Positive Wildlife News 2024

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Second marmot release boosts thriving population on the Tarutino Steppe

Two groups of steppe marmots have just been released on Ukraine’s Tarutino Steppe, which is part of the extended Danube Delta rewilding landscape. Boosting the thriving population of marmots already here, the 18 animals will help to create a healthier, more functional steppe environment.

Second marmot release boosts thriving population on the Tarutino Steppe | Rewilding Europe
 
Plain Language Summary: Social Innovation in Native Seed Collectors Networks: Catalysing Transformative Change.

We live in a time where people from diverse backgrounds and countries are joining forces to restore social and ecological landscapes to tackle the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss. Our shared belief in the value of nature and our urgent need for a fairer and sustainable future fuel this movement. However, restoring landscapes is no small feat. It requires collaboration and overcoming challenges like weak governance, limited funding, and disorganised supply chains. Native seeds play a crucial role in the endeavour to restore landscapes, especially when natural ecological regeneration is not possible. This is why Native Seed Collector Networks are important players. These networks have been instrumental in producing and distributing native seeds, improving the supply chains for ecological restoration efforts.

Plain Language Summary: Social Innovation in Native Seed Collectors Networks: Catalysing Transformative Change.
 
Apache Trout Conservation

The White Mountains of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, located about a four-hour drive east of Phoenix, Arizona, is home to the Apache trout, a yellowish-gold treasure. The reservation spans approximately 1.24 million acres and reaches a height of 11,000 feet above sea level at its highest point. It is the only place in the world where Apache trout can be found in their natural habitat.

The Apache trout was once abundant in the White Mountain headwaters, populating nearly 700 miles of streams. However, due to habitat loss, overfishing, and the presence of non-native species, the Apache trout has been considered a threatened species for almost as long as it has been recognized.

Thanks to conservation efforts led by the White Mountain Apache Tribe Game and Fish, along with partners such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Forest Service, Trout Unlimited, and others, the Apache trout is now the first sport fish and trout species to be recovered and removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.

Apache Trout Conservation | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 
Search for Lost Birds: Birders rediscover Mussau Triller

The rarely glimpsed Mussau Triller was documented for the first time in 44 years on a remote island in Papua New Guinea.

In June 2024, Joshua Bergmark led a group of birders through the forests of Mussau Island, the largest of the St. Matthias islands off the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea in the Bismarck Archipelago. The first 10 days of their 16 day trip had been successful so far. They had spotted three of the island’s four endemic species—the Mussau Monarch, Mussau Fantail and the Mussau Flycatcher—and were now searching for the elusive Mussau Triller. 

The triller, a member of the cuckooshrike family, was last documented on Mussau in 1979, and is listed as a lost bird by the Search for Lost Birds, a collaboration between American Bird Conservatory (ABC), Re:wild and BirdLife International. Because of their preference for taller trees in the dense forest at the center of the island, the birds can be difficult to find.

Bergmark, who is from Sydney, Australia, and co-founder of Ornis Birding Expeditions, secured an old ambulance for the birding group to drive farther into the forest center. After driving for an hour, the group got out and walked, but at the base of a steep hill, some stopped and waited to be driven up, while others began the ascent on foot. That turned out to be a fortuitous choice. 

Search for Lost Birds: Birders rediscover Mussau Triller
 
Research shows queen conch populations in marine reserves replenish populations beyond the reserve in The Bahamas

A new study published in Conservation Science and Practice uncovers how breeding populations of queen conch (Aliger gigas) within a protected marine reserve, where fishing is prohibited, sustain populations beyond the borders of the reserve. This research, based on surveys conducted in The Bahamas by Shedd Aquarium and Bahamian partners, identifies where additional protections could help to ensure the survival of future queen conch generations.

Research shows queen conch populations in marine reserves replenish populations beyond the reserve in The Bahamas
 
Churna Island declared second marine protected area in Pakistan

The Balochistan government on Wednesday approved Churna Island as a designated Marine Protected Area (MPA), the second in Pakistan, according to a press release by the World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan (WWF-P).

Churna is an island in the Arabian Sea, located around 6.8 km northwest of Mubarak Village. According to the press release, the provincial government had declared Astola Island as the first MPA in June 2017.

