Positive Wildlife News 2023

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Seagrass planting set to begin in Firth of Forth as major restoration project gathers pace

The first seeds are due to be planted in waters off the Scottish capital as part of a major restoration project that aims to improve biodiversity in the Firth of Forth.

As well as increasing seagrass meadows, which are important for supporting other species and sucking up climate-warming carbon emissions, the initiative will work to bring back wild native oysters which were once abundant in the region.

The ambition is to restore up to four hectares of seagrass and reintroduce 30,000 oysters by the end of 2024.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/envir...oject-gathers-pace-4010710?ref=inkcap-journal
 
Wildlife Wins From President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Act

A bounty of much-needed new federal funds will help reconnect habit for freshwater and terrestrial animals.

Remember that $1 trillion infrastructure bill that passed in 2021? Well, its huge pot of money is starting to make its way across the United States, and salmon, mountain lions and other animals could get some much-needed help.

At first glance, a law devoted to improving roads, bridges, airports and other transit systems may not seem like much of a biodiversity win. After all, our 4 million miles of roads carve up wildlife habitat and endanger animals, and more than a quarter of U.S. climate emissions can be traced to the transportation sector.

But the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed by President Biden in November 2021, contains notable nods to climate resilience and making infrastructure a bit greener. Some of the most publicized include cleaning up toxic Superfund sites, building more electric vehicle charging stations, expanding the transmission network for clean energy, and reducing drinking-water contaminants.

Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll find concrete — pardon the pun — opportunities to address some of the harm to wildlife caused by a century of paving over wild places and obstructing free-flowing rivers.

Among them: a $350 million wildlife-crossing pilot program and $2 billion to improve fish passage via a host of programs in the Interior, Transportation, Agriculture and Commerce departments.

“This is a generational opportunity to use large funding programs to match really intense infrastructure needs with opportunities to improve ecosystems and fish passage,” says Sandra Jacobson, the South Coast regional director at the nonprofit California Trout.

Wildlife Wins From Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Act • The Revelator
 
Monarch butterfly population bounces back; largest numbers in Santa Barbara County, California

After the overwintering population of Western monarch butterflies in California nearly bottomed out at less than 2,000 individuals in 2020, the number bounced back in the Thanksgiving 2022 count, according to figures released Tuesday by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

In a press conference via Zoom, representatives of the Xerces Society said 335,479 butterflies were counted by more than 250 volunteers at 272 sites.

That’s up from the nearly 250,000 counted in 2021 but far from the more than 1.2 million tallied in 1997.

Monarch butterfly population bounces back; largest numbers in Santa Barbara County | Local News | santamariatimes.com
 
Wildlife Cameras Show Adorable Native Animals Coming Back To The Anacostia Watershed

The Anacostia River tends to be better known for urban pollution than for wildlife. But in recent years, some species have been making a comeback around the river — an indicator of the Anacostia’s improving health. Recent photos from wildlife cameras along the river and its tributaries show beavers, river otters, and other animals making themselves at home.

Jorge Bogantes, with the Anacostia Watershed Society, says there aren’t enough cameras to estimate populations of the creatures. But anecdotally, he says, these animals have been increasingly making their way back to the watershed.

“Otters tend to eat mostly fish and crayfish, and if the river is too polluted, then they just cannot survive. So the fact that we’ve been seeing more recently, especially in the tidal river, is a great sign.”

https://dcist.com/story/23/02/14/anacostia-watershed-cameras-otters-beavers-wildlife-returning/
 
After a big recovery, the wood stork may soon fly off the endangered species list

The ungainly yet graceful wood stork, which was on the brink of extinction in 1984, has recovered sufficiently in Florida and other Southern states that U.S. wildlife officials on Tuesday proposed removing the wading bird from the endangered species list.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a
news release that restoration of the wood stork's habitat, especially in the Florida Everglades and adjacent Big Cypress National Preserve, led to a sharp increase in breeding pairs. Those numbers had shrunk to just 5,000 pairs in 1984, whereas there are more than 10,000 pairs today.

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/14/1157052550/wood-stork-endangered-species-list
 
Government plans to convert Fonatur lands into protected areas

More than 16,000 hectares of land belonging to the National Fund for Tourism Development (Fonatur) could be converted into protected nature reserves, President López Obrador said at his Thursday morning press conference.

