Mongabay’s Post

Mongabay's Year in Review. In 2024, Mongabay marked its 25th anniversary with a year of growth, innovation, and recognition, affirming our position as a leader in delivering news and inspiration from Nature’s frontlines via a global network of local reporters. Some numbers: 📈 Our websites attracted over 36 million visitors 📰 We published over 5,600 stories & 1,500 videos 🎓 We worked with 22 paid fellows in more than a dozen countries ✒️ Our stories carried more than 1,000 different bylines One of the year’s most consequential achievements was the expansion of Mongabay Africa. Our team doubled in size, dramatically increasing our capacity to spotlight underreported stories from a continent disproportionately affected by environmental change. The impact was immediate: traffic to the bureau’s reporting doubled, attracting readers from across Africa and beyond. Innovation was another hallmark of 2024. The launch of Mongabay Data Studio added a powerful, data-driven dimension to our storytelling, helping readers better grasp complex issues. The redesign of our news site increased accessibility through improved search, thematic Special Issues, and multimedia features. Meanwhile, a new short-form news program bridged a gap in breaking environmental coverage, offering timely updates while maintaining our trademark depth. Our stronger embrace of multimedia accelerated with the appointment of a Creative Director to lead video, podcast, and visual storytelling efforts. New initiatives also underscored our commitment to inclusivity: a French-language fellowship for Francophone Africa and a pilot program for Indigenous journalists in the Ecuadorian Amazon gave underrepresented voices a global platform. Recognition grew. The Biophilia Award honored our success in connecting conservation science to public awareness, while a Columbia Journalism Review profile noted our global presence and our ability to uncover stories others overlook. Notably, 73% of contributors reported that their work would not have been published without Mongabay. Our investigative reporting remained a powerful force for change. Revelations about Mennonite-driven deforestation in Suriname halted a 535,000-ha agricultural project. Stories on exploitative agreements in Peru ended an operation targeting Indigenous communities, while exposés on timber laundering in Brazil triggered federal investigations and disrupted a dubious carbon credit scheme. As Jane Goodall, guest of honor at Mongabay’s anniversary celebration, proclaimed, “If you really want to know the truth about an issue, go to Mongabay.” Her words resonated with the year’s achievements. In an era of mounting challenges for nonprofit journalism, our resilience, innovation, and impact chart a bold course for Mongabay’s next quarter-century: delivering transformative journalism that informs, inspires, and drives tangible change.