#First Global Conservationist

[reasonsforhope]

Scientists have for the first time in 185 years confirmed the presence of the Asian small-clawed otter in Nepal, thrilling conservationists and researchers looking for clues to its existence here.

The last time the Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus), the smallest of the world’s 13 known otter species, was recorded by scientists in Nepal was in 1839.

“After years of speculation about its presence in Nepal, we can finally confirm that the small-clawed otter lives on in the country,” said Mohan Bikram Shrestha, the lead author of a short note published in the latest edition of the bulletin of the Otter Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority.

Although historically three species of otters are believed to occur in Nepal, modern researchers had until now only confirmed the presence of smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) and Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra), with a question mark hanging over the small-clawed otter. During that time, reports have come in, never confirmed until now, of small-clawed otter sightings in Makalu Barun National Park in Nepal’s eastern Himalayas and Kailali and Kapilvastu districts in the western plains...

“As it was found in a fragile and injured state, the forest officers decided to feed and nurse it, but they didn’t know which species it belonged to,” Shrestha. The forest officers, led by Rajeev Chaudhary, shared the images and video of the animal, known locally as saano owt, with the IUCN Otter Specialist Group. The members of the group then confirmed it to be a small-clawed otter.

The discovery comes after the species was confirmed for the first time in 2022 in the Darjeeling area of neighboring India, which shares a similar topography with eastern Nepal. “Following the discovery in Darjeeling, we had been keeping our eyes open for the species in eastern Nepal, but it showed up in the west,” Shrestha said.

There have also been reports of sightings of the animal in the eastern parts of the country, but none of them have been confirmed.

The Asian small-clawed otter is classified as vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List. Its range stretches from Indonesia in the east to Nepal in the west...

As for smooth-coated otters, although their presence in the country has never been in question, sightings of them still excite conservationists. This was especially the case in Chitwan National Park, where their reappearance in September 2023 after two decades spurred calls for more research.

“This is an incredibly significant finding,” Sanjan Thapa, deputy coordinator of the Otter Specialist Group’s Himalayan region, said of the latest development. “We had long suspected that the Asian small-clawed otter might still survive in Nepal, but without concrete evidence, its status remained uncertain.”

Thapa, part of the team that confirmed the 2023 sighting of the smooth-coated otter in Chitwan, said researchers tend to feel a bit edgy about a species when it hasn’t been reported for more than 50 years.

“We had received suggestions that we remove the small-clawed otter from the Nepal otter list as it hadn’t been found for a long time,” he said. “However, we decided not to do so in the hope that it would be rediscovered sooner or later.”

The discovery adds to the challenge of saving Nepal’s otters as the country prepares to finalize and implement an action plan for otters, Thapa said. “Now that we have concrete proof that the small-clawed otter is also found in Nepal, we need to incorporate it in our policies and programs,” he said.

Both Eurasian and smooth-coated otters are protected under the country’s Aquatic Animal Protection Act. The newly rediscovered species, however, isn’t on the list. “The first step would be to add the species to the list,” Thapa said."

-via Mongabay, February 5, 2025

[wachinyeya]

A major review of over 67,000 animal species has found that while the natural world continues to face a biodiversity crisis, targeted conservation efforts are helping bring many species back from the brink of extinction.

The study draws on data from the IUCN Red List, the world's largest database of species conservation status. The researchers say their results, reported in the journal PLOS Biology, highlight both the successes and the need for urgent action.

The world is facing a global biodiversity crisis, with 28% of more than 160,000 assessed species threatened with extinction, and an estimated one million species facing this fate due to human activities. However, conservation measures can be successful if there is concrete evidence about what works.

The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge with the IUCN, BirdLife International, and Oxford and Durham Universities, used Red List data to assess whether conservation measures had been put in place, and whether those actions had a positive impact on a given species' conservation status.

"We found that almost all the species that have moved from a more threatened category to a less threatened category have benefited from some sort of conservation measures," said lead author Ashley Simkins, a Ph.D. candidate in Cambridge's Department of Zoology. "It's a strong signal that conservation works."

While there is no 'one size fits all' solution, the researchers observed some connections between conservation success stories. Many of these species live in isolated areas, such as islands, where intensive conservation efforts—such as habitat protection, captive breeding and reintroductions—can be fully implemented.

"While biodiversity loss is a genuine crisis, it's vital that we celebrate the success stories wherever and whenever we can," said Simkins. "It's so hard for a species to improve its conservation status, but with the right effort, we can turn things around."

The Iberian lynx, once the world's most endangered cat, has rebounded from just a few hundred individuals to a few thousand. Likewise, the kākāpō, a flightless parrot from New Zealand, has benefited from dedicated recovery programs. And the European bison, which was hunted to extinction in the wild in the early 20th century, now roams parts of Eastern Europe thanks to sustained conservation efforts over decades.

Marine species have also seen dramatic recoveries. Humpback and blue whales, once driven to the brink of extinction by commercial whaling, have made a comeback after an international moratorium on whaling. However, despite these success stories, the study found that six times more species are declining than improving.

The researchers say that, like human health care, preventative measures in conservation are preferable and more cost-effective to emergency interventions.

"Humans have gotten pretty good at what could be considered 'A&E' conservation—focusing on species at very high risk of extinction," said Simkins. "What we're less good at is preventing species from becoming threatened in the first place. We need to move beyond treating the symptoms of biodiversity loss and start addressing the root causes."

The researchers also emphasize the need for collaborative, locally driven conservation. In Papua New Guinea, for example, conservationists worked with local communities to replace tree kangaroo hunting with sustainable forms of animal protein, including farming of chickens and fishing—an approach that benefitted both people and wildlife.

"It's vital that we as conservationists are working with stakeholders, rather than dictating to them, whether that's an Indigenous community in Papua New Guinea or a farmer in Somerset," said Simkins.

"Conservation doesn't have to be a zero-sum game—there are compromises that can benefit both the natural world and human society."

"In this climate of constant stories about wildlife declines and insufficient political action to protect nature, it's important to realize that there are also many success stories and that conservation efforts are making a real, demonstrable impact on the world," said co-senior author Dr. Silviu Petrovan, also from the Department of Zoology. "Conservation works if given the chance."

"This research sheds light on which actions to save species have been effective, and what interventions are needed," said co-author Dr. Stuart Butchart, Chief Scientist at BirdLife International. "Governments need to turn their words into actions, and rapidly scale up efforts to save species from extinction and help populations to recover. Safeguarding our natural heritage for future generations depends upon this."

"The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species informs and guides on-the-ground conservation decisions; actions which are further guided by the research presented in this publication," said co-author Craig Hilton-Taylor, Head of the IUCN Red List.

"Almost everyone will have their own favorite example of a conservation success story, whether it's the bald eagle in North America, or the red kite in the UK," said Simkins. We need joint action to ensure these positive stories aren't the exception—they're the norm."

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - March 1-7

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles! I’m almost finished with February’s doodles, sorry for the delay

1. Charles Darwin saw this Galápagos bird on Floreana Island in 1835, then it wasn't seen again for almost 200 years

“The Galápagos rail […] had been deemed locally extinct – and due for reintroduction from other Galápagos islands – until it was seen during recent fieldwork. [… “R]emove the invasive threats, and native species can recover in remarkable ways,” says Island Conservation’s Paula Castaño.”

