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1. Scorched Earth to Forest Heaven - an Appeal from the World Land Trust

   Posted on 4:00pm Thursday 10th Oct 2019

   The World Land Trust is one of my favourite charities.  They save land, acre by acre, thanks to the donations of people and organisations who care. They’ve been saving habitats (places where wildlife live) and species since 1989, and they HQ is in a small town in Cambridgeshire.  And they work with local conservation partners around the world, who understand the needs of local wildlife and people.  Every year, they now have a Big Match Fund Fortnight.  This essentially means that any donation you and I make is matched.  So any donation you & I make is doubled. Now, this year’s Big Match Fund Fortnight is up and running – it kicked off on 3rd October and so far, 15% of funds have been raised.  The World Land Trust is aiming to riase £575,000 to rejuvenate a landscape in Vietnam.   The money raised will go to the World Land Trust’s local partner, Viet Nature.  Viet Nature will begin bringing back tropical forest, so that it’s teeming with rare species. At the moment, the area is overrun with what’s known in Vietnam as “American grass” since it replaced the forests that were destroyed by Agent Orange.   The plan is to rejuvenate the soils, clear invasive grasses, nurture native tree seedlings and then care for them until they are established. But one of the very exciting things about this project is that the forest will re-connect with nearby reserves such as the Khe Nuoc Trong, so it will become one of the largest remaining areas of Annamite montain forest. This means that wildlife will be able to find a home in the jungle as it spreads out.  Primates such as the Red-shanked Douc and the endangered Sunda Pangolin, the Crested Argus Peafowl and other endangered birds will be able to find habitat to live in. And of course, the rejuvenated forest will recreate an environment that’s healthy for locals, who depend on fresh water, clean air and livelihoods.  In addition, the forest will stabilise soils and lock carbon up, so that will help climate change. This is an amazing project, and it’s the World Land Trust’s major appeal for 2019.  Last year, Jungle for Jaguars in Belize was very successful – let’s hope that all the supporters can do the same for wildlife and people in Vietnam. Donate here. The Big Match Fund Fortnight ends on 17 October 2019 but you can still donate after that, it just falls outside of the Big Match Fund Fortnight.

    

2. Basking Sharks in Scotland need your support

   Posted on 9:00pm Sunday 1st Sep 2019

   Basking sharks love Scotland (and who can blame them – it’s stunning).   They head to the rich waters off the west coast every summer and they take a long journey to take there, coming from as far away as the Canary Islands. There’s an opportunity to really make a difference to basking sharks. The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on Marine Protected Areas – including one specifically for Basking Sharks. They are now considered vulnerable.  Although they have been a protected species I Scotland since 1998, they face threats in Scottish seas from fishing gear, boat traffic and micro-plastics. Back in the 19th and 20th centuries, 100,000 basking sharks were hunted in the North Atlantic……   so there aren’t as many of them left as there used to be. The proposed Sea of the Hebrides Marine Protected Area will give extra protections to basking sharks and other species such as minke whales.  Currently, it is proposed that 4 new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) be added to Scotland’s exiting MPA areas.   These areas will protect important habitats and large mobile species such as Risso dolphins, Minke Whales and Basking Sharks. Find out more and give your support here.

