Fauna & Flora Magazine - issue 16 (Nov 2012)

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Without plants, there would be no food, no animals of any sort, no life on earth at all. Yet for most of the time their lives remain a secret to us, hidden, private events.

Sir David Attenborough, The Private Life of Plants, BBC

tHese are Just some oF tHe exCellent Books you Could reCeIve

Fauna&Flora The magazine of Fauna & Flora International

Relative importance Why primates matter

Become a Fauna & Flora International (FFI) Conservation Book Club member and you will receive four fascinating conservation themed titles a year chosen by conservationists. reCeIve your FIrst Book straIgHt away Get your signed copy of Dr Robert Macfarlane’s book Mountains of the Mind – a History of a Fascination.

The new Fauna & Flora International Conservation Book Club is an exciting and innovative way to receive the latest conservation books, as chosen by conservationists, while giving crucial support to Fauna & Flora International projects around the world.

INTO FLORA ‘A good book can be life-shaping – it can change a reader’s relationship with nature. Join FFI’s Conservation Book Club, which I am backing, and experience this for yourself.’

A growing commitment to plant conservation

Dr Robert Macfarlane, author and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

NOT ALL TREES ARE EQUAL Global Trees Campaign

USE IT OR LOSE IT

How tHe FFI ConservatIon Book CluB works

Non-timber forest products

Complete and return the form overleaf. Your first book will arrive within a few days. You can then look forward to receiving a new book, chosen especially for you, every three months whilst knowing that your money is going towards vital conservation work.

HOT SPOT FOR COLD BLOOD Reptiles of the Caribbean

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HIGH HOPES Kyrgyzstan’s snow leopards

Issue 16 | November 2012

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Fauna & Flora is the biannual magazine of Fauna & Flora International (FFI).

Our vision A sustainable future for the planet, where biodiversity is conserved effectively by the people who live closest to it, supported by the global community.

Our mission Fauna & Flora International acts to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide choosing solutions that are sustainable, based on sound science and take account of human needs.

Magazine production team Editor Tim Knight FFI Communications Team Ally Catterick, Roger Ingle, Sarah Rakowski, Lindsey Sandbrook Design & print management H2 Associates, Cambridge Printed on chlorine-free 100% recycled fibre from postconsumer waste. Cocoon Silk is FSC®-certified. Printed with vegetable-based ink.

Front cover: Chinese magnolia, Manglietia megaphylla.

Jackson Xu/FFI

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From the Executive

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Helen Tinner

Chief

Focus on Flora

What’s in a name? Well, in the case of an organisation like Fauna & Flora International, its main purpose is obviously to give everyone a reasonable indication of what we actually do. Those who have seen fit to delve deep into our long history will be aware that our name has changed several times in the one hundred plus years since the organisation was founded. And each of those new names has reflected a step change, not in our philosophy or methods, but rather in the breadth of our remit.

Contents

The latest incarnation, Fauna & Flora International (FFI), is a far cry from the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire, and not only in name. These days there is a worldwide dimension to our activities, and a floral one. We remain as committed as ever to protecting Africa’s spectacular megafauna, but you are just as likely to hear the FFI name mentioned in botanical circles, in the context of conservation initiatives that are helping Vietnamese conifers, Cuban cacti, or the fruit and nut forests of Tajikistan.

4

Into flora

6

Not all trees are equal

A growing commitment to plant conservation Global Trees Campaign

10 The pirate and the carnival queen

Sumatra’s two extraordinary flowers 12 Sea green

Shedding light on the value of marine flora 16 Use it or lose it

Non-timber forest products

It’s become something of a standing joke within FFI that we are consistently referred to as Flora & Fauna International by outsiders. This happens so frequently that many staff have suggested yielding to the inevitable and adopting the name as our official moniker. What people may not know is that I actually campaigned for this very name change when we decided that Fauna & Flora Preservation Society was no longer appropriate. Not because I wanted to give pre-eminence to our botanical work, but because I wanted to sneak the word ‘international’ in under the wire and suspected the best way to do that would be to focus everyone’s attention on the flora versus fauna debate.

18 A hot spot for cold blood

Reptiles of the Caribbean

20 High hopes

Boost for snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan 22 Out of the darkness

A brighter future for Cambodia’s bats 24 Around the world

We’ve come a long way since that latest name change in 1995. Looking back, it’s gratifying to see how much we have achieved in the intervening years and how successfully we have turned plant conservation into a central plank of our conservation strategy. This latest issue of Fauna & Flora will not disappoint fans of snow leopards, saiga antelopes, sea turtles and snub-nosed monkeys, but we make no apologies for devoting the majority of these pages to plants and trees. Perhaps I should have suggested changing the name of the magazine to Flora & Fauna, just to see whether anyone would notice.

Project updates

30 Who’s who

Dr Nguyen Hiep 32 Partner profile

Reaping the benefits 34 Supporting conservation

Making the connection 36 Species profile

Iris anonymous 38 Tools of the trade

Picture this Juan Pablo Moreiras/FFI

Mark Rose

40 Conservation Leadership Programme

Handle with care

42 Gallery

Flora show

www.fauna-flora.org | 3

Into flora A growing commitment to plant conservation

The origins of Fauna & Flora International (FFI) date back to 1903, but it’s fair to say that tree and plant conservation were not uppermost in the minds of its founders in those early days. Tim Knight, Editor of Fauna & Flora, reveals how times, names and attitudes have changed.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the idea of protecting animals that people didn’t want to shoot, let alone plants, hardly occurred to anyone. You have to fast-forward almost 80 years before the society’s name is changed to accommodate the word ‘flora’.

On 11 December 1903, a distinguished group of British naturalists launched the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire. The very name is redolent of that bygone era; a colonial mindset for colonial times. Their main preoccupation in those early days was to halt the decline in numbers of African savannah game animals that many of its founders took pleasure in shooting for sport. Newspapers therefore took great delight in characterising the society as ‘The Penitent Butchers.’

4 | Fauna & Flora

But the society’s detractors proved to be spectacularly wide of the mark.

That same phrase was chosen as the title of a book published in 1978 by the then Fauna Preservation Society, to commemorate 75 years of conservation success.

By that time, it had earned a preeminent position in the growing worldwide conservation movement, highlighting and addressing the plight of endangered species not just in Africa, but across the entire globe.

At that stage the society was already deeply committed to plant conservation, but it is worth noting that the achievements celebrated in the book relate almost exclusively to the protection of animal species.

Indeed it was a further five years before the society’s broader remit was formally acknowledged and its name changed to the Fauna & Flora Preservation Society.

Ironic, then, that whenever FFI features in the public domain today, it is almost invariably mistakenly referred to as ‘Flora & Fauna International’. Exasperating though this may be, it does at least provide a continual reminder that plants must never again be relegated to the status of poor relation. Not that we should need reminding; anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of how ecosystems work must recognise that animal and plant conservation are inextricably linked.

The symbiotic relationships between individual species of fauna and flora that have evolved over millennia create a complicated and fragile web of mutual dependence. Just as the extinction of an apex predator such as the Sumatran tiger would impoverish that island’s remaining forests and undermine the delicate balance of the forest ecosystem, the loss of a single mahogany tree, for example, would have disastrous consequences for the innumerable species that it harbours.

Focus on Flora

Jackson Xu/FFI

The symbiotic relationships between individual species of fauna and flora that have evolved over millennia create a complicated and fragile web of mutual dependence.

In the wake of that long-overdue name change in 1980, the Fauna & Flora Preservation Society, or Fauna & Flora International, as it has been known since 1995, has continued to fly the flag for plant conservation.

Before it was superseded by the Flagship Species Fund in 2001, the 100% Fund supported numerous small-scale plant conservation projects for three decades, benefiting species as diverse as Mexican palms and cycads, a rare Vietnamese orchid, a CITES-listed tree fern from China, and bog plants in Venezuela.

The Indigenous Propagation Project, a joint initiative to protect Turkey’s wild bulbs, produced its first sustainably harvested crop in 1996, while the Important Plant Areas project, also in Turkey, was arguably the first in the world to use plant diversity to identify habitats worthy of conservation at a national level.

In more recent times, the Flagship Species Fund itself supported the creation of an official protected area for pau Brasil, the endangered national tree of Brazil that is confined to the dwindling Atlantic Forest. It has also, among other notable milestones, funded the development of conservation strategies for Mexico’s oak species, over 30 of which are threatened with extinction.

Success stories abound. By promoting the sustainable harvesting of fynbos flowers, FFI and its partners are helping to protect a botanical paradise at the heart of South Africa’s Cape Floral Kingdom. The SoundWood initiative, set up to safeguard the future of trees that are used to make musical instruments, continues to bear fruit.

In 2000, the internationally acclaimed Global Trees Campaign received an Arbor Day Foundation award in recognition of its work in the worldwide conservation of tree species. The list goes on.

Well over one hundred years after its inception, FFI continues to reflect the pioneering spirit of its founders. Resourceful, innovative and unencumbered by red tape, it remains at the forefront of enlightened conservation practices, continually developing new techniques, forging new partnerships and adapting to changing circumstances.

The difference today is that conservation is viewed more holistically. Plants are no longer regarded as part of the scenery, but have now assumed their rightful place centre stage, at the heart of FFI’s conservation strategy. More than a decade into the 21st century, the enterprising spirit that originally helped to safeguard the charismatic quadrupeds of the African plains is also being brought to bear for the benefit of the world’s endangered flora, whether it be magnificent magnolias in China, Madagascar’s mystifying baobabs, or the majestic monkey puzzles of Brazil’s beleaguered Atlantic Forest.

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Not all trees are equal Global Trees Campaign

6 | Fauna & Flora

Focus on Flora

We share our planet with an estimated 100,000 species of tree. Each has a different story behind its existence, a different relationship with other plants, animals and fungi, and different economic, cultural and spiritual values attached to it by humanity. David Gill and Dr Georgina Magin explain how Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is improving the survival prospects of threatened tree species worldwide.

Despite the obvious differences between swollen baobabs and spiky acacias, between jagged monkey puzzles and mighty mahoganies, it can be all too easy to fall into the trap of perceiving trees as ‘forest’ – viewing them as one similar group of species performing like-for-like roles within their respective habitats.

Packaging trees as a unified concept does allow us to promote them as a universal good; trees contribute to a stable climate, form the structure of many a habitat and provide firewood for millions of people, so does it really matter if we ignore the details? There are two answers to this question and both suggest that we must think and act with diversity in mind.

Firstly, some trees are much rarer and far more vulnerable than others: a staggering 8,700 are listed as threatened with extinction and urgently need conservation action.

If we accept the challenge to save as much of the world’s biodiversity as possible, then we must also accept that some trees have specific ecological requirements, some are subject to particularly high levels of exploitation by humans, and some are more vulnerable than others to threats such as climate change.

The differences between trees matter. They matter when it comes to deciding how to manage habitats under protection, when choosing which trees to include in reforestation projects and when prioritising trees for individual attention. If we view all trees as equal and assume that saving forests will save trees, we fail to appreciate how people value trees, fail to support other conservation objectives and ultimately fail the trees themselves.

A neglected cause For all their worth and beauty, trees are a neglected group. Ask someone to name a threatened species and you can be fairly sure they won’t come up with a tree. The conservation effort directed towards trees is far lower than that for birds or mammals. Yet trees trump both of these taxa in terms of the number of

Opposite: Rainforest interior, Costa Rica, beneath the imposing bulk of a towering hardwood tree.

Never one to turn down a conservation challenge, Fauna & Flora International established the Global Trees Campaign (GTC) in 1999 to take action for threatened trees. A partnership with Botanic Gardens Conservation International, GTC is unique as it is the only international campaign that adopts a species approach to tree conservation.

Investing in the future of tree conservation In line with FFI’s tried and tested approach to conservation, GTC is working around the world to ensure that local champions have the right skills and resources to deliver tree conservation in the long term. At Mount Cameroon, national park staff are working with experts from our local partner, the Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), and Limbe Botanic Gardens to survey vast tracts of lowland and montane forest in search of towering

some trees are far rarer and more vulnerable than others: a staggering 8,700 are listed as threatened.

Secondly, tree species vary greatly in their ability to contribute to other conservation goals. If we are interested in mitigating climate change, we need to know which species hold large carbon stocks; if we choose to conserve mammals, we should bear in mind which trees provide our target species with ample fruit and fodder; and if we are concerned with supporting the livelihoods of people, we need to take the time to understand which species are of value to them.

