Category Archives: Worldwide Project

Reducing sea turtle bycatch in Peruvian artisinal fisheries

Peru hosts five species of sea turtles that feed in its nutrient-rich waters. All five of these have been documented to have high levels of interaction with gillnet and longline fisheries in Peru’s waters and Peru has been identified as a globally significant high-risk zone for sea turtle bycatch.

Bycatch is a significant threat to Eastern Pacific leatherbacks, South Pacific loggerheads and the critically endangered Eastern Pacific hawksbills. Peruvian fisheries are estimated to catch tens of thousands of turtles per year, mainly in gillnet fishery.

Even though conservation efforts in nesting beaches have essentially eliminated threats from human consumption of eggs, experts agree that bycatch is the most serious threat to sea turtles, particularly in their feeding grounds in Chile and Peru.

To address this problem bycatch education devices have been developed to reduce the impact of fisheries on protected marine megafauna such as sea turtles.

LED (light emitting diode) devices attached to fishermen’s nets can reduce bycatch by reducing interactions with gillnets, obtaining successful results.

WWF Peru has been working with a local partner testing the effectiveness of these devices off the coast of Peru (Salaverry and San Jose).

Currently the cost of LEDs is very high and scaling up their use is a big challenge. There are no existing suppliers in Peru.

Restore Our Planet has provided funding to create the local capacity to assemble these devices locally, reducing cost and creating accessibility for the local market. This will be achieved through partners in fishing communities, particularly womens co-operatives.

Additionally WWF will seek to work with Peru’s Marine Research Institute to scale this solution in the ports with the higher rates of bycatch;  increase the post-release survival rates through correct handling and safe release training.

Restore Species

The latest global assessment of the conservation status of 46,556 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish found that one fifth (8,400) are threatened with extinction, from 13% of birds, to 41% of amphibians.

The current wave of species extinctions is considered by scientists as a sixth mass extinction event; it is the very first to be driven by the impact of a single species—human beings—on the world’s biodiversity.

The shocking scale of animal extinction signals a real need to rebalance humankind’s relationship with nature. Some species are under immediate risk of extinction in our lifetimes, even in protected areas, but can be restored to healthy populations if the root threats are tackled.

Restore Species is a landmark partnership to tackle the most pressing direct threats to animal species worldwide.

Convened by Restore our Planet, BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, TRAFFIC and the Wildlife Conservation Society have come together, scaling up efforts and multiplying their impact so they can restore the future for reptile, mammal and bird species that need support most.

We support the ‘underdog’: we focus on threatened species that currently receive little attention or funding, like Caribbean reptiles, Central Asian wild sheep and goats, and vultures.

The priorities are illegal and unsustainable trade and hunting, and poisoning – Turtles, tortoises, parrots, songbirds, and Helmeted Hornbills in Southeast Asia, and reptiles in the Caribbean are all victims of illegal and unsustainable trapping and trade, which must be controlled.

Visit the Restore Species website.

Anti-poaching dog squad, Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India

Kaziranga National Park ( KNP ), a UNESCO World Heritage site provides vital habitat for diverse wildlife and has been protected since the early 20th century.

Kaziranga is the last stronghold of the Indian one-horned rhino, more than two thirds of the worldwide population live in the park.It is also home to the highest density of Bengal tigers in India.

However, this wildlife haven and it`s remarkable inhabitants are under threat. In 2014, 27 rhinos from Kaziranga were lost to poachers; the worst since the 1980`s and 1990`s.

It is vital that these endangered species are given the protection they need and wherever possible poachers are identified and brought to justice.

DSWF has worked with Indian NGO Aaranyak many years to protect endangered species in KSP.

A comprehensive communications system for the forest rangers as well as camera traps and research has been funded by DSWF.

Continuing to strengthen and expand upon current anti-poaching, in 2011 Assam`s first dog squad was established.

Jorba, the first dog, capable of picking up a scent, tracking and bringing down a suspect and trained to detect wildlife products such as tiger skin and bones, ivory and rhino horn.

He was joined by Babli in 2014 with more planned.

Restore Our Planet agreed to provide funding to procure and train another dog and handler providing all necessary food and equipment. We are pleased to say that in 2017 Misky began her training and has now joined the team.

In December 2019 Jorba was retired from active K9 duty after many years of loyalty achieving incredible results for the team. He will however be used to supply emergency scene of crime support whenever needed.

