Fauna & Flora magazine - Issue 19 (Jul 2014)

We need your support now

Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike…

Fauna&Flora The magazine of Fauna & Flora International

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Copyright © J.K. Rowling 2003

Neglected Nature Protecting the undervalued and overlooked

HELP FOR HERPS Ian Aitken

Turning the spotlight on reptiles and amphibians

THE TREE MUSKETEERS Intensive care for threatened megaflora

Support us by: Becoming a member Remembering FFI in your will Joining the FFI Friends group Making a one-off donation

THE LANDSCAPES THAT TIME FORGOT Eurasia’s natural treasures

KARST OF THOUSANDS Cave-dwelling creepy-crawlies in the limelight

™

Innovative conservation since 1903 www.fauna-flora.org

Issue 19 | July 2014

gallery

Title:

Name:

Address: Email:

Telephone:

™

Becoming a Member Choose from the following types of membership:

Supporter Member you receive Fauna & Flora Magazine and FFI Update.................................... £40

Contact addresses

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

Oryx Concessionary (senior citizen, student, unwaged) as Oryx Member...................................£45

United Kingdom

Fauna & Flora International 4th Floor Jupiter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2JD UK

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.

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.

Oryx Sponsor Member you receive Fauna & Flora Magazine, FFI Update & Oryx, plus you enable a member in a developing country to receive Oryx .................................£135

Life Member you receive Fauna & Flora Magazine, FFI Update & Oryx, plus ‘Against Extinction’ – the history of FFI, and invitations to special events.................................. £1,500 (Single payment) FFI Friend I would like to know more about this special group of supporters giving over £1,000 per annum I enclose a cheque made payable to Fauna & Flora International Please debit my card (please complete card details below)

Tel: +44 (0)1223 571000 info@fauna-flora.org www.fauna-flora.org

Our mission

Oryx Member you receive Oryx—The International Journal of Conservation, Fauna & Flora Magazine and FFI Update.....................................................................................................£85

Please set up a monthly direct debit (using bank details completed below) on 1st/15th month starting from / / (this date must be at least a month from today)

One-off donation I would like to donate

USA

Fauna & Flora International, Inc. 1720 N Street, NW Washington DC 20036 USA

Magazine production team Editor Tim Knight FFI Communications Team Ally Catterick, Roger Ingle, Sarah Rakowski

Tel: +1 (202) 375 7787 ffius@fauna-flora.org www.fauna-flora-us.org

Design & print management H2 Associates, Cambridge

Australia

I enclose a cheque made payable to FFI

Front cover: Saiga antelope.

Wild Wonders of Europe/Shpilen/Nature Picture Library

(currency) Please debit my card (please complete card details below)

Card details Card type: Visa

Amex

Mastercard

Maestro

CAF

Cardholder’s name: Card Number Valid from

Expiry date

Security No

Issue No

(last 3 digits on signature strip)

(Maestro only)

Direct debit details

Fauna & Flora International Level 10 201 Kent Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia

Printed on chlorine-free 100% recycled fibre from postconsumer waste. Cocoon Silk is FSC®-certified. Printed with vegetable-based ink.

(amount) in

Tel: +61 (0)3 9416 5220 ffiaustralia@fauna-flora.org www.fauna-flora.org.au

Inside cover: Alpine meadow, Georgia.

Singapore

Opposite: (Above) Citrine wagtail at Indawgyi Lake, a birdwatchers’ paradise in northern Myanmar.

(Below) Misty mountains in Virunga National Park.

Fauna & Flora International (Singapore) Ltd. 354 Tanglin Road Tanglin International Centre 01-15, Tanglin Block Singapore 247672

Registered Charity Number 1011102. A company limited by guarantee, registered in England Number 2677068

Gift aid

Please tick here to gift aid your donation! For every £1 you give to FFI,

we get an extra 25p from the Inland Revenue at no extra cost to you.

I would like FFI to treat all donations I have made in the previous four years, and all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise, as gift aid donations.

I am not a UK taxpayer.

(To qualify for Gift Aid, what you pay in income tax or capital gains tax must be at least equal to the amount we will claim in the tax year.)

Gareth Goldthorpe/FFI

www.fauna-flora.org

Eric Dragesco/Nature Picture Library

Tel: +65 (647) 36208 ffisingapore@fauna-flora.org www.fauna-flora.org

Leaving a legacy I would like more information on how to remember FFI in my will I have already remembered FFI in my will Please return this form to Fauna & Flora International, 4th Floor, Jupiter House, Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2JD, UK. Data Protection Act (1998) FFI holds supporter details for fundraising purposes. We may occasionally allow other related organisations to send information to our supporters. If you do not wish to receive such mailings, please tick here □

© www.bjornolesen.com

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

Most people with more than a passing interest in wildlife conservation are aware of the existence of CITES and its stated aim of ensuring that international trade in endangered species of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. And they might assume that many of the larger, charismatic species such as elephants, rhinos and bluefin tuna would be protected from overexploitation.

Contents

It may come as a surprise, however, that less familiar species like pangolins have been added to the at-risk register.

Unprecedented demand for pangolin meat, scales and other body parts has led to an alarming increase in trade and driven these species into conservation’s equivalent of the red zone. A CITES listing is no panacea, though. As this issue of Fauna & Flora reveals, the trade in pangolins continues unabated, albeit illegally. If we are to halt the slide towards extinction of pangolins and other species, we need governments to take collective action that tackles supply and demand.

4

Guardians of the neglected

Protecting the unloved and undervalued

6

Local appeal

Flagship species with a difference

10 Help for herps

Intensive care for threatened megaflora

20 Snubbed, not shunned

In praise of unconventional beauty

22 Karst of thousands

Cave-dwelling creepy-crawlies in the limelight

24 Around the world

Significantly, China and Vietnam were among the signatories to the London Declaration, which outlines the steps required to stop the illegal wildlife trade, worth an estimated US$19bn a year. It remains to be seen what will happen in practice, but it’s an encouraging start. When I met the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague in Durbar Court, he reiterated the fact that he views this as a vitally important issue, and one that he and his department are wholeheartedly committed to tackling.

Putting conservation on the map

26 Large-scale problem

The plight of the pangolin

28 Conservation Leadership Programme

Warts and all

30 REDD alert

Seizing the chance to safeguard our forests

32 Who’s who

Mark Rose Chief Executive, Fauna & Flora International

Eurasia’s natural treasures

17 The tree musketeers

In this context, the wildlife crime summit held in February at London’s Lancaster House, and attended by high-level delegations from almost 50 countries, was a groundbreaking event. Hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales, accompanied by The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, the London conference has succeeded in pushing the escalation in wildlife crime onto the political agenda.

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is working to stem the loss of high-value species at source and helping to reduce the demand that stimulates trade. We are supporting conservancies across northern Kenya and in Mozambique to increase security for rhinos and elephants. We are assessing the behaviours that drive consumer markets for rhino horn in Vietnam and for the eggs of endangered turtles in Nicaragua. We are collaborating with other organisations and The Royal Foundation to scale up the conservation response through United for Wildlife, and helping young conservation leaders to tackle these issues in their own countries and internationally.

Turning the spotlight on reptiles and amphibians

14 The landscapes that time forgot

Clea Newman Soderlund

34 Partner profile

Turning the tide

36 Supporting conservation

Betty White

38 Building on a strong foundation

The Fondation Segré Conservation Fund

39 Species profile

Grandidier’s baobab

40 Tools of the trade Juan Pablo Moreiras/FFI

Helen Tinner

From the Chief Executive

Keeping track of nature

42 Gallery

Fringe Benefits

www.fauna-flora.org | 3

Guardians of the neglected Protecting the unloved and undervalued

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is justifiably renowned for its success in protecting some of the most spectacular and iconic wildlife on the planet, from Sumatran tigers and orang-utans in Asia to mountain gorillas and rhinos in Africa. But as Fauna & Flora Editor Tim Knight reveals, it has an equally enviable track record with more obscure species, lavishing as much attention on tiny troglodytes as it does on powerful pachyderms.

Recently I found myself delving into the archives in a quest to unearth some information about FFI’s colourful history. I was temporarily sidetracked after catching sight of the appendix to a council meeting agenda back in 1975. This document listed the latest beneficiaries of grants from the Oryx 100% Fund (precursor of our Flagship Species Fund). What struck me was not just the sheer breadth of our geographical remit, impressive though it was, but also the relative obscurity of many of the species on the list. We were supporting work on Orinoco crocodiles in Venezuela, black vultures in Majorca, Swayne’s hartebeest in Ethiopia, Anegada rock iguanas in the Caribbean, the Nilgiri tahr in southern India and the kagu in New Caledonia (if you’re feeling the need to stop reading and Google furtively, welcome to the club).

4 | Fauna & Flora

If this seems like a slightly scattergun approach to conservation, it serves to remind us that urgent short-term priorities do not always fit neatly into a grand vision or cohesive long-term strategy. Then, as now, when you are struggling to hold back the tide of extinction that threatens to sweep away countless species, it is sometimes simply a question of plugging holes, particularly the holes that others don’t view as a priority. Above all, though, the list reflects the fact that we have always championed the neglected, putting cave-dwelling invertebrates on an equal footing with apex predators and great apes.

What about endangered flora, I hear you ask. Plant and tree diversity is vital to the equilibrium of the world’s ecosystems. That’s exactly what John Burton said too, shortly after his arrival at the helm. By 1980, the organisation had changed its name in order to include the word ‘Flora’, sending the unequivocal message that plant and tree conservation was on the agenda to stay. True to form, it wasn’t only the household names that received attention. The first project to be commissioned was a study of the trade in mahogany, but it wasn’t long before FFI was producing posters about endangered cyclamens,

we have always championed the neglected, putting cavedwelling invertebrates on an equal footing with apex predators and great apes.

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

Many of the world’s bats may well owe their survival to the pioneering work undertaken

by FFI.

One of the potential downsides of a global remit is that you lay yourself open to accusations of neglecting the wildlife on your own doorstep.

FFI has always been international in outlook. Our roots, like those of our human ancestors, are in Africa, but our influence has since extended throughout Eurasia, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Nevertheless, FFI has long been acutely aware of the hypocrisy inherent in lecturing the rest of the world on the importance of biodiversity conservation while ignoring the decline of less exotic species back home. As Richard Fitter noted wryly in The Penitent Butchers, published by the then Fauna Preservation Society to mark 75 years of wildlife conservation since the Society was formed: “You can search the first six volumes of [the Society’s] journal in vain for any reference to British mammals.”

Opposite: A roosting dagger-toothed flower bat.

Below: This car sticker from the early 1980s helped remind Britain’s motorists to steer clear of toads.

This glaring omission was addressed and the organisation made a number of significant, though largely unsung, contributions to UK biodiversity conservation, particularly with regard to groups of animals that tend not to win popularity contests. One example that immediately springs to mind in this context is bats.

FFI was among the organisations that met regularly during the 1980s under the umbrella of the so-called ‘Bat Groups of Britain’, which included nature conservation bodies, bat groups and funders. FFI’s first official UK bat project took flight in 1984. Some of the initial funding for bat work came from the Vincent Wildlife Trust, founded by the visionary conservationist and philanthropist Vincent Weir, who died earlier this year. The Bat Conservation Trust, which was established in 1990 in response to long-term funding concerns and the perceived need for a conservation organisation devoted solely to bats, exemplifies the capacity building approach for which FFI is renowned. Under the chairmanship of Paul Racey, and with continued FFI

support, the trust evolved into a thriving independent body, and today is one of the leading bat conservation charities in Europe.

The Texas-based Bat Conservation International, which was founded in 1982 and now employs more than 30 biologists, educators and administrators, supported by members in 60 countries, effectively began life as an overseas branch of FFI. In other words, many of the world’s chiropterans, as they are known in the trade, may well owe their survival to the pioneering work undertaken by FFI in its various historical guises.

The same could also be said about the UK’s threatened reptiles and amphibians. Froglife, which for the past 25 years has been at the heart of efforts to conserve Britain’s native amphibians and reptiles, began life as an FFI spin-off. Indeed, the charity’s long-running Toads on Roads project has its origins in a campaign that FFI mounted in the early 1980s, which produced car stickers featuring a warning sign that entreated motorists to ‘help a toad across the road’.

Another sticker, reproduced on the Members’ diary page in the October

1984 issue of Oryx, and which urged people to ‘be kind to snakes’, formed part of a concerted FFI campaign to improve the public image of Britain’s serpents. Plans to build horse-manure heaps in order to encourage greater breeding success among dwindling grass snake populations, unveiled in that same issue of our international journal, epitomise FFI’s unwavering commitment to the less glamorous side of wildlife conservation.

With over a century of conservation achievements behind us, it’s inevitable that some of FFI’s successes in the dark hinterland inhabited by less familiar species will be undocumented, or buried under the sands of time.

Occasionally, however, the evidence resurfaces. As I was drafting this article, I received an email pointing out that the Zoological Society of London’s long-term programme to rescue endemic Polynesian tree snails from extinction, featured in the latest edition of Oryx, actually originated with an FFI initiative. It was a timely reminder of FFI’s global reach, and underlined our belief that the loss of any species, however superficially unprepossessing or apparently insignificant, impoverishes us all.

