GNR Good News Roundup for Wednesday, 10/14/26

Key Points:

• A newly discovered giant fungus species named Dianjunus rex, or "D. rex," was found in southwest China, with fruiting bodies up to 20 inches tall and weighing 5 pounds, dating back approximately 65 million years after the dinosaur extinction event.
• The Aldabra giant tortoise population on Aldabra Atoll has reached an estimated 180,000 individuals, the highest ever recorded, thanks to decades of conservation efforts, marking a significant recovery from near extinction in the 19th century.
• Victoria, Australia, has officially established over 65,000 hectares of new national parks, the first major additions in 15 years, on lands traditionally cared for by Indigenous peoples, with management plans to be developed collaboratively.
• The Lost Apple Project, initiated by retired FBI agent Dave Benscoter and E.J. Brandt, has spent over 20 years locating and preserving rare pre-1920 apple tree varieties in the Pacific Northwest to save heritage crops from extinction.
• Cambodia has designated a 315-hectare wetland in Pursat province as a genetic conservation area to protect one of the last wild populations of critically endangered Siamese crocodiles, supported by Indigenous communities who have coexisted peacefully with the species for generations.