Positive Wildlife News 2024

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Fisheries and Oceans Canada closes the first and only known live coral reef in Pacific Canada to all commercial and recreational bottom-contact fisheries

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), is taking measures to protect the unique and highly sensitive Lophelia Reef—also known by its Wakashan name q̓áuc̓íwísuxv—by closing all commercial and recreational bottom-contact fisheries, including midwater trawl, within this area. This indefinite closure came into effect on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.

Located in Finlayson Channel, northern B.C., the largely pristine cold-water live coral reef contains unique habitats, high biodiversity and biomass, and has cultural significance to the Kitasoo Xai’xais and Heiltsuk First Nations. Protecting Lophelia Reef aligns with DFO’s priorities of reconciliation and the protection of sensitive benthic areas. The closure demonstrates a robust protective measure by the Department based on a significant scientific discovery as this site, while small, is a globally unique reef that is highly susceptible to damage, most notably from fishing gear.

The Pacific Lophelia coral reef is identified within the Northern Shelf Bioregion Marine Protected Area’s Network Action Plan, and is a proposed Parks Canada National Marine Conservation Area Reserve (NMCAR), which is currently in the feasibility assessment stage.

This Lophelia coral reef is the most northern reef known in the Pacific Ocean and was first discovered in 2021 and mapped in 2022, on joint surveys between DFO, the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation and the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance (CCIRA) on board the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Vector. While the area is remote and not widely fished, there is evidence of physical damage to the living coral likely caused by bottom-contact fisheries. Expeditions like these are culturally and scientifically important and continue to contribute to our global understanding of the deep sea.

The Government of Canada is committed to safeguarding the health of our oceans for future generations. The protection of sensitive benthic habitats, such as cold-water corals and sponges, and the mitigation of fisheries-related risks to these habitats, is a priority under the DFO Sustainable Fisheries Framework. The Heiltsuk and Kitasoo Xai’xais Nations are partners in the Northern Shelf Bioregion initiatives and strongly support these closures.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada closes the first and only known live coral reef in Pacific Canada to all commercial and recreational bottom-contact fisheries - Canada.ca
 
KevinB said:
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.
Click to expand...

According to recent observations of the behavior of the eagles, the first eaglet recently hatched.

Eerste zeearendje van ons land geboren: “Mogelijk komt er nog een tweede kuiken”
 
Nature Foundation purchases old South Australia cattle property for $390k to protect endangered malleefowl
  • In short: Two professors each contributed $100,000 to the purchase of a 200-hectare property in SA's south-east.
  • Nature Foundation says it's one of the largest blocks of native vegetation with very high biodiversity values in the region.
  • What's next? It will now prepare a management plan for the area to protect the species that live there.
Nature Foundation has bought a 200-hectare property that is home to rare animals and birds in South Australia's south-east following a fundraising campaign bolstered by two large donations from professors.

This included from birdwatching academic Hugh Possingham, who first visited the Kingston South East area in 1981 and donated $100,000 to help protect endangered species like the malleefowl.

"In fact when I was an undergraduate at university, I made a vegetation map of Mount Scott Conservation Park which abuts this block of land and I've been making bird lists and looking at the bird fauna of that whole upper Limestone Coast region for a long time," Professor Possingham said.

Another ecology professor, Phill Cassey, donated $100,000, which, along with smaller donations, enabled the charity to buy the land for $390,000.

Professor Possingham now works at the University of Queensland's School of the Environment and is the chief councillor of the Biodiversity Council.

He regularly visits SA's south-east and last year noticed a 200-hectare property called Bullock Bridge was for sale.

Bird-loving professors instrumental in $390k purchase of cattle property to protect endangered native species
 
Community-Based Blue Monkey Conservation on Idjwi Island

Blue Monkeys Rediscovered

Idjwi Island is a rich ecosystem in Lake Kivu and part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Widespread deforestation on the island in the 1990s devastated local wildlife populations, including a rare sub-species of blue monkey (Cercopitecus mitis schoutedeni) only found on Idjwi. For many years, conservationists believed the sub-species was extinct. Recently, Wild Earth Allies’ partner and primatologist Dr. Augustin K. Basabose rediscovered a small population of this sub-species of blue monkey on Idjwi.