Roger Ingle/FFI

Jeremy Holden/FFI

highlighting the decline of formerly abundant Maltese flora, and investigating the unsustainable harvesting of Turkish bulbs.

www.fauna-flora.org | 5

Local appeal Flagship species with a difference Some species have mass appeal. Attractive and charismatic, cute and doe-eyed, they are readily harnessed as the poster boys of international conservation. Be they pandas, giant redwoods or elephants, baby seals, turtles or tigers, such flagship species (as they are known) provide a focus for fundraising efforts and galvanise public opinion to help secure protection for themselves and, equally importantly, their habitats.

Of course, it is basic human nature to try and protect the things we care about. The truth is, however, that we may all care about very different species, depending on our cultural background and personal perspectives.

Our emotional connections with animals and plants are shaped not only by their appearance and our own experiences of them, but also by what we know (or think we know) about them, and by the cultural prism through which we view them.

Cultural contexts Personally, I have to admit to a soft spot for bats. Some may find this unconventional, but my affection was born as a result of being able to study these creatures for several years.

6 | Fauna & Flora

By Dr abigail Entwistle

Others, of course, have a passion for trees, or squirrels, or fungi, or indeed for snakes.

Beyond individual idiosyncrasies, however, we tend to hold shared views of animals within our own cultural peer group. Certain animals and plants are used as cultural symbols, and thus represent wider ideas and shared identities, which go beyond the existence of the species itself. Think of the animals that adorn the emblems of sports clubs or national flags, around which we rally in support of a united cause. Indeed some species have more specific cultural significance – either as a basis for traditional stories and myths, or as a source of culturally important foods or materials; in some places certain species are important in a

spiritual context as representations of deities or ancestors.

I grew up with picture book interpretations of the world’s wildlife; those who live with it on their own doorstep obviously have a different perspective. I once contributed to some research that compared opinions about wildlife held by children in a UK town and in villages on the edge of a nature reserve in Tanzania. The findings were noteworthy. Whilst British children favoured powerful predators (such as lions and tigers) and primates, admiring their ferocity and athleticism, their Tanzanian peers (living close to some of these species in reality) were much more sensible, preferring attractive but non-threatening and tasty species such as zebra and giraffe.

Our emotional connections with animals and plants are shaped by the cultural prism through which we view them.

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

In addition, my view of the world’s plants and animals has been further shaped by a formal scientific training, which taught me to value species with vital ecological roles, unique evolutionary histories or high risk of extinction. However, I would be wrong to think that my set of values is any more valid than the next person’s in determining whether a species is important.

Opposite: Baobab trees tend to have powerful cultural resonance for the local communities.

Below: Roosting sites of the Pemba flying fox are now well protected.

Flying foxes on Pemba

By identifying locally important species (“local flagships”) and integrating them into conservation projects, we can make our efforts more meaningful and relevant to the communities whose biodiversity we are working to conserve. Securing local support for conservation is a crucial factor in its effectiveness, sustainability and eventual success. Incorporating opportunities to celebrate and conserve species valued by local communities into our projects can only serve to increase the likelihood of success. In some cases we may need to adapt our work to include these local flagships; in other cases the local flagship itself has been identified as the target for conservation efforts, and the communities themselves may be setting the conservation agenda.

In many cases local flagships do not conform to our own preconceptions about value. They tend not to be cute and cuddly, or fierce and charismatic; instead their value may be utilitarian or linked to age-old traditions.

Sometimes the species may seem uninteresting or even unattractive to our sensibilities. Trees and crocodiles, bats and even insects may be valued in other cultures, in a way they are not in our own. As the following examples illustrate, if we fail to understand locally held values for nature, we miss a real opportunity to engage and support communities in conserving the biodiversity that they care about most.

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) started working with a local NGO in Belize in 1999 with the aim of protecting the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve. One of the reasons we were so interested in the area was the diversity of cat species, including a significant population of jaguars.

Speaking to local Mayan elders in the villages around the reserve provided a different perspective on these forests, however. Whilst jaguars are a sacred symbol in Mayan folklore, in reality they are often viewed as an annoyance, and it is the kapok tree that has the greatest significance for them. An impressive canopy emergent, this tree is neither threatened nor endemic. Nevertheless, in Mayan mythology these vast trees were sacred, providing a link between earth, heaven and the underworld. Seeing the forest through these local eyes was important, and soon afterwards our local partner decided to change its name to the Ya’axché Conservation Trust (ya’axché being the Mayan word for the kapok tree) and adopted a stylised kapok tree as its logo.

In the early 1990s the Pemba flying fox was classified as Critically Endangered. This large, frugivorous bat, endemic to the island of Pemba off the coast of Tanzania, was thought to have a population numbering fewer than 5,000 individuals. The species was at risk from both habitat loss and overhunting (its meat is a local delicacy). An FFI small grant in 1995 supported research on the island, conducted with the local Department of Commercial Crops, Fruits and Forestry (DCCFF), which established that the species was very important culturally on the island, but that few people knew it was unique to Pemba or that it was at risk of extinction. Armed with these two facts, local communities took the bats’ protection into their own hands, establishing local by-laws to protect roost sites from disturbance and prevent hunting. FFI continued to work with the DCCFF to support communities’ efforts for over 10 years, and bat populations steadily recovered. Recent reports indicate that the Pemba flying fox population now exceeds 28,000, and the species has now been downlisted to Vulnerable by IUCN. This is testament to the motivation of both communities and the DCCFF to safeguard a species that has so much local significance.

Evan Bowen-Jones/FFI

Nick Garbutt/Nature Picture Library

Local flagships By the same token, the species deemed most important by local communities may differ from those on the international or scientific conservation agenda (see the example from Belize, right). So what does this mean in practice?

Jaguars and kapok in Belize

www.fauna-flora.org | 7

The Somali Abdullah clan of northern Kenya has long had strong cultural connections with the hirola antelope, which they admired as it followed the grazing cattle herds, and celebrated in traditional songs. These communities strongly value their natural environment and traditionally do not eat the hirola or any other wild game. Nevertheless, the hirola – the only member of its own genus – has declined substantially across its range, and is now considered to be Critically Endangered. In 2007, three villages of the Somali Abdullah clan came together and, working with the Northern Rangelands Trust, established the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy with the principal aim of protecting the hirola.

At certain times of year the majority of its global population (fewer than 500 individuals) is found in the area, and unsurprisingly Ishaqbini has taken the hirola as its conservancy emblem. FFI has been involved with Ishaqbini and hirola protection since its inception and, in 2008, provided a Halcyon Land & Sea grant to the conservancy.

Roland Seitre/Nature Picture Library

Hirola antelope in northern Kenya

When a team from FFI discovered a relict population of Siamese crocodiles deep in the Cardamom Mountains, it caused great excitement within the wider conservation community in Cambodia and beyond. It soon became clear, however, that the crocodiles had not survived there by chance. The local indigenous minorities had strong respect and affection for the crocodiles, which were revered under their animist and Buddhist religions, meaning that it was taboo to hurt or kill this species. It was clear from the outset that protecting the crocodiles and their marshland habitat would be best achieved in cooperation with the communities who had been coexisting with them prior to their “rediscovery” by science. FFI worked hard to enable this to happen and to develop the first formally recognised community conservation project for Cambodia at Veal Veng Marsh, one of a suite of Siamese crocodile sanctuaries in the Cardamom Mountains. Here there is a strong link between community-led crocodile conservation and livelihood development, with communities actively protecting their crocodiles and the associated wetland habitats from a range of external threats.

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Siamese crocodiles in Cambodia

St Helena, a UK Overseas Territory, is one of the most isolated islands in the world, being just a small speck in the vast South Atlantic Ocean.

St Helena supports a number of endemic species, some of which have been used to promote conservation and forest restoration on the island.

These include the St Helena gumwood (the island’s national tree), the quaintly named she-cabbage tree and the arresting yellow spiky woodlouse. This locally well-known and distinctive mini-beast has been proposed as a flagship for the island’s remaining cloud forest and for the other 400-odd endemic invertebrates on St Helena. Its population has declined alarmingly over recent years, and may now only number some 50 individuals. The Flagship Species Fund (a collaboration between FFI and Defra) has previously supported projects on all three of these relatively obscure, but locally significant species.

8 | Fauna & Flora

Phil Lambdon

Weird & wonderful island endemics

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

Trees as local flagships The Global Trees Campaign has shown that some of our most successful tree conservation projects are based on species with local cultural values. Trees are often a source of materials or food, and their longevity means that they can become local landmarks.

In south-west Madagascar, Grandidier’s baobabs are impressive, if bizarre-looking trees, often left marooned as the last trees standing after their original forest habitat has been largely destroyed. As such, they offer a vital refuge for biodiversity, providing a food source for bats and primates. The baobabs have high cultural value within adjoining communities – spirits are believed to dwell within them, and offerings are left at their base. The trees also provide a focal point for a number of village events and ceremonies. Madagasikara Voakajy (our partner in Madagascar) has built on this cultural connection in its work, going so far as to look at the values that villagers place on individual trees in their locality. Communities are becoming involved in monitoring individual trees, replanting seedlings and developing a community forest, for which the baobabs are the flagship species (see Species profile, page 39).

www.fauna-flora.org | 9

Jouan & Rius/Nature Picture Library

In the Caribbean, the lansan tree has disappeared from much of its range, and the largest remaining population is now found on the island of Saint Lucia. Resin from the tree is an important local commodity, used as incense in churches and homes. Unfortunately, traditional means of resin tapping threaten the lansan, resulting in infection and rot of mature trees. Saint Lucian forestry staff, working with technical support from FFI, recently developed a new technique to extract the resin without inflicting long-term damage on the trees, and this is now being taught to local resin tappers. The fact that the species has both cultural and economic value has been key to motivating local agencies and resin tappers to engage so fruitfully in this project, and has been a spur for the development of a wider forestry management project across Saint Lucia.

Help for herps Turning the spotlight on reptiles and amphibians By Dr Jenny Daltry

Amphibians and reptiles. A pairing we take for granted, even though it makes little biological sense. A mindboggling gulf of more than 300 million years separates the damp-loving frogs, salamanders and caecilians from the Reptilia, which are in turn a loose assemblage of scaly animals of mixed heritage. Crocodiles and alligators, for example, are more closely related to birds than to lizards or turtles, let alone amphibians.

Jeepers creepers What really unites these animals are the people who study them, as most herpetologists work interchangeably on reptiles and amphibians. Although we take offence at them being called “creepy-crawlies”, the word herpetology comes from the Greek herpetó and literally means the study of animals that creep or crawl. (This is, incidentally, the same etymological root as the virus herpes, which may go some way to explaining why herpetologists sometimes find themselves cornered at parties by people worried about personal diseases).

10 | Fauna & Flora

My interest in herpetology was ignited at the age of six by a storybook featuring a pet chameleon that could magically camouflage itself against any background and, better still, help its young owner to frighten away unpleasant aunts. Although how any grown-up could find such a wonderful creature objectionable was beyond my comprehension.

I was, and still am, endlessly fascinated by all other life forms, from fishtail palms to fishing cats, but reptiles and amphibians commanded attention because of their bizarre appearance and

how little we know about them. None is more wilfully misunderstood than the snake, which is widely perceived as being malicious and desiring nothing more than to find a hapless human to bite or strangle. I found this to be a lie on my first clumsy attempt to catch a wild grass snake as a child. The poor thing couldn’t crawl away from me fast enough.

Later on, when the great Indian herpetologist Romulus Whitaker taught me how to handle venomous snakes, they too made every effort to avoid conflict, striking only when they sensed they were cornered or at risk

One third of amphibians are threatened with extinction, and an estimated one in five reptiles.

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

Opposite: Mountain chickens are now more threatened by a deadly fungus than by hunting.

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Gonçalo M. Rosa / Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Left: Hanging by its prehensile tail, a juvenile Wagler’s pit viper waits to ambush its prey.

of being trodden on. Rom showed me that cobras often strike first with their mouths closed, rather like a head-butt, to warn you to leave them alone. Why waste good venom on something you cannot eat?

Whilst I advise being careful around the more venomous and poisonous species, many thousands of reptiles and amphibians are in fact totally harmless. Often the greatest danger a herpetologist faces is becoming a social outcast after being seen wandering around at night with a headlamp, a hooked stick and a pillowcase. In Indonesia, Javanese villagers decided that I must be a penyihir (witch) because that was the only credible explanation for being interested in reptiles. I dare say that ornithologists don’t have this problem.

Reasons to be fearful In reality, most reptiles and amphibians are frightened of humans – even of little girls – and their fear is far more justified. We have poisoned and altered their habitats beyond all

recognition. We have depleted their populations in our quest for leather, meat, medicine, science, trinkets and exotic pets. We kill them on sight because we think they are ugly, dangerous or simply give us the creeps. We have peppered their world with feral cats, dogs, rats, and other harmful alien animals, plants and pathogens. We even wilfully ignore the inconsistencies in our laws that protect non-native mammals whilst treating our native herpetofauna as vermin.

Thus one third of all amphibians are threatened with extinction, and an estimated one in five reptiles (though most species have not been assessed

yet). Hundreds of species have not been seen for years, such as the Round Island burrowing boa, the Chile Darwin’s frog and Barbados racer.

