Positive Wildlife News 2023

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Arizona’s Wildlife Habitat, Hunting Heritage get $3.7 Million Upgrade

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners allocated $3,754,957 in grant funding to enhance nearly 5,000 acres of habitat for elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, turkey and a host of other wildlife species.

“Arizona is home to a healthy elk herd but some of its range is not so healthy. Two habitat enhancement projects improve forage in northcentral Arizona by removing encroaching juniper and pinyon growth,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “To highlight two other projects, one of them expands water sources for wildlife while another safely removes unauthorized feral horses from tens of thousands of acres to help restore vital wildlife and riparian habitat.”

Arizona’s Wildlife Habitat, Hunting Heritage Get $3.7 Million Upgrade
 
Golden eagle monitoring in Poland during season 2023 found 37 territories - highest number since year 2000

Summary of Golden eagle monitoring in Poland during the summer. In the Carpathians 2023 (southern Poland), 20 pairs started breeding in 34 occupied areas. Although two double broods and a total of 10 young were recorded in June, ultimately only 8 young left the nests. Nest success in the Carpathians was only 40%, which was the lowest result in the last 5 years.

In Pomerania (Baltic sea coast), birds were found in 3 areas, but without breeding success.

More information about golden eagles at the 55th Congress of Ornithologists of Southeastern Poland on November 25 this year. (Saturday) in Krakow at the Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology of the University of Agriculture at Al. A. Mickiewicza 24/28. and the 6th conference of the Eagle Protection Committee on November 4-5, 2023 at the Nature and Forest Education Center in Rogów
Reproduction ecology of the golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos in the Polish Carpathians in 2019 - 2023. Authors: Dr. Marian Stój, Robert Kruszyk, Tomasz Baziak - Eagle Protection Committee.

Link to FB Post
Link to webside with historic figures and a map
 
Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel now has more nesting seabirds than at any time since the 1930s. Since the eradication of both brown and black rats, there are now a total of 40,000 seabirds on the island compared to just 7,351 in 2000.

Atlantic puffin numbers have grown from just 13 in 2001 to 1,335. The European storm petrel, which only colonised the island in 2014, now has more than 150 pairs. The island is also home to 25,000 Manx shearwaters - 95% of the breeding population of England.

More information can be found in the link below:
Seabirds thriving on Lundy - BirdGuides
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel now has more nesting seabirds than at any time since the 1930s. Since the eradication of both brown and black rats, there are now a total of 40,000 seabirds on the island compared to just 7,351 in 2000.

Atlantic puffin numbers have grown from just 13 in 2001 to 1,335. The European storm petrel, which only colonised the island in 2014, now has more than 150 pairs. The island is also home to 25,000 Manx shearwaters - 95% of the breeding population of England.

More information can be found in the link below:
Seabirds thriving on Lundy - BirdGuides
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Notwithstanding the obvious beneficial effects of their eradication on Lundy, I feel its a pity they couldn't have saved a few of the Black Rats and located them somewhere offshore where they couldn't potentially do any harm to seabird colonies or other wildlife as this rat species is now effectively extinct in the UK.
 
Pertinax said:
Notwithstanding the obvious beneficial effects of their eradication on Lundy, I feel its a pity they couldn't have saved a few of the Black Rats and located them somewhere offshow where they couldn't potentially do any harm to seabird colonies or other wildlife. This rat species is now effectively extinct in the UK.
Click to expand...
....where it was introduced, and is thriving in its large native range and vast introduced range across the world.
 
Swampy said:
....where it was introduced, and is thriving in its large native range and vast introduced range across the world.
Click to expand...
Accepted, but still think its a pity none exist in the UK anymore. It existed here for a very long time even if mainly as the result of successive self-introductions.
 
For the first time a pair of white-tailed sea eagles has started nest-building in Belgium, in the Blankaart nature reserve near Diksmuide in the Western Flanders province. This reserve and the surrounding areas have a large population of waterfowl, providing a food source for the eagle.

Until now white-tailed sea eagles were only present as migrants in Belgium.

The pair likely comes from the Netherlands, where white-tailed sea eagles have been nesting since 2006.

Belgische primeur: voor het eerst bouwt koppel zeearenden nest in ons land
 
18 rare pygmy hogs reintroduced into original home in Assam's Manas National Park

This was the fourth such reintroduction in Manas. Overall, 54 hogs were released here in the past four years.

