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| Issue No. 10 Summer 98 | ISSN: 1359 - 3889 |
We have just learned that WLT has been chosen as one of the three charities to benefit from funds collected at The Rainforest Caf‚. Situated in the heart of London near Piccadilly on Shaftesbury Avenue, the Cafe has themed forest decor with regular thunder storms and delicious food! - More in the next issue
Our appeals to our supporters for the Danjugan fund have resulted in wiping out a large part of our debts. From owing around £100,000 this time last year, we now only need to raise about £30,000 over the next 18 months. The Far Eastern currency crisis meant that the value of the Philippine peso fell dramatically -- but it also meant that interest rates were high. At what was probably the optimum time, on the recommendation of Trustee of the WLT, Dr Gerard Bertrand, the Board of the Massachusetts Audubon Society generously voted in favour of making an interest free loan to the Philippine Reef & Rainforest Project. This enabled the bank mortgage to be paid off, so at least we have no interest payments, and donations can go to paying off the actual loan.
Our colleagues in the Philippines are now working on developing plans for the future, and the island of Danjugan is proving to be even more of a jewel in the sea than we first thought.
More from Gerry Ledesma see: `Letters from the Philippines'
John Burton, Chief Executive of the World Land Trust, looks at the problem of forest fires. which have been raging through the tropics causing massive widespread pollution for the past year. In many cases, although not always, the fires have been started deliberately - is there an answer?
Over the past year the forest fires raging in countries as far apart as Honduras and Kalimantan have been seen on TV all over the world. Areas the size of whole European countries now only exist as charred smoking remains. While forest fires are a naturally occurring phenomenon in many parts of the world, the scale of their occurrence in the last few years is far from natural. Many of the recent fires have been started by humans. And unlike natural forest fires, which tend to be associated with thunderstorms, man-made fires are often much more difficult to extinguish. Once a fire gets going the heat can become so intense that, even if a rainstorm puts out the burning trees, it continues burning under ground, and flares up again later.
The devastation of these fires is almost impossible to conceive. TV makes us aware of the smog and danger to human health. But what of the wildlife? Conflagrations of the scale that caused Singapore and other parts of S E Asia to be enshrouded in smog, will have killed millions of animals. Among the wildlife will almost certainly be hundreds of endangered species and species yet to be described by scientists. Destroyed before we even know of their existence. The fires can cause temporary changes to climate - and possibly trigger long term changes. Just as volcanic eruptions have caused widespread climate change and crop failures, so can the effects of the smoke clouds from forest fires. That is in the short term. The removal of forest cover also is often associated with a reduction in rainfall, which alters climate dramatically, and in some areas leads to desertification.
So why are the fires started? In many cases they are just fires to clear for slash-and-burn agriculture that have got out of hand. In other cases they are started deliberately to clear land to make way for pasture. Forests are still widely perceived as useless wilderness, and pasture as productive, beef production land. While, for short term land speculators, this may well be true, in terms of long term sustainable productivity, the forests should have a major role to play. The Programme for Belize's pioneering work is showing how development and conservation can work together and how sustainable logging can take place. The TUVA project in Costa Rica has demonstrated how sustainable development can go ahead with the minimum disturbance to a natural forest. The World Land Trust believes that only by developing sustainable alternatives which include development can the future of tropical forests be assured. The limiting factor is MONEY.
Our supporters often ask why we do not start projects in Indonesia, New Guinea, Africa and other threatened forests. The answer is simply lack of resources. There are tropical forests we could buy at £2.00 an acre - but we would need to buy a million acres. There are forestry concessions we could buy in several West African countries, but we would have to initiate a long-term management of the forests.
Some time ago, the Trustees of the WLT agreed that for such long term projects, the WLT should ideally establish an endowment fund. The proceeds of such a fund could be used to initiate new projects, and provide the seed money to start them off. Unfortunately, there have always been pressing and urgent needs for our limited resources. But perhaps when making or revising your will you might consider a bequest to the WLT towards a particular project, or towards an endowment fund. As one of our existing supporters, you will know that the World Land Trust has succeeded in helping to save over a quarter of a million acres. A bequest to the Trust will help preserve even more for future generations.
