Need a “feel good” story today? We got you! Meet the newly protected area, the Redonda Ecosystem Reserve, which is part of Antigua & Barbuda. What was once a barren “moonscape" has now been rejuvenated as a gem of the Caribbean & covers 75,000 acres of land & sea. #thread

Notice of Funding Opportunity: MENTOR-HALWT (Holistically Addressing WildLife Trafficking), held in Kenya, will address wildlife trafficking with an emphasis on integrating robust social science to understand and address the human dimensions of the issue. ow.ly/t2q950QlwAu

In some singing competitions, the contestants are songbirds. A deeply-held tradition throughout the Caribbean & Guiana Shield of South America, songbirds are carefully trained to out-sing other birds. The story: ow.ly/HMZt50QnZVN #thread 📷Jen Miller/USFWS

But many keepers smuggle songbirds in part to avoid quarantine requirements that are believed to compromise the birds’ training – posing a potential health risk to the birds themselves, native U.S. species & people. 📷Rose-breasted grosbeak by Kelsey Biles/USFWS #thread

Learn more about the newest Species Conservation Catalyst Fund effort to conserve songbirds & address this One Health challenge: ow.ly/HMZt50QnZVN

.@usfws announces a 60-day public comment period for the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20). Recommendations for amendments to CITES Appendices & more for discussion at CoP20 will be accepted through May 21, 2024. More info: ow.ly/PG2E50R4eIt 📷 USFWS

African elephants once roamed sub-Saharan Africa, with as many as 26 million during the 18th century. Today, they are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Only around 415,000 remain across the African continent. More: ow.ly/AEKI50R5bGT (1/2)

North America's grasslands are among the world's most endangered ecosystems, and grassland bird populations suffer some of the steepest declines of any group of birds, decreasing in populations by 53%.

Canada, Mexico & the U.S. are working together to conserve wildlife & ecosystems! Through the Trilateral Committee, we’re collaborating to protect shared species & habitats. The U.S. is holding this year's annual meeting in San Diego, CA this week! More: ow.ly/OplV50RrgP8

Each year, the Whitley Awards recognize conservation leaders all around the world. Congrats to Dr. Aristide Kamla for this well-deserved recognition! Aristide graduated from our MENTOR-Manatee Program in 2018 & we’ve been celebrating his accomplishments ever since! 📷USFWS

Did you know that green sea turtles are nature's lawn mowers? They graze on seagrass beds which make them more productive & keep them healthy. In turn, the seagrass cover serves as crucial habitat for a number of crustaceans, fish & more! 📷 NOAA #wildturtleweek #turtlepower

Exciting news! The IA's Division of International Conservation is the first government office to be designated an ‘Evidence Champion’ by Conservation Evidence! DIC is committed to using scientific evidence to boost conservation efforts worldwide. #EvidenceBased #EvidenceChampions

... and it's a wrap CITES! Congrats to the U.S. delegation to the 33rd meeting of the Animals Committee and the 27th meeting of the Plants Committee for their leadership and contributions in the last set of technical meetings before the 20th Conference of the Parties of CITES.

Hear from one of our permitting staff who spoke to attendees at a recent veterinary convention about the importance of permits to conserve wildlife, the permits needed to travel with an exotic pet, and how enriching a conservation career with us can be: ow.ly/eize50SLm6g

🐘 Happy World Elephant Day! 🐘 Now that you can ID Asian elephants, you should also know that International Affairs works with partners across Asia's 13 elephant range states to address threats like poaching and habitat loss to protect these amazing animals!

Today is International Goat Day! 🐐 We're excited to share we received the Wild Sheep Foundation's Federal Statesman Award for our work to conserve the wild sheep and goats of the world. 👉Read more: ow.ly/V5yt50T38NK

We're flying high this week, because our MENTOR-Bat 🦇 program just held its second in-person workshop in Yogyakarta, Indonesia with a special emphasis on evidence-based bat conservation and One Health approaches. 👉 Read more here! ow.ly/zkgG50T5b4S

📢 New funding opportunity! Our Central Africa Regional Program has announced the FY24 Bushmeat Funding Opportunity to address the threat of the illegal urban bushmeat trade of protected species. Proposals are due November 18, 2024. 👉 Learn more: ow.ly/EIJ950Tj5Fj