Extinct grasshopper found to be unextinct
Zoologist rediscovers grasshopper species believed extinct - The Wildlife Society
Zoologist rediscovers grasshopper species believed extinct - The Wildlife Society
Positive Wildlife News 2025
- Thread starter SeaOtterHQ
- Start date
It should be in the Rediscovery Thread.
New marine reserve established off Zanzibar
A new marine reserve off Zanzibar vividly showcases how large-scale conservation efforts can go hand in hand with sustainable tourism – if managed correctly.
Zanzibar has welcomed its latest marine reserve – the Changuu-Bawe Marine Conservation Area – around Bawe Island in the Zanzibar Channel. The country’s sixth Marine Protected Area now prohibits all fishing activities and hopes to grant coral reefs better protection to sustain the region’s biodiversity.
New marine reserve established off Zanzibar - Oceanographic
A new marine reserve off Zanzibar vividly showcases how large-scale conservation efforts can go hand in hand with sustainable tourism – if managed correctly.
Zanzibar has welcomed its latest marine reserve – the Changuu-Bawe Marine Conservation Area – around Bawe Island in the Zanzibar Channel. The country’s sixth Marine Protected Area now prohibits all fishing activities and hopes to grant coral reefs better protection to sustain the region’s biodiversity.
New marine reserve established off Zanzibar - Oceanographic
Eastern monarch butterfly population nearly doubles in 2025
Protection of forests where monarchs overwinter also improves.
In encouraging news, the eastern monarch butterfly population nearly doubled in 2025, according to a new report announced in Mexico. The population wintering in central Mexico's forests occupied 4.42 acres, up from 2.22 acres during the previous winter. While monarchs occupied nearly twice as much forest habitat as last year, populations remain far below the long-term average.
The survey, Forest Area Occupied by Monarch Butterflies Colonies in Mexico During the 2024-2025 Hibernation Season is conducted annually by WWF-Mexico and Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas in collaboration with local communities, and it serves as an important indicator of the butterfly's overall population health.
Eastern Monarch Butterfly Population Nearly Doubles
Protection of forests where monarchs overwinter also improves.
In encouraging news, the eastern monarch butterfly population nearly doubled in 2025, according to a new report announced in Mexico. The population wintering in central Mexico's forests occupied 4.42 acres, up from 2.22 acres during the previous winter. While monarchs occupied nearly twice as much forest habitat as last year, populations remain far below the long-term average.
The survey, Forest Area Occupied by Monarch Butterflies Colonies in Mexico During the 2024-2025 Hibernation Season is conducted annually by WWF-Mexico and Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas in collaboration with local communities, and it serves as an important indicator of the butterfly's overall population health.
Eastern Monarch Butterfly Population Nearly Doubles
SeaOtterHQ
Well-Known Member
I am back from my Zoochat hiatus and have three months worth of updates to share. 
I took a quick glance at the thread and I'm pretty sure none of these stories were posted already.
Rare Mediterranean monk seals making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts
Dendrinos, a marine biologist and coordinator of the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal — or MOm — that has pioneered the Monachus monachus conservation program, says the monk seal is the only seal species in the Mediterranean Sea and also "one of the rarest species of seal and marine mammal in the world.”
“To protect an animal like the Mediterranean monk seal in its natural environment, you essentially have to protect the entire marine ecosystem,” he said.
Rare Mediterranean monk seals making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts
Off-limits to humans for 70 years, S. Korea's border zone becomes sanctuary for rare cranes
Near the border dividing the Korean Peninsula into North and South Korea, a long strip of land has remained off-limits to humans since 1954. The southern part of this buffer zone, marked by the Civilian Control Line, takes up approximately 1 percent of South Korea’s total land area.
This special setup has turned the area into a sanctuary for many endangered plants and animals. Of the 282 endangered species in South Korea, 108 can be found here. Cranes are among them.
In January, along the inter-Korean border, nearly 2,600 red-crowned cranes and 10,000 white-naped cranes were observed. This accounts for 57 and 71 percent of the global populations of these species, respectively, estimated at approximately 4,500 red-crowned cranes and 14,000 white-naped cranes worldwide.
The migratory birds are known to be highly sensitive to human presence, making encounters with them in urban areas nearly impossible. Globally, the opportunity to see cranes in large groups is exceptionally rare.
Off-limits to humans for 70 years, S. Korea's border zone becomes sanctuary for rare cranes
Quebec marine park to nearly quadruple in size in effort to protect belugas
The Saguenay-Saint-Laurent Marine Park will almost quadruple in size as part of an expansion project to help protect fragile species located where the Saguenay River meets Quebec's St. Lawrence.
Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the project in collaboration with his provincial counterpart, Benoit Charette, at a joint news conference on Friday.
Guilbeault says the park, which is located 250 kilometres northeast of Quebec City, could reach a total size of 4,500 square kilometres — more than three and a half times its current size.
The park expansion would help protect nearly three per cent of Quebec's marine environment, including belugas, fin whales, blue whales, sea marshes and eelgrass beds.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-marine-park-to-expand-beluga-protection-1.7477665
New study shows a rare salmon population is on the rise in a Northern California creek
UC Davis researchers have documented evidence of chinook salmon returning to the Northern California creek where they were born for the first time ever, describing it as “a rare example” of a developing population in a species facing widespread declines across the state.
