#conservationoptimism

The forests and streams of South and Central America are speckled with the colors of the rainbow, thanks to #HarlequinToads, known as the ‘jewels of the forests.’ But since the ‘80s, a deadly pathogen, exacerbated by habitat destruction, pollution, invasive predators and climate change, has pushed 83 percent of the 94 species assessed by the IUCN to the brink of extinction.   More than 40 organizations came together this week to commit to protecting and restoring this incredible group of amphibians. The new #AtelopusSurvivalInitiative brings together the resources, expertise and passion to prevent the extinction of harlequin toads (or Atelopus) wherever they still survive, and to serve as an effective model for conserving other groups of threatened species.   @rewild 
@amphibiansurvivalalliance    #EarthOptimism #ConservationOptimism

The Endangered Forest Musk Deer hadn’t been seen in Vietnam in more than 20 years. But this year, after receiving a photo tip from the local community of a musk deer that had been captured by hunters, a team of conservationists, including #TeamRewild member An Nguyen, set up camera traps in Vietnam’s mountains to find out if there were Forest Musk Deer living in them. Two of the team’s 10 camera traps captured photos of a Forest Musk Deer! The team is hoping to do more surveys to determine how many deer may be living in the mountains. Putting an end to wire snare trapping is one of the best ways to help protect the rare deer and other forest-dwelling animals. #ConservationOptimism @rewild

Albania’s Vjosa River is the largest wild river in Europe. From the mountains of Greece to the Adriatic Sea in Albania, it spans 300 kilometers, completely free of artificial barriers, like hydropower dams. The rivers and streams that are tributaries of the Vjosa are home to more than 1,100 wildlife species, many of which are threatened. The Vjosa is the crown of the #BlueHeartofEurope and people across Albania want to protect it forever. They are asking to government of Albania to create #VjosaNationalParkNow, which would be the very first wild river park in Europe. Let’s stand with them. Click the link in bio to watch the film and sign the petition. #Vjosa #VjosaRiver #SavetheBlueHeartofEurope #Albania #Balkans #WildRivers #ExintctionEndsHere #EarthOptimism #ConservationOptimism #Conservation #Wildlife #TheDamTruth #Europe

From @global_wildlife_conservation: FOUND! After at more than 170 years, the 🐦 Black-browed Babbler has been rediscovered in Kalimantan, Borneo! It’s the first confirmed sighting of the small bird since it was first described by science around 1848. ⁠ ⁠ The rediscovery was a stroke of unbelievable luck. Two local men accidentally caught a Black-browed babbler in Borneo in October 2020. Before releasing the bird unharmed back to the forest, they took some 📷 photos of it because they didn’t recognize the bird. They sent the photos to BW Galeatus, a local bird-watching group, who suspected the mystery bird was the elusive Black-browed babbler and sent them to ornithologists at @birdpacker. ⁠ ⁠ Ornithologists 🔎 compared the photos to a field guide description and the one and only Black-browed Babbler specimen in the world and it was a match! ⁠ Scientists know very little about the Black-browed Babbler. It has been an enigma shrouded in mystery since its initial discovery in the mid 19th century. Scientists were not even sure where the species was native to until nearly 50 years after it was first described. In 1895, they were able to determine that the only specimen in the world was likely collected in Borneo, not Java as they initially thought. It had been mistakenly described as being collected in Java, but the scientist who collected it, Carl A.LM. Schwarner, had not collected any birds from Java on his expedition. ⁠ ⁠ The recent rediscovery finally confirmed that the bird is in fact from Borneo. The last time the species was seen the Great Auk and Passenger Pigeon were still alive! Ornithologists are now hoping to work with local government agencies in Indonesia to study the species and determine if it is threatened with extinction. ⁠ ⁠ Follow the link in the @global_wildlife_conservation bio to read more⁠ ⁠ @americanbirdconservancy⁠ ⁠ #BlackbrowedBabbler #Ornithology #SearchforLostSpecies #LostSpeciesFound #LostSpecies #Indonesia #Borneo #EarthOptimism #ConservationOptimism #ExtinctionEndsHere

One year after the impact of the devastating bushfires that roared through parts of Australia’s New South Wales, staff at @AussieArk came across the first Koala joey born within their wild sanctuaries. The joey brings new hope for the species and to both Aussie Ark and supporting partners @global_wildlife_conservation and @wild.ark after the 2019-2020 fires. The past fire season killed more than 1 billion animals. Koalas were hard hit while also facing other threats: car strikes, feral predators and disease. Aussie Ark’s wild sanctuary includes 5,750 hectares of bushland in the Barrington Tops of New South Wales, and in time this will provide protection to around 1,500 koalas. #KoalaArk provides a safe haven to the lovable marsupials and protects remaining critical Koala habitat, including from intense bushfires. #EarthOptimism #ConservationOptimism #Australia #AustraliaFires

After a 70-year absence, Jaguars once again roam free in the Iberá Wetlands of Argentina. Congratulations to the government of Argentina, Argentina’s National Parks, the Province of Corrientes, Fundación Rewilding Argentina and Tompkins Conservation for their commitment to rewilding this iconic species, and the local communities of Iberá and all the people of Corrientes who have supported this unprecedented effort and who welcome the return of the Jaguar! I have been supporting Tompkins Conservation, including on their exciting Jaguar rewilding efforts, for many years. With the release of the female jaguar Mariua and her two cubs born at the Jaguar Reintroduction Center, Karai and Pora, Argentina has taken an important step to restore this top predator to Gran Iberá Park, a 1.7-million-acre wilderness protected area, and to securing the future for the Jaguar in Argentina, where the species is Critically Endangered with fewer than 200 left. The return of the Jaguar will also help restore full ecosystem health to Iberá, much as the return of the wolves did to Yellowstone in the United States. Argentina is embracing this important strategy of rewilding as a tool to combat the extinction crisis and move toward a healthier, wilder and more equitable planet. @tompkins_conservation @rewilding_argentina @kristine_tompkins @parqueiberacorrientes @gobiernocorrientes @parquesnacionalesar @global_wildlife_conservation #rewilding #yaguarete #jaguar #ibera #rewildingargentina #conservation #bigcats #extinctioncrisis #generationrestoration #UNEP #conservationoptimism #EarthOptimism