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The Przewalski's horse, or takhi — the world's only truly wild horse — once vanished entirely from the wild. As of 2026 more than 1,000 again roam Mongolia, about half the global population, descended from just a handful of captive founders. It is one of conservation's most remarkable resurrections.
Mother Mizuno gave birth to six healthy black-footed ferret kits at the Smithsonian’s Front Royal campus on May 11, 2026, with a second litter following ten days later. Once thought extinct, North America’s only native ferret survives today thanks to decades of breeding and release efforts.
Off the coast of Taiwan, scientists identified Thecacera sesama, a black-and-yellow nudibranch under three millimeters long, first spotted by an undergraduate diver and confirmed as new to science.
Europe removed a record 603 dams, weirs and culverts across 21 countries in 2025, reconnecting 3,740 kilometres of rivers. The figure is an 11% jump over 2024 and a sixfold rise since 2020, reopening migration routes for Atlantic salmon, sea trout and dozens of other species.
A University of Manchester-led team used AI and 35 years of Landsat imagery to produce the first wall-to-wall map of the Cerrado-Amazon transition zone in Brazil, giving conservation planners the empirical baseline they had been missing.
The global Ocean Census initiative identified 1,121 new marine species between mid-2025 and mid-2026, a 54% jump over the year before, from glowing worms and cave shrimp to a red-eyed dwarfgoby.
In Chichester Harbour near Portsmouth, England, 260 volunteers deployed 20,000 native oysters across 3.5 hectares of seabed in May 2026 — the UK's largest subtidal oyster reef restoration. Each oyster filters about 44 gallons of water a day, reviving a species that once thrived across the Solent.
Thirteen fossil teeth from Ledi-Geraru, Ethiopia, show that early Homo shared the landscape with a previously unknown Australopithecus species nearly 2.8 million years ago, reinforcing the idea that human evolution was a branching bush rather than a straight line.
On May 4, 2026, Ocean Winds delivered first power from the Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion off Port-La Nouvelle — the world's first nature-inclusive floating wind farm. Its three 10 MW turbines carry artificial reef habitats designed to boost marine biodiversity, powering about 50,000 people.
The mountain gorilla, down to as few as 480 in 2010, now numbers an estimated 1,063 across Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC. A ranger tool called SMART, used by 1,400 rangers, is helping rangers stay ahead of poaching threats in one of conservation’s great success stories.
After half a century of global protection, the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) has been moved on the IUCN Red List from Endangered to Least Concern, with the global population up about 28% since the 1970s.
On Earth Day 2026, the Cayman Islands government designated six new protected areas under the National Conservation (Protected Areas) Order 2026, safeguarding wetlands, mangroves, coastal cays and forest. The package also includes a move to ban eight single-use plastic items, part of broad environmental commitments.
On Earth Day 2026, the non-profit search engine Ecosia announced it had planted 250 million trees worldwide since 2009. Working with 125 reforestation partners and over 200,000 planters, it has put 1,600 native species into the ground — including 144 that are endangered or vulnerable — and invested more than 100 million euros in climate action.
In the Affric Highlands rewilding landscape, neighbouring landowners have come together to rewet and restore 1,000 hectares of degraded peatland. Peatlands store more carbon than all the world's forests combined, and the restored bogs will lock away carbon, store water and revive habitat for rare birds, dragonflies and plants.
Bald eagles have staged a striking comeback in the Connecticut River Valley, with New Hampshire reaching 128 nesting pairs and Vermont 38 by 2025. Once driven to near-extinction by DDT and habitat loss, the national bird is now a familiar sight over New England rivers.
Boulder Arts Week 2026 featured over 115 events and marked the unveiling of the Boulder Arts Blueprint, a new ten-year roadmap for supporting artists and strengthening the city's creative ecosystem.
Chester Zoo in the UK has welcomed three giant otter pups — two males and one female — born to first-time parents Bonita and Manu. It is the first time the endangered species, of which fewer than 6,000 survive in the wild, has bred at the zoo in seven years.
