Positive Wildlife News 2021

More Than $103 Million Awarded for New Restoration Projects along the Gulf Coast

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announces ninth round of grants from its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced the award of more than $103 million from its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (GEBF) to 11 new projects and two amendments in the states of Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. Developed in consultation with state and federal resource agencies, the projects are designed to remedy harm and reduce risks of future harm to natural resources that were affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

More Than $103 Million Awarded for New Restoration Projects along the Gulf Coast

 

Governor Northam dedicates Piney Grove Flatwoods as Virginia’s 66th natural area preserve

Gov. Northam dedicated Piney Grove Flatwoods in Sussex County as Virginia’s 66th natural area preserve today.

The 446 acres of woodlands are home to many rare species including the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

This new preserve is part of the 10,000-acre conservation area that includes Big Woods State Forest, Big Woods Wildlife Management Area, and The Nature Conservancy’s Big Woods.

“We have worked hard to preserve more than 120,000 additional acres to benefit Virginians,” said Northam. “Virginia’s natural area preserves have protected many of our rarest ecosystems, water quality, cultural heritage sites, and scenic views. Conservation efforts like this allow species to adapt to changing climates and are key to protecting Virginia’s environment.”

Gov. Northam dedicates Piney Grove Flatwoods as Virginia’s 66th natural area preserve

 

Historic protections to safeguard spectacular Exmouth Gulf

• Historic environmental and cultural conservation measures for Exmouth Gulf
• New marine park to protect unique Exmouth Gulf for future generations
• Qualing Pool and Camerons Cave to become Class A reserves
• McGowan Government to implement all EPA recommendations

The McGowan Government has moved to protect Exmouth Gulf and its surrounds, implementing historic conservation measures to safeguard this special part of Western Australia.

A new marine park will be established for the eastern and southern parts of the Gulf, and Class A reserves will be gazetted for local areas of significance such as Qualing Pool, Camerons Cave and the Gulf's islands.

Media statements - Historic protections to safeguard spectacular Exmouth Gulf

Ben Fitzpatrick on LinkedIn: Congratulations to the Western Australia community and Government

 

River Meuse restoration shows the wide-ranging benefits of working with nature

The Border Meuse initiative, which kicked off 30 years ago in the Netherlands, has seen river restoration deliver a triple win for nature and people. It demonstrates perfectly how rewilding can make socio-economic as well as ecological sense.

River Meuse restoration shows the wide-ranging benefits of working with nature | Rewilding Europe

 

New Ecological Reserve protects portion of Saskatchewan River Delta.

The area comprises wetlands, lakes, and river channels bordered by peat-forming fens and bogs.

New ecological reserve protects portion of Saskatchewan River Delta

 

Population of rare leopards boosted in Ningxia nature reserve

North China leopards, once on the edge of extinction but still rare, were spotted recently in Liupan Mountains in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Forestry authorities attribute the increased sightings to a 300-kilometer corridor that has made the migration of wild animals across a vast forested area possible in recent years.

The authorities say some 50 leopards live in Liupan Mountains, including over 30 members of the reclusive North China family, and feast on abundant wild boars in the nature reserve.

Population of rare leopards boosted in Ningxia nature reserve

 

Biden Administration Moves to Withdraw Trump-Era Pipeline Approval for Cadiz’s California Desert Water Grab

"Today’s motion will give the BLM the opportunity to do the right thing and prevent disruptive pumping and transport of groundwater — precious water that our fragile desert ecosystem and the species who call it home depend upon for their survival,” said Jeff Aardahl, a senior California representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “Withdrawing the earlier decision will give wildlife a fighting chance in the face of our ongoing, historic drought.”

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management today moved to scrap a Trump administration decision challenged by conservation groups last March that illegally granted a pipeline right-of-way to Cadiz Inc. without the required environmental review.

Today’s motion, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, seeks to vacate the Bureau’s approval in the final days of the Trump administration for Cadiz to repurpose a mothballed oil-and-gas pipeline crossing the Mojave Trails National Monument and other protected public land in southeastern California as a water pipeline. The right-of-way would facilitate Cadiz’s groundwater-mining scheme to drain ancient aquifers under the Mojave Desert to feed sprawling new developments in Southern California.