Leatherback turtle protection

Leatherback turtles are named for their shell, which is leather-like rather than hard, like other turtles. They are the largest marine turtle and also one of the most migratory, crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Pacific leatherbacks migrate from nesting beaches in the Coral Triangle2 all the way to the California coast to feed on the abundant jellyfish every summer and autumn. Although their distribution is wide, numbers of leatherback turtles have seriously declined during the last century as a result of intense egg collection and fisheries bycatch. Globally, leatherbacks are classed as ‘vulnerable’, but many subpopulations (such as in the Pacific and south-west Atlantic) are critically endangered.

In 2014, a new protected area came into force that will safeguard an important nesting area for leatherback turtles along Colombia’s Caribbean coastline. Beach degradation, pollution and egg harvesting were all threats to the nesting turtles here.The turtle sanctuary prohibits development along the beach and the government provides funding for nest monitoring.

The Playon Playona Acandí Fauna and Flora Sanctuary is 26,232 hectares and is located in the Gulf of Darién. This zone is considered to be one of the main nesting sites for leatherbacks and over 200 turtles are recorded nesting there each year, alongside critically endangered hawksbill turtles.

The turtle’s migratory nature makes this area vital for their conservation throughout the western Caribbean. Mark and recapture studies have shown that some of the females breeding in Colombia spend most of the year in Costa Rica and Mexico. In addition, this area contributes to the protection of other animals that are socially, economically and culturally important, including several species of shrimp and fish.

Hundreds of thousands of marine turtles are accidentally killed every year by fishing gear—caught on dangling hooks or entangled in nets.

Each year, WWF tag marine turtles on key nesting beaches around the world. Satellite telemetry allows researchers to track marine turtles as they swim from place to place. These satellite tags do not harm the turtles and are designed to eventually fall off. The data tells us where important feeding areas are, help us understand migration patterns, and anticipate where turtles may come in contact with fisheries and their gear.

Sumatran tiger protection

The tiger is an iconic species, admired around the world for its beauty and strength. Sadly, this also makes it a lucrative target for the illegal wildlife trade. Every single part of a tiger – from its whiskers to its tail – can be traded and sold on the black market. We’ve lost over 95% of these endangered big cats since the start of the 20th century, and in 2010, their numbers plummeted to as few as 3,200. We’ve managed to halt the decline in recent years and are excited to say that, in 2016, for the first time in conservation history, the global population of wild tigers increased to an estimated 3,900.

This success is largely due to increased conservation efforts in the key countries that have seen an increase in their tiger numbers; countries such as India, Russia, Bhutan and Nepal. But, south-east Asian countries are still at imminent risk of losing their tigers if these governments do not take action immediately. This includes the Indonesian government. With only around 450 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, restricted to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, this subspecies is listed as critically endangered. It is holding on for survival in the remaining patches of forest on the island, where deforestation and poaching are still an ever present threat.

WWF has been working to protect Sumatran tiger habitat for over 20 years. There is competition for the use of land, with extreme pressure from the logging industry.

In 1995, they played a key role with other conservation groups in helping create Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, part of a landscape called ‘Thirty Hills`. This was a primary spot for tigers, and it is believed this landscape is currently home to about 30 Sumatran tigers.

By the start of this century, Sumatra had lost over half its forests, but Thirty Hills still contained amazing, intact forest. As the forest disappeared elsewhere in Sumatra, more and more biodiversity was moving into Thirty Hills, and demand for its resources increased.

The opportunity came when the Indonesian government created a new kind of concession, or lease, on government-owned forest land. We worked with the government to get critical parts of Thirty Hills re-zoned as a ‘conservation concession’. This required strong support in Indonesia which we gained from the former president, local political leaders, the provincial governor, communities and local people. The efforts were also supported by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. The actor and WWF board member championed the cause and helped bring attention to the need to save Thirty Hills.

The Thirty Hills Company is now responsible for protecting its forest from illegal loggers and other threats – just like a logging company would be. The company has hired anti-poaching patrols and forest protection monitoring groups, and is now using small conservation drones to fly over the landscape to keep an eye out for poaching and illegal logging. The Thirty Hills Company has the responsibility to manage and protect this concession for at least 60 years.

Trillion Trees

Trillion Trees is an unprecedented collaboration between three of the world’s largest conservation organisations – WWF, BirdLife International, and the Wildlife Conservation Society – to help end deforestation and restore tree cover. Our partnership is founded on our commitment to a shared vision, and the belief that working together we can achieve more than we can individually.

