Positive Wildlife News 2022

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Fishing net deaths of endangered sea lions drastically reduced in South Australia

South Australia's endangered sea lion population has been given a chance to bounce back after a decade-long marine conservation program substantially reduced their deaths in fishing nets.
  • Australian sea lions are endangered and only live in waters off SA and WA
  • A decade-long program has been underway in SA to prevent gillnet use near sea lion colonies
  • Researchers estimate fishing net deaths in those areas have dropped by 98 per cent
In response, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) and Humane Society International worked with federal and state governments, scientists and the fishing industry to develop the Australian Sea Lion Management Strategy.

https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100969632
 
Caribou herd rebounds as Indigenous stewards lead conservation efforts

UBCO researcher says collaborative recovery moves Klinse-Za caribou from brink of extinction.

Despite recovery efforts from federal and provincial governments, caribou populations across Canada continue to decline, largely due to human activity.

But as a new UBC Okanagan study finds, in central British Columbia there is one herd of mountain caribou, the Klinse-Za, whose numbers are going in the opposite direction—all thanks to a collaborative recovery effort led by West Moberly First Nations and Saulteau First Nations.

In partnership with many organizations and governments, the Indigenous-led conservation initiative paired short-term recovery actions such as predator reduction and caribou guardians at maternal pens, with ongoing work to secure landscape-level protection in an effort to create a self-sustaining caribou population.

Caribou herd rebounds as Indigenous stewards lead conservation efforts - UBC Okanagan News
 
Return of the croc – Snapshots of a rare reptile reintroduction in Cambodia

The Siamese crocodile has disappeared from 99% of its former range, following decades of hunting and habitat loss. An estimated 250 adults still survive in the wild, most of them in Cambodia. Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is working with the Cambodian government and local communities to safeguard the remaining wild crocodiles and their habitat by creating crocodile sanctuaries that are protected by community wardens.

Return of the croc – Snapshots of a rare reptile reintroduction in Cambodia
 
Chaparral Slough: A Win for Florida’s Panther, People and Nature

The Lykes Bros., Inc. and TNC are one step closer to protecting Chaparral Slough, securing the 11-mile long wildlife corridor.

The Lykes Bros., Inc., TNC are one step closer to protecting Chaparral Slough, a 6,859-acre wildlife corridor in southwest Florida. As this Florida Forever project proceeds, it will conserve native habitats and important waters within a region of the state with renowned, high-quality natural resources.

Chaparral Slough: A Win for Florida’s Panther, People and Nature
 
Black-faced spoonbills could be removed from endangered animals list in 2 years: Hong Kong environmental group
  • Global population of iconic migratory birds reaches all-time high of more than 6,000 for the first time
  • Species of migratory waterbird, currently classified as endangered, plays important role in Hong Kong’s conservation efforts
One of Hong Kong’s most iconic migratory birds could be removed from a list of endangered animals in two years, following decades-long conservation efforts, an environmentalist group has said.

https://amp-scmp-com.cdn.ampproject...72845/black-faced-spoonbills-could-be-removed
 
Back from the brink – Seven species rescued from the jaws of extinction

In conservation, it’s important to celebrate the victories, however small. Success stories have an importance that transcends their intrinsic value as morale boosters in a world crying out for good news. Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has a track record in turning around apparent lost causes, and the seven examples here are a salutary reminder that even species in desperate straits can be resurrected.

ARABIAN ORYX

Until 1962, the Arabian oryx was a relatively obscure desert antelope with a one-way ticket to extinction. Hunters equipped with automatic weapons and motorised vehicles were decimating the wild population. With financial help from the recently formed WWF, FFI devised and executed an ambitious rescue plan, dubbed Operation Oryx.

An expedition was mounted to what is now South Yemen with the aim of capturing several of the last remaining wild oryx, which would form the nucleus of a captive herd. A breeding programme was established, initially comprising the three captured oryx and a female from London Zoo. Three decades later, that number had risen to 1,600 animals, distributed across zoos and collections worldwide.

