Our blog & news: Get involved to help wildlife

 
 

"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
 


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  1. Help Ancient Forests in Mexico

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    In Central Mexico, the ancient forests of Sierra Gorda are being destroyed.  They are home to the big cat, the hummingbird, And there’s a chance to save some of them.

    They are full of Pinyon Pines, Junipers, Cedars, Sweetgums, Firs and Oaks – some of them hundreds of years old.  They are home to species such as the Monarch Butterfly and the Big-footed Salamander.  Jaguars, pumas, bobcats, margays, ocelots and jaguarondi live here.

    But the forest is all disappearing, thanks to human activity - agriculture, cattle ranching and man-made fires. Fire has a particularly bad impact – it can take a forest years to recover from a man-made fire.

    Enter the World Land Trust.

    The World Land Trust is working with local, family run Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda to conserve habitat in Sierra Gorda.  In the 10 years they’ve been working together, supporters of the World Land Trust have saved over 10,000 acres of these forests already.

    And there’s more.  Every acre the World Land Trust has protected has remained under the guardianship of its Keepers of the Wild programme, that is, wildlife rangers hired from the local community.  They guard the forests and restore them to their natural state.


    So how can you help?

    You can get involved by – I’ll be frank – making a donation.  I’ve made a donation already and it always makes me feel better and that I’ve had an influence on the world’s forests and been able to do something, rather than sit back and do nothing.

    So imagine spending £25.  And it goes towards saving ancient forests in Mexico.   Isn’t that wild?

    Where will your £25 go?

    The thing is, the World Land Trust has the chance to buy and protect an area of 578 acres in Sierra Gorda.   It needs all our support to ensure this forest can be saved for wildlife.

    You can help and get involved by donating to the World Land Trust’s Ancient Forests Appeal.

    A £25 donation will enable the Trust’s partner in Sierra Gorda to buy 1,000m² and put it under protection.

    A £100 donation will protect one acre.

    This is a very easy way to get involved and do something quickly for wildlife. And to feel as though you’ve made a difference.

    Donate to the Ancient Forests appeal today

     

     

  2. Forest saved from career as a solar farm in New York state

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     So it’s great to go solar, but not at the expense of wildlife habitat. 

    In the state of New York, Assemblyman Steve Englebright and his colleagues have been fighting to make the pretty stretch of woodland surrounding an abandoned Shoreham nuclear power plant off limits to developers.

    And back in January, the Assemblyman co-sponsored legislation to stop the site from being turned into a solar farm.

    And good news – over 800 acres of the site has been added to the publicly protected Central Pine Barrens preservation area, as well as portions of Mastic Woods.   Plus, elected officials have pushed for the state to buy the land altogether.

    About 840 acres of the property is to be bought from the National Grid in increments over a number of years, starting in 2019.  The area consists of rolling hills and cliffs, and various species of wildlife. It’s one of New York’s remaining original coastal forest tracts, so it’s an important move in terms of protecting Long Island’s natural heritage.  The National Grid had been proposing to bulldoze the forest and build a solar farm in its place. 



    It is hoped that this purchase will improve the ground and surface water quality and resilience of the coast – and support tourism. Which tourist wants to come to see a solar farm?

    Englebright is hoping to save the Mastic acres which is still destined to be a solar farm, and that alternative sites can be used for solar development. 

    Solar energy is great, but there’s a place for it and forest isn’t one of them.

    Well done to Englebright and his colleagues for this move! 

    Source:  TBRNewsMedia.com

     

     

     

  3. World Land Trust supporters hit their target in Ecuador!

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    In what I think is an incredibly short time, supporters of UK registered charity the World Land Trust have raised £165,000 towards the purchase of tropical forest.

    I think it was late March 2018 that the appeal was started, and its success was announced on 12 June 2018 on its website.

    This means that the World Land Trust will be able to save 400 acres of tropical forest in the Amazonian Andes of Ecuador. 


    The habitat is home to sloths, cats, hummingbirds, eagles, frogs and macaws.

    The area will be safe under the permanent protection of the World Land Trust’s  local partner, Fundación Jocotoco.  They will be able to make the purchase and protect the 400 acres of tropical rainforest in the Amazonian Andes.  This will extend the existing Narupa Reserve and connect it with nearby national protected areas. 

    The World Land Trust has previously supported extensions through its Action Fund.

    This was an urgent appeal, because there was the danger of a road being built through this ecosystem but the area is now safe. 

    Such was the response of the World Land Trust supporters that the first part of the area was purchased quite early on in the appeal.

    Getting involved gave me a wonderful feeling

    Rather than give me a birthday present, I asked my husband to make a donation on my behalf to this appeal, I can’t tell you how much delight and joy my husband’s present has given me.  I have a warm glow inside my heart every time I think of it. It is a gift that will truly last and be meaningful.  Thank you, my darling!

    I also donated myself to this appeal on behalf of my mother, my sister and I in memory of my wonderful father as an early Father’s Day gift.  This means that Dad’s presence is scattered around the world – he’s now in Ecuador!  He loved making a difference and he adored nature, so this is a great thing to do in his memory.  (He's also in Scotland, Sussex, and a few other places besides, because every Christmas and Father's Day and on his birthday, I do something in his memory - plant a tree, adopt an acre etc).

    It really does make you feel good to contribute to something so many others have and join in the efforts to help conservation and endangered animals.

    The World Land Trust has an action fund you can donate to (if you've missed this appeal above and want to do something) which means that they can respond rapidly to urgent conservation needs.

     

     

  4. 2,500 acres of tropical rainforest saved in Guatemala

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    World Land Trust supporters raised a staggering £625,000 for the Treasure Chest Appeal.

    The appeal was raising the money to save 2500 acres of tropical rainforest in the mountains of Sierra Santa Cruz in Guatemala.

    The appeal got off to an amazing start in the first week of the World Land Trust’s Big Match Fortnight.  In fact, £100,000 was raised during this time.   And after that, support flew in from all over the world.


    One eight year old girl tripled her £100 target to help save rainforest by completing  a mini-triathlon.

    Artists dedicated their work of Guatemala’s wildlife, including a specially commissioned Chinamococh Stream Frog ornament by Jess Smith.  The frog is a critically endangered species that can only be found in the mountains of Sierra Santa Cruz.   There was also an oil painting of Scarlet Macaws by Glyn Macey and a watercolour of a Blackburnian Warbler by Dan Bradbury who works for the World Land Trust.

    The appeal also received tremendous contributions from The Body Shop and Humble Bundle.

    The money goes now to the World Land Trust’s local partner in Guatemala – the Foundation for Ecodevelopment and Conservation (FUNDAECO) and they work through the process of buying the land and protecting it to safeguard it for the wildlife living in the mountains.

    Inspired?  You can support the World Land Trust's new appeal to save 400 acres in the Amazonian Andes.   

     

  5. 5,000 trees planted and doing well in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

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    In Brazil, 5,000 trees have been planted the Atlantic Forest

    Trees planted in the Matumbo Gap of the Atlantic Forest in 2017 are doing well!

    5,000 trees were planted, thanks to funding from the World Land Trust’s Plant a Tree programme.  The programme plants a tree for a £5 donation.   

    The trees are all grown from seeds collected from the indigenous tree species of the neighbouring Atlantic Forest.  They are cultivated in the nursery of the Reserva Ecológica e Guapiaçu (REGUA) and then planted in the slopes of the cleared area known as the Matumbo Gap.

    The Matumbo Gap has been a priority for reforestation.   It would create a wildlife corridor between two areas of forest which are under the protection of the Reserva Ecológica e Guapiaçu.  The area is funded by the World Land Trust.

    The forest is maturing; some pioneer plant species are bearing seeds and fruit, which fees the native fauna, particularly bats and birds. 



    The Reserva Ecológica e Guapiaçu’s mission is to protect the remaining areas of Altantic Forest and connect fragmented habitats.   These areas have been cut off from each other because of clearance for agriculture. 

    Thriving wildlife can be seen in the state of Rio de Janeiro, thanks to successes from REGUA’s work.

    You can be a part of the World Land Trust’s work to support reforestation in Brazil, Ecuador and Kenya through their Plant a Tree Programme.  

    Native tree species are planted to restore degraded habitats for £5 each.  Donate £25 or more, and you’ll receive a donation pack detailing the impact of your support. 

    BE A PART OF THIS SUCCESS STORY - PLANT A TREE HERE FOR JUST £5

    You can also make a donation to REGUA here