The Manx Wildlife Trust planted 30,000 native trees at Creg y Cowin on the Isle of Man, expanding from an original 70-acre goal to 100 acres of restored temperate rainforest in one of Britain's rarest habitats.
On April 11, 2026, an Indian-born female cheetah gave birth to four cubs in the wild at Kuno National Park — the first time a cheetah born in India has reproduced in a natural setting since the species was reintroduced in 2022. A Namibian female also had five cubs in March, lifting India’s cheetah count to 53.
Rescued from the brink after the last wild individual was shot in 1927, the European bison now numbers roughly 7,000 free-roaming animals across at least seven countries. Beyond their comeback, the giant herbivores boost biodiversity and even help capture carbon.
At COP15 in Brazil, over 130 governments agreed on expanded protections for threatened migratory species, including blue corridors for sea turtles and flyways for birds.
Analysis of over 100 rewilding sites across Scotland reveals dramatic biodiversity gains, with bird species up 261%, breeding territories up 546%, and bumblebee and butterfly varieties doubled.
Chamilandu, an elephant orphaned by poaching at just 18 months old, has given birth to her first calf born entirely in the wild in Zambia's Kafue National Park, surrounded by a herd of released and wild elephants — a powerful testament to conservation.
In a major victory against wildlife trafficking, 94 African grey parrots were rescued from illegal international trade in the DRC in 2025, highlighting growing global enforcement against the billion-dollar wildlife crime industry.
Despite rising emissions, 2025 delivered tangible environmental victories: renewable energy capacity surged to record levels, endangered green sea turtles hit milestone recovery numbers, and tiger populations grew across Asia, reports the BBC.
The California condor population has reached 1,000 individuals — a remarkable recovery from just 22 birds in 1982, making it one of the most successful endangered species recovery programs in history.
Thailand has completed a 120-kilometer protected wildlife corridor linking five national parks in the Western Forest Complex, enabling wild elephant herds to migrate safely between fragmented habitats for the first time in decades.
At a UN migratory species conference in Brazil, more than 130 governments agreed to stronger protections for manta rays, jaguars and migratory birds. New measures to cut bycatch and build “blue corridors” for turtles and “flyways” for birds were hailed by BirdLife and WWF as a major step for nature.
After more than 8,500 invasive stoats were removed from Scotland's Orkney islands, the rare Orkney vole reached its highest recorded activity, while hen harriers had their best breeding year since 2012. The Orkney Native Wildlife Project is the largest stoat eradication on inhabited land anywhere on Earth.
Monarch butterfly populations have increased by 64%, offering a significant boost to conservationists who have worked for decades to protect the iconic species and its epic annual migration across North America.
Dozens of juvenile hybrid giant tortoises have been released on Floreana Island in Ecuador's Galápagos archipelago, marking the first step in restoring the island's ecosystem after the native species was driven to extinction nearly 200 years ago.
Rewilding projects across Scotland are delivering spectacular results, with suitable habitat for birds increasing more than fivefold and numbers of bumblebees and butterflies rising more than tenfold in restored areas.
At the CMS COP15 summit in Brazil’s Pantanal, 132 countries and the European Union approved international protection for 40 migratory species, from the snowy owl and giant otter to the great hammerhead shark.
Hebrew University researchers published EvORanker, an algorithm that compares evolutionary gene patterns across more than 1,000 species, naming the correct disease gene as the top candidate in about 70 percent of cases and within the top five in 95 percent.
A 200-foot-wide wildlife overpass has opened across six lanes of Interstate 25 near Larkspur, Colorado — the largest in North America. The $15 million bridge connects 39,000 acres of habitat for elk, pronghorn, deer, bears and mountain lions, and is expected to cut wildlife-vehicle crashes by up to 90%.
Ugandan wildlife authorities have reintroduced southern white rhinos into Kidepo Valley National Park, where the species had been extinct since 1983 due to poaching. The first two rhinos arrived on March 17, with more planned from both local sanctuaries and Kenya.
