7 stories of optimism this week (09.03.26-16.03.26)

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. (Featured image credit: Alan D. Wilson, Wikimedia Commons)

1. Conservation efforts supplying Svalbard’s polar bears with more food

“A study spanning nearly three decades suggests that hunting restrictions and wildlife protections enacted decades ago have allowed prey populations to recover. That recovery now appears to be giving bears a broader and more reliable food supply than scientists expected.

The scientists tracked each bear’s body condition index, or BCI, a measure of how much fat an animal carries relative to its size, which determines its survivability in lean times and its chance to successfully raise cubs. Despite the continued decrease in sea ice, the average body condition of Svalbard’s polar bears have improved since 2000. The researchers cite sweeping wildlife protections by the Norwegian government in 1973, which has seen prey species recover to healthy levels.

2. Artificial habitat delivers world-first win for endangered palm cockatoo

“For a bird species relying on centuries-old trees and well-timed cyclones, nesting habitats are hard to come by, but an innovative effort involving artificial homes has marked a hopeful milestone in reversing the decline of the endangered palm cockatoo.

The population of the iconic bird has continued to dwindle in the vast rainforests and savannas of the Cape York Peninsula [Far North Queensland, Australia] due to a critical shortage of old tree hollows needed for breeding.

In a world-first conservation triumph, a palm cockatoo chick hatched and fledged from an artificial hollow installed by People for Wildlife (PFW), Apudthama traditional owners and palm cockatoo expert Dr Christina Zdenek, confirming that man-made habitats could successfully supplement the shortage.”

3. Montana tribes are using sovereignty to restore their waterways

The fight for the right to their waterways started three decades ago for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) in Montana. Today, it has resulted in the Water Compact, “[quantifying] the tribes’ reserved and aboriginal water rights, recognizing existing tribal cultural and religious uses and protecting other existing water rights, regardless of their basis in state or federal law.”

Despite the impact of over 100 years of industralism, the outlook is bright. Remarkable restoration work has been underway to restore polluted rivers and floodplains, and to protect the endangered and culturally-significant bull trout.

“The restoration’s importance cannot be overstated,” said Sadie Peone-Stops, CSKT member and director of the Séliš-Ql̓ispé Culture Committee. “It’s going to bring back life, and with plant and animal life, it could bring life back to the culture in new ways.”

4. Six years into tree-planting blitz, African countries reap the rewards of regreening

“When you look at our mountains now, you see that they are darker from the trees – they have become more beautiful. Wild animals returned and we have better rains,” says Mensah Agouti, a resident of Atakpame, who has participated in the project since 2019. For Agouti and his community, the forest is not only a distinct feature of the region’s landscape – their livelihoods directly depend on it.

Togo is one of seven African countries that have benefitted from the UNEP-led project, which has helped restore 949 hectares of degraded land, enhance biodiversity and helped local communities generate sustainable income thanks to the financial support from the Korea Forest Service.

5. The city of Wellington embrace its noisy, destructive, wild parrot, the kākā

In this expert opinion article, learn about how the city of Wellington, New Zealand, are falling in love with their newly-returned, noisy neighbor. “After more than 70 years of regional extinction, kākā have burst back into the Wellington landscape. With their prehistoric “skraaking” call, raucous behaviour, and beautiful plumage, this boisterous bush parrot has won the hearts of many residents and become a much-loved poster child for Wellington’s conservation success.”

There was friction as the population, reintroduced in 2002, began to grow. There was the initial flood of complaints to the city for destruction of property, which left experts worried that conservation efforts would be undermined by a negative public opinion. However, despite dire warnings, “kākā have risen in popularity even as their deadly impact on beloved city trees has become more noticeable.”

Author Cathy Breed suggests, “[Human-Wildlife conflict] needn’t be a permanent state of affairs and it shouldn’t always be treated as a failure. It’s an indication of a relationship in flux. Two parties finding their footing and working out what living together means.”

Image Credit: Science Learning Hub, via Newsroom

6. Scientists in Indonesia discover new whale highway thanks to drone tagging technology

“Indonesian scientists have attached a satellite tag onto an endangered pygmy blue whales for the first time by drone. The tag’s data not only revealed a new feeding site for the species (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), but also a previously undocumented path it takes to the South Antarctic.”

The drone-tag is considered a much less intrusive method than the conventional air-gun, reducing stress on the tracked whale. Since this species was previously rarely documented, the dat reveals crucial new information on the endangered species’ migrations. “These insights are already helping us understand how pygmy blue whales move through the Lesser Sunda Seascape and how we can better protect them,” said oceanologist Mochamad Iqbal Herwata of Konservasi Indonesia.

7. US court reverses conservation grant cancellations, nearly $14 million for conservation programs to be released

“A US federal court has declared the US Department of the Interior (DOI)’s termination of $14 million in grant funding to organizations advancing conservation work in communities around the country was likely unconstitutional.” This decision is a big win for the coalition of nonprofits that filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump-Vance administration’s unlawful and haphazard cancellation of these grants.

This means funding would be restored ‘to the status quo’ for a large number of organizations doing vital work across the US in protecting and managing natural resources and cultural heritage. “We look forward to continuing work on these projects. These active management efforts directly benefit both rural economies and regional ecosystems. We are grateful for the work of our legal team, as well as the ruling of the court, to support our work on the ground and in our communities, and in upholding our fundamental, nonpartisan rights to freedom of speech,” said Luna Latimer, Director of the Mid Klamath Watershed Council.

Have a story to share for our weekly round-up? Use #ConservationOptimism on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram!