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Dear Reader,
Today’s Feel-Good news takes us to the remote and biodiversity-rich Torricelli Mountains region of Papua New Guinea, where 266 clan leaders from 41 villages have just signed a new legally binding conservation deed agreement, according to this story in Mongabay. “Renewable every five years, it covers 125,000 hectares of land (bigger than New York City!) and completely bans commercial logging, mining, and hunting of certain unique and threatened endemic local animals like the critically endangered tenkile and weimang species of tree kangaroo!” the article tells us. “The conservation groups coordinating this new deed have also introduced water tanks, metal roofs, and solar-powered street and household lighting to the area.”
This is particularly good news because a recent study concluded that this region is among the 1% of land that, if protected, is best able to prevent the most extinctions in the next century.
Next, let’s dip deep into the sea where researchers have discovered that offshore wind turbines, while providing some risk to wildlife, including seabirds, nonetheless act as artificial reefs that are teeming with life. “These massive energy projects, which inevitably come with some negative ecological impacts … could also provide marine animals with a foothold in seas damaged by centuries of human activity,” reads a story in Atmos.earth. With reefs suffering catastrophic damage, these turbines, anchored to the seabed, provide the scaffolding for species to rebuild. “To prevent strong currents from eroding the surrounding seabed,” the story reports, “those foundations are usually covered with piles of rocks or rubble known as scour protection. The lumpy mounds, full of crevices and crannies, can serve as nurseries for young oysters, lobsters, and sea stars.”
Meanwhile, in Guatemala, a project run jointly by the U.S. and Guatemala is working hard to protect rural Indigenous communities from the health effects of burning plastic. Guatemala has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of plastic imported into the country, but it lacks the necessary infrastructure to safely dispose of it. “Plastic debris clogs rivers and cascades down hillsides during heavy rains, turning Guatemala’s Motagua River, which flows north of Jalapa, into one of the most plastic-polluted rivers in the world,” a story posted on Inside Climate News tells us. Researchers with Ecolectivos are helping people understand plastics’ harm to their health while assisting in alternate ways to dispose of plastic items.
And finally, check out these spectacular sculptures, created by U.S. environmental artist Patrick Dougherty, who weaves truckloads of willow saplings into towers, arches, and other forms. Surprisingly, harvesting flexible saplings for art does not harm the environment when done sustainably, as willows regrow quickly from cut stumps.
Positively,
Dot
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