Remarkably, over 60% of recorded reptile extinctions since 1500 have been in the West Indies, and over 80% of Caribbean amphibians are threatened with extinction.

Among my first duties with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) was a study of the Caribbean Leptodactylus fallax, otherwise known as the mountain chicken. Not a fowl at all, this is an enormous frog that barks like a dog, nests in burrows and feeds its 15-centimetre tadpoles on eggs. Until recently these magnificent amphibians were not uncommon, despite being heavily hunted for their finger-lickin’ meat. But suddenly the monitoring systems I helped to establish in Montserrat and Dominica detected a drop in their numbers. These frogs that had withstood centuries of hunting, agricultural expansion and even volcanic eruptions had fallen prey to chytridiomycosis, the fungal disease that is cutting a swathe through amphibians across the world.

Tragically there is no known remedy, but at least some mountain chickens from both countries were taken into captivity in the nick of time.

Back from the brink FFI plays a vital role in championing and conserving endangered reptiles and amphibians in many regions, including the West Indies. Some readers may be aware of our awardwinning project in Antigua and Barbuda to save the ‘world’s rarest snake’. Thanks largely to eradicating alien rats – which attacked the snakes and their prey – the number of Antiguan racers has grown steadily from 50 individuals in 1995 to more

FFI plays a vital role in championing and conserving reptiles and amphibians in many regions.

www.fauna-flora.org | 11

miniature gecko discovered in the rather less salubrious setting of a pile of bricks behind a toilet in Anguilla.

putting a name to a frog or lizard remains a major challenge in most countries because of the lack of identification guides.

Museums might not be the most fashionable places for conservationists, but they still play a crucial role in Below: The discovery helping herpetologists to identify of new species such and make sense of this bewildering diversity. In Cambodia, FFI helped to as this dwarf gecko establish a new zoological reference scuppered plans to turn Anguilla’s island collection that has already aided the discovery of more than a dozen of Sombrero into a new species of ‘herps’. The collection rocket launch site. has been invaluable for training Cambodian herpetologists as well as producing the first field guide to the country’s amphibians and, coming soon, the first reptile guide.

than 1,000 in 2014. Recently we initiated a similar project with local organisations to save the unrelated Saint Lucia racer, after surveys showed as few as 19 of these harmless snakes remain.

Siamese crocodiles can be safely reintroduced and breed undisturbed.

Elsewhere in Asia, we have contributed to an equally urgent project to save the rare Philippine crocodile, also through working with local communities.

In Southeast Asia, FFI has taken on the difficult challenge of saving the rare Siamese crocodile, whose numbers have crashed to fewer than 250 adults in the wild, mainly due to overcollection by crocodile farms. We have found allies among several indigenous communities that regard crocodiles as sacred and are working with them to establish sanctuaries where captive

Catalogue of terrors There are over 10,000 species of reptiles and some 7,000 amphibians, and more than 100 species described every year. FFI has directly contributed to finding and naming a slew of new species. Recent finds range from an elegant arboreal salamander that inhabits the cloud forests on a tiny island within a Nicaraguan lake to a

12 | Fauna & Flora

Scales fall from our eyes With hundreds more species facing extinction, how can we persuade more people to understand and care about reptiles and amphibians? The brilliant Australian biologist Rick Shine once remarked that being a herpetologist is “like supporting a football club that loses almost every game. You are part

Jenny Daltry/FFI

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Left: The giant waxy monkey tree frog is attracting scientific interest due to the toxic compounds in its skin.

Knowing what species there are, and where, is the first step towards figuring out which ones need help.

Unfortunately, putting a name to a frog or lizard remains a major challenge in most countries because of the lack of identification guides. Furthermore, these species can be bewilderingly inconsistent in appearance. The oriental vine snake, for instance, can be orange, bright green, grey or yellow, and don’t be surprised if you find an Australian striped burrowing frog that doesn’t have stripes.

Jenny Daltry/FFI

Manuel Garcia

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

Yet it seems the tide is turning in favour of reptiles and amphibians.

Our club might not be in the premier league yet, but a growing number of projects focus on these animals and more people – men and women – are devoting their lives to studying and conserving them. In India, for example, the number of herpetologists has swollen from little more than a dozen in the 1980s to several hundred today.

Our numbers are still rising fast.

More conservation funds are being invested in these groups too. Around

a quarter of the projects supported by the Mohamed bin Zayed Conservation Fund and the Conservation Leadership Programme are for reptiles and amphibians. As a sign of their growing standing among conservationists, the percentage of papers published by Oryx on reptiles and amphibians has climbed from only 4% in 1973 to 16% in 2013, ahead of all taxa apart from mammals. Herpetology, it seems, is rising from a minority interest to the mainstream.

Nobody can tell me how or why this change has come about, but FFI was ahead of the curve. As a child member, I remember the catchily titled ‘Help a Toad Across the Road’ campaign to tackle the decimation of amphibian colonies by traffic in the UK. Many of our past and present staff, such as Tom Langton, Mark Day, Martin Hollands and myself, come from a background of studying and conserving reptiles or amphibians. Even our Chief Executive, Mark Rose, used to work on a ground-

Jeremy Holden/FFI

of a small, enthusiastic minority, while every one else thinks you’re crazy.”

Actually, I think herpetologists rather enjoy moaning about working with animals that everyone else finds repulsive, ugly and scary. We tend to complain that it is neither as easy to raise funds nor to win the support of the public or politicians for salamanders or lizards as it is for pretty birds and fluffy mammals.

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Around a quarter of the projects supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme are for reptiles and amphibians.

Top left: Native to Central and South America, the red-footed tortoise was probably brought to the West Indies

by Amerindians for food.

breaking project relating to the sustainable conservation management of crocodiles in Papua New Guinea.

I like to think that the incredible diversity, mystery and need for attention that first drew me to these animals is captivating others too. It can be no accident that in zoos around the world, the Reptile House typically draws the most visitors and elicits the Top right: The most gasps. There is something about author in her these creepy-crawlies that fascinates natural habitat. us, even when we fear them. And Above: Examples the more we learn about them, the of colour variation more we realise how extraordinary and precious they are, and why in the oriental the world would be a poorer place vine snake. without them.

www.fauna-flora.org | 13

The landscapes that time forgot Eurasia’s natural treasures

Wild Wonders of Europe / Popp

Stretching from the Azores at the westernmost tip of Europe to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia, from the frozen Arctic in the north to the baking deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, the Eurasia region covers a quarter of the global land surface. Much of the region was under Soviet rule for almost 70 years and lay hidden behind the Iron Curtain for decades after the end of World War II. Notwithstanding the political and economic reforms ushered in by perestroika, the ‘East’ remains a mystery to many and has been colourfully described as the new frontier for conservation. History and the dramatic and sometimes turbulent political changes that have taken place over the last quarter of a century have helped perpetuate the misguided notion of a vast, forbidding, colourless and unstable region. Such myths are slowly being broken, however. The land beyond the former Iron Curtain is gradually revealing itself to the wider world, showing a wealth of stunning

landscapes characterised by their rich cultural and biological diversity.

Together with the wonders of western Europe, these precious but largely unappreciated natural jewels became the focus of a bespoke regional programme that Fauna & Flora International (FFI) established in recognition of Eurasia’s global conservation importance.

A mere two-hour flight from London Heathrow brings you to one of the most complex regions on earth in terms of geology, history, geography, morphology and natural history.

Framed by mountain chains formed by the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, the Mediterranean is a global biodiversity hotspot. The region is home to 25,000 species of vascular plant, 197 species of mammal and 321 species of butterfly, of which 50%, 25% and 46% respectively are endemic. One might not think of this, the world’s most visited tourist region, as a forgotten land, but, for

the Eurasia region covers a quarter of the global land surface.

14 | Fauna & Flora

example, very few of the 1.2 million Britons who visit the Algarve each year venture from the beach to explore the beautiful Alentejo montado landscape, just a few miles inland. If they did, they would find a landscape covered with cork oak forests, which provide 60% of the world’s cork and are considered to be one of the richest agricultural landscapes in terms of biodiversity in Europe. These forests are also home to the world’s most threatened cat species, the Iberian lynx. A target for FFI’s conservation programme, the Iberian lynx is the top predator in the montado, which is also home to the rare black vulture. The forests are also the canvas for a rich local culture that yields traditional produce such as Iberico ham, honey, cheese, mushrooms and medicinal herbs.

“Driving eastward … I became obsessed by the sheer magnitude of the country I was trying to pierce. Larger than South America, two and a half times bigger than the United States, it

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

extends half way round the globe and contains one sixth of the land surface of the whole earth. My own journey – eastward to Moscow, north to Leningrad and the Baltic Sea, south to the Caucasus and the Turkish border, back across the Ukraine and the Crimea – comprised only the historic edge of a mighty wilderness.”

Colin Thubron, Among the Russians (1983) Moving east into Thubron’s “mighty wilderness,” Georgia is located on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains and bridges the vast continents of Europe and Asia.

The size of Scotland, it is the oldest wine-producing region in the world and a centre of origin for crop plants and domesticated animals. As one might expect for a country located in two global biodiversity hotspots, with a climate that varies from semiarid to montane to sub-tropical, it is packed with a rich variety of species.

The country has 4,100 species of vascular plant, almost 40% more

Main image: Georgia on my mind. Sunset in Vashlovani National Park, which harbours a spectacular variety of plants and animals.

Overleaf: Harvesting walnuts in Kyrgyzstan.

than the UK, which is three-and-ahalf times larger in area. Landscape diversity is equally impressive; for example, on the border with Chechnya, the Tusheti National Park rises to its highest point of 4,492 m at Mount Tebulo. Here the threatened bezoar and the East Caucasian tur (two species of wild goat) browse cautiously, watching for potential predators that include golden eagles, bears, wolves and possibly leopards.

The striking defensive fortress towers built by the people of Tusheti offer no protection to the browsing herbivores, but are a reminder that even this remote alpine landscape is home to humans. The Tush have lived here for centuries, migrating from their summer grazing in these mountains to winter grazing in the semi-desert ecosystem of the lowland Vashlovani region.

Located close to the border with Azerbaijan, Vashlovani is remarkably rich in biodiversity with an assemblage of species (including many endemics) that would be difficult to find elsewhere. Vashlovani is a living example of species ‘crossing continents’ with European brown bear, grey wolf, lynx, badger, otter and wild cat sharing habitat with species that most would more readily associate with Asia (such as Persian leopard and jungle cat) or Africa (including the striped hyena and golden jackal). Vashlovani is also home to a stunning diversity of bird species and is particularly rich in raptors including Egyptian, black, bearded and griffon vultures, eastern imperial eagle, short-toed snake eagle and long-legged buzzard.

Moving further east, Central Asia was carefully guarded by the Soviets.

Many of these species are the ancestors of today’s domesticated fruit and nut varieties that are cultivated and consumed around the globe.

www.fauna-flora.org | 15

Grasslands – the forgotten habitat

Valued for their strategic position and natural resources, the region’s pristine landscapes were used by the elite for rest and recuperation.

Flying into either Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan, viewing the superb mountain vistas of the Tien Shan or High Pamir Mountains upon arrival, one is immediately captivated. Also a global biodiversity hotspot, these mountains connect the Himalayas with the great plains of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Along their length they form Central Asia’s frontier with China, Afghanistan and Pakistan and are home to some of the most impressive wildlife in the world, including the elusive snow leopard and its prey, the argali.

The grassland steppes of the Ustyurt Plateau, shared between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, form part of one of the most ancient and unique landscapes in Eurasia. This landscape is globally significant for biodiversity, with a high level of endemism owing to its geological age and isolation.

Some 300 vertebrate species live on the plateau including 35 endangered species, among them the saiga antelope. Saiga once roamed across this landscape in the hundreds of thousands, undertaking mass migrations that have been likened to those of the wildebeest in East Africa.

The saiga antelope is a keystone species of the Ustyurt – its grazing actions having a direct impact on the composition and structure of the ecosystem – and it is regarded as an indicator of the health of the ecosystem. Today, however, the number of saiga on the plateau has plummeted to fewer than 6,000 and the species is Critically Endangered. It is relentlessly poached for its meat and horn, the latter activity driven by demand from the Chinese medicine market. FFI’s Eurasia Programme is supporting the Kazakh government and local NGO efforts to address the decline in the Ustyurt saiga population.

These forests and mountains are also the source of many of the rivers that flow into the Amu Darya and Syr Darya watersheds, feeding the great Central Asia steppes where incredible species such as the saiga antelope, Eurasia’s very own wildebeest, can be found grazing. An iconic symbol of the Eurasian steppes, the saiga is one of numerous species that depend on these vast grassland landscapes for survival. Despite their enormous value, these grasslands are arguably among the most neglected ecosystems on the planet. Given their importance for biodiversity and people, FFI believes it is crucial that more attention be paid to their conservation.

Igor Shpilenok

It is possible to walk undisturbed in these mountains, under their towering 7,000-metre peaks, along wild rivers, through juniper forests and across spectacular alpine pastures, without seeing another soul for days if not weeks. Reflecting deep nomadic roots, yurtas dot the pastures, offering a warm welcome to anyone who should care to visit. Lower down one can walk through forests of wild fruits and nuts, which are of global conservation importance. Here ancient walnut stands cast their shadow over the wild apples, pears, cherry-plums, hawthorn, barberry, pistachio, almond, mulberry and maples growing below.