Biden Administration Moves to Withdraw Trump-Era Pipeline Approval for Cadiz’s California Desert Water Grab

 

Portugal Establishes the Largest Fully Protected Marine Reserve in Europe & North Atlantic

November 29, 2021—Today the government of Portugal expanded a marine protected area around the Selvagens Islands, creating the largest fully protected marine reserve in Europe at 2,677 square kilometers. The Selvagens Islands are a small archipelago in the North Atlantic located midway between Madeira and the Canary Islands.

National Geographic Pristine Seas studied the Selvagens Islands in September of 2015 in partnership with the Oceano Azul and the Waitt Foundation. During their expedition, the team conducted what was among the first underwater surveys of the ecosystem—from the shallows to the depths—and filmed the biodiversity around the islands. Using high-tech equipment including midwater pelagic cameras and drop cams, the team was able to assess pelagic communities and deep-sea habitats in addition to the shallow flora and fauna observed during dives. From their observations of the ecosystem, they found that open waters around the islands were a vital waypoint for migrating fish and mammals in the Atlantic while the nearshore waters provided important nursery habitats.

Portugal Establishes the Largest Fully Protected Marine Reserve in Europe & North Atlantic

 

A Glimmer of Hope in the Sonoran Desert

My backpack falls heavy to the ground as I sit down on a rock to rest my feet. It's the last camera trap we check after a long day of hiking and installing more of these cameras. My colleague, Cecilia, reviews the photos these devices have captured over the past few months, and her exclamation startles me. “Good news!” she shouts joyfully.

In the photo, an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) walks across the sand of a dry creek in the northern canyons of the Sierra Azul mountain range in northern Sonora, Mexico. Any sighting of this creature in this region is important to document. Not only is this species uniquely beautiful with its striking spotted coat—we were also seeing it in the very northernmost reaches of its habitat range!

A Glimmer of Hope in the Sonoran Desert — Wildlands Network

 

Rwanda Welcomes 30 White Rhinos in Largest-Ever Single Translocation

In the largest single rhino translocation ever undertaken, 30 white rhinos have been introduced to Akagera National Park in Rwanda, sourced from andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Announced on Monday November 29th, the translocation was carried out through a collaboration between the Rwanda Development Board, African Parks and and Beyond, with funding provided by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

Rwanda Welcomes 30 White Rhinos in Largest-Ever Single Translocation

 

A brighter future for black rhinos

Mama Serengeti is a critically endangered eastern black rhinoceros who lives within Serengeti National Park. Her sub-species was nearly wiped out between the 70’s and 90’s but now the population is growing, thanks to work conducted by the Tanzania National Park Authority and FZS.

A brighter future for black rhinos

 

United States Wins New Conservation Measures for Pacific Tuna and Backs Inspections to Curb Illegal Fishing

Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission also adopts controls on floating devices that help attract tuna.

Tropical tuna in the eastern Pacific Ocean gained renewed protections and science-based catch levels under resolutions advocated by the United States. They were adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission at its virtual meeting in October. The IATTC also established a framework for foreign fishing vessels to face spot inspections when they enter the port of another member nation.

The IATTC’s actions will help conserve and sustainably manage tuna and other highly migratory species that cross international boundaries. They also improve oversight of international fisheries to reduce
illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing
, a U.S. priority. The move furthers the effort to close the world’s ports to illegal fishing and give consumers additional confidence that their seafood is safe and sustainable.

United States Wins New Conservation Measures for Pacific Tuna and Backs Inspections to Curb Illegal Fishing

 

FROM HOPE SPOT TO MARINE PROTECTED AREA: A CONSERVATION WIN FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Beginning with his work in the Ningaloo Reef in 1998, Dr. Ben Fitzpatrick of Oceanwise Australia has contributed research, management, and conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems for more than two decades. As the Champion of the Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area Hope Spot established in 2019, he and his team have helped shifted the local momentum from industrialization to protection for Exmouth Gulf and the surrounding area.

Today the Government of Western Australia has announced a commitment to implement a spatial management plan for a new Marine Park in the area in congruence with the Plan for Our Parks policy. According to the official government release, “A new marine park will be established for the eastern and southern parts of the [Exmouth] Gulf, and Class A reserves will be gazetted for local areas of significance such as Qualing Pool, Camerons Cave and the Gulf’s islands.”

