The 29^th July is World Tiger Day (also known as International Tiger Day and Global Tiger Day).  It's an opportuniity to celebrate tigers, one of the world's most iconic big cats. 

Today, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF)** reports that there are only 4,500 tigers left in the wild today –a decrease from 100,000 in a century and three subspecies have become extinct.  There are more tigers in captivity around the world than in the wild, bred for consumption and entertainment. 

Threats to tigers include:

1. The illegal wildlife trade in both tigers and tiger parts – captive breeding facilities have made things much worse
2. Habitat loss -tiger habitat has decreased by 93% - all species need the right sort of habitat to survive and thrive, and it needs to be protected habitat
3. Human-wildlife conflict 

The illegal wildlife trade is using wild and captive tigers to meet the demand for their body parts.  As the tigers are now so scarce in the wild, cruel and dirty tiger farms make these body parts far easier to source.

Please help the DSWF shed light on the dark side
of the illegal tiger trade today. 

Find out more about the 
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation's Tiger Appeal

David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation launches a Tiger Appeal:

DSWF supports frontline tiger conservation initiatives in India, Thailand and Russia and provides funding for undercover investigations and exposés into the illegal wildlife trade. DSWF have launched a Tiger appeal to raise vital funds to fight the illegal trade in tigers.

By donating today, you can provide funding to debunk myths on the use of animal by-products in traditional medicine, fund anti-poaching rangers and fund undercover investigations to disrupt criminal networks involved in the illegal tiger trade.  Donate Here

Find more information on tigers and how the DSWF is helping them here.

Visit the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation here.

**DSWF is a UK registered charity no 1106893.

The RSPB and the Co-op have announced a three year partnership to protect carbon stores through the restoration and long-term management of UK peatland.

The focus will be upland peatland in Scotland and Wales which are owned by the RSPB, also supported by the National Peatland Action Programme in Wales and Peatland ACTION in Scotland.  These areas are about the same size as 400 football pitches.

In the UK, peatlands store about 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon and they provide vital habitats for wildlife and reduce flood risk.  But 80% of the peatlands in the UK are degraded, and without any intervention to repair and preserve them, their greenhouse gas emissions could exceed the equivalent of 20 million tonnes of CO2 a year. 

The Co-op’s initial investment is £1 in 2023, and it’s funded via sales of compostable carrier bags in its stores.  It’s part of the Co-op’s Climate Plan commitments to fund UK natural restoration. 

The Co-op has reduced the carbon emissions of its operations by 56% since 2016, and back in 2021, it was the first supermarket to ban the sale of peat-based compost from its stores, with only peat free alternatives available to customers.

The benefits of the project will be:

• To restore and maintain actively eroding peatland
• To create the conditions needed for the areas to recover
• The protection of natural habitats for wildlife
• Potentially, improving water quality and reducing flood risk by regulating water flow

The two areas involved are Cerniau at RSPB Lake Vymwy in Powys, Wales, which is the largest area of blanket bog and European dry heath in Wales.  It’s a vital area for breeding birds and it supports species such as the Hen Harrier, the Merlin, the Peregrine and Red Kite.

Lumbister at RSPB Yell is on one of Shetland’s most northern islands, and home to upland waders such as Snipe, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Curlew and Whimbrel, as well as the Arctic Skua, the Great Kua, Red-throated Divers, and otters.  Round-leaved Sundew and Butterwort and Sphagnum moss are also to be found there.

The RSPB’s Executive Director for Income and Conservation Investment, Rebecca Munro, said that “Businesses have a vital role to play in the transition to net zero and we are excited to be working with Co-op to protect and restore some of our most precious upland sites to make sure these places are delivering for our climate, whilst also providing a lasting home for our wildlife.”

Guy Stuart, Director of Sustainability, Techhoical and Agriculture, Co-op, said “We are in the grip of a climate and environment emergency, a crisis which is of humankind’s making.  Around the world we are seeing shocking water shortages, floods, extreme heat and biodiversity losses.  We need to decarbonise and quickly”.

Mr Stuart noted that we can reduce carbon far faster than we are at the moment through co-operation, and this partnership between the RSPB and the Co-op can play a part in helping to avoid carbon emissions.  Repairing peatlands will increase carbon stores.

Useful resources:

• The RSPB Press release about the project
• The Co-op Press release about it
• The Co-op’s Climate Plan Commitments
• RSPB LakeVymwy
• National Peatland Action Programme, Wales:   This is a 5 year plan of peatland restoration in Wales. 
• Peatland ACTION, Scotland:   This is a national programme to restore peatlands across Scotland.
  
