Living Planet MAGAZINE SPRING 2013 exclusive magazine for wwf supporters / ISSUE 26 Food for Joey and his Mum. Can you help? FIGHT FOR THE REEF Great Barrier Reef dredge decision delayed. GOOD NEWS! 2013 India-Nepal joint tiger survey results. KILL THE TRADE An update on the STOP campaign. TRAVEL WITH WWF 2014 China and Borneo adventures await.
Partnerships to protect the planet FrÈdÈric Monnot / WWF-Canon MichËle DÈpraz / WWF-Canon dermot o gorman By Dermot O Gorman CEO, WWF-Australia The lead-up to the federal election was a busy period for WWF as we worked hard to raise the profile of key environmental issues like the Great Barrier Reef and climate change. WWF works closely with Indigenous communities to protect native animals - including turtle populations on the Great Barrier Reef. Supporters step up to Fight for the Reef Dumping millions of tonnes of sediment into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is not acceptable. Australians want to see the Reef protected. There was some good news with both major parties announcing Reef policies to combat pollution. We look forward to working with the new government on the environmental challenges facing Australia. Of course our partnership approach extends beyond governments. We also work with business, other environmental groups, Indigenous people, universities, local communities, and our supporters to drive change for a sustainable future. Collaboration for sustainable solutions is at the heart of everything we do. You could say this is part of our DNA. A good example of this is the Fight for the Reef Campaign - a partnership with the Australian Marine Conservation Society and David Thomas Foundation. Together, we have increased awareness of the threats to the Reef from mega ports, dredging, dumping and a 7,000 ship superhighway. We have also been working to ban the dumping of dredge spoil in the Reef s World Heritage Area and our petition to ban dumping had over 25,000 signatures in the first two weeks alone! Our partnerships also help make a difference on the ground for our threatened species. Your donations helped build a five-kilometre fence around habitat for vulnerable black-flanked rock-wallabies in WA to save them from feral cats and foxes. Now we re asking for help to replant native vegetation so they have enough to eat. Our partners in this rescue mission include the WA Government, community groups, farmers and school volunteers. We ll continue to work with governments to save endangered species and the places we love, and to see sensible policies adopted to protect our planet. All sides of politics must ensure that we don t let our special animals and unique plants become extinct on our watch! You, our supporters, are as always our most important partners. WWF can and will continue this work thanks to the generosity of so many of you all across Australia. Dermot O Gorman CEO, WWF-Australia The Fight for the Reef campaign has brought together tens of thousands of supporters across Australia, and around the world, to raise awareness of the threats facing our precious Great Barrier Reef. Thanks to the two-for-one dollar contribution from the Thomas Foundation, WWF supporters just like you, raised a record-breaking $500,000. This generosity meant we were able to take the Fight for the Reef around the country and build an amazing community of Reef fighters. We also took your concerns to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in June. At the meeting, WWF-Australia presented a petition signed by over 81,000 people that helped keep the focus of the global environmental watchdog firmly on the Reef. The Australian Government has recently committed $40 million for a new Reef Trust following work done by WWF highlighting the urgent need to restore degraded sections of our fragile Reef. We have also been working to ban the dumping of dredge spoil in the Reef s World Heritage Area and our petition to ban dumping had over 25,000 signatures in the first two weeks alone! All this extra attention on industrial projects along the Reef s coast has resulted in the scrapping of a major project in the Fitzroy Delta and signals that untouched areas such as this may be permanently protected in the future. There is still a long way to go, but your support has given us a great start in the Fight for the Reef campaign. Together we can continue the fight for proper protection of our precious Reef. HOW TO PROTECT THE REEF Stop the fast-tracking of port developments without environmental protection Commit to a plan to protect the Reef, its corals and its marine animals. Help us do this and together, we will win this fight - for the Reef, for Australia, for the world. Find out more: FightfortheReef.org.au 2 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING 2013 3
Fritz PÖlking / WWF Scott s legacy $3 million to save our smallest rhino Naturepl.com / Mark Carwardine / WWF In 50 years of conservation, we ve never seen wildlife crime on such a scale. The illegal wildlife trade is worth as much as $US5-20 billion annually. It is now the most urgent threat to three of the world s best-loved species - elephants, rhinos and tigers. Antarctica is incredibly rich in life. Masses of krill feed vast colonies of penguin, albatross and more than 50 other seabird species, whales, seals and other marine life. Antarctica is a fragile place that needs our protection. One hundred years ago, shortly before his tragic end in the Antarctic wilderness, Captain Robert Falcon Scott wrote to his wife, Kathleen. The letter included a last hope for his two-year-old son: Make the boy interested in natural history if you can. Scott s wish came true. The boy grew up to become Sir Peter Scott, one of the founders of WWF and creator of our Panda logo. Today, we re working hard to build upon the Antarctic legacy left by our founder s father. It s vital that the Antarctic s ecosystems are able to withstand the challenges they face such as illegal fishing and climate change. That s why we re campaigning to secure a network of protected areas that will eventually cover more than 20 per cent of the Southern Ocean. There s a long way to go: at the moment, only 0.5 per cent is fully protected. We re also working with governments and industry to make sure fishing in the Southern Ocean is sustainable and tourism and shipping in the region are safe and environmentally responsible. A century after Scott s ill-fated final voyage, there s still so much to discover in Antarctica. Scientists from around the world are trying to find out more about the role the frozen continent plays in regulating the Earth s climate, sea levels and the currents that circulate through our oceans and atmosphere. It s crucial work: a changing climate will have huge implications for Antarctic wildlife and the rest of the planet. We can build on the discoveries made as a result of Scott s expedition, by leaving a legacy of our own - a network of protected areas that will help protect the Southern Ocean in its near-pristine condition, for the next century and beyond. How you are helping Antarctica Your support is helping WWF to: Protect critical habitat and stunning threatened species by working to establish the world s largest network of marine protected areas around Antarctica. Encourage fishing practices that are sustainable and minimise impacts on the environment. Find out more: wwf.org.au Thanks to your support, WWF is fighting back to save wildlife and people from becoming victims of wildlife crime. In great news, the previous Australian Government announced they would provide WWF $3 million over the next three years to help save the Sumatran rhinoceros from extinction. The Sumatran rhino is the smallest of all rhinos and is one of the most endangered. They are the only Asian rhino with two horns. The money will be used to help WWF protect rhino habitat by promoting sustainable logging, strengthening anti-poaching efforts, monitoring the trade in rhino horn and raising more awareness of the plight of the Sumatran rhino. There s still a lot of hard work ahead to end the wildlife trade. But, together with partners and with supporters like you, we will continue to fight to ensure a future for our rhinos, elephants and tigers. We are standing firm. Thanks for joining us on the frontline! Rampant poaching poses a grave threat to Sumatra s endangered species - tigers are hunted for their skins, rhinos are killed for their horns, and orang-utans are taken from the wild for the international pet trade. HOW You ARE helping TO stop THE illegal wildlife trade With your support, WWF is working to: STOP the poachers Increase anti-poaching presence on the ground, including coordinated patrols for transborder areas. STOP traffickers on trade routes Increase controls at exit points such as airports/ports, helping officials to intercept criminals - and their illegal cargoes. STOP demand on the streets Running education and awareness campaigns to make people aware of wildlife crime - and ensure it doesn t pay. Find out more: wwf.org.au/stop 4 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING 2013 5
naturepl.com / John Downer / WWF-Canon Wildlife trading: it s a serious crime Many new rangers have been recruited in recent months and now they are taught military tactics to combat poachers. Meg Gawler / WWF-Canon Adam Oswell / WWF-Canon An estimated 25,000 African elephants were killed for their ivory in 2011; 668 rhinos were poached for horn in South Africa alone in 2012, and parts of at least 1,400 tigers were seized in illegal trade between 2000-2012. For too long the poaching and trafficking of wildlife has been treated as a soft issue by many governments around the world, rather than being accorded the same criminal status as the illegal trade in drugs, humans and weapons. A combination of low penalties, a lack of successful prosecutions and sentencing, and general undercapacity law enforcement agencies has led to a lack of deterrents. As a result, organised crime syndicates profit from a low-risk option to reap an illicit and lucrative harvest. When poaching of elephants, rhinos and tigers skyrocketed to meet illegal demand for wildlife products, WWF and TRAFFIC - WWF s specialised wildlife trade program - launched a global campaign to mobilise action. Together with partners and with supporters like you, we were able to make a big difference and bring about action in Central Africa, China, Thailand and Vietnam. Reducing demand But with all the advances in political