Environmental news site mongabay wins major international journalism awards for groundbreaking amazon investigation

Mongabay, a leading environmental news organization, has been recognized with multiple prestigious international journalism awards in 2025 for its innovative multimedia storytelling approach. The organization’s diverse content portfolio—spanning immersive audio series on bioacoustics, comprehensive visual investigations into organized crime, and videos documenting Indigenous cultural revival—demonstrates its commitment to making high-quality environmental reporting accessible through various media formats.

The standout achievement came from Mongabay Latam, which secured two major honors: first place in the Global Shining Light Award’s large outlet category and top recognition for digital storytelling in the Future of Media award. Both awards recognized the same groundbreaking investigation titled “Indigenous Leaders Killed as Narco Airstrips Cut Into Their Amazon Territories.” This comprehensive exposé revealed that 67 illegal airstrips have been carved into Peru’s Amazon rainforest specifically for drug trafficking operations.

The investigation exemplified cutting-edge environmental journalism by combining satellite imagery analysis with artificial intelligence to identify potential airstrip locations. The reporting team then spent an entire year conducting interviews with more than 60 sources and traveling to remote Amazon regions to verify their findings on the ground. Their work uncovered a disturbing pattern: at least three reserves designated for Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation have been compromised by six illegal airstrips, highlighting the deadly intersection between narcotrafficking and environmental destruction in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.

Additionally, Mongabay journalist Malavika Vyawahare received individual recognition as one of 12 recipients of the 2025 Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership (SEAL) award, further cementing the organization’s reputation for excellence in environmental journalism.