Instagram Leonardo DiCaprio

FOUND: The Pernambuco Holly (Ilex Sapiiformis), one of the world’s top 25 most wanted lost species, has been rediscovered in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. It’s the 9th lost species to be rediscovered on @rewild’s Search for Lost Species most wanted list. It had not had a documented sighting in 186 years. Ecologist Gustavo Martinelli led an expedition team that scoured the collections of botanical gardens and universities throughout Brazil, hoping to find any overlooked or unidentified specimens tucked away that could help a field search. They discovered two plants collected 45 years apart and one of the plants pointed them to the metropolitan region of Recife.In a small patch of forest the expedition team found four individual trees. The area was once dense Atlantic tropical forest, but is now mostly urban areas interspersed with sugarcane plantations. Much of Brazil’s southeastern Atlantic forest has been destroyed and less than 5% remains intact. The forest that does remain is very fragmented.The search for more Pernambuco Holly trees isn’t over. Working with Jardim Botânico de Recife and other local partners the expedition team is hoping to find more trees, collect their seeds and germinate them.#LostSpecies

A group of conservation organizations including the @UtahRiversCouncil, @sierraclub, @utahphysicians, @americanbirdconservancy, and @centerforbiodiv are calling on the Utah government to do more to prevent the Great Salt Lake from drying up as the result of upstream water diversions. According to a recent @sltrib story, the Great Salt Lake supports more than 10 million migrating birds that are in jeopardy of a massive die-off, along with brine shrimp and other wildlife that depends on the lake. Even more, as the lakebed dries, it turns into a toxic dust that could potentially poison the millions of people who live along the Wasatch Front if nothing is done. “Every Utahn should be very worried about Utah’s failure to restore the Great Salt Lake,” said Zach Frankel, executive director of Utah Rivers Council. “We have the tools available to us to raise the Great Salt Lake’s water levels. But we’re failing to hold our elected and appointed officials accountable for even establishing so much as a goal to raise the lake.” Visit the link in bio to sign the petition from @sierraclubutah to ask Utah’s political leaders to set an example by protecting and restoring the largest saline ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere.

What was once a barren ‘moonscape’ has now been rejuvenated as a gem of the Caribbean. The Redonda Ecosystem Reserve, part of Antigua and Barbuda, covers almost 75,000 acres (30,000 hectares) of land and sea that has now been granted protected area status.The new designation is the result of the ongoing efforts of the government of Antigua and Barbuda, particularly the Department of Environment (DoE) @do_environ and local and international conservation NGOs, including the @eagantigua (EAG), @faunafloraint and @rewild.This now lush wildlife sanctuary protects the entire island, its surrounding seagrass meadows and coral reefs. The Redonda Ecosystem Reserve is home to at least 30 globally threatened and near-threatened species, along with globally important seabird colonies.Congratulations to everyone who has made this happen and who continue to work together on a range of actions to support Redonda’s biodiversity, including monitoring the recovery of native species and the marine environment, and planning the reintroduction of native species that cannot find their own way back to the island, such as iguanas and Burrowing Owls. #RewildTheCaribbean

The South Island Kōkako is one of the world’s 25 most wanted lost species according to the Search for Lost Species led by @rewild. The last confirmed sighting was in 1967 and the only officially accepted sighting since then was in 2007, when the New Zealand Department of Conservation changed the status from Extinct to Data Deficient.The South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust has been leading a search effort to find this unique bird. Several expeditions have ventured into New Zealand’s Abel Tasman National Park this year. The search teams were able to capture recordings from unidentified birds in April and May—and the distinct and haunting calls sound similar to a Kōkako. The recordings are being analyzed to try and determine which species made them by bioacoustics experts at Victoria University of Wellington (NZ). The South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust is also working with partners including the University of Otago’s Gemmell Lab (@universityofotago) and Wilderlab to develop environmental DNA sampling methods to detect Kōkako.The search for the South Island Kōkako is supported by @allbirds.????: Rowan Nicholson#LostSpecies #SearchforLostSpecies #SouthIslandKokako #Kokako #LostBirds #SearchforLostBirds

Repost from @nowthisearth •A new analysis published in the journal Water Resources Research found that the Colorado River system lost 40 trillion liters (10 trillion gallons) of water between 2000 and 2021 as the result of the human-caused climate crisis dating back to the 1880s.Due to higher temperatures, the snowpack that feeds the system is drying up. Under present-day weather conditions, the Colorado River basin has approx 10% less water available than it would in a world without greenhouse gas emissions.The Colorado River Basin provides water to more than 40 million people. Although recent winter storms across the West replenished many reservoirs, from 2000 to 2021, the region had been in the worst ‘mega drought’ in at least 1,200 years. Arizona, California, and Nevada reached an agreement in May to stop using as much of the river’s water.‘Going into the future, we may get some natural variability, wet or dry swings, but this study highlights that there’s been a decreasing trend in runoff,’ said Benjamin Bass, lead author of the study, to the Guardian. ‘In the long run, that’s likely to continue if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced.’