Eighteen captive-bred pygmy hogs, the world’s rarest and smallest pig species, were reintroduced into Manas National Park in Assam on Saturday under the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP).

This was the fourth such reintroduction in Manas, their original home. Overall, 54 hogs were released here in the past four years.

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group, Assam Forest Department, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ecosystems-India and wildlife NGO Aaranyak collaborated for the PHCP. It is aimed at bringing back this endangered species back from the brink after it was thought to be extinct in the 1970s.

18 rare pygmy hogs reintroduced into original home in Assam's Manas National Park
 
Further 2,500 hectares to be added to protected area estate

Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Minister for Multicultural Affairs
The Honourable Leanne Linard
  • The Palaszczuk Government has started the process to dedicate more than 2,500 hectares of timber reserve and state forest as national park and conservation park.
  • The dedication is part of the government’s commitment to transfer 20,000 hectares of state forest to the protected areas estate under the Native Timber Action Plan.
  • Queensland’s marine parks and terrestrial protected area estate encompasses more than 21.5 million hectares.
The Palaszczuk Government has taken the first step to rededicate more than 2,500 hectares of land currently declared as timber reserve and state forest as national park and conservation park.

Further 2,500 hectares to be added to protected area estate
 
Penguin chick born in Eden for the first time in 30 years holds hopes in re-establishing colony

When two little penguins came ashore on the far south coast of New South Wales and mated they were, without knowing it, pioneers in re-establishing a colony that had been locally extinct for 30 years.

Key points:
  • Eden's thriving penguin colony became locally extinct in the 1990s
  • An Australian-first sound attraction system has helped bring penguins back to the area
  • This month, one little penguin chick became the first known to be born in Eden in 30 years
Australian-first 'love machine' helps re-colonise little penguin population locally extinct for 30 years
 
300 Endangered Northern Leopard Frogs Released in Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

To start a new population, authorities released 300 endangered northern leopard frogs in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

Rewilding 300 Endangered Frogs

Recently, hundreds of endangered frogs raised at the Oregon Zoo and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville, Pierce County, were released back into the wild.

Keepers at Northwest Trek released approximately 300 northern leopard frogs in Grant County's Columbia National Wildlife Refuge at the end of August in an effort to create a new population in the area, according to a news release from the wildlife park.

Northern leopard frogs were previously common throughout North America, but they have swiftly vanished from their original ranges in western Canada, Washington, and Oregon as a result of disease, invasive species, habitat loss and degradation, and climate change, according to the wildlife park.

With only one known wild population living in the state, the species has been categorized as endangered in Washington since 1999.

The endangered frogs still have a long way to go before they are fully recovered.

The fall of frogs in the Pacific Northwest is most likely caused by illness, non-native species, habitat loss and degradation, and climate change.

300 Endangered Northern Leopard Frogs Released in Columbia National Wildlife Refuge
 
Interior Department Announces Establishment of Two New National Wildlife Refuges in Wyoming and Tennessee

Wyoming Toad Conservation Area and Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge will conserve important habitat, expand outdoor recreation access

The Department of the Interior today announced the establishment of the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area in Wyoming and the Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee as the 569th and 570th units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The announcement comes as the nation celebrates National Wildlife Refuge Week, which commemorates the important role the Refuge System plays in providing vital habitat for wildlife species, offering outdoor recreation access to the public, and bolstering climate resilience across the country.

Interior Department Announces Establishment of Two New National Wildlife Refuges in Wyoming and Tennessee
 
In good news for elephants, Africa’s largest savanna elephant population is stable

Results from the region’s first-ever transboundary aerial survey

Seven aircraft surveyed over 40,000 miles of southern Africa’s Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) to estimate the number and distribution of Africa’s largest savanna elephant population. This first-ever synchronized transboundary survey took two months, from August to October 2022, to cover what equates to nearly twice the circumference of the globe. The results were just published and found an overall stable and slightly increased population of 227,900 elephants in the region.

The last survey of KAZA’s elephant population was back in 2014 and 2015, which estimated around 217,000 elephants. However, unlike the latest survey, this one was based on compiling results from separate country surveys. Not only was the entire elephant range in KAZA not covered, but the surveys were conducted during different periods of time, meaning certain elephant herds were likely counted twice, or not at all.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stori...largest-savanna-elephant-population-is-stable
 
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announces conservation area of 30,000 sq km

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has announced plans for a conservation area that will span more than 30,000 square kilometres.