During the blazing fires in Indonesia, surgical masks were officially-sanctioned protection against pollution. The price of these masks catapulted from 500 rupia to 4,000 rupia (60p) which might not seem a lot, but is out of reach of many. The government was criticised for not making the masks available freely to the poor in the interior.
However, many aid workers felt that people were being advised to wear masks, not because
they were effective against pollution, but to soothe their fears. Health advisors believed that in
fact a wet towel covering the nose and mouth was more effective than the masks.
Indonesia is already the world's largest plywood exporter and aims, by 2005, to become
the world's largest oil-palm producer. Meanwhile timber is logged at unsustainable rates
and planting of fast-growing non-indigenous substitutes in their place creates havoc in
the ecosystem.
Look out for the new World Land Trust advertisement entitled `Spot the Bright Spark!' drawing particular attention to the mass-destruction caused by forest fires. Do you think the advert gets the message across effectively? As a supporter we would value your opinions.
Gerry Ledesma, President of the Philippine Reef & Rainforest Conservation Foundation in Negros, writes:
"Good morning from Bacolod. CONGRATULATIONS ON THE SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING BY THE WLT. Many thanks to all supporters who have sent donations. Here is the financial picture:We paid $60,000 into the Danjugan account for which we got an exchange rate of 41.14 (2,469,000 pesos). This does leave us with a balance of 213,490.72 pesos ($5,188) caused by the high interest rates on the loan but we will do our best to raise these funds at this end.
Having the loan paid off makes a tremendous difference, suddenly we can begin work on all the conservation projects we have been planning. The local community are fired with enthusiasm and we have just heard that the Barangay Council have just passed the resolution on our marine reserve and sanctuary. We are organising the community based management council and will report again soon.
The other good news is that the two Filipino researchers, J C Gonzales and Andy Dans, are looking more closely at the bat cave by the third lagoon. And they are STILL sure that among the 10,000 bats in the colony some are Dobsonia chapmani. As bat experts they normally observe insectivorous bats emerging first at dusk, but at this cave it is the frugivores that come out first, which is very unusual indeed. This bat was thought to be extinct so if they do confirm that it is in fact Dobsonia, this makes Danjugan Island even more important.
Wildlife sightings are good at present, the fruit doves have bred again successfully and the turtles are doing well.
Please pass on our thanks again to all WLT supporters for their generous donations. Although we in the Philippines will be glad when our peso is worth a bit more to the rest of the world it has certainly helped us to save Danjugan Island.
- With best wishes to you all. Gerry"
Cebu, next to Negros has suffered from serious deforestation, but tropical forests survive in Mt Kanlaon Natural Park. These dense forests are a refuge for many seriously threatened species, including Prince Alfred's (or Philippine) Spotted Deer and Bearded (or Warty) Pigs. Mt Kanlaon is an active volcano, which last erupted in August 1996, sending ash 5,000 ft into the air. There were fatalities on this occasion, including a young British conservationists, so extreme care is needed if you are considering the arduous climb to the top.
Pamilacan, the tiny island south of Negros and Cebu, rarely named on maps, is also an excellent spot for whale watching and species that can be seen, (mainly between November and May) include: Sperm whales, Bryde's whale, pygmy killer whale, melon-headed whale and short-finned pilot whales.
As protection improves around Danjugan Island and the sanctuary is established, the Sulu
Sea will provide a safe haven, and excellent feeding ground for all marine species.
It was a calm evening after the passing of the storm. I sat on the beach and watched a night sky ablaze with stars. After a few minutes I noticed that some of the stars seemed to lie among the surrounding trees. What was more, they were moving and flashing intermittently. Fireflies, at first just a few and then hundreds, zigzagged their way in and out of the forest, their own light show merging perfectly with the celestial one above. Out to sea, bold flashes of lightning streaked low across the sky.
