Photo: Sian Labay/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s edition: the Philippines reports a nearly 40% drop in child labour over two years, an Isle of Man rainforest project sees 30,000 trees planted, and how Philadelphia’s approach to re-greening neglected lots led to a dramatic reduction in crime rates.
New data show that child labour across the Philippines has fallen from 828,000 cases in 2022 to 509,000 in 2024. This progress is largely credited to coordinated government efforts and community-based programmes, which helped remove more than 319,000 children from labour. At the same time, over 47,000 families received livelihood support addressing the underlying causes of the practice.
Source: The Philippine Star
A tree-planting effort on the Isle of Man has now seen 30,000 native trees planted ahead of schedule at a 105-acre site in the Baldwin Valley. Led by the Manx Wildlife Trust, the initiative’s goal is to restore temperate rainforests and improve flood resilience and water quality by planting 333,000 more trees across the island.
Source: BBC News
Brazil is bringing bank managers into the fight against deforestation, requiring lenders to screen rural loan applicants for illegal land clearing. Under new rules, banks must use satellite data to check whether farms have been deforested since 2019, with farmers seeking state-backed credit needing valid permits or risk having their loan applications denied.
Source: Reuters
Through the LandCare programme, run by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and supported by the city, thousands of neglected lots have been cleaned and maintained. Since its launch in the late 1990s, the scheme has grown to over 12,000 sites, with a 29% drop in gun violence and a 21% reduction in burglary in neighbourhoods near LandCare lots.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
US District Judge Randolph D. Moss has halted an executive order by Donald Trump that sought to end funding for National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service. In his decision, Moss pointed to First Amendment limits on government authority, warning against using state power to “punish or suppress disfavored expression.”
Source: The Hill
The appointment of Bhumika Shrestha follows gradual legal progress in the region, including a 2023 Supreme Court interim order allowing same-sex and transgender couples to register marriages. It is the first time since 2008 that someone from the LGBTQ+ community has held public office.
Source: France 24
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is showing how carbon can support large-scale conservation as managers restore former livestock land into thriving habitat. Now spanning 118,000 hectares, the reserve has reintroduced native wildlife while also tracking soil carbon levels in its dry savanna ecosystem.
Source: Mongabay
Backed by groups such as Fundación Rewilding Argentina, small landowners and Indigenous communities are creating alternative incomes that reduce pressure from agriculture and illegal logging. From kayak tours along the Bermejito River to community-run campsites, sustainable livelihoods might be the answer to protecting one of the world’s largest semi-arid forests.
Source: The Guardian
In Canada and France, communities like those led by Pat Dunn are becoming an increasingly attractive option. After launching a Facebook group for senior women to share housing, Dunn went on to establish Senior Women Living Together, connecting thousands of members and supporting women in places like Ontario to form shared spaces.
Source: BBC News
Embassy Village offers 40 canal-side flats and support with budgeting, cooking and finding work, to help men start new lives and rediscover community. Residents can fish and kayak when they are not taking part in sessions on budgeting, cooking and getting ready for work.
Source: The Guardian
