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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Monday, June 29, 2009:

A Thank You to our supporters in cyberspace 

I had a look at our JustGiving fundraising pages on the Internet, which now seem fully functional again following the troubled website overhaul of JustGiving a week ago.* It is really very encouraging to see the enthusiasm and support out there. Many much bigger charities are not getting such support. While I recognise this is partly as a result of our staff giving the World Land Trust an active presence on the social networking sites, the funds raised are a direct result of the enthusiasm and generosity of the public at large.

We currently have just under 50 fundraising pages, including some that we manage ourselves, and it is well worth looking at all of these and reading the feedback and comments. We are also aware of and grateful for supporters who regularly tweet about WLT, add our banners to their personal websites or social networking pages and tell their friends and family about what the World Land Trust does. It is very encouraging to all of us here at the WLT HQ to see such support. And I would also like all our supporters to know that we do read your comments, and do appreciate them, even if we are not always able to respond to them. We may not spot them all however, so if you do add links or comments about the WLT anywhere on the web, please feel free to send us a copy so that we can acknowledge your feedback.

Keep visiting the JustGiving pages, respond to our eBulletins and send us your comments. You don't have to make a donation every time, feedback is just as important -- we like to know you are out there, supporting us in so many different ways.

* Edit Wed. 1st July: We spoke too soon - it seems there are still problems making donations on the JustGiving pages. We have been assured that the JustGiving team is working very hard at fixing the remaining issues, and would ask our supporters to please bear with them. If you have tried to donate via JustGiving but failed, please accept our apologies.

Posted by John Monday, June 29, 2009
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Friday, June 19, 2009:

Webcam networks, indigenous people and land purchase as a tool for conservation 

Meetings all day in London on Wednesday. First a very productive meeting with the Director of BIAZA (The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and Finetra, our consultants and sponsors for the hummingbird webcam in Ecuador. We are developing a network of webcams that will show how WLT's funds are being spent, and the reserves are developing.

The webcam meeting was followed by a meeting with Marcus Colchester of the Forest Peoples Programme. This is an organisation that lobbies on behalf of indigenous communities, and has been involved with the indigenous community rights in Paraguay.

There is clearly a huge overlap of interests in conserving extensive areas of forests for wildlife, and also for the indigenous communities. But just as there are synergies, there are also some potential conflicts of interest between wildlife conservation and the self determination rights of indigenous communities. Ultimately these issues can only be resolved through dialogue and consultation, which is the reason why as a precondition to any land purchase the WLT asks that these issues be taken into account, and why the WLT is providing financial support to NGOs that work with indigenous communities.

The field of indigenous rights is fraught with problems, partly because even defining indigenous communities can be difficult, and their legal rights vary from country to country; but the WLT believes that respecting traditional rights can play an important part in the long term conservation of many parts of the world. However, it is very easy to over-simplify the issues -- and each country has different issues. In Uganda for instances there are more than 5 different forms of land tenure, while tribal rights are defined by blood lines and ancestry in the US, and in India, tribal rights are based on yet another system. But it is my personal belief, that ultimately, by working together, conservation of the natural resources and wildlife is achievable.

To learn more about WLT's approach to land purchase, local communities and the rights of indigenous people, see our new web page Land Purchase as a Tool for Conservation.

Posted by John Friday, June 19, 2009
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Monday, June 15, 2009:

Charity jobs & salaries: Does size matter? 

Third Sector Magazine is important reading for anyone working in charities and I read it every week. I wonder how many potential donors to charities bother to check out Third Sector's charity jobs pages or other websites advertising jobs in the charity sector? When I look there seems to be a clear dichotomy between the smaller charities (such as the World Land Trust) and the large ones -- even in the conservation field, and nowhere is the difference more marked than in the salaries offered.

My personal view is that working for a wildlife conservation charity should provide sufficient job satisfaction that salary is not the over-riding deciding factor. In my ideal world there would be a three tier salary structure of up to about £70,000 maximum, a middle Management of £30,000- £50,000 and a bottom level of about £16,000- £25,000. The WLT is still a long way off achieving that (with all salaries below that sort of target), but quite a lot of charities appear to be well over that level.

