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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: Wildlife Habitat: Tree Planting

  1. Wildlife habitat planted for wildlife in Shropshire

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    There’s good news from the Shropshire Hills. 

    National Trust volunteers have planted over 2,000 native trees there as part of a big conservation project.

    The Stepping Stones project will help wildlife


    Introducing the Stepping Stones project

    Stepping Stones is a landscape-scale conservation project.  It’s aiming to improve the area, restoring habitats and linking them together, thereby creating wildlife corridors.

    Volunteers have planted wildlife-friendly saplings such as elder, holly, hawthorn and rowan.  These trees will give nectar, berries and shelter for birds and other wildlife in the future and they will create a corridor that connects areas for wildlife.  

    The Stepping Stones project will help wildlife such as dormice

    Wildlife corridors are critical to wildlife

    The idea of wildlife corridors is that wildlife can move through an area, because the corridors link up areas of habitat so they can get from A to B – almost like their own motorway network, or railway system.

    This project is necessary because the area – like so many others – has lost many hedgerows and trees in fields.  This is because of agricultural practices which have changed over time.

    Patches of woodland have been cut off from each other – so species such as dormice get stuck in one area – they need hedgerows to move through an area.  Less scrub and thicket have meant less breeding habitat for songbirds.

    So planting long strips of native woodland – very wide hedgerows – have created new habitat which link up other areas.

    Volunteers are really making a difference to wildlife


    This plan will help strengthen the network of woodland corridors

    The ultimate idea is to strengthen the network of woodland habitat in the area.   This really will help wildlife move about safely – they will have somewhere to nest and rest, too, and it will make the landscape look even more beautiful for us all to enjoy!


    You can support the National Trust’s Stepping Stones appeal here.

     

  2. Please see this video from Gravitas - how nature is reclaiming its spaces due to the Coronavirus

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    Sometimes you see something on the internet or on television that really hits you hard and makes a point extremely well.

    I saw this video, this afternoon, and I wanted to share it with you.  Please share it with everyone you can.

    The ultimate message is that we SHARE this planet.  It demonstrates how dominant the human race has become - and how selfish.   I am not going to tell you anymore about it - please just watch it for yourself.   Here it is:



    Thank you, Gravitas.

    Please vow to make a difference today. 
    Find out how to reduce your impact on the earth's resources here.

     

     

     

     

  3. URGENT Appeal for Koalas and the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital GoFundMe Appeal

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    I have just read the most terrible news.  Koala populations and their habitat have decreased to such an extent that they are now “functionally extinct”.

    Forbes.com reports that Chairman of the Australian Koala Foundation estimates that over 1,000 koalas have been killed from the fires.  80% of their habitat has been destroyed, thanksk to bush fires, prolonged drought and deforestation.

    Functionally extinct occurs where a population has become so limited that their population is  no longer viable. The small number of the surviving animals means that they are unlikely to survive long term. 

    Koalas eat up to 2 pounds of  eucalyptus leaves a day. And bushfires and deforestation has destroyed this main food source.  The recovery of such plants after fires will take months – so there will be no food for the koalas. 

    HELP KOALAS

    The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has a Go Fund Me page.  The hope was is that they would reach $25,000. 

    So far, they have raised $1.35 million from 35,000 donors. 

    One of the things they want to do is to install drinking stations for koalas in areas devastated by the fires.  And they want to have a Koala Ark so that burned koalas can live in a healthy habitat as they recover.

    The hospital are searching for koalas, along with the National Parks and Wildlife Service crew leaders.  So far 31 koalas have been brought to the hospital from various fire locations.

     Koalas arriving at the hospital are rehydrated and examined for burns.  Burns are treated with cream, and then bandaged.  Dressings are changed every three days.

     The hospital wanted to raise money to buy and distribute automatic drinking stations in the burnt areas to help koalas and wildlife.  Now, more will be built, and shared with other wildlife organisations in areas affected by fire.   Two will go to the Northern Rivers fire area next week.

    The hospital is buying a water carrying vehicle with fire fighting capabilities to replenish the drinking stations with water as they need it.

