Wondering what went right this week in the conservation world? We’ve got you covered with our Conservation Optimism Round-Up! We are collating stories of optimism from around the globe so that you never miss your dose of weekly motivation.

1. How restoring key wildlife species can be a game-changing climate solution

” The paper shows that restoring populations of just three wildlife species —baleen whales, African forest elephants, and American bison —can lead to additional carbon sequestration of 0.6 GtCO2 per year and more than 40 GtCO2 in total carbon removal by 2100.”

2. In Brazil, scientists fight an uphill battle to restore the disappearing Cerrado savanna

” Researchers working on Cerrado restoration are trying to change this, fighting an uphill battle to generate knowledge, strengthen expertise, and scale up restoration. “

3. The Green Game Jam 2023 kicked off earlier this week

” Roughly 30 different studios from across the games industry are involved this year, with the theme of a ‘wild life'”

4. A 90-Year-Old Tortoise Named Mr. Pickles Is a New Dad of Three

” The zoo announced last week that Mr. Pickles and Mrs. Pickles welcomed three tortoise hatchlings: Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeño. (All three names are comfortably in the family of pickle preserves.) It was an astounding feat, zoo officials said, not only because Mr. Pickles is 90 years old, but also because the critically endangered species rarely produces offspring. ”

5. Great white sharks slowly making recovery in Canadian oceans

” Now, it’s illegal to land white sharks or trade their body parts. If caught on a longline, they must be released alive. “And it’s really brought the number of mortalities down and the numbers we see in the wild up,” said Worm. According to Worm, tagging and public awareness campaigns have also helped. “

6. The Mediterranean Monk Seal Is Making a Comeback

” In recent years, Mediterranean monk seals have rebounded sufficiently for the International Union for Conservation of Nature to bump up their status from “critically endangered” to “endangered.” They’re returning to places like Croatia and Albania, where they’d long been absent. On the Greek island of Samos, one seal called Argyro grew comfortable enough around people to recline on beach chairs and hang out at a café next to men playing backgammon.”

7. Surprisingly high genome-wide diversity in the California Condor

” Having been on the brink of extinction, you might expect very low genetic diversity in the California Condor (see for example this blog post). Surprisingly, that is not the case. A recent study in the journal Current Biology reported that “[f]or a species that was briefly extinct in the wild, the California condor has unexpectedly high genome-wide diversity.””

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