Stories

In the shrinking Lake Pátzcuaro, Mexico, Dominican nuns have long bred critically endangered achoque salamanders for traditional cough syrup, but as wild populations plummeted from pollution and overfishing, they've pivoted to conservation with unlikely allies: UK scientists from Chester Zoo. Together, they've pioneered microchipping the delicate amphibians to monitor health and breeding.

In January 2025, twenty young red-browed amazons were released into a reserve in Brazil’s severely degraded Atlantic Forest as part of the ARCA project, marking the species’ return to the region after decades of absence due to illegal trade and deforestation. This conservation effort, led by scientists and supported by local partnerships, aims to restore ecological balance in an ecosystem where only 3% of the original forest remains.

Writer Nicholas Triolo walks 120 miles along Portugal's Rio Côa River, guided by Thomas Merton's Asian Journal, witnessing rewilding efforts that restore habitats for Iberian lynx, wild horses, and bison while challenging ecological despair. Blending personal solitude, encounters with shepherds and conservationists, and mystical reflections, the journey reveals rewilding as both land healing and inner transformation toward relational divinity, wholeness, and hope amid global crises.