2025 was shaped by loss and persistence. Extinction and discovery proved slow processes of delay and choice. Rhett Ayers Butler, founder and CEO of Mongabay, concludes that what vanished was species and time; what remains is proof the future hinges on policy, financing, and enforcement.

Emma Johnston, who died at 52, bridged marine science and university leadership, arguing evidence matters only if it can be understood and acted on beyond the lab. A leading voice on coastal impacts and public science, her brief term as Melbourne vice-chancellor leaves a major gap.

Nicaragua’s Bosawás Reserve has lost over a third of its primary forest since 2000; 2024 alone saw 10% cleared. Outsiders are razing land for cattle pasture. Indigenous residents warn the deforestation threatens their way of life and has brought violence with the encroachment.

Scientists retrieved 13 ARMS units from deep reefs off Guam, collecting 2,000 specimens, including 100 species new to the region and 20+ new to science. Sensors show warming even in the twilight zone. It’s the start of a 76-ARMS effort to protect deep Pacific reefs.

Mexico’s endangered fish-eating bat hunts with long legs, hook-like claws, and waterproof fur on islands in the Gulf of California. Invasive cats and rats threaten colonies. Researcher José Juan Flores Martínez has spent 25+ years documenting their lives and risks.

A Mongabay Latam flyover of Peru’s Nanay and Napo rivers confirmed illegal mining, including dredges and explosives tearing up riverbanks. Authorities suspect more machinery hidden in ravines; 15,000+ liters of fuel seized in two years, but enforcement still falls short.

In 2025, Mongabay published 7,300+ stories in eight languages and expects to reach 110M readers. But reach isn’t impact: attention is shaped by timing, platforms, and chance. Our most-read pieces are a snapshot of curiosity, not a ranking of importance.

Long-term research in California shows many bird populations rise after moderate wildfires and stay abundant for decades. But megafires are becoming more common, harming species reliant on old-growth forests. Smoke exposure also poses serious health risks for birds.

Conservation philanthropy often rewards urgency. Dick Bradshaw backed permanence instead: research, fellowships, land protection, and institutions built to last. His support helped steady conservation science in Canada. He died in December 2025.

Organized crime, extractive expansion, and climate extremes drove deforestation and rising risks for communities across Latin America in 2025. Despite global green rhetoric, enforcement lagged; Colombia stood out, while others backslid. Experts warn 2026 could deepen governance erosion.

Fish deformities are surging in Brazil’s Volta Grande do Xingu after the Belo Monte dam cut river flow, altering flood pulses and drying flooded forests. Scientists and communities warn of “ecosystem collapse” and say current water releases are far too low to sustain the river.

Amid biodiversity loss, some species are rebounding. In 2025, Mongabay reported recoveries for the Cape vulture, green turtle, Campbell’s keeled glass-snail, Bali starling, and Siberian crane—stories of legal protection, community action, and habitat work paying off.

In 2025, Mongabay earned global awards for investigations revealing cattle-linked violence in Brazil, shady forest finance schemes, toxic shark meat in schools, and Indigenous rights violations tied to hydropower in Nepal. Learn more about these accolades and the journalists who earned them:

After Cyclone Ditwah caused $4.1B in damage (about 4% of Sri Lanka’s GDP), the country plans to seek support from the U.N. loss and damage fund. But access requires strong climate attribution and governance. With only $250M available so far, experts warn the fund is far short of what’s needed.

A new frog species, Oreobates shunkusacha, has been discovered in Peru’s Bosques de Vaquero Biocorridor. Named “heart of the forest” in Kichwa-Lamista, it honors local conservation leaders. Likely endangered, it survives in an area that’s lost nearly 60% of its forest in 40 years.

loods and landslides in Sumatra underscored how deforestation and extractive development heighten Indonesia’s climate vulnerability. Forest loss surged in 2025, coal and palm oil stayed central to policy, and civil society faced shrinking space as lawsuits rose and dissent was criminalized.

Tatiana Schlossberg showed how climate damage hides in ordinary life, shaped by systems more than individual choices. In her final months, she wrote about terminal leukemia with the same precision—on interruption, care, and what her children might remember.

