» Listings for January 2020

1. Help create wildlife corridors with the Durrell WIldlife Conservation Trust's Atlantic Rainforest Appeal

   Posted on 9:00pm Tuesday 28th Jan 2020

   The lush rainforest runs along the Atlantic coast and inland in southern Brazil.  It is home to many species and plants which are not found anywhere else on earth.  The problem for wildlife is.... Sadly, a mere 12% of this huge landscape now persists in very fragmented pockets.  Towns, pastures and intensive farming have replaced the rainforest.   Many species living there are threatened with extinction as they are living in small fragmented areas and so are becoming increasingly isolated.  These include the black lion tamarin, the jaguar, ocelot and puma. One way to solve this problem... The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has an Atlantic Rainforest appeal which is aiming to create wildlife corridors and so joining fragmented areas of rainforest up. From small things do great things grow.... ©Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Durrell wants to protect this ecosystem by creating wildlife corridors to join up the fragmented bits. They will do this by planting trees to connect the Morro do Diabo State Park to isolated forest fragments to the north, thus reconnecting wildlife. In doing this project, Durrell is working with their partners at the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPE). You can help restore this rainforest by planning 17,000 trees and in creating sustainable livelihoods for local people and neutralize about 2,500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. The trees will be planted in community nurseries, planted by local people – so giving them sustainable livelihoods.  People and wildlife will win through this project. Help wildlife such as the black lion tamarin, the jaguar, the puma, and ocelot ©Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Durrell say that: £25 will help the local community plant five trees and nurture them for 5 years £500 will run a community nursery for a week £15,000 will pay for a forest and community officer to oversee the pojrect for a year £85,000 will rebuild 1,000 metres of wildlife corridor connection forest fragments. Every £ counts!   Join in the appeal to create wildlife corridors to help wildlife thrive ©Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Donate here

    

2. Currumbin Wildlife Hospital in Australia helps wildlife in wildfires and drought, including koalas

   Posted on 9:00pm Friday 24th Jan 2020

   Did you know that the National Trust is helping its partner, the National Trust of Australia, to help Australian wildlife recover after the terrible bushfires in Australia? A lot of the animals climb trees to escape the flames below - and when they get down again, they get serious burns on their feet.  They need treatment and regular bandage changes for months, food and water.  And a big challenge facing the hospital and sanctuary is that there is no home for the animals to return to when they are better - it has been destroyed by fire. They are helping to raise awareness of the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, which is caring for many animals with burns and dehydration. As a result of the drought and wildfires, the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital has experienced about a 20% increase in admissions from in and around the fire zones.  They are working to treat, rehabilitate and release wildlife – wildlife who are sick, injured and orphaned. Help Australian wildlife - Buy a Tree ©Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary In 2019, over 12,000 animals were admitted to the hospital – including 600 koalas. You can help the hospital help wildlife by making a donation Buy a Walkways for Wildlife ©Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Visit the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital’s website here.

    

3. Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion People and Counting on BBC2

   Posted on 8:00pm Tuesday 21st Jan 2020

   On Tuesday 21 January 2020, there's a programme on BBC2 at 9pm called "Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion People and Counting".   The UN is predicting that the number of people on this planet could hit 10 BILLION people by 205.   Chris Packham has dedicated his life to championing the natural world.  The topic of the growth of the human population and its impact on the planet is all too often overlooked.  Is 10 billion too many people for the earth to sustain?  Why is the human population growing so fast?  What impact is the human population growth having on the natural world?  Can anything be done?  In Brazil, Chris finds a megacity about to run out of water - and an industry expanding to meet growing human numbers.   And he visits Nigeria, which is about to become the third most populated country on earth by 2020.  He visits a community surviving against the odds - and a school which might hold the answer in a future fall in the birth rate. And Chris Packham meets Sir David Attenborough who is also a patron of the charity Population Matters. He looks at the role of falling birth rates around the world, the impact of angeing pouplation and he meets a couple who are trying to get pregnant through IVF. Chris also examines the role of falling birth rates around the world, the impact of an aging population, and meets a couple who are struggling to get pregnant through IVF. And he turns to the impact our levels of conusmption are having.  Can the world really accommodate the needs of over 2 billion more people?  Visit the programmes website 5 things to know before having kids Population Matters Negative Population Growth Global Footprint Network How big is your footprint?  Here's a number of footprint calculators you can try to start reducing your footprint

    

4. American and Canadian firefighters to go to Australia to fight fire

   Posted on 8:00pm Saturday 18th Jan 2020

   There's an enormous number of people world-wide who have contributed to the help given to those affected by the bushfires in Australia. Canadian volunteer firefighters went to Australia to fight fire: I saw this amazing video of fightfighters from the US arrive in Australia and wanted to share it with you.   And these amazing dogs are helping to find koalas: Here's to those fighting fire everywhere.   Please stay safe;  thank you for all you do. Thinking of your families who have an anxious wait for your safe return as well.   And a big thank you too to all those dogs helping to find koalas. You're all utterly inspiring.

    

5. Be an Advocate for African Chimps

   Posted on 9:00pm Thursday 16th Jan 2020

   The African Wildlife Foundation needs us to help chimps. There are as few as 172,000 chimps left in the wild.  Their populations continue to decline to such an extent that they could be gone in all our lifetimes. We need to turn their situation around. Chimps are facing real threats. Wildlife traffickers want them for bushmeat.  There’s an illegal global trade in skulls and other body parts Traffickers want the baby chimps for the exotic pet trade.  Sometimes a protective chimp family is killed in the process. And their habitats are decreasing rapidly The African Wildlife Foundation is asking us to become Advocates for Chimps and to pledge to save them.   Find out how the Foundation is helping chimpanzees here © African Wildlife Foundation Join the fight for Africa's endangered chimps! Become one of 50,000 wildlife advocates to fight for this beloved species.