Living Planet. NO dredging NO dumping - join the Fight for the Reef! AUTUMN MAGAZINE. Your incredible year of support.

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1 Living Planet MAGAZINE AUTUMN 2014 exclusive magazine for wwf supporters / ISSUE 27 NO dredging NO dumping - join the Fight for the Reef! FIGHT FOR THE REEF Our greatest marine park is to be used as a dump. EARTH HOUR 8.30pm, Saturday 29th March Give an hour for the Earth. RHINO RECOVERY The different ways you help rhinos. BIG ACHIEVEMENTS Your incredible year of support.

2 Getty Images / WWF-Aus Jake Blundell / WWF-Aus You re the lead in the Earth Hour story By Dermot O Gorman CEO, WWF-Australia Throughout history, stories have been at the heart of successful social movements to protect our environment. At WWF, we re privileged to hear success stories every day from our conservation projects around the world - stories that wouldn t be possible without supporters like you. One story that started here in Sydney seven years ago - to give an hour for 8.30pm, Saturday 29th March, 2014 Give an hour for the Earth. the Earth as a symbol of concern over climate change - has grown to capture the imagination of 7001 cities and the people of 152 nations. But despite its name, Earth Hour has never just been about a single hour. The hour itself reminds us that we share this one precious planet together - but it s what happens in the lead up and the aftermath that has the potential to unleash the real power of the Earth Hour community. That s why this year we re excited to be relaunching Earth Hour. We ll be using the evening of Earth Hour - Saturday 29th March - to tell one important story of why Australia needs to act on climate change. We re making a documentary that reveals how climate change is affecting our precious Great Barrier Reef, and what we can do to save it. That evening, WWF supporters and Australians from all walks of life will gather at events big and small in cities and towns around the country to watch this must-see documentary before Earth Hour, screening on Channel Ten at 4.30pm. Then we ll break out the candles at 8.30pm for an hour of good company and conversation. The organisers of the fifty best - most original, inspiring or impressive - Earth Hour events will win a ticket to Camp Earth Hour on the Great Barrier Reef in May. There, we ll launch a movement that carries the Earth Hour spirit into campaigns and community projects year-round. Because Earth Hour is about the beautiful, bold idea that all of us together can inspire action to solve the climate crisis. At its heart, the lead character of the Earth Hour story is you. Dermot O Gorman CEO, WWF-Australia Thinking of you! From everyone at WWF - and from the 1,500 orang-utans of the Arabela region in Borneo - we would like to say a big thank you! Your amazing generosity has meant that these orang-utans will soon live the rest of their lives among food trees that have been protected, in new trees that have been planted and in a place where they will no longer live in fear of human poachers. Thanks to you, we can now: Carry out surveys to help prepare orang-utan management plans for the logging companies. Work with provincial and district governments to stop forest concessions being cleared for palm oil plantations or other similar uses. Work with local community patrols to protect the forest against illegal logging and burning and stop the poaching of orang-utans and other endangered species. Plus, we soon hope to establish an orang-utan conservation education centre in partnership with a forest logging concession. The centre will be at the forefront of increasing the capacity and knowledge of forestry managers, field staff and local community to manage impacts on orang-utans and other endangered species. Because of you, we have great hope for the conservation of the wonderful orang-utan. Thank you! Want to see more beautiful pictures from Borneo? Go to wwf.org.au/blogborneo naturepl.com / Anup Shah / WWF-Canon 2 Living Planet Magazine - AUTUMN

3 John de Rooy / WWF-Aus Turtle health on the Reef Turtles are close to the heart of so many WWF supporters. That care and concern has been shown through the support of our turtle programs in the three years since Cyclone Yasi slammed into the Great Barrier Reef coastline and decimated turtle feeding grounds. As thousands of sick and starving turtles washed up on Reef beaches, WWF supporters responded immediately and have been at the forefront of turtle recovery and rehabilitation. Dredge dumping: just because you can doesn t mean you should Thanks to your support, we have been able to: Increase the capacity of turtle hospitals to care for more sick and starving turtles. By Dermot O Gorman, CEO, WWF-Australia The decision to dump dredge spoil within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is an outrage to many Australians. Our greatest marine park is to be used as a dump. Care for, rehabilitate and return many turtles to the wild. Kick-start turtle research by expanding our tagging and monitoring program and investigating the prevalence of ill health. The federal government has given the green light for three million cubic metres of seabed to be ripped up at Abbot Point, north of Bowen, then transported and unloaded in World Heritage listed Reef waters. Support the establishment of a world-class turtle health research facility, located at James Cook University in Townsville. Three years on, the environmental scars after Yasi are healing, but turtle populations in the wild are still unhealthy. And now, because of your support, the research is to begin at the turtle health research facility. We re soon to get underway on a 3-year turtle research program to obtain the information we need to counteract the threats facing turtles and ensure the survival of these magnificent creatures. It s all thanks to you. 4 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU To see the difference you ve made for turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, take a look at our video Sending the Gungu home. It s a terrific look at turtle research, rehabilitation and the people who, like you, are so dedicated to these wondrous creatures. To watch the film go to WWF-Australia s Youtube channel, and click on Sending the Gungu home. Have you heard about our Tracking Turtles project? Visit wwf.org.au/blogturtle to find out more. This is all happening because of a major expansion of the Abbot Point coal port, just 50 kilometres from the holiday mecca of the Whitsunday Islands. It doesn t have to happen Why is the government allowing the Abbot Point dumping? A report by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority shows their preferred option is to avoid the dredging and dumping by building a longer jetty. Their second preference is for the dredge spoil to be disposed of on land. Instead, what we got was the worst option. Destructive impact of dredge spoil Dredge spoil is not pristine white sand that just magically sinks to the bottom. It s a mixture of sand and mud that s best left undisturbed. New research shows the finer particles can be carried by winds and currents for up to 80 kilometres. These particles cloud the water and block sunlight, starving seagrass and coral. When they settle on a reef or seagrass they can literally smother it to death. That s not the end of the destruction either. Storms can resuspend these particles again and again extending their deadly legacy for years. In short, dredge spoil is nasty stuff. Fight for the Reef Other industries operating alongside the Reef - including farming, fishing and tourism - are adopting more sustainable practices, so why is the resources sector stuck in the Dark Ages? Where is the leadership from this industry to stop out-dated practices like using the Reef as a dump for their waste? Approval for the Abbot Point dumping is not the end of the matter! Tens of thousands of Australians are mobilising to stop this assault on the Great Barrier Reef. When it comes to dumping on our national icon the message to the government is clear: just because you can doesn t mean you should. The fight is not over! Please turn over to read more about how you can help us to Fight for the Reef in Living Planet Magazine - AUTUMN

4 TOM SJOLUND Doing this to the Reef is a global environmental outrage! Gary Bell / OceanwideImages.com The federal government has approved the dredging and dumping of three million cubic metres of seabed from the port expansion of Abbot Point to be dumped into World Heritage Reef waters. The approval has been granted, while the government is still reviewing whether the atrocious environmental damage that has degraded Gladstone Harbour, is because environmental conditions were not enforced. This is lunacy. The destruction of our Reef has to stop. Tragedy in Gladstone Harbour Gladstone is home to Australia s largest dredging project. In 2011, as the safe dredging and dumping began, massive clouds of silted water began to wash across the harbour and out onto the Great Barrier Reef. The dredging spoil began to breach its safe containment walls. The dredging co-incided with the mass deaths of fish, turtles, dolphins and dugongs in the harbour. The local fishing industry collapsed because of rampant diseases moving like a pandemic through fish populations. Gladstone has been a disaster. We must stop dredging and dumping The situation is so serious in Gladstone that the federal government, correctly, has called for an independent inquiry into the incident. But, incredibly, before that research has been done and the truth is known, the government has given approval to more dredging and more dumping this time at Abbot Point. Our governments have clearly shown that they won t stand up for the Reef. But we will! We must fight harder, fight stronger and fight smarter for the Reef. HOW YOU CAN HELP Make a donation by March 31st and for every dollar you give, the Thomas Foundation are giving $2. Your gift will be used to help us fight to: ban dumping of dredge spoil in the Reef waters, and delay any further port expansion without clear, unbreakable environmental protection in place. Plus, every cent of your donation will go directly to this campaign. Let s turn our outrage into action. Please donate as soon as you can wwf.org.au/ reefappeal WWF, GPO Box 528, Sydney, NSW 2001 This is what s at stake 6 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU/reefappeal Living Planet Magazine - AUTUMN

5 VIVEK R. SINHA / WWF-CANON NATUREPL.COM / LISA HOFFNER / WWF-CANON WWF / Matthew Hensby 2013 Our work isn t done yet - we want to double the number of wild tigers by the next Year of the Tiger in With your support, we will continue to fight wildlife crime - protecting elephants, rhinos and tigers forever. Your incredible year of support. Just look what you helped us achieve thank you! 63% increase in wild tiger population in Nepal s Terai Arc 1.5 MILLION signed our petition to ban ivory trade in Thailand 152 countries and MILLIONS of PEOPLE engaged in Earth Hour It s part of the largest system of marine parks anywhere in the world - and you helped make it happen. This year showed there are millions of people willing to fight for their Reef and protect it from rapid industrialisation. 2.3 MILLION km 2 extra of marine protected areas for Australia 15.3 MILLION PEOPLE ON TWITTER fought for the Great Barrier Reef 1,500 orang-utans TO BE PROTECTED in Borneo Annabelle Sandes / Kimberley Media MichËle DÈpraz / WWF-Canon Alain COMPOST / WWF-Canon Together, we will continue to push for the world to make the switch to renewable energy. WWF and logging companies are now working together to save their island s most famous ambassador thanks to you! Thanks to you we achieved so much to be proud of in It really wouldn t have been possible without your help. 8 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - AUTUMN