I was on the tiny island of Danjugan off the south-western coast of Negros, itself one of the main islands in the central region of this fractured archipelago. For the past couple of days I had been alternately hiking among its dense forest and tangled mangroves and diving on the coral reefs that surround it. The former had been a struggle across a terrain of jagged limestone but was rewarding nevertheless as I was able to photograph a wealth of birdlife, including a pair of nesting white-breasted sea eagles and their almost fully fledged chick.
The diving had been pure joy. I was in the company of volunteers working with Coral
Caye Conservation. The reefs around the island had been damaged in places by dynamite
fishing, but they are now recovering beautifully, with large stands of soft and hard corals
returning to their glory. While the volunteers were busy counting coral species I cruised
around taking photographs and enjoying the view. And what a colourful view it was - the
divers told me later that the count was 300 and rising, more species than the whole of the Great
Barrier Reef.
Reproduced by kind permission of BBC Wildlife where the article first appeared in full, in the June 1998 issue
One of the main aims of the Philippine Reef & Rainforest Project is now very close to realisation with the support of the local community to protect biologically rich sections of the reefs. WLT and the Philippine Reef & Rainforest Conservation Foundation (PRRCF) both believe that the key to the long-term survival of Danjugan Island as an important reserve lies with the local community who depend, in part, on the fish resources of the local reefs and whose long term interests depend on conservation.
The PRRCF has been working to achieve this by careful consultation and involvement of many locals from Bulata in the work on and around Danjugan. If the community can see the benefits of the marine sanctuary, its protection should be assured. A major milestone in gaining this support was a visit of 12 representatives from Bulata to Apo Island (100 miles away on the other side of Negros) to see a similar venture working. On their return, these representatives organised numerous meetings with community leaders in Bulata gaining broad support within the whole population for the Danjugan Island Marine Reserve & Sanctuary proposal.
Sanctuary areas (the map below shows the 3 protected zones around Danjugan) are absolute no-go areas except to look and appreciate! Marine life will, in due course, revert to a natural balance and fish stocks in surrounding areas are expected to increase.
"On 28 July I flew up to Scotland to collect a pair of Silvery Marmosets from Edinburgh Zoo, where they have been for the past two years,(before that they had been at Jersey Zoo). They are very unusual animals having white hair and little pink faces - and are sometimes likened to trolls! But I think they are very beautiful.
We got to know about these animals from the Silvery Marmoset Stud Book keeper at Shaldon Wildlife Trust in Devon. Because they are endangered in the wild a rigorous breeding programme is taking place among co-operating zoos and captive populations are breeding well. However, as in the wild, there will always be animals that are unsuited for breeding and our female is one such animal. She produced very weak young and proved to be a poor mother, so the decision was taken to neuter her. As she was not going to be part of a breeding colony in the future a new home needed to be found and when we suggested that she and a male friend move into specially designed housing in Wyld Court's rainforest, Edinburgh Zoo were delighted. They settled into their luxury Rainforest cage, (furnished with the help of Enterprise Plants) almost immediately and seem very at home. Come and see them for yourselves".
"Since starting work on the Special Needs Programme earlier in the year I have been making excellent contacts both within the local community and with specialist organisations. The launch of the project will take place with a special Education Morning in October, specifically designed for local children of mixed ability in conjunction with PALS (Partnership for Active Leisure scheme). I have also appointed an Advisory Group on special needs and we are currently discussing suitable sensory features to be incorporated at Wyld Court. We have also appointed a team of volunteers who are making excellent inputs. But we still need more - please contact me if you are interested."
If you live in the vicinity, why not become a Friend of Wyld Court and enjoy free admission any time you feel like a trip to the Tropics. We hold special events and evening lectures for Friends too, and night time in the Rainforest is an enchanting experience.
Thanks to the generosity of the Fyffes Group, Wyld Court was able to give away over 1,000 free bananas recently on our stand at the Newbury Show
"Thank you to all schools who helped raise funds to save Danjugan Island. You did a tremendous job. Listed below are just a few schools who raised funds, and thanks go to them and all other pupils, teachers and friends who supported my appeal to schools.But don't stop now!
To all young please I say: You have a really important part to play. Don't leave it to adults, take the world in your own hands - you CAN do something that will count.
