Conservation nonprofit purchases thousands of acres of land along Altamaha River
The nonprofit group The Conversation Fund purchased more than 6,000 acres of land along the Altamaha River in Long County, Georgia last week. The property was purchased from Rayonier Inc., a timberland real estate investment trust, according to a release from The Conservation Fund.
The nonprofit says the 6,154 acre-property is known as Beards Creek Forest and includes almost six miles of land along the Altamaha River. It is home to endangered species of mussels and fish, including the Atlantic sturgeon.
Meet the beautiful birds that are rebuilding Brazil’s Atlantic Forests
Want to restore a degraded forest? Why not let the birds do the work! Find out how – with a little help from BirdLife – some of Brazil’s most threatened birds are coming back, and bringing the whole forest with them…
When you think of Brazilian forests, the Amazon is probably the first place that comes to mind. But Brazil is also home to the Atlantic Forest, which originally covered about 15% of the country, and where 72% of the Brazil’s 200 million citizens now live. The Atlantic Forest was once a continuous swathe of green, but was rapidly cleared and converted into sugarcane plantations, pastures and cities, leaving small patches of vegetation scattered along the east coast of South America. Today, just 12% remains in Brazil. These forest islands are the final refuge for a large number of bird species, many of which are threatened with extinction. Of the 1,919 bird species in Brazil, 891 (nearly half) can be found in the Atlantic Forest.
This might not be positive per say, but at least these birds are getting the conservation action and legal protections they need.
A Win For A Troubled “Forest” Seabird
Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission declares the Marbled Murrelet Endangered
Oregon joined Washington and California to protect Marbled Murrelets as Endangered under the state's Endangered Species Act. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 4 to 3 to reclassify the murrelet from Threatened to Endangered. These protections come at a critical time for this species, which depends on marine areas for feeding and old-growth forest for nesting. Both of its habitats face uncertain futures with respect to the impact of climate change.
New Legislation Will Protect Water Quality, Build Resilience, and Restore Bird Habitat Along the Mississippi River
Audubon joins a chorus of supporters up and down the river for this important new bill.
The Mississippi River is one of our most important natural assets, providing drinking water to over 20 million Americans. The river’s watershed encompasses 40 percent of the contiguous United States and spans 31 states. The diverse habitats along the river host a globally significant flyway supporting over 325 species of birds.
That’s just part of why Audubon is excited about legislation introduced this week in Congress to create the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI). The bill will create a MRRRI National Program Office within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and authorize $300 million in federal appropriations to implement the MRRRI program. It was introduced by Representative Betty McCollum (MN-04) and co-sponsored by Rep. Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Rep. John Yarmuth (KY-03).
California's Largest Floodplain Restoration Project Sets Precedent
In April, River Partners put the last plant into the ground at Dos Rios Ranch Preserve, our 2,100-acre restoration project at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers near Modesto. It was the final piece of a $46 million labor of love, the culmination of a nearly decade-long effort that added more than 350,000 native trees and shrubs to the San Joaquin Valley along eight miles of river, and created hundreds of good, green jobs. The project transformed a former farming operation that was prone to frequent flooding into thriving natural riverside habitat providing a myriad of benefits for wildlife, natural resources, and people. This includes boosting the resiliency of San Joaquin Valley communities against droughts like the one California is currently grappling with. As the largest public-private floodplain restoration project in California history, Dos Rios Ranch serves as a promising model for how the state can harness the power of healthy rivers to ensure a thriving future.
Senate Bans Shark Fin Trade and Addresses Forced Labor and Illegal Fishing
Last week, on World Oceans Day, the U.S. Senate took two major legislative steps to support our oceans for the future: banning the commercial shark fin trade in the U.S. and addressing forced labor and Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (S. 1106) — a bill that targets the U.S. trade in shark fins — passed as part of a broader legislative package known as the United States Innovation and Competition Act (S. 1260). Similar legislation passed in the House of Representatives in the last legislative session and has been introduced in the House this session (H.R. 2811). It currently has more than 130 bipartisan cosponsors, Scuba Diver Life reported.
The Florida Wildlife Corridor is nearly 18 million acres of natural wonder. The state just took a significant step to keep it alive
Wedged between Florida's two coasts are some of the richest ecosystems in the US, teeming with native wildlife that prefers to be hidden from human view.
The animals' natural lives for the most part remain a secret to Floridians. To catch glimpses of them in the wild, Carlton Ward Jr. sets a camera trap and bides his time.
"I wait for the animal to take its own picture," said Ward, a conservationist, wildlife photographer and lifelong Floridian.
Conservation at Texas Wildlife Refuge Enhances Habitat and Coastal Resilience
Addition of 4,800 acres to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge benefits imperiled wildlife and climate change adaption strategies.
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, has recently gained 4,800 acres of additional coastal habitat, The Conservation Fund and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced today.
Precious Rainforests Are Being Preserved at Highest Rate in 30 Years, After Palm Oil Moratorium in Indonesia
Indonesia holds one-third of the world’s tropical rainforests, which are home to people and birds, leopards, rhinos, tigers, and gibbons playing among the lush canopies—and recent protections are helping these vital places thrive.
Indigenous tribes, orangutans, and so many more now have a seat at the table under the stewardship of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, elected in 2014.
The Widodo administration’s shepherding of land-use reforms and a reestablishing of a logging moratorium have achieved four consecutive years of declines in deforestation.
