Positive Wildlife News 2023

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U.S. Forest Service establishes conservation district to protect endangered Wyoming Toad

Habitat critical to the survival of the endangered Wyoming Toad has added protections with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcing a new conservation area in the Laramie Plains this week.

The conservation area was established and announced by Fish and Wildlife on Oct. 10 and is located in the Laramie Plains of the Wyoming Basin. It will support the protection of one of the most endangered amphibians in North America — the Wyoming Toad — and the conservation of other species including the white-tailed prairie dog, pronghorn and migratory birds.

Once feared to be extinct, the Wyoming Toad is extremely rare and is currently afforded protections under the Endangered Species Act since its listing in 1984, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

https://county17-com.cdn.ampproject...ict-to-protect-endangered-wyoming-toad/?amp=1
 
New Caledonia expands strictly protected coverage of its swath of the Pacific
  • New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific, recently announced that it would highly protect 10% of its economic exclusive zone (EEZ).
  • These new highly protected areas will be off-limits to industrial activities such as fishing, drilling and mining.
  • A decade ago, New Caledonia designated its entire EEZ as a marine protected area, the Natural Park of the Coral Sea, but industrial activities were permitted across 97.6% of that area at the time.
The government of New Caledonia recently announced that it would highly protect 10% of its ocean to safeguard ecologically important marine areas for sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, whales and seabirds.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...ted-coverage-of-its-swath-of-the-pacific/amp/
 
Carnivorous plants return to Lancashire peatland after 100 years

Insect-eating sundew plants among 17,500 reintroduced as part of carbon-sequestering conservation scheme.

After a 100-year absence, ruthless carnivores are flourishing again on a peat bog near Garstang in Lancashire.

The insect-eating great sundew and oblong-leaved sundew are among 17,500 plants being reintroduced to Winmarleigh Moss as part of its restoration by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

After a 100-year absence, ruthless carnivores are flourishing again on a peat bog near Garstang in Lancashire.

The plants had been absent from the lowland raised peat bog for a century after it was drained to be managed for game bird shooting.

The region has lost 98% of its lowland peatland, much of it converted to farmland, causing the peat to desiccate and release large quantities of carbon dioxide.

Carnivorous plants return to Lancashire peatland after 100 years
 
Conservation efforts set to preserve hundreds of hectares of land in Southern Manitoba

Hundreds of hectares of land are set to be conserved in southern Manitoba, in an effort to protect the habitats of some of the country’s most endangered species.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announced on Wednesday plans to protect close to 520 hectares of the Jackson Pipestone Prairie and Wetlands. The conservation areas are close to the communities of Broomhill and Melita, and host what the NCC said are various at-risk or endangered species, from burrowing owls to the red-necked phalarope and black-crowned night herons.

In a press release, the organization said the move was part of an overall effort to conserve more than 500,000 hectares by 2030 across various prairie grasslands. It noted that the amount of land protected through the Prairie Grasslands Action Plan would equal to an area six times larger than that of Calgary. The plan was launched in June this year and would cost $500 million to be completed. The release further noted that an estimated 82 per cent of such grasslands have been lost in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

https://globalnews-ca.cdn.ampprojec...of-hectares-of-land-in-southern-manitoba/amp/
 
Wild turkeys: A conservation success story

Decades after wild turkeys disappeared from the Commonwealth, MassWildlife reintroduced these iconic birds in the early 1970s.

For many Massachusetts residents who see turkeys regularly, it might be hard to believe that these birds were once absent from the state.

https://www.mass.gov/news/wild-turkeys-a-conservation-success-story
 
Local hero single-handedly repopulates stunning endangered butterfly species: ‘Start in your very own backyard’

It is a commonly held belief that one person can’t make much of a difference when it comes to helping the environment. But Tim Wong, who single-handedly repopulated a butterfly species by raising caterpillars and sneaking them into his local botanical garden, has proven otherwise.

By trade, Wong is an aquatic biologist at the California Academy of Sciences, which means he’s no stranger to caring for animals. Outside of work, his passion is raising butterflies.

When Wong found out that the California pipevine swallowtail butterfly — known for its beautiful blue hue — was becoming increasingly rare in San Francisco, he made it his personal mission to bring them back to the city.

https://www-yahoo-com.cdn.ampprojec...ro-single-handedly-repopulates-111500360.html
 
NPCA designates 2,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land for protection

Addition of 11 conservation areas part of Canada’s goal of protecting 30 per cent of land and water by 2030.

Imagine taking Montebello Park in St. Catharines and multiplying it about 650 times, and you get an idea of just how much of Niagara’s most environmentally sensitive land the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has now designated with a special “protected” status.