And Teachers: Liven up your classroom teaching all within the National Curriculum. The World Land Trust's projects are excellent for getting the message across, and the wall charts,video and teachers manual are packed with info. For inspiration take a group to Wyld Court Rainforest, it's nearly as good as the real thing! Thanks again."
Particular thanks to the following:
Kingsbrook School, Deanshanger, raised a fabulous £1,100. Thanks to Teacher Mrs Kirby
and pupils, and to everyone who supported their efforts.
St Mary's Westbrook, Folkestone, raised £300 by holding a sponsored swim.
St Paul's Primary, Chessington raised £118.65 by organising a Rainforest Sale.
Red Maids School, Westbury-on-Trym, donated £100 raised by selling refreshments on
Sports Day.
Robertswood Combined, Gerrards Cross, raised £100 from a sponsored walk in Windsor
Great Park and a Rainforest Stall at their Fayre.
Durrington High, Worthing raised £200 by selling t-shirts which they designed and printed
themselves.
St Nicholas Chantry Primary, Clevedon, raised £125 by charging for a Maths Game
designed by Years 5 & 6 and making and selling Fluffy Pens.
And last but not least, thanks to Mr Howard and United World College of S.E. Asia, in
Singapore. We aren't sure how they did it but they raised a magnificent £1,325 for the
Danjugan Appeal. Thanks to them and all teachers, pupils, friends and family who helped with
school fundraising events. And thanks again to all schools who have raised funds.
Thank you also to the International School of Geneva, and Nicola Furey, Honorary Vice Consul at the Consulate of Belize in Geneva. With her help, the school raised a magnificent 1,572.00 Swiss Francs (that's £652) for our Belize projects.
"The money was raised partly by one brave and generous child giving his birthday money to go towards the rainforest. His mother then organised a sponsored walk which was his birthday party", writes Nicola. "We walked around a beautiful Swiss nature reserve with a river flowing through, in which there were beavers. At one point on the walk, as we scrambled under low hanging branches, I got the children to pretend they were in the rainforest and very soon they were swinging like monkeys! We talked of parrots, butterflies, monkeys and the big cats of Belize, as well as all the other flora and fauna. These children have a wonderful enthusiasm and I hope many will one day visit Belize."
Wyld Court Rainforest offers Special Tours for School Parties and is open every day between 10am and 5.15pm (except for Christmas Day & Boxing Day). There is also a Cafe and free Picnic Area, free Coach Park, and Gift Shop.
In the Autumn 1997 issue of WLT News we announced an Ecuadorian initiative, which the WLT was helping to get off the ground. UK Co-ordinator, Jo Mew, and local conservationist Luis Valencia visited the WLT office to discuss ways of setting up an NGO in Ecuador, aimed at working with local groups. Ten months after a fundraising appeal was launched, forest communities in NW Ecuador, are now close to securing the land rights to 6,000 ha of ancestral lands. WLT supporters responded generously to our appeal and we sent funds to Ecuador which enabled them to begin work on a conservation base.
Jo Mews writes with an update:
"At the beginning of this year, NYTUA completed the construction of a traditional thatched "cabaqa" in San Lorenzo which will serve as a base and open-access information/resource centre. We thank WLT supporters for giving so generously to this aspect of our work".
The project is in two phases: Phase I is to secure the land rights for the communities thus preventing the logging company from moving in and exploiting the villagers' situation, and a grant of $8,900 has been secured to implement this phase. Land titling for the communities will begin in September in conjunction with CARE-Ecuador, making this 5-6,000 hectares part of the biological corridor.
Phase II comprises sustainable development projects for income generation. Progress is being made in setting up a village co-operative which will form the basis of Phase II activities and once the title deeds have been secured the task of generating a sustainable income from the communities has to be addressed. Many ideas are being discussed and I hope to give you an update in a future issue of WLT News. In the meantime many thanks to everyone who supported the setting up of this important project."
CHRISTMAS CARDS AND A BEAUTIFUL RANGE OF GREETINGS CARDS are now available from:
Designed by artist, Bob Linney, our Danjugan wall chart is packed with colourful wildlife and information which makes it both decorative and educational. Also available is our matching Rainforest Action Costa Rica wall chart.