A new study published in the journal Ecosphere last week revealed the discovery in Putah Creek, a restored 85-mile-long stream that winds its way through Lake, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties and runs through UC Davis campus. Chinook salmon have been observed there since 2014, but were all thought to be hatchery strays; the new research shows some salmon returning to Putah Creek to spawn were also born there, meaning other altered and dam-controlled waterways around the world could have the potential to help bolster and create salmon runs, according to a news release from the university.
When Andrew Rypel, director of the UC Davis center for watershed sciences and co-author of the paper, first began studying the creek back in 2017, he said he counted only a handful to a dozen fish in the system. The creek “barely flowed at all” after the concrete Monticello Dam — which created Lake Berryessa — was built in the 1950s, drastically reducing water that ran to Putah Creek. After a lawsuit in 2000, the Putah Creek Accord mandated year-round flows to protect wildlife and habitats there, with UC Davis experts, state agencies, nonprofits and members of the community working to monitor and rehabilitate the creek year-round.
‘A big deal’: Salmon make a major comeback in Northern California creek
Hope for endangered penguins as no-fishing zones agreed off South Africa
Efforts to stop the critically endangered African penguin from going extinct took a step forward on Tuesday after South African conservationists and fishing industry groups reached a legal settlement on no-fishing zones around six of the penguins’ major breeding colonies.
Sardine and anchovy fishing will not be allowed for 12 miles (20km) around the penguin colony off Cape Town on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and Bird Island, across the bay from Gqeberha, also known as Port Elizabeth. There will be more limited closures around four other colonies, according to a court order formalising the agreement.
Hope for endangered penguins as no-fishing zones agreed off South Africa
50,000 redfish released in Biscayne Bay for first time in 30 years
For the first time in nearly three decades, 50,000 juvenile redfish were released into Biscayne Bay on Wednesday as part of a large-scale conservation effort to restore the species along Florida's East Coast.
Anglers, families and conservationists gathered at Matheson Hammock Park to witness the historic release, led by the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida (CCA Florida) and Duke Energy Florida.
50,000 redfish released in Biscayne Bay for first time in 30 years
Siamese crocodile release into the wild marks conservation milestone in Cambodia
In a conservation milestone, 10 Siamese crocodiles were released this month into Cambodia’s Virachey National Park for the first time, as part of a decades-long effort to save the critically endangered species.
The Siamese crocodile is one of the world’s rarest crocodilians, with less than 1,000 individuals estimated to be surviving in the wild.
The species hasn’t been sighted for more than 20 years in Virachey, one of Cambodia’s most remote national parks nestled in the northeastern corner of the kingdom on the border of Laos and Vietnam.
Combined with recent record-breaking hatchings both in the wild and in captivity, as well as new records of releases into the Cardamom Mountains, conservationists hope to build a second species stronghold in Cambodia.
“It is not every day in conservation that you can say you are achieving and seeing tangible results. This is one of those rare occasions,” said Pablo Sinovas, country director for the NGO Fauna & Flora in Cambodia, in an interview with Mongabay. “We are cautiously optimistic, but at the same time the species is still critically endangered and key wetland habitats across the region continue to decline.”
Siamese crocodile release into the wild marks conservation milestone in Cambodia
Community-based conservation cuts thresher shark fishing by 91% in Indonesia: Study
A thresher shark conservation effort in eastern Indonesia focusing on alternative sources of income has reduced up to 90% of catches of the globally endangered species, a new study shows.
For decades, the pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) has been a primary target for small-scale fishing communities in Alor Archipelago of Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province for decades, sustaining subsistence livelihoods and serving as a protein source. However, this shark’s population across the Indo-Pacific has dwindled 50-79% over the last three generations, with Indonesia — as the world’s largest shark fishing nation — seeing severe declines of an estimated reduction of up to 83%.
A group of researchers and conservationists from Indonesia and the U.K. recently published their study showing that implementing zero thresher fishing coupled with bottom-up livelihood-based conservation intervention lowered shark catches by 91% among participating fishers compared with non-participants. The participants also experienced increases in their income, in some cases by 5.2 times relative to the income before the intervention.
Community-based conservation cuts thresher shark fishing by 91% in Indonesia: Study
Expectations set for a record-breaking orange-bellied parrot migration as more captive-bred birds released
Almost 30 critically endangered orange-bellied parrots have been released into Tasmania's wilderness, with wildlife experts forecasting the biggest winter migration since conservation efforts began three decades ago.
The orange-bellied parrot, just bigger than a budgerigar, only breeds in Tasmania and travels to coastal Victoria and South Australia for winter.
Up against habitat loss, disease, loss of genetic diversity and climate change, its population has plummeted in recent years, reaching rock bottom about a decade ago with as few as 17 birds.
State Environment Minister Madeleine Ogilvie said it followed the return of a "record-breaking" 92 parrots last year after their winter on the mainland.
Together with 15 captive-bred adults released in spring, Ms Ogilvie said the birds had produced 105 nestlings — the biggest number since monitoring began in 1994.
"That's a remarkable turnaround compared to the 2015-16 breeding season, when only 15 nestlings were produced, and an estimated 35 birds migrated north."
'Another record' expected as more captive-bred orange-bellied parrots released
Malleefowl survive summer bushfires through ingenious nests, but danger remains
The malleefowl, considered vulnerable in Australia, is close to the heart of people in Western Victoria.
