Positive Wildlife News 2023

Status
Not open for further replies.
Pew Welcomes Land Protections in Defense Bill

Bipartisan deal will safeguard more than 580,000 acres in Nevada, benefiting conservation, Tribal communities, and military readiness

The Pew Charitable Trusts applauded provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act signed into law on Friday, December 23, 2022 by President Joe Biden that will protect and conserve more than 580,000 acres of public land in Northern Nevada.

This bipartisan effort establishes several wilderness and national conservation areas that will permanently protect habitat for desert bighorn sheep, greater sage-grouse, golden eagles, and many other desert species, as well as the new 217,845-acre Numu Newe Special Management Area that is being established to protect, conserve, and enhance Indigenous communities’ traditional homeland.

Pew Welcomes Land Protections in Defense Bill | The Pew Charitable Trusts
 
Voyageurs National Park, Boundary Waters Protected from Toxic Mining

"Banning mining activities in the region’s watershed will protect the broader park ecosystem now and for years to come.” -- Christine Goepfert

Today, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced the withdrawal of over 225,000 acres of federal lands from the mineral leasing program for 20-years, effectively putting a stop to new sulfide mining projects within the Rainy River watershed in Minnesota. This action comes after an environmental assessment demonstrated the risks sulfide mining poses to the watershed, which includes Voyageurs National Park and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A NPCA hydrology report put a spotlight on the dangers mining activities pose to Voyageurs National Park, finding that sulfide mines as far as 100 miles upstream threaten the connected waterways in and around the national park.

NPCA has fought for long-term protections for this region for years and will continue to seek permanent protections against harmful mining through legislation.

Voyageurs National Park, Boundary Waters Protected from Toxic Mining
 
Nature reserve to be created near Blandford to protect rare bat

A new nature reserve is to be created in Dorset to protect a rare species of bat.

Dorset Council bought 13 acres of land near Blandford to create a wildlife corridor for greater horseshoe bats.

The species is one of the rarest in Europe and it is thought there are fewer than 13,000 in the UK.

The council is inviting volunteers to help with planting the farmland which lies next to Milldown Nature Reserve and North Dorset Trailway

https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-64228588.amp
 
Nature Conservancy of Canada expands protection of key wetlands in Brighton

Eastern Lake Ontario coast globally important for bird conservation

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has conserved an additional 30 hectares in the eastern Lake Ontario coast area to increase the protection of important wetlands for migratory birds.

The Brighton Wetland is a large, intact coastal wetland located just east of Presqu’ile Provincial Park. It is part of the Presqu’ile Bay Wetland Complex, a Provincially Significant Wetland, and the Presqu’ile Bay Important Bird Area, a globally important area for bird conservation.

This new addition expands the network of protected Lake Ontario coastal wetlands and surrounding forest and grassland around Presqu’ile Bay to 153 hectares. The Brighton Wetland provides habitat for many species at risk, including Blanding’s turtle (threatened) and king rail (endangered).

Tens of thousands of birds, like geese and ducks, stop, rest, nest and feed in sheltered areas of Presqu’ile Bay during their spring migration. Least bittern, wood thrush, pied-billed grebe and eastern wood-pewee are just some of the many bird species that have been observed here. The wetlands function as an important fish nursery and several at-risk turtle species are also found in this undisturbed area.

NCC’s next step is to develop a property management plan, which will identify conservation priorities and habitat restoration opportunities, and explore ways people can use this area for passive recreation. The non-profit conservation organization is now raising money to enhance the visitor experience — with signage, trails, viewing platforms and benches — so that the public can enjoy and appreciate nature.

This project highlights how NCC is accelerating the pace of conservation in Canada. In the past two years alone, NCC has influenced the protection of more than one million hectares (almost twice the size of Prince Edward Island), coast to coast to coast. Over the next few years, the organization will double its impact by mobilizing Canadians and delivering permanent, large-scale conservation.

