"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
Have you discovered a bee on the floor who looks like they are struggling? What do you do to help?
The RSPB says that if you come across a struggling bee, you should place them safely on a bee-friendly flower - but if there aren't any flowers close by, or the flowers have been drained by nectar by other bees , then a boost of a sugar solution can help the bee find their way to a flower that is full of nectar.
Well, help is at hand with bee revival kits from Beevive! The one below is and above, available from the RSPB, is pre-filled with ambrosia® syrup in a small aluminium vial, and it also somes with 5+ uses which are refillable from home - you just follow the instructions.
Beevive started in 2018, when three friends met a very tired bee, and so created the Bee Revival Kit. They've since visited schools, hosted workshops and collaborated with businesses to spread the word about how important bees are.
Of course, one of the great things we can all do to help bees is to plant flowers that attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has a "Go Potty" campaign to encourage us to do that - you just need a pot to go potty with! Find out all about it here.
Extend the protected area of land by 181 hectares This will mean 1,031 hectares are protected – the ecosystem is threatened by agricultural activity. Pumas roam here – they are safe from human conflict and illegal hunting, but the encroachment of agricultural land could change all this. Without this land purchase, the area could be bought up and used for livestock – and that will make forest fragmentation worse.
Restore 100 hectares of essential cloud forest habitat This will be done by planting 36,500 native tree species between 2023 and 2028. It will reconnect fragmented forests for animals such as the puma, the ocelot and Northern oncilla so that they can move safely, rest and feed. The pumas’ presence and condition will be monitored by the forest rangers, using camera traps to see what the pumas are up to, and rehabilitated wildlife will be released in the area, too.
Protect habitat of 665 species. 15 species are on the IUCN Red List so this project is giving them a lifeline. Species such as the Antioquia Brushfinch are here – this species was once thought to be extinct – and so is the Antioquia Chocolate Frog, a tree frog found in northwestern Columbia alone. This frog needs the torrents and puddles that the damp terrain provides. But a successful appeal will help:
28 Amphibians, of which 3 are threatened species.
443 birds, of which 6 are threatened species
148 mammals of which 4 are threatened species
46 reptiles – 2 species are threatened
Over 250 plant species. These include 120 recorded orchid species and the area also has the world’s tallest palm tree!
4. Ensure the health and security of very important water cycles Wildlife and local people depend on these, as the cloud forest captures, stores and releases water downstream.
5. Offer livelihoods to local people through ecotourism and conservation jobs. Nine cabins will be built to host guests, for example, and ecotourism activities will be developed with local communities. Three forest ranger positions will be held by local people for the first three years of the project and their role will be to plant and nurture trees, monitor camera traps and accompany visitors to the reserve
The Antioquia Brushfinch is one of the species who need this appeal to succeed.
This is an exciting and important opportunity to support Fundación Guanacas, a partner of the World Land Trust, to expand its Guanacas Reserve which has one of the only cloud forests in its Antioquia region. Fundación Guanacas needs funds to save land that would suffer deforestation and soil degradation if it were not saved and restored.
Please support this appeal if you can!
All about the World Land Trust:
The World Land Trust is an amazing charity based in the UK, (HQ in Suffolk). It focuses specifically on conserving threatened habitats and it does this through raising funds for land purchase. It goes down this route with considerable care, and the land is purchased, protected and managed by local partner organisations. Thus is has the ability to respond swiftly when lands are under threat of destruction.
So far, the World Land Trust has protected 2,409,420 acres, and planted 2,457,900 trees. It works in countries such as Argentina, Ecuador, Belize, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, the UK, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Paraguay, India, Guatemala – and lots more! View their projects here
It raises some of these funds through a Buy an Acre scheme – a £100 donation can buy an acre of land and protect it for wildlife in perpetuity. You can also donate (one off or monthly) to the Action Fund which is used to for funds to enable the Trust to respond fast where action is needed, be it to extend and safeguard existing reserves or fight fires, or make sure that the reserves are protected by experienced rangers.
Every year, the World Land Trust has a huge appeal in the autumn. It's called Big Match Fortnight...
