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| Issue No. 13 Autumn 1999 | ISSN: 1359 - 3889 |
This summer the WLT has been developing an exciting project opportunity in Patagonia, which was brought to our attention by Trustee, Jerry Bertrand. To follow up leads, John Burton flew to Puerto Madryn in June (courtesy of British Airways, Assisting Conservation), to meet with local people and representatives of Fundacion Patagonia National. He spent three days with them assessing the area, flying over the steppes and coastline, walking on the magnificent, wild beaches and looking at the abundant wildlife. He returned full of enthusiasm for this wonderful and unique wilderness habitat, and writes:
Up to now the steppe lands of Patagonia have not featured in lists of areas for urgent conservation intervention, but now that I have visited the area, and seen its stunning wildlife and the development threats to this spectacular region I predict that we are going to be hearing a lot more about Patagonia before too long.
When it was first shown on television, I greatly enjoyed watching the Trials of Life which was shot around Point Valdes. And on my return from Patagonia I telephoned Sir David Attenborough to bring him up-to-date with the situation there. He confirmed all the impressions I had had - that this is a truly wild part of the world with so much wildlife that we must do all we can to help.
It seems that naturalists from Charles Darwin onwards have all been stunned by Patagonia. Former WLT Trustee, Mark Carwardine, enthused over the San Matias Gulf (see map on page 3) saying that he had rarely seen so much wildlife in the Americas “It was more like an African safari”, he recalled.
I landed at Puerto Madryn after a two hour plane journey from Buenos Aires, on a wintery June day. Practically the first thing I saw on reaching my destination was a monument on the coast outside the town commemorating the arrival of the first Welsh colonists just over a century ago. Today much of Patagonia is still highly influenced by the large number of British colonists, and many Patagonians are bilingual.
During my stay in Patagonia I could not have been in better hands travelling around with Carlos and Carol Passera. They are experienced tour guides, and extremely knowledgeable - Carlos used to work for the National Park Service. They introduced me to Graham Harris, Director of Fundacion Patagonia National (based in Puerto Madryn) and his small team, who greeted the proposal for the WLT to help establish a permanent nature reserve in the coastal steppe with much enthusiasm. (Graham also wrote and illustrated A Guide to the Birds and Mammals of Coastal Patagonia - see below.)
The FPN has an excellent track record for research and project management, but are keen for WLT involvement as there are no protected areas in the coastal steppes of Patagonia. By linking in with FPN, WLT can be a major force in land protection in Patagonia and can help the FPN develop their own capabilities. They hope to carry out their own fundraising, and are keen to work with volunteers and exchange staff for training. I believe we have identified exactly the right partners for the WLT Patagonia initiative.
The first ranch we looked at with a view to possible purchase was snapped up before we could even make an offer. The collapse in world wool prices that has hit Welsh and other farmers in Britain, has been even more catastrophic in South America, and consequently ranches are coming on to the market quite frequently at the moment. High quality Merino wool that sold for over US$7 a kilo a few years ago is barely fetching 60 cents. This has led to land prices falling and creating a window of opportunity for the WLT to acquire a huge reserve, at rock bottom prices. Although the lands are often overgrazed, they can regenerate relatively quickly and provide refuge for an amazing range of wildlife.
Please help us launch this, our Tenth Anniversary Appeal and we guarantee you will be hearing more about Patagonia and its wildlife in the future. Thank you.
John Burton, Chief Executive
The Patagonia steppes have inspired many eminent naturalists, and for this, theTrust’s 10th Anniversary
Project, it is appropriate that Sir David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell should be so enthralled with
this area
- as they were principal supporters ten years ago when we were launching Programme for Belize.
Sir David Attenborough has filmed extensively in Patagonia, and Gerald Durrell wrote The Whispering Land about the area . Charles Darwin was enthralled by the fossils and Trustee, David Bellamy enthuses over the plant life.
Gerald Durrell wrote, in The Whispering Land in 1961, “I was amazed and delighted at the number of creatures we saw on the Valdes peninsula... It was almost as if the peninsula and its narrow isthmus was a cul-de- sac into which all the wildlife of Chubut had drained and could not escape. I wish that it were possible for the Argentine Government to make the whole peninsula into a sanctuary, for which it seems to have been designed by nature”.
“This area is one of the world’s great wildernesses, with outstanding wildlife spectacles including elephant seals, whales and rheas. The WLT’s efforts to acquire and protect this wonderful land deserves all the support they can get”.