The wall charts cost £1.50 each or £2.50 per pair (incl P&P) or FREE if you are fundraising for WLT
Stephen Knapp, Project Director of the Serro Do Mar Reserva Ecologica (SMRE), is, as we go to press, deep inside the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. He commented before he left - "people think I'm going on holiday, I don't think they realise that one is wet through most of the time, a sleeping bag is only fit for use for about the first two nights, and my field books go mouldy within days!". But, knowing Stephen this is not going to deter him.
Sir Ghillean Prance, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, greatly encouraged Stephen when planning this project and is now its Patron. We thank Sir Ghillean for his great support.
SMRE is working very closely with the local community and links are being developed and maintained with the villages of Guapi A‡u and Santa Amaro. Where possible supplies are purchased from local sources and local artists and crafts people will be encouraged to exhibit and sell merchandise from facilities available at SMRE.
A message from John Burton . . . "People often ask us how they can be sure that their donations will really do some good. Before starting a project we ensure that we have people in the UK and in the country in question who have a proven track record and our new Brazil project comes with support from across the board.
It is a fact that the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforests are among the most threatened in the world and the wildlife they support would be totally irreplaceable.
We hope that by printing the two letters on this page, from eminent scientists, that you will be reassured that our work in Brazil will really do immeasurable good.
It isn't going to be easy for Stephen and he has a long hard struggle ahead, and probably many mouldy sleeping bags, but he is a professional field biologist and a committed conservationist and with these two attributes we believe that he can achieve more than anyone else could hope for in this area. He will be reporting about his trip in the next newsletter and in the meantime I hope you will consider supporting our work in Brazil so that we can move things forward quickly. Thank you.
Remember Bob Linney's colourful wall charts for Programme for Belize, Rainforest Action Costa Rica and Danjugan Island? While Bob contributes much of his work free of charge we still need to raise about £1,500 for printing and distributing a new Brazil wall chart. They reach huge numbers of schools and individuals and really raise project awareness. Do you know a possible sponsor?
"Belize aims to be the first country in the world to export ONLY timber from sources certified
by the Forest Stewardship Council" (see page 2, WLT News No.9 ).
If PFB's self-sufficiency can be demonstrated and copied throughout the rest of the country,
while protecting the forest environment at the same time, then Belize will be one of the first
countries to have developed a nationwide sustainable resource management programme.
Timber bound for UK - The first timber from PFB's sustainable forestry project, has been loaded into a container and is being exported to the UK.
Horticulture at Hill Bank Field Station - PFB's Micropropagation Technician, Violet Belisle, undertakes the tricky task of dividing miniature plants, under aseptic conditions, to multiply them out. PFB is researching a number of new native plants to see if they can be grown for the international market place.
Rosewood Alternative Timber - John Loskott, Belizean a timber expert, has carefully marked out a Northern Rosewood, Swartzia cubensis, tree trunk before cutting. The heartwood of this tree was bought by a guitar company in the USA to make finger boards.
This species is a good substitute for the over-exploited, and CITES listed Rosewood, Dalbergia nigra, from Brazil, which is now listed as Rare by IUCN. A huge number of musical instruments are traditionally made from timbers that are now considered threatened, and the music industry has greeted initiatives with enthusiasm.
Compost on tap - Wherever possible John Masson, PFB's Horticultural Advisor uses existing resources from their land to keep environmental impact to a minimum.
John Masson is third-generation Belizean and formerly worked with Coca-Cola Foods. He was instrumental in the establishment of PFB when land transactions from Coca Cola were being conducted. In total Coca Cola have donated 92,000 acres to PFB.
has recently been published by Delphi International. The good news is that it is full of useful information, the bad news? It costs £245! - It's doubtful that this will be on most people's bookshelves.
For a donation of £5 or more to our Belize projects we will send you a FREE copy of the 12-page, colour:
Cockscomb Basin, situated in southern Belize, was declared a forest reserve and a NO HUNTING area in 1984, mainly to protect the Jaguar population, as well as other resident wildlife. It was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1986.
