Latest news with #Mongabay
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tropical country suffers unprecedented loss that scientists warned about decades ago: 'All that is just a memory'
Tropical country suffers unprecedented loss that scientists warned about decades ago: 'All that is just a memory' The evidence of rising global temperatures is all around us. In Mérida, Venezuela, a city once known for icy snow, the last remaining glacier has shrunk to the size of what scientists call an ice field — making Venezuela, as of 2023, the first country to lose all of its glaciers. What's happening? According to Mongabay, Sierra Nevada de Mérida National Park was once home to over 10 notable glaciers, though their sizes began to decrease in the 19th century, and plummeted much quicker in the 1960s onward. At 75, José Betancourt has summited various glaciers in the park hundreds of times as a guide, mountaineer, and Mérida local. "I would not admit that the glaciers of our Sierra Nevada were going to melt," Betancourt told Mongabay, referencing his heyday summiting the glaciers. La Carona, the last remaining glacier in Venezuela, was once a feat of nature, spanning over 1,100 acres. Now, it's down to less than 5 acres, or about the distance of two football fields. Why is the glacier loss important? Increased temperatures and decreased precipitation in the area are the causes for the diminishing glaciers. Around the world, glaciers can be seen dwindling in hordes, directly linked to the effects of human activity on the planet. With 2024 being the hottest recorded year and with scientists expecting the next five years to continue stealing that record, melting glaciers are the visual embodiment of what is happening to the planet. Betancourt, reflecting on his life and mountaineering, told Mongabay: "We all knew Mérida as the city of 'the eternal snows.' But now, all that is just a memory." What can I do to help slow the rate of lost glaciers? Melting glaciers can be directly tied to increasing temperatures. While fluctuations in temperature and weather have always occurred, the excessive record temperatures, as well as increased natural disasters, point to human activity, such as the burning of dirty fuels. Though government interference in Venezuela attempted to protect the glaciers, almost all environmental experts found their action impulsive and ineffective. In order to promote environmental protection on a large scale in your nation, vote to elect pro-climate candidates. Furthermore, by educating yourself on critical climate issues, you can better understand how actions in your daily life contribute to environmental destruction and find ways to reroute. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers discover surprising factor that can make cities healthier: 'Could reduce the number of annual premature deaths'
Researchers discover surprising factor that can make cities healthier: 'Could reduce the number of annual premature deaths' Researchers say adding more greenery to cities helps improve residents' health, but there's one major caveat: Location matters. Situating more green spaces in densely populated areas will save the most human lives, per Mongabay, which summarized the new report. Meanwhile, adding green spaces to areas with the least amount of nature comes in second from a life-saving perspective. The study analyzed 96 cities across 48 countries and six continents that have committed to confronting the climate crisis through C40 Cities. The research team found that adding green spaces near population centers or in areas with the least amount of existing nature could provide 2.7 and 1.4 to 1.7 times the health benefits of adding green spaces uniformly across urban areas. Five Indian cities — Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai — were included in the research and showed significant life-saving potential with added green space. India ranks as the most populous country in the world, with over 1.4 billion residents, per United States Census Bureau data. "Across the five cities, increasing green area by 1% could reduce the number of annual premature deaths by 875-2,439, depending on where you add green spaces," one of the study's authors, Greta K. Martin, told Mongabay. This new information comes as researchers continue to uncover the many health benefits of green spaces in urban environments. One study discovered a strong association between perceived green space exposure and reduced anxiety. Another found that spending time in residential gardens was linked to a decreased risk of certain cancers, including breast and uterine. And one group of researchers discovered that spending just 10 minutes in nature can help adults with mental illness. These same green spaces also provide habitat and food for a variety of species, including pollinators. Despite the benefits of green spaces, the authors of the new study acknowledged that implementation could prove challenging in some areas. "The feasibility of increasing greenspace or expanding population access to nature by 1% varies across C40 cities," they stated. "Some cities have climates where maintaining greenspaces is water-intensive and cost-prohibitive, and others have dense urban cores, where adding nature could require extensive urban landscape changes, including building demolition." However, Martin maintained that green spaces are a win for communities. Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely Somewhat Depends on the time of year Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "Adding green spaces is one piece of creating healthier cities," Martin told Mongabay. "Clean air, walkability, and safety are all important to getting the most health benefits from urban green spaces." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Scroll.in