In 1982, ten oryx were released into the open desert in central Oman. Although heavily guarded and intensively studied, this herd was completely independent. Today, over 1,000 Arabian oryx are running wild across the Middle East, the first ever example of an animal being successfully reintroduced into its original habitat after it had been declared extinct in the wild.

The species was reclassified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2011, official recognition of a remarkable recovery. Hunting remains a serious threat to this day, but the eleventh-hour rescue of the Arabian oryx is one of FFI’s enduring legacies.

Back from the brink – Seven species rescued from the jaws of extinction
 
Release of Highly Endangered Red Wolves into Wild Gives Hope to Renewed Conservation

“Each release helps ensure red wolves have a future in the wild. However, more must be done to bring this species back from the brink of extinction. More releases, pup fostering and coexistence work are all necessary for the red wolf’s recovery.”

- Ben Prater, Southeast Program Director at Defenders of Wildlife

Following a successful legal battle, conservation groups hope the recent release of nine highly endangered red wolves into the wild is the first of many steps by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needed to save the world’s rarest canids that now number as few as 15 known animals in the wild. Last year, a federal court ordered the agency—in a lawsuit brought by the conservation groups—to prepare and implement a plan to restart its previously successful reintroductions of red wolves into the only wild population in the world.

Release of Highly Endangered Red Wolves into Wild Gives Hope to Renewed Conservation
 
Land purchase will help preserve the Florida Wildlife Corridor

The Florida cabinet on Tuesday approved buying nearly 17,000 acres of land that are key connectors to help wildlife migrate through the state. It's the second major purchase since state officials put a priority on preserving natural land in those wildlife corridors.

Seven parcels of land were approved for purchase that are part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. That's natural land that is considered vital to letting wildlife migrate, reducing the possibility of inbreeding or even extinction.

The $32 million will be used to preserve ancient Florida scrub on the Lake Wales Ridge, land around the Everglades, longleaf pine forest and help protect endangered species like the Florida panther.

https://www-wlrn-org.cdn.ampproject...serve-the-florida-wildlife-corridor?_amp=true
 
UK’s largest sandbank given protection from bottom trawling

Dogger Bank saved from destructive practice along with three other areas, after campaigning by activists

The UK’s largest sandbank has been protected from bottom trawling, an environmentally destructive fishing technique.

Activists have been calling on the government for years to stop bottom trawling at Dogger Bank, an important site off the east coast of England for species including sand eels, hermit crabs, flatfish and starfish.

Recent data showed the fishing method, involving weighted nets being dragged across the seabed, had tripled in occurrence in the marine protected area (MPA) since Brexit.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...ndbank-dogger-bank-protection-bottom-trawling
 
Brown bear population in Pyrenees highest for a century, says study

Monitors identify 70 individuals in 2021, with 114 newborns since launch of repopulation scheme in 1996

A scheme to reintroduce brown bears to the Pyrenees is showing signs of success, with 70 individuals identified in 2021, the highest number for a century.

The population has increased from 52 in 2018, according to figures produced by the cross-border group that monitors the bears in France and Spain, with half the creatures living in the Catalan Pyrenean regions of Vall d’Aran, Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça. Overall, the population is thinly spread over an area of 6,500 sq km.

The study identified 34 females, 32 males and four others whose gender was not determined, with 15 pups born over the course of last year. There have been a 114 newborns since the scheme was launched in 1996.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...opulation-pyrenees-highest-century-says-study
 
Saudi wildlife center releases 200 endangered animals into King Salman Royal Natural Reserve
  • As part of a program to restore threatened species in natural habitats across the Kingdom, 50 Arabian oryxes, 100 Reem antelopes, 30 houbara birds and 20 mountain ibexes were released into the wild
  • The National Center for Wildlife released 785 animals into reserves and national parks in the Kingdom last year and plans to release more than 1,000 this year, according to the organization’s CEO
The Saudi National Center for Wildlife, in cooperation with the King Salman Royal Natural Reserve, on Wednesday released 200 animals belonging to endangered species into the wild at Al-Tubaiq nature reserve in the northwest of the Kingdom.

