Mike DiGirolamo

Bringing Mongabay's Amazon narco airstrip exposé to the stage Mongabay Latam’s multiyear, *award-winning **investigation that uncovered 67 clandestine airstrips in the Peruvian Amazon used for drug trafficking sent waves across the local media landscape. It drew...

Mongabay Latam’s investigation that uncovered 67 clandestine narco trafficking airstrips in the Peruvian Amazon made a media splash. But to communicate this story to a wider audience, it was adapted it into an interactive live theater performance. My interview with @mongabaylatam.bsky.social:

Keep me in the loop! I'd love to read it.

Do you have a release date for it yet?

Great work on this book, Charles. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Kiliii Yüyan puts Indigenous ‘Guardians of Life’ and their planetary stewardship in focus National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan returns to the Mongabay Newscast to share his experience creating his new book, Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring...

Almost three years ago I interviewed @kiliiiyuyan.bsky.social about a project he was working on documenting the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of nine Indigenous communities worldwide. He returns to the podcast to talk about the experience, and the knowledge he's gleaned. Listen here:

I suggest listening to the full podcast interview to get the answer to your question.

This music is used in the Disco Elysium soundtrack. And yep, it's beautiful.

60 years of buried lessons on conservation projects from USAID have been saved A year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump shut down public access to the Development Experience Clearinghouse, a $30 billion database holding 60 years’ worth of institutional knowledge from more than 15...

A former USAID employee saved 60 years of development project data before the Trump administration shut the platform down (which was worth over $30 billion). She speaks to me about what her open source LLM found, and the lessons that could be applied to conservation projects and international aid:

Australia Biodiversity - Environmental Journalism and Education Background Australia is often imagined as a continent of open space, with most people clustered along the coast and a vast interior that looks empty on a map. Ecologically, that impression is misleadi...

If you're a reporter covering the environment in Australia, @mongabay.com is seeking your pitches. Please see below for what we are looking for:

Writer Megan Mayhew Bergman on science, emotion, and the lasting power of ‘Silent Spring’ It’s been more than half a century since the publication of Silent Spring by the scientist and creative writer Rachel Carson. The seminal volume caught the attention of U.S. presidents, artists and mu...

“We don’t change our minds usually based on data. We change our minds based on emotion," writer Megan Mayhew Bergman tells me on the @mongabay.com Newscast this week as we discuss the legacy of Rachel Carson's classic, Silent Spring. Listen here:

Europe’s olive grove crisis affects nature & culture, but has solutions Across Mediterranean Europe, olive groves are in decline from a range of factors, from disease to depopulation. In Italy alone, there are roughly 440 million abandoned olive trees, and the ecological,...

“Olive groves hold [a] deep cultural significance that goes far beyond agriculture [and] food production,” my guest on the Newscast says.

Federica Romano discusses how Europe's olive groves can be saved. “Olive trees have symbolized peace, resilience and continuity through thousands of years."

Drag artist Pattie Gonia on why nature advocacy needs joy to succeed Professional drag artist and environmental activist Pattie Gonia has more than 2 million followers on Instagram and has raised $1.2 million for environmental nonprofits by hiking 100 miles, or 160 kil...

The week on the Mongabay Newscast I speak with drag artist @pattiegonia.bsky.social. She explains why joy is critical in this moment, and why she feels the environmental movement must prioritize it to succeed.

“If we want people to join this movement, we have to make it freaking fun."

@beyondplastics.bsky.social

Plastic pollution requires urgent action, says author Judith Enck Judith Enck is a former regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, appointed by President Barack Obama, and the founder of Beyond Plastics, an organization dedicated to eradic...

Plastic recycling is largely not viable and never has been, but there are clear pathways to solve our plastic pollution crisis, says Judith Enck. She joins me on this week's @mongabay.com Newscast to detail the solutions from her latest book.

The top 10 most listened-to podcasts of 2025 from Mongabay With 2025 drawing to a close, Mongabay’s flagship podcast has added more than 40 episodes over the course of the year. From professors and authors to Mongabay staffers, conservationists and advocates,...

I’m a host and producer for Mongabay’s flagship podcast. We had an immense year, and I couldn’t be more proud of the work we did. My editor @erikhoffner.bsky.social oversaw 44 episodes. Here’s our top ten for the year. I hope you enjoy them:

How ‘Adventure Scientists’ provide pioneering data for conservation Gregg Treinish didn’t start out as an outdoor enthusiast, but found solace and purpose in nature during his youth. After years of enjoying the outdoors, he was left feeling a need to give something ba...

Gregg Treinish didn’t start out as an outdoor enthusiast, but found solace and purpose in nature during his youth. He founded, Adventure Scientists,' using his passion to gather critical data that researchers need for conservation and scientific research. Listen to our conversation @mongabay.com:

Sharks are very often high in heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic, which are harmful to human health. Children are particularly vulnerable to this. I encourage you to listen to the podcast for the full story. Thanks for your question.