Many of these species are the ancestors of today’s domesticated fruit and nut varieties that are cultivated and consumed around the globe. Their importance is not lost on FFI, and the Global Trees Campaign is supporting work in Kyrgyzstan to address their decline (see page 14). The next time you are in your local supermarket reaching for a pack of walnuts, apples or pears, consider for a moment that the ancient relatives of these familiar foods may well still be growing in Central Asia.

16 | Fauna & Flora

Zig Koch

Ally Catterick/FFI

Covering an estimated 52.5 million km2 or 40.5% of the earth’s land surface, grasslands (in the broadest sense) are one of the largest habitat types in the world. From the South American campos, to the savannah of East Africa and the Eurasian steppes, they can be found in almost every region of the world. They are of great importance in providing a range of goods and services including food, livestock grazing, carbon storage, tourism and recreation. Many food crops (including wheat, corn and rice) originated in grasslands, which remain a vital genetic storehouse. But there is no doubt that our grasslands are under pressure. Amongst other threats, conversion for agriculture, afforestation, infrastructure development and climate change are reducing and fragmenting grassland landscapes, diminishing their value for biodiversity, reducing their resilience and threatening their integrity as functioning ecosystems.

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

The tree musketeers Intensive care for threatened megaflora

Over 8,000 tree species are threatened with extinction.

A few species are well known, but the vast majority are slipping away with little fuss. David Gill, Georgina Magin and Robin Loveridge explain how the Global Trees Campaign (GTC) is helping Fauna & Flora International (FFI) to put trees centre stage, and highlight one approach being piloted in Brazil that capitalises on the oft-missed opportunity presented by habitat restoration initiatives.

If the term “megafauna” is commonly used to describe the large and muchloved flagship species of the animal world, then trees are surely the megaflora of the plant world. And in many cases – such as the weird and wonderful baobabs of Africa, the stylish candelabra tree of South America, the towering dipterocarps of Asia – they are indeed charismatic, awe inspiring and just as visually appealing as their animal counterparts.

Nevertheless, even these colourful characters have tended to lack the conservation attention devoted to large animals. The most significant tree conservation efforts have, perhaps understandably, been targeted at the suite of timber species decimated by

commercial trade. The latest species to hit the headlines in 2012–13 was Siam rosewood, the rampant (and largely illegal) exploitation of which is rapidly pushing the species towards the brink. FFI’s partner in Belize, Ya’axché Conservation Trust, was instrumental in drawing attention to the plight of three sister species of rosewood from Central America, and all four species were listed on Appendix II of CITES in March 2013.

Such efforts to protect and sustainably manage these hugely sought-after trees are vital to prevent them being logged to extinction. But what about those trees that lack either commercial

value or any sort of “wow” factor? The challenges of protecting these species – many of which are used or valued locally – require a range of approaches and the involvement of a full range of stakeholders, from local communities to research scientists, from protected area staff to policy makers, from those involved in forest restoration to those doing land-use planning. Raising tree conservation up the agenda of many of these groups may be a prerequisite for effective action, as is sharing knowledge and expertise between the different groups.

It is in this space that GTC operates.

We support a portfolio of tree

what about those trees that lack either commercial value or any sort of “wow” factor?

www.fauna-flora.org | 17

The araucaria forest will never return to its full former glory, but there is evidence that some of what has been lost can be recovered.

For the region’s wide range of rare but remarkable trees, however, recovery has thus far been held back by familiar factors – a lack of knowledge about their hidden values and about how to grow and plant them.

Above: Botanist Elias Ndive with seedlings of the zebrawood tree at a nursery near Mount Cameroon.

Cultivating an opportunity for rare trees Of all the threatened trees in the araucaria forest, only 17% have been cultivated by government nurseries (major suppliers for restoration).

Recognising this as a problem, GTC’s

Below: The seeds from the massive pine cones of the candelabra tree are often roasted and eaten as a winter snack in south Brazil.

David Gill/FFI

Restoring the araucaria forest One place where these less celebrated trees are in danger of being forgotten is Brazil’s araucaria forest. Once it covered seven million hectares within the state of Paraná; today less than 1% remains, confined to a handful of forest fragments. Walk inside one of these last remnants and you can still see immense imbuia trees, feel the deep grainy grooves of Cedrela trees, smell aromatic scents from the sassafras tree, hear giant cones from candelabra trees crash to the floor, and taste tangy tomato-like fruit from Cyphomandra shrubs. These fragments are still home to a number of remarkable trees, but the surrounding ecological devastation has marooned them many miles from each other, leaving them isolated, disconnected and unable to function as one large healthy forest.

The araucaria forest will never return to its full former glory, but there is evidence that some of what has been lost can be recovered. A number of farsighted initiatives, including some led by FFI’s partner, Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e Educação Ambiental (SPVS), are working to restore and reconnect the forest in collaboration with local landowners and corporations.

More generally, Brazil’s Forest Code (although recently weakened in terms of biodiversity conservation) obliges all landowners to rehabilitate a proportion of their land, often using seedlings provided by government nurseries at a next-to-nothing price.

18 | Fauna & Flora

David Gill/FFI

conservation initiatives that showcase approaches to saving not only the charismatic megaflora (such as the baobabs of Madagascar) but also the lesser-known species that can so easily slip under the radar, and we are also building a network for tree conservation that helps to encourage greater focus on, and action for, threatened trees.

partner, Sociedade Chauá, developed its own nursery and laboratory to learn how to grow the full range of the forest’s tree species.

Since joining forces with GTC in 2011, Chauá has travelled thousands of miles throughout the state of Paraná on a mission to collect seeds from a host of rare and threatened tree species.

Buoyed by the support of a dedicated group of volunteers, its expeditions have taken it to 27 different forest fragments. A typical trip may involve

Of all the threatened trees in the araucaria forest, only 17% have been cultivated by government nurseries.

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

climbing 30-metre trees to harvest seeds found on the uppermost branches, or sifting through the undergrowth in search of fallen fruits. The reward at the end of such endeavours is, of course, the seeds – and they hold the potential for a new beginning.

Below: Measuring the girth of one of the last remaining mature Ziyuan firs.

Bridging the regeneration gap Just like the libido-lacking giant panda, many of the world’s tree species have their own reproduction problems. Small population size, degraded habitats and reduced pollination are among the factors that inhibit natural regeneration and, therefore, species survival. The Global Trees Campaign is taking targeted action to improve the prospects for a number of species around the world, many of which would go unnoticed by an approach focusing only on conservation of their habitat.

Back at Chauá’s nursery and laboratory, there is still much work to do. With very little known about the majority of the trees from which they have collected seeds, diligent research and experimentation is required to identify optimal conditions for germination and growth. Each experiment may take several months, but little by little Chauá is perfecting techniques for a host of species that currently receive virtually no attention from restoration projects.

Lonesome firs Only around 600 mature Ziyuan firs (Abies ziyuanensis) remain in the world. Found in a few isolated sites in southern China, these last surviving trees are failing to regenerate – and it is thought lack of pollination may be the problem. In addition to monitoring and protecting the mature trees, GTC (with support from the Save our Species fund) is assisting Guangxi Institute of Botany and local nature reserve staff to promote natural regeneration. Teams are involved in trialling hand pollination between trees and are clearing areas of understorey vegetation that would otherwise choke emerging seedlings.

Growing success Chauá’s hard work is paying off. In 2013, it provided local restoration projects with 6,700 seedlings from 53 different native species. More species is better for biodiversity, but also helps to cater for other values, including the delicious fruits provided by the rare uvaia tree, or the potential ornamental value of the embaubarana. Why plant one or two species when you can use more than 50?

How do you like them apples?

The Niedzwetzky apple (Malus niedzwetzkyana), found in Central Asia’s fruit and nut forests, is a wild relative of the domesticated apples that line our supermarket shelves. GTC is supporting conservation of the species in Kyrgyzstan, where only 117 mature Niedzwetzky apple trees are known. So far, well over 2,000 saplings have been grown from seed and planted out into the forest to reinforce wild populations.

In need of a boost High levels of historical exploitation and forest degradation in and around Mount Cameroon National Park have left several tree species on the brink of extinction, including the Critically Endangered African zebrawood (Microberlinia bisulcata). GTC is helping local partner ERuDeF to reinforce populations of this and other, less well-known, threatened trees by planting seedlings within areas of habitat now under formal protection.

Lin Wuying/FFI

Moving forward, Chauá and GTC are now supporting and engaging other groups to catalyse improved restoration on a broader scale. Through a combination of practical training, targeted education, information sharing and ongoing research, we aim to engage more protected area staff, NGOs, landowners and universities in this movement to ensure that Chauá’s approach can be applied elsewhere.

There is a long road ahead for the restoration of araucaria forest, but by working with and supporting a larger network of groups, we hope not only to reclaim a little part of this lost world, but to do so with the full range of the forest’s wonderful tree species.

www.fauna-flora.org | 19

Snubbed, not shunned In praise of unconventional beauty

The crowd roared with laughter. “Oh no! What’s this one, Simon? It looks like a character from the League of Gentlemen!” Thunderous applause.

“There we are, that’s a winner!” And, just like that, the audience of the BBC show Infinite Monkey Cage voted the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey the world’s ugliest primate.

The good news is that in situ conservation efforts by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) in Vietnam’s Ha Giang province, the monkey’s last remaining stronghold, appear to have yielded positive results. A recent FFI population census of the area thought to hold most of the world’s Tonkins

20 | Fauna & Flora

A stunning, powder-blue visage is underscored by a gaping nasal cavity and shocking-pink maw.

Right: Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys move through the treetops with balletic grace.

revealed that their numbers had increased from an estimated 90 in 2010 to 113 confirmed individuals in November 2013. This apparent population stabilisation gives us reason to be cautiously optimistic.

Yet any number of factors could be catastrophic for the remaining monkeys. For example, we know less about them than we would like to.

Genetic diversity among Tonkins in disparate forests might be too low to maintain a viable population. Natural phenomena such as storms or forest fires could eliminate habitat or kill individuals, and attrition from habitat loss and hunting continue to have an impact on the population.

Xi Zhinong/WildChina/FFI

‘Best in show’ in this grotesque beauty contest is not the only dubious distinction to which this species can lay claim. Once thought to be extinct, since its rediscovery in 1992 the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey has been included on the list of the world’s 25 most endangered primates seven times.

By JEREMY PARKER

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

The survival of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is crucial precisely because it so vividly encapsulates all that is important about biodiversity.

One’s immediate reaction upon seeing a picture of the Tonkin is to wonder what it is, and then to ponder what about it is most impressive. Staring out from the picture, glossy black, alien-like eyes dominate a face with a palette of colours vying for the viewer’s attention. A stunning, powder-blue visage is underscored by a gaping nasal cavity and shocking-pink maw; the body is cloaked in a mantle of soft white and charcoal fur. The monkey’s neck is encircled by a golden band, as though it were wearing a royal collar.

The tail is a magnificent, tufted affair, sometimes exceeding the body’s length by 40%. More venerable males have a mane of sorts that broadens their beards and reinforces the regal aura conferred on them by their pendulous tails.

As with many primates, males also become quite aggressive when threatened. The inquisitive, passive countenance that is viewed from afar can quickly become intimidating.

Dominant males protecting a group will suddenly lean forward baring their canines, issuing ‘huu chhk’ verbal warnings. And just as quickly, the group will vanish, giving one the sense of having witnessed some troupe of harlequin phantoms.

Right: The tufted, pendulous tail of the Tonkin snubnosed monkey is one of its most striking features.

The sensation is haunting, and resonates with the viewer long after the group is gone. This is the definition of charisma, and leads one to consider that even though the creature might not be ‘handsome’, it is nevertheless unique. Like the tiger or the panda, it is enigmatic precisely because it is so striking in appearance. It is a product of its environment, an environment that has been decimated through mainly human-driven mechanisms: through years of war, population pressure, lack of education and political will.

The hosts and guests of Infinite Monkey Cage held the ugly primate contest precisely to highlight the plight of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey and its similarly unique and wonderful cocontestants. A tradition of caring about biodiversity is long established, but not widely upheld. Minds as great as those of Coleridge, Muir and Cousteau underlined the importance of the totality of our biodiversity; it would be wonderful if humanity could act more widely to ensure that steps are taken to keep it intact.

The first step is for those of us in the immediate sphere of conservation to make a stand and fight against the banality of only championing the conventionally handsome. After all, a world that held only tigers would rapidly lose its appeal, and be a dangerous place to live. The survival of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is crucial precisely because it so vividly encapsulates all that is important about biodiversity: there is nothing else like it.

Xi Zhinong/WildChina/FFI

Xi Zhinong/WildChina/FFI

Returning to the award, does the Tonkin truly deserve such a dubious accolade? Ugly generally connotes something repulsive, hideous or vile, and although the appearance of this sizeable beast is undoubtedly bizarre enough to arrest one’s attention, it would surely be a stretch to call it downright ugly.

www.fauna-flora.org | 21

Karst of thousands Cave-dwelling creepy-crawlies in the limelight

Some of the best-known conservation projects with which Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is associated have focused on large animals such as gorillas, elephants, rhinos, tigers and orang-utans. There are good reasons for this. These species are highly threatened, need large areas of habitat to survive, can be seen in many zoos, and are widely known and liked. They are thus first-rate ‘flagship species’ because they attract our attention to conservation. When we adequately protect substantial blocks of their habitat, and seek to reduce hunting and poaching pressures on them, then there is hope that these animals will be able to breed and persist.

