Get WLT Projects News delivered to your desktop How does this work? » More WLT news feeds »

Conservation Project News

Conservation projects news from the World Land Trust, an international wildlife conservation charity working to protect threatened wildlife habitats worldwide.

This page shows the most recent projects news updates, or a selection of posts in the same category. To read older posts, use the projects news archive in the navigation bar on this page. The newest posts can always be found at www.worldlandtrust.org/news/projects-news.htm.

Conservation projects news on this page:

Thursday, 31 January 2008:

New Village Reserve Declared for India's Elephants (India) 

In a remote part of Meghalaya in north-east India, threatened Asian elephants are now being protected by the newly declared Siju-Aretika Village Reserve.

The legal declaration of the 200 hectare (500 acre) Siju-Aretika Village Reserve Forest by the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, is a significant first step towards the conservation of tribal lands, where land acquisition is very complicated. This is a shining example of community driven conservation, where villagers have risen to the challenge and signed written pledges to protect and conserve local wildlife.

In some areas 'slash and burn' agriculture, monoculture plantation and mining has had a devastating impact on the forest, thereby threatening the survival of elephants. In a bid to halt this destruction Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) motivated local people to take action themselves and this has resulted in really effective, community-based conservation.

India is estimated to have an Asian elephant population of approx 26500, (25000-28000) of which approx 1,900 live in Meghalaya. The Village Reserve area was considered a priority for conservation as it is within the Siju-Rewak Elephant Corridor. (This is the area that was famously described in Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book'.)

WTI are working with the World Land Trust (WLT) to purchase and protect a range of corridors between protected areas, for the benefit of elephants and local people, where elephant/human conflict is not unusual. These corridors aim to provide a safe passage between fragmented habitats allowing elephants to follow traditional migratory routes; they also protect the habitats of many other endangered species, such as Tiger and Leopard. The WTI have a successful outreach programme which educates communities about damaging agricultural practices and motivates local communities to recognize the benefits of conserving their forests for future generations.

The WTI have prioritized 88 elephant corridors currently in use throughout India where conservation efforts are needed to protect elephants in harmony with local communities. The Suffolk based World Land Trust WLT has been raising funds to enable WTI to purchase and protection some of these areas since 2002. A donation of just £50 to WLT will enable the purchase and protection of One Acre of threatened habitat and help the WTI protect more of these important corridors for the future.

Learn more about the Wild Lands Elephant Corridor Project in India.

Labels: India

| Permanent location of this post | Post a Comment | Read comments (0) | Links to this post |

Share this post with your friends

Friday, 14 December 2007:

A site visit to Tinunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor, Kerala (India) 

Common Langur (Semnopithecus entellus)

Kirsty Burgess, WLT Conservation Programmes Manager, recently made a site visit to the Tirunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor which is in the process of being bought by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). She was joined by Edwina Kinsella-Bevan, Projects Manager of Elephant Family (EF), a UK based charity which has raised £120,000 towards the corridor project.

Kirsty and Edwina visited five different settlements being bought in the corridor, and developments are positive: Trees and other vegetation is regenerating rapidly after just three months of protection and elephant activity is obvious throughout the corridor. During their visit they sighted a range of other animals as well, including Common Langur, Dhole (Wild Dog), Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Sambar, Bonnet Macaques, Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, and Gaur (Indian Bison).

The Siju-Rewak Corridor, the first Elephant Corridor, is now completed and the Rongjak Forest, a community owned forest neighbouring the corridor area, was officially declared as a wildlife sanctuary during Kirsty and Edwina's visit.

A visit was also made to the Mangrove project in Northern Kerala to see the newly purchased five acres. This area is of strategic importance and the mangroves are in good condition. Some planting has also taken place. WTI is planning a pilot project here, looking at the re-introduction of rare coral species through coral transplanting.

