Living Planet. Would you build a fence to save a rock star? SPRING MAGAZINE. Thanks to you he is growing up. How you are caring for turtles.

Transcription

1 Living Planet MAGAZINE SPRING 2012 exclusive magazine for wwf supporters / ISSUE 23 Would you build a fence to save a rock star? MOST WANTED Wildlife crime driving species to extinction. A NEW HOPE The Great Kimberley Marine Park. TURTLE & REEF HEALTH How you are caring for turtles. REMEMBER BABY BAIM? Thanks to you he is growing up.

2 Anne Tootill/ annamariacom.blogspot.com.au Dermot O Gorman / WWF-Aus For our planet s health, we must be bold By Dermot O Gorman CEO, WWF-Australia Transformational environmental change requires both ambition and persistence, as two significant milestones of the past year clearly demonstrate. The proposal to create the world s largest network of Marine Protected Areas and Australia s landmark Clean Energy Future legislation followed years of concerted campaigning by groups like WWF-Australia. WWF s practical measures to protect vital habitat and species continue to make a profound difference, but much more is urgently needed to address the root causes of biodiversity loss. When it comes to the health of our planet, we need to be bold. That s why WWF-Australia is also challenging business and industry to do better. In boardrooms across the country we are engaging with companies that have a significant impact on biodiversity - because they produce, process, trade and invest in commodities such as seafood, beef, sugar, palm oil and forest products. We are partnering with market leaders to develop sustainable supply chains that promote cooperation and understanding on an unprecedented scale. Through industry roundtables and voluntary certification programs, WWF is inspiring businesses to become part of the solution and encouraging consumers to reward their commitment. We are showing that conservation does make good business sense, that in our new green economy, the environmental and social returns are great. As the first year of WWF s fiveyear strategic plan comes to a close, there is still much to accomplish and no time to waste. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters across Australia and the dedication of our team, we are rising to the challenge and together setting a cracking pace. Dermot O Gorman CEO, WWF-Australia WA commits to a sustainable fishing industry WWF-Australia has applauded the WA Government for committing to sustainable commercial fishing practices that will secure the longterm viability of the industry while working to better protect the state s precious marine resources. By signing up to pursue Marine Stewardship Council certification, the WA Government has committed to the global standard for ecologically sustainable fisheries management. MSC certification is the most robust, transparent and ecologically sustainable system, respected by consumers in Australia and around the world. This decision offers a great opportunity for WA to be a world leader in fisheries management. WWF looks forward to working with industry, scientists and the WA Government to provide advice that puts more effective management systems in place. Lanjak by Lia Syafitri / WWF Do you remember baby Baim? Thanks to you little Baim is growing up Two years ago baby Baim was in a cardboard box lined with newspapers, crying for his mother, who was almost certainly the victim of poachers. Today Baim is a healthy, happy and mischievous orang-utan, growing up in the safety of a sanctuary, one day to be released into the wild again. Baim was a symbol of the terrible plight of some of our world s most iconic species. Even more, Baim has become a symbol of the impact you are making as a WWF supporter. You are helping to provide a home, food and safety for some of the world s most magnificent animals, all of whom are at risk of extinction. How are you helping orang-utans Your donation helps to: Create a giant 220,000 km 2 conservation area in the Heart of Borneo Provide the people of Borneo with real alternatives to illegal poaching and logging Protect the remaining natural habitat of orang-utans, rhinos and elephants within the Heart of Borneo Monitor timber and paper supplies through the Global Forest and Trade Network. Lia Syafitri / wwf-id 2 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING

