Mongabay Style Guide

Mongabay bureaus

The name of the different Mongabay bureaus does not have a hyphen. Therefore, you'll write Mongabay India, and not Mongabay-India; Mongabay Latam, and not Mongabay-Latam, etc.

Place names & Geographic issues

These are mostly geopolitical issues with little or no environmental overlap, but which can spark debate that distracts from the issues we cover. Regarding places in dispute or places with two names: don’t give recommendations, explain the place has two names and redirect readers to a website with this info.

Take an international perspective to a local story. Don’t use the Northern Hemisphere’s “four seasons” to mark time. The study will conclude in July is more specific than the study will conclude this summer. July is the coldest time of year across a wide swath of the Southern Hemisphere.

Species

Give the binomial name in parentheses at the first reference of a species in a story (or the next reference if the first reference is in the opening sentence): Jaguar (Panthera onca).

If the species has a local name, refer to this too and use it interchangeably with the more common name. Italicize non-English names on first reference only: the Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), commonly known in the region as the boto. Don’t italicize if the non-English name is the commonly used name, e.g. muntjac; sambar.

It’s often relevant to note a species’ conservation status based on the IUCN Red List. Don’t capitalize these. Also, don’t conflate endangered with threatened. Threatened covers three statuses: vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered.

Avoid the terms Old World species and New World species. Be specific about a particular animal or plant’s range.

Climate change

Don’t conflate climate change with weather. A heat wave or a cold front aren’t examples of climate change; they’re examples of climate change impacts.

Likewise, don’t conflate climate change with global warming. The warming of the atmosphere by rising levels of greenhouse gases is what’s driving changes in the climate.

The expression global heating used to be considered alarmist and counterproductive to getting more people to reading about the issue. But in light of how quickly the problem has escalated, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’s declaration of “global boiling,” global heating seems more than appropriate for use.

CO2 isn’t the only greenhouse gas; methane is another important GHG. When writing about emissions, unless the data refer specifically to CO2, be sure to note this (usually denoted by the unit metric tons of CO2e, or CO2 equivalent).

Race and gender identity

In general, if a story needs to include a description of an individual’s race/ethnicity, try to be specific: a Hausa herder; a Senegalese farmer; a Dayak hunter, etc.

Avoid the term people of color. Describe an individual on their own terms.

Always capitalize Indigenous when referring to people, their territory, culture, traditions, etc. No need to capitalize when writing about indigenous species.

In the U.S. context, use Native Americans in general, but better to specify a nation or tribe. Same goes for the Canadian context (First Nations) and Australian context (Aboriginal).

Some Brazil stories may have quotes referring to Índios (“Indians”), but this expression is becoming increasingly outdated. If you encounter such a quote, best to paraphrase and use the term Indigenous people (Povos Indígenas).

Write out Indigenous peoples and local communities in full the first time before using the acronym IPLCs.

Use the preferred gender pronouns of individuals written about in stories. Make it a habit to ask them at the start of an interview.

Aim for gender-neutral terms for job positions, such as spokesperson, chair, fisher, etc.

Acronyms and abbreviations

APIB - Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (An umbrella group for Indigenous associations in Brazil)

CONAIE - Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador (An umbrella group for Indigenous associations in Ecuador)

CONFENIAE - Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (An umbrella group for Indigenous associations in the Ecuadorian Amazon)

Funai - National Indigenous Foundation (The Indigenous affairs agency)

IBAMA - Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (The environmental protection agency) 

CONAP - National Council of Protected Areas (The protected areas agency)

Sernanp - National Service of Natural Protected Areas (The protected areas agency)

ICMBio - Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (The environment ministry’s conservation arm)

CAR - Rural Environmental Registry (A self-declaratory land registry)

IPAM - Amazon Environmental Research Institute

ISA - Instituto Socioambiental (A group that advocates for Indigenous and environmental rights)

MST - Landless Workers Movement

INCRA - National Institute for Agrarian Reform and Colonization (The national land reform agency)

SINAP - National System of Protected Areas (The protected areas agency)

IDEAM - Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (The environment ministry’s research arm)

INPE - National Institute for Space Research (Brazil’s national space agency)

FIOCRUZ

Oswaldo Cruz Foundation

A leading public health research institution

IBGE

Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics

Matopiba

Border region straddling the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia

Amacro

Border region straddling the states of Amazonas, Acre and Rondônia

Embrapa

Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (affiliated with the agriculture ministry)

STF

Supreme Federal Court

CENAP

National Center for Research and Conservation of Carnivorous Mammals

CIMI

Indigenist Missionary Council

A Catholic Church-affiliated group advocating for Indigenous rights

CPT

Pastoral Land Commission

An arm of Brazil’s Catholic Church that advocates for rural land rights

ANM

National Mining Agency

AMLD

Golden Lion Tamarin Association

CPB

National Center for Brazilian Primate Research and Conservation

DNIT

National Department of Transportation Infrastructure

MPF

Federal Public Ministry

The federal prosecution service

MPE

State Public Ministry

The state prosecution service

SEMA

State Environment Secretariat

The state environmental agency

APA

Environmental Protection Area

ICAS

Institute for the Conservation of Wild Animals

Resex

Extractive Reserve

CNS

National Council of Extractivist Populations

PRODES

Project for Monitoring Deforestation in the Legal Amazon

A satellite-based deforestation monitoring program for the Brazilian Amazon

DETER

Real-time Deforestation Detection System

A satellite-based deforestation monitoring system

COIAB

Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon

An umbrella group for Indigenous associations in the Brazilian Amazon

CETAS - Wild Animal Screening Center

CRAS - Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center

CETRAS - Wild Animal Screening and Rehabilitation Center

MAAP - Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project

Idesam - Institute of Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon

ABIOVE - Brazilian Vegetable Oil Industries Association