Portugal creates largest no-take MPA in Europe around Selvagens Islands

November 29, 2021—Today the government of Portugal expanded a marine protected area around the Selvagens Islands, creating the largest fully protected marine reserve in Europe at 2,677 square kilometers. The Selvagens Islands are a small archipelago in the North Atlantic located midway between Madeira and the Canary Islands.

National Geographic Pristine Seas studied the Selvagens Islands in September of 2015 in partnership with the Oceano Azul and the Waitt Foundation. During their expedition, the team conducted what was among the first underwater surveys of the ecosystem—from the shallows to the depths—and filmed the biodiversity around the islands. Using high-tech equipment including midwater pelagic cameras and drop cams, the team was able to assess pelagic communities and deep-sea habitats in addition to the shallow flora and fauna observed during dives. From their observations of the ecosystem, they found that open waters around the islands were a vital waypoint for migrating fish and mammals in the Atlantic while the nearshore waters provided important nursery habitats.

https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2021/11/29/portugal-establishes-the-largest-fully-protected-marine-reserve-in-europe/

Rwanda | 30 endangered white rhinos translocated to Akagera NP from South Africa

Thirty endangered white rhinos have arrived in Rwanda after a long journey from South Africa in a Boeing 747 with conservationists hailing it as the largest single transfer of the species ever undertaken.

The majestic animals, which can weigh up to two tonnes, travelled some 3,400km (2,100 miles) from South Africa’s Phinda Private Game Reserve as part of a programme to replenish the species’ population, decimated by poaching since the 1970s.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/29/30-south-african-white-rhino-relocated-to-rwanda-in-a-boeing-747

Preservationists plan last-ditch try at saving Wright Brothers bicycle shop from demolition

In 1892, the brick building at 1005 West Third Street had several large windows that allowed the residents of Dayton, Ohio, to peek inside and see the Wright brothers, who were still years from becoming pioneers of flight, run their bicycle shop.

Now, the windows are gone, plywood is in their place and the building could soon be demolished.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/us/wright-brothers-bike-shop-demolish.html