Left: A mature tree helps to support a wide variety of epiphytes and climbing plants.

Jackson Xu/FFI

Juan Pablo Moreiras/FFI

species threatened with extinction – 8,700 threatened trees compared with approximately 1,200 threatened birds, for example.

www.fauna-flora.org | 7

High value species There are times when the threat to a species is so unique that individual, targeted intervention is the only option. The lansan tree, endemic to the Lesser Antilles, is exploited throughout its range for a resin used to produce incense for religious purposes, thus enriching people’s lives spiritually and economically.

The species has declined dramatically in most countries where it occurs, but has a last stronghold in Saint Lucia, although this too was threatened by unregulated and destructive tapping. Through the Saint Lucia Forest Department, GTC has been supporting identification of optimum resin-tapping regimes that maintain tree health and local incomes. A licensing system for local tappers is now being developed; tappers will be trained in nondamaging tapping techniques and will be allocated certain trees, which they will then have an incentive to protect against illegal exploitation.

The enthusiasm this project has generated locally shows what excellent flagships trees can be, and the initiative is on track to be a shining example of the elusive ‘winwin’ solution, protecting biodiversity and supporting local livelihoods.

Co-opting others Despite many single species conservation successes, the number of trees creeping towards extinction far exceeds the number that GTC alone can save – this at a time when the threat of climate change means that trees in general are in the spotlight as never before, with large-scale forest protection and tree-planting initiatives under way in many regions. If the GTC mission could be incorporated into just a fraction of these broader forest conservation or tree-planting initiatives, whatever their primary

8 | Fauna & Flora

Right: Lansan tree, Protium attenuatum, on Saint Lucia, West Indies.

Jenny Daltry/FFI

zebrawoods and other critically endangered trees. Beautiful and rare magnolia species are found across a range of nature reserves in southern China, where Li Xiaoya from FFI’s China programme is coordinating a project to train reserve staff on how to protect the last remaining individuals of these delicate species and ensure that their populations recover.

motive, the impact for tree species conservation could be significant.

We are piloting this approach in Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam, trialling the use of threatened species in tree planting and developing protocols for the germination of hard-to-grow species. This information will be communicated to other groups in the area, encouraging them to incorporate

at least some rare, threatened or declining tree species into their work.

Such an approach has its own political, economic and technical challenges, but ultimately, persuading other NGOs, businesses and governments to assimilate tree conservation into the mainstream of their activities is a critical step if we are going to fulfil our mission of saving globally threatened trees.

There are times when the threat to a species is so unique that individual, targeted intervention is the only option.

Focus on Flora

threatened tree restoration in Brazil

Acquiring information on rare species and how to grow them is the first step. The Araucaria forest is so fragmented (only 1% of the original forest remains) that for many trees, natural regeneration is not an option.

Fieldwork has taken the project team far and wide, as well as up and down the trees, gathering vital information on the flowering and seeding times of nine globally threatened and eight locally threatened species, followed

by collection of their seeds. These are taken back to a new laboratory supported by GTC, where the team is testing the effects of different treatments, substrates and time intervals on seed regeneration.

Landowners in Brazil are required to set aside 20% of their landholding plus permanent preservation areas around streams etc, as natural habitat, and FFI is collaborating with another partner organisation, SPVS*, to help farmers in the Atlantic Forest area make the most of these areas for conservation.

The information from Sociedade Chauá will be used to produce a basic ‘how and why’ guide to incorporating threatened tree species in restoration of these set-aside areas and other local Woolly butia palm, Butia eriospatha

restoration or planting initiatives within the Araucaria forest, together with sustainable seed collection protocols and safeguards to prevent over-collection of seeds. * Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e Educação Ambiental

Sociedade Chauá

Most tree-planting initiatives around the world use common, easy-to-grow species, some of which are not native to that location. In the Araucaria forest of the Brazilian Atlantic, GTC is supporting Sociedade Chauá to facilitate and promote the use of the full range of trees in the plethora of restoration and planting initiatives in the area.

Madagascan baobabs

Since 2009 GTC has been supporting FFI’s partner Madagasikara Voakajy to raise awareness and help local

communities to conserve their Grandidier’s baobab trees. The project has been enthusiastically embraced by institutions and communities alike – after a visit from the project team, one village spontaneously formed their own ‘baobab association’, numbering their local trees and charging association members with the protection of individual trees. In 2011 the project expanded to address the plight of the Diego baobab, endemic to a small area of northern Madagascar and also highly threatened. The work has now developed into a broader programme of baobab conservation, aiming to incorporate baobab protection into the activities of protected areas where they occur, involving Grandidier’s baobab, Adansonia grandidieri

communities in reinforcing populations through plantings, raising the national profile of baobabs and highlighting the threats facing them through a cultural competition promoted in the media.

Richard Jenkins

The iconic Grandidier’s baobab is (unusually for a tree) almost as widely recognised a symbol of the island’s unique biodiversity as its lemurs. It is also highly valued by local communities, for its fruit (high in vitamins), for its bark (used medicinally and to make rope), and as a community landmark – village meetings and ceremonies often take place under its towering trunk.

Despite all this, its conservation has been overlooked, together with the conservation of Madagascar’s five other endemic baobab species, and at least three are now seriously threatened, largely due to habitat destruction and over-exploitation.

www.fauna-flora.org | 9

The pirate and the carnival queen Sumatra’s two extraordinary flowers

Kerinci Seblat National Park in Sumatra is, to my mind, one of the most spectacular and biologically diverse places on the planet. I don’t say that because I lived there for almost ten years; rather, I stayed there so long because it is inexhaustibly interesting. It has the largest single population of tigers anywhere outside India, there are elephants and the elusive Sumatran rhinoceros, tapirs and clouded leopards – and that is just the megafauna. Almost 400 species of bird are recorded there, plus a treasury of weird insects, frogs and reptiles, some of which are yet to be scientifically described.

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Above: Close-up view of the gargantuan Rafflesia arnoldii in full bloom.

But for me, two species characterise this area of Sumatra above all else, and they are both plants: Rafflesia arnoldii and Amorphophallus titanum. They share no taxonomic relationship, but have a kinship in other more aesthetic ways. Both are super-sized and theatrical in their extravagance, both are rainforest species that bloom only briefly after a long maturation, and both smell putrid.

At almost one metre across, the dark red petals of the Rafflesia flower look like old thin-sliced meat already starting to decay. A football-sized globe rests in the centre of the pentagram of petals. It has a dark

By jeremy holden

aperture that seems capable of either spewing out a face-hugging alien, or perhaps swallowing whole a passing rodent. Rafflesia might look carnivorous, but it is in fact a parasite.

The real stuff of Rafflesia is formed of pale stringy fibres that live inside the body of a particular jungle vine. It has no leaves because it doesn’t need them to make its own food. Instead it steals all the nourishment it requires from the vine and, as a non-paying guest, it lives extravagantly – the pirate of the plant world. Approximately 28 species are found throughout Southeast Asia, but Rafflesia arnoldii is the biggest and occurs only in Borneo and Sumatra.

Focus on Flora

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Whilst Rafflesia is justifiably famed for being the largest flower on Earth, Amorphophallus is often incorrectly credited with being the tallest.

Amorphophallus may look like a giant flower, but it is actually made up of many small flowers, creating an inflorescence. Although it is perhaps even more bizarre than Rafflesia, it is also less well known. In the 1880s, when the Italian Count Odoardo Beccari sent Joseph Hooker, Kew Garden’s renowned botanist, a description of a huge aroid flower that he had discovered in Sumatra, he was not believed. The plant that Beccari described seemed too fantastic to be true. A century and a half later Amorphophallus titanum is still astounding people, at least those lucky enough to have ever seen one. Like many obscure tropical plants, until recently it had only a Latin name.

Amorphophallus titanum translates as ‘titanic misshapen penis’. Sir David Attenborough felt nervous about using the name too often when he referred to the flower while narrating The Private Life of Plants and, for the sake of propriety, he dubbed it the ‘titan arum’. As this name suggests, Amorphophallus is related to our own British arum, the cuckoo pint, a familiar feature of woodlands and hedgerows. Like the cuckoo pint (‘pint’ is pronounced with a hard ‘i‘

as in ‘pin’ and means ‘penis’ in Anglo Saxon), Amorphophallus has three stages: the leaf, the flower, and the fruiting body. With the cuckoo pint these developments take place over a single season: the purplespotted leaves appear in February, the flower in June, and the orange fruits in late summer. In the case of Amorphophallus, the same process can take up to 10 years.

When a flower does finally appear, it opens for just one day. So finding a flowering Amorphophallus in bloom is a rare thing. It is a strange experience to stand beside an Amorphophallus in full fig: the mighty inflorescence seems unreal. Standing as tall as three metres on occasion, with a yellow missile-like appendix rising from a dark, mysterious red spathe – which itself can measure over one metre across – it appears like a carnival queen fallen from a passing float into the darkest depths of the rainforest. The observer will also notice a nauseating stench, emitted in wafts, as the flower attempts to attract its primary pollinators, corpse flies and carrion beetles. Descriptions of this overwhelming smell vary, but dead fish and ammonia are often mentioned.

The scent of Rafflesia is less aggressive, but nevertheless is redolent of rotting flesh. In their native Sumatra, Rafflesia and Amorphophallus are both known as bunga bankai, or ‘corpse flower’, due to this smell of putrefaction.

So how to see these vegetable wonders for yourself? To date Rafflesia has resisted cultivation, so there is no choice but to trek into the rainforests of Southeast Asia and look for it. For Rafflesia arnoldii this means either Sumatra or Sabah, the only two

Both are super-sized and theatrical in their extravagance, both are rainforest species that bloom only briefly after a long maturation, and both smell putrid.

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Sir Stamford Raffles (founder of Singapore) and his botanist companion Joseph Arnold were among the first westerners to see the plant flowering in the early 19th century – in an area that is now part of Kerinci Seblat. To honour the pair, the plant was named Rafflesia arnoldii, and from that moment on became famous as the world’s largest flower.

places where it occurs. But there are plenty of other Rafflesia species to see, ranging from Thailand across to the Philippines. Luckily, unlike Rafflesia, Amorphophallus can be cultivated, and it is possible to see one closer to home. Seeds sent to Kew by Odoardo Beccari were brought to flower in 10 years, and Kew continues to produce flowers on an intermittent basis. In 1995 a flowering titan arum drew 15,000 visitors, all eager to catch a whiff of the infamous smell. Many other botanical gardens now have titan arums: check the one nearest to you, and if you ever get the chance to see it in flower, don’t miss it.

Above: The author savours a rare encounter with Amorphophallus titanum in all its spectacular glory.

In the meantime, the conservation efforts of Fauna & Flora International and our local partners in Kerinci Seblat National Park are helping to preserve their habitat, so these two extraordinary and theatrical plants can continue to share the limelight.

www.fauna-flora.org | 11

Sea green Life in the oceans could not survive without the marine plants that keep the water oxygenated and provide enough energy to support vast and complex food webs. From microscopic phytoplankton to seagrass meadows that can cover areas of up to a thousand square kilometres, the diversity of marine flora is truly astounding, as Sarah Rakowski reveals.

Nursery school Close to shore, the waters of the Caribbean are an astonishing colour.

The crystal clear water overlaying the white or golden sands found on many islands has a picture perfect blue-green hue that defies belief.

The clarity of the water is due in part to the fringing reefs and steady ocean currents that keep the seas calm and allow sediment to settle. But in many

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Shedding light on the value of marine flora

areas, mangroves (forests of tropical trees and shrubs rooted in saltwater sediments) also play a vital role.

In recent years, there has been much consternation about the destruction of the world’s mangroves, and with good reason. These trees act as a natural

barrier between land and sea. They slow down coastal erosion by binding the sediment while preventing excess nutrients, silt and pollutants from choking delicate marine ecosystems.

At the same time, they buffer the land against the more violent ravages of the sea.

if you look just below the surface, amongst the mangrove roots, you will find the waters teeming with life.

Focus on Flora

And if you look just below the surface, amongst the mangrove roots, you will find the waters teeming with life – particularly juvenile fish. This is because mangroves act as a critical nursery habitat for many species, where youngsters can reside in relative safety until they are large enough to graduate to the coral reef.

According to Seagrass Watch, around 40 times more animals are found in seagrass beds than in adjacent bare sands.

