"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
The 29th July is World Tiger Day(also known as International Tiger Day and Global Tiger Day). It's an opportuniity to celebrate tigers, one of the world's most iconic big cats.
Today, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF)** reports that there are only 4,500 tigers left in the wild today –a decrease from 100,000 in a century and three subspecies have become extinct. There are more tigers in captivity around the world than in the wild, bred for consumption and entertainment.
The illegal wildlife trade in both tigers and tiger parts – captive breeding facilities have made things much worse
Habitat loss -tiger habitat has decreased by 93% - all species need the right sort of habitat to survive and thrive, and it needs to be protected habitat
Human-wildlife conflict
The illegal wildlife trade is using wild and captive tigers to meet the demand for their body parts. As the tigers are now so scarce in the wild, cruel and dirty tiger farms make these body parts far easier to source.
Please help the DSWF shed light on the dark side of the illegal tiger trade today.
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation launches a Tiger Appeal:
DSWF supports frontline tiger conservation initiatives in India, Thailand and Russia and provides funding for undercover investigations and exposés into the illegal wildlife trade. DSWF have launched a Tiger appeal to raise vital funds to fight the illegal trade in tigers.
By donating today, you can provide funding to debunk myths on the use of animal by-products in traditional medicine, fund anti-poaching rangers and fund undercover investigations to disrupt criminal networks involved in the illegal tiger trade. Donate Here
The RSPB and the Co-op have announced a three year partnership to protect carbon stores through the restoration and long-term management of UK peatland.
The focus will be upland peatland in Scotland and Wales which are owned by the RSPB, also supported by the National Peatland Action Programme in Wales and Peatland ACTION in Scotland. These areas are about the same size as 400 football pitches.
In the UK, peatlands store about 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon and they provide vital habitats for wildlife and reduce flood risk. But 80% of the peatlands in the UK are degraded, and without any intervention to repair and preserve them, their greenhouse gas emissions could exceed the equivalent of 20 million tonnes of CO2 a year.
The Co-op’s initial investment is £1 in 2023, and it’s funded via sales of compostable carrier bags in its stores. It’s part of the Co-op’s Climate Plan commitments to fund UK natural restoration.
The Co-op has reduced the carbon emissions of its operations by 56% since 2016, and back in 2021, it was the first supermarket to ban the sale of peat-based compost from its stores, with only peat free alternatives available to customers.
The benefits of the project will be:
To restore and maintain actively eroding peatland
To create the conditions needed for the areas to recover
The protection of natural habitats for wildlife
Potentially, improving water quality and reducing flood risk by regulating water flow
The two areas involved are Cerniau at RSPB Lake Vymwy in Powys, Wales, which is the largest area of blanket bog and European dry heath in Wales. It’s a vital area for breeding birds and it supports species such as the Hen Harrier, the Merlin, the Peregrine and Red Kite.
Lumbister at RSPB Yell is on one of Shetland’s most northern islands, and home to upland waders such as Snipe, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Curlew and Whimbrel, as well as the Arctic Skua, the Great Kua, Red-throated Divers, and otters. Round-leaved Sundew and Butterwort and Sphagnum moss are also to be found there.
The RSPB’s Executive Director for Income and Conservation Investment, Rebecca Munro, said that “Businesses have a vital role to play in the transition to net zero and we are excited to be working with Co-op to protect and restore some of our most precious upland sites to make sure these places are delivering for our climate, whilst also providing a lasting home for our wildlife.”
Guy Stuart, Director of Sustainability, Techhoical and Agriculture, Co-op, said “We are in the grip of a climate and environment emergency, a crisis which is of humankind’s making. Around the world we are seeing shocking water shortages, floods, extreme heat and biodiversity losses. We need to decarbonise and quickly”.
Mr Stuart noted that we can reduce carbon far faster than we are at the moment through co-operation, and this partnership between the RSPB and the Co-op can play a part in helping to avoid carbon emissions. Repairing peatlands will increase carbon stores.
This is a UK-wide survey aiming to help Butterfly Conservation assess our envrionmental health. All you need to do is to count the amount and type of butterflies and moths you see! It starts on Friday 14th July and runs to 6th August 2023 and all you have to do is to choose a place to spot butterflies and moths. Watch for 15 minutes. Then record which species you see. There's lots of help on the website, so flutter away to find out more here.
Citizen Science works wonders!
The increase in the number of opportunities to be a citizen scientist has unearthed a number of benefits for nature-based citizen science projects and those taking part in them.
What is citizen science, anyway?
It’s when ordinary people like you and me volunteer to do scientific research. We could collect data and send it off to the organisation conducting the research or get more scientifically involved. Some people design experiments, whilst many others simply take part in projects. Things like this really matter because they help conservation organisations build up a more detailed picture of how wildlife is faring, for example, and which species need help.
Citizen science projects can include things such as counting butterflies and bird species and finding ancient trees, or reporting on snakes and other reptiles they’ve seen. Some of these projects are annual events whilst others are on-going.
The other great thing about it according to a recent study is that people can build a connection to science and the natural world. They believe they’re doing something worthwhile with their time, something that will make a difference, and they can enjoy the benefits the natural world gives them. And they feel happier afterwards.
Information about the study
In People and Nature (9 February 2023), the results of a study were published concerning citizen science. The study was called “Nature Up Close and Personal: A Wellbeing Experiment”. The study is the first to investigate the effects of citizen science on volunteers. Ecologist Dr Michael Pocock who is from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) led the study which was undertaken during 2020 (the pandemic restrictions were in force) by UKCEH, the University of Derby and the British Science Association.
