Positive Wildlife News 2024

Status
Not open for further replies.
This Popular Location South Of Cancun Has Been Declared A Protected Area

As Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean continue to soar in popularity, officials in the sun-soaked region are implementing a number of measures to protect the region’s delicate nature.

This week, authorities unveiled the creation of a new protected area in the popular hotspot of Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancun. The move comes as the coastal destination fills with travelers and a growing number of new resorts, prompting concerns over sustainability.
 
This Popular Location South Of Cancun Has Been Declared A Protected Area

As Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean continue to soar in popularity, officials in the sun-soaked region are implementing a number of measures to protect the region’s delicate nature.

This week, authorities unveiled the creation of a new protected area in the popular hotspot of Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancun. The move comes as the coastal destination fills with travelers and a growing number of new resorts, prompting concerns over sustainability.

This Popular Location South Of Cancun Has Been Declared A Protected Area
 
Scientists Spot Rare Leopard Barbel Fish in the Wild, Giving Hope for Freshwater Species

Despite a recent report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that highlighted that 25% of freshwater fish were threatened with extinction, scientists in Turkey have recently come across a rare species sighting that gives some hope to the situation.

Ichthyologists in Turkey recently spotted the leopard barbel (Luciobarbus subquincunciatus), a rare freshwater fish that hasn’t been scientifically documented since 2011.

Scientists Spot Rare Leopard Barbel Fish in the Wild, Giving Hope for Freshwater Species - EcoWatch
 
Rare sighting of tiger and cubs raises hopes for species in Thailand

Cameras capture 120 tigers in year to April 2023, but extinction risk remains in neighbouring countries

The number of tigers spotted by hidden cameras in the core of Thailand’s biggest conservation area rose last year, while a rare sighting of a mother and her cubs has spread hope that the species is breeding in new areas.

Camera traps in Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng wildlife sanctuaries captured 120 tigers during an exercise that concluded in April 2023, up from 100 the previous year.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp.../rare-sighting-tiger-cubs-thailand-extinction
 
Releasing collared dama gazelles!

Yesterday saw another conservation first for Chad’s Ouadi Rimé Ouadi Achim Wildlife Reserve, when six dama gazelles were released into the wild. The animals, partly local and partly captive-bred from local stock, are part of an ambitious initiative to boost the numbers of the wild population.

One of the three most endangered antelope species in the world, with around only 100 individuals remaining in the wild in Chad and Niger, the dama gazelle is on the brink of extinction and considerable conservation efforts are being undertaken to prevent this.

Releasing collared dama gazelles! - Sahara Conservation
 
According to the BBC 2 White Tailed Fish Eagles have been seen near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk today, never thought I would ever say that

Is there somethign remarcable about eagles appearing near that place?
 
Brunnich's guillemots have recolonised a former breeding site in Greenland where they had been absent for forty years.

It is thought that fishing bycatch and overhunting was the overall cause of the disappearance of the colony, which went from 500,000 birds in 1920 to the site being completely deserted by 1990. In 2022, at least thirty adult guillemots and two large chicks were observed. They were accompanied by over 1,000 kittiwake nests and 15 razorbills, two other species that had previously abandoned the site.

The nearest colony of Brunnich's guillemots is 150 kilometres away, although scientists think it is more likely they came from more stable colonies in Canada from over 600 kilometres away.

Brünnich's Guillemot recolonises breeding site after 40-year absence - BirdGuides
 
Bison bounce back in the American West, giving Indigenous nations hope for restorations of their own

Tribes and the U.S. government are reintroducing herds of native animals like never before, and Canadians who want to do the same are taking notes.

Marcus McClung steers a Toyota Tacoma down roads turned into greasy mud by rain. He scans the horizon, occasionally grabbing binoculars in hopes of spotting his quarry among the dark shrubs. But the view is obscured by thick waves of fog that roll in.

The bison have vanished into their new landscape.