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Colville Tribe releases 9 lynx into Washington’s Kettle Range

In mid-October 1963, a young woman hunting grouse north of Newport, Washington, shot what she thought was a bobcat.

She was wrong. She had in fact killed a Canada lynx, a lithe and elusive wild cat native to the state of Washington . A few days later, a Spokane hunter made the same mistake, according to Spokesman-Review reporting from the time.

“The Canada lynx, considered a comparatively rare animal in northeastern Washington, apparently is multiplying,” stated the 1963 S-R story.

Colville Tribe releases 9 lynx into Washington's Kettle Range

 
Georgia Conservation Tax Credit

Legislation to re-instate the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit has passed the Georgia General Assembly

The Georgia Conservation Tax Credit is one of the strongest mechanisms for land conservation in the state, providing landowners with an additional financial incentive to conserve critical acres of forest, wetlands, and working lands. In a state where more than 90% of land is privately held, this tax credit is a critical resource for safeguarding Georgia's environmental integrity.

Since the close of the 2021 Legislative Session, the Georgia Conservancy, along with our partners in the Association of Georgia Land Trusts (AGLT), have made the reinstatement of the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit (GCTC) a priority for this year’s session.

GCTC Passes General Assembly — Georgia Conservancy
 
North Carolina Hikers & Anglers Rejoice! MORE Land Protected!

If you love fishing, hiking, bird-watching, or mountain ambling, we have a land-protection update that should make you happy! Conservation Trust for North Carolina recently closed on the Cranberry Creek Expansion and Restoration Project. This 20-acre parcel will increase hiker safety along the Mountain-to-Sea Trail and restore a stream for Native Brook trout populations.

The picturesque site in Ashe County serves as a restoration project for wildlife and people alike.
The property meets the Blue Ridge Parkway near Parkway milepost 249.5 near South Laurel Fork Road.
Once combined with CTNC’s adjoining Cranberry Creek Preserve, the project will result in a 200-acre addition to the Blue Ridge Parkway with nearly a mile of new Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Hikers & Anglers Rejoice! MORE Land Protected! - Conservation Trust for North Carolina
 
Artificial nests to boost endangered stork population

Honghe National Nature Reserve in China's Heilongjiang Province has built 100 new artificial nests to help the Endangered Oriental Stork.

At the beginning of this year, the reserve added 100 artificial iron bird nests instead of the wooden ones installed previously, as they are believed to be more secure and resistant to decay, thereby having a longer service life and ability to attract the storks more efficiently.

Artificial nests to boost endangered stork population - BirdGuides
 
Second chance: 80 critically endangered spotted tree frogs to be released into Kosciuszko national park

Successful breeding program brings optimism for a native species nearly eradicated by disease and bushfires

Two years after the 2019-20 summer bushfires nearly wiped out the species, 80 critically endangered spotted tree frogs are jumping back into the wild in NSW.

“Releasing these 80 spotted tree frogs back into the wild, despite all the setbacks this species has faced, is a reminder to have optimism about the conservation work we’re doing,” the NSW environment minister, James Griffin, said in a statement on Monday.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...-to-be-released-into-kosciuszko-national-park
 
Rare seabirds thrive thanks to Orkney school children

A population of rare seabirds is thriving on a Scottish island after a group of school pupils took them to heart and made it their mission to protect them.

Orkney has the UK's most northerly population of little terns, which migrate thousands of miles every year to breed.

But the nesting site they've chosen is right between a busy road and a popular beach on the Fourth Barrier in South Ronaldsay.

In previous years the RSPB have fenced off the area where the terns nest, but now they are trying something different.


https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampprojec...tland-north-east-orkney-shetland-60842276.amp
 
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