Category:

1. Help people help wildlife - elephants

   Posted on 5:00pm Monday 26th Aug 2019

   Update 2023:  Unfortunately Nikela is no longer running but there are lots of elephant charities you can look to help here.   Here’s a great way to get involved and to help reduce the conflict between elephants and people. Sponsor a bee hive! In fact, you can get your name – or theirs – on a beehive and help save elephants.  For a 29 year old called Moses who was deeply passionate about wildlife conservation and rescuing animals, determined that human-wildlife conflict was the most pressing problem in his home area of Tanzania. Elephants from nearby reserves were entering farmlands and causing considerable damanage, destroying crops.  A solution to the elephants destroying crops was to install 20 bee hive fences along a border next to the Arusha National Park.   Moses founded and sorted out a NGO (Alert for Endangered Wildlife Species or AFeWiS).  Placing bee hives strategically along the perimeters of farmland surprisingly keeps elephants at bay.  Elephants are afraid of bees, you see, Each beehive costs $50. Enter Nikela, run by Margrit and Russ. It’s a small US based non-profit organization. And its mission is to “to help people protecting nature, especially doing wildlife conservation.  Nikela helps those protecting and preserving endangered African wildlife species.” So far they have given over $40,000 to 22 projects in 8 countries in Africa. All to those protecting and preserving endangered African wildlife species, all funded by donations from people all around the world! And they sent Moses $500 to get the bee hives off the ground. And there’s good news about the effectiveness of the project, with examples such as this one. Mr Baraka reported that over 50 elephants from a neighbouring reserve were entering his fields and destroying his food crops. Beehives were mounted – and the number of elephants rapidly dropped to 25.  Within 4 weeks, Mr Baraka was reporting that no elephants had come into his fields, saving his crops.  This means they will have food this season. More farmers are asking for beehive fences now and you can sponsor a beehive to be included in a fence.  In fact, you can also sponsor an entire fence – about 10 beehives make up an effective fence in most cases. Can Bees be the “Peacemakers” and solve human-wildlife conflicts with Elephants? You can dedicate your beehive in honour or in memory of someone. So go ahead, what are you waiting for? Remember, to note the exact spelling of the name you wish to see on the beehive, or beehives. Sponsor a Bee Hive here and you’ll help reduce conflict between people and elephants.   If you’re not sure, take a look at comments from donors – we can all make a difference  Sign up for Nikela’s newsletter

    

2. Rare Wildlife and Plants are Blooming in Welsh Meadows

   Posted on 9:00pm Tuesday 16th Jul 2019

   Thanks to a conservation scheme, rare wildlife and plants are coming back to meadows in Wales! Since the 1930s, meadows have been vanishing from the landscape there.  In fact, 97% of wildflower meadows were lost due to heavy fertiliser use and early hay crops – which also meant that 63% of butterflies disappeared as well. However, the National Trust Wales have been working hard to reverse this disappearance. Last year, the charity created 40 acres of new meadows across the country.   They care for 582.2 acres of meadow.  And good news!   Amongst them was Chirk Castle, where 6 hectares of herb rich meadows were re-established. Wildlife flowers such as the yellow rattle – not seen since World War Two – have been sighted in Chirk, in North Wales.  There’s been a 50% increase in yellow rattle and eyebright plants! Chirk Castle in Wales The idea is to form a basic habitat.   The Trust have already noticed an increase in the numbers of insects and small mammals in the grass on the ground;  and kestrels in the skies above them, hunting them.   Green-winged orchids are also blossoming at Bodnant Garden near Colwyn Bay. Farmers are also benefitting.  Allowing their hay crops to grow wild for longer before they cut them means that they get more minerals and fibre.  A win-win, all round then!