Brazil’s Triunfo do Xingu reserve was meant to shield Amazon forest from cattle expansion, but satellite data show it has lost about half its primary forest since 2006. Deforestation peaked in 2024 and continued in 2025 — now higher inside the reserve than in nearby unprotected areas.

On Eleuthera in the Bahamas, the 12-hectare Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve is restoring native subtropical dry forests. Led by botanist Ethan Freid since 2009, it grows local flora, trains students in plant taxonomy, and maintains a herbarium and digital Caribbean plant database.

Guinea is reviewing plans for an iron ore mine in the Nimba Mountains, a UNESCO-listed biodiversity hotspot. The proposed site is the only known home of two unique bat species, plus endangered chimpanzees. Conservationists warn open-pit mining could push these species to extinction.

Mongabay is now on Substack — a new option to get independent environmental reporting in your inbox: mongabay.cc/substack-blu.... Not a fan of Substack? You can still follow us across platforms, from LinkedIn to Instagram to WhatsApp and more. Wherever you are, we’re there too.

A new study finds ditches draining peatlands for agriculture are major, overlooked methane sources. On oil palm plantations in Malaysian Borneo, these ditches produced an outsize share of emissions—showing peatland carbon accounting must include them to grasp the full climate cost.

A shy, striking bird from Papua New Guinea has just been confirmed as new to science: the hooded jewel-babbler. Fewer than 10 have been photographed in 10 years, all in a single 100-hectare area. With an estimated 50–100 individuals left, scientists named it now to spur protection.

In the U.S., forest conservation has often advanced through persistence, not big wins. Activists like Andy Mahler built trust-driven networks like Heartwood, rejecting hierarchy and extractive inevitability. His place-based, patient approach showed how protection can grow from sustained involvement.

This was a big year for the Mongabay Video Team. We told stories of communities taking action for wildlife, ecosystems, and climate. We tested new formats, and through global partnerships, expanded our reach and impact. Check out our most watched videos of the year:

In 2025, Mongabay’s multimedia journalism earned major global awards across digital, written, audio, and video. From AI-assisted investigations in the Amazon to bioacoustics podcasts and films on Indigenous cultural revival, these wins reflect the work we aim to expand next year.

In Fiji, protected areas must deliver conservation, access, culture and economic value despite storms, invasive species and limited capacity. Elizabeth Erasito prioritized practical protection, rooted in daily life, arguing short-term gains rarely justify long-term damage.

Tanzania’s boat modernization plan aimed to empower small-scale fishers, but many report unreliable vessels, costly fuel and gear gaps. Loan pressure is pushing some toward illegal fishing. Experts warn poor consultation and flawed designs risk turning the program into a burden, not a solution.

2025 brought upheaval to Southeast Asia: U.S. policy shifts and climate impacts hit hard; fossil fuel transitions move unevenly as a mining boom for the energy shift threatens ecosystems and health. Yet deforestation slows in places, new species emerge, and grassroots wins offer hope.

In Kenya, millions on community land remain vulnerable as complex rules block collective titles. Untitled land is treated as state property, enabling projects without consent. In Uyombo, a proposed nuclear plant shows how this imbalance threatens land, livelihoods and coastal ecosystems.

In 2025, Mongabay found stalled funding for Indigenous land rights, weak representation at climate talks, and rising mining pressure. We exposed shady carbon deals and limited crackdowns, but also reported hope: women forest guardians and micro-hydro in remote Philippine villages.

This year brought new species to science — from tiny marsupials to Himalayan bats and bright blue butterflies. Less than 20% of Earth’s species are described, many known to Indigenous communities, and some are listed as threatened the moment they’re found, underscoring urgent conservation needs.

About 95% of California’s old-growth redwoods have been logged, leaving younger, less diverse forests. A pilot project is restoring canopy fern mats — key habitat high in the trees — and scientists say these mats also buffer heat, helping salmon, birds and other species adapt to warming.

Fishers are the protagonists of a new study on Madeira River dams, which disrupted currents and cut stocks by up to 90% in some areas. Species like pirarucu and tambaqui have vanished from traditional fisheries, evidence now fueling a decade-long compensation fight in Humaitá.