The average age of the 500 participants from across the UK was 52 and there was a control group. They were surveyed before and after taking part, so assessing differences in their connection to nature, their wellbeing and pro-nature behaviour.
Particpants were asked to do a 10 minute nature-based activity at least 5 times over 8 days, namely a pollinating insects survey, a butterfly survey, spending time in nature and writing down 3 good things they noticed or a combination of both.
The results of the citizen science study
The people who spent time in nature and writing down 3 good things they noticed were more likely to say they’d do wildlife friendly activities in future, so it seemed that the activity strengthened their relationship with the natural world. (You could try this last activity at home and see how you feel about doing wildlife friendly activities.)
All the volunteers showed better scores in wellbeing and feeling connected to nature. Comments included “it gave me permission to slow down” and “it reminded me that small things can make a difference to my mood” and “it made me more aware of nature in all aspects of the environment.”
Participants reported improved levels of happiness, a greater connection with nature and a determination to do wildlife friendly activities e.g. planting more pollinator-friendly plants in their gardens, creating shelters for wildlife. Nature can indeed benefit from our involvement in citizen science!
Anyone can get involved in citizen science!
And the great thing about citizen science is that anyone can take part – you just need to have a bit of time and to be curious and willing to watch and record. It’s another way in which we can strengthen our relationship with the natural world, which must surely be good for nature, for wildlife and for us! It means that people can enhance their connection with nature whilst helping conservation as they collect important data.
The researchers believe their results highlight the benefits of focusing on the natural world, and that’s even if that’s just for a few moments.
The World Land Trust is fundraising to raise £586,250 so that their partner, MGB-Madagascar, can protect the last home of lemurs in the Vangaindrano District of Madagascar.
Fund new rangers to patrol and protect Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika for a minimum of five years.
The MGB-Madagascar will be able to both protect and restore a new area around the forests of Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika.
Introducing the forest
The area is home to the Critically Endangered White-Collared lemurs and over 50 other threatened species. There are 295 flora species, and six types of lemur.
Amongst the species include the critically endangered Dypsis elegans palm trees, the endangered Noronhia densiflora and the endangered Sylvichadsia grandidieri legume.
The Antesaka people who live in the forest rely on it for food and medicinal plants, for the materials they need to build their homes, and the water for their crops, as the video shows.
Did you know…. 80% of Madagascar’s flora doesn’t exist anywhere else, because it’s been isolated for over 80 million years?
The Missouri Botanical Gardens’ Madagascar Programme (MGB-Madagascar) has helped to protect this forest since 2009. And the Ankarabolava-Agnkatrika Protected Area was established in 2015 and stands at 1,562 hectares in size. They now want to add to that with another 200 hectares. They are a partner with the World Land Trust, and their efforts so far have already halted lemur hunting in the area.
For deforestation has been growing ever closer to the area as a result of demand for timber and charcoal – tree feeling and fire is getting closer and closer to the forest boundary. Cyclones can really damage the forest. So it is vital that action is taken quickly to save the last of the natural forest in the district.
You can help to secure the future of the forest by making a donation. The appeal, if successful, will bring 1,000 jobs to the area, and it will give 30 staff nursery training and the protection of the forests they rely on for water, medicinal plants and food. You can provide an income for farmers whose land is no longer productive.
Lemurs are essential as seed dispersers. They are the largest fruit eaters in Madagascar – and they have the ability to swallow the seeds that small bats and birds cannot, so they are the only seed disperser for many plant species on the island.
Let’s give the lemurs more forest to call home and to roam in. They can help expand it with seed dispersal!
There’s very exciting news from English Heritage. They are creating and/or restoring 100 wildlife meadows for King Charles III’s Coronation!
In the UK, we have lost about 97% of our wildlife meadows since the 1930s and the arrival of post-war modern farming practices. Before this, meadows, road verges and lawns would have had far more diverse flowers and plants than we have today.
Meadows require cutting for hay and English Heritage are going to enhance and create 100 meadows at their palaces, prehistoric stone circles, abbeys and castles! This will establish flower-rich grasslands across England. It will restore the lost meadows and enhance those already in existence. This is a pledge from English Heritage to King Charles III.
The King has done his own wildlife meadow at Highgove, and Boscobel now has a wildflower meadow.
This will help bees and butterflifes and all sorts of insects and birds, but it will also help people, as grasslands that are in good shape are able to tackle pollution and lock atmospheric carbon below ground. It will mean there are more natural spaces at the heart of the English Heritage properties that are one of the 100; visitors will be able to get an idea of what it was like for those who lived there before.
English Heritage are hoping that local communities will get involved too and help transform their local heritage sites into meadows rich in flowers, thereby improving the quality and diversity of local grasslands.
The plan is to source seed from meadows in the area to make sure that viable local species of wildflowers can be introduced to each site. This should also mean that a special range of landscapes on with different soils and geology will be produced, such as damp acid grasslands and dry chalk grasslands.
Plantlife are supporting this wonderful transformation by providing expertise, resources, skills development training and the opportunities to change knowledge as things progress.
Amongst those sites on the list are Boscobel in Shropshire (famous as a place where Charles II hid from the Cromwellians after the Battle of Worcester), Down House in Kent (home of Charles Darwin), Stonehenge in Wiltshire, and Barnard Castle in County Durham.
