Our blog & news: Get involved to help wildlife

 
 

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." 
Margaret Mead, American anthropologist, 1901-1978
 


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Category: Help a species

  1. Give Montana’s wolves, bison and bears your voice and support

    Posted on

    In Defense of Animals say that wildlife specialists and conservationists are concerns that some of Montana’s most loved species such as grizzly bears, grey wolves nad bison are threatened with extinction.

    For back in January, Montana’s legislature introduced ten bills which experts are saying is really a #waronwildlife.

    Best estimates suggest there are about 5,000 wild bison, 1,000 grizzly bears and 850 wolves in Montana.  But, say In Defense of Animals, lawmakers are pushing through bills which are politically driven.     They will harm individual animals with unethical and old fashioned hunting practices.

    Amongst other things, the new bills are proposing:

    • To allow wolf snaring
    • To lengthen the wolf trapping season by 30 days
    • To reimburse hunters for time they spend hunting or trapping wolves
    • To allow the killing of all wolves in the state until only 15 breeding pairs remain
    • To stop the relocation of bears who go out of protected areas (so the bears will be killed if they wander off course)
    • To allow hunting dogs to be used in the hunting of bear during the full span of their waking lives, outside of hibernation

    To establish that hunting, fishing and trapping is the preferred manner of managing wild animal populations across the state (as opposed to scientific conservation based strategies)

    So what can we do to help these bears, wolves and bison

    Please join In Defense of Animals in calling onGov. Greg Gianforte to veto these bills to protect wild animals and ensure that Montana’s reputation as a wilderness and wildlife paradise stays intact.

    In Defense of Animals says there are a number of things we can all do, including:

    1. Call the Governor’s office to ask him to veto the current slate of anti-wilderness bills - details can be found here, and there are a number of points you can make, which In Defense of Animals list on their ways to help here

    2. Comment on Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte's Facebook page and ask him to veto the current slate of anti-wildlife bills.

    3. Comment to Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the U.S. Department of Transportation on Twitter - there's a message they have put together that you can tweet

    4. 3. Please fill out the form here to email Gov. Greg Gianforte to implore him to veto these bills.

     

  2. New Appeal from the World Land Trust: Save Tanzania’s Coastal Forests

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    The World Land Trust has launched the first appeal for this year and this one is in Eastern Africa.

    The coastal forests there did cover an area larger than the UK – now, they would fit into half of Scotland.

    There are 400 forest fragments from Somalia to Mozambique and biodiversity islands that are full of endemic life.

    The Appeal Target:   £360,000

    The Trust is working to raise £360,000.   With help from these donations, their partner the  Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG)  can save a crucial wildlife corridor.   Elephants, leopards, lions and other animals are counting on us all to save this land for them.

    Roads are bringing cashew plantations closer and closer.  The animals need their wildlife corridor to be saved.

    About the Rondo Appeal

    The Rondo Plateau is a 900 metre table-top mountain.  It is a microclimate of misty forests, chameleons and bush baby primates whilst below it, big cats, butterflies and elephants roam. 

    And with all our help, the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group is going to create a huge protected belt around this ancient landscape.


    The donations will help safeguard a crucial wildlife corridor between the Rondo Forest Reserve and the Nyerere National Park.  49,000+acres (20,000 ha) of land will be protected.  The corridor will come in the form of 10 Village Land Forest Reserves, each under the stewardship of a village, and the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group will work with them closely.

    Which animals will the appeal help? 

    These animals are examples of those who need the Ronda route:

    • Elephants who need space to roam and who need their migration routes,
    • The African Lion and African leopard manage prey species – they must do this or animals such as the African Bush Pig would go unchecked, and devastate local farms.
    • The lions in the area need the land between the forest and shrubland to hunt or they would become extinct in the area
    • Leopards need forests so that they can store their kills up in the trees where other animals can’t get them.
    • The dwarf galago is a tiny endangered primate, who lives in trees and who needs the connectivity the Ronda land will give it.
    • The bearded pygmy chameleon is very vulnerable to habitat disruption – even the loss of a few trees could be one loss too many for some
    • The chequered elephant shrew’s population is very fragmented because of habitat loss so the subspecies is under real pressure

    We all need to act

    Please help protect these animals by protecting their homes today – and please donate to the World Land Trust’s appeal

  3. Do it for nature! Join the State of Nature campaign!

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    Do it for nature!  Join the State of Nature campaign!

    Why?

