Fauna & Flora magazine Issue 6

FAUNA&FLOR A The magazine of Fauna & Flora International

Issue 6 – April 2004

Gallery

Reptiles

Interview

Lee Durrell

South-East Asia

Elephant conservation

Conservation in a post-conflict country

Liberia

From the CHIEF executive

Visit the FFI website at

www.fauna-flora.org ISSN 1475-9071 PRODUCTION TEAM Creative Director Copywriter/Editor Communications Officers Design & Production Printing

Juan Pablo Moreiras Tim Knight David Beamont Chris Loades www.zero-zero.com Publitia SL

CONTACT ADDRESSES Fauna & Flora International Great Eastern House Tenison Road Cambridge CB1 2TT United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1223 571 000 Fax +44 (0) 1223 461 481 Registered Charity Number 1011102 Fauna & Flora International, Inc. (US Operations) P. O. Box 42575 Washington, DC 20015-0575 USA Tel: ++1 202 329 1672 ffi-usa@fauna-flora.org A registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization EIN #04-2730954

Email feedback or comments about the magazine to: publications@fauna-flora.org

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Fauna & Flora – October 2003

Liberia – page 6

Fauna & Flora is printed on environmentally friendly recycled paper using soy-based inks

Cover image: Deep in the swamp forest of Liberia’s Sapo National Park. Inside cover: Sapo’s abundant plant life includes an impressive array of orchid species. Back cover: Cryptic colouring enables this orthoptera nymph to blend in with its forest surroundings. Opposite: Face-to-face encounter with a magnificent tusker in Sumatra’s Kerinci Seblat National Park, a vital habitat for south-east Asia’s threatened elephants.

(All photographs: Jeremy Holden / FFI)

Contents ISSUE 6 – APRIL 2004 Around the world

4

Cover story: Liberia — Post-conflict conservation

6

Project updates

SOCIETY NEWS

Fauna & Flora is the magazine of Fauna & Flora International and is published bi-annually in April and October.

These bi-annual meetings advance the implementation of the Convention among its 168 signatory governments. FFI helped shape the documents presented there, which built on the need to accommodate people within parks and acknowledged the fact that protected areas management must also address the conservation of biological diversity in the areas adjacent to park boundaries.

Both issues will be discussed at the forthcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress in Bangkok and IUCN should be congratulated for highlighting the protected areas issue as part of the Congress theme: ‘People and Nature-only one world’.

The conservation movement has failed to put the biodiversity case strongly enough in the past, but the Congress offers the perfect opportunity to drive home the message that conservation of biological diversity is key to advancing the sustainable development debate.

FFI’s centenary celebrations in December included high-profile fundraising events in London, Los Angeles and Hanoi, all of which were extremely well attended and hugely successful.

They provided the ideal springboard for FFI’s Centenary Appeal, which aims to raise $54 million over five years and, thanks to an overwhelming response from our supporters, is already almost one third of the way to its target.

Jeremy Holden / FFI

Fauna & Flora International acts to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, based on sound science and compatible with human needs.

During the past 12 months a great deal of attention has focused on protected areas and their role within conservation and society. At last year’s Vth IUCN World Parks Congress, FFI signed up to various documents, including the Durban Accord. Their prevailing theme was the affirmation that parks are not merely Mark Rose areas in which animals and plants are conserved, but also home to people whose needs deserve equal consideration in park management and planning. FFI firmly believes that conservation success is contingent on an ability to accommodate the needs of communities living in and around protected areas. Our work with the indigenous communities on the Nicaraguan island of Ometepe, which comprises two protected areas, epitomizes how FFI focuses on improving local livelihoods in order to promote conservation awareness and the sustainable use of biodiversity. FFI has adopted a similar approach in its ongoing work in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains.

Outcomes from the Congress were carried forward into the most recent Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties, held in Kuala Lumpur in February.

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Events

15

FFI Helps

16

BP Conservation Programme

17

Supporting FFI: Dr. Lee Durrell

18

Fundraising news

20

Spend & Save

23

South-east Asian elephant conservation

24

Project updates

27

Species profile: Javan hawk-eagle

29

Who’s who: José Urteaga

30

Gallery: Reptiles

32

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

3

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

Evan Bowen-Jones / FFI

Portugal

Spain Kyrgyzstan

Vietnam

Nicaragua Central Africa

Indonesia Brazil

Brazil

Portugal/Spain

Emergency land purchase in southern

Enthusiastic response to FFI appeal

Amazonia

of

generates vital funds to help secure a

Cristalino State Park (above) and helps

cross-border corridor of habitat for the

to protect the region’s exceptional

threatened Iberian lynx. (see Project

biodiversity. (see Project updates, page 12)

updates, page 14)

South Africa

UK

Kyrgyzstan

Programme and build on success of

Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative begins to

Plans hatched for global roll-out of

Funding from Sigrid Rausing Trust

Community & Business Forum. (see

implement first pilot project for conserva-

wildlive! service in the wake of its initial

enables FFI to extend its Small Grants

Project updates, page 13)

tion farm planning on private land. (see

success at home. (see Project updates,

Project updates, page 13)

page 14)

Nicaragua

Central Africa

FFI commences work to improve local

First census of Virunga Volcanoes Region

livelihoods on Ometepe, the world’s

since 1989 (below) reveals 17% rise in

largest freshwater island. (see Project

mountain gorilla population. (see Project

updates, page 28)

updates, page 12)

the

integrity

Indonesia Undercover operation by FFI team results in first-ever arrest of high-ranking official for tiger trafficking in Sumatra. (see

South Africa

Juan Pablo Moreiras / FFI

ensures

Juan Pablo Moreiras / FFI

the world

AROUND 4

UK

Project updates, page 27)

Global FFI coordinates global survey of tree conservation status in preparation for Red Listing of rare and threatened species. (see FFI helps, page 27)

Vietnam Biodiversity

assessments

linked

to

FFI’s Global Trees Campaign reveal key population of endangered conifer in Hoang Lien Mountains. (see FFI helps, page 16)

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

5

Since 1997 FFI has made Liberia the central pillar of its West African programmes.Throughout the country’s turbulent recent history, a dedicated team of FFI and partner conservationists – both local and international – has consistently risked life and limb to ensure that Liberia’s threatened forests and biological resources receive the urgent attention they so richly deserve.This report provides an insight into Liberia’s globally important biodiversity and charts some of the milestones in FFI’s relationship with a country

Liberia

in crisis.

conservation in a post-conflict country Text by Jamison Suter Photographs by Jeremy Holden 6

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

7

Liberia’s Forests and Biological Resources 2

The Republic of Liberia covers 111,369 km on the West African coast, entirely within the humid Upper Guinean Forest Ecosystem, a rainforest belt stretching from the Dahomey Gap of western Togo to the semi-deciduous rainforest of eastern Sierra Leone. Liberia contains two of the three remaining large blocks of Upper Guinean rainforest: the LofaGola-Mano block in the north-west contiguous with Sierra Leone (but mostly in Liberia) and the southeast Liberian block. The third block consists of Taï National Park and its surrounding forests, which are essentially a continuation of the south-east Liberian block (See Map).

In 1992 the Liberian portion of the remaining Upper Guinean rainforest was estimated at 42%. Elsewhere this forest consists mainly of scattered fragments. In 1999, scientists identified Liberia as the country with the greatest potential and highest priority for biodiversity conservation in humid West Africa.

Botanical knowledge of Liberia is poorer than in any other Upper Guinean country, but during ten days in late 2002 botanists at Sapo Park sampled 353 higher-level plant species, of which 78 were endemic to the Upper Guinean Forests and six new to science. Such a level of undiscovered species is extraordinary today in continental Africa.

Liberia’s forests are home to exceptionally diverse fauna, with high rates of endemism and many species that are nearly extinct outside the country. They harbour approximately 125 mammal species, 590 bird species, 74 known reptiles and amphibians and over 1,000 described insect species. Notable wildlife includes a few of the remaining significant populations of forest elephant in West Africa (Loxodonta africana cyclotis) and several viable populations of the pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis), as well as rare forest deer species and

the exceptionally rare Liberian mongoose (Liberiictis kuhni).

There are large primate populations, including the Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana), the red colobus (Procolobus badius) and the western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus). A survey of the forests of the middle Cestos and Senkwehn rivers in early 1999 found dozens of endangered bird species, some of them previously deemed locally extinct or not known from Liberia.A faunal monitoring programme established at Sapo National Park in 2001 quickly confirmed it as one of the least disturbed forests in all of West Africa.

