Positive Wildlife News 2024

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Northwest China's wetland becomes migratory bird heaven

With the implementation of enhanced ecological conservation measures, the Heihe Wetland National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Gansu Province, is experiencing a remarkable boom in migratory bird populations, particularly the endangered black stork.

Northwest China's wetland becomes migratory bird heaven | english.scio.gov.cn
 
South Africa Gets New Nature Reserve For 2024 In Stunning Drakensberg

Located in South Africa, the Drakensberg Mountains (which is derived from the word 'Dragon Mountains' in Afrikaans) are the highest mountains in the country and can reach as high as over 11,000 feet. This amazing mountain range is one of the most beautiful spots in the country and it’s acclaimed for its jaw-dropping landscape, abundant wildlife and stellar hiking opportunities. Not only is the Drakensberg a striking natural marvel, but it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site, famed for its singular landscape and fascinating cultural history, including rare ancient rock art.

Recently, this area has gained some well-deserved attention thanks to the establishment of a new nature reserve, the Northern Drakensberg Nature Reserve (NDNR), a project that resulted from decades-long efforts to protect and promote this one-of-a-kind environment for all.

South Africa Gets New Nature Reserve For 2024 In Stunning Drakensberg
 
As landscapes heal, Nepal’s most iconic animals stage a comeback

The tiger that leapt on Bhadai Tharu in the forests of Nepal took the sight from his left eye with a swipe of a paw. But it also helped the community leader understand that people must leave room for nature while pursuing economic development.

“The tiger attacked me because I went to his home. Otherwise, it never attacks humans,” says Tharu, who leads anti-poaching patrols in a forest in the Terai region, a stronghold of the big cats in the foothills of the Himalayas.

As landscapes heal, Nepal’s most iconic animals stage a comeback
 
Decades of conservation efforts lead to 'landmark' hatching of 60 nearly extinct crocodiles: 'If you give them the right protection, they will bounce back'

Siamese crocodiles were listed as virtually extinct in the wild in 1992. But conservation efforts have brought them back, and the New York Times reported that 60 hatchlings were just born in the wild — the largest population born this century.

U.K.-based international nature conservation charity and nongovernmental organization Fauna & Flora has been working with an Indigenous population of Chorng people in the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia.

The organization is helping to protect the small population of Siamese crocodiles that the Indigenous people have been looking out for. The Chorng consider the animals, which are smaller than other types of crocodile and not aggressive toward humans, to be sacred.

Decades of conservation efforts lead to 'landmark' hatching of 60 nearly extinct crocodiles: 'If you give them the right protection, they will bounce back'
 
Habitat growth fosters wildlife use at North Star, study shows

Despite heavy river-based recreation, sensitive species continue to use nature preserve

In the decades since Pitkin County began monitoring the conditions at North Star Nature Preserve, the area has seen two concurrent phenomena: the explosion of river-based recreation and the slow return to more native habitat for the area’s wildlife.

A report, released this month, by Jonathan Lowsky of Colorado Wildlife Science analyzes field data collected in 2020 and 2021 at North Star; the report is meant to document what types of species are using the nature preserve — as well as when and how they are using it — and to “determine the effectiveness of current management in balancing human use with protection of biological diversity,” it reads.

Habitat growth fosters wildlife use at North Star, study shows - Aspen Journalism
 
$335M committed to protecting ecosystems off British Columbia coast

Mix of federal, provincial, philanthropic money aims to protect 14,000 sq. km of Great Bear Sea.

The federal government has announced a new financing initiative for 17 First Nations in British Columbia to expand protection for marine ecosystems off the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference announcing the Great Bear Sea Project Finance for Permanence initiative that it will add about 14,000 square kilometres of newly protected areas.

He said it will also support sustainable development for the waters off the rainforest on B.C.'s central and northern coasts.

$335M committed to protecting ecosystems off B.C. coast
 
ZIMOZA Transfrontier Conservation Area Established to Boost Tourism and Conservation

On 18 July 2024, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia signed a historic Memorandum of Agreement to establish the ZIMOZA Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA). This significant event took place at the State House in Harare, Zimbabwe, with Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa, Filipe J. Nyusi, and Hakainde Hichilema endorsing the agreement.

ZIMOZA Transfrontier Conservation Area Established to Boost Tourism and Conservation
 
Marine Protected Areas producing more ‘trophy-size’ fish

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are having a positive spillover effect, producing more “trophy-size” fish just outside of the fully protected areas, and the effect is growing stronger over time. That’s according to research led by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa scientists at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) published in Science Advances. The research provides the first global assessment of the benefits of MPAs. “Trophy-size” refers to fish that are exceptionally long or heavy and are considered a rare, prized catch.

