Rhett Ayers Butler
American writer and businessman (born 1978)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Rhett Ayers Butler | |
|---|---|
Butler in 2023 | |
| Born | 1978 (age 47–48) United States |
| Alma mater | University of California, San Diego (BSc) |
| Organisation | Mongabay |
| Known for | Conservation science, Environmental journalism |
| Awards | Parker-Gentry Award, Heinz Award |
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] the Heinz Award for the Environment in 2022,[7] the Henry Shaw Medal from the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2025,[8] and being named to the Forbes Sustainability Leaders List in 2025.[9]
Education and career
Butler studied Management Science and Economics University of California, San Diego, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree.[10]
In 1999 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.[11] Mongabay.org was established in 2012 as the non-profit arm of Mongabay[12] and its first project with Mongabay-Indonesia, an Indonesian-language environmental news service.[13] Butler has served as CEO since inception.[14]
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,[15] Malaysia, Borneo, the Amazon rainforest, and Madagascar.
In 2011 Butler published Rainforests, a book geared toward kids.[16][non-primary source needed]
Research
Butler has co-authored more than 20 academic papers in publications ranging from Science[17] to Trends in Ecology & Evolution.[18] These papers have usually focused on trends in deforestation and tropical forest conservation,[19] public interest in conservation,[20] conservation practice,[21] palm oil,[22] and conservation technology.[23]
Philip Jacobson arrest
Awards
- Parker-Gentry Award from the Field Museum of Natural History[26]
- SEAL Environmental Journalism Award, 2021[6]
- 27th Annual Heinz Award for the Environment, 2022[7]
- Henry Shaw Medal from the Missouri Botanical Garden, 2025[8]
- Tällberg‑SNF‑Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, 2025[27]