Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund and Stuart Pimm of Duke University recognized for scientific and management contributions to the understanding and restoration of ecosystems.

Two conservationists whose careers have centered on understanding ecosystem functions as the essential foundation for ecosystem restoration will share the 2010 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. The award, consisting of a $200,000 cash prize and gold medals, will go to Dr. Laurie Marker, the co-founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarongo, Namibia, and Professor Stuart Pimm, the Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

On Friday, April 23, at 7 p.m., the Tyler Prize Executive Committee and the international environmental community will honor the recipients at a banquet and ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

The Tyler Prize Executive Committee recognized Marker and Pimm “for their scientific contributions, their understanding of ecosystem functions, and for their applications of this knowledge to the management and restoration of ecosystems to the benefit of their inhabitants.”

Laurie Marker has been involved in the study of wild cheetahs for more than 30 years and established an organization in Namibia to study them and protect them. The organization approaches wildlife conservation by clearly addressing the needs of human inhabitants and creating economic opportunities for them. The Tyler Prize award is made in recognition of her contributions to developing an ecosystem-based approach to sustainable management of a landscape that incorporates “the knowledge and economic interests of the local population” to support its long-term goal of protecting the endangered cheetah.

Marker has been involved in the study and captive breeding of cheetahs since the mid-1970s and established the Cheetah Conservation Fund in 1990. The group addresses problems, real and perceived, of cheetah predation on livestock as well as the very real degradation of grazing land and wildlife habitat by an invasive plant. Marker has initiated projects that raise guard dogs for livestock herds to reduce cheetah predation and that create an economic enterprise to clear invasive thorny bushes and process them into fuel. The projects are building a constituency among rural Namibians for cheetah conservation and, at the same time, are restoring and protecting farmland, livestock pastures and wildlife habitat. {CCF and WILD work in close collaboration, and CCF was ‘incubated’ by WILD for 11 years.  WILD’s President Vance Martin is a Trustee of CFF and recently visiting Namibia.  Here are a few photos of his visit.}

Marker’s nomination for the Tyler Prize was initiated by a former U.S. Ambassador to Namibia, Jeffrey Bader. In his letter of nomination, Bader described Marker as “literally and figuratively a force of nature,” and he described the work of the Cheetah Conservation Fund as “the most successful project I have ever seen to protect the world’s biodiversity.”

Stuart Pimm has a long career in conservation research, teaching and public policy, and when Pimm’s colleagues refer to his work, they frequently cite its influence as well as its substance. His Tyler Prize award is made in recognition of his work to delineate the structures of ecological food webs, to understand the expected lifetimes of plant and animal populations, and to determine the populations that are most vulnerable to risks of extinction and those that have the capacity to recover most rapidly from disturbances. In his letter of nomination for the Tyler Prize, Edward O. Wilson, an emeritus Harvard University professor and himself a Tyler Laureate, said Pimm’s achievements “serve as an environmental conservation template.”

Pimm has studied the structure of ecological communities and the consequences of diminished species diversity across the trophic levels of ecological communities. In addition, Pimm has developed theory and empirical analysis to address the conservation of endangered species in terms of their communities and populations. Pimm has contributed to more than 200 journal articles, many of them as the lead author or sole author, has managed research projects around the world and has worked as a university-level professor for 36 years.

Pimm is well known for working beyond the scientific community as a policy advisor and source for media interviews. One of his colleagues, in a letter of support for his nomination for the Tyler Prize, said Pimm’s contributions to conservation science are notable because he cares enough to “find a way to make a difference.”

On Thursday, April 22, at 2 p.m., Marker and Pimm will deliver public lectures at the Davidson Conference Center of the University of Southern California, which administers the prize.

ABOUT THE TYLER PRIZE

The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is one of the premier awards for environmental science, environmental health and energy.

It was established by the late John and Alice Tyler in 1973 and has been awarded annually to sixty-one individuals and four organizations associated with world-class environmental accomplishments.

More information on the Tyler Prize and its recipients >

The International League of Conservation Writers is a forum to bring writers together from all over the world who are writing to promote wilderness, nature, conservation, and other means to protect and restore the natural areas, habitats, animals, and plants of our planet. ILCW will present periodic writing awards to authors who excel in this field.

Formed at WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress (Merida, Mexico 6-13 November 2009) during the Writer’s Seminars, the ILCW has a growing list of founding fellow and members.  There are 3 levels for membership:

Fellow: Professional writers who have made a significant contribution to the conservation of land, wilderness, and the natural world as evidenced by the wide publication of books, articles, stories, writings, or cartoons in established media (including electronic media) over a long period of time.

Associate: Associate membership is open to writers who either have not had many articles, books, stories, cartoons and other writings published in established media or have been writing on conservation for only a short time.

Academic: Academic membership is open to university and government scientists, professors, and students who have written in the fields of land conservation, wilderness or the natural world.

Stay tuned for more updates from this group!

American adults under the age of 35 have come of age in the decades since the “discovery” of man-made climate change as a major societal problem. The oldest of this cohort was twelve in 1988, when NASA climate scientist James Hansen testified at a Senate Energy Committee hearing that global temperature rise was underway and that human-produced greenhouse gases were almost certainly responsible. For this reason, the conventional wisdom holds that young Americans, growing up in a world of ever more certain scientific evidence, increasing news attention, alarming entertainment portrayals, and school-based curricula, should be more engaged with and concerned about the issue of climate change than older Americans.

However, contrary to this conventional wisdom, Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 are, for the most part, split on the issue of global warming and, on some indicators, relatively disengaged when compared to older generations.

Overall, the survey data offer no predictable portrait of young people when it comes to global warming: While less concerned about and preoccupied with global warming than older generations, they are slightly more likely to believe that global warming is caused by human factors and that there is scientific consensus that it is occurring. They are also somewhat more optimistic than their elders about the effectiveness of taking action to reduce global warming. And, while they are less open to new information about global warming than older generations, they are much more trusting of scientists and President Obama on the issue. However, they also share older generations’ distrust of the mainstream news media.

Of note, young evangelicals, an increasingly important group politically, place strong levels of trust in religious leaders as sources of information about global warming, though they are also trusting of scientists and President Obama.

Nationwide, liberals and conservatives exhibit wide differences in their beliefs about global warming, with conservatives more skeptical and less engaged than liberals, and this ideological divide is no different among young Americans.