In Liberia as a whole, however, fragmentation and disturbance have been advancing rapidly since 1997.

Historically, the principal cause of forest loss was subsistence agriculture (slash and burn agriculture), followed by logging, mining, settlement and fire.

In recent years the role of forestry in forest disturbance has increased dramatically. It is primarily responsible for road development, opening previously undisturbed forests to other forms of disturbance. In 2002 forestry represented Liberia’s most important commercial activity, responsible for 5060% of foreign exchange and 26% of Gross Domestic Product.

Forests are a source of subsistence, economic activity and cultural identity for Liberians. In rural areas, they are a source of medicines, construction materials, fuel, food and commodities to sell for cash.They are a place of great spiritual and cultural importance, and figure deeply in most Liberians’ psyches.The traditional sandé and poro (secret) societies, hugely important to rural Liberians, revere and carry out their rites in sacred groves and rivers.

Forest management has traditionally favoured Monroviabased commercial interests, especially forestry, at the expense of rural Liberians’ welfare and rights and conservation. Rural Liberians have, at best, benefited marginally and at times

been harmed by logging, as well as other concessionary permits (mining, plantations, hunting) awarded in Monrovia.

External groups have tended to appropriate for their own benefit timber, bushmeat and other forest products, or minerals found under the forest. This culminated in the 1990s and again recently in armed rebel groups fighting for control of forests and forested land in order to exploit them to support their insurgencies.

FFI’s Liberia Programmes

FFI has played a crucial role in restarting management at Sapo National Park, until recently Liberia’s only fully protected area, working through the Liberian Forestry Development

Authority (FDA) and its Liberian NGOs, with support from the UK and USA. In 2001 FFI and its Liberian partners established a biological monitoring programme at the park, since used throughout south-east and central Liberia to identify areas worthy of national park and nature reserve status.

FFI is leading in-country activities of the Liberian National Forest Re-assessment project.This four-year initiative (2001-4) combines satellite imagery analyses/GIS, field surveys and protected forest policy review to develop recommendations for reclassifying Liberia’s protected forests. It seeks to balance commercial use of forests with conservation and communal/ subsistence uses, and represents the most comprehensive source of information on Liberia’s forests since the 1970s.

Previous spread: River Farmington, Liberia.

Opposite: Liberia’s forests support significant populations

of the western chimpanzee.

Above: Indiscriminate and illegal logging represents the

greatest threat to Liberia’s wildlife.

Left: Recent botanical surveys in Liberia have revealed

incredible plant diversity.

E.C. Global Vegetation Monitoring Unit - Space Applications Institute, Ispra, Italy

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Next spread: (above) One of the 74 amphibian and reptile

Forest cover, Guinea to Nigeria, as of 1999. Dark green is closed canopy forest, medium green is disturbed but moderately intact

species already described – with many more to follow;

forest, light green is secondary vegetation (not forest) while light brown and white areas are cropland, savanna or other non-

(below) Communal forests will allow communities to manage

forested areas. The three principal forest blocks – (1) Lofa-Gola-Mano, (2) south-east Liberia, and (3) Taï-Haut Dodo – are circled.

their own natural resources.

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

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A brief history of conflict in Liberia rom 1990-96 Liberia suffered a brutal civil war that killed almost 10% of the population, displaced over half of it, and destroyed the economy. By 1991 the main warring groups were splintering into rival factions that vied for territorial control. One aim of controlling land was to exploit its natural resources, principally timber, diamonds, gold and rubber. Proceeds from natural resource sales not only enriched faction leaders but paid for them to continue fighting.

In late 1996 a peace agreement came into effect that led to democratic elections. Charles Taylor became president in 1998.

Political stability improved until 2000, when a complex civil war in Sierra Leone, allegedly supported by President Taylor, spilled into Liberia’s north-west. By March 2003 the nation had descended into anarchy. Rebel groups gained control of the country’s two forest blocks including its prime logging forests and conservation areas. FFI suspended field activities in April 2003 and, on 9th June, suspended all in-country projects and programmes.

As early as December 2000, the United Nations Security Council debated imposing sanctions on Liberian timber products' in response to allegations by watchdog NGOs, subsequently supported by UN Expert Panel Reports, that Liberia’s timber exports provided extra-budgetary revenue to an elite supporting the civil conflicts in Sierra Leone, and later possibly in southern Guinea and western Côte d’Ivoire. In May 2003, the UN Security Council imposed a total ban on the import of ‘timber products originating in Liberia’ beginning the following July.

As part of an internationally brokered peace process, President Taylor stepped down in August 2003. A peace agreement was soon concluded involving handing over power to a National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) in mid-October. This was led by an independent chairman and vice-chairman selected by the main warring groups, including the Taylor Administration, and by Liberian civil society. At the same time, international peace-keepers began arriving in Liberia. Soon the UN Security Council approved the largest peace-keeping force in UN history: the UN Mission in Liberia, dubbed ‘UNMIL’.

As of early 2004, UNMIL was still being deployed across the country. FFI formally restarted its Monrovia-based operations in November 2003, with field activities to start in a given area once UNMIL troops are deployed, disarmament and demobilization of fighters completed and the area has remained peaceful for at least one month.

FFI is now using its local knowledge and experience to advise NTGL and the international community on environmental-related post-conflict reconstruction issues, including forest sector reform and timber sanctions. At the same time, FFI has restarted its own operations and is providing basic humanitarian and moral support to its staff and in-country partners who suffered terribly during the crisis.

F

FFI contributed extensively to the recent UN Needs Assessment, carried out to plan national reconstruction for the country, to United Nations Environment Programme´s Desk Study on the Environment in Liberia, and to Liberia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. For many years, FFI has advised donors, diplomatic agencies, the Taylor Administration and now the Transitional National Government on strengthening forest management in Liberia.

In 2001 FFI became the first international environmental NGO to set up an office in Liberia since the 1980s.

Today it remains the only one with significant in-country field programmes. Whilst FFI has played a crucial role in Liberia, the work has been executed almost entirely by partner agencies. These include the FDA, the Ministry of Planning & Economic Affairs, the National Environmental Commission, Liberian NGOs such as the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia, SAMFU, GECOMSA, as well as international NGOs including Conservation International, WWF, Catholic Relief Services and, in the future, Mercy Corp.

Next Steps FFI intends to: · Support management of existing parks and reserves such as Sapo National Park and the Liberian Nimba Nature Reserve; · Pilot the establishment of communal forests, a legally protected forest type guaranteeing communities control of traditionally used forests that they co-manage with FDA and maintain under permanent forest cover; · Support forest policy reform and capacity building of the FDA and Liberian civil society in the context of forest sector reform and national reconstruction; · Build on the accomplishments of the National Forest Re-assessment project, including developing recommendations for updating the Liberian protected forest network and refining criteria to incorporate forest management concerns into national land-use planning; · Support the establishment of the fledgling Liberian Environmental Protection Agency and possibly a Liberian data management agency, and · Refine information and raise awareness within Liberia and internationally of the importance of its forests, wildlife and biological diversity.

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Fauna & Flora – April 2004

Conservation in conflict and post-conflict zones: Lessons learnt from Liberia 1. The availability of flexible funds is crucial to take advantage of opportunities in real time.

2. Long-term knowledge of the country and a long-term perspective for environmental conservation are key to weathering periods of conflict and post-conflict.

3. The challenge of post-conflict situations also represents a rare opportunity to reform the root causes of environmental problems.

4. In Liberia, reforming forest management broadly speaking, and not just forestry, is crucial. Forest sector reform needs to balance commercial, communal and conservation-related forest use, in order to prevent the re-emergence of past problems. The success of forest sector reform is contingent on broader reforms in Liberian society and governance.

5. It is essential to ensure that political agendas and pressures do not overpower technically sound programmes.

6. Transboundary protected areas can help support areas from neighbouring countries in times of crisis and rebuild management post-crisis.

7. Investments in personnel and institutional capacity of local partners contribute to the long-term sustainability of conservation efforts. Such investments cannot be stolen.

For further information, contact FFI’s Africa Programme at africa@fauna-flora.org

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

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LANDSCAPE-LEVEL CONSERVATION IN SOUTHERN AMAZONIA

the kind of conflict between immigrant settlers and indigenous groups witnessed in the northern state of Roraima. At a global level, it could help to reduce the drastic effects of continued large-scale forest loss.