A study by Mumby et al., published in Nature in 2004, found that coral reef fish were up to twice as abundant on reefs with adjacent mangroves, showing the importance of this habitat in the life cycle of many fish species.

telltale feeding paths criss-crossing the seagrass bed.

The importance of seagrass habitats for other marine species can hardly be overstated. According to Seagrass Watch, around 40 times more animals are found in seagrass beds than in adjacent bare sands.

Unfortunately, the world’s mangrove forests are under serious threat. An estimated 35% have been destroyed in the last 20 years (that’s four times faster than tropical rainforest loss) – bad news for the many species, including humans, that depend on them.

Recent research by Unsworth et al. suggests that the high photosynthetic rates of many seagrasses may help protect coral reefs against the effects of rising ocean acidity, caused by dissolved carbon dioxide (carbonic acid).

This diverse plant group consists of about 60 different species worldwide.

Despite their name, seagrasses are actually more closely related to lilies and ginger plants, and take many different forms. While some look superficially like terrestrial grasses with flat, bladelike leaves, others more closely resemble ferns and clovers.

Although seagrasses are often mistaken for seaweeds (algae), the former are actually far more complex organisms, with vascular systems and roots capable of absorbing nutrients.

They tend to grow in patches (or ‘meadows’), in shallow, sheltered coastal areas, with clear, well-lit waters.

What’s more, poor management of river watersheds and their forests (combined with the global decline in mangroves) has led to greater surface runoff. As a result, many of these fragile habitats are being suffocated by excess sediment and algae that have been overstimulated by nutrients from agricultural products.

Opposite: Most corals owe their spectacular colouration to minute algae.

Right: The global loss of seagrass beds has serious implications for marine diversity.

Like mangroves, seagrass plays a vital role in stabilising the seabed and filtering sediment and nutrients, as well as providing a vital refuge and nursery habitat for the larvae and juveniles of many fish species.

If you are lucky, you might find turtles hovering here, either grazing on the plants themselves, or on the rich platter of algae, crustaceans, molluscs and sponges nestled among the leaves. These plants are also the main staple of the dugong’s diet, and in some parts of the world you will find

Zafer Kizilkaya

Rachel Austin/FFI

Underwater meadows Further out to sea, the clear water provides a window down to a green meadow of seagrass, gently undulating with the waves.

Unfortunately, dredging, boat anchoring and pollution are all taking their toll on the world’s seagrass meadows, and an estimated 30% of global seagrass beds have already been lost.

www.fauna-flora.org | 13

Unlike on land, however, the destruction of marine ecosystems is largely hidden from view.

Blue carbon Living marine organisms account for over half (55%) of the world’s biological carbon capture. Seagrass beds and coastal wetlands, including mangrove forests, have huge carbon storage capacity. There is compelling scientific evidence that these socalled ‘blue carbon’ sinks contribute significantly to the fight against climate change.

It is thought that seagrass holds around 12% of the carbon stored in ocean sediments and mangroves are an even more capacious carbon sink.

Occupying only 2% of the seabed area, vegetated wetlands are responsible for 50% of carbon transfer from oceans to sediments.

One square kilometre of a coastal ecosystem can store up to five times more carbon than the same area of mature tropical forest, yet these habitats are being destroyed three to four times more quickly.

Protecting these blue carbon stores will not only lead to gains for biodiversity, food security and livelihoods, but will also offer a really important mechanism for reducing climate change – a win-win-win solution.

Hidden delights, hidden disasters The intriguing relationship between coral and their zooxanthellae (the algae that live within a coral’s cells and give it its colour) perfectly encapsulates the extraordinary diversity of marine flora that can be found in the most unexpected places.

As in the terrestrial world, plants play a crucial role in the sea – providing habitats for countless species, many of which are a vital source of food and income for millions of people around the world.

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As with seagrass, mangroves and coral, many of these ecosystems depend on each other to survive, and many marine species require a variety of habitats to thrive.

Unlike on land, however, the destruction of marine ecosystems is largely hidden from view and until recently has gone virtually unchecked.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been hailed as an important tool for conserving not just target species but whole ecosystems. Despite this, just 1.47% of the world’s oceans are protected, a figure which lags far behind the 2012 target of 10%. At the current rate, we will not reach this goal until 2047, at which point there may be nothing left to save.

For this reason, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is undertaking an ambitious programme of work to safeguard marine species and habitats, and bring areas of the ocean and coast under more effective management.

To do this, FFI is working to improve the performance of existing MPAs in its four priority regions and support the establishment of new ones, while working with governments and companies to address the wider threats to marine ecosystems in the 98% of the ocean not currently protected.

Underlying all this work is FFI’s commitment to help people and organisations protect their local environment, providing the training and resources they need to tackle these issues by themselves.

Top: The species rich waters around Antigua’s offshore islands.

Bottom right and left: seagrass and mangroves are vital sanctuaries for marine life.

Focus on Flora

MARINE FLORA UNDER THREAT In July, FFI began a new project in Liberia to help protect 6,360 hectares of mangrove forest in Lake Piso Multiple Use Reserve.

The mangroves surround Lake Piso itself, a brackish lake that feeds directly into Liberia’s coastal waters and is known to host several commercially important fish and crustacean species, as well as Vulnerable and Endangered species such as the West African manatee, Nile crocodile, and at least three species of turtle.

Jenny Daltry/FFI

The new project aims to ensure that the mangrove ecosystems of Lake Piso are sustainably managed – to the benefit of local residents, Liberian fisheries, regional biodiversity and the global climate.

In view of the paucity of scientific data on Liberia’s mangroves, one of the first steps will be to map the existing mangrove stands and identify the main users, threats and current rates of deforestation.

The team will also be providing training and support for local partners Farmers Associated to Conserve the Environment (FACE) and Piso Conservation Forum (PCF), to help improve their technical capacity and project management skills.

Seagrass in Turkey

Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica) is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. Its leaves can reach one metre in height.

It is thought to be the most important marine ecosystem in the region, sheltering up to a quarter of all Mediterranean species, including many that are commercially important.

In an almost enclosed sea, surrounded by countries that are heavily dependent upon fishing and tourism, the pressures facing neptune grass are immense and, as a result, it has seen a widespread decline.

FFI’s developing marine programme in Turkey focuses on strengthening the design and management of Gökova Bay Marine Protected Area. Surveys of Gökova Bay undertaken by local partners revealed that it contains a significant patch of neptune grass, and led to identification of the areas most sensitive to natural and anthropogenic impacts such as illegal and unregulated anchoring, invasive species, and marine pollution. FFI is now working alongside local partners to develop a range of projects to strengthen the implementation of No Take Fishing Zones. It is hoped that this will enhance the protection of these vulnerable habitats and the rich marine fauna they sustain.

J A Brunson

In the longer term, the project aims to develop a participatory management plan for the mangroves of Lake Piso that will fit in with the overall management plan for the reserve, and improve

the capacity of Liberians to engage in the conservation of their marine resources.

Zafer Kizilkaya

Mangroves in Liberia

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Use it or lose it Non-timber forest products The fruit and nut forests of Central Asia are of global conservation importance. Characterised by ancient walnut stands, they are biologically rich and harbour a wide variety of fruit- and nut-bearing trees including wild apple, pear, cherry, hawthorn, plum, barberry, pistachio, almond and mulberry. Many of these species are the ancestors of today’s domesticated fruit varieties and are an important storehouse of genetic diversity.

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is working in Tajikistan and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan to halt the degradation of the walnut-fruit forests, with a particular focus on protecting rare and threatened fruit and nut tree species, including apple, pear and almond species that feature on the IUCN Red List. The FFI Eurasia team and its local

16 | Fauna & Flora

Above: Walnuts awaiting transportation to local markets.

By Lenke Balint

partners are engaging forest service teams, in-country specialists, local communities, schoolchildren and teachers to conserve these unique fruit and nut forests through participatory management and conservation, awareness-raising activities, as well as the establishment of school nurseries and capacity building within the state forestry service.

Joining the Eurasia team this summer, through FFI’s generous support, I have been investigating the use of the fruit and nut ‘jangal’ (the Tajik term for forests) of the Childukhtaron Reserve in southern Tajikistan. With an area of approximately 12,600 ha, Childukhtaron is home to some of the country’s most valuable walnut maple forests. These precious ecosystems are threatened by uncontrolled and unsustainable

use, driven by poor regulation and enforcement, as well as the very few options for earning income locally and a limited understanding of the value of the forests.

The rural residents in Childukhtaron rely largely on fruit and nut products for their livelihoods, as these are often their only source of cash income other than limited livestock keeping. Some residents use forest products as a noncash currency, bartering walnuts in particular for basic goods such as flour and sugar. Perishable fruits like cherries and plums are used mostly for household consumption. Apples and pears are collected, dried and sold, but walnuts represent the major source of income. Numerous medicinal and culinary herbs are also collected and sold, as well as rose hips.

Focus on tajikistan

My research aims to establish whether helping locals identify ways to increase their income through marketing, diversification or processing of the non-timber forest products harvested, leads to reduced pressure on their resources and, ultimately, to better forest conservation.

Looking at all these issues in depth during my research, I cannot help but be surprised at the overwhelming level of optimism among the local communities. Despite all the hardship, harvesters believe their lives could be hugely improved if only they could access funding to allow them to improve market access. Figuring out a way to allow them to do so, whilst ensuring the harvest is sustainable and the forests conserved, is now our challenge.

The author is supported by FFI to undertake an MPhil in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge.

The fruit and nut riches of Central Asia are just one of many examples of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) that, if sustainably harvested, can provide an essential lifeline for the countless communities around the world whose economic security and cultural wellbeing are inextricably linked with their local forests. FFI is working to promote the responsible use of NTFPs at many of its project sites across the globe, as the following examples illustrate: Fruits of the forest

In Liberia, FFI has been developing a deeper understanding of the economic, medicinal and cultural importance of NTFPs for people living adjacent to Sapo National Park. Nuts, fruits, vegetables, leaves, roots, fungi and meat from the forest were all found to supplement diets, often adding significant nutritional value.

Income is generated from products such as palm wine, aromatic creams, honey, chewing sticks and mattress stuffing, whilst NTFP-based medicines are used for maladies ranging from stomach ache to malaria, providing a crucial service where manufactured medicines are often unavailable or unaffordable.

Spice of life

O’Som commune in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains harbours the largest remaining population of Siamese crocodiles. Most of the villagers belong to the Por ethnic minority, who revere these reptiles.

Helping the commune to develop more sustainable livelihoods supports their efforts to protect and manage the crocodiles and other threatened wildlife.

As part of the Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Programme, FFI helped the commune to establish a cooperative to harvest and market wild cardamoms.

Picked from the surrounding rainforests, these spices have traditionally provided a big incentive for the community to protect the forests. By the early 2000s, however, prices had plummeted, inducing villagers to start felling the ancient rainforests and farm the land instead. Thanks to FFI’s help, the new cooperative now sells its entire harvest direct to the wholesalers and negotiates much better deals, with cardamoms commanding around 20,000 riels (US$5) per kg, a tenfold increase since the project started. This initiative has restored the balance in favour of preserving the rainforests.

Right: Local harvesters carefully sort the forest spoils on which many rely for income.

Some residents use forest products as a non-cash currency, bartering walnuts for other basic goods.

Chris Loades/FFI

Chris Loades/FFI

The forests in the reserve are governed and owned by the state forestry agency, pushing the local harvesters, mostly landless poor, to the periphery of economic and political power circles.

Childukhtaron is isolated from the main towns nearby and the infrastructure connecting them is very poor. Also, harvesters are not organised and have difficulty preparing their harvest for sale at even simple local or regional markets. As only a few villagers own vehicles, transportation is difficult, making the harvesters very vulnerable to outside traders entering the reserve, collecting and buying products in bulk, and offering prices twice or three times lower than the going rate in the urban centre markets.

HARVEST FOR THE WORLD

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A hot spot for cold blood Biology books tell us that reptiles ruled the Earth until they were outsmarted and outcompeted by mammals around 65 million years ago. Most reptiles were relegated to being minor players on the ecological stage, often many tiers below big furry carnivores in both the food chain and the ‘to-do’ lists of conservation managers.

Above: Close-up of the Antiguan spotted anole, Anolis leachi.

Right: An adult Saint Lucia pygmy gecko, Sphaerodactylus microlepis.

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But that is a continental perspective.