The large tortoiseshell butterfly, absent from Britain since the 1960s, has been reclassified as a resident species after sightings across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset, Cornwall, and the Isle of Wight. Britain's native butterfly count has risen to 60 with the species' return.
Eight critically endangered mountain bongo antelopes were rescued after being stranded overnight on a grounded charter flight at Palm Beach International Airport. The emergency response by FIU's Tropical Conservation Institute saved the animals being transported for a repatriation program to Kenya.
Uganda Wildlife Authority has begun the historic reintroduction of rhinos to Kidepo Valley National Park, where the species went extinct in 1983 due to poaching. The first two Southern white rhinos arrived from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
New Zealand's critically endangered kākāpō — the world's heaviest, flightless parrot — had its best breeding season ever in 2026, with over 100 chicks hatching, far surpassing the previous record of 85. With only 235 adults, the bumper season could meaningfully grow a species once down to a few dozen.
Scientists studying the Pacific Clarion-Clipperton Zone described 24 new amphipod species, including an entirely new superfamily, a discovery a co-lead called “incredibly exciting.”
The Large Tortoiseshell butterfly, absent from the UK for over 30 years, has been spotted across six southern English counties. Butterfly Conservation reports cautious optimism about a potential natural recolonization.
Conservation group Fauna & Flora reported 11 new species discovered across 60 Cambodian caves, including a striking pit viper and a gecko named for the Hindu god Shiva, highlighting the region's hidden biodiversity.
On March 19, 2026, eastern black rhino Kapuki gave birth to a healthy female calf at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, weighing about 60 pounds. With only around 1,000 eastern black rhinos left in the wild, the birth — recommended by the Species Survival Plan — is a meaningful boost for the critically endangered subspecies.
A pair of California condors has built the species' first Pacific Northwest nest in over 100 years — inside a hollow old-growth redwood on Yurok Tribal land. The Yurok-led restoration program, begun with releases in 2022, is part of a recovery that lifted the species from just 22 birds in 1982 to over 600 today.
Monarch butterflies occupied 2.93 hectares of central Mexico’s oyamel fir forest this winter, a 64 percent jump from the previous year, alongside a drop in illegal logging. Conservationists welcome the rebound while stressing the iconic migration still needs more habitat.
For the first time in nearly two decades, captive-bred Panamanian golden frogs have been returned to a Panamanian forest. In a landmark trial reported in March 2026, the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project released 100 of the bright-yellow frogs to learn how to outwit the fungal disease that erased them from the wild.
A groundbreaking study published in Conservation Biology shows that detection dogs can identify trafficked wildlife in sealed shipping containers from tiny air samples with nearly 98% accuracy, offering a major new tool against wildlife crime.
The Bank of England announced that native British wildlife will replace historical figures on banknotes after more than 26,000 people voted in a public consultation to put nature on sterling. The decision marks a historic shift in British currency design, celebrating the country's natural heritage.
The UN High Seas Treaty has come into force, creating for the first time a legal framework to protect biodiversity in international waters — covering almost half of Earth's surface that previously had no dedicated conservation law.
In February 2026, Yellowstone moved 213 bison 470 miles to the Fort Peck Reservation — its largest transfer to date under a program that has now rehomed 625 genetically pure bison to 29 Tribes across 13 states and Canada. The effort restores both a keystone prairie species and a sacred cultural relationship.
The High Seas Treaty entered into force in January 2026 after Morocco became the 60th country to ratify it in September 2025. The landmark agreement establishes the first legal framework to protect marine biodiversity in international waters, covering nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans that were previously ungoverned.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has announced a community-led project to reintroduce white storks to the English Midlands, more than 600 years after they vanished. The project at Willington Wetlands is backed by over £300,000 in funding.
By sequencing more than 13,000 genes, scientists found that Borneo’s fanged frogs, long treated as one species, actually comprise six or seven distinct species, a finding that helps target conservation more accurately.
The sihek, or Guam kingfisher, is flying free in the wild for the first time in over four decades after being declared extinct in its natural habitat. A small but stable population has been established on a predator-free island, and the birds have begun laying eggs — a critical milestone for the species' recovery.
