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This
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| Issue No. 9 Spring 98 | ISSN: 1359 - 3889 |
Things are moving apace at Wyld Court following news of the funding awarded by the National Lottery Charities Board. Earmarked for the development of Special Needs and Education facilities the new project is encompassing activities to ensure that everyone, regardless of mental, physical or sensory impairment, will be able to make the most of their visit to Wyld Court.
Judith Cox-Rogers has recently been appointed Education Officer and the search is on for a team of enthusiastic and inspired volunteers who will be trained as lecturers and guides. They will be using a range of techniques to create non-visual experiences associated with rainforests, including the use of tactile and aromatic plants, surfaces and sounds, as well as wood carvings; the use of humidity, and the sound of rainfall and running water will add to the effect.
A new Education Centre is in the planning stage, and this will accommodate the needs of disabled visitors as well as class room facilities.
To compliment the initiative made possible by the National Lottery funds, the WLT is working on a Tropical Rainforest Schools' Education Pack, suitable for pupils up to, and including, Key Stage 3. The production of this pack is being supported, in part, by the Government's Department for International Development (DFID), but sponsors are urgently needed for various components of the pack, in order to make this exciting project a reality. Please contact us if you can help. See address details.
In April, David Bellamy wrote, on behalf of the WLT, to all supporters appealing for urgent help towards paying off the loan on Danjugan Island. Because of the strong pound, and the plummeting value of the currencies in the Far East, we suddenly had a real chance to pay off the remaining debt to save Danjugan Island. Our target was £ 50,000 to raise by 1 June.
The response has been tremendous and although by 1 June we hadn't managed to reach our target we have been able to pay off £25,000. Over 1,000 of our supporters have sent a donation during the past two months, and have enabled us to significantly reduce our owings on Danjugan. If a quarter of those who receive this newsletter were to send a further donation of £10, we would be able to wipe out all the debt - and possibly have a bit left towards reforestation and some of the other exciting projects in the pipeline. There is still time for you to help. Thank you again to everyone who has supported this vital appeal so far.
1. - Danjugan is covered with thick tropical forest.2. - It could have been turned into a holiday complex if the WLT hadn't stepped in.
3. - All the nearby islands have been denuded of their forests.
4. - Danjugan is a vital resting place for migratory birds, including swallows and kingfishers.
5. - Turtles breed on Danjugan's beaches.
6. - The island's coastal waters provide feeding grounds for whales, dolphins and dugong.
7. - Replanting schemes are planned for nearby islands.
8. - A recent 4-day visit by a botanist uncovered four species new to science.
9. - The island's caves provide roost sites for many species of bats.
10. - The seas around Danjugan provide nursery grounds for the fish on which the local fishermen and communities depend.
The Park Foundation U.S. has generously provided half of the $800,000 required to purchase the land as well as donating an extra $200,000 to the endowment fund, the income from which will help offset operational costs associated with the land.
British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards were established with the aim of encouraging the tourism industry to become more environmentally responsible. The awards are made annually, on a worldwide basis with one overall Global Winner, five Regional Winners, and a number of Highly Commended Awards. The independent panel of judges are looking for ecotourism schemes which pay attention to benefitting local communities and protecting the natural environment.
We were delighted when, as part of the 1997 Awards presented in February this year, PFB's Ecotourism Project received a Highly Commended award for the Americas region. PFB's ecotourism objectives are working well on the Rio Bravo Conservation & Management Area (RBCMA) and La Milpa and Hill Bank Field Stations now offer environmentally-friendly accommodation, with educational, scientific and archaeological options for visitors to the Belize tropical forests. (For information on staying at PFB's Field Stations please contact the WLT office ).
During 1997 rumours were spreading about the illegal slaughter of Scarlet Macaws by villagers at Red Bank, a Maya village in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. Although the rumours proved, thankfully, to have been highly exaggerated, it was true that some birds had been killed `for the pot', and for their feathers. However, the main threat to their survival is the destruction of their habitat due to the felling of fruit trees for fuel and house construction. With the help of PFB a Scarlet Macaw Parrot Group has been formed, and already 50 of the 400 members of the community have joined. Through its Bird Conservation Program "Wings", funded by The Nature Conservancy (US), PFB is working closely with the Red Bank community, helping develop and fund a community-oriented project to implement habitat protection, and monitor and protect the Scarlet Macaw in one of its most northerly outposts by providing local residents with a financial incentive for conservation through the promotion of sustainable use of adjacent forests.
