Positive Wildlife News 2024

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Over 2,600 hectares of municipal public lands recognized as protected areas

Conservation organizations, municipalities and government partners protect natural habitats for the benefit of communities and biodiversity
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Stewardship Association of Municipalities (SAM) are working together on a unique land conservation initiative. The partnership will result in the formal recognition of natural areas within municipalities as conservation areas critical for the protection of biodiversity.

Over 2,600 hectares of municipal public lands recognized as protected areas
 
NFWF Announces $3 Million in Grants Via the Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund

Ten organizations will work to protect migration corridors and improve habitat for pronghorn, mule deer and elk across the Rocky Mountain Rangelands

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $3 million in funding for 10 grants that will conserve and restore key migration corridors and seasonal habitat for elk, mule deer and pronghorn in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Wyoming. The grants will leverage $8.8 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $11.8 million.

NFWF Announces $3 Million in Grants Via the Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund
 
Tennessee's Largest Public Land Holding Expands

The U.S. Forest Service and Conservation Groups Grow the Cherokee National Forest by 54 acres.

The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund (TCF) have completed an effort to conserve and transfer 54.5 acres of land in Butler, referred to as “Cress Branch,” to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS). The Cress Branch tract will grow the Cherokee National Forest (CNF) to an impressive 655,598 acres.

Tennessee's Largest Public Holding Expands
 
Comeback on the cards for Asian antelope declared extinct in Bangladesh
  • Nilgais, the largest antelope species in Asia, are reappearing in northwestern Bangladesh, a country that was part of their historical range but where they were declared locally extinct in the 1930s due to habitat loss and hunting.
  • Forays by nilgais, mostly from neighboring India but also from Nepal, suggest that the species can be reestablished in parts of Bangladesh that still have sufficient areas of undisturbed natural landscape.
  • A 2023 study identified 13 instances of nilgai sightings in the country from 2018-2022 from media reports, but it’s likely that most sightings are going unreported because they end up in local residents catching and killing the antelopes for their meat.
  • Experts say any attempt to reestablish a nilgai population within Bangladesh’s borders should be carried out in tandem with a public education campaign to discourage the hunting of the animal.
On Jan. 7, 2024, in a rural area of northwestern Bangladesh, a nilgai, the largest species of Asian antelope, crossed the border from India.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...-antelope-declared-extinct-in-bangladesh/amp/
 
A female white-tailed sea eagle is sitting on the nest in the Blankaart nature reserve near Woumen (Diksmuide) in the Western Flanders province. This probably is the first recorded nesting attempt by this species in Belgium, and certainly the first in centuries. If a chick hatches it is expected towards the end of April.

Until now white-tailed sea eagles were only present as migrants in Belgium.

Europese zeearenden broeden in natuurgebied De Blankaart: "Een primeur voor ons land"

A pair of white-tailed eagles nest in a West Flemish nature reserve.
 
Dholes latest wild canids likely making comeback in Nepal, study shows
  • Dholes and Himalayan wolves were extensively persecuted across rural Nepal for preying on livestock, leading to their decline in the region.
  • But recent observations suggest a resurgence of both species, possibly due to the reclaiming of their former territories: Himalayan wolves may have followed yak herders from Tibet, while dholes are believed to be recolonizing areas they had been locally extirpated from.
  • Camera trap surveys and literature reviews indicate the recolonization of areas like the Annapurna Conservation Area and the Tinjure–Milke–Jaljale forests by dholes.
  • Despite some optimism among conservationists, challenges such as competition with other predators, habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife conflict persist, requiring further studies and monitoring efforts.
Until four decades ago, villagers in Nepal’s mountains would likely name Himalayan wolves as their primary concern among the wild animals native to their region. Lower down in the country’s plains region, it was the dhole, or Indian wild dog, that rural communities would watch out for.

In each landscape, locals witnessed packs of wolves (Canis lupus chanco) or dholes (Cuon alpinus) hunt down prey, including livestock, using their speed, endurance and social cooperation to deadly effect. In many cases, wolves also posed a threat to people.

Locals responded with an extensive campaign of poisoning, snaring and shooting these wild canids. In the Himalayas, wolves grew scarce within a matter of a few decades. However, recent observations indicate they’re now returning, following yak herders from Tibet.

Dholes, too, appear to be mounting a comeback, reclaiming their historical range despite persistent old threats and emerging new ones, according to a new study published in the journal
Oryx.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...ely-making-comeback-in-nepal-study-shows/amp/
 
Wild birth of critically endangered black rhino in Kenya dubbed a 'conservation success' by wildlife researchers

The rhino calf was found in the remote Chyulu Hills in southern Kenya.

