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: Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock)

1. The European bison is back in European forests.

The European Bison was once widespread in Europe but by the early 20th Century hunters had brought these massive creatures to extinction in the wild. Fortunately, though, there were some in captivity and now thanks to intense captive breeding, strict conservation rules and successful rewilding programmes, the European bison is back in European forests.

2. ‘Extinct’ trees found in Tanzania spark hope for ecosystem recovery

“Conservationists in eastern Tanzania have found two specimens of a rare tree feared to be extinct. Millettia sacleuxii is so rare the tree doesn’t have a common name in English. Thousands of seeds have been collected and seedlings raised, and these are due to be planted out as part of a reforestation project in the Nguru Mountains, Tanzania.

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3. Giant anteater twins filmed in Argentina for first time

Camera trap footage has captured two baby giant anteaters clinging to their mother’s back at Iberá Wetlands in Argentina – the country’s first-ever recorded sighting of giant anteater twins. In Argentina’s neighbouring country Brazil, there has been just one recorded occurrence of twin pups, highlighting the rarity of multiple offspring in this charismatic mammal.

4. Brazil: Conservation efforts rescue giant fish from brink of extinction

A decade ago, the arapaima, which can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 500 pounds, had been nearly wiped out by overfishing. However, local communities were unwilling to let that happen and began adopting sustainable fishing practices. As a result, arapaima populations have soared.

5. Nigeria: Rare wild silverback gorillas captured on trail cameras

“Trail cameras in the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary have captured stunning footage of the world’s rarest great ape – the Cross River gorilla. The extraordinary sightings mark the first successful photos since three graduate students at the University of Calabar in Nigeria began studying this elusive subspecies last year as part of the Cross River Gorilla initiative.”

6. Scotland’s remote land of bogs and bugs to be granted World Heritage Status

“The rapid destruction of this haunting expanse of peat and pools, stretching across a million acres of Caithness and Sutherland, was judged Britain’s biggest habitat loss since the Second World War by the official Nature Conservancy Council. It is home to a proliferation of rare plants, insects, fish, mammals and birds and its peat – which has been accumulating for 10,000 years – stores more than twice as much carbon as all of Britain’s woodlands combined, providing a vital buffer against climate change.”

7. “Rare” wild cat spotted for 1st time in 30 years

A wild cat was identified for the first time in 30 years in the Côa Valley region, on land belonging to the nature conservation association Rewilding Portugal, located in the municipality of Almeida, district of Guarda. The wild cat is in danger of extinction in Portugal and it is estimated that there are less than 100 adult individuals, and this is the first confirmed record for the Greater Côa Valley, outside the Serra da Malcata, in more than 30 years”.

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