Category:

1. 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.

    

2. 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

    

3. 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.

    

4. Great news for forest in Tanzania

   Posted on 8:00pm Thursday 17th Jan 2019

   A forest teeming with wildlife in Tanzania has been placed under protection, supported by the World Land Trust and other partners. The Magombera Nature Reserve protects 6,425 acres of tropical forest.   It’s managed by the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group.  The land would otherwise been threatened by conversation  to a sugar planatation. The Magombera Forest is internationally recognised for its diverse landscapes and unique wildlife.   It has African megafauna such as African Elephants and Hippos and it’s been identified as one of the top 20 Priority Prmate areas in Tanzania  and up to now, it’s been the only one without protected status. It’s also got over 500 plant species with a number of rare and endemic trees. Unique Tanzanian Wildlife Protected by new 6,425 acre nature reserve ©Andrew Marshall   It’s home to at least 5 primate species, including Udzungwa Red Colobus, found only in this valley and the neighbouring Udzungwa Mountains, Angolan Black and White Colobus, Sykes’s Monkey, Greater Bushbaby and Udzungwa Galago. Local communities have shown strong support for the conservation of the Magombera Forest.   It helps regulate climate, present flooding and maintains soil fertility for crops. But villagers are benefiting from entrance fees paid by tourists to visit the forests. The TFCG was able to buy 3,030 acres of the reserve from a sugar company, thanks to the joint support of the World Land Trust, Flamingo Land, Aage V.Jensen Charity Foundation and Rainforest Trust.  The other 3,395 acres belong to the Tanzanian government already and will now be protected as the Magombera Nature Reserve which is the highest level of protection available under the Tanzania Forest Service. Back in 2008, it had been predicted that the forest understory be gone by 2018 if the rates of logging young straight trees had continued without intervention. There had been drastic deforestation since the 1950s – some 988,420 acres had been lost in the Kilombero Valley and the Magombera Forest was all that had remained. Visit the World Land Trust here to find out more

   Support the World Land Trust's Plant a Tree Appeal

    

    

5. Help stop the deforestation of the Brazilian Rainforest - sign this petition

   Posted on 6:00pm Wednesday 2nd Jan 2019

   You may have seen in the news that Brazil has  new President.  And he's hell bent on destroying the rainforest in Brazil.   Destroying the Amazon Rainforest Is a Disaster for Earth and the Economy The newly elected president of Brazil is called Jair Bolsonaro.  He ran a campaign based on climate change denial. And he's promised to jump-start Brazil's economy by deforesting the Amazon Rainforest for lumber and also to open up new land for raising livestock and for agriculture. Unfortunately for him, an in-depth economic study finds that Brazil will move a whopping $8.2 billion annually if the Amazon is destroyed.  It will adversely affect rainfall, damage farming and make long-term logging unprofitable and costly.  And it would be moving vital carbon sinks from the planet. So Care2.com have this petition you can sign to call on the government of Brazil to make the right choice for both the country's economy and environment and reconsider his move to aggressively deforest the Amazon.

   Sign the petition here.