It is often argued that charities should be more business like. But having watched the implosion of banking I disagree. On the contrary, business could learn a lot from charities. The problem is that charities are learning from business. And what they have learned is that the bigger you get, the bigger the salaries top executives can expect, so there is an inherent pressure on CEOs to grow the organisation, regardless of how this affects its effectiveness. I have concluded that while small is beautiful, it can be too small to be cost effective, but unlimited growth is not the answer. Getting the right balance is the tricky bit.

Queen's Honours list excludes conservationists?

I had a very quick scan through the Queen's Birthday Honours list, and it seemed that no one from conservation of the natural environment was recognised. Now this can have two possible explanations:

1. Those that make the recommendations do not rate the natural environment as a cause worth recognising, or
2. those that work in that field do not want recognition.

The latter seems unlikely; even if some are republicans, or have other personal reasons against the honours system, not all are going to be of that persuasion. So the first reason seems the most likely -- that despite everything in the press and on TV, those working to combat global warming and save biodiversity do not warrant recognition. Or has anyone spotted some conservationists on the list?

Posted by John Monday, June 15, 2009
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Thursday, June 11, 2009:

Sir David Attenborough in Spain 

Suddenly the World Land Trust has had a flurry of publicity in Spanish newspapers, and Spanish language newspapers from South America. The reason, it seems, is that Sir David Attenborough received an award in Asturias, and the newspapers picked up on the fact that he was Patron of the World Land Trust.

Great publicity, and there is no doubt that Sir David's long-standing support of the WLT from the day it was launched has been a significant factor in helping us get better known.

It was a few weeks ago now, but when we held a meeting for our supporters in Bristol, Sir David gave an impromptu speech about the WLT, which not only demonstrated how he acquired his reputation as the world's number one communicator, but also explained how the WLT operated in such a lucid and concise way, that we all wondered why we had never managed to put in that way before.

That is what a brilliant communicator does -- once they have said it, you understand, and wonder why it wasn't said like that before. Get inspired, and read what Sir David has said about us...

Posted by John Thursday, June 11, 2009
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009:

Margarita Island, Venezuela - new project 

Last Saturday the representative of our Venezuelan partner, Asociación Civil Provita, came to London to meet the donor to a very special project on the island of Margarita.

Margarita Island, Venezuela, where World Land Trust will help protect the Yellow-Shouldered Parrot. (See a larger image here.)

Jon Paul Rodríguez, President of Provita had been attending meetings in Switzerland, and was able to make the fleeting visit, and show just how effective his organisation was in conserving some extremely fragile habitats. See Provita's website (in Spanish) for more information.

The project will help ensure not only the long-term future of the Yellow-Shouldered Parrot, but a lot of other species, also to be found in the 700 hectare reserve that is being created. (More details of this project will be available on the website soon.)

With a steady stream of potential visitors from the heavily developed parts of Margarita, it is likely that sustainable incomes to manage the reserve and also support the local community will be developed. Margarita is a very well known tourist destination, but the Macanoa Peninsula where the reserve is located is still relatively unspoiled. Go there if you can!

Posted by John Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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Thursday, June 04, 2009:

Elitism, greenwash and conservation 

Sometimes one comes across writing which is truly bizarre and it's hard to know how, or indeed, whether, to respond when the claims are so outrageously onesided and lacking in substance or truth. One such piece of writing is Greenwashing Eden: The Uses And Abuses Of Biodiversity.

Michael Barker, the author of the article, clearly has a talent for research, and clearly has a point that he wants to put across but I wonder about the reasons for producing something so twisted and biased? The thrust of his writing appears to be based on elitism - relating to conservation organisations, including the World Land Trust. When putting together examples, Barker make connections that don't exist (while missing many that really do exist), and conspiracy theories based on facts taken out of context, with little or no relationship with reality. All the information cited on World Land Trust is taken from our website and the facts and context are there clearly for all to see.

'Elitism' and 'Greenwash' are words that are often used by non-supporters of conservation organisations to make a particular point, and sometimes questioned by those with enquiring minds who want to know how the World Land Trust (and other conservation organisations) work: who supports them and how they make a decision about who, and who not, to work with.

