7 stories of optimism this week (18.02.25-24.02.25)

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. Biodiversity returning to Britain courtesy bisons

“These large herbivores were introduced in an effort to boost the local ecosystem, in turn supporting biodiversity and making it more resilient to climate change. Their natural behaviours include debarking trees and dustbathing (i.e. rolling around on the ground), which create and maintain diverse habitats for all kinds of fauna and flora.”

2. Seeds For A New Yorkshire Woodland Planted

“Creating 21 hectares of new woodland, the equivalent of 10 football pitches, the site will feature more than 30,000 native trees, including species like sessile oak, wild cherry, silver birch and rowan. In addition, another five hectares of rare ancient woodland will be restored, enhancing biodiversity in an area with some of the lowest tree cover in the UK.”

3. Expansion of wildlife hotspot on the cards

“Durham Wildlife Trust (DWT) launched a bid to raise £54,000 to buy land near its Rainton Meadows reserve in Houghton-le-Spring in June last year and smashed the target within a week. The trust had said a housing development, which had previously been mooted, would be “detrimental” to the reserve where more than 200 bird species had been recorded.”