Rhett Ayers Butler Explained

Rhett Ayers Butler
Birth Place:United States
Alma Mater:University of California, San Diego (BSc)
Organisation:Mongabay
Known For:Conservation science, Environmental journalism
Awards:Parker-Gentry Award, Heinz Award

Rhett Ayers Butler (born 1978)[1] is an American journalist, author and entrepreneur who founded Mongabay, a conservation and environmental science news platform, in 1999.[2]

Butler founded Mongabay out of his interest in nature and wildlife.[3] The name "mongabay" originated from an anglicized spelling and pronunciation of Nosy Mangabe, an island off the coast of Madagascar.[4]

Butler has received multiple conservation, environmental, and journalism awards including the Parker-Gentry Award from the Field Museum of Natural History[5] in 2014, the SEAL Environmental Journalism Award in 2021,[6] and the Heinz Award for the Environment in 2022.[7]

Education and career

Butler studied Management Science and Economics University of California, San Diego, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree.[8]

In 2012 Butler founded Mongabayorg Corporation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Menlo Park, California that raises awareness about social and environmental issues relating to forests and other ecosystems.[9] Mongabay.org was established in 2012 as the non-profit arm of Mongabay[10] and its first project with Mongabay-Indonesia, an Indonesian-language environmental news service.[11] Butler has served as CEO since inception.[12]

Reporting focus

Butler's reporting has focused on environmental issues in the tropics, especially topics related to forests, like biodiversity, conservation, and deforestation. He's done extensive reporting in Indonesia,[13] Malaysia, Borneo, the Amazon rainforest, and Madagascar.

In 2011 Butler published Rainforests, a book geared toward kids.[14]

Research

Butler has co-authored more than 20 academic papers in publications ranging from Science[15] to Trends in Ecology & Evolution.[16] These papers have usually focused on trends in deforestation and tropical forest conservation,[17] public interest in conservation,[18] conservation practice,[19] palm oil,[20] and conservation technology.[21]

Philip Jacobson arrest

Butler played a prominent role in the effort to free American journalist Philip Jacobson after his detention on 17 December 2019 on an alleged visa violation.[22] Jacobson was released without charge on 31 January 2020.[23]

Awards

Notes and References

  1. News: Guynn . Jessica . A site of inspiration . 2024-01-20 . SFGATE . en.
  2. News: Meehan . Emily . 6 September 2006 . Not Letting Success Get to Your Head . The Wall Street Journal. https://web.archive.org/web/20220214101944/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115705554512950899 . 14 February 2022 .
  3. News: Butler. Rhett. A lucky child: Mongabay's origin story. Mongabay News. 18 November 2018.
  4. News: Wood. Barbara. How a curious kid from Atherton started and grew a global environmental news site. Almanac News. 8 November 2017.
  5. Web site: 2020-02-21 . 2014 Rhett Butler Parker/Gentry Award . 2024-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200221070101/https://parkergentry.fieldmuseum.org/2014 . 21 February 2020 .
  6. Web site: Harney . Matt . 2021-02-17 . 2020 Environmental Journalism Award Winners Announced . 2024-01-20 . SEAL Awards . en-US.
  7. Web site: Heinz Awards – Rhett Ayers Butler.
  8. Web site: Rhett Ayers Butler Bio – Rhett Ayers Butler . 2024-01-20 . www.butlernature.com . en-US.
  9. Web site: Wayback Machine . 2024-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180709215704/https://www.guidestar.org/report/chartingimpact/670781238/mongabayorg-corporation.pdf . 9 July 2018 .
  10. News: Butler . Rhett Ayers . 29 October 2013 . Shifting to a non-profit model for environmental news reporting . Mongabay.
  11. News: Sagita . Dessy . Environmental Portal Launches in Indonesia . Jakarta Globe. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305032241/http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/archive/environmental-portal-launches-in-indonesia/ . 5 March 2016 .
  12. Butler, Rhett. "How Mongabay grew from a guy in his pajamas to a multinational media organization", Mongabay.com, 1 January 2019. Retrieved on 17 February 2021.
  13. Web site: 2012-06-12 . Satellites Help Save Indonesian Forests . 2024-01-20 . Voice of America . en.
  14. Web site: About Mongabay.com . 2024-01-20 . data.mongabay.com.
  15. Burivalova. Zuzana. Game. Eddie. Butler. Rhett. The sound of a tropical forest. Science. 4 January 2019. 363. 6422. 28–29. 10.1126/science.aav1902. 30606831 . 2019Sci...363...28B . 57600432 .
  16. Butler. Rhett. Laurance. William. New strategies for conserving tropical forests. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 24 July 2008. 23 . 9 . 469–472 . 10.1016/j.tree.2008.05.006. 18656280 .
  17. Ghazoul. J. Butler. R. Mateo-Vega. J. Koh. L.P.. REDD: a reckoning of environment and development implications. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 22 April 2010. 25. 7. 396–402. 10.1016/j.tree.2010.03.005. 20417579.
  18. Burivalova. Zuzana. Butler. Rhett. Wilcove. David. Analyzing Google search data to debunk myths about the public's interest in conservation. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 9 October 2018. 16 . 9 . 509–514 . 10.1002/fee.1962. 91865977 . free.
  19. Sodhi. Navjot. Butler. Rhettt. Laurance. William. Gibson. Luke. Conservation successes at micro, meso and macro scales. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 1 November 2011. 26. 11. 585–594. 10.1016/j.tree.2011.07.002. 21824677 .
  20. Butler. Rhett. Laurance. William F.. Is oil palm the next emerging threat to the Amazon?. Tropical Conservation Science. 1 March 2009. 2. 1. 1–10 . 10.1177/194008290900200102. free.
  21. Web site: Mongabay.com . 2024-01-20 . Mongabay.com.
  22. News: Paddock. Richard. American Journalist Is Arrested in Indonesia Over Visa Issue. The New York Times. 22 January 2020.
  23. News: Paddock. Richard. Indonesia Deports U.S. Journalist Jailed Over Visa Issue. The New York Times. 1 February 2020.
  24. Field Museum "Parker/Gentry Award", Retrieved on 14 January 2021
  25. Web site: Harney . Matt . 2021-02-17 . 2020 Environmental Journalism Award Winners Announced . 2024-01-20 . SEAL Awards . en-US.
  26. Web site: Heinz Awards – Rhett Ayers Butler.

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