Articles by John Cannon
John is a staff features writer with Mongabay. Follow him on Twitter: @johnccannon. John became a correspondent for Mongabay in 2014 and joined the site's team full time in October 2016. John's journalistic work has also appeared in New Scientist, Slate.com, Yale Environment 360, Pacific Standard, Science (online), Business Insider and Bicycle Times. John has been a guest on the BBC as well as NPR's All Things Considered and Living on Earth, and he has also had several short stories published in literary magazines. He studied biology as an undergraduate at the Ohio State University and has a graduate degree in science writing from UC Santa Cruz. Always eager to find local perspectives on globally relevant stories, John has reported from Brunei, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malaysia, Peru and Rwanda. He currently lives in Afghanistan with his wife.
‘No planet B’: Groups call for $60bn increase in annual biodiversity funding
Climate change a threat to human well-being and health of the planet: New IPCC report
In a biodiversity haven, mining drives highest ever recorded levels of mercury
‘There’s hope’ for North Atlantic right whales: Q&A with filmmaker Nadine Pequeneza
Malaysian officials dampen prospects for giant, secret carbon deal in Sabah
In prioritizing conservation, animal culture should be a factor, study says
Bleached reefs still support nutritious fish, study finds
The Congo Basin’s 10 most consequential stories from 2021
10 notable books on conservation and the environment published in 2021
Decline of threatened bird highlights planning importance of bison releases
Indigenous leader sues over Borneo natural capital deal
The past, present and future of the Congo peatlands: 10 takeaways from our series
Carbon and communities: The future of the Congo Basin peatlands
For Mekong officials fighting timber traffickers, a chance to level up
Holding agriculture and logging at bay in the Congo peatlands
Layers of carbon: The Congo Basin peatlands and oil
The ‘idea’: Uncovering the peatlands of the Congo Basin
Allegations of displacement, violence beleaguer Kenyan conservancy NGO
Details emerge around closed-door carbon deal in Malaysian Borneo
Bornean communities locked into 2-million-hectare carbon deal they don’t know about
Deforestation notches up along logging roads on PNG’s New Britain Island
Deforestation threatens tree kangaroo habitat in Papua New Guinea
Inland mangroves reveal a tumultuous climatic past — and hint at our future
Will ‘ropeless’ fishing gear be seaworthy in time to save endangered whales?
Humans’ role in climate warming ‘unequivocal,’ IPCC report shows
Road construction imperils tree kangaroo recovery in PNG
Scientists call for solving climate and biodiversity crises together
Science refutes United Cacao’s claim it didn’t deforest Peruvian Amazon
Protected areas now cover nearly 17% of Earth’s surface: U.N. report
Special series
Forest Trackers
- ‘We just want to be left in peace’: In Brazil’s Amazon, soy ambitions loom over Indigenous land
- Deforestation continues in Kenya’s largest water capturing forest, satellites show
- Drug trafficking imperils national park and Indigenous reserves in the Peruvian Amazon
- Indonesia’s besieged Tesso Nilo National Park hit hard by yet more deforestation, satellites show
Oceans
- Lethal or not? Australia’s beaches are a crucible for shark control methods
- Is ocean iron fertilization back from the dead as a CO₂ removal tool?
- Dominica set to open world’s first reserve centered around sperm whales
- ‘Very good progress’ but nothing firm as deep-sea mining rules are hashed out
Amazon Conservation
- Study links pesticides to child cancer deaths in Brazilian Amazon & Cerrado
- Amazon drought: Much damage still to come (commentary)
- Amazon recovery offers hope of big rewards but poses equally big challenges
- The Amazon’s archaeology of hope: Q&A with anthropologist Michael Heckenberger
Land rights and extractives
- Australia crackdown on climate protesters grows amid fight against gas project
- Study: Despite armed conflicts, Indigenous lands have better environment quality
- Indigenous community fighting a mine in Palawan wins a milestone legal verdict
- Son of slain Quilombola leader will still strive for community’s rights
Endangered Environmentalists
- Vietnamese environmentalist sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax evasion
- Son of slain Quilombola leader will still strive for community’s rights
- Video: Five Tembé Indigenous activists shot in Amazonian ‘palm oil war’
- Indigenous activists demand justice after 5 shot in Amazonian ‘palm oil war’
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- In Borneo, the ‘Power of Mama’ fight Indonesia’s wildfires with all-woman crew
- Pioneer agroforester Ermi, 73, rolls back the years in Indonesia’s Gorontalo
- After 20 years and thousands of trees planted, Kalimantan’s veteran forester persists
- Aziil Anwar, Indonesian coral-based mangrove grower, dies at 64
Conservation Effectiveness
- Forest restoration can fare better with human helping hand, study shows
- From rat-ridden to reserve, Redonda is an island restoration role model
- Video: Rice as a peace offering in India’s human-elephant conflict capital
- Group certification helps Malaysia’s Sabah aim for palm oil sustainability
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- Indonesia’s new capital ‘won’t sacrifice the environment’: Q&A with Nusantara’s Myrna Asnawati Safitri
- Small farmers in limbo as Cambodia wavers on Tonle Sap conservation rules
- To build its ‘green’ capital city, Indonesia runs a road through a biodiverse forest
- Robust river governance key to restoring Mekong River vitality in face of dams