The Responsible Forestry Programme was established by the UK's Soil Association in 1992 to promote sound, responsible and sustainable forestry, and its principles and standards form the basis of the WOODMARK certification scheme. This scheme is an independent timber certification system set up to provide a reliable way of identifying timber from genuinely well managed forests. The Woodmark label, launched in Spring 1994, confirms that timber has come from forests meeting the Soil Association's high standards - ie. forests whose management protects the environment and benefits local people, and that the timber has been traced through the manufacturing chain from the forest to the end point of sale.
Following stringent inspection of areas of forest within the forestry management zones of the RBCMA, Programme for Belize gained unique recognition by receiving certification for timber both from Woodmark (UK) and the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood Program (US).
Be assured that this carefully controlled harvesting is taking place outside the strictly protected 90,000 acre area that your donation helped purchase. And in other areas PFB is restoring and rehabilitating previously logged areas with the support of European Commission funding.
The certified timber is mainly destined for the Belizean market but will be available in limited quantities in Britain and the USA. In Britain it will be marketed through Just World Trading, based in Edinburgh, and the first supplies are expected to arrive this summer.
Located at the south-east corner of Lighthouse Reef, the most eastern of the three atolls in Belizean waters, Half Moon Caye Natural Monument was established in 1982 and covers approx 10,000 acres; the caye is around 45 acres.
Rising to 2.4m (8ft) above sea level, the caye is divided into two very distinct ecosystems. The western end, with its dense forest, has rich soil made fertile by the guano deposits of the thousands of sea birds which nest in the area. The east of the caye is dominated by lofty coconut palms .
Half Moon Caye is a sand caye formed by the accumulation of fragments of coral, shells and pounded by the waves. In some areas, the sea water and calcium carbonate chemically bind together forming flat beach rock cliffs and tide pools. The dry low quality sand limits plant life suitable for such a distinct environment. There is a solar powered lighthouse on the east of the caye, built on the base of a much earlier watch-tower, dating from 1848.
One of the main factors which identified Half Moon Caye Natural Monument as a site for special protection was the Red-footed Booby, Sula sula, colony of over 4,000 breeding birds. The adult population of this caye is unusual in having an almost total predominance (98%) of the white colour phase. The only similar Booby colony is on an island near Tobago. Elsewhere adult Red-footed Boobies are mostly dull brown.
Some 98 other bird species are recorded on the caye including the Magnificent Frigate bird (with a 7 foot wing span). 77 species are migratory. Ospreys, Mangrove Warblers and White-crowned Pigeons are among the caye's regulars.
The caye is a perfect habitat for large lizards and three predominant species are much in evidence. These include the Iguana, Iguana iguana rhinolopha locally called "bamboo chicken". It is a drab red colour with black bars on its back and it is favoured locally for its meat. The Wish Willy, Ctenosaura similis is slightly smaller than the Iguana and grows to a length of 3 - 4 feet. It is a drab yellow with black bars on its back. The Anole, Anolis allisoni which has only been recorded on islands, also resides on Half Moon Caye.
Loggerhead, Green and Hawksbill turtles, listed as internationally endangered species, come ashore to lay eggs on the sandy beaches to the caye's south. The Hawksbill was exploited for its shell from which ornaments and jewellery were made. Both Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles are still sought (illegally) for their meat.
While Coconut palms dominate the eastern part of the island, it is the orange flowered Ziricote, Cordia sebestena, famous for its ebony-like wood, that is the climax species elsewhere. Other tree species include the red-barked Gumbo Limbo, Bursera simaruba, and fig trees. The shore is dominated by Tournefortia bushes and Spider Lily, Hymenocallis littoral.
