Positive Wildlife News 2023

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Sightings of critically endangered regent honeyeater in New South Wales give conservationists hope

One of Australia's rarest species of bird, the critically endangered regent honeyeater, has been making an appearance in several locations along the New South Wales east coast.

Conservationists say it's "heartening" news, as last breeding season they were unable to find any regent honeyeater nests.

"The current regent honeyeater population estimate is around 250 to 300 birds in the wild, and with not seeing a single nest last year, you would err towards the lower end of that estimate," Birdlife Australia's NSW Woodland Bird Program manager Mick Roderick said.

This week there have been sightings of the distinctive honeyeater near Coffs Harbour on the state's Mid North Coast, and a flock has been seen further south at Lake Macquarie in the Hunter region.

https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/102529996
 
Recent survey results have shown that the population of Tanzania's kipunji monkey has increased by 65%, while signs of human impact in its habitat have reduced by 81%, over a 13-year period.

The increase follows 20 years of intensive holistic conservation efforts by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Tanzanian government partners, including greater legal protection for forests and community engagement.

More information can be found in the link below:
Meet the kipunji: A rare primate success story in Tanzania
 
‘The result was amazing’: one man’s mission to reforest a barren Irish hillside

Eoghan Daltun has spent 14 years rewilding part of Beara peninsula into a showcase of diversity

Eoghan Daltun stood on a slope and pointed to a distant vista of verdant fields, craggy hills and conifer trees across the Beara peninsula in west Cork.

Sun glinted off the rocks and sheep grazed in meadows. It was serene – the sort of bucolic panorama that draws tourists and appears on Irish postcards to embody the Emerald Isle.

Daltun, however, had news for anyone tempted to marvel at nature’s majesty. “It’s ecological illiteracy. They can’t read the landscape they’re looking at. That is a completely barren landscape. It is biologically empty.”

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...wilding-beara-peninsula-ireland-eoghan-daltun
 
United Nations adopts first ‘historic’ treaty to protect high seas

The legally binding accord outlines rules to protect biodiversity in waters outside national boundaries.

The United Nations has adopted the first-ever international treaty to govern the high seas and protect remote ecosystems vital to humanity, after more than 15 years of discussions.

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed as a “historic achievement” the pact that will establish a legal framework to extend environmental protections to international waters, known as the high seas, which cover more than 60 percent of the earth’s surface.

Climate change is disrupting weather patterns and ocean currents, raising sea temperatures, “and altering marine ecosystems and the species living there”, Guterres said, adding that marine biodiversity “is under attack from overfishing, over-exploitation and ocean acidification”.

https://www-aljazeera-com.cdn.amppr...2023/6/19/un-adopts-historic-high-seas-treaty
 
Lions, leopards have made a comeback in Africa’s 3rd-largest national park, says report

Rigorous anti-poaching measures including patrolling, effective prosecution and cultural sensitisation led to the rebound in populations, says report

Lion and leopard populations have begun rebounding in Africa’s third-largest national park — Zambia’s Kafue National Park (KNP) — after 50 years of poaching, according to a new report from Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organisation, and partners.

Lions, leopards have made a comeback in Africa’s 3rd-largest national park, says report
 
Captive breeding helps endangered Iberian lynx population hit record

The number of endangered Iberian lynx in the wild in Spain and Portugal reached 1,668 in 2022, Spain's environment ministry said on Friday - a new record since a conservation push began 20 years ago to save a population that had dwindled to below 100.

In 2002, the species was on the brink of extinction due to poaching, road accidents and encroachment on their habitat by farming and industrial development. Only 94 specimens were registered in Spain and none in Portugal at that time.

Captive breeding helps endangered Iberian lynx population hit record
 
Cumbrian freshwater mussels reproduce for first time in 13 years

Freshwater mussels at risk of extinction have started reproducing for the first time in 13 years.

Conservationists have been monitoring the River Irt which is home to the "critically endangered" population of about 300 mussels.

Only a handful of freshwater shellfish populations remain in England.

Chris West from West Cumbria Rivers Trust said it was "thrilling" and "heartening" to find evidence the species was reproducing.

Freshwater mussels at risk of extinction have started reproducing for the first time in 13 years.

Conservationists have been monitoring the River Irt which is home to the "critically endangered" population of about 300 mussels.

Only a handful of freshwater shellfish populations remain in England.