3. Saving the Small Blue Butterfly

   Posted on 9:00am Monday 17th Sep 2018

   Butterfly Conservation sent my husband and I information about the work they did to save the Small Blue Butterfly and it makes very interesting reading. I thought I’d share how they did it with you.   They are hoping to repeat the success of the Small Blue in the West Midlands with other declining butterflies and moths. ©Peter Eeles Butterfly Conservation Here’s the conservation journey Butterfly Conservation took: 1. Identify the problem So by 2009, the Small Blue had become extinct in 4 counties in the West Midlands.  In Warwickshire, it’s numbers had gone down by 87%.  Here, recorders could only find 3 colonies left. 2. Research declines The Small Blue lays its eggs on flowering Kidney Vetch.   But site surveys for the Small Blue showed they were becoming too overgrown with scrub for new Kidney Vetch plants to establish themselves. 3. Determine Solutions These were: To remove scrub To test methods of creating new habitat to encourage Kidney Vetch to germinate To sow Kidney Vetch seed or plant plug plants 4. Take Action! Since 2009, Butterfly Conservation has….. (drum roll please…) Cleared 56 hectares of scrub Created 27  butterfly banks Dug 12 scrapes Planted a whopping 13,000 Kidney Vetch plugs Sowed 34kg of seeds over 60 sites 4. Do the next steps The charity has recruited volunteers to monitor Small Blue numbers and help maintain and restore habitat.  This will help wildflowers and butterflies to flourish. 5. Yippee!!  This has all been successful The Small Blue Butterfly liked the habitat improvements, colonizing restored habitat on occupied sites AND moving back to former sites.  It even went into areas it hadn’t been before By 2016, the Small Blue had spread to 19 sites.   This was  a six-fold increase in numbers in only 7 years! But there's more.  In this project, Butterfly Conservation says the Small Blue has been a ‘flagship’ or ‘umbrella’ species.  The reasons for this is that other butterflies, moths and invertebrates have been helped by improvements to the habitat.  The Grizzled Skipper, the Dingy Skipper, the Chalk Carpet moth and three of Warwickshire's rarest bumblebees all benefited.  Which just goes to show that conservation projects don't just help one species - they can help a good many. And now... So now it’s hoped that other butterflies can be helped in the same way.   Our changing climate is one factor, but research is taking place to find out why and then plan a way forward to reverse these declines. You can help today by donating to help the High Brown Fritillary.  It was once found in woodland clearings in much of England and Wales. © Iain H Leach, Butterfly Conservation Since the 1970s, its distribution has declined by 96% and it now only remains in Exmoor, Dartmoor, Morecame Bay Limestones and South Cumbria LowFells and the Glamorgan Brackenlands. 3 ways to help butterflies generally Plant a pot for pollinators in your garden – you only need space for a pot, you don’t need acres and acres Volunteer for your local Butterfly Conservation branch Have a good look round their website to look for a way to help

4. Plant Pots for Pollinators - help butterflies by going potty!

   Posted on 1:00pm Friday 2nd Jun 2017

   It’s great to hear about initiatives people can join in with - and better to hear that people are actually joining up and making a difference. This morning I discovered that Butterfly Conservation (who work to conserve butterflies) have an initiative called Plant Pots for Pollinators. It’s an amazing project.   Butterfly Conservation are asking people to plant a pot or pots for pollinators – butterflies and bees. Butterfly Conservation says the UK has 1,500 pollinating species – bumblebees, honeybees, hoverflies, beetles, wasps, butterflies and moths.  Changes in land use and the way it’s managed are destroying vital wildlife habitat on farms, woodlands, towns and cities.  We need to look after our pollinators.    Over 80% of EU crops and 80% of wildlflowers need insect pollination.   Pollinators can only look after us, if we look after them.   And if we provide habitat for them, they will come.   The sight of colourful butterflies fluttering around your garden thanks to your efforts is a truly lovely one.   There’s something very relaxing about listening to bees buzzing around flowers.  So the more plants we pot and grow for our pollinators, the better.  There’s a planting guide with suggestions of what butterflies like The Plant Pots for Pollinators scheme is sponsored by B&Q, so watch for Butterfly Conservation events at some B&Q stores.  And you can add your pot to Butterfly Conservation’s interactive map, which shows how many people have planted a pot and where in the country that pot is.     So far, 340 plant pots have been planted.   Go potty for pollinators this summer!