Will Wilmar put its plan into action and save rainforest?

Posted on 9:00pm Thursday 20th Dec 2018

There’s news from Wilmar International. They are important, because the Singapore based company supplies 40% of the world’s palm oil.

They say (which is different to actually doing) that they will commit to map its suppliers’ entire landbank by the end of 2019.

Wilmar is going to use satellite monitoring to check for deforestation. If they catch companies cutting virgin forest for plantations, those companies will immediately be suspended from doing business with Wilmar.

Greenpeace say they will be watching this development carefully and its activists have been busy in the last few months. If Wilmar does what it says, it means that by 2019 it will be almost impossible for its suppliers to get away with forest destruction.

The problem with palm oil is that it’s cheap – so used in a major way in cosmetics, toiletries and food products.

Huge areas of rainforest have been destroyed to allow for palm oil plantations.

Wildlife species have been badly hit, most notably the orangutan.

Wilmar’s decision comes about because people are showing a backlash against companies that use unsustainable and unverified palm oil.

We must all watch this development and see what Wilmar International actually does. As I said at the start, making these plans is different to actually carrying them out and DOING them. But it’s a start and could be a useful benchmark with which to see what progress they make by the end of 2019.

Make a Difference NOW to Rainforest Conservation

An Indonesian oil palm plantation is up for sale and the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) has a golden opportunity to buy this land and restore the lush forest that once stood there. They need to raise £870,000 by February 2019 to do this and help save the habitat for orangutans. As I write, over £512,000 has been donated already. Find out more and donate here.

Lots of people are giving £5 or £10 or whatever they can to this appeal. What matters is that lots of us take action and give something to make a difference and get this land to protect it for wildlife. I donated for my aunt’s birthday present as she adores orangutans. Every £1 or $1 helps. Donate here

Canada invests £8.5 million to save land for wildlife conservation in the Rocky Mountains

Posted on 8:00pm Monday 19th Nov 2018

Canada is investing C$14.7 million – that’s the equivalent of about £8.5 million – to put aside 7,900 hectares for wildlife conservation in the Rocky Mountains.

They are beautiful – I visited there far too long ago – and I’m delighted to hear of this move.

The funding will expand a tract of land in the south-east of British Columbia. The initiative will help protect about 40 species. Grizzly bears, wolverines, peregrine falcons and mountain caribou will benefit.

f rom Lonely Planet Publications

The investment comes from federal and provincial governments. It will add 14% more land to the existing Darkwoods Conservation Area, which has valleys, mountains and lakes and which connects to an existing network of wildlife management areas and parkland.

The investment means that both wildlife and plant life will have improved protection in an area which lies within the world’s only inland temperate rainforest.

Find out more about why the Darkwoods Conservation Area matters

Help rainforest conservation and sign this petition

Posted on 8:00pm Thursday 8th Nov 2018

There’s a very great danger to rainforests and consequently to all our wellbeing. We all need rainforests in good conditions in order for every one of us to survive and thrive and be well.

Rainforest Rescue report that business groups and politicians want to meet to discuss worldwide demand for energy and raw materials. These groups want to boost economic growth with a new “bioeconomy”.

The idea is that vast amounts of land will produce wood and other agricultural goods.

Rainforest Rescue says:

Burning our forests in power plants and setting up huge industrial plantations to grow biomass for supposedly renewable energy and bioplastics is anything but clean or green.

These plants threaten natural ecosystems, the global climate, human health and human rights. One example is the Brazilian “Biofuture Platform”. This is a Brazilian initiative supported by 20 countries.

Rainforest Rescue is asking us to speak out against these plans by signing their petition. 80 environmental organisations worldwide are against then plans.

Personally, I think far too many business leaders and politicians around the world have lost touch with nature to such an extent that they think it’s now a “nice to have” thing, or something which isn’t relevant to them and doesn’t apply to them. Their arrogance is breathtaking.

Look after the earth and the earth will look after us.

I don't think we are looking after the earth and she is rapidly coming to a point where will she cannot look after us because she isn’t in good health herself. And that’s our fault.

Please sign Rainforest Rescue's petition.

Help Ancient Forests in Mexico

Posted on 10:00pm Tuesday 14th Aug 2018

In Central Mexico, the ancient forests of Sierra Gorda are being destroyed. They are home to the big cat, the hummingbird, And there’s a chance to save some of them.

