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
 


Search Take Action for Wildlife Conservation
 


 RSS Feed

» Listings for July 2019

  1. The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is a safe refuge for the critically endangered black rhino and the endangered Grevy’s zebra, the elephant, lion, giraffe, wild dog and other iconic wildlife species in Kenya.  It is also home to over 400 bird species.

    The Conservancy envisions a future when people in Kenya value, protect and benefit from wildlife so that they can derive their day to day livelihoods in ways that are compatible with thriving wildlife habitat. 

    Lewa has combined the techniques of world-class anti-poaching operations, including cutting edge monitoring technology, with the engagement of the surrounding communities as critical partners in conservation.

    You can help by giving your support to rangers such as FridahA big thank you to Fridah and all the rangers
    for all you do to keep wildlife safe.
    ©Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

    The good news is that Lewa has had NO poaching of rhino since 2013, thanks to their amazing ranger team.

    And this World Ranger Day, you can support their efforts – and every gift you give will be matched!

    Support the rangers on World Ranger Day
    Support the rangers on World Ranger Day
    Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

    This will enable the team to continue protecting wildlife, look after their canine colleagues and get equipped with vital resources such as radios.

    Give this week and double the impact of your gift! 

     

  2. 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!

    Wildflowers are blooming at Chirk Castle in WalesChirk 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. The non-profit organisation the Nature Conservancy announced on Monday that  it has partnered up with private investors to acquire 101,000 hectares of forest land. 

    This forest land lies in the coalfields of Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia.

    The Cumberland Forest Project will do several things:

    • Protect the land
    • Make money through sustainable forestry, recreational leases and the eventual sale of the properties.
    • Help offset carbon
    • Benefit wildlife
    • Help water quality

    The forest lands cover 100,000 acres in Kentucky & Tennessee.   Some 153,000 acres are in south-west Virginia.  As such, this project’s land is one of the largest conservation efforts the group has taken up in the east of the US. Theland was bought from timber investment management companies for $130,000.

    The Cumberland Forest Project won’t own the mineral rights of the land.  This means mining could still take place – but the Nature Conservancy says just a small percentage of the land would be subject to mining and the group would have  a say in the process.


    The area includes the central Appalachians which are especially important to preserve biodiversity and help wildlife adapt to climate change. 

    The Nature Conservancy hopes that this model can be done in other areas, so that long term, a super highway of protected land could be created along the mountain range. 

    It means conservation can happen on a scale which can’t be achieved through philanthropy on its own.

    Conservation needs all the help it can get and it also needs new ways of working so it will be interesting to what this model can achieve. 

    Visit the Nature Conservancy here to see how you can help

     

  4.  

    The West Virginia Governor, Jim Justice, and his family have made a donation to the future of Virginia.

    They have donated 4,500 acres in Virginia and in doing so have forfeited hundreds of development rights.   That’s about 7 square miles.

    The area will remain as timberland and for agriculture – but at least it won’t be full of sprawling housing developments and shopping malls.  

    Known as Presidential Estates, 2,657 acres of the property are ranked as having “High” or “Very High” forest conservation value, according to the Virginia Department of Forestry.   The property also has over 18 miles of watercourses.  These contribute to the aquatic habitat and public drinking water supplies of communities downstream.

    There are plenty of opportunities for us all to make land donations and every single square foot we can donate help.  

    Pledge a patch for wildlife - you don't need thousands of acres to make a difference.

    Pledge a patch for wildlife - you don't need thousands of acres to make a difference.   

    Every square foot helps.  
    Your patch can be as big as this pot with wildlife friendly flowers in it!
    pic copyright to Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

    Worcestershire Wildlife Trust are asking people in the area to Pledge a Patch – which means dedicating an area to wildlife.   This patch could be in your garden, school, community or work place.  It could be a window box, woodland, a bed full of wild-flowers, a tiny pond – anything that makes a difference to wildlife.

    The more of us who can do this, the better.  We have turned our garden over to wildlife and consider it theirs, as much as ours.

    Meantime, donations such as Governor Justice and his family make also help considerably, of course, so if you have a patch of land…. please consider leaving it to a local conservation charity or work out ways to make the most of for wildlife.   Keep it safe from human development. 

     

  5. There’s good news from Tanzania.   Elephant and rhino numbers have started to rebound after the government cracked down on organised criminal networks who were involved in industrial-scale poaching.  These networks were dismantled.

    You may have heard about a well-known Chinese businesswoman who smuggled the tusks of over 350 elephants to Asia.  The “Ivory Queen” got 15 years in prison as a result.

    A special task force was launched in 2016 to fight wildlife poaching.

    Elephant numbers had been 110,000 in 2009 but their numbers tumbled, with conservation groups blaming poaching.   Ivory turned into jewels and ornaments had caused poaching to surge, thanks to a demand from countries such as China and Vietnam.

    Tanzania Travel Guide from Lonely Planet

     

    Tanzania Travel Guide from Lonely Planet


    However, a presidential statement stated last week that elephant numbers have gone up to 43,330 in 2014 (according to the 2015 census) to over 60,000 at the moment. 

    Rhinos had gone up from only 15 to 167 in the last 4 years.  This number 15 is at variance with the CITES estimation of 133 in 2015.  Mind you, either way it means the number of rhinos has gone up.

    It just shows the damage poaching can do to wildlife numbers – and how that damage can be reversed, with real effort. 

    Tourism is the main source of hard currency for Tanzania. Wildlife safaris, Indian Ocean beaches and Mount Kilimanjaro are its most famous “attractions”.

    Revenues from it were up from $1.9 billion in 2015 to $2.5 billion in 2018.

    Tanzania has set aside 32% of its total land area for conservation projects.  I must say this doesn’t sound a very high percentage to me, given the amount of land wildlife used to have, but then if it’s for specific projects maybe that makes it better.

    Unfortunately, it’s dismissed criticism from environmentalists about a $3 billion hydropower dam project in the famous Selous Game Reserve – which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Still lots of room for improvement, then, Tanzania.