World Land Trust News and Updates

Recent News & Updates

To make sure you are seeing the most recently added news and updates, check that you are viewing www.worldlandtrust.org/news/index.htm and not an archived page. Older news items, including press releases can be found in the News Archive

Monday, October 30, 2006:

Conservation and Environmental News Roundup - 30th October 

Latest News Headlines

Stern review produces new promises to act on climate change

Sir Nicholas Stern, a former chief economist of the World Bank, has published a review suggesting that global warming could reduce the global economy by 20%. Perhaps this will provide the spur for governments to start acting. Sir Nicholas said: "We have the time and knowledge to act but only if we act internationally, strongly and urgently". Tony Blair has responded to the report, saying that "We can't wait the five years it took to negotiate Kyoto - we simply don't have the time. We accept we have to go further (than Kyoto)."

Read more: Climate change fight 'can't wait' (BBC)

Eu emissions trading scheme comes under new fire

The EU emissions trading scheme, the cornerstone of European emissions reductions, will come under more fire if member states are shown to have continued to allot more permits than required by industry. Stavros Dimas, the EU Environment Commissioner warned last week that "If member states put more allowances into the market than are needed to cover real emissions, the scheme will become pointless and it will be difficult to meet our Kyoto targets."
Read more: EU members face showdown over emissions trading scheme (EU Business)

Great Bustard Group overcomes avian flu prevention measures to continue successful release programme

Nine great bustards, released on Salisbury Plain as part of a ten year project, are doing well. This is the third year of releases, and proved the most difficult as the young birds are relocated from Russia. They have had to undergo several tests for avaian flu and special quarantine conditions in order to overcome the EU suspension of importing birds. This is the first project to reintroduce the great bustard, and technique is improving all of the time. So far, the programme has been a success, with the released birds showing no greater mortality than wild populations. The twelve surviving birds can been seen around Salisbury plain, south Wiltshire and Dorset.

Read more: Tight precautions for latest bustard release (This is Wiltshire)

Rare lizards breed successfully

The Grand Caymen blue iguana, the world's rarest lizard, may yet be saved from extinction, thanks to a captive breeding programme. Over two-hundred captive bred animals have been released since 2004, and they are now reaching maturity. Three eggs laid on the nature reserve have hatched successfully, hopefully setting a trend; eggs laid in other nests found this year are due to hatch soon. Safe in a reserve, the future looks bright for the captive bred population, however, it is predicted that the wild population will become extinct in the next decade unless the ongoing habitat destruction is stopped.

Read more: Breeding success for rare lizards (BBC)

Thursday, October 26, 2006:

Green Issues: Insects and the hot summer, to be followed by a Silent Spring? 

Latest additions to the World Land Trust website

"This year has seen some wonderful numbers of butterflies. The long hot summer really seems to have benefited them. But this is also worrying because it masks the more serious problem of massive declines of most species. Insects are spiralling and there can be no doubt that extinctions on a local regional and national scale are occurring annually."

Read the latest Green Issues post: Insects and the hot summer, to be followed by a Silent Spring?

Tuesday, October 24, 2006:

Green Issues: Down With Sustainable Development 

Latest additions to the World Land Trust website

"I have, over the years, become increasingly uneasy about the use of the term sustainable development -- it simply is not realistic. So I am proposing that wildlife conservationist reject (almost entirely) the use of the term, and replace it with the phrase "sustainable management"."

Read the latest Green Issues post: Down With Sustainable Development

Monday, October 23, 2006:

Conservation and Environmental News Roundup - 23rd October 

Latest News Headlines

Britain's bugs disappearing

A long list of species have declined by more than 50% in the last three decades, and along with them, the larger animals such as birds, which feed on them. The causes include habitat loss, insecticide use, transport and light pollution. John Burton (WLT's CEO) said: "Insects underpin all ecosystems and irreversible changes will occur unless urgent action is taken."

