Diary style blog by John Burton, CEO of the World Land Trust about what WLT has to do to achieve conservation, as it actually happens.

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Green Diary

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Thursday, March 26, 2009:

Off to India: Elephants, tigers and wildlife corridors 

My blogs will be erratic or non-existent over next couple of weeks, as I am taking writer and journalists Simon Barnes and Peter Hughes with me on a visit to the World Land Trust's Indian projects.

Both Simon and Peter have travelled to WLT project sites, both have been to Belize and Brazil and Simon has also spent time in Paraguay. We are hoping for some good newspaper coverage as a result of the visit. We are visiting the elephant corridor in Kerala, which is nearly completed, and also an area for proposed new corridors around Corbett National Park.

The Wildlife Trust of India (our local partners) have fixed a very full itinerary, and despite the number of formal meetings, I still hope that I will get to see some wildlife. In Kerala, the elephants are beginning to congregate at this time of the year, and sometimes it is possible to see a herd of over 100. And of course, Corbett is one of the few reserves where the number of tigers is actually increasing. It is over 20 years since I saw a tiger in the wild (in Rathanbore National Park), and it is still one of the images imprinted on my memory. It would be great to see one again.

And of course, the elephant corridors that we are helping fund with the Wildlife Trust of India, are also good for other wildlife. If a corridor is big enough for elephants, almost any other species will be able to use it too. And this was borne out in Kerala, when shortly after the corridor was used by elephants, tiger footprints were found as well.

Posted by John Thursday, March 26, 2009
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009:

Bringing corporate supporters together 

I came to the office this morning and found a report that corporate donations to charity were down 34%. This is certainly not the case for the World Land Trust: Though so far this year the amount donated is slightly down, numbers of corporate donations are actually up -- encouraging considering the current economic climate.

On Monday several of the WLT's corporate supporters met for lunch at the Reform Club, in London's Pall Mall. Among the guests were WLT supporters Sir and Lady Kenneth Carlisle, (Sir Kenneth has been nominated as a new Trustee for the WLT).

The lunch was held by Jonathan Self. Jonathan, a Council Member of the World Land Trust, has already hosted one previously with the idea that putting our corporate sponsors together will create enthusiasms and synergies -- which has definitely proved to be the case.

Posted by John Wednesday, March 25, 2009
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009:

A visit from Paraguay 

Today is a fairly typical day in the office, with meetings with staff, sorting out loose ends before I go to India on Thursday. Trying to sort out how much money we have available to transfer to Paraguay to keep the protection going. Making sure that our plans for all the events of the summer are on track.

And then just before mid-day Oscar Rodas (Nacho) arrived from Paraguay. He is the Coordinador Programa Paisajes at Guyra Paraguay, and one of his specialities is GIS. Over the next three weeks, Nacho will be working with everyone in the WLT, and doing training on GIS, as well as visiting nature reserves and other organisations in the UK. One of the facilities the WLT provides for our partners is study tours so that the staff of our partners can not only see how the WLT works and what is involved with fundraising, but they can also meet with donors, and enthuse both our staff and our supporters.

After settling into his accommodation, Nacho returned to the office with his laptop to catch up on his emails -- while here he also has to continue his ongoing work in Paraguay. Meanwhile I have to sort out some of the details for our "Great Ape Debate" at the Linnean Society next month.

Posted by John Tuesday, March 24, 2009
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Monday, March 23, 2009:

Intelligent Giving 

Intelligent Giving is a charity analysis site where you can do a quick check on all the larger charities. IG's mission is "to make giving more effective - by helping donors evaluate charities, by enabling donors to give more effectively, and by encouraging charities to become more effective".

The IG profile of the World Land Trust has just been updated, and I am very pleased to report that the quality of our reporting is now deemed better than either Fauna and Flora International or WWF. However, as I have posted on the IG website, I am not convinced that using annual reports is always a good way of evaluating a charity - but check out the site for yourself; what do you think?

Posted by John Monday, March 23, 2009
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Friday, March 20, 2009:

Greenwash saving orang-utans? 