3. Bangalow Koalas creating koala wildlife corridor

   Posted on 3:00pm Saturday 10th Aug 2019

   Planting trees with Bangalow Koalas and IFAW The IFAW (that’s the International Fund for Animal Welfare) have planted 1,500 koala trees on Irish comedian Jimeion’s property. A number of private land owners in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, have taken action to keep the local koalas safe.  They are allowing parts of their properties to be re-planted with eucalyptus trees.  This means the koalas can have a safe haven and pass through the landscape. The idea came from Bangalow Koalas who want to restore a koala wildlife corridor from Byron Bay to Repentance Creek.  A neighbour of Jimeion kindly let everyone use his paddock so that they could get to the steep land behind Jimeion’s property. Over 120 people came to help, all wanting to help plant koala trees and secure the species’ future.   Amongst them were old and young volunteers – plus tourists from the UK and Germany.  Imagine going home after your holiday and telling people you were part of a volunteer group which planted trees to help secure koalas’ future! The land had been prepared already and the holes pre-dug.  Saplings had been provided – and all the volunteers planted 1,500 trees IN ONE HOUR!  They trees were the koalas’ favourite local food trees such as red gum, swamp mahogany, tallow wood and the important medicinal melaleuca that koalas eat from instinct when they don’t feel well. The trees grow quickly in the climate and in a few years they will be home for koalas, birds and native wildlife.  And Jimeoin hopes that by planting trees on his land, the koalas will stay.   The key message IFAW want us to take from this is that yes, there are messages of loss and possible extinction of koalas.  They are certainly in trouble.  But there is hope – and crucially THERE IS A SOLUTION. ©Bangalow Koalas IFAW and Bangalow Koalas hope to plant 25,000 trees by the end of the year.  It’s a fantastic thing to do and I hope they make it.  A big thank you to both IFAW and Bangalow Koalas, and also to volunteers and – of course – to the land owners who are willing to help the koalas in this way  Visit IFAW here Visit Bangalow Koalas here – check out their gallery, whatever you do.  It has some beautiful photos and videos of the Bangalow Koalas!  You can become a member or donate through their website to help.  Here’s a video of another project Bungalow Koalas worked on with the Northern Rivers Community Foundation.  They started a wildlife corridor in Binna Burra in the Northern Riveres of NSW to help conserve the local koalas.

4. Rare Wildlife and Plants are Blooming in Welsh Meadows

   Posted on 9:00pm Tuesday 16th Jul 2019

   Thanks to a conservation scheme, rare wildlife and plants are coming back to meadows in Wales! Since the 1930s, meadows have been vanishing from the landscape there.  In fact, 97% of wildflower meadows were lost due to heavy fertiliser use and early hay crops – which also meant that 63% of butterflies disappeared as well. However, the National Trust Wales have been working hard to reverse this disappearance. Last year, the charity created 40 acres of new meadows across the country.   They care for 582.2 acres of meadow.  And good news!   Amongst them was Chirk Castle, where 6 hectares of herb rich meadows were re-established. Wildlife flowers such as the yellow rattle – not seen since World War Two – have been sighted in Chirk, in North Wales.  There’s been a 50% increase in yellow rattle and eyebright plants! Chirk Castle in Wales The idea is to form a basic habitat.   The Trust have already noticed an increase in the numbers of insects and small mammals in the grass on the ground;  and kestrels in the skies above them, hunting them.   Green-winged orchids are also blossoming at Bodnant Garden near Colwyn Bay. Farmers are also benefitting.  Allowing their hay crops to grow wild for longer before they cut them means that they get more minerals and fibre.  A win-win, all round then!

5. Land donated - Presidential Estates in Eastern USA

   Posted on 8:00pm Tuesday 16th Jul 2019

   The West Virginia Governor, Jim Justice, and his family have made a donation to the future of Virginia. They have donated 4,500 acres in Virginia and in doing so have forfeited hundreds of development rights.   That’s about 7 square miles. The area will remain as timberland and for agriculture – but at least it won’t be full of sprawling housing developments and shopping malls.   Known as Presidential Estates, 2,657 acres of the property are ranked as having “High” or “Very High” forest conservation value, according to the Virginia Department of Forestry.   The property also has over 18 miles of watercourses.  These contribute to the aquatic habitat and public drinking water supplies of communities downstream. There are plenty of opportunities for us all to make land donations and every single square foot we can donate help.   Pledge a patch for wildlife - you don't need thousands of acres to make a difference.    Every square foot helps.   Your patch can be as big as this pot with wildlife friendly flowers in it! pic copyright to Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. Worcestershire Wildlife Trust are asking people in the area to Pledge a Patch – which means dedicating an area to wildlife.   This patch could be in your garden, school, community or work place.  It could be a window box, woodland, a bed full of wild-flowers, a tiny pond – anything that makes a difference to wildlife. The more of us who can do this, the better.  We have turned our garden over to wildlife and consider it theirs, as much as ours. Meantime, donations such as Governor Justice and his family make also help considerably, of course, so if you have a patch of land…. please consider leaving it to a local conservation charity or work out ways to make the most of for wildlife.   Keep it safe from human development.