2. Bill supporting free student meals passes through Utah legislature

“[The bill] would move thousands of students who qualify for reduced-cost school meals into eligibility for free breakfasts and lunch. […] H.B. 100 secures $2.5 million from the state’s education budget to help students from families who do not qualify for federal aid like SNAP or TANF.”

3. Indigenous leaders sign landmark carbon deal in Philippines

“[The deal establishes] the country’s first locally owned forest carbon project. The project, which places a monetary value on the potentially climate-warming carbon stored in trees, aims to halt deforestation through the sale of carbon credits — effectively making the forest more valuable alive than cut down.”

4. Powerful Speeches From Trans Dems Flip 29 Republicans, Anti-Trans Bills Die In Montana

“Transgender Reps Zooey Zephyr and SJ Howell delivered powerful speeches on the Montana House floor on Thursday. Republicans defected en masse to join them in voting against anti-trans bills. […] One Republican even took the floor to deliver a scathing rebuke of the bill’s sponsor.”

5. Illinois proves states have a lot of power to advance clean energy

“[Two new bills] aim to evaluate the state’s current power grid, make it easier to expand the transmission system, and add a ton of new battery storage[…. Illinois already] has one of the cleanest grids in the nation thanks to bountiful nuclear power.“

6. ‘I feel real hope’: historic beaver release marks conservation milestone in England

“”We are visibly, measurably recovering nature and that is so exciting[….]” [… In] recent years, beavers have been returning to our waterways via licensed releases into enclosures and some illegal releases. […] Last week, the government announced that, with a licence, it is now legal for conservationists to release beavers into the wild, with no enclosures necessary.”

7. One of South Dakota’s largest wind farms just got the green light

“Invenergy says the new South Dakota wind farm will pump $78 million into landowner payments over the next 30 years, while local governments will see $38 million in property tax revenue. [… T]he project is expected to create 243 construction jobs and support eight long-term operational roles.”

8. The Antarctic ozone hole is healing, thanks to global reduction of CFCs

“[The] new study is the first to show, with high statistical confidence, that this recovery is due primarily to the reduction of ozone-depleting substances, versus other influences such as natural weather variability[….] "By something like 2035, we might see a year when there's no ozone hole depletion at all in the Antarctic.””

9. Monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico rebound this year

“The number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains west of Mexico City [doubled] in 2024 despite the stresses of climate change and habitat loss[….] Tavera Alonso credited ongoing efforts to increase the number of plants the butterflies rely on for sustenance and reproduction along their flyway.”

10. Pip in final egg means bald eagles Jackie and Shadow should soon be parents of triplets

“Triplets would be unprecedented for the eagles in a decade of observation. […] The [third] eaglet is "actively working on getting out of the egg." […] The two already-hatched chicks, who will be named by the public in the days to come, are "looking much stronger than they were even yesterday[….]””

February 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[uwmspeccoll]

Happy Earth Day! 🌍

Earth Day, celebrated on April 22 and initiated by our own Wisconsin Governor, Senator, and ardent conservationist Gaylord Nelson, is an annual event that encourages support for environmental protection. It was first observed in 1970 and is now recognized globally by more than a billion people in over 190 countries. 

On this Earth Day, we are showcasing Seventh Generation Earth Ethics: Native Voices of Wisconsin by Patty Loew, a member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Ojibwe. The term "Seventh Generation" is rooted in Indigenous philosophy, particularly among the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people, suggesting that decision-making should consider the impact on the next seven generations. 

Published in 2014 by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press in Madison, Loew’s book emphasizes the importance of environmental protection, sustainability, and the interconnectedness of all living things. Profiling twelve individuals from each of Wisconsin's twelve Indian nations offers a valuable perspective on Native American ethics related to environmentalism. The book aims to educate readers about Indigenous knowledge systems and their relevance in today's environmental discourse.

The book has a foreword by Winona LaDuke (b.1959), a prominent Native American activist, author, and economist, known for her work on issues related to indigenous rights, environmental justice, and sustainable development. She is a member of the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (Ojibwe). She has dedicated her career to advocating for Native American rights, focusing on issues such as land sovereignty, traditional ecological knowledge, and the impact of industrial development on indigenous communities.

Earth Day reminds individuals and communities to take action toward sustainability and to care for the planet. Activities can include tree planting, community clean-ups, educational programs, and various initiatives aimed at reducing waste and conserving resources.

-View more posts from our Native American Literature Collection

-View previous Earth Day posts

--Melissa (Stockbridge-Munsee), Special Collections Library Assistant

[the-most-humble-blog]

<!-- BEGIN TRANSMISSION --> <div style="white-space:pre-wrap"> <meta survival-rate="100% human brutality"> <script>ARCHIVE_TAG="ZOMBIE_APOCALYPSE_DISMANTLED_REALITY_001"</script>

🧟‍♂️ HATE TO BURST YOUR ZOMBIE-HORDING BUBBLE (But in real life? Y’all wouldn’t be fighting zombies. You’d be laughing while smoking ‘em.)

I know. You’ve got it all planned out. Your Zombieland fantasy. Your Walking Dead cosplay lifestyle. You think when it all goes to hell, you'll become Daryl Dixon overnight with a crossbow, fingerless gloves, and a stone-cold thousand-yard stare while a horde of the undead moans outside your fortified Bass Pro Shop.

You think the power grid collapses, the government falls, and you're out here eating canned beans off a bayonet while fighting off literal corpses in a trench coat made of riot gear.

Sounds cute.

But here’s the truth: Real humans? Are good at killing. Like, insanely good at killing.

If zombies were real?

They wouldn't overrun us. We'd annihilate them so fast it’d make a wildlife conservationist cry.

🔪 REALITY CHECK #1: HUMANS ARE SERIAL KILLERS WITH A CONSCIENCE We’ve survived wolves, tigers, plagues, warlords, each other, and countless extinction events.

We built religions, bombs, and air fryers. We survived the Ice Age without pants. You think a moaning meth-head with half a jaw is going to end civilization?

Please.

If anything, humans would treat zombies like pests.

Neighborhood watch groups would turn into hunting parties. Suburbs would form kill leagues. TikTok would be flooded with #ZombTok tutorials for machete sharpening and viral trends like “How I cleared my HOA of 47 rotters in under 2 minutes.”

🔫 REALITY CHECK #2: MODERN MILITARY + 72 HOURS = GENOCIDE Let’s do the math.

Even at modest mobilization, the U.S. military has:

1.2 million active-duty troops

393 million civilian-owned firearms

6,500+ main battle tanks

Drones that can see your heat signature from space

And bunker-crushing MOABs that can turn an entire infected city block into glass.

You're telling me slow, unarmed, rotting pedestrians are going to outmaneuver trained sociopaths with night vision and air support?

Zombies wouldn’t even make it to Day 4.

🧠 REALITY CHECK #3: ZOMBIES HAVE SHIT TACTICS Let’s break down zombie strategy:

Moan

Walk toward sound

Bite if lucky

That’s it.

No stealth. No camouflage. No coordinated attacks. Just moist gurgling in traffic.

In real life, they’d be sniped, burned, tased, trapped, dumped into pits, run over, and exploited for sport within the first 48 hours.

We’d have entire YouTube channels dedicated to zombie obliteration ASMR. Merch drops. Fan cams. Season passes.