Tree cover is an essential part of what makes Earth a healthy and prosperous home for people and wildlife, but the global stock has fallen – and continues to fall – dramatically. In fact, we are still losing 10 billion trees per year.

The consequences? More carbon emitted and less absorbed, dwindling freshwater stores, altered rainfall patterns, fewer nutrients to enrich soils, weakened resilience to extreme events and climate change, shrinking habitat for wildlife and other biodiversity, insufficient wood supply to meet rising demand, harsher local climates, and harder lives for more than one billion forest-dependent peoples across the world.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The two key steps that will reverse these trends – keeping existing trees standing, and restoring trees to the places they once grew – are within our capabilities.

Visit the Trillion Trees website

Download the brochure

 

South Georgia habitat restoration

Established in 2005 the South Georgia Heritage Trust exists to conserve the spectacular wildlife and historical heritage of the island of South Georgia, some 170 kilometres long, located in the South Atlantic Ocean approximately 1,300 kilometres east south east of the Falkland Islands. Introduced, alien species are a major cause of native biological diversity loss worldwide and their impacts are especially severe on island ecosystems where invasive rodents are responsible for a high number of extinctions and ecosystem changes.

On South Georgia rats and mice were inadvertantly introduced from sealing and whaling ships in the 19th and 20th centuries. Since that time they have thrived and devasted the bird population by consuming eggs and chicks and destroying habitat. Rats have particularly impacted the endemic South Georgia Pipit. Blue Petrels, Antarctic and Fairy Prions, Diving Petrels and South Georgia Pintails have also been affected as these birds nest on open ground or in burrows allowing easy access to eggs and chicks.

The objectives of the project are to remove every single rodent from 1,000 square kilometres of infested land thereby safeguarding seabirds from future attack and thereby facilitating the return of millions of seabirds to there traditional nesting sites. Restore Our Planet has provided funding to help with the above as well as to assist in clearing one of the old whaling stations.

In 2018 this project, the biggest in the world to eradicate dangerous invasive species was declared a success. This remote island is now clear of the rats and mice that had devastated its wildlife for nearly 250 years.

Scientists hope the success could become an inspiration and model for other projects around the world to eliminate invasive species, which in the worst cases can drive native animals to extinction.

Iberian Lynx habitat protection

The Iberian Lynx is the most endangered big cat in the world. Its population decimated by habitat fragmentation, centuries of human persecution and vanishing prey.

WWF’s objectives, in order to help conserve the last remaining Lynx, are to stabilise and increase the remaining breeding populations, and ensure that adequate areas of Mediterranean forest are protected in order to guarantee the long-term viability of the Iberian Lynx.

Since 2002 the territories of 8 female lynxes have been restored with the birth of over 50 kittens.

Camera traps have been used to record each individual and to better understand those that remain. Also radio collars enable lynxes to be followed as they move into new territories.This helps prevent poaching and also to identify which roads are too dangerous to cross.

WWF has been managing a captive breeding programme and releasing lynxes to formally occupied habitats. By mid 2015 45 captive-bred lynxes had been released. In particular the authorities are being encouraged to remain vigilant as poaching and road kills remain a threat. The new population in Extremadura is already growing with two of the released females having six cubs in early 2017.

In 2001 when Restore provided funding towards this project there were fewer than 100 lynx left. By 2017 there were over 300.

Ambatotsirongorongo Forest Restoration

Located on the coast of southern Madagascar ( approx. 30 kms west of Tolanaro )and opening to the Indian Ocean, Ambatotsirongorongo Forest ( AF ), a Protected Area in the process of creation, extends across four Rural Communes, namely Sarisambo, Ankaramena, Ranopiso and Analapatsy. Despite its relatively small size AF ( project area 673.3 ha ), which is divided into three fragments, is particularly rich in both flora and fauna. Recent inventories show 220 species of flora and 17 mammal species including 7 species of lemur, 56 species of herpetofaunic have been identified including 16 species of amphibians and 40 species of reptiles. Of the 59 bird species, 20 are endemic to Madagascar.

Today, further to various pressures, anthropic mainly, the areas covered by the forest fragments have dangerously decreased so the existence of that biodiversity is seriously threatened.

The objectives of this project are to restore the forest area and ensure its long term viability. The main intervention strategies involve: a participatory approach with the involvement of all communities and stakeholders; the promotion of a nursery specialist job as a new income-generating activity; capacity building in forest restoration techniques; monthly based monitoring.

Ultimately it is envisaged this will result in a community owned project with 310.2 ha of restored forest ( protected 363 ha ), income-generating activity via the nursery and the local expertise to continue in the future.