Community-Based Blue Monkey Conservation on Idjwi Island
 
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protected area grows

JOINT STATEMENT

Premier
The Honourable Steven Miles

Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Innovation
The Honourable Leanne Linard
  • One hundred and forty islands or parts thereof within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park have been added to Queensland’s protected areas estate.
  • The acquisitions, with a combined total land size of 1,390 hectares, will protect endangered and of-concern ecosystems as well as vital habitats for important species such as green and flatback turtles, seabirds and shorebirds.
  • The acquisitions are in addition to the recent acquisition of the 1,600ha Spadely Station on Curtis Island.
The protection of the Great Barrier Reef has been further boosted by the addition of 140 islands or parts thereof within the marine park to Queensland’s protected areas estate.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protected area grows
 
Montenegro’s Bistrica River Joins Growing List of Legally Protected Rivers in the Western Balkans

Strengthening Đalovića Gorge's status as Natural Monument represents key victory for durable freshwater protection under United for Rivers initiative

The Municipal Assembly of Bijelo Polje today voted to bolster the status of Đalovića Gorge as a Natural Monument, marking a siginifcant milestone for sustainable river protection in Montenegro. Following an initiative to protect the Bistrica River, launched by a coalition of environmental groups including Eco-Team and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro evaluated the natural and geological values of the area and recommended strengthening the gorge’s protection.

Montenegro’s Bistrica River Joins Growing List of Legally Protected Rivers in the Western Balkans
 
Watch: 50 rare crocodiles released in Cambodia's tropical Cardamom Mountains

Cambodian conservationists have released 50 captive-bred juvenile Siamese crocodiles at a remote site in Cambodia as part of an ongoing programme to save the species from extinction. Watch the incredible moment the tiny crocs are set free...

Conservationists have released 50 captive-bred Siamese crocodiles at a remote site in Cambodia in a bid to strengthen wild populations and save the species from extinction.

The expedition, which took researchers deep into the Cardamom Mountains in the south-west of the country, is the biggest release of captive-bred Siamese crocodiles to date.

Watch: 50 rare crocodiles released in Cambodia's tropical Cardamom Mountains - Discover Wildlife
 
PRESS RELEASE: A Victory for Nature & People: Loosiep Island’s Restoration Bolsters Food Security & Climate Resilience

After an international conservation effort by Island Conservation, Ulithi Falalop Community Action Program (UFCAP), One People One Reef (OPOR), and the New Zealand Department of Conservation, Loosiep Island in Ulithi Atoll, Yap State, is now confirmed to be free from rats, a damaging invasive species. This restoration has brought about a remarkable ecosystem recovery, allowing Loosiep to once again thrive as a “gardening island” for the local community.

Loosiep is one of a group of five islands in Ulithi known as the Turtle Islands, some of the most important nesting sites in the world for the Micronesian Green Sea Turtle population. Ulithi Atoll, known for its vibrant biodiversity and rich cultural heritage, faced a significant threat from invasive species preying on seabird eggs, coconut crabs, and sea turtles, disrupting sensitive nesting habitat, and destroying crops. The removal of invasive rats from the island follows the successful removal of invasive pigs by Loosiep’s landowners in 2020, making all five of the Turtle Islands now free from the devastating impacts of invasive mammals.

https://www.islandconservation.org/...on-bolsters-food-security-climate-resilience/
 
Bajos del Norte, a new Natural Protected Area to preserve the grouper in the Gulf of Mexico

Although there is a ban on grouper in Yucatan, it is a species that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has categorized as an endangered species for several years.

This species is significantly affected by poaching, and consequently, its biomass has remained with irregular periods trending downward.

Although the aim is to protect the species in Yucatan with the grouper ban, which only lasts two months (February and March), there is no reliable scientific information to indicate whether this measure has worked.

However, there is hope for the continuity of this species, since the newly created Bajos del Norte National Park (PNBN), located off the coast of the State, aims to protect the reproduction of the grouper.

The Park covers more than 1,304,114 hectares and is a set of reefs located on the Campeche Bank, about 240 kilometers northwest of Progreso, Yucatán.