They wouldn't be "winning." They’d be streamed in 4K and monetized to death.

🏹 REALITY CHECK #4: REDNECKS, MILITIA DADS, AND DIY PSYCHOS WOULD GET BORED Every town’s got at least one guy who owns 19 guns “for raccoons,” built a bunker “just in case,” and jerks off to Joe Rogan podcasts.

You really think he’s not ready?

That dude would have the entire county cleared by breakfast and still be asking:

“So uh… when does the real war start?”

And don’t even get me started on rural communities. They’d treat the apocalypse like a church barbecue with kill scores.

🧬 OBSCURE, HORRIFYINGLY TRUE FACTS:

Genghis Khan’s forces wiped out 11% of the global population with horses, bows, and zero antibiotics.

Ants have been known to build bridges out of their dead. Humans? We built civilizations out of stacked skulls.

The average human has enough jaw strength to bite off a finger— but won’t, because society told us not to. Take away the rules? You think we won't bite back?

☣️ THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE YOU ENVISION = THE SHORTEST MASSACRE IN HISTORY Zombies wouldn’t last long enough for a plot twist. They’d be rounded up like cattle, studied, and pit-fought for betting apps.

There’d be sponsorship deals. Limited-edition zombie sneakers. Fashion lines called “Rot Couture.”

Half of Hollywood would star in zombie hunting reality shows before the midterms. Netflix would greenlight 13 documentaries and a prequel drama.

You’d be scrolling Twitter in a recliner while the last pack of infected gets bulldozed by a retired oil tycoon on Twitch.

🩸 SO WHY DO WE LOVE ZOMBIES? Because they give us permission to fantasize about clean violence. No guilt. No consequences. Just mowing down monsters that used to be your boss.

But in real life? You wouldn't be scared. You’d be desensitized by lunch.

The real horror isn't the undead. It's how efficient we are at erasing them.

🧃 TL;DR?

You want a zombie apocalypse because deep down, you want an excuse to unleash the part of yourself society made you leash.

But sorry to burst your fantasy: it wouldn’t be survival. It would be slaughter.

And humans? We’d be too good at it.

So good that by Week Two, we’d be lobbying Congress to put zombies on an endangered species list.

---

📦 This post—and other brutal truth payloads—will join the vault soon. Because some fantasies need to be corrected with statistical violence and sociological fire.

The Patreon archive awaits. You're welcome.

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[mindblowingscience]

Global rhinoceros numbers have increased to 27,000 despite populations being ravaged by poaching and habitat loss, new figures show, with some species rebounding for the first time in a decade. Rhinos numbered about 500,000 across Africa and Asia in the 20th century but their populations have been devastated. Last year, they began showing signs of recovery in some areas, although two species – the Javan and Sumatran – remain close to disappearing. Figures released by the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group, the conservation body, indicate that the global rhino population increased to about 27,000 at the end of last year, with southern white rhino numbers increasing for the first time since 2012, from 15,942 at the end of 2021 to 16,803. In 2021, the world’s rhino population was estimated to be 26,272. Black rhinos, native to east and southern Africa, have been heavily depleted by poaching for their horns but last year increased by nearly 5%, rising from 6,195 at the end of 2021 to 6,487 at the end of 2022. This increase has happened despite a rise in black rhinos killed by poachers, and has been aided by conservationists establishing new populations that have grown in size.

Continue Reading

[theexhaustedmermaid]

Via Sanjana Gajbhiye at Earth.com

The African penguin has lost 97 percent of its population, and unless we step up, they could vanish in less than 4,000 days. It’s not often that a species gets the dubious honor of being the first to meet certain criteria. However, the African penguin has become the first of 18 global penguin species to be classified as “Critically Endangered.” We cannot overlook the gravity of this situation. SANCCOB, BirdLife South Africa, and Blue Marine are raising their voices, appealing to the government and the global community to act now to save the endangered African penguin. For conservationists worldwide, the IUCN Red List is the gold-standard tool for assessing extinction risk. It’s like a medical chart for biodiversity, indicating which species are at risk and which are critically close to extinction. To date, the IUCN Red List includes 163,040 species. Overall, 45,321 of these species are threatened with extinction. The uplisting of the African penguin to “Critically Endangered” is a red flag, signaling the urgent need for collaborative action.

The largest threat to the African penguins seems to be competition with commercial fishermen as well as environmental change and pollution. SANCCOB started a petition to increase the no-take fisheries zones needed for African penguins to survive.

[rjzimmerman]

Hawaiian monk seal. Photo: Megan Nagel/USFWS

Excerpt from this story from The Revelator:

The re-election of Donald Trump has scientists and conservationists like me worried about the wildlife and wild places we’ve dedicated our lives to protecting. This is especially true for ocean and coastal natural resource management and endangered species conservation, given Trump’s ongoing rhetoric. He’s attacked climate science and supported a plan to dismantle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There are also reasons to be concerned about the scientists working to study and protect these species, who could find themselves out of work or actively persecuted.

During his first administration, Trump became the first president in history to un-protect a protected area when he lifted fishing restrictions in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the 4,900-square-mile home to many endangered marine species and fragile deep-sea corals. Given his statements against national monuments and other public lands, that’s likely to repeat over the next four years. Project 2025, the right-wing playbook for his second administration, even calls for highly destructive mining practices within the boundaries of currently protected areas.

Meanwhile the planet’s biggest overarching threat — climate change — is expected to worsen under Trump, who ordered the U.S. to leave the Paris Climate Agreement on his first day back in office. Experts say there’s already basically no chance of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, an important threshold for the survival of many species. This means that the oceans will continue to experience alarming heat waves, ice caps will melt, and sea levels will rise. Many ocean species are already moving out of their historical ranges or declining in population as waters warm above animals’ threshold for adaptation.

Both Donald Trump’s record and his promises for his second term show that marine and coastal species are unlikely to get the support they need to save them from further declines or even extinction. Experts warn that abandoning our climate goals, loosening or eliminating restrictions on pollution and habitat destruction, and failing to enact new environmental limits on industry will be catastrophic for many of these creatures.

And we’re not talking about a handful of fish: Overall NOAA is responsible for the conservation of 40 endangered and 59 threatened marine and coastal species in U.S. waters. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for many more that live in freshwater and along beaches and coasts. All of them, and the ecosystems they depend on, face uncertain paths as Trump once again takes office.

[world-of-wales]

THE PRINCE DIARIES ♚

5 NOVEMBER 2024 || SOUTH AFRICA VISIT : DAY II (1/4) - TABLE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

The Prince of Wales attended a nature walk with park rangers and conservationists at Signal Hill which is part of the wider Table Mountain National Park as his first engagement on his second day in Cape Town.

He spoke to park rangers, firefighters, mountain rescue volunteers, biodiversity experts and youth volunteers from Mayine e-Africa about the rich diversity of fauna and flora, and the work that they do together to protect the environment while ensuring that residents and tourists are able to enjoy the park.

He was joined by Earthshot Global Ambassador Robert Irwin & Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis for the final stretch of the walk.

William and the rest of the attendees completed the walk at the iconic Cape Town Yellow Frame on Signal Hill.