Members of the current college-age generation (18-22 year-olds), who have grown up with even less scientific uncertainty about climate change, are somewhat more concerned and engaged than their slightly older 23-34 year-old counterparts; however, this does not hold across the board. Still, the data suggest untapped potential to engage young Americans on the issue of global warming.

Two important caveats, however:

1) These results are limited to Americans 18 years or older. We are currently collecting data on teenagers aged 13-17, but won’t have this analysis completed for a while.

2) It is also possible that there has been a surge in young people getting politically involved in climate action, but this has not (yet) translated to the entire age cohort. I’ve certainly heard (and seen) anecdotal evidence to support this hypothesis, but we wouldn’t be able to observe such a trend in our national survey data.

Download the full report >

Even though being one of the most densely populated continents, Europe is at the forefront of nature conservation. Recent years have seen an increasing public interest in the protection of our natural heritage, and especially of the precious areas where wilderness in Europe still exists. Accordingly, it is environmental professionals’ and policy-makers’ key responsibility to promote recognition and fulfillment of nature’s needs today, so that wild landscapes and habitats can continue to amaze coming generations in their most natural possible form.

Establishing the Natura 2000 network on the basis of the Bird and Habitat Directives was a major step towards that objective. This unique network of protected areas across Europe undoubtedly serves as a basis for the continuing fight to halt biodiversity loss and act towards the proper protection and possible extension of the last wilderness areas of Europe. The original objective of stopping biodiversity loss by 2010 has not been fulfilled, but with increased efforts the ambitious biodiversity targets set for the post-2010 period can still be attained.

I am also very happy to have seen a number of important events in the past year in the field of wilderness protection. The adoption of the European Parliament’s Report on Wilderness in Europe, the subsequent conference in Prague, organised to take up the challenges set out by that report, or the declaration of the message from Prague, ’Poselství’, listing 24 recommendations on the way forward to the implementation of wilderness protection and restoration – these were all milestones on the path towards the successful preservation of Europe’s wilderness values.

The European Commission is fully supportive of all initiatives intent on biodiversity and wilderness protection. Therefore, I warmly welcome this publication by the PAN Parks Foundation, which provides an excellent collection of best practice examples for non-intervention in areas belonging to the Natura 2000 network. This publication will certainly help the European Commission develop special management guidelines for site managers facing challenges in relation to wilderness management.

Furthermore, I believe this publication will be an invaluable document not only for policy makers but also for site managers, and will contribute to achieving our goal of placing wilderness in the focus of the new European vision for nature conservation. Download the full publication >

Over the last few months, hopes that a breakthrough in UN negotiations might be forthcoming by next year’s meeting in Mexico have begun to fade. First, Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Republican vote for energy legislation, withdrew his support for passing energy legislation in the U.S. this year. This of course delays progress domestically in the U.S., and it also severely hampers the U.S.’s ability to negotiate effectively at the international level. The decision by a number of moderates in the U.S. Congress (most recently Evan Bayh) not to run for reelection weakens prospects for any meaningful energy legislation. And this is probably why BP, Conoco Philips and Caterpillar announced they were not renewing their participation in the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a business and NGO coalition advocating for legislation to reduce carbon emissions. They see no reason to bother.

On the 18th of February Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change announced he’d be resigning later in the year, a strong sign that chances for an imminent breakthrough by the next meeting in Mexico were slim. Then Connie Hedergaard, the former minister for energy and climate in Denmark and president of the UN negotiations in Copenhagen, now European Commissioner for Climate Action, said she didn’t feel an outcome would be reachable by the next UN climate meeting in Mexico. In her view, a new treaty would probably have to wait until the following meeting in 2012 to be hosted by South Africa, one of the BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China), a coalition widely which is viewed as a lynchpin in the talks.

What about forests and wilderness? The forests debate did gain prominence and momentum in Copenhagen and in particular in the Copenhagen Accord: there is now broad recognition that forests need to be a part of the climate change solution. At the same time, the forests debate continues to be plagued with problems, including the recurring issue of distinguishing between natural forests, which are valuable in sequestering carbon and in climate change adaptation (and provide many other benefits, social and biodiversity related) – and plantations, such as oil palm plantations, which have very few carbon or biodiversity benefits.

Common sense would require safeguards to prevent valuable natural forests from being converted to vast, monoculture palm plantations, but to date it has not been possible to reach agreement on language that will prevent this absurd outcome. A recent draft EU biofuels and bioliquids sustainability scheme includes language that would recognize industrial plantations, including oil palm as forested areas. This demonstrates once again how hard it is to achieve the right result on this issue, despite broad agreement from the scientific and conservation community – as reflected in the Mensaje de Merida – that converting natural forests to plantations is an extraordinarily bad idea. Getting oil palm plantations off the table for carbon credits will be an important sign that countries are finally getting serious about protecting forests.

The WILD Foundation was born in the African wilderness. Last month I was in Southern Africa to review a few of our projects, attend board meetings, and to be with our network of colleagues and friends who form the backbone of our work there for wilderness, wildlife and people. It was a productive, warm, and enjoyable rainy season.

Among many projects visited, for the first time in several years I went to the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. CCF was within WILD for 11 years, I am still a Trustee, and we remain good and close partners. Laurie Marker, Bruce Brewer, dedicated staff and volunteers keep CCF at the top rank of effective wildlife conservation, globally.

For some (very necessary) soul replenishment, I had a few days in the Okavango Delta (Botswana) with our colleagues at Wilderness Safaris, one of the best eco-tourism companies in the world. The Delta is always amazing, and this time even more so. Hours with a pack of wild dogs, hunting and fending off a hyena, was special. Also, amazingly, for two hours we watched a lion cub less than two weeks old, in the open (very unusual…usually the lioness keeps them well-hidden for up to 60 days).

On another project consultation with our sister organization, the Wilderness Foundation (Africa), Andrew Muir and I were in the Karoo in the Eastern Cape…one of the most beautiful and soul-stirring landscapes in the world. We watched a summer rainstorm (an unusual occurrence) move across the Camdeboo Plains.

