Today’s Solutions: December 16, 2025

Conservation

Nature relies on a rich diversity of organisms to keep it in balance. Conservation plays a key role in ensuring that environmental equilibrium is preserved. Learn about the solutions spearheading our efforts to promote biodiversity, safeguard vital ecosystems, and protect endangered species.

Meet Jonathan, the world’

Meet Jonathan, the world's oldest tortoise

At The Optimist Daily we love telling you about incredible happenings from around the world, both human and animal focussed. At the start of 2022, we reported on one of these remarkable events, when the world’s oldest person turned 119. This time, the story is similar but in another organism, Read More...

Tel-Aviv at sunset with purple sky

Tel-Aviv could soon follow Amsterdam in adopting Doughnut Economics

In April 2020, we wrote about Amsterdam’s decision to implement a new economic model that seeks to meet the core needs of all humanity within the means of the planet. Now, a forum dedicated to advancing the adoption of this concept across the world was launched in Israel last week. The concept Read More...

bee approaches new bee friendly bricks

Brighton passes buzz-worthy law requiring bee bricks

The city of Brighton and Hove in England have introduced a new planning law worth buzzing about—the law requires new buildings to include special bricks that have little nests for solitary bees. The Brighton & Hove Council’s policy specifies that all new buildings over five meters tall Read More...

Greta Thunberg's rainforest frog.

Newly discovered rainfrog named after climate activist

While studying the local diversity of amphibians and reptiles in eastern Panama back in 2012, a group of researchers identified a new species of frog, which was then named after well-known climate activist Greta Thunberg. Leading the expedition was Konrad Mebert from the State University of Read More...

Rare flock of endangered pigeo

Rare flock of endangered pigeons spotted in the Australian outback

Recently, we wrote a story about how abundant rain in California has brought an endangered salmon species back to some of the state’s streams. Now, an equally welcoming sight has been spotted in the Australian outback, where an ecologist has photographed a flock of hundreds of endangered Read More...

New branching worm species Ramisyllis kingghidorahi.

Weird species of worm named after Godzilla’s enemy

We love sharing the uncovering of the vast biodiversity of our world with our readers. In 2020 alone, 503 new animal species were discovered. From the Popa langur monkey, to nine new snake species and the highest living bumblebee Bombus tibeticus. It is inspiring and exciting to see the wide range Read More...

Estonia's capital, Tallinn, at sunset

What cities around the world can learn from Europe’s greenest capital

While an increasing number of major cities are striving to become more climate-friendly, one particular European capital stands out with its sustainability efforts so far. It’s no other than Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, whose notable climate measures have won it the title of the European Green Read More...

Twin baby elephants playing with each other

Elephant in Kenya gives birth to rare twin calves

In a celebratory moment for conservation, an elephant has given birth last week to twin calves at a national reserve in northern Kenya. The rare phenomenon came as a pleasant surprise for the tour guides who spotted the twins while out on safari at the Samburu reserve. The pair are only the second Read More...

Luthier holding violin made from vegan materials

Using berries and pears to create the world’s first ‘vegan violin’

An Irish master violin luthier has unveiled a set of violins that are made from 100 percent plant-based products. The animal-free violins are the first in the world to be registered with The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark. What makes traditional violins non-vegan? Currently, most violins Read More...

glossy black cockatoo preening

Documenting glossy black cockatoos return after bushfires

After enduring a few years of summer bushfires, particularly between 2019 and 2020, the glossy black cockatoo (or “glossies”) population in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales is struggling. To help bolster the threatened bird species’ chances of survival, the state government launched Read More...