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-65809650.amp
 
Saving SomPhongs’s Rasbora: A Critically Endangered Fish in Thailand

The Seub Nahasathien Foundation (SNF) is a Thai non-governmental organisation committed to the preservation and safeguarding of vast forests, natural ecosystems, wildlife habitats, and precious endangered species. One of their vital initiatives focuses on preventing the sixth extinction and conservation through participatory surveys of SomPhongs’s Rasbora (Trigonostigma somphongsi), a Critically Endangered fish on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Saving SomPhongs’s Rasbora: A Critically Endangered Fish in Thailand
 
Critically endangered wildcats released into the Cairngorms National Park

After years of extensive preparations by the Saving Wildcats conservation partnership project, the release of 22 wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park began last week as part of landmark efforts to save this charismatic species from extinction within Scotland.

Led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), the Saving Wildcats partnership has released the cats into undisclosed locations within the Cairngorms Connect landscape of the Cairngorms National Park where they will be carefully monitored using GPS-radio collars.

Historic milestone reached as critically endangered wildcats released into the Cairngorms National Park
 
Rare clearwing moth found in Staffordshire nature reserve for first time

A rare moth has been found at a nature reserve in Staffordshire after it was declared extinct to the area.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is celebrating the discovery of Welsh Clearwing moths after an entomologist, an insect scientist, reported signs of them emerging from a tree.

The Welsh Clearwing moth is typically found in hilly and wooded areas, predominately in Wales.

They have previously been found at Sherwood Forest
and Cannock Chase, but until now, they haven't been spotted anywhere else in Staffordshire.

https://www.itv.com/news/central/2023-06-22/rare-moth-found-in-nature-reserve-for-first-time
 
At long last, the American buffalo has come home

A conservation effort has returned bison to Blackfeet Nation tribal lands more than a century after the animal was nearly slaughtered to extinction.

“Nititawahsi” is the Blackfeet name for our land—the land where the iinnii (buffalo) live. Our people are Niitawahsin-nanni: the people of the land where the iinnii live.

At long last, the American buffalo has come home
 
An endangered fox shows signs of returning

In the summer of 2022, volunteers patrolling for Arctic fox dens spotted a welcome surprise. Three pups, covered in grayish-brown fur, peered out at them from a lush patch of grass on an otherwise barren tundra. Their mom, in her brown coat, sat close by.

That discovery represented a conservation milestone: It was the first confirmation in over 25 years that these small foxes were breeding in Finland, where the species is listed as critically endangered.

An endangered fox shows signs of returning
 
Captive Breeding Programs proving successful in India

Despite efforts by conservationists and researchers all species may not bounce back in the wild. Ex situ conservation techniques have become a necessity to save some critically endangered species, whereas for others it is a preventative measure.
Captive breeding programs are thus becoming more prevalent through the years. In most cases, conservation breeding is undertaken by zoological parks but some species have specific breeding centres as well.

These breeding programs should ideally ensure the well-being of the animals in terms of their nutrition, safety, health, behaviour and so on. Ensuring these standards for different species based on their needs is quite the challenge. Adequate research about the behaviour of these animals in the wild is required to ensure their well-being at breeding centres. Another key aspect of these conservation breeding programs is to prepare the animals to be released into the wild.

This requires an entirely different set of regulations. The most important aspect is to establish better habitats for these species. Conservation breeding to re-establish the population of species would render entirely useless if they do not have enough habitat. Releasing them in large numbers without adequate habitat space more often than not will lead to human wildlife conflicts causing destructive results for everyone.

So, let us look at some species for which conservation breeding programs have been established in India, and the progress made by them

Captive Breeding Programs proving successful in India
 
1,740 acres added to Tennessee's Catoosa Wildlife Management Area

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and The Conservation Fund announced the addition of roughly 1,740 acres to the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on the Cumberland Plateau near Crossville, Tenn. The land secures critical wooded habitat for wildlife species and will enhance opportunities for WMA visitors including fishing, hiking, camping and hunting. Catoosa WMA is the State of Tennessee’s second largest WMA, spanning over 85,000 acres.

1,740 acres added to Tennessee's Catoosa Wildlife Management Area
 
Otters: Animal returns to River Cynon following clean up

Sightings of otters in a Welsh river are on the rise following the launch of a programme to boost local wildlife.

As many as five of the animals have been spotted in the River Cynon, after pollution caused numbers to dwindle.

The decline in otter numbers last year was described as a "wake up call" for the state of the UK's rivers.

The River for All project aims to improve biodiversity with volunteers restoring and monitoring the river which runs through south east Wales.