[mariacallous]

It has been two hours since the divers left the coast behind. As they reach their designated GPS points in the Gulf of Mexico, their boats’ engines go from roaring to whispering. In pairs, they enter the Celestún Fishing Refuge Zone, one of the largest in Mexico. Their ritual is absolute: put on fins, adjust vests and hoses, clean visors, and load oxygen tanks and weights. For the next few minutes, their lives depend on having carefully prepared their dives to this place of hope.

They are here seeking to restore fisheries in decline or on the verge of collapse. This refuge, a no-catch zone established in 2019, covers 324 square kilometers and is monitored by the Yucatán Coast Submarine Monitoring Community Group, a group of community divers and fishers, who are supported by personnel from the Mexican Institute for Research in Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (IMIPAS) and the civil association the Community and Biodiversity (COBI). Their methodology mixes local knowledge with scientific rigor.

The problem they face is a global one: Overfishing and environmental degradation are destroying the biodiversity of the oceans, with many countries lacking the will or resources to combat the problem. In 2024, as sea-surface temperatures broke all-time records, the Worldwide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet report showed that, over the past 50 years, marine populations worldwide have declined in size by 56 percent. Over a third of current marine populations are overfished.

In Mexico, more than 700 marine species are fished in 83 fisheries, which support 200,000 Mexican families. Analysis of Mexico’s National Fishing Charter by IMIPAS indicates that 17 percent of the country’s fisheries are deteriorated, 62 percent are being exploited at their maximum sustainable level, and 15 percent have no information on their state. When the conservation nonprofit Oceana analyzed the same data, it found that 34 percent of Mexico’s fisheries are in "poor condition,” says to Esteban García Peña, Oceana’s coordinator of research and public policy.

Part of the problem is that, under Mexican law, no one is obligated to look after the health of the country’s fisheries; Mexico’s General Fisheries Law doesn’t obligate the government to take on this responsibility. Oceana has petitioned to change this, and in the face of legislative disinterest, even filed an injunction in 2021 against the Congress of the Union, alleging violations of human rights, such as access to a healthy environment and food. This inspired a proposal to revive Mexico’s deteriorated fishing zones, only for it not to be analyzed or approved by Congress, and the project was frozen.

In 50 years, the world has lost 56 percent of its marine populations. Photograph: Heritage Images/Getty Images

Faced with this uncertainty, communities have taken things into their own hands. Although the government isn’t obliged to protect and revive the country’s fisheries, people can request for it set up refuge zones to conserve and repopulate marine ecosystems. And so today, there are refuges in Baja California Sur, Quintana Roo, and Campeche, totaling more than 2 million hectares and benefiting, directly or indirectly, 130 species.

“When the first proposal was put forward, it seemed crazy,” says Alicia Poot, an IMIPAS researcher and head of the Regional Center for Aquaculture and Fisheries Research in Yucalpetén. “Some people think it’s closing the sea, but it’s not. It is working an area in a sustainable way, with community oversight.”

The Limits of Abundance

The day before the monitoring begins, the Celestún team gathers under a large palapa. Jacobo Caamal, COBI’s scientific diving expert, reviews the plan for the next few days. He jokingly gives practical advice, using coconuts to show how to measure sea cucumbers and sea snails.

They talk about sea cucumbers because, although it is not part of Mexican gastronomy, its fishing has brought a lot of profit to this coast. In the Chinese market these creatures can fetch more than $150 per plate. The hype over the echinoderm has driven practices that are harmful to the ecosystem and to the fishermen’s health, such as diving using a hookah, a makeshift diving machine that runs on gasoline and pumps oxygen down a tube to divers below the surface. Sanitary towels sometimes stand in as an oil filter, while mint tablets are taken to mitigate the taste of gas. In Celestún, nobody denies the risk of diving with this machine. Many know someone who has had an accident or died from decompression.

Until 2012, this area had cucumbers in abundance, but violation of its closed seasons brought the species to the brink of extinction. Divers started going deeper and deeper to hunt them. The situation became untenable. Then, a group of fishermen asked IMIPAS researchers for help to establish an area where the sea could have a chance to recover.

Overfishing has depleted other species here too. Leonardo Pech, founder of the refuge and captain of one of the boats during the monitoring trip, has been accompanying IMIPAS researchers for years to evaluate the state of marine species. A couple of decades ago, he says, scallops were fished until they were spent. It was intense and unregulated, Pech recalls. The fishermen knew they had to let the species recover, he says, but not everyone respected this need.

Some time later, the same thing happened with the Moorish crab. “They would cut off both claws. Everywhere you walked by, you’d see dead crab breasts. It was spent.” Then fishing of grouper began. “There were plenty, big. Now it’s gone down and the juvenile is this size,” Pech says, showing its small length with his hands.

Predation then reached the octopuses. New fishermen opted to use illegal compressors to dive instead of relying on artisanal fishing, which is done with wooden sticks, string, and bait. With this traditional method, females with young do not take the bait, and that protects the species from overfishing. But diving sweeps up octopuses evenly. In 2023, over 20,000 tons of octopus were caught in Yucatán.

The collapse of fisheries doesn’t just result in fewer animals and smaller sizes. It also pushes fishermen to go further and further out into the ocean sea and spend more days at sea. They even make unregulated adjustments to their fleet. “They raise their boats in search of more stability in deeper places, they add huts,” says Poot. Keeping profits higher than their operating costs is a necessity, even if this puts fishermen’s lives at risk—for instance when getting caught in storms in in homemade boats.

Nancy Gocher, coordinator of Oceana’s campaign team, explains that the depletion of marine resources—while partially being driven by overfishing—at the same time violates the fishermen’s right to work, their food sovereignty (more than 3 billion people obtain their nutrients from the sea), their identity, and their right to a healthy environment. They are also victims of forces outside of their control. "Fishing communities receive the first impact of the inclemencies aggravated by climate change,” she says.

Before applying for the refuge in Celestún, local fishermen and researchers had many conversations. When they saw the fisheries information compiled by the Regional Center for Aquaculture and Fisheries Research, they realized that it was not only the cucumber that needed protection. Species such as red grouper (Epinephelus morio) and red octopus (Octopus maya) were also listed as overexploited or in decline. So the community agreed to try replenish populations of red grouper, Caribbean lobster (Panulirus argus), Mayan octopus, and sea cucumber. Within the delimited area of the refuge, artisanal octopus fishing and the capture of king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla), Atlantic Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus), and great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) is allowed between October and February using “trolling”—pulling a baited hook behind a boat; diving, sport fishing, and domestic consumption of other species is prohibited.

Against the “Race for Fish”

Josué Canul is one of the people under the palapa. “I was one of the first divers, known for being a poacher fisherman. I have been one of the biggest predators,” he says. For 30 years, Canul dived with hookahs. “I was their hater,” he says of conservationists—now he the refuge’s president. Three years ago, he didn’t believe in the project, but he went to one of its meetings. “I was going to fight,” he admits. But first, he sat down to listen. That day he understood his mistake: it was not a forbidden site, but a workspace. The area was new, and much remained to be done, but the idea captivated him for two reasons: the loss of marine abundance, which he was witnessing, and the promise of a better future. “I had always wanted, in unison, for the community to say: we don’t fish in this area so that it will reproduce and leave some here for us.”

In the past, it was said “that in Celestún they burned your boats, that the most terrible and furtive fishermen lived there,” says Mariana Suasnávar, a climate change specialist at COBI. To think that this community would be the first in the state to take such measures to recover the fisheries was far-fetched. Today, the idea is backed by 66 leaders, men and women.

