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. A huge spider assumed extinct in Britain was rediscovered in Surrey

“Described as ‘gorgeous’ by the man who found it, the great fox-spider has not been seen since 1993.”

2. Census showed spike in George River caribou numbers

“A summer baby boom in the long-struggling George River caribou herd in Labrador and Quebec has led to an increase in population numbers — its first in more than 25 years.”

3. A record number of endangered turtles hatched in Mexico

“Record numbers of an endangered species of turtle have hatched on a beach in northern Mexico, believed to be the result of reduced human activity during the coronavirus pandemic.”

4. A chameleon last seen a century ago was rediscovered in Madagascar

“Researchers from Madagascar and Germany said on Friday they had discovered several living specimens of Voeltzkow’s chameleon during an expedition to the north-west of the African island nation.”

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FOUND: The Voeltzkow’s Chameleon had been lost to science since Woodrow Wilson was president (1913)...but no longer! An expedition team led by Frank Glaw at Zoologische Staatssammlung München rediscovered the lost species during a challenging two-week expedition in northwestern Madagascar. The females, they found, are especially colorful, with striking patterns of purple, orange, red, green, black and white--and they change color depending on their “mood!” This is the sixth of GWC’s 25 most wanted lost species that has now been found! #LostAndFound #LostSpecies #SearchForLostSpecies #EarthOptimism #ConservationOptimism Learn more: https://bit.ly/3kILlaz (📹 : Frank Glaw)

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5. A new coral reef has been found in Australia

” This is the first discovery of its kind in 120 years. The reef is 1.5 km wide and 500 meters (1600 feet) tall. “

6. Persian leopards are making a comeback in Russia’s mountains

“Last month, a satellite collar on a Persian leopard known as Artek showed the leopard in a single location for 154 hours—the longest amount of time observed in satellite monitoring of Persian leopards.”

7. Gharials are returning to India’s rivers

“Gandak River in Bihar has about 7%–8% of the global adult population of gharials in the wild, and we are proud to have been instrumental to make this happen. What we visualise is that the Gandak will perhaps become the second most important wild gharial breeding location in the country, after the Chambal River.”

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