Positive Wildlife News 2023

Status
Not open for further replies.
Matthew Dickerson: Of salmon, sturgeon and glimmers of hope

Late on a Wednesday afternoon, four huge Atlantic salmon finned in the current at the tail end of a long, deep pool on a small Maine river. The fish were more than a hundred river miles from the ocean, far into their spawning migration. For several minutes I stood on shore and watched, both thrilled and mesmerized. Though many years earlier I had observed spawning salmon leaping up a waterfall in Newfoundland, this was the first time I had looked in person at wild Atlantic salmon in a New England water.

Matthew Dickerson: Of salmon, sturgeon and glimmers of hope - Addison Independent
 
Ontario gets new conservation reserve after years of advocacy

Monarch Point Conservation Reserve will protect 1,600 hectares along south shore of Prince Edward County.

The fight for Canada's last undeveloped Lake Ontario shoreline ended this week as the Ontario government designated a new protected area dubbed the Monarch Point Conservation Reserve.

The area on the south shore of Prince Edward County — located east of Toronto and south of Belleville, Ont. — is about 1,600 hectares, or slightly bigger than the town of Arnprior.

It holds an international monarch butterfly reserve and encompasses Ostrander Point Crown Land Block and Point Petre Provincial Wildlife Area.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ontario-reserve-nature-prince-edward-county-1.6883590
 
Laos adopts the Protected Areas new decree to safeguard and restore biodiversity

After three years in the making, the Prime Minister, Mr Sonexay Siphandone adopted the new decree on protected areas in Laos on 20 June 2023, marking a major milestone for better management and governance of these biodiversity-rich zones. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) worked hand in hand with the Lao government, protected area practitioners and key stakeholders to strengthen this important national legislation, within the framework of the ‘Ecosystem Conservation through Integrated Landscape management in the Lao PDR (ECILL) project’, financed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the European Union (EU). Manoly Sisavanh, Deputy Country Director of WCS Lao PDR, looks back on this success.

Vientiane Times
 
Marine Protected Areas along California’s coast see success in first decade

California’s coastline is among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet and its protection the last 10 years through 124 separately designated areas has made the state a model and envy nationally and internationally.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently released its first study following the first decade since the creation of an ecologically connected network of Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, and the results are promising, especially in Southern California’s Los Angeles and Orange counties, said Stephen Wertz, a senior scientist and manager of the wildlife agency’s Marine Protected Areas Management Project.

Marine Protected Areas along California’s coast see success in first decade – Orange County Register
 
Maine fish runs are breaking records in 2023

This summer, Maine is breaking records: the most river herring ever counted and the second most Atlantic salmon since 2000. Not long ago, this abundance would have been impossible. Some estimates figured more than 90% of Maine’s salmon habitat was blocked by dams and other obstructions.

Enter Andy Goode and the dam-busting team at ASF. Andy is ASF’s Vice President of U.S. programs and has led dozens of river reconnection projects throughout the state, from large dam removals to fixing small stream crossings.

In fact, ASF’s Maine team has arguably reconnected more freshwater habitat to the sea than any other organization, and decades of hard work is paying off.

Andy sat down recently to answer some questions about river restoration in Maine, a bumper year, and what the future has in store for Atlantic salmon and all other sea-run fish species.

Maine fish runs are breaking records in 2023
 
Beavers return to Welsh nature reserve centuries after being hunted to extinction

The species completely disappeared from Britain by the 16th century

Wildlife watchers will be given the unique chance to see beavers up-close for the first time this summer. The Eurasian beaver Castor fiber is a species native to Wales that has been extinct in the country for almost 400 years due to hunting.

https://www-dailypost-co-uk.cdn.amp...vers-return-welsh-nature-reserve-27245747.amp
 
Rare footage of female Tibetan antelope giving birth in snowy valley

In a heartwarming and rare scene, workers at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region captured footage of a female Tibetan antelope giving birth in a snow-covered mountain valley.

Rare footage of female Tibetan antelope giving birth in snowy valley
 
Endangered marsh fritillary butterfly makes a comeback in Lake District

The endangered marsh fritillary butterfly is thriving again in a Lake District valley after ponies and cattle replaced the grazing of sheep.

The butterfly became extinct in Cumbria 19 years ago but is spreading across the landscape again after an official reintroduction programme.

This summer it has flown into the Swindale valley, part of Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Haweswater, where conservationists were considering reintroducing the species.

