Positive Wildlife News 2023

Status
Not open for further replies.
UngulateNerd92 said:
Western Europe’s first free-roaming herd of Przewalski’s horses to enhance Iberian Highland rewilding

A herd of 10 Przewalski’s horses – the last truly wild horse – has been released in the Iberian Highlands rewilding landscape in Spain. They arrived last May and will soon roam free across an extensive area, where the animals will help to reduce the risk of wildfire, enhance biodiversity, boost nature-based tourism and environmental education, and improve the conservation status of this endangered subspecies.

Western Europe’s first free-roaming herd of Przewalski’s horses to enhance Iberian Highland rewilding | Rewilding Europe
Click to expand...
I've always thought Przewalski's Horses could be a cool way to fill the vacant Tarapan niche in Europe.
 
Endangered glossy black cockatoo being lured to South Australian mainland with 20,000 trees

Conservationists are planting trees to lure the endangered glossy black cockatoo back to the South Australian mainland, where it has been extinct for decades.

Two potential “scouting” birds have already been spotted.

For now, the SA subspecies of “glossies” exists only on Kangaroo Island, where it rose from the ashes of the 2019-20 bushfires that destroyed much of its habitat.
 
 
 
First White-tailed eagle in 240 years born in south of England

A white-tailed eagle has been born in the south of England for the first time in 240 years.

Conservationists said it was a "landmark" moment in the mission to return the lost species to the country.

It was the first successful breeding attempt released by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation's project.

The location of the nest has not been disclosed for the birds' welfare, in case they return to breed there again.

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-66245010.amp
 
Congo Basin’s elephants boost carbon capture, but need salt-licks to survive
  • Forest elephants’ browsing habits play a vital role in shaping their habitat, allowing large, carbon-dense tree species to thrive.
  • The elephants frequent muddy, mineral-rich clearings called baïs which are a unique feature of the Congo Basin rainforest.
  • Researchers are studying elephants and baïs in neighboring Republic of Congo and Central African Republic to better understand the relationship between forests, clearings, and the pachyderms that knit them together.
The approach to the “village of elephants” in the Sangha Rainforest in the Central African Republic must be made in complete silence. Not even the faintest rustle of backpack on rain jacket should break the soundscape as visitors wade through the sometimes waist-deep swamp at the forest’s edge. The Indigenous Ba’aka guides must be able to listen for any signs of nearby elephants, so they can steer the visitors clear and avoid a close encounter with these giants. When a few pachyderms saunter out of the dense greenery, the Ba’aka shoo them away calmly.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...n-capture-but-need-salt-licks-to-survive/amp/
 
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's $100,000 Commitment Advances Chronic Wasting Disease Research

Furthering efforts to promote the scientific understanding and management of chronic wasting disease, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation committed $100,000 to two research endeavors.

One study, in conjunction with the University of Tennessee CWD Working Group, aims to develop a CWD test for live animals. The other seeks to measure the CWD prevalence among elk in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

“There are many more questions than answers related to this mysterious and deadly wildlife disease,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “This research has great potential to shape how biologists can better manage CWD’s impact on wildlife.”

RMEF’s $100,000 Commitment Advances CWD Research
 
Endangered lapwing makes return to County Down bog thanks to conservation efforts

Numbers have declined significantly over last 40 years due to the loss of wetland habitat and farming changes

A species of endangered bird has returned to a Co Down bog for the first time in several years thanks to conservation efforts.

Two breeding pairs of lapwings have been spotted at Lecale Fens special area of conservation, just outside Downpatrick. The breakthrough comes after efforts by Ulster Wildlife working with local farmer John Crea.

Like many other ground-nesting birds, lapwing numbers have declined significantly over the last 40 years due to the loss of wetland habitat and changes in farming practices. The bird is now red-listed on the Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland and is a Northern Ireland priority species because of its decline, rarity and importance.

Lapwings require a mosaic of habitats to breed and prefer boggy open areas with bare ground or short vegetation, avoiding areas of dense cover.

Endangered lapwing makes return to Co Down bog thanks to conservation efforts
 
Once threatened, Mexico’s “green jewel” has become a model of conservation

Martha Isabel “Pati” Ruiz Corzo moved to the Sierra Gorda – a dramatic expanse of wilderness in the heart of Mexico – four decades ago in search of a quiet, idyllic place to raise her family.

But what the former music teacher from Querétaro City found instead was a land scarred by logging, road building and other types of often-unregulated development, which were whittling away at Sierra Gorda's unique mix of jungles and cloud forests.

