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"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
 


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Category: Environment

  1. SUCCESS: The Green Match Fund 2023 is from 20-27 April 2023

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    #GreenMatchFund

    Update on 29 April 2023:  The Green Match Fund 2023 was a great success, and £4,349,330 was raised for 178 charities in 7 days.  There were 22,457 donations to make this happen!   Congratulations to all the charities involved! 

    Here's the background here: 

    Here’s a chance to make a donation for wildlife which gets DOUBLED! 

    From the 20th April at midday for one week, you can donate to an environmental charity taking part and your donation will be matched! 

    This is a great chance to really make your £ stretch to make a difference!

    If we all pull together, we can really go places for nature and the natural world
    If we all pull together, we can really go places 
    for nature and the natural world
    Visit the Green Match Fund here

    Charites taking part in the Green Match Fund include:

    • Wildlife Trusts (a number have their own individual appeals)
    • Rewilding Britain
    • Bees for Development Trust
    • Surfers Against Sewage
    • Northumberland Rivers Trust
    • Fauna and Flora International (for pangolins)
    • The RSPB
    • Buglife
    • Students organising for Sustainability (that's Hedgehogs Friendly Schools)
    • Blue Marine Foundation
    • Virunga Foundation (that’s for gorillas)
    • David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
    • ZSL (for big cats)
    • Bumblebee Conservation Trust
    • Wild Fish Conservation
    • Royal Entomological Society (that’s for insects)
    • International Animal Rescue (for mangroves)
    • The Shark Trust
    • Sumatran Orangtuan Foundation
    • Beaver Trust
    • Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (wildcats)
    • Whale and Dolphin Conservation
    • Bat Conservation Trust
    • CPRE (for hedgerows, so important to lifestyle)
    • Wildlife Vets International (for vultures)
    • Space for Giants (elephant-human conflict)
    • South Downs National Park Trust (for a network for ponds)
    • Rhino Ark (UK)
    • Orangutan Foundation
    • Bees Abroad (bees and elephants)
    • Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit
    • Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust
    • Project Seagrass
    • Organisation Cetacea
    • People’s Trust for Endangered Species (for hedgerows)
    • International Otter Survival Fund
    • World Cetacean Alliance
    • The Falconry Centre – Vulture Conservation
    • South Georgia Heritage Trust (whales)
    • UK Wild Otter Trust


    Even if you cannot donate, this is a great opportunity to find out more about what the charities that interest you most do, and to spread awareness of what they do – spread the word!

    The above list doesn’t cover all the charities taking part, so visit the Green Match Fund’s page to find out more!

    #GreenMatchFund

     

  2. Act for wildlife in Cambodia with FFI's urgent appeal in the Cardamom Mountains

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    I’ve had an email from Fauna and Flora International (FFI) about an impending crisis that is about to get catastrophically worse.

    The beautiful Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia are being covered in snares. 

    FFI say that the snares are shredding through clouded leopards, ripping elephant trunks in half and snapping the limbs of their calves.  Pangolins, sun bears, moon bears and indeed any mammal than a mouse are being badly impacted, as any animal larger than a mouse can be trapped in these cruel snares.

    To make matters worse, FFI’s project funding in the area has fallen through.  FFI patrol teams are still able to operate in some areas and maintain an effective resistance.  A very generous donor has enabled them to remove countless snares – and so save many, many animals.  FFI had hoped to extend the areas that they were covering.


    Unfortunately, the donor is unable to continue their support – and FFI must fill a £92,345 hole. 

    If FFI cannot fund the project, the warden leaders won’t be able to pay their patrol teams’ wages – and any who have the means won’t be able to have equipment and the backing to mount and maintain an effective resistance. 

    Funds will be spent on boots, machetes, camping gear, hammocks, rucksacks and everything wardens need to wear as they go out on one patrol after another.   The wardens need GPS kits, patrol mapping – and they need to be paid. 

    FFI say time is short. 

    What’s so important about the Cardamom Mountains?  Well, they have dense rainforest, mangroves and wetlands – and they have more than 60 globally threatened animal species and 17 globally threatened trees.  The Cardamom Mountains matter.  These include:

    • Asian elephants
    • Sun bears
    • The clouded leopard,
    • Dholes, a type of wild dog
    • The Sunda pangolin

    This elephant has been injured by a snare - the boot is protecting his leg
    Young elephant wears a protective boot
    to help recovery, after being caught in a snare.
    Credit: Charnwood Photo

    These snares are CRUEL – as the metal clasp tightens, causing the animal terrible pain.  The more they struggle, the tighter the snare gets, cutting more and more deeply into flesh and bone.  It is a terribly cruel and painful way to die.   

    At the same time, the animals have lost their habitat, because of illegal logging, land encroachment and unsustainable agricultural ways of doing things.  Over 10% of the forest has gone in 15 years  So the animals find themselves in smaller spaces, into what is known as a “wall of death”, because it is easy for them to get trapped by a snare.

    Enter the wardens. They are from the local communities and they cover over 100km every month, spotting and removing snares, watching for any signs of illegal poaching or logging, and undertaking biomonitoring and data-gathering activities.   These activities are important because they give a better understanding of the wildlife in the area, and enable the right decisions to be made about how to help them.

