When Fredy Yavinape was a young child, he didn’t know the biological concept of an “umbrella species.” These are species that require large areas of undisturbed habitat to survive, which is why they serve as an indicator of the conservation status of the entire ecosystem. Now, at 48 years old, Yavinape knows what they are. He’s spent more than a decade collecting samples and documenting the daily events that occur in the vast territory of lagoons and rivers where he resides: Estrella Fluvial del Inírida, or EFI. This is an important complex of wetlands in eastern Colombia, formed by the confluence of the Inírida, Guaviare and Atabapo rivers, where the Amazon Rainforest meets the flood-prone savannas of the Orinoquía. “Every time anyone left, my father said to us, ‘Watch out for Grandpa; he must be around here. Don’t bother him. He could be fishing or hunting — you have to respect him,’” Yavinape says. The “grandpa” his father was referring to was a jaguar, said to be the ancestor of the Curripaco Indigenous people. Yavinape even has the big cat’s in his surname: In his native language, “Yavinape” means “jaguar’s arm.” “He’s always watching, wherever a jaguar is. That means that there’s food there,” he says. The last time he encountered one, he says, was in December 2024, during his monitoring work through the Ramsar board, of which Yavinape is president. The Ramsar board is a governing entity established by local communities and Indigenous peoples in the area following the…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Mongabay journalist Karla Mendes has received the 2025 John B. Oakes Award from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Mendes was presented with the prestigious prize at an event in New York on Sept. 18 for her investigation documenting a direct connection between increased violence against Indigenous Arariboia leaders and the expansion of illegal cattle ranching in Brazil’s northern Maranhão state. “Today, receiving this award is really an honor. Not for me, but especially to honor the memory of Paulo Paulino Guajajara, all the guardians of the forest, and all the Indigenous people who give their lives to protect their territory,” Mendes said at the award ceremony. Paulo Paulino Guajajara was an Arariboia forest guardian who was killed by loggers in an ambush in 2019. Mongabay journalist Karla Mendes receives the 2025 John B. Oakes award on Sept. 18. Image courtesy of Sirin Samman. This is the first time Mongabay has won the Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism, one of the top prizes recognizing exceptional contributions to the public’s understanding of environmental issues. It’s also the first time a Brazilian journalist has received the award. The annual award, founded in 1993, recognizes journalists “whose work meets the highest standards of journalistic excellence” and “makes an exceptional contribution to the public’s understanding of environmental issues.” The award was followed by a talk at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. Image courtesy of Sirin Samman. “Congratulations to Rio-based Mongabay reporter Karla Mendes. She has done groundbreaking reporting on illegal cattle ranching on…This article was originally published on Mongabay

SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Typhoon Ragasa, one of the strongest in years, has caused massive destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines before slamming ashore in southern China. The typhoon whipped waves taller than lampposts onto Hong Kong promenades and turned seas rough on Wednesday. In Taiwan, 17 people died in a flooded township and 10 deaths were reported in the northern Philippines. Nearly 1.9 million people were relocated across China’s Guangdong province. Hong Kong and Macao canceled schools and flights, with many shops closed. Ragasa is the strongest tropical cyclone in the northwestern Pacific and South China Sea region so far this year. Read full reporting by Kanis Leung and Ng Han Guan, Associated Press. Banner image: A fallen tree sits inside the park in Ho Man Tin area, as super typhoon Ragasa approaches in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei).This article was originally published on Mongabay