SPRING 2009
Sponsored by ENTERPRISEplants
ISSUE No. 32
World Land Trust
Blyth House, Bridge Street
Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8AB, UK
Tel: 01986 874422
Fax: 01986 874425
Email: [email protected]
Lo-call number 0845 054 4422*
*If you dial this number you will be charged at
local (rather than national) rate – UK only.
Not available to mobile phone users
Patrons:
Sir David Attenborough OM CH, FRS
David Gower, OBE
Honorary President:
Dr Gerard A Bertrand
Trustees:
Albertino Abela
Rohini Finch
Jane Krish
Dr Simon Lyster
Prof Renton Righelato
Dr Nigel Simpson
Council Members:
Myles Archibald
Simon Barnes
Dr Diana Bell
Gil S Child
Kevin Cox
John Fuller (USA)
Merloyd Ludington (USA)
Alan Martin
Iain Orr
Bruce Pearson
Jonathan Self
Elaine Shaughnessy
Byron Swift (USA)
Nancy Weiss (USA)
Sue Wells
Chief Executive:
Hon Treasurer:
Special Advisor:
Project Partners &
John A Burton
Mark Leaney
Peter Wilkinson
Contacts:
IUCN National Committee of the
Netherlands
WLT Contact: Marc Hoogeslag
Argentina: Fundación Patagonia Natural
Exec Director: José María Musmeci
Belize: Programme for Belize
Managing Director: Edilberto Romero
Bolivia: Armonia
Exec Director: Bennett Hennessey
Brazil: Fundação de Proteção à Natureza
O Boticário
Exec Director: Maria de Lourdes Nunes
Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Assu
Project Director: Nicholas Locke
UK Representative: Alan Martin
Ecuador: Fundación Jocotoco
Chief Exec: Francisco Sornoza
UK Representative: Dr Nigel Simpson
Fundación Pro-Bosque
Exec Director: Eric von Horstman
Fundación EcoMinga
Treasurer: Lou Jost
India: Wildlife Trust of India
Exec Director: Vivek Menon
Guatemala: Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y
la Conservación (FUNDAECO)
General Director: Marco Cerezo
Malaysia: LEAP Conservancy
Exec Director: Cynthia Ong
Mexico: Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda
Technical Officer:
Roberto Pedraza Ruiz
Paraguay: Guyra Paraguay
Exec Director: Alberto Yanosky
Philippines: Philippine Reef & Rainforest
Conservation Foundation
Project Director: Gerardo L Ledesma
World Land Trust-US
2806 P Street, NW , Washington, DC
20007
Tel: (001) 800 456-4930
Email: [email protected]
www.worldlandtrust-us.org
Exec Director:
Byron Swift
Email: [email protected]
Deputy Director:
Dr Robert S Ridgely
Email: [email protected]
Director of Conservation:
Dr Paul Salaman
Email: [email protected]
Director of Operations:
Mark Gruin
Email: [email protected]
Guest editorial
An antidote to Rainforest Blues
by Simon Barnes
For some years now, we have accepted the
fact that it is our duty to feel bad about the
rainforest. It has become one of the
accepted facts of modern life: that goodhearted people wake up in the middle of
the night and feel terrible about the
rainforest. Well, unquestionably, there is a
lot to feel terrible about. An area the size of
Wales is being destroyed every second. Or
something like that. An area the size of
Wales always comes into to it, I know. And
destruction is going on all right, but you
know all about that or you wouldn’t be
reading this.
Rainforests are a joy. They are
unspeakably wonderful, quite frighteningly
splendid. You can find rainforests on five
continents: all different, all equally weird,
all equally splendid, all home to equally
wonderful, equally extraordinary wildlife. Is
there anything on the planet, or any other
planet come to that, quite as splendid as
Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing, a butterfly of
surreal splendour? Or for that matter,
anything quite as absurd as the indri, one
of the lemurs of Madagascar, creatures like
mad leaping teddies. It was because of the
Indri that I first became aware of the
fragility of life, when as yet un-sirred David
Attenborough, yet to become patron of
the World Land Trust, brought us Zoo Quest
to Madagascar and his pursuit of this
elusive creature through the magic forests
of that bizarre island. It was one of those
things that shape your life without you
knowing it.
I have been to a few rainforests,
including several that have been saved
thanks to generous WLT Supporters. I have
been hot and sticky, I have been seriously
frightened, I have been bitten to bits: and I
can’t wait to go again. That’s because only
in the rainforest do you get that sense of
depth: that sense of mystery: that sense
that life is at its best when it teems.
I’ve been pondering such things after
being asked to review a new book for WLT:
Rainforest Safari by James Parry, with a
foreword by John Burton, of WLT. My first
thought was: now we have a book with a
radical new take on that notion. The
implication, on every page is this: why
don’t we all change our minds and feel
good about the rainforest? This book is
an antidote to the rainforest blues: first,
take hold of a copy, then feast your eyes on
the Jaguar on the cover and continue in the
same way, and savour the camouflage of
Right:
Rainforest Safari
is a new book
by James Parry
which features
the Fundación
Jocotoco Reserve at Tapichalaca and
also features the Atlantic Rainforest of
Brazil: top conservation priorities for WLT.
the leaf insect. Be delighted by Delacour’s
Langur, a black monkey with a white
beard. Gaze at the Red-naped Trogon, a
bird of surreal splendour.
This is a book of teeming: the skyreaching trees, the unbroken canopy, the
incomprehensible number of species. I
have probably flapped a creature unknown
to science away from my face: there’s a
thought. The rainforests are nature’s
masterpiece: and this book is a glorious
celebration. Show just about any picture in
the book to a friend who fails to share your
passion for wildlife and you will get the
answer: “I see what you mean, now.”
As we know, the world is on the brink of
catastrophe, as much because of rainforest
destruction as anything else, but let’s just
savour, for a moment, not what is terrible
but what is beautiful. There is a sense of
privilege in this view.
Those of us who have bought the odd acre
of rainforest through the World Land Trust
know that the world is not saved at stroke
by our generosity. But a donation does
permit at least one kind of miracle: it
should at least give us the privilege to look
at the rainforest without guilt. The next
donation to WLT should be because we feel
good about the rainforest.
Simon Barnes is an award-winning
journalist who writes on both wildlife
and sport. His Wild Notebook columns
in The Times every Saturday have raised
thousands of pounds for land purchase
through donations to the World Land
Trust. He is a WLT Council Member.
Win a copy of Rainforest
Safari, see pages 11 & 12
www.worldlandtrust.org
Registered charity: 1001291
2
SABAH
(Malaysia)
•
SARAWAK
(Malaysia)
BORNEO
KALIMANTAN
(Indonesia)
The Lower
Kinabatangan
Wildlife
Sanctuary
Working
with
Bornean
Partner
Organisation, LEAP Conservancy, WLT
has, over the past six months, raised the
funds needed for the purchase of the
first parcel of forest in the Kinabatangan
floodplain. Consisting of 222 acres, this
new purchase will link together two
protected reserves where an estimated
604 Orang-utans survive. While the
purchase is going through WLT is
continuing to raise funds urgently to
save other isolated fragments of forest
along the banks of the Kinabatangan
River. This region contains 10% of
Sabah’s population of Orang-utan and
15% of the world population of Borneo
Pygmy Elephants.
The importance of preserving
forests in Borneo to save wildlife
“Of all parts of the great tropical island
of Borneo, the Malaysian Federal State
of Sabah contains the greatest diversity
of wild fauna. Among its spectacular
denizens are the Bornean Orang-utan,
the threatened Malayan Sun-bear, the
distinctive Bornean Pygmy Elephant and
the last survivors of the local form of the
Asiatic Two-horned Rhinoceros.
“These large mammals need
extensive forest areas for their survival.
Not one of the scheduled totally
protected areas (TPAs) in Sabah is
sufficient alone to secure their long-term
conservation but, wherever linking
corridors of natural habitat can be
provided to join neighbouring TPAs,
then the value of the combined resource
for wildlife is greater than both units in
isolation. I urge your support for this
project.”
Earl of Cranbrook
The Earl of Cranbrook, who has been advising
the WLT, is the author of Mammals of Borneo,
Mammals of Peninsular Malaysia & Singapore,
Mammals of South-east Asia, and co-author of
Birds of the Malay Peninsula..
Cambridge Rainforest Appeal helps raise
£200,000 in a bid to save Orang-utans with WLT
Left: In the Cabinet
Room of the Reform
Club, Sir David
Attenborough is joined
by (l-r) John Burton,
WLT CEO, Michael
Marshall of Marshall
Group, Cambridge,
and Rohini Finch,
WLT Trustee.
On 15 January, WLT Council Member
Jonathan Self hosted a lunch at the
Reform Club for representatives of some
of WLT’s corporate sponsors. Guests
included Michael Marshall, CBE,
Chairman of the Marshall Group of
Companies, who brought along a
cheque to add to the funds already raised
by the Cambridge Rainforest Appeal.
Last year Marshall Group funded the
WLT’s feasibility study to Borneo, which
highlighted the urgent need for action to
3
save the last remaining
tropical forest from
destruction. As a result,
Marshall Group formed
their Rainforest Appeal
to engage support
among the Cambridge business
community. When handing over the
cheque to Sir David, Mr Marshall said,
“I am proud to be associated with such an
important Appeal on behalf of the World’s
biodiversity and, at the same time,
contributing so significantly to the
avoidance of carbon emissions which the
burning of the forests would cause. This is
a double win!”
Above: The Man of the Forest
In Malay “Orang utan” means “man of
the forest”, and, with a 96.4% genetic
match to humans, the similarities
between us and these intelligent apes
cannot be ignored. They are man’s
closest relative, and the second largest
ape in the world, after gorilla.
The estimated 10,000-24,000 Orangutans found in the wild are restricted to
the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Over
the past two decades it is estimated that
80% of their lowland forest habitat has
been lost. WLT is working tirelessly to
protect the habitat that is still left intact .
Question: Can WLT buy land
for £50 an acre in Borneo?
Answer: Unfortunately, no.
Unfortunately land in Borneo costs much,
much more than £50 an acre since,
despite the world’s economic crisis, it is in
huge demand for oil palm plantations
which yield large profits. Even so, our
supporters have urged us to get involved
in this ecological catastrophe, and have
responded very generously. We will
continue with this appeal buying
strategically placed standing forests to
ensure as much protected land as possible
for Orang-utans to live and breed safely.
SOS . . . Please give generously to save Orang-utans and their habitat . . . See Donation Form,
or make your donation online: www.justgiving.com/worldlandtrustborneo
Paraguay’s contrasting habitats Meeting point for wildlife
Paraguay is a land-locked country, and is
a meeting point for several major
habitats, including lowland rainforest,
grassland, wetlands, desert, dry and
humid forest.
BOLVIA
Pantanal
ChacoPantanal
Reserve
Campo
Iris
Reserve
BRAZIL
Cerrado
Dry Chaco
PARAGUAY
Humid Chaco
Atlantic
Forest
ARGENTINA
San
Rafael
Reserve
While the focus for conservation is so often
on rainforests, other lesser-known, but
equally important, habitats are also being
lost. Some scientists believe that grasslands
and wetlands are even more threatened
than the rainforests, and they are certainly
no less important for wildlife. In Paraguay,
the Chaco grasslands and dry forest are
very important for biodiversity, but are
severely threatened by conversion to cattle
pasture. Similarly, the Pantanal, the world’s
largest wetland spreading from north-west
Brazil into Bolivia and Paraguay, is an area
of huge biodiversity, but is also in
imminent danger from habitat destruction
and pollution. WLT is actively involved in
protecting all these habitats, working
through its partner, Guyra Paraguay.
What is the Pantanal?
Due to torrential rains for six months of
the year, a vast area of land behind the
River Paraguay in Brazil becomes an
inland sea, while in the dry season, when
the water recedes, it becomes a huge
savannah. The Paraguay Pantanal, in the
north east of the country, is home to 665
bird species, and over 30 migratory bird
species from North America use it as a
wintering ground. 265 mammals and
1,000 species of flowering plants have
been recorded. The rains last from
October to April and the land is flooded
until July. The water then flows into all the
tributaries, including the Paraguay River.
Between August and December the land
becomes dazzlingly green and as the
water levels drop birds come to feed on
the abundance of fish, and mammals
become more visible emerging onto the
sand banks which have been left behind.
During the different seasons huge
numbers of birds are present including:
storks,
terns,
hawks,
vultures,
cormorants, ibises, herons, kingfishers,
egrets and sandpipers, to name a few.
The mammals of the region include
caiman, Capybara, Puma, Jaguar, tapir,
Giant Anteater, Marsh Deer, Maned Wolf,
Giant Otter and several monkeys.
Just £25 saves Half an Acre for
Giant Otters, Giant Anteaters and
Giant Armadillos . . . As well as
Jaguars and Ocelot and huge
numbers of birds.
Top: The Pantanal is one of the world’s
most important regions for birds.
Left: A Jabiru Stork in the lush and dense
forest of the Pantanal.
Right: The Giant Otter, one of the ‘three
giants’ of the reserve area (the other two
being Giant Armadillo and Giant Anteater)
The President of Paraguay visits the ‘Three Giants’
On 7 February, the
President of Paraguay,
Fernando Lugo, visited the
Pantanal, and also stopped
off at the ‘Three Giants’
Biological Station in the
Chaco-Pantanal Reserve.
Still the rainy season, the
land was lush and green
and he was able to see an abundance of
birds which are protected by the reserve, of
which WLT was a major funder, and its
biological station was funded by WLT
Council Member, Kevin Cox.
The President was accompanied by
a team from WLT’s project partners,
Guyra Paraguay, with whom he discussed
enthusiastically the vision
to create the first trinational transboundary IBA
(Important Bird Area) across
Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil.
Guyra Paraguay is working
with its partners Save from
Brazil, and Armonia from
Bolivia, to protect over one
million hectares across the mighty
Paraguay River where there are, at present
three IBAs separated by political
boundaries, soon to be united into one
great IBA.
Above: The President of Paraguay, Fernando
Lugo, visits the Pantanal with a team from
Guyra Paraguay.
4
Saving the Atlantic Rainforest with REGUA
Remarkable achievements & restoration
Highlights of 2008
REGUA acquires all but one of the
properties of the ‘Matumbo Gap’.
REGUA is elected head of the Scientific
Council of the Três Picos Governing
Council.
REGUA and IEF, Rio de Janeiro State
Forestry Institute form agreement to
gather seeds at REGUA and supply
the State Government programme
for replanting the Macacu river edges.
20,000 native trees are planted thanks
to funding provided by WLT.
REGUA institutes an ‘open day’ to work
with the local community: 250 attend.
The REGUA education programme
receives 323 students and 30
teachers from 16 different schools.
Rio de Janeiro Natural History Museum
initiates a study on Lepidoptera
(moths and butterflies) at REGUA.
Rio de Janeiro State University
begins survey of mammals at REGUA;
a student starts a masters study on
ecology of the Brown-throated Threetoed Sloth, another begins doctorate
study on the Broad-snouted Caiman
in the wetlands.
Tourism at REGUA grows rapidly with
Guapi Assu Bird Lodge catering for
1,350 bed nights and 400 day visitors.
REGUA shares its experience in a Private
Reserve congress with other World
Land Trust Partners in Belize.
The first young apprentice guide is
trained to assist ornithological visits.
Approval gained for the release of a
further 20 Red-billed Curassows, 20
Black-fronted Piping-Guans and the
first 20 Solitary Tinamous at REGUA.
The REGUA’s volunteer programme
attracts 33 international volunteers.
Above: Owl Butterfly on REGUA reserve.
Lepidoptera is currently the subject of
greater study by researchers at the
Natural History Museum, Rio de Janeiro.
5
The Guapi Assu Reserve, owned and
protected by WLT Partners, REGUA,
Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Assu, is one
of the most important reserves in the
world for biodiversity and for
endangered species of birds.
The Reserve ranges from 100 m to
2,000 m above sea level and provides a
unique selection of habitats which include
highland rainforest and lowland wetlands.
It also provides a vital corridor of
protected land in the Três Picos National
Park for wide-ranging species to move
safely between protected areas. The land
currently protected covers 17,445 acres
Minas
Gerais
State
Rio de
Janeiro
State
Brazil
Nova Friburgo
Teresópolis
Macaé
Petrópolis
Cabo Frio
Rio de Janeiro
The red arrow indicates the location of the
REGUA Reserve
(7,060 ha). Over 435 species of birds
have been recorded at the reserve with 10
new species to the reserve recorded in
2008 alone.
From Sugar Plantation to Reforestation
When the Portuguese arrived in the
Atlantic Rainforest in the 1500s the
forests covered an area of 1,477,500
km2 of Brazil’s land surface. From then
onwards the forests were selectively
logged, followed by
catastrophic
deforestation for charcoal and cattle and
plantations of sugar, tobacco and coffee.
By the 21st century less than 7% of the
original forest remained.
REGUA was established in 1998 and
since then Nicholas Locke, and his wife
Raquel, have worked tirelessly to protect
the site’s rich biodiversity and natural
beauty. They are taking a proactive role
to raise the profile and support for the
reserve through land purchase and
protection, environmental education
and community outreach. They are also
restoring areas which had been cleared
of their forest in the past.
Although most of the higher areas
that were clear-felled in the last century
have regenerated naturally, some of the
lower slopes and pastures have become
covered in the tough Imperator cylindrica
grass. This African species is common
across the tropics and forms a dense mat
of roots and grass blades of almost a
metre high which prevents sunlight
reaching the ground. REGUA is ridding
Above left: Workers on sugar
plantations in 1920. Created by
clearing Atlantic Rainforest.
Above right: Seed banks and tree
nurseries have been created at REGUA
and local education and training takes
place regularly.
the land of this invasive alien grass and
restoring natural forest.
