In South Los Angeles  right in the heart of the 10-million-person metro area sits a sprawling 1,000-acre zone from another era: Its the Inglewood Oil Field, a rolling scrubland dotted with hundreds of working oil pump jacks. La Cienega Boulevard cuts right through the oil field, which is just northeast of LAX, and just eight miles east of Venice Beach. The production of oil from 444 wells in the heart of Los Angeles feels increasingly off brand for what aspires to be a progressive city (California has banned sale of new gas-powered cars starting in 2035). Not surprisingly two municipalities where the Inglewood Oil Field is located Los Angeles and Culver City have both ordered the oil wells shut down and capped over the next decade. Which presents a remarkable opportunity: The chance to restore the Inglewood Oil Field from a century-old industrial zone oil has been pumped there since 1924  into a natural area for both recreational benefit and increasing space for nature in this sprawling urban landscape. As it happens, theres already a natural area nearby: Along Inglewoods northeastern border sits the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. Hahn is 400 acres of hiking trails, woodlands, hilly scrub. Restoring the adjacent land from the oil field would more than triple its size. One million people live within five miles of the oil field. If it becomes parkland, those one million people will suddenly live within five miles of an urban wildland larger than New YorkThis article was originally published on Mongabay

KISUMU, Kenya It is a little past 5 p.m. at the lakeside city of Kisumu, in the western part of Kenya. An hour later, the sun sets over the sprawling Lake Victoria as far as the eye can see. Wisps of gray clouds are infused with the suns amber rays, which reflect off the lake in a bedazzling shimmer. The scene is captivating, but a faint stench lingers in the air. That stench, to many cage fish farmers, is a painful reminder of the extensive losses they suffered in November 2022 due to fish kills. A report commissioned by Kenyas State Department for Fisheries, Aquaculture and the Blue Economy estimates that cage farmers in different sections of Lake Victoria, particularly Kisumu and Homa Bay towns, lost more than 900 million shillings ($7.2 million) to fish kills in 2022. While the scientists Mongabay speaks to attribute the fish kills to a combination of natural phenomena and climate change, the fish farmers are wary of those explanations, saying the deaths could be a result of pollution. Fish farmers in Lake Victoria mainly stock tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), which, according to scientists, are preferred due to their fast growth, resistance to disease and ability to withstand low dissolved oxygen levels. Tilapia and Nile perch (Lates niloticus) are the two most abundant fish species in the lake, and tilapia is more profitable in the local market. Two of the fish farms, Kentila Farms and Lake Aqua Limited, suffered the greatest losses: 200.4 million shillingsThis article was originally published on Mongabay

ASUNCIN, Paraguay In the middle of the Paraguayan portion of the Upper Parana Atlantic Forest, a paved road leads to the Mbya Indigenous community of Pindoi. Roads in the area are usually unpaved and uneven, and in the rainy season its almost impossible to use them due to mud. But this road is different. A sign posted over where the road begins reads Sommerfeld Colony Welcome Private land and roads. Its a Mennonite colony whose families use the road to move cattle, soy, corn or wheat they grow in their cropland that surrounds the Indigenous community. The road that leads into Sommerfeld Colony. Image by Mario Silvero. Satellite data and imagery from Global Forest Watch show clearing associated with large agricultural fields whittling away at already-fragmented tracts of primary forest in the PindoI Indigenous Territory over the past several years. Cristino Bentez, district leader of the National Forest Institute (INFONA), confirmed the data. We have checked and the new clearings are happening inside the Pindoi reserve, Bentez said. Satellite data show large swaths of PindoI Indigenous Territory as well as neighboring Sa Juan CheiroAra Poty Yhovy Indigenous Territory were deforested between 2001 and 2021. Considered one of the most biologically important and endangered ecosystems in the world, the Upper Paran Atlantic Forest encompasses portions of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay and hosts multitudes of species, including some found nowhere else in the world. In addition, more Indigenous communities reportedly live in Paraguays portion of the ParanThis article was originally published on Mongabay