Among myriad meetings and miles, one objective was more important than the rest. I took Maggie Bryant, my dear friend and WILD supporter, to once again see Ian Player — our mutual friend and WILD’s founder — and his wife Ann. Ian and Maggie share a very great deal in common — they are both pioneers in nature conservation (and also in other personal pursuits); they have supported and mentored many fortunate people around the world (of which I am one); they will keep working and living fully until they drop; and they are both in their 80’s. They know that time is precious, and they have much yet to do. I could write a great deal more about these two world-class people whom I love and for whom I have immense respect and admiration. We’ve worked hard, accomplished a great deal together, and had more than a few laughs in the process.

Another very important reason for seeing Ian was to deliver a special gift to him from WILD9. The 9th World Wilderness Congress (Mexico, November, 2009) was the first WWC at which Ian was not present since he started them in Johannesburg in 1977. He did a video welcome, and in spirit at least was certainly with the 1800 delegates which convened in the Yucatan.

I delivered to Ian a specially engraved, three-litre bottle of Don Ramon tequila, which I had hand-carried over 6 weeks through numerous locations in Mexico, California, Colorado, Washington, and Johannesburg! This was a gift from one of our in-kind sponsors of WILD9, with personal wishes from our friend and partner in Mexico, Patricio Robles Gil. As we shared a small amount of “the spirit of Mexico” we toasted the spirit of wild nature that birthed and continues to nurture all life on our small and beleaguered planet.

For me, WILD9 was not complete until that moment.

(For a recent speech that Ian gave to the Game Ranger’s Association of Africa, March, 2010)

This past week, Nomhubulwane went on parade through Juarez, Mexico, a city with a violent reputation.  There was a lively parade with music, dancing and general good spirits and much celebration and discussion along with her visit.

Juarez, Mexico is just a short drive from El Paso, Texas — but there are two checkpoints to get through the US, dogs sniffing for arms and drugs and a constant line at the border-crossing.  The weekend before Nomkhubulwane arrived, 20 people were killed including an 18 month old.  This is clearly a city in need of some positive energy, inspiration and citizen stewardship — which is exactly what Nomkhubulwane brought.

On parade day, there was much celebration.  Many local sponsors supported hosting Nomkhubulwane – an amazing out-pouring of support considering that 10,000 businesses closed in the past year due to the economic downturn and violence.  There were speeches by local leaders, environmental experts and academic role-models.  Music poured from African drums and a youth marching band in full uniforms and many were dancing traditional Mexican folk dances and other free-spirited dancing.

For the next 2 weeks, there will be workshops at the Cultural Center, where Nomkhubulwane will be hosted… local support person Katie Updike commented: “Art can bring to the surface the ability of citizens to take action, rather than government accords and treaties.  This tour is about citizen stewardship…in many ways.  Being able for Juarenses to participate in a world movement and feel connected to South Africa, El Paso, the world, is perhaps the biggest part of the elephant in our room.  Yes, there is the ecological message underlying it all, but in the hierarchy of needs, this City si feeling so isolated and sad.”

Nomkhubulwane is sparking some interesting conversations in Juarez, such as how used tires (like those used to create the elephant) can be used in municipal projects – as proposed by Gonzalo Bravo, manager of communications with the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) in his presentation on Thursday.  We’ve heard that over 3,000 people attended the welcoming parade and the environmental lectures throughout the week!  Blogger David Sokolec posted some great photos of the celebrations.

On March 12th, Nomkhubulwane will travel to El Paso and be greeted with a picnic at the Chamizal National Memorial and a free art & nature workshop at the Los Paisanos Gallery on the 13th.  The following day, she will travel to the El Paso Zoo to help open the zoo’s new Africa exhibit.  On 26 March, she will move on, continuing her tour of North America.

Connectivity in the Americas: US – Mexico Connectivity – The Borderlands of Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico

• Diana Hadley, Executive Director, Northern Jaguar Project, English & Spanish
• Oscar Moctezuma, Executive Director, Naturalia, English (Spanish coming soon!)
• Melanie Emerson, Executive Director, Sky Island Alliance, English & Spanish

Wilderness and People – Social Issues, Conservation Solutions

• Joel Holtrop, Deputy Chief, USDA Forest Service, “Involving the Public in Wilderness and Conservation” English & Spanish
• Pinky Khondlo, Wilderness Foundation South Africa, “The Umzi Wethu – Wilderness, Training and Jobs for AIDS Orphans.” English & Spanish
• Dr. Ian McCallum, Writer, psychologist, wilderness guide, Director of Leadership and Education Projects for The Wilderness Foundation South Africa, “In the Tracks of Giants,” Spanish (English coming soon!)
• Jo Roberts, Director of The Wilderness Foundation UK, and Duncan Alistair Little, Northern Ireland, “Humanizing the Enemy: Wilderness and Peace Building”  Jo Roberts in English & Spanish / Duncan Alistair Little in English & Spanish

Wilderness and People – A New Agriculture for Wilderness and Climate Change

• Father Theodore Hesburgh, President Emeritus, Notre Dame University, interviewed by James Mosely, (Former) Deputy Secretary US Department of Agriculture, English
• Chris Dowswell, Executive Director Sasakawa Africa Association, English & Spanish
• Daniel Sherrard, Provost, and Victor Urgiles, Student, Earth University, English & Spanish

At approximately 5am this morning, a wall of water akin to a Tsunami surged through Elephant Watch Camp, catching tourists and staff unawares and sweeping away tents and facilities. It has been confirmed that camp owner Oria Douglas-Hamilton and guests managed to escape to safety by climbing to higher ground. Several members of staff were trapped in trees until the water subsided later today.

At approximately 7am the flood hit and decimated Save the Elephants’ research facility down river. Researchers and staff managed to drive to safety within seconds of the flood waters surging through the facility.

News just in confirm scenes of devastations at both facilities, with beds, tents, computers and vital research documentation submerged in mud and strung up in the treetops. Over 200 people watched from a hill above the camps as the waters wrecked havoc.

Staff and researchers hastily salvaged computers and camera equipment, but reports confirm that key research data, computers, equipment, kitchen facilities and food, lodging and personal effects have been washed away.

Although it is too early to asses the cost of the damage, Operations Manager Lucy King expects it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to rebuild the facility, and Save the Elephants is now calling on the generosity of donors and interested parties to kick start the effort.