The president elaborated on an agreement between Fonatur and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) that he first announced
last week. The agreement would see 16,414 hectares of Fonatur’s properties re-designated as Natural Protected Areas (ANP), following a consultation process.

Government plans to convert Fonatur lands into protected areas
 
The Endangered Species Act Has Helped Bring the Atlantic Sturgeon Back to Virginia

Each spring on the James River, the impact of the Endangered Species Act can be seen as massive, prehistoric-looking fish arc out of the water and splash back into it in dramatic breaching displays. The Atlantic sturgeon, once thought to be gone from Virginia’s rivers, has returned after decades of dedicated work to restore water quality and habitat thanks to protections of the Clean Waters Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Atlantic sturgeon were once plentiful in Virginia’s tidal rivers, and were an essential source of food for Native Americans and colonialists. Indeed, the species was said to have been the food source that saved the Jamestown residents in 1607. But rampant over-fishing in the 19th century depleted Atlantic sturgeon populations just as pollution from industry decimated their habitats. Sturgeon all but disappeared from Virginia’s rivers in the early 20th century. The species was added to the Endangered Species list in 2012, but regulations that sought to protect this fish were beginning to be put in place even before that. The Clean Water Act of 1972 helped restore water quality in the tidal rivers. Virginia banned fishing for sturgeon in 1974, and then in 1990, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission enacted a Fishery Management Plan that called for re-building the populations.

By the late ‘90s, fisheries biologists were catching and tagging Atlantic sturgeon in Virginia’s rivers in a project initiated by now-retired Albert Spells of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Now, a thriving network of government and private organizations are working to protect the Atlantic sturgeon in Virginia’s rivers, including the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rice Rivers Center, the James River Association (JRA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, and more.

Read more about recovery efforts for Atlantic sturgeon in “Ghosts No More,” an article in the March/April 2021 issue of Virginia Wildlife magazine.

“Having these partnerships allow us to take advantage of all these projects that are looking to answer questions about the species where our areas of research intersect. It’s been really helpful just having that information sharing,” said Margi Whitmore, tidal rivers fisheries biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR).

The Endangered Species Act Has Helped Bring the Atlantic Sturgeon Back to Virginia
 
After 70 years, Mindanao tree shrew nest rediscovered on Dinagat Islands

For the first time after at least 70 years, two Filipino biologists were able to document the behavior of a pair of newborn Mindanao treeshrews (Tupaia everetti) — a mammal resembling a chipmunk — on Dinagat Islands.

Tristan Luap Senarillos and Jayson Ibañez, both conservationists of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, said they discovered the nest site of the treeshrews within the Mounts Kambinliw-Redondo key biodiversity area in Dinagat while they were carrying out a rapid faunal assessment in the aftermath of Typhoon “Odette” (international name: Rai) that devastated the island in December 2021.

“This nest discovery is a valuable contribution to the minimal existing literature about this poorly studied species, which may be increasingly threatened by anthropogenic impacts,” the two biologists wrote in the study, “Notes on the Nest Architecture and Nest Site Characteristics of Mindanao Treeshrew (Tupaia everetti Thomas, 1892) from Dinagat Islands, Philippines,” published on March 1 this year in the Philippine Journal of Science.

Anthropogenic impact refers to changes to biophysical environments and to ecosystems, biodiversity and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans.

After 70 years, Mindanao treeshrew nest rediscovered on Dinagat Islands
 
Protected areas titles delivered in Pedernales

The General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP), acting as trustor of the Pro-Pedernales Trust, delivered to the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, for its custody and safekeeping, the certificates of title in favor of the Dominican State corresponding to the protected areas of Pedernales, which are adjacent to the Cabo Rojo Tourist Development project being carried out in this area of the country.

The executive director of the DGAPP, Sigmund Freund, in the presence of representatives of the media and officials of both institutions, delivered to the Minister of the Environment, Miguel Ceara Hatton, the certificate of title number 3000658469 which corresponds to part of the Jaragua National Park and three polygons of the Cabo Rojo-Bahía de las Águilas National Recreation Area, with an area of 293,223,437.33 square meters.

