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

Thwaites Glacier rises above the Amundsen Sea in the Antarctic, a towering white cliff abutting cerulean waters. Roughly the size of Great Britain and spanning 120 kilometers (80 miles) across, Thwaites — part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet — may seem all but invincible. But among scientists, it’s known as the “Doomsday Glacier” for its potential to raise global sea levels. Now, as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, some polar researchers are investigating a radical geoengineering plan to install seabed curtains that could protect Thwaites from melting down. Thwaites Glacier is rapidly shedding ice as the world warms from climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels. Thwaites is losing about 50 billion metric tons of ice every year, contributing to about 4% of present-day sea-level rise worldwide. But if Thwaites were to melt down entirely, it could raise the average global sea level by more than 0.6 meters (2 feet) over the next few centuries. This would inundate coastal cities around the world and force hundreds of millions of people to migrate. Some scientists think it could be even worse. Thwaites may act as a natural dam for the rest of ice contained within West Antarctica. If it collapses, it could destabilize other glaciers, potentially pushing global sea level rise to as high as 3 m (10 ft). In a 2024 briefing, the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, a group of polar scientists closely studying the glacier’s fate, said a worst-case meltdown scenario can’t be ruled out,…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