Agreed, it is ironic that the same people who are contributing to environmental destruction through their relatively excessive lifestyles, also have the ability to contribute to conservation by donating their money. Without question it is the increasing consumption of resources due to an increasing number of people with capitalist, western lifestyles, that is having such an adverse effect on the planet. But who can blame people for wanting the best for themselves and their families? It is simply human nature.

There are many organisations beavering away to help save the planet - be it through campaigning, education or, in the case of the WLT, working with local people to purchase and protect what is left of their wilderness and wildlife. No one organisation can do everything needed, and indeed people have different opinions and ideas about how and what should be confronted as a priority. At the WLT we have a bedrock of support from individuals with hugely differing lifestyles and we are happy to accept their financial support to further our urgent aims of land protection.

We also work with companies and, yes, we could say that all companies are, to come extent, damaging the environment, but our belief is that only by working with these companies, helping them address their environmental responsibilities and encouraging them to 'think greener' are things ever going to change. However, we do occasionally turn down offers of corporate support where we feel that the company in question is simply looking for 'greenwash' without any true commitment, or where we feel the product simply cannot be justified.

It would be easy to rant to the world at large, via the internet, that everyone needs to change their lifestyle and abandon capitalism but this is simply not going to happen and is a complete 'turn off' for the very people one is hoping to engage: I believe that change is only achievable through small steps by those on the 'inside' as well as the 'outside' of establishment. Better to do something than nothing; nothing is achieved by unilateral criticism.

Posted by John Thursday, June 04, 2009
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009:

Ensuring the rights of the uncontacted 

One of the WLT's priorities has always been to ensure that the rights of local people are fully respected, and if at all possible they are included in the management and conservation activities. In some cases this is relatively easy and straightforward -- creating employment is often the most practical way of benefiting local people in areas where there is high levels of unemployment -- such as rural Ecuador or Brazil. Providing employment for hunters (often referred to as poachers), can often be a first class way of getting expert guides, while solving another problem.

However, in a few places, the local people don't want contact with the outside world. Last week we had staying with us in Halesworth a colleague from Paraguay who is working with the indigenous peoples in the north of the Gran Chaco of Paraguay. And the Gran Chaco is one of those few places left in the world where there are still isolated, uncontacted, groups of people. Living in the Dry Chaco are an estimated 100-150 indigenes, who shun contact and have ways of clearly indicating that they wish to continue to live in isolation. In 1998 some intruders did get too close, and were greeted with a warning shower of arrows. The WLT and its partners in Paraguay believe it is critically important to respect these wishes, and protect the isolated groups as far as is possible from unwanted intrusion. The problem is that rampant deforestation, missionary activities, oil exploration and other activities all put these groups under pressure.

Further complicating the issue is the fact that the indigenous groups need huge areas over which to hunt, and most of these lands are either designated as National Parks or are privately owned. The land purchases funded by the World Land Trust and the Netherlands IUCN were made on the understanding that the rights of indigenous peoples would be fully respected. But in order for indigenous groups to maintain any semblance of their traditional lifestyles, we need also to ensure that large areas are protected from destruction. By working with all the agencies involved we believe it is possible for wildlife and even the isolated groups, to continue to live undisturbed for many more years. But only if we can fully protect the integrity of the National Parks, and also acquire additional lands to create corridors between them, and also to ensure large areas are set aside [and recognize the fact that the indigenous groups have legally recognized claims to much of this land].

All this costs money. But to be fair remarkably little money. Some of our more wealthy donors have realised that a donation of £50,000 or £100,000 can have a massive impact in this region. It can buy a huge chunk of forest ,and put in place real protection. The relevant government agencies and others are fully behind these initiatives, but simply do not have the financial resources themselves -- there is far too much pressure from other interest groups. But a few strategically located corridors will enable not only the wildlife, but also the indigenous human hunters and gatherers to move freely between the existing protected areas. So if you know anyone who would like to help both wildlife and indigenous groups please pass on the news - it's a rare opportunity, which we must try not to miss.

Posted by John Wednesday, June 03, 2009
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