In the face of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change, nature is our ally. There is no solution to either without nature conservation. When nature thrives, we all thrive.

Nature Conservancy of Canada expands protection of key wetlands in Brighton
 
More marine protected areas planned for Indonesia’s Maluku after 2022 spree
  • The Maluku Islands in Indonesia will protect more swaths of their seas this year, following from the designation of five marine protected areas in 2022 alone.
  • The new protected areas will cover the waters around the western island of Buru, where fishing activity will be limited to traditional fishers using sustainable gear.
  • Indonesia currently has 284,000 square kilometers (110,000 square miles) of marine area under protection, roughly two-thirds of its target of protecting 10% of its waters.
  • The Maluku Islands sit within the Pacific Coral Triangle, an area renowned for its richness of corals and reef fish.
Authorities in Indonesia’s Maluku province say they will establish new marine protected areas this year, following from five created last year alone, as part of wider efforts to preserve natural resources while boosting the local economy.

“In 2023, we are already targeting to designate a marine protected area in the [northern] waters around Buru district since the funding is already secured,” Erawan Asikin, head of the provincial fisheries department, told Mongabay Indonesia on Jan. 10. He added the Maluku government is also looking to designate the waters off southern Buru district as a conservation zone.

Last year, Maluku designated a total of five MPAs around a group of islands in the eastern part of the province, namely Tanimbar, Damer, Babar, Romang, Mdona Hiera, Lakor, Moa, and Letti. The establishment of the new areas was supported by the conservation group WWF Indonesia.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...areas-mpa-coral-fisheries-sustainability/amp/
 
Partners For Fish and Wildlife Program Restores More Than 5,000 Acres of Habitat for Texas Wildlife in 2022

Projects benefit listed, migratory and at-risk plants, fish and wildlife across the state

In 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program assisted more than 100 private landowners with the voluntary restoration of 5,692 acres of forest, prairie, wetland and stream habitat for wildlife in Texas.

From a watershed-level salt cedar eradication on a tributary of the Brazos River to the repair of a wetland complex that supports a variety of waterfowl and whooping cranes on the Texas coast, these projects help protect a diversity of species in ecosystems across the state.

“With most of the land in Texas in private ownership, partnering with willing landowners is crucial to maintaining healthy habitat for plants and wildlife,” said Cyndee Watson, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program State Coordinator for Texas. “We are proud to help fund and design projects that protect and improve habitat for native wildlife while supporting healthy working lands in the state.”

Following are highlights of Partners for Fish and Wildlife projects completed across the state in 2022.

Partners For Fish and Wildlife Restores Thousands of Acres for Texas Wildlife in 2022 | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 
NOAA announces historic funding for fish habitats across United States

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help recover endangered fish; prioritize tribal communities.

Today, NOAA Fisheries announced nearly $105 million in funding for 36 new fish passage projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including significant funding to implement fish passage projects that meet tribal priorities and build tribal organizational capacity to support their role as stewards of tribal resources. This historic level of funding will reopen migratory pathways and restore access to habitat for fish and other species across the country.

Through this funding, NOAA prioritized projects that demonstrate a broad base of stakeholder and community support and were developed with inclusive practices to engage a diverse range of community groups. Selected projects will span the full range of fish passage types, including dam removals, fish ladders, culvert improvements and in-stream fish passage improvements.

NOAA announces historic funding for fish habitats across U.S.
 
Harvest mice on the move as Northumberland nest site grows

Harvest mouse nests have been discovered at a second nature reserve in Northumberland.

Some of the mice released at East Chevington nature reserve in 2021, are thought to have relocated to Druridge Pools, about one mile away.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust said it was a "wonderful sign" the tiny mammals' population was expanding.

Harvest mice on the move as Northumberland nest site grows
 
Large conservation area announced near Revelstoke

Together with the provincial and federal governments and a forestry company, the National Conservancy of Canada announced the conservation of 185,329 acres (75,000 hectares) in the Incomappleux Valley located in the Selkirk Mountains approximately 29 kilometres east of Revelstoke.

The project, which is approximately the size of 150 Stanley Parks in Vancouver, also shares a 44-kilometre-long boundary with Glacier National Park.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada facilitated the collaboration between respected parties, including the Province of BC and Interfor, and also raised funds to implement the agreement to remove forest tenure in the Incomappleux Valley.

Large conservation announced near Revelstoke -- UPDATED: now with map
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
A big win for the planet – and people – in Alaska

This year ends on a high point for conservation, sustainable development, and Indigenous rights in Alaska.

With our partners at The Conservation Fund and other members of the Bristol Bay Victory Challenge (BBVC), we're proud to announce the successful establishment of a 44,000-acre conservation easement protecting four of the world's most important rivers for salmon habitat. These easements will permanently protect land owned by the Pedro Bay Corporation, an Alaska Native corporation, and will bisect the route that Pebble Mine developers proposed for a road that would lead from the mine to a shipping port on Cook Inlet. The persistent threat of Pebble Mine drove the creation of the BBVC, a five-year, $50 million, Indigenous-led fundraising campaign to conserve this pristine watershed and its wildlife, while investing in the future of its local communities.

A big win for the planet - and the people of Alaska
Click to expand...

Here is another relevant article.

EPA blocks Alaska Pebble Mine in salmon-rich Bristol Bay region

The Environmental Protection Agency has blocked development of the Pebble Mine project in a corner of the Bristol Bay watershed, a vast and pristine swath of southwest Alaska that sustains the greatest sockeye salmon runs on the planet.

The EPA decision made public Tuesday placed a key portion of land surrounding the Pebble deposit off-limits for use as a disposal site.

The decision follows years of legal jousting and regulatory twists and turns for the mine in what emerged as an epic Alaska resource battle. It could still continue as developers are likely to challenge the EPA decision in federal court.

The project proposed by The Pebble Limited Partnership ignited passionate opposition from a coalition of Alaska and Northwest fishers, environmentalists and many Bristol Bay region natives who fear the salmon resource would be undermined by an open pit mine forecast to yield 1.3 billion tons of ore over two decades of operations.

EPA blocks Alaska Pebble Mine in salmon-rich Bristol Bay region
 
First wild kiwi egg laid in Wellington in over a century

A wild kiwi egg has been laid in Wellington for the first time in more than 100 years.

Last November, 11 North Island brown kiwi were released into the Mākara hills after an ambitious pest eradication project.

The project leader, Capital Kiwi's Paul Stanley Ward, said they had been followed weekly through transmitters on their legs.

"You can't count your kiwi until they hatch but it is a very significant moment and something that we're very excited about" - Capital Kiwi's Paul Stanley Ward

The team were interested in looking at the welfare of the birds in that environment, he said.

First wild kiwi egg laid in Wellington in over a century
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
First wild kiwi egg laid in Wellington in over a century

A wild kiwi egg has been laid in Wellington for the first time in more than 100 years.

Last November, 11 North Island brown kiwi were released into the Mākara hills after an ambitious pest eradication project.

The project leader, Capital Kiwi's Paul Stanley Ward, said they had been followed weekly through transmitters on their legs.

"You can't count your kiwi until they hatch but it is a very significant moment and something that we're very excited about" - Capital Kiwi's Paul Stanley Ward

The team were interested in looking at the welfare of the birds in that environment, he said.

First wild kiwi egg laid in Wellington in over a century
Click to expand...
...but not actually true. There are Brown Kiwi well-established in the hills on the eastern side of the harbour. This is actually the first egg produced by the birds recently released in the hills on the western side of Wellington. Capital Kiwi had to make a clarification after they made their initial press releases.

Depending on your definition of "wild" there are also Little Spotted Kiwi at Zealandia (within a fenced sanctuary but a "wild-living" breeding population). And both species are also on Kapiti Island off the coast just north of Wellington city.
 