That led Ruiz Corzo to launch a grassroots movement that has spent 40 years protecting one of Mexico’s most ecologically diverse areas. At the effort’s core is the idea that local communities should play a leading role in conservation and that preserving Sierra Gorda’s natural spaces could be more profitable than razing them.

Once threatened, Mexico’s “green jewel” has become a model of conservation
 
Delight as 'Britain's loudest' birds discovered in Derbyshire

A pair of Britain's loudest birds, the bittern, have bred in Derbyshire's wetlands for the first time on record.

Volunteers repeatedly spotted a male and a female bittern flying near a presumed nest site at Willington Wetlands in 2022, an RSPB report said.

The male's distinctive booming "foghorn" call was also recorded.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said it was "thrilled" to have the birds return after the species almost disappeared from the UK twice.

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-66518534.amp

 
Eight protected areas in Cambodia bumped up by 500,000 hectares

In an effort to boost the country’s conservation work, the government will expand at least eight national parks and sanctuaries by an area of more than 500,000 hectares of forestland.

The expanded national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are Central Cardamom Mountain National Park, Veun Sai-Siem Pang, Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary, Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, Kulen Prum Tep Wildlife Sanctuary, Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, Phnom Nam Lear Wildlife Sanctuary and Bokor National Park.

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501340005/eight-protected-areas-bumped-up-by-500000-hectares/
 
Two pairs of avocets confirmed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust have bred at one of the four flagship nature reserves, Besthorpe, that are the focus for the charity’s current Wetlands for Wildlife Appeal

Two pairs of birds that became extinct in the UK during the 19th century have bred at a nature reserve.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has confirmed the avocet, which became extinct due to land drainage and persecution before making an unexpected comeback a century later during world war two, have bred at one of the four flagship nature reserves that are the focus for the charity’s current Wetlands for Wildlife Appeal.

Each pair fledged two chicks at the charity’s Besthorpe Nature Reserve in the Trent Vale northwest of Newark last month.

Two pairs of avocets confirmed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust have bred at one of the four flagship nature reserves, Besthorpe, that are the focus for the charity’s current Wetlands for Wildlife Appeal
 
Chile moves forward with protections for the Humboldt Archipelago, a unique marine ecosystem

Oceana celebrated the Humboldt Archipelago Multi-Use Marine Coastal Protected Area (AMCP-MU in Spanish) approved by the Council of Ministers for Sustainability in Chile. The new area will cover more than 5,700 square kilometers and is located between the Atacama and Coquimbo regions. This designation aims to protect one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the country, while simultaneously promoting sustainable development for local communities. The new marine protected area (MPA) will be officially created after the publication in Chile’s official gazette.

https://oceana.org/press-releases/c...mboldt-archipelago-a-unique-marine-ecosystem/
 
Kenyan fishers put new twists on an age-old marine conservation system
  • Over the past two decades Kenyan fishing communities have been setting up no-fishing zones called tengefus, Swahili for “set aside.”
  • The idea was inspired by the fishing habits of their forebears, who prior to colonization established seasonal fishing closures to ensure plentiful harvests.
  • Today there are 22 tengefus in various stages of development in the country, some more successful than others.
  • Successful tengefus have seen fish populations and coral cover increase, and they’ve established tourism enterprises that fund community initiatives. To work, experts say tengefus need support from communities, donors and the government.
Kenyan fishers put new twists on an age-old marine conservation system
 
Silver-studded blue butterflies return to former Norfolk home

A protected species of butterfly has been reintroduced to its former home after an absence of more than 70 years.

Silver-studded blue butterflies have been lost from more than 80% of their former habitats in the past century as heathland was converted to forestry and housing, a natural history group said.

They are currently found at only four Norfolk locations.

The group has moved 35 of the scarce butterflies from Buxton Heath to a country park near Horsford.

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-65965312.amp
 
The US Has a New National Monument Near the Grand Canyon—And It Has Special Meaning for Native American Tribes

Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni covers nearly 1 million acres near Grand Canyon National Park.

Answering the decades-long call of Native American tribes and environmentalists alike, President Joe Biden earlier this week created a new national monument buffering parts of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Meaning “where tribes roam” to the Havasupai people and “our ancestral footprints” in the Hopi language, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni covers 917,618 acres across three distinct sites north and south of the natural wonder. Home to wildlife like bison, elk, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, and rare cactus species, the protected area encompasses plateaus, canyons, Colorado River tributaries, and countless culturally and spiritually significant sites for the Indigenous peoples of the Southwest.

The US Has a New National Monument Near the Grand Canyon—And It Has Special Meaning for Native American Tribes
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top