  
  

"12 birds to save your life: nature's lessons in happiness"
 is available from the RSPB Shop for £10.99.

Scotland has over 790 offshore islands and the National Trust for Scotland cares for many of these. 

Some islands have lively communities but most are uninhabited by people but have some very important seabird colonies and wildlife who rely on them. 

The National Trust for Scotland looks after over 400 islands and islets, and they have a very exciting addition to these.  The Treshnish Isles have been added to all the places they care for - and they are an archipelago of Special Scientific Interest in the Inner Hebrides.

Since the start of the 21st century, the climate crisis has caused sea levels to rise by 16cm, increasingly threatening historic buildings in the bays.  As the weather gets more extreme with ever more violent storms and flooding, more damage is likely to the archaeology telling the story of those who have lived here over thousands of years.

And the islands' wildlife is declining, as nature diminishes at an unprecedented rate. The most recent State of Nature Report estimates that up to 1 in 9 species is endangered and could be lost from Scotland. Puffins and basking sharks are just two examples of species that are endangered and who could vanish within our lifetimes. 

The National Trust for Scotland's rangers are working to protect the islands in the Trust's care, by undertaking activities such as surveying coastal buildings and archaeological sites, recording data and intervening to save what they can.  They are undertaking essential seabird counts to see how the birds are faring, and working with boat operators to make sure predators don't reach the islands.  

They have launched a Love Our Islands Appeal, to help them look after the islands in their care.

The Treshnish Isles have just come into the care of the
National Trust for Scotland

Find out more about the Love Our Islands Appeal here.

Sea ice, say Polar Bears InternationaI (PBI), serves as the earth’s air conditioner, especially because it is so cold, and covers so much area.  It helps to keep the planet cool.  Locals use it for transport and to access food.  It’s the basis of the Arctic marine food web.  We need to protect it.

Lots of wildlife live in the Arctic

The area is home to animals such as beluga whales, bowhead whale, reindeer, caribou, polar bears, the narwhal and walrus.  It’s got moose, Arctic foxes, Arctic hares, musk ox, wolverine, Arctic wolves, snowy owls, Canadian lynx, Artic terns, seals and ptarmagans.    WWF Arctic has more information about these amazing animals. 

Introducing Arctic Sea Ice Day

PBI have an awareness day on 15^th July called Arctic Sea Ice Day.                                                                                                    

PBI has created the day to raise awareness of the rapidly melting Arctic ecosystem and why that matters.  The region is warming almost 4 times as fast as the rest of the planet – and polar bears, beluga whales and seals, they all need sea ice.  A new study has projected that by mid-century, the Arctic will be ice-free by September – and that will affect us all.  

And the NASA Climate Change Channel on You Tube has a short video showing us how the change in the expanse of the annual minimum Arctic sea ice for each year from 1979 through 2022

Polar Bears International report that this could be a tough year for the polar bears of Churchill.   This means that the melted ice is forcing polar bears ashore – they are pretty much deprived of food and have to live off their fat reserves until the ice forms again.  And that won’t happen until the late fall.

So how can we help slow this trend?

This 15^th July, Polar Bears international are sharing facts about sea ice and polar bears.  They are also encouraging everyone to talk about climate change.

They say that when everyone talks about something, it feels important. When something feels important, people act.

Polar Bears International are asking people to join their Tundra Connections broadcast on 14^th July and that will guide us in holding these conversations.

Their programmes are designed for students, teachers, and lifelong learners who are curious about polar bears and the Arctic. They’ve got lots of resources online, including a tool kit to help you spread awareness.

Plus you can join Captain Kieran McIver and his special guests or the 2023 Beluga Cam kick off with explore.org.  This is a wonderful opportunity to discover all about the beluga mitgration and what you might see.

Learn about Arctic sea ice.

Discover all about this incrediible frozen ecosystem and its connection to our global climate.

And here are the Polar Bears International Handles...

Twitter: @PolarBears
Facebook: @PolarBearsInternational
Instagram: @polarbearsinternational 
Short Link for more information: bit.ly/arcticseaiceday

#ArcticSeaIceDay #SaveOurSeaIce #TalkAboutIt #ClimateAction

On ITV tonight (Sunday 7 9 July) at 8pm, there’s a new series beginning  called A Year on Planet Earth.

Narrated by Stephen Fry, the series shows how the Earth’s journey around the sun affects our wildlife.  The programme was filmed over three years and covers many different locations.

Kicking off with winter in the Northern hemisphere, of course it’s summer in the south.  Thus we see polar bears as well as African elephants and King penguins.

Find out more here