Read more: Nature's cruel twist (Daily Express)

Is it spring? Plants seem to think so

One of the warmest Octobers on record is confusing plants, making them think its spring already. The so-called "phantom spring" has been reported by gardeners seeing spring flowers and blossom on trees. Head of Kew Gardens arboretum, Tony Kirkham said "This kind of weather is very confusing for plants. Some trees will blossom as a last-minute fling before the winter and some flowers come up because they are getting such mixed messages from the weather. It makes it look like spring has come early."

Read more: It's so warm plants think spring is here (Sunday Times)

Iceland breaks international whaling ban

A 20m (65ft) fin whale was caught 200m west of Iceland, and filmed being landed by Icelandic whalers. In spite of fin whales being listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union, Iceland's fisheries ministry has announced plans to take nine fin whales each year, along with 30 minke whales. This flies in the face of the 21-year old international moratorium on whaling, and has provoked anger from conservationists and boycotts by tourists, with whale-watching tours being cancelled.

Read more: Iceland violates ban on whaling (BBC)

Global warming caused antarctic ice shelf to collapse

Scientists investigating the causes of the collapse of the 3,250 sq km Larsen B ice shelf, four and a half years ago, have been able to firmly attribute it to man-made global warming. The knock-on effect is worse; glaciers held back by the shelf are flowing to the sea eight times faster, and it is these melting that cause sea levels to rise.

Read more: Cracking up: Ice turning to water, glaciers on the move - and a planet in peril (The Independent)

Tuesday, October 17, 2006:

Give a little, save a lot this "National Giving Week" 

Latest World Land Trust News

To coincide with National Giving week 16th - 22nd October the World Land Trust is holding a Rainforest Auction on eBay, featuring items which have been generously given to the WLT to raise money for wildlife conservation projects. These include:

• Original watercolour illustrations by wildlife artist Bruce Pearson
• Wildlife prints Edward Wade and other artists
• WLT's exclusive Carbon Balanced 'Carbon Boy' and 'Carbon Girl' t-shirts

Make sure you don't miss your chance to bid for these exclusive items - or if you would rather sell on eBay and give some of the money to the WLT, you can sign up with MissionFish and become a community seller for the World Land Trust!

Read more about the Rainforest Auction and MissionFish here

Green Issues: Captive Breeding endangered species 

Latest additions to the World Land Trust website

"For over a quarter of a century, I have been questioning the validity of captive breeding as a justification for zoos. What conservation really needs is some more habitat to be purchased and conserved."

Read the latest Green Issues post: Captive Breeding endangered species

Monday, October 16, 2006:

Conservation and Environmental News Roundup - 16th October 

Latest News Headlines

Hedgehogs in need of help

The long warm season this year has caused extra litters of hedgehogs to be born, but they don't have time to grow big enough to survive hibernation. Animal sanctuaries are taking in small hedgehogs, to look after them through the winter. Members of the public are urged to look out for small hedgehogs, and take them to animal shelters. People are also reminded to check for hedgehogs before strimming under shrubs, and before lighting fires.

Read more: Hedgehogs in need of help (Evening News 24)

Hedgerows, what hedgerows?

Enough British hedgerow to circle the globe eight times has been destroyed in the last sixty years. Mainly caused by the switch to intensive, mechanised farming, one of our richest habitats has been dessimated. While the decline in length has stopped during the last decade, quality continues to decline, as old hedges are still destroyed, but newly planted hedges have less value. Environmentalists are worried that funding cuts to Natural England, the government's newly launched body, will prevent it from being an effective protector of our environment.

Read more: Hedgerows, what hedgerows? (Independent online)

Ice capped mountains will become a thing of the past

Environmentalists have warned that the ice caps on Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya will be lost in the next 25 to 50 years if pollution and deforestation are not stopped. There is more to this threat than the loss of iconic scenes - loss of ice from Africa's highest mountains will severely effect water flow in many large rivers, which provide drinking water and power generation.

Read more: Ice capped mountains will become a thing of the past (Environmental News Network)

Kyoto targets out of reach

US critics of the protocol say 'I told you so' as committed countries confess that they are unlikely to meet the emissions cuts they agreed to. Supporters of the protocol are dismissing the claims, and believe that the targets set for 2012 are achievable if countries try harder.

Read more: Kyoto targets out of reach (Breaking News)

Friday, October 13, 2006:

Green Issues: US$1 MILLION ALCAN PRIZE FOR SUSTAINABILITY 2006 SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED 

Latest additions to the World Land Trust website

"On the surface this appears a worthy cause, and Chairman of the Adjudication Panel is Dave Runnalls, a widely respected environmentalist. So imagine my surprise when I saw that among the finalists was the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), from Canada."

Read the latest Green Issues post: US$1 MILLION ALCAN PRIZE FOR SUSTAINABILITY 2006 SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

Thursday, October 12, 2006:

Correction: Jocotoco Foundation website 

Latest additions to the World Land Trust website

We accidentally mistyped the link to the Jocotoco Foundation's website in the October issue of the eBulletin. The mistake has been corrected on the web version of the newsletter, but if you read it by email and couldn't get the link to work, the correct location is www.fjocotoco.org

Read the October issue of the eBulletin online 

Latest additions to the World Land Trust website

The October issue of our monthly conservation newsletter is now available on the web. Read about:

• Give a little, save a lot this "National Giving Week"
• New wildlife sightings in Ecuador
• eBulletin appeal receives tremendous response

Read the October issue of the eBulletin

Subscribe to get the eBulletin by email here

Collared Anteater found in Buenaventura reserve 

Latest World Land Trust News

News has just come in of a Tamandua (Collared Anteater) found in Buenaventura reserve, Ecuador. Unfortunately the animal was dead, after having been in collision with a car, but this is a new sighting for the reserve and they were not known to occur in the reserve previously.

Anteaters belong to the Edentate family which means 'having no teeth'. However, in the case of the tamandua this isn't strictly true as they have some small teeth which are useful as they supplement their diet with some fruits. They use the sharp claws on their front paws to open ant and termite nests which provide the majority of their diet.

Tamanduas are primarily nocturnal and sleep through the day in hollow trees or the forks of trees, securing themselves by wrapping their tails around branches. They have coarse, yellowish, or brownish fur with black markings and are about half the size of the Giant Anteater relatives. They can grow to be about 60 centimetres long and have a prehensile tail.

There are two species of tamandua: the Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana), occurs in Central America and the northwestern part of South America; and the Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla), which is found further south and is the species found at Buenaventura.

Read more about the Buenaventura reserve here

Wednesday, October 11, 2006:

WLT hosts symposium on private nature reserve conservation 

Latest World Land Trust News

In late September the IUCN National committee of the Netherlands and the World Land Trust hosted the first symposium on "Land Purchase as an Intervention Strategy for Biodiversity Conservation". Organisations from around the world sent delegates to meet in a Dutch national park, where they exchanged experiences and ideas. Areas discussed included making reserves financially viable, restoration ecology, and how the organisations could learn from each other. John Burton, the WLT's CEO said "I can confidently say this was by far the most productive [symposium] I have ever attended."

Read the full press release:First symposium on private nature reserve conservation

Tuesday, October 10, 2006:

Green Issues: More about Soya beans and wildlife 

Latest additions to the World Land Trust website

"Unless the demand for Soya is curtailed more and more lands, such as the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, the Pampas of Argentina, and other relatively arid, fragile habitats will be lost to Soya."

Read the latest Green Issues post: More about Soya beans and wildlife

Monday, October 09, 2006:

Conservation and Environmental News Roundup - 9th October 

Latest News Headlines

Barn Owls have worst breeding season for twenty years

Across the UK, groups monitoring Barn Owls are reporting massively reduced numbers of birds. The Barn Owl Trust has reported a 75% increase in mortality. Furthermore, a third of monitored nest sites have showed no signs of activity, and of those occupied, very few have even attempted breeding. While experts expect fluctuations in the population, a decline of this magnitude could threaten the recovery of this endangered species.

