Animal Law Section, The Florida Bar’s Post

Returning apex predators gives hope for blooming #biodiversity! 💚 The return of healthy populations of keystone species, like these Gray wolves, has huge implications for the entire ecosystem - and everyone in it. From the wriggly things in the soil, to prey such as deer, these wild wolves will support ecosystem resilience. 🐛 🐜 🦌 🐺 It is now becoming clear that some trophic cascades could also have a significant impact on the carbon cycle and climate change. Wolves are one of the 9 'climate hero' species of the peer-reviewed study in Nature Climate Change. We 💚 #rewilding

Did you take part in the Great Garden Birdwatch earlier this year? If so, you'll be interested to hear which birds topped the list as being the most frequently spotted in gardens across the UK during the month of March. The results are in! 1. House sparrow 2. Blue tit 3. Starling With an impressive total of 610,000 people counting 9.7 million birds to submit their observations to the RSPB, it's wonderful to know so many people are invested in this study and passionate about bird protection and observation in the UK. This is the largest garden wildlife study of its kind worldwide. It provides useful indicators and insights, not only into the bird population, but also into changes in bird habitats. As an example, despite coming in at number one on the list, numbers of house sparrows are actually in decline and these birds are on the UK Red List of conservation concern. This is largely due to a decline in green spaces and the impact this has on the insects that these birds feed on. One way you could actively support house sparrows is to allow an area of your garden or outside grounds to go wild in order to promote the kind of biodiversity that provides house sparrows with food. Alongside gardening for wildlife, the protection of rivers and the way we farm – often with a monocultural approach and the use of pesticides and fertilisers – should be key priorities to promote the health and resilience of our bird population. #greatgardenbirdwatch #birdwatching #learningfromnature #naturebasedlearning #sustainability #sustainabilityeducation

Check out the latest issue of Kite Tales, the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail newsletter!

Check out this Comprehensive Guide to Transforming Your Yard Into a Wildlife Habitat!

Protecting landscapes for their role in wildlife corridors and vital connectivity is a fascinating (and valid) logic for national monument designations. We cannot grow or replace these places on the landscape, or the wildlife that depends on them.

Check out the latest article from our three-part series in Explore Big Sky newspaper on wildlife-vehicle conflict in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, along US-191 in Montana. Based on the highway assessment we conducted with the Western Transportation Institute, plans are moving forward to study the feasibility of building wildlife overpasses at two priority locations identified in the assessment! The crossings, located between Big Sky and Gallatin Gateway in Southwest Montana, would address both wildlife-vehicle collisions and landscape connectivity in this very important habitat. READ: https://lnkd.in/gffeS_n3

Exciting news! THIS FRIDAY we're diving into an important discussion on #NewMexico #Wildlife. Leave us a comment if we'll see you there! Topic: Protecting NM's Wildlife - What Will It Take? In New Mexico, only a few species get federal protection, while state focus is on "game and fish." With the natural world facing a crisis—losing two-thirds of vertebrate species since 1970—we need to rethink our century-old wildlife management institutions. Funded by hunting and fishing fees, these institutions need reform to truly protect all wildlife, reflecting the values of New Mexicans. Despite the Governor's veto of a reform bill after the 2023 legislature, we at Wildlife for All are determined to keep pushing forward. Event Details: 🗓 Date & Time: Friday, August 2, 5 PM 📍 Location: Travel Bug, 839 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe 🎤 Speaker: Michelle Lute, Ph.D., Executive Director, Wildlife for All 🤝 Sponsored by: Northern Group, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter A bit about Michelle: "I started my environmental journey with the National Park Service and have worked across various nonprofits, state government, and universities. With over 30 publications under my belt, my focus is on evidence-based approaches to human-wildlife coexistence."

Do you help people to access parks, beaches, lakes, rivers, canals, woodlands, or nature reserves? Are you a staff member or a volunteer in one of these wonderful places? Or perhaps you are a landowner? On behalf of The Wildlife Trusts, Iain Broome and I are producing some resources to help more people access and enjoy blue and green spaces. We’re running two identical online workshops in August and would love you to join one to help us shape this work. There is already lots of research about barriers and enablers that affect access to green and blue spaces. To add to this, we’ll be asking you: 1. Do you have insights about specific groups of people within your local population who do or don’t use the spaces near you? 2. What guidance is already available about improving access? 3. What more can be done to help people access blue and green space? 4. Who else should we be talking to as we collate our research? Join us on: 7th August 10 – 11.00am  or 15th August 12pm – 1.00pm Register for The Wildlife Trusts workshop here: https://lnkd.in/eusjdfDN You can contact me directly with a PM Could you help us reach more people by sharing and tagging this post? Many thanks!

When most people think about deer management in Scotland, chances are that it is the majestic red deer stag on a Highland mountainside that springs most readily to mind. In many areas, however, it is Scotland’s other native deer species – roe deer - that poses an equally large challenge, particularly in our lowland and urban areas.   In today’s Herald, our Head of Wildlife Management Donald Fraser takes a look at the issues roe deer can pose in lowland and urban areas and what is being done by NatureScot and partners to address these challenges: https://lnkd.in/e-msTEqH   You can also find out more about how and why roe deer are managed in the lowlands in this short video featuring case studies in three very different natural habitats - Scotland’s rainforest on the west coast, woodland on the outskirts of Glasgow and farmland in Fife: https://lnkd.in/e_X_wV7K

Just as the wildlife in your orchard changes from season to season, so do the management requirements. 🌸 Seasonality is important to so many aspects of orchard management, and sometimes knowing when to do which tasks can be confusing. With the best will in the world, we always forget some things. This guide aims to roughly plan your orcharding year, including everything when to graft, when to cut the sward and when to keep your eyes peeled for wildlife. 🌳🍐 👉https://lnkd.in/edHJvqXM 📸National Trust