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.

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Wednesday, September 06, 2006:

Conservation and Environmental News Roundup - 6th September 

Latest News Headlines

World's only wild cattle herd is under threat

The famous Chillingham cattle, the only truly wild cattle herd in the world, are under threat from plans to build a deer hunting lodge in the woodland. Although incorporatng environmentally-friendly design elements, the lodge would house up to 12 people at a time, to shoot on the 400 acre site where the cattle have lived peacefully for more than ten centuries. Visitors to the herd must currently be accompanied by the warden, Austen Widdows. If the proposal goes ahead, it is likely that access will be relaxed, exposing the herd to disease and of course the very real risk of being shot by stray bullets. Local residents also fear that the lodge will set a precedent, allowing further development and loss of the tranquility of the untouched landscape which is the area's major characteristic.

Read more: World's only wild cattle herd is under threat (icNewcastle)

Rarest UK lizards to be released on Welsh dunes

Juvenile sand lizards, reared by the Herpetological Conservation Trust and Chester and Jersey Zoos, will be released this week. The rarest of our native lizards, they went extinct from west and north Wales in the middle of the last century. Relocation projects in the region have been successful and the latest will be the first on the Aberdyfi dunes.

Read more: Rarest UK lizards to be released on Welsh dunes (Countryside Council for Wales)

UK tourists confess to buying wildlife souvenirs

Results from a YouGov poll for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) suggest that as many as 600,000 (1.5%) of UK tourists have brought home items of wildlife material. Items purchased include products made from ivory and coral, as well as skins, teeth and claws from many animals. Ifaw wildlife campaigner Nikki Kelly believes the souvenirs are bought unwittingly by tourists who are not fully aware of the laws governing trade in wild animals. The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) will endeavour to raise awareness amoung its members, who can then inform tourists before they travel.

Read more: UK tourists confess to buying wildlife souvenirs (BBC)

Great Barrier Reef marine protected area proves successful

A study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science and James Cook University, showed a 50 per cent increase in abundance of important fish species in marine protected areas, compared to reef still subjected to fishing. Richard Leck, a marine and coastal policy officer with WWF-Australia said "creating marine sanctuaries means fish can mature and populations can recover", adding "a network of marine sanctuaries with a strong zoning plan is vital to ensuring the sustainable future of the reef.?

Read more: Great Barrier Reef marine protected area proves successful (WWF)

 
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