These reefs are crucial spaces for the reproduction and growth of larvae of species such as the red grouper, the Mayan octopus, and the spiny lobster, with the red grouper being the main species whose restoration this new area aims to achieve.

Bajos del Norte, a new Natural Protected Area to preserve the grouper in the Gulf of Mexico - The Yucatan Times
 
The Government of Mongolia and The Nature Conservancy secure ‘Eternal Mongolia’, a Pathway to Achieve the Nation’s Climate and Biodiversity Goals

Eternal Mongolia will ensure the community-based conservation of vast natural areas including the planet’s last intact temperate grassland.

Today, the Government of Mongolia, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and others, announced the launch of Eternal Mongolia—a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative that will deliver lasting conservation and sustainable community development for the Central Asian country whose vast steppe represents our planet’s last great tract of intact temperate grassland.

The Government of Mongolia and The Nature Conservancy secure ‘Eternal Mongolia,’ a Pathway to Achieve the Nation’s Climate and Biodiversity Goals
 
Brazil boosts protection of Amazon mangroves with new reserves in Pará state
  • The state of Pará has created two new conservation areas along the Amazonian coastline, placing almost all of its mangroves under federal protection.
  • The two reserves mean that an additional 74,700 hectares (184,600 acres) have been included in the largest and most conserved continuous belt of mangroves on the planet.
  • The process to create the reserves took more than 13 years and faced several setbacks; the final outcome has been celebrated by environmentalists as a victory for local communities and biodiversity.
  • The new extractive reserves allow resident populations to engage in traditional and sustainable extractive practices such as fishing and hunting, while keeping out big businesses, such as commercial aquaculture or logging.

Brazil’s Pará state has now protected almost all of its Amazonian coastline after establishing two new conservation units that make up the world’s largest and most conserved belt of mangroves. The environmental victory came after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the decree for the two reserves on March 21, placing an additional 74,700 hectares (184,600 acres) of mangrove ecosystems under federal protection.

Brazil boosts protection of Amazon mangroves with new reserves in Pará state
 
‘We found 700 different species’: astonishing array of wildlife discovered in Cambodia mangroves

Hairy-nosed otters and cats that catch fish are among the startling diversity of creatures making their home in threatened habitats.

One of the most comprehensive biodiversity surveys ever carried out in a mangrove forest has revealed that an astonishing array of wildlife makes its home in these key, threatened habitats.

Hundreds of species – from bats to birds and fish to insects – were identified during the study of the Peam Krasop sanctuary and the adjacent Koh Kapik Ramsar reserve in Cambodia. Hairy-nosed otters, smooth-coated otters, large-spotted civets, long-tailed macaques and fishing cats, as well a wide range of bat species, were among the residents recorded by the survey, which was funded by the conservation group Fauna & Flora International. The variety of wildlife has staggered biologists.

‘We found 700 different species’: astonishing array of wildlife discovered in Cambodia mangroves
 
Greece plans 2 marine protected areas as part of an $830 million environmental protection program

Greece aims to create two large marine parks as part of a 780-million-euro ($830 million) program to protect biodiversity and marine ecosystems, with the plans to be formally announced at an international oceans conference starting in Athens Tuesday.

But the plan has irked Greece's neighbor and regional rival, Turkey, while environmental organizations say the initiative doesn't go far enough, noting that the country also allows environmentally harmful practices such as energy exploration in sensitive marine environments.

“We are increasing the size of our marine protected areas by 80%, banning harmful fishing practices and using new technologies to monitor and enforce the commitments we make here,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said ahead of the conference.

The two-day international meeting being held in Athens aims “to catalyze global action against two overlapping crises, the climate crisis and the crisis of our ocean,” Mitsotakis said. “Countries have come with specific proposals to take decisive action.”

With thousands of islands and islets and one of the longest coastlines in the Mediterranean, Greece has said it will create one new marine park in the Ionian Sea and one in the Aegean Sea, bringing the total area of marine protected areas to over 30% of its waters.

Greece plans 2 marine protected areas as part of an $830 million environmental protection program
 
Interior Department Announces Expansion of Four National Wildlife Refuges to Conserve Habitat, Protect Species and Support Recreation

The Department of the Interior today announced the expansion of four existing national wildlife refuges, which will allow for the voluntary conservation of up to 1.13 million acres of wildlife habitat in New Mexico, North Carolina and Texas.

