"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
I was reading through the excellent magazine Natur from the North Wales Wildlife Trust this morning.
One piece of news particularly caught my eye and just shows how levying the 5p on carrier bags can help wildlife.
The support of Tesco’s customers through this levy has enabled the North Wales Wildlife Trust to manage the Riwledyn Nature Reserve. This is a 12 acre reserve close to the sea. They’ve been able to maintain areas of limestone grassland and protect local wildlife.
In 2017, the Trust:
Purchased new hand-tools, 2 new brush-cutters, personal protective equipment and fencing materials to facilitate grassland and grazing management. Three volunteers were trained in the art of using a brush-cutter.
A group walk in July spotted a dark-red helleborine – the first time this orchid has been spotted at the reserve – plus spiked speedwell, white horehound and a loud chattering of chough
Local volunteers and youth groups (Conwy Healthy Image Group and Itaca Youth Group) helped to install 2 new oak benches along a busy section of the Wales Coast Path – and they’re proving very popular for people to use after climbing up and over the Little Orme!
There’s been a great effort in the Channel Island of Jersey by students at one of the schools there, Victoria College.
The boys there have been collecting aluminium cans – 2,000 in all – for the Durrell Cans for Corridors initiative. The 2,000 aluminium cans have provided enough for 40 trees to be planted!
The scheme was set up in Jersey in 2002 and was supposed to run for a year but it's been so successful, it was continued.
The Cans for Corrridors project was founded back in 2002. The aim was to help restore the natural habitat of endangered animals, as it had been destroyed by deforestation.
The money raised from recycling 50 cans means that the project can plant one tree in a tree corridor in Brazil!
Durrell aims to restore, expand and link previously destroyed habitats.
Since the collection point at Durrell’s wildlife park was installed, islanders in Jersey have put over 1 million cans into it.
Aluminium is used over other materials because it is the most cost-effective reclaimable metal. Recycling it is 90% more efficient than mining the raw material, according to Durrell. And a recycled can will be back on supermarket shelves in approximately 2 months
Even if you don’t live in Jersey, you can collect cans and other recyclable aluminium products. There are a number of aluminium recycling centres around the UK and you can find your nearest and whether they can collect your cans. Kitchencraft.co.uk even have a can crusher you can buy to make recycling easier. The funds raised can then be sent to Durrell, marked ‘Cans for Corridors’.
It would be the dream of my life to make or win tons of money and be able to give it all to wildlife conservation and reforestation!
In late March 2018, philanthropists, governments and corporate leaders from Europe, China, the US and Africa pledged over $6 million to protect wildlife habitats at the end of an important conservation summit.
The Kavango-Zambezi Trans frontier Conservation Area borders Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It’s home to over 220,000 elephants – and yet parts of this ecosystem are now under huge pressure from poachers. Forest elephants in Central Africa also suffer from high levels of killing.
Space for Giants is an international conservation organisation. It’s just co-hosted the Giants Club Summit, with Botswana’s Tlhokomela Trust.
The Giants Club has come together and galvanised new money for fast action.
So what did the Giants Club countries – Botswana, Gabon, Kenya and Uganda (plus other KAZA nations Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe) – achieve?
The Giants Club will work with national wildlife services and partner organisations to nominate people for the Ranger Award Programme of the Paradise Foundation. The award raises awareness about threats to Africa’s wildlife and the essential role that rangers play on the front line in conservation. Working together will mean more candidates will be reached.
A US$2 million grant given by the EU will be implemented by Space for Giants and the Tlhokomela Trust to train and mentor wildlife rangers sharing operational intelligence and resources across the border region
It will boost legal deterrants against poaching by making investigations and prosecutions stronger across the five countries.
The Giants Club aims to protect half of Africa’s elephants and their landscapes by 2020 by uniting political will, technical expertise and financial power to achieve its goal.
Founding members are the presidents of Uganda, Gabon, Kenya and the Tlhokomela Trust. 415,000 elephants live in these areas – over half of Africa’s remaining elephants.
The Giants Club’s members include financiers, international philanthropists and key influencers such as celebrities. Conservation scientists are the technical advisors. The summit brings people together to hear innovative ideas on how to protect elephants and their landscapes and it then negotiates finance and secures political will to increase the reach of the ideas.
Kenyan based Space for Giants works to protect Africa’s elephants from immediate threats such as poaching. It works to secure their habitats in landscapes which are under increasing pressures.
The Kenyan government has set up a task force to look into ways to deal with human-wildlife conflict and clashes between ranchers and communities.
The task force is expected to make recommendations on game farming and game ranching. It will evaluate its contribution to Kenya’s GDP, and food security.
The Kenya Wildlife Service is busy dealing with cases of poaching and wildlife trafficking, but also cases of human-wildlife conflict. Pastoral communities have invaded private ranches as they look for pasture.
So the task force is expected to come up with solutions to human-wildlife conflict which will last, and also safeguard game parks, community and private land.
It is aiming to create a peaceful co-existence between communities and wildlife.
The trees are all grown from seeds collected from the indigenous tree species of the neighbouring Atlantic Forest. They are cultivated in the nursery of the Reserva Ecológica e Guapiaçu (REGUA) and then planted in the slopes of the cleared area known as the Matumbo Gap.
The Matumbo Gap has been a priority for reforestation. It would create a wildlife corridor between two areas of forest which are under the protection of the Reserva Ecológica e Guapiaçu. The area is funded by the World Land Trust.
The forest is maturing; some pioneer plant species are bearing seeds and fruit, which fees the native fauna, particularly bats and birds.
The Reserva Ecológica e Guapiaçu’s mission is to protect the remaining areas of Altantic Forest and connect fragmented habitats. These areas have been cut off from each other because of clearance for agriculture.
Thriving wildlife can be seen in the state of Rio de Janeiro, thanks to successes from REGUA’s work.
You can be a part of the World Land Trust’s work to support reforestation in Brazil, Ecuador and Kenya through their Plant a Tree Programme.
Native tree species are planted to restore degraded habitats for £5 each. Donate £25 or more, and you’ll receive a donation pack detailing the impact of your support.
