Positive Wildlife News 2022

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Panama Enacts a Rights of Nature Law, Guaranteeing the Natural World’s ‘Right to Exist, Persist and Regenerate’

The nation joins a host of other countries in embracing a legal movement that gives land, trees, rivers, coral reefs and mountains unique legal rights, similar to humans, corporations and governments.

Panama is the latest country to recognize the legal rights of nature, giving environmentalists a new tool to fight ecological harm.

After just over a year of debate in Panama’s National Assembly, President Laurentino Cortizo signed legislation on Thursday that defines nature as “a unique, indivisible and self-regulating community of living beings, elements and ecosystems interrelated to each other that sustains, contains and reproduces all beings.”

Panama Enacts a Rights of Nature Law, Guaranteeing the Natural World’s 'Right to Exist, Persist and Regenerate' - Inside Climate News
 
Rare forest and over 25 kilometres of lake shoreline now protected

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has announced a significant private land conservation area in Nova Scotia.

The not-for-profit conservation organization has purchased 950 hectares of mature Acadian (Wabanaki) forest, over 25 kilometres of undisturbed lakefront shoreline and 130 hectares of freshwater wetlands in Upper Ohio. This project is the third largest acquisition in NCC’s 50-year history in Nova Scotia.

Rare forest and over 25 kilometres of lake shoreline now protected
 
Nature Conservancy of Canada gets major land donation for the Chignecto Isthmus Wilderness Corridor Project

Giving and Receiving Sanctuary located along Nova Scotia/New Brunswick border

A critically important area for wildlife in the Maritimes is getting a big boost. A large parcel of forest, wetland and coastline totalling 397 hectares along the New Brunswick–Nova Scotia border is now protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), thanks to a generous gift of land.

The property, called the Giving and Receiving Sanctuary, is located north of Amherst, Nova Scotia, on the Chignecto Isthmus.

Nature Conservancy of Canada gets major land donation for the Chignecto Isthmus “Moose Sex” Wilderness Corridor Project
 
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Woylies reintroduced to Mallee Cliffs National Park

It was a hopping affair at Mallee Cliffs National Park in western NSW, when 54 Woylies (Brush-tailed Bettongs) completed a cross-border journey for a special reintroduction to NSW, after going extinct in the state by the late 1800’s. Nationally listed as critically endangered, the small kangaroo-relatives are now part of one of Australia’s largest rewilding projects.

Following 12 months of careful planning, Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) in partnership with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, as part of the Saving our Species program successfully released 24 female and 30 male bettongs at Mallee Cliffs National Park in September last year. The animals were captured at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary in WA and flown on a special charter flight to Mallee Cliffs for release. The translocation is part of a large-scale partnership reintroduction project at Mallee Cliffs National Park where 10 locally-extinct mammal species will eventually be reintroduced and already include Bilbies, Numbats and Greater Stick-nest Rats.

Woylies reintroduced to Mallee Cliffs National Park
 
Can Rights of Nature Laws Make a Difference? In Ecuador, They Already Are

The court’s ruling cheered environmentalists and sent shock waves through the mining industry, which now must prove that projects don’t harm ecosystems or endanger species.

Until recently, so-called “rights of nature” provisions that confer legal rights to rivers, forests and other ecosystems have been mostly symbolic. But late last year, Ecuador’s top court changed that. In a series of court decisions, the Constitutional Court translated the country’s 2008 constitutional rights of nature provisions into reality, throwing the future of the country’s booming mining and oil industries into question.

Can Rights of Nature Laws Make a Difference? In Ecuador, They Already Are - Inside Climate News
 
Missing moth returns to Savernake Forest after 120 year absence

A rare moth has been spotted in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire, in what is thought to be the first sighting since c.1900. The adult Light Crimson Underwing (Catocala promissa) was sighted by butterfly and moth experts David Green and Dr Susan Clarke while undertaking surveys for Butterfly Conservation, on behalf of Forestry England.

Missing moth returns to Savernake Forest after 120 year absence
 
I know this video is 11 years old, but it discusses the tireless work of wildlife biologists in the reintroduction and restoration of Desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) in Texas. A true conservation success story thanks to Texas Parks & Wildlife.

 
Stephens’ kangaroo rat, a Southern California ‘ecosystem engineer,’ no longer an endangered species

The Stephens’ kangaroo rat, a nocturnal rodent with populations in parts of Southern California, was reclassified this month from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act, federal wildlife officials said.

The reclassification is being hailed as a conservation success by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, which works with federal, state and local agencies to build up the rodent’s population. Considered an “ecosystem engineer,” they play a vital role in increasing soil hydrology and in nutrient cycling in the environment where they live, among other functions, said Debra Shier, the Brown endowed associate director of recovery ecology at the wildlife alliance.

The population for the rodent — named for the first director of the San Diego Natural History Museum — typically is found in western and central San Diego County and Riverside County, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Endangered Species List: Stephens' kangaroo rat no longer an endangered species
 
From the latest issue of the Nature Conservancy’s magazine:
People in Western Europe are rallying to save some of the last free flowing rivers in Europe.

Oddly enough, this was the only truly positive piece of news, the rest was either negative or neither positive or negative
 
South Carolina's Leaders Prioritize Conservation

A few weeks ago, South Carolina’s top elected leaders made it clear that conservation and land preservation is a priority, and it should be the stated policy in South Carolina. We have seen Governor McMaster and numerous Senators, Representatives, and state agencies recommend unprecedented levels of funding for public land conservation and propose legislation that, if enacted, will help double the amount of land that is currently protected in our state.