On most tropical and subtropical islands, reptiles continued to reign well into the present era. The West Indies are a reptilian wonderland of over 7,000 islands, many of them too small, too arid or too remote for terrestrial mammals to colonise unaided. Here, reptiles have taken almost every vacancy, evolving into a bewildering array of forms, from the world’s smallest to some of the largest.

More than 550 species have been registered in the West Indies to date – that’s well over 6% of the world’s reptiles on only 0.15% of the Earth’s land area. Some authors estimate there could be as many as 1,000 species, since many islands have their own unique forms. The Carrot Rock anole lizard Anolis ernestwilliamsi, for example, knows only the 1.2-hectare islet after which it is named.

by Dr Jenny Daltry

Reptile power is evident not only in terms of the incredible region-wide diversity, but also in the numbers of individuals. On Guana Island, for example, herpetologists have recorded up to 52,800 Anolis stratulus and 67,600 Sphaerodactylus macrolepis per hectare.

Stand here, and you will probably have at least 30 lizards within reach of your fingertips. This represents a greater vertebrate animal biomass per unit area than wild game in the Serengeti!

millions of years of evolutionary heritage in a single hop.

One IUCN report stated that 75% of all known vertebrate extinctions in recent history took place in the West Indies, while other studies firmly identified invasive alien species as the number one threat to island biodiversity. Such rankings may be disputed, but dozens of native reptiles have not been seen

Sadly the reptilian reign is drawing to an end. Mammals from the Old World have at last arrived, 65 million years behind schedule, on ships and planes. Cats, dogs, goats, mongooses and rats have been liberally scattered across most of these 24 countries, to catastrophic effect. To make matters worse, we are unthinkingly moving island endemics from one country to another in our cargo, sabotaging

roughly 75% of all known vertebrate extinctions in recent history took place in the West Indies.

Stuart Brooker, Durrell

Focus on CARIBBEAN

Rarities of the Caribbean Barbados leaf-toed gecko Phyllodactylus pulcher

for many years, while others number in the low hundreds or even tens. You can tell a species is in serious trouble when every living individual has its own name or number!

British Virgin Islands pygmy gecko Sphaerodactylus parthenopion

Would the loss of a few more species matter? As I see it, the disappearance of even one island species is equivalent to the loss of dozens of species from a continent. Because each small island supports relatively few species, subtracting even one leaves a very big hole in its ecological fabric.

For example, on Sombrero Island, which has no resident land birds, bats or amphibians, the job of eating insects is performed almost entirely by two lizard species, one of which also disposes of dead seabirds and other carrion. Losing such species would destabilise the island’s fragile ecosystem, potentially triggering a cascade of further extinctions.

A contender for the title of world’s smallest lizard, at less than 18mm from its nose to the base of its tail, this reptile can be easily mistaken for a beetle. FFI provided technical advice to counter a startling proposal to release Madagascan lemurs on Moskito Island, where possibly the last surviving geckoes live within an area of only 10 x 30 metres.

Sombrero ground lizard Ameiva corvina

In 1999 the slab-like Sombrero island was being eyed by a foreign developer as a base for launching satellites into space. An FFI-led survey found fewer than 500 of these jet-black lizards and established that they, together with other rare and undescribed lizards on the island, would probably be driven to extinction. The Government of Anguilla promptly rejected the rocket pad application.

Toby Ross, Durrell

One of at least four reptiles unique to Redonda, a volcanic island transformed into rocky desert by the ravages of feral goats and rats. Only a handful of ancient trees remain, which the dominant lizards climb as high as they can, and there are no young trees emerging to replace them. In 2012 FFI assessed the feasibility of removing the aliens and reforesting the island.

Above: Local biologist Andrea Otto with a large Antiguan racer.

A rising number of conservationists throughout the Caribbean are alarmed by the decline of these keystone animals, especially their most charismatic national endemics.

For nearly 20 years, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust have been at the forefront of efforts to save some of the rarest reptiles in the Lesser Antilles, the eastern arc of the West Indies. In close collaboration with our national partners, we have successfully put several species back on the road to recovery, but countless others need immediate attention.

Recently declared the world’s rarest snake, after a survey found that as few as 18 individuals remain. Durrell, FFI and our partners in Saint Lucia are currently working on a brave plan to save this harmless snake and recreate suitable, predator-free habitat.

Redonda tree lizard Anolis nubilis

Richard Brown

Toby Ross, Offshore Islands Conservation Programme

Jenny Daltry/FFI, Offshore Islands Conservation Programme

Now restricted to a range of less than 300 square metres, and even here it is very hard to find. In 2012 FFI began collaborating with the University of the West Indies to assess its status and needs. Numbers are declining rapidly and there may be fewer than 20 individuals left.

Saint Lucia racer Liophis ornatus

Saint Lucia whiptail lizard Cnemidophorus vanzoi

Wiped out from mainland Saint Lucia by mongooses and other alien mammals, these handsome lizards were until recently found only on the Maria Islands. Durrell and its partners, including FFI, have removed alien mammals from several offshore islands and successfully reintroduced whiptail lizards to two. Their numbers are rising steadily, but depend on ongoing pest control.

Antiguan racer Alsophis antiguae

Down to the last 50 individuals by 1995, these docile snakes are making a promising recovery thanks to a concerted programme of invasive alien mammal eradication, public education, and re-introduction to restored islands. By the end of 2011 the world population had grown to nearly 900 and the racer has become a great source of pride in its native Antigua and Barbuda.

Sandy Cay iguana Cyclura rileyi cristata

In the late 1990s only 200 individuals remained. A (non-native) racoon was removed from Sandy Cay and FFI eradicated rats that preyed on iguana eggs and young. This has greatly improved the reproductive success of the iguanas on the 25-hectare island.

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High hopes Boost for snow leopard conservation in Kyrgyzstan

Conservation of snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan received a welcome boost when significant steps were taken towards developing a National Snow Leopard Action Plan at a recent workshop in Bishkek, as Ally Catterick reports.

Comprising participants from Fauna & Flora International (FFI), Panthera and the State Agency of Environment Protection and Forestry of Kyrgyzstan, the workshop stemmed from a global snow leopard meeting in 2008 involving representatives from the 12 countries where this Endangered big cat is found. There were renewed calls for each country to develop a national action plan for snow leopards, relevant to its own natural and political environment.

With Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan already having developed strategies, the spotlight is now on Kyrgyzstan. A working group was set up to develop the detail of the action plan and ensure its official adoption at national level.

20 | Fauna & Flora

The completed plan has now been submitted to the government and is awaiting approval.

There are thought to be between 3,000 and 7,500 snow leopards left in their natural habitat, roaming across Central Asia and the Himalayas.

Scientists present at the meeting estimated that there are anywhere between 150–500 in Kyrgyzstan. A comprehensive national snow leopard survey has never been conducted, and most of the available data are based on work carried out decades ago; the most recent inventory was in 1989, a time when hunting of snow leopard for trophies was still common, as were

advertisements in national newspapers offering snow leopard pelts for sale.

The current status of the snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan is, therefore, the subject of considerable debate.

To predict the stability of a global snow leopard population over the next century is virtually impossible.

Dr David Mallon, Chair of the Snow Leopard Network, and a regular contributor to FFI’s work in the region, suggests: “the future of the species is heavily dependent on the implementation of conservation strategies and action plans and integrating these into governmental policies on economic development.”

Kyrgyzstan is taking real steps towards conserving this elusive and magnificent cat.

Focus on kyrgyzstan

of the State Agency of Environment Protection and Forestry manages all of Kyrgyzstan’s protected areas, 10 national parks and 68 reserves. All the protected areas are fully staffed with dedicated and able people, but the problem remains a lack of funding and basic resources – vehicles and horses for patrolling, camping equipment, uniforms, binoculars and GPS equipment.

FFI/Panthera

Dr Mallon argues for greater resources to be committed by all governments for the conservation of biodiversity, including snow leopards and their habitat: “If authorities, communities, local administration representatives and state agencies all work in unison, real successes will be achieved.”

One of the primary objectives of the Snow Leopard Action Plan meeting in Bishkek was to determine the major threats to the species, their risk level and what solutions are viable. It was ascertained that the most serious human-based threat is now habitat loss and degradation, which has narrowed the snow leopard’s natural range substantially. Another significant threat is poaching of prey species.

Lack of both awareness and funding for conservation programmes were also identified as areas of serious concern, as well as issues in managing transboundary relationships between some countries with differing political agendas.

Above: Close-up of a snow leopard, captured by a camera trap.

The meeting featured a great deal of discussion on the value of camera trapping exercises similar to the one FFI and Panthera recently coordinated in neighbouring Tajikistan. The shy and elusive nature of snow leopards makes conserving the species even more problematic, as it is not easy to estimate populations, or to identify critical habitat areas for protection.

Camera traps have proved useful in finding snow leopards in other countries, allowing scientists to identify individuals from their unique patterns.

This technique was highly effective in Tajikistan – a success we hope can now be replicated in Kyrgyzstan.

So much about the snow leopard remains a mystery, especially details of its distribution in Kyrgyzstan. These first steps are undoubtedly making a positive contribution to ensuring the species is saved from extinction.

Close encounters Respected Kyrgyz ecologist Emil Shukurov was one of the participants in the Snow Leopard Action Plan meeting, and is helping to co-ordinate transboundary conservation efforts to save the species.

During Soviet Union rule, the neutral zone on the border was untouchable. Dr Shukurov gave lectures and raised awareness about the natural world at border posts in the course of lecturing on natural history. He recalls an episode many years ago, when he had asked permission to inspect a border area in his spare time. Permission was granted, and he was escorted along his journey. “A KGB man walked next to me - just in case. Once he helped me to see a snow leopard.

I went ahead and the KGB man followed me. When I went up the pass he hesitated and decided to climb up via a cliff. He startled a leopard, which sprang from its position and came directly towards me. I had a very good close-up view. Usually a snow leopard is very wary of humans.”

Another time Dr Shukurov was tracking a snow leopard. Without realising, he soon found himself back where he had started his search. He looked down, surprised to find fresh leopard footprints next to his own. “I followed a leopard’s tracks while the leopard followed mine!”

Chris Loades/FFI

Kyrgyzstan is taking real steps towards conserving this elusive and magnificent cat, but with such dire and restricted resources, human and otherwise, it remains an uphill battle.

The department of protected areas

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Out of the darkness A brighter future for Cambodia’s bats

Cambodia boasts many of the best remaining forests and wetlands in mainland Southeast Asia, but its rich biodiversity is poorly known. Data on smaller-bodied and diverse groups such as bats are particularly scarce. For example, just 60 bat species are currently mentioned in the scientific literature for Cambodia, roughly half the national totals for neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam, and undoubtedly far short of the true number. There is room for optimism, however, as Dr Neil Furey explains.

The dearth of information stems from three decades of conflict, which effectively prohibited fieldwork, and the devastating impact of the Pol Pot regime, during which 80% of educators died or left the country and over half its written materials were destroyed.

Current efforts to protect the country’s biodiversity from mounting pressures exerted by factors such as population growth, infrastructure development and extractive industries are therefore severely hampered by a shortage of skilled people and dependable data, and both are highlighted as national priorities for action.

To address these challenges, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) began working with the Royal University of Phnom Penh in late 2005 to rebuild Cambodian capacity to train a new generation of conservation leaders and technicians.

This led to the establishment of a two-year Master of Science (MSc) in Biodiversity Conservation, the first higher degree course of its kind nationally. MSc courses were initially developed and delivered with help from university lecturers and conservation professionals from around the world, but these are gradually being replaced as more qualified Cambodian nationals emerge.

Over 100 Cambodians have now received advanced training, and since many are already employed in the environmental or education sectors, they can make immediate use of their new skills. Dissertations on bats are a

22 | Fauna & Flora

popular choice, with recent theses including an assessment of the effects of forest disturbance on bats and the use of ultrasound detectors for species identification, through to systematic reviews of the horseshoe and leafnosed bat families and monitoring of flying foxes in urban areas. One of the first graduates, Ith Saveng, completed his thesis on Cambodian bats and is now undertaking a PhD on Southeast Asian bat taxonomy at Prince of Songkla University in Thailand.

Reliable biological information is at a premium in Cambodia. With this in mind, FFI established a herbarium and zoological collection at the university in 2008 and began developing a team dedicated to undertaking original research on less-studied groups such as bats. The zoological collection has grown to include almost 4,000 specimens. Some overseas museums have begun donating voucher specimens previously collected in the region, including important material from the colonial era. These growing collections have already proved valuable in developing university teaching activities and supporting preparation of desperately-needed species identification guides in the Cambodian language.

