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1. Huge new conservation area in Bolivia’s Gran Chaco

   Posted on 9:00pm Thursday 23rd May 2019

   There’s a new protected area in Bolivia! It spans over 12,000 square kilometres – that’s 4,650 square miles.  And it includes well-conserved forests – it’s home to 300 species of birds and 100 species of jaguars, pumas and night monkeys.  It’s home too to the Ayoreo indigenous community which is voluntarily isolated.  “Ñembi Guasu” means “the great hideout” or “the great refuge.”  The creation of the protected area is expected to help to offset deforestation in Bolivia’s Gran Chaco region. The Ñembi Guasu Area of Conservation and Ecological Importance is the second-largest protected area in the Gran Chaco.   The jaguar, puma, the southern night monkey, the southern tamandua live here. The area is one of the few places in Bolivia where long-term plans can be made for jaguars and other large animals there. The territory is home to more than 100 species of mammals, 300 species of birds, and at least 80 species of reptiles and amphibians.   The area is described as “a large area where animals can hide”. Some threats put the territory at risk – the extraction of oil is one.  The Bolivian government approved an order that allows the extraction of oil in natural areas.  Land invasions are another problem.  The forest is virgin forest – with lots of wildlife – and it needs protecting

    

2. Birdfair 2019 in UK to help the Big Five in Cambodia

   Posted on 8:00pm Friday 17th May 2019

   This August 2019, Birdfair takes place in Rutland in the UK. Every year, this huge event raises money for conservation – big money.  In 2018, it raised £322,000 to create a haven for Flamingos at Mar Chiquita in Argentina.  23,000 people went to the fair – you can see its size – and all helped contribute towards creating this haven for 3 species of flamingo and other bird species.  BirdLife International will work with Aves Argentinas, its partner in Argentina, to create the country’s newest national park there. In 2019, Birdfair takes place between 16 to 18 August. Proceeds from the tickets, exhibitor fees, sponsorship and events will all go towards this year’s project. The 2019 Birdfair project is for the Big Five in Cambodia. Western Siem Pang has 40% of the logbal population of White-shouldered Ibis, over 20% of the global population of Giant Ibis and 0% of the Cambodian population of vultures – actually up to 84 of the 121 left. The Indian Spotted Eagle, Green Peafowl, Sarus Crane, Lesser Adjutant, Greater Adjutant and Great Slaty Woodpecker, Eld’s Deer, Clouded Leopard and Sun Bears also live there. The location of the site is all the more important because of its location, connecting the Virachey National Park in Colombia to the Xe Pian National Protected Area in Laos. It creates a unique block of protected forests which means that some of the rarest large mammal and bird species in Asia can move freely. BirdLife International’s involvement in the area isn’t new.  It’s been there for 15 years helping to make sure it was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2016. How will Birdfair 2019 help wildlife in Cambodia? The money raised from BirdFair 2019 will go to improving relationships with local people to protect the species living there.   Authorities there will be better able to tackle illegal activities and provide site management support to manage and protect the forest effectiveliy.  And the Ministry of Environment needs help, too:  to develop a zoning plan for the huge new site and ensure the rangers have the training and organization they need.   Rules need to be enforced. Introducing the Ibis Rise Initiative One of the things I find particularly exciting about the work being done and to be done is to expand the scope of an initiative called Ibis Rise.  It’s an enterprise working with Cambodian farmers to protect the ecosystem, whilst offering better of life and livelihoods. The aim is to expand wildlife-friendly rice farming to 200-300 families who agree to the “no hunting, no logging, no encroaching” rules in exchange for a premium price for their produce. Finally, BirdLife has been working to improve the reproductive success of the areas’ five Critically Endangered bird species by restoring wetlands and monitoring their populations.  If their breeding efforts can be supported, it is hoped they will be able to expand back into more of a natural range. There are 700,000 hectares, so this is a BIG project for wildlife! More information Find out more about BirdFair (dogs aren’t allowed, apart from Guide Dogs and Assistance Dogs)

    

