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1. IFAW team works to help jaguars and reduce human-wildlife conflict

   Posted on 8:00pm Tuesday 3rd Mar 2020

   A key way forward to ensure the survival of wildlife is to work with people.  And the work IFAW are doing for jaguars in the Americas is a great example. Joaquin de la Toore Ponce, Dr Erika Flores and Polen Cisneros are working right on the front lines to protect biodiversity in this part of the world. Jaguars are top predators in their environment.  They help maintain a balanced food web and promote biodiversity.  Lose the jaguar – and hundreds of other species could be threatened as well such as deer, peccaries and capybaras who would overpopulate without jaguars. This could have a devastating impact on landscapes and wildlife.  Jaguar numbers plummeted during the twentieth century, thanks to hunting and agricultural development.  They are an elusive big cat, so it’s difficult to know exact jaguar numbers – but one thing is for certain, conservationists are sure that the jaguar is at tipping point.  So how are IFAW helping jaguars?  They are working with people across the community to tackle problems: Working with local communities, to tackle the problem of local dogs attracting the jaguars The problem: Jaguars were preying on dogs on the outskirts of Playa del Carmen in Mexico.  The big cats were in search of land and food – deforestation, mining and development had damaged their natural habitat. As the jaguars attacked their dogs, so the people retaliated and killed the jaguars.   Human-wildlife conflict developed.  And there was the danger of the big cats getting deadly diseases such as canine distemper from dogs who weren’t vaccinated;  a dog killed by a jaguar and brought home to feed cubs on, could wipe out a jaguar family, if they had such a disease. ©IFAW The solution: Erika and Joaquin hired community members to build blue wooden dog-houses – and with good shelter, nutrition and better health, the dogs didn’t roam so much. IFAW’s local partner Coco’s Animal Welfare helped sterilise and vaccinate dogs, and their numbers stabilised.  Diseases fell.  The initiative spread to other towns.  Now Erika and the team from Coco’s Animal Welfare do wellness checks in communities; they supply dog houses, and make chicken coops predator proof; they offer free vet services.  And the animals and people are all co-existing. Working with law enforcement agencies to tackle the illegal wildlife trade The problem:  The illegal wildlife trade There’s a booming market in Latin America and Asia for jaguar fangs, pelts and claws – even though the jaguar is protected by CITES.   International trade of live jaguars and jaguar parts is illegal but the market still exists through networks of poachers and traders. The solution: Joaquin and Polen held a wildlife enforcement training session in Guyana, South America.  They united police officers, customs agents, airport authorities and park wardens to make them a stronger network who are united under the goal of protecting threatened species and enforcing repercussions for illegal wildlife trade.  They all support each other. Working with higher level officials to protect jaguars Joaquin has been able to strengthen the policies which provide greatear protection for jaguars.   Jaguars are now included in the Appendix I + II of the Convention of the Conservation of Migratory Species.  Members countries are committed to assuring that jaguar habitat and migration corridors are protected. There are certainly challenges ahead but the IFAW example shows how important it is for conservation organisations to work with every level of communities and how much local communities can be such a vital tool in successful wildlife conservation.  Find out more here from IFAW

    

2. Help wildlife and people in Columbia

   Posted on 8:25pm Sunday 23rd Feb 2020

   MAY 2020:   SUCCESS:   The target has been reached! I’m a big fan of the World Land Trust and I always thinking it’s very exciting to see where they are going to work to save land next and follow the appeals. The new appeal they have just launched (end February 2020) is in Columbia and here it is: ©World Land Trust WLT are working with Fundacion Biodiversa Colombia to save 260ha of lowland forest and wetlands.  They need to raise £295,000 to ensure these habitats are safe.  The area has already suffered from extreme deforestation and degradation – a whopping 90% of the original forests have been lost, so it’s vital to protect the remaining 10%. ©World Land Trust Many endangered species live there, from the American Manatee and Magdalena River Turtle to the Lowland Tapir and Jaguar.  There are a lot of monkeys there – the White-footed Tamarin, the Brown Spider Monkey and the Varied White-fronted Capuchin. The World Land Trust works closely with local conservation organisations and it speaks very well of FBC’s track record of conservation. Your donation and mine will make a difference. If you can't donate, please please spread the word Our support will mean that this area is immediately protected – either that, or the logging industry will get it. Support land purchase for conservation and help ensure that healthy, biodiverse habitats survive.