One of the best ways companies and generous individuals can help conservation is to match donations from the general public. For example, if someone was to match all the donations to our Orang-utan Appeal in Borneo, up to a maximum of £10,000, we know that it would provide a stimulus to lots of already generous supporters out there. It would also be good publicity for a company.

Or even if they were to only add £1.00 to every donation, it would still potentially be a cheap way of marketing the company (less than some Internet advertising options).

In a world where everything is increasingly competitive, for a company to show they care for the planet may be considered by some as greenwash, but I can assure you the orang-utans aren't that bothered as long as their forests survive. And it's not looking too good, so they need all the help we can give them.

Posted by John Friday, March 20, 2009
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Thursday, March 19, 2009:

Visiting ARKive in Bristol 

Tuesday was a long day. Setting off at 07:30 I drove to Bristol, accompanied by Toby Gibson who looks after our IT, and Kristina Turner, who is just completing an internship with the WLT. Kristina had gathered up all of our videos, made over the past 20 years, together with miscellaneous DVDs, tapes and other moving images. The purpose of our visit was to deliver these to Derek Kilkenny-Blake who runs the Wild Film History project (part of ARKive), where they will be archived. We will also be getting digital copies of this material, and from this we will be able to create a short video history of the World Land Trust for showing art some of the events we are holding over the next year, as part of our 20th anniversary celebrations.

It is probably the first time that a conservation organisation has documented its projects from the year of its creation, and deposited copies in a major archive. No one really knows how this will be used in the future. Former BBC cameraman and producer, Dan Freeman (who has also been a supporter of the WLT since its foundation) is helping put together a history of the WLT, and in due course we hope to have this in a downloadable format on our website.

After the two hour meeting, we had a tour of the Wildscreen and ARKive offices and it was time to return to Suffolk -- another five hour return journey. But it was well worth the effort. The ARKive activities are very exciting, and there is a mass of information on their website which could be really helpful to conservationists. We will certainly be trying to find ways of providing more data to them.

Wednesday was much quiter. After opening up the 80 emails awaiting me, just internal meetings ready for the Council meeeting being held in London on Thursday (today).

Posted by John Thursday, March 19, 2009
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009:

BirdFair Preventing Extinctions 

I was looking at BirdLife International's website, and in particular the sections about their Preventing Extinctions Programme, because this is the programme that last year's BirdFair supported.

WLT's stand at the BirdFair 2008.

The annual BirdFair organised by the RSPB is one of the major events in both the birdwatcher's calendar and the World Land Trust's.

At the BirdFair we get to meet many of our supporters, as well as lots of our conservation colleagues. And not unsurprisingly there is a degree of overlap between the species involved in the Preventing Extinctions Programme and the land purchases we are funding through our overseas partners. Because, again, not surprisingly, many of BirdLife International's partner organisations are also partner organisations of the WLT.

So put it in your diary now, third weekend in August, at Rutland Water Reserve. The BirdFair. The World Land Trust stand will be opposite that of the RSPB. Come and meet us. We would like to meet as many of you as possible. With or without your chequebooks.

Posted by John Wednesday, March 18, 2009
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Monday, March 16, 2009:

RSPB now saving acres of rainforest 

20 years after the World Land Trust (WLT) first started saving acres of rainforest by 'selling' them to the public, the RSPB are now doing the same (in Sumatra, Indonesia).

It's a great compliment to the innovative nature of WLT's fundraising. Some of our supporters are worried that our ideas are always being copied by other charities, but unless they are a scam, I see no problem with this. The more organisations saving wildlife the better, and the RSPB is certainly one of the world's best conservation groups. I often describe the WLT's mission as helping create mini-RSPBs all over the world. But caveat emptor there are hyenas out there, and a few of the organisations saving acres are not quite so transparent as the WLT or RSPB. Hidden in their small print will be words that allow them to use the money for other projects, and they may not actually be saving the land forever. So always make sure you really do know what your funds will be used for.

Posted by John Monday, March 16, 2009
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009:

Conservation jobs and the economic downturn 

The last couple of days have been taken up with interviews for a new member of staff to work in the World Land Trust's donations team. I find interviews very depressing, because so often I would like to offer nearly everyone we interview a job. This batch was no exception.

We had over 50 applicants, and even after weeding out around 20 who were not that suitable we were left with around 30 worthy of an interview, but had to reduce that number to a long-list of 10. And having interviewed those, it was really difficult, because if in fact we had only interviewed one applicant out of them, that person probably could have done the job very well. But we now have to select only 3 or 4 for a second interview, and that means that ultimately the rest will not get a job, and they are all a) such nice people, who want to work for charity, and understand what the WLT is trying to do, and b) all well qualified for the job.

Maybe it's the economic downturn, but what I found surprising is that despite this being a desk-based position, there are so many people keen to work for the World Land Trust. Which is just as well, because one of our fundamental beliefs is that we should not be sending managers overseas, we should be raising the funds here, and supporting local conservation organisations. We always work with local partners, who have the expertise needed to create protected areas that are beneficial not just to wildlife but also to local communities.

Posted by John Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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Tuesday, March 10, 2009:

It's the economy stupid: The impact of the falling pound on conservation 

Today I signed some transfers of funds to our partners in South America, and the international financial situation hit home. Whereas a year back the exchange rate was $2 to £1.00, we are only getting $1.4 for each pound now; a huge drop.

The biggest problem of the economic recession is not falling donations (everyone is being as generous as they can), but the collapse of the pound. The falling exchange rates has meant that in many of the places where the World Land Trust operates we have fewer dollars to spend. Unlike many businesses, conservation organisations cannot always afford to sit out the recession and wait for the pound to recover. We need to act NOW.

The upside of the current situation is that land prices have appeared to stop rising at the same rate, and may even start to fall.

Posted by John Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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Monday, March 09, 2009:

Fundraising for the Yellow-shouldered Parrot in Venezuela 

On Saturday night our three 'Dippies' (students of the Diploma course in Conservation*) held a Venezuelan evening in the Graduate Bar of University of East Anglia to raise funds for their three-week research visit to Margarita Island. Most of the World Land Trust team came along and we were greeted with refreshing Margaritas, with music from Venezuela playing in the background.

The students had prepared a superb spread of Venezuelan foods, and showed a film about Caribbean wildlife, as well as films about parrots -- their research project is to study the vulnerable Yellow-shouldered Parrot.

And then they held an auction, with lots of goodies donated by local businesses, with WLT staff and other guests engaging in a minor 'bidding war' to get their hands on cinema tickets, day spa experiences, chocolate boxes and other treats.

Not only was it an enjoyable and successful evening, with our students raising funds for their project, but they also gained valuable insights into fundraising and event organisation -- all good experiences for budding conservationists.

* The Diploma in Conservation and Project Administration is a collaboration between World Land Trust and University of East Anglia designed to equip the 'conservationists of tomorrow' with the skills they need.

Posted by John Monday, March 09, 2009
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Wednesday, March 04, 2009:

World Land Trust-US: Discussing conservation priorities 

Last Saturday I went to Washington DC to meet with our colleagues, WLT-US, and discuss our priorities for the next few months. We can do a lot using phone, email and Skype, but ultimately a face to face meeting is usually needed. Byron Swift (Director of WLT-US and also on the WLT Council) and I spent three days going through all aspects, ranging from donation statistics to which habitats in which countries were priorities. And because it was largely discussions, we did quite a bit it walking around. Along the canal that runs parallel with the Potomac. Hairy Woodpeckers, cardinals, Carolina wrens, Mergansers and very few other birds of note. It was cold, and we had 8 inches of snow on Sunday night.

Conservation-wise, we both agreed that grasslands are neglected. The Paramo of Colombia is the priority for WLT-US and the Kenyan Highland grasslands is likely to be a priority for us.

I often feel that it is difficult to justify international flights, but always the result justifies the means. The world is moving so fast that the alternative modes of transport are often unfeasible, but as I wrote at the beginning, the overwhelming majority of our communications are now electronic.

Posted by John Wednesday, March 04, 2009
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