Hello listeners. This week on the Mongabay Newscast, we ask that you take a few minutes to fill out a brief survey to let us know what you think of our audio reporting, which you can do here.

Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Butler was recently awarded the Henry Shaw Medal by the Missouri Botanical Garden and named to the 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leaders list alongside conservation greats such as David Attenborough. The credit for this success belongs to Mongabay, Butler says on this week's podcast.

"While my name is on the award, it's for Mongabay. All that Mongabay achieves is not necessarily me. I'm the figurehead," Butler says of receiving the Henry Shaw Medal.

Butler also shares his thoughts and reflections on the passing of his longtime friend, and conservation icon, Jane Goodall, through whom he learned to see the value in hope and optimism.

"The biggest thing I took away from my relationship with Jane … is the importance of hope," he says. "She was truly a messenger for hope."

You can read Butler's obituary for Jane Goodall here.

Find the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify. All past episodes are also listed here at the Mongabay website.

Image Credit: The last photo taken between Rhett Butler and Jane Goodall, who shared a friendship for nearly 15 years, at the Forbes Sustainability Leadership Summit in New York. Image courtesy of Sofia Negron.

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Timecodes

(00:00) The importance of hope

(08:01) Rhett's awards and Mongabay's impact

(12:39) The role of independent journalism

(24:18) Expanding Mongabay's global reach

(31:44) State of the world's forests

News of Australia's "humpback comeback" is making waves globally. Numbers of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the nation's east coast have rebounded to an estimated 50,000 from a historic low of just a few hundred before commercial whaling was outlawed in the 1970s. And wildlife scientist and whale expert Vanessa Pirotta joins the podcast to discuss this inspiring conservation achievement.

Pirotta emphasizes this is a good news story that deserves to be celebrated, and that it could also bolster action for other whale species that are struggling, including the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) and blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). However, she stresses that vigilant protection for all whale species remains necessary.

This good news is tempered by the fact that the key food source for humpbacks in this part of the world is Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), which is now being heavily harvested by industrial fishing fleets after protections for the species recently lapsed. Pirotta notes that krill are a keystone species for both humpbacks and a much broader array of marine life, including penguins and seals.

Pirotta also discusses her cetacean health research based on the collection of "whale snot" (see Mongabay's explainer video about this method, which involves the use of drones, here) and whale monitoring work conducted with Indigenous conservation group Gamay Bay Rangers. Listeners can learn more about her work at vanessapirotta.com and find her book, Humpback Highway, here.

Find the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify. All past episodes are also listed here at the Mongabay website.

Image credit: A humpback whale. Image by ArtTower via Pixabay (Public domain).

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(00:00) The 'humpback comeback'

(14:50) Why krill need protection

(19:29) The Gamay Rangers sharing Indigenous knowledge

(28:05) Antarctica and whale snot

(32:12) Migaloo the white whale

(36:16) How whale populations impact all of us

Psychologist and true crime presenter Julia Shaw joins Mongabay's podcast to discuss her latest read, examining some of the highest-profile environmental crimes and why they occur, in Green Crime: Inside the Minds of the People Destroying the Planet and How to Stop Them.

She details the commonalities behind six major cases, and what can be learned from them, as described by six motivating factors: ease, impunity, greed, rationalization, conformity, and desperation.

"As a psychologist, I was like, 'What if we create a psychological profile of the various people involved with these various big crimes?' And so that's how I came to the Six Pillars because I was using a model from criminology, which is called Situational Crime Prevention Theory, and of looking at the factors that contribute to a crime being committed," she says.

Find the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify. All past episodes are also listed here at the Mongabay website.

Related Listening & Viewing:

Watch Mongabay's webinar on How to Cover Wildlife Trafficking featuring expertise from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

Hear activist Paul Rosolie detail his operation which employs former loggers to be conservationists.

Listen to Cambridge researcher Luke Kemp describe how society can tackle inequality and save nature.

Image Credit: Photo of the author, Julia Shaw. Photo by Boris Breuer.

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Timecodes

(00:00) From eco-depression to action

(05:29) Why people commit environmental crimes

(12:08) The 'unsung heroes' defending the environment

(18:21) It's not just greed

(24:43) Whistleblowers and regulators are key

(36:53) Towards consistent enforcement

(42:02) Our biospheric values play a role

Policies enacted by seven nations and one international agreement have been recognized by the World Future Council for "top policy solutions for [humans], nature and generations to come." On this edition of Mongabay's podcast, the council's CEO, Neshan Gunasekera, shares key highlights of the eight World Future Policy Award laureates.

Under the theme of "Living in Harmony with Nature and Future Generations," the winners for 2025 "bring to light the future orientation of the way we take decisions at [a] time that there are multiple crises facing ourselves as a species, but also the planet," he says.

