MAGAZINE SPRING 2015 Living Planet EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE FOR WWF SUPPORTERS / ISSUE 32 Orang-utan forests in flames We need your urgent support to help the WWF-Indonesia team and the local people in their fight against the fires. A pall of thick, acrid smoke is engulfing almost the entire country as hundreds of thousands of hectares of Borneo s rainforests burn out of control. There is so much smoke that headaches, dizziness, respiratory problems and burning eyes have become an epidemic. These are the people that work every day with WWF to protect the forests and its wildlife from unsustainable logging, landclearing and illegal burning for oil palm plantations. Some have risked their lives in antipoaching patrols. Right now they urgently need medical care and respirators to be able to continue to fight the fires. And to save the habitat of orang-utans and other wildlife from destruction. Please make an urgent donation for masks, medical supplies and firefighting equipment. An orang-utan climbs a tree as haze shrouds Borneo, October 2015 There are two ways you can help 1 Make an urgent donation 2 Adopt a mother and baby orang-utan for Christmas. See page 3 for details.
OKTA SIMON / WWF-INDONESIA MICHAEL HARTE BRENT STIRTON / GETTY IMAGES Extinguishing work under extremely difficult conditions. Marine life plummets and food security at risk Our ocean - that seemingly infinitely bountiful, ever awe-inspiring blue that defines our planet from space - is in crisis. This is the message from the emergency edition of WWF s Living Blue Planet Report, which takes a deep look at the health of our oceans and the impact of human activity on marine life. Nearly half of the world s marine mammals, birds and reptiles have been lost in a single generation. Solutions exist: smart fishing practices that eliminate bycatch, waste and overfishing; getting rid of unregulated fishing; protecting key habitats and a large enough portion of the ocean to enable it to regenerate; and cutting CO 2 emissions that threaten a potentially catastrophic acidification of the ocean. The pace of ocean change tells us there s no time to waste. These changes are happening in our lifetime. We can and we must correct our course now. Dermot O Gorman, CEO, WWF-Australia You can READ the Living Blue Planet Report at wwf.org.au/livingblue WIM VAN PASSEL / WWF Weddell seal, West Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctic Journey exhibition set to open WWF-Australia and Phillip Island Nature Parks have partnered to create the exciting new Antarctic Journey attraction at the Nobbies Centre on Phillip Island in Victoria. The Antarctic Journey, due to open in December 2015, will transport visitors into the sub-antarctic and Antarctic landscapes via over 159 square metres of digital high definition screens showing stunning footage. Beautiful images and video footage of key iconic wildlife including whales, penguins, albatross and seals will guide visitors through the attraction that includes exciting interactive exhibits. Naturally there will be a strong focus on the conservation and research efforts being undertaken to protect the unique habitats and wildlife presented. Watch this space for future updates on this exciting project as it unfolds! WWF and you in Antarctica Thanks to supporters like you, WWF has been working for decades to conserve the natural wonders of the Antarctic, and the millions of whales, penguins and albatross that live there. Your support helps to: y advocate for marine protected areas y protect wildlife like whales, penguins and seabirds y secure sustainable fisheries management, and y respond to the challenges of climate change. Find out more: wwf.org.au/antarctica The community fire brigades urgently need more equipment. Borneo is burning Fires are burning uncontrolled across Borneo. Communities are fighting against the worst forest fires in decades. The drought and fires have been exacerbated by the effects of a particularly strong El Niño year. Borneo s fires have caused a health and safety crisis of staggering proportions. The people are in crisis Over many years, because of your support, WWF has developed a strong relationship with the local people. They have become part of our first line of defence in protecting the forests, the orang-utans and other endangered wildlife. They have become our eyes and ears in the fight against poachers. They have turned your support into on-ground action. Now they need our help We can t abandon them as the fires rage out of control around their villages. Too little equipment is spread far too thinly. Medical assistance for people suffering serious respiratory problems is an urgent necessity. We need your urgent help to provide equipment and medical care. And in the long-term to rehabilitate and replant forests that have been ruined by loss of ground water. Please make an urgent donation to the people and wildlife of Borneo. WWF-INDONESIA 2 Make a donation before 1 December 31. Your gift will be used immediately to: WAYS YOU CAN HELP THIS CHRISTMAS y Get urgent medical attention to adults and children suffering respiratory problems from the smoke. y Provide additional firefighting equipment - safety clothing, pumps, fire extinguishers and safety masks. 2 Adopt an orang-utan mother and baby before December 15. The perfect Christmas gift y You will help protect orang-utans and other endangered species. y And help WWF rehabilitate and preserve their forest homes. Donate: wwf.org.au/borneoappeal Adopt: wwf.org.au/family Phone: 1800 032 551 Mail: GPO Box 528, Sydney NSW 2001 Using the enclosed donation/adoption form 2 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU 3