Their aim is to plant 100,000 trees
over a five year period. And, at the end of
the 2007/2008 season, over 38,000 trees
had been planted. Typical planting
density is at about one tree per nine
square metres, and the ideal planting
season is in the wet season from January
to March. Most of the trees have been
grown in REGUA’s nursery from local
seeds collected on the reserve by staff
and volunteers. This nursery has
gradually expanded and can now
produce around 20,000 seedlings a year
of about 50 species, including pioneer
and longer-lived species such as figs. The
growth rate of many of the trees planted
has been incredible.
Most of the funding for this work has
been contributed by WLT, under a grant
from Scottish & Southern Energy (see
page 9), and plans are in place for a
further 20,000 trees to be planted in the
2008/09 season.
Ecuador’s threatened habitats
Species galore just waiting to be discovered
Colombia
Rio Canandé
Yanacocha
Narupa
Ecuador
Cerro Candelaria
Ayampe
Andes
Amazon
Basin
Yunguilla
Buenaventura
Bombuscaro
Jorupe
Utuana
Peru
Tapichalaca
Fundación
Jocotoco
Reserves
All four of the young Jocotoco Antpittas. Left: Two birds almost in adult plumage.
Centre: at a few months old. Right: the recently discovered nestling, just before it left the nest.
Fundación
EcoMinga
Reserve
Fundación Jocotoco Update
Fundación Jocotoco (FJ), a WLT partner in
Ecuador, has just turned ten years old. FJ
was established to protect the only known
habitat of the Jocotoco Antpitta, which
was only discovered in November 1997.
FJ now manages, or is part owner, of
nine reserves, located on both east and
west slopes along the Andes from Rio
Canandé in the north, to Jorupe near the
border with Peru. The reserves protect
some 25,000 acres (ca 10,000 ha), with
over 800 species of birds, of which more
than 50 species are globally threatened to
some degree. Roughly 2,500 acres were
added to the reserves during 2008,
1,200 at Canandé, the remainder
spread between Buenaventura, Jorupe,
Tapichalaca and Yanacocha.
Jocotoco Antpittas increase
The first FJ reserve at Tapichalaca was set
up to protect the discovery site of the
Jocotoco Antpitta. With protection,
numbers of this antpitta have gradually
increased, but so have visitor numbers. In
order to limit disturbance of their habitat,
one pair has been fed regularly with
worms by reserve warden Franco
Mendoza. Visitors have been able to enjoy
close views of this reclusive species
without the use of tape recordings. The
abundance of food has resulted in rapid
breeding, with three young birds
appearing in sequence at 3 or 4 month
intervals. In November it was apparent
that a fourth nestling was being fed, and
this led to the discovery of the nest – the
first one found after ten years of
searching. (see photographs above)
The feeding site is also regularly
used by Chestnut-naped Antpittas, and
by the very rare Andean Coati, related
to racoons.
Three Tapichalaca endemic plants, which have recently been found outside the reserve.
Left: a new species of Sobralia orchid, soon to be described,
Centre: Bomarea longipes, discovered in Tapichalaca after an absence of about
130 years and only known previously from a specimen held at Kew Gardens.
Right: a Symbolanthus gentian. Botanical studies around Tapichalaca are continuing.
Large mammals and other rare
species protected by FJ Reserves
A trail has now been made up to the
summit of Tapichalaca, and here small
caves were discovered along the cliffs
which surround the summit. At this high
altitude the trees are covered with
bromeliads, a favourite food of Spectacled
Bear. The obvious signs of consumption
demonstrate that bears are resident in the
area. Vegetation near the summit
comprises beautiful paramo with
flowering shrubs. Trail cameras in the
reserve have ‘captured’ the globally
endangered Woolly Mountain Tapir,
Puma, and the rare Andean Paca.
Good News for other Birds too
There are signs of success for two of the
ten threatened bird species in the Rio
Canandé reserve: a very rare Banded
Ground-Cuckoo is now regularly seen
close to the lodge, and recently a flock
of eleven Great-green Macaws arrived.
The Narupa reserve, close to the Rio
Hollin, between the volcanoes Antisana
and Sumaco, protects an area of
tropical forest at about 1,500 m altitude
just above the Amazon basin, east of
Quito. Bird species include Military
Macaws, Orange-breasted Falcons, and
Coppery-chested Jacamar.
Trail Cameras confirm four cats
species at Rio Canandé
Ivan Samuels has installed camera traps on several FJ
reserves which are managed and downloaded by the
reserve wardens. At Canandé it is now known that
four of the large cats are present: Jaguar, Ocelot and
Margay, and Puma (right), all have now been
captured electronically.
Right: Maria Fernanda
Cheka, from the Católica
University Quito, has
produced an
identification guidebook
to the butterflies of
Rio Canandé reserve,
in which 125 species
are described.
www.fjocotoco.org
6
Reserves in Ecuador,
Update on land purchase
Safeguarding botanical havens
Above: WLT Trustee, and UK
Representative of Fundación Jocotoco and
Fundación EcoMinga, Dr Nigel Simpson,
on a field trip near to Tapichalaca, writing
up his notes on Bomarea longipes.
Right:: WLT provided
a small grant to
Fundación EcoMinga
for a study by the
University of Florida
to analyse the DNA
of orchids of the
genus Teagueia,
found on Cerro
Candelaria. This
study may reveal
the evolutionary history of one
of the most remarkable plant radiations
in the world. The 30 recently discovered
species grow only on the mountains
around Baños.
Fundación EcoMinga
Lou Jost reports:
The western edge of the Amazon Basin
contains some of the most diverse cloud
forests in the world, and some of the most
endangered. The EcoMinga Foundation
has been working to establish forest
reserves in this part of the world,
specifically in central Ecuador. The
economy of this region runs largely on
ecotourism, so the local people are
supportive of concrete efforts to preserve
these forests. By working closely with
them and by establishing ecological
reserves in strategic places, we can
preserve this region’s biodiversity and
simultaneously improve the standard of
living of the people who live here.