By Dr Tony Whitten

Above: A Kanthan trapdoor spider, known only from a single limestone cave in Malaysia.

Below: Whip spider found deep inside a cement mine.

But not every ecosystem containing highly threatened species is fortunate enough to benefit from the umbrella protection afforded by the presence of spectacular large mammals. A good example is limestone hills or ‘karst’ – those wonderful steep-sided and white-rock hills that form some of the most beautiful and popular landscapes in Asia. What makes these areas particularly special is that many of them contain caves.

22 | Fauna & Flora

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Of course, there are countless other animal and plant species living in those same habitats, but by protecting the large flagship species we are confident of conserving the whole array of species whose interactions make up their ecosystem. In this sense, these large animals are ‘umbrella species’.

The biodiversity of limestone ecosystems, both on the surface and inside the caves, is highly characteristic and restricted to these habitats; it doesn’t include tigers and elephants.

The limestone species are adapted to cope with the highly alkaline environment and exceedingly dry soil conditions over part of the year. Many species are confined to (or found primarily inside) the caves. Remarkably, some species are confined to a single hill or cave. With no charismatic large mammal as an umbrella species to protect them, they still need attention from conservationists.

Dark Matter Caves don’t tend to be well-liked ecosystems, being extremely dark, often quite cramped, and slippery. And the creepy-crawlies that live within them such as giant, long-legged centipedes, whip scorpions and handsized spiders can be the stuff of nightmares. Nevertheless, one’s attitude towards them (and to the woodlice, millipedes and even cockroaches living alongside them) must surely be tempered by the knowledge that they exist in that place and that place only. Due to the

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

It is clear that the status of many limestone-restricted species is perilous.

extreme darkness, many of the specialist cave animals have evolved with no eyes, pigmentation or flying ability, instead developing long antennae and legs to compensate for their lack of sight. These sightless organisms include fishes, millipedes, spiders, shrimps and beetles. The cave environment is normally quite stable, so many species will perish quickly – and become extinct – if the prevailing conditions change.

Many of the invertebrate species most in need of conservation attention are little known, and very few have been assessed for the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. The FFI office in Cambridge now hosts the Secretariat of the new IUCN Specialist Group on Cave Invertebrates (of which I am the co-chair) and securing a dramatic increase in the number of cave invertebrates on the Red List is one of our urgent priorities. It is clear that the status of many limestone-restricted species is perilous (whether or not they have yet been formally assessed) and many have surely already gone extinct as a direct result of economic development, especially quarrying limestone for cement. Indeed, there is probably no other sector responsible for so many past and imminent extinctions.

Cave-restricted species continue to be discovered in virtually every newly surveyed tropical limestone area, but Asia seems to be the richest hunting ground. Indeed, FFI-led surveys of one set of caves on Java, Indonesia, revealed no fewer than 40 invertebrate species that were new to science.

The diversity found within the caves is exceeded by the abundance and variety of species outside on the hill slopes. During one FFI survey in Vietnam nearly 100 snail species (each needing the calcium of the limestone to form its shell) were found in one area in a single day. Snails are not very popular, so few people are aware of the existence of hairy species, jumping species, squeaking species, and even one that glows in the dark!

Snails can be herbivores, omnivores or carnivores, and are preyed upon by many amphibians, snakes, birds and mammals.

For over 15 years, FFI has been actively conserving some of the best limestone areas in Asia and thus protecting remarkable communities of invertebrates. Indeed, no other NGO has more experience and knowledge of karst systems and their conservation in Asia. Where it is possible to find a beautiful mammal that acts as a flagship species to protect the creepycrawlies beneath, we will do so – as with the limestone-restricted Tonkin snub-nosed monkey in Vietnam.

But otherwise we need to find other ways to avoid extinctions.

Limestone is, of course, an extremely valuable raw material, the main use of

Right: Ha Long Bay in Vietnam boasts spectacular karst limestone pillars, caves and islands that have formed over a period of 20 million years and harbour a unique array of life forms.

Roger Ingle/FFI

© www.bjornolesen.com

With no sunlight reaching into the dark interior, most of the energy that drives the cave ecosystem comes from the faeces or guano dropped by the bats and swiftlets that roost there. Like it or not, this guano and the fungus growing upon it become the base of cave food chains.

which is in the construction industry, benefiting us all. The rock is an essential resource for cement manufacture. It is relatively cheap, versatile and can be found in many countries. Limestone is of major importance in economic development, with the production of cement used as a barometer of growth and progress. Without a proper assessment of the biodiversity on planned quarry sites, however, there is a very high risk of causing the extinction of a large number of the rarest subterranean, restricted-range invertebrate species. We believe we are correct that, to date, the only appropriate biodiversity survey for a cement company was the one FFI undertook in Java. FFI is engaging with cement companies and government authorities in different ways to convince them that the modern world expects greater attention to biodiversity.

www.fauna-flora.org | 23

F

N O R T H F

A T L A N T I C O C E A N

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

S O U T H P A C I F I C O C E A N

S O U T H A T L A N T I C O C E A N

around the world Fauna & Flora International’s work today stretches right around the globe, from the Americas, Africa and Europe to Asia and Australia. Here, you can see the spread of our work, with Fauna & Flora International project countries marked in darker shading.

2424 | Fauna | Fauna & Flora & Flora

around the world

A R C T I C O C E A N

N O R T H P A C I F I C O C E A N

F

I N D I A N O C E A N

F

l Americas & Caribbean l Eurasia l Africa & Madagascar l Asia-Pacific & Australasia FFI hub offices

www.fauna-flora.org www.fauna-flora.org | 25| 25

Large-scale problem The plight of the pangolin

Dan Challender, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, and PhD candidate at Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, outlines the devastating effect of the illegal wildlife trade on a sorely neglected animal, and highlights the need for urgent intervention on its behalf.

Pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, are one of the world’s most peculiar groups of animals.

They have no teeth and, as their alternative name implies, feed predominantly on ants and termites, which they consume with the help of a remarkably long, sticky tongue.

They are the only truly scaly mammal, covered in individual, overlapping scales made of keratin (the same fibrous protein that forms human fingernails and rhino horn), and have a tendency to roll up into an armour-plated ball when threatened. Unfortunately, whilst this defensive strategy can protect them from all but the most tenacious of large predators, including tigers and bears, it is little help against their deadliest foe – humans. It is we who

26 | Fauna & Flora

are pushing Asia’s four pangolin species (which together occur all the way from Pakistan, eastward to China, and south throughout the Indian subcontinent and Greater Sundas) closer and closer to extinction.

Although pangolins have traditionally been hunted for local consumption across Asia, a practice that continues today, the main threat facing them now is the commercial hunting and poaching driven by the illegal international trade. Little is known about the population status of pangolins in the wild, particularly in the rainforests of Southeast Asia.

Being primarily arboreal, they are rarely caught by camera traps. In fact, one of the first pangolin photographs recorded by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) was in a

Sumatran tiger’s mouth. Despite this lack of information and the difficulties in surveying wild pangolins, hunters seem to have no such trouble in finding them, judging by the staggering size of some of the illegal shipments that are seized.

For example, 14 tonnes and then 24 tonnes of frozen pangolin were confiscated in southern Sumatra in 2008. A fully-grown pangolin weighs just 5–7 kg. You do the sums.

All pangolin species are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and in 2000, they received additional protection in the form of a “zero quota” export ban, and they are strictly protected by national legislation in virtually all Asian countries. Despite these theoretical

focus on THE UNDERVALUED AND OVERLOOKED

safeguards, in practice the rampant illegal trade continues to flourish.

Roland Seitre/Nature Picture Library

FFI is uniquely placed to act on conserving pangolins, as well as other species in illegal trade. It works in the demand countries, such as Vietnam, and has collaborated with TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, in supporting the government’s newly-issued guidelines on awareness raising to promote “no consumption and trade of wildlife and wild plants.”

In Cambodia, FFI’s HARVEST programme has released and radiotracked pangolins in the forest.

FFI also works in supply countries such as Indonesia, where much of the illegal trade in Asian pangolins originates.

In Sumatra, for example, FFI has an established presence and years of experience in tackling tiger poaching in forests that are also considered to be of high importance for pangolins.

The Endangered Sunda pangolin is still present in protected areas such as Kerinci Seblat National Park and Ulu Masen in Aceh, both long-term FFI

Roland Seitre/Nature Picture Library

This typically takes place between Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, or China and Vietnam. Pangolin meat is eaten as a luxury and the ground-up scales are used in traditional medicines, in the belief that they can, for example, improve blood circulation and cure skin diseases. The trade is now estimated to involve tens of thousands of animals a year, and although all pangolin species remain understudied, this level of trade is thought to be unsustainable. Consequently, pangolins are in urgent need of conservation action in the next few decades if they are to be saved from extinction. Thankfully, they have recently begun to receive some attention. In June 2013, the IUCN’s Pangolin Specialist Group held a fourday meeting at Wildlife Reserves Singapore to produce a plan for saving pangolins. That is welcome news, but it comes not a moment too soon, and much remains to be done. This includes identifying potential hotspots where healthy populations may exist, determining local population sizes, and assessing the impact of trade on local populations – which is where FFI comes in.

The trade is now estimated to involve tens of thousands of animals a year. project sites. Here, in addition to monitoring tigers, the FFI team also keeps one eye on the pangolin trade and it is suspected that Kerinci Seblat could harbour a significant population.

There are some encouraging signs.

Created by The Royal Foundation and led by The Duke of Cambridge, the United for Wildlife partnership brings together seven global conservation organisations, including FFI. Pangolins were among the species singled out at a recent two-day International Wildlife

Opposite: A baby pangolin seeks shelter beneath its mother.

Trafficking Symposium, organised

by United for Wildlife ahead of the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, a high-level summit attended by heads of state and Above: Numbers of government ministers from 50 the Sunda pangolin countries. Pangolins are now being are believed to have mentioned in the same breath as some declined by 50% in of the world’s most iconic endangered species, including elephants, rhinos the past 15 years. and tigers, and that’s a start.

For further information on pangolins, visit www.pangolinsg.org

www.fauna-flora.org | 27

Warts and all Stuart Paterson, Conservation Leadership Programme Manager, admires the young conservationists who are opening our eyes to species that might otherwise receive scant attention.

Popularising the unpopular

perform an invaluable service to agriculture both as natural pollinators and insect consumers. In North America alone, the loss of its bats could cost the agricultural sector an Generally speaking, field biologists Above: During the estimated US$3.7 billion per year. are only too happy to get their hands breeding season FFI has been directly involved in bat dirty and manoeuvre themselves in spiny growths conservation for decades, and was and out of tight corners. Like the develop on the objects of their studies, they tend to be upper lip of male instrumental in establishing both found in dark places, preferring the moustache toads. the Bat Conservation Trust and Bat Conservation International. More glow of a head-torch to the glare of the recent interventions include our work media spotlight. Nevertheless, today’s on Pemba Island off the coast of conservation leaders need to find ways Tanzania to save its endemic flying of garnering public support and using fox from extinction, and in Indochina, the press to highlight the plight of lesswhere we have trained local celebrated threatened species. In this conservationists and increased context, the Conservation Leadership knowledge of the region’s bats.

Programme (CLP), of which Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is a partner, provides an excellent platform to encourage these conservationists to shine and, in turn, helps shed light on neglected life forms.

Bats worldwide have a hard time. They are persecuted as ‘pests’, unsustainably hunted and traded as a source of food, and used in traditional medicines. They also tend to receive negative press, but the truth is that we need bats. They

28 | Fauna & Flora

The CLP has supported over 20 projects targeting bats of all sizes: from the miniature bumblebee bat (at just 30 mm long and weighing a mere 2 grams, it is the smallest bat, indeed the smallest mammal, known to science) to the gigantic goldencapped fruit bat, which has a wingspan of 1.7 m and weighs up to 1.3 kg.

Cave crusader One of the greatest threats to bats globally is the disturbance or destruction of habitat and roosting areas. In Turkey, bat caves are at risk from demolition through quarrying, intentional flooding and the influx of tourists. A few years ago, Dupnisa Cave, one of the largest hibernation roosts in

One of the greatest threats to bats globally is the disturbance or destruction of their habitat and roosting areas.

Conservation Leadership programme

To preserve the region’s biodiversity and amphibian populations, we must attract more young people.

the Balkans, was opened to tourists.

Meanwhile, Havran Cave, home to over 25,000 bats, was flooded following dam construction.

impressive set of keratin spikes, which sprout during mating season and are believed to be used during duels to secure the best nesting sites.

Through this project, the team has generated scientific knowledge on these little-known species, conducted a successful campaign to reduce hunting, trade and consumption of moustache toads and raised public awareness by working with local and national media channels. For the past two years they have been collaborating with Vietnamese scientists on transboundary efforts around the Ailao Mountain Range, conducting research on a number of amphibian species including Leptobrachium promustache, which has been recorded at only a handful of sites. “The estimated population of Leptobrachium in Yunnan is just 50– 80 individuals,” Ben recently reported.