Evan Bowen-Jones / FFI

In December 2003 FFI carried out a strategic emergency land purchase in Brazilian southern Amazonia, in partnership with the Cristalino Ecological Foundation with funding from a private investment trust. This purchase, although small, 17% RISE IN GORILLA POPULATION effectively secures the 118,000 ha Cristalino State Park. A The first mountain gorilla census in the Virunga Volcanoes Brazilian conservation priorities workshop in 1999 placed this Region since 1989 has revealed a 17% population increase to region within the highest priority category for conservation an estimated 380 individuals. This has been achieved against a due to its high levels of backdrop of intense regional endemism and rich diversity instability, the Rwandan of vegetation and habitats, as genocide, which took the well as the huge urgency lives of more than 750,000 with which this area needs to people, and continued be protected given the sheer conflict in the Democratic pressure from smallholders, Republic of Congo, where logging interests and large over 3.5 million people cattle ranchers. Deforestation are believed to have been killed since 1998. rates have quadrupled since Historically, the Virunga the Rio Convention was mountain gorillas have been signed, with soya bean plantations threatening even threatened by poaching, greater environmental devashabitat loss resulting from tation in an area that supports population pressures and civil unrest, and the spread over 450 bird species. The of disease. Conservation region’s exceptional biodiefforts initiated by the Interversity is due to its being situated in the transition national Gorilla Conservation zone between the cerrado Programme (IGCP) and its grassland and the Amazon partners, such as transforest. It also lies between boundary collaboration, two of the Amazon’s major ranger-based monitoring, tributaries, which prevents community development, the dispersal of certain anti-poaching activities and species.Thus, animals such as Above: A female snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) perched by habitat conservation, are the white-whiskered spider a jungle stream in Brazil; these birds feed on aquatic snails helping the mountain gorillas monkey (Ateles marginatus) are with their acutely hooked beaks. to make a comeback. found nowhere else on earth.

“IGCP is very happy indeed FFI now plans to capitalize on its investment by working with with the result of this mountain gorilla census,” says Eugène local partners to assess the potential for community forest Rutagarama, IGCP Director. “It shows that with sustained efforts, management that could provide income to farmers and conservation bodies can preserve the mountain gorilla from extinction. thereby encourage them to maintain the forest rather than However, we are not blinded by this good achievement.We have to be selling to outside interests. On a regional level, this could avert vigilant because the major threat to gorillas, the human pressure and

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Fauna & Flora – April 2004

AGULHAS BIODIVERSITY INITIATIVE The Agulhas Plain (270,000 ha) constitutes one of the largest extant storehouses of lowland fynbos and renosterveld habitats in the world. Located in the Cape Floristic Region Hotspot, the area is a globally significant repository of biodiversity, recognized for its high irreplaceability and vulnerability. In 2000 South African National Parks and FFI developed the Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative (ABI) to mitigate threats to the Agulhas Plain’s lowland fynbos habitats. In 2003 ABI received a Global Environment Facility (GEF)/UNDP grant of US$ 3.2 million and co-financing of US$ 8.5 million and was launched

by GEF at the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban.

ABI aims to implement a landscape-level conservation management system for the Agulhas Plain that ties management of a mosaic of protected areas on public and private lands with production systems on neighbouring farmsteads, in particular sustainable wild fynbos harvesting and nature-based tourism.

In recent years, the ABI team has developed a strategy to increase the land under conservation, combining land purchase, contractual and management agreements with private landowners and establishment of conservancies. Through its Arcadia Fund, FFI has recently committed significant funds to purchase one of the highest priority wetland systems.

ABI’s innovative cross-sectoral approach to conservation management involves enhancing multi-stakeholder partnerships, ensuring better integration with regional development strategies, improving benefit sharing arrangements and the creation of conservation incentives that improve prospects for sustainability. The ABI team is working very closely with the municipalities, the provincial Department of Agriculture and

Juan Pablo Moreiras / FFI

Pu

roject pdates

related illegal activities, remains. Unless we continue to consolidate the partnership that IGCP has built with local communities, the gorilla population will remain under the same threats”.

Conducted in September and October 2003 in collaboration with the park authorities from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the census was supported by IGCP, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation, Berggorilla und Regenwald Directhilfe, Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Six teams traversed the entire Virunga gorilla habitat range, searching for signs of gorilla groups. Every gorilla makes a fresh nest in which to sleep each night, and the location of nests, in conjunction with actual mountain gorilla sightings, was used to establish the number of individuals in each group.A total of 100 team members participated in the census, drawn from the staff of the protected area authorities and their partners.

Combined with the 2002 Bwindi census results – which established the population in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park at approximately 320 – this census indicates that the world population of mountain gorillas is now at least 700.

Since completing the latest census IGCP has documented at least four more mountain gorilla births.

Above: Fynbos habitat in the Cape Agulhas region.

private landowners to develop a comprehensive model that integrates conservation concerns across the productive sectors.

As a result of this work, ABI has initiated the first pilot project on conservation farm planning on private land.

One of the core components of ABI is the establishment of biodiversity businesses based on the sustainable harvesting of wild fynbos in collaboration with Flower Valley Conservation Trust. The team is pioneering strategic interventions combining an international certification scheme, capacity building and a marketing strategy that will help to increase the profitability of fynbos harvesting. Increased economic incentives are encouraging landowners to contribute to biodiversity conservation by retaining land under wild fynbos, rather than converting it to other land uses.

SUPPORTING COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN KYRGYZSTAN FFI is pleased to announce that the Sigrid Rausing Trust has provided funding for a new phase of the Small Grants Programme (SGP) a component of the highly successful Community & Business Forum (CBF) profiled in Issue 5 of Fauna & Flora (pp 6 – 12). The new phase will build upon past achievements by following up existing projects and providing an opportunity for new applicants to participate in the programme.

The CBF is supporting and engaging with a wide range of NGOs, businesses and protected areas within Kyrgyzstan, and its success is increasingly recognized at international level. However, the CBF team is working at full capacity to deliver its current portfolio and a significant investment in the organization is clearly required to accommodate any future expansion of its activities. Fortunately FFI has been able to enlist the support of the Christensen Fund, which has agreed to fund a project in 2004 specifically aimed at developing the capacity of the CBF. The project will implement activities aimed at developing and strengthening the institutional, staff and resource capacities of the CBF and enable it to operate in a transparent and effective manner in the long-term. The ultimate aim is to put in place the necessary institutional mechanisms and plans, knowledge, skills and resources required to support sustainable expansion

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

13

S O C I E T Y

PROJECT

LINKS

FFI staff and supporters are pulling together to raise support for the Iberian lynx. The response to the fundraising appeal launched in December 2003 demonstrated the strength of support for work in this field. The generosity of the many contributors to the fund was matched by key donors, including the Nando Peretti Foundation, the Arcadia Fund and Wild Invest, who approved project funding applications.

These funds are vital to the implementation of FFI’s strategy for the Iberian lynx. The strategy, which aims to complement and build upon the activities of others in both Portugal and Spain, will secure a cross-border corridor of habitat under favourable management for this threatened cat. The corridor will allow for the expansion and reconnection of isolated lynx populations and for the secure reintroduction of captive-bred individuals.

The planned corridor stretches from Espinhaço de Cão in Portugal to the Sierra Morena in Spain.The primary aim is to prioritize and bring key areas of habitat under long-term conservation management through the development of management agreements and plans with local land management organizations and landowners.

Initial focus has been on Portugal, where a partnership has been formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between FFI and the Liga Para A Protecção Da Natureza (LPN), a leading Portuguese conservation NGO. A full-time project officer has been employed and the first meeting of a new lynx programme advisory group has been organized to drive the strategy forward.

Efforts are also being made to complete an assessment of the key areas for lynx in the first target area, the Serra Do Caldeirão region. It is anticipated that dialogue with landuser groups concerning the development of conservation management agreements will commence soon and the first areas will be secured in summer 2004.

MOBILE

AND INTERNET USERS FLOCK TO ANSWER THE CALL OF THE WILD

Launched at FFI’s centenary dinner at the Natural History Museum on 11th December last year, wildlive! is already establishing itself as the most novel way to keep in touch with, and support, the global conservation effort.

Funded by the Vodafone Group Foundation and developed in partnership with Vodafone UK, the wildlive! concept takes

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Fauna & Flora – April 2004

BAT BIODIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP EVENT

Below: A step in the right direction for the Iberian lynx.