The ancient Maya were the area's first known human inhabitants, and the ruins of a minor ceremonial site can be found at Cuchill Baalum. The first known attempt to climb the Cockscomb range, was by the Goldsworthy expedition in 1888. And even at that time they noted that loggers had already entered the basin in their relentless pursuit of mahogany and cedar. Many maps of the basin still bear the colourful names of timber camps - such as "Sale Si Puede" (Leave it if you can) and "Go to hell Camp", long ago reclaimed by the lush jungle.
Cockscomb Basin takes its name from the jagged peaks of the Maya Mountains which resemble the comb of a proud rooster. Mountains enclose the sanctuary on three sides, rising to approx. 1,200 m, (4,000 ft) at Victoria Peak. This is the country's second highest mountain.
The 41,457 ha (102,400 acres) Sanctuary is criss-crossed by a maze of creeks and tributaries which merge to form the headwaters of the Swasey and South Stann Creek rivers, and also part of the Sittee River.
The Sanctuary's diverse ecosystem protects not only the Jaguar, but a sizeable percentage of Belize's other plant and animal species, including the threatened Ocelot, Margay and Baird's tapir.
The Jaguar's reputation as a powerful, elusive animal, has generated a mystique about the Cockscomb Basin. The secretive life of the Jaguar ensures that it is only rarely encountered by visitors yet their presence is evident through tracks, scratch markings, and scats on the trails and roads where they walk. But this elusive presence is enough to excite the imagination of those who walk the trails that are the home of one of the most powerful of cats.
The Jaguar is the third largest member of the cat family - an adult male may weigh up to 136kg (300lbs) and measure up to 2m (6«ft) from nose to tip of tail. CBWS has the highest density of Jaguars yet recorded. Males maintain overlapping territories of approx 18 - 26 sq km (11-16 sq miles), while female ranges do not overlap and are about a third as large.
Jaguar and Puma use old roads and trails to travel and hunt, feeding on almost anything they can catch, particularly Peccary, Brocket deer and Paca.
The Tamandua (also known as Collared Anteater and Antsbear) eat insects and can often be seen tearing open ant and termite nests. Also shown: Grey Fox, found mainly in the pine ridge area of the eastern CBWS. Northern Potoo. The red reflections of its eyes are often seen in car headlights at night. Great Horned Owl - widespread in the Americas but relatively rare in Belize. Caterpillar, species unknown.
The Kinkajou, also known in Belize as Nightwalker. Kinkajous are strictly nocturnal members of the racoon family, and can be seen in treetops searching for fruit, insects, honey and flower nectar. However, they are more often heard than seen as they move noisily around the treetops. They use their prehensile tail for balance and support, but are somewhat clumsy and often drop fruit they are eating! During the day they rest in hollow trees.
The Cockscomb jungle is a bird-watcher's paradise with over 300 species recorded, including the Scarlet Macaw, Great Curassow, Keel-billed Toucan and this King Vulture. This will be one of the many areas of Belize where World Birdwatch `98 and the 4th NTT World Bird Count will take place during the month of October. It is an annual event and valuable data on bird population trends will be collected.
King vultures are fairly common in the CBWS, but in many areas of Belize are declining due to loss of forest habitat.
Continuous forest stretches across the CBWS but nearly all of it has been affected by disturbance of one sort or another - either by wind storms and hurricanes, flooding and fires, (natural and man-made).
It has been estimated that when Hurricane Hattie passed through the basin in 1961, 90% of the canopy trees were toppled in a 50km wide swath. Regrowth has been remarkably rapid in the lower basin since then. On some of the higher ridges, however, vegetation has been slower to re-establish itself. This is most apparent in the upper Cockscomb Mountains where fire followed the hurricane. Without vegetative cover, the steep slopes and abundant rainfall, eroded away much of the soil. Forest has not returned there to this day.
CBWS is entered by way of a 6-mile road from the village of Maya Center, and buses run from Belize City.
