7 stories of optimism this week (11.11.25-17.11.25)

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 credit: Puffin family in Iceland, by Swen_Stroop from Getty Images)

1. Puffins return to island for first time in at least 25 years

“Puffins have been seen on the Isle of Muck in County Antrim, Northern Ireland for the first time in years, after a major scheme to remove invasive brown rats. It is the first time the vulnerable seabird has been recorded since Ulster Wildlife took over the management of the small island 25 years ago.

A programme of rat eradication began in 2017 and winter grazing has now been implemented to keep vegetation low, so predator cover is reduced. The charity’s nature reserves manager Andy Crory said the discovery of the puffins “proves seabird restoration works”.

Annual surveys have also begun to record steady increases in eider ducks, guillemots, herring gulls and lesser-backed gulls on and around the island, year on year. Mr Crory said “Our hope is that the Isle of Muck will become a thriving stronghold for puffins and, in time, tempt back other lost species like the Manx shearwater”.”

2. Newly described ‘lucifer’ bee found visiting critically endangered plant in Australia

“Whilst studying bees visiting flowers of the critically endangered plant Marianthus aquilonaris and the more common wandoo mallee (Eucalyptus livida), researchers have discovered a new bee species.

The species has been named Megachile lucifer in reference to the female’s large, devil-like horns. The description of M. lucifer is particularly important for conservation because for many critically endangered plants in Australia, their pollinators remain unknown.

The new study recommends “being associated with the Critically Endangered Marianthus aquilonaris [flower], the area in and around where these species occur should be formally protected and gazetted as conservation land that cannot be cleared”.”

3. France’s birds start to show signs of recovery after bee-harming pesticide ban

“Insect-eating bird populations in France appear to be making a tentative recovery after a ban on bee-harming pesticides, according to the first study to examine how wildlife is returning in Europe.

Neonicotinoids are the world’s most common class of insecticides, widely used in agriculture and for flea control in pets. By 2022, four years after the European Union banned neonicotinoid use in fields, researchers observed that France’s population of insect-eating birds had increased by 2-3%. These included blackbirds, blackcaps and chaffinches, which feed on insects as adults and as chicks.

The results could be mirrored across the EU, where the neonicotinoid ban came into effect in late 2018, but research has not yet been done elsewhere.”

4. Protecting Vietnam’s vast caves may have sparked a wildlife comeback

5. Cinereous vultures reintroduced in Spain and Bulgaria

“In the Iberian Highlands, sixteen cinereous vultures have been released in the province of Guadalajara. Cinereous vultures are one of Europe’s four vulture species, and play a critical role in nature — they prevent the spread of disease by consuming carcasses, helping to recycle nutrients and maintain the health and balance of ecosystems. A major drawcard for birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts, they can also help to revitalise rural economies by supporting the growth of nature-based tourism.

So far, 27 vultures have been released here by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) and Rewilding Rhodopes since 2022. “The birds that have already been released are showing stable behaviour and successfully forming pairs,” says BSPB vulture expert Dr. Dobromir Dobrev. “Seven released birds have now occupied nests as part of five pairs. If this trend continues, we expect a steady increase in the number of breeding pairs in the coming years.””

6. Conservationists celebrate barn owl increase in Tees Valley, UK

“Tees Valley Wildlife Trust said in 2025, the area it covers saw a 42% increase in the number of barn owls ringed, rising from 249 in 2024 to 354.

Colin Gibson, volunteer barn owl coordinator and a retired police officer, said he believed the increase could be down to increased habitat protection, improved nesting sites and favourable climate conditions. The trust has been running the project for more than 12 years to try and improve the local population by building more than 400 nest boxes.

Working alongside the Tees Ringing Group, eggs and chicks were counted and ringed with each owlet given a unique number to be able to track them. The nest boxes were also often used by other birds such as tawny owls, kestrels, stock doves and jackdaws, the trust said.”

7. Rare parrots return to Atlantic Forest fragment after decades of silence

“Earlier this year, 20 red-browned amazons were released into a thousand-hectare forest reserve in Coruripe, outside of the state capital, Maceió, is part of the Project for the Evaluation, Recovery and Conservation of Endangered Birds. A team of sugar mill employees monitors the birds daily and sends video updates twice each day.

In addition to the red-browed amazons, other species restoration projects are underway here, including for the Alagoas curassow (Mitu mitu), a turkey-sized bird that’s been declared extinct in the wild for the past 30 years; it was reintroduced here from a captive population in 2019. The reserve also hosts reintroduced populations of the solitary tinamou (Tinamus solitarius), a ground-dwelling bird, and the red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius).”

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