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

1. Future For Nature 2020 winner Tjalle Boorsma has been working to conserve blue-throated macaw in Bolivia

“One of these projects focusses on the Red-fronted macaw, another endemic and critically endangered species. This year he conducted the first complete and systematic global Red-fronted macaw breeding population census. They found 159 active nests and 1160 macaws were counted”

2. In search of secret wildlife: The saola

“the Saolo Foundation are planning to launch an unprecedented search to rediscover saola, as it is still thought to remain in the Annamite Mountains, but probably with fewer than 100 left. They plan to form an elite tracking team who will be recruited from local communities in the saola’s range and trained how to distinguish signs of saola”

3. In DRC, community ownership of forests helps guard the Grauer’s gorilla

“The Congolese government has officially recognized community ownership of a conservation area linking two national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, giving hope for the survival of the Grauer’s gorilla, a critically endangered species. The Nkuba Conservation Area is co-managed by local communities and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, with the latter providing jobs and training initiatives for women.”

4. Wildlife-rich UK Overseas Territory announces plans to protect all its land area

“The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) said it intends to designate the entire 3,800 square kilometre (nearly 1,500 square miles) landmass of the islands as terrestrial protected areas.”

5. Landmark legislation to protect wildlife corridors passes U.S. House of Representatives

“Marking a significant step for wildlife conservation, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act  along with $400 million for projects to reduce wildlife-vehicle collissions, passed the United States House of Representatives as part of H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act. These important provisions will safeguard biodiversity while helping stimulate the U.S. economy, mitigate climate impacts, and reduce highway fatalities.”

6. The cold cases of two lost lizards in Ecuador have finally been cracked

“A quest to find every species of reptile living in Ecuador has unearthed two species that many scientists feared were extinct. While working on their forthcoming book, Reptiles of Ecuador, they found two endemic lizards that they originally didn’t think would be included: the Climbing Whorltail Iguana and the Orces Blue Whiptail”

7. Giant pandas no longer endangered in the wild, China announces

“Giant pandas are no longer endangered in the wild, but they are still vulnerable with a population outside captivity of 1,800, Chinese officials have said after years of conservation efforts.”

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