    Nearly half of the UK’s wildlife is in a long term decline.  15% of species are at risk of extinction.

    The Wildlife Trusts have emailed about a campaign to call on the Prime Minister to strengthen the Environment Bill to ensure it includes a LEGALLY BINDING TARGET to reverse nature loss in  England by 2030.

    The campaign is called the State of Nature. 

    They are doing this in a major collaboration with organisations across the environmental sector from the Wildlife and Countryside LINK Coalition.

    Examples of this campaign’s supporters include the RSPB, Earthwatch, Plantlife, The Rivers Trust, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, the Shark Trust, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust,  Four Paws, the Mammal Society, Butterfly Conservation, Open Spaces, National Trust, WWT, Woodland Trust, ZSL, the Marine Conservation Society  and a host more.


    So what’s the State of Nature campaign about?

    The UK is hosting the UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow from 1 to 12 November 2021 so this is a good chance to lead the way.  

    The Prime Minister has called on world leaders to turn around the decline of nature by 2030.   


    But, Boris Johnson, words are meaningless

    We need you to lead the world by example and put this commitment into law.

    It’s no good saying you’ll turn the decline of nature around if you then destroy wildlife habitat for a theme park or allow a coal mine in Cumbria to go ahead or give oil and gas drilling the go ahead in the North Sea. 

    Nearly 100,000 people have signed it already but come on, everyone, we really need to let out a big noise for wildlife and let the Government know that we care.   The wildlife can’t do it – they are relying on each and every one of us.

    Please let’s push our Government to put its good intentions into law.   Words are meaningless.  ACTION is what wildlife need now.

    Please give wildlife your support today. 
    Please sign the petition here
    Thank you!


    Take a look at LINK – its role is to bring its members together on key issue and present a clear, consistent message to the Government, opinion leaders and the general public.

     

  4. Good news for spectacled bears in Peru

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    There’s good news for spectacled bears in Peru from the World Land Trust!

    Locals in the Amazonas Department have successfully expanded a reserve in one of the most biodiverse ecoregions in the world.   It’s essential for spectacled bears and critically endangered primates.


    Originally 8,155 acres were envisioned but the community owned area has been enlarged by 21,530 acres! 

    This was made possible by Natureleza y Cultura Peru and World Land Trust supporters such as Puro Coffee.  Well done and thank you to them!  The reserves now protects 64,700 acres in what is a key biological corridor.

    130 flora species and 29 mammal species call the area home, and there are 65 avian species as well.

    The success of this project just shows how important it is to have local communities steer conservation efforts and how vital it is to involve them at every stage.   The communities manage the land, and NCP give them training and support in such areas as reserve mapping, fire prevention and tourism.  The area is rapidly being turned into agricultural land so you can see how important this development is.

    Find out more about the Peruvian milestone to add 21,500 plus protected acres to spectacled bear country!

    Find out about the Action Fund here. #Nottoolate

  5. 34,051 acres saved in Ecuador!

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    There’s good news from Ecuador, brought to us by the World Land Trust and their partner Naturalez y Cultura Ecuador (NCE for short). 

    The Santiago Municipal Reserve was officially declared early this month.

    It’s is an important expansion of vital habitat for species, covering 34,051 acres, and it’s a link between two national parks.  Essentially it’s expanded the Sangay-Podocarpus Connectivity Corridor which spans 1.4 million acres as well as parts of the Podocarpus-El Condor Biosphere Reserve.   WLT and NCE work here, too.



    However the protected land doesn’t stop there.  North of the aforementioned connectivity corridor, there’s a 200 mile long area of reserves and national parks.  They like along the eastern Andes, connected by the Llanganates-Sangay Biological Corridor which is managed by Fundacion Ecominga, another WLT partner.  So the network of protected areas now covers about 4 million acres.

    The most recent acquisition of 34,051 acres was partly funded by donations to the World Land Trust’s Action Fund.   The idea behind the Action Fund is that the World Land Trust can respond rapidly to any need to purchase land.

    This purchase is an excellent example of the Action Fund at work and how important it is to be able to move fast in conservation.

    The forests and grasslands would have faced cattle ranching and timber chopping, but thanks to the efforts of supporters like you and me, they have been saved.   Scientists have already recorded 344 plant species, 152 species of birds, 57 amphibian species, 47 mammal species and 11 reptile species.  They all call the area home.

    Their home was saved just in time!

    Visit the World Land Trust's website here