Restore Our Planet has agreed support for the five years of this project.

Tigers Forever Initiative – habitat protection

The Wildlife Conservation Society works throughout the world to save ‘Living Landscapes’ – large wild ecosystems that are amongst the most biologically important regions on earth. Over the past 100 years WCS has helped governments around the world create more than 130 parks and protected areas, spanning hundreds of thousands of square miles.

Restore Our Planet’s support was focused at protecting tiger habitats. Tigers are critically endangered today having been reduced to 5% of their former abundance in just 100 years. Restore Our Planet’s support has helped allow WCS to take the lead in creating synergy among their individual tiger projects to bolster their impact on tiger conservation at the global level.

This has resulted in the formation of the ‘Tigers Forever’ initiative. This initiative is an ambitious programme aimed at increasing tiger populations across key WCS sites by 50% over 10 years. The focus being India, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, China and Malaysia. Activities supported include identifying and protecting critical habitats, training park guards and educational campaigns about traditional medicines.

Enrichment planting in the Kazimzumbwi Forest

This project is a beneficiary of the Gaia/African Biodiversity Network Micro-Projects Fund.

This project is focused on Pugu and Kazimzumbwi Forests near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Both forest reserves have become severely degraded due to human`s irresponsible interaction with the environment and the consequences of severe poverty. Encroachment by farmers, businessmen and more recently pastoralists have all contributed.

The government has now recognised the shortfalls of its previous resource management approaches and has formulated new enabling policies in favour of community involvement in natural resource management which promote awareness and a shift from regulation to participatory management.

As a result community dialogues and research will be conducted on the valuable indigenous knowledge held by elders. Awareness raising campaigns regarding forest protection and tree planting will take place at schools and in the community and tree seedlings for planting will be distributed between 430 smallholder farmers and 10 primary schools.

The Tamale Tree and Land Use Project

This project brings together 1500 people in ten communities in the northern region of Ghana, an area increasingly threatened by rapid deforestation and resultant land degradation.

The project helps each community to establish a tree nursery, construct a well, and plant a ten hectare woodlot. In all 120,000 seedflings will be raised and planted out. 80,000 tree seedlings will be used in establishing dedicated woodlots for woodfuel, with another 40,000 planted in on farm agro-forestry systems designed to enhance soil fertility and local food security.

Two of the communities will also protect 4 hectares of degraded natural woodland to ensure its regeneration in order to further protect the land.

Dano Trees for Women Project in Burkina Faso

The project aim is to use local women to promote sustainable management of forest resources in an area of Burkina Faso subject to rapid deforestation and increasingly vulnerable to processes of desertification.

In total 24,759 people are benefiting from the scheme across 40 villages. 1600 mostly female members of an association whose name translates as ‘Positive steps for self reliance’, are involved in managing 40 hectares of community based natural woodland in 8 villages. With a further five villages and schools benefiting from the establishment of tree nurseries and training programs.

These nurseries are raising 30,000 seedlings which are being planted out in community woodlots for the provision of firewood, and shelter belts and windbreaks to prevent further soil degradation.

The Dano project has trained almost 3,000 people in tree management and community forest resource management techniques. Backed by the establishment of 29 hectares of designated communal woodlots in the villages and schools which is providing a dedicated resource, replacing the need to fell indigenous hardwood trees which are essential for the continued viability of the land.

Soils and Forestry Ecosystems Conservation

65% of Mali’s land area is desert or semi-desert with the country suffering from serious environmental difficulties. Trees are a vital resource with deforestation leading to soil erosion which is exacerbating food insecurity and poverty.

Our contribution to the Tamale project has over 3 years helped the communities to raise of 78,000 tree seedlings (15 different varieties) to create 3 hectares of communal wood in each of 13 villages. These communal woodlots provide fuelwood, timber, carpentry materials, for over 18,500 individual beneficiaries and therefore avoid the local deforestation that has lead to soil degradation and increasing desertification.

The planting has also provided vital food produce – by way of fruit, oil, seeds and edible leaves, and with further training in forest resource management and agroforestry provided for over 3,000 individual participants the project aims to ensure that these sustainable practices are further developed within the local communities.

Monduli – Maasai Sustainable Community forest resource management

Monduli is a Masai area to the north of Tanzania. The TIST programs empower subsistence farmers in the area to combat the devastating effects of poverty, food shortage, deforestation and disease by planting trees.