All about previous Big Match Fortnights
In 2022, this appeal was a real opportunity to save Ecuador’s incredible Río Anzu and Río Zúñac forests! The Life of the Edge appeal launched in October 2022 reached its £1,430,000 target! Everyone who donated has enabled the World Land Trust's partner – Foundación EcoMinga – to DOUBLE the size of the Anzu and Zúñac reserves in Ecuador’s upper Río Pastaza watershed. Read all about it HERE
Along with donations from EcoMinga’sother supporters, the World Land Trust’s partner would be able to safeguard 5,1234 acres across both reserves, patrolled by the World Land Trust funded Keepers of the Wild. And – very exciting – they will be linked to a 1.6 MILLION hectare protected network.
In 2021, the Trust aimed to raise £1.2 million for the Guardians of Nimla Ha’ – one of their most ambitious appeals to date. An incredible £1.37 million was raised which enabled the Trust’s partner in Guatemala, FUNDAECO, to complete the purchase to TRIPLE the size of their Laguna Grande Reserve, home to over 700 species. Manatees, ocelots, 357 bird species, primates, Jaguars, Margays will all be much safer thanks to this purchase. The reserve tripled in size from 1,668 to nearly 5,000 acres. Find out more about the Guardians of Nimla ‘Ha appeal here.
We need to buy these habitats to protect them. Let conservation be the victor here, not extraction and destruction
Together we can all make this happen. Every single donation will make a difference.
We can act as individuals by donating and spreading the word and being a part of a something really important and terrific. By pulling together, we can power through this appeal and help protect wildlife.
Back in 1971 on 2 February, the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar which sits on the shores of the Caspian Sea
Today, the 2nd February is a really important day for people and wildlife, because it’s a chance to highlight how important wetlands are to us all. They are where land meets sea. The 2nd February is World Wetlands Day. And in 2024, the theme is Wetlands and Human Wellbeing - if we all understood how important wetlands are to our wellbeing, it will help motivate everyone to care for them and protect them.
Join
#GenerationRestoration #ForWetlands
Where are wetlands?
Wetlands cover areas such as shores, estuaries, mudflats, floodplains, coastal marshes, local ponds, the bog and pond in your garden, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, and rivers. They cover a very small of the earth’s surface – and yet they are one of the most important habitats on our planet. WWT has lots of information about these areas - you can click to see it here.
"If rainforests are the lungs of the planet, then wetlands are the lifeblood. As much as we need air to breathe, we need water to live. The conservation of our wetlands is essential to all life on earth.” WWT
Why wetlands matter to people:
They provide us with drinking water
They store a third of the world’s carbon emissions
...and help the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust push for the creation of 100,000 hectares of healthy wetlands in the UK to help fight the wellbeing, climate and nature crises.
Why do wetlands matter to wildlife?
40% of all plant and animal species live or breed here.
Sundarbans National Park (India) is formed of tidal rivers, creeks and canals and supports species such as the single largest population of tiger, and aquatic mammals such as the Irrawaddy and Ganges River dolphins, all under threat.
Mud, mud, glorious mud The power of mud....Preventing climate change Watch this video from WWT on You Tube to find out what mud can do to combat climate change
So what’s happening to wetlands in our changing world?
A recent global IPBES assessment identified wetlands as the most threatened ecosystem. This impacts 40% of the world’s plant and animal species that live or breed in wetlands.
The official website of World Wetlands Day says "we need to revive and restore degraded wetlands".
35% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared in the last 50 years
Our wetlands are threatened by:
Pollution
Climate change
Dams
Over-exploitation
Unsustainable development
Invasive species
So what can we all do to help wetland conservation?
WWT can create new wetlands in a few months and years – so your support can really make a difference quickly. But there’s something we can all do to help and you’ll find more links and further resources further down.
Find out why they matter to people and wildlife.
See what you can do at home to help wildlife. Create a (mini) pond in your garden, local area or school - WWT or the RSPB can show you how
Visit a wetland close to you if there is one, and spend time there. Use your senses while you visit. Listen to the sounds you can hear; look at the sights, smell the scents. Connect with them.
Find out which of your local conservation charities are working to protect and restore wetlands. How can you get involved and support them? Many of them will be working on projects which you may be able to get involved with. This could be by volunteering, donating, buying something from their online shop, becoming a member, spreading the word about them - there are lots of ways to help.
#WetlandBiodiversityMatters to see what’s happening
Support an appeal for wetlands somewhere in the world
World Wetland Network – a collection of NGOs and Civil Society Groups all working for wetland conservation
Wetland Link International – a support network for wetland education centres which deliver engagement activities on site. The WWT in the UK lead it; it has 350 members over 6 continents!
RAMSAR – The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
World Wetlands Day – held every year on 2 February to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands and how we can all help
