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.

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? 

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.

The 22^nd 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

IFAW have launched a 72 Hour Challenge to help stop the slaughter of elephants and protect animals around the world.

Elephants love sweet, crunchy pumpkins – and if they spot a patch of them, they will eat them.  They may even lead their family to share them 

Sadly, these pumpkins can be laced with deadly cyanide – and that’s done by poachers.

Parks are empty of tourists and budgets for patrols have decreased or stopped altogether so elephants are very exposed to poaching threats.

The lack of tourists, reduced ranger patrols and closed parks have made it very easy for poachers to move in, to kill elephants and sell their ivory tusks.

IFAW (that’s the International Fund for Animal Welfare) are asking us all to chip in and support their 72 Hour Challenge. They are hoping to raise £20,000 by 23 May.

Donations could help establish and train rangers across landscapes where IFAW is working:

• £25 could help train a ranger on how to recognise the signs of poison and poachers
• £50 could help provide the equipment rangers need – maps, boots, uniforms, meal rations – to protect the animals
• £100 could help conduct an anti-poaching patrol, clear snare traps and protect the animals.

Please donate what you can to this urgent Elephant Challenge today.  Please share as well.  If we all donated £3 or £5, that would help a lot.

Please donate today and support this 72 Hour Challenge