3. Chicago, please switch your lights off after 11pm in the migratory bird season

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 24th Apr 2019

   Chicago is an amazing city, with an incredible shoreline but it’s not a happy place for many birds during the migration season. The problem in Chicago Every year, 6,000 birds die in one square mile area of downtown Chicago.   Why? Well, Chicago sits in the middle of one of the busiest areas for bird migration.   Twice a year, 5 million birds fly through this course twice a year.  They are exhausted by the time they reach Chicago. And that’s when they really hit a problem – literally. Up to ONE BILLION migratory birds die every year, colliding with skyscrapers.   Birds use the stars to point them in the right direction.  That means the problem is worse at night, when tall skyscrapers are lit up all night – that confuses and disorients the birds.  And they crash into the buildings. The solution in Chicago It's easy!  All it needs is for buildings to turn off their lights after 11pm during the migratory season. Chicago already “encourages” buildings to switch their lights off, but encouragement isn’t enough.  To save birds, the Lights Out policy needs to be mandatory. How you can help with this solution Care2.com have a petition telling Chicago city officials to require buildings to shut the lights off at night during bird migratory season.  (It’s hardly environmentally friendly to keep the lights on, anyway.) Sign the petition to get these lights switched off in Chicago.

    

4. Come swiftly to the swifts' rescue

   Posted on 8:00pm Thursday 28th Feb 2019

   Swifts need our help.   Their numbers are plummeting in the UK – according to the RSPB, there’s been a 53% decline between 1995 and 2016. The problem is that when buildings are refurbished or demolished, the nooks and crannies so vital for swifts are lost.  This means that swifts have nowhere to nest.  They need gaps high up on our homes and in other buildings. So the RSPB has a goal.  Swifts winter in Africa and make their way to the UK for the summer. To help swifts, it wants to get 1,000 swift nestboxes up before the swifts arrive at the end of April.  ©RSPB How you can help swifts You can make a swift nestbox or if you’re short of time or practical abilities, you can buy a swift nestbox from the RSPB’s shop.  Put up a Swift nest box from the RSPB £39.99 Buy 2 nestboxes by 9 July 2019 and you can save £2  (applies to selected nest boxes. watch for the offer) If you’re involved in a new build or renovation project, you can install a swift brick. For advice on bricks, email the RSPB’s conservation team at [email protected] and include 'swift bricks' in the subject line.   Every swift brick counts. Find out more about swifts here.

    

5. Good news for puffin numbers on the Farne Islands

   Posted on 8:00pm Friday 22nd Feb 2019

   The beautiful Farne Islands are one of the best places to see the much loved puffin in the UK. Puffins mate for life.  They separate over winter and pair up again when they come back to the islands in the spring. National Trust rangers count puffins on the Farne Islands as the birds return there to breed and raise their young between April and late July. Previously, they have undertaken a full puffin census every five years.  From 2019, however, they are going to count the puffins every year.  The numbers tell the rangers if there’s been an increase or decrease in the colony – and that data is fed into national information to monitor trends and give an idea of how we can help puffins survive. They will be checking to see if their holes have anyone in them or not.  They’ll look for signs of puffin footprints and fresh digging, and count the puffins living inside the nests. Puffins have traditionally done well on the Farne Islands.  The National Trust has worked to protect them;there’s been good sources of food, a lack of ground predators and plenty of suitable nesting areas. In May 2018, rangers had been worried that puffins had been hit by a long, harsh winter and poor food supplies.   But on the Farne Islands, the birds have weathered a cold, stormy winter.   Rangers counted 43,956 pairs of birds – a 9% increase from 2013! This is an improvement – a 9% increase from 2013.  Mind you, back in 2003, 55,674 pairs were recorded, so there’s still a way to go. The puffins now face a challenge from increasing seal pup numbers (who went up from 1,704 to 2,602 in the last 5 years) – it means there’s less space for puffins on the outer islands. The Farnes achieved their 25th anniversary of their National Nature Reserve status back in 2018.  Such status has helped in several ways: The provision of significant areas of nature habitats Opening up additional finance for the protection of the islands Providing resource for research and studies into protecting puffin numbers. Monitoring the puffins every year will help the Trust track numbers against likely causes of population change – could changes be down to climate change, changes in the sand eel population or something else completely Meantime, the puffin remains on the British Trust for Ornithology's red list for the UK, indicating concern for its future. Three things we can do to help puffins are: Reducing our single-use of plastic Preventing over-fishing - buy sustainable fish.  The Marine Conservation Society has a sustainable fish guide.   Or eat more vegetarian and/or vegan food!  Limiting our use of non-renewable energy