“On calling up the images of the past, I find that the plains of Patagonia frequently cross before my eyes; yet these plains are pronounced by all wretched and useless... Why then, and the case is not peculiar to myself, have these arid wastes taken so firm a hold on my memory? I can scarcely analyse these feelings: but it must be partly owing to the free scope given to the imagination. The plains of Patagonia are boundless, for they are scarcely passable, and hence unknown: they bear the stamp of having lasted, as they are now, for ages, and there appears no limit to their duration through future time.”
Extract from The Voyage of the Beagle.
Unfortunately that time might be running out and there is a real threat that coastal areas of Patagonia,in particular, will be developed before too long.
Please make a donation to the Patagonia Steppe Project on the order form enclosed with this newsletter
Roz Gordon, a new volunteer at the WLT, has travelled widely in South America. She took the photographs below and thinks Patagonia is ‘absolutely wonderful’
“For years I'd wanted to visit penguins in their natural habitat so this area of Patagonia was a particular highlight of my trip. Waddling around on the shore they are very comical, but when they hit the water they become swift and graceful creatures. The penguins are so accessible, I spent hours close to them without alarming them at all.
Later, in search of Southern Right Whales, we sat silently in the boat just looking and waiting, the lapping of the waves against the hull the only sound. Then we saw them, far away at first, diving out of the water, snorting and splashing. They came closer and mother and baby swam just feet away from us under our boat. Spectacular.
The day ended with a beautiful sunset across the arid plains. Guanaco sauntered past as I sat round the campfire with my new Argentine friends. I felt I could conquer the world. Patagonia does that to you.”
Roz Gordon
September, 1999
David, and his wife, Thorunn enjoyed hearing about the rare and exotic rainforest plants growing in a natural setting at Wyld Court, and their children, Sammi and Alex, were particularly enthralled by the Anaconda and Bird-eating Spiders. All the animals at Wyld Court have stories to tell - the Goeldi’s Marmosets are part of a captive breeding group of this endangered species, while the Chameleons were confiscated by HM Customs at Heathrow Airport where they were discovered being smuggled into this country. Wyld Court has a policy of only keeping animals that have a conservation message.
The volunteer programme at Wyld Court has attracted people from all walks of life. Orchid enthusiasts, Dennis Read and Stephen Taylor have put in a great deal of hard work on the collection, and Dennis gives regular talks on orchids, sharing his enthusiasm and expertise with staff and visitors. As well as horticultural and animal care, volunteers help as trail guides and with office tasks and shop and cafe work.
Volunteer guide, Dodie Phillips, says of Wyld Court: “It is always interesting, it’s lovely and warm in winter and I've got over my arachnaphobia by working here”.
Telephone Judith Cox-Rogers at Wyld Court for more information.
Karl Hansen joined the Rainforest team early in 1999, as its Senior Executive and Manager. Canadian by birth, Karl spent much of his childhood in St Lucia, first coming to the UK in 1990 to do an MSc in Forestry and its Relation to Land Use at Oxford University. He has a background in international forest conservation, and sustainable livelihoods for local people. Of his task at Wyld Court he says, “I believe Wyld Court possesses the potential to become a major centre for rainforest-related conservation”. Photo caption: Karl lives in the Berkshire Downs with his wife, Carol, and his daughter, Klara Daisy, aged 1.
On 13 November Wyld Court is hosting a Rainforest Ball with all profits going
to WLT projects.
Telephone Wyld Court for more information.
Dress: Black Tie or ‘Ugly Bug’ Costume.
Tickets cost £25 each
All supporters welcome
All WLT’s cards are produced for a purpose, whether they are the Jaguar & Mot Mot drawn in the Belizean tropical forests, or Bromeliads painted at Wyld Court Rainforest. Our new card is a departure from foreign habitats and features a Red Fox in the snow. This new design represents our involvement in UK conservation and education at Wyld Court Rainforest in Berkshire and announces our intention to develop a UK project during the year 2000.
In conjunction with Adnams Wine Merchants (also based in Suffolk), the WLT has just launched a Special Edition Rainforest Fizz.
Toast the Millennium, the happiness of friends and family, a special success, or just because you want to save wildlife, with our newly launched Rainforest Fizz. Exclusive to WLT, and to celebrate our Tenth Anniversary, we guarantee you will enjoy this crisp, fresh (Adnams) Sparkling Chardonnay, widely recognised by wine-buffs as excellent value for money. All profits go to World Land Trust projects.
