"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
African Parks is responsible for the rehabilitation and long term management of national parks and protected areas.
They do this in partnership with governments and local communities, and the goal is to make teach park ecologically, socially and financially sustainable in the long term.
And at the end of 2017, they were responsible for managing 14 protected areas in 9 countries (it’s now 15). The areas spanned 40,540 square miles covering 7 of the 11 ecological biomes on the continent. They have a large counter-poaching force with 1,000 rangers and over 5,000 staff across the parks.
They are undertaking various active management interventions:
Extreme species translocations and reintroductions
Providing security to create safer spaces for humans and wildlife
Ensuring that local people benefit
Where security has been restored and governance established, they’ve seen the rise of civility and a better way of life has returned.
There is tremendous momentum to make this rehabilitation happen and to continue to build on successes that African Parks has so far achieved.
Founded in 2000, it’s a non-profit conservation organisation.
Their Annual Report for 2017 Restoration: Nature’s Return highlights:
The Chinko team achieved success on the ground keeping 10,000km2 free of cattle and giving wildlife a chance to return
39 elephants were collared in one of the largest elephant collaring exercises in Africa, giving them better protection from armed poachers
The successful reintroduction of 18 black rhinos from South Africa to the Akagera Park in Rwanda, 10 years after they had locally become extinct.7 years were spent making the park safe and reducing poaching to an all time low.Singing children lined the route between Kigali and Akagera to celebrate their return.
The park received 37,000 tourists for the year, making it 75% self-sustaining
A long term agreement was signed with the Government of Benin for the Penjari National Park, the largest remaining intact ecosystem in all of West Africa, and a stronghold for the critically endangered West African lion and African elephant
In December, African Parks signed a 25 management agreement with the Government of Mozambique to manage the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, the first marine reserve in its portfolio
And HRH Prince Harry joined African Parks as their President.
Back in 1983, 3.2 million acres was established - the Iberá Natural Reserve in Corrientes province, North East Argentina. It created a tremendous opportunity for jaguar restoration.
And the Conservation Land Trust (CLT) was established there; it is ecologically restoring 370,000 acres of former cattle ranches to establish Argentina’s largest national park inside the larger Iberá reserve.
And CLT started a programme to reintroduce those large mammals that became extirpated inside Iberá during the XXth century.
After re-establishing the presence of giant anteaters and pampas deer there, jaguars are next.
The Tompkins Conservation team in Argentina consists of vets and scientists, community stakeholders and policy makers – and they’ve all collaborated with the goal of breeding a generation of jaguars that could be released into their natural habitat and survive in the wild on their own.
There are about 200 individuals in the wild in Argentina today, and about 15,000 jaguars roam the wild worldwide.
The goal is to restore a stable 100 jaguar population to Iberá National Park – these jaguar cubs are a great start.
For more information on this Jaguar programme, click here
Boat owners are going to have anchoring restrictions to protect rare seahorses and marine life.
There are plans for 41 new marine conservation zones around the coast. One of those that will receive protection is Studland Bay in Dorset. It will be protected from yachts and motorboats that moor there. In Kent, Goodwin Sands (a 10 mile sandbank) will receive similar protection. The Camel Estuary (Cornwall) and the Orford Inshore (off Suffolk) will be protected too.
In 2008, the Seahorse Trust found 40 seahorses in Studland Bay.
In 2018, (last month in fact), the Seahorse Trust found 0 seahorses in Studland Bay. That’s zero.
Heavy anchors and their metal chains destroy seagrass, the normal habitat for seahorses. And the Seahorse Trust says that seahorses should recolonise the area after the seagrass had recovered.
The charity says that while serious yachts people don’t anchor on the sea grass, plenty of boat users do.
Boating enthusiasts protested but the government fortunately over-ruled them.
Needless to say, the Royal Yachting Association has said it will impose restrictions, believing that seahorses and recreational boating activities can "reasonably co-exist".
"Reasonably exist" isn’t good enough.
If, over 10 years, the number of seahorses in Studland Bay has plummeted from a find of 40 to 0, there must be a very good reason.
It’s high time government stepped in, did the right thing and protected wildlife habitat.
A good move by the British Government. Now, more protection for wildlife, please!
Give wildlife the space and right habitat to thrive, they will.
Boat owners are going to have anchoring restrictions to protect rare seahorses and marine life.
There are plans for 41 new marine conservation zones around the coast.One of those that will receive protection is Studland Bay in Dorset.It will be protected from yachts and motorboats that moor there.In Kent, Goodwin Sands (a 10 mile sandbank) will receive similar protection. The Camel Estuary (Cornwall) and the Orford Inshore (off Suffolk) will be protected too.
In 2008, the Seahorse Trust found 40 seahorses in Sutland Bay.
In 2018, (last month in fact), the Seahorse Trust found 0 seahorses in Studland Bay.That’s zero.
Heavy anchors and their metal chains destroy seagrass, the normal habitat for seahorses.And the Seahorse Trust says that seahorses should recolonise the area after the seagrass had recovered.
The charity says that while serious yachts people don’t anchor on the sea grass, plenty of boat users do.
Boating enthusiasts protested but the government came to their senses and took no notice of them
Needless to say, the Royal Yachting Association has said it will impose restrictions, believing that seahorses and recreational boating activities can "reasonably co-exist".
"Reasonably exist" isn’t good enough.This is yet another example of wildlife suffering from the human race and our activities.
It isn’t as if leisure boating was an essential activity. (I should know, because we are boat owners.) Surviving is.
If, over 10 years, the number of seahorses in Studland Bay has plummeted from a find of 40 to 0, there must be a very good reason.
And with so many people just not caring at all about nature (and it’s not just boat owners, of course) or even thinking about what they are doing and the impact they are having, it’s high time government stepped in, did the right thing and protected wildlife habitat.
A good move by the British Government.Now, more protection, please!
Give wildlife the space and right habitat to thrive, they will.
The Snow Leopard Trust works to protect this endangered cat through community-based conservation projects.
The Snow Leopard Trust have dedicated 1 May 2018 as a Spot-tacular! It’s an online day to thanking its supporters and recognising them as an integral part of their team.
To celebrate, they are sharing their annual Impact Report.
The support the Trust’s supporters have provided have meant that…..
The Snow Leopard Trust is currently working to raise $60,000 to expand their programmes and they are running appeals for a couple of projects:
One to support wildlife rangers - Help equip and pay two rangers who patrol the Shamshy Wildlife Sanctuary in Kyrgyzstan to prevent illegal hunting and monitor wildlife populations
Counting the cats – they are looking to come up with a solid estimate of the snow leopard population in Himachal Pradesh, one of five Indian states which have snow leopards
The Sichaun province government has secured %1.58 billion in funding during the next 5 years for a planned Giant Panda National Park.
The park will be three times the size of the US Yellowstone National Park, so it will be enormous – 10,476 square miles in all.
The park will protect wild pandas living across the Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The environment ministry said it had agreed to plans by 15 provinces and regions to draw up red lines to keep large areas of land off limits to economic development. These large areas include wetlands, forests, national parks and protected nature zones.
Over 80% of wild pandas live in Sichuan, and the rest in Shaanxi and Gansu. The park plans will link up the pandas who are isolated in these areas and encourage them to breed. Pandas are terribly slow at reproducing and there are several breeding centres in China to help with panda conservation.
Although the number of wild pandas have increased in recent years, the continued increase in numbers depends on having the right habitat available to pandas to breed so the announcement of the Giant Panda National Park is a step in the right direction to ensuring they have the right environment in which to thrive.
Adopt a Snow Leopard