In planting these trees the Small Groups of farmers also produce a virtual cash crop of community forest-based carbon credits for which they receive ongoing cash payments. This income serves to augment the community benefits afforded by the program’s planting schemes which are designed to afford maximum benefit to local participants through reafforestation, agro-forestry and community lead forest resource management.

Restore Our Planet have funded two clusters of groups comprising 100 small groups are planting 440,000 trees over 3 years. It is hoped this model will be the launch platform to go into other Masai areas in Tanzania and Kenya opening the political door for significant expansion of this initiative.

Sustainable Community forest resource management

The TIST programs empowers subsistence farmers in Uganda to combat the devastating effects of poverty, food shortage, deforestation and disease by planting trees.

In planting these trees the Small Groups of farmers also produce a virtual cash crop of community forest-based carbon credits for which they receive ongoing cash payments. This income serves to augment the community benefits afforded by the program’s planting schemes which are designed to afford maximum benefit to local participants through reafforestation, agro-forestry and community lead forest resource management.

Starting in July 2005 the target was to the plant 150,000 new trees over 3 years with the establishment and involvement of 150 small groups in the Bushenyi district of Uganda. Having reached the end of this initial period the reality is that over 550,000 trees were planted with the establishment of 290 small groups.

One Tree Campaign – Mumias

‘In Africa for every 28 trees cut down only one is re-planted. We believe that every time one tree gets chopped down, another tree should be planted.’ Seeds for Africa’s ‘One Tree’ campaign, is geared towards planting fruit trees to alleviate poverty and preserve the natural environment.

The campaign plants fruit trees across Africa in under-privileged schools and communities, providing training in gardening skills that bestow independence, encourage nutritious diets, and secure reliable sources of food for their future.

We have helped provide funding for 1000 fruit trees to be planted across a number of schools in the Mumias region of Western Kenya, SfA’s Agricultural Coordinator for Kenya gas carefully selected the following schools to benefit from the project. Mayoni primary school, Namulung A.C.K primary school, Mtungu primary school and Mukhweya primary school. This includes the provision of saplings, equipment, a water harvesting kit, (10,000 litre metal tank linked to schools roofs via guttering) and the training necessary to grow and sustain the fruit tree orchards.

Participants learn agricultural skills which benefit them for life, and the project provides sustainable fruit production for communities lacking in food security and quality.

Illegal hunting of migratory birds – Malta

In Malta, during the spring and autumn, many migrating and resident birds are illegally and indiscriminately shot both on land and at sea. Songbirds are also trapped to be caged as `pets’. Until 2004, Malta was outside the EU in regard to illegal shooting and trapping, and continued to disregard laws relating to the issue. After much hard work by many organisations, Malta finally accepted in March 2006 that it was in breach of EU law and made changes to its hunting legislation.

Undoubtedly, this was a step in the right direction, though hunting and trapping still takes place. (A recent assessment published in 2016 estimated that around 130,000 birds are still illegally killed on average each year.) Building on the `best practice` model developed in Cyprus and supported by Restore Our Planet in 2006-2008, the RSPB and BirdLife Malta initiated a major project to tackle this problem. The eight areas covered in the project were bird population monitoring; advocacy and lobbying; public awareness; law enforcement; surveillance; pan-Mediterranean co-operation; organisational development; public participation. Restore Our Planet agreed to help fund this project as a logical extension to the positive results achieved in Cyprus.

Illegal hunting of migratory birds – Cyprus

Restore Our Planet offered annual support for the RSPB’s campaign against the illegal trapping and hunting of birds in Europe from 2003-2008. This involved support for political advocacy work at a national and European level through the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. In particular, it helped the RSPB to support its partner organisations in Cyprus to take action in partnership with the local authorities to monitor and crack down on the activities of illegal trappers.

This work resulted in over 500 prosecutions, a ten-fold increase in fines and a six-fold increase in the length of prison sentences. The campaign involved education projects and high-profile media activity in Cyprus, the UK and more widely, encouraging supporters to voice their protests to the relevant authorities. The success of this was shown in a 2005 opinion poll indicating that 88% of Cypriots believed the trapping of birds for commercial purposes was unacceptable. As a result of this campaign, illegal, inhumane trapping activity was reduced during 2003-2006 by 80%+ with more than 20 million birds saved from the trappers.

Nkhata Bay – Reforestation and natural tree conservation project – Malawi

Rates of deforesetation in Malawi are amongst the highest in the world, degrading the land and threatening the viability of local communities.

