Positive Wildlife News 2022

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Hawaiian Monk Seal Population Surpasses 1,500!

Estimates show that this endangered species' numbers have continued to rise

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the world’s most endangered seal species. For almost 40 years, NOAA has monitored the seal’s population trend, researched threats, and taken many actions to save seals. Hawaiian monk seals are also one of NOAA’s nine Species in the Spotlight. After decades of declining numbers in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the total population of monk seals began to increase gradually in 2013 in both the Northwestern and main Hawaiian Islands. This is evidence of the species’ resilience and the payoff of diligent conservation work. This year the population surpassed 1,500 for the first time in more than 20 years!

Hawaiian Monk Seal Population Surpasses 1,500!
 
Record number of dams removed from Europe’s rivers in 2021

More than 200 barriers were taken down last year, helping to restore fish migration routes and boost biodiversity and climate resilience.

At least 239 barriers, including dams and weirs, were removed across 17 countries in Europe in 2021, in a record-breaking year for dam removals across the continent.

Spain led the way, with 108 structures taken out of the country’s rivers. “Our efforts to expand dam removals across Europe are gathering speed,” said Pao Fernández Garrido, project manager for the World Fish Migration Foundation, who helped produce Dam Removal Europe’s annual report.

“An increasing number of governments, NGOs, companies and communities are understanding the importance of halting and reversing nature loss, and buying into the fact that dam removal is a river-restoration tool that boosts biodiversity and enhances climate resilience. We’re also seeing lessons being learned from previous dam removals, new countries kickstarting removals, and new funds, including crowdfunding.”


More than 1m barriers are estimated to exist on Europe’s rivers, with many built more than a century ago. At least 150,000 are old, obsolete barriers that serve no economic purpose.

Dams, weirs and other river obstacles block fish migration routes, often leading to the loss of breeding areas and reduced numbers of species such as salmon, sturgeon, trout and eel, which affects the wider biodiversity of ecosystems, including species ranging from eagles to otters. Free-flowing rivers also transport sediments and nutrients.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...f-dams-removed-from-europe-rivers-in-2021-aoe
 
Dorset ospreys produce egg for first time in 200 years

Birds are focus of conservation efforts after becoming extinct due to habitat loss and shooting

A pair of ospreys have made the first breeding attempt in southern England for almost 200 years.

Conservationists are delighted that a pair of the birds at Poole Harbour, Dorset, have produced an egg, which they are guarding at a nest in a secret location. Thanks to nest cameras, viewers can watch the female osprey incubate her egg on a livestream.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...preys-produce-egg-for-first-time-in-200-years
 
Devils Hole pupfish count at Death Valley highest in over two decades

Biologists report that the number of Devils Hole pupfish, one of the rarest species on Earth, is at its highest in more than two decades.

The National Park Service says scientists counted 175 pupfish, the most observed during a spring count in 22 years.

Devils Hole is a detached unit of Death Valley National Park in Nye County, Nevada.

Devils Hole pupfish count at Death Valley highest in over two decades
 
Safeguard Nant Thar Island for Myanmar's Endangered Shorebirds

Thanks to the work of our partner, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA), 22,999 acres have been purchased as part of the Nant Thar Kyun Marine National Park in Myanmar. Officially designated in February 2022, this is a 257% increase from the original planned total of 8,916 acres, and includes primarily marine acres and around 3,000 acres of land.

Safeguard Nant Thar Island for Myanmar's Endangered Shorebirds – Rainforest Trust
 
Abu Dhabi successfully translocates oryxes, antelopes to wildlife reserve in Chad

EAD programme increases numbers of animals endangered in the wild.

Abu Dhabi: A group of 20 scimitar-horned oryx and 25 addax antelopes have been successfully translocated to Chad as part of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi’s (EAD) mammal reintroduction programme.

The animals were reintroduced to the African nation’s Ouadi Rime — Ouadi Achim Game Reserve by the programme, known to be the world’s largest mammal reintroduction programme. Currently there are 460 scimitar-horned oryx in the wild, with 15 calves born so far this year, as well as 96 wild addax antelopes, with five calves born to the herd this year.

https://gulfnews-com.cdn.ampproject...elopes-to-wildlife-reserve-in-chad-1.88006890
 
Swine dining: crocodiles are thriving in the Northern Territory and it could be because of feral pigs

Scientists believe the reptiles have shifted from marine prey towards land-based food sources in the Territory, helping to boost numbers.