Endangered marsh fritillary butterfly makes a comeback in Lake District
 
Though this article might not specifically be about wildlife, we all know that plastic pollution effects wildlife, so I felt that this article was worth posting here.

Plastic litter on Australian beaches cut by 29 per cent over six years

Australia has substantially reduced plastic pollution on its beaches through local initiatives like installing more bins and community clean-up events.
Plastic rubbish on Australia’s beaches has declined by 29 per cent over six years thanks to a range of local council initiatives.

“It’s surprising and really heartening to see this change in a short period of time,” says Denise Hardesty at CSIRO, Australia’s national science research body, who surveyed 183 beaches around Australia with several colleagues.

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...co29DffV7u1Ei-aIFPn_hcxq17hNMaht6U9Z33hn2p-G8
 
Kenya’s Black Rhinos Continue to Rebound
  • 938 eastern black rhinos were recorded in Kenya in December 2021, 85 more than in 2020
  • The increase in the Kenyan black rhino population is attributed to effective conservation measures and robust monitoring
  • The news that the number of critically endangered black rhinos has significantly increased in Kenya is encouraging, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Yet the wildlife charity is warning against complacency, as the species still faces several serious threats.

    Figures released by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) show that 938 eastern black rhinos (Diceros bicornis michaeli) were recorded as of December 2021, up from 853 the previous year. This represents a population increase of almost 10% and far surpasses the goal of achieving 830 black rhinos by December 2021, which was set in the national Black Rhino Action Plan in 2017.
Kenya’s black rhinos continue to rebound
 
Last edited:
Ivory ban extended to hippos and four other species

UK government acts over concerns that making the trade in elephant ivory illegal could have knock-on impact on other wildlife that is vulnerable to poaching

Importing ivory into the UK from five species, in addition to elephants, is to be banned following a lengthy government consultation.

In particular, under amendments to the Ivory Act 2018, it will now be illegal to bring in the teeth of hippopotamuses, a species that is believed to be risk from poaching for its ivory.

The other species covered by the extension to the act are killer whales, narwhals, sperm whales and walruses.

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/ne...C9jldtL4QQX_R-F4dmdNLcuMHyGhO5R7YvizhYrY5tDh4
 
Tested by COVID and war, an Indigenous conservation system in Ethiopia prevails
  • For more than 400 years, communities in the Guassa grasslands of Ethiopia’s central highlands have practiced a sustainable system for managing the area’s natural resources.
  • The system’s robustness was severely tested from 2020 with the one-two punch of COVID-19 and the Tigray war, but held strong.
  • Threats to the grassland persist, however, from a growing population and road projects, which the community hopes to address through ecotourism initiatives as an alternative source of income.
  • The Guassa Community Conservation Area is home to rare plant and wildlife species such as gelada baboons, Ethiopian wolves, and the versatile guassa grass that’s a central part of community life.
On an early misty morning in July, Worku Mekonen, 39, one of the scouts at the Guassa Community Conservation Area in Ethiopia’s central highlands, arrives at his duty site and starts patrolling.

Walking deep into the shrubland covered in lush green grass, everywhere he turns, Mekonen happily recounts the positive impacts of the community’s conservation efforts. While shrubs and flowers add bursts of lively colors to the landscape, almost every other vegetation has turned green after a bout of rain, giving the area a refreshing and rejuvenating aura.

From a distance, a herd of gelada baboons (Theropithecus gelada) enjoy the morning sun as they graze on the fresh grass that’s grown back.

Tested by COVID and war, an Indigenous conservation system in Ethiopia prevails
 
Cinereous vulture return in Rhodope Mountains takes another step forward

In the middle of June, a second group of cinereous vultures were translocated to the Rhodope Mountains rewilding landscape in Bulgaria. Their arrival and eventual release is the next step in a long-term programme to re-establish these ecologically important birds as a breeding species.

Following the groundbreaking release of 14 cinereous (black) vultures in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria in November 2022, another group of 13 vultures arrived in the local rewilding landscape in the third week of June. The birds are being housed in a specially built adaptation aviary until the autumn, when they will be set free to join the birds released last year. The vultures are expected to form a colony together, as this keystone species gradually re-establishes itself within the local ecosystem.

Cinereous vulture return in Rhodope Mountains takes another step forward | Rewilding Europe
 
For the first time in decades, Angolan giraffes now populate a park in Angola

Fourteen Angolan giraffes walk into a truck ... and then travel more than 800 miles to their historical homeland, where they had been locally extinct for decades. The migrant giraffes rode unsedated for more than 36 hours this week from Namibia to their new home in Iona National Park, in Angola.

