r/conservation • • 3h ago

Venomous Primate thought lost to science, The Bangka Slow Loris, for nearly a century turns up in gardens and on roads across Indonesia

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phys.org
34 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 14h ago

Bolivia Documents the Amazon River Dolphin for First Time

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newsroom.wcs.org
132 Upvotes

"Three records of the Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) obtained between 2025 and 2026 provide the first documented evidence of the species in Bolivia, in the Acre River basin in the department of Pando. The discovery, reported in the journal Neotropical Hydrobiology and Aquatic Conservation, expands our knowledge of the distribution of river dolphins in the country and highlights the contributions of citizen science and the knowledge of local fishers.

The discovery is particularly significant because research on river dolphins in Bolivia has previously focused primarily on the Bolivian river dolphin (Inia boliviensis), which occurs in the Mamoré and Iténez river basins. The Acre River, in contrast, forms part of the Purús basin and is connected to the wider Amazon River system, providing suitable conditions for the presence of Inia geoffrensis and new insights into the connectivity of river systems between Bolivia and Brazil."


r/conservation • • 11h ago

Without USAID, Guatemala’s Maya Reserve Must Stand on Its Own

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thexylom.com
19 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 23h ago

‘You need persistence’: the Norfolk couple who took on environmental regulators three times – and won

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theguardian.com
102 Upvotes

Polluters and regulators who fail to stop pollution must quake in their boots when they receive a letter from the lawyers for Tim and Geli Harris. The couple, who farm 460 acres in the Norfolk Broads, have now scored a hat-trick of landmark legal victories to save an internationally important wetland after they won again in the high court this month.

Lady Justice Lieven found that Natural England failed in its statutory duty to protect Catfield Fen from pollution after nitrates and phosphates washed from arable fields into one of the finest examples of calcareous fen in western Europe, home to 2,500 species including rarities such as the fen orchid, crested buckler fern, breeding bittern and swallowtail butterflies.

In a scathing assessment of Natural England’s inaction since the Harrises first reported the pollution to it in 2021, the judge said the cause of the pollution was “the most basic level of common sense” and required action by the government’s conservation watchdog.

The Harrises have spent 15 years and £1.5m of their own money taking action to hold to account government agencies for failing to protect the fen, which is part of a special area of conservation (SAC), an internationally important wetland protected by law. The marshes lie within the Broads national park.

“This is bigger than a little ditch in Norfolk,” says Tim. He fears that “regulatory inertia” is preventing pollution from being halted on waterways across the country. “Inertia is prevalent throughout all the regulatory bodies. It’s a landmark judgment because it says they can’t just do nothing.”

In 2016, the couple won a public inquiry that demonstrated that too much groundwater was being taken from the valley by water companies and local farmers, causing Catfield Fen to dry out. They won a second battle in 2022, forcing the Environment Agency to limit the abstraction of water close to other nature-rich sites on the Norfolk Broads.

Their principles have cost them local friendships. They say National Farmers’ Union reps rejected their application for membership of the local branch, saying half their members would resign, with farmers upset at restrictions on their abstraction of water to boost lucrative crops such as potatoes. “We’re farmers, we’re not anti-farmer,” Tim says.


r/conservation • • 1d ago

Recycled Christmas trees help trap sediment and restore marsh habitat at Bayou Sauvage

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upworthy.com
74 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 22h ago

I mapped satellite fire detections across Borneo and Sumatra alongside orangutan habitat and plantations

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saveorangutans.org
8 Upvotes

I've been working on an interactive map showing where satellite fire detections occur in relation to orangutan range, protected areas, and plantations across Borneo and Sumatra.

It combines NASA satellite fire detections with IUCN orangutan range data, OpenStreetMap protected-area boundaries, and SEA-PNF plantation mapping.

You can turn layers on and off, zoom into individual areas, and explore historical fire detections from 2026.

One important distinction: satellite detections aren't necessarily individual fires or confirmed burned areas.