RIPPLE Africa have an ambitious plan to halt the spread of deforestation which is proceeding northwards across the country and now threatens the picturesque Nkhata Bay District of Nothern Malawi. In perhaps the largest re-afforestation project ever undertaken in Malawi, 4,000 square kms has been allocated by local chiefs on which to grow 4 million trees. This endeavour will be supported by RIPPLE Africa who are helping locals to establish community tree nurseries each growing 3,000-6,000 trees.

In 2006 Restore Our Planet supported this work by fully funding the set up and maintenance of 50 tree nurseries to grow 500,000 saplings to be planted out under community forest resource management schemes. These trees include fast growing species for woodfuel and timber to be planted in managed woodlots, as well as indigenous hardwood and fruit trees that will be used to re-establish forest cover, maintain the soil and water courses, and provide livelihood opportunities for the local communities. The project’s holistic approach is driven by local communities and includes facilitating the local production and marketing of fuel efficient wood burning stoves in order to decrease the burden on local forest resources, along with education and training in community forest resource management, composting and other sustainable land use practices. Over 40,000 households now have a Changa Moto fuel efficient cookstove. Due to the success of the first nurseries we agreed to provide funds for a further 50 new nurseries in 2007 and a further 25 in 2008. Since the project began in 2006, over 175 community groups have been helped to plant over 5 million trees.

Protecting Ecosystems in Savelugu Nanton

Ghana occupies a total land of 238,578 square kilometres with current population estimates at 23 million. In Northern Ghana approximately 30-40% live in areas subject to desertification.

The link between development and environmental issues is widely documented. However the quest for economic growth has, for a long time, overshadowed environmental concerns.The process of development has often left in its trail deterioration of productive lands, deforestation, desertification and air and water pollution.The effect of all these on rural livelihoods is enormous, and in the case of Northern Ghana, where there is historical political neglect, deepening poverty remains the lot of the people.

However, windows of opportunity do exist where action can be taken to safeguard the environment, stabilise rural livelihoods and maintain a healthy ecological balance.

Scientists and those concerned with preserving natural ecosystems are recognising that societies once called `primitive` hold knowledge that is critical to science, particularly in the search for new medicines and conservation efforts.The National Forestry Policy 1948 officially recognised the cultural importance of sacred groves yet these sites still face pressure from development. In Zoosali large plots of land close to a sacred grove are being targeted by speculators.

Restore has agreed funding to purchase and protect this land for the local community allowing natural regeneration and where appropriate the planting of indigenous trees and grasses.
A Learning Centre will also be created providing training on ecosystem conservation for community members with ongoing monitoring an evaluation.

Sustainable Community forest resource management scheme

Ghana continues to suffer from rapid de-forestation, leading to the chronic degradation of the country’s land resources, its environment and its eco-system.

The RAINS project, in collaboration with the Taimako Herbal Plant Centre, aims to address this by enabling a group of communities in Northern Ghana to recuperate their environment and diversify their sources of livelihood. These groups will halt and reverse the destruction of food trees and establish nurseries and community managed woodlots. The planting of medicinal and herbal plants and the building of a documented knowledge bank for traditional and indigenous knowledge systems will also feature.

In total 1.2 million seedlings will be nurtured, in a project involving 40 community groups and a total of over 800 participants. Over two years these groups will plant and maintain as many as 180,000 of these trees themselves – with other seedlings being sold at subsidised rates to other local communities. In combination with the increased revenues from non-timber forest products that the scheme will encourage through its Market Access Promotion Network the project aims to become self-funding within two years.

Working with indigenous Yawanawa people in Brazil

Rainforest Concern protect threatened natural habitats, particularly rainforests and the biodiversity they contain, together with the indigenous people who still depend on them for their survival. To this end they purchase, lease and manage, for protection, threatened native forest with exceptional bio diversity.under threat from encroachment by developers and agri-business the Yawanawa people (a remote indigenous forest community in central Brazil) are seeking help to protect their rainforest environment and traditional lifestyle.

Restore Our Planet has contributed to Rainforest Concern’s work in the area. RFC have formed partnership with 670 members of the Yawanawan people so that they themselves can work effectively as guardians of their 240,000 acres of primary rainforest. RFC are trying to strengthen the local community’s sense of identity encouraging the use of the Yawanawa language in the village schools, by producing books in the language for the first time, and by incorporating Yawanawa history into the curriculum.

In supporting these tribal people, their land ownership and lifestyle RFC will effectively limit any alternative activities in the area such as logging and cattle farming.