Investing in and expanding the National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, furthers the Biden-Harris administration’s work to support community-driven efforts to conserve and restore the nation’s lands and waters through the America the Beautiful initiative. Under Secretary Haaland’s leadership, the Department has also established four new Refuges that will help conserve important fish and wildlife habitat, support working lands, and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation.

"The National Wildlife Refuge System and the tremendous work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service play an invaluable role in providing vital habitat for wildlife species, offering outdoor recreation access to the public, and bolstering climate resilience across the country,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “By recognizing that nature is one of our best allies in addressing the climate crisis, today’s expansion of our Refuge System helps advance our locally led vision to conserve and protect our treasured outdoor spaces for current and future generations.”

“Today’s announcements are the culmination of longstanding partnerships with states, conservation partners and local communities to conserve and restore vital landscapes that are important to all of us and numerous fish and wildlife species,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “By working with our partners including Tribes and private landowners, the Service will conserve important habitat that supports recreation and working lands, protects species, addresses the biodiversity crisis and builds resilience in the face of climate change.”

The Service works with willing property owners to expand refuge boundaries through fee title or voluntary easement acquisitions. The new expansion areas include:

  • Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge (NC) may now conserve up to 287,000 acres of floodplain habitat along a 137-mile stretch of the Roanoke River from Weldon to the Albemarle Sound, to support rare and at-risk species like the Atlantic sturgeon, cerulean and Swainson's warbers, bald eagles and migratory waterfowl. The refuge was established in 1991 to protect the forests in the Roanoke River floodplain, considered to be the largest intact, and least disturbed, bottomland forest ecosystem remaining in the mid-Atlantic region.
  • Aransas and Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuges (TX) may now conserve up to 150,000 additional acres of habitat in the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes ecoregion of Texas to support whooping crane, Eastern black rail, Attwater's prairie chicken, mottled duck and other wintering waterfowl. Established in 1937, Aransas NWR serves as a refuge and breeding ground and for migratory birds and other wildlife and is best known as the wintering home of the last wild flock of endangered whooping cranes. Establishing in 1983 and designated an Internationally Significant Shorebird Site by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, Big Boggy NWR is a stronghold for the threatened eastern black rail and provides seasonal and year-round habitat for large populations of waterfowl, wading birds, waterbirds, and shorebirds.
  • Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge (NM and TX) may now conserve up to 700,000 acres of habitat in the Southern High Plains along the Texas-New Mexico border to support sandhill crane, pronghorn and lesser prairie chicken, as well as a full suite of other wildlife that rely on the grasslands, playa wetlands and saline lake habitats of the Central Grasslands. Established in 1935, the refuge is the oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas and is best known for hosting one of the largest concentrations of lesser sandhill cranes in North America.
Interior Department Announces Expansion of Four National Wildlife Refuges to Conserve Habitat, Protect Species and Support Recreation | U.S. Department of the Interior
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Interior Department Announces Expansion of Four National Wildlife Refuges to Conserve Habitat, Protect Species and Support Recreation

The Department of the Interior today announced the expansion of four existing national wildlife refuges, which will allow for the voluntary conservation of up to 1.13 million acres of wildlife habitat in New Mexico, North Carolina and Texas.

Investing in and expanding the National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, furthers the Biden-Harris administration’s work to support community-driven efforts to conserve and restore the nation’s lands and waters through the America the Beautiful initiative. Under Secretary Haaland’s leadership, the Department has also established four new Refuges that will help conserve important fish and wildlife habitat, support working lands, and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation.

"The National Wildlife Refuge System and the tremendous work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service play an invaluable role in providing vital habitat for wildlife species, offering outdoor recreation access to the public, and bolstering climate resilience across the country,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “By recognizing that nature is one of our best allies in addressing the climate crisis, today’s expansion of our Refuge System helps advance our locally led vision to conserve and protect our treasured outdoor spaces for current and future generations.”

