The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund’s Post

PLANT REINTRODUCTION OF THREATENED SPECIES FROM COASTAL SANDY PLAINS 📅 Today we celebrate 💚 "Reverse the Red" Day 💚, an occasion dedicated to raising awareness about the critical importance of COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS and their environmental and socioeconomic services sustained by these plant communities. These services include protection against erosion and storms, a source of food for traditional communities, and groundwater replenishment, among others, making their conservation a priority. 🌿 Sandy coastal plain vegetation (Restinga) in Brazil is heterogeneously distributed along 11,000 km of the Brazilian coast, but this ecosystem is subject to high levels of degradation, mainly through vegetation removal for housing development and the establishment of alien plant species. Among the many threatened species, we highlight the shrub "Erytroxylum ovalifolium" Peyr, an endemic species of restingas classified as 'vulnerable' in terms of its conservation status. 🌱 At the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Seed Lab., we are propagating seedlings from seeds for their reintroduction and population reinforcement in degraded areas of the restinga, within the Massambaba Environmental Protection Area - RJ. As its seeds are sensitive to drying and freezing (recalcitrant), it is not possible to store them in the Seed Bank. Increasing the number of specimens reintroduced into the restinga, with high-quality genetic material and hardened seedlings, can boost its population and alleviate pressure on the species, aiding in its removal from the red lists of threatened species. We need to act quickly! The term "Reverse the Red" symbolizes our commitment to reversing the alarming decline in threatened species worldwide. This day serves as a call to action, urging individuals, communities, and nations to unite in conservation efforts to protect these fragile species. #IUCN #IUCNSpeciesSurvivalCommission #coastalconservation #threatenedspecies #tropicalforests #BiodiversityMatters #ConservationInitiative #ReverseTheRed #ReverseTheRedDay #WildlifeConservation  #jardimbotanicodoriodejaneiro #ministeriodomeioambiente

🔍 The need of a new Legal Protection of Threatened Species in France 🦋🌿 The French Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has revealed that over half (56%) of the approximately 2,900 threatened species in France lack legal protection. The Red List, a scientific "barometer" indicating extinction risks, is often mistaken for a regulatory tool but does not provide legal protection. Significant gaps exist in species protection, particularly for fish, invertebrates, and plants, while mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians are better covered. Over 1,600 species at risk of extinction in France have no legal safeguards. The IUCN's French Committee, supported by 100 experts from its Species Conservation Commission, has outlined key recommendations: expanding protection to cover all species categorized as "Critically Endangered," "Endangered," and "Vulnerable," including "Near Threatened" species with high vulnerability or conservation needs, integrating habitat protection into species orders, and regularly updating protection orders to align with the latest scientific knowledge. It should be emphasized that strengthening species protection is essential for France to meet its 2030 goal of halting species extinction. Legal protections must be paired with broader biodiversity efforts, including reducing pressures on ecosystems, expanding protected areas, and enhancing management strategies. Together, we can drive impactful change for biodiversity conservation in France! 🌍🛡️ #Biodiversity #Conservation #IUCN #France #ProtectOurSpecies IUCN

Happy International Day for Biological Diversity! Wildlife Rangers form the backbone of biodiversity conservation. Their efforts are massive contributions to the Global Biodiversity Framework target to protect 30% of our planet’s biodiversity by 2030. IUCN Save Our Species states that Rangers are the first line of defense for threatened wildlife around the world, and many of their projects have benefitted from their support including: ⦿ Vietnam: Rangers worked tirelessly to protect the last known populations of critically endangered Cao-vit crested gibbons left in the world. This resulted in a total of 13,868 patrol hours covering 36,119 km in distance, increasing protection of threatened gibbons. ⦿ Democratic Republic of the Congo: Six community Ranger teams are monitoring endangered Okapi and fighting against poaching. This project has improved knowledge on Okapi distribution. ⦿ Cameroon: Ecoguards are helping to increase the abundance of critically endangered Kordofan giraffes and other large mammals in Benoue National Park. These projects illustrate the importance of investing in Rangers to ensure they have quality equipment, training and support to carry out their work at the forefront of conservation action. Thank you, Rangers! Sources: @iucn_congress @iucnsos Photo: @marc_vaillant_wildlife #InternationalDayforBiologicalDiversity #protectourplanet #ranger #appreciation #wildliferangers #wildlife #conservation #heroes #inspiration #nature #endangeredspecies #forcefornature #biodiversity #ecology #diversity

As Australia’s most biodiverse state, Queensland provides habitat for 72% of this continent’s avian species, 85% of mammal species and just over 50% of native frogs and reptiles – not to even mention our endemic flora. Yet, many of these species require urgent assistance to survive, with at least 1049 plant or animal species listed as threatened under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Obviously, protecting our state's faunal wealth and abundance is paramount, so DESI is seeking your input on the new Performance Framework for Queensland’s Biodiversity Strategy ‘Conserving Nature — a Biodiversity Conservation Strategy for Queensland’ (See https://buff.ly/3SVUWOw). Have your say at https://buff.ly/3Mgbpcs Consultation closes 5pm on 11 September 2024. #HaveYourSay #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation #NativeFlora