Illustrator Carol Roberts, recently visited Cockscomb and created a number of very fine sketches of the wildlife and landscape. Carol writes:
"Back in 1988 when both Cockscomb and my career as an artist were established, a travelling scholarship from Jaguar cars brought us together. Sitting in a rainforest sketching has pleasures and pain. While mosquitoes find me irresistible most other creatures seem unconcerned. Grey foxes strolled near me and furtive, questing Tyra gave me good views. I have even come face-to-face with a Jaguarundi paddling in the green shadows at the river's edge.
Cockscomb filled me with inspiration and I have since returned to Belize to sketch, paint and indulge my love of rainforest. Recently I have been using my sketches of Belize wildlife to create a children's book, The Long Song for which I hope to find a publisher."
Belize Audubon Society
P O Box 1001
12 Fort Street, Belize City
Belize, Central America
Tel: (501) 2-35004/34987/34988
Website: http://www.belizeaudubon.org/
The WLT is assisting the Belize Audubon Society in implementing European Commission funded activities, by helping promote knowledge, and interest in BAS's work outside Belize. In each issue of WLT News we feature one of the National Parks administered by BAS. In the next issue it will be the turn of: Guanacaste National Park
Like the Falkland Islands 20 years ago, no-one knows much about them, but they are a UK Dependent Territory, and home to Humpback Whales.
Nestling between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean, the Turks & Caicos Islands are, at first glance, a tropical paradise. But, they are being developed unscrupulously at the moment, and the unique habitats, both on land and at sea, will soon be critically endangered.
As WLT Project's Manager, Dominic White commented, after a visit to the islands in June, "the one image I can't forget is the rampant development of small residential plots which are creeping all over the islands. At the moment there doesn't seem to be any effort placed on `greening up' this development although the country has a huge opportunity to grow more sustainably. The country has no fresh water (it all comes from desalination plants) does not use solar energy and has no recycling programme to speak of. This is bound to take a heavy toll on the environment".
Dominic went at the invitation of the Turks & Caicos Islands National Trust, and although a conservation programme is very much in its infancy we hope that the World Land Trust will be able to help this UK Dependent Territory in its battle to save its heritage.
Humpback Whales - Rock Iguanas - the Stoplight Parrotfish and other exotic wildlife occur on and around the Turks & Caicos Islands. The islands have an extraordinary landscape of low-lying dry dwarf forest which is surrounded by immense mudflats and salt marshes. The coral reefs are mainly unspoilt and the Ramsar site designated to protect the country's wetlands speak for themselves. But before conservation work can start comprehensive habitat and species surveys must be carried out.
If you are interested, telephone Dominic at WLT: 01986 874422
The Osa National Wildlife Refuge is a Reality: under TUVA's initiative. After a two-year long technical study, a presidential executive decree covering 5,000 acres was signed in July 1998.
"This Wildlife Refuge will constitute the largest mixed refuge in the country and is the result of 8 years work with local communities in creating conservation alliances", writes Manuel Alonso. "TUVA hopes that this refuge, of significant value to Corcovado National Park and its buffer zone, will be unique in that it will fulfil not only this important environmental mission, but will also perform a social, economic, educational and cultural function as well."
The Traditional Medicine Recovery Program also started during 1998 with the Guyami indigenous population of the Osa. Two workshops, one in the Osa Guaymi Indigenous Reserve of Alto Laguna and one in the TUVA-managed Piro Biodiversity Centre, have been conducted with the assistance of more than 80 indigenous representatives of Costa Rica (guyami, malecu) and Colombia (ingano and embera). TUVA is hoping to form an ethnobiology network that will serve to facilitate the exchange of indigenous medical knowledge amongst different tribes and to protect the abundant medicinal plants and the forest ecosystem that are at the base of their knowledge.
As a result of these meetings a Declaration of Friendship was signed, including the creation of the Guyami Traditional Indigenous Medical Council, with five members, each one representing one of the five Guaymi communities in Costa Rica.