Dozens of juvenile hybrid giant tortoises were released on Floreana Island in the Galápagos on February 20, 2026, marking the return of these iconic creatures nearly 150 years after they were hunted to local extinction. The rewilding effort aims to restore the island's ecosystem to its original state.
Several humpback whale populations have recovered to near pre-commercial whaling numbers, with some groups removed from endangered lists, marking one of the greatest conservation comebacks in wildlife history.
A March 2026 update to the UN State of the World's Migratory Species report identifies seven species moving to a lower extinction-risk category — among them the saiga antelope, scimitar-horned oryx and Mediterranean monk seal — proof that coordinated, cross-border conservation can turn the tide for animals on the move.
The California condor, which numbered just 22 birds in 1982 when all remaining wild individuals were captured for a breeding program, has surpassed 500 individuals with over 300 now flying free in the wild across California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California.
Once down to just 22 birds, the California condor population has crossed 1,000 thanks to decades of captive breeding and habitat protection.
In one of Italy's greatest conservation success stories, Sardinia's griffon vulture population has soared from near-extinction at the start of 2010 to over 500 individuals today, thanks to decades of dedicated conservation work.
An international research cruise has catalogued over 120 previously unknown deep-sea organisms that produce their own light, reshaping our understanding of ocean ecosystems.
In Blagdon, North Somerset, residents have become citizen naturalists, tracking dung beetles, skylarks, adders and dormice across a regenerative farm. Coordinated by ecologist Patrick Hancock through a WhatsApp group and the iNaturalist app, the survey turned neighbours into "extra eyes and ears" for nature.
The public debut of giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao at the Smithsonian National Zoo in January 2025 drew record-breaking crowds, with Washington D.C. celebrating a city-wide "District of Panda Party" that united the community through joy, diplomacy, and conservation awareness.
In a feat once thought improbable, the green sea turtle has been removed from the endangered species list in 2025, marking one of the greatest conservation success stories of our time. Decades of beach protection, fishing regulation changes, and international cooperation have brought the species back from the brink.
Despite a tumultuous geopolitical landscape, 196 nations agreed at COP16 in Rome to mobilize at least $200 billion per year by 2030 to help developing countries conserve biodiversity. The deal was hailed as a win for multilateralism in uncertain times.
Chinook salmon were spotted swimming in Oregon's Chiloquin Basin for the first time in 100 years, following a historic dam removal and river restoration project. The return of these iconic fish represents the culmination of decades of environmental advocacy by Indigenous communities and conservationists.
The Global Ocean Treaty became reality in 2025 after 79 nations ratified the agreement, far exceeding the 60 required. The treaty protects marine biodiversity in international waters covering nearly half the planet.
After losing her mother as a tiny cub, an endangered red panda named Asha — meaning “hope” in Nepali and Sanskrit — was hand-reared by keepers at Bristol Zoo Project and has now taken her first confident steps in her outdoor habitat, part of a European breeding program for the species.
The UK’s Twycross Zoo has welcomed its first baby of 2026: an endangered pileated gibbon. Keepers called it a hugely important birth for the entire European population of these long-armed, tree-swinging apes, which are threatened by habitat loss across Southeast Asia.
The largest oyster reef restoration project in the world has planted 10 billion oysters in Chesapeake Bay, reviving ecosystems and cleaning billions of gallons of water daily.
A trailblazing attempt to repopulate the ocean with sharks born from surplus aquarium eggs is expanding marine conservation.
After being absent for 140 years, wolves have naturally returned to the Netherlands and are now successfully breeding, marking a remarkable wildlife comeback.
Conservation efforts to let hedgerows grow wild have led to record numbers of rare butterfly eggs being recorded across the UK.
A group of women in rural India known as the Stork Sisters have become guardians of the endangered greater adjutant stork, saving hundreds of chicks and changing local attitudes toward wildlife.
Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has dropped to its lowest level in 15 years, thanks to stronger enforcement and Indigenous-led conservation efforts.