Its image adorns signs on the roads into local towns, and its distinctive call is even said to lend its name to the district of Lowan.
So when ravaging bushfires tore through the Little Desert National Park in January, one of the few areas where the malleefowl remained, conservationists were concerned.
But it turns out their fears were unfounded.
Parks Victoria chief scientist Mark Norman said the birds appeared to have survived, despite more than 93,000 hectares of their habitat going up in flames.
Dr Norman said the fact that the nests were filled with compost and the temperature regulated to around 33 degrees Celsius could have helped them survive the bushfire.
"The mounds are good insulation, so the fires don't cook or burn the eggs or chicks, they can survive afterwards," he said.
Vulnerable bird builds 'ingenious' nests to survive bushfires
I took a quick glance at the thread and I'm pretty sure none of these stories were posted already.Rare Mediterranean monk seals making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts
Dendrinos, a marine biologist and coordinator of the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal — or MOm — that has pioneered the Monachus monachus conservation program, says the monk seal is the only seal species in the Mediterranean Sea and also "one of the rarest species of seal and marine mammal in the world.”
“To protect an animal like the Mediterranean monk seal in its natural environment, you essentially have to protect the entire marine ecosystem,” he said.
Rare Mediterranean monk seals making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts
Off-limits to humans for 70 years, S. Korea's border zone becomes sanctuary for rare cranes
Near the border dividing the Korean Peninsula into North and South Korea, a long strip of land has remained off-limits to humans since 1954. The southern part of this buffer zone, marked by the Civilian Control Line, takes up approximately 1 percent of South Korea’s total land area.
This special setup has turned the area into a sanctuary for many endangered plants and animals. Of the 282 endangered species in South Korea, 108 can be found here. Cranes are among them.
In January, along the inter-Korean border, nearly 2,600 red-crowned cranes and 10,000 white-naped cranes were observed. This accounts for 57 and 71 percent of the global populations of these species, respectively, estimated at approximately 4,500 red-crowned cranes and 14,000 white-naped cranes worldwide.
The migratory birds are known to be highly sensitive to human presence, making encounters with them in urban areas nearly impossible. Globally, the opportunity to see cranes in large groups is exceptionally rare.
Off-limits to humans for 70 years, S. Korea's border zone becomes sanctuary for rare cranes
Quebec marine park to nearly quadruple in size in effort to protect belugas
The Saguenay-Saint-Laurent Marine Park will almost quadruple in size as part of an expansion project to help protect fragile species located where the Saguenay River meets Quebec's St. Lawrence.
Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the project in collaboration with his provincial counterpart, Benoit Charette, at a joint news conference on Friday.
Guilbeault says the park, which is located 250 kilometres northeast of Quebec City, could reach a total size of 4,500 square kilometres — more than three and a half times its current size.
The park expansion would help protect nearly three per cent of Quebec's marine environment, including belugas, fin whales, blue whales, sea marshes and eelgrass beds.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-marine-park-to-expand-beluga-protection-1.7477665
New study shows a rare salmon population is on the rise in a Northern California creek
UC Davis researchers have documented evidence of chinook salmon returning to the Northern California creek where they were born for the first time ever, describing it as “a rare example” of a developing population in a species facing widespread declines across the state.
A new study published in the journal Ecosphere last week revealed the discovery in Putah Creek, a restored 85-mile-long stream that winds its way through Lake, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties and runs through UC Davis campus. Chinook salmon have been observed there since 2014, but were all thought to be hatchery strays; the new research shows some salmon returning to Putah Creek to spawn were also born there, meaning other altered and dam-controlled waterways around the world could have the potential to help bolster and create salmon runs, according to a news release from the university.
When Andrew Rypel, director of the UC Davis center for watershed sciences and co-author of the paper, first began studying the creek back in 2017, he said he counted only a handful to a dozen fish in the system. The creek “barely flowed at all” after the concrete Monticello Dam — which created Lake Berryessa — was built in the 1950s, drastically reducing water that ran to Putah Creek. After a lawsuit in 2000, the Putah Creek Accord mandated year-round flows to protect wildlife and habitats there, with UC Davis experts, state agencies, nonprofits and members of the community working to monitor and rehabilitate the creek year-round.
‘A big deal’: Salmon make a major comeback in Northern California creek
Hope for endangered penguins as no-fishing zones agreed off South Africa
Efforts to stop the critically endangered African penguin from going extinct took a step forward on Tuesday after South African conservationists and fishing industry groups reached a legal settlement on no-fishing zones around six of the penguins’ major breeding colonies.
Sardine and anchovy fishing will not be allowed for 12 miles (20km) around the penguin colony off Cape Town on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and Bird Island, across the bay from Gqeberha, also known as Port Elizabeth. There will be more limited closures around four other colonies, according to a court order formalising the agreement.
Hope for endangered penguins as no-fishing zones agreed off South Africa
50,000 redfish released in Biscayne Bay for first time in 30 years
For the first time in nearly three decades, 50,000 juvenile redfish were released into Biscayne Bay on Wednesday as part of a large-scale conservation effort to restore the species along Florida's East Coast.
Anglers, families and conservationists gathered at Matheson Hammock Park to witness the historic release, led by the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida (CCA Florida) and Duke Energy Florida.
50,000 redfish released in Biscayne Bay for first time in 30 years
Siamese crocodile release into the wild marks conservation milestone in Cambodia
In a conservation milestone, 10 Siamese crocodiles were released this month into Cambodia’s Virachey National Park for the first time, as part of a decades-long effort to save the critically endangered species.
