Positive Wildlife News 2022

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Bontebok Can’t Jump: The Most Dramatic Conservation Success You’ve Never Heard About

Make a list of the best-known African animals, and the bontebok isn’t going to make the cut. Chances are, you’ve never even heard of this antelope.

But the bontebok deserves a place in the annals of conservation history. It is arguably the first African animal saved from human-caused extinction. Its rescue is flat-out one of the most dramatic conservation success stories anywhere.

At one point, the global bontebok population had been reduced to 17 animals. That’s right. Seventeen. Other species were disappearing around it. The bontebok was, it appeared, doomed.

Today, there is a long list of African wildlife in peril. But not the bontebok. Its population is secure and growing, and its near-miss with oblivion is largely forgotten.

How did such a dramatic turnaround occur? Like many conservation rescue stories, this is a story of destruction followed by a bit of drama and a bit of luck.

In this story, though, a quirk of bontebok behavior – some might even call it a flaw – also helped save the day.

Bontebok Can’t Jump: The Most Dramatic Conservation Success You’ve Never Heard About
 
Illescas National Reserve: A New Migratory Bird Haven on the Coast of Peru

The day before Christmas on December 24, 2021, Peru celebrated the establishment of the Illescas National Reserve, a migratory bird haven that runs along the Pacific coastline of the region of Piura.
The reserve protects 90,319 acres (37,453 ha) of tropical desert and marine coastline
that are home to diverse and endemic species. The area is also the only known coastal nesting site of the Andean condor.

Illescas has registered 13 reptile species and 11 mammal species, including the Peruvian desert fox (Lycalopex sechurae) and the South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens). Most notably, 120 species of birds have been registered in the area, including the Blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii), the Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti), and the critically endangered Waved albatross (Phoebastria irrorata). As mentioned, Illescas is an important nesting site for the Andean condor. In fact, in the 1980s, the behavior of the condors from Illescas were studied to develop methods to help save the California condor from extinction –a study our Senior Program Director Enrique Ortiz contributed to.

Illescas National Reserve: A New Migratory Bird Haven on the Coast of Peru - Andes Amazon Fund
 
Bald eagle population makes a big comeback in New Jersey

Kathleen Clark, who leads the state’s bald eagle studies, discusses the remarkable rebound

Few birds capture the public imagination like our national bird, the bald eagle. The iconic birds were once on the brink of extinction, with just one nesting pair existing in New Jersey as recently as the 1980s. But a push to save the bald eagle in recent decades has achieved immense success. Last year, bald eagle nests were found in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.

https://www.njspotlightnews.org/video/bald-eagle-population-makes-a-big-comeback-in-nj/
 
Cumberland Forest Project Sells a 43,000-acre Easement to the State of Tennessee

The transaction achieves a habitat connectivity vision that represents the largest state-held conservation easement in Tennessee history.

Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) announced that the 43,000-acre Ed Carter Unit of the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area (WMA) will be permanently protected after the sale of a conservation easement associated with the property. The easement, located in an area known as Ataya and as Tackett Creek, will also protect 179 miles of streams and provides habitat for the Tennessee elk herd, which attracts thousands of visitors each year for sport and wildlife watching.

Cumberland Forest Project Sells a 43,000-acre Easement to the State of Tennessee
 
Ecuador expands Galapagos Marine Reserve

Protected waters around the Galapagos, the archipelago that inspired Charles Darwin, have now expanded to 198,000 square kilometers to protect the migration routes of rare species.

Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso signed a decree creating a massive new marine reserve north of the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific.

The new reserve, named "Hermandad" (Brotherhood), expands the protected waters by 60,000 square kilometers (23,166 square miles). It builds upon the existing Galapagos Marine Reserve, which already protects about 133,000 square kilometers of water from extractive activities.

"There are places that shape human history, and today we have the honor of being in one of those places," Lasso said while on a ship in the bay of Puerto Ayora, a town in the Galapagos.

