Malavika Vyawahare

Madagascar, Reunion

Staff Reporter at Mongabay

Africa staff reporter, Mongabay. Stints @ Hindustan Times, E&E Publishing and NYT. Columbia J-School Alum. RTs are not endorsements, opinions are mine.

Articles

Green groups oppose Qatari luxury resort near pristine world heritage site

4 days ago | news.mongabay.com | Malavika Vyawahare

Construction has begun on a Qatari-backed project to build 37 luxury villas on Assomption Island, the gateway to Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Seychelles that is home to one of the last remaining populations of giant tortoises. The resort threatens the entire cluster of islands and atolls (Aldabra, Assomption, Cosmoledo and Astove — known collectively as the Aldabra Group), according to activists, who cite the risk of invasive species.
UK signs deal handing over Chagos to Mauritius, but tensions remain

1 week ago | news.mongabay.com | Malavika Vyawahare

The U.K. recognized the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius’ claim to the Chagos Archipelago in an agreement signed May 22. While Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam praised the deal, it elicited mixed reactions from many Chagossians, the islands’ original inhabitants. Starting in 1968, they were displaced from the chain of islands by British colonial rulers to set up a U.S. military base on Diego Garcia, the archipelago’s largest island.
Top 25 most threatened primates highlighted in new report urging action

1 month ago | news.mongabay.com | Malavika Vyawahare

The latest list of the 25 most endangered primates includes nine from Asia, six from the Americas, six from the African mainland, and four from Madagascar. Madagascar is home to 112 known lemur species, nearly all of which face the threat of extinction or what they report calls “collective endangerment,” where entire taxonomical groups are at risk of dying out.
At tuna commission meet, catch limits on some species and protection for sharks

1 month ago | scroll.in | Malavika Vyawahare

The intergovernmental body that regulates tuna fisheries in the Indian Ocean agreed to a suite of shark conservation measures, including rules to curb shark finning and the use of gear that causes significant shark bycatch. The new measures adopted by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, or IOTC, provide critical relief for a range of beleaguered shark species, but they may not be enough for some species, observers say.
Tuna talks bring wins for Indian Ocean sharks, but more needed, experts say

1 month ago | news.mongabay.com | Malavika Vyawahare

At the most recent round of Indian Ocean tuna talks, countries adopted measures to curb shark finning, expand the scope of bans that prohibit fishers from holding on to sharks caught as bycatch and restrict the use of harmful fishing gear. Conservationists said the measures will reduce the unwanted capture, or bycatch, of sharks that get hauled in by fishers targeting tuna and tuna-like species.
Seychelles becomes first country to comply with fisheries transparency standard

1 month ago | news.mongabay.com | Malavika Vyawahare

Seychelles, an archipelagic nation off the eastern coast of Africa, has become the first country to comply with the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) standard that lays down what information about a country’s fisheries sector should be published online by public authorities.
À la recherche d’or " responsable ", Chanel s’est tournée vers une aire protégée à Madagascar

2 months ago | fr.mongabay.com | Malavika Vyawahare

En 2019, la maison de luxe française Chanel a cherché à se procurer de l’or auprès de mineurs malgaches. Il se trouve que ceux-ci opéraient au sein d’une aire protégée qui abrite, entre autres, des lémuriens en danger critique d’extinction.
Breast milk contamination exposes Africa's ‘forever chemicals’ problem

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Malavika Vyawahare

Researchers warn that synthetic chemicals in various products, including carpets, clothes, furniture, adhesives, food packaging, and nonstick cookware, pose a significant threat to infants in Africa. Over the past two decades, the chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” have become a significant public health concern in Europe and North America. Emerging data from African countries point to the pervasive nature of the problem in the continent.
From Kenya to Madagascar, massive effort aims to put seagrasses on the map

Mar 4, 2025 | news.mongabay.com | Malavika Vyawahare

In 2019, scientists set out to map the extent of seagrass in Seychelles, an island nation off the eastern coast of Africa. There, they hit upon a startling number: More than 90% of the country’s “blue carbon,” or the carbon stored in marine ecosystems, is contained within seagrass meadows.
Chanel wanted ‘responsible’ gold. It turned to a protected area in Madagascar

Feb 21, 2025 | news.mongabay.com | Malavika Vyawahare

In 2019, French fashion house Chanel sought to obtain responsibly sourced gold from artisanal miners in Madagascar — who happened to operate inside a protected area that’s home to critically endangered lemurs and other wildlife. Under the initiative, which eventually fell through, Chanel partnered with Fanamby, the local NGO managing Loky Manambato Protected Area in northern Madagascar, to formalize the operations of some 1,000 miners.