“In China we discovered just one dead male and heard two or three others.

Our counterparts in Vietnam found

Through these efforts, Emrah and his team performed a valuable PR service for bats while assessing 25 cave sites across Turkey. One of the sites, which harbours half of the 30,000 bats recorded, is currently being considered as a protected area specifically for bat conservation – the first of its kind for Turkey. The project has raised national consciousness about the plight of bats and harnessed the support of citizen scientists and speleologists who will be important in assisting the few biologists and conservation NGOs tasked with assessing Turkey’s 40,000 caves.

Toad safety campaign Like bats, amphibians rarely grab the headlines. Whilst there is no doubting the eye-catching appeal of the colourful poison dart frogs, and whilst the colossal Chinese giant salamander (the world’s largest amphibian) is hard to ignore, this ancient class of animals receives far less attention than birds or mammals – despite the fact that over 32% of amphibians are listed as globally endangered.

Since 2007, the CLP has supported Ben Han and his team to conduct research on amphibians, including rare and endangered moustache toads, in southern China. The distinguishing feature of male moustache toads is an

them in two new sites, but overall its population is low and they are extremely rare.”

The teams in Turkey and China are now working on identifying the next generation of leading lights in conservation. Emrah’s team has started a long-term initiative aimed at interest groups, such as cavers, and they continue lobbying decision makers to include bats in ecological assessments.

Meanwhile, Ben’s team has recently published the first handbook on conservation careers in China. “Only a few young people choose to work in conservation, but they are often unprepared and change their career path,” explains Ben. “To preserve the region’s biodiversity and amphibian populations, we must attract more young people and our aim is to educate and train a new generation of amphibian conservation leaders in China.”

The future is already looking brighter…

Right: European bat species such as the barbastelle continue to decline as their roosting sites disappear.

© www.yarasalar.org

Minghai Dong

In 2010, the CLP funded Emrah Coraman and his team to identify important bat caves, collect information about the status of resident bats, and lobby the national Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs (responsible for cave management) for better legal conservation of bat caves.

An avid caver, Emrah recruited the help of the caving community to carry out this research and administer online surveys in order to discover more about local bats, the caves they inhabit and the threats to their survival. He also embraced working with the media to spread news of the project nationwide.

www.fauna-flora.org | 29

REDD alert Seizing the chance to safeguard our forests

Conservation is never easy. It is widely acknowledged that those mechanisms with the greatest potential to benefit biodiversity are frequently the most difficult concepts for non-specialists to grasp, not least because the explanations about how they work tend to be difficult to understand.

Anyone intrepid enough to have already ventured into the world of REDD and REDD+ will no doubt remember being confronted by an almost impenetrable forest of acronyms and technical jargon.

For the uninitiated, REDD stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation; the ‘plus’ goes beyond the basic structure of REDD to include biodiversity conservation, the sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. REDD+ offers financial incentives and a range of other social and environmental benefits to developing countries that reduce carbon emissions by keeping their forests standing. Essentially, REDD+ gives standing forests a dollar value according to the amount of carbon they contain (measured and verified in

30 | Fauna & Flora

Did you know? An estimated 15–20% of global carbon emissions, from human activity, are attributable to deforestation – a significant contribution to global warming and, ultimately, climate change. ‘carbon credits’). This carbon would be released if the forest were destroyed.

Bornean orang-utans, Sumatran tigers and Asian elephants.

REDD+ offers an unprecedented opportunity to safeguard the habitats of threatened forest species worldwide and to generate sustainable finance that will ensure protection in the long term. Don’t be deterred by the esoteric language. Behind every reference to ‘Community Carbon Pools’ and ‘Verified Carbon Standard’ are vibrant, dynamic forest ecosystems that provide livelihoods and subsistence to communities, and vital refuges for some of the world’s most charismatic and endangered species including

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has been at the forefront of grounded REDD+ efforts for a number of years, investing in a portfolio of projects across several continents to test and help develop REDD+ instruments for global application. We work with a broad spectrum of partners, including investors, national and sub-national governments, local NGOs, indigenous groups and local communities.

In Southeast Asia, FFI’s REDD+ Community Carbon Pools Programme

ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS

THE RATIONALE FOR FFI INVOLVEMENT IN REDD+ New funding for conservation: To secure sustainable finance for long-term conservation activities through the development of projects capable of generating revenue and reducing dependency on donor finance.

Securing habitats: To protect and enhance areas of strategic importance for biodiversity through long-term conservation management made possible with access to carbon finance.

Community benefits: To strengthen land tenure security and community governance of natural resources and to shift the economic base from one that is predominantly extractive to one that is environmentally, socially and financially sustainable.

Jeremy Holden/FFI

Highest standards and continual improvement: To apply conservation and socio-economic expertise to the design and implementation of REDD+ projects to ensure highest standards are achieved. We are actively involved in utilising and contributing towards the continued improvement of leading

works to strengthen laws and policies to facilitate the adoption of REDD+ through pilot projects. Partnering with the Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) and People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), the three-year programme is chiefly European Union-funded, with support from the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research. The programme is active in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

One of the advantages of FFI’s longterm links with local partners in these countries is that we are familiar with the political, regulatory and cultural idiosyncrasies of any given location and can tailor our interventions accordingly to maximise the chance of success.

On the ground, REDD+ has allowed FFI and our local partners to tackle some of conservation’s thorniest issues. Our work on supporting legal recognition of community rights and responsibilities to manage natural forest areas, fundamental to a community-based approach to REDD+, is making important contributions to the empowerment and capacity building of rural communities. Cross-border learning

Opposite: A gap in the canopy triggers new growth on the forest floor in the Cardamom Mountains.

REDD+ standards including the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards; and the Plan Vivo Standard.

Proof of concept: To demonstrate REDD+ at an operational level through innovative field projects, troubleshooting problems we encounter and ‘learning from doing’.

Learning and policy guidance: To channel lessons from field projects to support national and global learning and policy development around REDD+ with a particular focus on the importance of biodiversity and socio-economic approaches to REDD+.

Rewarding success: REDD+ reflects a move towards performance-based funding for conservation, a move that FFI supports to ensure that limited resources for conservation are deployed as effectively and efficiently as possible.

exchanges for community members and government decision-makers, such as the Philippines’ 2013 knowledge and empowerment workshop and Palawan field trip, have been notable successes.

Moreover, the requirement that all REDD+ projects adhere to a rigorous third party certification has helped FFI demonstrate our own high standards and support strengthening of these standards through active engagement with the relevant authorities.

REDD+ has also made it necessary, and desirable, to have more holistic teams at work on conservation, meaning that biologists and zoologists are now joined by foresters, socio-economic experts and remote sensing specialists.

This diversification has had a profound impact, in that it has increased our skill set, provided new perspectives and encouraged innovative solutions to long-standing problems.

Of course, the ultimate goal is biodiversity protection. Every REDD+ pilot project is helping to safeguard vital habitat, such as the peat swamp forests of Kalimantan that famously harbour Bornean orang-utans. Less familiar, but just as important, Kon

Tum Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands is home to a wealth of endangered fauna, including the greyshanked douc langur and recently discovered northern yellow-cheeked gibbon. Elsewhere, the remarkable biodiversity of the Southern Sierra Madre watershed in the Philippines includes several critically endangered tree species.

The impact of REDD+ is not confined to Southeast Asia, and FFI’s efforts in Africa are already bearing fruit. In Liberia, for example, a REDD+ initiative has provided funding to help establish a new nature reserve that will increase protection for endangered forest elephants, chimpanzees and pygmy hippos. Working with our local partners, we are already putting in place all the mechanisms needed to manage, monitor and protect the forest ecosystem.

REDD+ is a challenging and continually evolving concept, but so far the results justify the efforts. FFI is committed to ensuring that its enormous global potential as a mechanism for safeguarding forest-dependent biodiversity is fully realised.

www.fauna-flora.org | 31

Clea Newman Soderlund is the newly elected board chair for Fauna & Flora International (FFI) in the United States, but has been actively involved with FFI for over a decade, most recently as vice-chair.

A dedicated conservationist, Clea is passionate about protecting wildlife and about protecting the natural world in ways that improve people’s lives.

Adam Guy/SeriousFun Children’s Network

Her whole family is well known for its commitment to philanthropy, and Clea has been involved with many charities and initiatives over the years. FFI is a proud beneficiary of over US$1.35 million in Newman’s Own Foundation grants, and our programmes and partners around the world have benefited greatly from their support.

In 2012, Newman’s Own Foundation celebrated 30 years of philanthropy and over US$400 million in grants.

Clea is a long-time champion of the power of flexible funding, which helps organisations like FFI remain nimble and innovative. As well as directly supporting individual projects, Newman’s Own Foundation has encouraged others to give directly to FFI general operations by providing challenge grants to augment their contributions.

Clea sits on the boards of a number of not-for-profits, and serves as the Senior Director of External Affairs for SeriousFun Children’s Network, an organisation created for children with life-threatening illnesses and blood-related diseases.

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

How did you become interested in wildlife conservation, and what first attracted you to FFI? I grew up with a love of nature and the outdoors. As a child we lived by the river and woods and I spent much of my free time exploring and admiring the wildlife in our backyard. I also took up horse riding lessons at two years old and have been passionate about anything with hooves for as long as I can remember.

This passion has reinforced the connections I see between people, animals and our environment. I

32 | Fauna & Flora

Clea Newman Soderlund

became aware of Fauna & Flora International about 14 years ago when a very close friend asked me to join the newly formed American Board. I have been inspired by and involved with them ever since.

What aspects of FFI’s work with local communities appeal most?

I find FFI to be a truly remarkable and effective conservation organisation.

It stays tightly focused on its mission, and its entrepreneurial structure allows for quick and effective engagement on critical issues. As

FFI moves into its 111th year, working on tough conservation challenges through genuine partnership with others is central to the organisation.

I feel my investment in FFI is valuable because it finds opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives, while focusing on protecting our planet. FFI’s field teams have the right combination of expertise and organisational culture to help conserve our natural world in ways that are led and directed by local people. It is the best approach I have seen and it is long lasting.

who’s who

FFI

As the new board chair, what is your focus right now? What would you most like to help FFI achieve?

FFI has operated in the US for over a decade now and has a strong track record of success. We have focused on providing technical and financial support to a subset of FFI’s global portfolio – some of the endangered species and habitats we call our flagships. I feel the biggest opportunity now is for us to share our story and successes with more people, and it is very much on my mind. I am excited that well-known conservationist and legendary actress, Betty White, has joined FFI as honorary director. It was such fun brainstorming with Betty over breakfast a few months ago about ways to increase FFI’s visibility. She recognised immediately that more visibility for FFI would attract more people to get involved in protecting our planet. I cannot wait for her Public Service Announcement to come out and I am very grateful to this special lady.

Juan Pablo Moreiras/FFI

What do you think has fuelled FFI’s success and growth in the United States over the past decade?

I have always been supportive of FFI having a nimble structure in the US, so service delivery to the field remains its focus. It has been exciting to see our growth over the past decade and to work with a really talented board of directors who are all deeply committed to FFI’s mission. We have also been lucky enough to have a wonderful Executive Director, Katie Frohardt, who has been at the helm for 10 years and

Your family has an incredibly strong philanthropic legacy. What, or who, inspired you to continue this tradition and dedicate your career to the notfor-profit sector?

My parents played a major role in shaping my involvement in philanthropy. Indeed, they have entrusted my sisters and me with a strong philanthropic legacy and I find great pleasure in continuing it on their behalf. My father started Newman’s Own food company, from which all the profits go to charity, over 30 years ago.

We have been able to give away over US$400 million so far and still counting.

Everyone told him a food company giving all its profits to charity would never work, but when you are selling great products that are good for you, people respond. I think FFI is the same type of model; we are doing good work so people are inspired and dedicated because we don’t give up. My parents taught me the best lesson of all…one

person can make a difference and many can do even more!

Which FFI projects and people have made the biggest impression on you?

During my tenure on the board, I have enjoyed meeting so many of FFI’s talented staff. There are two people with whom I’ve had repeated contact over the years. One is Eugène Rutagarama, whose long-time work in Uganda, Rwanda and DRC to protect mountain gorillas is inspiring. I would love to visit Rwanda and accompany him on a trek to see the gorillas. The other is José Urteaga. It has been a pleasure to see FFI’s marine turtle programmes flourish under José’s leadership over the past decade. The programmes they have led are prime examples of inspiring, innovative and sustainable conservation that has achieved great results.

keeps us all in line. It is a joy to work with her and see more of FFI’s teams and partners get the benefit of everyone’s hard work. It is a dedicated group!

Clea with José Urteaga (left) and Eugène Rutagarama (right).

What would you say is the greatest financial challenge facing conservation organisations today?