Paraguay is considering opening up mining and natural gas drilling in one of its national parks in the Gran Chaco, despite widespread outcry that development could compromise the fragile savannah ecosystem. Two modifications to a law would designate Mdanos del Chaco National Park as public domain, allowing the government to open investment to a hydrocarbon industry that was expelled from the area several years ago. Theres going to be exploitation. Theres going to be drilling, said Mnica Centrn, Project Coordinator of Alter Vida, an eco-development non-profit. It also leaves the door open for other companies to come in. Basically, the park will be destroyed if this happens. The modifications made to two articles of a law that expanded the park were approved by the lower house last October but failed in the senate this week, thanks in part to recommendations from President Mario Abdo and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES) to reject them. The proposal now returns to the lower house. The 605,075-hectare (1,495,172-acre) national park, located in the northwest of the country, makes up one piece of a larger biosphere reserve that includes other protected areas like the Defensores del Chaco National Park and Bolivias Kaa-Iya National Park. An armadillo in Mdanos del Chaco National Park. (Photo courtesy of MADES) The park is under consideration for UNESCO World Heritage status, due to its unique dry forest and savannah ecosystems and high biodiversity, which includes animals like the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), pantanal cat (LeopardusThis article was originally published on Mongabay

The vulnerabilities in our global food system have never been more apparent than they are right now, during a moment some have described as a poly-crisis. Between international conflict in breadbasket regions creating shortages to changing climate affecting yields, the food sector upon which humanity depends for survival is deeply precarious. Scientists know that rainfall variability is growing, extreme water events are becoming more intense and frequent, and higher temperatures evaporate more and more of our water. These inevitable trends in water pose critical risks to our food systems, human and natural resilience and economies. Unaddressed, they will increase instability, conflict and food and fuel price spikes. Amidst these challenges, the urgency of stabilizing the global freshwater supply stands out as critical. As the world gathers this week in New York City for the first United Nations Water Conference in almost 50 years, we must address these vulnerabilities head-on. The conference provides a critical opportunity to address the challenges and highlight possible solutions in the water and food systems nexus on the world stage. We can reframe water as a global common good, a decadal enlightenment project based on demonstration in democratic deliberation that can enable true co-financing and drive development forward in a systemic way. Food production systems are exceptionally vulnerable to drought and declining groundwater supplies, a challenge made worse as climate change increases fluctuations in precipitation and, therefore, the severity of drought risk. With a world population set to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, theThis article was originally published on Mongabay

This story was produced with funding support from the Pulitzer Center. MAZZORBO, Italy In the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant, a dozen blue crabs await their fate in a deep stainless steel tray near the stove. Chefs Chiara Pavan and Francesco Brutto will use them to make blue crab soy-skin dumplings topped with marinated egg yolk and oregano, one of the signature dishes at their restaurant Venissa on Mazzorbo island in Italys Venice Lagoon. Although the Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) was uncommon in this part of the world until a few years ago, diners take to them easily: Their flesh is sweet, succulent and mellow. They have been on the restaurants menu since 2019, when Pavan and Brutto decided to ditch meat for ethical and environmental reasons. Apart from the blue crab, the chef duo has also introduced rapa whelk (Rapana venosa) and other invasive marine species that have been messing up local ecosystems and fisheries. This year, for instance, they will be serving a dish based on the nonnative arc clam (genus Anadara) that has been spreading along the Adriatic coast. Ive been here for seven years and in these seven years Ive witnessed the population trends of the fish inhabiting the lagoon, Pavan tells Mongabay, explaining the idea shaping her cooking. She likes to experiment with species that people are not familiar with but are locally abundant. The blue crab is a real pest in this area, she says. Its at the top of the foodThis article was originally published on Mongabay

A pioneering global study published March 15 in the journal Nature showed that humid tropical forests recovering from degradation and deforestation have the potential to absorb a vast amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and, if preserved, they can be an important ally in addressing the climate crisis. However, for the past three decades, this process might have mitigated just over one-quarter of the emissions generated by deforestation and forests lost or damaged due to human activity, such as logging and wildfire, because the destruction of these ecosystems has far outpaced regrowth. The team of international researchers, led by the University of Bristol, combined satellite data tools that capture changes in land cover type with information on aboveground carbon from the European Space Agency to accurately model the rates of carbon recovery. They looked at degraded forests (those recovering from human-induced disturbance that has led to a partial loss of their tree cover) and secondary forests (those that are regrowing naturally in deforested areas) in the three major regions of humid tropical forest on Earth: Amazon, Central Africa and Borneo. This was the first time a study had taken such a large-scale look at recovering forests. The researchers calculated there are 60 million hectares (148 million acres) of recovering secondary and degraded forests across the three regions. This amounts to about 1.5% of the worlds forested area and about 5% of all carbon absorbed by forests. According to the study, those regions have stored, on average, 107 million metricThis article was originally published on Mongabay

