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: Grey Seal via Pixabay)

1. gREECE announces two MARINE NATIONAL PARKS

“Greece is creating two marine national parks protecting 27,500 square miles km, 30 per cent of its territorial waters.”

2. Butterflies are bouncing back in the UK

“Butterfly sightings were a record low in 2024 in the UK but thanks to dry spring this year they are bouncing back. On the Knepp estate in West Sussex, a farm that underwent rewilding in 2001, biologists are reporting record numbers of not just butterflies in general, but the elusive and stunning purple emperor (Apatura iris).”

3. Helicopter expedition stumbles upon a viable population of the elusive huemul deer

“A group of rare huemul deer – a stocky mammal, with short legs, thick fur and large ears – has been found living in a remote region of Chilean Patagonia. With less than 1,500 of these alive, the new sightings give hope for large-scale conservation and a better chance at survival.”

4. Saudi Arabia launches mission to save the critically endangered Arabian leopard

“Saudi Arabia launches a mission to rescue the Arabian leopard with restoration and rewilding Arabian leopard and gazelle habitats through a number of initiatives. The kingdom is also planning on breeding them in captivity and reintroducing them in natural reserves.”

5. Baltic ringed seal numbers increase five fold since the “toxic ’70s”

“A new statistical model developed by the experts at the University of Helsinki suggests that the population has since grown from a concerning 5,000 individuals to some 25,000, bringing the species back from the very brink of extinction in the ’70s..”

6. Sri Lanka’s plant messiah spreads optimism for biodiversity & conservation

“A young Sri Lankan scientist, Himesh Jayasinghe, has rediscovered more than 100 of 177 possibly extinct species in Sri Lanka as well as three of five extinct species and both species previously considered extinct in the wild.”

7. Sweden takes action on Baltic Sea protection, bans bottom trawling in marine protected areas

“Sweden is increasing protection for vulnerable marine areas in the Baltic Sea, with the decision to ban bottom trawling in marine protected areas, and to introduce the country’s first marine park in the Baltic.”

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