WWF-AUSTRALIA Net-free zones to protect turtles MIKE FIDLER There has been some excellent news for turtles in Queensland s waters. The Queensland Government is soon to put three net-free zones near Cairns, north of Mackay and on the Capricorn Coast. This means that your beautiful turtles and other amazing species like snubfin dolphins and dugongs will be safe in these zones, and kept from the danger of being caught in commercial nets and held underwater until they drown - a truly horrific death. And, it was WWF supporters like you that helped to make it happen - when you signed a petition or emailed Queensland Fisheries Minister Bill Byrne, urging him to put net-free zones in place. So, this is your win, on behalf of the turtles. We can t thank you enough! Christine Hof, your WWF turtle conservation coordinator. Gouldian finches, Western Australia The Gouldian finch - the canary of the Kimberley WWF-AUS / SIMON CHERRIMAN GARY BLACK / CADWEST.COM.AU Black cockatoos released with GPS trackers Our thanks to all the WWF supporters who made a donation to our recent black cockatoo appeal. We re thrilled to let you know that nine Baudin s cockatoos have been released into the wild at a park in Perth. The birds are being tracked using leg bands, GPS and satellite trackers. Since their release, all the birds have been sighted travelling with flocks of wild Baudin s cockatoos. Tracking them as they move with their flocks will help us understand their journeys and where they stop to feed, drink and roost - critical information that will help us protect their habitat. We are very excited about the progress of the project, and we ll keep you up to date with how the birds are travelling. Gouldian finches are like a rainbow on wings. When they flock together, the colour is breathtaking. But they are also highly susceptible to inappropriate fire regimes, and like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, they warn us that all is not well. Huge areas of the Kimberley burn from about August each year until the next wet season begins. These fires destroy the mature woodlands and grasslands that are the breeding and foraging habitat of the uniquely Australian, and endangered, Gouldian finch. It is not the presence of fires - they are part of Australian nature - it is the massive increase in their intensity and spread that is endangering the finches. Human interference in the landscape and a warmer, drier climate many factors are making better fire management plans imperative if we are to save the Gouldian finch in the long-term. Your support at work Your support enables WWF to work in the central Kimberley with the Kimberley Land Council (KLC), Kija Traditional Owners and Kija Rangers to map breeding and non-breeding habitat of Gouldian finches. This information is used to create fire management plans that protect the healthy, mature woodlands and grasslands the finches and many other birds and small marsupials require. With your support, last year, fire management was undertaken across 15,200 km 2 in the central Kimberley, protecting the six populations of Gouldian finches identified so far within these ecosystems. Numbers are growing. And with your ongoing support, our goal is nothing less than to save the Gouldian finch and other fire sensitive species right across the Kimberley. These tiny transmitters weigh about 6.5 grams. The tails of the cockatoos are also painted blue so that they are easily identifiable by scientists as they track their movements from the ground. This is a collaborative research project between Murdoch University, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth Zoo, and the University of Amsterdam. Kija Indigenous Rangers monitoring Gouldian finch habitat. KIMBERLEY LAND COUNCIL / WWF-AUS 4 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU 5
WWF-AUS / MERRIL HALLEY Because of you nothing will be left to chance in Kalbarri It was fantastic to receive your gift to our black-flanked rock-wallaby appeal which will help this important project move ahead. Thanks to you, we are now on the ground in Kalbarri With your support, WWF and the Department of Parks and Wildlife have begun the work needed at Kalbarri, soon to be the wallabies new home. This includes installing remote sensor cameras as our candid camera spies and surveying the gorge for suitable rock-wallaby habitat. We are so excited to have you on-board with this project. In time we ll be ready to move a healthy new colony of rock-wallabies to their new home in Kalbarri You re a wallaby lifesaver. NATUREPL.COM / STEVEN DAVID MILLER / WWF Wildlife photography - an enduring passion AERIAL SHOT TAKEN