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This
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| Issue No. 11 Winter 98 | ISSN: 1359 - 3889 |
As we go to press, John Burton, WLT chief executive, is on Danjugan Island, after meetings with our colleagues in the Philippines. There was much to celebrate as this was the first time that the Board of the Philippines Reef & Rainforest Conservation Foundation (the local organisation) and a WLT representative had met since WLT supporters paid off the outstanding debts on Danjugan Island. As John reports, even though there was cause for celebration, the story is not over, as John faxed the WLT office staff the other day:
Bacolod, 11 Nov 98
Dear All,Danjugan is just as I remembered it from my last visit three years ago ... only better. Thick, lush, totally unspoiled tropical forest, humming and buzzing constantly, reaching to the sea. Birds and butterflies in swarms and pristine sea, with magnificent corals shimmering in the depths of the water.
The Board members were very enthusiastic about the future conservation plans and also asked me to convey their thanks to all the supporters in the UK and other parts of the world, who have made it possible to save Danjugan. I will be coming home with a bag full of funding proposals for conservation work and the "wants" list is quite long! I am thoroughly convinced that even though the WLT has managed to save and protect Danjugan, it would be wrong for us to pull out now. There is so much more I think we can help with and I am sure our supporters will feel the same. Looking forward to talking to you all about it on my return.
John.
John Burton flew to the Philippines thanks to support from British Airways Assisting Conservation. BACC regularly supports WLT projects and earlier in the year provided free tickets for REGUA Project Director, Stephen Knapp, to visit the Atlantic Rainforests of Brazil, where the project is based. Many thanks to BA.
Next year the WLT will be ten years old and the Spring edition of WLT News will be a special Anniversary issue, carrying a 10-year review of our work, and guest editorials by those we have worked with, both in and out of the limelight.
Starting from humble beginnings in late 1988, when John Burton was asked by Dr. Gerard (Jerry) Bertrand, President of Massachusetts Audubon Society, if he would be interested in fundraising in the UK for the newly established Programme for Belize, it rapidly became obvious that there was a major role to play in developing international sustainable development projects. Fundraising got off to a flying start with a donation of £25,000 from the now defunct Today newspaper and an official launch hosted by the late Gerry Durrell and his wife Lee. Watch out for next WLT News which will be a bumper issue.
When the WLT funded British conservationist Roger Wilson in 1991 on a six-month contract as technical and scientific advisor to Mrs Joy Grant, Managing Director of Programme for Belize, we did not think he would still be in Belize some seven years later! Roger fell in love with Belize and was so successful in his job that he quickly became indispensable. The WLT continued funding Roger's position in part for a further two years and then he became a member of the PFB staff. Latterly Roger was overseeing the EU Forestry and Micropropagation Projects and also the Carbon Sequestration Project.
A keen birder, Roger aimed to see all 350 birds on the checklist for Belize. Did you manage it Roger? Although Roger has now left Belize, we have a feeling that he may be back one day.
The Serra do Mar Reserva Ecologica has been renamed Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Acu or REGUA for short.
The change, which includes the indigenous name for the area, was proposed by Vice President of WWF in Brazil, Prof. Paulo Nogueira-Neto and is supported by all those associated with the project in Brazil and overseas.
The Serra do Mar ("mountains of the sea") is the name of the entire 1000+ km mountain range extending along the coastline of SE Brazil. But with several properties now included under the Conservation Management Agreement it was felt that the location needed to be more precisely defined. Guapi Acu is the old Tupi Indian name for the nearest village to the project centre, and the Rio Guapi Acu is the river which has its source in the mountains of the REGUA.
"While links are being forged with landowners around the project area, our vital survey work is hampered by the lack of research facilities" writes Stephen Knapp, Project Director.
"The very basic research and accommodation facilities we currently have are located at sea level on the southern boundary of the reserve and are totally inappropriate for researchers wanting to study in the montane regions of REGUA. Funding is needed to construct two simple elevational shelters to house researchers in more remote areas, and to create a clear 'way marked' trail for access"
Sponsors are now being
sought for the shelters, which need a water supply and basic equipment. We are
keen to name the shelters with the sponsor's name/s displayed on each.
Cost per Shelter: £1,800
We have now raised the necessary sponsorship for a Brazil poster and as we go
to press, designer Bob Linney is hard at work. It will be available early in
the New Year.
Guanacaste national park was established on Earth Day 1990 and consists of fifty acres of tropical forest containing many different species of trees. It was Belize Audubon Society members who suggested that this beautiful area be set aside. Although small, the park's location, two miles from Belmopan, and less that 50 miles from Belize City, on a good bus route, means that it is readily accessible to Belizeans and visitors alike. This makes the park ideal for environmental education.
The Park derives its name from the giant Guanacaste (or Tubroos) tree which grows near the southwestern edge of the park, and is estimated to be well over 100 years old. This colossal tree shelters a high number of epiphytes (air plants) and has a magnificent canopy with a radius in the region of 15m (~45 ft). Other plants on the reserve include a dozen species of orchids, bromeliads, ferns and cacti.
