» Listings for May 2020

1. Go WILD this June with your local Wildlife Trust!

   Posted on 9:00am Thursday 28th May 2020

   Go wild this June! Wildlife Trusts around the UK are encouraging us all to go wild every day this June, and they have plenty of ideas as to how you can do it. The idea is that we all do one  Random Act of Wildness each day, and connect with nature and the natural world around you, or do something small to help nature. This is a great opportunity to find out more about the wildlife local to you and appreciate the wonders of the natural world.   Each Random Act of Wildness doesn’t have to be particularly energetic, either.  Sitting under a tree listening to birdsong constitutes a wild act - which I did yesterday and I have to confess to having fallen asleep. Reading a nature book could be another.  Working out which bird is sitting on your fence could be another.  And of course helping nature could be another – putting a bird feeder up in your garden, creating a log pile, allocating an area where you’re going to let the weeds grow with abandon, or sow wildflowers.  Go Wild for 30 days this June Over 91,000 people have signed up so far to Go Wild in June.   People of all ages can sign up so you can join in as a family, as a care home, as a business or as a school or group.   And it’s a chance to discover all about the wildlife your local Wildlife Trust is working to protect – and find out how you can help.    There are 46 Wildlife Trusts in the UK, and they all have a range of activities you can get involved in, and lots of ways in which you can Go Wild this June.  You can sign up as yourself and family, or your class/school or your workplace.   Click here to sign up.  Click here for the Wildlife Trust's Covid-19 Statement Find your local Wildlife Trust here #Wildlife Trust  #wildlife  #endangeredspecies

    

2. Marine Conservation Society’s Appeal for Marine Meadows

   Posted on 2:00pm Tuesday 26th May 2020

   The Marine Conservation Society wants to help vital seagrass around the south coast of England to recover.  Seagrass exists in the shallow, sheltered waters around the UK’s coast.  It forms marine meadows and these are very productive ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots, with marine life such as the spiny seahorse and the short snouted seahorse.  And cuttlefish and sharks breed here.  They are also nurseries for Pollock, cod and plaice. Support the Marine Conservation Society's Marine Meadow Appeal Image copyright Marine Conservation Society   The climate is changing fast, and the impact is clear to see - bushfires, floods, storms, temperatures which are soring, melting ice sheets.   Seagrass can help tackle the changing climate.  It is a flowering plant, and it lives underwater around the UK's coast in shallow, sheltered waters.  Crucially, it absorbs 10% of the carbon buried in ocean sediment every year - so it's a great weapon in tackling global warming.  The MCS says that it's estimated that seagrass around the UK shores can absorb and store at least as much carbon per hectare as trees in UK woodlands! The problem is that a major threat to seagrass comes from traditional moorring methods - anchors and chais drag along the seabed. If these traditional moorings can be repaced with advanced systems, where chains are raised off the seabed, it will be possible to regenerate marine meadows.   The MCS has trialled these and discovered that they work!  So they want to expand it to five marine protected areas.  This will enable them to better lock in carbon and be a safe protected habitat for seahorses, cuttlefish and juvenile fish. The Marine Conservation Society  needs to install advanced moorings to help replace damaging anchoring methods and let seagrass recover.   And they are asking for donations to help them do just that. How appeal donations will help seagrass and seahorses £10 could help them replant 1 square meter of seagrass;  £20 could help divers monitor the recovery of seagrass beds where advanced mooring systems are installed. £30 could help them to cultivate 10,000 seagrass plants. £35 could help advise boaters, walkers and abait collectors on how to protect seagrass beds and other sensitive habits. £200 could help get old, damaging moorings in seagrass beds removed, ready for the new eco-friendly ones. The Goal of the Appeal: The goal is to raise £105,000 to install over 75 advanced moorings that will replace traditional, damaging anchoring methods and enable seagreass to recover. Find out more and donate here.

    

3. Happy Anniversary to WWT London!

   Posted on 8:00am Tuesday 26th May 2020

   WWT protects wetlands and wildlife.  They have a number of centres around the UK which in non-Covid-19 times you can visit.  As WWT says, if rainforest are the lungs of the planet, then wetlands are the lifeblood.  We all need wetlands to keep our water clean and to help protect against flooding, drought and pollution.  They are home to many different species and in the UK, they are home to 10% of all our species.  So they matter to people and animals. EMERGENCY APPEAL:  WWT have launched an urgent appeal to help them continue their conservation work - like so many charities, their income has been badly affected by Covid-19.   You can donate here. Among the UK's WWT centres, one is based in London. And a very Happy Anniversary to WWT London who celebrated 20 years on 26 May 2020! The WWT has brought the countryside to London and the London Wetland Centre gives amazing peace and quiet to both wildlife and people. The centre records 180 species of bird each year, including stunning kingfishers,  sand martins, wading birds, though the times of the year vary, of course.  The centre is currently closed due to the coronavirus, but please take a few minutes to watch this film and enjoy. You can visit the WWT London online here   Why not become a member to give your support, or adopt an animal?

    

4. Petition to help the koalas of Queensland, Australia

   Posted on 8:00pm Sunday 24th May 2020

   Koalas Will Go Extinct If We Don't Stop Rampant Deforestation - Please sign this petition to help them  This petition is to the Government of Queensland, and Care2.com's The Petition Site is running it. The koala could go extinct within our lifetime, according to researchers.   This is mainly because state governments have been much too lenient when it comes to clear-cutting in the koala's last remaining habitats. For instance, between 2012 and 2016, five thousand koalas died becuase of habitat lost, and 94% of them died because of rural deforetation.   Koalas in Queensland are losing ground to huge stores and skyscapers thanks to the threat of new developments.   Unfortunately, the previous premier rolled back tree-clearing laws.  The new premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk is thinking about introducing new measures which would put an end to endless destruction of the koalas habitat. This petition is about speaking up for koalas, being their voice, and asking the Palaszcuk government to pass new tree-clearing restrictions today.  The koalas can't speak up for themeslves - they have no voice.  We need to be their voice instead. Please sign here to help koalas.

    

5. International Day of Biological Diversity is on 22 May 2020

   Posted on 5:00pm Thursday 21st May 2020

   The 22nd May 2020 is International Day for Biological Diversity and this year, the theme is “our solutions are in nature”. The UN proclaimed such a day to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. Here’s the incredible Sir David Attenborough explaining what biodiversity is: #ShareOurPlanet Watch Our Planet on Netflix The Council of the EU has produced a good video, too, called  Help Protect Biodiversity and it will protect us The theme “Our solutions are in nature” emphasises the importance of working together at all levels to build a future of life in harmony with nature. 2020 is a year to reflect, grab the moment and come up with creative and innovative solutions.  We all need to work to stop biodiversity loss, for all people and all life on Earth. Message from BirdLife International on Biodiversity Day 2020