Rhett A. Butler

Rhett Butler is the founder and chief executive officer of Mongabay.

Tropical sunset over the sea in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Environment

The Tropics Are in Trouble

Plants and animals in the tropics are threatened by a range of issues, warn researchers writing in the journal Nature.

Deforestation around Igarapé Lage, in Rondônia, Brazil.
Environment

The Planet Now Has More Trees Than It Did 35 Years Ago

Tree cover loss in the tropics was outweighed by tree cover gain in subtropical, temperate, boreal, and polar regions.

A school of fish pass over a coral reef at Hanauma Bay on January 15th, 2005, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Environment

This Satellite-Based Monitoring System Could Be a Game-Changer for Coral Reef Conservation

An innovative monitoring system would allow researchers, policymakers, and environmentalists to track reef damaging events across the globe in near-real time.