6 naturepl.com / Andy Rouse / WWF-Canon CAPTAIN R ANDERSON Running out of time running out of space A hundred years ago, there were 100,000 tigers in the wild. Today, there are as few as 3,200. Why are tigers disappearing? Illegal Trade - poaching to feed consumer demand for tiger body parts, mostly for use in Traditional Asian Medicines. Deforestation - because more and more forests are cleared by commercial logging and for agriculture, tiger habitat disappears daily. But, thanks to your support WWF is helping lead tiger conservation efforts by: Stopping poaching and wildlife trafficking Working with governments and industry to protect tiger habitat Captain Anderson s grandfather had no idea of the impact of his actions. His grandson sees his tiger adoption as a way to correct the errors of the past. Achieving funding for tiger conservation efforts Undertaking research to document tiger populations and behaviours. Remember the goal: To double wild tiger numbers by 2022 Repairing the past for tigers Admire her. Protect her. Adopt her. Captain Rob Anderson, a new tiger adopter, shares his emotional connection My grandfather was a British tea planter in India during the 1940s. The tea plantation workers were frequently attacked by tigers while working. It was common practice then for the boss, my grandfather, to shoot the tigers. The skins were then preserved and kept in steel trunks. Time moved on and my father came to possess some of the trunks. Ever since I can remember, the tiger skins were kept in the attic. I can vividly remember as a little boy, opening the trunk, and feeling so very, very sad. As a sea captain, I ve travelled the world and had a few opportunities to see tigers in the wild, and they were everything I thought they would be! I guess I should have done something more positive about the predicament the tigers are now in, but I didn t. I was swept up in the business of working, and family obligations. Then I saw the WWF tiger advertisement on TV, and it struck a nerve. For the first time in my life I have taken a step to correct the errors of the past, and the opportunity to adopt a tiger has had a profound effect on me. I like to think that my grandfather took no pleasure in what he did; it was a very different world then, and there was ignorance as to how the future would unfold. I believe he would be horrified to see the situation we now find ourselves in regarding tigers. I think the message is what we may be doing now, without checks and balances, can have absolutely devastating effects in the future. We need to encourage our friends and families to the same awareness - and the best way is by making a donation. Everybody needs a gentle push, just like me, to conserve these beautiful animals. With numbers reaching a critical level, there has never been a more important time to adopt a tiger Right now, there are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild. Poaching and habitat loss have pushed them to the very brink of extinction in many parts of Asia - and they urgently need our help if they are to survive. By adopting a tiger today, you ll help protect this endangered species. a gorgeous tiger toy + an adoption pack + regular updates from the field. = For as little as $15 a month, you ll get an adoption pack, a gorgeous cuddly toy and regular updates from people working on the frontline of tiger conservation. What s more, you ll also have the satisfaction of knowing you re helping us protect vital habitat, train and support anti-poaching patrols - and keep tigers safe for generations to come. from as little as $15 a month Adopt a tiger today: 1. Online: wwf.org.au/tigeradopt 2. Phone: Mail: WWF, GPO Box 528, Sydney DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - AUTUMN

7 RHINO HORN IS MADE OF THE SAME STUFF AS HUMAN NAILS. STILL WANT SOME? Rhino horn does not cure illnesses. If this fact is new to you, consider this: rhino horn is largely made of keratin, the same stuff that makes up your fingernails and toenails. Don t use rhino horn. It s as useless as swallowing your own fingernails. For more information visit: vietnam.panda.org SAVE A RHINO, SAY NO TO RHINO HORN. soh koon chng / wwf-canon Your support in action: rhino recovery It s hard to imagine that a one to two-tonne animal would have an issue with keeping safe. But, today, rhinos in Africa and Asia are close to extinction due to poaching. However, with your help, we are tackling the illegal trade head-on to protect them. Stamping out the demand A toe-curling advertisement has been developed by WWF and our specialised wildlife trade program, TRAFFIC, in Vietnam. The ad aims to help reduce demand for rhino horn in the country and dispel the myth that rhino horn is a miracle cure for diseases such as cancer. Rhino horn has no beneficial properties: it s largely keratin, the same substance that makes up your hair and nails. In South Africa, nearly 700 rhinos were illegally killed in 2012 and in 2013, 1004 were killed by poachers to feed the demand for rhino horn, particularly in Southeast Asia. We need people in Vietnam and around the world to help us stamp out this terrible trade and say No! to rhino horn. Chips to conserve As poachers increasingly use sophisticated weapons to kill wildlife, it is vital that conservation efforts embrace technology to counteract the slaughter. Late last year, 1,000 microchips and five scanners were delivered to Kenya. The chips, combined with DNA technology will enable 100 per cent traceability, as live rhinos are tracked and poached horns are traced. This significant development will also improve the chances of poachers being prosecuted. Caught on camera! A footprint found in March last year started the excitement and now sensor cameras have given us cause to celebrate. A Sumatran rhino has been spotted in East Kalimantan, Borneo. It s exciting news, as the species was thought to have died out in the area long ago. Video footage shows a rhino walking through the rainforest and wallowing in a mud puddle. Fewer than 275 Sumatran rhinos exist in the wild. We are now working to get a scientific estimate of the rhino population to take the right steps to conserve the species. These developments in the fight to save the rhino wouldn t be possible without WWF supporters. Thank you! How you help Rhinos Your support allows WWF to: Stop the poachers by increasing anti-poaching presence on-the-ground. Curb demand on the street by running education campaigns to make people aware of wildlife crime. Maintain natural forests and restore degraded habitats to protect rhino homes. 12 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - AUTUMN

