General Updates from the World Land Trust

General updates and new additions to the website of World Land Trust, an international conservation organisation working to preserve the world's most biologically important and threatened lands.

Read the most recent updates here

Tuesday, August 22, 2006:

Conservation and Environmental News Roundup - 23nd August 

Latest News Headlines

Attention all artists - moongoose hairs in art brushes

New Delhi, June 2006: In a drama lasting several hours police in Delhi apprehended five traders dealing in illegal mongoose hair art brushes. Mongooses have been protected in India since 2002 when it was feared that they were rapidly facing extinction, largely as a result of this trade. WTI estimated that up to 1,000 mongooses had been killed to obtain the 42 kilos of hair. (Each mongoose provides about 10 gms of hair). It is easy to spot a mongoose-hair brush with its 'salt and pepper' bristles and bands of light and dark shades. Mongooses are a farmers best friend as they keep rodent and snake populations under control.

Read more: Huge seizures of mongoose hair brushes in Hyderabad (Wildlife Trust of India)

Latest water scarcity figures

A new report by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has concluded that one in three people will be enduring water scarcity by 2035. The Director General of the IWMI stated that the research shows the situation to be "even worse" than previous estimates from 2005. However, the report streses that although a third of the population faces water scarcity "it is not because there is not enough water to go round, but because of choices people make" and calls for better infrastructure and a harder line to tackle global warming.

Read more: New water scarcity figures (Mongabay)

Wild Welsh Goats to be culled

Officers from Countryside Council for Wales, Snowdonia National Park Authority, and the National Trust agreed with local farmers and residents that the wild goat population of Rhinog, Snowdonia, needs to be reduced. The goats have become a nuisance, eating their way through gardens and crops, potentially damaging woodland important for conservation, and causing problems on the roads. A plan to shrink the herd, which has expanded to around 500 animals, is yet to be finalised, but will probably employ a marksman to shoot a number of animals over the winter period.

Read more: Wild Welsh Goats to be culled (icNorthWales)

How to save our Red Squirrels

A deadly virus is the latest threat to our native red squirrels, and it's thought to be carried by its seemingly impervious grey cousin. The virus, which is usually fatal for red squirrels within two weeks of infection, is thought to be carried by as much as 70% of the grey squirrel population. Scientists from Newcastle University and the University of London believe the best way to protect the 16 remaining pockets of red squirrels is to set up buffer zones around these populations and kill any grey squirrels trying to enter the area.

Read more: How to save our Red Squirrels (Guardian Unlimited)

 
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