From Hope Spot to Marine Protected Area: A Conservation Win for Western Australia - Mission Blue

 

Two groups of more than 40 fallow deer released near Kardzhali

42 fallow deer were released on southern shore of the Kardzhali reservoir in November and are now monitored by the Rewilding Rodopes team.

“We hope that with the release the animals in the area of Boyno we will connect these two new groups with the existing population in the area of Studen Kladenets,” said Stefan Avramov, rewilding officer. The core Studen Kladenets rewilding area and its surrounding territories are home to the larest fallow deer population in Bulgaria, and perhaps in Europe. Connecting the different groups would contribute to the exchange of animals and the natural resettlement of the species on the territory of the entire Eastern Rhodopes. According to Stefan the animals are going to inhibit an extremely preserved and beautiful area with small human disturbance.

Next few months more than 50 fallow deer will be transported and released south of Krumovgrad and Momchilgrad, two other areas where the team is working and releasing animals. The goal is to gradually restore the fallow and red deer in the whole Rhodope Mountains rewidling area.

Two groups of more than 40 fallow deer released near Kardzhali | Rewilding Rhodope Mountains

 

China's wild camel population increases steadily

The population of wild camels has been steadily increasing in recent years in China, already topping 700, thanks to continuous conservation efforts.

At the end of the last century, the population of wild camels in the country declined significantly due to human activities, climate change and water shortage.

The Chinese government enhanced protection efforts by establishing two national nature reserves, in northwest China's Gansu Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which have implemented ecological restoration projects in the main habitats of wild camels.

China's wild camel population increases steadily

 

One million Amazon River turtles released at Bolivia-Brazil border in conservation effort

One million turtles have been released into a river at the Amazon border between Bolivia and Brazil in an attempt to preserve the species.

• Climate change and human activity threatens the turtles' survival
• Biologists and volunteers from Bolivia and Brazil have worked together to protect the species
• They mainly try to prevent turtles hatching where they are in danger of drowning

For years, Amazon River turtles have been losing the battle against climate change and human activity that threatens their ecosystem, directly affecting their survival.

"Today in the Guapore or Itenez River, we have a binational project for the protection and conservation of the species, especially the Amazon River turtle," Camila Ferrara, a technical supervisor working for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the region, said on Tuesday.

https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100684296

 

First Endangered Tiger Footprints in 50 Years Found in Northeast Siberia

Amur tiger footprints have been discovered in the northeast Siberian republic of Sakha for the first time in 50 years, a signal that the endangered species’ population is recovering, the state-run TASS news agency reported Tuesday.

Russia’s forest protection service found the rare footprints on the right bank of the Aldan River in southeastern Sakha, where zoologists say Amur tigers find it difficult to gain a foothold due to a lack of deciduous forests and wild boars.

First Endangered Tiger Footprints in 50 Years Found in Northeast Siberia - The Moscow Times

 

Australia's biggest national park declared in South Australia's far north

Australia's largest national park has been formally proclaimed, edging out the previous title holder Kakadu by more than a million hectares.

Key points:

• A new national park in the Simpson Desert has become Australia's largest
• It's bigger than Kakadu, and more than half the size of Tasmania
• The South Australian government has also created several other new parks

The Munga-Thirri—Simpson Desert National Park in far northern South Australia reaches the Queensland and Northern Territory borders.

https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100654714

 

New conservation concession in Peru protects 200,000 acres adjacent to Cordillera Azul National Park

Andes Amazon Fund is happy to announce the establishment of the Pauya Cushabatay Conservation Concession in Loreto, Peru on November 26, 2021. The area protects a total of 200,722 acres (81,229 ha) of montane and lowland floodplain forests, as well as forests rich in palm species. More importantly, Pauya Cushabatay is located in the buffer zone of the Cordillera Azul National Park, expanding protection to the Park’s narrowest sector, and including forest types unrepresented in the park, thus adding to its already rich biodiversity.

New conservation concession in Peru protects 200,000 acres adjacent to Cordillera Azul National Park - Andes Amazon Fund

 

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation commits $180,000 to assist Elk Migration Research

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation provided $180,000 in funding from its Torstenson Family Endowment to help continue critical elk migration corridor mapping across the West.

The grant to the University of Wyoming assists west-wide corridor mapping work, conducted collaboratively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and western state wildlife agencies. The migration work is coordinated through the USGS Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, based on the campus in Laramie.

RMEF Commits $180,000 to Assist Elk Migration Research | Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation