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1. Good news for Rainforests from the Sumatran Orangutan Society

   Posted on 6:00pm Thursday 13th Jun 2019

   We need all the good news we can get for rainforests at the moment, and there's two sets of good news from the Sumatran Orangutan Society today! Temporary Moratorium set to become a Permanent one! In an email, SOS sent a link to Mongabay which report that a temporary moratorium which prohibits the issuing of new permits to clear primary and peat forests is set to become permanent later this year.   There is more that can be done to strengthen this action, such as including secondary forests, say environmental activists.   When it was first introduced back in 2011, the moratorium was largely ineffective in stemming deforestation;  but since 2016, it has been shored up by peat-protection regularions which have helped to slow the loss of forest cover.  And fears that the move would harm the economy have been unfounded.  There's also a need to close a loophole which allows primary and peat forests to be razed for rice, sugarcane and other crop planatations.   But the move to make the moratorium permanent is a start.  Indonesia has pledged to slash its carbon dioxide emissions by at least 29% by 2030.   Although it is one of the top emitters world-wide, most of the emissions come from deforestation and not the burning of fossil fuels. Swing over to Mongabay for more information.  And there's more! Palm oil plantations to be cleared ready for new forest From 2018 to 2019, SOS ran an urgent appeal - the Rainforest Home Appeal.   They needed to raise £870,000 to buy 890 acres.    Visit SOS, the Sumatran Orangutan Society The public did it and the money was raised - and on 17th June 2019, a restoration team will start to clear the oil palm trees using chainsaws.   Once the oil palms have gone, the next phrase of restoration will start, bringing the land closer to being forest again!

    

2. Save land, save species

   Posted on 5:00pm Thursday 13th Jun 2019

   The World Land Trust has just launched its new appeal, to protect forest in Kenya on the coastline. Dakatcha has been identified as a Key Biodiversity Area and an Important Bird Area.  It has no official protection – but the future of this habitat could be secured under the ownership of Nature Kenya. The World Land Trust partners with Nature Kenya and their current project is to protect 810 acres before the threats of illegal charcoal production, hunting, controlled pineapple farming and the persistent threat of deforestation see this rare area burn. Save land by sponsoring an acre – or even quarter of an acre, and you can help save a species. You can get involved by sponsoring an acre for £100, half an acre for £50, or a quarter of an acre for £25.00 So why save Dakatcha? The You Tube video below shows the reasons why we should all help save the area.    It’s a vital area for people and animals locally, but it also is the case that every single healthy intact forest we can save will help us in the fight against climate change.  New species are still to be found here, as little is known about the forest – but it is known that endangered species such as the Clarke’s Weaver, the Sokoko Scops Owl and the Golden Oriole need this area.  Donate £25 to save a quarter of an acre of Dakatcha. Donate £50 to save half an acre of Dakatcha. Donate £100 to save an acre of Dakatcha. The World Land Trust are looking to save 810 acres and people have started to donate to save these acres already :-)  I’m making a donation in memory of my wonderful father on this Father’s Day.   He loved his feathered friends and his trees – and he enjoyed a family holiday to Kenya many years ago.  So the ties are there, and I can’t think of a better way to remember my father than save an acre of forest in his memory. Save land, save species here.

    

3. Equator from the Air on BBC2 on Sunday 9 June 2019

   Posted on 9:00am Sunday 9th Jun 2019

   There are some really good programmes on TV about nature and wildlife - we are very blessed with them.  Their quality is incredible. Here's another - the series is called Equator from the Air.   Gordon Buchanan takes an amazing journey round the Equator with experts who are racing to save wildlife and people.   Tonight (9th June 2019, 8pm UK time on BBC2), he croses the Pacific and drops in on the Galapagos Island. There he discovers huge evidence of human intervention - domesticated pigs have gone wild and decimated the tortoise population.  Drones are helping to track these species in danger. He also joins in to see how a tropical lake may hold clues about how to secure the world's coral reefs. Do watch - the series has been really good so far and is really sending a message home. Visit BBC2's website here.

    

4. 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

    

5. 43,480 acres of cloud forest and paramo protected in Peru

   Posted on 9:00am Tuesday 26th Feb 2019

   There’s good news from Peru.  UK based and registered charity the World Land Trust has reported that the Ministry of Environment of Peru has declared 43,480 acres of cloud forest and paramo in the Tropical Andes as a protected area and therefore recognised the area as a priority for conservation – an Area de Conservación Privada.   The area will be under the care of the local community and it now has legal protection to safeguard the habitats there from logging, slash and burn agriculture and illegal mining. The World Land Trust has supposed its partner Naturaleza y Cultura Peru (NCP) to build up a network of 7 ACPS (that’s private conservation areas) in Northern Peru.  They will cove 20% of the country’s cloud forests. The Tropical Andes between Ecuador and Peru are known for their incredible biodiversity, including threatened birds such as the red-faced parrot and the Masked Mountain-Tanager, plus mammals such as the Inca Oldfield Mouse, the Spectacled Bear and Mountain Tapir. There are also five important rivers which start their journey from the area, and it’s an important site for both water supply and carbon storage and economic value – medicinal plants, timber and commercial native fruits.  So everyone benefits from it. The total area of thius unique habitat now under community protection in Peru funded by the World Land Trust is an amazing 111,199 acres (45,000 hectares).  The charity will continue to support NCP in managing these ACPs and thus enable locals to lead sustainable livelihoods, manage their resources and conserve the Andean ecosystem. WLT’s corporate supporter, Puro Fairtrade Coffee, has provided financial support for this project and donations to the Action Fund have played an important role in supporting the establishment of ACPs in Peru.  Join in and help the World Land Trust’s conservation efforts by donating to their Action Fund or becoming a WLT Friend – the latter means you commit a monthly donation.