John Cancalosi / Ardea

STRONGER IBERIAN

full advantage of the very latest in fixed and mobile communications technologies. A fully featured community website is freely available and members can engage in conservationbased discussions, view FFI photo galleries, read the latest conservation news, access live field diaries and interact with members with similar interests and views.

And for those on the move, there’s no need to be out of touch - Vodafone live! customers in the UK can access news, field diaries and discussion summaries directly via their mobile phones. They can also download high quality FFI images, purchase animal-sound ringtones and play ‘Silverback’, designed by FFI and believed to be the first mobile phone conservation game of its kind.

Due to the success of wildlive! in the UK both in terms of visitor numbers and income generated - Vodafone passes on 100% of sale proceeds to FFI - there are plans to roll out the service globally over the next few months.

Visit wildlive! at www.wildlive.org

Since 2000 FFI has been working in partnership with Earthwatch Institute (Europe), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Tropical Biology Association, and British American Tobacco, helping the countries in which the partners operate to meet their obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Today the BAT Biodiversity Partnership is active in over 40 countries across five continents, undertaking species and habitat conservation initiatives, awareness raising, capacity building, and biodiversity research. In February the Partnership held an International Stakeholder Reporting Event in Nairobi, Kenya. The event was preceded by a one-day workshop that examined the implementation of the CBD and shared best practices on managing and measuring biodiversity conservation impacts.

The two-day event was attended by over 100 delegates, including representatives from several African NGOs, universities, Kenyan museum departments and Dr. Newton Kulundu MP, Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife. The programme included plenary talks by established conservation practitioners on global and regional biodiversity issues, lively break-out discussions, and presentations by Partnership representatives including John Mason of Earthwatch, who focused on local community involvement in wetland conservation in Ghana, and Patrick

BATBP

events

updates

of the CBF, thereby ensuring a more secure future for the organization and enabling it to expand its activities and sphere of influence within Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia.

N E W S

Above: FFI Chief Executive, Mark Rose, outlines the progress of the BAT

Biodiversity Partnership.

Rose, who spoke about the BAT Uganda Biodiversity Initiative.

The diverse group of participants looked at the strengths and weaknesses in the business-NGO collaboration, before examining ways to improve collaboration and maximize the benefits of such partnerships. It was clear from the debate that tangible benefits could be derived from cross-sectoral partnerships, and participants generated numerous ideas that could be taken forward as the Partnership evolves.

“This Partnership is a good example of cross-sectoral collaboration addressing a common issue affecting many sectors. It is indeed a major effort towards contributing to

Kenya’s efforts in conserving biodiversity”, said Dr. Newton Kulundu. “Biodiversity is so central to the continuance of life on the planet that only by working together and engaging the wide range of skill, capacities and resources of different sectors can humanity have the best possible chance of heading off environmental catastrophes”.

The event summarized the achievements of the Partnership and lessons learned since its inception in 2000, and profiled the importance of cross-sectoral partnerships in delivering biodiversity conservation management. A full report of the meeting is available at the BAT Biodiversity Partnership website: www.batbiodiversity.org

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

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FFI helps Expansion of community-based conservation in Vietnam

Jeremy Holden / FFI

Above: Hmong women, Nha Nheo village. Below: Mantid sp. Nha Nheo, Vanban.

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

find was a wild population of the conifer Taiwania crypteromeroides, a species previously only known from Taiwan and one area on the border between China and Myanmar. The conifer Fokenia hodgsonii has been overexploited in the region, mainly for export across the border to China.As its use is gradually restricted, alternative forms of rural income need to be found. A survey of the use of nontimber forest products has been another important part of the project. Over 1000 plant and insect species have been recorded in local use for medicines, food, dyes, betel chewing and a whole host of other purposes. More work is needed to assess the potential of promising species for income generation. Past and present management, tenure and land-use of the Red Dao, H’mong and Tay people have been investigated through a combination of interviewing and participatory mapping, in order to understand local

perception of the management and ecology of vegetation and soils, especially in relation to the production of thao qua, a member of the ginger family. Awareness raising has been an important component of the project.

Conservation stewardship agreements have been developed and distributed during village festivals of forest protection in the target communities.

FFI’s work with its local partners has been very important in laying the foundations for the long-term conservation of the Hoang Lien Mountains.

The Darwin Initiative project has helped to leverage funding from the EU for a larger project, Community-based Conservation of the Hoang Lien Son, which works in three provinces: Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Son La. The project goal is:‘To assist communities to maintain the cultural and biological diversity of the Hoang Lien Son mountain forests within an appropriate cross-provincial legal and policy framework’.

Xuehua Liu, PhD

SPREADING IN CHINA

THE CONSERVATION MESSAGE

The BP Conservation Programme recently supported China’s biggest ever training event for conservation students, held at the country’s leading science university. Participants said the course has fired their enthusiasm for new conservation projects and they have since set up ‘Noah's Ark’, a China-wide consortium of ‘green’ students with a common aim: to encourage each other in the nurturing of China’s rich yet fragile biodiversity.

The programme works globally to help conservationists of the future through training initiatives, awards and support to students.

The programme and its partners - FFI, BirdLife International, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation International and BP - collaborated with Tsinghua University's Biodiversity Alliance to provide workshops that will equip Chinese conservation students with the knowledge and techniques needed to become the next generation of specialists in the field.

More than 40 students from 22 Chinese universities participated in the seven-day programme and some of them have already been able to implement conservation projects proposed during the week, thanks to funding received via the course.

The participants met representatives from conservation NGOs in China, learned about natural resource management and sustainable development techniques and discussed issues such as Chinese medicine and the issue of wildlife trade in the context of conservation.The course also highlighted the careers and opportunities that exist in the field of biodiversity conservation and how to attract media and public interest in projects.

“It was a really special experience for me to take part in the biodiversity training,” said student Jiayu Cai from Shanghai. “The task of protecting biodiversity is not only about 40 students; it is the duty of

Above: Xuehua Liu, PhD, (Associate Professor, Department of

Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing) lecturing on wildlife habitat. Below: successful cooperation between Tsinghua and BPCP & BP-China.

Xuehua Liu, PhD

Jeremy Holden / FFI

Vietnam’s Hoang Lien Mountains are recognized nationally and internationally as a biologically and ethnically diverse landscape and an area of critical biological importance. Unfortunately, as a result of economic development and population expansion the natural forests of the Hoang Lien have become fragmented and wildlife populations depleted. Through the implementation of a Darwin Initiative project, Community-based Conservation of the Hoang Lien Mountain Ecosystem Project, FFI has been working with the Forest Protection Department of Lao Cai province to assist local communities in maintaining the biological diversity of the Hoang Lien Mountains.

The project has successfully carried out baseline biodiversity assessments essential for protected area planning.

One specific focus has been on conifers, linking the project to the Global Trees Campaign.A very surprising

16

BP Conservation Programme

all human beings.There is a Chinese saying that one spark can fire the wide grassland.What we should do is take the knowledge from the course to our universities and our cities so that more and more people recognize the importance of biodiversity protection.We are only the seed.”

Many of the students who took part are likely to become pioneers in the fight to protect China’s wildlife.The country is rich in biodiversity with approximately one tenth of the total number of species in the world: “China holds many rare and endemic species, but unfortunately it is estimated that up to 20% are close to extinction,” said Professor Xuehua Liu, training coordinator. “The training participants are now enthusiastic to start working to help prevent such losses.”

For more information on the BP Conservation Programme visit http://conservation.bp.com

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

17

Supporting FFI Dr. Lee Durrell with her animals, plants, forests, lakes, landscapes and people. The ecological tragedies unfolding there are profoundly sad, but we can now look to some triumphs thanks to the work of a lot of dedicated people, both Malagasy and non-Malagasy. As well as coordinating the Trust's Madagascar Programme, I was much involved with the Madagascar Fauna Group, an international consortium of zoos working to avert Madagascar's biodiversity crisis.

You've also helped influence the development of new overseas projects for the Trust. What philosophy or outlook guides your approach to furthering and developing conservation?

My philosophy derives from an old mantra used by Gerry. He said: “Where animals should be bred is in their countries of origin”, and he went on to set up our international training centre, which transfers expertise in endangered species

How did you first become involved in conservation?

I saw a television programme on ecology when I was a teenager.

It was the first time I'd heard the word ‘ecology’, and it embraced everything I was interested in and believed in at the time (and still do!).

