» Listings for 2019

1. There’s good news in Northumberland, thanks to nature lovers.

   Posted on 5:00pm Monday 15th Jul 2019

   There’s good news in Northumberland, thanks to nature lovers. Nature lovers there have got together to help buy and protect a tract of land there.  It’s a 600 acre site called Benshaw Moor in Redesdale, with heather habitat, peatland and limestone waterfall and springs. Birdlife at Benshaw include curlew, snipe, skylark, meadow pipit and short-eared owls. It’s now Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s 63rd nature reserve. Thanks to a united effort, 600 acres at Benshaw Moor in Northumberland is safe. The Trust was concerned that the land be used for business such as a commercial conifer forestry, or windfarm.  Shooting will not be allowed there any longer. £570,000 was raised from charitable trusts, businesses and a significant bequest.   The public donated £75,000.  The bequest came from the late George Swan, who wrote the Flora of Northumberland which was a record of the county’s plant species.  Mr Swan specified that the bequest be used to buy a site of botanical importance. Nature lovers will still be involved:   the wildlife charity’s team and volunteers will do surveys to better understand the site to help guide its future management.  Possible options include areas of native woodland, and conservation grazing, with Exmoor ponies or cattle. It just shows what can happen if we all get involved and unite for wildlife.   Find out how you can get involved in and help the Northumberland Wildlife Trust – even if you don’t live in this beautiful area! Get involved  - volunteer, visit nature reserves, go to events etc Support the Northumberland Wildlife Trust – donate, become a member, leave a legacy. There are 46 Wildlife Trusts around the UK and in Alderney and the Isle of Man – find your local here

    

2. Save the Murchison Falls in Uganda

   Posted on 9:00pm Saturday 29th Jun 2019

   There’s news from the Wildlife Conservation Society. A spectacular wilderness in Uganda is under threat from Uganda’s Electric Regulatory Authority which is looking for approval for a new hydroelectric plant connected to the park’s amazing waterfalls. The Murchison Falls National Park is not only one of the most popular tourist attractions in Uganda.  It’s also home to elephants, lions, hippos and giraffes and many other species.  A few years ago in fact, scientists surveyed the area – they found it twice as rich in wildlife as previously thought. If the ERA gets approval for this plant, it would be devastating for both wildlife and locals who need tourism.  Across many sectors, there’s growing outcry that this damming of the river which feeds the Murchison Falls is a bad idea. And the wildlife and locals in Murchison Falls need support from outside Uganda to stop the building of the plant. There needs to be a global response which emphasise the importance of this national park – and others like it.   We all need to make it clear that protecting Uganda’s biodiversity is important to all of us, not just Uganda. Will you add your support?   The Wildlife Conservation Society is asking as many people as possible to speak up by 3 July so that they can delivery comments to the ERA Please show your support.  Let the ERA know the plans for a new dam should not go ahead. Give your support to wildlife and sign here

    

3. Water flow lessens animal-human conflict in Liwonde National Park, Malawi

   Posted on 9:00pm Friday 21st Jun 2019

   Water flow lessens animal-human conflict in Liwonde National Park, Malawi We all need water, humans and animals. So what happens when there is competition between humans and animals for water? Liwonde National Park in Malawi is home to over 10,000 different species.   Black rhinos, elephants, zebras and baboons are among them – the place is a biodiversity hotspot. The Shire River passes through the area, and is a vital life source for all the animals there. Years of poaching, illegal fishing and snaring have devastated the park’s ecosystem.  Competition for resources has rocketed; as well as the animals, people need water to survive.  The people of Chikolongo had to go miles to retrieve water from the Shire River – it was the only major source of water available.  In their trek, the journey often led to death for people and animals – especially as a result of human encounters with crocodiles, elephants and hippos. The IFAW (that’s the International Fund for Animal Welfare) heard about the crisis in Chikolongo and knew they had to help. So in 2013, they created the Chikolongo Livelihood Project – designed to build sustainable solutions to reduce the conflict between villages and wildlife. They completed a water pump and pipeline to bring easily accessible and clean water directly into the heart of the Chikolongo community. Since that pipeline was created, there have been no incidents of human-wildlife conflict.  The villages have what they need to co-exist amongst the animals they had thought were dangerous.  They are happier. Plus, IFAW established a community fish farm and developed an incentive system to encourage the growth of commercial crops which was designed to help reduce poaching.  And the animals of Liwonde National Park are successfully recovering. Find out more about the initiative here

4. Great news for dolphins in Greece

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 19th Jun 2019

   A Greek conservation group has created the world’s first dolphin sanctuary!  The  Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation created it for dolphins who have been rescued from captivity.    It’s on the island of Lipsi, south of Samos in the eastern Aegean.  The hope is that these rescued dolphins will have a safe place to live out their lives, and also end their exploitation in zoos and marinas.  They say there are nearly 3,000 dolphins in captivity around the world and hope that by providing this sanctuary, they will help change worldwide perception of animals in captivity. It is hoped that the knowledge gained by helping these dolphins can be used by scientists around the world.  The Institute exists to defend nature.  It has over 20  years research and now it’s taken action to create this first dolphin sanctuary. You can help by making a donation The Institute aims to defend the biodiversity of Greek seas and islands, and also the north eastern Mediterranean.

    

5. 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!