Land Purchase: Cerro
Candelaria
Fundación EcoMinga’s forest reserves
grew by roughly 2,500 acres in 2008. A
total of about 9,750 acres (3,900 ha) is
now under EcoMinga’s ownership and
protection. The largest reserve is Cerro
Candelaria which currently protects
6,500 acres (2,600 ha). This reserve is the
home of endangered wildlife such as
Mountain Tapir, Spectacled Bear, and
Highland Woolly Monkey, as well as many
unique plant species.
The purchase of a further parcel of
land was funded by WLT with donations
from corporate supporters, Brand Stand,
(through their Organic Meltdown
chocolate). Their sector is close to
Candelaria but on the north side of the
Rio Pastaza, adjoining Parque Nacional
Los Llanganates. This sector is currently
difficult to access, and for this reason it
has been virtually untouched by humans,
but cattle ranchers are now encroaching
on the area, so this protection is
extremely opportune.
Reforestation
In the Cerro Candelaria Reserve there are
about 16 acres of abandoned pastures.
With the help of WLT’s Carbon Balanced
programme the pasture is being
reforested with tree species that provide
important sources of food for wildlife.
Land Purchase: Rio Zuñac
The Rio Zuñac Reserve has also increased
in size with several new purchases
totalling 350 acres (144 ha). Again,
funding from WLT and WLT-US was
instrumental in the success of these
purchases.
This reserve is particularly rich in
newly described endemic species of
plants, especially micro-orchids.
Above: A young River Otter in the Rio Zuñac.
Black-and-Chestnut Eagle
photographed on Candelaria
Reserve
February 1st, 2009. This young Blackand- Chestnut Eagle was photographed by
Luis Recalde, a park guard at the
Candelaria Reserve.
A recent population estimate carried
out by BirdLife International suggests that
there may be fewer than 1,000 surviving in
the wild. These eagles appear to require at
least part of their range to be in
undisturbed primary forest, much of which
has been lost over most of their range.
“ G o r geous photo, best I’ve ever seen of
this plumage”, says Robert Ridgely,
distinguished ornithologist and author of
The Birds of Ecuador and the Birds of South
America; also Deputy Director of WLT-US.
7
www.ecominga.net
Local and Global efforts
Helping Elephants survive in India
The survival of Asian Elephants is
increasingly threatened by loss of forest
habitat and the ever-increasing human
population. WLT works with local
partners, Wildlife Trust of India, to
purchase and protect corridors of land
which form part of traditional Elephant
migratory routes. WTI have identified
88 such corridors, all vital if Asian
Elephants are going to continue to breed
and exist into the future. WLT has, so far,
helped protect two corridors: one in
Meghalaya state in NE India and the
other in the Western Ghats montane
forests in Kerala.
In both cases there is growing concern
among local people that elephants are left
in peace and that they themselves are
better off away from the corridor areas
where they live in daily fear of their crops
and houses being wrecked. WTI works with
local communities to identify alternative
land away from elephants and helps build
new houses for them. The corridors are
then reforested using native tree species
which are grown, planted and tended by
local people, bringing extra income for
themselves and their families.
Kerala
Corridor
Meghalaya
Corridor
Above: WLT is currently
assiting WTI on the purchase
and protection of two elephant
corridors: The Siju-Rewak
corridor in the Garo Hills of NE
India in Meghalaya state, and
the Tirunelli-Kudrakote corridor
which runs through Wayanad
district of Kerala. Other vital
corridors are in need of
protection too.
Left: A group of elephants in the
Siju-Rewak Elephant Corridor are
now assured of a safe crossing
over the Simsang River.
Reforestation in Garo Hills
WLT’s first challenge was to raise the funds
to secure the Siju-Rewak Elephant
Corridor, in the Garo Hills of NE India.
This was successfully achieved, and now
protects 1,700 acres (over 700 ha) of
continuous forest for elephants and other
wildlife. This corridor was especially
important as it also protects a vital
crossing point over the Simsang River.
Building on the success of this project
WLT and WTI are reforesting and
restoring forest corridors in other parts of
the Garo Hills, to benefit Elephants.
Community lands in the West Garo Hills
have been systematically deforested and
intensively cultivated, causing devastating
loss of habitat for Elephants and other
endangered species such as the Hoolock
Gibbon, Tiger and Clouded Leopard,
which are all present in this region. As a
result of relentless slash-and-burn
agriculture the land eventually becomes
unproductive and local communities are
now recognising the benefits of keeping
forested areas.
In a pioneering project communities
are voluntarily transferring small areas of
their lands for conservation purposes.
WLT and WTI’s first job will be to
designate these areas as Village Forest
Reserves and then undertake planting to
restore tropical forest.
Creating Village Forest Reserves
Left: The first
Village Forest
Reserve was
set up in 2008
at the village of
Selbalgre, after
villagers realised
that forest cover
benefitted their
cultivation
practices by
stabilising the
soils and
increasing water
retention in
the land.
At least seven new areas have been
identified for reforestation and, once
protected, they will form a continuously
forested wildlife corridor between
Nokrek National Park and Selbalgre
Village Reserve.
A growing number of communities are
seeing the positive impacts of conserving
some of their tribal lands and it is hoped
that more reforestation will be possible.
As a means of providing alternative
sustainable food sources for the people
of Selbalgre, WTI have encouraged the
installation of fish pools for the
preservation of the endemic fish species
of the region. These and other
community development activities,
including repair of school buildings and
provision of teaching materials, will be
carried out during 2009.
Funds are urgently needed for the purchase and protection of the final portion of the
Tirunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor in Wayanad District of Kerala.
Please help us save this corridor for Elephants and Tigers. See Donation Form or website.
Forests restored through
Carbon Balanced by Roger Wilson
WLT’s Restoration Ecology Programme,
has been in existence for four years,
working where deforestation is most
intense. WLT’s overseas project partners
plant trees to buffer the forest edge,
extending the forest habitat of rare and
threatened species, and to link up forest
fragments. The Carbon Balanced
programme is supported by individuals
and companies who choose to offset
their unavoidable carbon emissions.
