Positive Wildlife News 2023

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LIFE WINS: 2,500 Highly Threatened Sturgeon Released into the Danube River

Last month, on October 18th, 2023, despite difficult conditions during times of war, WWF-Ukraine organized a sturgeon restocking by releasing 2,500 sterlet and Russian sturgeon juveniles into the Solomoniv channel of the Danube River within the Danube Biosphere Reserve.

Life wins: 2500 highly threatened sturgeon released into the Danube
 
First oysters introduced to island's harbour

At a glance
  • A total of 1,000 juvenile oysters have been introduced to an Isle of Wight harbour
  • Conservationists hope they will release millions of larvae and start forming large reefs
  • The oysters have been placed in baskets beneath a pontoon at Cowes
  • They form part of a scheme to reverse the loss of the oyster fishery industry in the area, once the largest in Europe
A batch of 1,000 oysters have been put in the sea off the Isle of Wight as part of efforts to reverse the loss of the molluscs on the seabed.

The oysters have been placed in baskets hanging beneath a pontoon at Cowes Harbour.

It is part of a scheme to bring back oyster reefs in the Solent, once the largest oyster fishery in Europe.

It is hoped they will release millions of larvae and form beds that will improve water quality and create habitats for marine animals and plants.

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6pk7ep420zo.amp
 
England to get new national park as part of nature plan

England will get a new national park as part of a government set of "nature pledges" to give greater access and protection to the countryside.

Natural England will consider a list of possible sites, which could include the Chilterns, the Cotswolds and Dorset.

Some environmentalists gave the news a cautious welcome, as government funding for national parks has fallen in real terms, forcing service and staff cuts.

Funding worth £15m was also announced for a range of protected landscapes.

https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-67538625.amp
 
Twenty-one red handfish hatched in successful Tasmanian conservation breeding program

Twenty-one critically endangered red handfish have hatched in a captive breeding program.

The tiny fish species is only found in two small 50 metre stretches of reef in Frederick Henry Bay in Tasmania's south-east, and their habitat is facing a growing number of threats.

What is next? Before they are released into the wild, the juveniles will attend "school" to make them "street smart", a researcher says

https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/103163934
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
California redwoods 'killed' by wildfire come back to life with 2,000-year-old buds

New buds are sprouting through the charred remains of California redwoods that burned in 2020, suggesting the trees are more resilient to wildfires than thought.

California redwoods 'killed' by wildfire come back to life with 2,000-year-old buds
Click to expand...
These trees are literally fire-dependent. Not sure why this is a surprise or why there was such outcry during the original fire. It's a natural part of life in the West.
 
The Park Where Conservation and Indigenous Rights Go Hand in Hand

National parks have historically been portrayed — and managed — as pristine, unpeopled landscapes. Peru’s Cordillera Azul offers another way.

Cesar Lopez Tanchiva strolls through the tropical rainforest with a sure-footedness that comes with decades of experience. Despite his authoritative appearance — a prim, khaki uniform and tall, jade green boots — the 37-year-old grew up here in the jungle.

But since 2013, Tanchiva has taken on a new role as a state-sanctioned protector of his home, the Cordillera Azul, a densely forested national park in eastern Peru on the edge of the Amazon. He coordinates a team of 20 Indigenous rangers from the village of Yamino who patrol their community’s 112 square miles of protected land.

The Park Where Conservation and Indigenous Rights Go Hand in Hand
 
China's conservation efforts help crested ibis population grow

The Shaanxi Hanzhong Crested Ibis National Nature Reserve harbors the world's largest population of wild crested ibises. Located in the southern part of the Qinling Mountains, the reserve currently houses over 100 crested ibises.

Initially believed to be extinct in China, the crested ibis, recognized by its iconic red crest and long black beak, was rediscovered in China's Shaanxi Province in 1981, a discovery that prompted captive breeding and enhanced protection of the species.

Redirecting
 
Appalachian Elk Country Receives $842,662 in Funding

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners supplied $842,662 in grant funding to bolster habitat, wildlife management and hunting heritage projects in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

“Maintaining and improving habitat for elk, deer, wild turkey, black bears and other wildlife is essential to their well-being and future,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “Placing these dollars on the ground helps make that happen. We appreciate our partners for their support as well as our dedicated RMEF volunteers who helped raise this vital funding at banquets and other events.”

RMEF supplied $255,403 that helped leverage $587,259 in partner dollars.

Projects vary from creating wildlife openings or meadows, prescribed burning and removing invasive vegetation to an elk calf survival study and supporting mentored hunts.

The five-state region received $1.45 million in conservation funding in 2022.

Below is a complete list of the 2023-funded* projects, listed by state.

Appalachian Elk Country Receives $842,662 in Funding
 
Idaho’s Wildlife, Research, Hunting Heritage get $3.8 Million from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Partners

There is better forage for Idaho’s elk, whitetail and mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope and other wildlife thanks to $3,832,977 in grant funding from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its conservation partners.

The grant funding goes toward on-the-ground habitat stewardship work ranging from forest fuel reduction and riparian enhancement to improving migration corridors, invasive weed treatment and prescribed burning across more than 53,000 acres.

RMEF supplied $510,948 for habitat work, scientific research and hunting heritage efforts in Idaho that helped leverage $3,322,029 in partner funding.

There are more than 8,500 RMEF members and 18 chapters across Idaho.

“We cannot thank our Idaho volunteers enough for their planning, energy and dedication in generating this funding that furthers our mission,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO.

Since 1985, RMEF and its partners completed 691 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Idaho with a combined value of more than $87.4 million. These projects conserved or enhanced 659,799 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 43,128 acres.

Below is a list of Idaho’s 2023-funded projects.

Idaho’s Wildlife, Research, Hunting Heritage Get $3.8 Million from RMEF, Partners
 
Biden Administration Provides a Lifeline to Threatened Wolverines

At long last, on November 29 the US Fish and Wildlife Service moved to protect wolverines under the Endangered Species Act, listing the mustelid as threatened throughout the lower 48 states. (The wolverine population in Alaska is relatively healthy.) But with as few as 300 roaming the wild corners of the West, including the Northern Rockies, Cascades, and Wallowa Mountains, the decision to protect them was a no-brainer for conservationists. Nevertheless, it's taken federal officials 10 years, a review of hundreds of studies, and at least six lawsuits to conclude that these snow-dependent members of the weasel family are worthy of protection.

Biden Administration Provides a Lifeline to Threatened Wolverines
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
California redwoods 'killed' by wildfire come back to life with 2,000-year-old buds

New buds are sprouting through the charred remains of California redwoods that burned in 2020, suggesting the trees are more resilient to wildfires than thought.
Click to expand...
When I saw the charred redwoods I thought the area was lost(I mean take decades to completely recover). So glad they came back.(Though I can't say I didn't not expect it)
 
Bald Eagle, the Ultimate Endangered Species Act Success Story

In the United States, there may be no greater avian icon — or impressive wildlife comeback story — than the Bald Eagle.

The shaggy, fierce-eyed bird has been our national symbol since 1782. It wasn't until the 1960s and 1970s that Bald Eagles became an emblem of the environmental movement as their numbers plummeted from the effects of the pesticide DDT. Once DDT was banned and the species was fully protected under the fledgling Endangered Species Act, however, eagle numbers began to rebound, gradually at first and then with increasing vigor. In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the Bald Eagle from the federal endangered species list.

Bald Eagle, the Ultimate Endangered Species Act Success Story
 
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