A baby eastern black rhino has been born in Kenya, an event wildlife researchers are dubbing as a conservation success for the critically endangered species.

The calf, estimated to be 6 months old, was discovered in the Chyulu Hills in southern Kenya via a complex system of cameras and motion-sensor monitoring rangers in the region, Amy Baird, deputy director of Big Life Foundation USA, a conservation nonprofit, told ABC News.

https://abcnews-go-com.cdn.ampproje...d-black-rhino-kenya-dubbed/story?id=108611635
 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Strengthens Measures to Enhance Conservation and Protections for African Elephants

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today published a final rule that will improve African elephant conservation by increasing protections for elephants imported to the United States. The rule strengthens protection and conservation requirements to help ensure long-term conservation and survival of elephants in the wild.

“The Service values collaborative conservation of wildlife all around the world and is committed to improving implementation of international conservation law” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. “Our actions today will help support range countries’ efforts to manage and conserve African elephant populations and will further protect African elephants that are imported to the United States. We are optimistic that with this final rule and by continuing to work in partnership with range countries, wild African elephant populations will be sustainable into the future.”

Today’s action to amend the African elephant rule under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act will strengthen protections of internationally traded live African elephants, increase transparency of the Service’s permit decision-making, and more closely align U.S. requirements with guidance from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Fauna and Flora. CITES is a convention of 184 Parties, including 183 countries and the European Union, that ensures species trade is legal, sustainable and traceable through appropriate regulatory and control systems.

Service Strengthens Measures to Enhance Conservation and Protections for African Elephants | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 
Enormously exciting’: farm to create biggest natural grassland in southern England

Lower Pertwood in Wiltshire aims to restore declining plants, insects and endangered species.

The rolling hills south of Salisbury Plain are a bleak scene of vast arable fields and tightly grazed pasture dotted with scores of sheep.

In recent decades, Lower Pertwood farm has embraced organic growing, producing oats, barley and other crops, while boosting numbers of rare corn buntings and other wildlife with wildflower banks and newly planted trees.

But as wildlife continues to decline in Wiltshire and the farm’s profits plummet amid an increasingly unpredictable climate, the owners are turning to farming nature instead.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...te-biggest-natural-grassland-southern-england
 
Saving Ukraine’s old-growth forests

Over 200 hectares of forests in the Arshytsia mountainous massif in Ukraine are set to receive protected status at the national level.

A significant milestone in environmental conservation in Ukraine is set to been reached with over 200 hectares of old-growth forests in the Arshytsia mountainous massif, located on the northeastern slopes of the Arshytsia ridge in the Ukrainian Carpathians, slated to be designated as a state-level forest reserve.

This transformative decision, spearheaded by WWF-Ukraine and endorsed by Forests of Ukraine, a state-owned enterprise, marks a crucial step toward safeguarding one of the oldest forest clusters in the Carpathians.

Saving Ukraine's old-growth forests
 
State buys 1,300-acre Polk County property in effort to conserve habitat, protect Florida panther

Acres of land in Polk County are now protected in the hands of the state, in an effort to help protect Florida’s panthers and wildlife.

The governor and Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s cabinet approved on Tuesday the purchase of Creek Ranch, a 1,342-acre property in an area that environmental advocates call a missing piece in a bigger conservation picture.

"I’ve spent quite a few years, actually more than 10 years, hiking these properties with my dogs, and I’ve spent a lot of personal time out here with family and friends," said Jason Totoiu, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.

State buys 1,300-acre Polk County property in effort to conserve habitat, protect Florida panther
 
MEDIA RELEASE: Cat-proof fence enclosure built on Mauna Kea to protect nesting ʻuaʻu

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has completed installation of a cat-proof fence enclosure on Mauna Kea, to safeguard and enhance an existing nesting area for ʻuaʻu, an endangered native seabird. The fence enclosure was completed and celebrated on a parcel of DHHL land Friday, March 22, 2024.

The ceremony, Ho‘i Nā Manu I Kaupakuhale (the birds return to the highest perches of Mauna Kea), was conducted in partnership with researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

MEDIA RELEASE: Cat-proof fence enclosure built on Mauna Kea to protect nesting ʻuaʻu
 
Prague and Berlin zoos to reintroduce endangered horses to Kazakhstan

Forty Przewalki's horses will be delivered to a Kazakhstan steppe in June in a joint project between two European zoos, it was announced on Tuesday.