In small island states, conservation is daily vigilance, not spectacle. In the Cook Islands, Birdman George showed how checking traps, guarding harbors and sharing knowledge kept kakerori and Rimatara lorikeets safe. Persistence, not plans, made extinction less likely.

EUDR now starts end-2026 after another delay. It aims to curb deforestation by requiring full supply-chain traceability for EU imports. Experts call it vital, but warn smallholders in SE Asia lack support on land docs and geolocation, risking exclusion and deeper inequities.

Protests & court battles defined 2025 for Nepal’s Indigenous peoples, as they fought hydropower, cable cars & mining that threatened forests, land & sacred ties to nature. Amid rising projects without FPIC or safeguards, communities pushed back using legal action to defend territory & biodiversity.

Presumed extinct, Campbell’s keeled glass-snail was rediscovered on Norfolk Island in 2020. Now, breeding efforts by Taronga Zoo and partners have grown the population and released 340 tagged snails into the wild — Australia’s first large-scale snail reintroduction, & newborns are already appearing.

In Béjaïa, Algeria, drought has discouraged farmers from investing. But in 2018, Keltouma Adouane planted a kilo of saffron corms that experts said wouldn’t grow on the coast — and proved them wrong. She now sells saffron products locally and works with other women to build a new market.

Mongabay measures success by impact, not clicks. In 2025, investigations into illegal airstrips in Peru, shark meat procurement in Brazil, and wildlife trafficking in Laos led to police action, congressional scrutiny, and policy responses — proof that credible reporting drives change.

Sekadau, on Borneo’s Kapuas River, long faced high illness rates linked to open defecation in the river. This year the district declared all 94 villages free of the practice after a push for affordable toilets. Officials say related illnesses have fallen sharply over the past decade.

Cyclone Ditwah flooded Sri Lanka’s protected areas, killing deer and other wildlife with little reporting. Officers rescued stranded elephant calves, while 860 km of electric fencing was destroyed, raising conflict risks. Venomous snakes entered homes as waters rose, triggering urgent rescues.

Brigitte Bardot used her celebrity to force animal protection into public debate, targeting seal hunts, whaling, fur trapping, and bullfighting. Through her foundation and uncompromising stance, she treated wildlife defense as a moral duty. She died Dec. 28 in Saint-Tropez at 91.

[FOUNDER'S BRIEF - @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social] A horizon scan led by William J. Sutherland flags 15 emerging issues that could shape biodiversity before crisis, from AI-driven monitoring and new finance to drone waste and drying soils. The value, they argue, is preparedness, not prediction.

In Nepal, Newa communities in Khokana and Bungamati are resisting the Kathmandu–Terai Fast Track, saying it cuts through ancestral land and threatens livelihoods and culture. They warn it will spark more projects, and stress this isn’t about compensation but survival of identity.

Clark Lungren spent most of his life in Burkina Faso, becoming a naturalized citizen and grounding conservation in local governance. Known for Nazinga’s recovery, where wildlife rebounded under community hunting rights, he argued durable protection depends on incentives, not orthodoxy.

Joann Andrews treated conservation in Mexico’s Yucatán not as romance but practical work: institutions, funding, politics. A diplomat-turned-orchid expert, she co-founded Pronatura Península de Yucatán in 1987 and pushed youth engagement. She died Dec. 22 in Mérida at 96.

After Cyclone Ditwah, Sri Lanka recorded 1,200+ landslides in two provinces, forcing crisis evacuations. Many affected families still live in high-risk zones with no alternative housing. The NBRO is developing a national building code & new hazard-resilient housing models for flat & sloped terrain.

In the late 1980s, Jay M. Savage showed that amphibian losses in cloud forests signaled a global pattern, not isolated anomalies. His career blended field science, institution-building, mentorship, treating extinction as evidence — noticed by those who return often enough to see absence.

Camera traps in a Thailand wildlife sanctuary have confirmed flat-headed cats for the first time since 1995, with 29 records in 2024–25. Fewer than 2,500 remain across Southeast Asia. Conservationists hope the rediscovery sparks protection for threatened peat swamp habitat.