On the left, Josué Canul; on the right, Captain Ángel Novelo. Photograph: Geraldine Castro

Dismantling illegal fishing is difficult. Canul says that fishermen justify being poachers because it feeds their families. “Since we were kids, we have the culture that the more you catch, the more you have. We were never taught to take care,” he says. Andrea Saénz, a marine biologist and environmental economist at the Colegio de la Frontera Sur, calls this phenomenon “the race for fish,” in which “whoever gets there fastest gets the treasure.” In her view, this extractivist approach to the sea occurs because there is open access, which leads to thinking: “If I don’t take it out, someone else is going to do it.”

Poot points out that fishing refuge zones are a management tool, so that the communities return little by little to good practices. “That piece motivates them to take care, to teach the new generations how fishing should be, because today it has been distorted,” she says.

Early on the dock, the fishermen watch the monitoring group leave. Photograph: Geraldine Castro

It’s expected that a well-kept fishing refuge will result in larger organisms, greater abundance of fish, and more diversity of species. A desired effect is overflow—that is, for these benefits to be seen beyond the borders of the protection site. Poot explains that, to measure this, it is crucial to establish a baseline of how the site is at the beginning and implement a constant monitoring program. “If five years go by and you don’t notice results, it is possible to extend it longer. Not all areas are equally resilient.”

Saénz says there is evidence of recovery with this strategy, but evaluating benefit takes time. “Experiments to evaluate that the cost of not fishing is offset by larval dispersal are scarce,” she says. She collaborated with COBI on a study on Isla Natividad, off the coast of Baja California Sur, where they collected data over ten years and found that lobster fishing was good at the boundaries of the reserve set up there.

Participatory Underwater Science

On the day of the monitoring, the divers are dropped on their backs into the sea and descend. For 30 minutes, a buoy tracks their location. Some pairs practice wandering dives, others follow a transect, a sampling line, to systematically collect data. Some describe the type of seabed and its contents every 50 centimeters for 50 meters; others identify, count, and indicate the size of fish. The invertebrate biometry team collects snails and cucumbers to measure them on the boat and, underwater, they record lobsters, octopus, and other organisms. Everyone notes whether the sampling site is inside or outside the refuge, key information for future comparisons. “It’s like taking a picture of the sea,” says Suasnávar.

Measuring a sea cucumber. Photograph: Geraldine Castro

Esther Yerves, a lawyer and part of a fishing family, returns soaking wet to the boat with a smile: “It's like entering another world,” she says. She joined the project after seeing the decline of the octopus and today is treasurer of the refuge and a member of the Yucatán Coast Submarine Monitoring Community Group, where 14 women and 12 men from different Yucatecan communities participate. She learned to dive to see with her own eyes if the effort was worth it, and to make her voice heard in the decision-making process.

The monitoring group is made up of people involved in the fishing chain with the support of organizations such as COBI, agencies such as IMIPAS, the Secretariat of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture of Yucatán, and the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas. Members have received certifications in open water scuba diving, first aid, and species identification methodologies designed by IMIPAS and COBI. Their work helps to expose the results of sustainable management and to recognize if there is anything to adjust in the management of the area.

Esther Yerves, one of the divers who cares for the Celestún fishing refuge. Photograph: Geraldine Castro

The Blue Economy Is Also Inland

When the team returns to land, they eat, bathe, and rest for a while. They get gas for the next trips, prepare food, and digitize their log sheets. Data capture takes place in a small room with air conditioning, cake, and coffee. From the log sheets jump the marine characters: mackerel scad (Decapterus macarellus), yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus), canané. If someone mispronounces the Latin, they gently correct each other, rehearsing the name out loud with laughter. A copy of Paul Humann’s Reef Creature Identification, considered a must-have for divers, biologists, and marine life lovers, is passed from hand to hand, with team members pointing out the species they have already found and those they would like to see soon.

In the evenings, Caamal, the scientific diving expert from COBI, sits among the mosquitoes and the noise of filling tanks. There he explains to me that the success of the refuge goes beyond the biological aspects. “Monitoring biomass and fish is useful, but if the community doesn’t participate or know about the project, it loses meaning,” he says. A research article he coauthored emphasizes that protected conservation areas are most effective when combining technical expertise, Western science, and participatory science with local fishermen.

On land, they seek to empower fishermen, reduce the gender gap in the local economy, diversify voices in decision making (in Celestún there is a committee of women and another of young people), and strengthen community pride and the defense of the territory. Some groups are organizing against predatory tourism or the care of other coastal ecosystems, such as dunes or mangroves.

Alesxia, an experienced diver from Punta Allen in neighboring Quintana Roo, helps with monitoring. Photograph: Geraldine Castro

When Canul joined the project, there were pending issues that could not be put off: surveillance and monitoring. But there was no money. Canul is a restless person—his colleagues say that even underwater he keeps talking. It was only a few months after joining the refuge team that he assumed the presidency.

Priscila and Maritza, the youngest of the Yucatán monitoring group. Photograph: Geraldine Castro

To raise funds, the Celestún group organizes festivals, but now they have won a grant from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). As a result, they are about to integrate electric motors into their work. Alondra Ramírez, UNDP Mexico Small Grants Programme associate in charge of the energy projects portfolio, explains that, using electric mobility will help reduce the environmental impact of surveillance, monitoring, and fishing.

Left: Esther Yerves, ready to dive. Right: Stowing away equipment. Photograph: Geraldine Castro

Missing Eyes at Sea

In addition to the effort to obtain scientific data, fishermen monitor the area against poaching and look for ways to finance this. Since 2019, there has been no federal budget allocated to fisheries management in Mexico, including the operation of these zones. “Your budget speaks of your priorities. In the last six-year term, fishing was priority zero. Many of the things that have happened are thanks to the management and organization of civil society,” stresses Saénz.

Gocher of Oceana points out that many of the obstacles faced in marine conservation are due to the lack of social fabric. It’s known locally who is fishing illegally. “That they have to ask them not to do it implies a community conflict, but it also opens the opportunity to restore the social fabric. When the community sees results—that there are more resources, that forms of economy are created, such as tourism, that are more sustainable and at their pace—they begin to take care,” Gocher says.

“There are many fishing refuge zones and protected marine areas in which fishermen and fisherwomen make vigilance committees to make sure that fishing is done legally; they take care of everyone’s resources,” says Gocher. “In Mexico, 75 percent of the fisheries are exploited without management plans, which puts the sustainable development and wellbeing of the communities at risk.”

Many vigilance groups begin by financing activities out of their own pockets and, as they organize, they look for ways to be reimbursed.

For three days, COBI members supported the monitoring. Photograph: Geraldine Castro

Against poaching, the refuge team knows that they are swimming against the current, that they must deal with the frustration of taking care of a resource that others steal at night. They know they are at risk for pointing out those who break the rules, even if they are their neighbors. “Many times we look like clowns when we do surveillance, catch people who do something illegal and the law does nothing to them,” says Canul. During the monitoring, one of the captains notices a boat on the horizon and deduces that they are coming from illegal fishing. He picks up the radio and asks the others what to do; they decide not to interrupt the monitoring.