Rainforest corridor – North West Ecuador

Rainforest Concern protect threatened natural habitats, particularly rainforests and the biodiversity they contain, together with the indigenous people who still depend on them for their survival. To this end they purchase, lease and manage, for protection, threatened native forest with exceptional bio-diversity.

Restore Our Planet contributed to the Awacachi Corridor project to connect the Awa indigenous forest reserve in north-west Ecuador with the large central Cotacachi-Cayapass ecological forest reserve. In all, Rainforest Concern and its partners, including ‘Fauna and Flora’, in the UK purchased nearly 10,000 hectares of intervening ‘Choco forest’ land, which are now protected by the resident communities and park guards. The corridor is vitally necessary as the forests of the region are under immense pressure.

Over 90% of the forests have already been lost to agriculture in particular to oil palm plantations who directly competed for the purchase of this land corridor, along with logging concerns. These ‘Choco’ forests of Ecuador are also of tremendous biological value. Approximately 6300 species of vascular plant, 800 bird species, 142 mammal species and 253 species of amphibian and reptile are recorded in the area, a large proportion being endemic. Notable species being the green macaw, giant anteater and local jaguar and ocelot.

The Awacaci project tackles this crucial biodiversity conservation from many different angles; and a programme of sustainable income generation is also being established with the Afro-Ecuadorian communities in the area.

Kenyan forest re-generation and re-planting project

The PORINI Trust’s main activities include the planting of indigenous trees in 3 key threatened forest ares of Kenya – Mt Kenya forest, Aberdare forest and Mukogongo forest areas in the Rift Valley. They also aim to protect against further destruction of the remaining forests through mobilising and facilitating communities in co-management activities.

Supporting Porini’s work in the Aberdare and Mukogongo forest areas, Restore Our Planet have funded the replanting of 300 hectares of degraded forest, with provision of over 600,000 seedlings over 5 years. We have also funded the protection of a further 900 hectares of degraded forest each year encouraging the natural regeneration of over a million more trees, and the re-establishment of areas of the forest for the benefit of the marginalised local communities.

The vital services provided by the re-established forest include the rehabilitation of local natural water resources and the stabilisation of the soil that prevent processes of desertification.

Polar Bear monitoring – Canada

Every year many bears are unable to reach their feeding grounds due to the late formation of pack ice creating huge difficulties for themselves and their families.

In Churchill, Manitoba there is a holding facility for polar bears that wander into town in search of food where they can be held apart from humans and later released. For years the dedicated individuals who keep the bears and humans apart have been using tape measures to estimate the bears weight. As the average weight of the female drops due to shorter hunting seasons they produce less cubs whose survival rate has decreased significantly.

Restore Our Planet has funded sophisticated digital scales that can weigh up to 2,000 kilos providing scientists with accurate information crucial to help define future forward action for the species survival. Restore Our Planet has also helped regarding arial surveys which play an important part in helping mother and cubs survive as it is important to understand where they were coming off the ice and in what state of health.

Also new and effective drop-off points have been defined for release of the bears which has dramatically increased their ability to get out on the ice sooner improving their chances of survival and reducing the probability of encounters with mankind.

Safeguarding Priority Orangutan Habitats – Indonesian Borneo

Indonesia has one of the highest rates of tropical forest loss in the world, and illegal logging and forest clearance for palm oil production is rife. The critically endangered Bornean Orangutan has been suffering from habitat loss as a result of conversion of forest to palm oil plantations and other agricultural developments, encroachment, illegal logging and forest fires.

This loss of habitat was aggravated during the last extreme El Nino dry season in 2015 that resulted in extensive loss of forest cover due to devastating forest fires. Increased patrolling in priority habitats to prevent illegal activities, increasing local capacity to deal with outbreaks of fires, restoring forest habitats through re=planting degraded areas and reintroducing rescued Orangutans back to the wild will all help to safeguard Orangutans and their forest habitats. All these activities will be conducted in collaboration with local stakeholders and authorized government agencies.

The project is located in Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesian Borneo. The main project site is the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve which was established in 1998. The other location is Tanjung Puting National Park. Both sites are priority habitats for Orangutan conservation and contain many endangered species including hornbills, eagles, Proboscis monkeys, gibbons and Clouded Leopard. Restore Our Planet has donated to the Orangutan Foundation to support their vital work to protect this area by preventing illegal logging, the arbitrary granting of palm oil concessions and the illegal clearance of land for palm oil by fire – all of which continue to threaten destruction of this precious habitat.