Arizona Legislative Session Results in Funding for Audubon Priorities
But we have a long way to go in addressing the state’s increasing water crisis, temperatures, and wildfires.
The 2021 Arizona Legislative session has adjourned, with the session uncommonly extending into the month of June. Legislators debated everything from tax policy, to education, to criminal justice reform, and even had a special session dedicated to appropriating $100 million to combat the severe wildfires Arizona is experiencing. In the midst of all these budgetary negotiations, some of Audubon’s environmental and water priorities were quietly sent along to Governor Ducey for approval.
As part of the state’s overall budget, Audubon and its network of advocates sought funding for water and environmental priorities to help birds and people. We are happy to report that our advocacy helped ensure more than $50 million dedicated to the protection of the environment and stewardship of water resources.
Beef farmer working to bring back native grasslands from brink of extinction
Drew Gailey loves farming and also his land.
A Victorian farmer is working to help revive lost populations of native grasslands
Only 1 per cent of native grassland populations remain in Victoria
Mr Gailey says grazing is crucial for grassland protection
He bought a property on the Patho Plains in northern Victoria 10 years ago.
It came with a Conservation Covenant on the title that protects all the native vegetation on the land.
Over the past year, Mr Gailey has been working with Trust for Nature, a conservation organisation, to plant and help revive lost populations of spiny rice-flower and turnip copperburr.
Vital Caribbean shark population to be better protected
We’re delighted to announce that we’ll be part of a new project funded by the UK Government which will be protecting shark populations in the Caribbean.
The Marine Conservation Society will be working directly with organisations in both the Caribbean and the UK to ensure that local shark populations are protected in the waters around Anguilla, one of the UK’s overseas territories.
Thanks to a grant awarded by the UK Government's Darwin Plus initiative, which provides vital funding in overseas territories, work will be carried out to better understand shark populations around these East Caribbean islands.
As apex predators, the sharks sit at the top of the food chain, and play a critical role in marine ecosystem recovery and resilience.
Essex Police launch Operation Seabird to protect marine wildlife
Essex Police's Burnham-based marine unit and the rural engagement team are spearheading the initiative – codenamed Operation Seabird – over the summer.
The drive is aimed at raising awareness and educating visitors to the coast how to respect nesting birds and marine wildlife and prevent them from being disturbed. The team will be working alongside Essex Wildlife Trust, RSPB, RSPCA and the Marine Management Organisation. The rural engagement team will patrol the coastline on land while the marine unit will do the same on the water.
Banding Brings Burrowing Owls Back from the Brink in British Columbia
The adorable Burrowing Owl is one of the most endangered birds found in Canada’s grasslands. In fact, the species was extirpated from BC (extinct specifically in BC) in 1979. This is largely due to habitat destruction from urbanization and agricultural expansion. They live in a very specific habitat: the dry valley bottoms of the Southern Interior, which comprise less than 1% of the area of the province.
Thankfully, there are many people working hard to try and reintroduce Burrowing Owls to their historic range in BC. The Nature Trust of BC’s Okanagan Field Crew has been working at White Lake Basin to help the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society with some of their important work.
Sumatran rhinos show low inbreeding — but when it happens, collapse is quick
The outlook is bleak for Sumatran rhinos. Decades of poaching and habitat loss have precipitated a steep population decline. Once found across Southeast Asia, from the Himalayan foothills to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, the critically endangered species, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, is now only found in Indonesia. Conservationists estimate that fewer than 100 individuals survive in the wild, living in isolated pockets of forest.
Their rapidly diminishing population, extreme isolation from one another and poor reproductive success have raised fears that the remaining rhinos are likely to suffer from inbreeding problems associated with erosion of genetic diversity.
A new study, published this week in Nature Communications, affords rhino conservationists some respite. The study, led by the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm and an international team of researchers, revealed that the remaining populations of Sumatran rhinos in Borneo and Sumatra exhibit low levels of inbreeding and higher-than-expected genetic diversity.
The cold cases of two lost lizards in Ecuador have finally been cracked
Conservationists are working to make sure the rare lizards don’t disappear again.
A quest to find every species of reptile living in Ecuador has unearthed two species that many scientists feared were extinct. While working on their forthcoming book, Reptiles of Ecuador, which details the ecology and natural history of the country’s approximately 500 reptilian species, Tropical Herping found two endemic lizards that they originally didn’t think would be included: the Climbing Whorltail Iguana and the Orcés Blue Whiptail.
Protected zone established for endangered primates in Quang Binh
The central province of Quang Binh has approved the establishment of a strict protection zone on 710ha of special-use forest area to protect 22 Hatinh langur herds in Dong Hoa commune of Tuyen Hoa district.
The central province of Quang Binh has approved the establishment of a strict protection zone on 710ha of special-use forest area to protect 22 Hatinh langur herds in Dong Hoa commune of Tuyen Hoa district.
The province said all rock mining and mineral exploitation activities will be banned in the area and surrounding communes to ensure a safe habitat for the endangered primates.
Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Youth Affairs
The Honourable Meaghan Scanlon
The Palaszczuk Government has announced more than 4,600 hectares of land will become protected habitat for wildlife, while half-a-million dollars will be provided to dozens of property owners across the state to safeguard nature refuges.
Visiting 30 hectares of land today on the southern Gold Coast to be declared a new nature refuge, Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the move would ensure more crucial habitat for Queensland’s native wildlife with 4,400 hectares to be added to the state’s national parks, 144 hectares to nature refuges, and 82 hectares to conservation parks – equivalent to 8,500 football fields.
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