"These islands teach us something about ourselves," Lasso said. "What if we didn't set ourselves up as masters over this Earth, but as its protectors?"

Ecuador expands Galapagos Marine Reserve | DW | 15.01.2022
 
New Protected Area on Connecticut’s Southeast Coast Announced

Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the establishment of a new National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) on Connecticut’s southeastern coast. The new reserve is the 30th in the national reserve system and the first in Connecticut.

New Protected Area on Connecticut’s Southeast Coast Announced
 
Bare-faced curassows return to Argentina’s Iberá after 50-year absence
  • After being missing for 50 years from the Iberá region of Argentina, three bare-faced curassow chicks were born there last year thanks to a reintroduction program that also works with other native species.
  • Scientists are also working to reintroduce the curassow into the country’s Chaco forests to strengthen the small wild populations of the bird that remain.
  • The main threats to the bare-faced curassow are hunting and loss of habitat due to deforestation.
Biologist Sofía Zalazar wasn’t born yet the last time a bare-faced curassow was seen in the
Iberá forests in Argentina. The bird began disappearing from the wild in the 1970s, surviving only in small populations in forest areas in the provinces of Chaco and Formosa, in the northeast of the country.

A couple of years ago, Zalazar started to investigate the presence of bare-faced curassows (Crax fasciolata) in Iberá National Park as part of her doctoral research. But the information she got from locals was scant and vague. “A big black bird that sings,” elders told her. “The last records are from more than 40 years ago,” park rangers said. She understood then that the bird wasn’t just disappearing from the forests, but also from the collective memory of the community. “We didn’t find anyone who could describe it accurately,” Zalazar said. “It’s been a long time without the species.”

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...o-argentinas-ibera-after-50-year-absence/amp/
 
A New Marine Protected Area to Protect Biodiversity and Coral Habitat Around Saint Martin’s Island in Bangladesh
    • Government moves to protect waters around Saint Martin’s Island, home to Bangladesh’s only coral reef and threatened Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and whale sharks
    • The new MPA covers 1,743 square kilometers (672 square miles) and brings Bangladesh one step closer to the goal of protecting 10 percent of its marine waters in accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goals
    • The decision recognizes the importance of a partnership between the government, communities and NGOs to manage marine protected areas, reverse decades of environmental degradation, and safeguard fisheries that many Bangladeshis rely on for food and livelihoods
A New Marine Protected Area to Protect Biodiversity and Coral Habitat Around Saint Martin’s Island in Bangladesh
 
Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Applauds New Marine Protections Off Galápagos Islands

Ecuador boosts safeguards to key Eastern Tropical Pacific migratory route

The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project today applauded Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso’s decree conserving 60,000 square kilometers (23,166 square miles) of ocean between the Galápagos Marine Reserve and the Costa Rican maritime border northwest of the Galápagos Islands.

The new Hermandad Marine Reserve includes a 30,000-square-kilometer (11,583-square-mile) fully protected area that will safeguard a migratory corridor used by sharks, whales, sea turtles, manta rays, and many other species between the Galápagos and Cocos Island in neighboring Costa Rica and an additional 30,000-square-kilometer (11,583-square-mile) area where longline fishing would be prohibited.

President Lasso signed the decree on Jan. 14 at a ceremony at sea near Santa Cruz Island. Under Ecuadorian law, the president can, by decree, direct the minister of the environment to create marine protected areas.

Redirecting
 
New Year Brings New Hope and New Road Crossings for American Wildlife

At the end of 2021, Wildlands Network celebrated
7 Wins for Wildlife
in North America, and in 2022, our team is gearing up for even bigger wildlife wins, which will include $60 million for wildlife road crossings.

To kick off the new year, our policy team analyzed President Biden’s Year One Report for his administration’s America the Beautiful initiative, which was released in December. The progress report highlighted successes and next steps towards the administration’s goal of enhancing existing wildlife migration corridors and habitat connectivity. One of these successes included an additional $2 million secured to enhance the winter range and migration corridor of elk, mule deer, and pronghorn in the West. Another success included securing an additional 4,800 acres for the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to help protect and connect critical wildlife corridors for endangered ocelots and other wildlife that call the refuge home.