The reefs and intertidal zones around Half Moon Caye are popular with scuba divers and snorkellers as they are very rich in marine species, in particular sponges, molluses and reef and ocean fishes. Particularly spectacular is the "Blue Hole", at Lighthouse Reef, studied in recent years by Jacques Cousteau. This underwater cave plunges to depths in excess of 120m and contains pleistocene stalactites and stalagmites which provide excellent habitat for shrimp and jewfish. Half Moon Caye atural Monument was the first protected area declared under the Belize National Parks System Act and was the first marine conservation area in Central America.
Half Moon Caye Natural Monument -
is reached by boat (approx. 4 hours from Belize City) and there are limited
camping facilities on the island. It is managed by the
Belize Audubon Society,
PO Box 1001,
12 Fort Street, Belize City,
Belize, Central America.
Website: http://www.belizeaudubon.org
For a free information leaflet on the work of BAS please contact the World Land Trust, address opposite.
Furthering its policy to promote conservation initiatives in Belize, the World Land Trust is pleased to be able to continue to help implement European Commission funded activities with the Belize Audubon Society, who administer some of the National Parks of Belize - which include Half Moon Caye Natural Monument.
APOLOGY
In some copies of our last newsletter (issue 8 - page 15). Belize Audubon Society was mis-printed as British Audubon Society! We apologise for any confusion that this might have caused.
WLT Adopts Brazilian Project
The WLT is pleased to announce its official adoption of the Serra Do Mar Reserva Ecologica (SMRE) project, working in the seriously threatened coastal Atlantic forests of Brazil. Project Director Stephen Knapp, has recently returned from a visit to the area where he had wonderful sightings of Woolly Spider Monkey, one of the world's rarest primates. "The male troop we observed on that magical day confirms earlier reports of locals that Woolly Spider Monkey, or Muriquim as it is locally known, still exists in the forests the SMRE", says Stephen. "Just 234 of these beautiful animals, with teddy bear like ears and pale fringing between creamy beige fur, are known to exists in the wild, and they are located in scattered forest fragments hundreds of miles apart. We urgently need to implement a strategy for their future long term care and protection".
Following generous donations from supporters, sufficient funding has now been secured to complete the wetland restoration project, aimed to increase numbers of Broad-snouted Caiman (alligator family). Work has already started on construction of the sluices to control water levels and an update on the work will be given in the next newsletter.
The SMRE now comprises of 17,000 acres (7,000 hectares) covered by the conservation management agreement which will ensure protection to the full elevational range of this segment of the Mata Atlantica. Everyone who contributes to this project will receive a copy of the more detailed project update giving information about the wildlife of the area and funding requirements.
As evidence of the ecological importance of the Serra do Mar, Professor Sir Ghillean Prance, FRS, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has agreed to become the project's Patron. Through his support and enthusiasm, considerable recognition has been attracted to SMRE and the detailed Master Plan has been completed.
In our last Newsletter, we told you about a project in Ecuador which local conservationist Luis Valencia, with the help of Jo Mew, wanted to establish in order to prevent forest clearance.Thanks to World Land Trust support, the project is off the ground and they are now awaiting the outcome of an application for Lottery funds made through Fauna & Flora International.
Wyld Court Rainforest is delighted to announce the birth of a Goeldi's Marmoset. Born in the Spring, the youngster is now becoming independent and can be seen with its parents, who are on loan to Wyld Court from Shaldon Wildlife Park and London Zoo.
Although they were only introduced to each other last year the couple settled down immediately into their rainforest environment.
Wyld Court Rainforest is half a mile from Hampstead Norreys on the B4009 Streatley road. Follow the brown and white "Rainforest" road signs from M4, Exit 13 (the A43 Newbury - Oxford road).
Wyld Court is currently recruiting trainees and volunteers with some qualifications and/or experience in the following areas: Horticulture, Conservation, Education. We are looking for keen, motivated people to work in our small, friendly team. Please write with your CV to: Judith Cox-Rogers, Wyld Court Rainforest, Hampstead Norreys, Thatcham, Berkshire RG18 0TN. For details call Judith or Anita on: 01635 202444.
Can you believe that more people visit Wyld Court Rainforest each year than visit all of Belize's National Parks in a year? - Its true!