    The clouded leopard is well adapted to prowling through the forest

    The clouded leopard is well adapted to prowling through the forest
    Credit:  Bill – Adobe Stock

    Wardens also help by supplying the human-wildlife conflict teams with flashlights and noise-makers.  These can help deter elephants from the boundaries of farms and villages, so preventing damage to crops and property. These things make a huge impact – there have been no retaliation elephant killings since the wardens started such work.

    The warden team is essential to protect the animals of the Cardamom Mountains. 

    Please help today by making a donation.

     

  3. Stop this oil refinery from operating on St Croix in the US Virgin Islands

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    Care2.com have a petition about an enormous oil refinery on St Croix in the US Virgin Islands.

    It has laid dormant for nearly years – it was forced to shut down after committing dangerous environmental breaches.

    Donald Trump re-opened it in his last weeks of office -     his full plan went into effect on 4 February 2021. 

    Three days later, Care2.com say the sky rained oil.

    A vapour cloud released by the refinery went up into the air, glided to the community of Clifton Hill which is nearby, filled homes, gardens and toys – and then it burst, a mixture of petroleum and water covering cars, toys, and more with oil.

    This was over two months ago.

    Residents say the oil is still stuck to food sources such as avocado and fruit.  It cannot be washed out.


    An oil refinery rained petroleum on wildlife, people, and homes. Shut down this foul plant, now!

     

    The island is surrounded by marine life – coral reefs, sharks and whales.   If the oil keeps going into the soil and water around the island, it could poison people and animals for years to come.

    There is a huge human rights issue as well.

    Care2.com say that most of the residents are black, descendants of Africans who were enslaved and brought to work on sugar and cotton plantations.

    The Biden administration has already started an investigation and revoked a number of permits.

    But the plant is still open.

    Please tell the Biden administration to shut this toxic oil refinery down.   Force its operators to clean up their pollution.

    Please sign here

     

  4. The Skagit Land Trust in Washington protects another 50 more acres!

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    The Skagit Land Trust is a local non-profit conservation organisation located in the beautiful state of Washington.   It is supported by over 1,600 people (indidivduals, families and businesses).  It protects key natural land for future generations of people and wildlife and for the benefit of the community.

    And great news!

    The Skagit Land Trust has protected over 8,560 acres of land and 46 miles of marine and freshwater shoreline in Skagit County.  It’s done this  working with communities, landowners and partners.

    And good news!  They’ve purchased 50 more acres.  These are at the entrance to Samish Island and the land will be managed as part of the Samish Island Conservation Area.

    The Trust now protects 100 acres at the entrance to Samish Island and over half a mile of marine shoreline.  It includes a beach, freshwater wetlands, a tidal marsh, a small creek and tidelands.    And it means that the entrance will be natural open space forever!

    The purchase was possible thanks to over 200 families, businesses and organisations who donated to help purchase the property, and the Washington State Department of Ecology who helped secure a grant of$875,000 from the National Coastal Weltands Conservation Grant Program.  

    The Trust is working to secure further grant funds and these will help repay loans taken out for the purchase and also to help restore the property.  

     


    The 100 acres includes the Samish Island Conservation Area, and the Samish Flower Farm.  It also includes an adjoining private conservation easement, kindly donated over 15 years ago by Jim Squires Jr and Cliff Squires.  Take a look at the areas protected by the Skagit Land Trust and you’ll see how important conservation easement is.

    The first step is a site clean up. 

    Find out all about the Skagit Land Trust’s Conservation Strategy here.

    This just shows what can be done when people pull together towards a common conservation goal, so well done to every one involved.  Donate here.

  5. Rainforest Foundation UK have good news from the DRC about 29,142 hectares of forest!

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    Rainforest Foundation UK have good news from the Democratic Republic of the Congo!

    The Bamasobha Community have been granted their community forest!


    Its community forest programme there has gained momentum, as the Bamasobha community has been granted their community forest!  This secures 29,142 hectares!   Find out more about it here.

    There are now over 100 community forests which are either established or applied for, in the world’s second largest rainforest.  They total over 2 million acres!

    Rainforest Foundation UK works in the two largest rainforests, the Congo Basin and the Amazon.  The forests are spread over billions of acres but as we all know, they are threatened by illegal logging and mining.    Destroy the forest habitats, and you also undermine the livelihoods of locals living there.  You also destroy eco systems.

    ForestLink fights illegal activities in the forest

    So communities are important in the fight against illegal activities, and the Rainforest Foundation UK’s ForestLink monitoring system enables communities to send low-cost alerts about illegal logging.  It’s been so effective that it’s been expanded to the Ivory Coast!


    There was also a landmark conviction of eco-guards for human rights abuses which were committed in the Salonga National Park.   It sends a strong message that abuses won’t be tolerated.  

    Rainforest Foundation UK says that much needs to be done to address the risks from a poorly designed UN plan to double protect areas within the next decade.  It is working to “amplify the voices of those on the frontline of deforestation on the international stage” as the climate summit in Glasgow approaches.

    Visit Rainforest Foundation UK's website here