The immediate relief process has already begun, with blankets and water flown in by STE founder Iain Douglas-Hamilton this morning, as well as the assistance of the British army which is attempting to airlift people to safety and bring additional supplies.

The waters have currently receded to the point where staff are able to wade through the remnants of the facilities and retrieve what is left of their belongings.

Ominously, heavy rain clouds hang over Samburu and more heavy rains are expected as early as this evening at what is only the start of Kenya’s rainy season.

Please note that news updates on the flooding will be posted on the STE website.

The Republic of Tanzania and Zambia have submitted a controversial proposal to CITES, the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species, for a one time sell-off of over 80 tons of ivory.  The 15th CITES conference will convene from March 13-25th in Doha, Qatar and these two countries will need 66% of the 175 country votes in order to proceed.  Some other African countries support lifting the ban on sales, notably South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

Kenya, the Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Rwanda and Sierra Leone are offering a counter proposal, calling for a 20 year moratorium on one-off sales and lobbying other countries to join them.  These countries are upset because of the potential implications of the sale -  the elephants don’t follow the borders and the sale could impact these shared elephants populations.  The proposal is seen to have “betrayed the spirit of conservation in the region.”

In the past, permission has been granted for one-off sales.  In 1997, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana were permitted to sell approximately 50 tons of ivory and in 2007, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe were permitted to sell 108 tons of ivory to Japan and China, earning a reported $20 million USD.  The 2007 deal included a 9 year moratorium on future sell-offs, but a loophole in the text allows for countries not involved in the 2007 deal to submit proposals during this time-span.

Tanzania is home to the second largest elephant population in Africa, and has also seen a drastic increase in poaching.   Nearly 50 elephants per month are killed in the Selous Game Reserve, and DNA tracking links these elephants to ivory sold in Japan.  In 1998, studies counted 67,000 elephants in Selous – today the count is 38,000.

The recent increase in poaching can be directly related to the 2007 sell-off, and we know that when the African elephant was placed onto the CITES list (Appendix A which prohibits trade) in 1989, poaching levels dropped significantly across Africa.  The proposal by Tanzania and Zambia includes a de-listing of the African elephant from Appendix I to Appendix II (little to no trade control).  This perhaps is the most threatening and alarming part of the proposal, and if approved could have wide-spread and devastating impacts for elephant herds across Africa.

“This is really the last call for elephants in Africa,” said Bourama Niagate, director of parks and natural reserves in Mali. “The devastating poaching of the 1980s first controlled through CITES is now so prevalent that the African elephant is all but extinct in some countries. This is because limited legal sales were allowed in the recent past providing the perfect cover for illegal trade in poached ivory. If we do not let elephant populations recover over the next 20 years by stopping the trade entirely, there will be no more African elephants outside a few zoological specimens in reserves in southern parts of Africa. Europe needs to do the right thing and back our stance now because it is nearly too late.” (The Independent)

For Tanzania, it is arguably a question of costs.  The country spends on average $75,000 USD each year to keeps its stockpile of seized ivory (12,131 tusks worth approximately $12 million in Asian markets) safe.  The country lobbies that the funds from the sell-off would be used exclusively for conservation and wildlife management.  But, when put into perspective of other economic drives — tourism, primarily for wildlife and wilderness related recreation, brought $1.3 million USD in 2008.  If there were no more elephants or the country became unsafe due to wide-spread poaching, this consistent income would surely diminish.  The option, as implemented Kenya in 1989, is to burn the stockpiles and eliminate the risk of raids and costs of protecting and storing the ivory.

In addition to these political threats, the African elephant faces severe environmental challenges – primarily drought.  Severe drought, such as that seen in Mali this past year, exacerbate the issue of survival for this gentle giants. A succession of drought and years of mismanagement in Kenya’s Amboseli game park had devastating effects last December, when nearly 2/3rds of the park’s wildlife died, including 75% of the zebra population, 98% of the wildebeest population and every elephant under two years old. Drought increases competition for water and has fatal effects on animals like elephants, which will stay away from watering holes crowded with people and livestock.

Like most conservation issues, this one involves politics, economics, environmental changes, cultural differences and relies heavily on international governing bodies to make the ‘right’ decision.  There’s a multitude of information available on this topic, and below I’ve listed just a few resources, in case you’d like to read more.

Environmental News Service, 2 March 2010: Bangkok Ivory Seizure Points Up CITES Elephant Dispute

26 February 2010: Statement by the Secretary-General of CITES on elephants and international trade of ivory

All Africa Online, 22 February 2010: Tanzania: Costs now the main issue in ivory debate

Daily Nation, 19 February 2010: Kenya and Tanzania disagree on ivory trade

Los Angeles Times, 11 February 2010: Security forces accused of poaching elephants, rhinos in Zimbabwe

Daily Nation, 9 February 2010: Kenya seeks US support against ivory trade

Science Magazine, 5 February 2010: Big Battle Brewing Over Elephants at upcoming CITES meeting

The Independent, 26 January 2010:  Britain to oppose sale of stockpiled ivory

The Independent, 25 January 2010: Save the elephant: ivory trading is set to resume

The Times Online, 23 January 2010: Poaching is a retro fashion we can do without

International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development, 22 January 2010: African Countries at odds over Ivory Trade

Zambian Wathdog: Namibia backs ivory sale plan of Zambia

In a press release on 15 Feburary, Sky Island Alliance biologist Sergio Avila  commented:  “Northern jaguars are a reality and they want to stay. Jaguars don’t recognize political boundaries; instead they choose robust prey populations, open space and safe corridors. This healthy feline represents our chance to recover this species in the region.”

Carlos R. Elias, co-owner of the El Aribabi ranch located just 30 miles south of the US/Mexico Border in the Mexican state of Sonora, is working closely with the Sky Islands Alliance as part of the Northern Mexico Conservation Program.   This conservation-rancer collaboration partnership celebrated last week, when a jaguar was photographed by a remote camera along an isolated canyon.  

“We are thrilled about the results of this collaborative project,” said Carlos R. Elias “Our family has worked hard to restore ecological processes in this land. We hope this gets the attention of government agencies and foundations, so we can establish a sustainable model that protects biodiversity and supports landowners and their families at the same time.”