Bats have formed a special part of the programme since its inception. Field surveys since 2007 have yielded a great deal of new information, including 15 new country records and four species new to science (see box). Much of this work was made possible through collaborations with the UK Harrison Institute and the Hungarian Natural History Museum. The potential for

further discoveries is huge, particularly in poorly-studied forest areas in the country’s western, southwestern and north-eastern regions.

Bat species recently described from Cambodia Kerivoula titania Named after the Queen of the Fairies in William Shakepeare’s play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Titania’s woolly bat was described from eastern Cambodia in 2007 and occurs in a variety of forest types throughout mainland Southeast Asia.

Glischropus bucephalus Distinguished by its elevated frontal region (bucephalus meaning ‘ox-headed’), the Indochinese thick-thumbed bat was described from east Cambodia in 2011 and, like other members of the genus, may roost inside stalks of dead bamboo.

Murina cineracea Named after its ashy-grey fur, M. cineracea was described in 2011 from a protected area in eastern Cambodia and occurs in a variety of pristine and disturbed forest types in mainland Southeast Asia.

Murina walstoni Also described in 2011 from a few specimens collected at three scattered localities in southern Indochina, this new species appears to tolerate more open habitats compared to other tubenosed bats in the region.

Reliable biological information is at a premium in Cambodia.

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Focus on cambodia

From a conservation standpoint, however, much remains to be done.

For example, owing to the current paucity of data, only three bats in the country appear on the latest IUCN Red List in categories other than ‘Least Concern’: Otomops wroughtoni, listed as ‘Data Deficient’ and in Cambodia known only from a single animal recorded in Preah Vihear province in 2000; Murina harrisoni, also ‘Data Deficient’ and currently known only from the single specimen collected in Kirirom National Park in 2005; and Pteropus lylei, thought ‘Vulnerable’ and in Cambodia currently known only from three small colonies. In reality, rates of habitat destruction have dramatically increased throughout the country in recent years and hunting of bats for food is commonplace. Awareness of the economic and conservation importance of bats also appears low, with P. lylei, the only globally threatened species known for Cambodia, currently listed as ‘common’ in national legislation.

Gabor Csorba

Recent research from Vietnam has shown that forested limestone karst is exceptionally important for bats. Karst typically supports extensive cave networks, so its bat fauna often includes a large number of cave-dwelling species. While the total extent of Cambodian karst is not accurately known (estimated at 20,000 km2), very large outcrops occur in the western and southern provinces of Battambang and Kampot. Over 100 caves have been explored in these areas by speleologists, but very few have

a neighbouring area in southern Vietnam appears to be confined to Cambodia. Here, rural farmers hoist dome-shaped ‘bat nests’ made from palm leaves high up on trees around their smallholdings and collect the guano deposited each day for use on their crops or for local sale. Once it is dried, the guano fetches around 2,000 riel (roughly 50 cents) per kilogram. With farmers harvesting as many as 20 roosts, this can make a substantial contribution to yearly incomes. In south-western Cambodia for instance, these were significant enough for one community to introduce local laws to eradicate bat hunting, including sanctions for been surveyed for bats, and most of Above left: these only once, over a decade ago. Cambodian survey offenders. The practice clearly offers team investigating great potential for promoting bat the best way to conservation as well as local Cave-dwelling bats are highly access a new site. livelihoods, though relatively little susceptible to disturbance, is known as yet about the methods particularly during critical and species involved. With some of reproductive periods such as late the brightest MSc students showing pregnancy, lactation and weaning, interest in the subject, however, this which in turn dictate their ability to Below right: is likely to change in the near future. recover from population losses inflicted by humans. Consequently, Portrait of a new As Cambodia develops, its need for understanding when these periods tube-nosed bat skilled human resources and guidance occur has considerable conservation species, Murina walstoni. on how to manage and use its natural relevance. The fact that karst wealth sustainably will inevitably ecosystems in Cambodia, as increase. Though much remains to throughout the region, are be done (and efforts to rebuild experiencing increasing habitat loss conservation capacity will depend and pressure from tourism and heavily on overseas donor support extractive industries, coupled with for the foreseeable future), the signs the reality that few if any are are promising. protected for their biodiversity, also makes the need for such information The activities described in this rather pressing. article were generously supported by the Darwin Initiative, the John Another intriguing area for study is D. and Catherine D. MacArthur the traditional practice of farming Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife bats for their guano, which apart from Service, the Zoological Parks and Gardens Board of Victoria (Australia) and Bat Conservation International.

A version of this article originally appeared in Bat Conservation International’s BATS magazine.

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Around the world Fauna & Flora International’s work spans four continents and over 40 countries.

REGION: AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN

REGION: EURASIA

1. Belize 2. Nicaragua 3. Antigua and Barbuda 4. Anguilla 5. Saint Lucia 6. Barbados 7. Ecuador 8. Brazil

9. Portugal 10. Romania 11. Georgia 12. Kazakhstan 13. Uzbekistan 14. Kyrgyzstan 15. Tajikistan 16. Turkey

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around the world

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33 64 35

34

23 52 25 24 58 47 26

21

46 28

39 27

37 63

62

36 51

43 29

38 54

42

REGION: AFRICA & MADAGASCAR

REGION: ASIA-PACIFIC & AUSTRALASIA

BUSINESS & BIODIVERSITY/ ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS

17. Guinea 18. Liberia 19. Nigeria 20. Cameroon 21. Democratic Republic of Congo 22. South Sudan 23. Uganda 24. Rwanda 25. Kenya 26. Tanzania 27. South Africa 28. Mozambique 29. Madagascar 30. Côte d’Ivoire

31. China 32. Myanmar 33. Lao PDR 34. Vietnam 35. Cambodia 36. Indonesia 37. The Philippines 38. Australia

39. Namibia

40. Mongolia 41. Brazil 42. South Africa 43. Madagascar 44. Guinea 45. Liberia 46. Mozambique 47. Democratic Republic of Congo 48. Norway 49. Italy

50. Sri Lanka 62. Cambodia 51. Indonesia 63. The Philippines 64. Vietnam 52. Uganda 53. Chile 54. Australia 55. Ecuador 56. Nicaragua 57. Romania 58. Kenya 59. Pakistan 60. Iraq 61. Belize

www.fauna-flora.org | 25

Around the world Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and our partners are active in over 40 countries. These project updates serve to illustrate the extent of our global reach and the breadth of our activities.

Africa FFI and partners are aiming to inspire a new generation of conservationists in Liberia and equip them with the necessary skills to manage the country’s natural resources effectively. With support from the Darwin Initiative, FFI has joined forces with the Liberian Forestry Development Authority, the University of Liberia, the Zoological Society of London, the University of Cambridge and the community of Jalays to create a Centre of Excellence for Ecological Research and Conservation Learning in Sapo National Park. The centre will not only provide Liberian students and natural resource management professionals with essential training in field research methods and relevant conservation issues, but will also help to generate valuable baseline data on the country’s biodiversity.

In addition, the provision of training and employment opportunities for local residents will widen livelihood options in the area and furnish us with urgently needed information about livelihood strategies and natural resource use. Such is the strength of local support for this exciting initiative that the townspeople of Jalays donated land to the centre, and a traditional groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the occasion.

FFI

Building on strong foundations

Care in the community Home to more than half of Africa’s tropical forest, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) harbours some spectacular wildlife and plays a crucial role in biodiversity conservation and global climate regulation. Despite its massive mineral and ore reserves, DRC is now believed to be the world’s least developed country, with approximately 70% of the population living below the poverty line. Unsustainable exploitation of the natural resources on which many local communities depend poses a serious threat to protected areas such as Maiko National Park in north-east DRC. Surveys conducted by FFI and local partner Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) in 2009–10 identified an urgent need for better education and healthcare provision, in order to raise awareness of the park’s importance and reduce dependence on activities that jeopardise its future. With this in mind, two new schools and healthcare centres, including the area’s first maternity ward, have now been built by FFI and ICCN, with funding from the German government through banking group KfW.

Did you know? SAPO IS LIBERIA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONAL PARK.

FFI

The new facilities will benefit approximately 11,000 people in nearby villages, reducing the need to collect medicinal plants and other resources within the park. The health centres will greatly improve healthcare provision in the area, reducing mortality rates and promoting awareness of issues such as HIV-AIDS and birth control.

The schools will not only teach children about their local wildlife and the importance of conservation, but also provide enhanced employment opportunities, thereby reducing dependence on poaching and other illegal activities for income.

26 | Fauna & Flora

around the world

Asia-Pacific Cypress is golden

Snub value

New discoveries in Vietnam and a probable find in China could significantly boost the survival prospects of a rare conifer.

The Myanmar snub-nosed monkey, profiled in the last issue of Fauna & Flora, has been officially classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. The formal acknowledgment of this primate’s precarious position comes as no surprise, bearing in mind its population size and distribution.

Only discovered in 1999 in the remote limestone hills of Vietnam, the golden cyprus Xanthocyparis vietnamensis is sufficiently distinct from other conifers to be in a genus of its own. The species was originally discovered

by Nguyen Tien Hiep (see page 30) and colleagues in Bat Dai Son nature reserve in Ha Giang province, where just 189 trees were found. In 2006, three new clusters of the species were discovered, and more recent surveys in 2011 and 2012 identified additional populations in Ha Giang and further south in Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam. It now appears that the species has also been found in Guangxi Province, China, by Xu Weibin from Guangxi Institute of Botany, although this is yet to be officially published in the botanical literature.

‘Snubby’, as the new species is affectionately known, first came to the attention of scientists as recently as 2010. It is confined to the remote and largely inaccessible forested mountains of Kachin state, with another population recently discovered across the border in China. As the area is opened up by logging and hydropower development activity, the estimated 260–330 surviving individuals will be increasingly vulnerable to hunting pressure and habitat loss.

As part of the Global Trees Campaign, FFI has been working to conserve this and other rare conifers in northern Vietnam, in collaboration with Nguyen Tien Hiep and his NGO, the Centre for Plant Conservation.

Efforts have focused on Bat Dai Son nature reserve, where a Conifer Conservation Centre has been established. Local H’mong people have been involved in monitoring adult trees, planting out nursery-grown saplings and, with support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, nursing wild seedlings of the species.

As of January 2012, 510 wild seedlings are thriving.

FFI, BANCA & PRCF

When confirmed, the new discoveries will significantly extend the known range of the species and increase the world population estimate (thought until now to number just a few hundred individuals). This unusual tree is still in need of conservation care, but its future may be more secure than previously thought.

Hieu Nguyen

Did you know? THE MYANMAR SNUB-NOSED MONKEY WAS NAMED RHINOPITHECUS STRYKERI IN HONOUR OF JON STRYKER, WHOSE ARCUS FOUNDATION SUPPORTED THE SURVEY THAT LED TO ITS DISCOVERY.

www.fauna-flora.org | 27

Americas & Caribbean Keeping tabs on turtles

Bat cave secrets revealed

In the north-west corner of the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, FFI and its local partner, the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (ICAPO), recently carried out satellite tagging of three female hawksbill turtles.

The Golden Stream Corridor Preserve in Belize is owned and managed by FFI’s long-term, in-country partner, Ya’axché Conservation Trust (Ya’axché). As its name suggests, this protected area forms a vital natural link between the forested Maya Mountains and the Caribbean coastal ecosystems. The corridor is renowned for the tremendous biological riches found within its varied range of ecosystems and habitats. Recently, however, treasures of the archaeological variety have been unearthed within the confines of the limestone cave systems in the northern part of the preserve.

It is hoped that the tagging data generated will improve understanding about the turtles’ home range and reveal exactly where they go after they have moved on from their nesting beaches, thereby enabling us to devise effective conservation measures for these reptiles and their habitat.

Satellite tagging also provides an opportunity to broaden public awareness about the turtle conservation programme. The initiative has received significant media coverage in both Nicaragua and El Salvador. The tagging exercise forms part of the wider collaborative efforts of a marine turtle conservation network dedicated to the survival of hawksbills and other threatened turtles.

Regrettably, two other turtles were recently found dead in Bahia Jiquilisco, apparently the incidental casualties of illegal dynamite fishing. FFI Nicaragua’s José Urteaga commented: “If things don’t change, the satellite tagging efforts will be in vain. FFI and our partners alone cannot change this; everyone has to play their part.”