3 WWF-CHINA WWF-MALAYSIA WWF-CAMBODIA WWF-MALAYSIA WWF-CHINA Feng-En Liang - China Iylia - Malaysia Vong - Cambodia Safri - Malaysia Zhanzheng Sun - China Tell tiger rangers you care, send a postcard today! Sensor camera image, Sumatran tiger - Indonesia Rangers are putting their lives on the line to protect one of our planet s most beautiful, vulnerable species - the tiger. These unsung heroes - sometimes called forest guards, park wardens or field enforcement officers, depending on the country - work tirelessly, under harsh conditions on the frontlines to keep wild tigers safe. Everyday, they face danger, coming into contact with ruthless poachers, HOW TO SEND A POSTCARD Cards4Tigers is a way of extending support and appreciation to rangers working to stop wildlife crime across the world s 13 remaining tiger landscapes. Visit site at to: 1. Meet the tiger rangers 2. Mail the rangers a postcard or send an e-card who have no qualms of shooting a ranger to escape the law. Yet, the rangers stride on, walking the forests and hills in all weather. They are critical in achieving zero poaching of tigers, but not always fully appreciated for their work. It s time to recognise these heroes. Tell rangers you care and that you support their work. Send them a postcard today! 3. Find out how to share your action via Twitter and Facebook Plus, you can also get updates of rangers receiving their cards and when new rangers are added. WWF-Indonesia / PKHA Thanks to you, Reef HQ Aquarium is expanding WWF-Australia s donors are continuing to save our Great Barrier Reef marine turtles through a $20,000 grant to the turtle hospital, at Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville. The turtle hospital provides around-the-clock care to marine turtles in need of help that are found along the Queensland coast. It now plans to increase its capacity to rehabilitate up to 20 turtles at a time. Over the past year the turtle hospital has cared for 30 green turtles and one hawksbill turtle. Most of these turtles were eventually released back onto the Great Barrier Reef. Many of the turtles that come to the hospital require months of intensive care and attention before they are well enough to go back into the ocean. Habitat loss, pollution, fishing and the loss of vital food resources have all taken their toll. These beautiful animals should live to be well over 100 years old but they are dying much younger than that in the very waters that should protect them. But, thanks to your support, turtles are being given a fighting chance. Phillip the green turtle, who is rehabilitating at Reef HQ Aquarium Turtle Hospital, meets some of WWF s board and staff. Thanks to your support, one of Reef HQ Aquarium s success stories - Mara the Green Turtle - recently made her way back into the ocean off Townsville, after five months of care at the turtle hospital. In February, Mara was found on the Great Barrier Reef s Magnetic Island severely malnourished and covered in parasites. Over the past few months, Mara has been nursed back to health with a high protein diet, regular freshwater baths and worming treatment. As a result, 15 year old Mara is free to roam and live in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, hopefully for many decades to come. leanne elliott / WWF-Aus john de rooy / wwf-aus 4 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING

4 Anup Shah / naturepl.com The world s most wanted naturepl.com/edwin Giesbers / WWF-CANON Sven-Olof Lindblad/Lindblad Expeditions STOP ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE Jim Jabara / WWF-Canon YOU CAN HELP STOP ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE BUTCHERED FOR ITS HORN: In South Africa, it is estimated that in the first half of 2012 at least one rhino was killed every single day for its horn. In 50 years of conservation, we have never seen wildlife crime on such a scale. It s worth as much as $US5-20 billion annually and responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands of wild animals every year. It is an unspeakable horror that the animals of our childhood are being wiped off the face of the Earth. If it s allowed to continue, this appalling criminal trade could drive many species to extinction. Wildlife crime is now the most urgent threat to three of the world s best loved species - elephants, rhinos and tigers. Between 1970 and 1989 half of Africa s elephants were killed, primarily due to ivory poaching. Today, up to 12,000 elephants are killed each year for their ivory, most in Central Africa. Over three tonnes of rhino horn reached illegal Asian markets from 2006 to There are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild and they are hunted relentlessly by poachers. That s why we need you to join five million WWF supporters world-wide in our campaign to STOP illegal wildlife trade. ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION: As few as 3,200 wild tigers are left globally, and we lose 200 each year to illegal wildlife trade. Rhinos Gangs of poachers carry out barbaric attacks on rhinos. Typically, the horn is hacked from the rhino s face with a chainsaw. The horn s then airlifted away and sold by global criminal networks. Within 48 hours its horn could be on sale in an Asian marketplace. Meanwhile, it may take a rhino the same length of time to bleed to death. Too many rhinos are dying at the hands of profit-hungry criminals. It simply can t go on. You can help to take action to save more rhinos now. Tigers ALMOST GONE: In early 2012, poachers entered a national park in Cameroon and shot dead over 300 elephants - at least half the park s entire population. It is likely that every day tigers are being killed - their body parts and skins sold for decoration, their meat and bones sold for Traditional Asian Medicine. To wildlife criminals, tigers are worth more dead than alive. Despite official bans on the use of tiger parts in Traditional Asian Medicine, there s still a booming black market. If we don t stop tiger poaching now, we will see the extinction of wild tigers through most of their range. We want to see poachers behind bars, not tigers. Elephants Elephants have long been hunted for their precious ivory tusks. Today, the killing of elephants driven by the illegal ivory trade has reached crisis levels in Africa. Despite the ivory trade being banned in 1989, every year around 12,000 elephants are killed mostly in Central Africa. Often killed by helicopter-borne attacks by professionals, the elephant tusks are then removed and smuggled on the Ivory Road linking Africa to Asia. Elephants are being driven into decline because of poaching. You can help us to: STOP the poachers Your gift could help increase the anti-poaching actions on the ground, including patrols in transborder regions. STOP traffickers on trade routes Your gift could help increase controls at exit points such as airports/ports, helping officials intercept criminals and their illegal cargoes. STOP demand on the streets Your gift could help run education and awareness campaigns to discredit the healing and aphrodisiac mythology about animal body parts. Please donate now: wwf.org.au/stop WWF, PO Box 528, Sydney, NSW DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING

5 Mike Griffiths & Phil Lewis / DEC / WWF-Aus Build a fence save a rock star! Up here she is sure-footed and safe Down where she feeds, ruthless predators lie in wait. Every night is a gamble with death. Phil Lewis & Mike Griffiths / DEC WWF-Aus One of our most loved native animals, the tiny black-flanked rock-wallaby stands around 50cm high and weighs less than 5kg. Katherine Howard / WWF-AUS The WA Department of Environment and Conservation have built the first 2,000m needed to fence Nangeen Hill. WWF s commitment is to raise the cost of the final 3,000m to completely exclude predators from this reserve. At Nangeen Hill, an A Class Nature Reserve in the Western Australian wheatbelt, black-flanked rockwallaby numbers are plummeting. It was once home to over 100 rock-wallabies. Today, despite desperate efforts to increase fox control, there may be as few as nine wallabies left on the rocky granite hill. If this continues Nangeen Hill could lose its wallabies forever. What we need to save them is not rocket science, it s a fence! We urgently need your help to construct a specially designed, five kilometre fence right around the perimeter of Nangeen Hill. The fence will create a sanctuary for the rockwallabies, giving them freedom to live and graze and rebuild their depleted colonies. The fence will cost $75,000. At $25 per metre, it is well within reach, if you help! With every metre you buy, you ll be linking arms with other WWF supporters, providing a line of protection around these rock-wallabies. There has never been a time when the rock-wallaby needs you more. Please send your gift urgently. It is the fastest and most effective way to save the lives of our little rock stars. Please donate now: We need $75,000 to build the fence. At a cost of just $25 per metre it is well within reach - if you ll help us wwf.org.au/wallabyappeal WWF, PO Box 528, Sydney, NSW DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING

6 ANNABELLE SANDES / KIMBERLEY MEDIA The Kimberley coast: the last sanctuary Holothurian Reefs Browse Island North Kimberley Scott Reef Oceanic Shoals 9 Adele Island 6 Rowley Shoals 3 Dampier Peninsula Roebuck Bay 1 8 Maret Island 2 4 Broome 5 Camden Sound and Montgomery Reef 7 Talbot Bay and Collier Region Buccaneer Archipelago Derby King Sound and Fitzroy River Eighty Mile Beach Port Hedland Whale off James Price Point There are few marine and coastal environments left on Earth that are as ecologically and culturally intact, stunningly beautiful and remote from destructive human pressures as the Kimberley region in northern Western Australia. A refuge for species The Kimberley shelters many threatened and endangered marine species. It is critical habitat for a number of shark species and supports six of the world s seven species of marine turtles. In addition to healthy populations of marine mammals, including dugongs, whales and dolphins, the Kimberley includes the calving and nursery grounds of one of the largest humpback whale populations in the world. More than 20,000 humpback whales migrate to the Kimberley from Antarctica each year. 10 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU The Kimberley: under threat Up until now, the remoteness of this beautiful place has protected it from the harmful impacts felt elsewhere in Australia. However, just as the Kimberley is coming to national and indeed international prominence for its scientific, natural and cultural values, proposals for industrialisation and expanded natural resource extraction are gathering pace across the region. A new hope: the Great Kimberley Marine Park Just five per cent of the Kimberley marine environment is currently safeguarded from the threats of fishing and damage from development such as oil and gas drilling. Both the WA and the Commonwealth governments have Aerial view of the Horizontal Falls in Talbot Bay separate marine park planning processes for the Kimberley marine environment. The WA government has committed to creating four marine parks: Eighty Mile Beach, Roebuck Bay, Camden Sound and North Kimberley. WWF also welcomes new laws which provide for Aboriginal communities to jointly manage the new parks. WWF and its partners want to comprehensively protect all Kimberley state waters through the creation of a Great Kimberley Marine Park. Just like national parks on land, a network of sanctuary zones is essential to protecting and conserving the diversity of our marine life and areas of high conservation value in our oceans. In addition, sanctuary zones also help to insure against overfishing by providing a refuge where marine life can breed and mature undisturbed. The Great Kimberley Marine Park will still allow fishing outside sanctuary zones - it is about striking a reasonable balance. Great legacies have been created with the Great Barrier Reef and at Ningaloo Reef. The Kimberley is a jewel in WA s and Australia s crown and it is now time we turned the jewel into a global icon by establishing a Great Kimberley Marine Park which provides for long-term protection. A Great Kimberley Marine Park must protect nine unique and crucial areas for our marine life if it is to become a global icon. The Kimberley Coast: 9 iconic places 1. Eighty Mile Beach Destination for more than 450,000 migrating birds. 2. Roebuck Bay Home to the rare snubfin dolphin and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. 3. Dampier Peninsula Crucial feeding and breeding areas for fish stocks and rare turtles. 4. King Sound & Fitzroy River The largest free-flowing river in WA. 5. Camden Sound & Montgomery Reef Largest humpback whale nursery in the Southern Hemisphere. 6. Buccaneer Archipelago A world-class marine environment of more than 900 islands. Visit likenowhereelse.org.au to find out more the WA Premier and Opposition Leader Share our TV commercials 7. Talbot Bay & Collier Region Home to the Horizontal Falls, a natural wonder of the world. 8. North Kimberley A spectacular area with fringing reefs and hundreds of islands. 9. Oceanic shoals Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef globally important reef systems, supporting a high diversity of fish and other marine life. Living Planet Magazine - SPRING

7 COLES & Tassal Tasmanian Salmon WWF is working with Blackmores, Coles, John West and Tassal to help them transition to responsibly sourced seafood and fish oil products by Changing how we sell, buy and eat seafood More than 200 million people rely on our oceans for their livelihoods and a further 950 million depend on them as a primary source of protein. However, they are not an inexhaustible supply of food and resources. Destructive fishing methods, bycatch and over-fishing are pushing our oceans to their limits. By making the choice to only buy and eat sustainable seafood, consumers can contribute to the long-term health of our oceans. This choice also supports those fisheries operating sustainably and encourages others to follow suit. The Asia-Pacific region is an important seafood market for Australia. We produce, export and import hundreds of thousands of tonnes of seafood each year to and from the region. The social, economic and environmental well-being of the region s fisheries and aquaculture sectors are inextricably intertwined with ours. WWF works with Australia s leading seafood businesses - chosen because of their progressive practices and significant influence over supply chains. We support their efforts to set an example for responsible seafood production and sustainable sourcing. Ultimately, we hope this will transform the entire industry across the Asia-Pacific region. Our partners WWF has partnered with Blackmores, Coles, John West and Tassal to help them transition to responsibly sourced seafood and fish oil products by WWF and our partners recognise Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification as the highest standards available for sourcing sustainably caught and responsibly farmed seafood. Our partners have signed the WWF Global Seafood Charter which sets out clear principles and objectives to safeguard marine ecosystems, ensuring the long-term viability of seafood supplies. Our partners also invest in WWF led marine conservation projects. Thank you, solar lights help save Bengal tigers The Sundarbans is a cluster of lowlying islands in the Bay of Bengal, spread across India and Bangladesh. They are a wildlife treasure trove set in a seemingly unending maze of water courses, rimmed by the world s largest mangrove forests. And, they are home to the mighty Bengal tiger - magnificent, majestic, and tragically, on the brink of extinction. The story of the massive decline in Bengal tiger numbers is a tragic mix of trophy hunters, the Oriental medicine market, and conflict with local villagers. In the Sundarbans, human-tiger conflict is an enormous issue. Communities around tiger reserves are heavily dependent on their livestock. For a poor farmer, losing livestock often means losing their only source of livelihood. People are also killed by tigers straying into forest villages. Tigers are then killed in retaliation. Solving human-tiger conflict Sometimes, solutions are simple. Thanks to you, solar lights are being installed to discourage tigers from entering the fringes of forest villages at night. These lights have been funded by WWF supporters, and are a simple but effective measure for reducing human-tiger conflict. The first phase of the solar light installation - construction and earthworks - commenced in July. The second phase, REMEMBER THE GOAL: doubling wild tiger numbers by The Bengal (Indian) tiger is the most numerous of all tiger subspecies. However, a burgeoning human population and its own needs are pushing the tiger out of its natural habitat. the installation of the power packs and lights started in mid September. By removing a major human-wildlife tension, this simple measure will enable tigers and villagers to live more safely, each within their own territory. Thank you so much for your support. These are practical and simple ways in which WWF supporters have made an impact on tiger conservation. 12 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING naturepl.com / Andy Rouse / WWF-Canon

