In the November 2025 blog of Conservation Optimism’s “Meet The Optimists” series, Kumar Paudel shares his sources of inspiration, his conservation journey, and his work as a conservationist working to protect pangolins and endangered species in his home country, Nepal.
Here is the perfect antidote to Monday blues: a weekly round-up of what went right in the conservation world!
Around you, voices ripple through the clearing: young people from six different countries gathered in one place, some meeting for the first time in person after years of working together online. Their laughter carries across the forest floor, mixing with the calls of unseen birds. The moment feels simple, but it is profound: a living proof that when youth come together across borders, they can nurture both ecosystems and each other. This is the spirit of Climate Conservancy, an international nonprofit built by and for young people determined to rewrite the narrative of climate despair into one of collective resilience.
Here is the perfect antidote to Monday blues: a weekly round-up of what went right in the conservation world!
Here is the perfect antidote to Monday blues: a weekly round-up of what went right in the conservation world!
A tip-off sets law enforcement in motion; when they intercept the traffickers, they find a pangolin, curled tight, trembling with fear, stuffed into a battered sack, rolled in an old, disused plastic bucket. To the untrained eye, it may appear as nothing more than a pile of dried leaves, but to the wildlife intelligence officers, it is a life teetering on the edge. This is how most rescues begin: with trauma.
Green rolling hills under endless skies punctuated by gentle cumulus clouds. I'll never forget the first time I stood at the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. Witnessing the vast sunken landscape below - I couldn't believe how dramatic and different it was from anywhere else I had ever seen. I first travelled to Ngorongoro Crater 11 years ago - on a group safari tour during my first visit to Tanzania. I loved the initial impact it had on me – the sweeping views of the caldera and the great abundance and diversity of animals within the crater: a whole world created by a volcanic eruption that happened millions of years ago. It's very humbling to see the Earth’s power, and how life can spring from ashes.
Here is the perfect antidote to Monday blues: a weekly round-up of what went right in the conservation world!
Here is the perfect antidote to Monday blues: a weekly round-up of what went right in the conservation world!
As we at Conservation Optimism are gearing up for the 2025 Good Natured Conservation Optimism Film Festival, we're excited to spotlight one of our youngest featured filmmakers, Finn Middleton, and his entry for this year's festival: "The Onny's Story: A Fight for the Future." Read on for a short interview about Finn's journey, his sources of inspiration, and reasons for hope as a young person using his creative voice for nature.