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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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  1. 34,051 acres saved in Ecuador!

    Posted on

    There’s good news from Ecuador, brought to us by the World Land Trust and their partner Naturalez y Cultura Ecuador (NCE for short). 

    The Santiago Municipal Reserve was officially declared early this month.

    It’s is an important expansion of vital habitat for species, covering 34,051 acres, and it’s a link between two national parks.  Essentially it’s expanded the Sangay-Podocarpus Connectivity Corridor which spans 1.4 million acres as well as parts of the Podocarpus-El Condor Biosphere Reserve.   WLT and NCE work here, too.



    However the protected land doesn’t stop there.  North of the aforementioned connectivity corridor, there’s a 200 mile long area of reserves and national parks.  They like along the eastern Andes, connected by the Llanganates-Sangay Biological Corridor which is managed by Fundacion Ecominga, another WLT partner.  So the network of protected areas now covers about 4 million acres.

    The most recent acquisition of 34,051 acres was partly funded by donations to the World Land Trust’s Action Fund.   The idea behind the Action Fund is that the World Land Trust can respond rapidly to any need to purchase land.

    This purchase is an excellent example of the Action Fund at work and how important it is to be able to move fast in conservation.

    The forests and grasslands would have faced cattle ranching and timber chopping, but thanks to the efforts of supporters like you and me, they have been saved.   Scientists have already recorded 344 plant species, 152 species of birds, 57 amphibian species, 47 mammal species and 11 reptile species.  They all call the area home.

    Their home was saved just in time!

    Visit the World Land Trust's website here

  2. Magnificent investment in gorillas, thanks to one post

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    It’s been quite a week for gorillas, thanks to Reddit’s WallStreetBets (WSB) community.  It’s the group behind the GameStop Movement.

    Imagine - 3,500 gorillas have been adopted!

    In short, Reddit investors have adopted 3,500 gorillas in just six days to help the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.   That’s an incredible investment!

    Normally, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International have about 20 new adoptions on a weekend, so this is truly quite an astonishing leap up!

    And it started with one post...

    It all started to happen on Friday.  A member of the WSB community posted that they had sent a donation to Dian Fossey Fund International which allowed them to adopt their own gorilla.   The charity protects endangered mountain gorillas. 

    And the post was upvoted over 112,000 times – members of the WSB community followed suit and adopted a gorilla!

    Not only that, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International received  over $350,000 (£252,000) in donations as well!

    It’s wonderful to see people wanting to do their bit and it just shows what can be done when one person sows the seed and drops an idea into a community.

    A huge thank you to the Reddit WSB community for supporting the apes!  Dr Stoinski from the charity thanked WSB for their amazing support – the video was posted and upvoted over 159,000 times!


    Essentially, the Fund works in four ways:

    1. Daily protection of the gorillas
    2. Scientific research
    3. Education Conservationists
    4. Helping Communities

    Visit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International

    How you can help gorillas

    Adopt a gorilla here

    Shop in their store here for gorilla products and support the Fund that way

    Find out more about the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International

    Spread the word #gorilla and on social media

    Twitter:  @SavingGorillas

    Facebook:  @SavingGorillas

    Instagram

    Just donate whatever you can

     

    Source:  BBC News

     

  3. Koala Conservation Status: Please petition the NSW Government to raise it to Endangered

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    I’ve had news of a need for help from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

    Back in March 2020, IFAW recommended that the New South Wales (NSW) Government move the conservation status of koalas from Vulnerable to Endangered on an emergency basis.  This recommendation was made on the basis of a scientific report, commissioned by IFAW, which showed that koalas are facing an immediate and significant threat of extinction in NSW.

    Please help by signing this petition

    Please petition the NSW Government to save the koalas
    by giving them endangered status protection

    The change in the koala's conservation status would mean that:

    • There would be greater protection for the forests where koalas live
    • Politicians would have greater powers to stop trees and critical habitat from being cleared.

    This would mean that in the short term, koalas would get some breathing space to recover after the terrible bushfires which killed thousands of koalas and destroyed key koala habitat. 

    The IFAW report showed that:

    • Over 6,000 koalas died in the fires alone
    • In three generations, 65% of the koala population has been lost
    • The fires “all but destroyed” many koala populations that were significant in their regions
    • The bushfires burned over 12.6 million acres across NSW.  This land was vital to koalas.  The land left is depleted because of the long drought.

    Many koalas were left starving and injured.  Things had been bad enough before, because of enormous habitat destruction and a prolonged drought.

     Please act to help koalas!

    Unfortunately, IFAW is still waiting for an answer.   Please, wherever you are in the world, join IFAW and the 190,000 people who have already signed the petition and ACT to save koalas.

    They need every single one of us to help put the pressure on.  It does not matter where we live.   What matters is that we all act for koalas and do what we can to help them.

    Please sign here today, and give the koalas a voice and your support.  And when you’ve done that, please share and spread the word.

                                        

    Please sign here today

     to help koalas

    Thank you.

    Image above © IFAW

     

  4. Snow Leopard Trust's helpline help snow leopards in northern India

    Posted on

    The Snow Leopard Trust has set up a telephone hotline service in northern India.

    It’s a line local communities can call if they need help managing problems with snow leopards.

    They’ve had a number of calls already, including an important call from a village called Gue. 

    There had been five snow leopard attacks there in one week, resulting in the loss of 76 goats.  This was a terrible blow to the community of Gue – and of course to the goats.

    The Snow Leopard Trust’s field team were able to get permission to travel to Gue, where they assessed the situation and then shipped materials so that the most vulnerable corrals could be reinforced.


    They returned again to predator-proof ten corrals.  

    The idea behind the corrals is that they secure livestock at night, locked away safely from predators such as snow leopards.   They also create more interest in the Trust’s conservation work and enhance tolerance of snow leopards.

    Find out more about the Snow Leopard Trust here and the work they are doing on corrals and predator protection here.

    And here are ways to get involved and help.

    The Trust is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

  5. We want clean air! Take action on toxic air!

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    Take action on toxic air!

    There are a couple of petitions you may want to sign – or at least look at – which are aiming to move the planet in the direction of having cleaner air and stopping toxic air.

    Asthma UK:   We want clean air!

    Asthma UK is asking us all to take action on toxic air and tell our leaders that we want CLEAN air.  It has a petition for new, life-saving clean air plans. 

    The charity says that over 6 million people who are older than 65 are at a greater risk of breathing problems and experiencing asthma attics or flare-ups of COPD because of living in areas that are heavily polluted.

    You may remember a land-mark case last year; air pollution was cited for the first time anywhere on a death certificate.   An inquest heard of the role toxic air had played in the death of nine year old London girl Ella Kissi-Debrah as her asthma got worse. 

    Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation have produced a report called The invisible threat:  how we can protect people from air pollution and create a fairer, healthier society.  Their petition is asking us all to show support for new life-saving clean air plans

    Stop this Toxic Treaty Now!

    Avaaz also has a petition called Stop this Toxic Treaty now

    Avaaz says that just as many countries are at last taking action to protect the planet, fossil fuel giants are suing governments for billions.

    You see, the Energy Charter Treaty was designed to encourage energy companies to invest in developing economies.   Unfortunately, it’s being weaponised, as Avaaz calls it, to sue countries which try to shut down toxic coal plants and oil rigs.   Avaaz further say that companies have already won over $50 billion from taxpayer funds.

    However, there is hope.

    There’s a plan to stray this treaty.   Italy has withdrawn.  France and Spain and others are calling on the treaty to go. 

    Please add your voice to Avaaz’s petition and fuel a revolt.  We need to act on climate change and get rid of toxic air.

    We are all affected by toxic air, both animals and people, so let’s put pressure on those in charge to make decisions which help clean up the planet.