How did you become involved with FFI and when?

I became a Member of Council of FFI in 1986, but long before that I had a great respect for the organization and knew the people involved, through my late husband, Gerald Durrell, who had worked with FFI for many years.

FFI is now 100 years old. Which landmarks do you consider the most significant?

Operation Oryx, which began in 1962 to prevent the extinction of the Arabian oryx by captive breeding and later release back to the wild, was certainly a milestone, because it

18

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

demonstrated that zoos play a vital role in conservation.

Similarly, 1972 was important because it was the year FFI and the then Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust jointly hosted the first international conference for the breeding of endangered species. There have been six such conferences since, each revealing the evolving role of zoos in conservation. The establishment of the Arcadia Fund in 1999 is also a significant landmark, as it secures threatened habitats and their species in such a way as to bring all stakeholders to the table and keep them working together.

breeding and management to people from the bio-rich countries. Thus my philosophy is that conservation happens ‘at home’, and we must aid and guide its development, using our zoo in Jersey and our staff in every way possible – breeding, research, training, population and habitat management, awarenessraising, fund-raising and policy-making – to ensure that wild populations of endangered species become viable again.

We work at that delicate interface between ‘captivity’ and ‘wild’ which I am convinced is going to become more and more important in species conservation.

conservation, both foreigners and nationals, deal with it. Usually it is not appropriate for foreigners to become involved in politics, and so it is best for us to keep our heads down, unless, of course, we have friends in high places and can call upon them judiciously. If there is real turmoil, there is little to be done except wait it out, as the politicians and the people have other things on their minds than their country's biodiversity. During the good times, it behoves us to seek out and make the most of conditions that will enhance conservation, such as legislation favourable to improving natural resources management, a pro-training, proeducation government and opportunities for high profile action by politicians.

The lead article in this issue focuses on conservation in Liberia – a country that has experienced severe political turmoil. How does a country's political environment influence conservation?

What lessons have you learned whilst working in conservation?

The political environment can either assist or hamper conservation, depending on how we, the practitioners of Juan Pablo Moreiras / FFI

James Morgan

An interview with Dr. Lee Durrell, Honorary Director of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

To think widely, listen well, promote optimism, take risks and be gentle. Also, working in a group of like-minded people or organizations is more effective than working on your own. Sometimes it is exasperating to work with others, but if you can get the chemistry right, a lot more will be achieved.

What motivates you to continue working in this field?

Believing that each step forward we take in the struggle to save biodiversity may bring us that much closer to winning.

Certainly, if we don't make the effort, we will lose, and that scares me.

You conducted research on the calls of mammals and birds in Madagascar for your Ph.D. and, at the Trust, have coordinated the Madagascar Programme for several years. Do you have a special affinity with that country?

Opposite: Dr Lee Durrell relaxing beneath

I certainly have a special affection for Madagascar. It was the first foreign country I ever spent any time in, and I fell in love

of endangered species continues to play

a sculpture of her late husband, the author and conservationist Gerald Durrell.

Left: Wild collection and captive breeding

a vital role in biodiversity conservation.

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

19

100

Years of

FFI

GOES BACK TO ITS ROOTS

Attenborough and John Cleese, who both joined in the celebrations via a link from Los Angeles, Joanna Lumley, Sir Tim Rice, Anneka Rice, Angus Deayton, Saba Douglas-Hamilton, Charlotte Uhlenbroek, Bill Oddie, Chris Packham,Theresa May MP and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands.

Sir Neil Chalmers, Director of the Natural History Museum, opened the proceedings by paying tribute to FFI’s history of achievement and its ‘special brand of conservation’, before handing over to the organization’s CEO, Mark Rose. He, in turn, emphasized the importance of partnership in FFI’s approach to conservation and was quick Gill Shaw

On 11th December 2003, exactly one hundred years after the foundation of the Society (originally in the guise of the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire), FFI celebrated its centenary, and launched a major fundraising appeal with a spectacular event at the Natural History Museum in London, the site of its inaugural meeting in 1903. The evening was generously supported by Vodafone UK and The Vodafone Group Foundation and thus provided the perfect occasion on which to launch wildlive! (see page 14). The star-studded guest list included Sir David

Gill Shaw

CONSERVATION

20

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

to stress the contribution of FFI staff and partners throughout the world, describing them as ‘some of the brightest, bravest and most committed people on the face of the planet.’ Before dinner was served, guests were able to view the first ever screening of a special Centenary Appeal film, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Throughout the evening, guests were cajoled by the formidably persuasive Hugo Swire MP into pledging money to FFI. The IT-literate were invited to enter the auction via the mobile phone handsets provided by Vodafone, while technophobes resorted to old-fashioned paper bids! Most of the highly attractive auction lots generated enormous interest, but the most furious bidding was

reserved for the chance to dine with Joanna Lumley at her home. After the loyal toast, the highly amusing and engagingly self-deprecating actress presented two awards, for ‘lifetime contribution to conservation’, in the form of specially commissioned oryx sculptures, the first to Dame Miriam Rothschild, accepted in her absence by Lord Jacob Rothschild, and the second to her ‘hero’, Sir David Attenborough.

The evening also marked the official launch of FFI’s Centenary Appeal, the immediate success of which Mark Rose attributed to the “incredible generosity and untiring chairmanship” of Dr Lisbet Rausing.The appeal aims to raise $54 million over five years and 40% of this target has now been pledged.

To find out how you can support FFI's Centenary Appeal, contact Liz Eaton, Centenary Appeal Manager: 01223 579417 or liz.eaton@fauna-flora.org

CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS IN LOS ANGELES HERALD START OF A GROWING US CONSTITUENCY

FOR

Gerson Photography

Celebrating

Gerson Photography

NEWS

FFI

As FFI’s centenary fundraising dinner unfolded at London’s Natural History Museum, a luncheon attended by Sir David Attenborough and special guest John Cleese was held concurrently in Los Angeles to mark the occasion. The event not only celebrated FFI’s hundred years of conservation success, but also served to launch a more significant US presence geared to building a broader constituency for FFI’s global conservation portfolio.

FFI’s new Executive Director in the US, Katie Frohardt, welcomed the 50 or so guests, along with FFI US Board members Marc Ebbin and Victoria Stack. Among the organization’s other representatives at the event were Robert Garner, Director of SoundWood, and Evan Bowen-Jones, Director of FFI’s Americas Programme. Katie’s own links with FFI date back to Rwanda in the 1990s where she worked with mountain gorillas through the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, one of FFI’s longest running and most successful initiatives. Rosalind Aveling, FFI’s Director of Conservation, referred to their shared work with mountain gorillas and orang-utans in her introduction of Sir David Attenborough, who has brought these and so many other endangered species and places into the lives of millions worldwide.

Sir David regaled an enthralled audience with an account of his work and affiliation with FFI. He emphasized in particular the organization’s capacity to stay focused over many years on what really needs doing. He introduced John Cleese, whose Pythonesque style of delivery quickly provoked hilarity among the assembled guests. John also made a surprise award to Sir David of an oryx sculpture, presented on behalf of FFI in recognition of his work in conservation. Together,

Gerson Photography

FUNDRAISING

Opposite: (Above) Actress and FFI supporter, Joanna Lumley.

(Below) Centenary dinner guests dwarfed by the relics of pre-

history. Above: FFI Vice-president, Sir David Attenborough finds himself in the limelight as he receives an oryx sculpture from John Cleese, chats to fellow guests and joins FFI staff for one of numerous photo calls.

John and Sir David took questions from those gathered, sharing stories and making guests laugh and think about life, conservation and FFI. Following the LA luncheon, Sir David and John were connected by phone to the London event, an appropriate climax to FFI’s transatlantic centenary celebrations.

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

21

FFI

CELEBRATES CENTENARY WITH COLLEAGUES AND PARTNERS IN VIETNAM

Above: Words of encouragement for FFI

from the British Ambassador.

Memberships All Standard and Concessionary Members receive FFI’s quarterly internationally renowned journal, Oryx – The International Journal of Conservation, and regular information on forthcoming events. Members also receive a copy of this magazine twice a year.

Anyone wishing to receive just the magazine and events information may do so by becoming a Supporter.

You can become involved with FFI’s work in a variety of ways.

Whether you join our growing list of members and supporters, make a donation to our core operations, or buy a gift, every single contribution provides vital support for conservation work throughout the world.