The El Aribaba ranch is a critical habitat for the northern jaguar and this photograph marks a milestone in the recovery of the endangered cat.  The ranch itself is of critical importance — in 2005 it was named a World Biodiversity Hostpot (by Conservation International) and it hosts over 35 pant and animal species protected by Mexican law, including the jaguar, golden eagels, Chiricahua leopard frogs and ocelots.    The ranchwas listed as priority area for conservation by CONANP (Mexican national parks agency) and is just about to be designated as a private preserve.

“The jaguar’s presence in this area confirms the excellent ecological conditions on the property and highlights the landowner’s efforts to protect biodiversity,” Avila said. “Jaguars in northern Mexico are the hope for jaguar recovery in the United States; this is a reminder of our responsibility and an opportunity to do things right this time.”

A key part of the jaguar recovery program is linking lands together to form a large enough habitat for these predators.  This requires cooperation from many stakeholders and focused attention on important passageways along the US/Mexico border.  Animal’s don’t follow our defined political boundaries and it is critically important to allow for natural migration paths, regardless of national or regional borders.  “Predators are crucial for healthy ecosystems,” said Mexican rancher, Carlos R. Elias. “Open space, wild prey populations and wildlife corridors across the region, and across the international US/Mexico border, are vital for their survival. We have to protect and maintain those connections.”  Read the full press release.

Working with El Aribaba is just one piece of the Sky Island Alliance’s work to protect and restore the rich natural heritage of native species and habitats in the Sky Island region of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.  Melanie Emerson, Executive Director of the Alliance, spoke during the WILD9 plenary sessions and her presentation is available online in both English and Spanish.

A young British Conservationist has won the international award for helping to create a new model of community-run Marine Protected Areas, which both saves marine diversity and helps to feed marine dependent communities.

Alasdair Harris, 30, was selected as winner of the 2010 Young Conservationist Award, an award by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and the International Ranger Federation which honours outstanding achievements by young people in the world’s protected areas.

In Madagascar, Alasdair established Blue Ventures, a conservation organisation dedicated to working with local communities to conserve threatened marine environments. In 2004 Blue Ventures launched the region’s first community-run Marine Protected Area (MPA), which resulted in significant increases in fishing yields and size, increasing earnings of fishers.

Within a year, Madagascar’s government adopted the model to create seasonal fishing bans throughout Madagascar, and within two years, other villages independently adopted it. It became `Velondriake’—meaning `to live with the sea’—the largest community-managed MPA in the Indian Ocean, providing a regional blueprint for community-based marine and coastal conservation planning

Alasdair avoided top down conservation by working with coastal communities to develop his ideas and create social enterprises to ensure sustainable financing of conservation efforts. Blue Ventures organizes expeditions of scientists and volunteers to support conservation while bringing economic and environmental benefit to local communities.

“Alasdair’s outstanding work has benefited the marine environment and local people in Madagascar. It has shown that the involvement of local people with conservation can result in benefits to the environment and to people’s livelihoods. We warmly congratulate Alasdair on his leadership and well deserved award. We look forward to his further contributions to the global challenge of conservation.” says Nik Lopoukhine, Chair of the IUCN World Commission Protected Areas.

Velondriake’s communities have led grassroots education efforts to help other villages establish dozens of further marine reserves in Madagascar. This year Blue Ventures replicated its work in Malaysia, Fiji and Belize, and supported the Indian Ocean’s first international fishermen exchange, with the Mauritian islands. Blue Ventures’ vision is to scale this model for maximum impact: thousands of tropical marine communities in the Indian Ocean could benefit from this approach to marine conservation.

“This award is an incredible honour, but also a reminder of the sobering reality of the condition of our oceans today” says Alasdair. “Throughout the world fisheries are collapsing on an unimaginable scale. In the tropics, many coastal people are already among the most marginalised communities on earth, acutely vulnerable to the impacts of developed-world over-consumption and climate change. In these environments conservation is not just about protecting coral reefs and biodiversity – it’s about ensuring the survival of people and the fragile ecosystems they depend upon. This award is testament to the commitments of some of the world’s poorest communities to finding a sustainable future. Never has the need for commitments like these been greater.”

Alasdair will soon be in Australia to be presented with the award at the Healthy Parks Healthy People Congress in Melbourne, Australia, this April.

“The IUCN-IRF Young Conservationist Award honours the contribution of young people to conservation. Many of us in the world of Protected Areas know that local communities are and will be the key to taking care of these special places” says Deanne Adams, President of the International Ranger Federation. “The work that Al has done is an inspiring model for engaging local fisherman in identifying and managing sustainable conservation efforts. His work gives us hope for our planet’s future.”

The Young Conservationist award is a joint initiative coordinated by the International Ranger Federation and IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas, and supported by the George Wright Society and Parks Victoria, Australia.

Harvey Locke, “Connectivity – a Global Imperative” English & Spanish

Dr. Ghana Gurung, “The Terai Arc Landscape Project: Rhinos, Tigers, Elephants, and People in the Foothills of the Himalaya” English & Spanish

Rick Ridgeway, “Freedom to Roam – Bringing Connectivity into the Mainstream of Society” English & Spanish

Dr. Graeme Worboys, “Great Eastern Ranges – From the Alps to Atherton, Australia” English & Spanish

Dr. Lisa Graumlich, “Yellowstone to Yukon: Connectivity in Practice for Climate Change Adaptation” English & Spanish

Book Launch – Connectivity Conservation: A Global Guide, English & Spanish

Valer Austin, “US-Mexico Connectivity – The Borderlands of Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico,” English & Spanish

Pedro Alvarez Icaza, “Mesoamerican Biological Corridor” English & Spanish

An elder Scot’s Pine (pinus sylvestris), the ancient king of the Highland Caledonian Forest.

Scotland has its own type of wild-ness. I love it — lived there for 10 years in my 20’s and 30’s, and my children were born there. Though I knew it was time to go, I wept when I left the glens, shores and hills of the Highlands. During that time I realized that wilderness was my life’s work. I met Ian Player in 1980, and we convened the 3rd World Wilderness Congress (1983) at Inverness and the Findhorn Foundation (30 miles east).

The Chairman of the 3rd WWC was legendary piper and forester Finlay MacRae. I met Finlay one evening at a dinner hosted by Sir John Lister-Kaye of the Aigas Field Center, north of Inverness. John is a real wilderness man, and equally a real character. As we started the meal that night, all seated around a massive wooden table in the Great Hall of his Aigas House, John said the grace —- 10 minutes, in Latin!