As Arctic sea ice reached a total winter maximum coverage that is again far below average, research has revealed how this ice is vulnerable to extreme weather arriving from more southerly parts of the globe and how it might never recover. Arctic sea ice, which expands through the fall and winter, reached an annual maximum extent of 14.62 million square kilometers (5.64 million square miles) on March 6, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). That means Arctic sea ice is starting the summer melt season more than a million square kilometers below average. The maximum, which came almost a week earlier than normal, is the fifth-lowest in the 45-year satellite record. Antarctic sea ice extent has been in an even sorrier state, setting a record melt season low in February for the second year in a row, in what may be a sign that global warming will soon impact that polar system just as its been impacting Arctic sea ice. The combined sea ice extent around both poles hit a record low in January. While ice reflects most solar radiation, open water absorbs it, accelerating global warming in what is known as the ice-albedo feedback. With warmer El Nio conditions expected to return later this year, significantly raising global temperature, the north polar ice cap could break its own record for lowest extent this fall. But its impossible to make any predictions, since highly variable summer weather patterns tend to have the biggest impact onThis article was originally published on Mongabay

SAINT-LOUIS, Senegal Every afternoon, Bouba Sow, 60, crosses the Ndial in Senegals Saint-Louis region with his goats so that they can graze. The territory is immense and partly desert. The land is covered with various yellowed annual grasses as dry as the ground. A few trees dot the area. Bouba Sow plucks the leaves from an acacia tree with his shepherds stick to feed his goats, which are fond of them. Sow grew up here in the Ndial, a vast wetland, partially dry and classified as a special wildlife reserve and wetland of international importance for birdlife by a presidential decree and the Ramsar Convention back in the 1960s. And just like him, his father and grandfather used to graze their animals on this same land. His 15-year-old son is also starting to take care of the herd. But Sow says he worries about the future as he gazes over the land: Their field starts right here in front of my house. Since they have our land, we can no longer graze our herds like before. Some corridors are closed and our water points are inaccessible. Bouba Sow a pastoralist farmer from the Ndial region. Image by lodie Toto / Mongabay They is the U.S. company African Agriculture (AAGR), which now owns the field where Sow grazes his herd and which plans to raise $40 million through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq stock exchange to finance its operations. The Ndial is part of the wider SenegalThis article was originally published on Mongabay

JAKARTA Deforestation associated with oil palm cultivation has declined in recent years in Indonesia, but in a biodiversity haven at the northern tip of Sumatra, the forest is being cleared at record pace, a report shows. Using Sentinel-2 and Planet/NICFI satellite imagery, forest loss monitoring platform TheTreeMap found that the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve on the western coast of Indonesias Aceh province lost 700 hectares (1,730 acres) of primary peat-swamp forest in 2022 an area twice the size of New Yorks Central Park. Last years deforestation is 12 times greater than in 2021, making it the highest level of forest loss recorded in the ecosystem since 2001. Separate satellite imagery analysis by Aceh-based environmental NGO Forest, Nature and Environment Aceh (HAkA) also showed an almost identical amount of forest loss in 2022: 716 hectares (1,770 acres). The 2022 deforestation is more than the deforestation of the previous four years combined, Lukmanul Hakim, the geographical information system (GIS) manager at HAkA, told Mongabay. Graph of deforestation in the Rawa Singkil wildlife reserve, Aceh, Indonesia. Image courtesy of TheTreeMap. Orangutan capital of the world The Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve has been described as the orangutan capital of the world because its home to the densest population of critically endangered Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) anywhere on the island: 1,500 recorded individuals, or 10% of the species total population. The reserve is also home to some of the last remaining intact habitat for critically endangered Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae), rhinos (DicerorhinusThis article was originally published on Mongabay

The photo speaks for itself: a woman lies on the ground with just her smiling face visible, her body covered by about 20 dead geese, the result of a successful day of hunting. Although the photo is from the beginning of this century, the consequences of this intensive hunting of the ruddy-headed goose (Chloephaga rebidiceps), among other reasons, are noticeable in the present day: the species is now one of the most threatened in Argentina, to the extent that its considered critically endangered on the local list of animals at risk. Most recent counts put the population at no more than 700 individuals. The status of two other species of this genus are also of concern: the upland goose (C. picta) and the ashy-headed or royal goose (C. poliocephala) are both classified as threatened on the same local list. A woman poses with about 20 geese killed during a hunt. The photo was taken in Buenos Aires province, prior to a total ban on geese hunting in 2007. These waterfowl are endemic to South America and similar in appearance to domestic geese, but more closely related to ducks, and they include five species. Three of these species the upland, ashy-headed and ruddy-headed geese all share one characteristic: theyre migratory birds. They nest and breed in southern Patagonia, on both sides of the Argentina-Chile border, with most traveling some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) north in April and May to spend the winter in the provinces of Buenos Aires andThis article was originally published on Mongabay

