All we had to do was create the right conditions
Huge funding boost for wetland conservation in America
Over $157 million in funding, made available via the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, was approved last week for the conservation and restoration of 91,425 acres of wetlands and associated upland habitats in 17 states for waterfowl, shorebirds, and other birds (including 11 endangered species). FWS
The restoration of the Mar Menor lagoon is working
Spanning 135 km2, Europe’s largest coastal saltwater lagoon has been under pressure from agriculture for decades. The fightback from conservationists has now ramped up—the lagoon recently acquired a 1,500-metre-wide green buffer zone, as well as legal rights, and regulators have begun cracking down on the region’s estimated 12,000 hectares of illegally irrigated land. Geographical
Ashaninka Tribe offers new hope for the Brazilian Amazon
This is a really incredible story. A powerful model of Indigenous conservation in the Amazon is the work by the Ashaninka Tribe, who have protected and restored their territory. They are now looking to expand their model to help 12 Indigenous territories in the western Amazon covering an area of 14,500 km2, about the size of the US state of Delaware. Associated Press
Southern bluefin tuna delisted as a threatened species
The southern bluefin tuna was first listed as threatened under Australia's national environment law in 2010 due to global and recreational fishing driving down population numbers. Effective management over the last decade has resulted in a strong recovery of the population, and last week the species was delisted by Australia's environment ministry. DCCEEW
Two big environmental wins in Ecuador
Los Cedros Protected Forest, a 480-km2 reserve of cloud forest in the Ecuadorian Andes, recently notched a major victory against the oil and gas industry via the rights-of-nature movement. The Ecuadorian government has also initiated the closure of a significant block of oil wells in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, after citizens voted to prioritise conservation over oil production last year.
Hope for North America’s most endangered bird
The Florida grasshopper sparrow was near extinction only a few years ago, but conservationists are now celebrating the success of a captive-breeding recovery programme that has doubled the bird’s wild population, from a mere 80 birds five years ago to some 200 today. The next step is getting enough captive-raised birds into the wild to allow the population to become self-sustaining. Inside Climate News
US national forests are being replanted thanks to bipartisan legislation
In 2021, Republican and Democratic lawmakers passed a bill eliminating a 40-year-old cap on spending for the US Forest Service. Known as the REPLANT Act, it's been a smashing success—in 2022 and 2023, they reforested around 1,450 km2, and by the end of 2024, it's estimated that the agency's reforestation backlog of 14,500 km2 will be reduced by 15%. Time
A landmark ruling on Indigenous conservation by the African Union
The continent’s foremost intergovernmental body has ruled, after nine years of deliberation, that the government of the DRC should hand back parts of the giant Kahuzi-Biéga National Park to its ancestral owners, the Batwa people. This is a massive deal—not only for the park itself, but because it sets a legal precedent among all member states of the African Union recognizing Indigenous people's crucial role in safeguarding the environment and biodiversity. Yale360
First Nations begin restoration of oil and gas wells in British Columbia
The traditional homelands of the Saulteau and West Moberly Lake First Nations, about 750 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, are littered with tens of thousands of old, disused oil and gas wells. Now a new project run by First Nations, known as Aski Reclamation and funded by the provincial government, is aiming to reclaim and restore all the orphaned sites by 2030. The Narwhal
California passes the Poison-Free Wildlife Act
California's senate has taken a significant step forward in wildlife conservation by passing groundbreaking legislation that imposes stricter controls on the use and sale of harmful rat poisons, which have long posed a grave risk to owls, foxes, pumas, and many other species of wildlife. The new regulations will prevent the poisoning of thousands of animals each year. World Animal News
Australia recognises 750 new species
There are already some 150,000 species on the Australian National Species List, the country’s authoritative list of plants, animals, and other organisms. Hundreds more have just been added—including the 248th species of frog, a new orb-weaving spider, and a worm named after David Attenborough. Scientists hope the taxonomic bonanza will aid in conservation efforts. NPR
It’s a little bit like having a library of really valuable books in a house. If you don’t know what books are there, and then maybe there’s a threat to that house — maybe it’s a fire or something — you don’t even know what you’re going to lose. And you’re really in a bad position to conserve those books.
Euan Ritchie, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Deakin University
More music for those who will listen
- How community members turned a vacant, trash-filled lot into a thriving wetland and birding hotspot in New Orleans.
- The Linnunsuo Wetland in Finland was a brown and barren 'moonscape' 13 years ago. Today, it's a biodiverse haven thanks to the efforts of local fishers.
- The Mekong Earth Regeneration Fund is providing $200 million for regenerative agriculture and sustainable forestry in the lower Mekong region of Southeast Asia.
- Two good bird stories. The Cornish chough just had its best breeding season yet, and some welcome news for sage grouse in southeastern Idaho.
- Did you know that around 80% of aluminium produced in the United States comes from recycled aluminium products?
- In Bhutan, local communities are using ecotourism as a way to revive their economies and help protect the surrounding environment.
- Blackbuck and sambar deer—two native species of antelope in India—are breeding again after reintroduction to national reserves.
- The water vole, one of the cutest animals you'll ever see, is making a comeback in the UK, with recent releases in Northamptonshire and sightings in York.
- In South Carolina, 10,000 acres have been acquired to protect critical plant and animal habitats.
- California set up a competition for ships to go slowly off the coast in order to protect whales, and it's working better than they ever expected.
- They have dynamited 42 clandestine airstrips, set fire to 18 aircraft, seized 92,000 liters of diesel, sunk 45 dredging barges, destroyed 700 pumps, and dismantled 90 Starlink dishes.
Hope Songs in the Amazon
Meet Fernando Trujillo, a marine scientist fighting to save the pink river dolphins of the Amazon River. What started as a small research project in Colombia has expanded into a national and global mission to protect river dolphins and the waterways that are their home. After travelling 80,000 km up and down the Amazon River and training more than 500 local people to join in his effort, he's someone who sees both the challenges and the solutions for this region, more clearly than perhaps anyone else in the world.
'The main point is, it’s not just about the dolphins. It’s about the rivers, and the tens of millions of people living on their banks. The dolphins, for me, are connecting the general public to all the problems in the region. And the general public is listening.'
There are three beautiful, interweaving strands to his story—scientific curiosity, conservation, and a real commitment to working with local communities—plus an anecdote about a magical tree, which might be one of the best things we've ever heard on the podcast.