WLT News winter 2016

WLTnews ISSUE No. 54 WINTER 2016

Inside this issue...

• Update on saving the Mudahalli Elephant Corridor • Drought increases urgency of Indian wildlife corridors • How WLT projects help fight climate change • Hurricane Appeal helps restore Belize forests

Saving habitats Saving species since 1989 Sponsored by

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Big Match Fortnight success £455,000 raised for the Elephant Corridor Appeal

TARGET: CURRENT TOTAL: LOCATION: KEY SPECIES:

£750,000 £455,000 MUDAHALLI, INDIA INDIAN ELEPHANT BENGAL TIGER LEOPARD SLOTH BEAR ASIATIC WILD DOG

Big Match Fortnight, which took place from 5-19 October, was a huge success, and we would like to thank everyone who supported the appeal so generously. Thank you also to our supporters of the Match Fund who ensured that all donations were matched pound for pound.

Donations raised to date total nearly half a million pounds.

We are now working hard to raise the balance of the funds needed to make the Mudahalli Elephant Corridor a reality.

All donations will be used to extend the corridor and ensure its long-term protection. Farmers in the region will be provided with alternative land away from elephant and tiger threat.

Indian Elephants have patrolled the forests of India for the past 6,000 years, but due to modern-day human barriers this is no longer possible.

Elephants need our help to secure their safe passage along their traditional migratory routes

Help us reach our target

Cover picture

You can support the Elephant Corridor Appeal by donating online, calling the WLT office to make a credit card donation or by completing the enclosed donation form.

WLT office telephone: 01986 874422

worldlandtrust.org “Once again WLT supporters have risen to the occasion brilliantly.

The result of Big Match Fortnight was tremendous. Let’s do all we can to reach the target of £750,000 as quickly as possible.

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The Mudahalli Elephant Corridor is a priority to save for the very many mammals that depend on using this gateway. With your help it can become a reality.

Steve Backshall, Patron

The Asiatic Wild Dog, or Dhole, is an Endangered species which has disappeared from more than 75 per cent of its historic range. Its future lies in the balance, but it still occurs in the protected areas which will be connected by the Mudahalli Elephant Corridor.

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Climate change increases urgency of land purchase Mudahalli Corridor will enable wildlife to travel safely in search of water

A weak, delayed monsoon is causing water shortages for rural communities and wildlife in southern India. In addition to the impact on important crops such as pepper, cardamom, rubber and tea that the water shortage is causing, there have also been increasing concerns about the wildlife which has been straying from protected areas.

The urgency of creating a protected network of reserves becomes more acute under strained environment conditions such as drought. Elephants, leopards and tigers are forced to travel through towns to reach alternative water sources.

Extending the Mudahalli Elephant Corridor is vital to reduce human-wildlife conflict across this region. Currently, as water supplies in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR, Tamil Nadu) dry up, wildlife is migrating through unprotected land into Karnataka where there is abundant food and water. As the Mudahalli Elephant Corridor unites the STR with the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (Karnataka), it is essential that it is extended and protected as soon as possible to enable wildlife to move safely in their search for water.

Protecting wildlife through Carbon Balanced Becoming conscious and careful of our carbon footprint has never been more pressing, after the news that atmospheric carbon dioxide passed the 400 parts per million (ppm) threshold and it is unlikely that it will return below within our lifetimes.

Conserving carbon-rich ecosystems such as forests and wetlands is one of the quickest and most effective lines of defence against the consequences of increasing emissions. Forests have a relationship with the Earth’s climate; as they take in more carbon dioxide than they release, acting as ‘carbon sinks’ and locking away carbon. The three-step process to become Carbon Balanced with WLT is to first measure your carbon

emissions (which can be done using the Carbon Calculator on WLT’s website), then reduce your emissions as much as possible and lastly offset your unavoidable emissions by protecting ‘carbon sinks’ through Carbon Balanced projects.

These projects are located in habitats threatened by deforestation or degradation which are both rich in biodiversity and risk releasing significant levels of CO2 through clearance. Khe Nuoc Trong in Vietnam protects three Endangered species of primate: Redshanked Douc (right), Hatinh Langur and Southern White-cheeked Gibbon, as well as the Critically Endangered Sunda Pangolin.

The Red-shanked Douc is one of the Endangered species found in the forests of Khe Nuoc Trong, Vietnam worldlandtrust.org/eco services/carbon-balanced

Photo credits: Cover image (Wegner/ARCO/ naturepl.com); Page 2: Elephants (David Bebber); Page 3: Tigers (Andy Rouse/naturepl.com), Red-shanked Douc (Bjornolesen.com/Viet Nature); Page 4: Destroyed forest (Programme for Belize), Mau Mau (THTC)

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Belize Hurricane Appeal Nearly £7,000 raised for recovery programme WLT launched an emergency appeal after Programme for Belize (PfB) suffered major damage from Hurricane Earl, the worst Atlantic hurricane to hit Central America for more than ten years.

The tropical storm passed through Belize City, where PfB’s offices are based, and the forest reserve in the Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area received a direct hit.

More than 50,000 acres (over 20,000 hectares) was affected, including the buffer zones of the reserve which are used for sustainable timber production, one of the project’s sources of sustainable income.

Thanks to your support the funds are helping the recovery effort, a major part of which is putting fire prevention measures in

place. As the fallen trees and branches dry and decompose on the forest floor, they become potential fuel for fires which sweep across the neighbouring savanna ecosystem during the dry season.

After a recent visit to Belize, Viv Burton, Director of Communications at WLT, said “Spending time in the Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area in early November was a real eye-opener to the dramatic effects that hurricanes leave in their wake. Swathes of trees had fallen like matchsticks where the gusts had hit the forest. While the damage was localised it was obvious how much time and work needs to be invested in the clearing up programme.”

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Damage to the forests caused by Hurricane Earl Funds to the emergency appeal are assisting with forest recovery and fire protection

Buy an exclusive T-shirt and support Elephant Corridor Appeal ‘Elephant Crossing’ T-shirts are available on the THTC website. https://shop.thtc.co.uk/ Click on the ‘collaborations’ tab

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Emma Tozer, a director and co-founder of WLT’s corporate supporter Media Bounty sent us this image of her daughter enjoying the animal pictures in WLT News.

WLT thanks Antalis BO N AR for donating the paper for WLT News and our donation form which is printed on 100% recycled paper printed by Kingfisher Press Ltd, a Carbon Balanced Printer based in Suffolk.

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Help us inspire the next generation of nature lovers

Using Carbon Balanced Paper is a simple way to reduce the carbon impact of your marketing communications and supports WLT’s land protection projects at the same time. Ask your printer to quote on Carbon Balanced Paper. www.carbonbalancedpaper.com

4 ways to support World Land Trust Plant a tree for £5

Buy an Acre for £100 (quarter of an acre £25, half an acre £50) Make a donation to the Elephant Corridor Appeal and give elephants a safe passage Become a WLT Friend and commit a regular donation for wildlife

World Land Trust, Blyth House, Bridge Street, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8AB, UK Tel: 01986 874422 Fax: 01986 874425 Email: info@worldlandtrust.org Registered Charity 1001291

Designed by wearedrab.co.uk

Renowned street artist Mau Mau teamed up with WLT and corporate supporter The Hemp Trading Company (THTC) to design an original campaign shirt for donors to show their support for the Elephant Corridor

Paper donated by Antalis, printed on Carbon Balanced paper.

For every T-shirt sold in the ‘Elephant Crossing’ and ‘King David’ ranges THTC make a donation to the Elephant Corridor Appeal.