The winning legal and legislative initiatives span seven nations, from South Africa to Uganda, Panama, Spain, Aotearoa New Zealand, Bhutan and Austria. The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ), which establishes a binding U.N. treaty on the use of ocean resources beyond national borders, was among the initiatives awarded. The movement that granted legal personhood to the Whanganui River in Aotearoa New Zealand was also recognized. Both of these cases were previously the focus of Mongabay Newscast episodes hosted by Rachel Donald.

"Nature doesn't need us, we need nature," Gunasekera says. "And I think that's the realization we are coming to quite slowly, because any act that we have has a positive impact on the planet. But also, if you're not careful, every act could have a negative impact. Impact on nature has no national boundaries or borders. It has a global impact."

Find the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify. All past episodes are also listed here at the Mongabay website.

Image Credit: The wide, steep-cliffed Whanganui River ferries spring water and snowmelt from Mount Tongariro to the west coast of Aotearoa New Zealand's North Island. Image by Jason Pratt via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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Timecodes

(00:00) The World Future Policy Awards

(10:48) The global impact of 'Rights of Nature' laws

(14:15) Addressing the criticisms of 'Rights of Nature'

(27:17) Human rights and global enforcement

(36:16) The global impact award

Wildlife biologist and ornithologist Corina Newsome of the U.S. NGO National Wildlife Federation joins Mongabay's podcast to discuss how bird-watching plays a role in environmental justice for underserved communities in urban areas, and provides an accessible way for people to connect with nature and drives impactful change.

"Birding is an opportunity [for] people to fill in data gaps where they live [to] help direct investments that come from the world of conservation … from federal to state to local levels that have usually been funneled away from their communities," she says on this episode.

Newsome says that birding changed her own life, and she's hopeful it can also change the world, because bird health has direct implications for biodiversity health at large. " What birds require of us will benefit us in ways that are far beyond bird conservation. We can work together to solve problems and think about the ecological emergency and environmental harms are taking place across landscapes, across boundaries," she says.

Find the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify. All past episodes are also listed here at the Mongabay website.

Thumbnail image: American Avocet. Image by Michael Barry via Pixabay (Pixabay Content License).

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Timecodes

(00:00) Corina Newsome: Wildlife biologist and ornithologist

(04:08) Birding changes your life

(14:21) Birding, environmental and social justice

(26:48) Birds as symbols of hope and resilience

On this episode of Mongabay's weekly podcast, we look at nature through the lens of wildlife photographer and senior marketing associate at Mongabay, Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo, the multilingual staffer charged with sharing the team's reporting and mission with the world.

Prescott-Cornejo details how his work with Mongabay intersects with his passion for wildlife photography, what makes a good photo, and how anyone can connect with nature by getting to know their own "local patch."

"There are so many beautiful things, whether big or small, that can be very, very close to you — and you don't need to go photograph the biggest animals, just photograph what's close," he says.

His photography — along with images created by three of his colleagues, including Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett A. Butler — is currently on display at an exhibition at the Linden Street Gallery near Boston. The show's theme of "Biophilia," which celebrates humanity's love for nature, also refers to Mongabay's recent receipt of the Biophilia Award for Environmental Communication, and is on view until Nov. 4, 2025.

Readers and podcast listeners are invited to showcase their own wildlife photography by entering Mongabay's "Wildlife Wonders" photo contest: starting on Oct. 1, just post your best wildlife image at Instagram and tag it with #MongabayWildlifeWonders and @mongabay in the description for a chance to be featured. The contest will accept entries until Oct. 22.

Find the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify. All past episodes are also listed here at the Mongabay website.

Image Credit: Mountain gorillas by Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo for Mongabay.

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Timecodes

(00:00) Alejandro's connection with multiple languages

(07:27) Why Alejandro finds healing in nature

(12:59) Get to know your "local patch"

(19:37) Ethical concerns of photography

(24:34) What makes a good photo?

(29:58) Alejandro's work for Mongabay

(32:50) The Biophilia exhibit, and visiting a gorllia

(41:32) Alejandro's favorite landscape

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.

As a biologist and geologist with Indigenous heritage, Roberson is uniquely suited to lead the organization in bridging these worlds, including via "two-eyed seeing," which blends traditional ecological knowledge and Western science to increase humanity's ways of knowing, toward a view of people as active participants in shaping the natural world.

Cultural Survival also sees radio as a critical tool for keeping communities together and fostering a relationship with the land. Roberson shares how their robust radio project is specifically designed to train and empower Indigenous media creators to share local news and cultural information of critical importance, in multiple languages across the world.

"It's something that's [a] core part of what we do. Some people are like, 'Ah, radio, you know, this is 2025. Who cares about radio?' But Indigenous people really care about radio because it keeps our communities together. It's a primary form of communication."

Find the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify. All past episodes are also listed here at the Mongabay website.

Image Credit:

Lolita Cabrera (Maya K'iche'), an Indigenous rights activist from Guatemala. Photo by Jamie Malcom-Brown/ Cultural Survival.