13-07-2025
- General
- Scroll.in
On the India-Nepal border, ‘forest guardians' track endangered red pandas
In the misty hills of eastern Nepal near the border with India, 48-year-old farmer Surya Bhattarai patrols the steep slopes of Sudap Community Forest in Taplejung district. Braving remoteness, treacherous terrain and wild animals, he is tracking red pandas, an elusive and endangered species native to the eastern Himalayas. Trained in field data collection, Bhattarai, one of 128 Forest Guardians, carries a GPS tracker, a mobile phone, a notebook, a pen, a measuring tape and a vernier scale to document signs of the animal. Forty-four Forest Guardians operate within the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung Corridor, a vital 11,500-square-kilometer habitat that shelters roughly a quarter of Nepal's red panda (Ailurus fulgens) population. In Taplejung, Bhattarai monitors designated forest blocks, walking transects to look for scat, claw marks or other signs of red panda. Monitoring takes place four times a year – in February, May, August and November – timed around key stages in the red panda's life cycle, like breeding and mating seasons. Patrolling during the summer months also helps deter poaching, says Bhattarai. Globally, fewer than 10,000 red pandas remain across India, Bhutan, China and Nepal, which hosts between 500 and 1,000 in its temperate bamboo forests across 25 districts. The shy, elusive species is quietly slipping toward extinction due to rapid development like road building and hydropower expansion and habitat degradation from human activities that are fragmenting the bamboo forests they depend on. Launched in 2010 by the nonprofit Red Panda Network with just 16 members, the Forest Guardian program has evolved into one of Nepal's most ambitious citizen-led wildlife monitoring efforts. Forest Guardians conduct quarterly censuses, track red panda behavior and habitat use and raise awareness in their communities while mobilising support against poaching. They are paid 3,000 Nepali rupees (roughly $22) for each monitoring session. Inspired by Nepal's community-managed Annapurna Conservation Area, Forest Guardians act as bridges between the Red Panda Network and local communities, says Ang Phuri Sherpa, the organisation's executive director. 'Our biggest challenge is building trust with local communities. The Forest Guardians serve as our local ambassadors,' he tells Mongabay. Drawn from local communities – mostly from underprivileged and economically marginalised groups – the Forest Guardians, who usually have up to middle-school education, patrol forests near their homes. This grassroots surveillance forms the backbone of the Red Panda Network's conservation strategy, according to Sherpa. The data collected by Forest Guardians – from red panda sightings and GPS mapping to camera trap footage and patrol logs – is regularly compiled and used to shape conservation strategies and policy briefs. 'These efforts have helped identify key habitat zones, guide anti-poaching measures and inform local land-use planning,' Sherpa says, adding that zoos in the US and Europe support the program. 'They are professional forest stewards and our local conservation ambassadors who monitor red panda populations and habitat, as well as raise awareness in their communities.' 'The idea of engaging local citizen scientists in red panda monitoring is commendable,' says Arjun Thapa, a wildlife researcher pursuing postdoctoral research at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. 'But equally important is understanding how the data they collect is used – whether it informs policy, leads to tangible conservation outcomes or benefits local communities.' Thapa cautions that data collection alone is not enough. 'We need to rigorously validate and analyse the information. Without that, it's difficult to make evidence-based decisions or meaningful management interventions.' He also questioned the effectiveness of current monitoring methods. 'Red pandas don't consistently follow the same paths,' he says. 'So, using fixed transects for quarterly monitoring may not capture an accurate picture of their movements or habitat use.' A 2016 national survey revealed that 70% of red panda habitat in Nepal lies outside protected areas. Unlike national parks, these forests are less monitored and more vulnerable to poaching and encroachment. Since then, the Forest Guardian model has been focused precisely where red pandas are most at risk. 'Earlier, there were up to 10 poaching incidents a year,' Sherpa says. 