MOCOA, Colombia We are experiencing a profound crisis, not only in the Amazon but throughout humanity, said Campo Elas de la Cruz, a Catholic priest and environmental activist who opposes mining activity in Colombias Putumayo region. Over these three centuries, the umbilical cord of Mother Earth has been cut. Thousands of rubber trees were cut down alongside 70,000 Indigenous people who died during the exploitation of rubber, timber, quinoa and oil. And today, in the 21st century, they tell us they are taking the copper from Mother Earth. Campo Elias is referring to the rubber, quinoa and timber rush that happened in the Amazon region during colonization. And also of current plans to explore and mine for copper and molybdenum to feed clean energy technologies in what could be one of the largest deposits of these minerals on the continent and in the world. In this richly biodiverse region, where the cool mountains of the Andes meet the Amazon Rainforest, opinions are divided and emotions are high among communities over the environmental and social costs of hosting this green mining project and the jobs it promises to bring. A monkey known as the Andean saddle-back tamarin (Leontocebus fuscicollis), is seen in the Mocoa area. The Putumayo region is a rich area in biodiversity with more than 150 animal species. Image by Antonio Cascio for Mongabay. In 2018, Canadian multinational Libero Copper acquired four mining titles to explore for and exploit minerals such as copper and molybdenum across more thanThis article was originally published on Mongabay

FERRISBURGH, Vermont The home that farmer Erik Andrus built with his wife, Erica, sits on a slight rise above a stretch of fields that have been subjected to a variety of agricultural pursuits. Outside his kitchen window, the outline of rice paddies is now part of the evolving story of a farmer who is learning to make the best use of the land, crafting a livelihood while supporting the natural habitat functions of low-lying plains that benefit myriad wildlife. I didnt grow up as a farmer. I worked on my aunt and uncles farm as a kid and kind of caught the bug and knew I always wanted to farm as a career, once I found a way to do it, said Andrus. The opportunity came in 2005 when he and Erica bought what they would come to call Boundbrook Farm in Ferrisburgh, Vermont. With affinities for baking bread and brewing beer, they first attempted to grow wheat and barley, complemented by a small herd of cattle. Andrus soon found, though, that the heavy soils were slow to drain after rains. We had beef cattle at the time, and theyd be up to their knees in the water, looking like water buffalo, and I thought, oh, it looks like rice paddies, he said, and was reminded of visiting rice farms while living in Japan. In May, when seedlings are about 7 inches tall and have begun to grow three to four full leaves, they are transplanted into the paddies.This article was originally published on Mongabay

Its often been said that big cats dont like water but this mythological thinking isnt entirely accurate. New research provides evidence that some male cougars (Puma concolor), or pumas, not only swim, but travel long distances in the chilly sea, dodging boats and orcas. The study focused on a GPS-collared cougar known as M161, or Nolan, who slipped into the Salish Sea in the early hours of July 16, 2020, at the edge of Washington states Olympic Peninsula. He began to swim, not stopping until hed reached Squaxin Island, a journey of about a kilometer, or two-thirds of a mile. Nolan isnt the only cougar known to swim; many others have done the same. For instance, Mark Elbroch, study co-author and director of the puma program at Panthera, the global wild cat conservation NGO, says he once tracked a long-distance swimming cougar in Chilean Patagonia that swam several times to a lake island inhabited by sheep, in 2010. A GPS-collared cougar known as M161, or Nolan, was observed slipping into the Salish Sea at Olympic Peninsula and swimming all the way to Squaxin Island, a journey of about a kilometer, or two-thirds of a mile. Image by Tim Melling/Panthera. M161 being collared as part of Pantheras Olympic Cougar Project. Image by Mark Elbroch/Panthera. But few scientific studies have documented this phenomenon, and reports of swimming cougars have mostly been limited to non-academic literature and anecdotal evidence, Elbroch says. Im sure theyve been swimming for years and years and years,This article was originally published on Mongabay