African countries left the United Nations biodiversity conference in Yerevan, Armenia, with an unresolved funding gap for conservation. International funding for protected and conserved areas in Africa fell significantly even as countries are working toward a global agreement to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, known as the 30×30 goal. During […]

A federal court in the U.S. has sentenced two residents of the state of California for their roles as financial facilitators in a scheme trafficking wildlife body parts between the U.S. and Vietnam. Linh Luu and Kevin Le, a married couple from Anaheim, were sentenced on Oct. 23 to three years of probation and fined […]

- Internal U.K. government communications obtained by Mongabay and The Guardian show environment officials explicitly advised government ministers this summer not to “engage formally” with the controversial Indian zoo Vantara after its lobbyists tried to secure a meeting.
- The main reasons for the advice included “reputational sensitivities” and “ongoing compliance proceedings” involving the zoo. Vantara declined to respond to Mongabay’s questions about U.K. concerns.
- The documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, also revealed that Vantara received 152 permits over three years to transfer animals to Vantara. Government officials raised concerns over applications by Vantara to import falcons and falcon hybrids after a 50,000 pounds “donation” from an unnamed source to a U.K. falcon exporter.
- In Geneva, the U.K. is set to chair the Standing Committee of CITES from Nov. 2-6, which will oversee the implementation of the treaty and review compliance cases, including those linked to India’s wildlife imports.