So while you are celebrating you can now help us to save wildlife and habitats too!
A case of Rainforest Fizz costs £78.00 (12 bottles) and will be delivered to your doorstep. Please complete the Order Form enclosed or telephone the WLT Office with credit card orders (01986 874422).
In July, the Trust’s Patron, David Gower, hosted a business lunch at British Airways HQ, at Heathrow. The lunch was attended by representatives of businesses interested in the work of the WLT, and was the first of several planned for the next six months, to be held at different venues. If you know of a business that might be seriously interested in sponsoring the WLT do let us know.
Our thanks again to British Airways and the Environment Department for their generous help and support.
Belize: Programme For Belize's Field Stations, at La Milpa and Hill Bank provide comfortable cabana and
dormitory accommodation, situated on the edge of the PFB forests.
Contact: Trips Worldwide (see below) or PFB in Belize
(see Project addresses)
Costa Rica: Stay in the heart of the Osa Peninsula, at TUVA’s Piro Biodiversity Centre. Accommodation is basic
and prices very modest. TUVA is a partner organisation which the WLT continues to support.
Contact: Dennis Vasquez at TUVA for availability and reservations.
See Addresses, Telephone/Fax number, or
e-mail: tuvaadm@sol.racsa.co.cr
Brazil: A modest Field Station on the Guapi Açu Reserve is planned - funds permitting. We will keep you up-to- date with progress. Meanwhile, there is limited accommodation for field biologists by invitation.
Danjugan Island: Although we announced in the Spring issue of WLT News that it was possible to visit Danjugan, our colleagues in the Philippines have asked us to say that they are not quite ready to guarantee sympathetic tourism on the island. They hope it will not be long and we will publish details when available.
Patagonia: We are planning a Millennium Trip-of-a-Lifetime to Patagonia. Let us know if you would be interested in joining us.
“Our tiny plane rises gently from the island of Middle Caicos across an unbroken carpet of low tropical forest. Below, the spikey fronds of silver palm and fleshy round leaves of lush scrub are punctuated by Turks Head Cactus which stand soldier-like in the dry heat.“
WLT Volunteer, Elaine Reynolds reports on her three-month visit to assist Turks & Caicos National Trust.
Our journey hugs the irregular north coastline of crusty cliffs, where, on an earlier trip, we saw a pair of Yellow- crowned Night Herons defending their nest site. Moving southward the land and sea merge, and tough vegetation gives way to the characteristic salty wetlands which typify the landscape of the Turks and Caicos. These salt-water creeks (salinas) snake through the mangroves which colonise white coraline mud. Flocks of pink Flamingos are visible, wading through the shallows, in search of juvenile conch and fry of reef fish.
This wetland, which includes coral reefs, mangroves, swamps and ponds, has been designated by the British Government as a Ramsar site - a wetland habitat of international importance under the Ramsar Convention; it has been described as the most natural of all the 143 sites registered by the UK.
Crossing a turquoise sea, we approach the neighbouring island of Providenciales where a very different scene awaits. Here the landscape is thickly peppered with new housing and hotel developments. Native vegetation is dissected by a skeletal matrix of dusty roads, or has been cleared in favour of 'attractive' ornamental planting.
Over the past fifteen years this island has experienced an escalation of development as the tourism boom took
hold and speculators took advantage of the tax exempt status. Of the 20,000 inhabitants of the islands,
Providenciales is home to the majority, most are native Turks Islanders from the other islands, with immigrants
from Haiti or the Dominican Republic.
Despite the escalation in ‘development’, the Turks and Caicos National Trust is still the only non-governmental organisation working to safeguard the rich natural, cultural and historical heritage of the 160 islands. In a political climate which views all types of ‘development’ as progress, the TCNT has faced a tough task in persuading the multi-cultural society and local government of the importance of conservation and sustainable development. The effectiveness of this organisation can largely be accredited to the TCNT’s Executive Director, Ethlyn Gibbs- Williams.
With the assistance of UK-based conservation organisations such as the World Land Trust and UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum, the TCNT has managed to implement a number of successful, sustainable conservation programmes. It is currently trying to secure ownership of all officially designated sanctuaries and nature reserves from the TCI government to ensure permanent protection of these areas from future development.
With the help of WLT, and its other partner organisations, TCNT will strive to maintain the bio-diversity and preserve the natural heritage of these beautiful islands.