While undertaking bat monitoring work with other local organisations as part of a regional collaboration, Ya’axché came across some significant archaeological finds that have since been verified by the Natural History Museum in London. These included a tooth from a prehistoric horse, the lower jaw of a large prehistoric herbivorous mammal and a mastodon molar embedded in a rock.

These findings highlight the importance of protecting the integrity of the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve from a cultural as well as an ecological perspective, and provide a strong indication that other hidden treasures, biological or otherwise, may still be awaiting discovery.

Gonzalo Pleitez, Institute of Archaeology

The beaches and islets in and around the coastal estuary of Estero Padre Ramos National Reserve harbour almost half of the entire nesting population of the Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle on the eastern Pacific coast. Most of the remainder favour the Bahia Jiquilisco Biosphere Reserve about 50 miles away in El Salvador, where three further hawksbills were tagged.

Vic Medina

did you know? THE GOLDEN STREAM CORRIDOR PRESERVE IS HOME TO 17 DIFFERENT MAJOR ECOSYSTEMS.

28 | Fauna & Flora

around the world

Gains without frontiers In an uplifting example of cross-border collaboration, young wildlife enthusiasts from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan came together to celebrate the first international Saiga Day. Hosted by a student youth club in Shalkar, the event was conceived as a powerful means of engaging local communities in the conservation of this extraordinary antelope, symbol of a virtually pristine, but ecologically fragile, landscape.

Ucka NP

The Ustyurt Plateau, shared between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, is home to one of the most important surviving populations of the Critically Endangered saiga. Nomadic by nature, these antelopes regularly migrate across the border. The two countries therefore have a shared responsibility to conserve this vital refuge, meaning that transboundary cooperation and information exchange are essential.

Eurasia

By all accounts, Saiga Day was a tremendous success, combining education with community engagement to raise the profile of the species and encourage broader involvement in its conservation. One teacher who helped initiate the wildlife club concept has since developed her own teaching course on saiga, which won her a teaching award at national level. The course has become an official part of the curriculum. A comic book featuring the saiga is also being distributed in the local language. Encouraging developments such as these augur well for the continued survival of the species.

Croatia revisited Five years after last working in Croatia, FFI is investigating the possibility of a return. The previous three-year project culminated in the production of a protected area management plan for the biologically rich grasslands of the Žumberak Samoborsko Gorje Nature Park.

did you know? MIGRATING HERDS OF SAIGA ANTELOPE CAN WALK OVER 70 MILES IN A SINGLE DAY.

One of the first practical management plans for a protected area in Croatia, it also helped to shape decision making within the Učka Nature Park and is still hailed as a blueprint for best practice by the State Institute of Nature Protection.

Igor Shpilenok

In view of this success, FFI is contemplating the prospect of re-engaging in Croatian conservation, this time in a marine context. In July 2012, FFI visited the Public Institute for the Management of Protected Areas in Šibenik-Knin County to discuss the possibility of applying the FFI management planning model to nine other protected areas that comprise complex marine, terrestrial and riverine habitats.

www.fauna-flora.org | 29

Dr Nguyen Tien Hiep was interested in plants from an early age. Having excelled at biology at school, he chose to study this subject at Hanoi University, majoring in plant taxonomy.

After graduation in 1968 he dedicated the next 40 years of his life to working for the Institute for Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR). From 1998 to 2007 he spearheaded a series of groundbreaking botanical expeditions throughout Vietnam, which led to the discovery of many plant species new to science, including the iconic Vietnamese golden cypress.

After retiring from IEBR, he was instrumental in establishing the renowned Center for Plant Conservation in Hanoi. He has been collaborating with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) since 2000 on a range of conservation initiatives to protect Vietnam’s spectacular plant diversity and the threatened ecosystems FFI

where it flourishes.

Who’s who: A series of interviews with FFI staff, partners and associates

What first stimulated your interest in plants?

At high school in Hanoi I joined a natural history club and learned how to propagate plants by cutting, seeding and growing them in the school garden.

Why did you decide to study plants?

I was interested in mathematics, chemistry and biology. After I received an excellence award for biology students in Hanoi, I decided to apply to study biology at Hanoi University with a major in plant taxonomy. I strongly believed that this path would open up more opportunities for me to learn about plant diversity all around the world.

30 | Fauna & Flora

Dr Nguyen Tien Hiep

How did you find a job in your chosen field?

In 1968 many national research institutions, such as the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Ministry of Science and Technology, and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, were looking for young scientists. The national project, ‘Flora of Vietnam’ needed to recruit experts in plant taxonomy.

What was the aim of the expeditions that you led between 1998 and 2007?

Before the expeditions, little was known about the plants in some of Vietnam’s relatively unexplored biological hotspots. In collaboration with international scientists, we were hoping to uncover some of the country’s botanical secrets and demonstrate the richness of its plant diversity.

Did you make any exciting discoveries?

Among the many discoveries were species new to science, including seven cycads, three conifers, two palms and a new orchid species.

National and international botanists named several new species in my honour, such as Hiepia corymbosa, Vaccinium hiepii, Chirita hiepii, Paphiopedilum hiepii, Aralia hiepiana and Begonia hahiepiana.

I have published more than 170 scientific publications and monographs on, for example, the flora of Indochina, slipper orchids, conifers and cycads.

who’s who

What achievements are you proudest of?

I take pride in training and advising PhD and Masters students who are specialising in plant taxonomy, biodiversity and conservation. I am also very proud that my son, Nguyen Quang Hieu, follows my work and he will manage and develop it through the Center for Plant Conservation.

What are the biggest challenges for plant conservation in Vietnam?

Above all, the lack of knowledge about certain groups of plants. Their exploitation leads to the reduction in their distribution and habitats. Habitat is destroyed by logging, burning of forests for cultivation, economic development and migration. Due to the low quality of life, communities are often poor forest dwellers and lack respect for Vietnam’s forest protection laws. They trespass in the forest and exploit its resources for money.

How does the CPC work?

Our aim was to protect the country’s most threatened plant species through a policy of ‘conservation through utilisation’. We have succeeded in propagating these species using cuttings or seed germination. We have also collaborated with national parks, reserves and local communities to establish nurseries that grow seedlings, which we reintroduce to enrich the wild population and help in situ conservation. Thousands of seedlings have already been planted out in the wild, and we are also encouraging the use of these species in wider reforestation programmes.

Conservation in Vietnam is not easy. How do you stay motivated?

My passion for nature and plants motivates me to keep going. This helps to determine the right strategy and objective for conservation. There is good collaboration with a number of

international colleagues. With their help and encouragement we have built and implemented numerous research projects on biodiversity and conservation. These projects always attract scientists and allow local communities to participate and earn income.

Which are your favourite plant species and why?

You won’t be surprised to hear that my favourite species are the conifers, cycads, orchids, magnolias and begonias of Vietnam. This group is very diverse and has significant scientific and practical value, as well as conservation value. If we manage these conservation projects well, we can contribute to the protection of genetic resources and support communities. ‘Conservation through utilisation’ contributes to plant conservation in Vietnam and helps to raise income for the communities.

What is the nature of your collaboration with FFI? We have implemented many conservation projects and produced many scientific reports together. The list is too long to detail here, but the highlights include discovering and protecting the Vietnamese golden cypress, a genus and species new to science, and working with local communities at key sites in northern Vietnam to encourage them to conserve the important and endangered trees and plants that are found there.

Jeremy Holden/FFI

FFI

Why did you set up the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) after you retired?

During my 40 years at IEBR, my focus was plant taxonomy, especially for groups of plants such as conifers that have significant economic and scientific value and which are threatened with extinction in Vietnam due to exploitation and habitat destruction. We established the CPC because we realised that it was imperative to protect them.

www.fauna-flora.org | 31

Reaping the benefits Traditional farming in Transylvania

The conservation value of ‘semi-natural’ farmed areas is now recognised as equal to – sometimes even greater than – that of pure wilderness. A previously unheralded floral hotspot in south-east Transylvania has become an important flag-bearer for the idea that the conservation of nature on farmed land has a vital role to play in the struggle against wholesale biodiversity loss.

Nat Page, Director of Fundatia ADEPT Transilvania, describes how this Romanian NGO has joined forces with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) to champion an innovative concept and encourage a more enlightened approach to agricultural policy at European level.

Human impact has taken a heavy toll on Europe’s great lowland landscapes. Many of the fragments that remain are too small to be ecologically viable, their fauna and flora populations irreversibly isolated. The 100,000-hectare Tarnava Mare area in north-west Romania is an exception. A vast, rolling landscape of oak and beech forests sheltering wolves, bears and eagles; mile after mile of wildflower-rich hay meadows and grazing pastures,

32 | Fauna & Flora

dotted with small villages and arable patches. The pattern has changed little since medieval times.

Shaped over centuries by low-impact traditional farming, this mosaic of habitats contains some of the richest plant and animal diversity in the world.

Wildlife flourishes in the woodlands and grasslands, and also in areas where habitat types meet. The grasslands are mowed in small patches owned by different small-scale farmers, so the wild flowers have ample opportunity to seed, and butterflies and bird chicks always have a nearby refuge. Isolated trees, tree lines, temporary ponds, reed beds and ‘unimproved’ meandering streams together provide a continuous network of connectivity along which animals can move. This is a unique,

large-scale, dynamic living landscape, still in ecological working order.

The area harbours over 1,000 plant species, 10 of which are threatened at European Union (EU) level. In that same category of threat it boasts 23 mammal species, including wolf, bear, wild cat and otter; 55 bird species, including the lesser-spotted eagle, honey buzzard, goshawk and corncrake; and 10 reptile and amphibian species, including the fire-bellied toad. At least six of its 600 butterfly and moth species are threatened, including scarce fritillary, scarce large blue, woodland brown and large copper.

In addition to its great natural and cultural value, this landscape also provides a range of other benefits to

The area harbours over 1,000 plant species.

partner profile

ADEPT has been active in this area for a decade, working with the Romanian government to design and deliver support payments that reward farmers more generously for continuing the traditional management that has created this remarkable landscape.

It has also led the development of farmers’ markets, ensuring that local farmers achieve premium prices for the high-quality food they produce.

Development of nature tourism is also aiming to secure them additional income linked to continued naturefriendly land management.

ADEPT Director Cristi Gherghiceanu has seen the organisation grow from a local project working with farmers in the Tarnava Mare area, to one of Europe’s leading NGOs working on the practice and policy of linking farmers, and farmed landscapes, with nature conservation: “It is exciting work, because we have now developed as an organisation in parallel with the growing recognition of the vital importance of farmed landscapes, not as an optional add-on to nature reserves, but as a vital and necessary part of nature conservation. FFI’s global perspective has helped us to grow, to understand the strategic importance of what we are doing, and to focus our efforts on key action points both locally and nationally.”

FFI and ADEPT are collaborating to protect key biodiversity hotspots.

Winning friends; influencing people At local level, ADEPT works to ensure that more farmers benefit from the EU’s agri-environment schemes, which reward nature-friendly management.

Providing effective and practical advice to farmers, has increased participation (and land included in these schemes) more than five-fold.

Movile homes FFI and ADEPT are collaborating to protect key biodiversity hotspots in the area, which are irreplaceable and under immediate threat, and to implement a broader strategy for the protection of biologically-rich landscapes at regional and national levels.

The top priority for conservation, identified as ‘critical capital’, are the unique hillocks known locally as movile.

Roughly 100 metres in diameter and 30 metres high, these natural features resemble burial mounds. What makes them unique is the floral diversity that is stimulated by the contrasting conditions of their slopes: hot, dry and sunny south face; cool, damp and shady with a longer covering of snow on the north. Plants characteristic of dry, steppic grassland grow in close proximity to species that favour damp grassland, woodland edges or even mountain slopes. This diversity prevails on individual hillocks and between adjacent hillocks and slopes, creating a complex pattern of plant distribution that is particularly vulnerable to agricultural intensification.

ADEPT also works at national level to design and apply incentive schemes more widely. Thanks to the imaginative approach of the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture, we have added a further 200,000 hectares of wildflower-rich grassland to incentive schemes for conservation management in 2012.

That is a staggering 30 million euros of incentive payments.

Above left: One of the many wildflower-rich landscapes that characterise this botanical haven.

