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Mongabay journalism

Proforestation: The Case for Leaving Trees Alone

In a quiet corner of northern New York, the white pines of the Adirondack Forest Preserve rise like sentinels, untouched for over 125 years. Their silence speaks volumes. These towering trees—some 150 feet tall and over a century old—stand as evidence of a counterintuitive climate solution: do nothing. Well, not quite nothing. Proforestation, a term [Continue reading]

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Random pieces

The world is racing to restore forests — but neglecting what lives in them

We’re planting trees — but losing biodiversity. Global efforts to restore forests are gathering pace, driven by promises of combating climate change, conserving biodiversity, and improving livelihoods. Yet a recent academic review warns that the biodiversity gains from these initiatives are often overstated — and sometimes absent altogether. Forest restoration is at the heart of [Continue reading]

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Random pieces

Why I love forests—and what they’ve taught me about life

I’ve always loved forests—not just for their beauty, but for the feeling they evoke. Step into a forest and the world changes. The light softens. The air cools. The sounds shift from the chaotic clatter of human life to something older, gentler, and more patient. What draws me back, again and again, is the sense [Continue reading]

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Mongabay Features

Issues to watch for rainforests in 2025

Near the end of each year or the start of a new one, I often publish an analysis of key issues to watch for rainforests in the year ahead. Here is my list for 2025: six critical storylines likely to shape the future of these vital ecosystems. Rainforest Outlook 2025 For reference, previous versions of [Continue reading]

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Mongabay Features

Rainforests in 2024

The year 2024 saw significant developments in tropical rainforest conservation, deforestation, and degradation. While progress in some regions provided glimmers of hope, systemic challenges and emerging threats highlighted the fragility of these ecosystems. Although a complete comparison of tropical forest loss in 2024 with previous years is not yet available, there are currently no indications [Continue reading]

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Mongabay Features

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon dropped by 31% over the past year

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon dropped by 31% over the past year, reaching the lowest level in nine years, according to data from the country’s national space research institute, INPE. For the year ending July 31, the Brazilian Amazon rainforest lost 6,288 square kilometers (2,428 square miles)—roughly the size of Delaware in the U.S.—marking the [Continue reading]

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Mongabay journalism

An area of deforested land the size of Mexico could regrow without significant human intervention

215 million hectares of deforested and degraded former forest land are capable of natural regrowth without significant human intervention—an area larger than Mexico. That’s according to a study published last week in Nature. The research, based on high-resolution satellite data analysis across the tropics, identified five nations—Brazil, Indonesia, China, Mexico, and Colombia—as having over half [Continue reading]

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Mongabay journalism

A cost-benefit analysis has exposed promises of palm oil riches for Papuans as ‘bogus’

A recent study has put the Indonesian government’s claims about the economic benefits of oil palm cultivation in Papua under scrutiny, reports Hans Nicholas Jong. Papua is the Indonesia-controlled portion of the island of New Guinea The Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Foundation’s analysis reveals that the environmental and social costs tied to the palm oil industry [Continue reading]

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Mongabay journalism

Reforestation projects are booming, but transparency is rare

Global interest in reforestation as a climate solution is growing, but with it comes a proliferation of inexperienced organizations and opaque strategies, often resulting in failures and unintended consequences. This trend has led to calls for greater transparency in reporting outcomes and best practices. A recent study led by researchers at the University of California, [Continue reading]

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Random pieces

Forests: More than carbon

The destruction of tropical forests is often framed as a carbon issue, but it has more immediate consequences for people living nearby. One of the most tangible effects is local temperature. Deforestation in Borneo, for instance, has left the island significantly hotter and drier, with severe consequences for both the environment and local communities. A [Continue reading]

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Impact

Matsés take action after Mongabay investigation into company’s questionable carbon claims

One of my favorite aspects of running Mongabay is hearing about how our reporting has led to meaningful impacts around the world. Recently, we learned that the Matsés Native Community, the largest in Peru, terminated their agreement with the Peruvian company Get Life. This decision followed a Mongabay investigation — False claims of U.N. backing [Continue reading]

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Mongabay Features

Forest loss data for 2023

Tropical primary forest loss dipped 9% in 2023 to 3.7 million hectares, according to University of Maryland data released this week on World Resources Institute‘s Global Forest Watch. The decline was driven primarily by a 36% drop in Brazil, which typically accounts for the largest proportion of tropical forest loss. Forest loss in the Amazon [Continue reading]