will-building and interventions focused on rule of law, none of this will be successful without simultaneous work on reducing consumer demand in the major markets of Asia - specifically China, Vietnam and Thailand. There is still hard work ahead, but we will keep fighting to ensure a future for these species in the wild. Changing behaviours Support from WWF-Australia has enabled TRAFFIC to begin work with government and private sector partners in China. Support and expertise to develop the messages, and the messengers, to work on behaviour change is critical for the next three to five years in order to make headway in a market as large, diverse and economically powerful as China. As this issue of Living Planet goes to press, the governments of Gabon and Germany are hosting a side- event at the UN General Assembly in New York, calling once more on partner governments to join forces to address wildlife crime as a global priority. Capitalising on this political will, and translating words into action is the ongoing objective of WWF and TRAFFIC as the campaign moves into a new phase of work. Our focus on these critical issues will continue to prevent further decimation of endangered species in the wild, break the crime syndicates that control illicit trafficking, and reduce consumer demand for illegal wildlife products. James Compton, Senior Program Director Asia-Pacific, TRAFFIC WHAT YOU HAVE MADE POSSIBLE After an independent audit by TRAFFIC and WWF, the President of Gabon burnt the country s full ivory stockpile and pledged zero tolerance to illegal wildlife trade in his country. The Prime Minister of Thailand pledged to end all ivory trade in Thailand following a petition of 1.6 million voices rallied by WWF and partners. A landmark agreement between South Africa and Vietnam now frames collaborative action on stopping poaching and trafficking of rhino horns. In response to the slaughter of hundreds of elephants in northern Cameroon, campaign coverage helped push the Cameroon Government to commit to 2,500 new eco-guard recruits. US President Barack Obama announced a presidential task force on wildlife trafficking and pledged $US10 million for training and technical assistance in Africa to combat it. 6 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING 2013 7
Benjamin Chinnock / WWF-Aus Craig Pentland It may look green. But, this toxic weed at the foot of Nangeen Hill has decimated the wallabies feeding grounds. PHIL LEWIS / WWF-Aus You built the fence that made them safe You saved them from predators let s not lose them now to starvation. Please help us get rid of the weeds and replant their feeding grounds with native vegetation. Now, could you please plant the food they need to survive? The rocky granite outcrop of Nangeen Hill in WA s Wheatbelt is a very special place. It may look like an ordinary hill. But, because of you, there s very little that is either ordinary or typical about it. It s special to the rock stars that live there - 22 black-flanked rockwallabies that depend on the hill for a home, food and safety. Nangeen Hill is the Wheatbelt s only fenced black-flanked rockwallaby sanctuary - and you helped build this special place! Your support has given them safety within the five-kilometre predator-proof fence. But today, their battle continues. As their colonies begin to grow, so too does their need for food. Their rocky granite home has become an island in a sea of toxic weeds - and the wallabies are in a daily struggle to find enough food just to stay alive. The WA Department of Parks and Wildlife is providing supplementary food to keep them alive and thriving. But, with the fence now built and the pests on the outside, this is the time to replant and repair the wallabies feeding grounds. How you can help The priority is to repair and replant seven hectares of feeding grounds at the foot of Nangeen Hill. We must get rid of the toxic weeds and replant thousands of native trees, shrubs and grasses over the next year. Your gift of $25 could replant 25 square metres of habitat. Or, a gift of $50 could replant 50 square metres of habitat. It is the only way to keep these wonderful creatures rocking on until their colonies are strong and self-sustaining. Food for Joey and his Mum - will you do it? Your gift today will be used to: Spray to eliminate the toxic weeds at the foot of Nangeen Hill Begin to replant thousands of native trees, shrubs and grasses Surround each of the young plants with protective mesh Make sure the plants get enough water until they are established. 1800 032 551 wwf.org.au/wallabyappeal WWF, GPO Box 528, Sydney, NSW 2001 8 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING 2013 9