Labels: India

| Permanent location of this post | Post a Comment | Read comments (0) | Links to this post |

Share this post with your friends

Tuesday, 4 September 2007:

Elephants in Hyde Park raise money for elephant corridor (India) 

Willow elephants 'wandering' through Hyde Park to raise awareness of the threats facing the elephants in India.

Today saw the launch of "Trunks meet Trunks", a series of family activities in Hyde Park, London, organised by Elephant Family to raise awareness of the threats to the Asian Elephant, and support WLT's elephant corridor project in Kerala, south-west India.

Between 4th-18th September, 12 life size elephants made out of willow will be 'wandering' through the park, culminating in an invitation-only charity auction on 16th September.

Come and see the elephants and learn more about the elephant corridor project!

For more information, visit www.trunks-meet-trunks.org

Labels: India

| Permanent location of this post | Post a Comment | Read comments (0) | Links to this post |

Share this post with your friends

Friday, 3 August 2007:

Mongoose spotted in elephant corridor (India) 

Stripe-necked Mongoose.

This Stripe-necked Mongoose was photographed recently in the new Tirunelli-Kudrakotte elephant corridor being purchased with funds from WLT in Kerala State, India. This species, which ranges from Sri Lanka to Southern India is the largest mongoose in Asia and is generally found away from human settlements, living in forested areas close to water. The corridors are vital in ensuring the safety of wildlife as they move between protected areas. Dr. Easa, senior director in conservation for Wildlife Trust of India, WLT's projects partners in the country, sent the photo, which was taken in the recently vacated land. With the villagers successfully relocated it is hoped that the numbers of stripe-necked mongoose and other species using the corridors will continue to rise.

Labels: India

| Permanent location of this post | Post a Comment | Read comments (0) | Links to this post |

Share this post with your friends

Monday, 19 March 2007:

Elephants reclaim vacated land (India) 

Evidence of the elephant presence: Footprints (top) and damage to trees. Click on the images to see larger versions.

World Land Trust (WLT) is working with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in securing the Tirunelli-Kudrakotte elephant corridor in Wayanad, Kerala State.

About 9 acres of the land have already been purchased. The four families who sold it to WTI have moved out and are now farming elsewhere, and elephants have already started using the corridor, as can be seen in the photographs.

The vacated lands include those previously leased to the occupants by the government and the owners have have already transferred all the rights and the land to Forest Department. Meanwhile, WTI has approached the government requesting them to protect the area as a reserve forests and/or declared a part of the wildlife sanctuary.

(From a report by Dr.PS Easa /WTI)

Labels: India

| Permanent location of this post | Post a Comment | Read comments (0) | Links to this post |

Share this post with your friends

Hand-raised elephants released into the wild (India) 

WLT's partner, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), have recently released six elephant calves in Manas National Park - this is the first time that elephants have been rehabilitated and released back into the wild in India. The elephants had previously been cared for at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation in Assam, which WTI run with support from the Government Department for Environment and Forestry.

The Centre was the first of its kind in India and was developed because of the annual floods in nearby Kaziranga National Park, which results in the loss of a large number of animals. The Centre has handled more than 400 cases, with half of those being released. Most cases can be released within a few days, which increases the chances of them reintegrating into the wild. This is more difficult during the floods, which can last for 3-4 weeks.

The Centre has previously been successful in the release of young elephants within 48 hours of rescue, which were reintegrated back into their own herd. However, this has not been possible for all the elephants - either because the herd has not been found or because they have rejected the young elephant. These elephants remain at the Centre where they are looked after until they are old enough to be released and reintegrated into the wild.

Releasing elephants in Kaziranga National Park would be difficult because they are at carrying capacity within the Park and there is already human-elephant conflict in the area as there are a number of villages around the Park. Therefore, for this first release, WTI decided to transfer the elephants to Manas National Park, where there would be lower risk of conflict with people and the elephants could be integrated into a wild herd.

For more information, read the WTI news release:
Hand-raised elephants will return to wild

Labels: India

| Permanent location of this post | Post a Comment | Read comments (0) | Links to this post |

Share this post with your friends