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 of Giant Anteater taken by Smithsonian National Zoo on flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalzoo/3441369367)

1. Unique rewilding project of national significance kicks off in Leicestershire 

” Harborough District Council athe council has spent just under £1.8 million on 133.3 acres of land at Tin House Farm, Great Bowden, to create a “unique project of national significance” to restore nature at a landscape scale. In partnership with Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, the Market Harborough Rewilding Project will work to restore a nature-depleted area, re-establishing natural processes and building a network of nature sites”

2. Tanzania’s marine reserves offer long-term benefits to communities, study finds

” Marine protected areas in Tanzania boosted living standards in nearby communities over a span of nearly 20 years, a recent study in Conservation Letters found. Near MPAs, living standards improved, and there was a shift away from agricultural work, said study author .”

3. New marine sanctuary declared in the ‘time-machine’ Marshall Islands

” The first marine sanctuary of the Marshall Islands has just been announced by the Pacific island nation. While it will cover two remote atolls, it will span across 48,000 square kilometres around the country’s two northernmost islands – Bikar and Bokak.”

The Marshall Islands have announced the designation of their first marine sanctuary. The MPA is part of the Reimaanlok Conservation Framework which promotes community-led management of protected areas across the archipelago. #ConservationOptimism #EarthOptimism @natgeopristineseas.bsky.social

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— Society for Conservation Biology Oceania (@scboceania.org) March 26, 2025 at 10:00 PM

4. World Rewilding Day: Four species bouncing back from the brink of extinction

” From songbirds in the Brazillian Cerrado to Giant anteaters in Argentina- ‘rewilding’ is supporting species populations to grow and expand. Learn about four such species here”

5. ‘I feel real hope’: historic beaver release marks conservation milestone in England

” At the National Trust’s Purbeck Heath nature reserve, four beavers were released from crates and crawled into Little Sea, a 33-hectare lake. They are the first beavers to be legally released in England, after 400 years of absence and a fight to return them to the landscape.”

“I’ve worked as an ecologist for 40 years, and this is the most optimistic time in my career without a doubt. We are visibly, measurably recovering #nature and that is so exciting, it is a real buzz. That hope is so precious.” #ConservationOptimism www.theguardian.com/environment/...

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— Simon Hedges (@simonhedges.bsky.social) March 5, 2025 at 9:05 PM

6. Greater gliders’ ‘spectacular’ recovery after Blue Mountains bushfires in Australia

” The population of the endangered marsupials in the southern Blue Mountains area is 45 per cent higher than pre-drought and fire levels. Despite those promising numbers, no gliders have returned to areas that were severely burnt during the black summer fires. “

Endangered greater gliders have made a spectacular recovery after the black summer bushfires in 2019-20. Numbers of the endangered marsupials are 45% higher than before the fires began. Recovery was more rapid than expected, likely facilitated by good rainfall. #ConservationOptimism #EarthOptimism

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— Society for Conservation Biology Oceania (@scboceania.org) March 23, 2025 at 10:00 PM

7. 10 unique community-led conservation solutions in the face of environmental despair

” However, despite the negative headlines, conservation efforts by communities on the ground, in the most remote biodiverse corners of the world, continue — and adapt if need be. Here, Mongabay tracked a list of ten unique community-led initiatives across the world with proven positive and promising impacts. “

Recent events and policy decisions across the world are worrying conservationists and climate researchers. Here, Mongabay lists out ten unique community-led initiatives across the world that show positive and proven impacts. news.mongabay.com/2025/03/10-u...

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— Mongabay (@mongabay.bsky.social) March 10, 2025 at 2:29 PM

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