Healthy Waters Partnership for the Dry Tropics’ Post

Restoring coastal habitat can boost wildlife numbers by 61% – but not all projects deliver positive results. In this Conversation article Dr Michael Sievers (Griffith University), Associate Professor Christopher Brown (University of Tasmania) and Professor Rod Connolly (Griffith University) explore how responses among coastal restoration projects were highly variable and rarely related to restored site maturity or characteristics, presenting a challenge for predicting outcomes and highlighting the need to improve restoration techniques, monitoring and reporting. Australian Rivers Institute   Coastal and Marine Research Centre https://lnkd.in/gVs92Fb3

We are so thrilled to see the progress on the progress of the Klamath Dam Removal Project! The removal of the Klamath dams marks a historic milestone for salmon restoration efforts. Check out the Salmon Diaries to see the amazing updates from UC Davis researchers documenting the "before" and "after" effects on salmon populations, highlighting the resilience of nature and the positive impacts of dam removal on fish habitats. #EnvironmentalScience #SalmonRestoration #KlamathRiver #EcosystemRecovery #ClimateAction 🌿🐟

Another reason we must prioritize both the preservation and restoration of our wild spaces is to protect not only the species we are familiar with but also those yet to be discovered, which play crucial roles in maintaining our delicate ecosystems. https://lnkd.in/gZcenMCm

When Europe’s pristine waters of the #BlueHeart are threatened, local communities mobilize to amplify their voices in the conservation of these unique ecosystems. Read our next #WildRivers blog post to learn more about current threats to the #BalkanRivers, and the critical importance of preserving our last free-flowing rivers: https://bit.ly/the-balkans

Tropical seabirds are essential to island ecosystems, enriching both land and sea with their nutrient-rich droppings. In the Indo-Pacific, many seabirds nest on atolls, which are vital for their protection and survival. Despite their importance, these atolls are often overlooked in global conservation efforts. 🔍 A team of researchers compiled global data on seabird populations and mapped their distribution and nutrient contributions. They found that 37 seabird species, totaling around 31.2 million birds, nest on these atolls, making up about 25% of the world’s tropical seabirds. 🐦 This study highlights the critical role of atolls for seabirds and the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect these areas. Read the full study here https://nature.ly/48gCXJf #Conservation #Seabirds Sebastian Steibl Nick Holmes Alex Wegmann

The OOST acquires funding to award competitive grants for ocean and coastal research and monitoring. OOST provided seven entities with funding in 2022 to complete important research projects to address ocean acidification and hypoxia. One of these funded projects focused on maximizing the abundance of wild and cultured shellfish, while nurturing submerged aquatic vegetation in Oregon's estuaries. (If you didn't know, an Estuary is a partially enclosed, coastal water body where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean. Most of the fish and shellfish eaten in the United States—including salmon, herring, crabs, and oysters—spend some or all of their life in estuaries.) Curious about our work or keen to support marine conservation in Oregon? Check out https://lnkd.in/g82XnfPx for more info. Every bit of support helps us continue our research and protect these ecosystems. ❤️🦀 #OceanScience #MarineConservation #Oregon

Great to read of the success of this project to reintroduce missing marsupials to this arid region in northwestern New South Wales in Australia. Pioneering projects like this are demonstrating the effectiveness of the ecological restoration work that is required everywhere in order to return our planet to a state of natural health and balance from its present overexploited and polluted condition. The 21st Century needs to become the Century of Restoring the Earth! https://lnkd.in/eqS4p_2k

Did you know that driving to Banff takes you through Canada's greatest conservation success story? Once dismissed as Parks Canada's half-baked scheme, the largest highway mitigation complex in the world is now a triumph of environmental engineering. Hidden from passing motorists, a grassy oasis sprawls atop the overpasses. @Parks.Canada proved the skeptics wrong, and now Alberta boasts the most wildlife overpasses in one localized area and nearly half of all the overpasses in North America. Parks Canada research shows that among large carnivores, mortality rates are 50 to 100 percent lower in sections with overpasses and underpasses. Elk-vehicle collisions have plummeted to nearly zero from 100 per year in the mid-1990s. Research reveals that 11 species of large mammals have used these structures over 200,000 times, in addition to other more surprising species like red fox, hoary marmot, boreal toads, wolverines, lynx, garter snakes, and beavers making use of the structures. Photo by Adam Ford/Courtesy-Parks Canada/Calgary Herald archives #AJMEnvironmental #SustainableDevelopment #ResponsibleDevelopment #WildlifeCrossing #ParksCanada

Last week, we celebrated World Seagrass Day by unveiling a new seagrass nursery in Melbourne Beach, FL, and 16 seagrass restoration projects in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL)! 🌱The decline in water quality within the IRL has had devastating effects on seagrass beds in recent years. This decline has led to over 1,000 manatee deaths, significant loss of vital fish habitats, and disrupted nutrient cycles, resulting in algal blooms and degraded water quality. In response to these challenges and in partnership with Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, Angler Action Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, and several water management districts, counties, state agencies, utilities, and legislators, we are committed to growing over one million seagrass plants annually to plant in the IRL and working on a seagrass planting initiative consisting of 16 projects across the lagoon. These "green" projects, combined with "gray" projects such as septic-to-sewer conversions, aim to restore seagrass beds, thereby enhancing water quality and creating crucial habitats for fish, manatees, and other wildlife within the lagoon. Read more on this exciting announcement: https://bit.ly/48z50St #Seagrass #Florida #WaterQuality #WildlifeConservation

🌎🔥 Rising temperatures and the El Niño phenomenon are putting the Pantanal, one of the world’s largest tropical wetlands, at risk. Brazil’s crucial ecosystem faces a surge in wildfires, threatening its rich biodiversity. Conditions in the Pantanal today are more severe than in 2020. “This could worsen the fire situation,” said Vinicius Silgueiro, territorial intelligence coordinator at the Instituto Centro da Vida in Mato Grosso. Read more about the challenges and efforts to protect this biome. #Pantanal #ClimateChange #ElNiño #WildlifeConservation https://lnkd.in/dT9KNzdg