Positive Wildlife News 2024

Status
Not open for further replies.
Harvest mice reintroduced to Ealing nature reserve as part of rewilding

More than 150 mice reintroduced to Perivale Wood

More than 150 harvest mice have been reintroduced to a nature reserve in Ealing as part of a rewilding project. The animals have been absent from Perivale Wood for decades, with the last official sighting in 1979.

Now they are being reintroduced after an absence of four decades by the Ealing Wildlife Group, who bred the mice in captivity, with funding from the Mayor of London and Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund.

They have already released more than 1,650 harvest mice across the borough. Perivale Wood is the fifth release site.The mice disappeared due to the loss of their natural habitat and their populations have rapidly declined by up to 70% across the UK since the 1970s.

Sections of meadows have been set aside in Perivale Wood to create wildlife corridors for the small mammals. Grass will remain un-grazed to provide nesting material and cover for the mice and a new pond alongside an existing one will create additional reed bed areas, which the animals enjoy.

Harvest mice reintroduced to Ealing nature reserve as part of rewilding - Chiswick Calendar News
 
Ural owl breeding discovered in Steinwald Nature Park

Ural owls have bred for the first time in Naturpark Steinwald (Bavaria - Germany). This place has seen reintroduction efforts since year 2017. In total 83 captive-bred chicks have been released here. Zoos, wildlife parks and falconry centers from Germany, France and Belgium participated in the breeding program and donated chicks. Two wild pairs have now produced 5 chicks among them.

(BTW I know about this project ever since they donated 10 artificial breeding boxes to hang up on trees on our side of the border (protected area Český Les). It´s assumed that the new population will grow and spread with time and reach also here.)

Source
 
Over 2,700 Acres of Critical Wildlife Habitat Protected in Maine’s High Peaks Region

Conservation partners and the State of Maine collaborate to conserve important “Keystones” connections between Mount Abraham and Saddleback.

The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust (MATLT), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Maine and the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's (DACF) Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) announced today that 2,706 acres have been added to the Mount Abraham Public Reserve Land managed by the State of Maine. Created through the acquisition of multiple properties, the “Keystones project” holds the larger landscape together, playing a critical role in preventing development and fragmentation while ensuring public access.

Over 2,700 Acres of Critical Wildlife Habitat Protected in Maine’s High Peaks Region
 
Celtic rainforest restoration work surpasses Scottish national target, giving hope for nature recovery

Internationally scarce and at risk of vanishing, Scotland’s temperate rainforests need every bit of help they can get State-backed work to restore Scotland’s globally rare and threatened Celtic rainforests has exceeded national targets in the past year.

The native woodlands, also known as temperate or Atlantic rainforest, are just as significant and even less common than their better-known tropical counterparts.

Green shoots: Celtic rainforest restoration work surpasses Scottish national target
 
13,000 Acres of Private Timberland Permanently Protected in Lost Trail Conservation Area

The new conservation easement by Trust for Public Land, Green Diamond Resource Company and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows public access while ensuring sustainable timber harvests.

Anew conservation project that could eventually preserve public access to 150,000 acres of timberland in northwest Montana began its journey-work Thursday when Green Diamond Resource Company, the largest private landowner in the state, announced an agreement to permanently protect 13,403 acres of working forest spanning portions of Flathead and Lincoln counties — the first in a series of projects stretching between Kalispell and Libby.

Federal land managers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and conservation leaders with the nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL) helped bring the project to completion and, along with local and statewide elected officials, joined Thursday in cheering the conservation easement, which is located within the Lost Trail Conservation Area west of Kalispell and comes amid intensifying development pressure across the region.

“Safeguarding 13,000 acres within the Lost Trail Conservation Area, Trust for Public Land has not only preserved a slice of wild Montana, but we’ve secured a legacy for future generations,” Dick Dolan, TPL’s Northern Rockies director, said. “Each acre protected through this ongoing partnership with Green Diamond stands as a testament to our commitment to ensuring this remarkable landscape will remain undeveloped and accessible to all Montanans.”

13,000 Acres of Private Timberland Permanently Protected in Lost Trail Conservation Area - Flathead Beacon
 
More than 2,100 hectares declared 'Protected Areas'

Twenty-one properties along the Rideau Corridor and Cataraqui Watershed, making up more than 2,100 hectares, have been recognized as protected areas, local conservation groups announced this week.

The Rideau Waterway Land Trust (RWLT) and Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network (FABN) announced that 13 properties, representing more than 143 hectares of wildlife habitat within the 200-kilometre-long Rideau Corridor, “were recently assessed and found to meet the pan-Canadian standards as Protected Areas.”