The Siamese crocodile is one of the world’s rarest crocodilians, with less than 1,000 individuals estimated to be surviving in the wild.
The species hasn’t been sighted for more than 20 years in Virachey, one of Cambodia’s most remote national parks nestled in the northeastern corner of the kingdom on the border of Laos and Vietnam.
Combined with recent record-breaking hatchings both in the wild and in captivity, as well as new records of releases into the Cardamom Mountains, conservationists hope to build a second species stronghold in Cambodia.
“It is not every day in conservation that you can say you are achieving and seeing tangible results. This is one of those rare occasions,” said Pablo Sinovas, country director for the NGO Fauna & Flora in Cambodia, in an interview with Mongabay. “We are cautiously optimistic, but at the same time the species is still critically endangered and key wetland habitats across the region continue to decline.”
Siamese crocodile release into the wild marks conservation milestone in Cambodia
Community-based conservation cuts thresher shark fishing by 91% in Indonesia: Study
A thresher shark conservation effort in eastern Indonesia focusing on alternative sources of income has reduced up to 90% of catches of the globally endangered species, a new study shows.
For decades, the pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) has been a primary target for small-scale fishing communities in Alor Archipelago of Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province for decades, sustaining subsistence livelihoods and serving as a protein source. However, this shark’s population across the Indo-Pacific has dwindled 50-79% over the last three generations, with Indonesia — as the world’s largest shark fishing nation — seeing severe declines of an estimated reduction of up to 83%.
A group of researchers and conservationists from Indonesia and the U.K. recently published their study showing that implementing zero thresher fishing coupled with bottom-up livelihood-based conservation intervention lowered shark catches by 91% among participating fishers compared with non-participants. The participants also experienced increases in their income, in some cases by 5.2 times relative to the income before the intervention.
Community-based conservation cuts thresher shark fishing by 91% in Indonesia: Study
Expectations set for a record-breaking orange-bellied parrot migration as more captive-bred birds released
Almost 30 critically endangered orange-bellied parrots have been released into Tasmania's wilderness, with wildlife experts forecasting the biggest winter migration since conservation efforts began three decades ago.
The orange-bellied parrot, just bigger than a budgerigar, only breeds in Tasmania and travels to coastal Victoria and South Australia for winter.
Up against habitat loss, disease, loss of genetic diversity and climate change, its population has plummeted in recent years, reaching rock bottom about a decade ago with as few as 17 birds.
State Environment Minister Madeleine Ogilvie said it followed the return of a "record-breaking" 92 parrots last year after their winter on the mainland.
Together with 15 captive-bred adults released in spring, Ms Ogilvie said the birds had produced 105 nestlings — the biggest number since monitoring began in 1994.
"That's a remarkable turnaround compared to the 2015-16 breeding season, when only 15 nestlings were produced, and an estimated 35 birds migrated north."
'Another record' expected as more captive-bred orange-bellied parrots released
Malleefowl survive summer bushfires through ingenious nests, but danger remains
The malleefowl, considered vulnerable in Australia, is close to the heart of people in Western Victoria.
Its image adorns signs on the roads into local towns, and its distinctive call is even said to lend its name to the district of Lowan.
So when ravaging bushfires tore through the Little Desert National Park in January, one of the few areas where the malleefowl remained, conservationists were concerned.
But it turns out their fears were unfounded.
Parks Victoria chief scientist Mark Norman said the birds appeared to have survived, despite more than 93,000 hectares of their habitat going up in flames.
Dr Norman said the fact that the nests were filled with compost and the temperature regulated to around 33 degrees Celsius could have helped them survive the bushfire.
"The mounds are good insulation, so the fires don't cook or burn the eggs or chicks, they can survive afterwards," he said.
Vulnerable bird builds 'ingenious' nests to survive bushfires
There are a few species that I monitor year to year to gage their growth (or decline)
One of them is the Mediterranean monk seal. According to the article linked there are
an estimated 800 world wide. I have that as an estimate in 2023. I have an estimated population
in 2024 of 815-997. Given the vast majority give birth in March I wonder what the 2025 total will shake out at.
Do you know how individual populations are going? Morocco versus east Mediterrain?
I don't have exact figures but both populations have been increasing.
The Western population had a pretty big crash a few years ago due to canine distemper but has
been recovering. Additionally a small subpopulation has been established on another island and that one is increasing as well. Sometimes monitoring animal populations can be frustrating
because the figures seem to come out randomly and for most of them there is not one source you can go to to check with regularity. That used to be the case for Whooping cranes and California Condor but that kinda stopped under the first trump reign and hasn't recovered (and certainly won't for the next 4 years).
The Western population had a pretty big crash a few years ago due to canine distemper but has
been recovering. Additionally a small subpopulation has been established on another island and that one is increasing as well. Sometimes monitoring animal populations can be frustrating
because the figures seem to come out randomly and for most of them there is not one source you can go to to check with regularity. That used to be the case for Whooping cranes and California Condor but that kinda stopped under the first trump reign and hasn't recovered (and certainly won't for the next 4 years).
After outcry, Brazil Supreme Court nixes proposal for mining on Indigenous lands
After outcry, Brazil Supreme Court nixes proposal for mining on Indigenous lands
- Brazil’s Supreme Court backed down and withdrew its proposal to open up Indigenous territories to mining and economic activities from a controversial bill that critics say violates the Constitution.
