Conservation Optimism

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

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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

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7 stories of optimism this week (02.02.26-08.02.26) - Conservation Optimism Our weekly dose of conservation success and hope to start the week.

This week also brought us European wildcats reproducing in the Czech Republic's Lusatian Mountains after decades of decline, and Tunisia transforming an invasive crab crisis into a thriving seafood export industry.

buff.ly/fi9rpWN

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A splash of good news!

The North Atlantic right whale "Champagne" just welcomed the first calf of the season, and Amsterdam became the first capital city to ban fossil fuel ads.

Read these and other stories of #optimism on our website here:
buff.ly/fi9rpWN

#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

The Manly Dam Biodiversity Project: The power of small stories in a planet-sized crisis - Conservation Optimism When I set out to write about conservation optimism, I found myself asking, ‘How does one hold onto hope amid this drumbeat of loss?’ As I often do when I need inspiration, I went for a walk in the…

The Backyard Biodiversity project identified more than 1,100 plant and 420 animal species in local Sydney bushland.

Her story reminds us that conservation optimism is about showing up, doing a little more each time, and trusting the process.

buff.ly/BkBqGAz

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Meet Aditi Das Patnaik, a writer, photographer, and advocate for Sydney's bushland conservation

After witnessing the resilience of Manly Dam's ecosystem, she volunteered, got her hands dirty, & later launched "Backyard Biodiversity."

Read more about her here: buff.ly/BkBqGAz

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Wildlife Crime Prevention Zambia launches co-created Pangolin Protection Campaign in Solwezi - Conservation Optimism WCP Zambia leads the project in partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), designed through dialogue with traditional leaders, healers, and local communities. Every step…

Instead of imposing solutions from above, WCP Zambia and partners brought everyone to the table—using cultural plays, storytelling, and trusted voices to challenge myths and protect one of the world's most trafficked animals.

buff.ly/hi5m65m

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In Solwezi, Zambia, something remarkable is unfolding!

The nation's first Pangolin Protection Campaign was co-created with traditional leaders, healers, and local communities.

Read the full story on our blog and discover how co-creation is reshaping wildlife protection in Zambia: buff.ly/hi5m65m

7 stories of optimism this week (20.01.26-26.01.26) - Conservation Optimism Our weekly dose of conservation success and hope to start the week.

Elsewhere, Mongabay's founder reminds us why informed optimism matters: "Conservation suffers from fatigue and fragmentation"—but these wins show what dedicated action can achieve!

buff.ly/76INYoU

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The Greenland Shark!

These incredible creatures—blind, slow, and possibly 500 years old—are just one reminder of nature's wonder

This week brought us IUCN's inspiring stories of successful shark & ray conservation, and Angola's "water tower" gaining protection as a Ramsar wetland!

buff.ly/76INYoU

This week also brought us three Andean condor chicks hatching in Colombia (the "salvation of the species!") & a bumper rimu fruit crop in New Zealand that could spark a record breeding season for critically endangered kākāpō parrots

buff.ly/VLqwRuu

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The high seas just got historic protection!

A game-changing international ocean treaty, covering nearly 60% of our oceans, came into force this week, legally binding 81 nations to protect marine life in international waters.

Read this & more stories: buff.ly/VLqwRuu

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This week also brought us rare twin mountain gorillas born in DRC's Virunga National Park, 18 North Atlantic right whale calves (a great breeding season), and a "Christmas miracle" chick raised by a previously infertile takahē couple in New Zealand!

buff.ly/kERDpOt

The ocean's gentle giants are bouncing back!

Green sea turtles have increased by 28% since the 1970s, moving from Endangered to Least Concern thanks to global conservation efforts

Explore all the seven stories of optimism on our website: buff.ly/kERDpOt

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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.

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Thank you for reading, sharing, and believing that better futures are within reach.

Here’s to even more conservation success stories in 2026. See you on the other side.

Happy New Year!

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What a year!

From community-led conservation across Africa to treaties protecting the high seas, 2025 reminded us that progress is possible when people, policy, and passion align.

The last CO Round-Up of the year brings together 12 powerful wins: buff.ly/O6R5LsF

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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

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Now she leads jaguar research and promotes coexistence between communities and large carnivores.

What keeps her hopeful? Watching communities transform from fearing wildlife to becoming its guardians.

Read her full story here: buff.ly/7ZyZf4F

#ConservationOptimism #MeetTheOptimists

Meet Yara Barros, 2025 Whitley Award winner and Executive Coordinator of Project Jaguars of Iguaçu in Brazil's Atlantic Forest.

Her conservation journey began with witnessing the last wild Spix's macaw—a moment that changed everything.

Full story: buff.ly/7ZyZf4F

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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!

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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

Grab your favorite snack, settle in, and immerse yourself in these powerful stories that remind us why our planet is worth fighting for.

Each of these films is a testament to what's possible when we choose optimism over despair.

Watch here: buff.ly/THseUES

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The Good Natured Film Festival 2025: The winners!

Congratulations to all our winners and every filmmaker who shared their vision with us.

Now it's your turn to experience the magic!

The Virtual Screening is now live on YouTube with incredible films: buff.ly/THseUES

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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