The lack of information on the status and distribution of leaf monkeys in Vietnam hinders the development of long-term conservation programmes. Leaf Monkeys, the second installment of the Vietnam Primate Conservation Status Review (the first of which, Gibbons, was published in 2000) addresses this gap in our knowledge. So called because of their highly-specialized folivorous diet, leaf monkeys were once abundant in Vietnam, but recent studies show that several species are facing an uncertain future.

Leaf Monkeys contains detailed species notes and provides conservation recommendations, including research, protected area gazettement, anti-poaching patrols and conservation awareness.

Available exclusively from the Natural History Book Service: www.nhbs.com Price: £24.50

Below: Guests mingle among the geo-

logical artefacts in Hanoi’s National Museum of Geology.

Mark Infield

On 17th December 2003, at the National Museum of Geology in Hanoi, FFI staff were joined by government officials from partner agencies, officers of international conservation organizations, donors and members of the press to celebrate FFI’s one-hundredth anniversary. Senior protected area managers from Lao, Cambodia,Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam were also present, marking the conclusion of a highly successful two-week training course on karst conservation organized by FFI and funded by the EU. As the guests admired the impressive exhibits of the museum’s main hall, Nguyen Ba Thu, Director of the Forest Protection Department, commended FFI’s ongoing programme of support for protected areas and the communities living around them in critical conserva-

tion areas in Vietnam. The British Ambassador, the Honorable Robert Gordon, described FFI’s long and illustrious history in global conservation, and detailed work carried out with the support of both the British Embassy and the Darwin Initiative. Andrew Jacobs of the European Commission discussed the particular importance of karst conservation in Asia and the contributions made

by FFI, both through karst conservation projects such as the World Bank – Global Environment Facility funded ‘Pu Luong-Cuc Phuong Limestone Landscape Project’ and through events such as the just concluded training event. He also pointed out the impressive poster display detailing FFI’s work in the Hoang Lien Mountains through a three-year project supported by the EU (See page 16). Finally, the guests were treated to a stunning visual and verbal display by the world authority on karst conservation, Professor Elery Hamilton-Smith.

Spend & Save: supporting FFI

NEWS Mark Infield

FUNDRAISING

Sales Stock up on the new range of high quality gifts available. All profits go to support our conservation projects in over 60 countries.

Coltan Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo The wildlife of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been decimated during an appalling war that has claimed the lives of an estimated 3.5 million people in the past five years. The conflict has been driven partly by various military and political factions fighting for control over valuable natural resources. Coltan, derived from the mineral ore tantalum, is used in a wide range of everyday items, including electronic equipment such as mobile phones, and has been at the heart of the struggle over land in the eastern part of the country.

This report provides background to the extraction of coltan and recommendations for ways forward, including mobilization of a multi-stakeholder working group to develop and implement guidelines for a regulated coltan industry in the country.

Price £10 (includes postage and packaging). Ref 15

Against Extinction by Bill Adams, Reader in Conservation and Development at Cambridge University and FFI council member, follows the development of FFI, describes how the modern conservation movement emerged from its roots in 19th century big game hunting, and explores the crucial questions that inspired it: • How can the diversity of life be maintained as human demands on the Earth expand seemingly without limit?

• How can preservation be reconciled with human rights and the development needs of the poor?

• Is conservation something that can be imposed by a knowledgeable elite, or something that should emerge naturally from people’s free choices?

The answers, as Bill Adams reveals, are by no means straightforward.To order this item, contact David Beamont, Communications Officer: 01223 579332 or david.beamont@fauna-flora.org

22

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

23

The major threat to the Asian elephant in these countries, and indeed throughout its huge range, is a rapidly shrinking forested habitat. Poaching for ivory and medicinal products remains a persistent problem also. FFI is working with local teams in both Cambodia and Indonesia to prevent the decline of elephants and their habitat.

FFI is active in safeguarding these magnificent habitats for elephants, as well as other endangered species that live there, such as Siamese crocodiles, wild cattle, tigers, leopards, gibbons and even orang-utans. Protecting elephant habitat also benefits many other species. With such a broad migration range, the largest possible area is conserved. Landscape planning using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), combined with effective lobbying and discussion with government, local authorities, religious leaders, rural communities and military interests, is enabling FFI to broker agreements at a landscape level and prevent the forest from being sold off and destroyed.

Habitat loss

Poaching

Poaching has decimated the elephant herds of south-east Asia.

With the ivory markets of East Asia driving some poaching, herds throughout the region have become smaller, more wary

South-East

A s i a n

Jeremy Holden / FFI

Jeremy Holden / FFI

Jeremy Holden / FFI

Whilst countries such as Thailand and Vietnam have already seen their remaining forests reduced to small ‘islands’ of habitat, Cambodia and North Sumatra (Indonesia) still have vast contiguous forested landscapes.Around 53% of the land mass of Cambodia is covered by forest, comprising some of the largest forest blocks in the region.The provinces of North Sumatra and Aceh in Indonesia also support large areas of intact forest.These forests represent some of the best areas for elephant conservation in the region, providing an opportunity for elephants to follow ancient migration routes without coming into conflict with rural communities. However, both Sumatra and Cambodia have seen much civil unrest in recent years. In Cambodia, the remaining forest is now under greater threat than ever before, as commercial enterprises deem it safe to return and conduct industrial-scale logging and resource extraction.

Elephant

Safeguarding habitat

By Joe Heffernan and Muhammad Hambal

Jenny Daltry / FFI

Conservation Opposite: Habitat loss increases the likelihood of close

encounters between humans and wild elephants.

Above: View of pristine forest, an increasingly rare privilege in

south-east Asia.

Above right: Slash and burn agriculture takes its toll.

Right: Human incursion increases as logging roads open up

The cultural importance of the elephant to the peoples of Asia is enshrined in religion, tradition, even national flags and emblems.

The awesome and apparently effortless power of the elephant embodies the twin qualities of potency and longevity that people across the region hold in such high regard. The Asian elephant captures the imagination and commands widespread respect.

24

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

For generations the captive elephant tradition has brought essentially wild animals into close contact with all people, from the King’s elephant stables in Thailand to ethnic minority communities throughout much of south-east Asia.The people of Cambodia and Indonesia, in particular, consider it essential to protect this symbol.

previously impenetrable forest.

Overleaf: The future of large elephant herds depends on the

continued availability of large tracts of forest.

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

25

Pu

and often more aggressive. One captured elephant recently issues and solutions is built into the heart of the country’s x-rayed in Thailand carried 23 bullet wounds in one leg alone! political structures. All counterpart staff in Cambodia attend However, as herds have diminished, many of the organized part-time degree or post-graduate courses in environmental poaching gangs have gradually disappeared too. In their place management, supported by FFI. Cambodia also represents the have come conservationists, south-east Asian regional hub committed to protecting these “As a result of these conservation efforts in for elephant conservation; the Sumatra and Cambodia, the situation for the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant herds by patrolling the forests, Asian elephant has undoubtedly improved.” responding to conflicts between Specialist Group’s south-east people and elephants, addressing Asia office is hosted by FFI the trade issue by arresting traders and confiscating products.

Cambodia, which ensures that information is effectively Working closely with government agencies, FFI and its transferred throughout the region. partners have been engaged at every level to reduce the In Sumatra, a highly qualified Indonesian team manages and pressure that illegal hunting exerts upon the elephants of implements all aspects of the project.The team comprises both Cambodia and Sumatra. It also works hard to increase the Acehnese and other Indonesian staff and has therefore been security of any herds showing signs of recovery as a result of able to maintain an office in Banda Aceh despite the regional conservation intervention. unrest. This will help to ensure that natural resource and elephant conservation remain near the top of the agenda when Challenges, opportunities and the role of FFI negotiations are renewed.

FFI works closely with partner institutions and consistently As a result of these conservation efforts in Sumatra and ensures that national staff are engaged and trained in order to Cambodia, the situation for the Asian elephant has undoubtedly operate as effectively as possible.There is a large field presence improved. In the face of such severe and persistent threats, in both Cambodia and Sumatra, with mobile response units however, it is vital to guard against complacency or inaction. deployed in both regions to help address incidents of humanThe future of elephants in south-east Asia remains in the elephant conflict, conduct forest patrols and undertake data balance. Their fate will depend on the constant vigilance of collection for monitoring. FFI also employs a number of staff conservationists, the commitment of governments throughout who are responsible for conducting analysis of data, often using their range and, above all, the implementation of initiatives that spatial mapping computer programs to design interventions enable local communities to co-exist harmoniously with and identify priority locations. neighbouring elephant populations.

