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. Critically endangered diving petrel population soars

” Conservationists are celebrating a bumper breeding season for the critically endangered bird – found only on Whenua Hou / Codfish Island, near Rakiura / Stewart Island. There are now 210 of the birds, up 5 percent on previous years. “

2. Mangroves give cause for conservation optimism, for now

 ” Globally, mangrove loss rates have reduced by an order of magnitude between the late 20th and early 21st century, from ~2% to <0.4% per year “

3. Bilby blind dates through Charleville’s Save the Bilby Fund help endangered species breed

” The Save the Bilby Fund started more than 20 years ago, surviving solely off public donations while creating both a breeding program and a predator-free national park at Currawinya, in south west Queensland. “They’re born breeders, they love to breed,” manager of the bilby breeding program Kat Castle said. ”

4. How we discovered that sea turtles in Seychelles have recovered from the brink

“Thanks to all of these measures green turtles have remained largely undisturbed at Aldabra since 1968, and the effect of the protection has been astounding. As we report in our recent study in the journal Endangered Species Research, Aldabra now has the second-largest green turtle breeding population in the western Indian Ocean region.”

5. South of Scotland golden eagle population reaches new heights thanks to novel research technique

“The pioneering South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project has become the first in the UK to successfully translocate free-flying young golden eagles (aged between 6 months and 3 years) to boost a low population of this iconic bird. These new additions bring the total number of golden eagles in the south of Scotland to around 33 – the highest number recorded here in the last three centuries.”

6. Nepal’s first bird sanctuary takes flight, raising hope for conservation

” The Ghodaghodi lake complex in western Nepal has been declared the country’s first official bird sanctuary. Conservationists and local officials have welcomed the move, which protects a Ramsar wetland that’s home to more than 360 bird species. Among the birds found at the site are globally threatened species such as the great hornbill, the lesser adjutant stork, and the Indian spotted eagle. “

7. A bridge of trees reunites gibbons separated by a railway line in India

” For the hoolock gibbons of India’s Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, a rail line bisecting the forest has for decades proved an impassable barrier, dividing the animals into two separate areas. In 2006, conservationists, the local forest department and communities began planting thousands of trees along the tracks in an effort to create a natural canopy bridge. The tree-planting effort finally bore fruit in 2019, when the first gibbons were observed crossing over the tracks. This year, an entire family has been observed making use of the bridge. “

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