From personal blog to global environmental news service with over 10 million monthly visitors, we speak with Conservation Hero and Mongabay Editor-in-Chief Rhett Butler.
Rhett founded Mongabay in 1999 with the mission of raising interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife. For the first ten years he operated Mongabay on his own, publishing thousands of stories and tens of thousands of photos.
With four bureaus and a network of around 800 correspondents in 70 countries, they pursue stories ranging from conventional news articles to deeply-reported investigative projects. In 2020 they launched in Hindi, increasing their reach to an additional 600 million people and 17% of the world's population.
From his childhood visits to jungles to breaking a story on United Cacao illegally clearing land in the Peruvian Amazon, Rhett shares his thoughts on President-Elect Bidens election win, the importance of environmental journalism, and offers advice for young people seeking a career in conservation.
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