 #birding www.popsugar.com/hobbies/rise...

🏆 Congrats to my colleagues at @mongabaylatam.bsky.social who collected a 1st place Future of Media Award at a London ceremony tonight from @pressgazette.co.uk: pressgazette.co.uk/press-gazett... Judges said their investigation is a "powerful use of interactive maps, excellent photography & AI" 🏆 🥂

BREAKING Brazil’s supreme court finds former President Jair Bolsonaro guilty of attempting a military coup, with plans to assassinate Lula, to stay in power after his 2022 election loss. Trump, a Bolsonaro friend, had pressured the court to drop the case www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

While Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize plan to protect 14 million acres of forest, Ireland continues to do little to protect the 1% natural forest coverwe have left. The same with all our other habitats + wildlife. For nature, WE are the third world country. www.independent.co.uk/news/mexico-...

Taxpayers foot 63% of crop insurance payouts & climate change is driving up costs. Far less funding goes to conservation practices which could help lower those costs. @anneschech.bsky.social @ewg-official.bsky.social @nsac-sustainableag.bsky.social @civileats.com civileats.com/2025/09/10/a...

Not all #geothermal is #renewable, projects like this in Indonesia have had spectacular failures in the past Also not renewable? Activists' lives Another suspicious case here via @mongabay.com: “We had planned another action to continue voicing opposition...Vian was one of the driving forces.”

The advisory opinion from the ICJ on states’ obligations regarding climate change was celebrated globally for giving clarity on countries’ legal obligation to prevent climate harm, but was also hailed by island nations for its certainty on their maritime boundaries remaining intact. My latest:

Jair #Bolsonaro led a criminal organization that sought to plunge Brazil back into dictatorship with a murderous power grab involving special forces assassins and a massive disinformation campaign So said the judge presiding over the former president’s trial as he voted for conviction:

Impact of #nonprofit #media From a feature in The Wall Street Journal re #AI innovation to meaningful policy changes that protected #Indigenous & local communities, this @mongabaylatam.bsky.social report has had an array of positive results Also a finalist for several awards now, learn more here:

Ethiopia will inaugurate Africa’s largest dam tomorrow It'll be a major source of electricity - powering the homes of nearly 60 million people - but also nationalism, which may fray ties with nations downstream Also, its London-size reservoir will be a huge source of #climate killing methane:

NEW – Guest post: How the role of carbon storage has been hugely overestimated | @gidden.bsky.social @joerirogelj.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/QY7LyJ8

Idaho’s effort to eradicate a non-native mussel appears to have backfired spectacularly, at a cost of $3 million 🤔 40,000 pounds of a copper based toxin was dumped in a river system Treatment failed to get the mussels, but has killed off nearly everything else: columbiainsight.org/quagga-fail-...

In 2015, the Wampís of northern Peru did what no other Indigenous people had done in the country’s modern history: They declared themselves an autonomous nation to gain greater control over their territory. To understand why, see 🧵: news.mongabay.com/2025/09/the-...

Shooting #film underwater? A Nikonos camera developed by Cousteau lets you do it Results are cool like these submerged water lilies, a dreamscape for my Underwater Summer series: www.instagram.com/p/CxrK4-PISru/ Diving w/ a basic light meter & guessing focus based on distance is a good challenge

A revolt is exactly what this is.

Associated Press reporting into an Israeli attack on a Gaza Strip hospital that killed 22 people, including five journalists, raises serious questions about Israel’s rationale for the strikes and the way they were carried out.

Critics say carbon trading & offsets are merely a means for companies to keep polluting But what if there was a way to pay communities to preserve forests that didn’t involve the carbon market? Ireland is funding a #climate project in Liberia to find out, @shokes.bsky.social reports:

Been watching this offshore wind farm get built, 80% there now but the trumps halted it saying it’s a security threat Retired U.S. Navy Cmdr called that a “false narrative” pushed by someone with an “overactive imagination in search of a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.” CT & RI will sue:

🌍 In Cameroon, engineer Steve Djeutchou is turning banana peels into eco-charcoal — a clean fuel that could ease deforestation. After Mongabay’s coverage, students & donors reached out from across Africa. Support our work: www.mongabay.org/donate.