Travel with WWF in 2014 Jimmy Syahirsyah / WWF-Indonesia Bernard De Wetter / WWF-Canon Alain Compost / WWF-Canon For many WWF supporters nature is on the top of their wishlist. Now there s the chance to do just that! In 2014, we will launch two extraordinary travel adventures to Borneo and China where you can see the world s most dynamic wildlife - and help protect it. Join WWF s Adventure Challenges and combine your zest for the planet with a trip of a lifetime. Not only will you get up close and personal with rare pandas and orang-utans and make your way through unforgettable landscapes - you will also be raising crucial funds for these animals and their homes. These trips are your backstage pass into the wildest and most beautiful places on Earth. Witness first-hand the remarkable species and habitats that we are all working to conserve. It s guaranteed to be a magical experience. Top 5 reasons to join our adventure 1. Enjoy unparalleled wildlife viewing 2. Be blown away by lifechanging experiences CHINA: MEET THE PANDAS 1-12 June 2014 There are only 1,600 pandas left in the wild. Protect these precious creatures when you Pedal for Pandas! While WWF s efforts have reduced the decline in panda numbers and established long-term solutions, your help is still needed to save the giant panda. Half their habitat remains unprotected, and small populations may still become isolated and extinct. Sign up now to help ensure that their home is not lost, that government policy supports conservation and local villagers learn how to be true custodians of the land. What do I get to do? Be a panda keeper: Get behind the scenes whilst volunteering at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre. Find out first-hand just how heavy a panda actually is! Decide for yourself if their fur is soft or tough and get to know them individually. Cycle through China: Immerse yourself in the dramatic scenery of rural China - from bamboo forests to parts of the Silk Road. BORNEO: UP CLOSE WITH ORANG-UTANS 5-15 September 2014 The Heart of Borneo is one of the most fascinating places on Earth. Orang-utans, elephants and clouded leopards all roam wild there. However, this tropical rainforest is under great threat from logging and landclearing. Help save Borneo s incredible animals and their home when you Trek for Orang-utans! By coming with us you will help to ensure that the Heart of Borneo remains a sanctuary for all the species that call it home. What do I get to do? Shadow orang-utans Trek deep into the forest in search of the orang-utan. Learn how to monitor the habitats of these amazing animals. Experience authentic jungle living Sleep under the stars and wake up to the sounds of the jungle. Encounter the rare animals and plants that call this rainforest home. Spend time with local tribes increasing your survival skills and exploring traditional villages. 3. Pull off a physical challenge 4. Know true cultural immersion 5. Get off the beaten track! To find out more about these inspiring trips: Call Kimberly on 1300 905 188 inspiredadventures.com.au/wwf2014 Minimum age is 16 years when accompanied by a parent or guardian. 10 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING 2013 11
Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon Simrika Sharma / WWF-Nepal Akash Shrestha / WWF-Nepal My inspiration: protecting tigers Sabita Malla explains why she works in Bardia National Park, on the frontline of WWF-Nepal s efforts to protect threatened wildlife. Growing up in a small village in western Nepal gave me a deep love for nature. I d go looking for butterflies and birds in the forest, wading through the streams, while naming every tree I saw along the way. A team of 260 was deployed in the Terai Arc Landscape in Nepal to conduct the historic joint tiger survey between Nepal and India covering the whole of the landscape. A win for tigers! The results of the 2013 India- Nepal joint tiger survey are in, and there s some big news on your magnificent tigers. Nepal s government announced its tiger population has increased by 63 per cent since the last survey in 2009 - putting the number of tigers at an estimated 198. Thanks to your generosity and that of WWF supporters worldwide, the first joint tiger survey between Nepal and India in the transboundary Terai Arc Landscape began in January. In Nepal, this massive wildlife survey included over 260 trained staff, camera traps covering 4,843 square kilometres of tiger habitat and 7,699 tiger images. A joint Nepal-India report is expected later in the year, which will provide a comprehensive estimate of wild tigers in the Terai Arc and inform conservation strategies for this global priority landscape for tiger conservation. These remarkable results mark an important milestone of doubling tiger numbers by 2022. Your support of this project has been vital. While we can all celebrate the incredible growth in tiger numbers, there s still a long way to go to bring these animals back from the brink. Tigers continue to be the target of merciless poachers who are part of an illegal wildlife trade that empties the forests. However, it s due to your commitment to the cause that we now know that tigers have a bright ray of hope in Nepal. Thank you. Remember the goal: doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022. But it was only during my field research in 2009 that the wildlife conservation crisis in Nepal became real to me. I can still hear the echo of gunshots as poachers killed wildlife inside Bardia National Park. It made me realise that I had to be part of the efforts to save my country s iconic species from the threat of illegal wildlife trade. I m now working as WWF-Nepal s senior research officer. The team I work with is motivated by one cause - to help understand and protect wildlife. For example, through images of individual tigers retrieved from camera traps, we can estimate the population of tigers in the area and work out the best solutions to protect them. And here I am today, right back in the same protected area - Bardia - working with the government and local communities to ensure the future survival of threatened species in the area. I cannot imagine any other life - this is what I want to do. 12 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING 2013 13
