7 stories of optimism this week (1.04.25-7.04.25)

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: European Brown Bear, by Paul Appleton via Flickr)

1. Australia’s sub-Antarctic marine reserve quadrupled in size, thanks to new expansion

“[The] Heard and McDonald Islands are home to glaciers, wetlands, Australia’s only active volcanoes, and diverse and significant populations of penguins, seals and albatrosses.” Thanks to the new expansion, this marine reserve will “quadruple in size, an increase of almost 310,000 km2 – an area larger than Italy – and will provide greater protections for an environment unlike anywhere else in the world.”

According to the Australian Minister for the Environment and Water, “for the first time ever more than half (52 per cent) of Australia’s oceans are now under protection, blitzing a 30 per cent target the Government signed up to as part of a UN nature treaty in 2022.”

2. After public outcry, Brazil Supreme Court withdraws proposal for mining in indigenous lands

“Following intense outcry nationwide and abroad, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has recently removed the proposal to open up Indigenous territories to mining and economic activities from a controversial bill that critics say violates the Constitution.

“On the same day, the Federal Attorney General’s Office presented a draft presidential decree also excluding mining activities on Indigenous territories but allowing tourism and other activities led by Indigenous communities.”

3. After 100 years, endangered Polynesian Storm-petrels return to Kamaka Island, French Polynesia

“Polynesian storm-petrels have not been recorded on Kamaka Island for over 100 years due to invasive rats. These seabirds are able to nest on Kamaka Island now thanks to the successful removal of invasive rats in 2022. 

“There are only 250-1,000 individuals left of the Polynesian storm-petrel left in the wild, so the potential for a new secure breeding population is incredibly important.” To read more about the hard work behind this amazing comeback, check out the full feature at Island Conservation.

4. A village in Central Italy flourishes after adapting to coexist with its wild bears

“[In] 2015, Pettorano sul Gizio became the first “bear-smart” community in Italy. Electric fences were erected around more than 100 properties to protect bees, chickens and other farm animals; gates and bear-proof bins were installed; and manuals on how best to live alongside bears were distributed around Pettorano sul Gizio and the neighbouring town of Rocca Pia.

One local business owner describes the rewilding events as “a real lifesaver in economic terms”, and the local cooperative society reports that “the number of tourists staying in Pettorano sul Gizio has increased from about 250 in 2020 to more than 2,400 last year.”

To learn more about the rewilding and community relations work behind this amazing story, check out Rewilding Europe‘s work in the Central Apennines.

5. An endangered Galápagos Tortoise is a first-time mother at 100

“Congratulations are in order for Mommy, a Galápagos tortoise and a longtime resident of the Philadelphia Zoo, who recently became a first-time mother at the estimated age of 100.” This is the “first successful hatching for her species at the zoo, which opened in 1874.”

6. Successful bird reintroduction program restores Chilean Patagonia grasslands

The three-foot-tall, flightless Darwin’s Rhea, is locally endangered in Chile and “teetering towards the brink of extinction.” With their crucial role in seed dispersal and renewing vegetation, the grasslands of Chile have greatly deteriorated.

“Fortunately, wildlife experts are coming together to save the rare animal from extinction — and restore the grasslands of the Patagonian steppe. […] Their efforts are culminating in the first-ever international translocation and release of a wild population in the Southern Cone (an expanse that includes Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay).”

7. US Court deem offshore oil and gas leases “unlawful,” a significant step in protecting critical ocean habitats

“An expanse of Gulf Coast federal waters larger than the state of Colorado was unlawfully opened up for offshore drilling leases, according to a ruling by a federal judge, who said the Department of Interior did not adequately account for the offshore drilling leases’ impacts on planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and an endangered whale species. […] Environmental groups, the federal government and the oil and gas industry are now discussing remedies.”

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