Chlidonias said:
...but not actually true. There are Brown Kiwi well-established in the hills on the eastern side of the harbour. This is actually the first egg produced by the birds recently released in the hills on the western side of Wellington. Capital Kiwi had to make a clarification after they made their initial press releases.

Depending on your definition of "wild" there are also Little Spotted Kiwi at Zealandia (within a fenced sanctuary but a "wild-living" breeding population). And both species are also on Kapiti Island off the coast just north of Wellington city.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the clarification.
 
Congress Delivers Big Win for Deer, Elk and Hunters

Critical financial help is on the way for researchers and game managers dealing with chronic wasting disease (CWD). Congress included the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research and Management Act within the Omnibus Budget Bill that passed prior to adjournment of the recently completed 117th session.

“This funding to fight CWD was a 2022 legislative priority for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and is vitally important for the future of elk and other ungulates, CWD research, wildlife management and hunting,” said Kyle Weaver, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO. “We salute Congress and thank our coalition partners, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation members and sportsmen and women for helping to push this across the finish line.”

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation worked with the Boone and Crockett Club to organize a coalition of conservation and wildlife organizations that worked together for a year and a half leading up to the legislative victory.

Congress Delivers Big Win for Deer, Elk and Hunters | Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
 
Navy conservation efforts help take 5 species off endangered list

Five species of plants and animals were taken off the endangered species list following conservation efforts between the Department of Defense and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the Navy-owned San Clemente Island off the coast of California, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.

Four plants, the San Clemente Island paintbrush, lotus, larkspur and bush-mallow, and one bird, the San Clemente Bell’s sparrow, no longer require protection under the Endangered Species Act, Pentagon officials noted.

Navy conservation efforts help take 5 species off endangered list
 
2022: Strength, Stability and Conservation Success

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation rolls into the new year with a robust and highlight-filled 2022 conservation resume. In addition to teaming up with partners to award more than $29 million dollars for habitat enhancement, including wildfire restoration, and wildlife management projects, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation conserved and improved access to near-record, single-year acreage totals of elk habitat.

“Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has a firm financial foundation of strength and stability which allows us to put more dollars on the ground. And that’s good news for the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage,” said Fred Lekse, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Board of Directors chair.

2022: Strength, Stability and Conservation Success | Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
 
Last edited:
Oregon receives $3.3 million for wildfire rehab, habitat work, elk research

As part of its ongoing commitment to ensure the future of elk and other wildlife by helping rehabilitate landscapes impacted by wildfire, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners allocated $3,351,126 for more than two dozen projects across Oregon.

“Unfortunately, high-severity wildfires over the last several years damaged soil and native seed banks in large swaths of Oregon elk habitat. And that opens the door for invasive weeds to crowd out native vegetation,” said Blake Henning, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation chief conservation officer. “Among other things, this funding goes toward 13 on the ground habitat conservation projects to restore and enhance elk habitat.”

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation supplied $324,894 in grant dollars that leveraged $3,026,232 from its partners.

Oregon Receives $3.3 Million for Wildfire Rehab, Habitat Work, Elk Research | Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
 
VICTORY: Peru will now prosecute illegal wildlife trafficking as a form of organized crime

Illegal species trafficking is the fourth most lucrative illegal activity in the world. This problem is pervasive in Peru, where an estimated 102,000 live wild animals have been seized in the country over the last two decades, according to Peru’s National Forestry and Wild Fauna Service (Serfor). Aquatic species are also at risk of illegal trafficking in the country, especially sharks and seahorses.

This devastating reality should all change now after Peru’s Congress made it the first South American country to declare illegal wildlife trafficking as a form of organized crime. Campaigning by Oceana and our allies was key to securing this important victory.

https://oceana.org/blog/victory-per...ife-trafficking-as-a-form-of-organized-crime/
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top