Who are they?
  • These 14 juvenile giraffes come from a private game farm in Namibia. At an estimated 2-3 years old, they stand about 3.5 meters high. (That's roughly 11 1/2 feet tall.
  • Giraffes' height and plant-based diet means they play an important role in managing ecological balance and pollinating trees and shrubs.
  • Giraffe populations in general have been on a decline due to "habitat loss, poaching, and other human-induced factors" according to African Parks.
 
Wyoming’s Elk, Mule deer & Other Wildlife Receive $10.7 Million Boost

Wyoming’s elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and other wildlife populations are getting a helping hand thanks to an allocation of $10,764,859 from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners. The grant funding supports 33 projects across the Cowboy State.

“There continues to be a great need to restore aspen, fight noxious weeds, establish wildlife-friendly fencing and create public access for hunting and other recreational activities,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “This funding will help all those efforts while also bolstering scientific research and advancing Wyoming’s traditional hunting lifestyle.”

Twenty-three conservation projects will benefit 17,643 acres of habitat, including land protection and public access, while the other 10 are focused on outdoor and hunting heritage efforts.

Wyoming’s Elk, Mule Deer & Other Wildlife Receive $10.7 Million Boost
 
High Street Dam in Massachusetts is Coming Down For Conservation and Community Safety

Going, going — gone

Construction crews removed Bridgewater’s High Street Dam, which stood across the Town River for more than 100 years. The effort to remove failing or obsolete dams that are hazardous to local communities and prevent fish migration is being spearheaded by federal, state and local partners.

High Street Dam was the first barrier to migratory fish coming up the Taunton River from Narragansett Bay. The dam stood 12.5 feet high by 80 feet wide, had numerous structural problems, and was deemed a significant potential hazard that obstructed natural river flows and contributed to local flooding. Its important removal was funded in part by a $1.55 million investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and National Fish Passage Program.

High Street Dam Removal | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 
Wildcat kittens bring hope for endangered species

Hopes for the future of the Scottish wildcat are being placed in 11 bundles of fur born at a conservation centre this year.

The kittens were born in four litters at the Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms National Park.

They are part of the conservation project by Saving Wildcats, which is trying to bring the species back from the "brink of extinction".

It is hoped the kittens could be released into the wild next year.

Wildcat kittens bring hope for endangered species - BBC News
 
More than $1.25 million in funding for threatened species research

Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Minister for Multicultural Affairs
The Honourable Leanne Linard

  • The Palaszczuk Government will invest more than $1.25 million in 11 projects to help improve the conservation and recovery of Queensland’s threatened species
  • The projects include the protection and conservation terrestrial and marine threatened species
Queensland’s threatened species will benefit from eleven research projects to improve their conservation and recovery.

The Palaszczuk Government will provide more than $1.25 million for the projects under its Queensland Threatened Species Research Grants program.

Grants of up to $150,000 will support research projects that will improve our understanding of Queensland’s threatened flora and fauna species and assist with their recovery in the wild.

This includes new methods on the distribution and abundance of threatened species, and ways of improving monitoring of threatened species and mitigating threats.

Projects include research on bilbies, whale sharks, grey nurse sharks, freshwater sawfish, spectacled flying fox and threatened plant species and communities.

These projects will help safeguard the future of Queensland’s threatened species, and the funding is an investment towards protecting the state’s biodiversity.

More than $1.25 million in funding for threatened species research
 
Victory! NACES seafloor designated for protection

Today, OSPAR has made a momentous decision to strengthen the protection of the North Atlantic Current and Evlanov Sea basin (NACES) Marine Protected Area (MPA), acknowledging the site’s unparalleled significance for a multitude of marine species and the extraordinary value of its seabed habitats.

Nestled in the heart of the North Atlantic Ocean, this sprawling MPA spans an area roughly equivalent to continental France. Back in 2021, OSPAR designated it as an MPA following extensive research led by BirdLife, which involved using tracking data from 21 species of seabirds across 56 colonies. The findings were nothing short of awe-inspiring, revealing that this area serves as a seasonal home for an astounding to 5 million individual birds each year, confirming it as a seabird hotspot and as one of the most vital congregations of migratory seabirds in the Atlantic.

Victory! NACES seafloor designated for protection
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top