“Today’s announcements are the culmination of longstanding partnerships with states, conservation partners and local communities to conserve and restore vital landscapes that are important to all of us and numerous fish and wildlife species,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “By working with our partners including Tribes and private landowners, the Service will conserve important habitat that supports recreation and working lands, protects species, addresses the biodiversity crisis and builds resilience in the face of climate change.”

The Service works with willing property owners to expand refuge boundaries through fee title or voluntary easement acquisitions. The new expansion areas include:

  • Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge (NC) may now conserve up to 287,000 acres of floodplain habitat along a 137-mile stretch of the Roanoke River from Weldon to the Albemarle Sound, to support rare and at-risk species like the Atlantic sturgeon, cerulean and Swainson's warbers, bald eagles and migratory waterfowl. The refuge was established in 1991 to protect the forests in the Roanoke River floodplain, considered to be the largest intact, and least disturbed, bottomland forest ecosystem remaining in the mid-Atlantic region.
  • Aransas and Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuges (TX) may now conserve up to 150,000 additional acres of habitat in the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes ecoregion of Texas to support whooping crane, Eastern black rail, Attwater's prairie chicken, mottled duck and other wintering waterfowl. Established in 1937, Aransas NWR serves as a refuge and breeding ground and for migratory birds and other wildlife and is best known as the wintering home of the last wild flock of endangered whooping cranes. Establishing in 1983 and designated an Internationally Significant Shorebird Site by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, Big Boggy NWR is a stronghold for the threatened eastern black rail and provides seasonal and year-round habitat for large populations of waterfowl, wading birds, waterbirds, and shorebirds.
  • Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge (NM and TX) may now conserve up to 700,000 acres of habitat in the Southern High Plains along the Texas-New Mexico border to support sandhill crane, pronghorn and lesser prairie chicken, as well as a full suite of other wildlife that rely on the grasslands, playa wetlands and saline lake habitats of the Central Grasslands. Established in 1935, the refuge is the oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas and is best known for hosting one of the largest concentrations of lesser sandhill cranes in North America.
Interior Department Announces Expansion of Four National Wildlife Refuges to Conserve Habitat, Protect Species and Support Recreation | U.S. Department of the Interior
Click to expand...

I have personally visited each of these national wildlife refuges except for Roanoke River NWR.
 
Conservation groups add land to the Kootznoowoo Wilderness

The vast Tongass National Forest just grew a little bit larger, with the addition of five acres to the Kootznoowoo Wilderness on Admiralty Island.

The property, known as Wheeler Creek, was privately owned until the Southeast Alaska Land Trust and the Wilderness Land Trust teamed up to buy it. Then they transferred ownership to the Forest Service.

Conservation groups add land to the Kootznoowoo Wilderness
 
Central African Republic: wildlife population on the rise in the Chinko reserve

The 2023 annual count in the Chinko biodiversity reserve in the Central African Republic (CAR) reveals an increase in wild animal populations, marking a positive trend for biodiversity conservation in the region.

Since 2012, the Chinko team has been conducting annual wildlife track counts, a method of estimating species populations and trends in the reserve. Recent results show that populations of large carnivores and herbivores have stabilised or even increased. For example, the number of leopard tracks rose from 2.8 per 100 km in 2020 to 6.2 in 2023, while buffalo tracks increased from 10.3 to 22.9 per 100 km over the same period.

The partnership between the Central African government and African Parks to manage the Chinko Biodiversity Reserve has been crucial to this progress. Joint efforts to protect the reserve, work with local communities and combat poaching have created one of the most stable environments in the region. In 2020, this agreement was renewed for a further 25 years, bringing the area under management to over 64,300 km².

Today, the Chinko Reserve is home to a wide variety of species, including elephants, lions, mongooses, primates, and over 100 species of birds.

CAR: wildlife population on the rise in the Chinko reserve | Afrik 21
 
Supporting Papua New Guinea: new laws to protect biodiversity

Papua New Guinea (PNG) recently passed a Protected Areas Bill, signalling a new era for biodiversity conservation.

14 years in the making and with support from the Australian Government, the bill paves the way for traditional owners to have greater control and benefits from conservation.

With 98% of PNG land owned by customary landowners this marks a great milestone both for the environment and traditional owners.

Supporting Papua New Guinea: new laws to protect biodiversity
 
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