A great friend and colleague died of a deadly brain tumor in his 30s, despite getting the best care & entering clinical trials #Glioblastoma is super fast growing #cancer notoriously resistant to treatment, but a new study suggests it can be starved and lives (of mice, at least) extended:

I reported from Poland’s Białowieża Forest one time, tracking wolves & clambering over #oldgrowth trunks w/ legendary guide Janusz Korbel My camera was unable to capture its majesty, no images ever do, though it was impressive as any sequoia stand Published this new op-ed about its current status:

Maybe companies can just pay these writers, photogs & artists to create things lacking AI slop, instead? "Humans are being hired to make AI slop look less sloppy" www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne... Or would they rather pay artists via the gig economy, vs the #creativeeconomy 🫠

I reported from Poland’s Białowieża Forest one time, tracking wolves & clambering over #oldgrowth trunks w/ legendary guide Janusz Korbel My camera was unable to capture its majesty, no images ever do, though it was impressive as any sequoia stand Published this new op-ed about its current status:

Wealth inequality is a primary culprit behind the ecological collapse of societies over the past 12,000 years, which have come to be dominated by a small circle of elites, says Cambridge researcher Luke Kemp. Kemp tells me how we can combat wealth inequality, save nature, and human society.

Holy agroecology! This feel good story had me until the end "Officials declined to discuss the financing, other than an undisclosed number of partners had invested in it and that confidential business plans precluded the Vatican from releasing further information." Still, though, sounds good:

5 day trial of Bolsonaro has begun for his coup attempt in Brazil The US in general & Democrats in particular might take a minute to reflect on how they might have dealt with such a character, here at this dangerous low point for America's democracy

I wrote about a hopeful new conservation project in Liberia that's protecting rainforests by directly compensating the people who live in them, skipping carbon brokers and other middlemen. For @mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2025/09/libe...

RIP Graham Greene. Every time he popped up on screen when I was a kid, my mom would excitedly point him out for being an actual Native on the screen. Able to be deadly serious and infinitely hilarious (even in smaller roles like Last of Us), he ate up the screen. Nʌki’wah brother.

NEW: Mercenary spyware is coming to the US. ICE just quietly unsuspended their contract with spyware maker #Paragon. Remember them? Caught earlier this year being used to hack Italian journalists. This is bad, let's talk about how we got here 1/ jackpoulson.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

Most #wildlife tour operators focus on protecting the animals, environment & local community their clients are immersed in during safaris, but some cos' greenwashing — ie “conservation-washing” — is a growing problem An experienced #safari operator notes what to watch out for when booking a tour:

Near Boston? Check out @mongabay.com's staff photo exhibit "Biophilia" & take a hike this weekend Linden Street Gallery @ Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary Thru November 3, 11-3pm Sat-Tues My image of a porcini mushroom is featured along w/ tropical wildlife & more: summerstarwildlife.wordpress.com

“…I am infuriated that the Air Force plans to grant military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt. She did not die defending the Constitution. She died trying to overturn it.” My latest in @thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com/p/honoring-a...

That’s two reported ChatGPT suicides in one week, plus the grandpa who died trying to meet Meta’s chatbot which had arranged an in-person meeting All going really well

The Political Awakening of the Oyster Farmer Gunning for Susan Collins | The New Republic

[Impact] A Brazilian lawmaker has called for hearings after reading @mongabay.com’s most recent investigation He was "shocked" that government agencies have purchased thousands of metric tons of shark to serve vulnerable people in public institutions including schools, hospitals and prisons:

Palantir’s Gotham platform lets the government weave together driving records, police reports, even social media — creating powerful maps of people’s lives. Critics warn it’s surveillance by algorithm, with little public oversight. buff.ly/e4mclbR

This @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social piece and the @whysharksmatter.bsky.social paper it’s about are both really encouraging! As I said the other day though, what I struggle with here on Bluesky is the absence of grad students. arstechnica.com/science/2025...

They are literally reusing the old concentration camps! This is indefensible. www.huffpost.com/entry/former...

Awesome to see @peoplemag.bsky.social paying attention to our work on Sumatran rhinos for @mongabay.com! More of this please – wildlife stories need more coverage if we're going to avoid biodiversity collapse. people.com/sniffer-dogs...