The past year may have seemed like doom and gloom for the environment, but there was plenty to be thankful for. So once again, we bring you some of the happier environmental stories of 2017 (in no particular order). These include rediscoveries of species that were once thought to be extinct, local communities being granted land rights, and the emergence of new technologies that are boosting conservation efforts.

1. New populations of rare wildlife were found

This year, conservationists discovered some new populations of threatened wildlife. Take, for example, the helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil). A research team recorded a new and “unexpectedly rich population” of this critically endangered bird in western Borneo. For a species that is now nearly extinct because of poaching, this discovery boosts hope for its future.

It was good news for the Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) as well. Surveys in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Maiko National Park revealed several previously uncounted individuals of Grauer’s gorillas in just 1 percent of the park. The researchers think that there might be many more gorillas living inside the largely unexplored 10,885-square-kilometer (4,000-square-mile) park. Tiếp tục đọc “Top 10 HAPPY environmental stories of 2017” →