Australia to protect 52% of its oceans, more than any other country
15 October 2024 - The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has declared Australia will soon protect more ocean than any other country after the government finalises a more than 300,000 square kilometre expansion of a sub-Antarctic marine park. (more)

US: How Indigenous Peoples' Day came about and why it matters today
14 October 2024 - The movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day has been decades in the making. As a result of advocacy by Native American activists, many states and localities now observe the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of -- or in addition to -- Columbus Day. Here's the history behind Indigenous Peoples' Day, and what some Native Americans say the holiday means for them. (more)

From oil well to wetland: meet the B.C. First Nations reclaiming old oil and gas wells on their homelands
13 October 2024 - Thousands of inactive and abandoned oil wells are dotted across the Canadian landscape, with ongoing environmental impacts. First Nations company Aski Reclamation is restoring former oil wells in their Treaty 8 homelands, rewilding their territory in the process. By consulting Elders and members, the Saulteau First Nations collected data on plants used for sustenance, medicine and more. The nations compiled information dating back at least 50 years, and created a database of trees, shrubs and grasses that are native to their homelands. With this knowledge, the reclamation team identified what plants needed to be re-introduced to the site. They planted several native species, including black spruce trees and cottonwood. They reintroduced willow and red osier dogwood, which Aird says are important for moose. (more)

World Migratory Bird Day -- Protect insects, protect birds
12 October 2024 - The World Migratory Bird Day campaign in 2024 stresses the need for proactive conservation measures. This includes reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and where possible, switching to organic farming. Other measures include maintaining and connecting areas of natural vegetation which provide food and shelter for birds and other species, in agricultural landscapes. In 2024, World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on two days, 11 May and 12 October, aligning with the cyclic nature of bird migration in different hemispheres. (more)

International Day of the Girl 2024 -- Girls' vision for the future
11 October 2024 - Observed annually on 11 October, International Day of the Girl is a key global moment on which to celebrate girls everywhere, amplifying their voices, actions and leadership. It is a day that belongs to everyone who cares about girls and their rights. (more)

US: New center to advance use of seaweed in the global economy
11 October 2024 - The UC Berkeley Energy and Biosciences Institute (EBI) has received nearly $13 million to establish a center aimed at advancing the use of seaweed in the global supply chain. Seaweeds provide ecosystem habitats for diverse marine species, offer coastal protection, and act as a repository for atmospheric carbon. An uptick in seaweed cultivation is being driven by their role in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), which is a farming method that involves raising multiple aquatic species together in close proximity, with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing waste. Integration of seaweed farming into aquaculture is known to bring added benefits, such as ecosystem restoration, nutrient recycling and improved sustainability. (more)

Research finds good friendships crucial to happiness of young adults
10 October 2024 - If you're a 20-something who is unattached, having good friends is a key to happiness, new research shows. Based on their findings, researchers suggest that young, single adults make it a priority to forge meaningful, long-term friendships. (more)

An 80-year Harvard study reveals the secret to long-term happiness
10 October 2024 - For over 80 years, Harvard's Grant and Glueck study has tracked the well-being of two demographics: 268 graduates from the batches of 1939 -- 1944 and 456 poor men growing up in Boston since 1939. Since pre-World War II, they've painstakingly scrutinized blood samples, performed brain scans, collated surveys, and interacted with these men.To quote psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development: ''The clearest message that we get from this 80-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.'' (more)

Norway: There are now more fully electric cars on Norwegian roads than gas cars
9 October 2024 - The Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council has reported a milestone -- the number of fully electric vehicles on roads has surpassed the number of gas cars for the first time ever. According to the report, in the past 20 years, over one million gas cars have disappeared from Norwegian roads, and to a large extent they have been replaced by electric cars. The same development is likely to also occur for diesel cars. (more)

US: On Navajo lands, ancient ways are restoring the parched earth
8 October 2024 - The Navajo living in Arizona are restoring their watersheds -- and boosting their food sovereignty -- with earthen berms and small dams made of woven brush, sticks, and rocks. These structures, similar to those used by Native peoples long before Europeans arrived on the continent, are not only delivering water to crops, they are also helping to sequester carbon, and reviving this high-desert ecosystem. (more)

UK: Rewilder Derek Gow on turning his farm into an ark for lost species
8 October 2024 - Derek Gow has dedicated his life to animals and biodiversity. After a Shetland ewe captured his heart as a boy, Gow grew up to become a farmer with a passion for ancient breeds. Realising how many of our species were close to extinction -- even on his own land -- he tore down fences literally and metaphorically, transforming his traditional Devon farm into a 300-acre rewilding haven for beavers, water voles, lynx, wildcats, harvest mice, wild boar and more. A project that is still ongoing today. (more)