Prague Zoo said on Tuesday, March 5, it would transport eight endangered wild horses to a Kazakhstan steppe in June in a joint project with Tierpark Berlin. The zoos are planning to take at least 40 Przewalski's horses to roam free in the Altyn Dala (Golden Steppe) area in central Kazakhstan in the next five years.

Prague and Berlin zoos to reintroduce endangered horses to Kazakhstan
 
Conservationists announce exciting new head count for vulnerable wild tigers: 'Extraordinary conservation'

"The progress has been uneven and is still extremely fragile."

Fans of big cats will be delighted to hear that after years of successful conservation efforts, the world population of tigers is on the rise, growing steadily closer to achieving a goal set in 2010 to double the population of tigers on the planet, the World Wildlife Fund reports.

LinkedIn Login, Sign in | LinkedIn
 
Wild beavers discovered at Helman Tor nature reserve

Watch to see night camera footage of a beaver in the nature reserve.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust has confirmed at least one beaver is present at Helman Tor, near Bodmin, the charity’s largest nature reserve.

Following an observation reported by a member of the public, careful surveying of the site, including with the use of wildlife camera traps, has been undertaken to confirm that the animals are present.

Given the extent of the activity already underway in the area, there may be more than one.

Although it is possible the beavers arrived through natural dispersal, Cornwall Wildlife Trust believes it more likely this is an unlicensed release by an unknown third party.

Wild beavers discovered at Helman Tor nature reserve
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Extinct In The Wild Antelope Brought Back From Brink Of Extinction

Scimitar horned oryx downlisted to endangered by IUCN – marks first species in global Extinct in the Wild initiative to be downlisted

An antelope whose species was declared Extinct in the Wild has today been downlisted to endangered – the direct result of a globally coordinated effort supported by our international conservation charity.

The scimitar horned oryx, (Oryx dammah), also called the Sahara oryx, was once widespread across North Africa, but in the 1980’s the population began to plummet - largely due to the antelopes being hunted for their horns and meat. In 2000, the species was declared Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN Red List.

Today, thanks to a conservation partnership coordinated by the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) which we support, its fate has been reversed – the first species from our Extinct in the Wild global initiative to be downlisted.

Extinct in the Wild antelope brought back from brink of extinction] | ZSL
Click to expand...

Here is another relevant article.

Scimitar-horned Oryx: A Story of Global Conservation Success

The Scimitar-horned Oryx (Oryx dammah) was once found throughout the northern and southern ranges of the Sahara Desert. But decades of hunting and other practices have decimated populations, until the the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the species as ‘extinct in the wild’ in 2000. Eight years following the first reintroductions of the species in a protected range in Chad, the species has been downlisted to ‘Endangered’ in the most recent IUCN Red List update.

Scimitar-horned Oryx: A Story of Global Conservation Success
 
Newfoundland marten downlisted as population grows

Once considered endangered, it is now listed as vulnerable

The government of Newfoundland is downlisting the status of the American marten, due to increasing populations on the island. The marten is being downlisted from threatened to vulnerable under the provincial Endangered Species Act. The Newfoundland pine marten (Martes americana atrata) is one of only 14 mammal species native to the island, and its population is considered not only geographicly isolated by genetically distinct from other martens.

Newfoundland marten downlisted as population grows - The Wildlife Society
 
Taiwan Sets Massive Target of 700K-Ton Blue Carbon Reserve by 2030

Coastal ecosystems primarily the mangroves, seagrass meadows, and tidal marshes offer sustainable ecosystem services like protecting the coastal areas and nursery of marine species and offering water purification. These oceanic ecosystems and coastal areas are huge reservoirs of carbon which is termed blue carbon and the ecosystem formed by it is called Blue Carbon Ecosystem (BCE).

Taiwan Sets Massive Target of 700K-Ton Blue Carbon Reserve by 2030
 
Nunatsiavut Government and Government of Canada take major step forward toward establishing Inuit Protected Area along the northern coast of Labrador

Once established, the new protected area will conserve more than 16,700 square kilometres of the Labrador Shelf Marine Region

Parks Canada is committed to a system of national heritage places that recognizes and honours the historic and contemporary contributions of Indigenous peoples, their histories, and cultures, as well as the special relationships Indigenous peoples have with ancestral lands, waters, and ice.

Nunatsiavut Government and Government of Canada take major step forward toward establishing Inuit Protected Area along the northern coast of Labrador
 
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