In Cambodia, FFI works almost exclusively through For further information, contact FFI’s Asia-Pacific Programme at asiapacific@fauna-flora.org government agencies, ensuring that knowledge of conservation

ARREST

OF POLITICIAN FOR TIGER TRAFFICKING – A FIRST IN SUMATRA

Bruce Coleman LTD

26

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

Jeremy Holden / FFI

roject pdates

More than 30 years after the Sumatran tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae became a protected species under Indonesian law, ownership of a stuffed tiger remains a sought-after status symbol among some sections of Indonesian society. The Kerinci Seblat Tiger Protection project – a partnership between FFI and Kerinci Seblat National Park – has records of army and even police officers trafficking Sumatran tiger skins.

Stuffed tigers are often still openly displayed in the houses of powerful individuals, even though it has been illegal to buy, sell, transport or conceal a Sumatran tiger since April 1992 and the Kerinci tiger team has been concerned by the number of politicians openly flouting the laws they are supposed to uphold.

On three occasions in 2003, team investigators reported incidents of politicians from districts or provinces surrounding Kerinci Seblat National Park buying stuffed tigers or tiger skins. A fourth powerful district politician, known to be the owner of a large illegal sawmill, was found to hold two stuffed tigers, complete with falsified permits for ownership.

In November 2003 members of the Tiger team received information suggesting that a well-known local politician in Bengkulu province, south-west Sumatra, might have recently bought the skin of a tiger.Working undercover, team members succeeded in meeting the politician and confirming that he was offering the skin of a Sumatran tiger for sale. In early December it was learned that the politician was planning to transport the skin of the tiger to Bengkulu city and sell it.

On 9th December, the head of North Bengkulu district parliament, who is also the local head of a national political party, was arrested in a joint operation between the tiger team and Bengkulu police.

It was the first ever arrest of an elected member of parliament on tiger-related charges and received considerable coverage in local press in spite of threats made, by unknown individuals, against local media running news stories on the case. Shortly after Christmas, the Governor of Bengkulu province lifted the suspect’s parliamentary immunity and the Indonesian Department of Environment has pledged to support the legal case.

Credit?

Above: Kerinci rangers with confiscated tiger pelt.

FFI and Kerinci Seblat National Park hope that the court hearing into this case will proceed fairly and transparently and deliver a clear message that the laws protecting Sumatran tiger apply, equally, to all members of society.

RED LISTING

FOR

TREES

FFI is coordinating a major new initiative to evaluate the conservation status of and threats to rare and threatened tree species. This effort is important to ensure that international, national and local agencies have up-to-date information on which to base conservation and sustainable use planning and action.

The global survey of the conservation status of trees is being undertaken by a network of botanists and forest experts who form the IUCN/SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. Working out of FFI’s Cambridge office, this group will both be responsible for the promotion and implementation of tree Red Listing and act as an advisory group for the rapidly expanding Global Trees Campaign. Information from the field projects of the Campaign will feed back into the Red Listing process.

FFI has secured a generous grant from the SpoelberchArtois Foundation to enable the global tree conservation survey to take place. In the first year it will concentrate on selected regions and plant families. Working with Fairchild Tropical Garden, Miami, UNDP and local partners it will, for example,

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

27

PROJECTupdates

IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS OMETEPE, NICARAGUA

ON THE ISLAND OF

with which FFI is closely associated

Javan hawk-eagle (Spizaetus bartelsi)

Below: Ometepe harbours significant populations of the

endangered white-faced capuchin monkey.

The Javan hawk-eagle, Spizaetus bartelsi, is an endangered species endemic to the island of Java. It is protected by international law (CITES Appendix 2) and Indonesian national law.

Until recently, little was known about this enigmatic bird of prey, but ecological research, including radio tracking, has provided information on prey species, breeding biology and the home range of non-breeding males. Small mammals such as tree shrews, squirrels, bats, rats and other small rodents are the preferred prey, but birds, snakes and lizards are also taken.

The Javan hawk-eagle may breed at any time of the year but usually between January and July. It is sexually mature at the age of three to four years, breeds every two years and lays only one egg. Incubation takes 47 days and the young bird is fully fledged at 70 days old. Both parents look after the nestling.

Some juveniles stay around the parents' territory until the

28

Fauna & Flora – October 2003

PROFILE

Some of the key species of plants and animals

Juan Pablo Moreiras / FFI

With support from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)/British Embassy in Managua and the Department for International Development (DFID), FFI is commencing livelihoods related work on the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua, as part of a planned pan-island initiative to

SPECIES

promote the sustainable use of biodiversity. The largest freshwater island in the world, Ometepe comprises two volcanoes, both with protected area status, which are connected by a wetland isthmus. Due to its key location between two oceans and the island’s varying altitudes, Ometepe’s range of climatic conditions has led to the creation of a suite of habitats representative of all major types in Nicaragua, including dry, montane, elfin, Atlantic humid and cloud forests. These have produced a unique biota of invertebrates, amphibians, and plants that is potentially the highest for any area of this size in Nicaragua – although detailed studies have yet to be carried out. Endemic species of orchids are present, as are very high densities of the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata), white-faced capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus), and the yellow-naped parrot (Amazona auropalliata).

Whilst the island offers tremendous ecotourism opportunities, most of Ometepe’s relatively poor indigenous communities, who have close cultural ties to the land, derive little benefit from such schemes, due in part to a lack of clarity over land use rights and ownership. By first clarifying these issues, the project aims to establish a solid basis from which natural resource management can flourish, and train members of the local indigenous communities in basic ecotourism services. Both activities will help to raise living standards while promoting conservation awareness.

Alain Compost / Bruce Coleman LTD

focus on the trees of the Caribbean region. Workshops are planned for Cuba and Jamaica this year.

The preparation of ‘a preliminary assessment of the conservation status of all known plant species, at national, regional and international levels’ is an internationally agreed target of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation ratified by all Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Through its support for tree Red Listing, FFI is making a major contribution to implementation of this target. It is also actively supporting the implementation of another target of the Strategy: ‘No species of wild flora endangered by international trade’.

The CITES Plants Committee is the lead agency for coordinating the necessary action to reach this target. FFI is supporting the Plants Committee by undertaking an international stakeholder consultation as part of the planning process. The work on tree Red Listing is also directly linked to this target, as it will help to identify those species in need of improved management, and in some cases regulation, to prevent unsustainable exploitation for international trade.

For further information on Red Listing for trees please visit www.globaltrees.org

following breeding season.The home range of a non-breeding male monitored by radio tracking at Mt. Salak-West Java was estimated at just over three square kilometres.The hunting area often overlaps with that of the crested serpent-eagle (Spilornis cheela) and the changeable hawk-eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus).

FFI's Indonesia Programme first became involved in the conservation of the Javan hawk-eagle in 1997, when it prepared a recovery plan in collaboration with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation-Ministry of Forestry, the State Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia (KMNLH), BirdLife International Indonesia Programme, the Norwegian Nature Research Institute (NINA NIKU), the Javan Hawk-eagle Working Group and local NGOs. Conservation activities have been conducted in West Java, Central Java and East Java provinces, and include field surveys, nest protection programmes, training programmes, regular monitoring and ecological research.

The most recent field surveys have not only revisited the Javan hawk-eagle’s favoured haunts throughout the island, but also focused on previously unsurveyed locations in Gunung Halimun National Park and non-protected areas in southern Cianjur district,West Java.The species has now been recorded at 14 localities in Gunung Halimun National Park, some of which were new sites. New records have also been confirmed from numerous sites in southern Cianjur district. The new records have increased the known Javan hawk-eagle population – now estimated at 600 individuals – by almost 20%.

Nest protection programmes based on local community involvement have been carried out successfully at CibulaoPuncak, Selabintana and Cimande, West Java and there is considerable scope to develop this model in other parts of the island. Training programmes have been conducted for university students, national park staff, rangers, village leaders and local people. The training materials produced include a booklet on the Javan hawk-eagle, and a monitoring programme guide. Regular monitoring, carried out in collaboration with local stakeholders and Biodiversity Conservation Project LIPI-JICA-PHKA, has been organized throughout the Gunung Halimun range.

The future of the species is by no means assured, but FFI and its partners are endeavouring to put in place the conservation measures that will ensure its long-term survival.

