Mongabay
| Mongabay.com | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Web address | http://www.mongabay.com |
| Commercial? | Yes |
Type of site | Online Magazine |
| Registration | N/A |
| Owner | Rhett Ayers Butler |
| Launched | 1999 |
Mongabay.com is a web site that publishes news on environmental science, energy, and green design, and features extensive information on tropical rainforests, including pictures and deforestation statistics for countries of the world. It was founded in 1999 by economist Rhett Ayers Butler in order to increase "interest in and appreciation of wildlands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging local and global trends in technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development".[1]
History
Etymology
Rhett A. Butler, the founder of the website, explains that "mongabay" originated from an anglicized spelling and pronunciation of Nosy Mangabe, an island off the coast of Madagascar. He goes on to note that it is best known as "a preserve for the Aye-aye, a rare and unusual lemur famous for its bizarre appearance".
Recognition
In 2008 Mongabay was named one of the top fifteen environmental websites by Time.[2]
Business model
Mongabay.com is independent and unaffiliated with any organization. The site has been used as an information source by CNN, CBS, the Discovery Channel, NBC, UPI, Yahoo!, and other such outlets.
Revenue
All of mongabay.com's content is free thanks to the 1.3 million unique visitors per month as of January 2008. Butler says that the traffic brings the site $15,000 to $18,000 a month from AdSense.[3]
Non-profit
In 2012, Butler launched mongabay.org, a 501(c)(3) organization, to support Mongabay's education program and non-English reporting initiatives.[4]
Publications
Academic journals
Mongabay.com publishes the Tropical Conservation Science, a peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal on the conservation of tropical forests and of other tropical ecosystems.[5] Since its inception in 2008, it has four issues a year, in March, June, September, and December. It used to provide opportunities for scientists in developing countries to publish their research in their native languages, but as of September 2012, Tropical Conservation Science publishes papers only in English.[6]
Other websites
On May 19, 2012, Mongabay.com launched an Indonesian language affiliate at mongabay.co.id.
References
- ↑ About Mongabay.com. Who is mongabay.com?
- ↑ Roston, Eric (17 April 2008). "Green Website: Mongabay". Time.
- ↑ Spors, Kelly K. (15 January 2008). "New Services Help Bloggers Bring in Ad Revenue". Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Butler, Rhett K. (27 December 2012). "Mongabay.org".
- ↑ Butler, Rhett. "Mongabay.com". Editorial Affiliates. Environmental News Network.
- ↑ "About Tropical Conservation Science". Tropical Conservation Science.