The world is facing a biodiversity crisis. An estimated one million species are currently threatened with extinction due to human activities like deforestation and pollution, including one in six UK species.
Experts believe this rapid loss of wildlife is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.
What’s more, in 2018, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) published a report estimating that humans have wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles since 1970. To compare with the human population, that’s like emptying Africa, Europe, China, Oceania, North America, and South America.
While these figures are disheartening, it’s important to remember that it’s not all bad news. Thanks to dedicated conservationists, some species have come back from the brink of extinction, and vital ecosystems are being restored to their former glory.
Below, we take a look at seven conservation success stories that give us hope for the future.
1. European bison
Once upon a time, herds of bison roamed much of Europe and Western Asia. However, in 1927, after centuries of hunting and habitat loss, the wild population went extinct when the last bison was killed in the Caucasus.
Luckily, there were still 54 European bison left in captivity, and thanks to breeding and reintroduction programs across the continent (for example, in Poland and Romania), the wild population has bounced back to around 7,000. In 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) changed their status from ‘endangered’ to ‘near threatened’.
Although they’re not native to Britain, three female European bison were released in Blean and Thornden woods near Canterbury in 2022 as part of a rewilding scheme. They’re the closest living relative of the extinct steppe bison, which lived here around 6,000 years ago.
Here, the European bison acts as a surrogate species for their long-lost ancestor. Described as ‘ecosystem engineers’, they change their environments and help other species to flourish through behaviours like grazing, dust bathing, felling trees, and dispersing seeds that stick to their fur.
“The reserve is teeming with life in areas that were once in darkness, and you can feel a renewed energy in the woodland,” said Bison ranger Hannah Mackins. “This project shows the incredible power of nature to heal and gives us hope for the future.”
2. California Condor
California Condors are the largest land bird species in North America. These imposing creatures boast wingspans of nearly three metres and can weigh over 10 kilograms.
With only 343 individuals living in the wild as of September 2024, spotting one is a rarity. But these numbers are significantly better than in 1982, when just 22 remained. To bring this species back from the brink, conservationists made a controversial decision to capture them all and begin a multi-million-dollar captive breeding program.
The first re-introduction attempt in 1992 wasn’t a success. Five of the 13 released birds died, mostly from powerline accidents, and the remaining eight had to be taken back into captivity. However, the conservationists revised their tactics – for example, changing the release sites – and began reintroducing California condors back into the wild again in 1995.
Though there have been bumps along the way, 2003 saw the first wild-hatched chick successfully fledge. And in 2008, there were officially more California condors in the wild than in captivity.
There are still many threats to California condors, including poaching and wildfires. The biggest is lead poisoning, which happens when they eat carrion contaminated with lead bullets. And while the IUCN still lists the species as ‘critically endangered’, it says there’s potential for “a significant rebound over the next century.”
Incredibly, in 2021, 15 California condors decided to roost on a Southern California woman’s home. This accounted for around 10% of the state’s population at the time. While it was an amazing turn of events, these uninvited guests caused quite a mess: knocking over plants, leaving claw marks everywhere, and coating the deck in poo.
You can read more about it on the CBC website.
3. American Samoa’s coral reef
While coral reefs take up less than 0.1% of the ocean floor, they’re home to over 25% of the world’s marine life. Often called the ‘rainforests of the sea’, animals use them for food, shelter, and reproduction. They’re also important for humans. They act as barriers, protecting coastlines from storms and waves, but also provide food and work, for example, through tourism.
But sadly, in the last 30 years, half of the world’s coral reefs have been lost. In 1978, an outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish killed around 90% of the coral on American Samoa’s reefs. These spiny, 21-armed invertebrates have an appetite for reef-building coral and can eat up to 10 m2 per year.
But crown-of-thorns starfish weren’t the only threat to American Samoa’s coral reefs. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, tuna canneries released wastewater into the harbour. Due to its high nutrient content, this acted as a fertiliser for plankton, leading to coral decline.
Overfishing was also a problem, particularly for parrotfish and large reef species (such as sharks, wrasse, and grouper). Parrotfish eat reef algae, which can smother and destroy coral if left unchecked.
With all these threats in mind, the authorities of American Samoa took action. First, they established the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 1986, before diverting the wastewater from the tuna canneries with pipes. In 2000, they also banned spearfishing – the most popular method for catching parrotfish – and all fishing for large reef species.
Thanks to these actions, the reef has begun to recover. In 2014, around 36% was covered in living coral.
4. Southern white rhino
In the late 19th century, the southern white rhino (one of two subspecies of white rhino) was thought to be extinct. Because of their more sociable and less aggressive nature, they were the preferred target for trophy hunters over black rhinos.
However, in 1895, a small population of fewer than 100 was discovered in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and now there are 20,000 living in countries like Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
This miraculous recovery is due to over 100 years of conservation work. For example, in 1895, Africa’s first protected conservation area, the Umfolozi Junction Reserve (now known as Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park), was created specifically to keep white rhinos safe.