New Year Brings Hope and Wildlife Crossings for North America — Wildlands Network
 
Recovery noted in Spanish Marbled Duck population

The breeding population of Marbled Duck in Spain is showing signs of recovery, reaching figures not seen for a decade.

In 2021, 105 females accompanied by 759 chicks were recorded during the breeding season, distributed mainly in Andalusia (50.4%) and Valencia (38.1%), in addition to the Balearic Islands and Castilla-La Mancha, which had nine and three breeding females respectively.

The results are encouraging after a period of serious decline in the 2010s, which led to the official declaration of the species as being of critical conservation importance in 2018. In addition, these positive results are even more remarkable considering the scarcity of water in Andalusia's natural wetlands during spring and summer 2021, due to low rainfall.

Recovery noted in Spanish Marbled Duck population - BirdGuides
 
Conservation Groups win Victory in Federal District Court

Judge Halts Power Line Through Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge

We are pleased that the Court saw the Cardinal-Hickory Creek project for what it was: a commercial utility line that would promote deforestation and habitat fragmentation in what must remain a safe haven for wildlife. As the Court decided, the proposed project has no business cutting through the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, a crown jewel of the Midwest.”

Lindsay Dubin, Defenders of Wildlife Staff Attorney Conservation Law.

Defenders of Wildlife and three other conservation groups – the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation – prevailed on January 14 when a Western Virginia District Court judge ruled in a court case filed by the groups that the Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line Project cannot be built across the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge through right-of-way or land transfer.

Judge Halts Power Line Through Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
 
Crested ibis makes a comeback

Camping in the wild for at least two weeks at a time is normal for Chang Xiuyun. The harsh living conditions she encounters searching for the endangered crested ibis have never held her back.

Chang, 60, a senior specialist at the Shaanxi Forestry Bureau, was attracted decades ago by the grace and beauty of the birds–gems of the treasure trove of nature found deep in the Qinling Mountains. She has devoted her career to saving them.

https://www-independent-co-uk.cdn.a...crested-ibis-comeback-china-b1988624.html?amp

 
Local Community helps to develop Montenegro’s second Marine Protected Area

Conserving marine life requires the cooperation of all related stakeholders. Discover how Green Home, CEPF Med grantee, helped local communities in the Katic area to support the declaration of the second Marine Protected Area in Montenegro.

In the Adriatic Sea, opposite the coastal town of Petrovac in the Montenegrin municipality of Budva, is located the stunning Katič islet. Although it consists of several rocky formations dominated by conifers, Katič provides habitat for a wide range of biodiversity, including (but not limited to) seagrass beds, rocky reefs and marine caves.

Meadows of seagrass Posidonia oceanica, sometimes called the “lungs of the Mediterranean Sea,” are a crucial habitat of great importance to many organisms. They provide the ideal nurturing ground for the offspring of many species, increase food availability, and act as safe havens from predators, which makes them a key factor in the production of fish stocks.

Posidonia oceanica take 350 years to develop a clone with a radius of 15 metres. Being such slow-growing organisms makes them excellent biological indicators that reflect the conditions of their environment. Moreover, Posidonia meadows are on the list of priority habitats according to the European Habitats Directive.

Local Community helps to develop Montenegro’s second Marine Protected Area
 
Greece to ban development in mountain areas to protect habitats

Greece will forbid new road building and development in six of its mountain areas, taking a first step to protect its last remaining virgin habitats, Environment Minister Kostas Skrekas said on Tuesday.

Making the transition to green energy a key priority, the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has promised to shut down nearly all its lignite-fired plants by 2025 and protect areas with native plants and animals.

Following devastating wildfires fuelled by a protracted heatwave last summer, the government has also promised to build better climate change defences to protect its forests, which have a key role in reducing greenhouse emissions and attract visitors.

