First photos of a rare subspecies of Rajah Scops Owl are a promising start,but the species isn’t out of the woods yet Steeped in natural history, the island of Borneo is a hub of biodiversity that comprises three countries. Its rainforests are estimated to be 130 million years old – double the lifespan of the Amazon – providing a home to thousands of different plant and animal species. The Rajah Scops Owl, a species native to southeast Asia, is one such resident. There are two subspecies of the owl: the Otus brookii solokensis found in Sumatra and the far more elusive Otus brookii brookii of B ..read more

Activists across Europe asked politicians to permanently protect the river from dams, now it could be drilled for oil There is a river of unprecedented importance in Europe. It’s one that could make history for being the first river on the continent to be declared as a national park from its source all the way to the sea, shielding it from the hydropower projects in the surrounding Balkans area that are jeopardizing the delicate integrity of natural water networks and their surrounding wildlife. That river is the Vjosa, an almost 260-kilometer stretch of crystal-clear water which flows uncheck ..read more

A mom and her two cubs are the first to live in the wild of the national park Beep. Beep. Beep. It is hot. The wetlands thrum with the secret messages of a thousand wild sounds. You do not need to see her to know that she is near. The GPS collar she wears gives her away.  Beep. Beep. Beep. She might be 50 meters away, or 100, camouflaged in the tall grass and the reeds.  “The mystery of the Jaguar is something you don’t feel with other species,” says Sebastián Di Martino, conservation director at Rewilding Argentina. “The grasslands are so dense you don’t see her, but you feel the pr ..read more

Two local men made the surprise discovery As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world in 2020, Panji Gusti Akbar an ornithologist with Birdpacker in Indonesia, saw research projects he had been working on suddenly come to a halt. To keep himself, as well as others healthy and safe, he spent much of his time at home instead of outside studying and watching birds. “It was a miserable year for me,” says Gusti Akbar thinking back on the months of lost research. He cancelled two planned fieldtrips and had finished assisting with research projects focusing on Critically Endangered Bali Mynas and Gray-b ..read more

Los científicos están buscando el periquito del Sinú, que no ha sido documentado desde 1949 Esta semana, en el noroeste de Colombia, un equipo de investigadores está en la búsqueda del periquito del Sinú (Pyrrhura subandina), una especie que no ha sido documentada oficialmente en más de 70 años. Tras décadas de un violento conflicto civil, uno de los beneficios de la paz en Colombia ha sido la posibilidad de descubrir si, después de todos estos años, esta especie endémica sigue escondida en los bosques amenazados, pero poco explorados del país. Situado en la costa Caribe de Colombia, la mayor ..read more

Scientists are searching for the Sinú Parakeet, which hasn’t been documented since 1949 This week in northwestern Colombia, a team of researchers is searching for the Sinú Parakeet (Pyrrhura subandina), a species that has not been officially documented in more than 70 years. After decades of violent civil conflict, one benefit of peace in Colombia has been the chance to discover if after all these years, this endemic species remains hidden in the country’s threatened yet under-explored forests. Lowland forest in Colombia where an expedition team will be looking for the Sinú Parakeet that hasn ..read more

This story first appeared earlier this year in THE TORTOISE (volume 3, number 1), a publication of the Turtle Conservancy.  When catastrophic blazes tore through Australia, a rare turtle might have vanished with the river–these scientists wouldn’t let that happen. The worst fires on record had been raging across Australia since October 2019—destroying tens of millions of acres of habitat and thousands of homes—but finally, the rains had come. Torrential downpours in February caused widespread flooding, helping to extinguish the blazes in New South Wales. But relief from the fi re didn’t m ..read more

Kayapo Indigenous People Call on World to Help Protect Amazonia Against Extractive Industry, Brazilian Government Silent. That was how the Kayapo Indigenous people approached the illegal goldmining camp that had, for months, been destroying part of the Amazon rainforest, home to countless animals and plants, and polluting the nearby river in the Kayapo’s ratified territory of Bau. As 17 Kayapo came upon the camp in mid-October, after traveling for two days by boat and then by foot, any noise would have been drowned out anyhow by the goldminers’ hydraulic machines. Their actions resulted in the ..read more

Oil Spills, Illegal Mining And COVID-19 Layer Threats On Ecuador’s Indigenous Communities Global Wildlife Conservation’s four-part INVASION series explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the threats of extractive industry, cattle ranching and other land grabs on GWC’s indigenous partners in Latin America. GWC prioritizes direct collaboration with local partners, including Indigenous communities, territories, and organizations to support efforts to protect their biodiverse ancestral lands and promote their culture’s persistence. When the COVID-19 pandemic thrust Ecuador into lockdown ..read more

In Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, COVID-19 Pandemic Disrupts Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Livelihoods    Global Wildlife Conservation’s four-part INVASION series explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the threats of extractive industry, cattle ranching and other land grabs on GWC’s indigenous partners in Latin America. GWC prioritizes direct collaboration with local partners, including Indigenous communities, territories, and organizations to support efforts to protect their biodiverse ancestral lands and promote their culture’s persistence. The Sierra Nevada de Santa M ..read more