- On the same day, the Federal Attorney General’s Office presented a draft presidential decree also excluding mining activities on Indigenous territories but allowing tourism and other activities led by Indigenous communities.
- Both drafts would keep contentious articles regarding compensation for non-Indigenous settlers, which could make the land demarcation process unfeasible, critics say.
- The proposals are the outcome of a years long legal battle centered in the highly controversial time frame thesis, aiming to nullify any Indigenous land demarcation claims to areas that weren’t physically occupied before the 1988 Constitution.
After outcry, Brazil Supreme Court nixes proposal for mining on Indigenous lands
Project Beaver worked with the Bureau of Land Management to restore the large rodents to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
In February, over a dozen beaver enthusiasts donned snowshoes and filed to a headwaters creek in southwest Oregon to watch as five beavers were introduced to their new home.
One by one, the furry rodents clambered out of cloth bags and slid down the snowy bank into the frigid water.
The release marks a milestone for the Vesper Meadow Education Program, which has been rehabilitating wet meadow habitat on private land nearby.
Beavers reintroduced to southwest Oregon to restore wetlands
In February, over a dozen beaver enthusiasts donned snowshoes and filed to a headwaters creek in southwest Oregon to watch as five beavers were introduced to their new home.
One by one, the furry rodents clambered out of cloth bags and slid down the snowy bank into the frigid water.
The release marks a milestone for the Vesper Meadow Education Program, which has been rehabilitating wet meadow habitat on private land nearby.
Beavers reintroduced to southwest Oregon to restore wetlands
Lessons from the Páramos: How Watershed Conservation is Restoring Biodiversity
For more than a century, condors were rarely seen in the Andean Mountains surrounding Ecuador’s capital city of Quito. Populations of the iconic bird had once been so abundant across South America, they were designated the national bird of Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Colombia. But condors began to disappear in the early 1900s as ranches took over the mountainsides and converted native habitat into grazing lands for cattle, sheep and other livestock.
The livestock, in turn, ate the native plants needed by local wildlife and disrupted the fragile páramo ecosystems—high-altitude wetlands that act like sponges, soaking up water during the rainy season and slowly releasing it to local grasslands, forests, rivers and communities during the dry season.
Lessons from the Páramos: How Watershed Conservation is Restoring Biodiversity
For more than a century, condors were rarely seen in the Andean Mountains surrounding Ecuador’s capital city of Quito. Populations of the iconic bird had once been so abundant across South America, they were designated the national bird of Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Colombia. But condors began to disappear in the early 1900s as ranches took over the mountainsides and converted native habitat into grazing lands for cattle, sheep and other livestock.
The livestock, in turn, ate the native plants needed by local wildlife and disrupted the fragile páramo ecosystems—high-altitude wetlands that act like sponges, soaking up water during the rainy season and slowly releasing it to local grasslands, forests, rivers and communities during the dry season.
Lessons from the Páramos: How Watershed Conservation is Restoring Biodiversity
SeaOtterHQ
Well-Known Member
Gopher tortoises find new home on Florida coast after astonishing journey to flee hurricane
Dozens of gopher tortoises survived a perilous sea crossing after being swept from their homes during Hurricane Helene last summer, and are enjoying a new lease of life on a remote stretch of Florida coastline.
Rangers at Fort de Soto county park near St Petersburg say that before the September storm only eight of the vulnerable species were known to be living there.
Now, after their astonishing journey, a count last month confirmed 84 active burrows, suggesting the tortoises quickly adapted to their new habitat after their enforced eviction from Egmont Key national wildlife refuge, a tiny island more than two miles west that was pummeled by the category 4 hurricane.
As well as sparking a surge of interest in the park in the form of visitors keen to catch a glimpse of the unexpected new arrivals, the tortoises are also providing benefits for some of the animals that already lived in the 1,100-acre (445-hectare) environment.
“They’re a keystone species, which means they share their burrows with other species, and there’s been something like 250 different species recorded as living in gopher tortoise burrows,” said Anna Yu, a Fort De Soto ranger who has assumed responsibility for the roving reptiles’ wellbeing.
“Everybody in the ecosystem benefits from gopher tortoises being there, and we’ll hopefully see an increase in biodiversity in the park. Because we have all these new burrows, other animals are able to use them, like eastern diamondback snakes, black racers, all kinds of different reptiles.
Gopher tortoises find new home on Florida coast after astonishing journey to flee hurricane
Dozens of gopher tortoises survived a perilous sea crossing after being swept from their homes during Hurricane Helene last summer, and are enjoying a new lease of life on a remote stretch of Florida coastline.
Rangers at Fort de Soto county park near St Petersburg say that before the September storm only eight of the vulnerable species were known to be living there.
Now, after their astonishing journey, a count last month confirmed 84 active burrows, suggesting the tortoises quickly adapted to their new habitat after their enforced eviction from Egmont Key national wildlife refuge, a tiny island more than two miles west that was pummeled by the category 4 hurricane.
As well as sparking a surge of interest in the park in the form of visitors keen to catch a glimpse of the unexpected new arrivals, the tortoises are also providing benefits for some of the animals that already lived in the 1,100-acre (445-hectare) environment.