Mr. McClung, a wildlife biologist for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in eastern Washington state, doesn’t know where they have gone. “Did they spread out more than we think or what?” he asks. “Has the rain pushed them somewhere?”

Bison bounce back in the American West, giving Indigenous nations hope for restorations of their own
 
Population of UK’s tallest bird hits record-breaking high
  • Survey results show 2023 was another successful year for the Common Crane, with a record 80 pairs confirmed in the UK and 36 young known to have fledged.
  • Driven to extinction in the UK during the 16th century, the population is now at its highest level since the species returned in 1979.
  • Conservation efforts to restore and protect Cranes’ favoured wetland habitats can also help protect communities from flooding and lock away carbon to combat climate change.
The population of Common Cranes, the UK’s tallest bird, has hit a record high according to the latest breeding survey results.

Population of UK’s tallest bird hits record-breaking high - Inside Ecology
 
Mexico announces 20 new protected areas despite budget cuts
  • Mexico recently announced 20 new protected areas covering roughly 2.3 million hectares (5.7 million acres) across the country.
  • The protected areas, which include national parks, sanctuaries and flora and fauna protection areas, are located in the states of Quintana Roo, Oaxaca, Zacatecas, Chiapas and eight others, as well as the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of California.
  • Mexico’s environmental agencies under the Obrador administration have been subjected to consistent cuts in funding since 2016, raising concerns among experts that the departments will not have the personnel or resources to protect the country’s 225 protected areas.
Mexico’s government recently announced the creation of 20 new protected areas across 12 states and two coastal areas in the country, covering roughly 2.3 million hectares (5.7 million acres). This follows a series of budget cuts to the nation’s environmental agencies.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...-new-protected-areas-despite-budget-cuts/amp/
 
A Ranch, Rewilded: The Transformation of California’s Next State Park

Floodplain restoration is one key way to make the Central Valley more resilient as climate change intensifies both flooding and drought.

On a bright morning in early January near the confluence of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers in Central California, John Cain looks out over a small, curved lake. The trees are mostly bare for winter, but Cain, senior director of conservation of the nonprofit organization River Partners, points out that the wild landscape in front of him is buzzing. Bright white egrets swoop lazily down into the water while terns whiz by in the air. A California rose bush clings onto bright red rose hips. The low-lying plain across the water is dense with gray branches of adolescent trees.

A Ranch, Rewilded: The Transformation of California's Next State Park
 
Pench Tiger Reserve Becomes India's First Dark Sky Park

The escalating global threat of light pollution poses a substantial risk to this invaluable resource, he stated in a release.

The Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Maharashtra has become India's first Dark Sky park and is the fifth in Asia. The park earned the title for protecting the night sky and preventing light pollution, making the facility ideal for astronomy enthusiasts.

Recognising the intrinsic value of the night sky as a natural, cultural, and historical resource, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) emphasises the importance of preserving natural darkness for the sake of nature conservation, ecological integrity in protected areas, and the well-being of communities in healthy cities, said Prabhu Nath Shukla, deputy director of PTR Maharashtra.

https://www-ndtv-com.cdn.ampproject...omes-indias-first-dark-sky-park-4903368/amp/1
 
Sélune river revival after dam removal

The removal of dams in the Sélune river in northern France is a success. Environmentalists recently found sea lampreys, eels and salmon. After more than 90 years the river, which empties in the bay of Mont St Michel in Normandy, flowed freely again in late 2022. This was the result of the full removal of the Roche qui Boit dam and the removal of a bigger dam, at Vezins, in 2020.

Sélune river revival after dam removal • Water News Europe
 
Chaudhry et al., published in Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter Vol 42 No 4, has confirmed the presence of at least 10 gharials (2 adults, 8 juveniles) in the Sutlej river between Ferozepur and Suleimanki headworks, in Punjab, Pakistan.

A 70 km stretch of the Sutlej had already been declared as Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary by the Punjab forest department, back in July 2023.

All this follows the capture of a juvenile gharial back in May 2023, which was the first record of gharial in the country since the 1980's.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top