    

3. Good news for forests in Belize from the World Land Trust

   Posted on 7:00pm Saturday 8th Feb 2020

   The World Land Trust has great news for forests! On 16 January 2020, the Governement of Belize signed the declaration of North-eastern Biological Corridor of Belize.  It covers an area of nearly 70,000 acres and links the northernmost nature reserve in Belize with more central natural habitats. It’s really important, because it’s the first step towards achieving a total North-South corridor crossing the whole country as the map shows! ©World Land Trust It’s a tremendous example of public-private partnership:  the government of Belize, local NGOs, private landowners and many international donors – including the World Land Trust – have been involved. UNITED FOR CONSERVATION, WE CAN DO GREAT THINGS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE BETTER The corridor connects a system of three protected areas in one system.  Deforestation has caused the loss of over 25,000 acres of forest in tihe last 10 years. This will now allow big animals such as jaguar and Baird’s Tapirs enough space to move freely between protected areas and so ensure their long term survival!  It will also help build climate resilience into Belize’s network of protected areas. Why was this acquisition necessary? In Belize, about 50% of the country is under natural vegetation cover.  About 35% of the country is under some form of protection.  So it is still possible to create biological corridors between protected areas. It’s vital that these acquisitions take place, and speedily, because agricultural development are increasingly encroaching on forest. How did supporters of the World Land Trust – people like you & me – help in this achievement? The World Land Trust mobilised its supporters and inspired new ones to raise funds to support this land acquisition.  It included 2018’s Big Match Fortnight Jungle for Jaguars campaign, and another Buy an Acre opportunity a few months after that.  (The Big Match Fortnight normally comes in October when donations are matched for a specific appeal – it is incredible how much and how speedily this builds up.) Donate in memory of someone special I donated to this campaign during the Big Match Fortnight (actually in memory of my wonderful Dad as his birthday is in November and I plant a tree or do a buy an acre on his birthday and at Christmas for him, as Dad loved trees).  Ask someone to donate as a gift for you I asked my husband to also donate as my early Christmas present and it was by far the best present I had.   It really meant something to me.  We had made a difference. I cannot tell you the glow and warm feeling I have in my heart when I think of my jaguar roaming the biological corridor.   I call him “my jaguar” – he obviously isn’t, and I’m never going to meet him – but it’s lovely to think that because I donated and my husband has too, we’ve helped him and lots of other animals. Please do donate to the World Land Trust if you can, and keep an eye on their website.  I often post news of their new appeals here, so you can watch this space as well.  They are a wonderful charity and it’s good to give a meaningful gift which will last, so if you’re looking for a gift for a wildlife lover, making a donation could be a great way to do something to really make a difference – a win, win, win all round! This was the You Tube Video for Jungle for Jaguars – it raised £532,000 in the Big Match Fortnight (normally early October) alone and hit the £600,000 target by Christmas, helping to save 8,154 vital acres.  A further 1,818 acres were saved a few months later.

4. Tell Vietnam: Stop the Slaughter of Lions

   Posted on 8:00pm Thursday 2nd Jan 2020

   TAKE ACTION:  SIGN HERE ©African Wildlife Foundation The African Wildlife Foundation is asking us all to sign their petition, telling Vietnam to stop the slaughter of lions.  Poachers are targeting lions. To satisfy demand in Vietnam, China and Southeast Asia, lions are being killed for their claws, teeth and bones. These animal parts are turned into jewellery, medicine and even wine. There was a horrific event last November.  Vietnamese poachers killed 40 lions in 48 hours.  CITES say that in the last 5 years, about 150 lion claws and teeth have left South Africa to go to China and Vietnam.  And that’s a number that’s hardly scratching the surface. The African Wildlife Foundation has a petition asking Vietnam to enforce wildlife laws to STOP the lion bone trade and renounce the use of lions’ bones in traditional medicine and wine. They are after 50,000 signatures and so far have 80% of that number – let’s join them and get the full 100%. TAKE ACTION:  SIGN HERE

    

5. Double your impact for Snow Leopards with a donation by 3rd December 2019

   Posted on 8:00pm Sunday 24th Nov 2019

   Help snow leopards with a donation on 3rd December 2019 The Snow Leopard Trust have a campaign to raise $100,000 on their Giving Tuesday campaign this year. The Trust aims “to better understand the endangered snow leopard and to protect the cat in partnership with the communities that share its habitat.” What’s more, if we all help to raise $100,000 by Giving Tuesday on 3rd December, that will trigger a $100,000 match!  And that means that $200,000 could be raised to help snow leopards and their conservation. At the time of writing, this campaign was 28% of the way there (that’s on 24 Nov 2019 at 20.16 UK time).  We must help snow leopards!  You don’t have to wait until 3rd December to donate!  This year, the Snow Leopard Trust are accepting early giving and putting it towards the Global Tuesday campaign.  Every dollar raised between now and 3rd December will be matched by 10 zoo partners.*** You can double your impact! ***Zoo Dresden, Dublin Zoo, Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Kolmården, Helsinki Zoo, La Passerelle, Fondation le PAL Nature, Niabi Zoo, Nordens Ark, Parco Zoo Punta Verde