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.

(Image Credit: JJ Harrison)

1. Protecting the endangered malleefowl in South Australia

“Nature Foundation has bought a 200-hectare property that is home to rare animals and birds in South Australia’s south-east following a fundraising campaign bolstered by two large donations from professors.”

2. Ecotourism: Europe’s rewilding projects allow tourists to encounter wildlife responsibly

“Europe boasts iconic big predators, spectacular birdlife, and some of the world’s last stretches of remote wilderness. According to the European Environment Agency, Europe’s biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. But there’s hope. Rewilding projects across the continent are bringing life back where it’s disappearing and tourism can support them.”

3. Restoring the Kazakh Steppe: Learning from the past, restoring for the future

“The restoration planning project is situated in a vast landscape of 5 million hectares in western Kazakhstan and encompasses protected and hunting areas, villages, pastoral grazing lands, and wetlands. It also includes the migration route of the world’s largest Saiga antelope population, and is home to other steppe species, such as ground squirrels, vipers, and eagles.”

4. Caribbean startups are turning excess seaweed into an agroecology solution

“Sargassum contains a slew of nutrients, minerals and microorganisms that can foster and even accelerate plant growth, such as iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium and more. But rather than add nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus into the soil, it does something savvy: Its properties help plants be more efficient at taking up those nutrients, incentivizing less synthetic fertilizer application in exchange for higher yields and healthier plants and crops.”

5. Scientists’ experiment is ‘beacon of hope’ for coral reefs on brink of global collapse

“An underwater experiment to restore coral reefs using a combination of “coral IVF” and recordings of fish noises could offer a “beacon of hope” to scientists who fear the fragile ecosystem is on the brink of collapse.”

6. Penguins in the pond, kiwi in the backyard: how a city brought back its birds

“In many cities, forests and ecosystems around the world, the sounds of nature are falling silent. But in New Zealand’s capital, people are experiencing a crescendo in birdsong, thanks to decades of conservation efforts. Some species, such as the kororā, are still at risk, but many native birds have bounced back in their thousands, transforming the city’s morning chorus.”

7. 50 rare crocodiles released in Cambodia’s tropical Cardamom Mountains

“Cambodian conservationists have released 50 captive-bred juvenile Siamese crocodiles at a remote site in Cambodia as part of an ongoing programme to save the species from extinction.”

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