Dominican Today - Protected areas titles delivered in Pedernales
 
Bigger than Yosemite: New South Wales' new park will push state’s total to 1 million hectares

Under the blistering sun 250 kilometres north-west of Bourke, runs a river where – if you look close enough – you can see emu footprints in the creek bed. Just five minutes’ drive away, a dried-up creek bed snakes through the landscape while birds glide overhead. The property spans almost 437,400 hectares and is the state’s newest national park.

The area is New South Wales' third-largest national park and pushes the government’s acquisition of national parks since 2019 to more than 1 million hectares. This means that national parks now cover about 10.2 per cent of the state.

National Parks and Wildlife Service head Atticus Fleming said the new park would be bigger than many iconic parks around the world, including Yosemite National Park in the United States.

https://amp-smh-com-au.cdn.ampproje...otect-a-million-hectares-20230227-p5cnsg.html
 
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The Land of Baden-Wurtemberg (Germany) will reintroduce Lynxes.
The first animals will be released this autumn.
Espace Zoologique - Officiel on Instagram: "Bonne nouvelle pour l'avenir des lynx en Europe : des individus seront relâchés en Allemagne, près de la frontière française, pour renforcer la population de lynx existante. Les individus sauvages actuels répartis entre les Vosges, le Jura et le Bade-Wurtemberg (le territoire allemand) sont trop peu nombreux et ne pourraient subsister sur le long terme sans un renforcement des populations. Le relâché de lynx est prévu pour cet automne 2023 ! Article complet : https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/presse/pressemitteilung/pid/auswilderung-von-luchsen-in-baden-wuerttemberg-beginnt-1 #lynx #France #Europe #réintroduction #zoo #conservation"
 
Ongoing deer releases continue to strengthen the circle of life in the Rhodope Mountains

A long-term release programme means populations of red and fallow deer in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains are gradually recovering. As the landscape becomes wilder and healthier, there are benefits for local communities too.

Rewilding works to recover and enhance natural processes, such as natural grazing, predation, and scavenging. In the Rhodope Mountains rewilding landscape in Bulgaria, the local rewilding team has been engaged in the restocking of fallow and red deer populations – long degraded by overhunting – for many years. There are now signs that growing populations of both species are providing an increasingly important level of food for the area’s endangered vulture species (griffon, cinereous and Egyptian), thereby helping to close the so-called “circle of life“.

“Today, vultures in the Rhodope Mountains regularly feed on the carcasses of deer killed by wolves,” says Stefan Avramov, a rewilding officer attached to the Rewilding Rhodopes team. “Research has shown that a few years ago, red deer carcasses comprised less than 1% of the food of local griffon vultures, whereas they now comprise between 1.5% and 2%. With regard to fallow deer carcasses, the number has increased from 8.5% to around 10%. These numbers may be small, but rewilding is a long-term process – they will increase as deer populations continue to grow.”

Ongoing deer releases continue to strengthen the circle of life in the Rhodope Mountains | Rewilding Europe
 
Conecuh National Forest adds 1,000 acres of protected land in Alabama

The U.S Forest Service and nonprofit group The Conservation Fund have announced the purchase of about 1,000 acres of sensitive land to be added to the Conecuh National Forest.

These parcels were purchased from private landowners to fill in gaps in the protected area of the Conecuh National Forest to create larger continuous areas for recreation, watershed preservation, wildlife and longleaf pine forest restoration.

The Conecuh National Forest encompasses 84,000 acres in south Alabama, between Andalusia and the Florida state line. It includes large stretches of longleaf pine forests, a habitat for multiple threatened or endangered species, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, the eastern indigo snake and the gopher tortoise.

Conecuh National Forest in Alabama adds 1,000 acres
 
United States pledges $6 billion to protect the ocean

The United States plans to invest nearly $6 billion to restore and protect the world’s ocean from climate change, pollution and other threats.

The announcement came during the March 2–3 Our Ocean Conference in Panama.

As U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John F. Kerry noted during the conference, this figure more than doubles the amount the U.S. announced in 2022.

Kerry noted that the warming of the planet means more heat entering the ocean. Rising ocean temperatures can destroy coral reefs and force fish to migrate from their native habitats. As global temperatures and sea levels rise, the result is more heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones and wildfires.

