Mongabay Newscast

Across Mediterranean Europe, olive groves are in decline from a range of factors, from disease to depopulation. In Italy alone, there are roughly 440 million abandoned olive trees, and the ecological, cultural and socioeconomic impacts from the loss are devastating, explains the latest guest on the Mongabay Newscast. Still, solutions exist to help turn the tide of this under-discussed problem.
Federica Romano is the program coordinator and UNESCO Chair on Agricultural Heritage Landscapes at the University of Florence. On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast she discusses the drivers of the degradation and abandonment of olive groves, how ecological factors and human-induced climate change exacerbate these, and the consequences for biodiversity and wildlife in Europe, where olive oil isn't just an economic institution, but also a significant cultural one.
"Olive groves hold [a] deep cultural significance that goes far beyond agriculture [and] food production across Europe," she says. "Olive trees have symbolized peace, resilience and continuity through thousands of years, appearing in religious contexts, but also in arts and historical narratives."
The Mongabay Newscast is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify, and previous episodes are also accessible at our website's podcast page.
Please take a minute to let us know what you think of our podcast, here.
Mike DiGirolamo is the host & producer for the Mongabay Newscast based in Sydney. Find him on LinkedIn and Bluesky.
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Timecodes
(00:00) Intro
(01:52) The degradation and abandonment of olive groves
(03:27) Ecological and cultural importance
(07:14) Rural depopulation
(11:00) Environmental threats to olive groves
(15:32) Solutions and adoption schemes
(17:29) Agroforestry and agroecology solutions
(24:03) Fake olive oil
(25:40) How you can help

Professional drag artist and environmental activist Pattie Gonia has more than 2 million followers on Instagram and has raised $1.2 million for environmental nonprofits by hiking 100 miles, or 160 kilometers, in full drag into San Francisco. She has gained international recognition for using drag artistry to advocate for the environment, in acknowledgment and celebration of hundreds of researchers and scientists in the field who identify as queer.
She joins Mongabay's podcast to explain why joy is a fundamental ingredient missing in the environmental advocacy space, how she prioritizes it in her work as a drag performer and activist, and why she feels the environmental movement must prioritize it to succeed.
"If we want people to join this movement, we have to make it freaking fun," she says.
The Mongabay Newscast is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify, and previous episodes are also accessible at our website's podcast page.
Please take a minute to let us know what you think of our podcast, here.
Hear our top 10 most listened to podcasts from 2025, here.
Image Credit: Pattie Gonia. Image courtesy of Pattie Gonia.
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Timecodes
(00:00) Hiking 100 miles in drag for the climate
(04:50) The origins of Pattie Gonia
(12:53) Looking at science through a lens of humanity
(16:38) On drag artistry and nature
(21:10) Bridging the gap between culture and nature
(26:19) What can we build instead of burn?
(35:22) "We have to make it freaking fun"

Judith Enck is a former regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, appointed by President Barack Obama, and the founder of Beyond Plastics, an organization dedicated to eradicating plastic pollution worldwide. She joins Mongabay's podcast to discuss how governments can implement policies to turn off the tap on plastic pollution, which harms human health and devastates our ecological systems — solutions she outlines in her new book with co-author Adam Mahoney, The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It's Too Late.
"We now have all of this evidence. We have no choice but to act. Because who's going to stand by and let us turn the ocean into a watery landfill? Who's going to stand by and read health study after health study about microplastics in our brains and breast milk and testicles? Not taking action is not an option," she says.
Image credit: Judith Enck holding a copy of The Problem with Plastic. Image by Jerrick Mitra
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Timecodes
(00:00) The Problem with plastic
(02:55) Unpacking the plastic recycling myth
(08:31) Health impacts of plastic pollution
(12:43) Government and policy solutions
(31:43) Individual actions
(37:22) Plastic pollution and wildlife impacts
(45:52) Plastics and climate change

Gregg Treinish didn't start out as an outdoor enthusiast, but found solace and purpose in nature during his youth. After years of enjoying the outdoors, he was left feeling a need to give something back to the world.
He found fulfillment by using his passion for outdoor adventures to gather critical data that researchers need for conservation and scientific research. That's how his nonprofit organization, Adventure Scientists, came to be.
"We harness the collective power of the tens of thousands of people that are outside every day — who love the outdoors and have a passion for exploring the outdoors — and we give them real scientific missions that they can do while they're out there that benefit conservation," Treinish says.
The Mongabay Newscast is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify, and previous episodes are also accessible at our website's podcast page.
Please take a minute to let us know what you think of our podcast, here.
Image Credit: Gregg Treinish in the Oakavango. Photo courtesy of Adventure Scientists
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Timecodes
(00:00) From "at-risk-youth" to conservation professional
(19:03) Current initiatives and future plans
(26:25) Studying killer whales
(29:15) Tracking white bark pine
(32:12) Antibiotic resistance research
(35:55) Empowering people to make an impact

Mongabay senior editor Philip Jacobson joins Mongabay's podcast to discuss a two-part investigation about how state governments in Brazil have been procuring shark meat — which is high in mercury and arsenic — and serving it to potentially millions of children and citizens via thousands of schools and public institutions. With Mongabay's Karla Mendes and Pulitzer's Kuang Keng Kuek Ser, Jacobson spent a year digging into public databases of government shark meat orders, called tenders.
 "It's quite widespread," Jacobson says. "We found shark meat tenders in 10 states and shark meat being served or being procured for more than 500 municipalities."
Government nutritionists were also found to be recommending shark meat for school lunches because it has no bones, and even when one school official raised concerns about heavy metal contamination in the meat, her concerns were not heeded. Critics' concerns extend beyond vulnerable populations like schoolkids, too, since shark is also on the menus of public institutions like homeless shelters, maternity wards and elder care centers.
But since the investigation was released, one lawmaker has called for a parliamentary hearing to discuss the findings.
The Mongabay Newscast is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify, and previous episodes are also accessible at our website's podcast page.
Please take a minute to let us know what you think of our podcast, here.
Image Credit: A blue shark (Prionace glauca). Image courtesy of Ellen Cuylaerts/Ocean Image Bank.
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Timecodes
(00:00) Millions of Brazilians fed shark meat
(12:33) Impacts from Mongabay's investigation
(24:29) Marine related issues flying under the radar
(27:13) Why Phil chose investigative reporting
(32:40) The GIJN conference