The reproductive spores of a moss species were able to survive the vacuum of space during a 9-month stint outside the International Space Station, returning with an 86% germination rate.
The reintroduction of bison to Yellowstone National Park has sparked a striking ecological recovery, demonstrating the powerful ripple effects of rewilding keystone species.
The Great Barrier Reef has experienced its largest coral spawning event in decades, a sign that conservation efforts are helping the ecosystem recover.
Marine biologists have developed heat-resistant coral varieties that can survive in waters up to 3°C warmer, offering hope for reef conservation as oceans warm.
Across Iowa, a tiny endangered fish has inspired an enormous conservation program that has restored hundreds of oxbow ponds, bringing back 57 fish species, 81 bird species, and many other animals.
In a conservation success story decades in the making, the green turtle has been removed from the endangered species list, proving that dedicated protection efforts can save species from extinction.
Kenya's elephant population has more than doubled over the past three decades, reaching over 36,000 animals thanks to anti-poaching efforts and habitat protection.
Four million native oysters are being returned to an artificial reef off Norfolk, England, creating what will become Europe's largest oyster reef and potentially transforming local marine ecosystems.
Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City is using the community land trust model to build affordable neighborhoods in Olathe and Lenexa. By keeping the land in trust and capping resale gains, homes stay within reach of working families — the first resident bought hers for about half the county average.
On February 2, 2026, a healthy female Asian elephant calf was born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo to first-time mother Nhi Linh — the first elephant born there in nearly a quarter century. Because her parents’ genes are rare in zoos, the calf strengthens the genetic diversity of an endangered species.
Conservation organizations are using drones to plant trees in hard-to-reach areas, potentially revolutionizing the expansion and restoration of temperate rainforests.
Mexico reported a significant increase in its jaguar population in 2025, the result of expanded protected corridors, community-led conservation programs, and reduced human-wildlife conflict across the Yucatán Peninsula and beyond.
A billionaire art collector sold a rare Rembrandt drawing of a lion for $18 million, donating the proceeds to conservation efforts to save the very animal depicted in the artwork.
At the COP16 biodiversity conference in Rome, 196 nations agreed to mobilize at least $200 billion per year by 2030 to help developing countries conserve biodiversity. The deal was hailed as a win for multilateralism in uncertain times.
Scientists recorded the highest number of North Atlantic right whale sightings ever for January, a hopeful sign for the critically endangered species with only 384 individuals remaining.
In a landmark conservation victory, the green sea turtle was officially removed from the endangered species list in 2025. Decades of beach protection, anti-poaching measures, and international cooperation brought the species back from the brink.
The Bronx Zoo has announced the birth of an endangered pygmy slow loris, the first primate born in its new World of Darkness exhibit. The tiny, large-eyed primate is one of only about 50 of its kind in accredited North American zoos, making the birth a valuable contribution to the species’ breeding program.
The Chilean government is creating the Cape Froward national park, spanning 150,000 hectares of subantarctic forests and coastline, completing a 2,800km wildlife corridor.
The planet's oldest bee species and primary pollinator in the Amazon rainforest has been granted legal rights — a world first for any insect.
A previously unknown jaguar was identified in southern Arizona through remote cameras, suggesting that conservation efforts are helping the endangered species expand its range northward.
A new conservation study offers hope for wild axolotls facing extinction: captive-bred populations retain enough genetic diversity to potentially replenish their wild counterparts in Mexico.
The Greenland Wildlife Overpass, the largest wildlife crossing in North America, opened over Interstate 25 in Douglas County, Colorado, reconnecting 39,000 acres of habitat and making one of the state's most dangerous stretches of highway far safer.
The Saving Wildcats project has released 46 captive-bred European wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park, with 95 percent surviving their first ten months and females raising litters in the wild in both 2024 and 2025. Conservationists say it proves a critically endangered cat can be brought back.
The Tainui Atea marine protected area now covers 1.1 million square kilometers of ocean, making it the largest MPA on Earth and a major win for ocean biodiversity.
