WLT News Winter 2017

WLTnews ISSUE No 57 WINTER 2017

Inside this issue...

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Big Match Fortnight donations doubled Watersheds of Sierra Santa Cruz Rediscovered salamanders in Mexico Update on the Indian Elephant Corridor

• WLT Friends protect 8,650 acres in Peru

Saving habitats Saving species since 1989 Sponsored by WLT_News_57_1017.indd 1

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Steve Backshall launches Big Match Fortnight TARGET: £625,000 RAISED: £321,000 STILL TO GO: £304,000 “What do you think of when I say the word ‘Caribbean’? Perhaps it’s aquamarine seas, white sandy beaches, and swaying palm trees. It could even be pirates battling for treasure. Well, today there may not be gold or silver or gems but there is a real treasure to be protected in the Caribbean...” And with those words from WLT Patron Steve Backshall, the Treasure Chest Appeal was launched.

All donations between October 4 - 18, were doubled by the generous sponsors of Big Match Fortnight. £120,000 was donated or pledged and has now been matched, and now the total raised for this appeal stands at £321,000.

“This was yet again another fantastic response from WLT donors seizing the opportunity for Big Match Fortnight,” said John Burton, WLT Founder and CEO. “There is still a long way to go, but these donations will help fund the initial payments to secure the Sierra Santa Cruz reserve.”

Steve Backshall launched Big Match Fortnight by presenting WLT’s short film about the appeal, aired online and followed up by a series of short episodes about the appeal featuring interviews with experts in Guatemalan conservation from FUNDAECO (can be viewed on WLT’s website and YouTube channel)

Walking through the mountain rainforest Marco Cerezo, General Director of WLT’s partner in Guatemala, Foundation for Eco-development and Conservation (FUNDAECO), describes the experience of walking through the rainforests of Caribbean Guatemala.

When we think of visiting the UK, we think of going to the Tower of London and looking at the crown jewels. When we have visitors to Caribbean Guatemala, we take them to the mountains to show them the jewels of the rainforest. Walking through the trees you could discover a pink boa, spot an iridescent hummingbird, or look under a leaf and find a rare and endangered frog, brightly coloured and shining like a precious stone.

We think the reason that the wildlife we have found on each mountain range here is so unique (there is an unusual number of endemic species in this region), is that these mountain ranges were very probably islands during the evolution of the Central American

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Isthmus. So we have isolated evolutionary processes causing the separation and development of unique species even though these sierras are only 20km or 25km apart. But now deforestation has transformed these forests once again into islands, forest islands in the middle of a very deforested landscape, and we are in danger of losing this unique diversity.

This mountain range, the Sierra Santa Cruz, is the last unprotected rainforest we have left. FUNDAECO has been working to create a network of protected areas within this region for the good of the wildlife, but to also protect the water sources for the benefit of all the communities whose livelihoods depend on clean water from the mountains. This is why we are very thankful to everyone who has, and will, support this campaign.

Cover image: One of Sierra Santa Cruz’s amphibian gems, the Redeyed Treefrog (Agalychnis callydrias)

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Importance for communities: The watersheds of Sierra Santa Cruz

The reserve in Sierra Santa Cruz will protect the sources of eight rivers which provide fresh water to 40 communities in this region.

It is important that the rainforest remains intact for this ecosystem service to continue, as the forest prevents the pollution of these water sources from soil erosion or runoff. Sediment from soil erosion can suffocate fish and young amphibians by clogging their gills, and the pollutants from runoff vary depending on land use.

As the two main alternative land uses of Sierra Santa Cruz are agriculture (for example, Oil Palm) and cattle ranching, two of the likely pollutants would be chemical fertilisers and animal waste.

Both of these create excess nutrients that can have a knock-on effect on the river ecosystem, which could threaten aquatic species downstream and endanger the health of local communities.