    Thanks to the incredible amount of money raised, the hospital is going to establish a wild koala breeding programme.

    The bushfires in and around the Port Macquarie area killed about 350 koalas.  75% of the fireground footprint was prime koala habitat.



    Be a part of this rescue mission - please donate

    As well as donating to help the koalas, we can all do what we can do consider how our life style is impacting on the planet.   The human race has caused enough destruction of our natural world.  It’s time to do the right thing and put this right.

    PLEASE DONATE NOW

    These koalas need our help


    All images on this blog copyright to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.  

    PS There's another GoFundMe appeal for the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation who are also needing funds to help care for koalas affected by wildfires.  Visit their GoFundMe page

  4. Koalas need our help as bushfires rage in Australia

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    Wildfires often hit the headlines now, but the media are slow to consider the impact they have on wildlife.  Sometimes they say “nobody died” and I really wonder if they are aware of the millions of animals who have been injured or, worst, died in the fires.

    And at the moment wildfires are raging, in California and New South Wales.

    In New South Wales, they are burning across Port Macquarie.  It’s estimated that between 20,000 to 48,000 koalas live both here and in Queensland.  They are heading for extinction here as early as 2050.

    It’s feared that a large number of koalas may have died in the flames.  Others will be homeless as their trees have burnt down; more will be suffering from smoke inhalation or burns.

    WWF Australia urgently needs all our support to help restore koala habitat and to care for injured wildlife.   Every single koala matters.

    Please help koalas today and help WWF Australia plant the first 10,000 trees 

    WWF have launched a plan to save koalas and to help protect and restore the trees they call home.

    The WWF Plan is called Two Billion Trees, and it’s a commitment to secure two billion trees over the next decade.  These will provide vulnerable wildlife with safe homes by:

    • Stopping excessive tree-clearing
    • Protecting existing forest and woodland
    • Restoring and planting new trees

    Whatever the outcome for koala numbers, their habitats will need to be restored, both for koalas and other wildlife.  The thing about koalas is that they are dependent on trees.  They need them for their food, their shelter and their safety.   Trees make a difference to koalas.  Without trees, they have nowhere to call home.

    So the area where the effort is to be concentrated is a koala triangle, between south west Sydney, Gennedah and Noosa.   It’s the heartland of Australia’s healthiest wild koala populations, but it’s threatened, not just by bushfires but by development.

    Please help plant the first 10,000 urgently needed trees in critical koala habitat, to save our precious koalas before they’re gone forever.


     

  5. Trees for Life plant record number of trees in a year!

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    There’s some amazing news from Scotland.

    The charity Trees for Life have just totted up the number of trees they planted in 2017 and it comes to a record breaking:

    156,869 trees!

    Of these, 133,000 were planted at the Allt Ruadh exclosure at the Dundreggan Conservation Estate, thus helping to restore the Caledonian Forest in the stunning Highlands.



    Volunteers spent over 5,000 planting trees, and members, donors and supporters similarly played a vital role in ensuring the trees could be planted.

    What’s more, Trees for Life have been invited to join the growing European Rewildling Network which puts the restoration of the Caledonian Forest in the Highalnds firmly on the European map.

    The network shows how re-wilding can benefit from economic development, including nature based tourism such as wildlife watching, nature-based tourism and volunteer opportunities.

    Trees for Life has a number of Conservation Weeks and Conservation Days throughout the year, bringing visitors to Scotland.  

    The Caledonian Forest is Scotland’s equivalent of the Amazonian rainforest.  Today, just 1% of the original area is left, but Trees for Life has already restored large areas in Glen Affric and at the Dundreggan Conservatoin Estate by planting over 1.3 million trees and encouraging natural restoration. 

    The charity’s Caledonian Pinewood Recovery Project will help to restore 50 acres of remnant pinewoods – mostly ancient 200 year old “Granny” Scots pines which are dying.  There are no young trees to succeed them, so the fragments are in danger of vanishing without action.

    You can find out more about Trees for Life here  and how to help here.