The three-year project is part-funded by the Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund and run by the South East Wales Rivers Trust.

Otters: Animal returns to River Cynon following clean up
 
Extensive area of grasslands south of Kamloops now protected

Over 6,100 hectares of a highly at-risk ecosystem will now be protected forever, thanks to a new conservation project south of Kamloops, BC. The vast expanse of native grasslands at Bunchgrass Hills Conservation Area fits into a broader mosaic of conservation lands in the area, offering vital habitat and connectivity for the species that live in the Thompson-Nicola region and within the traditional territories of the Secwepemc, Nlaka’pamux and Syilx Nations.

Named Bunchgrass Hills for the many varieties of bunchgrass that flourish here, the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) latest project constitutes one of the largest private grassland conservation achievements in the province. Its rolling hills are covered in bluebunch wheatgrass and other native grasses, and are punctuated by Douglas-fir woodlands and scattered wetlands.

Extensive area of grasslands south of Kamloops now protected
 
Boost to conservation efforts as Debrigarh prey animal base rises

The overall herbivore density in Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary has gone up from 29 animals per sq km in 2022 to 46 per sq km this year, according to a survey conducted by the authorities, reflecting a healthy prey base in the habitat.

The sanctuary has recorded the highest number of chitals followed by gaur, sambar, wild boar and chowsingha, according to data from the sign survey conducted from May 29 to June 3. This year, as many as 82 leopards have been recorded in Debrigarh, up from 70 in 2022. The significant development compared to last year is that the sanctuary now has a Royal Bengal Tiger. The leopard population has also increased and so has the prey density, the survey found. The survey has recorded 1,099 signs of carnivores.

https://m-timesofindia-com.cdn.ampp...imal-base-rises/amp_articleshow/101250624.cms
 
Hundreds of endangered White's seahorses released into the wild at Port Stephens

Scientists have released more than 300 baby seahorses into waters north of Newcastle in a bid to save Australia's only seahorse species on the endangered list.

Key points:
  • An expert says flooding in NSW has had a dramatic impact on seahorses
  • A DPI scientist says today's release is the "best one we've ever done"
  • The animals are expected to start breeding in October
White's seahorse used to be a common sight in Sydney Harbour and the waters of Port Stephens, but in recent years the numbers have declined dramatically.

Diver and Department of Primary Industries (DPI) scientist David Harasti has witnessed this decline.

"Twenty years ago I could go diving here and I'd find 20 to 30 seahorses a dive," he said.

"But if I go there now I'd be lucky to find one or two."

https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/102326028
 
Philippines research offers hope for conserving enigmatic Rafflesia plants
  • Rafflesia, flowering parasitic plants found only in Southeast Asian rainforests, are infamously difficult to study due to their rarity and small habitat ranges.
  • With Rafflesia species edging closer to extinction due to habitat loss, botanists are working to better understand the genus and to develop methods that allow the plants to be propagated in labs and botanical gardens.
  • Parallel research efforts from two teams led by Filipino scientists are yielding promising results in both understanding how Rafflesia function at the genetic level and in refining methods that will allow for ex situ cultivation.
Found only in Southeast Asian rainforests, the Rafflesia genus produces the world’s largest flowers. Their prodigious size is no small feat, considering that Rafflesia possess neither roots, leaves nor stems. They are also incapable of photosynthesis, relying entirely on their hosts (certain species of Tetrastigma vines) for nourishment.

These parasitic plants remain one of botany’s biggest mysteries. The gaps in knowledge about Rafflesia have created a considerable challenge for conservationists scrambling to save them, particularly in the Philippines, which scientists consider to be one of the few centers of Rafflesia diversity.

Philippines research offers hope for conserving enigmatic Rafflesia plants
 
555-acre former hunting camp has been preserved in the Poconos near Bushkill Falls

The Conservation Fund purchased the camp at auction in 2021 for $1.8 million to save it from development. This week, the Fund turned around and sold it to the state for the same amount.

For generations, Camp PAWE was a private, gated haven for anglers and hunters in the Poconos, spread across 555 acres of ridges and knolls next to Pennsylvania’s Delaware State Forest and not far from Bushkill Falls and the Delaware Water Gap.

It boasted a shooting range and ATV trails. Whitetail deer, black bear, and wild turkey roamed amid the hardwood forest, grassland meadow, and clear watered Red Rock Run.

https://www-inquirer-com.cdn.amppro...und-preservation-20230630.html?outputType=amp
 
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