Keith Anthony Fabro

Narra

Freelance Environment Journalist at Mongabay

Envi journo covering pangolins, wildlife trafficking & ocean issues in SE Asia | 📩[email protected]

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Articles

EU remains major wildlife trafficking hub, report finds

4 days ago | news.mongabay.com | Keith Anthony Fabro

In 2023, EU authorities recorded nearly 5,200 wildlife trafficking seizures, mostly involving endangered European eels, timber, and medicinal plants, reinforcing the bloc’s status as a key global trade hub, a new report notes. More than 1 million CITES-listed specimens — including more than 600,000 live animals and 10,000 live plants — were intercepted across EU countries, according to the TRAFFIC report.
Glass eel smuggling booms despite bans, leaving species on the brink

4 days ago | news.mongabay.com | Keith Anthony Fabro

The illegal trafficking of critically endangered European glass eels continues to thrive, generating up to 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) in peak years, with more than 1 million live eels seized in 2023 alone — mostly en route to East Asian aquaculture farms where they’re raised to maturity to produce the delicacy unagi.
Despite protected status, Vietnam’s corals have declined in 20+ years: Study

1 week ago | news.mongabay.com | Keith Anthony Fabro

Vietnam’s first marine protected area (MPA), Nha Trang Bay, has lost nearly 200 hectares (494 acres) of coral reef since it was established in 2002, according to a new study. Major drivers of the coral decline include coastal development, warming sea temperatures and devastating crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) outbreaks worsened by overfishing and nutrient pollution.
Tuna fishing devices drift through a third of oceans, harming corals, coasts: Study

1 month ago | news.mongabay.com | Keith Anthony Fabro

Drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) are floating rafts with underwater netting used by fishing vessels to attract tuna. A recent study estimated that between 2007 and 2021, 1.41 million dFADs drifted through 37% of the world’s oceans, stranding in 104 maritime jurisdictions and often polluting sensitive marine habitats.
Southeast Asia’s fisheries show resilience despite decades of overfishing warnings: study

1 month ago | eco-business.com | Keith Anthony Fabro

Overfishing in Southeast Asia’s coastal waters has been reported since the 1970s, driven by overcapacity, high demand and population growth. While most studies point to the depletion of nearshore fisheries, new research offers a more optimistic outlook. Overall, it shows, fisheries in the region are in a healthier state than they are globally, with fewer stocks overfished and many more underfished.
Southeast Asia's fisheries thrive despite decades of overfishing warnings: Study

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Keith Anthony Fabro

Overfishing in Southeast Asia’s coastal waters is a long-standing concern, but recent research suggests a more optimistic outlook, with 43% of marine stocks classified as underfished — 3.6 times higher than the global average. The study, covering stocks across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, highlights the region’s relatively abundant fisheries, particularly among pelagic species, 63% of which are underfished.
Global agarwood trade heavily dependent on wild, threatened trees: Study

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Keith Anthony Fabro

The global agarwood trade heavily depends on wild-harvested endangered tree species, despite international regulations for protection, with significant volumes going undocumented in official trade records, a new study reveals. About 70% of the trade depend on Aquilaria filaria and Aquilaria malaccensis, both threatened species, sourced from the wild, raising major sustainability concerns.
Smuggling networks exploit migrant debt to fuel tiger poaching in Malaysia, study shows

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Rebecca Kessler |Keith Anthony Fabro

Fewer than 150 critically endangered Malayan tigers (Panthera tigris jacksoni) remain in the wild, and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade poses a major threat to their survival. A new study links human trafficking to Malayan tiger poaching, tracing how indebted Vietnamese migrant workers in Malaysia enter the illegal wildlife trade, and how network managers and fishing boat captains smuggle tiger parts to Vietnam by boat.
As tourism rebounds, can this scenic Philippine town’s sewage system keep up?

Mar 17, 2025 | eco-business.com | Keith Anthony Fabro

The Philippines’ western island province of Palawan tops tourists’ bucket lists for its picturesque main destination, El Nido. This small fishing town of 50,000 residents is located within the larger El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area. Known for crystal-clear azure waters, dramatic limestone cliffs, and exceptional diving spots, El Nido has numerous accolades from international travel magazines and heavy promotion in social media.
China's pangolin scale trade declines, study shows, but smuggling persists

Feb 14, 2025 | news.mongabay.com | Keith Anthony Fabro

A study of Chinese court records from 2010 to 2023 found that pangolin scale seizures peaked in 2018 and have since declined; while the authors attribute this to increased enforcement and public awareness in China, independent observers cite global factors like COVID-19 and stricter regulations in source and transit countries.