“They’re a keystone species, which means they share their burrows with other species, and there’s been something like 250 different species recorded as living in gopher tortoise burrows,” said Anna Yu, a Fort De Soto ranger who has assumed responsibility for the roving reptiles’ wellbeing.
“Everybody in the ecosystem benefits from gopher tortoises being there, and we’ll hopefully see an increase in biodiversity in the park. Because we have all these new burrows, other animals are able to use them, like eastern diamondback snakes, black racers, all kinds of different reptiles.
Gopher tortoises find new home on Florida coast after astonishing journey to flee hurricane
Australia now protects more ocean than any other country on earth
Australia now protects more ocean than any other country on earth, with the Albanese Labor Government signing off a massive 310,000 km2 expansion of the sub-Antarctic Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park.
The decision means that for the first time ever more than half (52 per cent) of Australia’s oceans are now under protection, blitzing a 30 per cent target the Government signed up to as part of a UN nature treaty in 2022.
This decision cements Australia’s role as a global leader in marine conservation. It is the biggest contribution to ocean conservation anywhere on the planet this year.
Australia now protects more ocean than any other country on earth | Ministers
Australia now protects more ocean than any other country on earth, with the Albanese Labor Government signing off a massive 310,000 km2 expansion of the sub-Antarctic Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park.
The decision means that for the first time ever more than half (52 per cent) of Australia’s oceans are now under protection, blitzing a 30 per cent target the Government signed up to as part of a UN nature treaty in 2022.
This decision cements Australia’s role as a global leader in marine conservation. It is the biggest contribution to ocean conservation anywhere on the planet this year.
Australia now protects more ocean than any other country on earth | Ministers
The long-term impacts of Marine Protected Areas on fish catch and socioeconomic development in Tanzania
Abstract
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a cornerstone of marine conservation efforts, with the potential to protect biodiversity and provide socioeconomic benefits. We quantified the effect of MPAs on fishing outcomes, economic activities, and material living standards in 24 coastal villages of Tanzania over two decades. We accessed original data from a study conducted in 2003 that found no effect of MPAs 3–8 years after their creation. Eighteen years later, we replicated the survey and used a Before-After Control-Intervention design to quantify the effect of MPAs. We found that villages near MPAs experienced a 50% higher improvement in living standards compared to those further from MPAs. This benefit is not related to higher fishing outcomes but to a diversification of economic sectors. Our findings highlight a decoupling between fish catches and economic benefits, revealing that socio-economic outcomes can be observed for MPAs whose ecosystems’ productivity has declined.
https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.13048
Abstract
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a cornerstone of marine conservation efforts, with the potential to protect biodiversity and provide socioeconomic benefits. We quantified the effect of MPAs on fishing outcomes, economic activities, and material living standards in 24 coastal villages of Tanzania over two decades. We accessed original data from a study conducted in 2003 that found no effect of MPAs 3–8 years after their creation. Eighteen years later, we replicated the survey and used a Before-After Control-Intervention design to quantify the effect of MPAs. We found that villages near MPAs experienced a 50% higher improvement in living standards compared to those further from MPAs. This benefit is not related to higher fishing outcomes but to a diversification of economic sectors. Our findings highlight a decoupling between fish catches and economic benefits, revealing that socio-economic outcomes can be observed for MPAs whose ecosystems’ productivity has declined.
https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.13048
Study finds signs of tuna abundance outside marine protected areas
Study finds signs of tuna abundance outside marine protected areas
- Experts debate the degree to which marine protected areas (MPAs) that are closed to industrial fishing boost fish population abundance or fishing success outside their borders.
- A recent study indicates that large-scale no-fishing MPAs do provide “spillover” benefits: It showed purse seiner vessels caught more tuna per unit of fishing effort in the 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) surrounding large MPAs than they would have if the MPAs did not exist.
- Such findings could strengthen the case for establishing large MPAs, which could be on the table once international agreements, including the High Seas Treaty, are rolled out in coming years.
- Some fisheries scientists argue that MPAs are not a good method of fisheries management; one critiqued the recent study.
Study finds signs of tuna abundance outside marine protected areas
Endangered Birds Return to Kamaka for First Time in 100+ Years!
Endangered Birds Return to Kamaka for First Time in 100+ Years! - Island Conservation
- Endangered Polynesian storm-petrels returning to Kamaka Island, French Polynesia within one month of social attraction tools being deployed.
- Polynesian storm-petrels have not been recorded on Kamaka Island for over 100 years due to invasive rats. These seabirds are able to nest on Kamaka Island now thanks to the successful removal of invasive rats in 2022.
- There are only 250-1,000 individuals left of the Polynesian storm-petrel left in the wild, so the potential for a new secure breeding population is incredibly important.
Endangered Birds Return to Kamaka for First Time in 100+ Years! - Island Conservation
SeaOtterHQ
Well-Known Member
Back to the skies: the unlikely comeback of one of Brazil’s rarest parrots
SPVS’s main effort, however, takes place elsewhere on the island: at the breeding sites in the interior, where the large trees of the coastal Atlantic Forest provide the necessary shelter for the birds to set up their nests between September and January. As hollows were becoming scarce — precisely because of the lack of these trees — the solution for conservationists was to build artificial nests: wooden boxes suspended in the canopy, tailor-made for the red-tailed amazon.