The communities’ concerns about protecting the Sierra Santa Cruz watershed from pollution were brought to WLT’s attention by Carlos Humberto Ruano Garcia (bottom left), the President of the Committee on Drinking Water in Sierra Santa Cruz

Big-footed Salamanders rediscovered The Big-footed Salamander is classified by the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct). So conservationist and photographer Roberto Pedraza Ruiz, Head of WLT’s partner in Mexico’s Land Conservation Program, was delighted when a small, violet salamander he photographed in a cave in Sierra Gorda was confirmed as this elusive threatened species.

Roberto said, “The status of the species amazed me. Even though several new plant species have been discovered because I photographed them, rediscovering an amphibian species was completely different.

To think that this species had already been added to the list of probably extinct species, but we found it again, was much more rewarding and shows the true importance of conservation actions in priority habitats.”

WLT’s Buy an Acre program in Mexico supports the land purchase and protection of Sierra Gorda’s cloud forests with Roberto’s organisation, Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG).

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Update on last year’s Big Match Fortnight appeal

The Big-footed Salamander, photographed recently in Sierra Gorda (Mexico), was classified by IUCN as Possibly Extinct

Last year’s Big Match Fortnight was in aid of the Elephant Corridor Appeal, which reached its target of £750,000 in June 2017.

Since then WLT’s partner Wildlife Trust of India have been working with the Goramadu Doddi and Mudahalli communities close to the corridor to ensure safe passage for Indian Elephants and Bengal Tigers.

In addition to the larger species, other wildlife recorded using the Mudahalli corridor include Barking Deer, Blacknaped Hare, Bonnet Macaque, Chital, Sambar, Mongoose and Wild Boar.

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WLT Friends support the creation of a 8,650 acre community reserve in Peru After three years of working with the local community, WLT’s Peruvian partner Naturaleza y Cultura Peru have helped create a 8,650 acre (3,500 hectare) private conservation area (ACP), which has now been recognised by the Ministry of Environment in Peru.

This long-term project has been supported by the monthly donations of WLT Friends to the Action Fund over the past few years, and now this ACP will protect Montane Forest and Páramo habitat for the benefit of local wildlife.

“This is the second ACP that WLT have supported, as part of a project to ensure the protection of a corridor down the Andes of Northern Peru,” says Charlotte Beckham, Conservation Programmes Manager at WLT. “Following the successes of ChicuateChinguelas and San Juan de Sallique ACPs, WLT continues to support the recognition of a third ACP with the community of Tabaconas.”

World Land Trust thank WLT Friends, whose regular donations have made this achievement possible.

The San Juan de Sallique private conservation area protects 8,650 acres (3,500 hectares) of Montane Forest and Páramo, habitat for threatened mammal species in Peru, including Spectacled Bears and Mountain Tapirs

WLT’s exclusive 2018 calendar and christmas card collection

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Image credits: Cover: The Reptilarium; Page 2: Sierra Santa Cruz & Carlos portrait (Dan Bradbury/ WLT), waterfall (FUNDAECO), salamanders (Roberto Pedraza Ruiz); Page 3: San Juan de Sallique & Mountain Tapirs (NCP), Spectacled Bears (Shutterstock), Card designs (Paul Bartlett), Calendar (Bjornolesen.com/Viet Nature and Michael Seeley)

Also available are WLT’s latest Christmas cards, pictured below, designed by wildlife artist Paul Bartlett.

Order now! Limited stock available.

Calendars and cards can be ordered by post using the enclosed Christmas Order Form, online (worldlandtrust.org) or phone (01986 874422).

WLT News is printed using Carbon Balanced Paper, which offers a simple way to reduce the carbon impact of the paper used for communications and support WLT’s land protection projects at the same time. Ask your printer to quote on Carbon Balanced Paper carbonbalancedpaper.com

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

Designed by wearedrab.co.uk

Each page features an endangered species found in one of WLT’s projects around the world with some information about its conservation.

To save resources, the calendar is double sided (it is turned over for July) and the printing was sponsored by WLT’s printer, Kingfisher Press.

Each page highlights any important wildlife events like Earth Hour and World Elephant Day.

WLT have produced an Endangered Species Calendar for supporters to use in 2018.

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