Conservation Optimism

Sustained conservation works! After decades of scientific evidence and years of campaigning, the EU has finally backed a ban on lead gunshot, a huge win for migratory birds. Read about this and more stories of #optimism on our website: shorturl.at/I5FND #ConservationOptimism 🌍

It's been a minute! Since we last spoke, scientists have identified a new penguin species for the first time in over 100 years, and a new cat species for the first time since 1923. Read the full round-up on our website: shorturl.at/wLhlW Go protect something amazing. #ConservationOptimism

Indigenous communities are leading the way this week! The Siporae tribe in Solomon Islands just sold their first carbon credits while protecting pristine rainforest, and Kiwirrkurra rangers in Australia are keeping ninu safe through fire management & predator control. Read on: buff.ly/GyzB41N

This week's roundup brought us South Africa's Bird Island hosting over 43 000 Cape gannets in what could be one of the strongest breeding seasons yet; beavers building a 35-meter dam in Dorset; rhinos returning to Uganda's Kidepo Valley after 43 years & many more stories of optimism buff.ly/WNgpacr

Midweek optimism! This week also brought us the world's first palm cockatoo chick hatching in an artificial nest, Montana tribes winning a three-decade fight to restore their waterways & six African countries reaping rewards from massive tree-planting efforts buff.ly/FyfurL6 #ConservationOptimism

End your week with a spring in your step and hope in your heart! Here's 7 Stories of Optimism from the past couple of weeks, to remind us that our conservation efforts are all worthwhile! Read recent stories on our website here: conservationoptimism.org/stories-of-c... #ConservationOptimism

Mid-week Optimism! Giant tortoises are roaming Floreana Island again after 180 years! DNA detective work resulted in the release of 156 relatives of the extinct Floreana Giant Tortoise back into their native habitat in the Galápagos. Read all seven stories on our website here: buff.ly/MhRBmPi

LAST WEEK'S WEBINAR IS NOW AVAILABLE 🥳 Strategic Communications for Conservation - so much conservation work involves trying to motivate people to act. Hear from Conservation Optimism about the lessons we’ve learned through our mission. Watch here - youtu.be/7W24VKBR0sM #conservationoptimism

The first kākāpō chick in four years hatched on the most romantic day of the year! This week also brought us whale-safe fishing gear approved in California, European bison rejuvenating ecosystems in Romania, & Kenyan women planting nearly a million mangrove seedlings. Read on: buff.ly/7Pu6Fy2

WEBINAR REMINDER for TOMORROW! Much conservation involves trying to elicit human action. Hear Conservation Optimism's Reshu Bashyal & Jon Taylor talk about the lessons we’ve learned. Wednesday Feb 11, 2026 1:00 PM (13:00) GMT Register for free at buff.ly/2WPesfw #conservationoptimism

WEBINAR REMINDER! Much conservation involves trying to elicit human action. Hear from Conservation Optimism's Reshu Bashyal & Jon Taylor about the lessons we’ve learned through our work. Feb 11, 2026 1:00 PM (13:00) GMT Register for free at buff.ly/2WPesfw #conservationoptimism

Yes, the environmental crisis is urgent—but constant emergency messaging only leads to paralysis. And yet, there's a global community of conservationists proving every day that we can turn this around. Conservation Optimism exists to rebalance the story. Welcome to 2026. #ConservationOptimism

Love wins in the wild! A mama polar bear in Manitoba adopted an orphaned cub—and now you can track this growing family as they roam Hudson Bay together. Read these and more stories of optimism roundup here: buff.ly/QSNiNxB #ConservationOptimism

A magical evening it was! Our seventh Good Natured Film Festival brought together storytellers conservationists at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History Relive the magic or experience it for the first time on our YouTube channel: buff.ly/LLm1jFs Till the next one! #ConservationOptimism

This week brought us solar-powered lights reducing sea turtle bycatch by 63% in Mexico, miniature mouse-deer bouncing back in Singapore after an 80-year absence, and otters thriving in nearly every UK waterway after decades of decline. Read on: buff.ly/iSTMWPV #ConservationOptimism

Historic shark news! For the first time ever, a shark species—the critically endangered oceanic whitetip—received full protection against international trade under CITES. Elsewhere, England's ambitious "forest city" plan may become a reality. Read here: buff.ly/onEPuqc #ConservationOptimism

Some good news for this morning. 🙂

The freshwater fish crisis is real. SHOAL Conservation experts break down how their 1000 Fishes initiative is saving the world's most threatened freshwater species. If you care about the 51% of Earth's biodiversity that lives in freshwater, this webinar is essential viewing. buff.ly/o0Vzyae

Kumar Paudel, has spent 15+ years protecting pangolins and threatened wildlife through his organization, Greenhood Nepal. His work ranges from tracking pangolins in forests to composing conservation songs to advocating in courtrooms. Read his full story here: buff.ly/IcCrmfm #ConservationOptimism

From extinction to expansion! Vultures are returning to Romania's Carpathian Mountains after a century, while Ukraine's rewilding project has restored 13,500 hectares and released over 240 animals despite ongoing challenges. Read the full blog here: buff.ly/E5oJwRV #ConservationOptimism