Investigative reporting

A seafood company that works in Madagascar’s waters channeled money through offshore accounts, raising the possibility of lost taxes for one of the world’s poorest countries.
Shrimp magnates use tax havens
Rampant industrial longlining by Chinese vessels raises questions about transparency and justice for small-scale fishers.
China quietly exploits Malagasy waters
Rosewood is the world’s most trafficked form of wildlife. What will it take to stop the illegal trade? A cross-continental investigation.
From African forest to Chinese foyer

Watchdog journalism

Thousands have died trying to reach the island of Mayotte, a French territory. Those that make it are forced to live precariously.
France unwelcoming to migrants in the Indian Ocean
Union-busting at the country’s main port leaves workers struggling for their rights.
Madagascar’s forgotten workers
The battle to control a deadly epidemic in the Indian Ocean region.
Inside a modern-day plague outbreak

Edward Carver is a staff writer at Mongabay. He’s served as a staff writer at Common Dreams and a contributor to The Associated Press, The Guardian and Le Monde. He has a master’s in journalism from New York University and lives in Portland, Maine. He first reported for Mongabay from Madagascar, where he was based for many years.

Contact: esc.carver[at]gmail.com

Oceans reporting

New findings reveal the lack of enforcement of marine protected areas in Europe and beyond.
Rampant illegal trawling in the Mediterranean
A crucial sandbank in the North Sea finally got protection from bottom trawling. How can more MPAs get real protection?
 
Avoiding paper parks: a victory in the UK carries lessons
Agribusinesses push for federal waters to be opened to industrial aquaculture, but activists argue that Big Ag has already done enough damage on land.
Activists oppose industrial fish farming in U.S. waters

Forests reporting

Tsaratanana Reserve is part of the largest connected forest in the country. Now slash-and-burn agriculture for marijuana cultivation poses a grave threat.
Marijuana farming whittling away Madagascar’s largest forest
The fires threaten endangered species and hurt the crop yields of local farmers around Ankarafantsika, a unique dry forest.
Fires ravage a Malagasy national park
Slash-and-burn farming has caused a surge of deforestation in the tropical rainforests of eastern Madagascar.
Island’s eastern rainforests under threat

Science reporting

Emerging wood identification techniques could slow down timber trafficking.
Saving rosewood starts in the lab
Conservationists seek to eradicate a deadly Asian invader that could threaten wildlife on one of the planet’s most biodiverse islands.
Is it too late to stop an invasive toad?
Efforts to curb aviation emissions remain stuck on the runway.
Too much air time

Reportage de Madagascar en français

Une entreprise singapourienne est en train de mettre en exploitation une mine de terres rares dans la péninsule d’Ampasindava. Ce serait la première mine de ce genre à Madagascar.
Une entreprise dans la tourmente cherche à exploiter des terres rares
Les Ismail père et fils, “rois des gambas” dans la Grande Ile, ont recours à des circuits financiers offshore pour les milllions de dollars tires de l’exportations des crustacés.
La crevette, cet « or rose » dont Madagascar ne voit pas la couleur
Une société minière australienne prévoit débuter bientôt son projet d’exploitation de sables minéraux, mais es groupes d’opposition locaux ont réclamé l’abandon de ce projet.
Un projet d’exploitation déclenche des manifs et divise la communauté

Arguments

The fracking boom has created a glut of cheap plastics that will cause untold environmental damage. Ethical shopping won’t solve the problem.
The plastic problem, the neoliberal solution
On class and age divisions in the Democratic Party following the 2020 primary.
How class affects perceptions of the politically possible
A comparison of the Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion. Both have used direct action to capture media attention, but they have different approaches to politics.
Beyond protest: isn’t climate activism inherently political?

Reviews

A review of Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World by Jason Hickel.
For how long must the economy grow?

A review of Solidarity by Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor.
On solidarity and charity
A review of Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real LIberatalia by David Graeber.
Decolonizing the Enlightenment: pirate politics in the Indian Ocean

Interviews

The Seattle-based songwriter, known as Pedro the Lion, has never hidden his evolving religious and political convictions.
David Bazan spreads the word
Does U.S. law allow billionaires to control money — and exercise power — that rightfully belongs to the general public? A discussion about philanthropy and democracy.
Philanthropy as state-sponsored empire building
Getting together for gigs with one of New York’s most unique expat communities.
The Malagasy underground