Read more: Barn Owls have worst breeding season for twenty years (This is South Devon)

Cows actually give Badgers TB

A report published in the leading US journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this week, found that TB is transmitted from cattle to badgers, undermining the long-held belief of farmers that badgers are to blame for TB in their herds. The Badger Trust, who have fought against the culling of badgers are triumphant; this will make it difficult to justify further culling, which is widely thought to be ineffective anyway, as it simply stirs up badger populations, causing more activity and an increase in contact with cattle.

Read more: Cows actually give Badgers TB (Times online)

Bluefin Tuna on verge of collapse

The Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery has been subjected to overfishing, to the extent that scientists fear a complete collapse will be inevitable if fishing activities are not vastly reduced. Scientists meeting at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) are proposing three measures to save the Mediterranean bluefin tuna: Extending the closed season to include the whole spawning period; increasing the minimum landing size to 30kg; and limiting the total catch to 15,000 tonnes per year (less than a third of the current catch).

Read more: Bluefin Tuna on verge of collapse (WWF)

US and Guatemala swap debts for forest conservation

Guatemala has become the 10th country to write off some of it's debt to the US in turn for conserving natural habitats. In the largest agreement yet, under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998, $24 million will be provided to go towards preserving the rich wildlife of Guatemala, which includes cloud forests and mangrove swamps, which are home to many endangered species, such as howler monkeys and jaguars.

Read more: US and Guatemala swap debts for forest conservation (Environmental News Service)

Tuesday, October 03, 2006:

Green Issues: Labour party ignorance 

Latest additions to the World Land Trust website

"If you type "Buy Rainforest" into Google, at the top, or near the top, the World Land Trust website pops up. Yet Frank Field has apparently persuaded David Miliband, Secretary for Environment, that what is needed is a new initiative to "promote the idea of a worldwide trust which would allow individuals and companies to buy up chunks of tropical rainforest and save it from destruction."

Read the latest Green Issues post: Labour party ignorance

Monday, October 02, 2006:

Conservation and Environmental News Roundup - 1st October 

Latest News Headlines

Return of the Manx Shearwater

These seabirds were lost from the Hebridean island of Canna due to predation by introduced rats, and haven't bred there for over a decade. An extermination programme led by the Natural Trust for Scotland and funded by EU LIFE-Nature and Scottish Natural Heritage has removed the 7000 rats that were preying upon chicks. In the first year, there has already been a pair of pioneering birds nesting on Canna, beginning the expected recolonisation from the neighbouring island of Rum.

Read more: Return of the Manx Shearwater (BBC)

Rare starling has public demise

A rose-coloured starling, which had been blown off its migration route from central Asia to India, turned up at the weekend near Great Yarmouth, on the East Anglian coast. The bird was described as being exhausted, and was then followed from garden to garden by zealous bird watchers. Residents have blamed their disrepectful behaviour for the bird's subsequent death as it was not able to settle for a rest or to feed. An RSPB spokesperson said that the bird was clearly already tired and had two ticks on it's head, so the bird watchers were unlikely to be the cause of death. They went on to say that there is a code of conduct for bird watchers, which states that the bird's interests should come first but whether people follow it is another matter.

Read more: Rare starling has public demise (Telegraph)

95% of wild salmon deaths are caused by fish farms

Young wild salmon have to run a gauntlet of louse swarms as they swim past fish farms on their migration to the ocean. A report from the University of Alberta revealed that concentrations of lice are 30,000 times higher around coastal fish farms compared to deep waters, and that up to 95% of juveniles are killed by the lice. Adults are not affected because their scales are hard enough to withstand attack. Wild salmon populations are already in decline and fish farms are under pressure to improve their practises.

Read more: 95% of wild salmon deaths are caused by fish farms (Sunday Times)

Public sector bodies must consider biodiversity

A new duty, under Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act, came into force on October 1st. Public sector bodies, including the BBC and the police, will have to take into account biodiversity issues in all of their activities. The aim is to raise biodiversity to a status where it is automatically considered by decision makers. Guidelines to assist those responsible are expected early next year.

Read more: Public sector bodies must consider biodiversity (Government News Network)