UK: Floating wetlands project to help loss of coastal ecosystems
17 April 2026 - A research-led initiative in southern England is testing floating wetland systems as a means of restoring degraded coastal environments, including the introduction of a rarely trialled floating saltmarsh in a marine setting. (more)

Turning debt into forests: the finance tool making a comeback
16 April 2026 - In 2023, Ecuador struck an unusual deal. Instead of simply paying back its debts, it refinanced part of them on better terms and promised to spend the savings protecting the Galapagos Islands. This type of transaction, known as a debt-for-nature swap, is often described as a ''win-win'': lower debt costs for governments, and long-term funding for some of the world's most fragile ecosystems. (more)

UK: Rare habitat restored near Loch Ness in landmark Scottish project
15 April 2026 - In one of the first and biggest projects of its kind in Scotland, a landscape of more than 1,000 hectares of a globally rare and threatened habitat is being restored near Loch Ness, as part of Britain's largest rewilding initiative. A partnership of charities, landowners, and businesses has joined together to save and repair a connected area of blanket bog -- among the world's rarest habitats -- across three neighboring and diverse landholdings. (more)

Government of Canada sends 44 Wood Bison to the State of Alaska
14 April 2026 - The Government of Canada is transferring 44 wood bison from Elk Island National Park to the State of Alaska. The Canadian government has been a leader in bison conservation for over a century and is committed to ensuring bison roam the North American landscape for generations to come. The survival of bison in Canada and their rescue from near extinction is one of the greatest conservation success stories of Parks Canada and its partners. (more)

Silent zero-emission electric vehicle boats for travelers along Norway's busy coast
14 April 2026 - Norway is set to transform coastal transport with the introduction of ''flying'' electric ferries, as operator Boreal AS places an order for 20 Candela P-12 hydrofoil vessels. The landmark deal represents the largest electric passenger vessel fleet ever commissioned and signals a major leap forward for zero-emission maritime travel. (more)

Seven inspiring climate wins in early 2026
9 April 2026 - In a time of uncertainty, we must continue to be creative and courageous enough to imagine alternatives. One of the most powerful ways to do that? Paying attention to the communities, movements, and ecosystems that are doing just that. Here's some good climate news to start 2026. (more)

US: From passive concern to active commitment: Terraformation's public-backed reforestation site in Hawaii sees strong early momentum
9 April 2026 - Terraformation, a global native, biodiverse reforestation company, has announced that its inaugural restoration site in North Kona on Hawaii Island is gaining strong early momentum with more than 5,700 trees already committed for planting. The 2.8-acre North Kohala site is part of the larger 'Iole initiative -- a nonprofit, place-based research center and living laboratory rooted in the Native Hawaiian concept of shared responsibility to care for land, people, and culture. (more)

Artemis II's moonbound astronauts capture Earth's brilliant blue beauty as they leave it behind
7 April 2026 - The Artemis II astronauts have captured our blue planet's brilliant beauty as they zoom ever closer to the moon. The first photo taken by Commander Reid Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule's windows. The second shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds. A green aurora even glows, according to NASA. (more)

India: Inside the revival of a garbage-choked canal in Tamil Nadu with 20,000 mangrove plants
3 April 2026 - Once choked with plastic and barely flowing, a 3-km canal in Tamil Nadu was cleared, restored, and lined with mangroves -- offering a model for how cities can bring dying waterways back to life. The project features an innovative fishbone structure designed to support healthy tidal flow, which is essential for mangrove growth. (more)

US: The Washoe Tribe's historic landback purchase near Lake Tahoe
1 April 2026 - An acquisition four years in the making, the Washoe Tribe completed a historic landback purchase of ancestral land in the Sierra Nevada. In early February, the tribe, located in Nevada and California, obtained more than 10,000 acres of land in the Sierra Nevada. Formally as Loyalton Ranch, located northeast of Lake Tahoe, the land was renamed the Welmelti Preserve. It's the third-largest land acquisition by a tribe in California. (more)

Uganda reintroduces rhinos into a protected area where they have been extinct since 1983
25 March 2026 - Ugandan wildlife authorities have reintroduced rhinos into a remote protected area where they were once poached into extinction, an event seen by conservationists as a milestone in efforts to support the recovery of a species threatened by poaching. (more)

US: Indigenous Food Sovereignty Summit
23 March 2026 - Michigan State University and the University of Michigan are co-hosting the first Indigenous Food Sovereignty Summit, which will take place on MSU's campus in April. The April 6-8 summit will bring together Tribal leaders, farmers, scholars, and advocates ''to uplift Indigenous voices and build pathways toward sustainable, self-determined food systems,'' according to organizers, while allowing space to reflect on the priorities, values, and needs identified by Tribal producers, colleges, nations, and communities. (more)

