Positive Wildlife News 2023

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Biden administration moves to reverse Trump-era Endangered Species Act rollbacks

The Biden administration announced two proposed rules Wednesday morning that would undo Trump administration rollbacks of Endangered Species Act (ESA) enforcement.

The proposals include the restoration of the so-called blanket 4(d) rule, which extends the same protections given to endangered species to those listed as threatened, which is “essential to ensuring that these species are protected before it’s too late,” said McCrystie Adams, vice president for conservation law at Defenders of Wildlife.

The second provision, meanwhile, removes language allowing agencies to weigh economic factors when determining whether to list a species. Adams called this a “really important step forward,” adding “the decision whether or not to protect a species under the act should be solely made under the best available science.”

Biden administration moves to reverse Trump-era Endangered Species Act rollbacks | The Hill
 
Marine biodiversity gets a lifeline with high seas treaty

The United Nations yesterday formally adopted
a historic treaty designed to protect life in the high seas, which is increasingly under threat from pollution, climate change and over fishing.

The pact, agreed to in principle in March, extends for the first time environmental protections to the two-thirds of the ocean that lie beyond national jurisdictions.

Among other things, it will allow for the creation of marine protected areas – safe havens for fish, plants and other vulnerable species – and the use of other so-called "area-based management tools" to more sustainably manage ocean resources.

Marine biodiversity gets a lifeline with high seas treaty
 
Rare Wolverine Spotted in Eastern Sierra

“It’s truly remarkable that another native apex species is attempting to make its way back to our state on its own. As we’ve learned with gray wolves naturally repopulating northern California, if the conditions are right – including adequate suitable habitat and human tolerance – they will come and can thrive."

Pamela Flick, Defenders of Wildlife - California Program Director

What is believed to be a single wolverine was caught on camera multiple times within several days in the eastern Sierra Nevada. Experts agree that this is indeed a wolverine, marking the second of its kind detected in California since the 1920s.

Rare Wolverine Spotted in Eastern Sierra
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Biden administration moves to reverse Trump-era Endangered Species Act rollbacks

The Biden administration announced two proposed rules Wednesday morning that would undo Trump administration rollbacks of Endangered Species Act (ESA) enforcement.

The proposals include the restoration of the so-called blanket 4(d) rule, which extends the same protections given to endangered species to those listed as threatened, which is “essential to ensuring that these species are protected before it’s too late,” said McCrystie Adams, vice president for conservation law at Defenders of Wildlife.

The second provision, meanwhile, removes language allowing agencies to weigh economic factors when determining whether to list a species. Adams called this a “really important step forward,” adding “the decision whether or not to protect a species under the act should be solely made under the best available science.”

Biden administration moves to reverse Trump-era Endangered Species Act rollbacks | The Hill
Click to expand...

Here is another relevant article to this story.

Defenders of Wildlife Welcomes Restoration of Automatic Endangered Species Act Protections for Threatened Species

"While areas of concern exist within these new regulations, restoring automatic protections for our nation’s threatened species is a huge step in the right direction for the Endangered Species Act and biodiversity. As humans, we are inextricably linked with the ecosystems around us. Saving nature and establishing scientifically-sound ways to coexist with wildlife must be a national priority. Our future depends on it.”

- Jamie Rappaport Clark, President and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife Welcomes Restoration of Automatic Endangered Species Act Protections for Threatened Species
 
Return of the king: Lions back in Babanango after 150 years

For the first time in over a century, the commanding roars of one of Africa’s most iconic big cats ripples over the lush, green landscapes of Babanango.

Lions are roaming the spectacular rolling valleys and bushveld of Babanango Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal again.

In this historic move, two male lions have been reintroduced into the 20 000-hectare game reserve, as part of the reserve’s ambitious and successful rewilding journey.

The lions were translocated from Nambiti Private Game Reserve in April this year under the of veterinarian Dr Ryan van Deventer and Babanango partner, Chris Galliers of Conservation Outcomes.

 
White Rhinoceros Reintroduced To Democratic Republic of Congo National Park

Sixteen southern white rhinoceroses have been released into DR Congo's Garamba national park, officials said on Saturday, reintroducing an endangered species that was decimated by poaching.

The last northern white rhino in the park, which lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeast, was poached in 2006.

White Rhinos Reintroduced To DR Congo National Park
 
Pennsylvania's Delaware State Forest Grows by 555 Acres

Pennsylvania’s Delaware State Forest is growing by 555 acres thanks to The Conservation Fund and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry (DCNR). The forest’s expansion, announced today, will provide public access opportunities while maintaining the area’s rural character.

Expansion of the state forest in Bushkill results from the purchase and transfer of a former hunting camp, provides connectivity and expands public access to existing state forest land. The Conservation Fund acquired the private property at auction in July 2021. Now owned and managed by the DCNR as part of the Delaware State Forest, the newly protected property will offer future access for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, birding and more.

Pa.'s Delaware State Forest Grows by 555 Acres - The Conservation Fund
 
State purchase preserves Comal County’s Honey Creek Ranch from development

Comal County’s Honey Creek Ranch, once slated for development of as many as 2,400 homes, has been purchased by the state of Texas, officials announced Thursday.

