Mongabay.com is a web site that publishes news on environmental science

Environmental science

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...

, energy

Energy

In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...

 and green design, and features extensive information on tropical rainforests, including pictures and deforestation

Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....

 statistics for countries of the world. Founded in 1999 by Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com's stated mission is "to raise interest in and appreciation of wildlands and wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....

, while examining the impact of emerging local and global trends in technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development."

Mongabay.com is independent and not affiliated with any other organization. The site has been used as an information source by CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

, CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

, the Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...

, NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

, UPI, Yahoo, and other outlets. In 2008 Mongabay was named one of the top fifteen environmental websites by Time

Time (magazine)

Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

.

All of mongabay.com's content is available free of charge.

Origin of 'mongabay'

Butler, the site's founder, explained the origin of the name "mongabay" in an article on the site: "The name is derived from an anglicized spelling and pronunciation of an island off Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

, Nosy Mangabe

Nosy Mangabe

Nosy Mangabe is a small island reserve located in Antongil Bay about 2 km offshore from the town of Maroantsetra in eastern Madagascar. 520ha in size, it is accessible by small boat and is part of the larger Masoala National Park complex. It is a tropical rainforest preserve and sanctuary for...

. Nosy Mangabe is best known as a preserve for the Aye-aye

Aye-aye

The aye-aye is a lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth and a special thin middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker...

, a rare and unusual lemur

Lemur

Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...

famous for its bizarre appearance."

External links

• Mongabay - Homepage
• Mongabay Kids - Homepage
• Mongabay in non-English languages
• A site of inspiration Profile of mongabay.com appearing on sfgate.com
• Web Site Brings Attention to Wildlife and Wild Places Profile of mongabay.com appearing on Voice of America News