It was around this time that Antonio began trading the sea for the forest, using his carpentry skills — acquired before becoming a fisherman — to create the project’s first artificial nests. “I would trade 3 kilos of shrimp for two construction planks and make the boxes,” he recalls. In other words, guanandi trees destined to become houses also returned to the forest in the form of nests. “Back then, people said it wouldn’t work. But one day, I went into the forest, and there was a chick inside the box. That was it, that was a path.” Antonio was an SPVS employee and worked for the organization for 23 years, responsible for monitoring the nests together with Leco.
The first 15 nests were installed in 2003, and according to Elenise, “they were 100% occupied.” “Parrots are very smart, very observant animals. We thought they would be a bit suspicious in the first year, but even before the breeding season started they began occupying the nests.” She adds that even the predators were caught off guard: “We have camera trap footage showing a hawk trying to get into the nest, but it couldn’t.”
With the support of Loro Parque Foundation, 111 artificial nests were installed on Rasa Island and nearby smaller islands, along with another 18 on the southern coast of São Paulo. Not all of them are made of wood: in recent years, SPVS has been testing polyethylene and PVC nests, to test the parrot’s preference. But they’re not very picky — they accept every type of nest, and even fight over them. “I’ve seen parrots rolling on the ground,” says Elenise.
With reduced predation, the guarantee of safe nests and the presence of SPVS inhibiting illegal capture, the population of red-tailed amazons began to soar, reaching the current 9,000 individuals — about 7,500 in Paraná and another 1,500 in São Paulo. In 2004, its status on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List moved from “endangered” to “vulnerable”, and in 2017 moved up to “near threatened”, one before “least concern.” No other animal in Brazil has documented such a feat. And, in this category, it’s the only Brazilian species whose population is increasing.
Back to the skies: the unlikely comeback of one of Brazil’s rarest parrots
Fishing for cephalopod DNA allows for efficient marine surveying
A new DNA probes allow for efficient surveying of the hidden lives of squids and octopuses in the deep sea. This development by Kobe University provides an effective tool for marine ecological research and conservation efforts.
Squids and octopuses eat and are eaten, and in between that they move around a lot. "Cephalopods play an important role in marine ecosystems, contributing to the distribution of energy and nutrients in the food web," explains Kobe University marine ecologist Wu Qianqian. And while for ecological research it is therefore essential to know about the distribution of the various species of squids and octopuses, collectively known as cephalopods, their deep-sea habitat is largely inaccessible to direct surveys.
Wu says, "The deep sea covers a large portion of Earth's surface and is home to many unknown organisms whose ecology remains largely unexplored."
Wu and her team therefore set out to develop a detection system based on DNA released to the environment. In the technique known as "environmental DNA metabarcoding," the environmental DNA is probed with small pieces of DNA specific to the target, similar to how anglers use specific bait to catch a particular species.
In the journal Marine Environmental Research, the Kobe University researchers now report that they have developed DNA probes, called "primers," that could specifically detect DNA from a broad range of cephalopod species. This worked both in mock samples created from tissues from the Osaka Museum of Natural History and in sea samples from the surface all the way down to 2,000 meters deep.
In the latter, their ability to detect some species of cephalopods in the waters around Japan for the first time is a testament to the power of their technique. One possible key element in their success was that Wu and her colleagues were fishing for longer DNA fragments than had been attempted before.
Fishing for cephalopod DNA allows for efficient marine surveying
- Habitat loss and the illegal pet trade drove the red-tailed amazon (Amazona brasiliensis), endemic to the southeastern Brazilian coast, to fewer than 5,000 individuals by the end of the 20th Century
- Thanks to a project to install artificial nests on an island on the Paraná coast, the number of parrots almost doubled in 20 years, taking the bird from “endangered” to “near threatened” status, the only case of its kind in Brazil.
SPVS’s main effort, however, takes place elsewhere on the island: at the breeding sites in the interior, where the large trees of the coastal Atlantic Forest provide the necessary shelter for the birds to set up their nests between September and January. As hollows were becoming scarce — precisely because of the lack of these trees — the solution for conservationists was to build artificial nests: wooden boxes suspended in the canopy, tailor-made for the red-tailed amazon.
It was around this time that Antonio began trading the sea for the forest, using his carpentry skills — acquired before becoming a fisherman — to create the project’s first artificial nests. “I would trade 3 kilos of shrimp for two construction planks and make the boxes,” he recalls. In other words, guanandi trees destined to become houses also returned to the forest in the form of nests. “Back then, people said it wouldn’t work. But one day, I went into the forest, and there was a chick inside the box. That was it, that was a path.” Antonio was an SPVS employee and worked for the organization for 23 years, responsible for monitoring the nests together with Leco.
The first 15 nests were installed in 2003, and according to Elenise, “they were 100% occupied.” “Parrots are very smart, very observant animals. We thought they would be a bit suspicious in the first year, but even before the breeding season started they began occupying the nests.” She adds that even the predators were caught off guard: “We have camera trap footage showing a hawk trying to get into the nest, but it couldn’t.”
With the support of Loro Parque Foundation, 111 artificial nests were installed on Rasa Island and nearby smaller islands, along with another 18 on the southern coast of São Paulo. Not all of them are made of wood: in recent years, SPVS has been testing polyethylene and PVC nests, to test the parrot’s preference. But they’re not very picky — they accept every type of nest, and even fight over them. “I’ve seen parrots rolling on the ground,” says Elenise.
