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In Indonesia’s South Sorong, Indigenous youth and women are turning an ancestral staple into higher-value food products while rebuilding forests and a restorative economy. — By Yunes Bonay In Singapore, sago is more familiar in desserts than as a story about forests, food resilience or Indigenous identity. Yet as consumers look beyond gluten-free labels to ask where ingredients come from and who benefits, this humble starch may have more to offer than texture.

Orangutans are running out of forest, and out of time. Here’s what we can do to ensure they don’t go extinct. –– After humans, orangutans are among the most intelligent beings on Earth. They are self-aware, sentient persons, and as such they deeply feel loss and grief. Sharing 97% of our DNA, they are one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. That shared DNA shows up in surprising ways, from problem-solving and their use of tools to their social bonds and even their sense of humor.

The lagoon of Mayotte is one of the largest and most biodiverse in the Indian Ocean. Yet many young people growing up along its shores have never ventured beneath its surface. Through the “Ambassadeurs du Lagon”program, their first encounters with the underwater world become the beginning of a deeper understanding of why this exceptional ecosystem deserves to be protected. — In Mayotte, the sea is everywhere.

“This month’s UN Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of Parties in Mongolia marks an opportunity for countries to fight the growting threat of invasive species on rangelands,” writes Dereje Tadesse Wakjira, Director of the IGAD Center for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development.

As illegal gold mining destroys thousands of hectares of Ghanaian forest, a new EU deforestation law aims to clean up the chocolate supply chain. Yet with gold exempt from the same rules, experts warn the regulation risks overburdening smallholders while failing to stop environmental destruction. — At daybreak in Begoro, in Ghana’s Eastern Region, Sammy Takyi walks slowly between rows of young cocoa trees. The soil is still cool.

On World Elephant Day on August 12, Wildlife SOS is reminding the world that rescuing India’s captive elephants is only the first step. — The lifelong journey of healing requires constant innovation, collaboration and an unwavering commitment to exceptional care.

The garden has evolved: what was once a hobby is now “punk horticulture.” And after reading this new book, springing from a collaboration between an artist and a rocker who share a love of revitalizing natural cityscapes, you will never think of urban gardening the same way.

The Pollinator District framework is a community planning model that integrates pollinator habitat, native landscaping, sustainable design, research and public education into real estate development to support bees, butterflies and other critical species. — By Kyle Harris Across North America, pollinator populations are in decline. Scientists continue to document the threat to bees, butterflies and other pollinators that support ecosystems, biodiversity and food production.

Since the advent of modern renewables, producers have faced the question of how energy produced when the sun shines can be used when it doesn’t. Now, technical innovations are giving new life to an older storage technology that uses compressed air. — Skyrocketing energy demand sparked in large part by the construction of new data centers, along with massive solar and wind installations to power them, have created a booming market for energy storage.

For decades, US service members and airport communities were exposed to cancer-causing “forever chemicals” – and the battle for cleanup is just beginning. — By Sharon Udasin and Andrea K. Gerlak This article is part of a series exploring the dangers of PFAS, policy developments and how communities around the US are responding to the threat. Check out part 1: Inside the Citizen-Led Battle Against Toxic PFAS Injustice.