Carolyn P. Cowan

Staff Writer at Mongabay

Staff writer at @mongabay covering Southeast Asia. Photographer. Martial artist.

Articles

Action plan aims to save Asia’s leaf-eating monkeys amid ‘alarming’ declines

1 week ago | news.mongabay.com | Carolyn P. Cowan

A new conservation plan aims to halt the decline of langur monkeys in Southeast Asia, where habitat loss and poaching have severely reduced their numbers. The 10-year Asian Langurs Conservation Action Plan focuses on the six countries in the Sundaland biodiversity hotspot, a region known for its astonishing range of habitats and species. Based on insights from leading primatologists, the plan prioritizes measures needed to safeguard 28 species and subspecies of langurs.
Action plan aims to save Asia’s leaf-eating monkeys amid ‘alarming’ declines

1 week ago | flipboard.com | Carolyn P. Cowan

2 hours ago"Prepare to die, you, Tulsi, and everyone you hold dear," one of the texts read, according to the Justice Department. "America will burn." A man is facing a federal charge after allegedly threatening to kill Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and her husband, the Department of Justice …
Dugong numbers plummet amid seagrass decline in Thailand’s Andaman Sea

2 weeks ago | news.mongabay.com | Carolyn P. Cowan

Thailand’s dugongs are disappearing fast, reflecting an unfolding crisis in the region’s seagrass ecosystems. Seagrass beds on Thailand’s Andaman Sea coast that support one of the world’s most significant populations of dugongs have died off in recent years, creating an increasingly challenging environment for the charismatic marine mammals. Scientists point to a combination unsustainable coastal practices and climate change as the main factors driving the decline.
Mangrove deforestation for commodities limits conservation funding in SE Asia

1 month ago | news.mongabay.com | Carolyn P. Cowan

Southeast Asia’s mangrove forests are still at risk of conversion for oil palm, rice and aquaculture, despite their immense potential for mitigating global biodiversity and climate goals. Commodity-driven deforestation and a range of climate change-related risks threaten the long-term survival of 85% of the region’s mangrove forests that could feasibly host carbon credit projects, a new study finds.
How birds deepen our awareness of nature: Interview with Ayuwat Jearwattanakanok

1 month ago | news.mongabay.com | Carolyn P. Cowan

Thailand is home to more than 1,100 species of birds and is a crucial stopover location on global bird migration routes. However, the country’s protected area system focuses on mountainous forests, which risks overlooking the conservation of many other habitats, such as wetlands, mudflats and open farmlands that are nonetheless important for birds. While bird conservation efforts are well underway in many of these habitats, threats from hunting, wildlife trade and rapid development abound.
Timber trade watchdog urges Poland to halt imports of Myanmar ‘blood timber’

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Carolyn P. Cowan

Environmental law watchdog ClientEarth is demanding immediate action from authorities in Poland to crack down on imports of sanctioned Myanmar teak into the country. Imports of the highly coveted timber into Poland persist, the group says, despite EU sanctions imposed on Myanmar’s state-controlled timber monopoly following the 2021 military coup and brutal crackdown on citizens.
Mammals, birds in Vietnam’s rare coastal forests revealed by camera traps

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Carolyn P. Cowan

A new camera-trapping study has found several rare and threatened species in Vietnam’s Nui Chua National Park, home to one of mainland Southeast Asia’s last remnants of dry coastal forest. However, the findings also indicate intense pressure on wildlife populations within the reserve from habitat fragmentation and snaring.
How to tell if mangrove restoration is working? Listen to the birds

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Carolyn P. Cowan

Mangrove restoration is often motivated by the desire to bring back biodiversity to degraded coastlines, but it’s difficult to know exactly when that objective has been achieved. Researchers in Malaysia say that monitoring mangrove-dwelling bird communities using bioacoustics could be a game-changer for managers tracking mangrove ecosystem recovery.
Ads selling illegal wildlife products, animal parts thrive online in Vietnam

2 months ago | scroll.in | Carolyn P. Cowan

A new investigation by wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC has uncovered an “alarming” slew of online adverts offering illegal wildlife products for sale in Vietnam, despite pledges from multiple platforms to clamp down on such content. The report, based on monitoring of social media groups and e-commerce platforms in Vietnam between June 2021 and July 2023, focuses on items made from body parts of elephants, rhinos, pangolins, tigers, tortoises and freshwater turtles.
Underwater citizen science reveals the specter of ghost fishing in Thailand

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Carolyn P. Cowan

Teams of scientists and hobbyist scuba divers have assessed the extent of discarded fishing gear on Thailand’s marine wildlife, finding it poses a pervasive threat to a huge range of species. Discarded or “ghost” fishing gear comprises 10% of all marine plastic debris in the ocean, persisting for decades and passively catching and killing species from sea snails to whale sharks.