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. Plastic summit could be most important green deal since Paris accords, says UN

” World leaders will come together online and in Nairobi, Kenya, next week, in what is described as a “critical moment” in progress towards the first ever global treaty to combat plastic waste. Inger Andersen, director of the UN Environment Programme, said an agreement at the UN environment assembly could be the most important multilateral pact since the Paris climate accord in 2015. “

2. Humpback whales no longer listed as endangered in Australia after major recovery

 “Humpback whales will be removed from Australia’s threatened-species list, after the government’s independent scientific panel on threatened species deemed the mammals had made a major recovery. “

3. Hope for hedgehogs as numbers in Britain’s towns show signs of recovery

” Although there are mixed population trends, and rural populations are still declining. the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022 report shows Britain’s urban hedgehogs are showing signs of recovery”

4. Man of Príncipe – How a poacher turned turtle protector

” Follow the story of Manuel da Graça Sacramento Gomes, widely known as Lindo. Lindo once earned money poaching turtles. But since discovering he could protect them & make a sustainable income, he’s helped almost eliminate poaching from the island.”

5. Hawaii Becomes The First State in the US to make Shark Fishing Illegal.

” A Bill passed by the 2021 Hawaii State Legislature banning shark fishing in state waters went into affect this year”

6. Panama Enacts a Rights of Nature Law, Guaranteeing the Natural World’s ‘Right to Exist, Persist and Regenerate’

” The nation joins a host of other countries in embracing a legal movement that gives land, trees, rivers, coral reefs and mountains unique legal rights, similar to humans, corporations and governments.”

7. WCS releases 35 Cantor’s giant softshell turtles into the wild

” The Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Programme (WCS) has said it safely released 35 Cantor’s giant softshell turtle hatchlings into the wild along the Mekong River on February 17, in Kratie province’s northernmost district of Sambor.”

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