What does a life beyond extinction look like? With a united effort and lots of careful work, it can look bright. Bringing a species back from near-extinction isn't an easy job, but that's exactly what conservation zoos like London and Whipsnade, along with our partners in the Extinct in the Wild alliance – IUCN, Re:wild and Botanic Gardens Conservation International – are working on every day. Extinct in the Wild is a category on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. These species are the most threatened in the world, and their survival depends entirely on specialist human care. The alliance works together to care for a variety of these species with the aim of revitalising their populations and releasing them responsibly, successfully back into the wild again. The process can take decades of work, but we've already celebrated successes and know that our efforts pay off. Learn more and join us in giving these critically endangered species a life beyond extinction: zsl.org/extinctinthewild

We wanted to highlight this article, which discusses some recent research designed to interrogate how much we really care about a species going extinct. Well it's probably no surprise that it is very dependent on which species is under threat. The survey found the majority of respondents would save a human life, or that of a koala, over an endemic invertebrate species or shrub, even if that decision resulted in the extinction of those species. While this is an incredibly difficult scenario to imagine, it does emphasise how much our cute and cuddly mammals draw our sympathy and our conservation efforts. While we love all species here at IA, one of the things we hope to achieve is to help people understand the value of invertebrates, and the intricate role they play in the larger web of conservation. Certainly an interesting piece to reflect on... https://ow.ly/Xcyw50QAvcr

As we are celebrating #WorldAnimalDay, here are some findings on threatened species in our project area in Colombia we are trying to protect: The preliminary analysis, based on available range information of certain taxonomic groups, has identified 21 species that are threatened within our project area. Moreover, the most recent conservation status of the Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) highlights the Rio Iteviare, within our project area, as prime habitat with suitable nest locations in riverbanks. This is one of the largest living crocodilian species on earth, but only 90-254 individuals are estimated to still occur in their natural habitat (IUCN, 2017). We are actively looking for remnant populations in our project area and exploring possibilities to reinforce any remnant populations or invest into the recovery. Other notable species present in our project area include: Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus) - Vulnerable  Jaguar (Panthera onca) - Near Threatened White-bellied Spider Monkey (Ateles belzebuth) - Endangered  Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris) - Vulnerable  Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) - Vulnerable Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyija) - Vulnerable Our monitoring efforts and techniques should reveal the presence of most of these species in the project area. Focusing on flagship species with significant keystone roles is one of our main conservation strategies. We are committed to protecting our project areas from deforestation and actively engaging local communities in the conservation efforts. More posts on biodiversity will follow! Together, we can make a difference! #biodiversity #conservation #wildlife

Arhopala ormistoni, or Ormiston's Oakblue Butterfly, is an endemic species that requires two sets of plants to complete its life cycle. The Research Team of WNPS visited the Wathurana Swamp Forest to survey the current plant and butterfly distribution and identify the host and feeding plants that are critical for its survival using field surveys and current literature. While the threats to the species and its habitat were also assessed during the recent field survey, the team will focus more on continuing the surveys to monitor the Ormiston’s Oakblue at Wathurana and the surrounding habitats for additional populations of the species and complete the flora survey to identify potential host plants in the coming months. Furthermore, discussions are also ongoing to organise the awareness programs proposed under the project. Arhopala ormistoni is among the 52 critically endangered endemic species dedicated to conservation under our Environmental Agenda 2030, 'Haritha Mehewara'. #Hemas #EnvironmentalAgenda2030 #HarithaMehewara #Arhopalaormistoni

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a global inventory of the extinction risk and conservation status of a wide range of biological species. It provides scientifically-based information on the status of species to draw attention to the magnitude and urgency of threatened biodiversity, influence policymaking, and inform conservation action, including recovery initiatives like the StAR Project. The global status of Indo-Pacific leopard sharks (Stegostoma tigrinum) was most recently assessed in 2023, and the latest update published just several days ago. The species remains Endangered (EN), based on the A2bcd criteria. 👉🏽 Check out the full assessment here: https://lnkd.in/g4Vy7HUH #ReShark #StARProject #LeopardShark #ZebraShark #Ocean #Conservation #Shark #Rewilding #Indonesia #IUCN #RedList #ThreatenedSpecies #Endangered

2️⃣ salamander species in Costa Rica—La Estrella Salamander & Richard's Salamander—are recovering thanks to conservation actions put into motion decades ago by the government! Last year's headline from the 2nd Global Amphibian Assessment seemed a bit doom and gloom...especially for salamanders, with two out of every five species threatened with extinction. Thankfully, the news isn’t all bad. These two Costa Rican species are among 63 amphibians found to have improved in IUCN Red List status since 1980 as the direct result of conservation action. https://lnkd.in/gzsdergP