James Morgan / WWF-Canon Making life count for the long-term Tracking Australia s mystery turtle Turtles have been swimming the seas for over 100 million years. Yet, there are still lots of unanswered questions about these ancient mariners. One of the most elusive turtles is the flatback turtle. Native to Australia, this turtle stays close to home, unlike other turtles that spend years out at sea. Although it has the most restricted range of all the sea turtles, scientists still know little about the migration paths, diet and health of flatback turtles. attached to the shells of four nesting flatback turtles. Satellite tracking flatback turtles is part of a greater research project to understand and determine our flatbacks whereabouts, and health in the northern Great Barrier Reef. The project will be a collaboration between universities, government, Indigenous communities and volunteer groups. Over time, the partners and supporters will be able to view the turtles movements. Doug Perrine / naturepl.com Photo courtesy of Sean Triner. With your support, we are working to stop the wildlife trade that sees tiger cubs poached and smuggled across country borders. It seemed natural to me to leave a bequest to WWF because they care about what I care about. Sean Triner WWF supporter I found this large female python with a huge gash just near her head. I took her to the local vet, and had to hold her head and neck still with two hands. This left the rest of her free to wrap around my middle You begin to realise that this is not an ordinary conversation with an ordinary corporate executive. What begins to show is Sean Triner s love for the amazing creatures and places that make this planet such a beautiful place. I have always given to charities, but my decision to leave a bequest to WWF is about making my life count for the long-term. It seemed natural to me because WWF care about what I care about. I like the way they identify environmental problems and ask the fundamental question: How are we going to fix this? And then they get on and do it. Sean tells of a visit to a WWF anti-poaching project in Vietnam and how it helped confirm his appreciation of the way WWF handles things. They had a well thought out plan involving local people at all levels, training rangers, redirecting community aspirations not just a quick fix, but solid workable plans that s important to me. I especially like their commitment to tackling climate change. There s probably no more serious, longterm issue than climate change. So if I really do want my life to count for the long-term, a bequest to WWF just made sense. And the python? Well, Every time the vet did something to cause her discomfort - stitching or whatever - she would let me know in no uncertain terms by tightening her squeeze around my middle. Who knows, it may just have been a thank you hug from a grateful creature to a committed WWF supporter. For more information about leaving a bequest to WWF, please call Christine Robinson or Leigh Wigley on (02) 8228 6822, or you can email crobinson@wwf.org.au We can find out a lot about marine environments through turtles activities. It s vital that we know where they breed and feed and what might be impacting on these areas. So, we re going to track them! In late November, on a beach near Townsville, satellite trackers will be Thanks to you, we can continue to help researchers understand why turtles are so unhealthy and continue to care for them so they can be returned to the wild. We hope that the tracking information will provide rare insight into the world of the flatback, and the threats that they face. We ll be sure to keep you updated on the results! 14 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU Living Planet Magazine - SPRING 2013 15
The rocky granite outcrop of Nangeen Hill in WA s Wheatbelt is a very special place. WWF-Australia, GPO Box 528, Sydney, NSW 2001 Cert o. nxxx-xxx-xxxx It may look like an ordinary hill. But, because of you, there s very little that is either ordinary or typical about it. It s special to the rock stars that live there - 22 blackflanked rock-wallabies that depend on the hill for a home, food and safety. Nangeen Hill is the Wheatbelt s only fenced black-flanked rockwallaby sanctuary - and you helped build this special place! Now, for their colonies to grow, they need food and we need your help. Please make a gift today wwf.org.au/wallabyappeal. Cover photo: naturepl.com / Dave Watts / WWF-Canon. Back cover: Simon Cherriman / 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. 1986 panda symbol and WWF is a Registered Trademark. Cert XXX-XXX-XXXX www.fsc.org 1996 Forest Stewardship Council Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter. LIVING PLANET - spring 2013 1800 032 551 wwf.org.au