As we walk boldly into April, with the hope that lockdowns will ease, we are clinging to all the positive things which are happening around the globe. And there are many!
Despite varying restrictions, people and organisations are still inspiring us, and pushing ahead with long terms plans for conservation and to help combat the climate crisis.
There are also a couple of stories here that prove we can all make a difference when we set our minds to it, and of course there is strength in numbers too. Nothing is impossible.
So without further ado, let's dive in to the top environmental news stories for March.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Climate activist Edgar McGregor spent more than a year picking up litter every day at Eaton Canyon in Los Angeles.
The 20-year-old visited Eaton Canyon, his local park, for at least an hour every day to clean up municipal waste. He persisted during the pandemic and through extreme weather, including hail, 65 MPH winds and ashy rain from nearby wildfires.
On March 5, the last day of his marathon clean-up, he proudly announced, "After **589** days of picking up trash every single day, I can say with confidence that Eaton Canyon, one of Los Angeles's most popular hiking trail, is now free of municipal waste!" That single tweet has been liked on Twitter's platform more than 107,600 times.
The UK is launching the world's first network of underwater camera rigs to monitor and protect ocean wildlife.
It is set to be extended across 10 British Overseas Territories to collect biological information and safeguard the marine environment.
The expansion follows concerns that the health of the ocean is declining and will allow scientists to improve their understanding of the marine environment and help to restore ocean life.
A community in Scotland has completed one of the country’s largest ever grassroots land buyouts – and is now turning the estate into a nature reserve. The community raised £3.8m to buy 5,200 acres of land from the Duke of Buccleuch. The sale, agreed in October, was completed on Friday. It followed a six-month crowdfunding campaign that reached its target two days before the deadline.
The National Trust has planted 60,000 saplings in the first part of its drive to plant 20 million trees by 2030.
The rate of planting will also now be able to accelerate after an initial planning phase thanks to nearly £500,000 in public donations with the charity’s ‘Plant a Tree’ campaign, and the conservation charity has identified sites for a further 1.5 million trees to be planted over the next couple of years.
The number of bald eagles in the lower 48 U.S. states — a population once on the brink of extinction — has quadrupled in the last dozen years to more than 316,000, federal wildlife officials say, despite steep declines in other American bird populations.
The success story, wildlife officials said, is a dramatic reminder of the power of conservation efforts. Bald eagles were hunted, poisoned and extirpated from their habitat across the contiguous U.S. for more than a century.
If you have a local positive environment story which needs more recognition, please let us know. You can email us details to: Info@watsonwolfe.com
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