Mongabay reveals 2025’s most popular environmental podcast episodes: from african conservation violence to whale communication

As 2025 comes to a close, environmental journalism platform Mongabay has released its list of the year’s most engaging podcast episodes, drawn from over 40 interviews featuring researchers, conservationists, and environmental advocates. The top-performing episodes, measured by listener retention, tackle some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing humanity today.

Leading the list is a hard-hitting investigation into violence within Africa’s conservation efforts. Mongabay writer Ashoka Mukpo explored allegations of extrajudicial killings by park rangers at Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, where suspected bushmeat poachers have reportedly been targeted. This episode gains particular urgency as African nations plan to establish an additional one million square miles of protected areas. “The amount of violence and aggressive enforcement has led to a lot of mistrust,” Mukpo explains, highlighting a troubling contradiction in conservation efforts.

Other standout episodes include Yale University historian Sunil Amrith’s analysis of current “planetary risks” through an environmental history lens, offering listeners insights into how past crises can inform our understanding of today’s unique environmental challenges. The podcast also featured groundbreaking research on whale conservation through acoustic monitoring, demonstrating how listening to these marine mammals’ extremely low-frequency communications is crucial for their protection.

These listener favorites represent Mongabay’s commitment to covering diverse environmental stories, from the complexities of conservation enforcement to cutting-edge research methods, providing audiences with both critical analysis and hope for environmental solutions.