Landowners Ronnie and Terry Urbanczyk sold the 515-acre ranch for $25 million to the state’s parks department in a move facilitated through a partnership with the state’s parks department, The Nature Conservancy in Texas, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. Funds for the purchase were made available from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, state appropriations for land acquisitions and private donations, according to a press release announcing the move. 

Honey Creek Ranch purchased by Texas, ensuring its preservation
 
Two Freshwater Mussels Receive Endangered Species Act Protections in Arkansas, Missouri

In response to a 2010 petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule today to protect the western and Ouachita fanshell mussels under the Endangered Species Act. The Service also designated 489 miles of critical habitat in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Missouri for these threatened species.

Two Freshwater Mussels Receive Endangered Species Act Protections in Arkansas, Missouri
 
Black-Footed Ferrets Return to Standing Rock Sioux Reservation

The Standing Rock Sioux worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce the endangered species to parts of the reservation

Black-footed ferrets hadn’t been seen for decades on the Standing Rock Reservation that straddles the border of North and South Dakota. Like elsewhere in their former range, they had disappeared from the landscape.

But Standing Rock Game and Fish was interested in seeing the native species return.

In research presented at The Wildlife Society’s 2022 Annual Conference in Spokane, TWS member Lauren Toivonen, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, worked with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe starting in 2020 to reintroduce black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), considered endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to parts of the reservation.

TWS2022: Ferrets return to Standing Rock Sioux Reservation - The Wildlife Society

 
Elk were once hunted to extinction in Kentucky, now they flourish

Before European settlers arrived in Kentucky, elk were the most wide-ranging member of the deer family in all of North America. Accounts from early Kentucky settlers suggest a plentiful elk population, and many place names across the state hint at their presence. Eventually, however, their numbers dwindled because of over-hunting. By 1847, the naturalist and ornithologist John James Audubon wrote “we believe there are none to be found within hundreds of miles.”

The last wild elk of Kentucky’s pioneer era was said to have been killed just before the Civil War, according to a history in Kentucky’s Elk Management Plan.

https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article273571635.html
 
South Africa: near Cape Town, the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve is Reforested

In South Africa, a reforestation operation has just been completed in the Blaauwberg nature reserve in the Western Cape province. The initiative, in partnership with Stellenbosch University, has seen rootstocks planted on almost four hectares of degraded land, according to lecturers Karen Esler and Pat Holmes, who have been carrying out research there since 2012.

The reforestation project is being funded by the British mining company Anglo American via its Anglo Nature Positive platform, which aims to protect biodiversity. Through the reintroduction of endangered plant species, it should improve the effectiveness of ecological restoration in the Blaauwberg nature reserve and in other towns in the near future.

SOUTH AFRICA: near Cape Town, the Blaauwberg nature reserve is reforested | Afrik 21
 
Wetland ecological restoration in Northwestern China attracts more endangered relict gulls

This year, Hongjiannao Wetland Reserve in northwest China's Shaanxi Province saw an increase in the number of relict gull nests, with a total of 4,980 nests, up by 210 nests compared to last year. It is estimated that the total population of adult and newborn birds will reach 23,000 this year.

The relict gull is classified as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List and is under first-class state protection in China.

Wetland ecological restoration in NW China attracts more endangered relict gulls
 
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California Legislature Passes Joshua Tree Protection Law

Statute Is First in State to Protect Species From Climate Threats.

California lawmakers today passed the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, permanently protecting the iconic and imperiled species.

The new law cleared the Assembly 54-15 and the Senate 31-8 as part of the state budget agreement. It’s expected to be signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week and take effect July 1.

Western Joshua trees have been protected on an interim basis, as a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act, since September 2020. Under the new law, they will remain a candidate species, receiving the protections of both statutes.

“I’m grateful the Newsom administration and lawmakers agree that western Joshua trees are an irreplaceable part of California’s natural heritage that has to be protected,” said Brendan Cummings, the Center for Biological Diversity’s conservation director and a Joshua Tree resident. “This groundbreaking law will help ensure these wonderful trees remain part of California’s Mojave Desert landscape forever.”

California Legislature Passes Joshua Tree Protection Law
 
Though this isn't directly about wildlife, plastic pollution still effects wildlife so I thought this article was relevant to post 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.

Plastic litter on Australian beaches cut by 29 per cent over six years | New Scientist
 
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
 
Uruguay Commits to Establish a New Marine Protected Area around Isla de Lobos

As people around the world gear up to commemorate World Ocean Day, in Uruguay, Gerando Amarilla, Vice Minister of Environment, announced the government’s commitment to establish a new marine protected area (MPA) around the island of Isla de Lobos. The designation will take place in the next few months. This future marine reserve represents the current administration’s first step toward the ambitious goal set by President Luis Lacalle to protect 30% of Uruguay’s waters by 2030. Currently, Uruguay has less than 1% protected coverage of its marine ecosystems.

Uruguay Commits to Establish a New Marine Protected Area around Isla de Lobos
 
Protected Areas in Georgia to be expanded

The area of protected areas in Georgia will be undergoing an expansion phase as the Committee on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of the Parliament of Georgia discussed three bills presented by the government’s legislative initiative on protected areas.

The bills were presented by the First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Nino Tandilashvili.

Protected Areas in Georgia to be expanded
 
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