Good News #18
Rhino protection in South Africa, species recovery in England, water-based cooling in Spain, European Eel conservation in Somerset, and mobile green energy trains in the U.S.
Rhinoceros in the wild. Photo credit: 2630 Ben, Getty Images
Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme has brought species back from the brink
The results are in from Natural England’s £13 million Species Recovery Programme, which ran from 2023 to 2025. The program involved 78 partners and 63 projects across England, supporting 150 threatened species through habitat creation, captive breeding, research, and species reintroductions. More than 15,000 individuals were relocated or reintroduced.
Highlights include the first wild-hatched Red-billed Chough in after 200 years, successful reintroduction of Black Grouse, and the return of the Large Marsh Grasshopper after an 85-year absence. The program also created thousands of hectares of wildlife habitat, new breeding areas, and conservation infrastructure. And it helped connect thousands of people with nature, with 80,000 volunteers. To further support nature conservation, Natural England has published a Threatened Species Recovery Actions Guide and plans to extend the program for up to four years.
Spain is using water-based cooling systems to deal with extreme heat
Seville, known as the “frying pan of Spain,” is implementing several water-based innovations to combat extreme heat. Andalusian schools have implemented a bioclimatic air conditioning system that uses water evaporation and solar panels to cool air. The units absorb hot air, cool it through adiabatic evaporation, and distribute the fresh air through vertical vents. These systems are now used at 450 schools across the region. Bioclimatic air conditioning can reduce indoor temperatures by up to 12°C, even with open windows, and has been installed at all newly constructed schools.
The Life Watercool project on Cruz Roja Avenue transformed the busy street into a shaded pedestrian zone with light, permeable pavement and removable sun covers to combat heat. An underground reservoir collects rainwater, which is used to irrigate new shade trees and supply air vents and a fountain — which in turn cool the air.
The cooling system in Seville uses a series of underground canals known as qanats, built on a gentle slope to move water by gravity from higher to lower ground. At night, cooler temperatures naturally chill the groundwater. During the day, solar-powered pumps bring this cooled water to the surface and release it through vertical vents to public spaces, where it lowers the air temperature by six to ten degrees Celsius.
Community conservation project is bringing back European eels
In 2023, Becker-Hughes and a group of community members launched the Somerset Eel Recovery Project (SERP) to revive the critically endangered European eel in Somerset and reconnect people with local waterways. By organizing classroom eel tanks, public storytelling, and workshops that blend art and science, SERP has engaged locals of all ages and backgrounds.
Thanks to their efforts, SERP raised £14,000 through crowdfunding in just weeks, enabling eDNA surveys of the River Axe and nearby ditches, which revealed a worrying disconnect between waterways. In response, the group devised practical solutions, such as rush weaving workshops to help elvers bypass river barriers and plans for monitoring and elver relocation. Their initiatives have not only raised awareness about eel conservation but also inspired the vision of the eel as a new symbol for healthy water in Somerset.
Scientists are making rhino horns radioactive to fight poaching
Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa have launched an anti-poaching initiative known as the Rhisotope Project. They injected radioactive isotopes into the horns of 20 rhinos at a game reserve in Limpopo. These isotopes are safe for the animals but detectable by radiation-monitoring equipment at borders, ports, and airports — equipment used to prevent nuclear smuggling. The intent is to make rhino horns harder to sell on the black market, effectively reducing poaching and illegal trade.
Extensive safety assessments confirmed that the radioisotopes pose no health risks to the rhinos, and detection systems successfully picked up low levels of the isotopes — even inside full shipping containers. South Africa, which is home to approximately 16,000 rhinos, continues to face alarming poaching rates: nearly 500 animals a year. Given the global rhino population has fallen from around 500,000 to just over 26,000, this technology offers a promising hybrid of conservation and nuclear science.
Energy storage train brings clean energy to communities that need it
SunTrain, a Denver-based company, has introduced a mobile energy storage train system that transports electricity in battery-powered railcars across existing railways. Each railcar can store enough electricity to power thousands of homes and transport it to urban centres without building costly new transmission lines. By using the vast U.S. freight rail network, this system can be deployed immediately.
The company has completed successful prototypes and is planning a large-scale pilot project in Colorado, connecting wind and solar farms to a former coal plant. With significant funding and a long list of potential projects, SunTrain’s innovation could help utilities replace fossil fuel plants and manage renewable energy more efficiently, all while reducing costs and pollution.
This newsletter is such a great synopsis of the positive work being done on a regular basis!