AT REGULATION HEIGHT OF 1500FT CHRIS FARRELL / FAZSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY WWF-AUS Banksia prionophylla. You protect more than just pandas and tigers It s wildflower season in WA s Southwest, and WWF staff, partners and volunteers are in the field searching for three species of priority wildflowers. Southwest Australia is recognised globally for its biodiversity. But despite this, there are more than 450 plant species that are poorly known and thought likely to be under threat. They could become extinct without us even noticing. Thanks to a grant from the Norman Wettenhall Foundation, we ve begun the search for our poorly known flora. So far we ve located one known population of Banksia prionophylla and searched other likely habitat areas to no avail. We ll soon be organising a Florablitz to involve more community volunteers in the search for our poorly known flora. Like to get involved? Call Shenaye Hummerston at WWF in Perth on 0455 066 897 WWF-AUS / SHENAYE HUMMERSTON IMAGE COURTESY OF CHRIS FARRELL Chris Farrell WWF supporter When you talk to Chris Farrell, you are left in absolutely no doubt about his love of wildlife. Chris is a specialist wildlife photographer who donates his imagery to WWF to further wildlife conservation efforts. Rain, hail or shine, he takes to the sky (among other challenging locations) to capture unique and inspiring images of Australian wildlife in their natural habitats. He hopes his efforts will have an impact on how humans relate to animals. If people come to love the animals through my images, then maybe they ll think a little more about how they can help preserve and protect the creatures we share the world with. Chris legacy to WWF however, goes far beyond his photography. He has also committed to leave a donation to WWF in his Will. He describes how he made the decision to leave a legacy to WWF while cycling in northern Queensland. I thought, What if something happens to me? What would I like to leave behind? What would I like my life to achieve? So I made sure that, no matter what happens to me, the things I love, the things that have framed the direction of my life, will be preserved. Chris describes himself as an animal lover first, and a photographer second. His photography is just the natural extension of his love of nature. Photography is my way of passing on some of the wonder that I see, especially to kids. I want kids to see the world as I see it and to want to protect it as much as I do. I get such a buzz when kids stand in front of one of my exhibitions and see with new eyes - almost falling in love with a whale, or an osprey in flight - and what they love, they ll value and preserve. And I want to keep on inspiring kids to become the new guardians of nature. Leaving a legacy to WWF is my way of doing that. By Christine Robinson WWF-Australia Philanthropy Officer For more information on leaving a Bequest to WWF, please call: Christine Robinson on 02 8228 6822, visit: wwf.org.au/bequest or email: bequest@wwf.org.au 6 DONATE NOW AT WWF.ORG.AU 7
Cert n An exclusive WWF offer! Limited stocks only Hundreds of thousands of hectares of Borneo s rainforests burn out of control. We need your urgent support to help the WWF-Indonesia team and the local people in their fight against the fires. This Christmas there is a special way you can help. These are the people that work every day with WWF to protect the forests and its wildlife from unsustainable logging, landclearing and illegal burning for oil palm plantations. Right now they urgently need medical care and respirators to be able to continue to fight the fires. And to save the habitat of orang-utans and other wildlife from destruction. By adopting an orang-utan mother and baby for yourself, or for your family and friends, you can support and spread the word about WWF s efforts to save the lives and homes of Borneo s orang-utans. Your WWF orang-utan mother and baby adoption will include: A gorgeous soft plush toy of your adopted orang-utan mother and baby. WWF tote bag. 5" x 7" formal adoption certificate. 5" x 7" beautiful colour orang-utan mother and baby photo. Handsome deluxe folder, displaying your certificate and photo. Detailed fact book about your adopted animal. WWF sticker. This is a gift that really will save the wild forest home of these orang-utans. Guaranteed delivery before Christmas if you PLACE YOUR ORDER BY DECEMBER 15 (FREE POSTAGE!) A fabulous Christmas gift Adopt an orang-utan mother and baby for just $69.95 limited stocks available FREE POSTAGE 4 ways to adopt: 1. Order online at wwf.org.au/family 2. Order by phone on 1800 032 551 3. Complete the enclosed order form and post it in the reply-paid envelope provided to: WWF, GPO Box 528, Sydney, NSW, 2001 4. Complete the enclosed order form and fax it to: 02 9281 0369 Cover photos: naturepl.com / Tim Laman / WWF Rosa Panggabean / Antara Foto / REUTERS / Picture Media. All photos from the WWF 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 o. XXX-XXX-XXXX WWF-Australia, GPO Box 528, Sydney, NSW 2001 Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter. LIVING PLANET - SPRING 2015 1800 032 551 WWF.ORG.AU