“This standardized global assessment illustrates the benefits that MPAs provide for recreational anglers, confirming the effectiveness of MPAs in enhancing fish biomass and local fisheries,” shared Simone Franceschini, principal investigator of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at HIMB. “Our study found that MPAs may take more than 20 years to show tangible spillover effects in the adjacent areas, which helps to set realistic expectations about the timeframe over which a marine reserve can be expected to have this type of effect on surrounding fisheries.”

https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2024/07/23/trophy-size-fish-mpas/
 
Britain experiencing a beaver baby boom as kits spotted across the country

A beaver baby boom is under way across Britain this summer in places where the species had been extinct for centuries.

From Ealing in London to the Cairngorms in Scotland, and from Canterbury in Kent to the Wallington Estate in Northumberland, new kits have emerged from their lodges for an after-dark dip in the water.

At Paradise Fields in Ealing, at least two kits have appeared just eight months after the pioneering reintroduction of a five-member beaver family in an urban area. Beavers were once permanent residents of London and much of the country.

Until about 20 years ago, beavers had been extinct from Britain for 400 years, having been hunted for their fur, meat and their scent oil, castoreum. Today, after licensed and unlicensed releases, there are about 1,500 beavers in Scotland and 600 to 800 in England.

Britain experiencing a beaver baby boom as kits spotted across the country
 
Conservation groups, landowners team up to preserve 800 acres in Barre

More than 800 acres of land in Barre is now under the protection of local conservation groups, and those involved in the effort said it ensures the area will remain a quiet place for wildlife and outdoor recreation for generations to come.

What You Need To Know
  • 800 acres of land in Barre is now under the protection of local conservation groups
  • The Hawes Hill Conservation Corridor includes land from eight property owners
  • All property owners worked with Mass Audubon and Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust to protect the land
  • Massachusetts has set a goal to conserve 30% of its land by 2030
The Hawes Hill Conservation Corridor includes land from eight property owners, all of whom agreed to let Mass Audubon and Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust protect it.

Conservation groups, landowners team up to preserve 800 acres in Barre.
 
Conservation group celebrates new nature preserve made possible by historic 7,500-acre donation: 'We do need large intact areas that are preserved for the future'

The natural beauty of North Carolina will be preserved for future generations after a conservation group accepted a historic 7,500-acre donation of land.

In May, WJHL reported that the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy created the South Yellow Mountain Preserve in Mitchell and Avery Counties after receiving the donation, celebrating the park's formation along with its 50th anniversary.

"We live in a place where there is so much diversity of trees and wildflowers, fish, salamanders, migratory birds, and to enable those species to thrive, we do need large intact areas that are preserved for the future," SAHC executive director Carl Silverstein
told told the news station.

Conservation group celebrates new nature preserve made possible by historic 7,500-acre donation: 'We do need large intact areas that are preserved for the future'
 
New Urban Conservation Park Opens On Former Textile Mill Site

The City of Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Department announces the opening of Lupton Mills Meadow at the former site of Lupton Mills in the community of Lupton City.

The park now features a 12-acre meadow with a short walking trail and provides abundant native plants and wildlife viewing.

New Urban Conservation Park Opens On Former Textile Mill Site
 
Cows help bee orchids return to nature reserve

A species thought lost from Spurn Point National Nature Reserve has flowered for the first time in 30 years.

Staff believe the reappearance of the bee orchid is due to a new conservation grazing regime.

Cows were controlled via GPS collar and allowed to eat only in specific areas, rather than roaming freely where they were naturally attracted to eating sweet flowers.

It helped to create the "right conditions" for a wide variety of wild flowers to grow on the reserve's Chalk Bank meadow, which Rosie Jaques, reserve and marine officer, said was an "amazing result".

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/cprqpw4jjg7o.amp
 
In Ecuador, a ‘milestone’ effort to protect mangroves — and people

Once underappreciated, mangroves are having a moment.

From global initiatives to community-led efforts, work to conserve these climate superstars is gaining traction. Now, a landmark US$ 45.9 million project aims to give Ecuador’s degraded mangroves a new lease on life, local news reported.

The six-year project to protect and restore mangroves in Ecuador’s four main estuaries will be financed by the Green Climate Fund — the world’s largest climate fund — and led by Conservation International-Ecuador, in collaboration with the country’s Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition.

By protecting and restoring mangroves — potent climate allies that can absorb massive amounts of planet-warming carbon — the project will sequester nearly 5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases over 20 years, roughly equivalent to removing 1.2 million gas-powered cars from the road. It will also restore critical habitats for marine species that coastal communities rely on for their livelihoods.

