CANADA’S PEACE TRAIN 2026: TO GET PEACE BACK ON TRACK
This year’s Peace Train departs from Vancouver on Friday, October 23rd. “The Canadian Train” as it is called, signifies that Canadians need to do a better job of curbing rampant self-interest, hate and polarization among people, and increase dialogue and peacebuilding at a time when the Canadian Government is giving a reset to our military defence establishment.
While a sizeable delegation is traveling to Ottawa, the consultations will take place in various stations across the country. One of the suggestions is the setting up of a Canadian Centre for Peace and Justice. This would prioritize human security over military security: the culture of peace over the culture of violence; nonviolent civilian defence over criminal armed groups; human rights over those acting with impunity – all of these contribute to the values in Canadian society.
The Canadian Peace Train will arrive in Toronto on October 27th and then will make the final leg of the journey to Ottawa on October 28th. There will be an all-party reception with Members of Parliament between 5:00 and 7:00pm arranged by Elizabeth May. On Oct 29th to 31st there will be arranged events and meetings with government representatives and other organizations.
Contact:
Bernie Wyton
Email: info@peacetraincanada.com
Webpage: www.peacetraincanada.com
EXPANDING MANGROVE FORESTS IS EXPANDING CLIMATE RESILIENCE
Satellite images show mangrove forests are now expanding after decades of decline in many coastal regions. Recently, on a trip to the backwaters outside Calicut in India’s state of Kerala, the boatman was pleased to announce that mangroves have come back to this area on large swathes of land.
This anecdotal evidence was corroborated by a new study in the journal Science that gives evidence of the expansion and regrowth of mangroves that has occurred over the past four decades. Zhen Zhang, the lead author of this study, is a postdoctoral researcher at Tulane University in New Orleans, and draws attention to the fact that the restoration and conservation is occurring with little human input. (Science, Vol. 392, Issue 6802, April 6, 2026.)
With the use of satellite imagery provided by NASA’s Landsat program, Zhen Zhang uncovered the expansion of the global mangrove canopy since 2010—two-thirds over new areas of the sea, and one-third by natural regeneration in existing mangrove areas. Stewart, another member of the research team, qualified that the new mangrove areas are also not the same as older, mature forests.
Mangroves are important natural habitats for many species of fish and wildlife, and they also provide marine life for fishing. Mangroves act as windbreaks against cyclonic storms and repel flooding in coastal areas, but they can die out if there are extreme weather events, either with too much heat or not enough of it.
Mangroves are known to store more carbon, making them an essential element of climate mitigation. As the study mentions, the new areas of mangrove are likely made up of younger trees that don’t provide the same levels of carbon storage and other ecosystem benefits that older forests provide.
A NOVEL WAY OF ADDRESSING CONSERVATION AND HUMAN–ANIMAL CONFLICT
New York’s large-scale art installation, The Great Elephant Migration, took place in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District in fall 2024. It featured 100 life-size, handcrafted elephant sculptures created by Indigenous Adivasi artisans from India. Each sculpture replicated one of the 167 wild elephants that inhabit a forest reserve in the Nilgiri Mountains of southern India.
After the exhibition, the sculptures were sold for New Yorkers’ gardens. Proceeds funded the costly removal of Lantana camara, a toxic invasive weed that chokes out native vegetation and destroys wildlife habitat.
In the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu, lantana spread rapidly, displacing plants elephants depend on for food. As forage declined, elephants increasingly left the reserve and entered nearby human settlements. This led to serious human–elephant conflict, damaging crops, homes, and livestock.
The Adivasi artisans harvested strips of tough, thorny lantana branches and used them to cover wire frames shaped to match individually photographed elephants. The project turned an invasive plant into raw material for art, educating the public about lantana’s ecological harm while generating funds for its difficult, labor-intensive removal. It is an innovative example of how art can support conservation and reduce human–animal conflict.
More information: www.thegreatelephantmigration.org