More than 2,000 hectares declared 'Protected Areas' | Belleville Intelligencer
 
The last private mountain in Pennsylvania is now public land, open to hiking, biking, and bird watching

All 2,500-acres of Miller Mountain was purchased last year for $5 million from an LLC managed by Louis DeNaples, a Scranton-area businessman often in the news over the years, For several years, friends Kenny Young and Ben Robinson dreamed of organizing a trail run across Miller Mountain’s 2,500-acre terrain of old logging roads, hardwood forest, and vistas of the town of Tunkhannock and of the Susquehanna River below.

The last private mountain in Pa. is now public land, open to hiking, biking, and bird watching
 
Conservation organisation releases white rhinos back into the wild

African Parks, a conservation organisation, has released the first of 2,000 white rhinos into the wild.

Back in September 2023 we reported on how African Parks, a conservation organisation that takes on the rehabilitation and management of struggling national parks and other protected areas across Africa, had purchased Platinum Rhino. Established with the admirable goal of breeding rhinos in captivity and then releasing a certain number each year into the wild, Platinum Rhino was home to 2,000 southern white rhinos.

Conservation organisation releases white rhinos back into the wild
 
Protecting the Gopher Tortoise along Georgia’s Coastline

One of the few tortoises native to North America, the gopher tortoise is facing serious pressures from urban development and habitat degradation. Our efforts to protect the 16,083-acre Ceylon property along the coastline of Georgia also protects an ecologically important part of the Satilla River basin which will be preserved and managed as a place for tortoise recovery and coastal recreation.

OUR ROLE
The Conservation Fund acquired the entire property and simultaneously partnered with Open Space Institute (OSI) to acquire a 7,500-acre portion of the 16,083-acre Ceylon property on the Satilla River—protecting a delicate piece of the Atlantic coastline and the largest undeveloped, unprotected portion of coastal property in Georgia. Funding for the purchase came from 8 different partners. Together, we will work with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR) and federal agency partners over the next several years to permanently protect the entire property under conservation easements and transfer ownership to GA DNR for the establishment of a new wildlife management area that opened in March 2020.

Protecting the Gopher Tortoise along Georgia’s Coastline - The Conservation Fund
 
Rare habitat becomes protected nature reserve

A "globally rare biodiverse habitat" in Cumbria has been declared a national nature reserve.

The Borrowdale Valley is England's largest temperate rainforest - a habitat that was once widespread across England, but now covers only 1% of land.

The creation of the nature reserve was announced by Natural England and the National Trust on Wednesday.

The National Trust said the declaration was a sign of its commitment to the conservation of rainforests across the country.

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqeel73213eo.amp
 
Ancient trees safeguarded by National Nature Reserve expansion

Newly named Moccas Park and Gillian’s Wood National Nature Reserve is home to ancient oaks and sweet chestnut trees dating back many hundreds of years.

Acorns from some of the country’s oldest oak trees are being used to create seedlings to populate a newly expanded National Nature Reserve (NNR) in Herefordshire and safeguard the lineage of ancient trees for future generations.

Ancient trees safeguarded by National Nature Reserve expansion
 
A forest restoration project brings birdsong back to Angola’s highest mountain
  • Fires and unsustainable wood harvesting have depleted the Afromontane forests on Mount Moco, Angola’s highest mountain.
  • The forests are home to a diverse variety of birds, some found only in Angola.
  • Since 2010, a conservation project has sought to regrow some of the forest patches and to protect them from wildfires.
  • The work is promoting bird conservation, but also benefiting the local human community by ensuring a reliable flow of freshwater out of the forest.
On the slopes of Angola’s highest mountain stands the gray jagged stump of a once mighty tree.

It’s the remnant of a Guinea plum (Parinari excelsa), a species native to Mount Moco’s evergreen forests. When South African ornithologist Michael Mills first started to survey the mountain’s forests in 2005, it was a tall tree with a crown of evergreen leaves flourishing beside a small stream.

A forest restoration project brings birdsong back to Angola’s highest mountain
 
Rio de Janeiro bay reforestation shows mangroves’ power to mitigate climate disasters

At the rear of Rio de Janeiro's polluted Guanabara Bay, thousands of mangroves rise as tall as 13 feet (about 4 meters) from a previously deforested area.

The 30,000 trees, planted by non-profit organization Instituto Mar Urbano over four years in the Guapimirim environmental protection area, stand as an example for cities seeking natural means to improve climate resilience.