'In the last five or six years, we haven't had a single case in our project areas.' To reduce local people's dependence on forests, the Red Panda Network trains them on homestay management, nature guide and ecotourism. It also supports income-generating programs such as rug weaving, crochet making and nettle fiber processing, particularly for women. In Phurumbu village, Taplejung, women sit behind sewing machines, stitching bags and handkerchiefs from nettle fiber. Forty-year-old Chandra Kumari Limbu received training from Himali Conservation Forum, a local nonprofit, and now sells them to local schools and souvenir shops in Kathmandu. The facility, in its second year, has employed 16 women. 'We need to market the products so that people know about it,' Limbu says. 'These skills enable [the women] to participate in conservation-linked livelihoods, creating a self-sustaining economic model that fosters pride, ownership and long-term commitment to protecting natural resources,' Sherpa says. 'RPN not only conserves biodiversity but also invests in the resilience and self-reliance of the very communities that coexist with endangered species like the red panda.' Research conducted by Sherpa and his colleagues found that people in the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung corridor were more aware of red panda conservation than people in western and central Nepal. 'This increased level of awareness about red pandas could be attributed to the red panda-focused conservation education program being implemented in eastern Nepal,' said the study published in 2021 in ScienceDirect under a volume titled Red Panda: Biology and Conservation of the First Panda. The Red Panda Network, which currently works in 13 red panda districts, is planning to replicate the conservation model in other districts across the country. In Ilam, bordering Singalila National Park – a crucial red panda habitat in India, families run homestays for eco-tourists who come to get a glimpse of the elusive animal in the wild. About 15 homestays operate in the PIT corridor, hosting up to eight groups of foreign tourists – roughly 50 visitors – a year. 'Our business wing manages this program and shares part of the profits to fund conservation. Our goal is to reduce dependence on forests by providing alternative livelihoods,' Sherpa says. Despite growing community involvement and measurable conservation gains, the threats to red pandas remain acute. Habitat loss and fragmentation are key drivers of red panda decline. 'One of the biggest threats to their survival is the rapid, haphazard construction of roads in Nepal's mid-hills,' Sherpa says. 'These roads often cut through critical habitat, without any scientific assessment, fragmenting the forests red pandas rely on.' RPN has launched an ambitious plan to restore their habitat in Ilam district. The organisation recently secured a $2.5 million grant for a five-year project, which aims to restore 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of forest in Ilam, connecting with Singalila. 'This will enable genetic exchange between red pandas in Nepal and those in India and improve species resilience,' Sherpa says. 'Without it, inbreeding becomes a serious risk. If there's a pandemic in the group, the disease can wipe out a significant population.' In August last year, Puwamajhuwa village in Ilam district was declared the country's first community-based conservation area, raising hope for the species. The animal faces other threats such as attacks by free-roaming dogs, particularly near Pathibhara temple in Taplejung, where goats are sacrificed to appease the Hindu goddess worshipped here. 'During the pilgrimage season in autumn and spring, the dogs get to eat goat meat [discarded] by the devotees. When they don't get meat in the off-season, they may attack red pandas descending from the trees,' says Ramesh Rai, program coordinator of Himali Conservation Forum. He added that the dogs also spread diseases such as rabies and canine distemper. Dhan Kumar Sembu, a 47-year-old Forest Guardian in Pathibhara area, agrees with Rai. 'Stray and hunting dogs pose a threat to red pandas. But a vaccination campaign has helped control it to some extent,' he says. Wildlife researchers have documented how the red panda evolved from its carnivorous ancestors to the now largely-vegetarian diet. It feeds on bamboo leaves, and researchers suggest the species may have adapted to the changes in its habitat. 'Their teeth and digestive systems still resemble those of meat-eaters, but over time, likely due to a scarcity of prey, they adapted to a bamboo-based diet,' Sherpa says. 'Since bamboo is low in calories, red pandas must consume it in large quantities and conserve energy by remaining mostly inactive during the day.' While the tree-dwelling creature basks in the sun, Forest Guardians such as Bhattarai, who received a Green Ambassadors Award for his work by a Nepali nonprofit in 2023, must endure harsh weather to protect them. On a recent patrol, Bhattarai faced fierce winds and sudden rain. 'I was nearly blown away,' he says. But he keeps walking because the red panda still needs guarding. 'I feel a responsibility,' he says. 'We should leave wild animals in the forest for the next generation – not just in photos.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Trail cameras capture first-of-its-kind image of predator making meal of small creature in national park: 'Extremely significant'
