The future of the endangered El Oro Parakeet is now more secure thanks to the Jocotoco Foundation, the World Land Trust's partner organisation in Ecuador.
The El Oro Parakeet, which was new to science in 1988* is found only in a small area of the Andes in southern Ecuador, and the forest of one of its main breeding and feeding areas has already been cleared for cattle pasture. However, the Jocotoco Foundation, with financial support from the World Land Trust has been able to buy this area of pasture, as a major step in safeguarding the future of the parakeet.
The pasture is surrounded by the Buenaventura Reserve, which is already owned by the Jocotoco Foundation, and according to Dr Nigel Simpson "This latest purchase consolidates our activities, and makes the future of this endangered species considerably more secure. It's not totally safe, as its population is so small, but we hope numbers will increase as the forest regenerates".
Dr Simpson was a founder of the Jocotoco Foundation, which is run by Ecuadorian conservationists, and is also a Trustee of the Suffolk-based World Land Trust.
Experience has shown that when areas of recently cleared land is allowed to regenerate, the forest can grow back remarkably fast. This is because the seeds of the trees are still present, and much of the other flora still survives. And if, as in the present case, the pasture is surrounded by protected forest, then the wildlife soon recolonises.
While there is so much forest being lost worldwide, it may seem inconsequential buying 100 acres here, 1000 acres there, but if the land is carefully selected, it can make the difference between the survival of a species and its extinction. One of the reserves created in this way is thought to have over 1000 species of orchid, including many endangered and many as yet unknown to science.
* An old specimen in London's Natural History museum suggests it once occurred lower down in the Andes, in an area now cleared of forest.
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New Diploma Course in Conservation - a First for the World Land Trust
Press Release dated: Friday, June 11, 2004
A new Diploma in Conservation and Project Administration has just been announced by the University of East Anglia (Norwich University). This has been developed as a direct result of the World Land Trust's intern programme.
A unique feature of the WLT's Intern Programme is that it involves a significant amount of formal training. Unlike many other intern programmes, the WLT's is not a way of getting cheap labour, but has a carefully thought out structure, with courses and targets built into it. The WLT had also been working with UEA by providing placements for some of the MSc students, and the logical development was to create the new Diploma.
It is the first time an NGO, such as the World Land Trust, has been accredited in this way to provide a significant part of the training for such a diploma. The first students will be recruited by autumn 2004, and there is expected to be considerable competition for places. In addition to lectures and coursework at the University, the students will work on projects that will enable them to gain a wide range of experience in the practicalmanagement of conservation NGO.
The World Land Trust is based in Halesworth, Suffolk, some 25 miles south of Norwich. The Trust works with partners in Ecuador, Belize, the Philippines, India and other parts of the world. Its projects are mostly concerned with the acquisition of land of biological importance, and so far the Trust has helped save over 300,000 acres.
Prospective diploma students can find out more about the course on:
www.uea.ac.uk/bio/cpa/diploma-cpa.htm
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