Wind and solar generated a record 17% of US electricity in 2025 - EIA
23 March 2026 - Over the past 20 years, electricity from wind power and utility-scale solar power has increased to 17% of generation in the United States compared to less than 1% in 2005. In 2025, net generation of wind and solar together accounted for 760,000 gigawatthours (GWh) of electricity, 88,000 GWh more than in 2024, according to data from EIA's Electric Power Monthly. EIA classifies a power plant as utility-scale if it has at least 1 megawatt of generating capacity. (more)

A Nordic nation is the world's happiest country for the ninth year in a row
19 March 2026 - According to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, the three happiest countries in the world are Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. Costa Rica had a strong showing, coming in at No. 4 -- the highest ranking ever for a country from Latin America. Finland's deep commitment to cooperation helps explain its staying power at the top of the ranking, John F. Helliwell, professor emeritus of economics at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report, said in an interview. ''Successful societies cooperate in the face of adversity,'' he said. ''The Finns know this. And once you have the sense that you are in this together, there's no end to what you can do.'' (more)

How Pakistan's people-led solar boom is easing impact of Middle East energy crisis
18 March 2026 - There has been a stunning surge in rooftop solar deployment in Pakistan. Nationwide, the share of electricity generated by solar jumped fivefold between December 2021 and December 2025, according to data from Ember, a thinktank. Renewables First estimates the figure reached about one-fifth of the country's grid-supplied electricity in 2024. (more)

Oldest known whale recording could unlock mysteries of the ocean
17 March 2026 - A haunting whale song discovered on decades-old audio equipment could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate, according to researchers who say it's the oldest such recording known. (more)

Mining made this US tribal area a toxic wasteland. This Indigenous nation brought it back to life
16 March 2026 - The Quapaw Nation is the only US Native community to carry out a cleanup of one of the country's worst sites of environmental contamination. The ground has been restored and tested. The soil is healthy again. Like hundreds of acres across the Quapaw Nation, it has returned to agriculture. (more)

UK: How a ''polluted, dysfunctional'' farm let wildlife back in
14 March 2026 - The 3,500-acre Knepp Estate, in West Sussex, southern England, was once ''depleted, polluted, dysfunctional farmland,'' says the estate's co-owner, Isabella Tree. Now, she says it is one of Britain's most significant biodiversity hotspots. (more)

UK: 'It's like a giant book club': how schools are getting children excited about reading again
13 March 2026 - At Christ Church primary, a tiny Church of England school tucked behind the maze of HS2 construction works in Camden, north London, ...children fizz with excitement about books. (more)

National Plant a Flower Day -- March 12th
12 March 2026 - Few things on the planet are more beautiful or fascinating than flowers -- and with over 400,000 flowering plant species in the world, there's definitely something out there for everyone. From the simple daisy to the elegant rose, from the colorful wildflowers dotting hillsides to the elaborate and vibrant blooms of southeastern Asia, flowers have more than deserved their own day of celebration for their contributions to nature, culture, and life. (more)

Large tortoiseshell butterfly confirmed no longer extinct in UK
10 March 2026 - The large tortoiseshell -- an elusive and enigmatic butterfly that became extinct in Britain in the last century -- is a UK resident species once again, with a flurry of early spring sightings. ...The sightings have led Butterfly Conservation to declare the large tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros) a resident species in the UK -- as opposed to a migratory one -- for the first time in the charity's 58-year history. (more)

Tiny possum and glider thought extinct for 6,000 years found in remote West Papua
9 March 2026 - A tiny possum with one extra-long finger on each hand is one of two species thought to have been extinct that have been discovered in West Papua, in what's been called an ''exceptional'' scientific discovery. The other is a ring-tailed glider with a tail that can grasp branches. Both have been found living in remote rainforests after they were thought to have disappeared 6,000 years ago. (more)

A century of care: Wildlife Trusts mark 100th birthday with woodland project
6 March 2026 - The place where Norton Wood once stood is now a vast field of decaying wheat stubble. But trees will soon be bursting upwards again and the wood will regrow after Norfolk Wildlife Trust celebrated its 100th birthday by buying a swath of farmland to revive for nature. The first of the Wildlife Trusts, a national coalition of 47 independent charities with nearly a million members and 2,600 nature reserves, marks its centenary on Friday [6 March]. (more)

Chile becomes the first country in the Americas to be verified by WHO for the elimination of leprosy
5 March 2026 - The World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), congratulates Chile on becoming the first country in the Americas -- and the second globally -- to be officially verified as having eliminated leprosy. Chile's accomplishment paves the way for other nations, illustrating the impact of political will, cross-sector collaboration, and adaptive planning in low-incidence settings. (more)