The non-governmental organisation appreciated the Balochistan government’s efforts in securing this designation, while also lauding Secretary Forest and Wildlife Department Dostain Jamaldini and Chief Conservator Wildlife Sharifuddin Baloch for playing a role in the process.

Churna Island, like Astola Island, is among the limited marine areas in Pakistan that have coral habitats and are termed a biodiversity hotspot.

Churna Island declared second marine protected area in Pakistan - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
 
State-by-state data boosts bird conservation planning

New data summaries from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird platform will help state wildlife planners assess the status of bird populations that live in or pass through their state – a crucial tool in protecting species.

A team of data scientists at eBird, the participatory science platform, has packaged summaries covering every bird species, in every state, and
made them available online for free. These data summaries will help states prepare their federally required 2025 updates to State Wildlife Action Plans.

State-by-state data boosts bird conservation planning | Cornell Chronicle
 
African Parks embarks on critical conservation undertaking for 2,000 rhinos
  • African Parks, which manages national parks in several countries across the continent, plans to rewild all 2,000 southern white rhinos from Platinum Rhino, winding up John Hume’s controversial intensive rhino breeding project.
  • The conservation organization needs to find safe spaces to translocate 300 rhinos to every year, as poaching of the animals for their horns continues.
  • Potential recipient areas are assessed in terms of habitat, security, national regulatory support, and the recipient’s financial and management capacity.
  • Earlier this year, 120 rhinos were translocated to private reserves operating as part of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation.
As I scraped the early morning winter frost from my tent, I could not help but wonder if this was a suitable place for white rhinos. And yet, here, a short drive from Johannesburg, resides the world’s largest private herd of white rhinos. The 2,000-strong herd of Ceratotherium simum on a farm on South Africa’s highveld represents 12% of the remaining wild population.

African Parks embarks on critical conservation undertaking for 2,000 rhinos
 
African Parks embarks on critical conservation undertaking for 2,000 rhinos
  • African Parks, which manages national parks in several countries across the continent, plans to rewild all 2,000 southern white rhinos from Platinum Rhino, winding up John Hume’s controversial intensive rhino breeding project.
  • The conservation organization needs to find safe spaces to translocate 300 rhinos to every year, as poaching of the animals for their horns continues.
  • Potential recipient areas are assessed in terms of habitat, security, national regulatory support, and the recipient’s financial and management capacity.
  • Earlier this year, 120 rhinos were translocated to private reserves operating as part of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation.
As I scraped the early morning winter frost from my tent, I could not help but wonder if this was a suitable place for white rhinos. And yet, here, a short drive from Johannesburg, resides the world’s largest private herd of white rhinos. The 2,000-strong herd of Ceratotherium simum on a farm on South Africa’s highveld represents 12% of the remaining wild population.

African Parks embarks on critical conservation undertaking for 2,000 rhinos
 
African Parks embarks on critical conservation undertaking for 2,000 rhinos
  • African Parks, which manages national parks in several countries across the continent, plans to rewild all 2,000 southern white rhinos from Platinum Rhino, winding up John Hume’s controversial intensive rhino breeding project.
  • The conservation organization needs to find safe spaces to translocate 300 rhinos to every year, as poaching of the animals for their horns continues.
  • Potential recipient areas are assessed in terms of habitat, security, national regulatory support, and the recipient’s financial and management capacity.
  • Earlier this year, 120 rhinos were translocated to private reserves operating as part of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation.
As I scraped the early morning winter frost from my tent, I could not help but wonder if this was a suitable place for white rhinos. And yet, here, a short drive from Johannesburg, resides the world’s largest private herd of white rhinos. The 2,000-strong herd of Ceratotherium simum on a farm on South Africa’s highveld represents 12% of the remaining wild population.