And, in 1960, conservationist Ian Player started ‘Operation Rhino’, which began redistributing them to protected areas throughout their historic range. This was a great success, and the white rhino population grew every year until 2012, when poaching rates rose higher than birth rates.
While the southern white rhino is a shining example of the power of conservation, sadly, the same can’t be said for their cousins, the northern white rhinos, which have been all but wiped out by poachers. The last male of the subspecies, Sudan, died in 2018, leaving just two females (a mother and daughter), who are now protected by round-the-clock armed guards.
5. Blue iguana
In 1979, Cambridge University student Fred Burton accepted a post working as a research assistant at the Mosquito Research and Control Unit in the Cayman Islands. While there, he stumbled across a large, prehistoric-looking cerulean lizard called a blue iguana.
“There was a red eye staring at me from underneath a tree,” Burton says. “As I looked closer, I realized it was this big, spiky blue reptile. I wondered if I was hallucinating. I had no idea something like that even existed.”
After his encounter, Burton began reading up about blue iguanas and discovered that they were on the verge of extinction (largely due to traffic, human development, and imported predators like cats and dogs). Although there were once tens of thousands of blue iguanas in the Cayman Islands, by 2001, there were fewer than 30 in the wild, making them ‘functionally extinct’.
Not content to let this striking creature disappear, Fred began his life’s work of protecting them. What started with breeding a few iguanas in his office morphed into a massive conservation effort that’s now restored the population to around 1,000.
Visitors to the Cayman Islands can visit the Blue Iguana Conservation captive breeding facility at Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park to learn more and get an up-close look at these vibrant lizards.
6. Eurasian beaver
Centuries ago, Eurasian beavers were found all across Europe and Asia. But during the 16th century, they were sadly hunted to extinction in Britain, leaving just a small population in mainland Europe.
As well as their soft pelts, which were used to make hats and clothes, hunters were after their meat and castoreum (an oily secretion used in perfume, medicine, and food products).
However, 400 years later, beavers were spotted on Scotland’s River Tay in the early 2000s. Thought to be illegally released, perhaps by vigilante conservationists, the government allowed the beavers to remain after studies revealed they were benefiting the landscape. The same happened in 2008 when beavers were found on the River Otter in Devon.
Beavers are considered a ‘keystone species’, meaning they have a large, positive influence on the ecosystem around them. The dams they build change the shape of rivers, creating habitats for various wildlife. They also act as flood barriers and natural filters, removing pollution from water. Plus, the ponds and wetlands they create sequester carbon, which helps combat climate change.
Due to concerns that they may flood farming lands, the UK government has been hesitant to approve the release of more wild beavers into England’s rivers. However, stating that the benefits outweigh the risks, they finally did so in February 2025. Four beavers were released in Dorset’s Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve shortly afterwards.
7. Iberian lynx
With tufty ears, leopard-like spots, and a white ‘beard’, Iberian lynxes stalk the sun-drenched forests of Spain and Portugal.
A quarter of a century ago, fewer than 100 Iberian lynxes were left in the wild. As Rodrigo Serra, who runs the reproduction programme across Spain and Portugal, says, “The only feline species that was threatened at this level was the sabre-tooth tiger thousands of years ago.”
The unfortunate decline of Iberian lynxes was caused by a few factors. Franco-era laws declared them ‘vermin’, which led to thousands of deaths, and wild rabbit populations, which make up 90% of Iberian lynx’s diets, suffered massive declines due to disease. Traffic accidents and habitat loss due to agriculture also played a part.
However, thanks to two decades of conservation efforts – involving captive breeding, building up rabbit numbers, and raising awareness – there are now more than 2,000 Iberian lynxes across Spain and Portugal. In 2024, the IUCN moved them from ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’ on their global red list of threatened species.
Experts from the IUCN predict that they can likely fully recover the Iberian lynx to its native range over the next century, with WWF Spain lynx expert, Ramón Pérez de Ayala, saying in 2024, “We’re about halfway down the path we’ve set ourselves […] We wanted there to be 750 females of reproductive age by 2040 and now there are 406.”
Final thoughts…
With all the disheartening news we hear about the natural world, it can sometimes be difficult to stay positive. But we hope that these seven conservation success stories show that it’s not all bad, and with passion and determination, it’s possible to reverse some of the problems humans have created.
If you’re feeling inspired, there are plenty of things you can do to support wildlife and help combat the biodiversity crisis. For example, you can volunteer for a conservation group like TCV, make your garden more wildlife-friendly, or donate money to a conservation charity.
For more wildlife content, check out our articles: 10 of the best holidays for animal lovers and 16 weird and wonderful animals you can find in the UK.
What’s your favourite story on this list? Or do you have other conservation success stories to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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