Sitting on one side of me was Finlay, and his wife Joey on the other. Upon learning that Joey was born and raised on the Outer Isle of Lewis, my (then) wife Kate asked Joey if she spoke Gaelic. I’ll never forget Joey looking at Kate and saying clearly but sweetly, in her lovely Scots accent, “My dear, I only happen to speak English!”

John Lister Kaye has remained a force for wilderness and environmental education in Scotland. I was heartened to see his latest book, At the Water’s Edge: A Personal Quest for Wilderness, and a good article by him in the Telegraph, “Why We Need Wilderness.” Good work, John, thanks for keeping it wild!

“This wildlife corridor will cover about 1.4 million square kilometres – connecting both public and private land – to provide a continuous refuge of native habitat,” Mr Rann (SA premier) said.

“It is designed to help a huge section of Australia’s native flora and fauna survive and adapt to the threats of fire, drought and other fallouts of climate change,” Mr Henderson (NT Chief Minister) said.  More information can be found on the Nature-Links website and on the media release from the Northern Territory.

EDUPEG: 7 Schools within the programme at present but the project is not really achieving the required results. It appears that most schools are only using the materials when the Edu-peg educators visit the village and are not really integrating this into their daily teaching plans. This is very frustrating as it is a question of relying on the teachers themselves to drive the project.

Complaints were received from Edu-peg that the Wild ward assistants were not available to assist with translation when workshops were held and that Elizabeth can not split herself between classes. They also wanted someone from Wild present in case they were not comfortable being left in the classes on their own. This was addressed but the level of English and capacity in general among the 2 ward assistants is such that they can not really fulfil the need even though they attended the initial training.

Some schools like Isandlwana Primary do very well with the programme and others do not use it at all. In some schools the staff turnover is so high, (due to HIV related illness in many cases) that the new teachers are not trained to use the programme and therefore it is stored away. In one case the booklets and kits were locked in the safe so that it would not get damaged rather than allowing the children to use the programme.

Instead of doing the usual “follow-up” visits, it has been suggested to Edu-peg that we start the new year with a fresh Introduction Workshop.

ECOSCHOOLS: Eco schools continue to be a popular introduction but yet again some schools driving the project internally and others expecting Elizabeth to do it all for them. Again we have a situation where the ward assistants are not of any support value to Elizabeth.

The general consensus has been to work with those schools that show interest and commitment and wait for those who don’t to take an interest and show commitment rather than chasing after them all the time.

Isandlwana Primary has been one of the leaders, having received a silver certificate for their efforts.

Food gardening projects are very popular and Isandlwana Primary is growing both vegetables and fruit trees with great dedication.

We were approached by the High School for the first time asking if they may join in the programme as they would also like to start a food garden. This was approved and we have authorised the purchase of gardening equipment for the school.

COMPUTER ROOM: Generous donations from various lodge guests saw first a number of computers donated to Isandlwana Primary. This resulted in us requiring a dedicated teaching space and we then embarked on raising awareness amongst guests for the renovation of an empty classroom into a computer room.

The floor was screeded as the cement had cracked and crumbled and was very dusty. The windows were bricked up and smaller windows were fitted from a security perspective. Counter tops were fitted all the way round for computer stations. Local labour was used but not without incident and caused a lot of political tension which we can now look back on and laugh.

The next batch of donations are due to be applied to the installation of ceilings. Unfortunately we presently only have enough funding for some of the materials and there is a lot of pressure from the school to get the ceilings in – we have agreed that they need to meet us half-way and the project is due to continue in January 2010 once the schools have re-opened.

TEACHING VOLUNTEERS: We had our first teaching volunteer from the UK – Marilyn Kent. Marilyn is actually an adult education trainer and ended up teaching the teachers at Isandlwana Primary how to use and teach computer skills to the learners. It was received very well with the school constantly asking us when they can have some more. The lodge kindly assisted us with accommodation in the AMAFA house.

TONY & HEV GATES BURSARY SCHEME: Lodge guests Tony and Hev Gates have initiated a R30 bursary scheme for a senior learner to receive tertiary education. Interviews are due to be conducted and it is anticipated that the funding will be available in October 2010 so that the learner may attend a tertiary institution in 2011. Inkosi Mazibuko is very supportive of the project and will drive the introduction with WILD in the high school and amongst past matriculants.

There has been a bit of a disagreement with the lodge in terms of the application process as the lodge had identified a student who is the son of one of their employees and communicated to the guest that this should be the recipient. Sam and Elizabeth disagreed as they felt their should be equal opportunity to all applicants and that we could not fault the Inkosi this time as he had agreed to an interview and selection process and now the Lodge wanted to put forward a sole candidate. Issue was resolved with Pat. Introduction of the project to be done in February when the Inkosi’s calendar is free and final interviews / approval of candidate to be done in June/July so as to give the recipient a chance to also save some of their own money. The June exam marks will be taken as a deciding mark from those students who will be doing grade 12 in 2010.

EDUCATION FORUM: Buy-in has also been received from two school principals and the Inkosi to start an Village Education Forum to try and deal with the disparities within the educational support programme. The feeling from these community leaders is very much that certain schools are holding others back and then complain if those that work receive the benefits. They have suggested that those that do not co-operate be “left behind” and can rejoin the forum once they are willing to commit.

SCHOOL CLOTHES: Second hand school clothes have been pledged by the parents and children from Cowan House Preparatory in Hilton to one of the village schools who also use a maroon uniform. During the course of the year in excess of 20 boxes of uniform, including winter uniform, sports kit and other clothing has been received which has been welcomed by this very poor school.

The project will be on-going.

SECONDARY HIGH SCHOOL: We have recently been approached by the High School for us to please assist them and get involved with their pupils. In addition to the food garden as mentioned under Eco Schools, they have also asked that our sewing group become involved in training the young girls and have suggested that they would make a classroom available to them for this purpose. Further “negotiations” as to the use of the classroom and training will be undertaken once the school has re-opened in 2010 and the principal has also indicated his commitment to the education forum.

