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Sir David Attenborough launches the Christopher Parsons Rainforest...

As reported in the last eBulletin, Sir David Attenborough launched the new Christopher Parsons Rainforest Appeal at the Linnean Society in London. Former WLT trustee Christopher Parsons was responsible for making the ground breaking Life on Earth TV series, and was behind many projects including the Wildscreen Trust and ARKive; David Attenborough described him as the most important figure in natural history, and a man who changed his life.
Over $30,000 was raised by the appeal, which is sufficient to create and protect a new rainforest reserve, dedicated to the memory of Christopher Parsons.

...and joins the Trust as a Patron

"The World Land Trust's policy of buying land is the most direct and certain road to conservation. It deserves the support of all who care about the survival of the wild places of the world” Sir David Attenborough CH FRS

Following the successful launch at the Linnean Society, Sir David Attenborough has joined the WLT as a Patron. He joins David Gower OBE who is also a Patron. David Attenborough's work with the Trust dates back to its very first appeal for Programme for Belize in 1989.

For the full story, see our website www.worldlandtrust.org/news/dattenborough.htm

New India Project Update 

Preparatory work continues on the new WLT project with the Wildlife Trust of India. WLT has now drawn up a memorandum of understanding with the WTI, and have started fundraising for the project which helps wild elephants coexist with local people by agreeing areas to be set aside for wildlife. The WLT hopes to have online donations available shortly - in the meantime we have some news about the WTI's work in India:

Elephant calf rescued, treated and released within two hours
Burapahari (Kaziranga National Park), July 30, 2003: An eight-month-old male elephant calf, trapped in a wire snare set up by poachers, was rescued on Tuesday and reunited with its natal herd on the outskirts of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in India’s north-eastern Assam state. See http://www.wildlifetrustofindia.org/main.htm .

Tapichalaca is in the foreground and Podocarpus at the back. The area being purchased lies in the middle.

More criticially important land to be saved in Ecuador 

Fundraising for the Ecuador project is going extremely well, and this has meant that we have been able to transfer a further tranch of funds to our local partners, Fundacion Jocotoco to purchase and save another area of important chunk of land. The area being purchased is another section between the existing FJ reserve at Tapichalaca and Podocarpus National Park. Some of the land being purchased has been cleared for agriculture but once the land has been purchased it will regenerate quickly to create a much larger area for animals to roam freely.

Buy the September issue of BBC Wildlife magazine

The September issue, published in mid-August, features the winners of the WLT/BBC Wildlife magazine ‘Design a Christmas Card’ competition. There were two joint First Prize winners in the Adult section, and a group of school children won the Junior prize. The two winning designs will be available as Christmas cards in September.

Programme for Belize – an example of POSITIVE ACTION working

WLT was set up in 1988, to raise funds to help establish an innovative project, never attempted before – this was to become Programme for Belize (PFB). Now nearly 15 years old, PFB’s Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area comprises 105,000 hectares of mixed, moist sub-tropical broadleaf forest in the Mayan Forest region of NW Belize. The PFB forests are home to 70 mammal species and 392 bird species and contain forest cover types protected nowhere else in Belize. It is widely believed that if the land had not been saved by PFB, 90 per cent of the existing forest cover would now have been converted to agricultural production.

Travel-Nation is now Carbon Balanced by the World Land Trust

Saving rainforests with the WLT to offset your carbon dioxide is now catching on as an ethical alternative to some of the more expensive tree planting programmes available. Travel-Nation is a specialist travel company offering holidays for the more discerning traveler, including the famous journey on the trans-siberian express. Travel Nation have balanced the carbon from their office, and are encouraging their customers to save rainforests to help offset the carbon from their flights.

More info can be found at www.travel-nation.co.uk and www.carbonbalanced.org

Tigers in pastels/pencil by Emma Page

Staff Changes at the World Land Trust

After a year at the WLT, Web Manager Peter Taylor will be leaving to take up a position at Friends of the Earth. More information about Pete is available at www.kimondo.co.uk .

Molly St George finishes her internship at the WLT, although she will return in September as a projects assistant.

Emma Page joins the WLT as a new intern. After completing a zoology degree at Nottingham University Emma spent a year developing a business, doing commissioned artwork. Although her paintings are primarily of domestic pets, like dogs and horses, she also undertakes commissions of wildlife.

Emma writes " A love of these wild animal subjects and a background dominated by the countryside has driven me to pursue a career in conservation. I hope to gain valuable experience and insight into how a conservation charity is run from doing my six-month internship with the World Land Trust ".

Anyone interested in commissioning Emma to do artwork can contact her via the World Land Trust