Scottish and Southern Energy Support
The Carbon Balanced programme is
supported by many companies, notably
Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), who
are funding a major reforestation
programme through WLT. The SSE
programme is its third year and some
890,000 trees, of native species, will have
been planted, the majority in Ecuador.
Fundación Jocotoco has been involved
in reforestation on four of its reserves:
pastures in the cloud forests of
Buenaventura, the dry forests of Jorupe,
mountain forests of Tapichalaca and high
towards the tree line in Yanacocha.
Fundación Pro-Bosque has re-planted large
tracts of degraded areas in the dry forests of
the coastal cordillera near Guayaquil.
Fundación EcoMinga has been replanting
fields cut into the forests in its Cerro
Candelaria reserve on the Andean slope.
Other major tree-planting has been
carried out by REGUA in the Atlantic forest
of Brazil, to restore wetland and wooded
habitats, and by Guyra Paraguay in the
forest of San Rafael. All of these are
seriously threatened habitats and
reforestation will help protect hundreds of
species of serious conservation concern.
New Funding Commitment
As the first three-year project for SSE
approaches completion we are delighted
that they have chosen to sustain their
support for a further three years. This will
allow WLT partners to maintain their
programmes and for WLT to expand its
tree planting into other deforested areas.
In the coming three years Cerro
Candelaria in Ecuador will be expanded
and support will also be given to the
creation of wooded corridors in the Garo
Hills in India, as part of the community
Village Forest Reserves project supported
by Wildlife Trusts of India. (see page 8)
As John Burton reports (right), WLT is
also discussing initiatives with the Wildlife
Conservation Society of Tanzania, to link
two important forest reserves in the
Ulugurus, part of the Eastern Arc
mountains of East Africa. Again, these are
conservation hotspots and the work
directly helps the protection of
endangered species.
Swire Pacific Offshore
Support Carbon
Offsetting through WLT
Above: Tree-planting in previously cleared
parts of the REGUA reserve in the Atlantic
Forest of Brazil.
Below: A reforested hillside on Fundación
Jocotoco’s Yanacocha Reserve in Ecuador.
An important initiative is underway
between WLT and Swire Pacific Offshore
(SPO) in Paraguay. SPO is an international
company providing support services for
the offshore oil and gas sector, and has
made the corporate decision to offset the
carbon footprint attributable to its
operations worldwide. SPO is now
working with WLT and Guyra Paraguay to
investigate the possibilities of achieving
this through forest protection and
restoration in Paraguay, focusing on the
Atlantic forests of San Rafael and the dry
forests of the northern Chaco. This will be
a complex task but it has the potential to
make a decisive contribution to the
protection of these two world-important
areas of natural habitat while also
maintaining critical ecosystem services for
local people.
WLT in Africa
John Burton reports on his recent
visit to Kenya and Tanzania
In mid February, accompanied by Ruth
Canning from our Projects Team,
I made a visit to East Africa to meet
with potential project partners. For
many years supporters of the WLT
have been urging us to get involved in
Africa, but despite several visits we
have never managed to identify a
suitable project or a suitable partner
with whom to work, but that is now set
to change.
Nature Kenya, and the Tanzanian Wildlife
Conservation Society, are both relatively
small, but very active locally managed
conservation NGOs, who have a strong
interest in community land-based
conservation projects.
Protecting Grasslands in Kenya
Nature Kenya is developing a proposal to
acquire small pockets of privately owned
grasslands in the highlands near Lake
Naivasha. These grasslands are rapidly
disappearing and are home to endemic
and endangered wildlife, and in
particular, the few hundred surviving
Sharpe’s Longclaws. I was lucky enough
to see this rare bird. Rather like a skylark
with a yellowish breast, it is very difficult
to see, and when flushed it flies off as fast
as it can and immediately hides. But, just
as the skylarks of Great Britain, they are
important indicator species and should
be protected at all costs. Their grassland
habitat is being ploughed up for cash
crops – which also displaces traditional
cattle grazing.
With strong community backing this
project has a good chance of success and
every 4 hectares will protect another
breeding pair of Sharpe’s Longclaws.
A Forest Corridor in Tanzania
Meanwhile in Tanzania, we propose to
use funds already raised for restoration
purposes to create a corridor of 950 acres
(400 ha) between two sectors of the
Ulugurus Forest reserves. The Uluguru
mountains are home to numerous
endemics, the best known of which are
the African violets: the ancestor of the
popular house plant. The surrounding
habitats are impacted by human
population growth, and, in the longterm, help with community development
is going to be essential to prevent
encroachment into protected areas.
Saving tropical forests with WLT will lock up valuable carbon and help offset the damage
caused by modern-day living. It is also an effective tool for saving biodiversity.
To find out more visit: www.carbonbalanced.org or telephone the WLT office: 01986 874 422
WLT-US Update:
“Rue the day when no birds sing…”
Like the canary in the coal mine, bird species around the world
are key indicators of the health of threatened habitats
In order to measure the effectiveness of
land purchase for conservation, World
Land Trust-US frequently focuses on
endangered birds as a means of
identifying strategically critical habitats
under threat of destruction. 2008 was no
exception, and the results have been
exceptional: with the US$2.2 million
raised we were able to secure 15,341
acres of rare and vanishing tropical
habitat at 17 mega-diverse, and high
priority, sites in six countries of South
America.
In Colombia, WLT-US funded the
purchase of 2,048 acres of primary
rainforest by ProAves in the Magdalena
Valley, Colombia, to protect the
endangered Blue-billed Curassow. This is
the first protected area in the region and
represents one of the last opportunities to
save the Magdalena Valley’s unique
rainforest wildlife.
3,215 acres of the last pristine dry
tropical forest in the Chicamocha Dry
Valley ecosystem was also saved. This
highly endangered and previously
unprotected area contains 40% of the
world’s population (less than 50) of the
critically endangered Niceforo’s Wren and
Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird.
Support was given to ProAves in
acquiring a property of 99 acres of “dry
cloud forest” in the Eastern Cordillera in a
bid to protect the enigmatic Recurve-
billed Bushbird, a species recently
rediscovered that depends on bamboo in
this remarkable habitat.