The Guanacaste is a fast-growing species and one of the largest trees found in Central America. It can grow to 40m (130ft), and can measure more than 1.8m (6ft) in diameter. The tree has a large, flat, widespread crown, pale green leaves (which cattle eat) and small white flowers. The seed pods are very decorative - broad, flat and shiny dark brown - measuring up to 10cm (4in). In the past the Guanacaste was an important timber tree, particularly for dugout canoes, which Belizeans call doreys.
Mammals include Jaguarundi, Agouti, Kinkajou, Paca, Armadillo and White-tailed Deer. Also, 4-foot long iguanas have been seen sunning themselves in the Park. Over a hundred species of birds have been recorded and a lucky visitor might catch a glimpse of the park's two resident Blue-crowned Motmots.
Guanacaste NP is located on the north side of the Western Highway just east of the Roaring Creek bridge. Public transport is available from Belize City and Belmopan. More information from:
"As you can imagine, Belizeans feel very blessed that we were spared the mass devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch. Efforts are now on the way to provide assistance to Honduras and Nicaragua particularly", writes Seleni Matus of Programme for Belize in Belize City.
The last week of October saw an almost total evacuation of Belize City as weather experts forecast Belize City for a direct hit. The entire PFB office was moved from the ground floor to upstairs rooms. Luckily, the worst that happened was flooding and strong winds.
Serious hurricanes hit Belize roughly every thirty years, and we mentioned the last one, Hurricane Hattie (1961), in our last newsletter. This hurricane caused 90% of the canopy trees to topple in a 50km wide swath in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary forests. The previous serious hurricane of 1931 claimed over 1,000 lives in Belize.
Nimmi Nandra, Programme for Belize Education Officer based at the Hill Bank Field Station, visited the UK in October. The main purpose of her visit was to begin setting up a Training Scheme for teachers overseas, from USA and UK. Much of her work is with school groups both from Belize and visiting from abroad.
She will also be making proposals to WLT for small project funding within
her outreach programme. Links have also been set up between herself and
Judith Cox-Rogers, the WLT Education Officer based at Wyld Court
Rainforest, to share education resources.
Marmalade, the young Goeldi's marmoset born at
Wyld Court Rainforest
on 18th April awoke to a surprise on the morning of 28th September to
find that mum had given birth to a new baby. The latest marmoset offspring,
which would fit comfortably into the palm of a hand, will spend several weeks
clinging to mother's neck before venturing into the big bad world. Come to
Wyld Court and see the marmoset family.
Congratulation to Judith Cox Rogers, WLT Education Officer based at Wyld Court Rainforest. We have just heard that her application to the Earthwatch Fellowship Programme was successful and in January 99, she will be joining a research team in the Desengano State Park Region of southern Brazil. Fortuitously, the project site is almost adjacent to the WLT project area in the Serra do Mar mountains. We are currently making arrangements for Judith to visit Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Acu. As Judith said in her application to Earthwatch:
"As the Education Officer for Bershire's only 'tropical rainforest' I
feel that the opportunity to walk in a truly tropical forest will provide me
with the direct experience I need in order to create worthwhile interactive
learning experiences for the many visitors we have at Wyld Court."
As the days get shorter, temperatures drop and winter sets in, many of us are provoked into thinking about far-ways places and balmy days spent on sun drenched shores. Television advertisements will soon be inviting us to consider exotic destinations. Colour supplements will be full of holiday information and travela agents will bombard us with unbeatable offers.
However, over the years, the discerning traveller has moved further from the beaten track and the more exclusive travel agents offer holidays which despite being resonably comfortable are, nevertheless verging on being 'expeditionary'. The game parks of Africa are now dotted with semi-permanent canvas encampments where the traveller can see wildlife in much the same way as the great explorers of the last century would have done. The only difference being that today rapid transport, gourmet food, hot and cold running water and all the comforts one would expect from a bespoke (and rather expensive) package are all provided. Tropical rain forests also provide a unique experience for the eco-tourist and growing numbers are moving away from traditional holidays on the Costa Brava to the depths of the Amazon Basin.
So, what good does this do to the environment? And, just as important, what does it do for the local economy? The anwser is simple -very little. Most of the revenue is earned outside the host country. Holidays makers pay the travel companies in advance and only a small proportion of the overall sums are spent at the destination. However, this is not always the case and a number of commendable travel agencies do ensure that tourist impact is minimal and that local people do benefit financially.
At the WLT, we are keen that the enthusiastic traveller should have access to some of the most awe inspiring and unspoilt regions of the world and we would encourage you to visit our project sites among other places. It is common practice to pay airport tax and holiday insurance, so why not consider making a modest contribution to the WLT in order for us to manage the forests in such a way that they remain protected for the future.
Belize has a hypothecated tax for Conservation and all non-Belizean visitors
are charged BZ $7.50 (about £2) when departing by air. This is a small
amount to give, but according to the High Commission in London, Belize
welcomes some 134,000 tourists annually, thus the revenue collected from
the Conservation Fee adds up to about a quarter-of-a-million pounds each
year.