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: Edward Parker/Alamy Stock Photo)

1. Five Things Countries Can Do this Year to Stop Biodiversity Loss

” Brazil reduced its forest loss by 36% in 2023 and Colombia slashed its primary forest loss by nearly 50% the same year. Other countries across the globe are taking active measures to stop biodiversity loss.”

2. Tiny Wetlands in the Midwest combat Gulf of Mexico’s “Dead zone”.

” Small, constructed wetlands on farms keep excess nutrients out of waterways — and the impacts can go a long way.”

3. A Fish Once Thought Extinct, the ‘Mekong Ghost’ Is Rediscovered

” The giant salmon carp, so named because it resembles a large salmon, had not been documented by science since 2005. But scientists have now confirmed that three fish caught between 2020 and 2023 in the Mekong and Sesan rivers are members of this elusive species.”

4. Bridging the Gap: Connecting Critical Habitat for Golden Lion Tamarins in Brazil

“Rainforest Trust and local partner Associação Mico-Leão-Dourado (AMLD) have been working together to close the gap in Golden Lion Tamarin habitat in the São João River basin and allow for reforestation of the forest canopy, bridging the gap, and giving the tamarins the best possible chance of survival.”

5. Brentwood plans to restore wetland through volunteer activities 

“City of Brentwood is partnering with Missouri Botanical Garden’s Deer Creek Watershed Alliance (DCWA), Missouri Department of Conservation, Open Space STL, Great Rivers Greenway, and Forest ReLeaf of Missouri to protect, enhance, restore, and improve the health of a 6-acre functioning wetland that has been taken over by invasive species.”

6. Tigers “return” to Kazakhstan, after 70 years

” It’s been seventy years now that tigers have not been around the steppes of Kazakhstan. To bring the felines back to this area, two Amur tigers, one male and one female, will be imported from the Netherlands, to which four more specimens will be added in 2025.”

7. A visiting bird from Chicago is making waves in Wilmington

” This is the second year in a row that the highly endangered Great Lakes piping plover, which was reared in captivity, has traveled nearly 1,000 miles to ride out winter along the N.C. coast.”

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