The exponential increase in saltwater crocodile populations in the Northern Territory in recent decades may be partly a result of them preying on feral pigs, new research suggests.

Scientists who have analysed the diets of saltwater crocodiles in the Territory believe the reptiles have shifted from marine prey to predominantly terrestrial food sources in the last 50 years – driven specifically by an abundance of feral pigs.

Using stable isotope analysis of crocodile bones, which gives an indicator of longterm dietary habits, the researchers found that the carnivores feed on more land-based prey and have a less diverse diet than their historical counterparts.

The research, published in the journal Biology Letters, analysed differences between the diets of 24 contemporary saltwater crocodiles caught near Darwin and 22 historical specimens caught between 1968 and 1986.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...-the-nt-and-it-could-be-because-of-feral-pigs
 
Urban forests create birdlife boom in New Zealand’s cities

Wellington’s huge eco-sanctuary is credited with boosting bird populations across the city and fostering a sense of pride in conservation.

During the height of the Delta outbreak last year, Wellington awoke to some exciting news – a pair of titipounamu, New Zealand’s smallest bird, which had been missing from the city for more than 100 years, had built a tiny nest in a patch of urban forest just a few kilometres from parliament.

It was a huge point of pride for Wellingtonians and has been credited to the creation of urban eco-sanctuary Zealandia. Opened in 1999, the sanctuary can lay claim to having boosted urban bird populations and fostered a sense of city-wide unity over conservation.

“In the 1990s seeing a tūī in suburban Wellington was a big deal, let alone a kākā,” says Adam Ellis, a keen birdwatcher in Wellington. “Zealandia … created such a change in bird life that birds like tūī became a common garden bird.”

For Mike Taylor, another bird lover, seeing the native falcon, the kārearea, sitting in his pine trees overlooking the valley “symbolises the massive increase in avian activity in the last two decades”.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...s-create-birdlife-boom-in-new-zealands-cities
 
How London’s new Elizabeth line has created a sanctuary for birds

Millions of tonnes of earth from the Crossrail project has been used to create a nature habitat on the Wallasea Island, Essex stretch of the link.

London’s new Elizabeth line will allow commuters to start taking high-speed trains under the city this week, on part of a 73-mile route that stretches from Reading in the west to Shenfield in the east. They will not be the first travellers to enjoy the benefits of the new line, however.

On Wallasea Island in Essex, thousands of birds have already taken advantage of the £19bn rail project – on a mosaic of lagoons, islands, and bays that have been created out of 3.5m tonnes of earth that were dug up during construction of its new stations and 13 miles of twin tunnels.

Avian visitors to this newly constructed nature reserve, run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, include avocets, spoonbills, black-tailed godwits and little egrets. Hen and marsh harriers have appeared in winter while wigeon, teal and plover have also frequented the site.

For good measure, I spotted yellow wagtails, oystercatchers, lapwings, black-headed gulls and reed bunting on my visit last week. Brown hares scampered through the long grass while skylarks shrilled above the flat, uninterrupted Essex landscape.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...ail-project-has-created-a-sanctuary-for-birds
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Devils Hole pupfish count at Death Valley highest in over two decades

Biologists report that the number of Devils Hole pupfish, one of the rarest species on Earth, is at its highest in more than two decades.

The National Park Service says scientists counted 175 pupfish, the most observed during a spring count in 22 years.

Devils Hole is a detached unit of Death Valley National Park in Nye County, Nevada.

Devils Hole pupfish count at Death Valley highest in over two decades
Click to expand...

Here is another relevant article.

Defying the odds

Critically endangered pupfish on the rise on 50th anniversary of official monitoring effort

For more than 50 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife and their partners have used scuba and surface monitoring for Devils Hole pupfish and it appears conservation and recovery efforts are paying off.

This past April, scientists counted 175 pupfish – the most observed of this critically endangered species in a spring count in 22 years. Fall counts are typically higher due to greater food resources as a result of more sunlight throughout the summer months.

Defying the odds | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 
For reef mantas, Indonesia’s Komodo National Park is a ray of hope
  • A new study has found that Komodo National Park in Indonesia has an aggregation of 1,085 reef manta rays, currently classified as a vulnerable species.
  • Experts say that locations such as Komodo will play an important role in safeguarding the species from extinction.
  • Manta rays are under pressure from fishing activity, including targeted fishing and bycatch.
  • However, experts say the species is also impacted by tourism and the changing dynamics of the ocean.
Tangled up too often in fishing nets, manta rays have been plunging toward extinction as fishing pressure and other stressors take a toll on their populations. But the species has found a safe haven in Komodo National Park, a swath of water around Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands.