WATER TO SCHOOLS: An American donor was referred by the Lodge to the project. She initiated the project and, contrary to our normal operating style, created huge expectations. The equipment/materials to implement were purchased and the connection fees paid to the water board. Politics set in. We now have a stale mate between the water board and the department of education in terms of the schools not having the authority to accept responsibility for the monthly accounts. We have now involved the municipality and are trying to resolve the matter despite all the red tape and are hopeful that the installation will be implemented early in the new year. Once again the lesson of good will but lack of experience creating issues — donor driven projects seldom work as hoped. We will set it right, it will just take a while.

HEALTH AND WELFARE:

FOOD PARCELS: The food parcel project that was sponsored by a lodge guest who hosted a ball in support of HIV orphans was a huge success, albeit not a sustainable way of providing much needed resources. Almost 100 orphans benefitted from the project. Items included staple foods as well as “LUXURY” items such as soap and toothpaste. It would be great if we could find an annual sponsor or launch and annual fundraiser for this programme.

It has also been included in the lodge guest donation programme – information is given to guests should they wish to participate in the community development programme for the village.

SWINE FLU: Elizabeth and the ward assistants attended a course given by the Department of Health on Swine Flu which was really useful. They then went on to share the information they received with the village, especially the elderly and those who care for HIV orphans.

ORPHAN CARE: The lodge continues to drive the “adoption” of children from the village for school clothes and school fees. We believe that this may be grown into an “adopt an HIV orphan” programme in a subtle way with Elizabeth identifying the most needy orphaned individuals as recipients.

As all the schools are not supposed to be non-fee paying schools, we are also looking at rather putting a portion of fees towards daily living expenses in the form of perhaps the food parcels in addition to the sponsorship of a school uniform.

SMALL BUSINESSES AND AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES:

BEADING: Beading continues at its own pace. It has developed considerably since it started, but now seems to have reached a plateau. The beading ladies seem unable to deliver consistent quantity or quality, despite us having secured orders for them and providing them with sample product. We will continue to support this programme but we have agreed not to put any more funding into the programme as we believe a bit of a” hand-out culture” has developed here. This is especially of concern as one of our ward assistants is a key member of the beading group. Concerns were also raised that she receives a stipend from WILD to drive this project amongst others and then still derives benefit from the profits of the project – this was defended by the fact that the project is currently not really in a profit making position. It has highlighted the fact that one has to be very aware of outside perceptions of who and what WILD supports and why. The lodge has agreed to the purchase of American and UK flags but the order was not forth coming. Sam has also secured orders from the new Multi Media Centre near uMgungundlovu so hopefully the girls will start producing in the new year. They continue to attend exhibitions organised by the Department of Arts and Culture but we have found that they enjoy these as they can sell and exhibit anything and are not bound by large quantities of the same product but rather display single item pieces. Unfortunately the quality of the work is not bespoke and therefore you can purchase the same item almost anywhere else at competitive prices.

SEWING: The sewing group has shown incredible initiative and commitment and has gone from strength to strength this year under Elizabeth’s enthusiastic guidance.

Products include a wide range from school uniforms which has become a self-sustainable income stream, to bags, skirts, curtains and quilted items. Sam secured an order for 20 quilts for the Premier’s multi media centre project near Ulundi as well as the manufacture of some curtains. As the women have been working on school benches, it was agreed to extend a loan to them for the purchase of a large sewing table for cutting of patterns. Never did they ask for a donation but only for a loan which shows the pride and commitment of this group. Many of these women are elderly and looking after the grand children who have been orphaned by HIV. (This is in stark contrast with the beading group who are mostly young women and in the HIV danger generation.)

It was agreed by the WILD team that should the opportunity for securing a donation to pay for the table or assist with subsidising the cost present itself, we would extend assistance based on them having such a fantastic attitude.

CHICKENS: The chicken project (boliers) have become self-sustainable and does not require any further financial support from WILD. Elizabeth still advises them from time to time in terms of business decisions but that is the extent of our involvement. The egg project has been discontinued for now, as the recipients refused to work together in teams and working alone could not give the laying hens the proper care and feed to consistently produce healthy eggs. It is a pity — lack of protein is still of concern in the diet of many of the villagers, especially the orphans. We will start again only if people work together.

VEGETABLE GARDENS: 11 gardens plus two emerging school gardens, one at Isandlwana Primary and one at the High School. All doing fine but have been impacted by the heavy rains that we received at the wrong time of year. Many gardens were waterlogged and crops have been mainly cabbage and potatoes. Isandlwana Primary is doing particularly well and have done their garden as part of their Eco-School project. Sam and Pat investigated the growing of herbs by the school for the lodge and this may well be a new project that can be initiated in the new year. Quality of produce will have to be exceptional but fortunately with herbs many of the diseases that would plague other vegetables may be overcome.

ORCHARD: The project is one of those that is “stop start stop start”. Successful workshops have been held with the Department of Agriculture but implementation is hampered by village politics, specifically the local Induna that in a round about way indicated that he expected payment for the Orchard project. Soccer uniforms were donated to the local boys and they do watch over the orchard, reporting visitors, but do not get involved in the actual gardening and weeding requirements. Again this is due to the lack of a local driver on the ground. “Ward politics” – -very local, subdivision of the tribe – is a powerful force and Elizabeth feels we do not have an effective team at that level in this ward. It was decided delay installation of the soccer goal posts until such as time as the orchard is working. At present it is the women who have taken responsibility for weeding etc (as always!) instead of the young boys on the soccer team, which was not the original agreement.

CULTURAL GROUPS:

The cultural group continues to perform well at the Lodge. Other cultural activities like the weaving of traditional baskets, carving of traditional fighting sticks etc do well and quality and quantities are sufficient in terms of the demand for such items. It would be preferable if the lodge could stock such items at lower mark-ups to try and incentivise guest to purchase more items and in so doing stimulate production. Other outlets are currently being sourced with AMAFA potentially stocking the Ilala (palm leaf) baskets.

GENERAL:

WORKING WITH THE LODGE: We believe that the relationship with the lodge has come a long way and is now more stable than ever. There is great buy in and a lot of effort is being made to get the guests involved. Our capacity to meet the Lodge’s needs in the long run, will have to be considered as the ward assistants can not replace Elizabeth when it comes to dealing with any guest relations.

STAFF MATTERS: Both Sam and Elizabeth had a bad start to the year.