Dewi Prawiradilaga, Fauna Programme Manager, Indonesia

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

29

w

A series of interviews with FFI staff, partners and associates

Mónica Lacayo Puente

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José Urteaga / FFI

José Urteaga Interview with José Urteaga, FFI’s Leatherback Turtle Conservation Project Manager

Describe the project site and the conservation issues you are tackling.

At the moment we are working in Rio Escalante Chacocente, a wildlife refuge on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. We cover four kilometres of the most important leatherback turtle nesting ground in this country. Local people say that 25 years ago it was common to see 100 leatherbacks nesting in one night; now we are lucky if we have this number of nests in one season. This decline follows the downward trend evident in eastern Pacific leatherback populations. In 1996 scientists estimated that this population would become extinct in 10 to 15 years if no conservation measures were taken. FFI is contributing to efforts to prevent the turtle’s extinction by focusing on the main problems facing the species – egg poaching and incidental casualties of fishing.

What does your job involve?

Poaching of eggs is one of the main problems for marine turtle conservation on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, despite national laws and the existence of protected areas. Our goal is to ensure that marine turtles can lay eggs on any beach without fear of human interference.

Our fieldwork focuses on protection of the nests of leatherback and other marine turtles. We have established a hatchery to which we relocate nests. This protects them from poachers and natural predators.We also have a monitoring programme in which we tag, measure and record other information that we can use to estimate future population trends.

Without this work there is no doubt that all of the eggs laid would be poached. During two years of monitoring nesting sites, we’ve protected around 100 nests, representing 95% of the leatherback nests in the area, and released many hatchlings to the sea.

We also undertake environmental education activities with the communities and help them to develop alternative livelihoods in order to change the way they use their natural resources. Marine turtles are more valuable alive than dead and we try to demonstrate this through experiences with community tourism.

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Fauna & Flora – April 2004

FFI works closely with local partner organizations including MARENA (Enviromental and Natural Resources Ministry), South West Project (PSO - a government project that focuses on alternative livelihoods) and private landowners (Chococente de Acayo SA).We also receive invaluable support from NOAA (US National Ocean and Atmospheric Agency) and UK donors such as Orna and Richard Bird.

How much is a batch of eggs worth and who purchases them?

Poaching is a problem that has both socio-economic and cultural components. Economics is the most important. During the leatherback season a dozen turtle eggs could fetch more than US$2.00. It means that a marine turtle nest could be worth up to US$17.00 to a poacher. In this part of the country there is a big problem with unemployment. An average daily wage here is US$3.35. This explains why people poach. Most poachers say that they would stop poaching if they could get a regular job. All our field assistants are from the coastal communities. Before working with FFI they were poachers too.

People eat turtle eggs because they think they are an aphrodisiac, or simply because they enjoy eating them.

They eat turtle eggs when they drink in bars or some restaurants. The eggs pass along a chain of dealers from the beach to the city where they are sold.

What is the key to preventing or reducing poaching?

The main challenge is to find ways in which people can take care of marine turtles and also derive a sustainable, alternative livelihood that does not affect the turtles. Often this involves starting tourism-related activities, but this is not the only option and it is important to understand that a range of alternatives is required.We need help from the government in developing conservation strategies, formulating a better legal framework and raising enforcement capacity.We have to make society aware of what is happening and how people can help; education is therefore an important component of our work.

We need to deal with other threats also, such as fishing in national and international waters. Incidental fishing is one of

Common name: Leatherback sea turtle

the most important threats facing leatherbacks in open waters.

To do all of this we need resources. Unfortunately lack of them is our biggest limiting factor.

What motivates you to continue doing this work?

I love marine turtles but that is not the only reason. In preserving these wonderful creatures we help to preserve the coastal and marine ecosystem associated with them. And so we help to preserve the resources used by many communities and, in the process, work with them to ensure they use them sustainably. I think that in helping marine turtles we help the people and this poor but wonderful country. Knowing this helps us to overcome the problems and the frustrations that we face.

a distinctive number of ridges (seven), which they retain throughout their lives. They lack certain skeletal features

Scientific name: Dermochelys coriacea

common to other marine turtles, and have collapsible lungs. This adaptation, plus their sheer body size and

Conservation status: Critically Endangered; Pacific popula-

ability to regulate their own body temperature, allows

tions especially in decline.

them to frequent cold, temperate (6°C) and even very deep waters (1,000m).

Distribution: The most widely distributed of all marine turtles, leatherbacks circumnavigate the globe, moving from

Life cycle: Males spend their entire life in the ocean; females

tropical nesting beaches in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian

emerge to nest on soft, steeply sloped beaches approxi-

Oceans to feeding grounds in chilly, temperate waters in

mately every two to three years. Little is known about their

If a poacher is caught, what happens?

both northern and southern hemispheres. The main

life in the open ocean, but they congregate periodically to

Nicaragua has some legal instruments that ban trade and exploitation of marine turtles and their parts. But the enforcement agencies lack resources, policies and strategies. The police and the army help MARENA and the NGOs to patrol the beaches in the protected areas, but they cannot cover all the beaches. Some very important nesting grounds are on beaches outside protected areas. MARENA does take action against poachers, but these actions are sporadic.When they catch traders with eggs it is usually too late to save them. They cannot be returned to the beach and usually the eggs are given to public hospitals or charities such as orphanages where people can eat them.

rookeries are found on the north-eastern coast of South

feed on high concentrations of jellyfish, and appear to use

America, particularly French Guiana, and the Pacific and

migratory routes that follow deep bathymetric contours.

Caribbean coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.

Leatherbacks can reach ages of 30 years or more.

Morphology: The largest (typically 1.5 – 2m long)

Threats: Illegal egg harvesting and capture, incidental catch

and heaviest marine reptiles (few weigh more than 300kg);

from fishing activities – most notably long-line fishing and

their name ‘leatherback’ derives from their elongated

nets, loss of nesting habitat and pollution, such as ingestion

and soft leathery-looking shell which, unlike the hard

of plastic bags.

carapace of other marine turtles, is composed of a thick layer of oil reinforced by many minute bones. They have

Source: IUCN Red List, 2004

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

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Photo Gallery:

Reptiles Text and photographs by Juan Pablo Moreiras

here are over 8,000 species of reptile in the world, and they occur almost everywhere: oceans, mountains, rivers, prairies, deserts, lakes and caves. They were the first terrestrial animals; primitive reptiles developed from early amphibians 310 million years ago during the Carboniferous period.Today’s reptiles include turtles, crocodiles, lizards, snakes and the less familiar tuatara and Amphisbaenia or worm lizards.

Their size varies enormously: from huge saltwater crocodiles to dwarf geckos, from giant anacondas to tiny skinks. Many reptiles lay hard-shelled eggs, a vital protection in dry environments that enables them to live far from fresh water and colonize habitats in which amphibians could not survive.

T

Although reptiles are widely distributed and well adapted to most ecosystems, many species are seriously endangered, or even threatened with extinction. Marine turtles and iguanas have been hunted for centuries, and still are in certain areas. Some snakes are persecuted as a result of human fear and superstition; others succumb to the huge demand for traditional medicines, or fall victim to the skin and pet trades.

FFI plays an active role in reptile conservation, both through broad-based programmes that protect large ecosystems and key species, and via specific campaigns such as the Antiguan Racer Conservation Project.

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

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Previous spread: Left: Close-up of a turnip-tailed gecko (Thecadactylus rapicauda) photographed in southern Dominica,

Lesser Antilles.

Right: Pico Bonito National Park in Honduras holds a

remarkable diversity of tropical forest snakes, including the highly venomous eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii).

This spread: Top left: The deadly jumping viper (Atropoides nummifer)

is often found near forest streams and other humid habitats in Pico Bonito.

Left: Despite its bright markings, the galliwasp (Diploglossus monotropis), a little-known reptile from

Central America, is non-venomous.

Bottom left: Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

laying eggs on a beach in Nicaragua.

Opposite: (clockwise from top) A breeding male southern

rock agama (Agama atra), displaying from a prominent rock in Cederberg, South Africa; portrait of a Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima). Dominica’s extensive coastal habitat is believed to support the largest single population of this species; forest gecko in a patch of sunlight in the Belize rainforest; an adult Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) can reach six metres in length. This

specimen was photographed in Sudan at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile.

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Fauna & Flora – April 2004

Fauna & Flora – April 2004

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F AUNA & F LORA

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