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(00:00) A bridge between two worlds

(09:28) The fallacy of 'Objectivity'

(17:20) The Indigenous Kinship Circle

(22:24) We all have Indigenous roots somewhere

(28:19) Indigenous led local radio

(37:55) AI cannot substitute the human experience

An international tribunal of environmental rights activists recently found extensive evidence that the Canadian mining sector is "guilty for the violation of Rights of Nature across South America and Serbia." The guest on this episode of Mongabay's podcast corroborates these accusations, and describes human rights abuses in South American nations that she has seen in her reporting, too.

Brandi Morin, a Cree-Iroquois-French environmental journalist and freelancer for Mongabay, discusses how Canadian mining projects impact ecological health and the rights of Indigenous communities in places such as Ecuador and Bolivia.

"Canada is the mining giant of the world, and around the world, they're getting away with atrocities. They aren't regulated very well to hold them to account. It's a free-for-all out there," she says.

Find the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify. All past episodes are also listed here at the Mongabay website.

Image Credit: Intag community members block security guards hired by the mining company Copper Mesa Corporation (at the time a Canadian firm) from entering Junin Reserve in Ecuador in 2006. Image courtesy of Elisabeth Weydt.

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Time codes

(00:00) Canadian mining in South America

(15:39) A 'green transition'?

(23:50) A mining state in Ecuador

(28:19) The International Rights of Nature Tribunal

(35:00) You can't protect the Earth by destroying the Earth

The recent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on states' obligations regarding climate change was celebrated globally for providing clarity on countries' legal obligation to prevent climate harm, but was also appreciated by island nations for its additional certainty on their maritime boundaries remaining intact regardless of sea level rise.

This week on Mongabay's podcast, environmental lawyer Angelique Pouponneau, a Seychelles native and lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), explains these victories, their legal implications, and how they matter for small island nations.

She says Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face a multitude of, "one of which [was] this idea of the shrinking exclusive economic zones."

Exclusive economic zones are the waters that lie within the jurisdiction of a nation, usually 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its shore. With the ICJ advisory opinion, there's now legal certainty that this zone will remain within the jurisdiction of a state, even if its shoreline shrinks as a result of rising seas due to climate change.

"What island nations were trying to guard against through state practice was essentially if there were ever to be loss of territory, it would not mean loss of exclusive economic zone," Pouponneau says.

Subscribe to or follow the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, and you can also listen to all episodes here on the Mongabay website.

Mike DiGirolamo is a host & associate producer for Mongabay based in Sydney. He co-hosts and edits the Mongabay Newscast. Find him on LinkedIn and Bluesky.

Image Credit: Island in the South Pacific, Fiji. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.

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Timecodes

(00:00) The importance of the SIDS alliance

(10:09) 'Wins' in the ICJ advisory opinion

(17:38) What about enforcement?

(21:29) Maritime boundaries will remain (27:38) What are sustainable 'blue economies?'

(32:32) Concerns about development & 'debt for nature'

(42:12) Frustrations with Global Plastic Treaty negotiations

(45:50) Looking to the BBNJ treaty

Wealth inequality is a primary culprit behind the ecological and environmental collapse of societies over the past 12,000 years, which have come to be dominated by a small circle of elites hoarding resources like land, research shows. Today, instead of an isolated collapse, we face a global one, says Luke Kemp, a researcher at the University of Cambridge's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.

On this episode of Mongabay's Newscast, Kemp explains how wealth inequality is not just tied to, but may be the very cause of the ecological destruction we are witnessing today, and how tackling that is key to how we solve all these challenges, as he recently told The Guardian.

"Imperial overexpansion, depleting the natural environment, having elite competition and popular immiseration, all [are] just simply the natural effect of inequality. All is driven by growing concentrations of power and wealth inequality," he says.

Humans are not naturally like this, Kemp explains. Rather, for the vast majority of their existence, they have coexisted in nomadic, interconnected societies, functioning in a largely egalitarian fashion. Until the discovery that grain could be harvested — and therefore also stolen and hoarded with violence — humans did not dominate one another, as we do today.

As mentioned in the episode, you can read a recent opinion piece on what listeners and readers can do overcome despair in the face of existential threats such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

Subscribe to or follow the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, and you can also listen to all episodes here on the Mongabay website.

Image Credit: Statue of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt. Photo by Rhett Butler/Mongabay.

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Timecodes

(00:00) Why humans are egalitarian

(08:06) Why authoritarianism is so pervasive

(14:12) How and why societies fall

(20:58) Our global society is at risk

(24:22) How we solve it

(30:25) Capping wealth at 10m

(37:54) Citizen juries and how they work

(45:11) Could a 'ministry for the future' work?

(46:54) Lessons from the Khoisan Peoples

(51:00) Democracy isn't just a 'left-wing' idea