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.

(Image Credit: Martin Keivers / BBC)

1. Scotland: Numbers of rare sticky plant treble in Ochil Hills

Numbers of one of Scotland’s rarest plants have more than trebled on a hill in central Scotland following restoration work. Sticky catchfly is a nationally rare species with fewer than 18 populations scattered across Britain. The plant has a long-recorded history in Scotland and is said to have been admired by James VI on the crags of Arthur’s Seat. It can be identified by its pink flowers and sticky stem that prevents herbivorous insects such as aphids from climbing up it. However its numbers have declined and disappeared from many of its former locations due to overgrazing and gorse encroachment.

2. South Africa Gets New Nature Reserve For 2024 In Stunning Drakensberg

Not only is the Drakensberg (Drakensberg Mountains) a striking natural marvel, but it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site, famed for its singular landscape and fascinating cultural history, including rare ancient rock art. Recently, this area has gained some well-deserved attention thanks to the establishment of a new nature reserve, the Northern Drakensberg Nature Reserve (NDNR), a project that resulted from decades-long efforts to protect and promote this one-of-a-kind environment for all.

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3. Isle of Mull: Footage reveals ‘miracle eagle chick’ in flight

“Footage captured from a boat off the Isle of Mull shows a “miracle” white-tailed eagle chick in flight, after it was nursed back to health by two unusually caring parents. In an unprecedented display of extended eagle parenting, the two white-tailed parents skipped this year’s breeding season to continue to tend to their year-old offspring. The youngster’s wing was broken when the nest fell to the ground during unseasonably wild weather last year.”

4. Social study discovers overwhelming support for rewilding the Tarutino Steppe in Ukraine

The Rewilding Ukraine team have been carrying out efforts to restore the Tarutino Steppe since 2019 as part of the Danube Delta project. A social study found widespread support for rewilding among the residents of Borodino, a community which owns the steppe. The results of the study will help to guide future engagement as rewilding scales up.

Local communities will always be critical to the success of nature recovery efforts. By acting in context, rewilding aims to embrace the role of people and their cultural and socio-economic connections with the land. The comeback of wildlife and revitalisation of natural processes have the potential to enrich both lives and livelihoods, which in turn generates more support for rewilding at a community level.

5. San Francisco: A Tale of Two Manzanitas

A single Franciscan manzanita plant nicknamed Francie, the last of its kind from the wild, charts an unlikely comeback in San Francisco. The star of the tale is a shrubby, red-limbed Franciscan manzanita, and the fate of its kind may well rest on a combination of protection, the latest science, and the whims of reproduction. But don’t go looking for Francie or its offspring just yet. The plant’s exact location remains a secret, its very existence fragile and its future not yet guaranteed.

6. Jersey: Reed buntings breed for first time in 27 years

A pair of reed buntings has successfully bred in Jersey for the first time in almost 30 years. The National Trust for Jersey said it was “very excited” about the first confirmed breeding in the island since 1997. The trust said the species normally migrated to breeding grounds in eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Wildlife photographer John Ovenden, who works for Jersey’s National Trust, said he had been able to capture pictures of the migratory birds at St Ouen’s Bay.

7. Puffin numbers up on Isle of May

Puffin numbers at one of the UK’s largest colonies have increased by a third since 2017. NatureScot and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) have completed a count of burrows on the Isle of May National Nature Reserve (NNR) in the Firth of Forth, a protected and internationally important habitat for seabirds. Based on their all-island count this summer, scientists estimate there are some 52,000 occupied Puffin burrows, compared to 39,000 in the last survey in 2017 – a 33% increase.

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