“We have little data to know how to fight illegal fishing. Inspection and surveillance in Mexico are not robust,” Gocher says. Analysis from Oceana has revealed a reduction in surveillance patrols by the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries. In 2023, 332 maritime patrols and 99 land patrols were recorded, the lowest figures in 15 years. “There is no information on what happens when someone is caught or a vessel or product is seized. After the complaint, almost no one knows what happens. There is opacity in the data and a high level of impunity,” Gocher says.

Mexico is in the process of establishing 14 fishing refuge zones, which would total more than 100,000 hectares of conservation in seven states—mainly in Sonora and Yucatán. This year the peninsular state added two more refuges, one in El Cuyo and another in Chabihau; months ago, the Actam Chuleb refuge was made official, which had been operating as a community marine reserve for years. Due to the growing interest in the refuges, the creation of a National System of Fishing Refuge Zones has been proposed. A consultancy, financed by the World Bank and the French Development Agency, in coordination with the Mexican government, reviewed the idea. Suggestions include incorporating fishing goals as part of the National Development Plan, strengthening community management, creating a national fund, and providing legal security for coastal communities to manage their territory.

The vision for recovering the productivity of the sea, says Saénz, is an example of “coupled scales.” First, work with those who access a maritime territory, then see how they connect with their neighbors, then with currents, and with land-based activities. “You need a complete understanding of these phenomena.” What is impossible, she assures, is to try to recover a species without listening to the fishermen.

Juan Pech has seen marine beauty and also a damaged sea. The diver explains his commitment with an anecdote. Years ago, the man who taught him commercial diving told him where to go to find fish. Juan followed his instructions, but came to a dead site; nothing his teacher described was still there. If he ever has children, he says he doesn’t want to tell them about a sea they can’t see.

[gladsforthelads]

CORDELIA BALLAD

NAME: Cordelia (Heart of the Sea) Ballad *It might be a little obvious why I had to go with that for her name.

APPEARANCE:

HAIR: Spring green

EYES: Heterochromia – R: Blue; L: Purple

OTHER FEATURES: She has a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth.

*it's one of Rafayel's favorite places to kiss, his target kiss spot if you will~

HEIGHT: 5’7” (174cm)

AGE: 24

PERSONALITY:

Warm, bubbly, friendly to all, a literal ball of sunshine if you will and catches many people off guard that she’s a Hunter because everyone else is a bit more glum in comparison.

Laidback and a little bit of a procrastinator to the point people wonder if she’s actually serious about her job until she reminds them of how serious she is about her job.

Conservationist, she worries about the environment, animals, global warming, the state of the planet, and whether the beauty of nature will till be here after they’re long gone.

Has to constantly be doing something or moving, even on her off days, so she’s constantly looking for her next great adventure to the point she’ll pass out randomly and wake up in strange places if she’s not careful. *In my head she’s a weird cross between Bridgette from Total Drama Island (don’t judge) & Aerith Gainsborough. I genuinely feel like they’re the only ones that could rationally put up with Rafayel.

WORK DETAILS:

EVOL: Resonance

*For the sake of convenience & keeping it in line with LADS story.

OCCUPATION: Deepspace Hunter – Specialist

DIVISION: Alpha Team – under Jenna

WORKS WITH: Elara occasionally, but mostly does solo protection assignments. Has currently been assigned to bodyguard the famous artist Rafayel.

WEAPON: Daggers & guns

POLITICAL OPINION: Chocotist because she really doesn’t like the conflict growing from this, but she’s more of a Purist.

*Based off the recent story drop

BFFS: Elara

BACKGROUND:

She grew up in the Whitesand Bay area after her parents passing and was raised by her uncle and older cousin. What little of her childhood she could remember before her accident her days were spent out on the open seas surfing, seashell collecting, swimming with sea turtles, and fuzzy memories of playing with a boy who lived on the beach – however she still hasn’t recovered most of her memories since was attacked by a Wanderer while she was surfing and had a bad head injury. *Her uncle & cousin do not like to talk about the incident or about the time she was in the hospital and try to skirt around it any time she brings it up.

Ever since the accident her equilibrium has always been a bit off, meaning her balance wavers from time to time and her memories are spotty even from events that happened a week ago. While she doesn’t consider herself a photographer, she takes pictures of everything and everyone, writing down the date, who she’s with, and what she was doing so she won’t forget them. *There’s certain childhood memories she literally just can’t get back and doesn’t remember the experience even if her cousin tells her everything in detail. She always feels so lost when she can’t remember.

It took her a long while to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, when she was younger all, she wanted to do was surf, then when the fear of getting out in the ocean again claimed her, she debated on being an artist, but lacked the commitment, and she unlike the other girls, just sorta stumbled into being a Hunter. She was actually recruited by Jenna herself because she’d jumped into action and helped others during a Wanderer attack, and she’s been in the Alpha Team ever since.

She’s the second-best Specialist (Elara being first) but is much better with people and was elated when she was first assigned to the bodyguard position on top of all her other duties, then she got to know the famous Rafayel and tries her best to keep him on a leash to keep him from wandering off; though he’s as slippery as an eel.

While being Rafayel’s bodyguard is a pain when he’s moody, he’s allowed her to experience more things than ever before and has taken up a considerable amount of space on her wall of memories.

[reasonsforhope]

"In an unprecedented success for conservation efforts, a tiny population of Guam kingfishers given a new home has laid its first eggs—after 40 years of the species being extinct in the wild.

Exterminated from its Guam island home by invasive brown tree snakes, the kingfisher, known by Guam locals as a ‘sihek’, has survived entirely in captivity, managed by a global collaboration of conservationists called the Sihek Recovery Program.

The program introduced the birds to the Palmyra Atoll thousands of miles from Guam in order to create a wild-born population that can regain natural skills until their native island has been cleared of the invasive reptile—and the sihek can return to its ancestral home.

GNN reported in September of 2022 that 20 sihek eggs were set to be transferred to Hawaii to be born in an aviary with conditions and flora similar to that of Palmyra Atoll.

The journey to recovery would be long, complex, and in some ways unprecedented. In order to reduce the risk of foreign germs or parasites spreading to atoll, the resulting sihek chicks were going to be hand-reared until 9 of them could be transferred in cages to Palmyra.

After getting their “ticket to ride” by the vet traveling with them, they would finally be able to return to the wilderness. But the program teams didn’t know which of the available prey species the sihek will favor, didn’t know what time of year, considering the 365-day perfect temperatures, the birds will breed, or how far they would disperse.

But despite the miles and the unknowns, their remarkable release last autumn was a success by any reasonable metric. Four female and five male birds quickly explored their new home, learning how to forage and hunt new prey within the tropical forest.

Four pairs have since established territories, built nests, and laid eggs, marking the first time the species has bred in the wild since its extinction from Guam in the 1980s...

Pictured: First confirmed wild-laid sihek eggs in almost 40 years

With the mated pairs less than a year old, this is their first time incubating and caring for eggs, meaning it’s likely it will take a few rounds of egg laying for the birds to hone their skills and hatch chicks, a statement from ZSL read. Nonetheless, these eggs demonstrate both the tremendous resilience of these remarkable birds and the power of conservation to create a second chance for species on the brink of extinction.

“After many long days last year looking after these birds when they were just tiny eggs and chicks, it’s so rewarding to see them beginning their journey towards raising their own chicks in the forests of Palmyra Atoll,” Charlotte James, one of the London Zoo bird keepers who hand-reared the birds.

