Today, Rowan Philip from the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) published a piece that offers an overview of how Mongabay operates. I appreciated his analogy of the aye-aye—a unique lemur native to Nosy Mangabe, the island for which Mongabay is named—as a symbol of our work.
“And the island’s native aye-aye lemur is perhaps the perfect symbol for the outlet’s network of investigative journalists and their collaborative partners who fearlessly hold environmental bad actors accountable. That’s because this lemur has sharp teeth that never stop growing; it loudly broadcasts its digging for all to hear—and it wields a famously long middle finger…”
The piece delves into our history and highlights recent investigations, including an exposé on clandestine airstrips in the Peruvian Amazon used by drug traffickers. This project uncovered links to the murders of Indigenous leaders and exemplifies our commitment to impactful journalism.

Philip also touches on our solutions-oriented reporting, the use of data in our investigations, and our day-to-day coverage of nature-related beats.
The article includes a generous quote from journalist Andrew Revkin:
“There is simply no journalistic enterprise with Mongabay’s ability to tell stories from the ground up, from Indonesia to India to Amazonia and beyond.”
How Mongabay Exposes Threats to the Environment and Indigenous Communities