The critically endangered Yellow-eared
Parrot is restricted to montane forest
containing the endangered Quindío Wax
Palm, in which it nests and roosts. WLT-US
funded the purchase of a strategic property
of 355 acres for wax palms adjacent to the
Yellow-eared Parrot Reserve in the Western
Cordillera of Colombia to help protect
more of its habitat.
Following the rediscovery of the
critically
endangered
Stresemann’s
Bristlefront in the Brazilian Atlantic forest
at Mata Balbina, Minas Gerais state, WLTUS provided funding to American Bird
Conservancy and Fundação Biodiversitas to
produce a conservation strategy to protect
this and many other endangered Atlantic
forest endemics, including the endangered
Banded Cotinga.
WLT-US also supported the purchase of
five properties totalling 1,470 acres around
Fundación Jocotoco’s Rio Canandé Reserve.
This reserve, in the Chocó region of
Ecuador, protects about 30 near
threatened or restricted range species of
birds, as well as several globally threatened
bird species, including the Great-green
Macaw
and
the
Long-wattled
Umbrellabird. Also recently documented
near the reserve lodge: the endangered
and little-known Banded Ground-Cuckoo.
A new partner in Bolivia
WLT and WLT-US
work together to
protect grassland
WLT
and
WLT-US,
together with additional
support from American Bird
Conservancy, helped new project
partner, Asociación Armonia, establish a
8,792 acre reserve to protect the habitat
of the Blue-throated Macaw. This critically
endangered species inhabits the savannas
in the Beni province of Bolivia. There are
estimated to be only about 300 birds
surviving in the wild and the new Barba
Azul Nature Reserve is home to 20
macaws during the nesting season. The
most serious threats facing macaws are
habitat destruction and capture for the
pet trade.
The reserve will protect several other
species of rare birds endemic to this
region of Bolivia, and mammals include
Maned Wolf and Giant Anteater.
Saving the threatened habitat of the
“rarest of the rare” has enormous
conservation benefit, protecting
forever many other wildlife species and
the wild places upon which they, and
we, depend.
WLT-US Conservation Priorities
Above: The dry cloud forest of the Eastern
Cordillera in Colombia provides vital bamboo
habitat for a wealth of wildlife, including the
Recurve-billed Bushbird.
Above: The Recurve-billed Bushbird is
a species of antbird that inhabits dense
stands of secondary vegetation at the
northern end of the Andes in Colombia
and Venezuela. It was thought to be
extinct but was rediscovered after an
absence of 40 years. Its distinctive
upturned bill gives it a ‘smiling’
appearance but the bill has actually
evolved to rip open bamboo and
small twigs in its search for spiders
and insects.
In 2009 WLT-US will focus on expanding
the network of strategic protected areas
on the most critical rainforest lands across
the Amazon-Andes rainforest region. The
aim is to support the acquisition of at
least 40,000 acres in Ecuador, Colombia,
Peru and Bolivia. Although WLT-US is
pleased to accept donations for all WLT
projects, the emphasis in the USA is
largely in rainforests and cloud forests of
the Latin American tropics.
Photo Credits: Cover: Oenone Hammsersley; Page 3:
(top) Chris Perrett/naturesart.co.uk, (below) Ellie Kurttz;
Page 4: (top) S Centron, (centre left) Emily Horton,
(centre right) Christoph Courteau/naturepl.com, (below)
Guyra Paraguay; Page 5: (moth) Alan Martin, (other
two) REGUA; Page 6: (Jocotoco Antpittas) Francisco
Sornoza, (flowers) Nigel Simpson; (Puma) camera trap;
Page 7: (top) Francisco Sornoza, (orchids) Lou Jost,
(otter) Israel Valencia/Luis Recalde, (eagle) Luis Recalde;
Page 8: (top) Stacey Manley & Gareth West, (below)
WTI; Page 9 (both) Roger Wilson/WLT; Page 10 (both)
Fundación ProAves www.proaves.org; Page 11: Fumiko
& Oli Pescott; Back page: (top) GESG.
For information on WLT-US projects go to: www.worldlandtrust-us.org
For address details see inside cover
Supporters in the USA can make tax efficient donations through WLT-US:
www.worldlandtrust-us.org/supporting/index
10
Dear WLT:
“How is the financial downturn affecting WLT?”
“Are you having to cut back on activities?”
“Are you worried about the future?” John Burton, WLT Chief Executive replies
Not surprisingly perhaps, we have
received a large number of phone calls,
emails and letters asking us the same
question in different ways, all concerned
that the economic downturn will be
having an adverse effect on the work of
the World Land Trust.
John Burton responds:
Whether I am in the office or out at
meetings I am constantly being asked how
the WLT is holding up in these difficult
economic times, and when I tell my
enquirers that so far we have not seen any
significant drop income, I am usually asked
what we put this down to, when everyone
else is talking of gloom and doom. My
response is that we believe our success lies
in our track record and transparency.
WLT is able to demonstrate that (to use
a cliché) ‘we do what it says on the packet’.
Our message is simple:
Donate to us and we can save land, we
can save endangered species.
The proof is out there: thousands of
acres and stronger local partners. All visible
and all visitable. And, while it isn’t my
purpose to knock other charities, very few
can show such clear cut results.
The demography of our donors has
perhaps changed a little: a few of our WLT
Partners, who commit to making a donation
every month, have said that they need to
stop their donations until things look up for
them - but we know that they will come
back to us when they are able. The reverse
of this is that we are seeing lots of different
ways of new support for our work. The
JustGiving website, for instance, has shown
remarkable results for the Orang-utan
Appeal and can be used in a variety of
innovative ways to get others involved.
So while we are on track for saving
more threatened land we do still need all
the support we can get, and we still need to
increase the budgets we can give to our
partners. Land isn’t getting any less
threatened just because of the current crisis.
Congratulations on their
Wedding to Fumiko and
Oli Pescott
To celebrate their marriage in
December, Fumiko and Oli Pescott
chose to forego toasters and towels,
and instead asked for donations to
World Land Trust.
