» Listings for 2018

1. Help the Sumatran Orangutan Society reclaim and restore forests for orangutans

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 3rd Oct 2018

   Reclaim and restore forests for orangutans Back in August, the Sumatran Orangutan Society launched its Rainforest Home Appeal. The appeal is aiming to buy an oil palm plantation on the edge of the Leuser Ecosystem, so that the land can be reclaimed and restored for orangutans and other wildlife.  It means the habitat will be extended from the neighbouring national park.   The Sumatran Orangutan Society will work with its Indonesian partners - Yayasan Orangutan Sumatera Lestari (YOSL) to buy and restore this 890 acre site to its former natural glory. There’s a very helpful FAQs page so that you can find out why this land matters, how it will be kept safe and how local communities will be involved. There’s been great progress so far! In only 6 weeks, the appeal has raised over £325,000 towards its £870,000 target! There’s more good news – the Lion’s Share Fund has pledged to donate a further $190,000 and that will move the appeal over the half way point Let’s keep the appeal moving The appeal has to hit three targets along the way – it hit the first in September, and the second instalment is due in November, and the third is due in February 2019. Please do what you can to tell others about the appeal and/or make a donation.  Another £108,000 is needed to be able to pay the second instalment in November.  Swing over to SOS, the Sumatran Orangutan Society here.

2. Score a goal for jaguars and help with jaguar conservation

   Posted on 9:00pm Tuesday 2nd Oct 2018

   Here’s a chance to double your donation during the 3rd to 17th July 2018 and really make a difference to jaguars and big cat conservation. The World Land Trust has been saving species and habitats since 1989, working with local conservation partners and supported by willing donors. Visit their website and you’ll see a range of projects they’ve undertaken.  In 2017 alone, thanks to donors and supporters, they supported local partners in the land purchase of acres in Ecuador – 873 Mexico – 1,285 Guatemala – 2,579 Peru – 8,765 Bolivia – 380,395 India – 1,002 Malaysian Borneo – 45 acres Ecuador – 447 Honduras – 22 Ecuador – they planted 123,000 trees In Armenia, they are funding land lease and habitat management in the Causasus mountains, home to species such as the Grey Wolf, Brown Bear, Bezoar Ibex and the Caucasian Leopard. So there’s a project to help Jaguars in the jungle.   It’s called Jungle for Jaguars.  They need £600,000 to purchase 8,154 acres in Belize, which is threatened by deforestation.  The purchase will preserve the land and connect it to neighbouring protected areas, which will give these big cats the freedom to roam and help safeguard their future. ©World Land Trust The jungle is home to all five species of Belize’s wild cats – the Jaguar, Ocelot, Margay, Puma and Jaguarundi, and many bird species will be protected too such as a rare species of hummingbirds, the Keel-billed Toucan and Ornate Hawk-eagle. In the last 10 years, 25,000 acres of wildlife habitat has been lost for agriculture and development in Northern Belize.  The areas around the corridor the World Land Trust want to protect are under increasing threat.  Make your donation between 3rd and 17th October 2018 and your donation will be doubled so this really is a chance to make a critical difference.  The two weeks are known as the Big Match Fortnight. Donate here

    

3. International Animal Rescue helps orangutans on Giving Day For Apes

   Posted on 9:00am Tuesday 2nd Oct 2018

   The Giving Day for Apes took place on 25 September 2018 and one of the 37 sanctuaries involved in the event was International Animal Rescue.  The charity was hoping to raise enough funds to plant 20,000 trees.  The good news is that sufficient funds were raised to reforest a vital area of orangutan habitat.  The charity raised over $16,000 on the day with donations continuing to come in after the event, it was - at the time of writing - just a couple of hundred from its $20,000 target! The charity also won several prizes during the event amounting to $10,000 in total, for receiving the most unique donations of any organisation and for raising the most funds of any Asian sanctuary taking part. Thanks to kindness and generosity of the donors, the orangutans living in Pematang Gadung will have a better chance.  Visit International Animal Rescue

    

4. Panda conservation to benefit from ecological corridors in China

   Posted on 9:00pm Monday 1st Oct 2018

   Forestry authorities in China's north western Shaanxi Province have launched an ecological corridor programme. The programme will connect fragmented giant panda habitat, making it easier for pandas to make their way across the region safely.   Six such corridors will be built by 2027 using bridge construction and road culvert clearance. In addition to building the corridors, bamboo trees are to be planted and vegetation restored along the route.  This means that the pandas willl have plenty to eat along the way. Human activities, road traffic and hydropower station construction meant that panda habitat was being divided into six parts in the Qinling area - it was hard for pandas to connect and move about.  Research shows that about 345 pandas live in the Qinling area.  May there be many more!  Useful information and ways to help pandas US charity Pandas International is busy working hard to help with panda conservation in China.  ″Endangered means we have time, extinction is forever.″  Pandas International  Visit their website to find out more.

    

5. Help the EIA help pangolins

   Posted on 10:00pm Monday 24th Sep 2018

   The Environmental Investigation Agency fulfils a number of roles: Its undercover investigations expose transnational wildlife crime, focusing on elephants, pangolins and tigers, as well as forest crimes e.g. illegal logging and deforestation for crops such as palm oil It safeguards global marine ecosystems by addressed threats presented by plastic pollution, bycatch and commercial exploitation of whales, dolphins and purposes It reduces the impact of climate change, campaigning to eliminate greenhouses gases, exposing related illicit trade and improving energy efficiency. And it uses its findings in hard-hitting reports to campaign for new legislation, improved governance and crucially more effective enforcement. In 2018, the EIA set up a dedicated Pangolin Project but it has already been busy gathering seizure data – you can see this on their interactive Pangolin trade map. Data is vital information; it shows the trends in the illegal trade and so is key for law enforcement and academics examining trends and for advocates of the international ban on the trade of all species of pangolins, which was secured in September 2016. The Pangolin Project will enhance enforcement against the criminal syndiates trafficking pangolins.  It gives actionable information to the authorities and ensures they have the capability to properly implement the protection of pangolins. The data gathered on the criminal networks will help raise awareness of the pangolin trade amongst the judiciary;  and provide training to a new intelligence unit in one of the key countries.   How you can help pangolins You can help by making a donation and also by making sure that you never buy products containing pangolins, especially if you live in or travel to China or Vietnam. If you buy Traditional Chinese Medicine ‘herbal’ products, check ingredients don’t include “Chuan Shan Jia”, also written as 穿山甲