The project will encompass the Makkah, Asir and Jazan regions of Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

It will span a total of 30,152 square kilometres.

“The Imam Faisal bin Turki Royal Reserve is among a number of royal reserves that the kingdom has developed and supported to be a tributary of the national development at all levels, which contributes to providing solutions to many of the environmental challenges that the whole world is experiencing,” said Prince Mohammed, according to SPA.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announces conservation area of 30,000 sq km
 
The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund Protect Significant Fern Lake Property

Fern Lake’s acquisition and protection represent a significant win for people and nature.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and The Conservation Fund have acquired the iconic Fern Lake property totaling 712 acres along the Kentucky and Tennessee border. This acquisition fills a near-complete inholding within Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Private financial support was provided by the James Graham Brown Foundation and other generous supporters as part of their commitment to protecting this biologically rich area. The acquisition will provide an important connection between already protected lands, including the C.F. Ataya LLC tract within TNC’s Cumberland Forest Project and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund Acquire Fern Lake Property
 
Indonesian village forms coast guard to protect octopus in Mentawai Islands
  • An island community in Indonesia’s Mentawai archipelago has responded to dwindling octopus stocks with a seasonal fishing closure to enable recovery.
  • Global demand for octopus is expected to outpace supply over the medium term, implying higher dockside prices for many artisanal fishers, if stocks can be managed sustainably.
  • Maintenance of local fishing grounds also offers crucial nutritional benefits for remote coastal communities in the Mentawais, where rates of child stunting exceed Indonesia’s national average.
Indonesian village forms coast guard to protect octopus in Mentawai Islands
 
New marine reserves for the southeast of the South Island

In October 2023 the Minister of Conservation announced six new marine reserves will be established along the southeast coast of the South Island from Timaru to Waipapa Point in Southland.

This coastal region previously had no marine protected areas – as defined by New Zealand’s MPA Policy.

The marine reserves will protect important and unique coastal and estuarine habitats and the marine life within them. They contribute to New Zealand’s marine protection goals and international commitments to protect marine biodiversity.

Habitats protected include estuarine and tidal lagoons, rocky reefs, offshore canyons, giant kelp forests, deep water bryozoan (lace coral) thickets and seagrass and red algae beds. These support an array of fish and other marine species.

New marine reserves for the southeast of the South Island
 
Planners green-light new nature reserve in Negev Desert

Ramat Mazar is home to several species that are unique to Israel, among them the Nubian ibex, Dorcas gazelle, Desert tawny owl and Blanford’s fox.

Planners on Sunday greenlit the creation of a new, 90-square-kilometer (35-square-mile) nature reserve at Ramat Mazar in the Negev Desert in southern Israel.

Planners green-light new nature reserve in Negev Desert - The Times of Israel
 
Yellowstone Coalition buys out 1,600 acres from mining interest

A nearly two-year effort to protect about 1,600 acres of wildlife habitat next to Yellowstone National Park from industrial gold mining was completed Sunday, according to a release Monday from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

The campaign raised $6.25 million from thousands of donors nationwide to purchase the mineral rights, leases and claims held by Crevice Mining Group LLC on land north of the park border and immediately upslope from the Yellowstone River.

“This is a remarkable achievement for everyone who loves Yellowstone National Park, its iconic wildlife, and beloved river,” said Scott Christensen, GYC’s executive director.

Yellowstone Coalition buys out 1,600 acres from mining interest
 
River Dee revived after one of Scotland’s biggest ever dam removals

One of Scotland’s biggest ever dam removals has been completed in Aberdeenshire, opening up part of the River Dee to Atlantic salmon for the first time in more than 100 years.

The project, delivered by the River Dee Trust and the Dee District Salmon Fishery Board, was made possible after receiving funding from Water Environment Fund (WEF). The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) administer WEF funding on behalf of the Scottish Government enabling rivers to be restored across Scotland.

The removal of the Garlogie Dam on Dunecht Estate means salmon can now access about 20 kilometres of precious spawning habitat. Opening up the five-metre-high dam also restores 500 metres of burn and riverbank habitats, which were submerged below a reservoir for almost a century, as well as habitat restoration of the 3.5 hectares site further upstream of the dam.

https://riverdee.org.uk/news/river-dee-revived-after-one-of-scotlands-biggest-ever-dam-removals/
 
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