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1. 34,051 acres saved in Ecuador!

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 24th Mar 2021

   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

2. Koala Conservation Status: Please petition the NSW Government to raise it to Endangered

   Posted on 9:00am Wednesday 17th Mar 2021

   I’ve had news of a need for help from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

   Back in March 2020, IFAW recommended that the New South Wales (NSW) Government move the conservation status of koalas from Vulnerable to Endangered on an emergency basis.  This recommendation was made on the basis of a scientific report, commissioned by IFAW, which showed that koalas are facing an immediate and significant threat of extinction in NSW.
   
   

   

   Please petition the NSW Government to save the koalas
   by giving them endangered status protection
   
   

   The change in the koala's conservation status would mean that:

   • There would be greater protection for the forests where koalas live
   • Politicians would have greater powers to stop trees and critical habitat from being cleared.

   This would mean that in the short term, koalas would get some breathing space to recover after the terrible bushfires which killed thousands of koalas and destroyed key koala habitat. 

   The IFAW report showed that:

   • Over 6,000 koalas died in the fires alone
   • In three generations, 65% of the koala population has been lost
   • The fires “all but destroyed” many koala populations that were significant in their regions
   • The bushfires burned over 12.6 million acres across NSW.  This land was vital to koalas.  The land left is depleted because of the long drought.

   Many koalas were left starving and injured.  Things had been bad enough before, because of enormous habitat destruction and a prolonged drought.

    Please act to help koalas!

   Unfortunately, IFAW is still waiting for an answer.   Please, wherever you are in the world, join IFAW and the 190,000 people who have already signed the petition and ACT to save koalas.

   They need every single one of us to help put the pressure on.  It does not matter where we live.   What matters is that we all act for koalas and do what we can to help them.

   Please sign here today, and give the koalas a voice and your support.  And when you’ve done that, please share and spread the word.

   Please sign here today  to help koalas

   Thank you.

   Image above © IFAW

    

3. Initiative to protect the Gola Forest in Liberia and Sierra Leone

   Posted on 10:00pm Tuesday 12th Jan 2021

   Birdlife International report that there’s a new forest conservation initiative to save one of West Africa’s few remaining tropical forests. The area covers over 350,000 hectares and it’s called the Gola Forest.   It goes across the Liberia and Sierra Leone borders, and it’s the largest remaining block of Upper Guinean Forest. The area is an important for one for biodiversity – it boasts: 49 mammal species 327 bird species 43 amphibians species over 200 species of tree over 60 species there threatened call this home including - it’s got the world’s second biggest population of Western chimpanzees. it’s an overall carbon sink and helps to reduce the impacts of climate change. But the area has suffered deforestation and degradation Logging, agriculture, mining and conflict have caused the loss of vital biodiversity.   It’s reduced the ability of the area to cope with climate change – and impacted on local people who depend on the forests for their livelihood. There’s protection now in place The governments of Liberia and Sierra Leone have signed agreements in 2011 and 2020 to manage the forest and protect the biodiversity there.  And back in August 2020, the EC funded Programme to Support the Conservation of Forest Ecosystems in West Africa was implemented to conserve the Gola Forest.  The programme has been implemented by: BirdLife Partners the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL) and the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone, The Gola Rainforest Conservation Limited by Guarantee Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB - BirdLife in the UK), and  BirdLife International. The impact on locals The project should help to manage conflict between communities sharing the same forest resources.  It will support the management of five protected areas.   Local people will be trained and empowered to undertake the management of the forest – the programme will be training community eco-guards so that there are joint patrols by the two countries.   A bio-monitoring programme will also be put in place. As eco-guards, local communities will be involved in protecting the forests which will in turn give them an income.  Many were hunters, miners, loggers and farmers before. Two community based ecotourism ventures will be supported by the project, and a sustainable logging model in Liberia will be piloted.  Over 50,000 people in 160 communities will benefit from the programme. Visit Birdlife International for more information

    

4. Help Rainforest Rescue help the Ekuri people protect their forest and help gorillas

   Posted on 9:00pm Monday 23rd Nov 2020

   Rainforest Rescue are asking for donations to help the indigenous Ekuri protect their community forest. You see, bulldozers appeared without warning and started to clear one of Nigeria’s last remaining forests.   The Ekuri people rose up quickly – they have a lot of experience defending their forest against the exploitation of others. The Ekuri people and Rainforest Rescue have developed a powerful coalition over the years. They want to get the government of Cross River State to abandon its plans for a superhighway to nowhere.    If it were to be created, that superhighway would impact national parks, forest reserves – and 185 villages along its 270 kilometre route.Sixty Eco-Guards are being trained to protect the forest by Martins Ego and activities of the NGOs Ekuri Initiative and DevCon.   One of the species of wildlife who will be particularly affected if this highway goes ahead is the endangered Cross River Gorillas because the region is home to the Afi Wildlife Sanctuary.  Please help the Ekuri people defend their forest home and protect it for people and wildlife – especially the gorillas! Find out more and donate here

    

    

5. Good news from the World Land Trust for conservation

   Posted on 9:00am Saturday 14th Nov 2020

   There’s some good news from the conservation world that I wanted to share with you today so here it is:The World Land Trust have had a very successful autumn. I’m thrilled to say that they hit the required fundraising target of £100,000 in just a few weeks to protect vital gorilla habitat in Africa.  The success of #FutureforGorillas means that there’s a safer future for Camaroon’s great ape population.  The fundraiser kicked off on 4 September and hit its target, thanks to the kindness and generosity of donors in early November.  The World Land Trust’s partner, the Environmental and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), now has the resources to start creating a forest corridor in eastern Cameroon.  The area is home to Western Lowland gorillas, chimpanzee, elephants, pangolins, hippos, leopards and other species as well.  The creation and protection of forests will mean that species can keep their populations strong in number and have a future.  Here’s the video about it: Find out more about the #FutureforGorillas Appeal here And there’s more good news from the World Land Trust! Big Match Fortnight:  Save Ecuador’s Chocó Forest Their Big Match Fortnight Appeal hit its target of £500,000 in a fortnight! Donors from around the world joined together and made a difference to the incredible appeal to help the World Land Trust and its partner in Ecuador save the last 2% of the Chocó Forest.   The Appeal is still open so you can still donate (I’m writing this on 14 November 2020) which means that even more of the forest can be saved and protected for wildlife.Decades of logging have destroyed 98% of the Chocó forest.  And the World Land Trust’s partner, FJ, got the chance to save the remaining 2% of it – about 57,000 acres in all – from one firm.  Other organisations are involved but the support from World Land Trust donors means that 1,667 acres will be saved – that’s an expansion of the Canandé Reserve which links it to other areas that are protected in the region.  The area is so diverse that scientists took just 45 minutes to find a new species! In fact, 25% of its flora and 10% of its fauna can’t be found anywhere else on earth The Canandé Reserve is a botanical haven.  It’s home to about 375 bird species and 135 reptile and amphibian species of whom 28 are globally threatened.  Goodness knows how many other species live there! The more support the appeal has, the more their forest home can be extended and protected.Support this appeal here   You could also support the #NottooLate Appeal Fund, enabling the World Land Trust to act quickly wherever conservation action is needed.   Visit the World Land Trust's website here