Suzanne Bearne

Smallholders in San Pablo, northern Colombia, are replacing coca cultivation with oil palm, supported by subsidies, technical assistance, land-access programs and a crackdown on armed groups. Farmers describe improved security, incomes, education and employment after decades of violence involving the Farc, ELN and drug trade. Oil palm has revitalized the local economy and made Colombia Latin America’s largest producer, but experts warn that monoculture, deforestation, biodiversity loss and exposure to volatile international prices pose significant risks. Farmers remain confident that sustainable palm production will continue under President Abelardo de la Espriella, although concerns remain that his government could weaken environmental protections.

Rainwater-harvesting systems are helping low-income households and other residents across Mexico, particularly in Mexico City, access water for gardening, cleaning, sanitation and, after additional filtration, drinking. Isla Urbana has installed systems for households, Indigenous communities and 2,000 public schools, while governments use them to complement or replace water-tanker deliveries. The systems offer meaningful relief amid drought, climate-driven water stress and inadequate public infrastructure, but require ongoing maintenance, water-quality monitoring and affordable replacement filters.

Costa Rica’s constitutional court has ordered the state electricity company ICE and the Ministry of Environment and Energy to make bare power lines in Nosara safer for wildlife, particularly howler monkeys. International Animal Rescue recorded 108 electrocution cases in 2025, while national data documented 6,262 wildlife deaths between June 2022 and June 2023. Conservationists link the rising incidents to development and fragmented forests, which lead monkeys to mistake power lines for trees and vines. They are calling for insulated cables, protective devices and canopy bridges, and hope the ruling will eventually produce nationwide safeguards.

Costas Verdes, founded by surfer Max Tattenbach and led by Gerardo Bolaños, has planted more than 100,000 native trees across 34 Costa Rican beaches, transforming deforested Pacific coastlines into greener habitats. The project responds to severe forest loss caused largely by cattle farming and fires, while building on coastal-protection laws introduced by Costa Rica from the 1970s onward. Volunteers, including schoolchildren and tourists, have helped restore sites such as Playa Guiones, where howler monkeys and other wildlife have returned, although only about 40% of planted trees are estimated to survive. The nonprofit aims to raise $295,000 and plant 300,000 trees across 100 beaches, but faces ongoing challenges involving maintenance, funding and community engagement.

Residents and organizations in Medellín’s informal Comuna 8 settlement developed a climate adaptation and disaster-risk plan featuring rainwater harvesting, reforestation, tree nurseries, eco-gardens and agroforestry. The community-led initiative, formally launched in 2023 with support from local authorities and Heriot-Watt University, became a model for plans across Medellín’s 21 comunas. Residents say the projects can reduce flooding, landslides, erosion and illegal land expansion, but warn that government funding, coordination and implementation remain major challenges.

Forensic scientists in Jalisco are burying pig carcasses under different conditions to study how vegetation and soil change around clandestine graves. The project, led by the Jalisco Search Commission with volunteer mothers’ groups and universities, combines this research with electrical resistivity tomography, drone-mounted multispectral cameras and artificial intelligence to identify likely burial sites. These techniques have already helped investigators find additional bags of human remains and complete bodies at an abandoned house in Zapopan. The methods could make searches safer and faster for families looking for more than 100,000 missing people across Mexico, although officials stress that technology cannot resolve the underlying drug-cartel violence or prevent further disappearances.

Preventing infestations is easier than removing them: seal gaps with rodent-proof materials, keep food and bins clean, store food securely, fix leaks and regularly inspect lofts, beds and secondhand furniture. Travellers should check hotel beds and keep luggage away from sleeping areas to avoid bringing home bedbugs. Renters should consult their tenancy agreements and contact landlords or local authorities where appropriate. Humane methods such as traps, peppermint oil, cinnamon and ultrasonic devices may help with rodents, but chemical treatments require safety precautions. Professional pest controllers should identify the species and evidence of infestation before treating; bedbug sufferers should avoid moving mattresses or using ineffective sprays and smoke bombs. UK rat or mouse treatment averages about £180 for two visits, while heat treatment for bedbugs can be costly.

Since 1999, Armando López Pocol’s Chico Mendes Reforestation Project has restored degraded highland landscapes around Pachaj, Guatemala, planting tens of thousands of trees annually while generating income through volunteering, homestays, ecotourism and Spanish lessons. The project faces recurring wildfires, drought, limited staffing and funding, with Pocol attributing some fires to arson and criticizing mining-related environmental injustices. Experts view the initiative as important for ecosystem restoration, climate adaptation and community resilience, but say government support remains insufficient.

Backpackers can reduce costs by choosing hostels, dorms, hammocks or campsites, cooking their own meals, sharing accommodation and excursions, and staying outside expensive tourist centres. Other options include eSIMs, sleeping safely in airports when necessary, free hosting through networks such as CouchSurfing and Host A Sister, house-sitting, and volunteering in exchange for accommodation. The advice emphasizes checking safety carefully when staying with strangers and balancing cheaper locations with transport costs and local experiences.

Freelancing can offer greater autonomy, flexible hours and potentially higher earnings, but it also brings uncertain income, responsibility for tax and pensions, unpaid sick leave and administrative burdens. Prospective freelancers are advised to build an emergency savings buffer, separate business and personal finances, choose carefully between sole-trader and limited-company status, plan their goals, develop clients before leaving employment, network actively and use written contracts and insurance. Jeb Jagne’s transition from PR to running the flower business Nyang Flowers illustrates both the challenges of setting up alone and the possibility of earning more while working fewer hours.