“It’s hard not to feel like a proud parent seeing them out there thriving and making history—and an honor to be part of the ongoing mission to bring sihek back from the brink of extinction.”

Plans are underway for more young sihek to be released at Palmyra Atoll this summer. Egg laying season is underway at participating (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) AZA-accredited institutions across the US. As they grow to maturity, these chicks will also journey to Palmyra, with the ultimate goal of establishing ten breeding pairs there. The wild sihek at Palmyra Atoll will pave the way for a growing, wild sihek population for the first time in decades.

Then maybe, just maybe, at some point in the distant future, the descendants of these birds who’ve regained their wild skills will be able to practice them on the island of their origin once again."

-via Good News Network, April 26, 2025

[wachinyeya]

Firefly species discovered after 90-year absence: 'Even when things seem lost, they can still find their way back'

Jun 11, 2025 1:40 PM

In October, Monash University master’s student Tan Wei Jack was doing a routine specimen examination of a firefly sample discovered in the dense forests of Bukit Kiara, Malaysia. 

Then he did a double-take. 

“I was examining some previously collected specimens under the microscope and noticed something strange, a feature that didn’t match what I’d just learned about Colophotia fireflies the day before,” Tan told Monash University in early June. “This was the moment I knew that something was different.”

Tan soon realized that he was looking at a Pteroptyx gombakia, or a Gombak bent-winged firefly. The discovery marked the first time that the species had been identified in 90 years — and the first live sighting of the species, ever. 

“Everyone was so supportive. I’m really grateful for that,” said Tan, who studies under the tutelage of Dr. Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh — a leading firefly expert and conservationist. 

“There’s still so much to learn, especially about Pteroptyx gombakia,” Tan continued. “The next step is to study its ecology and figure out what it’s doing in a place like Bukit Kiara.”

Jusoh verified her student’s discovery, saying that the characteristic difference was small but remarkably distinct. 

“The difference was spotted in the firefly’s light-producing organ called the ‘lantern,’ which is located in the insect’s abdomen,” Jusoh said. 

“Indeed, it is truly magical we have this rare group of fireflies living in the heart of our city.” 

Tan said that the fieldwork that his honors degree requires has been fully immersive — and incredibly arduous. 

“The physical fatigue from hiking and the mental fatigue from constantly being on the lookout for a flash of light, all while being in near total darkness, gradually took its toll,” Tan explained. 

“I have come to learn that recognizing your body’s limits and taking appropriate breaks is essential for the long run.”

But his studies have also provided a valuable lesson — one that mirrors the Gombak bent-winged firefly’s return.

“It’s a reminder that even when things seem lost, they can still find their way back,” Tan said. 

In October 2023 — a year before Tan’s once-in-a-century discovery — his mentor gave a TED Talk at TED Women in Atlanta, Georgia, on the importance of fireflies — also known as “kelip-kelip.”

“[They’re] so much more than pretty lights … they are an essential part of a healthy ecosystem,” said Jusoh, who spent her summers surrounded by fireflies on the coast of Peninsular Malaysia. 

“The lifecycle of fireflies keeps the ecosystem balanced. Each firefly, in each indicative life stage, has specific needs for habitat to thrive.” 

She also pointed out that fireflies are an “indicator species.” 

“In a mangrove forest, when you see a population of fireflies decreasing, that could be due to water quality degradation, which can be a sign of a collapsing food chain,” Jusoh said. “Why? Because firefly larvae eat snails, and snails need good water quality to thrive.”

Jusoh said that climate change, habitat loss, and pesticide use have ushered in the global decline of fireflies. 

Fortunately, there are several eco-friendly measures anyone can take, no matter where they are in the world. 

Steps include opting for non-chemical pest management, planting native trees and grasses, and reducing excessive use of artificial lights, which disorient fireflies and actively lessen reproduction rates. 

Even in regions where fireflies do not live, these three measures can help countless “backyard” wildlife species, including frogs, bees, owls, bats, and more. 

Today, Tan and Jusoh continue their firefly studies and conservation through Friends of Bukit Kiara, a nonprofit that leads environmental efforts throughout the forested region. 

“Wildlife and conservation are fields which require a lot of passion,” Tan said, offering encouragement to aspiring scientists. “If you have enough passion, that passion will light the path ahead of you towards the future.”

[thehopefuljournalist]

Am I a little bit late for some of you? I might be. But anyways. Here's what went right around the world this past week :)

Youth climate activists won a huge climate lawsuit

Sixteens youths (aged five to 22) from Montana, US, have emerged victorious after suing state officials for violating their right to a clean environment.

In their lawsuit, they argued that Montana's fossil fuel policies contributed to climate change, which harms their physical and mental health. Montana is a major coal producer, with large oil and gas reserves. The state has rebuffed these claims, saying that their emissions were insignificant on a global scale.

Judge Kathy Seely, in a 103-page ruling, set a legal precedent for young people’s rights to a safe climate by finding in their favour. “Every additional tonne of GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions exacerbates plaintiffs’ injuries and risks locking in irreversible climate injuries".

This win marks the very first time a US court has ruled against a government for a violation of constitutional rights based on climate change. It will now be up to Montana lawmakers to bring state policies in line.

“As fires rage in the west, fueled by fossil fuel pollution, today’s ruling in Montana is a gamechanger that marks a turning point in this generation’s efforts to save the planet from the devastating effects of human-caused climate chaos.” - Julia Olson, executive director of nonprofit law firm, Our Children’s Trust, which represented the youths in this case.

Number of Mexicans living in poverty fell by millions

Thanks to a new minimum wage boost and increases to pensions, the number of Mexicans living in poverty fell by 8.9 million between 2020-2022, according to new data published by the country’s social development agency, Coneval.

Coneval’s statistics suggest that the number of people living in extreme poverty also fell – from 10.8 million in 2020 to 9.1 million last year – although that figure is still up from a pre-Covid 8.7 million recorded in 2018.

There is still a long way to go, and some critics do claim that during the current president, López Obrador's presidency has been characterized by austerity.

An organised crime group trafficking endangered species has been jailed

The Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), a small European wildlife charity, is apparently busting kingpins behind as much as half of the world's illegal trade in pangolin scales. The traffickers began six-year jail sentences a few weeks ago.

The wildlife charity went undercover to expose three Vietnamese and one Guinean national, members of an organised crime group trafficking body parts of endangered species including rhinos. 

They were arrested in May 2022, following a four-year investigation by the WJC, and were accused of trafficking 7.1 tonnes of pangolin scales, as well as 850kg of ivory. Last month they pleaded guilty to smuggling and were jailed for six years.

All eight species of pangolin are listed as threatened animals, four critically endangered - they are protected by international law.

“There has not been a reported seizure of pangolin scales in Asia originating from Africa in more than 550 days,” said Steve Carmody, WJC’s director of programmes. “There is no clearer example of the importance of disrupting organised crime networks.”

AI gave conservationists a breakthrough

The use of AI-controlled microphones and cameras seems set to revolutionise

biodiversity monitoring in the UK following groundbreaking work by researchers at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). They used the tech to record and analyse 3,000 hours of wildlife audio captured by monitors located near London railway lines.

The computers detected dozens of bird species, foxes, deer, bats and hedgehogs, and mapped their locations.

It’s hoped the innovation will help improve conservation and habitat management on Network Rail land.