Denmark returns iconic indigenous cloak to Brazil
7 October 2024 - Indigenous leaders in Brazil have celebrated the return of a sacred cloak that had been on display at a Danish museum for more than 300 years. The 1.8m-long cloak, made of 4,000 red feathers from the scarlet ibis bird, was officially unveiled at a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. It was attended by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (more)

US: California's first new national marine sanctuary in 32 years to ban offshore oil drilling along 100 miles of coastline
7 October 2024 - A long-running effort by native tribes and environmentalists to establish the first new national marine sanctuary along California's coastline in 32 years -- the aquatic version of a new national park, where offshore oil drilling would be prohibited forever -- has reached a key milestone. (more)

UK: Project reveals undiscovered ancient woodlands
6 October 2024 - A two-year project across three counties has uncovered more than 1,300 hectares (3,271 acres) of previously unknown ancient woodland. These are woods that have persisted since 1600, packed with a range of forest-loving plant life, fungi, insects and micro-organisations, making up some 2.5% of UK land (609,990 hectares or 1,507,318 acres). (more)

US: Ancestral land returned to Onondaga Nation in upstate New York
5 October 2024 - The Onondaga Nation has regained 1,000 acres (405 hectares) of its ancestral land in upstate New York, a tiny portion of the land members say was unjustly taken by the state beginning in the 18th century. Sid Hill, the Tadodaho, or chief, of the Onondaga Nation, said, ''This is a small but important step for us, and for the Indigenous land back movement across the United States,'' Hill said in a prepared statement. (more)

UK: New bison bridges to be built in Kent woodland
4 October 2024 - New bridges are being built to keep bison and humans apart in a woodland on the outskirts of Canterbury. They're the first of their kind in the UK, and will help tourists to navigate the area while visiting, ensuring that they stay out the way of Europe's heaviest land mammals. The bridges will allow the bison to roam 200 hectares (494 acres) of land, rather than 50 hectares (123 acres) as they do currently, without having to close footpaths to the public. (more)

US: Jobs report blows past expectations, showing hiring surge
4 October 2024 - U.S. hiring surged in September, blowing past economist expectations and rebuking concern about weakness in the labor market. The fresh report marks one of the last major pieces of economic data before the presidential election. (more)

Organic farming in Ibiza grows by 75% between 2020 and 2023
3 October 2024 - A significant rise in organic agricultural land shows the positive evolution of sustainable farming practices on the the beautiful island of Ibiza, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea. This growth is in line with the European Union's ''Farm to Fork'' strategy, which aims for 25% of agricultural land to be organic by 2030. (more)

US: Above Appalachian coalfields is a wealth of forest botanicals now being farmed and conserved by locals
2 October 2024 - 50 percent of the medicinal herbs, roots, and barks in the North American herbal supply chain are native to the Appalachian Mountains, and the bulk of these species are harvested or grown in Central Appalachia, which includes southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, far-southwest Virginia, and east Tennessee. (more)

Northern bald ibis: Back from the brink
1 October 2024 - After the northern bald ibis disappeared from Europe more than 300 years ago, some assumed that 16th century drawings of its gleaming plume and long, arching beak were works of the imagination. The birds, which were once found in three continents, were so revered in the ancient world that they have their own hieroglyph - a depiction of their distinctive outline that represents the word akh, meaning 'spirit'. (more)

New Zealand reclaims record for world's largest Haka on home turf
30 September 2024 - New Zealand has reclaimed the world record for the largest mass Haka, with thousands packing a major stadium on Sunday [29 September] for a resounding performance of the traditional Maori routine. Historically a ceremonial Maori war dance, the Haka was intended as a challenge to opponents and a rallying cry before heading into battle, though today it is also used to celebrate Maori identity and culture and as a way of unifying people at times of grief. (more)

US: Cities are using sheep to graze in urban landscapes and people love it
29 September 2024 - The joy people get from watching sheep graze is partly why they are becoming trendy workers in some urban areas. ...Using sheep for prescribed grazing is not a new landscaping method, but more urban communities are opting for it to handle land management concerns such as invasive species, wildfire risks, protection of native vegetation and animal habitats, and maintaining historic sites. (more)

'It's hugely moving': sea turtle nests in Greece reach record numbers
28 September 2024 - Conservationists celebrate as efforts to save the Caretta caretta loggerhead sea turtle, which has existed for 100m years, pay off. (more)

Meet the 80-year-old Miss Universe Korea contestant proving age is just a number
28 September 2024 - Born almost a decade before the first Miss Universe contest was held in 1952, 80-year-old Choi Soon-hwa could now make history as the pageant's oldest ever participant. Earlier this month, she was unveiled as a finalist in the annual Miss Universe Korea competition. On Monday, Choi will go head-to-head with 31 other contestants for the tiara - and a chance to represent South Korea at the Miss Universe final in Mexico this November. (more)