Little Water Cay, has become a flagship example for sustainable tourism, generating profits which are used to finance new initiatives including a schools education programme and an underwater snorkel trail. The Little Water Cay Project has helped safeguard a population of endemic Rock Iguana from almost certain destruction by controlling visitor access. Raised boardwalks, viewing platforms and information signs have helped to prevent visitors from walking on dunes and trampling nest sites. The Trust receives a percentage of visitor fees collected by independent boat operators who play a partnership role in the conservation of this threatened species.
Elaine Reynolds went out to Turks & Caicos earlier this year, having been recruited as a volunteer by the WLT to assist the TCNT’s Executive Director, Ethlyn Gibbs-Williams. She was so successful in her role there that she has been hired as a consultant by the TCNT for a further six months. The WLT thanks Elaine for her hard work and commitment during the time she spent with TCNT - she was a wonderful ambassador for the Trust and worked effectively and tirelessly.
Thanks to the response to recent appeals, WLT is able to appoint the first resident staff member for the
project.
Andrew Foster, a field ecologist who has been closely associated with the Guapi Açu project since its inception, flew out to Brazil in mid-September to begin work as Field Manager. Andy will liaise with local landowners, research institutes and potential corporate sponsors but his first task will be to establish an office and telecommunication facilities on the reserve. In the field, Andy will be way-marking and mapping the trail system, undertaking routine ecological studies and providing support and assistance to the increasing numbers of researchers and visitors wanting to come to work, or simply view the site.
The presence of a full-time member of staff will raise the profile of the project among the local communities, and pave the way for a conservation-minded approach.
When we started the project it was not unusual to hear the blast of a shotgun, or come across snares, hunters camps or trails cut or marked, almost anywhere in the forest. From the onset, we launched the community outreach programme designed to increase the local villagers’ awareness of the importance of the reserve and to enrol their support and active participation in the conservation of the wildlife. At the same time, and with the landowners’ encouragement, we removed all the camps and snares we could find, and established regular transect routes to monitor any changes in population dynamics of quarry species. In recent months, despite only a temporary presence on the project area, the benefits of this action have become clear. Sightings of the critically endangered Woolly Spider Monkey, Tufted-ear Marmoset, Brown Howler Monkey and predators such as Jaguar, Jaguarundi and Tayra have all been made in the lowlands. And other game species, including mammals and birds, appear to have expanded both their range and population density back into previously hunted-over areas. It is still early days, but with no shots heard for many months, and now that we have Andy’s permanent presence on the Guapi Açu Reserve, it looks as though we have achieved one of our primary goals - the cessation of hunting.
Guapi Açu Reserve is the working title in the UK for the Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Açu (REGUA) as it is known in Brazil.
Hard work and successful community outreach, along with regular monitoring and patrolling, are already producing positive results in the Guapi Açu Reserve, but there is still a vast amount we can achieve with your help.
In the foreword to the new Management Plan, Professor Sir Ghillean Prance FRS, patron of the project, concludes:
“The establishment of this reserve not only represents a major contribution to the unique Mata Atlantica of Brazil, but also provides an area for further research in this ecosystem. It is my hope that all the objectives set out in this carefully prepared and thoughtful plan be attained. I urge you to support and encourage this most significant contribution to conservation and biodiversity”
A Project Brief and colourful wall chart for the Guapi Açu Reserve are available free of charge from the WLT office -(see WLT address) Please enclose a first class stamp.
A stunning book. Graham Harris not only wrote this comprehensive guide, but he also illustrated it with exquisite colour plates, delicate line drawings showing behaviour and species distribution maps.
It has long been known that field guides are essential in stimulating conservation awareness. If the public cannot identify what they are seeing, it is not very unlikely that they will be seriously interested in conserving it. This book will, therefore, be a tremendous boost to Patagonian conservation. Graham Harris was co-founder and is current President of Fundacion Patagonia Natural, the local organisation WLT is supporting. For anyone planning to visit, or with an interest in this area, this book is an must. At £41 it is expensive but considering its specialist nature and the quality of production I think it is excellent value.
SEE SPECIAL OFFER BELOW.
Special Offer to WLT Supporters
Natural History Book Service are offering this book at the reduced price of £34.99 (plus £2.50 P&P)
Telephone/fax/e-mail credit card orders:
Tel: 01803 865913
Fax: 01803 865280
e-mail: orders@nhbs.co.uk
or phone for more information
http://www.nhbs.com
NB: This offer applies to UK only, overseas supporters should contact NHBS for Special Offer postage prices. Offer expires 31/12/99