8 NATURPL.COM / JÜrgen Freund PHOTO COURTESY OF NICK HEATH The greatest gift I can give them By Nick Heath WWF Bequestor My connection to the Great Barrier Reef was formed at a very early age. My dad was a dive boat captain so our days were spent steaming between the reefs and coral islands between Mackay and Cooktown. I grew up, left home and went off to find a career. Years passed and when I finally returned to the Reef for a visit, I was shocked at how much it had changed in less than a decade and not for the better. It was terrible, truly heart breaking to see what I saw then. The reefs I d grown up on were dead, or at least more than half dead. Coral cover had declined and the colours had disappeared from the rainbow to the grey and brown corals that remained. The Reef was turning to rubble. It was then that I vowed to devote my working life to conserving what was left. I joined the WWF team in 2006 and now work to protect the Reef from farm pollution, fisheries and other impacts. While I have seen many wins over the years I have also come to realise that my lifetime will not be enough. The natural places we love will always be prey to exploitation. I chose to leave a Bequest to WWF to fight for the Great Barrier Reef when I am no longer around to fight for it myself. As the father of two young children, the protection of our natural world is more important to me than ever before. Through my Bequest to WWF I can give my children the greatest gift of all the hope of clean air, fresh water and a healthy planet. For more information on leaving a Bequest to WWF, please: Call: Christine Robinson or Leigh Wigley on bequest@wwf.org.au or Visit: wwf.org.au/bequest Brighter 2014 for rock stars Thanks to you, it will be a happier 2014 for threatened black-flanked rock-wallabies. The rock-wallabies clinging on to existence at Nangeen Hill in Western Australia s Wheatbelt were facing a nightly gamble with death. The presence of ruthless predators meant the wallabies were too scared to venture far from their rocky shelters to feed. Six months ago, WWF supporters came to the rescue and helped to build a predator-proof fence for the little rock stars. The five-kilometre fence is now giving around 22 wallabies a protective sanctuary. Now, we re so pleased to report that since then, the sanctuary looks to be fox-free, with hidden cameras showing no evidence of predators. Thanks to your generosity, these wallabies can also look forward to a bounty of new food to munch on as the WA Department of Parks and Wildlife and WWF start to revegetate the area. Due to your support, 2014 is now looking brighter for the much-loved wallabies. Thank you so much! naturepl.com / Dave Watts / WWF-Canon 14 VISIT WWF.ORG.AU/bequest Living Planet Magazine - AUTUMN

9 Get fit and take on a WWF challenge Want to do something really great this year? Why not get fit and help conservation and the environment at the same time. It s as easy as joining our wonderful supporters taking on a sponsored event for WWF in Whatever challenge you fancy taking on, we d love to welcome you to Team Panda. It doesn t matter if you re a seasoned marathon runner or taking on your first five-kilometre run, there s a challenge for you. Take a look at the list of events and then go online to sign up for an event today. You can enter an existing event or create your own event, the choice is yours! We ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we will help protect the planet, habitats and endangered species we all love, working hand in hand. Thank you for making a difference. Upcoming events: Sydney Harbour Run 13th July 2014 City to Surf Sydney 10th August 2014 City to Surf Perth 31st August 2014 Bridge to Brisbane 7th September 2014 Sydney Running Festival 21st September 2014 City Bay Fun Run 21st September 2014 City to Sea Melbourne 16th November 2014 wwf.org.au/teampanda tpanda@wwf.org.au WWF-Australia, GPO Box 528, Sydney, NSW 2001 Cert o. nxxx-xxx-xxxx Cover photo: istock.com / Dean Lyettefi. Back cover: Mihira Bodaragama / 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 Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter. LIVING PLANET - AUTUMN wwf.org.au