Buying a leasehold property in England or Wales requires careful checks on the lease length, ground rent, service charges, sinking funds, building maintenance, cladding and restrictions on use. Leases shorter than 80 years can be difficult to mortgage, while escalating ground rents may also make a property unmortgageable. Buyers should review historic and anticipated costs, investigate the freeholder and management company, inspect communal areas, and use a conveyancing solicitor. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 bans the sale of new leasehold houses, while further Labour proposals on lease extensions, ground rents and leasehold flats remain at an early stage. Residents may eventually gain greater control through right to manage or shared freehold arrangements, though these require substantial leaseholder support and administration.

Home sauna demand in the UK has risen sharply since the pandemic, with searches and sales remaining above pre-Covid levels. Traditional Finnish saunas, infrared models and bespoke outdoor cabins range from roughly £1,500 to more than £40,000, while self-builds and portable tents or blankets offer cheaper alternatives. Experts cite relaxation, cardiovascular and mental-wellbeing benefits but warn that intense heat and cold can be dangerous for people with certain health conditions. Installation involves electrical, drainage, ventilation, foundation and planning considerations, while wood-burning stoves may create environmental and neighbourhood problems. Community sauna venues are expanding as a more affordable option, and ice baths are increasingly paired with sauna use.

Rising mortgage rates and household costs are prompting more UK homeowners and first-time buyers to consider smaller properties. Households profiled in Kent and Edinburgh hope downsizing will reduce mortgage payments, financial risk and stress, although moving costs, stamp duty and mortgage fees can significantly reduce immediate savings. Mortgage experts say downsizing can be necessary for households struggling to meet payments, but warn that doing so too early may sacrifice long-term financial security, particularly if interest rates fall.

UK holiday-let owners are reporting sharply lower bookings in early 2024, with the cost-of-living crisis, poor weather and an oversupply of properties cited as the main causes. AirDNA recorded 342,000 short-term lets in the UK in the year to February 2024, up 19% year on year, while bookings also fell in London and seaside towns such as Scarborough. The sector is facing further pressure from planned regulation in England, including a national registration scheme and the removal of tax relief from April 2025. Some owners are considering switching to long-term rentals or selling if demand does not recover.

Digital nomadism has moved from a niche lifestyle to a mainstream form of remote work, with more than 50 countries offering visas and the global population expected to reach 60 million by 2030. The article draws on the author’s experience and interviews with nomads and industry figures to outline benefits such as flexibility, cultural immersion and family time, alongside challenges including loneliness, exhaustion, connectivity, taxation and employment-law compliance. It also addresses criticism that affluent remote workers contribute to gentrification, recommending longer stays, local engagement, sustainable transport and accommodation choices that reduce pressure on communities.

High-demand concerts and festivals have driven a sharp rise in ticket scams, with Lloyds Bank reporting a 529% increase in concert-ticket fraud and average losses of £110. Buyers are advised to use official resale channels such as Ticketmaster, Twickets, TicketSwap and Dice; scrutinize sellers’ profiles, pricing and activity; use reverse-image searches on ticket and profile photos; and avoid bank transfers or PayPal’s Friends and Family option. Credit-card payments and PayPal Goods and Services offer stronger protection, while victims should preserve conversations, contact their bank immediately, block and report scammers, and notify Action Fraud.

Groundwork’s free Green Doctor service helps vulnerable households in England and Wales reduce energy and water costs, access emergency assistance and claim available discounts. Advisers are seeing increasingly complex cases as fuel poverty expands, including more people on average incomes and households forced onto prepayment meters. Home visits provide practical measures such as radiator reflector panels, draught excluders and LED bulbs, while advisers also secure priority-register access, fuel vouchers and social tariffs. One visit helped a household save about £50 a month through Southern Water’s social tariff. Groundwork’s chief executive says the service treats the symptoms of the crisis and that long-term political action, including home retrofits and improved energy efficiency, is needed.

Airbnb’s expansion from home-sharing into a dominant short-term-rental platform has intensified concerns that entire properties are being removed from local housing markets and communities are being hollowed out, particularly in coastal and tourist areas. Residents and former users describe avoiding non-owner-occupied listings, while Airbnb disputes evidence of a consumer shift and says most hosts list only one property. England is proposing planning controls, and Scotland and Wales have introduced licensing and other restrictions. Community-focused alternatives such as Homestay and Fairbnb are highlighted, while price comparisons suggest Airbnb is not always cheaper than hotels once cleaning and other fees are included.

People across the UK are using sharing-economy platforms to earn extra money from underused possessions and services amid the cost-of-living crisis. Examples include renting an electric-car charger through Co Charger, clothes through By Rotation, camera equipment and laptops through Fat Llama, household items through pa-rent, an Audi A4 through Karshare, and cat-sitting through Cat in a Flat. Reported earnings range from about £20 a week to £4,000 a month, with some participants using the income to cover bills, save money or gain greater career flexibility. The opportunities also support reuse and low-emission transport, but owners are warned to consider damage, insurance, platform fees and the administrative burden of managing bookings.

Rising energy bills and broader living costs are prompting more UK homeowners to consider taking in lodgers, while demand for rented rooms is also increasing. SpareRoom reports that 90% of homeowners who previously had a lodger would consider doing so again, and its website recorded a sharp rise in people seeking rooms; Gumtree also saw a large increase in searches for listings with bills included. Households are adopting other forms of energy sharing, including eating with relatives, hosting family members and rotating social gatherings among friends to reduce heating and food costs. The trend reflects growing financial pressure despite the government’s £400 energy-bill discount, with colder weather expected to intensify demand for shared living arrangements.