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. Manatee hunters in Brazil become advocates

“The fishing community of Barra do Mamanguape on Brazil’s northeastern coast used to be a hunting site for manatees. But today, the villagers have turned to ecotourism and are now protecting the manatees.”

2. Release of prey leads to tiger population recovery in Thailand 

“The wild tiger population in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex, near the border with Myanmar, has increased almost fivefold in the last 15 years from about 40 in 2007 to between 179 and 223 last year, according to the kingdom’s Department of National Parks (DNP).”

3. UK welcomes back Singing cicadas after three decades

“Musical insects that went extinct in the UK have been brought back to the country from France by conservationists hoping to re-establish their population. Scientists from the Species Recovery Trust (SRT) this week released 11 New Forest cicadas into a specially created habitat at Paultons Park – just outside the Hampshire woods where they once sang.”

4. Rwanda welcomes seventy southern white rhinos

“Seventy southern white rhinos have successfully completed a journey from South Africa to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park. It’s the first international translocation from Platinum Rhino, a massive captive breeding operation that was put up for auction in 2023, after years of financial difficulties.”

5. White Storks migrate back home

“At least six birds born at Knepp in 2024 returned to nest in the colony, including one who has set up home in the same tree as her parents, according to project officer Laura Vaughan-Hirsch.”

6. Rare owl caught on camera

“The BBC’s Springwatch programme has captured an animal never seen before in the show’s 20-year run while filming in Derbyshire. The programme captured short-eared owls – the first time they have appeared in the show since it started in 2005.”

7. Mining project halted near Okefenokee Swamp

“An Alabama-based company that was close to receiving the final go-ahead from the state to mine near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has decided to instead sell the land to a nonprofit focused on conserving at-risk sites.”

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