South Carolina's Leaders Prioritize Conservation
 
Hope for bees as report shows Scotland is doing ‘its utmost’ to increase pollinators

Progress is being made to improve habitats in Scotland for pollinators such as bees and dragonflies.

A new report, published today by NatureScot, highlights the huge effort by a wide range of organisations and individuals to implement the Pollinator Strategy for Scotland.

Hope for bees as report shows Scotland is doing 'its utmost' to increase pollinators
 
30,000 people weigh in to support the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

More than 30,000 people expressed their support for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, according to analysis of comments submitted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and posted on regulations.gov. The 83-day public comment period, part of NOAA’s scoping process for the Chumash Heritage NMS off the Central Coast of California, ended on Jan. 31.

“The incredible outpouring of support for the Chumash Heritage sanctuary shows just how much people care about this incredible part of the world,” said Violet Sage Walker, Northern Chumash Tribal Council (NCTC) Chairwoman and the daughter of original nominator Fred Collins.

30,000 people weigh in to support the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary - Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary
 
Morocco to expand MPAs, increase anti-IUU funding

Morocco Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said the country hass committed to expanding the country's marine protected areas and doubling the resources the country currently expends annually in its fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Akhannouch told the One Ocean Summit 2022 participants in Brest, France, that efforts by North Africa country’s national leadership to ensure sustainable fishery management has enable Morocco to achieve “enormous development,” the Morocco World News reported. A World Bank report found the country’s fishing and fish processing activities have provided 700,000 jobs, though many are informal.

Morocco to expand MPAs, increase anti-IUU funding | SeafoodSource
 
The return of the Iberian lynx: 70 cubs born in wild in 2021

The Portuguese Nature and Conservation Institute (ICNF) has announced that 70 Iberian lynx cubs were born in the wild in Portugal’s Vale do Guadiana region in 2021.

The cubs were born to 24 different mothers, representing an increase of 10 births and six “reproducing females” compared to 2020, the institute says. The numbers may even be higher due to the “vast area that the species now occupies”.

The return of the Iberian lynx: 70 cubs born in wild in 2021 - Portugal Resident
 
TNC Australia supports the acquisition of two Cape York Peninsula properties by the Queensland Government for the protection of iconic ecosystems

The Nature Conservancy Australia (TNC) is delighted to announce the purchase of two adjoining properties of significant conservation values by the Queensland Government.

Located 630 kilometres north-west of Cairns, adjoining properties Richardson Station and Bramwell Station cover a total land area of 131,900 hectares.

The purchase price for the Bramwell and Richardson properties was supported by a grant from The Nature Conservancy Australia. TNC brokered contributions from charitable foundations, including up to USD $2.362 million towards the purchase of Richardson Station from the Wyss Foundation and from artist Haley Mellin’s Art into Acres initiative.

TNC Australia supports the acquisition of two Cape York Peninsula properties by the Queensland Government for the protection of iconic ecosystems
 
Winter fallow deer releases advance nature recovery in Rhodope Mountains

Over the last few months, more than 80 fallow deer have been released into the Rhodope Mountains rewilding landscape in Bulgaria. Adding to the populations of deer already released by the local rewilding team, the animals will enhance wild nature and help to generate economic benefits.

Restoring natural processes

Rewilding works to recover and enhance natural processes, such as natural grazing, predation and scavenging. Restoring these processes often requires the reintroduction and restocking of missing or degraded wildlife populations. This, in turn, helps to create more resilient, fully functioning ecosystems, which are more capable of delivering a wide range of benefits to people, such as clean water, flood protection, and the locking up of atmospheric carbon.

Winter fallow deer releases advance nature recovery in Rhodope Mountains | Rewilding Europe
 
Whooping crane comeback proves value of conservation

Farmers have helped in a stunning rally by an endangered species.

If there is a shining symbol for the benefits of natural resource conservation programs, you could certainly point to the whooping crane, a highly endangered species that is staging a comeback in North America — in no small part due to the cooperation of farmers and other private landowners.

The bird is one of the most magnificent bird species in the world with its 5-foot stature and bright white, long feathers and black-tipped wings. Its near extinction was mainly due to habitat loss and hunting. Habitat restoration, enhancement, and management on private lands has aided its comeback.

In their 2,500-mile migration across the continent, from the Northwest Territories of Canada to south Texas, the big birds require stopover habitats along the route. “The most important habitats for feeding and roosting are shallow wetlands, and the Platte River often serves as an important stopover for migrating whooping cranes,” according to the Crane Trust, a conservation organization whose headquarters adjoin the river in central Nebraska.

Whooping crane comeback proves value of conservation
 
Nepal’s first bird sanctuary takes flight, raising hope for conservation
  • The Ghodaghodi lake complex in western Nepal has been declared the country’s first official bird sanctuary.
  • Conservationists and local officials have welcomed the move, which protects a Ramsar wetland that’s home to more than 360 bird species.
  • Among the birds found at the site are globally threatened species such as the great hornbill, the lesser adjutant stork, and the Indian spotted eagle.
Conservationists have welcomed the declaration of Nepal’s first official bird sanctuary as a big boost for more than a dozen globally threatened species.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...kes-flight-raising-hope-for-conservation/amp/
 
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