Ritual technology
A $100 million gift for national parks in America
The US National Park Service will receive the largest grant in its history, allowing it to protect fragile ecosystems across more than 400 national park sites. The funding will support a range of priority initiatives, including restoring coral reefs at Biscayne National Park in Florida and recovering trout species in western national parks. AP
Senegal park removed from List of World Heritage in Danger
Over the past seven years, Niokolo-Koba National Park has made an incredible turnaround thanks to an ambitious action plan to combat wildlife depletion, poaching, and mining on site. The park’s gallery forests and savannahs are home to a wealth of wildlife, such as giant elands, lions, and large populations of elephants, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. UNESCO
Did we actually manage to save the whales?
After 80 years of managing global whale populations, the International Whaling Commission may have put itself out of a job. Thanks to its groundbreaking agreement for a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1985, the populations of many whale species are rebounding. 'By exiting with dignity, the IWC would set a powerful example for the international environmental community.' Nature
A land management scheme is helping wildlife in the UK
Since it was introduced in 2021, Britain's environmental land management scheme has paid farmers for planting hedges, sowing wildflowers, and leaving corners of their land wild for nature. And it’s worked! The populations of wildlife like butterflies, bees, and bats have increased, and an average of 25% more breeding birds have been found in areas utilising the scheme. The Guardian
New Indigenous reserve in the Peruvian Amazon
After a two-decade campaign, the Sierra del Divisor Occidental Indigenous Reserve will protect 515,114 hectares of forest and several isolated Indigenous communities that live within the reserve. It’s a welcome victory 'not only for the Indigenous people who call it home, but also for those who defend human rights and the environment in Peru.' Mongabay
Berlin is becoming a sponge city
To combat rising temperatures and drought, the city is adopting measures to absorb rainwater—like a sponge—and then release it when water is needed. Nine underground overflow basins have been completed, with one still in the making. At 30 m deep, the basin will hold nearly 17,000 m3 of rainwater, the equivalent of almost seven Olympic-size swimming pools. Deutsche Welle
Eight island-ocean ecosystems confirmed for rewilding initiative
The Island-Ocean Connection Challenge is almost halfway to reaching its goal to begin the holistic restoration of 40 island-ocean ecosystems by 2030. They have just confirmed eight new islands across the Dominican Republic, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Ireland, France, and the US Virgin Islands, bringing the total to 17 confirmed projects. Sea Shepherd
These new projects represent a significant step forward in our efforts to restore and rewild island-ocean ecosystems across the globe.
Dr. Wes Sechrest, CEO of Re:wild.
New scheme to make Dutch livestock farming more sustainable
The EU commission has approved a €700 million scheme to promote more sustainable and environmentally friendly production in the livestock sector. Farmers with small- and medium-sized livestock operations who voluntarily close farming sites will be compensated for costs directly linked to the closures. The scheme applies to priority areas, including peatlands, sandy soils, and stream valleys. EU Reporter
A film about Indigenous fire practices: Burnt Country
This short film was the second-place winner of the 2024 Yale Environment 360 Film Contest, and it’s well worth 20 minutes of your time. It focuses on Tasmania’s Melukerdee people, who have long used low-temperature fires to protect the land. 'One of the cultures that humanity needs to learn from in the coming years if we’re actually going to stabilise this planet.'
More music for those who will listen
- Rangers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are transforming the ‘triangle of death’ into a thriving wildlife reserve.
- An ambitious restoration project in Cornwall will protect marine habitats in St Austell Bay, including maerl beds that have existed for more than 4,000 years.
- A tree-planting project in China has afforested more than 26,000 hectares of Shigar Mountain, with an additional 133,000 hectares planned over the next six years.
- Dam removal is restoring Michigan rivers.
- Native forests are making a comeback on Huapi Island in Chile, thanks to the restoration efforts of its Indigenous community.
- Water temple priests in Bali are using 'ritual technology' to create sustainable rice production.
- The Willamette Valley Conservation Area in Oregon will protect oak and prairie habitat of iconic species like the western monarch butterfly.
- Scientists in Germany have identified plastic-eating fungi that could help clean up the world’s oceans.
- Taiwan has banned live performances by wild animals held in captivity, including dolphins and tigers.
- Sockeye salmon are returning in record numbers to the waters of North Central Washington.
- Engineers are using massive Dutch-inspired sand sculptures to protect West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea.
- An endangered fish species has been 'reborn' in China’s Yunnan province after a 40-year absence.