Greece to ban development in mountain areas to protect habitats
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Crested ibis makes a comeback

Camping in the wild for at least two weeks at a time is normal for Chang Xiuyun. The harsh living conditions she encounters searching for the endangered crested ibis have never held her back.

Chang, 60, a senior specialist at the Shaanxi Forestry Bureau, was attracted decades ago by the grace and beauty of the birds–gems of the treasure trove of nature found deep in the Qinling Mountains. She has devoted her career to saving them.

https://www-independent-co-uk.cdn.a...crested-ibis-comeback-china-b1988624.html?amp
Click to expand...
Totals in Qinling 5257. For the country total estimate ca. 6571 and globally now ca. 7619! An incredible recovery from just 7 in the 80s.
 
Woodland Trust Scotland Buys 4500 acre Couldoran Highland Estate in Wester Ross

Woodland Trust Scotland has completed the purchase of the 4500-acre Couldoran Estate in Wester Ross as it invests a total of £8 million in the restoration of its native woodlands.

The Perth-headquartered charity used financial reserves to finalise the purchase and continues to fundraise to cover the cost of buying the estate and managing it in the years ahead.

The purchase price was £3.5 million with a further £4.5 million required to create native woodlands and transform the site for people and wildlfe.

So far the fundraising appeal has raised £600,000 from Trust supporters.

Couldoran, near Lochcarron, neighbours the Trust's existing site at Ben Shieldaig and the two will be managed jointly.

Woodland Trust Scotland announces purchase of 4500 acre Wester Ross estate
 
North Island brown kiwi population rises for first time

Conservationists in New Zealand are revelling in the first recorded increase in the North Island brown kiwi population, reversing decades of plummeting bird numbers.

Until the latest expert assessment of New Zealand's birds - which are conducted every five years - each kiwi species has been categorised as vulnerable or worse.

However, the latest report moves the North Island brown kiwi from "At Risk - Declining" to "Not Threatened".

For Save The Kiwi trust executive director Michelle Impey, it's exciting to reach the conclusion that efforts to rebuild the population of NZ's iconic native species are working.

North Island brown kiwi population rises for first time
 
Pennsylvania Receives more than $500,000 in conservation, hunting heritage funding.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners contributed $541,893 in grant funding to support wildlife habitat enhancement, scientific research, hunting heritage and other projects in Pennsylvania. RMEF directly granted $48,722 that leveraged an additional $493,171 in partner funding.

“These grants help maintain and enhance wildlife habitat in the core of Pennsylvania’s elk range,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “They also assist a dozen different conservation and outdoor projects including youth hunts, recreational shooting squads, hunter education, field days and other activities.”

Fifteen projects benefit Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Cameron, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Lancaster, Lehigh, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Montgomery, Montour, Philadelphia, Potter, Sullivan, Washington and Westmoreland Counties. There are also two additional projects of statewide benefit.

Pennsylvania Receives More than $500K in Conservation, Hunting Heritage Funding | Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Pardon the slight digression, but here is a great video from the Pennsylvania Game Commission discussing the history of Elk/Wapiti in Pennsylvania. After their reintroduction, that was truly a conservation success story...

 
Montana Elk Habitat Protected, Open to Public Access

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and U.S. Forest Service worked with a willing landowner to conserve two private inholdings of wildlife habitat and conveyed them to the Lolo National Forest. The 1,040-acre transaction took place just west of Lolo, a small western Montana town about 10 miles south of Missoula.

“We greatly appreciate YT Timber for asking us to conserve this land and help transfer it into the public’s hands,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “This acreage serves as both important winter range and a movement corridor for elk, moose, deer and other wildlife species.”

The transaction opens public access to the 1,040 acres and secures new access points to several thousand acres of surrounding public lands. In doing so, it alleviates challenges for hunters and others because of the area’s checkerboard ownership pattern.

Montana Elk Habitat Protected, Open to Public Access | Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
 
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