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. Long-lost species of golden mole found and photographed for first time

” A team of conservationists have rediscovered a species of golden mole that hasn’t been seen in almost 90 years. The scientists tracked it to its home in the sand dunes of South Africa using environmental DNA (eDNA) and sniffer dogs.”

2. The Saiga Antelope: Conservation works – with persistence, coalition-building, good faith, and a dose of luck

” The IUCN Red List status assessment of Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) has been changed from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened, thanks to effective national and international conservation efforts. This substantial positive change in global Red List status – a rarity in conservation – reflects the remarkable recovery of saiga populations in Kazakhstan, which have recovered from a perilously low estimate of just 39,000 in 2005 to now over 1.9 million.  ”

3. The scimitar-horned Oryx moved from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered, according to the latest IUCN Red List update. 

” The scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah) has moved from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered on the IUCN Red List, thanks to conservation efforts that have reintroduced the species to Chad.”

4. To Fight Plastic Waste, an Indonesian Campaign Aims High

” Since attorney and activist Tiza Mafira cofounded Plasticdiet Indonesia in 2013, the group has helped more than 100 local governments pass single-use plastic bag bans and is now tackling straws, cutlery, and sachets. Next up: slashing subsidies for petrochemical companies.”

5. Vast new MPAs are PNG’s first to be co-managed by Indigenous communities

” The government of Papua New Guinea has declared two large new marine protected areas, capping a six-year effort in consultation with local communities on how to curtail the harvest of threatened species and restore the health of fisheries that people have depended on for generations.”

6. A roundup of positive ocean stories from November from fashion to coral reefs.

”  Stories include; the discovery of two new deep-sea coral reefs in the Galapagos and the create of sustainable fashion and accessories from seaweed”

7. Biden Administration Provides a Lifeline to Threatened Wolverines

” At long last, on November 29 the US Fish and Wildlife Service moved to protect wolverines under the Endangered Species Act, listing the mustelid as threatened throughout the lower 48 states. (The wolverine population in Alaska is relatively healthy.)”

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