Below: The large blue butterfly, one of the threatened species found in Tarnava Mare.

We hope that the combined efforts of ADEPT and FFI at both grass roots and policy levels will continue to reap rich rewards for the farmers, the landscape and the unique floral diversity that characterises this botanical haven in a quiet corner of Transylvania. Better still, we may have created a blueprint for use in other countries throughout Europe.

Many species, especially on the driest slopes, are among the rarest and most endangered in Europe, including more than 20 on the IUCN Red List. Several species are found nowhere else.

But it is the strange juxtaposition of woodland, steppic, Mediterranean and even alpine plants that makes this floral landscape unique. Each movila is a miniature botanic garden.

The jewels in the crown of Tarnava Mare’s species-rich habitats, the movile are of huge international importance.

FFI and ADEPT are working together to give them the protection they deserve.

Their conservation will require, not preclude, traditional management, in the form of annual mowing by hand, or light grazing, so local people will continue to use them for grazing or harvesting hay.

ADEPT

ADEPT

society: clean air, clean water, flood prevention, carbon storage, assurance of bee populations for pollination, and resilience to climate change.

Nevertheless, the area is under immediate threat, and its ecological integrity will be lost in a few years unless action is taken. Although the landscape is resilient to natural shocks such as floods and drought, human impact is potentially devastating.

The wildflower-rich grasslands will be irretrievably lost if artificial fertilisers are applied to increase productivity.

They will be lost more slowly but just as surely through abandonment of land, which encourages monotonous scrub that supports far fewer species.

Ironically, Romania’s entry into the EU in 2007 has increased the threat, thanks to EU emphasis on greater agricultural competiveness. What can be done when commercial pressures are encouraging intensification of more accessible areas and abandonment of outlying ones?

www.fauna-flora.org | 33

Making the connection

By Dr Chris greenwood

If you protect tigers, you also end up protecting their forest habitat. By the same token, conserving the forests on which tigers depend for survival also helps to protect the tigers themselves.

So is our objective to care for the flora properly, leaving the fauna to fend for itself, or do we focus on the fauna, allowing the plants to grow their own way? As it turns out, this conundrum is not as contrived as it sounds. It aptly demonstrates that conservation has a political dimension and that asking what we are protecting is a political question.

Politics. Off-putting? Yes, I suppose so, but the extent to which conservation is political can be summed up in the following phrase, beloved of FFI’s UK Council: conservation is a social process driven by science. By which we mean that there are people involved in conservation; that some of those people are scientists, but not all of them; and that carrying out any kind of effective environmental protection requires you to go through a series

34 | Fauna & Flora

of steps with a good number of interested parties. If you could explain to a Sumatran tiger in what ways it is connected to all manner of different people and places around the world, I daresay it would be surprised. And not a little puzzled.

during a decade when conservation was on the minds of very few people, how can he possibly have expected Stalin to cede control of an area so geographically remote from western Europe and so utterly central to the Soviet Union’s geopolitics?

About as puzzled as I was to learn that Sir Winston Churchill attempted to gain control of Kyrgyzstan’s fruit and nut forests at the Yalta negotiations.

For puzzled, read utterly baffled.

Leaving aside the revelation that the great man apparently had a prescient grasp of the value of those forests

The connections that one discovers in this discipline of protecting threatened ecosystems are genuinely mystifying.

As indeed are the unexpected results of one’s efforts. The vice-rector of Osh Technological University who accompanied us on our recent trip to Kyrgyzstan’s threatened forests told me

YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT ENABLED US TO RECRUIT ADDITIONAL RANGERS, THEREBY STRENGTHENING TIGER PROTECTION IN KERINCI SEBLAT NATIONAL PARK.

supporting conservation

that the consequences of Churchill’s interest were, in effect, beneficial; Stalin, who knew nothing about the place or its importance, jealously guarded the forests and sent a decades-long scientific mission to study their biodiversity. Churchill may not have won that particular battle, but for the forests in Kyrgyzstan he did win the war, in a manner of speaking.

Below right: Livelihoods in Kyrgyzstan are closely linked with the natural landscape.

As an institution we make the connections necessary to win those battles. I am therefore delighted to be able to thank all those people who dug deep and gave us a little bit extra for our recent tiger appeal.

That generous support enabled us to recruit additional rangers, thereby strengthening tiger protection in Kerinci Seblat National Park in order to combat the increase in poaching witnessed recently.

We feel able to ask for this kind of funding not only because the work is urgent, but also because people understand that the work needs to be done. Tigers and gorillas, for which FFI has been appealing for funds of late, are just the kind of animals – known in the trade as flagship species – that are liable to awaken broader public interest in conservation. When you say you need money to do more work with these species, you tend to find a sympathetic ear. I was recently interviewed by BBC Wildlife magazine, and asked to explain why an academic study indicated that we might be neglecting less well-known but perfectly suitable species when we appeal for funds. The academics, in their wisdom, had neglected to check whether having heard of a species, or seen it on television or elsewhere, might be a factor in people’s willingness to offer their support.

WILL POWER Many of the projects profiled in this magazine were made possible by, or have benefited from, gifts in wills. From creating new ranger teams and protecting endangered species against poaching and illegal logging, to training and habitat assessments, Fauna & Flora International simply wouldn’t be able to carry out as much successful conservation as we do without these gifts.

Family comes first, but, after taking care of them, anything you can leave will make an enormous difference. If you are interested in remembering FFI in your will and want to help ensure the world you leave behind is rich in natural wonders for the next generation, please contact Paul White (paul.white@fauna-flora.org) to find out how you can make a difference. www.fauna-flora.org/leave-a-legacy

Whilst FFI’s supporters tend to grasp the connections, and understand that safeguarding tigers and gorillas means protecting forests, which in turn means conserving thousands of other species too, people less well connected to conservation don’t. Making these connections goes to the heart of what we mean by conservation being a social process driven by science. We only ask for extra when the work is urgent, but equally we only ask when we are confident that focusing on

a particular species or site is likely to achieve the maximum possible conservation impact.

Requesting people to help us with tigers in Sumatra was more successful than asking for support to conserve fynbos in South Africa. But whilst fewer people gave us a bit extra for fynbos, those people did give us considerably more. We could have concluded that flora is somehow less important to people than fauna, but we’re better connected than that.

Chris Loades/FFI

Jeremy Holden/FFI

We still have to fight for those forests – the Soviet scientists are long gone, along with most of the safeguards they put in place. We have to raise the environmental awareness of the communities living at the forest edge in Kyrgyzstan, just as we have to educate communities when fighting to protect tigers in Sumatra.

Left: Camera traps are not the only form of ambush set for Sumatran tigers.

The unlucky ones end their days in a poacher’s snare.

www.fauna-flora.org | 35

Iris anonymous Scientific name: Coming soon…see box on opposite page.

Status: This new species has not yet been classified on the IUCN Red List, having only been discovered in November 2011. However, based on the information gathered to date, it would qualify as Critically Endangered under IUCN criteria.

Geographical range: This plant belongs to South Africa’s renosterveld ecosystem (a vegetation system that supports the highest number of bulbous plants in the world). So far, it has only been found on one site in the Overberg district, on the southern tip of South Africa – an area where less than 6% of original renosterveld coverage remains today.

On the southern tip of South Africa lies one of the world’s true biodiversity hotspots – the fynbos biome. The extraordinary levels of plant diversity found here put this region on a par with other renowned ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest.

Fynbos is famous for its beautiful flowers, particularly its proteas and heathers. But within this biome there is another unique type of habitat, known as ‘renosterveld’, which has the highest diversity of bulbous plants in the world, along with hundreds of species found nowhere else on Earth.

Sadly, because of the fertile nature of lowland renosterveld, it has been subjected to centuries of mismanagement for agriculture and livestock grazing, and as a result is now Critically Endangered.

The fragmented and degraded renosterveld that we see today is very different from the ecosystem that existed 300 years ago, which would have supported large numbers of

36 | Fauna & Flora

herbivores (including black rhino, after which renosterveld is named) whose browsing habits are thought to have helped maintain the diversity and structure of this system.

Today, only those areas that are well managed retain the characteristics of true renosterveld, and most of these are found on private land. Consequently, the future of renosterveld lies in the hands of individual landowners.

In the March 2012 issue of Fauna & Flora International’s Update newsletter, Odette Curtis from the Renosterveld Management Project reported on

Lendon Porter

Threats: This species, and its habitat, is facing immediate threat from degradation through unsympathetic land management (such as over-grazing and land conversion for agriculture). Although renosterveld depends on sporadic fires to maintain its diversity, inappropriate fire regimes (such as burning too frequently or permitting grazing too soon after a burn) can damage or even destroy this fragile ecosystem.

recent surveys at two farms in the Overberg lowlands on South Africa’s Western Cape.

During the surveys, Odette and her colleagues made four new discoveries, including a beautiful and fragile member of the iris family, from the African genus Hesperantha. To date, this plant has only been found at a single hillside on a farm that forms part of the largest remnant of lowland renosterveld in the Overberg, and probably the world.

According to Peter Goldblatt, Senior Curator at the Missouri Botanical Garden, who is writing the first

This plant is a real surprise – flowering late in the year when the surrounding vegetation is dry and brown.

species profile

naming the iris

the future of renosterveld lies in the hands of individual landowners.

Odette Curtis, Overberg Lowlands Conservation Trust

scientific description: “This plant is a real surprise – flowering late in the year when the surrounding vegetation is dry and brown, its bright pink flowers make a really striking contrast. It actually blooms at the beginning of the dry season in an area that has relatively low rainfall anyway.

At flowering, the leaves are more or less dry and only the flowers and buds show that the plants are alive.”

The new Hesperantha blooms in early morning, and by early afternoon its flowers are fully closed again (possibly to protect the delicate floral parts from the heat of the sun and exclude unwelcome insect visitors).

Its characteristics suggest that it is pollinated by long-proboscid flies

(probably horseflies) – one of the more unusual pollination strategies found in southern African flora.

The genus Hesperantha currently includes around 80 known species, most of which are found in the Cape flora region of South Africa. Typically they have white, strongly-scented flowers that open in the late afternoon or early evening and are visited mainly by moths, their legitimate pollinators.

Of the few that bloom during the daytime, most are pollinated by large bees or scarab beetles. Only a small number are visited by long-proboscid flies – and none of these is related to the new species, which makes this discovery even more significant.

Choosing a name for a new species is an honour normally reserved for the discoverer. But in an unusual move, Odette and colleagues decided to open up the opportunity to the public in order to raise funds for renosterveld conservation.

An online auction, run by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and the Overberg Lowlands Conservation Trust, will bestow the naming rights to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going to support the Overberg Lowlands Conservation Trust and its vital work.

Once the winner has chosen a name for the plant, scientists will publish the name in Latinised style with the formal description in an article, already accepted for publication.

The auction is due to close at FFI’s Annual General Meeting in London on 31st October (shortly after this magazine goes to print), so keep an eye on the news section of FFI’s website to find out the new name of this beautiful flower. www.fauna-flora.org/news

www.fauna-flora.org | 37

Tools of the trade An insight into some of the techniques and equipment used by FFI and its partners in the field

Picture this

38 | Fauna & Flora

Jeremy Holden/FFI

By Tim Knight

tools of the trade

Anyone who has ever ventured expectantly into a tropical forest with the express intention of watching birds knows just how frustrating an experience it can be. These forests may be renowned for their rich avian biodiversity, but they are reluctant to reveal their ornithological secrets to the casual observer. To the uninitiated, scanning the dense canopy or scouring the dark forest floor in an effort to pinpoint the source of that plaintive whistle, locating an elusive bird is tantamount to searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. A tantalising glimpse of a barely distinguishable silhouette, or a brief flash of colour, is often the only reward for a prolonged and painful bout of neck craning and frantic refocusing.

If it takes this much effort simply to clap eyes on a bird, spare a thought for those unfortunate souls who are required to note its every feature, from the length of the supercilium to the shape of the tail. Given only a fleeting view, it’s hard enough to tell a barbet from a broadbill, let alone to distinguish between two nondescript ‘little brown jobs’.

When it comes to surveying the avifauna of a previously unexplored tract of forest, the importance of accurate recording is even more crucial. New species continue to be discovered by intrepid survey teams, but they tend to reveal themselves only to the most assiduous, and then only fleetingly. Sightings of unusual or unfamiliar species need to be verified, if they are not to be consigned to the folder labelled ‘the ones that got away’. One obvious means of recording a sighting is to photograph the species in question.