Manuel Alonso, TUVA's Executive Director has also taken on the role of Co-ordinator of the Ethnobiology Network, a joint project between TUVA, the Amazon Conservation Team and the Fundacion Herencia Verde de Colombia. He has been travelling this year to Colombia to help develop this project. There he was working with the Ingano, Coreguaje and Kofan Indians of the Colombian Amazon region promoting meetings and project development activities.
All the Animals of Belize
For a long time good books on Belize's wildlife were very difficult to find, but recently several have been published. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico , written and illustrated by Fiona A Reid, is a magnificent leap forward, allowing the field naturalist to have a go at identifying all the mammals of the region. Superb illustrations, plus detailed descriptions and distribution map. Very highly recommended.
Then there are three books restricted to Belize, all illustrated with photographs:
100 Birds of Belize will, hopefully, enthuse Belizean school children to take up birdwatching, and will also be useful for tourists (the serious birder will still need a field guide).
Both Snakes of Belize and Frogs & Toads of Belize are comprehensive, and are useful for specialist and tourist alike.
The Snakes of Belize. Long time supporters of Programme for Belize will find a photo of Belizean Tony Garel in the September 1990 issue of PFB News, showing John Burton delivering a free British Airways ticket to him so that he could go to Jersey Zoo for one of their training courses. Tony has since become a serious herpetologist and the Snakes of Belize demonstrates not only his commitment to herpetology but also to conserving Belize's wildlife heritage.
Each species is illustrated with a colour photo, mostly of very high quality, and a short descriptive text is sufficient to identify most species likely to be encountered. A must for anyone going into the field.
These books can be ordered from:
Dear WLT .... "I enclose a small donation towards your goal of paying off the mortgage on Danjugan.
My wife and I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Belize which, naturally, included a visit to the field station at La Milpa. We spent 4 days in the company of Luis Zaiden who proved a very knowledgeable and interesting guide. We have nothing but praise for all the PFB staff including the friendly office staff in Belize City. We would highly recommend a trip to Belize in general, and PFB in particular, to anyone wishing to experience eco-tourism working.
I hope that one day we may be able to visit Danjugan and experience the marine and terrestrial life there."
- Robert Mellors, Gloucester
"I always appreciate reading about the efforts of others in your work and newsletters.
Unfortunately my job/family/mortgage treadmill prevents me from making a practical
contribution (other than tending my garden organically).
Could you make available the addresses of the organisations and people who make a particular contribution, good or bad, so that we could at least write to them with appropriate praise or criticism - e.g. Manuel Alonso vs Get-rich-quick developers!
I do believe that international public opinion is a small but growing force for change, and I would like to contribute. And how about a small page for readers' letters?"
- T N de Bray (Mr), Kettering
John Burton replies:
"Mr de Bray raises an interesting issue which is difficult for us to address. That is, if we draw up a list of `baddies' we could lay ourselves open to attack unless we do loads of homework! For instance, we have heard about the Malaysian companies who are operating in Belize, and many NGOs are very unhappy about their activities. On the positive side, we are always pleased to pass on letters to field workers. Manuel Alonso will be delighted to know that his hard work has not gone unnoticed. And I am sure that a letter to the Costa Rican Ambassador would do a lot to boost the already good opinion in Costa Rica.
Finally, we do agree that public opinion is a small but effective force for change. A handful of letters to MPs, Ambassadors, and other policy-makers can have a significant effect, so we do urge our supporters to make their views known (and copy it to us if you have the time)"
"The Sea, The Sea", an exhibition for Artists for the Environment held at the Yew Tree Gallery in Slad, near Stroud, Gloucestershire, raised a magnificent £4,000 towards the purchase of Danjugan Island. The Gallery's owner, Gilly Wyatt Smith, was delighted when the Earth Love Fund suggested the donation should go towards the Danjugan Project and we are hoping to stage an art exhibition in conjunction with Yew Tree Gallery at Wyld Court Rainforest in the future.
Thank you again to all supporters who responded magnificently to our Danjugan Appeal. You won't find a `hard push' for funds in this newsletter but as always we would like to reiterate that without your generous support we could not continue our conservation efforts. Real progress has, and is, being made so, if you able, please consider further support. Thank you.
John Burton, Chief Executive, WLT