The NPCA announced on Nov. 6 that the agency responsible for watershed protection in Niagara and parts of Haldimand and Hamilton has added 11 conservation areas encompassing 790 hectares — almost 2,050 acres — to land already committed to a plan to protect 30 per cent of Canada lands and waters by 2030.

That nearly doubles the total amount of NPCA property placed under this designation to 1,622 hectares, or 4,008 acres, the NPCA said.

NPCA designates 2,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land for protection
 
Oslo Area Wins New National Park

After more than 11 years of political quarreling and opposition from sheep ranchers who fear wolves, state officials have finally set up a new national park in the southern portion of the hills and forests on Oslo’s eastern side. The park will be smaller than initially proposed, but still aims to protect wildlife and nature in important lowlands of southeastern Norway.

Oslo area wins new national park
 
1,100 more acres preserved in one of New Jersey's most scenic and ecologically important regions

At the end of Rainbow Hill is a pot of nature's gold.

The Sourland Mountains, the largest area of undeveloped and relatively pristine land between New York City and Philadelphia, has remained an undiscovered treasure for many Central Jersey residents.

Sourland Mountains: NJ Conservation preserves 1,100 acres
 
Planting 70,000 trees with Parco Italia through Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund

Parco Italia is a forestry programme born in 2021 from the collaboration between Stefano Boeri Architetti and Fondazione AlberItalia, whose long-term ambition is to plant 22 million trees by 2040. The programme was initiated thanks to our €2 million investment from the Right Now Climate Fund – our $100 million fund to support nature-based initiatives to conserve, restore and protect the natural world.

The implementation phase of the Parco Italia forestry programme was presented in Rome, involving the planting of 70,000 trees and shrubs by the end of 2024. As of today, more than 15,000 trees have already been planted in various sites across the area, and an additional 35,000 trees will be planted by March 2024.

The initial research phase, completed in October 2023, suggested the expansion of protected areas and the simultaneous protection of natural resources, managed in such a way as to minimise the risks of fragmentation and increase ecological connectivity, are a key tool for reducing the negative effects of the loss of habitat.

Planting 70,000 trees with Parco Italia through Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund
 
After 6,000 years, wild bison are back in Britain

Animals have been imported from across Europe to a rewilding project in Kent. Could they manage the land better than machines?

Five bison roam the West Blean and Thornden Woods in Kent, slowly felling trees. The conifers, which were planted decades ago for cheap timber, have gradually replaced native oak, ash and willow, and destroyed the habitat of other wildlife by blocking the light. It’s vital that they are removed over time to avoid an explosion of bracken and bramble. A machine does some of the work. But the bison do it naturally—languidly rubbing against trees and stripping back bark to munch on, until the whittled-down trees naturally fall.

After 6,000 years, wild bison are back in Britain
 
Indigenous tribe works to establish marine sanctuary along California coastline

Halfway between the technology capitol of the world and the Hollywood Hills is a stretch of pristine California coastline where nature still reigns.

It's part of an ancestral territory that was once dotted with Indigenous villages. The Chumash tribe was "stewards of these waters," according to Violet Sage Walker, head of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, and coexisting alongside the complex food web compromised of coral, fish, seals, sharks and dolphins allowed the tribe to thrive. However, European invasions sparking death and displacement led to a dramatic dwindling of the Chumash population.

https://www-cbsnews-com.cdn.ampproj...-marine-sanctuary-along-california-coastline/
 
Nature Conservancy of Canada announces three conservation agreements for Porcupine Hills properties

Grasslands in the region play a vital role in filtering water, sequestering carbon, protecting soil and providing habitat for wildlife.

Three southern Alberta properties covering an area larger than 4,000 Canadian Football League fields have been protected from development, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announced Tuesday.

The properties in the Porcupine Hills are being conserved in perpetuity through an agreement between the NCC and anonymous landowners. In total, the lands span more than 2,500 hectares.

Redirecting
 
Papua New Guinea triples ocean protection, announcing two new Marine Protected Areas
  • Today, Papua New Guinea has announced over 16,000 km2 of new marine protected areas in New Ireland Province, more than tripling ocean protections across the country
  • The massive, community-led process took nearly seven years and involved over 9,000 people from more than 100 Indigenous communities who all helped design the new ocean protections
  • The two new nearshore MPAs are a major win for Papua New Guinea, Indigenous Peoples, and critically endangered sharks, rays, and turtles – a model of community and government partnership on the road to achieve the global “30x30” target
In an incredible turn of good news for our oceans, today the government of Papua New Guinea has announced over 1.5 million hectares, more than 16,000 km2, of new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The new MPAs more than triple ocean protections in one of the most biodiversity-rich countries in the world, marking a major leap forward for the country and for our oceans on the road to achieving the global “30x30” target.

Papua New Guinea triples ocean protection, announcing two new Marine Protected Areas
 
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