This year is best ever for UK renewable energy installations

This years looks to be the best year so far for UK renewable energy installations, with record numbers of households fitting solar panels and heat pumps.

2023 marks the first time solar panel installations have topped an average of 20,000 a month, as homeowners look to harvest energy from the sun amid rising utility bills. 

Read the full story here.

The UK’s Tree of the Year shortlist was revealed

The Woodland Trust has announced the shortlist for its annual celebration of some of the UK’s most treasured ancient trees, and for 2023 the spotlight is on the urban landscape.

“Ancient trees in towns and cities are vital for the health of nature, people and planet,” said the charity’s lead campaigner Naomi Tilley. “They give thousands of urban wildlife species essential life support, boost the UK’s biodiversity and bring countless health and wellbeing benefits to communities.”

Article published August 17, 2023

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what interested you, and if there's any specific topic you'd like me to dig into, my DM's are always open :)

Much love!

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - May 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Support me on Ko-fi! Also, if you tip me on Ko-fi, at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week - almost double the content!

1. Critically endangered fish with red hands and 'sad toad face' returned to the wild in Tasmania

“Conservationists in Australia are celebrating the return of 18 critically endangered red handfish to the sea after they were taken into care at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) in January to protect them from marine heatwaves.”

2. A rare Australian marsupial is being genetically modified to save it from extinction. Here's how

“Scientists are trying to genetically 'edit' the endangered northern quoll to make it resistant to the neurotoxin of the invasive cane toad. […] Now experts in gene-editing […] say they can introduce genetic resistance to the toxin by taking DNA from a species of South American lizard and ‘edit’ that into the cells of a northern quoll. They have already managed to do this with the cells of the closely related dunnart, another endemic marsupial.”

3. More and faster: Electricity from clean sources reaches 30% of global total

“For the first time, 30% of electricity produced worldwide was from clean energy sources as the number of solar and wind farms continued to grow fast. [...] Some of [the past year’s] new demand was for heat pumps, which are an efficient way to both heat and cool buildings, and for electric vehicles. [... Last year was also] the 19th year in a row that solar was the fastest-growing source of electricity generation.”

4. Standards Established To Improve Health Care For Kids With Disabilities

“Developed by a panel of health care experts, adults with disabilities and caregivers, the plan published recently in the journal Pediatrics […] calls for providers to be trained about caring for those with neurodevelopmental disabilities, improved communication with patients and their families and proactive planning in advance of health care encounters to ensure that patients are at ease and provided accommodations.”

5. Working together to better understand Alaska’s beluga whales

“Beluga conservation efforts depend on an accurate count of whales. Indigenous hunters also need to know how many belugas there are so that they [can] decide how many can be safely harvested. That’s why WWF is bringing together Western science and Indigenous knowledge […. U]sing hydrophones to detect belugas in the Yukon River works—and it is an approach that is both cost-effective and non-invasive.”

6. Robotic system feeds people with severe mobility limitations

“Researchers have developed a robotic feeding system that uses computer vision, machine learning and multimodal sensing to safely feed people with severe mobility limitations, including those with spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. […] The robotic system successfully fed 13 individuals with diverse medical conditions in a user study spanning three locations[….] Users of the robot found it to be safe and comfortable, researchers said.”

7. Senate Passage of America’s Conservation Enhancement Act a Win for Wildlife

“The Senate’s reauthorization of the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act will benefit America’s wildlife and way of life. Led by Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.), the bill invests in wetlands and habitat restoration projects across the country as well as strategies to reduce conflicts between wildlife and livestock. […] The passage of this bill shows us once again that Americans are united on the need to protect wildlife and our outdoor heritage,” said Andrew Wilkins, director of land conservation policy at the National Wildlife Federation.”

8. Liberals and conservatives differ on climate change beliefs--but are relatively united in taking action

“The study, led by researchers at New York University, finds that when given the opportunity, liberals and conservatives take action to address climate change at roughly the same levels -- and that this is due to conservatives choosing to take action despite their climate-change beliefs rather than liberals failing to act on theirs.”

9. Democratic state attorneys general are teaming up to protect abortion access

“A group of Democratic attorneys general are working to strengthen state-level protections for abortion, contraception and gender-affirming care. These protections could include expanding the use of so-called “shield laws,” which assert that states where abortion or gender-affirming care are legal won’t cooperate with out-of-state efforts to prosecute anyone who helped provide treatment.”

10. Antwerp gives residents free trees

“The Belgian city of Antwerp has 2,000 trees to give away, and it wants to give them to residents to plant in their gardens [...] with the aim of involving citizens in the greenifying process of the city. [...] What’s more, the city website offers practical advice on how to proceed with planting and caring for the tree so that it will meet the standards set by the municipality. [...] The City makes sure to give dead trees a second life by using their wood in the making of natural kids’ playgrounds.”

May 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[www-coolschool]

Good evening class. I have a very special announcement for you. I’ve brought in a guest lecturer to speak about the importance of wildlife conservation. Who is he, you might ask? Well have a read below and find out.

Reality warps once again, and you find yourself in a world where the beloved Crocodile Hunter never met his tragic end.

The Australia Zoo has grown into a global conservation empire under his continued leadership.

"Crikey! Another successful breeding program!" Steve's familiar voice booms across the expanded sanctuary. "We've just released our thousandth rehabilitated tiger back into the wild!"

Walking through this transformed world, you see how wildlife conservation took a different path.

Irwin's passionate advocacy led to stronger environmental protection laws worldwide.

"His partnership with David Attenborough revolutionized wildlife documentation," a conservationist explains. "Their joint series 'Planet in Crisis' changed how people view climate change."

The impact on popular culture is striking. Instead of being remembered as a tragic figure, Steve Irwin became an even more influential environmental leader.

His children, Bindi and Robert, work alongside him in what became the world's largest wildlife conservation organization.

"Dad's 'Wildlife Warriors' program now operates in every continent," Bindi proudly states. "We've saved millions of acres of habitat, and public education about conservation has never been stronger."

You notice how different Australia's environmental policies are. The Irwin Conservation Act of 2010 became a global model for wildlife protection.

In this version of reality, Steve Irwin's influence expanded far beyond wildlife conservation.

His charismatic approach to environmental education transformed how an entire generation views nature.

"His series on ocean conservation literally saved the Great Barrier Reef," a marine biologist explains. "The 'Irwin Protocol' for reef preservation is now standard worldwide."

Social media shows a different landscape too. Instead of tragic memorial posts, there are daily updates from Steve's global adventures.

His YouTube channel, started in 2008, became the world's largest platform for wildlife education.

"The best part is how he adapted with the times," a digital media expert notes. "His TikTok videos teaching Gen Z about wildlife protection reach billions. He made conservation cool."

Looking at news headlines, you see Steve's recent achievements: Successfully lobbying for the world's largest marine sanctuary, launching a fleet of anti-poaching vessels, and establishing wildlife corridors across continents.

"Remember his speech at the UN Climate Summit?" a reporter reminisces. "Having the Crocodile Hunter tell world leaders to 'Crikey, mate, you're killing our planet!' actually got them to listen."

The Irwin family's influence extends into politics now. Their environmental advocacy helped elect Australia's first truly green government.

Steve's catchphrase "Protect our Earth, mate!" became a global rallying cry for climate action.