Mongabay Newscast

New findings by primatologist Cleve Hicks reveal an entirely new tool kit used by a group of chimps who also build ground nests, which is highly unusual, but especially for ones living around dangerous predators like lions and leopards. But these chimps’ novel use of tools and nesting aren’t even the most interesting behavioral quirks this group displays, Hicks says. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and tell a friend.

Dr. Rebecca Cliffe joins us to bust myths about sloths like the idea that they are lazy creatures: moving slowly is actually a strategy that has been so successful that sloths are some of the oldest mammals on Earth. But she also warns of a crisis driven by deforestation and sloth tourism, including “sloth selfies,” and shares what you can do to help protect sloths. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and tell a friend.

How do you study a marine mammal that lives in waters so murky that it can hide from you in plain sight, even in shallow water? We speak with marine biologist Isha Bopardikar who's using bioacoustics to unlock hidden behaviors of humpback dolphins on the west coast of India. She plays us some recordings she's collected of her mysterious cetacean subjects, plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and tell a friend.

National Geographic writer and author Scott Wallace's latest book covers an expedition into remote forests to gather information about the uncontacted “Arrow People” in order to protect them from the ever-advancing arc of Amazonian deforestation. He joins the podcast to share his experiences and discuss this very perilous time for indigenous peoples in the Amazon. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and tell a friend.

On this episode we speak with the lead author of a new study using bioacoustics and artificial intelligence to track a very rare New Zealand bird. We play some recordings of the beautiful hihi bird that illustrate the success of a last ditch reintroduction effort of a species (and in a place) that are otherwise very difficult to monitor. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please leave a positive review, subscribe, or tell a friend.

On this episode we're joined by Mongabay's Mexico City-based contributor Martha Pskowski who recently traveled to central Mexico during the winter 'high season' when tourists flock to see monarch butterflies covering the trees. While the number of monarchs wintering there is up 144% in 2019, she also investigated impacts on the monarchs' habitat from deforestation and a proposed mine nearby. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please subscribe and tell a friend.

The IUCN is best known for its Red List of Threatened Species, but it does much more than that, says Inger Andersen, the organization’s director general, in this episode. She shares insights about how the Red List is built, the key role of women in conservation, and plans for the next World Conservation Congress in 2020, which will be crucial for charting further conservation progress. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please subscribe and tell a friend.

Mongabay founder Rhett Butler discusses the biggest rainforest trends for 2019 and a major new paper he co-authored in Science that looks at how bioacoustics can monitor forests and their wildlife to safeguard conservation goals. Plus he talks about the origins of Mongabay, from a disastrous first trip to Madagascar to the 20th anniversary this year, when 30 million people now visit the site. And we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please subscribe and tell a friend.

The largely untold [and very heartwarming] story of how 96 critically endangered sea turtle hatchlings survived a summer in New York City—with help from scientists and a cozy office closet! In July, Big Apple beachgoers spotted a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle laying eggs on West Beach: we speak with those who cared for them and ask if it's a good sign that their mother came all the way to NYC to nest. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear please subscribe & tell a friend.

We discuss the prospects for the upcoming international climate summit (COP24 in December) with top American author and climate activist Bill McKibben. About recent developments he says, "I think meaningful action probably isn't going to come now at the UN," but that we need to also look at other sources of meaningful climate action, and "happily there are some," which he's happy to share. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please subscribe and tell a friend.

On this episode we share a progress report on Half-Earth, the ambitious effort to set aside half the world for nature, direct from legendary conservation biologist E.O. Wilson. In this return visit to the podcast, he discusses the project's effort to map the world's 6,000 bee species, his enthusiasm for the new science of understanding ecosystems, and interesting ties with business leaders. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please subscribe and tell a friend.

In a dispatch from Antarctica’s McMurdo Station, Dr. Michelle LaRue discusses her sixth deployment to the icy continent to document emperor penguin populations, a species that is an important indicator of the Southern Ocean’s health. Skype was down at the station so we spoke with her by phone about what she is looking for and what it's like to work in Antarctica. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please subscribe and tell a friend.

The outbreak of chytrid is probably the largest global wildlife disease event in recorded history. Our guest is an expert on the front lines fighting its spread, Dr. Jonathan Kolby of the Honduras Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Center. He discusses the challenge, plays song recordings of the amphibians he studies, and shares some positive recent news of resistance among frogs. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please subscribe and tell a friend.

Sarah Olson is a primatologist who has lately been studying hammer-headed fruit bats to understand how Ebola is transmitted to apes and also humans — research which could potentially control or prevent outbreaks of the deadly disease, like the current one in the Democratic Republic of Congo — beside revealing new details on the life of this fascinating species. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please subscribe and tell a friend.

Diogo Verissimo says social sciences can boost biodiversity conservation, and as one of the top researchers focused on adapting marketing principles for conservation, he should know. Diogo is associated with the University of Oxford and San Diego Zoo, where he designs and evaluates programs that aim to change human behavior to combat issues like the illegal wildlife trade. Plus we round up the top environmental news, so if you like what you hear, please subscribe and tell a friend.