The World Land Trust eBulletin Issue 31, August 2005

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In this issue:
Important Message to all eBulletin Subscribers
Daryl Hannah Braves 'Harsh Environment' for Conservation
WLT at the Bird Fair - Promoting Conservation
Save Wildlife When You Take Out a Mortgage
WLT News in Brief
Get Involved: Share Your Views on Fundraising Expenditure

Important Message to all eBulletin Subscribers

Later this autumn we are transferring the eBulletin mailing list to the World Land Trust's supporter database to make it easier and more efficient to keep in touch with subscribers and supporters.

In order to transfer an eBulletin mailing list entry we need to know subscriber's full name. If we do not already know your name we will send you an email asking for this information (some of you will have already received this). Please remember to respond to the email if you wish to continue receiving the eBulletin. You can read the email on the WLT website (see link below), but there is no need to contact us if you have not received the email - if you haven't it simply means that we already have your name in our records.

Read more about the subscriber mailing list transfer
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/ebulletin/ebulletin-message.htm

Daryl Hannah Braves 'Harsh Environment' for Conservation

Daryl Hannah during her visit to Belize with the WLT.

Thousands of mosquitoes didn't deter the film star from exploring the Belize wilderness to publicise Programme for Belize

At the end of July John Burton, WLT's CEO, took a small group to see the forests of Belize. Film star and environmentalist, Daryl Hannah, was accompanied by three journalists and a photographer during the visit, which was sponsored by Jaguar Cars,who have been supporting conservation in Belize for nearly 20 years. The visit was to enable the group to see what has been achieved so far, and to help publicise the work of the Programme for Belize, the WLT’s partner organisation in the country.

One of the furry creatures the group encountered...

John said afterwards: "Unfortunately, the midges, chiggers and mosquitoes were the worst I have ever known them, and we were all eaten alive – but that was simply because of the time of the year and the heavy rains. And in no way did it deter any of the party from trekking through the forest, or scrambling around Maya ruins."

"We stayed at the research stations in the Programme for Belize cabanas – not perhaps comparable to the international hotels that one might expect Hollywood stars to stay in, but Daryl, like everyone else was delighted with the accommodation and the delicious food served."

...and another one! Jaguars are rarely seen in the wild so Simon and David were very lucky to spot one. You can see their snapshot of the big cat on the WLT website.

The group saw plenty of wildlife, including Ocellated turkeys, Morelet’s crocodile, Yellow-headed Parrots, Keel-billed toucan and several large furry spiders. And two of the journalists, Simon Barnes and David Tomlinson, were lucky enough to spot a jaguar, much to the envy of John Burton:

"They saw a jaguar. I didn’t. I have been to Belize around 20 times and NEVER seen a jaguar. They had been there barely two days and saw one. And got a snap shot to prove it."

Read more: With Daryl Hannah in the Rainforests of Belize
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/daryl-hannah-belize.htm

WLT at the Bird Fair - Promoting Conservation

Two weeks after the publicity visit to Belize, two of the WLT's Belizean colleagues joined us in the UK for the British Birdwatching Fair. An encouraging number of visitors came to the WLT stand and many appeared to be planning trips to Belize, where staying at the Programme for Belize’s stations is easy, and modestly priced. We were also joined by representatives from the Jocotoco Foundation, the Trust's partner organisation in Ecuador. Several of the Jocotoco Foundation's reserves can also be visited, including two of them by public transport. For more information, contact the WLT or visit the following web pages:

Visit WLT's Conservation Projects
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/projects/visit.htm

Programme for Belize Facilities & Activities
http://www.pfbelize.org/facilities.html

Visitor Accommodation in Jocotoco Reserves
http://www.fjocotoco.org/reserves-visit.html

Save Wildlife When You Take Out a Mortgage

As a WLT supporter you may already know about the Trust's Affinity Savings Account with Stafford Railway Building Society. Stafford Railway now offers an additional service that benefits the Trust: If WLT supporters take out a mortgage with the Society, or transfer an existing mortgage to it, the Society will make a donation to the World Land Trust on the day that your mortgage starts. For a mortgage of £ 50,000 to £200,000 they will save eight acres on your behalf. To find out if this service suits your circumstances, visit the Stafford Railway website.

Please note that the WLT is not registered with the Financial Services Authority and is therefore NOT acting as an introducer to the Society nor can it endorse or recommend the Stafford Railway Building Society in any way. Supporters using the scheme must contact the Society direct and make their own decision whether or not any mortgage offered to them is suitable for their purposes. The WLT is NOT connected to the Stafford Railway Building Society in any way.

More information: Save Wildlife When You Take Out a Mortgage
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/sponsors/stafford-mortgage.htm

Stafford Railway Building Society website
http://www.srbs.co.uk/

WLT News in Brief

WLT events - advance notice

Bill Oddie in Patagonia.

On 2 November Bill Oddie will be talking about his experiences while filming for the BBC on the WLT funded refuge in Patagonia. Owned and protected by Fundación Patagonia Natural (FPN), the Ranch of Hopes reserve’s coastal steppe is full of weird and wonderful wildlife. Much of this is captured on his film entitled Penguins, Parrots & Whales and this is a rare opportunity to see it on a big screen. The talk takes place at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) starting at 7pm, and Bill will be joined by his producer, Stephen Moss, and Jose Maria Musmeci, the Executive Director of FPN. Tickets cost £10 and can be obtained from the WLT office or via the website. Please book your tickets early as we expect it to be sold out before long.

Order tickets to see Bill Oddie at the RGS
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/bill-oddie-rgs.htm

This autumn looks set to be busy, with the WLT organising several other events, including the showing of two Indian films during the Aldeburgh Festival (9th October) and an Evening with Elephants in Norwich (27th October), both in support of the Trust's Elephant Corridor project in India.

We will provide more information on these events nearer to the time.

Suffolk Cyclists Hunt for Treasure in Aid of Conservation

On Sunday 13 August cyclists competing in the World Land Trust's Dunwich Forest Cycle Treasure Hunt scoured the countryside for answers to the cryptic clues and learning more about the WLT's conservation work at the same time. Cycling through dripping dense native woodland you could begin to imagine what it would be like to experience the tropical rainforests in Ecuador, which the Trust is currently working hard to save.

Thank you to all who took part, to WLT intern Vicky Evans, who organised the event as her intern project, and to the businesses and individuals who donated prizes for the treasure hunt.

Read more: Cycle Treasure Hunt Raises Awareness of Rainforest Conservation
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/2005/08/cycle-treasure-hunt-raises-awareness.htm

Vacancies for Interns at the WLT office

There are currently two vacancies for interns to work at the WLT office for six months, focussing on carbon sequestration or web development. Deadline for applications is September 16th. More information on the positions and an application form can be found on the WLT website's internship page.

Get Involved: Share Your Views on Fundraising Expenditure

In Green Issues: Conservation money - fundraising or land purchase? John Burton asks whether spending more money on fundraising is acceptable.

"In January 2004 I wrote a blog deploring how little conservation money was spent on land acquisition. Over 18 months later, a quick look at the UK's wealthiest wildlife conservation body (WWF) shows the situation has deteriorated. Land purchase does not appear anywhere in their activities, and while their expenditure on conservation is huge, so is their expenditure on fundraising and related activities."

"If the World Land Trust was to up its expenditure on fundraising activities, there is little doubt that we would raise more money, but would spending nearly a quarter of income be acceptable, even if it raised income dramatically?"

Read and comment on "Conservation money - fundraising or land purchase?"
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/2005/08/conservation-money-fundraising-or-land.htm