Ecuadorians have made history in voting YES to people and planet and NO to Big Oil in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, home to more species of trees in a single hectare than in the Continental US and Canada combined.In a historic referendum on Sunday, nearly 60% of Ecuadorians cast their votes in favor of safeguarding a vital portion of Yasuní National Park in the Amazon rainforest by keeping crude oil in the ground.Thanks in large part to the unwavering dedication of grassroots and Indigenous activists, this moment signifies the power of the people in choosing people and planet over profit.#YasuníVictory #SíAlYasuní #YesToYasuní

It was an honor for my organization @rewild to support and attend the Indigenous meeting in Brazil to celebrate Kayapo Indigenous leader Chief Raoni Metuktire and his incredible leadership in guarding the Amazon rainforest and protecting Indigenous rights.We join the more than 800 people who attended the event—including representatives from about 50 Indigenous groups—in calling for national leaders to follow the leadership of Indigenous peoples in safeguarding the Amazon and our planet’s other biodiverse ecosystems.“Only one word can define the meeting called by Chief Raoni in the Xingu last week: HISTORIC,” says Rodrigo Medeiros, Re:wild’s senior Brazil associate. “With the planet increasingly threatened by the climate and biodiversity crises, with less time left for effective action, we all need to join hands with Indigenous communities in calling for rapid action to protect the forests and their territories. This fight is everyone’s fight, for all life on Earth, and for our shared planet.”Read more from @guardian by visiting the link in bio.Photograph: Kamikia Kisedje

Join me in saying #SíAlYasuní.Yasuní National Park stands as the most biodiverse location on our planet. Within its forests reside many Indigenous communities who hold ancestral rights to the land and who actively steward biodiversity. Yasuní is home to some of the last Indigenous tribes living in voluntary isolation—the Tagaeri, Taromenane, and Dugakaeri tribes. But the destiny of Yasuní hangs precariously in the balance, threatened by the looming presence of the petroleum industry.Proposed ventures by the fossil fuel sector cast a shadow over this critical ecosystem, threatening mass deforestation and species loss. The implications are dire, with the very survival of these Indigenous communities imperiled.Presented with a pivotal moment in history, Ecuadorians hold the power to safeguard Yasuní and its people. On August 20, the people of Ecuador have an historic opportunity to vote in favor of safeguarding a significant portion of Yasuní rainforest. Let’s commend this opportunity for Ecuadorians to exercise their voices in favor of Yasuní. I stand with the people of Ecuador saying #YestoYasuní.For more information follow @sialyasuni and their Indigenous youth ally @jovenes_amazonicos_ec #SupportYasuní #YasuníITTProduced by @mullu.tv & @jovenes_amazonicos_ec in collaboration with the Waorani Nationality of Ecuador & Okienani Waorani Association of Orellana

Yasuní National Park is a global biodiversity hotspot and home to some of the last Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation—the Tagaeri, Taromenane and Dugakaeri. Yet this irreplaceable place and the people and wildlife living here are threatened by the fossil fuel industry.On August 20th, 2023, the people of Ecuador have an historic opportunity to safeguard a significant portion of Yasuní rainforest. With this first-of-its-kind referendum worldwide, Ecuador could become an example in democratizing climate politics, offering voters the chance to vote not just for the forest but also for Indigenous rights, our climate, and the well-being of our planet.Stand alongside Yasuní and its Indigenous communities in this historic referendum by sharing this important message. For more information follow @sialyasuni and their Indigenous youth ally @jovenes_amazonicos_ec #YesToYasuní #YasuníITT #SíAlYasuní

Repost from @docgovtnz For the first time in nearly four decades, kākāpō are returning to live on mainland Aotearoa. We are currently moving four male kākāpō from Whenua Hou/Codfish Island to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Until now, kākāpō have been contained to a few offshore predator-free islands, so to have them return to the mainland marks a new phase in the recovery of this taonga species. Having kākāpō back on the mainland is an exciting glimpse into what the future could hold for these native manu and will hopefully bring us one step closer to being able to hear their distinctive kākāpō ‘booms’ across the country. #ReturnOfTheKakapo ???? Close up of kākāpō on Whenua Hou | Tama Pugsley