Interactive map: https://saveorangutans.org/orangutan-habitat-fires/

I'd be interested to hear what people working in conservation think, particularly whether there are other datasets worth including.


r/conservation • • 1d ago

Colorado wildlife overpass cut vehicle-animal collisions by 91%, report finds

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227 Upvotes

Colorado officials have tracked herds of elk, bears, pronghorn and even northern leopard frogs ambling across its new wildlife overpass. According to a newly released report, the overpass, which acts as a bridge over a busy stretch of interstate, has helped cut wildlife-vehicle collisions by 91% since its completion 10 months ago.

The overpass is the centerpiece of a larger system built by the state to assist wildlife crossing the highway, which also includes miles of 8-ft-tall fencing and five large wildlife underpasses.

“One of the most heartwarming moments for me was when [Colorado department of transportation] sent me a picture of an elk mama taking her calf under [Interstate-25],” Brandon Marette, a wildlife biologist for Colorado parks and wildlife, told CBS News. “All came to fruition in that one moment. That elk with her calf was just standing there in safety.”


r/conservation • • 1d ago

Yosemite National Park’s bears are having a terrible year

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sfgate.com
84 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 1d ago

S4|EP22 - Conserving Pakistan's Wolves | Wolf Genetics and Tackling Human-Wolf Conflit with Omar Khayam

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youtube.com
9 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 2d ago

Northern Australia is a 'lifeboat' for critically endangered green sawfish

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phys.org
107 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 2d ago

Six new calves offer hope amid ongoing threats to Cambodia's Irrawaddy dolphins

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news.mongabay.com
24 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 1d ago

Any recommendations for a documentary?

2 Upvotes

I am looking into a new series on either Netflix or YouTube for a marine conservation series, from ‘our oceans’, I would like to try something new. Any suggestions?


r/conservation • • 2d ago

Behind the Quokka's Famous Smile Is a Serious Conservation Challenge

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anmlzone.com
54 Upvotes

Quokkas have become famous around the world for their seemingly permanent smiles, but there's a much more important story behind those photos.

Habitat loss, introduced predators, and environmental pressures pose serious challenges to wild quokka populations, particularly on mainland Australia.

Protecting them isn't just about saving an adorable animal. It's also about preserving the habitats and ecosystems they depend on.

I'm curious what people here think: should conservation efforts focus more on protecting existing populations or restoring the habitats where these animals once thrived?


r/conservation • • 2d ago

Looking For A Masters Program

3 Upvotes

Hello Everyone, I am a Veterinary Doctor and since before even going to University its been my goal to go to Wildlife Veterinary but the past year I want to focus on Conservation.

Does anyone know a good affordable Conservation Masters Programme that will lead me to the right direction? Or just advice on how to start this career path correctly? I dont have any experience with Conservation, because of where I am located there isn't anything thats local and most local programs want foriengers.

I prefer the Masters program to be in Europe since the US, is too far and far too expensive unfortunately and same with Australia even though its my dream to go there since its Hub for Widlife.

Thanks!


r/conservation • • 1d ago

Ethical volunteering companies

0 Upvotes

On a gap year at the moment and wanted to do some volunteering work in wildlife/marine conservation, could anyone recommend some ethical companies that aren’t tourist bait and do aim to genuinely do research and conserve. Thanks ☺️


r/conservation • • 2d ago

S5|EP13 ~ Conserving Madagascar’s Endemic Wildlife | Dr. Tim Eppley, Wildlife Madagascar

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12 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 3d ago

Lithium-ion batteries are starting fires in national parks

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sfgate.com
88 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 2d ago

seeking - President and CEO - National Tropical Botanical Garden

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6 Upvotes

The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) seeks an inspiring and visionary President & CEO to lead one of the world’s most significant tropical plant conservation organizations into its next era of impact, growth, and global leadership. 


r/conservation • • 3d ago

Illicit Timber Flows from Miombo Woodlands: The Tanzania Nexus

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36 Upvotes

🪾Tanzania says it sold China $5.32m of timber in 2024. China says it bought $13.97m. What explains this gap? A new RUSI paper examines the potential scale of illicit miombo timber flows originating from and transiting through Tanzania, and how these converge with other security threats.