A trail camera captured a unique image of a rare big cat, which has conservationists purring with excitement about its implications. As Mongabay reported, a camera set up in Dehing Patkai National Park in Assam, northeast India, captured footage of a clouded leopard carrying a Bengal slow loris by the nape of its neck. Given their nocturnal habits and elusive nature, it's rare to ever see either creature in the wild. Ranjith Ram, one of the park's officials, told the outlet that "only one or two people in my patrol party have reported seeing clouded leopards. So, the fact that a single camera trap image captures both these animals is extremely significant." With just around 10,000 cats remaining in the wild in Southeast Asia, the clouded leopard is one of the smaller big cats, tipping the scales at a little over 50 pounds. Unlike other big cats, they cannot roar, and unlike small cats, they don't purr. This quiet feline still leaves a big impression as it can punch well above its modest weight thanks to powerful legs and exceptionally large canine teeth. The clouded leopard's lengthy gnashers are equivalent to a tiger's, a feline ten times larger, per Global Conservation. Like other big cats in the area, clouded leopards are threatened by habitat destruction and poaching. As the World Wildlife Fund notes, their pelts are widely sold by unscrupulous traders attempting to pass them off as tiger pelts, and they are believed to have already become extinct in China and Taiwan. The images underline the vital importance of trail cameras in forming effective conservation strategies. They aid researchers in keeping tabs on some of the rarest species on Earth without intruding on their habitats. The cameras are also helpful in generating public interest in climate issues, as it's a lot more productive to center conversations around positive developments. As a paper on the images noted, the pictures captured by the trail camera have helped fill in the scholarly gaps in the leopard's dietary habits: "This photographic record fills in the information gap on the prey preference of the clouded leopard in its Indian distribution range." Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers make alarming discovery while studying world's largest wild goat: 'Serious concerns'
A new study has uncovered a troubling reality in the Himalayas: the world's largest wild goat is losing its home. As livestock grazing spreads deeper into the alpine zones of the Kashmir region, the already-threatened Kashmir markhor is running out of space and options, according to recent reporting. Scientists say the species may be getting pushed into lower, less nutritious habitats at a critical time in their life cycle. As detailed by Mongabay, markhor usually migrate to higher elevations in May and June to give birth and graze on nutritious alpine plants. But this timing now overlaps with a major influx of livestock — mostly sheep and goats — brought in by local herders. Researchers found that livestock outnumber markhor by more than 30 to 1 during this critical period, pushing them into lower, less suitable areas. That shift may be hurting young markhors. In one heavily grazed valley, researchers found far fewer yearlings compared with adult females — a sign that fewer kids are surviving their first year. "This research raises serious concerns for markhor conservation in the region," said Tawqir Bashir, an assistant professor at Sher-e-Kashmir University, per Mongabay. "The severe competition with livestock for space and resources in summer, combined with the disturbance by herders and herding dogs, will affect their migration patterns as well." According to Mongabay, there are only two viable markhor populations in India, in the Pir Panjal and Kazinag ranges. The subspecies is legally protected and classified as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Forced into less than optimal habitats — especially after giving birth — females may struggle to recover body weight and provide for their young, increasing their vulnerability heading into harsh winters. Markhor aren't the only hooved wildlife impacted, either, according to Mongabay. This may indicate a collapse of biodiversity, which could create ripple effects that impact the livelihoods of locals by resulting in habitat degradation and lost tourism income. While the study raises red flags, it also points toward solutions. The researchers recommend protecting fawning sites and regulating livestock access in key areas during summer months. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "The study provides a sustainable and ecologically sound solution to address this issue by recommending regulation of livestock," Mongabay wrote when paraphrasing Bashir. Programs like the Kashmir Markhor Recovery Project, launched in 2004, have helped stabilize populations before. Rotational grazing — adopted in parts of India and Kenya — shows how people and wildlife can share the land more sustainably. Saving the markhor isn't just about one species. These mountain grazers help keep fragile ecosystems in balance — ecosystems that millions depend on for water, food, and clean air. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