With reduced predation, the guarantee of safe nests and the presence of SPVS inhibiting illegal capture, the population of red-tailed amazons began to soar, reaching the current 9,000 individuals — about 7,500 in Paraná and another 1,500 in São Paulo. In 2004, its status on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List moved from “endangered” to “vulnerable”, and in 2017 moved up to “near threatened”, one before “least concern.” No other animal in Brazil has documented such a feat. And, in this category, it’s the only Brazilian species whose population is increasing.
Back to the skies: the unlikely comeback of one of Brazil’s rarest parrots
Fishing for cephalopod DNA allows for efficient marine surveying
A new DNA probes allow for efficient surveying of the hidden lives of squids and octopuses in the deep sea. This development by Kobe University provides an effective tool for marine ecological research and conservation efforts.
Squids and octopuses eat and are eaten, and in between that they move around a lot. "Cephalopods play an important role in marine ecosystems, contributing to the distribution of energy and nutrients in the food web," explains Kobe University marine ecologist Wu Qianqian. And while for ecological research it is therefore essential to know about the distribution of the various species of squids and octopuses, collectively known as cephalopods, their deep-sea habitat is largely inaccessible to direct surveys.
Wu says, "The deep sea covers a large portion of Earth's surface and is home to many unknown organisms whose ecology remains largely unexplored."
Wu and her team therefore set out to develop a detection system based on DNA released to the environment. In the technique known as "environmental DNA metabarcoding," the environmental DNA is probed with small pieces of DNA specific to the target, similar to how anglers use specific bait to catch a particular species.
In the journal Marine Environmental Research, the Kobe University researchers now report that they have developed DNA probes, called "primers," that could specifically detect DNA from a broad range of cephalopod species. This worked both in mock samples created from tissues from the Osaka Museum of Natural History and in sea samples from the surface all the way down to 2,000 meters deep.
In the latter, their ability to detect some species of cephalopods in the waters around Japan for the first time is a testament to the power of their technique. One possible key element in their success was that Wu and her colleagues were fishing for longer DNA fragments than had been attempted before.
Fishing for cephalopod DNA allows for efficient marine surveying
Cichlid species, previously ‘lost’ to science rediscovered in Lake Victoria!
Lipochromis microdon is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Victoria. It hasn’t been formally recorded since 1985 and for decades, it was thought to be lost or possibly extinct as a victim of the dramatic ecological changes in Lake Victoria. Like many other haplochromine cichlids, and fish larvae eaters specifically, this species faced immense pressure from habitat degradation and the arrival of invasive species. However, in a surprising turn of events, recent sampling efforts have confirmed that Lipochromis microdon is still alive, offering a glimmer of hope for its conservation.
Cichlid species, previously 'lost' to science rediscovered in Lake Victoria! - Shoal
Lipochromis microdon is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Victoria. It hasn’t been formally recorded since 1985 and for decades, it was thought to be lost or possibly extinct as a victim of the dramatic ecological changes in Lake Victoria. Like many other haplochromine cichlids, and fish larvae eaters specifically, this species faced immense pressure from habitat degradation and the arrival of invasive species. However, in a surprising turn of events, recent sampling efforts have confirmed that Lipochromis microdon is still alive, offering a glimmer of hope for its conservation.
Cichlid species, previously 'lost' to science rediscovered in Lake Victoria! - Shoal
Caribbean reef sharks rebound in Belize with shark fishers’ help
Caribbean reef sharks rebound in Belize with shark fishers’ help
- Endangered Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) and other shark species are making a striking recovery in Belize after plummeting due to overfishing between 2009 and 2019, according to recent observations.
- Experts say the establishment of no-shark-fishing zones around Belize’s three atolls in 2021 is what enabled the population boom.
- A remarkable cooperation and synergy among shark fishers, marine scientists and management authorities gave rise to the shark safe havens and led to their success, experts say.
Caribbean reef sharks rebound in Belize with shark fishers’ help
New protection announced for the endangered Chiquitania dry tropical forest: Expansion of the San Rafael municipal protected area
In the San Rafael de Velasco municipality in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz department, the expansion of the San Rafael municipal protected area on September 16th, 2024, safeguards 725,664 acres (293,666 hectares) more of Chiquitano dry tropical forests threatened by deforestation and fires. The San Rafael de Velasco municipal protected area improves the conservation of the biodiverse yet threatened Chiquitano Dry Forest – the last large remaining dry tropical forest in South America, which connects with the southernmost Amazonian forests of Bolivia and the nearby Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland. The Chiquitano forest is home to a range of endemic as well as emblematic species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), and South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris).
New protection announced for the endangered Chiquitania dry tropical forest: Expansion of the San Rafael municipal protected area - Andes Amazon Fund
In the San Rafael de Velasco municipality in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz department, the expansion of the San Rafael municipal protected area on September 16th, 2024, safeguards 725,664 acres (293,666 hectares) more of Chiquitano dry tropical forests threatened by deforestation and fires. The San Rafael de Velasco municipal protected area improves the conservation of the biodiverse yet threatened Chiquitano Dry Forest – the last large remaining dry tropical forest in South America, which connects with the southernmost Amazonian forests of Bolivia and the nearby Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland. The Chiquitano forest is home to a range of endemic as well as emblematic species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), and South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris).
New protection announced for the endangered Chiquitania dry tropical forest: Expansion of the San Rafael municipal protected area - Andes Amazon Fund