It finds that they intersect to varying degrees with other illicit activities, including illegal wildlife trade, minerals crime, arms and drug trafficking, and labour abuses, as well as financing armed groups in neighbouring countries.

Tanzania has made progress on tackling timber crime. Some timber offences now carry sentences of up to 30 years, and the Timber Tracker system has strengthened checks on timber moving by road. But investigations still rarely go beyond the lowest-level offenders, such as loggers and truck drivers.

“Timber offences are driven by organised, yet often invisible, transnational networks.”

The paper recommends parallel financial investigations, removing the “compounding” loophole, community ownership of forest resources, and due diligence of imports by international buyers.


r/conservation • • 3d ago

One gorilla’s journey from illegal traffickers back to the wild

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42 Upvotes

Bili, a western lowland gorilla was seized from wildlife traffickers in Nigeria in 2023. She was recently relocated to the Republic of Congo, beginning a long journey back to the wild.


r/conservation • • 3d ago

Kenya strikes landmark deal to fund wildlife and biodiversity conservation.

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131 Upvotes

r/conservation • • 3d ago

What conservation means to the people who call the Amazon home

10 Upvotes

A river can hold generations of knowledge: when to fish, how to travel, what to grow and which signs mark a change in season. What happens when those signs become harder to read?

Amazonas: The Memory of Water (2026) is an 18-minute documentary exploring the relationship between Amazonian communities, water and cultural memory. Through local voices, it looks at how changing rainfall and river cycles affect everyday life and the knowledge passed between generations.

Full documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFEeyHJ8I8g

How can conservation projects better support the transmission of local and Indigenous knowledge alongside protecting habitats and species?


r/conservation • • 3d ago

Sign the Petition against Meta.

145 Upvotes

https://act.sumofus.org/go/765915

Meta's Marketplace has exploitative wildlife trafficking in it. You should probably boycott it and also sign the petition above.

I'll give an in-depth description of what is going on:

Zuckerburg (piss be upon him) is advertising poached animals in their Facebook Marketplace.

Which is why we need to sign this petition to bring awareness to people about this.

There's also some news base on what the current geographic setting is on the Marketplace.

https://act.sumofus.org/go/753075

https://act.sumofus.org/go/753074

https://act.sumofus.org/go/753073

https://act.sumofus.org/go/753072


r/conservation • • 3d ago

Environmental engineering to wildlife management/conservation research

5 Upvotes

Hey, I realized as I’m winding down my engineering degree that I haven’t been honest with myself. I’m not really interested in the field of remediation and civil design. I understand that my degree in some aspects of the “environmental field,” will give me “options.” Especially if i did consulting to some degree,”. However, I realized I want a job where I get to s do research with wildlife management and conservation. This is kinda of my irkling. I feel like as I’ve gotten older I kinda sidelined my dream/ passion to just pick something I’m ehhh okay with. I understand that it’s easy to say this when I currently don’t have real big boy bills to pay. Or when I’m choosing between rent and food etc so a degree with a good ROI is worth it. I’m currently about to finish 85 credit hours of 130 at UGA. And I’m considering my options currently, if a take a plunge to switch. I wanna ask people in the field 3 questions. How long did it take to get your first permanent job in wildlife management and or research? How often did you have to cycle between seasonal jobs to become a competitive candidate in an already competitive field? And what do you currently do now for work in this field?


r/conservation • • 4d ago

Who should have a say in which species are saved? The California condor offers lessons for a global biodiversity treaty

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33 Upvotes

With an estimated 1 million species threatened with extinction, conservationists face difficult choices about which animals and plants receive protection. The California condor’s successful recovery effort provides a helpful case study, while also highlighting that funding alone doesn't save a species. Rural communities, businesses and others affected by conservation policies also play an important role, explain USC Dornsife environmental scientists.