Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Amid the calls of gibbons and the whir of drones scanning forest canopies, a quieter crisis is unfolding within the ranks of those trying to save nature. Conservationists, often seen as tireless stewards of the planet’s dwindling biodiversity, are burning out. In some cases, they are breaking down. And with disturbing regularity, social media feeds are peppered with tragic news of conservation professionals who have taken their own lives. Yet data on suicide within the field is scarce, both due to stigma and the sector’s fragmented structure. A study published in Conservation Biology in 2023 surveyed more than 2,300 conservation professionals across 122 countries, offering one of the first comprehensive glimpses into the sector’s mental health. More than a quarter of respondents scored in the moderate-to-severe range for psychological distress. Women, early-career professionals, those with poor physical health, and those lacking social support were particularly at risk. The study’s authors, led by Thomas Pienkowski of Imperial College London and the University of Oxford in the U.K., emphasize that psychological distress does not equate to mental illness, but high levels can signal serious well-being concerns. Conservation work blends passion with precarity. Many are drawn to the field by a sense of duty or love of nature, but are often greeted by underfunding, job insecurity and poor institutional support. The vocational allure of saving the planet is sometimes exploited through long hours, unpaid labor or…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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