Elizabeth was targeted by group of fraudsters who tried to tap into the lodge’s internet banking account using Elizabeth as a conduit. Elizabeth alerted Sam to the situation and together they managed to set a trap and have one of the suspects arrested. He later was let free by the police at Nqutu and all evidence “disappeared”. A detective indicated to Sam that they suspect involvement of the police at Nqutu.

Sam had an emergency operation to remove an ovary and was unable to drive for 8 weeks after the operation. During this time Elizabeth came to meet with her in Pietermaritzburg. She is due to undergo a full hysterectomy in 2010. Ill health has had an impact on her managing her consultancy work and to this extent she has given up all her other clients to focus in 2010 on getting better. She has undertaken a 1 year contract with CROW in Durban and has moved to Durban. She will however continue her work with WILD should they wish her to do so and is allowed by CROW to continue this.

Ward assistants roles need reviewing and perhaps we have got the stage where their roles as initially required have become obsolete. It may well be a better option to look at a succession strategy for Elizabeth and provide her with a intern that can speak English, has the capacity to become computer literate and obtain a driver’s licence in order for her to have better support.

Morgan at WildSpeak at WILD9

Inspired by her work as a photo-journalist and by her blog (The Nature Files), Morgan Heim, a great friend of WILD and an Emerging League member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, has just launched a great new newsletter.  Eco-Leads (the newsletter) can serve as news source, but is primarily aimed at inspiring photography projects around the globe.

What I like most about this project is that it promotes collaboration and sharing of information.  If we’re going to create positive change, we have to work together, and I think that Eco-Leads is a really innovative and inspirational source for collaborative work!  Here’s more about Eco-Leads in Morgan’s own words (from the February Eco-Leads)….

“I spend a lot of time sifting through peer-reviewed journals and writing about quirky or under-covered science and environment news on my blog the Nature Files. Well, it’s time to find a way for these stories to do some good for conservation beyond the scope of my blog. The science news there really acts like teasers for conservation photography projects just waiting to happen. That’s where you come in.

There’s far too many stories and locales for any one person, so I hope that you’ll use Eco Leads as a resource for photography projects in your spot on the globe, whether you want to pursue a new project or supplement an existing one. Each month this newsletter will bring you a selection of recent science discoveries meant to inspire conservation. Visit the Nature Files at any time to get the scoop, or contact me if you’d like more info, such as…

• key sources
• institutes
• journal links

Eco Leads will also feature a section called “Mo-Adventures,” giving you a snapshot of something I’ve been up to.

Please spread the word to others who might be interested in receiving these project ideas. And drop me a line to let me know the fruits of your labor from outreach to media.”

My experience at the Wilderness Management Seminar and WILD9, Carla Mora-Trejos, Clemson University Graduate Student

I visited wilderness in my home country, and in one of these places I found a reason to live, it showed me where I am supposed to go. Unfortunately, after having an 8 to 5 job and then working on graduate school I had forgotten this place and the main reason why I started to study this in the first place. Going back to this place in my heart with other people, helped me make sense of wilderness, I knew it before hand, but I didn’t know I knew it until at the seminar we had the chance to discuss and work on it together.

Vance (Martin, President of The WILD Foundation) said in the seminar, that we are building communities. I think that the community we built in the seminar and the thorough discussions and feelings we could share made me grow up in a very special way. I learned so much from the other participants and from me; it was worth all the effort WILD9 organizers made. I am so grateful. The participants, we have kept in touch and I am sure that big things can come out of this. In terms of working together for conservation and in terms of having someone out there that understands wilderness as you do, and can give you emotional support for the struggles that working for conservation bring.

I went to WILD9 with the theme for my PhD ready and my proposal already started. After the seminar and congress, I decided to change my theme for dissertation to be able to include wild areas in the research. The conference gave me a whole new perspective of wilderness, different from the very personal, emotional, and spiritual place that was for me. Many people from the seminar and the conference inspired me to keep going with love, hope, and new strengths. I don’t think I have the right words to explain all that came out of this seminar. Thank you, for getting me back on track!!!

Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, Homer, Alaska: The Conservation Internship Program, hosted by the Alaska Conservation Foundation, extended its application deadline until this Sunday the 21st, so the time to apply is NOW!  Internships are 12 weeks in length, commencing between May and June each summer. Interns are placed at non-profit conservation and Alaska Native organizations, state and federal agencies, and other interested organizations that have identified assignments complementing ACF’s mission. The actual content of the internship is determined by the host organization in coordination with ACF. ACF works with interested organizations to ensure that internship assignments offer opportunities for students to learn and contribute to Alaska conservation in a direct and meaningful way.  Apply via the ACF website.

Thorne Natural Science School, Boulder Colorado: Thorne Ecological Institute’s flagship summer program, Thorne Natural Science School (TNSS), celebrating 53 years of hands-on environmental education in Boulder and Littleton, Colorado is accepting applications for part time, seasonal Instructors.  Thorne Natural Science School Instructors provide ecology-based environmental education programs to up to 12 students aged 3-15 years old, fulfilling Thorne’s mission “to connect kids to nature”. We are looking for creative, energetic, passionate outdoor educators with experience in teaching children about Colorado ecology and related nature themes. Open Spaces are our outdoor classrooms, and all programs are held in the field. Duties include: submitting required paperwork in a timely manner, curriculum development, mentoring a Teaching Assistant, behavior management, and teaching in an outdoor setting.  Apply today!

Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, New Jersey: The Wetlands Institute partners with Richard Stockton University and other researchers to provide research and intern opportunities for college student and recent graduates.  Read more about their research opportunities >

Other great internship opportunities and jobs can be found at Idealist.org and Eco.org!

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB), a unique opportunity to increase understanding of the vital role that biodiversity plays in sustaining life on Earth.  Declared by the United Nations, IYB now has a multitude of international partners, will host many celebrations and events and provides key information about the importance of biodiversity.

The key message of the IYB is: Humans are part of nature’s rich diversity and have the power to protect or destroy it.  Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on.  Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost at a greatly accelerated rate. These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on everyday. But we can prevent them.  2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. Let’s reflect on our achievements to safeguard biodiversity and focus on the urgency of our challenge for the future. Now is the time to act.

WILD is proud to be a partner of IYB and will continue to post news about biodiversity on the blog and in other publications throughout the year, especially the “Species of the Day,” which features a different IUCN red list species each day!