It's no secret that the news cycle often makes us want to lie face down on the couch and doom scroll through videos of dogs surfing to find joy.
Sometimes though, a piece of genuinely good news does break through. Here's five positive nature stories you may have missed while watching your favourite canine shred some waves.
1. New national EPA issues its first ever environment protection order, halting deforestation in QLD
Australia’s new nature laws have shown that they have teeth this week, with the new national EPA issuing its first ever environment protection order, halting deforestation at Wombinoo Station in Queensland.
Our campaign for laws that actually protect nature has been years in the making. Back in December when the new laws restricted the agriculture loophole for deforestation, we set out to make sure the change led to real compliance and enforcement. This result is a huge testament to every single person who campaigned for these strong laws.
This win is two-fold, with the case itself one that ACF reported to the EPA, after our eagle-eyed citizen scientists detected the more than 1,700 hectares of bulldozed forests and woodland as part of our crowd-sourced investigations project.
NEPA says further clearing at Wombinoo Station – including the removal of felled trees and burning vegetation – could result in more than 1,000 tonnes of fine sediment going out to the Great Barrier Reef each year.
Preventing that 1000 tonnes of fine sediment – about 80 dump trucks worth – from being dumped on the reef is a really concrete win, and a great example of why we work hard to stop potentially illegal landclearing ASAP. Even after the bulldozers have done most of the damage they were planning to do, there's always hope that we can prevent further damage. This time we did!
Wombinoo is just one of many cases of potentially unlawful, and potentially ongoing, bulldozing that ACF has identified in recent months and reported to NEPA. We hope that where NEPA's investigations do find that the bulldozing we're reported poses an unacceptable threat to nature, they will step in like this and use their powers to protect it.
Satellite imagery of Wombinoo station before and after deforestation. Credit: ACF.
2. A win for the wrens
Cast your mind back for a moment. It's 2024, and then Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has approved a proposal for a rocket launching facility to be built at Whalers Way on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula.
Yes, a rocket-launching facility, in an area that is home to several threatened species including the endangered Eyre Peninsula southern emu-wren. The Environment Minister reviewed conservation advice that deemed Whalers Way 'critical to the survival of the emu-wren' and then signed the go ahead for the rockets anyway.
Thankfully, there are a lot of people who are determined to keep rockets out of Whalers Way.
Fast forward to now, 2026.
The Nature Conservation Society of SA, Eyre Peninsula Environmental Protection Alliance, Birdlife Australia and other local groups have advocated tirelessly to stop the rockets. For the project to proceed, it needs approval from the South Australian Native Vegetation Council. As of October 2026, the Council has refused to amend a heritage agreement over Whalers Way, effectively stopping the rockets before they could ever lift off and giving precious threatened southern emu-wrens, mallee whipbirds and others a fighting chance.
This should be the end of the road for this ill-considered project. It should never have been approved by the Environment Minister under the EPBC Act. Threatened animals like the southern emu-wren are already in trouble thanks to the bulldozing and burning of their habitat, and with bird flu sweeping a devastating path through South Australia, they cannot afford yet another threat.
While we don't know what the developers Southern Launch or the SA government will do next, we applaud the groups who have been relentless in their work to protect this precious wren and its home.
Southern emu-wren. Credit: Martin Palanek/Shutterstock.
3. Bogong moths are bouncing back
The skies around eastern Australia have been filled with a wonderful sight; thousands of bogong moths streaming past on their annual migration to the Australian alps.
This flood of moths is an incredible vision of hope. In the lead up to the Black Summer Bushfires, it's estimated that the bogong moth population crashed by up to 99.5%, mainly thanks to prolonged drought in its breeding grounds. This year’s influx is a hopeful sign that things are improving.
These special little critters are an important food source for birds, reptiles and the critically endangered mountain pygmy possum, a tiny hibernating marsupial that lives exclusively in alpine and sub-alpine regions. Hopefully, with this wave of moths, the possums will awake from their hibernation to a feast this year!
Huddling, migrating Bogong Moths on rock in Australia Alps. Credit: CSIRO, LaughingRaven
4. Community topples coal giant in court
A retired New South Wales couple and their neighbours have shown that passion, persistence and grit can prevail, winning Australia’s first high court case to consider climate change.
In 2022, an open-cut coal mine near Muswellbrook, New South Wales was approved for expansion, before being halted after the community, led by Wendy Wales and Tony Lonergan, stepped up to oppose it. MACH energy, which operates the coal mine, planned to extract 444 million tonnes of coal for export overseas.
This month, the Court ruled in favour of the Hunter Valley community group, finding that planning authorities are required to consider emissions caused by burning fossil fuels overseas when approving projects.
This is a landmark case that sets a precedent for the way fossil fuel project approvals take global emissions into account.
5. A record-breaking breeding season for the kākāpō
Once deemed 'extinct in the wild', the world's only flightless parrot, the kākāpō, is writing its comeback story. This year, 90 new chicks were born, sending the total population soaring above 300 for the first time in 75 years.
The kākāpō is a striking bird found only in Aotearoa /New Zealand and holds the title for the world's heaviest parrot, coming in at four kilograms fully grown. That's about the weight of a toy poodle!
Kākāpō only breed once every two to four years, with the last lot born back in 2022! This means this class of 2026 is even more special.
If you need some joy, check out this kākāpō cam of a mother kākāpō looking after chicks.
One of the kākāpō born this season. Credit: Department of Conservation
Behind each of these wins are everyday people who, in the face of dark times, never gave up hope and never stopped fighting for the critters that they love. From the volunteers supporting kākāpō conservation on the ground in Aotearoa, to the citizen scientists keeping their eyes out for the bogong moth along their migratory route, to the thousands of people around Australia who called on the government to protect the home of the southern emu-wren. These wins show that when we stand together, we're a powerful force for nature.
Right now, thousands of people around Australia are joining the fight to protect the pristine Scott Reef, and all the marine animals that call it home, from gas drilling. If we get this right, saving Scott Reef could be another win we add to this story. Join the movement by adding your name to the petition here.