A new study identified an aggregation of 1,085 reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) in the waters of Komodo National Park (KNP), a UNESCO World Heritage Site that spans more than 1,800 square kilometers (700 square miles) of islands and ocean. Attracted by the plankton-rich waters of the park, manta rays gather here to feed, breed, and clean themselves.

“It is pretty impressive to identify so many manta rays, and our results indicate that we have not yet come close to identifying all those that might reside in KNP,” lead author Elitza Germanov, a senior scientist at the Florida-based Marine Megafauna Foundation, told Mongabay in an email. “While it is difficult to directly compare different regions of the world by manta ray identifications alone, currently, it appears that KNP is within the world’s top locations for manta rays.”

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...as-komodo-national-park-is-a-ray-of-hope/amp/
 
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Pulag, Tirad Pass, 3 others declared protected areas

President Duterte has signed separate laws designating as protected areas Mount Pulag (Luzon’s highest peak), Mount Arayat in Pampanga, the historic Tirad Pass in Ilocos Sur, and other sites in two other provinces.

The designations were made official through Republic Act Nos. 11684, 11685, 11686, 11687 and 11688, which the President signed on April 8

Declared protected areas are the expanse of Mt. Pulag covering the towns of Kabayan, Bokod and Buguias in Benguet, Tinoc in Ifugao, and Kayapa in Nueva Vizcaya; Mt. Arayat in Arayat and Magalang towns in Pampanga; Banao covering the Balbalasang-Balbalan National Park in Kalinga; Tirad Pass covering the Tirad Pass National Park in Gregorio del Pilar, Quirino, Sigay, Cervantes and Suyo towns in Ilocos Sur, and Naga-Kabasalan covering the Tipan and Busyawan Watersheds in Zamboanga Sibugay.

According to the newly enacted laws, these areas are given such status in recognition of their rich biological resources, both flora and fauna, that are native and distinct to these locations, as well as their aesthetic and ecological importance, which the state must safeguard, manage or rehabilitate.

A protected area refers to portions of land and water set aside for their unique biodiversity and shielded from destructive human exploitation. Examples are natural parks, wildlife sanctuaries, marine reserves, and watershed or mangrove swamp forests.

They are treasured for their crucial role in mitigating the effects of climate change and building resilience to calamities such as typhoons.

Pulag, Tirad Pass, 3 others declared protected areas | Inquirer News
 
Burmese star tortoise: the stunning conservation success story in Myanmar

The harsh, dry forests of Myanmar are surprisingly home to the rarest and what many consider the most beautiful of all star tortoises. Named after the distinctive yellow radiating patterns on its black, domed shell, the Burmese star tortoise (Geochelone platynota) consumes a variety of grasses and leaves, helping its arid ecosystem bloom.

Burmese star tortoise: the stunning conservation success story in Myanmar | One Earth
 
Bettong baby boom in South Australia first in over 100 years

Brush-tailed bettongs released on Yorke Peninsula last year are doing so well that nearly every female caught for a recent health check was carrying pouch young.

One is even regarded as third generation. A female who arrived in her mother’s pouch more than six months ago now has her own joey.

Forty of the nationally endangered marsupials were reintroduced to mainland South Australia in August after being locally extinct for more than 100 years.

The brush-tailed bettongs were released at two sites in Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park on Yorke Peninsula in a milestone moment for Marna Banggara, an ambitious project to restore lost species to the landscape.

Researchers recently conducted a health check to see how the bettongs were doing after more than six months in their new home. All 16 animals caught, including six males and 10 females, were found in good condition with eight of the females carrying pouch young.

Bettong baby boom in South Australia: first in over 100 years
 
Sousliks returned to Podyjí national park

Critically endangered sousliks have returned on their own to Podyjí national park. Ecologists just detected their presence for the first time after more than 50 years.

This species is spreading from nearby village Hnanice where a small colony lives at vineyard and football field since 2014. Village Hnanice lies several hundred meters away from national park border and is connected to park by a vineyard and alfa-alfa field which is perfect enviroment for sousliks.

Sousliks have settled in southern part of a pasture of Exmoor ponies. they were probably attracted by very short grassfield that exists there unlike densely overgrown areas nearby. Sousliks need good overview of its surroundings to feel safe.

V NP Podyjí se usadil sysel obecný
 
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