Brazilian government serves shark to infants, prisoners and more: How Mongabay broke the story Mongabay senior editor Philip Jacobson joins Mongabay’s podcast to discuss a two-part investigation published this year in collaboration with the Pulitzer Center about how state governments in Brazil ...

This week on the Mongabay Newscast @philjaco.bsky.social explains how he, @bykarlamendes.bsky.social and @pulitzercenter.org's Kuang Keng Kuek Ser uncovered the fact that state governments in Brazil have been serving shark meat to thousands of public institutions. Listen to full story here:

Governments must prioritize nature protection, former US senator Russ Feingold says Bill Gates recently claimed that protecting nature or improving human health is an either-or choice, but former national leaders like Russ Feingold, a retired U.S. senator, and Mary Robinson, former I...

It was a pleasure to speak with @mikedigirolamo.bsky.social on the @mongabay.com podcast to talk about conserving nature and the work we are doing at the Campaign for Nature to advocate for the protection of land and water on the earth. @erikhoffner.bsky.social

news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025...

Governments must prioritize nature protection, former US senator Russ Feingold says Bill Gates recently claimed that protecting nature or improving human health is an either-or choice, but former national leaders like Russ Feingold, a retired U.S. senator, and Mary Robinson, former I...

Bill Gates recently claimed that protecting nature or improving human health is an either-or choice, but Russ Feingold, a retired U.S. senator, disagrees. As chair of the Global Steering Committee of the Campaign for Nature, Feingold emphasizes that supporting both nature and people is essential.

A ‘Life After Cars’ can provide huge human health and environmental benefits Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon and Aaron Naparstek realized that no one was discussing the many cultural factors that have played a role in humanity’s car dependency, or the negative impacts this relianc...

This week on the Mongabay Newcast Doug Gordon @thewaroncars.bsky.social details the human health and planetary impact of car dependency and how we might get out of it. Wisdom that he, Sarah Goodyear, and Aaron Naparstek detail in their new book 'Life After Cars.' Listen here:

How to Cover the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) | Mongabay Webinars YouTube video by Mongabay

The European Parliament voted to delay the European Union Deforestation Regulation by yet another year. This landmark anti-deforestation law was supposed to go into effect at the end of 2024. Reporters interested in covering this topic should view @mongabay.com's webinar on how to cover it:

How to Cover Climate change in South Asia | Mongabay Webinars YouTube video by Mongabay

It's not often I can host a panel with reporters in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka simultaneously. My colleagues joined me to discuss covering climate change in South Asia, and they gave excellent insight that I think is crucial for reporters on this beat.

Watch here @mongabay.com :

Rights to millions of hectares of Indigenous & local communities’ lands restored by ‘barefoot lawyers’ Nonette Royo is a lawyer from the Philippines and executive director of The Tenure Facility, a group of “barefoot lawyers” working to secure land tenure for Indigenous, local and Afro-descendant commu...

This week on the Newscast I speak with Nonette Royo, executive director of The Tenure Facility, a group of lawyers that have made progress in securing land rights for local and Indigenous peoples' land covering 34 million hectares, an area larger than Greece.

news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025...

Protecting pangolins IRL, not just on paper: Interview with conservationist Kumar Paudel KATHMANDU — Of the eight known species of pangolins found in Asia and Africa, three are listed as critically endangered on the Red List that’s maintained by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation…

Pangolins, the scaly anteaters that are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, face a host of challenges throughout their range, including South Asia.

The IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group is working on a global action plan to conserve the species, with subgroups working on regional plans.

Yes. It's astounding how much better I feel using them.

Pioneering primatologist in Madagascar shares decades of conservation wisdom Patricia Wright, a pioneering primatologist who established the Centre ValBio research station in Madagascar, began her work there in 1986. As the person who first described the golden bamboo lemur (H...

Patricia Wright, a pioneering primatologist who established the Centre ValBio research station in Madagascar, joins the Mongabay Newscast to discuss her conservation breakthroughs and the challenges the island faces.

Listen here @mongabay.com:

Scientists warn 'critical' koala habitat under threat from mine expansion Scientists mapping koala habitat in the NSW central west find it is larger than previously thought, but concerns remain over expansion plans at a nearby coal mine.

Yancoal (Moolarben) is trying to expand a coal mine in New South Wales that would clear 113 hectares of koala habitat if it is approved.

One in five Australian households 'severely food insecure', report finds A new report from Foodbank finds 20 per cent of Australian households have skipped meals or days of eating in the year to July.

"Australians are skipping meals," said Foodbank Australia chief executive Kylea Tink.

"They're not knowing what they're going to put in their children's lunch boxes the next day."

20% of the country lives in severe food insecurity:

No, Bill Gates, we don’t have to choose between people & planet (commentary) Bill Gates has long been a leading voice in the global response to human health and climate change. His climate investments and advocacy have helped drive innovation, expand access to clean energy and...

The former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, disagrees with Bill Gates in a commentary for @mongabay.com edited by @erikhoffner.bsky.social.

"His suggestion that the world must choose between financing development or climate action falsely presents a zero-sum situation."