"This project marks a milestone in our efforts to combat climate change and protect the country's marine and coastal biodiversity," said Conservation International’s Montserrat Albán, who leads climate work in Ecuador. “We have been protecting the country’s mangroves for many years, but this is the first time we are doing so through the lens of helping communities adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis.”

“The effort goes beyond planting trees,”she added. “It uses innovative techniques, like restoring the hydrology in certain areas, to bring back mangrove forests, which are so fundamental to helping people fight and face climate change.

In Ecuador, a ‘milestone’ effort to protect mangroves — and people
 
Thai tiger numbers swell as prey populations stabilize in western forests
  • Camera-trapping data revealed in a new study show a steady recovery of tigers in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex over the past two decades.
  • The tiger recovery has been mirrored by a simultaneous increase in the numbers of the tigers’ prey animals, such as sambar deer and types of wild cattle.
  • The authors attribute the recovery of the tigers and their prey to long-term efforts to strengthen systematic ranger patrols to control poaching as well as efforts to restore key habitats and water sources.
  • Experts say the lessons learnt can be applied to support tiger recovery in other parts of Thailand and underscore the importance of the core WEFCOM population as a vital source of tigers repopulating adjacent landscapes.
 
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New Pueblo Kichwa de Rukullakta (PKR) Provincial Conservation Area in Ecuador is a Climate Adaptation Haven

Andes Amazon Fund celebrates the creation of the Pueblo Kichwa de Rukullakta (PKR) Provincial Conservation and Sustainable Use Area, which encompasses 103,509 acres (41,889 ha) in the Ecuadorian province of Napo. The new conservation area is located at a unique point in Ecuador’s central Amazon, where the Andes cascade towards lowland rainforest, and the mighty Napo River flows from soaring volcanoes and into the Amazon River. PKR’s altitudinal gradient spans 2,500 feet (762 meters), allowing not only for stunning biodiversity but also increasing the species of the area’s ability to adapt to climate change.

https://www.andesamazonfund.org/cou...onservation-area-is-climate-adaptation-haven/
 
Rare species found for first time in nature reserve

Two rare species have been found for the first time at a Somerset nature reserve.

Great crested newts and lesser silver diving beetles have been spotted at Shapwick Moor Nature Reserve in Glastonbury following the introduction of new wetland features.

Neither species had been recorded on the site before, making it an exciting discovery for the Hawk and Owl Trust owned nature reserve and Natural England, which funded the new habitat.

The project lead at Natural England, Simon Phelps, said the team is "pleased and surprised" to see that the rare species have colonised the habitats "so quickly".

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdx690p7l6eo.amp
 
This Iconic South American Country Got a New National Reserve — and It's a Whale-watcher's Paradise

Peru's new Grau Tropical Sea National Reserve sits off the coasts of Piura and Tumbes.

There's a new national preserve for you to love. And it comes with some of the most beautiful ocean views on Earth.

In the spring of 2024, Peru announced that it approved the nation's newest protected area — The Grau Tropical Sea National Reserve — following more than a decade of collaboration between the government and nonprofits. Located in the nation's northern region, off the coasts of Piura and Tumbes, the reserve covers a massive 286,059 acres, ensuring aquatic life in the protected waters can thrive for generations to come.

This Iconic South American Country Got a New National Reserve — and It's a Whale-watcher's Paradise
 
New Marine Reserve Established in Puerto Rico

This month, Surfrider and a coalition of partners achieved a major milestone in the protection of Puerto Rico's marine ecosystems: the creation of Submerged Gardens Natural Reserve of Vega Baja and Manatí on the north coast of Puerto Rico. The reserve protects 43,701 acres of marine ecosystems and was made possible by a collaboration and commitment of local communities, environmental organizations, and local authorities. The reserve is home to a variety of coral species, including one of the largest assemblies of Elkhorn coral in the Caribbean, as well as other threatened and endangered marine life.

The Importance of Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are much more than a refuge for marine wildlife- they are one of the four natural barriers that protect our coasts from the impact of high tides, especially during hurricane season, and climate change. These coral formations act as natural breakwaters, reducing the energy of waves before they reach the coast, which helps prevent coastal erosion and protect nearby communities. Without these barriers, the coasts would be much more exposed to natural disasters, putting both marine life and human safety at risk.

New Marine Reserve Established in Puerto Rico
 
1,000 acres of wetlands and marsh protected by TILT and NYS

On Tuesday, The Thousand Islands Land Trust announced that it’s acquired just under 1,000 acres of land in Jefferson County, in partnership with New York State.

The land is meant to act as critical buffers to keep the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario clean and protected.

17 plots making up 988 acres of woody wetlands, mixed forest, and marshland are now protected from pollution and development in perpetuity.

1000 acres of wetlands and marsh protected by TILT and NYS
 
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