Such ecosystems are vital for protection against floods that have become increasingly frequent around the world. Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul is still reeling from a devastating flood earlier this month that wreaked havoc and took lives, with waters far from subsiding to normal levels.

https://www-pbs-org.cdn.ampproject....mangroves-power-to-mitigate-climate-disasters
 
Turkey's Patara beach breaks record with 53 sea turtle nests

Patara Beach sees record-breaking success in sea turtle conservation efforts, with 53 nests protected and nearly 5 times the previous highest count observed in May, emphasizing the crucial role of ongoing monitoring and public awareness in safeguarding these endangered species.

A groundbreaking surge in sea turtle nesting activity has astonished conservationists on Turkey's Patara Beach in Antalya, with a record-breaking 53 nests discovered as of May 24.

This remarkable figure nearly quintuples the highest count ever recorded for any May, underscoring the success of the "Sea Turtle Protection and Monitoring Project" led by Eyüp Başkale of Pamukkale University. This initiative, launched on May 1, aims to safeguard the endangered loggerhead sea turtles inhabiting the Patara Special Environmental Protected Area (SEPA) in Antalya's Kaş district and Muğla's Fethiye district.

With 20 dedicated volunteers supporting the cause, the project highlights the crucial importance of preserving Patara Beach's delicate ecosystem while fostering hope for the future of these majestic marine creatures.

https://www-dailysabah-com.cdn.ampp...eaks-record-with-53-sea-turtle-nests/news/amp
 
Sweden to ban bottom fishing in territorial waters

Sweden is set to become the second EU country to ban bottom fishing in marine protected areas, going a step further than Greece’s April decision by banning it in all territorial waters.

Bottom trawling, a practice criticised by NGOs for impacting ecosystems, involves dragging heavy nets over the seabed, damaging ecosystems and releasing carbon into the oceans.

At a press conference, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and his ministers announced the government’s intention to ban bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs) and all Swedish territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles).

Sweden to ban bottom fishing in territorial waters
 
Gorilla species makes resurgence after decades of habitat degradation: 'Seeing them for the first time was like a dream come true'

"We know the value of mountain gorillas and that is why we protect and conserve them."

For decades, people watched with growing despair as the population of wild mountain gorillas plummeted. But now, through the hard work of local communities and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, those populations are rebounding — and they're on track to keep growing.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) called the story "an incredible conservation success" while also noting that the population is still "fragile" and in need of continued efforts. Mountain gorilla numbers hit a low of approximately 680 individuals within the past 30 years, but today there are over 1,000, according to the WWF. They're also the only ape species whose population is projected to continue growing.

Gorilla species makes resurgence after decades of habitat degradation: 'Seeing them for the first time was like a dream come true'
 
More Than a Century Ago, Flamingos Disappeared From Florida. Now, They’re Coming Home

Likely transported by Hurricane Idalia last August, more than 100 of the pink birds were counted in a February census in the Sunshine State, where they are considered a native species.

Flamingo branding is everywhere in Florida, from cocktail straws and tourist t-shirts to hotel names and the Florida Lottery logo. But the real-life pink birds have been largely missing from the Sunshine State since the early 1900s, when hunters nearly drove them to extinction in the quest for their fashionable—and highly profitable—plumage.

Now, however, flamingos seem to be returning to Florida. Birders recorded 101 wild American flamingo sightings across the state in February, according to recently released figures from Audubon Florida. That count included more than 50 in Florida Bay, 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

More Than a Century Ago, Flamingos Disappeared From Florida. Now, They're Coming Home | Smithsonian
 
District of West Vancouver announces huge new park with support from BC Parks Foundation

A broad expanse of West Vancouver’s mountainside, which forms a stunning backdrop to Vancouver, will remain protected forever, thanks to a massive new park being created by the District of West Vancouver. To support stewardship and responsible use in the area, the BC Parks Foundation is launching a Cypress Hollyburn Legacy Fund with a $3m matching gift from the Wilson 5 Foundation.

“Today we are proud to share we will be protecting 781 hectares – or 1932 acres – of forest land as our gift to our community and the world,” says Mayor Mark Sager. “This area will help preserve sensitive ecosystems and wildlife and store carbon to fight climate change. It will also ensure that old growth trees will continue to stand in our stunning municipality, which we know is very important to our residents and people across the globe. We also recognize that this new park dedication will maintain the beautiful view of the mountains, which is something that everyone in the metro region can enjoy.”

District of West Vancouver announces huge new park with support from BC Parks Foundation
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top