This is easier said than done, however, when faced with the conditions that prevail inside the average tropical forest.

Even before confronting the tricky task of focusing on the bird once it has been spotted, the budding bird photographer has to deal with numerous other problems. Foremost among these is the difficulty of lugging heavy cameras, tripods and long lenses along muddy trails or, harder still, through uncharted forest.

Using heavy-duty 35mm camera gear may be the preferred option when sitting in a stationary hide, but it is not the ideal equipment for a mobile researcher who will not only need to cover a lot of ground, but also respond quickly to a series of unpredictable and often very brief wildlife sightings.

In this context, a compact camera would be far more practical and significantly reduce the number of missed shots. Until now, however, portability has come at the expense of image quality. The advantages offered by a lightweight compact have tended to be nullified by woefully inadequate zoom capabilities. When the subject

appears in the viewfinder as a distant speck, and a blurry one at that, there is little prospect of being able to use the resulting photograph for identification and subsequent validation purposes.

Drawbacks of this kind appear to be a thing of the past, however. The latest compact zooms from the likes of Sony, Fuji and Canon, which offer previously unthinkable options of 18X and even 30X magnification at an affordable price, have completely revolutionised bird photography on field trips. Operating these powerful zooms in conjunction with the latest shake reduction enables the user to secure images that are perfectly acceptable as record shots.

Such is the effectiveness of these cameras that some young field researchers working with Fauna & Flora International in Myanmar no longer use binoculars at all, but simply photograph everything they see. On one such recent expedition, a species of laughing thrush new to Myanmar was recorded in this way.

Given the relative inexperience of these birders, such records would rarely be accepted if presented in the form of traditional field notes. Thanks to the wonders of modern camera technology, however, the researchers were able to obtain a clear image that provides irrefutable evidence of the presence of a new species.

If you are planning to sample the avian delights of a tropical forest in the near future, you could do worse than invest in one of these cameras.

Of course, you’ll still have to rise to the challenge of spotting the birds in the first place and persuading them to pose for a photo, but that goes with the territory.

What these compact zooms lack in quality compared to top-of-the-range 35mm equipment, they more than make up for in speed.

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Handle with care Stuart Paterson, Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) Manager, examines recent efforts to protect Cuba’s charismatic cacti and other botanical treasures confined to the largest island in the Caribbean.

Above: Protecting Cuba’s rare native cacti species is an urgent priority.

When it comes to national symbols, Cuba can boast many that are synonymous with this Caribbean island nation: cigars, heels, rhythms and revolutionaries. In terms of natural heritage, Cuba also has, or in some cases had, emblematic species: the Cuban macaw (Extinct; last recorded in 1885); the Cuban crocodile (Critically Endangered; almost hunted to extinction and threatened by hybridisation with its American cousin); and the Cuban greater funnel-eared bat (Critically Endangered; approximately 100 left, surviving in just one cave).

Botanical riches But what about plants? Cuba supports the greatest plant diversity of all the Caribbean islands. Over half of its 7,500 vascular plants (which circulate water and other resources within their tissue) are endemic to the island and, of these, 46% are threatened with extinction. In line with this wider trend, 33 of Cuba’s 51 species of cactus are endemics, 17 of them threatened.

All cacti originate from the Americas and have adapted for optimum water efficiency, enabling them to survive in arid habitats. Some will ‘slim down’ at times of drought only to swell again

during the rains. A mature saguaro (the classic, large, desert cactus from the US and Mexico) is reported to soak up more than 700 litres of water following a rainstorm.

Since the 18th century, cacti have been harvested and traded for their aesthetic value, which has resulted in all Cactaceae being registered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). They have other uses too: blue agave is pivotal to the tequila industry; Opuntia species are home to the cochineal beetle used in producing red dyes; and hallucinogenic peyote

Cuba supports the greatest plant diversity of all the Caribbean islands.

40 | Fauna & Flora

conservation leadership programme

a newly-formed Cuban Plant Conservation Alliance will act as an important hub for networking, learning, resource sharing and training.

Alejandro Palmarola

Spiny problems In Cuba, threats to cacti are largely man-made and driven partly by competition for land. Clearance for agriculture, grazing, burning, petroleum exploration, urbanisation, tourism, quarrying and harvesting for horticulture have led to severe declines in wild populations.

Cuban cacti face an additional handicap. US sanctions have prevented some donors from funding projects and to some extent this has hindered conservation activities. Luis Roberto (Luisro) Gonzalez Torres, Assistant Professor at the University of Havana, is a leading botanical researcher who is championing the cause of all Cuban plants. “There is so much we need to do, but funding is limited and the problem is compounded by increasing costs of important resources such as gasoline. Just getting money into Cuba can be problematic.”

In Luisro’s case, however, persistence is paying off. He is leading a project that was granted a top Conservation Leadership Award of $50,000 by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) this year. This is the third and final CLP award that the team has won, and the eighth award granted in Cuba since 1993.

Initially, the team set out in 2004 to survey wild populations of dwarf Turk’s cap cactus (Melocactus actinacanthus) in Santa Clara, central Cuba. Dwarf Turk’s cap cactus is popular as an ornamental plant around the world, but in its native Cuba wild populations have been decimated by amateur and professional collectors. The team

found just 13 plants, from which they collected seeds to start an ex situ conservation project at Cuba’s National Botanic Garden. At one stage the search for specimens became so desperate that the team called upon a group of extreme sports enthusiasts to scale a 500m cliff where one small plant clung.

Below: Education is a vital facet of Cuban plant conservation.

Given the commitment shown by local experts such as Luisro and his team, perhaps it is only a matter of time before a growing pride in their rich botanical heritage persuades Cubans to elevate one of their country’s endemic cacti, or another endangered native plant, to the symbolic status enjoyed by South Africa’s king protea or Indonesia’s enigmatic Rafflesia.

Prickly pair Following the success of the first project, the team broadened its focus to consider two other cactus species belonging to a small genus found only in the Caribbean. Leptocereus scopulophilus and L. wrightii are both endemic to Cuba and were once considered extinct. The team encountered two additional problems, however. “Firstly, there was a lack of awareness amongst citizens, decision makers, researchers and donors about the threats facing Cuban cacti,” explains Luisro. “This resulted in fewer resources, poor enforcement, inadequate commitment and low interest amongst conservationists.

Secondly, conservationists lacked skills. This had the knock-on effect of limiting the development of local initiatives and perpetuating reliance on external support.” Given the difficulties of sourcing external funding, it has become even more important to address the current shortage of local conservation capacity.

With additional support from the British Cactus and Succulent Society and Botanic Garden Conservation International, the team is preparing to launch an all-out national media campaign involving renowned musicians and actors, to develop Cuban people’s pride in their native plants. A series of training courses is also under way to teach students,

Luis Roberto Gonzalez Torres

purportedly provides shamans with a means of access to the spiritual world.

academics and plant lovers about plant conservation. With the aim of dispersing efforts across the island, management of conservation activities will be decentralised from Havana in order to empower local initiatives to start up their own plant conservation programmes. These local programmes will be united by a newly-formed Cuban Plant Conservation Alliance, which will act as an important hub for networking, learning, resource sharing and training.

www.fauna-flora.org | 41

Flora show These images attempt to capture the beauty, fragility, grandeur and sheer variety of the trees and plants that grace our planet.

With only half a dozen pages at our disposal, it is no easy task to choose a mere handful of species that can do justice to the bewildering diversity of the world’s flora.

The number of threatened tree species is 8,700 and counting – roughly 9% of the total. If that figure makes for uncomfortable reading, brace yourself for an even more arresting statistic. The scientific community now estimates that a staggering 30% of all plant species may well merit being categorised as threatened. If that isn’t enough to make the conservation world sit up and take notice, we don’t know what is.

Jackson Xu/FFI

The most obvious way to narrow down the list, given Fauna & Flora International’s stated mission, is to include only threatened species. Many trees and plants, however photogenic, rule themselves out by virtue of their relatively common status. Not as many as you might expect, however.

Top right: The largest rhododendron in the world, the aptly-named big tree rhododendron is extremely rare in the wild. The remaining trees are confined to a single nature reserve in south-west China. With support from the Global Trees Campaign, work has begun to improve understanding of how to protect the species and promote its regeneration.

Right: The limestone sugarbush forms part of the fynbos vegetation unique to South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region. Fynbos comprises the greatest diversity of plant species in the world, but faces numerous threats. Since 1999, FFI and local partners have been helping to protect this fragile landscape by promoting the sustainable harvesting of fynbos flowers and supporting local communities.

Juan Pablo Moreiras/FFI

Opposite: The cork oak forests of Spain and Portugal are a shining example of a sustainable natural resource. They also form a crucial component of the montado habitat that harbours the Iberian lynx. FFI is working to secure a corridor of cork oak forest large enough to support a viable population of this iconic cat.

42 | Fauna & Flora

Jose B Ruiz

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www.fauna-flora.org | 43

Right: The Diego baobab is one of six baobab species found only on the island of Madagascar. Along with other baobabs on the island, it is threatened by rampant deforestation and other human-related pressures. The Global Trees Campaign and local partners are working to develop a conservation action plan to secure the future of the species.

Jackson Xu/FFI

Opposite: The delicate blooms of the nodding sage, one of numerous flower species that abound among the unique hillocks that characterise Tarnava Mare, a little-known floral hotspot in north-west Romania, where FFI and our local partner are promoting low-impact traditional farming practices.

44 | Fauna & Flora

Pete Oxford

Below: Southern China is the global hub of magnolia diversity, with over 40% of species found there. Many are threatened with extinction, including the spectacular Manglietia grandis pictured here, one of a handful of magnolia species singled out for urgent conservation action by the Global Trees Campaign.

ADEPT

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www.fauna-flora.org | 45

Right: The ceiba tree is one of the most imposing natural features in Belize’s Golden Stream Watershed. Revered in Mayan culture as the link between the underworld and the heavens, the species is also an essential component of the ecosystem. FFI’s local partner, Ya’axché Conservation Trust, takes its name and logo from the tree.

Below: The strikingly-named and charismatic devil’s hand tree is native to the cloud forests of Mexico and Guatemala. The species is threatened in the wild, where high deforestation rates have taken a heavy toll, and its plight has been highlighted in a recent Global Trees Campaign report.

N. Ramírez-Marcial

Luiz Claudio Marigo

Opposite: The photographer Jeremy Holden discovered this new species of carnivorous pitcher plant during an FFI-led survey of Cambodia’s remote Cardamom Mountains in 2010. Nepenthes holdenii is just one of a growing list of exciting discoveries from this relatively unexplored wilderness.

46 | Fauna & Flora

Jeremy Holden/FFI

gallery

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www.fauna-flora.org | 47

Join the new Fauna & Flora International

Conservation Book CluB Receive four fascinating books a year, completely free

Without plants, there would be no food, no animals of any sort, no life on earth at all. Yet for most of the time their lives remain a secret to us, hidden, private events.

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tHese are Just some oF tHe exCellent Books you Could reCeIve

Fauna&Flora The magazine of Fauna & Flora International

Relative importance Why primates matter

Become a Fauna & Flora International (FFI) Conservation Book Club member and you will receive four fascinating conservation themed titles a year chosen by conservationists. reCeIve your FIrst Book straIgHt away Get your signed copy of Dr Robert Macfarlane’s book Mountains of the Mind – a History of a Fascination.

The new Fauna & Flora International Conservation Book Club is an exciting and innovative way to receive the latest conservation books, as chosen by conservationists, while giving crucial support to Fauna & Flora International projects around the world.

INTO FLORA ‘A good book can be life-shaping – it can change a reader’s relationship with nature. Join FFI’s Conservation Book Club, which I am backing, and experience this for yourself.’

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USE IT OR LOSE IT

How tHe FFI ConservatIon Book CluB works

Non-timber forest products

Complete and return the form overleaf. Your first book will arrive within a few days. You can then look forward to receiving a new book, chosen especially for you, every three months whilst knowing that your money is going towards vital conservation work.

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Join Join now! now! simply Simply complete complete the the direct Direct debit Debit form 991 or form overleaf, overleaf, call call +44 +44 (0)1223 (0)1223 431â 431991 or visit visit www.fauna-flora.org/bookclub www.fauna-flora.org/bookclub

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HIGH HOPES Kyrgyzstan’s snow leopards

Issue 16 | November 2012