Ed Sheeran Plans to Rewild the UK, Starting With His Yard

Good News Notes: “Ed Sheeran has plans for the environment: he aspires to rewild as much of the UK as possible.  The English musician told BBC Radio London late last month: “I’m trying to buy as much land as possible and plant as many trees as possible. I am trying to rewild as much of…

Propagation saves rare endangered species from extinction in Hawaiʻi

Good News Notes: “A species of plant declared extinct in the wild on Kahoʻolawe in 2015, has found new life thanks to seeds collected and propagated by experts at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. UH reports that Ka palupalu o Kanaloa (Kanaloa kahoolawensis) is one of 10 most critically endangered plants and animals in…

Batman River fish feared extinct spotted in Turkey after near 50-year absence

Good News Notes: “Batman has returned — the Batman River loach, that is. The tiny freshwater fish was last seen by scientists in southeastern Turkey in 1974. The yellow-and-brown-striped loach, which grows to only around 1.4 inches, is the Middle East’s smallest loach species. Categorized as critically endangered, it once populated the streams and tributaries around…

Tours at Animal Friends Sanctuary benefit shelter, promote compassion

Good News Notes: “Two-year-old Blake Burkley dissolved into a fit of giggles when it came time to feed the cows. Perched on her mother’s hip, the girl laughed as cows named Mary and Jesus searched with their tongues for a tasty treat. For Alexa Burkley of Irwin, a tour at Animal Friends Sanctuary in Unity was a…

This ‘floating continent’ could collect and recycle plastic from the ocean in future

Good News Notes: “‘The 8th continent’ is an award-winning design that recycles ocean plastic and is completely self-sustainable. Its five-part structure contains everything from greenhouses and living quarters to biodegradable waste collectors. Senior designer at Zaha Hadid Architects in London, Lenka Petráková, developed the idea for her student master thesis a few years ago in Vienna,…

Reforestation could help save coral reefs from catastrophe

Good News Notes: “The study analysed more than 5,500 coastal areas from around the world and found that nearly 85 per cent of them leached sediment to coral reefs, the second most serious threat facing the world’s reefs behind climate change. Dr Andrés Suárez-Castro from UQ’s Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science said it was…