Category: Help a species

1. Black bear spotted on camera in Mexico

   Posted on 8:00pm Monday 7th Jan 2019

   Great news from Mexico! The World Land Trust reports that trail cameras in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve there have filmed a Black Bear recorded in central Mexico.   This is the first Black Bear recorded there for 100 years! There's also footage of a nine-banded Armadillo and Jaguar. Back in 2018, supporters of the World Land Trust raised a whopping £57,800 to protect an area of the forest of 578 acres - that's the size of nearly 300 football pitches!

   Would you like to help the World Land Trust protect more acres for wildlife? If you're thinking, "yes, I would!" visit their website here.

    

2. Apathy kills, action inspires

   Posted on 8:00am Wednesday 31st Oct 2018

   It’s very motivating to browse the internet and come across something which really strikes into your heart. The sort of thing I’m thinking of spurs you to take action – not just to want to take action, but to actually do it. How often do we come away having read something, thinking," That’s terrible," and then go on as if we had read nothing or not been affected at all? The key to successful wildlife conservation is to moving people literally to take action, to do something, in whatever way we all can, to do something to save this wildlife on this planet and most particularly, to save and protect their habitats.  Number of actions for wildlife... ___________________________________________________________ 0              1             2              3              4              5              6              7                                          1 action                 is better than                 no action at all The good thing about taking one action is that we tend to feel good about doing it.  And often we may think, "That was easy!  What else can I do?"  Sometimes it’s just the getting started and doing something however little time it takes. The one thing wildlife cannot afford at all is for us all to sit at the zero action position.  We need a total army of people who will move from the zero point to doing stuff.  And if each of us already do stuff, we need to do more. E.O.Wilson is a scientist.  In his book , (which inspires us to set aside half of the earth’s surface for nature), Mr Wilson writes: “To those who are steering the growth of reserves worldwide, let me make an earnest request:  don’t stop, just aim a lot higher.” We all need to act for the sake of wildlife and this beautiful planet of ours. Please take an action to help wildlife today.  One way is to support those already working to grow and protect reserves around the world or protecting the wildlife already there.

    

3. 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.

    

4. 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

    

5. 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