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.

Boat owners are going to have anchoring restrictions to protect rare seahorses and marine life.

There are plans for 41 new marine conservation zones around the coast.   One of those that will receive protection is Studland Bay in Dorset.   It will be protected from yachts and motorboats that moor there.  In Kent, Goodwin Sands (a 10 mile sandbank) will receive similar protection. The Camel Estuary (Cornwall) and the Orford Inshore (off Suffolk) will be protected too.

In 2008, the Seahorse Trust found 40 seahorses in Studland Bay. 

In 2018, (last month in fact), the Seahorse Trust found 0 seahorses in Studland Bay.  That’s zero.

Heavy anchors and their metal chains destroy seagrass, the normal habitat for seahorses.  And the Seahorse Trust says that seahorses should recolonise the area after the seagrass had recovered. 

The charity says that while serious yachts people don’t anchor on the sea grass, plenty of boat users do.

Boating enthusiasts protested but the government fortunately over-ruled them. 

Needless to say, the Royal Yachting Association has said it will impose restrictions, believing that seahorses and recreational boating activities can "reasonably co-exist".

"Reasonably exist" isn’t good enough.   

If, over 10 years, the number of seahorses in Studland Bay has plummeted from a find of 40 to 0, there must be a very good reason.

It’s high time government stepped in, did the right thing and protected wildlife habitat. 

A good move by the British Government.   Now, more protection for wildlife, please!

Give wildlife the space and right habitat to thrive, they will. 

Visit the Seahorse Trust and find out how you can help here

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.   

There’s been a great effort in the Channel Island of Jersey by students at one of the schools there, Victoria College.

The boys there have been collecting aluminium cans – 2,000 in all – for the Durrell Cans for Corridors initiative.   The 2,000 aluminium cans have provided enough for 40 trees to be planted!

The scheme was set up in Jersey in 2002 and was supposed to run for a year but it's been so successful, it was continued. 

The Cans for Corrridors project was founded back in 2002.  The aim was to help restore the natural habitat of endangered animals, as it had been destroyed by deforestation. 

The money raised from recycling 50 cans means that the project can plant one tree in a tree corridor in Brazil!

Durrell aims to restore, expand and link previously destroyed habitats. 

Since the collection point at Durrell’s wildlife park was installed, islanders in Jersey have put over 1 million cans into it. 

Aluminium is used over other materials because it is the most cost-effective reclaimable metal.   Recycling it is 90% more efficient than mining the raw material, according to Durrell.   And a recycled can will be back on supermarket shelves in approximately 2 months

Even if you don’t live in Jersey, you can collect cans and other recyclable aluminium products.  There are a number of aluminium recycling centres around the UK and you can find your nearest and whether they can collect your cans.  Kitchencraft.co.uk even have a can crusher you can buy to make recycling easier.  The funds raised can then be sent to Durrell, marked ‘Cans for Corridors’. 

There’s a poster you can download to raise awareness of the scheme for Durrell.

If you’re a charity, find out how you can recycle and raise funds 

The Kenyan government has set up a task force to look into ways to deal with human-wildlife conflict and clashes between ranchers and communities.

The task force is expected to make recommendations on game farming and game ranching.  It will evaluate its contribution to Kenya’s GDP, and food security.

The Kenya Wildlife Service is busy dealing with cases of poaching and wildlife trafficking, but also cases of human-wildlife conflict.  Pastoral communities have invaded private ranches as they look for pasture.

So the task force is expected to come up with solutions to human-wildlife conflict which will last, and also safeguard game parks, community and private land.

It is aiming to create a peaceful co-existence between communities and wildlife.