The first giant panda cub ever born in Indonesia, a male named Satrio Wiratama and nicknamed Rio, arrived at Taman Safari Indonesia in late November 2025. His birth crowns a decade-long conservation partnership between Indonesia and China for a species now classed as vulnerable.
Countries at the CITES wildlife-trade convention voted by consensus to grant all ten species of manta and devil rays Appendix I status — the strongest protection available — effectively banning international commercial trade in these ocean giants, whose numbers have plunged 80–99% in many regions.
French Polynesia has created the world's largest marine protected area, adding to a wave of new wildlife sanctuaries established across the globe in 2025.
Camera traps in Kenya’s Chyulu Hills captured a critically endangered black rhino calf at the side of its mother, Namunyak — whose name means “blessed” in Maa. The birth, the second in two years, brings this genetically distinct population to nine and is hailed as a conservation success.
Once the world's most endangered cat with just a few hundred individuals, the Iberian lynx has rebounded to several thousand thanks to dedicated conservation programs across Spain and Portugal.
In a remarkable conservation success, the green turtle has been removed from the endangered list following a decades-long mission to save the species from extinction.
The IUCN officially reclassified the green sea turtle from Endangered to Least Concern, marking one of the greatest conservation success stories of our time.
The saiga antelope, an Ice Age survivor with a distinctive trunk-like nose, has rebounded from roughly 48,000 individuals in 2005 to about 1.9 million today. The dramatic recovery, driven largely by conservation in Kazakhstan, led the IUCN to move the species from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened.
Popi, a female Bornean orangutan rescued from illegal captivity as an eight-week-old infant, has been released into East Borneo’s Busang Ecosystem after nearly nine years of rehabilitation. On arrival she climbed straight into the canopy and reunited with two previously released females.
Chinook salmon were spotted swimming in the Chiloquin Basin in Oregon for the first time in a century, a remarkable sign of ecosystem recovery after dam removals and habitat restoration.
Philadelphia Zoo’s nearly 100-year-old Galapagos tortoise “Mommy” has hatched 16 babies with mate Abrazzo, becoming the oldest first-time mother of her species. The clutch is hugely significant for the critically endangered Western Santa Cruz tortoise, of which only 60 live in U.S. care.
Conservation group Aussie Ark announced in June 2025 that at least ten Tasmanian devil joeys had been born in its mainland breeding program, with more on the way. The births strengthen an “insurance population” safeguarding a species devastated by a contagious facial cancer.
A second group of seven Przewalski’s horses arrived at Kazakhstan’s Altyn-Dala State Nature Reserve in June 2025, bringing the reintroduced herd to fourteen animals. The species, once extinct in the wild, is being restored to the golden steppe it last roamed roughly two hundred years ago.
A kingfisher native to Guam laid eggs outdoors for the first time in nearly four decades, thanks to a dedicated breeding programme that has brought the species back from the edge of extinction.
Scientists aboard the research vessel Falkor (too) captured the first confirmed footage of a living colossal squid in its natural habitat — a translucent juvenile gliding 600 meters down near the South Sandwich Islands, exactly a century after the species was named.
A review of about 300 sea turtle population records found that significant increases were three to six times more common than significant declines, with four of five green turtle regional populations growing. Loggerhead nests in Cape Verde jumped from roughly 500 in 2008 to 35,000 by 2020 — a global conservation success story.
At COP16 in Rome, 196 nations agreed to mobilize at least $200 billion per year by 2030 to help developing countries conserve biodiversity, in a win for multilateralism.
In February 2025 the UK government authorized the first licensed wild releases of beavers in England, ending an absence of centuries. The first animals were released at Purbeck Heath in Dorset, with the dam-building rodents set to restore wetlands, boost biodiversity, and help manage flooding.
A new Colorado law grants bison dual status as both livestock and wildlife, allowing America's national mammal to roam more freely after years of advocacy by Native Americans and conservationists.
The Iberian lynx has been downlisted from Endangered to Vulnerable by the IUCN, following an incredible 20-year recovery from just 94 individuals to over 2,000.
