Our most popular stories of 2025

Backyard lizards, converted golf courses and the case for turning down the lights.

As the year comes to a close, we're looking back at the articles we published that were especially well read. Here, in case you missed them the first time, are the top five stories of 2025.

A million thank-yous to our subscribers, contributors and supporters. We look forward to covering even more global rewilding stories in 2026.

Happy New Year!

5. Why – and how – to rewild the night

A very starry night sky
A view of the night sky from Chile's Atacama Desert, known as one of the least-light-polluted regions on the planet – a status currently under threat due to a proposed development project. Photo: John Colosimo (colosimophotography.com)/ESO.

Light pollution puts wildlife at risk. Learn why darkness matters and some steps we can take to make things better.

4. How fixing roadside curbs can help reptiles and amphibians survive

A mock turtle "crossing" the road in front of a car, shot from a low angle
Theo, an “educational” turtle, demonstrates the risk posed to his extended relatives by crossing roads. Photo courtesy Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.

To lessen the impact of human-built structures on the movement of wildlife, we need to start with smart design.

3. “Our yard is now teeming with life”

A row of plants in pots lined up on an outdoor fence
A row of native plants purchased at markets. Photo: Kira Simpson.

How one Australian homeowner is transforming her standard-issue suburban yard into habitat for birds, insects, lizards and more.

2. When golf courses go wild

People, one using a wheelchair, smiling while going along an outdoor trail
Hikers explore rewilded Prospect Lake Golf Course near Victoria, BC, which welcomed 2,500 people with accessibility needs last year.Photo via Power to Be.

How non-profits, trusts and cities are converting manicured greens into places where wildlife, plants and people can flourish.

1. “I didn’t know I was building a forest”

A person posing for the camera in an outdoor environment
Kollakkal Devaki Amma at her home. Photo: Bharath Thampi.

This 90-year-old woman in India offers a lesson on how small, incremental action can lead to meaningful change.

Want more? Skip back to previous years:

Our Most Popular Rewilding Stories of 2024
An urban pollinator corridor, replacing lawn with habitat and why landscape design matters when it comes to rewilding.
Our Most Popular Rewilding Stories of 2023
Rewilding and the law, the world’s first rewilding centre, feeding wild birds, tree-based farming and an artist who works with wild plants: our top stories of the year cover the gamut.
Our Most Popular Rewilding Stories of 2022
Urban rewilding, replacing lawns, the importance of art and the trouble with monocultures: our top stories of the year cover the gamut.
Our Best Rewilding Stories of 2021 | Rewilding Magazine
Urban beavers, nature books, rewilding heroes and redefining wilderness: our top stories of the year cover the gamut.

Main image: Kira Simpson