Environmental video stories showcase solutions and community action across the globe

The Mongabay Video Team made 2025 a landmark year for environmental storytelling, shifting focus toward solution-oriented journalism that highlights communities and individuals making tangible differences for wildlife, ecosystems, and climate action. Through partnerships with the Solutions Journalism Network, the team moved beyond simply documenting environmental problems to showcase real-world answers and innovations.

This approach led to groundbreaking content, including powerful documentaries like “Yaku Raymi: The Quechua Ritual to Save a Glacier” and “The Clearing: Young Activists Risk All to Defend Cambodia’s Environment.” The team also launched new series such as “Wild Targets” and “Against All Odds,” while collaborating with the Associated Press on a compelling story about women revitalizing Aztec floating farms in Mexico City. Their investigative work earned recognition when “The Price of Europe’s Paper Packaging Boom” won first prize at the Hostwriter Creators 2025 competition.

The year’s most-watched videos reflect this curious, eye-opening approach to environmental journalism. Among the top performers was a “Wild Targets” episode exploring why India’s red sand boa—a harmless, non-venomous snake—has become one of the country’s most trafficked species due to myths and superstitions surrounding the animal.

These success stories demonstrate growing audience appetite for environmental content that goes beyond doom-and-gloom narratives. By highlighting creative solutions and community-driven conservation efforts, Mongabay’s video team is helping viewers understand that positive environmental action is happening worldwide, often in surprising and inspiring ways.