I realise how important it is for supporters to be confident their contributions are having the greatest possible impact. With FFI, I have seen how a minimum of bureaucracy allows funds to immediately effect positive change for people, wildlife and wild places. FFI has enjoyed Charity Navigator’s top four-star ranking for many years, and we are proud of that status. Flexible funding, or unrestricted funding, helps FFI to be responsive during crisis, and to remain on the ground to help during restoration periods, which are crucial for biodiversity conservation and sustainability. The challenge is effectively communicating with supporters the importance of general funding to our FFI teams so they can do their amazing work.

www.fauna-flora.org | 33

Turning the tide A community united for its seas

“The sea around Scotland belongs to its people. Everyone has the right to travel on it, fish it, and share the benefit of its resources. This sea is an extraordinary place, boasting over 16,000 km of coastline, and home to some 8,500 species of animals and plants. This diversity creates what once was – and could be again – one of the most beautiful and commerciallyproductive seas on the planet.”

So begins the beautiful and inspiring film Caught in Time, which documents the rise and fall of industrial fishing, and its effects on marine ecosystems in the Firth of Clyde, on Scotland’s west coast.

Through stunning footage, the film offers a glimpse of life under the waves in Lamlash Bay on the Isle of Arran, and what we find is a world far richer than one might expect in the chilly waters of the United Kingdom.

Sea squirts, feather stars, sponges, soft corals and a variety of hydroids can be found here, as well as larger invertebrates such as the curled octopus. Basking sharks – the secondlargest fish on Earth – are also regular summertime visitors here.

But such diversity is not so typical of the Clyde today. This oasis of life in Lamlash Bay exists because of the efforts of the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST), a non-profit organisation that has fought long and hard to protect the area, and to demonstrate the benefits that such protection can bring.

34 | Fauna & Flora

An unwelcome legacy The Firth of Clyde was once one of Europe’s most productive fishing grounds, home to many commerciallyvaluable species, including haddock and cod. But as fishing technology advanced and destructive methods such as trawling proliferated, stocks began to decline rapidly.

The early 1970s saw the last significant landings of haddock, and by the late 1980s stocks of cod and other white fish had also collapsed. Today, the only fisheries that remain target bottomdwelling invertebrates and crustaceans, such as prawns and scallops. In the words of Howard McCrindle, an ex-fisherman from the Isle of Arran, “We got too clever too quickly.”

By Sarah Rakowski

An ecosystem in recovery In 1995, having witnessed these declines first-hand, two local divers joined forces with the community of Arran to form COAST. Their aim was clear: to reverse the downward trend in marine life around their island by creating a protected area that would allow ecosystems to recover.

One of the most striking features of this organisation is the level of backing it has received from the community.

Around a fifth of Arran’s inhabitants (over 1,600 people) are active supporters, including anglers, creelers and people from all walks of life.

In September 2008, after 13 years of campaigning, COAST and its supporters succeeded in securing Scotland’s first ‘no-take zone’ (an area closed to fishing) in Lamlash Bay – one of only three no-take zones in the UK and the first to have been community driven.

In the five years since its establishment, this protected area has begun to show signs of recovery. Seaweeds and basic animals have now re-colonised the seabed, providing stable settling points for eggs and a nursery habitat for small shellfish and juvenile fish.

partner profile

public support for marine protected areas, this in itself will not guarantee the future of Scottish seas.

The bigger picture Evidence from around the world indicates that no-take zones can benefit fisheries. As animals within the reserve reproduce, water currents can carry larvae and eggs into nearby fishing grounds, helping to restock these areas.

“Marine Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage are proposing that trawling and dredging be allowed to continue in many parts of Arran’s proposed protected area, which would limit its effectiveness and make regulations much harder to enforce.

In order for the benefits of Lamlash Bay no-take zone to be felt by fishers, however, more sustainable management is needed in the surrounding waters, where the damage from dredging and trawling is plain to see. Here, the sea floor is criss-crossed with furrows left behind by dredging, and little life remains.

The lack of bottom habitat means that any eggs or larvae drifting out of the reserve would have nowhere to settle, and juveniles would be afforded little protection.

“Our seas require both habitat protection and controls on fishing effort if they are to recover from years of mismanagement, and we are therefore campaigning to ensure that only sustainable methods such as creeling, angling and hand diving for scallops be allowed inside the new protected area.

In May 2012 the community submitted its proposal for a 282 km2 South Arran Marine Protected Area, and the following year the Scottish Government opened a public consultation on this and 32 other proposed marine protected areas. Of 1,300 responses received by COAST, 99% came out in favour of Arran’s marine protected areas.

Despite these positive results, much remains to be done, as COAST Marine Project Officer Andrew Binnie explains: “Although the consultation has demonstrated overwhelming

An unusual flagship COAST’s logo features an unusual motif. Pink and curly, it looks rather like coral but is in fact maerl – red seaweed forming brittle and spiky maerl beds that provide shelter for a range of other species.

Because it is slow growing and fragile, maerl is very vulnerable to damage from human activities, and its presence in Lamlash Bay was one of the key factors behind the designation of the no-take zone – evidence that a flagship species needn’t necessarily be cute and fluffy.

“COAST is a community organisation first and foremost. We want to see our seas managed sustainably for everyone’s benefit – not just commercial fishers but also recreational users and the wider island community.”

Beacon of hope Although many challenges remain, Lamlash Bay remains a beacon of hope that shows just how much people care about their marine environment, and what we can achieve if we work together.

The signs of recovery within the notake zone also suggest that we might really be able to turn back the clock, and once more see a Clyde that is as bountiful as it is beautiful.

Community of Arran Seabed Trust

COAST and its supporters have therefore been pushing for a larger protected area in the south of Arran to provide better protection for the surrounding marine environment.

Community of Arran Seabed Trust

One of the most striking features of this organisation is the level of backing it has received from the community.

Research by the University of York (supported by Fauna & Flora International) has found that the abundance of seabed animals and plants is two times higher within the no-take zone than outside, and notes that juvenile scallops have been over 300% more abundant in some years. The no-take zone has also been found to contain a greater abundance of larger, older lobsters, able to bear many times more eggs to re-seed the local area.

Caught in Time was produced by COAST. To watch the film, visit www.arrancoast.com

www.fauna-flora.org | 35

Courtesy of TV Land

Golden goals

Comedy legend and ardent conservationist Betty White, Fauna & Flora International’s first honorary director in the United States, reflects on her deepening involvement with the organisation and her determination to engage more people in wildlife and natural habitat conservation.

A passion for wildlife and wild places “I grew up with a love for nature and have been fascinated by wildlife all my life. If I had not made it in show business, I would have been a zookeeper or forest ranger. Back when I started out, girls could not be forest rangers. Now they can. A few years ago, the US Forest Service officially made me an honorary ranger, and I was deeply honoured. As far as being a zookeeper, I spend a great deal of time working at the Los Angeles Zoo where I enjoy many special moments with the animals and those who care for them.”

The appeal of Fauna & FIora International and its work “Over the years, thanks to my dear friend Karen Winnick, who serves as president of the Board of Zoo Commissioners of the City of Los Angeles and as a member of the Fauna

36 | Fauna & Flora

& Flora International (FFI) board of directors, I have become increasingly aware and fond of FFI and its work. It has been conserving wildlife and wild places for 110 years – by protecting animals and habitats, and helping to improve people’s lives and livelihoods. The fact that FFI values collaboration as a critical success factor is very appealing to me. I’ve supported a number of their field programmes and the Los Angeles Zoo, another of my long-time affiliations, has provided crucial support to FFI’s holistic approach to conserving Asian elephants for over a decade. For example, in Cambodia, where one of the largest populations of Asian elephants remains, FFI has been working hard to come up with creative solutions to keep it that way – monitoring elephants and protecting forests, working with local farmers to increase their crop yields and to keep these crops out of the pathways of elephants, reducing human-elephant conflict – creating a “win-win” situation for all.”

organisations. My affiliation with Rwanda and mountain gorillas – through the work of the Morris Animal Foundation and Ruth Keesling – instantly emerged as a shared experience. Through IGCP, FFI has invested a great deal in protecting mountain gorillas in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda amidst much civil unrest. I’m so happy to learn that 880 mountain gorillas are safe today. About 20 years back, their numbers were alarmingly low. Mountain gorillas are an amazing species. They depend on different parts of the forests to live – they love to eat the soft insides of bamboo. So, when people enter the forest illegally and cut down bamboo for their use, it threatens the gorillas. IGCP has been working with those living around the forests to provide access to other materials outside the parks with which they can build homes, secure fuel wood, and meet their needs while protecting the gorillas. This way gorillas, the habitat and people can live in harmony.”

Fondness for particular species and habitats “I have talked about Asian elephants but I’ve always had a soft spot for mountain gorillas. When I first met Katie Frohardt, FFI’s Executive Director and a passionate conservationist herself, I quickly realised that we had something important in common. She shared with me her time spent in postgenocide Rwanda where she directed the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), a longtime collaboration between FFI and other

Crucial connections “Nature is a complex web and all wildlife, their habitat and people are connected. And these connections matter. For example, hawksbill turtles are connected to mangroves, the mangroves are important to fisheries, and healthy fisheries are important to our food security. Such connections are readily available everywhere and what I want to do with FFI is to encourage many more people to make those connections and get busy with us to care for our natural world.”

Nature is a complex web and all wildlife, their habitat and people are connected.

supporting conservation

Habitat loss from clearing forests, poaching, disease and climate change are issues that require our sustained attention and action.

Paul Johnson/Nature Picture Library

The urgent issues confronting our natural world “There are many pressures on our planet and on wildlife. Habitat loss from clearing forests, poaching, disease and climate change are issues that require our sustained attention and action. For example, I heard that the saiga antelope was dying in large numbers – 12,000 of them in Kazakhstan in 2010. The saiga is already poached heavily for its horns and pelt.

I was able to support an immediate investigation and intervention through

my friends at the Morris Animal Foundation. Thanks to increased monitoring and wildlife management, the population of this important species is slowly increasing today. As in this case and so many others, I believe if we join together, we can make a positive difference in the health of our shared planet.”

Working together for the future of our planet “We know about the importance of collaboration. Well, I’ve been an

animal advocate for such a long time; my passion for, and work on behalf of, some of the world’s more endangered species – rhinos, gorillas, Asian elephants and beyond – aligns so well with what FFI does globally.

Just like animals, there are many endangered trees out there. I have my favourite tree – I call him George and I spend time watching him just outside my office. FFI has been working to save endangered trees through the Global Trees Campaign and this has really excited me.

Together, we hope to persuade greater numbers of people about the importance of protecting fauna and flora. With FFI, I plan to engage more people to care about the connections in nature. In fact, we are finalising a video and radio Public Service Announcement that we hope will do just this.”

www.fauna-flora.org | 37

Building on a strong foundation An imaginative partnership between Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and a renowned Swiss foundation has paved the way for a series of high-priority conservation initiatives that are set to deliver enormous, and lasting, benefits for threatened species and habitats.

Recognising the synergy between FFI’s approach to safeguarding global biodiversity and the institutional goals of Fondation Segré, which supports nature conservation, environmental, scientific and educational activities around the world, the respective organisations are collaborating to develop a globally significant portfolio of conservation projects.

The newly established Fondation Segré Conservation Fund at FFI has allocated a total of €6 million (US$8.3 million) over a five-year period, which will help FFI deliver meaningful and sustainable gains for some of the world’s most threatened wildlife and the landscapes on which it depends.

The fund has been designed to ensure maximum flexibility, allowing immediate response to current threats, but also offering resilience in the face of uncertain conditions in the future.

Projects will be afforded the very best chance of sustainability, while creating replicable models of conservation for the benefit of other projects and

38 | Fauna & Flora

Above: Sir David Attenborough and Claudio Segré in conversation at last year’s event to celebrate FFI’s 110th anniversary.

organisations. Project implementation will be a collaborative effort between FFI and in-country partners drawn from FFI’s extensive global network.

All these projects are designed to achieve multiple goals, delivering on-the-ground conservation that will have an immediate impact, as well as building appropriate local organisations and developing the human and financial capital that will enable them to sustain this success in the long term. It is intended that the founding projects will eventually be expanded to include other highpriority conservation areas and species.

The ‘Big Five’ – priorities of the Fondation Segré Conservation Fund at FFI Establish two new protected areas in Myanmar – one terrestrial and one marine – and safeguard the biodiversity of the wider landscape of the Tanintharyi region.

Protect wildlife in northern Kenya through three community conservancies (Sera, Melako and Pate Island) in partnership with the Northern Rangelands Trust and North Coast Conservation, supporting beisa oryx conservation, as well as the development and ongoing operations of the conservancies – with selfsufficiency the ultimate aim.

Support Chuilexi Conservancy in Mozambique’s Niassa Reserve, including development of the Misangese Concession and implementation of vital anti-poaching mechanisms to combat threats to existing wildlife.

Develop sustainable tourism in order to generate long-term revenue for Chuilexi, creating a blueprint for further tourism programmes throughout Mozambique and the region.

Secure the next generation of conservationists by empowering 170 young people, build a tangible skill set for promising conservation leaders, and support the institutional development of a series of emerging conservation organisations in developing countries.

FFI Chief Executive Mark Rose said, “Claudio Segré and the Foundation that he had the foresight to establish are enabling the development of a portfolio of conservation interventions that we know will result in positive outcomes for the natural world. Our partnership with Fondation Segré will enable us not only to protect species and habitats immediately, but also to achieve conservation successes well into the future. Claudio is now a vicepresident of FFI and will actively participate in our development.”

SPECIES PROFILE

Grandidier’s baobab Scientific name: Adansonia grandidieri Status: Endangered Geographical range: Endemic to Madagascar, where it is confined to scattered locations in the west of the island.

