WILD

Winners of 2010 Tyler Environmental Prize Announced

Re-posted from Tyler Environmental Prize Announcement. 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 ... Read More

Breaking News – Save the Elephants Camp Hit by Floods

Save the Elephants Research Camp Hit by Floods Early this morning Save the Elephants (STE) research facility and Elephant Watch Safari Camp located in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya, were completely destroyed by unexpected flooding of the Ewaso Ng’iro River, along with seven other neighbouring lodges. 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 ... Read More

Ivory Sell-Off Proposal Raises Concern for African Elephant Herds

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 ... Read More

Conservation-Rancher Parternship Assists Northern Jaguars

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 ... Read More

Celebrate Biodiversity

What do the United States (the world’s largest economy and “superpower”), The Holy See (independent micro-state of the Vatican) and Andorra (independent micro-state in SW Europe) have in common? They are the only three states in the world which have not ratified the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). Despite this, and in fairness, long before the CBD the US passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973, a pioneering legal instrument that powered a movement around the world and underlies a great deal of US domestic accomplishments in protecting biodiversity.   While the Endangered Species Act has ... Read More

Russian Tiger Summit, 2010

In early November, when WILD9 was in full-frenzy, I received an up-lifting email from one of our guest bloggers, Kathleen Braden, who keeps us abreast of environmental news in Russia (Read Kathleen's previous blog posts).   She reported that the government of Russia would host a summit in September 2010 on saving the Amur tiger.  Read More

Update on the Elephants of Pafuri

As mentioned in previous posts, WILD is involved with a project to track elephant movements in Pafuri (a region of Kruger National Park) lead by Wilderness Safari Wildlife Trust.  We received an update on the collaring project, which tracks the elephant's movements in order to inform conservation decisions.  Read More

2010 – the Year of Biodiversity

The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB).  In honor of IYB, the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) will feature one species each day for all of January. The species will be selected from the entire range of groups, representing all regions and detailing the threats to their existence. Read More

Celebration of the Zululand Lions

Below is an expert from a story by Tim Condon in the Zululand Observer celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the lion named "Nkozi," his epic trek into the iMfolozi Wilderness and the great conservation heroes who played a key role in saving this lion and countless other animals - Dr. Ian Player, his mentor Magqubu Ntombela, Hugh Dent, Paul Dutton, Nick Steele and others.  This great trek is also told in Ian Player's Zulu Wilderness (page 50). This year marks another important milestone in the history of Zululand’s game reserves - the 50th Anniversary of ‘The Return of the Lions’. This ... Read More

News on the Elephants Tracking Project in Pafuri

Tracking animal movements is a key part in large-scale conservation, especially with keystone species such as bears, cougars, elephant and gorillas. Knowing how animals move, seasonal variations and changes due to climate, development or other reasons, can inform conservation decisions and management.  Below is a slideshow of maps and images from the The Makuleke Transboundary Elephant program, by Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust and partners including WILD and Save the Elephants.  Read more about this project > Read More