The lookback
By Harry
Monday 26 October
Forests got a break, stranded animals found rescuers, and solar panels quietly helped farms thrive.
Where things are happening: Brazil, Indonesia, Canada, Cambodia, United States, Australia, South Korea, Italy, United Kingdom
01
Forest loss slowed down and land got protected
Across several countries, forest loss slowed or was headed off entirely, and new areas of land gained lasting protection. Brazil's Amazon deforestation fell 42% and its Cerrado savanna 24% in 2025-26, the lowest rates on record, while global deforestation dropped 15% in 2025 to seven million hectares, led by a 33% fall in Latin America.1,2 Indonesia halted a plan to clear 4.4 million acres of rainforest and peatlands after hitting rice self-sufficiency early, Canada designated 81,400 hectares of Ontario taiga and peatlands as protected, and rangers for a Cambodian forest foundation cleared more than 4.8 miles of illegal snares in 2025.3,4,5
02
Stranded animals found rescuers ready to help
Across several places this week, people stepped in to save animals that had been stranded, injured or displaced by disaster. In Borneo, YIARI and West Kalimantan's BKSDA rescued 53 orangutans from forest and peatland fires that burned more than 48,500 hectares, treating burns and malnutrition and rewilding some to Gunung Palung National Park.1,2 In Alaska, an orphaned walrus calf found alone on a beach was flown 4,000 miles to SeaWorld Orlando for long-term care, while off South Australia fishermen pulled an exhausted kangaroo from the sea 3km from shore and watched it hop safely away.3,4
03
Solar panels moonlighting as farmers, winemakers and dust-busters
Several projects found that putting solar panels over farmland or waterways did more than generate electricity, it also improved what was underneath or nearby. In Puglia, panel-shaded grapevines grew bunches nearly three times heavier with healthier fruit, and a separate Italian vineyard under panels produced clusters 2.5 times heavier while hosting roughly twice as many wild plant species.2,3 California tested a foldable canopy over an irrigation canal to cut evaporation and weeds, a UK scheme certified a solar farm in Essex for a projected 65% gain in habitat units, and researchers found solar farms could also help curb dust storms by stabilising soil.1,4,5
Wildcard
LIVE Webcam Brings You Inside Cheetah Den With 5 Tiny Cubs Tended By Mom (WATCH and LISTEN)
Five cheetah cubs born on October 5 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia can now be watched live, with minimal human contact to aid bonding and research, as only 7,000 cheetahs remain in the wild.
Read it at Good News Network
That's the week. The next one's out Monday morning.