Grandidier’s baobab is the most heavily exploited of Madagascar’s baobabs.

Grandidier’s baobab is one of six baobab species found only on the island of Madagascar. With its massive cylindrical trunk and upside-down appearance, this extraordinary, iconic tree has an other-worldly quality that no doubt contributes to its enormous cultural and spiritual significance among local communities (see page 9).

In leaf from October to May, the tree bears spectacular white flowers between May and August. The large, dry fruits, produced in November and December, contain kidney-shaped seeds inside an edible pulp.

Grandidier’s baobab is the most heavily exploited of Madagascar’s baobabs. The seeds and vitamin-rich fruit pulp are eaten fresh. Cooking oil is extracted from the oil-rich seeds.

The long, fibrous strips of bark are made into rope. The spongy wood is removed in sheets and, once dried, sold for thatch.

The destruction and degradation of its dry, deciduous forest habitat constitutes by far the greatest threat to the survival of Grandidier’s baobab.

The tree’s ability to regenerate amid scrub and agricultural land is undermined by fires, overgrazing and competition from weeds.

Until recently, conservation of Madagascar’s endemic baobabs was not given the priority it deserved, with the result that at least three species, including Grandidier’s baobab, are now seriously threatened with extinction.

Action for baobabs Since 2009 the Global Trees Campaign has been working with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) partner, Madagasikara Voakajy, in order to help local communities conserve their Grandidier’s baobab trees. A species conservation strategy, designed to reduce the loss of mature baobabs and engage a range of stakeholders in replenishing their populations, is being implemented through a variety of complementary initiatives:

Richard Jenkins

Gill Shaw/FFI

Threats: Widely exploited for its fruit, seeds, bark and wood, but particularly threatened by conversion of its forest habitat into agricultural land, on which it has difficulty regenerating.

1

Working with protected area staff to conserve baobabs growing in nature reserves.

2

Involving local communities in patrols to increase protection for the trees.

3

Helping communities to secure official management rights to important areas of baobab forest near their village, thereby giving them a real stake in the forest’s future.

4

Establishing nurseries to grow baobab seedlings and involving schools and communities in planting out and caring for the seedlings.

In addition to boosting tree numbers, all these activities also help to raise awareness of the threats to baobabs and the need to manage them sustainably.

www.fauna-flora.org | 39

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

Keeping track of nature If you’ve ever seen footage of a scientist tramping through the wilderness wearing headphones and waving a large antenna above their head, chances are they are conducting a wildlife tracking study.

Known as telemetry in scientific circles, wildlife tracking really took off in the 1950s with the advent of radio-tracking technology. The intervening decades have seen further technological advances, from improved battery life and reductions in transmitter size to the introduction of satellite and GPS technology (see box).

Modern telemetry studies can reveal a remarkable amount about wildlife. Not only can they tell us about the location and movement of animals, they can also uncover a great deal about their daily and seasonal patterns, the type of habitat and food they prefer, and demographic information about social hierarchy, mortality and reproduction.

All this can be used to enhance conservation, particularly when combined with other information about ecosystems and land use. In Kazakhstan, for example, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and its partner, The Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan, carried out

40 | Fauna & Flora

Above: Radio tracking tends to rely on fieldbased staff to monitor and record every move that an animal makes.

a GPS telemetry study on migration patterns of the Critically Endangered saiga antelope.

The study confirmed that saiga herds do migrate across country borders, highlighting the need for transboundary cooperation to ensure their protection. Preliminary analysis has shown that in just one year a saiga on the Ustyurt is capable of wandering across a 40,000 km2 area, and suggests that infrastructure development can interfere with saiga movements.

Surprisingly, telemetry can work well for marine species too. In Nicaragua, FFI and partner ICAPO tagged 15 hawksbill turtles to learn more about their home range and where they go after nesting. This research confirmed the importance of Estero Padre Ramos (an FFI project area) as a year-round

By Sarah Rakowski

foraging site and highlighted the need for effective protected area management to secure the future of this Critically Endangered species.

Tracking studies can also provide useful insights into human interactions with wildlife. In Georgia, a telemetry study allowed researchers from FFI and partner NACRES to investigate predation of livestock by wolves, helping us understand the drivers of human-carnivore conflict in the region.

What’s the catch?

As might be expected, wildlife tracking does have its limitations. These range from the practical (e.g. cost, reliability and longevity of the technology) to the methodological (e.g. variations in the accuracy and precision of the data, and small sample sizes – particularly for rare or elusive animals).

in just one year an individual saiga on the Ustyurt is capable of wandering across an area of 40,000 km2.

tools of the trade

Tracking technologies There are ethical issues to consider as well, the first and most obvious of which is the impact of the study on the animals themselves.

To begin with, an animal must first be caught and restrained before it can be fitted with a transmitter or receiver, and this in itself carries inherent risks (see Fauna & Flora issue 17, ‘Tools of the trade’). Once fitted, the telemetry unit can pose a variety of difficulties for the animal, from stress (what is this thing around my neck?) to restricted movement, drag and snagging, and effects on predator-prey relationships.

Researchers also need to consider the opinions of local communities, and at the very least should explain their work to local stakeholders, as FFI’s Jenny Daltry discovered the hard way while radio-tracking pit vipers on a rubber plantation (see Fauna & Flora, issue 15, ‘Who’s who’).

Radio tracking is relatively cheap, and the units tend to be small and light. It is however more labour intensive and less accurate than GPS and satellite.

Satellite tracking Works in a similar way to radio tracking except that the signal is sent to a satellite (rather than a field-based researcher), which relays the information to a recording centre. Satellite tracking allows round-the-clock data collection and can be used for far ranging species.

Nevertheless, there is some concern about the potential for so-called ‘cyber poaching’. In 2013, The Times of India reported an unsuccessful attempt to hack into an email account that was receiving encoded GPS tracking data for a male Bengal tiger. Although the hack may not have specifically aimed to obtain this data, it nevertheless highlighted the need for vigilance.

GPS tracking Animals are fitted with a receiver that picks up signals sent by satellites and calculates the animal’s position. This information is then stored for retrieval or remote downloading. Like satellite tracking, GPS allows data to be collected remotely, around the clock.

This is the most accurate and precise technology and can allow data to be collected as frequently as every minute to within a fivemetre radius. On the other hand, GPS receivers tend to be heavier and do not last as long. Additionally, because GPS is more expensive, fewer animals are generally tracked which can compromise the statistical significance of the findings.

On the other hand, tracking devices can be an extremely useful part of antipoaching efforts and are often used to help rangers guard vulnerable wildlife.

At Ol Pejeta Conservancy, for example, radio tracking forms a vital part of security measures to protect the world’s last four remaining fertile northern white rhinos.

Poacher-proof technology?

A question that may be asked is whether radio-tracking devices can be used by poachers.

The answer is that, whilst theoretically possible, in practice it’s very unlikely as it would require poachers to obtain the equipment, learn how to use it, and then find out what radio frequency is being used for each animal – information that is jealously guarded.

As for GPS and satellite collars, the data can only be decoded using specialised software and collar-specific codes.

While it is not as precise as GPS tracking, it is more affordable.

Pieces of a puzzle Tracking technology has probably been the single greatest advancement to the field of wildlife biology and

conservation in modern times, offering researchers a clear picture of animal movements, behaviour and interactions. Field-based research, meanwhile, can add fine detail to this picture and give scientists a more intimate understanding of how a species lives.

Eventually, by pulling together many different strands of research, conservationists can start to understand the ecology of a species, and what is needed to protect it.

Right: Tracking devices provide vital information on the movements of marine species such as turtles.

Victor Medina

Giles Clark

Because species respond to these issues in different ways, it is important that researchers carefully assess the impacts of a telemetry study on their target animals before proceeding, and that they monitor health and behaviour carefully.

Radio tracking Animals are fitted with radio transmitters that send a signal to an antenna and receiver, usually carried by a researcher in the field.

The researcher can then home in on each signal and record the animal’s position, either manually or using an automated system.

www.fauna-flora.org | 41

FRINGE BENEFITS

Lions are by no means the only endangered species protected by conservation measures undertaken

by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and our partners in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the former cattle ranch that is now successfully managed for the benefit of wildlife and people.

Graham Eaton/Nature Picture Library

This gallery presented us with a dilemma.

Should we select images that reinforce the neglected nature theme, filling six pages with photos of endangered cave crickets and partulid tree snails?

Or should we risk undermining our message by reverting to feline eye candy in the shape of lions, snow leopards, Sumatran tigers and jaguars? Instead we hit upon the idea of featuring some of the arguably less familiar but undeniably photogenic species that continue to benefit from our work with these charismatic big cats in Africa, Eurasia, Asia-Pacific and the Americas.

Ian Aitken

Population crashes during times of severe drought or disease outbreak, followed by rapid recovery when conditions improve, are not unusual for the hartebeest. In recent decades, however, competition from cattle has contributed to an inexorable decline in subspecies such as Jackson’s hartebeest (above). The African wild dog (right) has disappeared from much of its former range, but a pack recently moved into Ol Pejeta and successfully reared a litter of pups. Now confined to Ethiopia and Kenya, Grevy’s zebra (opposite) has suffered one of the steepest declines in both range and population of any large African mammal. It is threatened primarily by increased livestock farming, which restricts access to grazing pasture and traditional watering holes.

42 | Fauna & Flora 13

Anup Shah/Nature Picture Library

gallery

www.fauna-flora.org | 43

Roland Seitre/Nature Picture Library

The harpy eagle (right) frequents uninterrupted expanses of lowland tropical forest. Whilst it can also hunt and nest within smaller patches of disturbed forest, the presence of humans in these areas increases its vulnerability to shooting. The Brazilian tapir (below) is equally susceptible to hunting and habitat loss. The long-term survival of both species is contingent on establishing a network of protected areas that are resistant to the twin threats of illegal logging and agricultural expansion.

Nick Garbutt/Nature Picture Library

In the Brazilian Amazon, FFI support for the forest protection initiatives of local partners including Cristalino Ecological Foundation has helped to safeguard 6,000 hectares of private reserves adjacent to Cristalino State Park, thereby ensuring its integrity. By protecting the park from the rapidly advancing tide of deforestation, we are securing vital habitat not only for flagship species such as the jaguar, but also for myriad other species adversely affected by forest fragmentation.

44 | Fauna & Flora

gallery

Mark Carwardine/Nature Picture Library

The sun bear (right), the world’s smallest bear, derives its name from the distinctive patch of paler fur on its chest. Largescale deforestation, illegal hunting and human-wildlife conflict have all taken their toll on this relatively poorly studied species. The habitat protection, antipoaching and human-wildlife conflict mitigation initiatives that help to protect Sumatra’s tigers are equally beneficial to the sun bear. The global population of the Critically Endangered Sumatran rhino (below) is believed to number fewer than 200 individuals. This species is the smallest and last of the two-horned, hairy rhinos. It is clinging precariously to survival in the few remaining areas of adequately protected and undisturbed rainforest such as Kerinci Seblat.

Anup Shah/Nature Picture Library

Kerinci Seblat National Park on the Indonesian island of Sumatra is one of the few protected areas in Asia where tiger encounter records indicate that numbers may actually be increasing. The Critically Endangered Sumatran tiger is by no means the only beneficiary of the heroic efforts of the FFI-supported Tiger Protection & Conservation Programme.

www.fauna-flora.org | 45

Karunakar Rayker

The Marco Polo sheep (right), a striking subspecies of the argali, is characterised by its heavy, spiralling horns, the longest of any sheep. Widespread commercial hunting is the principal threat to its longterm survival. The markhor (opposite), a large species of wild goat, is wonderfully adapted to its inhospitable mountain habitat. Excessive hunting for its meat and impressive horns has resulted in a precipitous decline in numbers. Like the Marco Polo sheep, it is an important prey species for the snow leopard.

The mountain weasel (below) is largely confined to alpine meadows, and is extremely susceptible to habitat degradation. It is particularly vulnerable to the agricultural control of the pika, its main prey.

Eric Dragesco/Nature Picture Library

FFI is helping to equip national park staff and local conservationists in Tajikistan with the additional skills and resources required to safeguard the country’s rich, but threatened natural heritage. This includes the breathtaking Zorkul Nature Reserve in Tajikistan’s Pamir Mountains, which harbours a globally important snow leopard population, as well as significant numbers of other, less familiar endangered species.

46 | Fauna & Flora

Eric Dragesco/Nature Picture Library

gallery

www.fauna-flora.org | 47

We need your support now

Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike…

Fauna&Flora The magazine of Fauna & Flora International

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Copyright © J.K. Rowling 2003

Neglected Nature Protecting the undervalued and overlooked

HELP FOR HERPS Ian Aitken

Turning the spotlight on reptiles and amphibians

THE TREE MUSKETEERS Intensive care for threatened megaflora

Support us by: Becoming a member Remembering FFI in your will Joining the FFI Friends group Making a one-off donation

THE LANDSCAPES THAT TIME FORGOT Eurasia’s natural treasures

KARST OF THOUSANDS Cave-dwelling creepy-crawlies in the limelight

™

Innovative conservation since 1903 www.fauna-flora.org

Issue 19 | July 2014