They set up a WLT JustGiving page
with a target of £800 and were
delighted when friends and family
donations topped £1,000. Today they
have raised a wonderful £1,125 which
will save 22 acres to commemorate their
special day. Perhaps, on a special
anniversary, they might be able to visit
the forests they have helped save.
As John Burton says above, more and
more donations are coming in as a result
of JustGiving pages. This really is an
Win a copy of this book
See back page
Rainforest Safari by James Parry
Foreword by John A Burton, WLT
Pub. Carlton Books
RRP: £30
In Rainforest Safari James Parry explores
the extraordinarily diverse tropical and
temperate rainforests, and an amazing
range of wildlife they support. Covering a
number of exciting, little-known reserves,
and several species that have only been
discovered in the last few years, Rainforest
Safari, is lavishly illustrated and
passionately written.
There is an 8-page chapter on
Fundación Jocotoco’s Tapichalaca Reserve
in Ecuador, as well as a stunning section
on the Atlantic Rainforest. The images are
superb and the whole production is a
wonderful celebration of what the author
calls, “The Greatest Show on Earth”.
You can buy a copy of this book from
the Natural History Book Service for
the special price of £24.99 plus £1.99
P&P. When ordering please quote ref:
WLT; offer ends 31 May 2009.
See NHBS details below
excellent and interactive way of raising
funds and enjoying messages from your
friends and family at the same time.
To set up a fundraising page visit
www.justgiving.com/worldland/
raisemoney or call justgiving.com
0800 028 6183 for more details.
NHBS Environment Bookstore
2-3 Wills Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5XN
United Kingdom
Telephone : +44 (0)1803 865913
Fax : +44 (0)1803 865280
Email :[email protected]
www.nhbs.com
Who else offers to buy you a Whole Acre
of irreplaceable habitat for only £50 ??
World Land Trust pledges to buy One Acre on your behalf for
£50 (or a Half Acre for £25) and you will receive a certificate
to record your support and regular updates if you wish.
Donate on the enclosed form, or online: www.worldlandtrust.org
11
Have your say through ‘Dear WLT’.
Write to us with your comments and
questions and if we publish your letter
we will send you a large bar of Organic
Meltdown chocolate courtesy of our
sponsors, Brand Stand.
Dear WLT, World Land Trust, Blyth
House, Bridge Street, Halesworth,
Suffolk IP19 8AB, UK
Or email the Editor:
[email protected]
Saving Mexico’s wildlife
Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve
WLT
Competition
value within the Sierra Gorda Biosphere
reserve to create a wildlife corridor
between two protected areas. WLT is also
assisting GESG in reforestation and
assisted natural regeneration of degraded
agricultural land, funded through the
Trust’s Carbon Balanced Programme.
www.carbonbalanced.org
Left: White-tailed deer in the forests of
Sierra Gorda, Mexico.
WLT’s is working with new project
partners, Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda
(GESG) in the state of Queretaro, in central
Mexico, and has recently funded the
purchase of 480 acres (200 ha) of pine and
oak cloud forest with high biodiversity
All six of Mexico’s cat species are found
in this region: Jaguar, Ocelot,
Jaguarundi, Margay, Ocelot, Puma and
Bobcat. Other mammals include: Black
Bear, River Otter, Kinkajou and
Queretaro Pocket Gopher. 327 species
of birds have been recorded including
Military Macaw and Great Curassow.
New Gift Pack for friends and family
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
My first is in otter but not in shrew
My second is rhino but not in gnu
My third is in panda but not in frog
My fourth is in donkey but not in dog
My fifth is in tiger but not in cat
My sixth is in guinea pig but not
in rat
7. My seventh is in moth and also in bat
8. My eighth is in wasp but not in bee
9. My ninth is in lion and also in
monkey
What am I?
Send your answers with your name and
address to:
WLT Competition, Blyth House,
Bridge Street, Halesworth,
Suffolk IP19 8AB, UK.
To celebrate our 20th Anniversary we
will be producing a summer issue of
WLT News which will include the 2008
Annual Review and conservation
highlights over the past two decades,
as well as project updates.
YEARS
CELEBRATING
CELEBRATING
CELEBRATING
CELEBRATING
www.oenonehammersley.com
Choose the correct letter from each of
the 9 questions below to identify the
endangered species.
3 issues of WLT News
Save Threatened Acres today:
Only £25 Half and Acre £50 An Acre
Artist, Oenone Hammersley, generously
donates the use of her images to WLT.
She specializes in rainforests and wildlife
and has been exhibiting since 1980,
with shows in the USA, UK, Europe and
Africa. Drawing inspiration from her
expeditions to Southeast Asia, India, Africa
and Latin America, she
is
committed
to
furthering the cause of
conservation through
her work. Oenone was
born in England and
currently
lives
in
Canberra, Australia.
by James Parry
Entries to be received by 12 June 2009
The winner of the WLT News Autumn 2008
competition was Mrs H E May of Coventry
who won a copy of the book Concepts
of Nature: A Wildlife Photographer’s Art
by Andy Rouse.
Next time you buy a present of Half or One Acre
you will receive a beautiful gift pack
consisting of a folder containing
your certificate and gift card and
along with the latest copy of WLT
News and a Project Brief.
(You will not receive this if you have
opted for an electronic certificate.)
Cover picture
First prize:
Rainforest Safari
World Land Trust is
20 years old in 2009
Help us Celebrate our milestone
birthday by making this the best
year ever for saving threatened
land and all their wildlife.
Please join us at our celebratory events
as well. Details on our website or
available from the WLT office.
Cover: Oenone Hammersley. Designed by www.wearedrab.net
Printed by Kingfisher Press Ltd. on Revive Matt 90gsm 50% recycled using vegetable based inks
Saving Life on Earth
with World Land Trust
A legacy to the World
Land Trust is a legacy
for future generations,
ensuring
some
of
the
last
remaining
strongholds of our earthly
paradise will survive for
our descendents. You
may also like to consider a
‘living legacy’ by making a donation that
will create an entire reserve, which you can
go and visit in your lifetime.
If you would like to speak, in confidence,
to John Burton (our Chief Executive)
please telephone: 01986 874 422.