7 stories of optimism this week (26.05.25-02.06.25)

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. (Featured Image: Northwestern Pond Turtle, Jerry Kirkhart via Flickr)

1. Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court blocks road upgrade in national park

“In a landmark judgment, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court recently ended a 15-year legal battle over plans to upgrade a road through Wilpattu National Park, making conservationists heave a sigh of relief.

[…] The proposed road would have reduced travel time but fragmented critical habitats besides increasing the threat of roadkill due to speeding vehicles. The ruling highlights the judiciary’s crucial role in upholding environmental protections, especially when political leaders push development agendas that threaten ecologically sensitive areas.”

2. In California, tribes make strides on coastal and marine stewardship

“”The [Tribal Marine Stewards Network (TMSN)] is not only going to provide people with jobs, but it’s also going to bring Indigenous, Native people to the forefront and support the Tribes of this state and this country to continue to look after the resources that are so important to all of us,” said Steinruck, who is a member of TMSN’s Leadership Council and the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Tribal Council.”

3. Kyrgyz Republic unveils 800,000-hectare ecological corridor for biodiversity

“A new ecological corridor of around 800,000 hectares, or 8,000 km², has been announced by the Kyrgyz Republic today. The corridor is set to link up existing conservation areas and complete a protected area spanning a total of over 1.2 million hectares, in a landmark move for biodiversity.

Along with the corridor’s introduction, grazing planning and the rotation of livestock herds will be adapted to reduce the amount of sheep grazing in the area, leaving mountain pastures more time to recover and providing grazing opportunities for wildlife. “The redistribution process, coordinated with local herders and community leaders, aims to protect livelihoods while environmental goals are met.”

4. 62km London’s rivers restored since 2000

“London’s rivers have benefitted from an impressive transformation of around 62km of waterways restored since 2000 through initiatives such as wetland creation and reedbed installation, according to the organisers of London Rivers Week 2025.

The announcement comes ahead of this year’s London Rivers Week festival (Friday 30th May to Sunday 8th June) – an annual event aiming to inspire the public to help protect the capital’s waterways and celebrate them.

River restoration initiatives include projects such as adding wood material to a river to ‘naturalise’ it, removing concrete barriers from its banks, or reconnecting a river to its floodplain. Dedicated London volunteers have been crucial to the delivery of many of these projects.”

5. Ecologists find elusive possum, thought to be extinct outside Victoria

“A critically endangered possum species thought to be isolated to Victoria has been found in a New South Wales alpine national park. Previously thought to be extinct in the state, a leadbeater’s possum has been found in Kosciuszko national park, at least 250km away from the nearest sighting in Victoria.

A trawl through millions of photos found seven images of the tiny creature over a 10-second span, with the Healesville Sanctuary and the Australian National University confirming the NSW environment department’s find.”

6. Native turtles return to Yosemite after removal of invasive bullfrogs

“[Sidney] Woodruff, a PhD candidate at University of California, Davis, is the lead author of a recently-published study that analyzed how the removal of American bullfrogs affected the population of native northwestern pond turtles at Yosemite National Park. Over the course of six years, Woodruff and her team removed more than 16,000 American bullfrogs from the park […] The sites where Woodruff and her team removed the bullfrogs are “completely different,” she said. Northwestern pond turtle hatchlings and youth are swimming about, the native California red-legged frog has reappeared and several other native species are back − ones that would have previously been eaten up by bullfrogs.”

7. Western quolls and brushtail possums thrive in national park a decade after reintroduction

“Western quolls (Idnya) and brushtail possums (Virlda), once locally extinct, are flourishing in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges national park 10 years after their reintroduction. […] While some consider them a pest in urban areas, their populations are only considered stable in two regions outside Adelaide.

The Bounceback program and the Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species (FAME) reintroduced the quolls in 2014 and the possums in 2015. They are now breeding in “safer havens” in the national park, areas where feral animals have been reduced.”

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