8 Greg Armfield / WWF-UK Leigh Huckel / WWF-Aus The community that works together sticks together Your support for WWF s marine turtle program has become a powerful demonstration of how human communities benefit as we work together to conserve the environment. In conversations with the Gudjuda Aboriginal Reference Group elders (who care for turtles on the Great Barrier Reef) one thing became clear: turtle conservation has become a focal point for rebuilding and unifying Indigenous communities. As Jim Gaston, an Indigenous elder and Senior Cultural Heritage Officer expressed it, Young people are being taught their culture and respect. As young people work alongside their elders to protect turtles, they are reconnecting with the local knowledge that has been part of Traditional coastal communities for thousands of years. Turtles still need our care As sick and injured turtles continue to be found on Queensland beaches, many suffering from the cruel and deadly fibropapilloma virus, many questions remain unanswered: Why has the virus increased? What is its source? How is it transmitted? Indigenous communities gather much of the raw data necessary for research to be carried out by Townsville s James Cook University (JCU) and Reef HQ Aquarium Turtle Hospital that will hopefully provide answers to these questions. Turtles are caught, blood and shell-core samples are taken, they are then tagged and released. As Dr Ellen Ariel, Senior Lecturer in Virology at JCU commented, Our work for turtles would not be possible without the assistance of Indigenous communities. As a WWF supporter you are ensuring that the Great Barrier Reef remains one of the world s best sanctuaries for marine turtles. Turtle research has given one more opportunity for the Indigenous communities to apply their generations of local knowledge and love for the Great Barrier Reef. As Jim Gaston said, This doesn t generate any income for us, we do it from the heart. The community that works together sticks together! HOW YOU ARE HELPING TURTLES ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF Your donation helps to: Reduce farm chemical run-off Eliminate toxic pesticides Protect critical species like turtles, dugongs and inshore dolphins. The panda made me do it! Our world needs you. Around the world, nearly a quarter of all mammal species are threatened with extinction. And we re using up the resources of the planet at one-and-ahalf times the rate the planet can sustain. The Panda Made Me Do It is about collecting, sharing and celebrating the positive things that people are doing to help protect our planet. What s it all about? Join with us. We have a list of ways you can protect the natural world. It s as simple as: Choose it We have a list of ways you can protect the natural world. Do it We ve made it simple and can help you all the way. Share it Tell everyone what the Panda s made you do. What will you do today? Go to wwf.org.au/do_it/ to choose it, do it and share it! 14 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING LAURENT Desarnaud / WWF-AUS Do it naturepl.com / John Downer / WWF-Canon MiChael Roache / WWF-AUS ALAIN COMPOST / WWF-CANON

9 Can you see our little black-flanked rock-wallaby? WWF-Australia, PO Box 528, Sydney, NSW 2001 Cert o. nxxx-xxx-xxxx Cover photos: Black-flanked rock-wallaby Phil Lewis / WWF-AUS, Black-flanked rock-wallaby Katherine Howard / WWF-AUS. All photos from the WWF-Canon photographic library have been kindly donated by photographers for WWF use, and cannot be reproduced or provided to external parties panda symbol and WWF is a Registered Trademark. Cert XXX-XXX-XXXX Forest Stewardship Council LIVING PLANET - SPRING wwf.org.au