They are full of Pinyon Pines, Junipers, Cedars, Sweetgums, Firs and Oaks – some of them hundreds of years old. They are home to species such as the Monarch Butterfly and the Big-footed Salamander. Jaguars, pumas, bobcats, margays, ocelots and jaguarondi live here.

But the forest is all disappearing, thanks to human activity - agriculture, cattle ranching and man-made fires. Fire has a particularly bad impact – it can take a forest years to recover from a man-made fire.

Enter the World Land Trust.

The World Land Trust is working with local, family run Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda to conserve habitat in Sierra Gorda. In the 10 years they’ve been working together, supporters of the World Land Trust have saved over 10,000 acres of these forests already.

And there’s more. Every acre the World Land Trust has protected has remained under the guardianship of its Keepers of the Wild programme, that is, wildlife rangers hired from the local community. They guard the forests and restore them to their natural state.

So how can you help?

You can get involved by – I’ll be frank – making a donation. I’ve made a donation already and it always makes me feel better and that I’ve had an influence on the world’s forests and been able to do something, rather than sit back and do nothing.

So imagine spending £25. And it goes towards saving ancient forests in Mexico. Isn’t that wild?

Where will your £25 go?

The thing is, the World Land Trust has the chance to buy and protect an area of 578 acres in Sierra Gorda. It needs all our support to ensure this forest can be saved for wildlife.

You can help and get involved by donating to the World Land Trust’s Ancient Forests Appeal.

A £25 donation will enable the Trust’s partner in Sierra Gorda to buy 1,000m² and put it under protection.

A £100 donation will protect one acre.

This is a very easy way to get involved and do something quickly for wildlife. And to feel as though you’ve made a difference.

Donate to the Ancient Forests appeal today

The Lion's Share Fund takes off with a big roar.....

Posted on 10:00am Friday 10th Aug 2018

Let’s ROAR for wildlife!

On World Lion Day (the 10th August), it’s great to announce a really exciting piece of news for wildlife conservation.

There’s a really fantastic opportunity for business to make a difference and have a real impact on wildlife.

Drum roll please for….. The Lion’s Share Fund!

You may have heard of The Lion’s Share. If you haven’t, let me tell you more. It’s an initiative which is aiming to transform the lives of animals around the world by asking advertisers to contribute a percentage of their media spend to conservation and animal welfare projects.

I am really excited by this initiative. The hope is that $100 million a year will be raised within 3 years. The money will be invested in a range of animal conservation and animal welfare programmes, to be implemented by the UN and civil society organisations.

The Lion’s Share is working to contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which are aiming to end poverty and project the planet. Goal 14, Life Underwater and Goal 15, Live on Land, involve supporting animals and helping to conserve their key habitat.

The UNDP (that’s the United Nations Development Programme) will host the fund. A joint steering committee will take decisions on priority programmes. Money raised will go into creative, game-changing solutions which focus on achieving real impact for the animals and their habitats.

Ambitious for sure - but if the top 10 advertisers alone were to participate, this would bring in a staggering $47m each year alone!

Partners in the fund will contribute 0.5% of their media spent to the fund for every advert they use which has an animal in it.

And cartoon animals will count as well. So if your company has an ad with a cartoon animal in it, they can participate!

Mars is the first advertising partner. It will sit on the executive and steering committees of The Lion’s Share and encourage other businesses to get involved.

Worldwide advertising network BBDO and leading measurement and data analytics company Nielsen are also involved. BBDO is contributing the benefit of its experience in advertising, whilst Nielsen will ensure that companies are contributing correctly.

The Lion’s Share Fund has a website, and a very helpful FAQ page. This answers a number of questions which spring to mind – how can we be sure the money goes to where it should, for instance. (Nielsen will watch that side of things like a hawk.) And 93% of the funds raised will go to the animals that need it.

Rob Galluzzo, founder of FINCH, initiated the idea with Christopher Nelius, a film director. Galluzzo says that 9 out of 10 of the most popular animals seen in commercials are endangered or threatened and they don’t always get the support they deserve.

FINCH have partnered with Clemenger BBDO to bring this initiative to life.

The fund was launched in Cannes at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, by UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who said quite rightly that it is our responsibility as people to safeguard all life on our planet. Coster-Waldau plays Jamie Lannister in the Games of Thrones.