The Cook Islands do have a roundabout now (though still no traffic lights), and it was front-page news when the first escalator arrived recently in the newly built courthouse.

he swings his van around and a few minutes later we pull up outside a palm tree-fringed cottage. “My house,” he announces, disappearing inside and returning with a crisp $3 note. In Cook ...

“Having tree islands in the matrix of oil palm, which is a harsh environment, could potentially facilitate the movement of species in this landscape.” Researchers planted 52 tree islands of ...

According to one of its tourism websites, there are no branded resorts on the Cook Islands, no stop lights, and no buildings taller than a coconut tree. Kristina Millare is a freelance journalist ...

Read the paper: Tree islands enhance biodiversity and functioning in oil palm landscapes Using a robust experimental design and presenting a variety of measures and analyses, the authors report ...

The team say that while protecting existing tropical rainforests should remain a priority, tree islands represent a promising way to restore ecosystems. Palm oil is a product that's found everywhere.