“Human actions are threatening the very ability of ocean ecosystems to survive,” Kerry said.

https://share.america.gov/u-s-pledges-6-billion-to-protect-the-ocean/
 
Hawai‘i Voters Overwhelmingly Support Improved Fisheries Management

A January 2023 poll shows serious concern about the health of nearshore fisheries as well as high levels of support among Hawai‘i voters for improved fisheries and habitat management around the state:
  • 90% support restoring the health of nearshore areas, coral reefs and fisheries
  • 88% support limiting fishing in specific areas to allow fish populations to recover
  • 82% support giving local communities a clear role in helping to manage marine areas
  • 81% agree that more effective fishing rules are needed in some places
  • 78% support the State protecting 30% of nearshore waters around each Hawaiian island
“We are encouraged by such great support for community care of the fisheries and ecosystems that sustain us,” says Kevin Chang, executive director of Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo, a local network and movement-building nonprofit organization. “The observation of nearshore fishery decline and the impacts of human activity were observed early on by rural and Native Hawaiian subsistence fishers, who made their voices heard in policy circles in the '90s. This new polling reaffirms place-based community mālama ʻāina efforts call for shared power and co-stewardship in the governance, management and restoration of their places. To do so, greater resources than our state currently provides are needed, including a state Department of Land and Natural Resources that is resourced to be the partner communities need."

The Nature Conservancy works with more than 50 community groups, leaders and other partners directly and through learning networks around Hawai‘i to build capacity for community-led co-management of marine resources. The results speak for themselves. For example, four years into the 10-year rest area at the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Reserve on Hawai‘i Island, the biomass (combined weight) of prime spawners—larger, mature fish that produce the most offspring—increased by 612% inside the reserve and 172% outside the reserve. The Kaʻūpūlehu community is working to develop a fisheries management plan to maintain healthy, sustainable fisheries once the reserve is re-opened to fishing in 2026.

Hawai‘i Voters Overwhelmingly Support Improved Fisheries Management
 
Thousands more hectares of koala habitat protected forever

Another 3,157 hectares of high-quality koala habitat has been secured for the state’s national park estate by the NSW Government, helping to further safeguard koalas in New South Wales.

These 7 properties cover more than 3,100 hectares and are dotted along the state’s eastern ‘koala belt’, with each one providing the right blend of eucalypts, terrain and climate to support koalas,” Mr Griffin said.

“As well as koalas, these national park additions will protect an incredible diversity of native wildlife, including more than 30 threatened species such as long-nosed potoroos, glossy-black cockatoos, greater gliders and powerful owls.

Thousands more hectares of koala habitat protected forever
 
Camera traps capture wildlife in the Khata Corridor

Images of tigers, leopards, and rhinos demonstrate why wildlife corridors matter

The Khata Corridor is a 15-mile pathway along the shared border of Nepal’s Bardia National Park and India’s Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary. Its short distance belies its significance for people and wildlife in the region.

Nearly two decades ago, this area of the Khata Forest was a degraded patch of land. Now, lush with trees, shrubs, and grasslands, it hosts tigers, rhinos, and dozens of other species as the Khata Corridor.

Wildlife corridors like this one serve as a connecting pathway that allows wildlife to safely move from one wild area to another. Animals often travel vast distances in search of water, food, shelter, and opportunities to mate. But the wild spaces in which they roam are often interrupted by fences, roads, and other human infrastructure.

The Khata Corridor was established with collaborative efforts from local communities, the Nepal government, and WWF so wildlife could move securely. The increase in wildlife through the corridor has also helped local tourism in the area and provided opportunities for community members to engage first-hand in conservation. The camera trap images below–captured by a group of local citizen scientists–show the abundance of life within the Khata Corridor.

Camera traps capture wildlife in Khata Corridor
 
Quebec and Ottawa to expand Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park

Quebec and Ottawa intend to expand the

Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park to better protect the biodiversity and ecosystems of the St. Lawrence Estuary, home to nearly 2,200 species.

The expansion project could quadruple the size of the park, which currently covers 1,245 square kilometres, according to an announcement by Canada's Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and his Quebec counterpart Benoit Charette on Friday morning in Tadoussac.

The main objective of the eventual expansion is to protect the critical habitat of the St. Lawrence beluga, which is in a precarious situation.

https://beta-ctvnews-ca.cdn.ampproj...a/local/montreal/2023/3/10/1_6308173.amp.html
 
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