African Parks embarks on critical conservation undertaking for 2,000 rhinos
 
African Parks embarks on critical conservation undertaking for 2,000 rhinos
  • African Parks, which manages national parks in several countries across the continent, plans to rewild all 2,000 southern white rhinos from Platinum Rhino, winding up John Hume’s controversial intensive rhino breeding project.
  • The conservation organization needs to find safe spaces to translocate 300 rhinos to every year, as poaching of the animals for their horns continues.
  • Potential recipient areas are assessed in terms of habitat, security, national regulatory support, and the recipient’s financial and management capacity.
  • Earlier this year, 120 rhinos were translocated to private reserves operating as part of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation.
As I scraped the early morning winter frost from my tent, I could not help but wonder if this was a suitable place for white rhinos. And yet, here, a short drive from Johannesburg, resides the world’s largest private herd of white rhinos. The 2,000-strong herd of Ceratotherium simum on a farm on South Africa’s highveld represents 12% of the remaining wild population.

African Parks embarks on critical conservation undertaking for 2,000 rhinos
 
‘Equivalent of Tasmanian tiger for bird watchers’ discovered in Western Australia desert

Rangers and scientists thrilled as they find the largest known population of one of Australia’s rarest birds, the night parrot, living in Great Sandy desert.

The largest known population of one of Australia’s rarest birds has been found living in Western Australia’s Great Sandy desert.

A team of Ngururrpa rangers and scientists detected the stronghold of up to 50 night parrots - a critically endangered species once feared extinct - living on Indigenous-managed land, according to a study published in Wildlife Research.

‘Equivalent of Tasmanian tiger for bird watchers’ discovered in Western Australia desert
 
Rewilding boosts black grouse numbers in the Affric Highlands

An ongoing study in the Affric Highlands rewilding landscape in Scotland has found that rewilding is having a positive impact on black grouse numbers. Collaborative efforts between local volunteers, estates, and other organisations offers hope that this iconic bird can bounce back after years of decline.

Rewilding boosts black grouse numbers in the Affric Highlands | Rewilding Europe
 
Scientists bring Arizona river, biodiversity back from the brink — by adding sewage water

A collection of sewage — filled with human feces, garbage, and disease-ridden substances — being dumped into a body of water is clearly not the most attractive image.

But according to scientists from the University of Arizona, wastewater has the potential to restore threatened ecosystems — so long as it’s used correctly.

In fact, new research in the journal Restoration Ecology details how scientists have unlocked a breakthrough in their work to save the Santa Cruz River, which runs 180 miles through Arizona and Mexico.

Arizona river sees biodiversity boom after scientists add wastewater
 
Black rhinoceros raised in Yorkshire has calf in Rwanda

A black rhino raised at a North Yorkshire zoo has given birth to a calf after being released in Rwanda.

Olmoti, an eastern black rhinoceros, arrived at Flamingo Land in 2015 with her mother Samira.

In 2019, Olmoti was transferred to Akagera National Park in Central Africa as part of a relationship between Rwanda and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

Drew Bantlin, a regional conservation manager for African Parks, confirmed Olmoti recently had her calf, adding: "The team has seen Olmoti and the calf twice this week and report they continue to do well."

Black rhino raised in Flamingo Land zoo has calf in Rwanda
 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Nearly $10 Million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda for Collaborative Sagebrush Projects in the West

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced nearly $10 million in fiscal year 2025 funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support 53 strategic projects in Western states focused on habitat restoration and on-the-ground science, as well as for additional strategic capacity to bolster habitat restoration and community resilience in the face of a changing climate. Projects will support management of invasive grasses, reduce wildfire risks, remove conifers, and restore sagebrush habitat.

In fiscal year 2025, more than $1 million of the nearly $10 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will be directly invested in conservation work with Tribal partners.

Nearly $10M for Collaborative Sagebrush Projects in the West | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 
Nine more pygmy hogs return to their historical home in Manas National Park

Nine captive-bred pygmy hogs have been released into the wild in Manas National Park of Assam, India, by the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP), of which Durrell is a founding partner.

Taking place on Tuesday 1 October 2024, this release brings the number of hogs successfully bred and reintroduced by PHCP across four protected areas of Assam to 179.

PHCP has been working to bring this precious species back from the brink since 1996, with the reintroduction of captive-bred hogs to the wild starting in 2008. The pygmy hog was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the 1970s. It remains under significant threat from the loss of its grassland habitat due to invasive alien plant species, disease, and human disturbance.

Nine more pygmy hogs return to their historical home in Manas National Park | Durrell
 
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