Community protection of Tharaka Forest

This project is a beneficiary of the Gaia/African Biodiversity Network Micro-Projects Fund.

Tharaka forest is a highly biodiverse and critical watershed area for the surrounding communities in Meru, Eastern Province, Kenya. It has been found to contain more than 30 prehistoric sites, however is being threatened due to general degradation as a result of human activity resulting from either extremely low income levels or limited transfer of community knowledge to the younger generation.

The Elders recognise these sites play a vital role for their communities and as all but one are located on river banks it will be easier to grow and maintain trees, while advocacy and lobbying work can be carried out to gain support for tree-planting in larger areas.

The project will involve organisation members, traditional elders and a youth forum. The Forestry and Environment departments will be consulted throughout the process. Activities will include community meetings, purchase and planting of indigenous tree seedlings and maintenance of trees planted.

Native Tree Nurseries, Northern Peru

The Tropical Andes Hotspot is the most biologically diverse on earth with 20,000 endemic plants and 75 endemic mammal species; of which 69 are endangered. Deforestation rates in this area are high, and if a radical change is not made in local resource use there is a very real danger many species will become extinct.

One such is the yellow tailed woolly monkey ( Oreonax flavicauda ), one of the rarest Neotropical primates, critically endangered and listed as one of the 25 most threatened primate species.

The human population of La Esperanza, Northern Peru is suffering from severe poverty. Environmental problems such as localised climate change, impoverishment of soils, landslides and the growing scarcity of natural resources like wood and water are increasingly noticeable. For these reasons a reforestation project would be highly valuable and welcome for the local people as well as the flora and fauna.

The communities of Yambrasbamba and La Esparanza have requested help in realizing reforestation and conservation work on land they own having secured local authority permission. The project aims to promote the conservation of a community run reserve of approx. 2,000 hectares and create community run native tree species nurseries. Reforestation schemes will include enrichment planting of selectively logged forests, creation of multiple use forest buffer zones, enrichment of pastures with legumes and other plants to improve land, attract wildlife and reduce the need for clear cutting of new pastures.

The tree nursery in La Esperanza, established in 2007 with the help of Restore Our Planet has gone through many changes and adjustments however has produced up to 10,000 trees per year. Seedlings and capacity building regarding forestry techniques has been provided to hundreds of local farmers around the nursery and the four surrounding villages.

The nursery has also provided dozens of job opportunities for local people ranging from nursery technicians to caretakers and bag fillers

The vast majority of tree species worked with are native to the area  such as Guaba, Sacha Inchi and Tumbe the only exceptions being fruit trees such as citrus and avocado planted around people`s houses to enrich diets.

The long term success of the programme is evaluated by periodical random visits to the farmers` land to count and measure surviving trees.Many of the trees planted in the first years are already adults and are seeding themselves making collection easier and increases impact of the reforestation work naturally.

 

Community Forest Conservation and Expansion

This project is a beneficiary of the Gaia/African Biodiversity Network Micro-Projects Fund.

This project will be carried out in Mukono district, in the Buganda kingdom, Uganda. The forest to be expanded is the Kintu forest east of Kampala. It has been in existence for almost 400 years and is made up entirely of natural indigenous tree species.

Uganda`s forest cover has halved in the last 50 years due mainly to the encroachment by the neighbouring communities in search of livelihoods eg charcoal burning, timber and farming and government-supported industrial investment that has seen protected forests such as Butamira, Bugara and Mabira given away to investors.

An opportunity has arisen whereby the Uganda National Forestry and Tree Planting Act (2003) recognises the need for community conservation of natural forests. This means the Buganda kingdom clans can use this act and claim community participation in management of the forest. Activities will include community sensitisation meetings to revive traditional knowledge and planting and maintenance of indigenous tree seedlings to expand the forest.

Restoring Depleted Forests, Limpopo Province

The Mupo ( meaning `wild` ) Foundation has emerged out of the African Biodiversity Network ( ABN ), a network of organisations seeking African solutions to the environment and socio-economic challenges that face the continent.

Limpopo is an area of mixed grassland and trees generally known as bushveld harbouring the Kruger National Park, one of the oldest and largest wildlife reserves in the world. This project primarily covers three areas of critical value for biodiversity and livelihoods, namely: Tshidzivhe, a protected “Holy Forest” within the massive Thathe Vondo plantation; Tshiendeulu, a sacred mountain for all Venda people; Mphaila Tswime a unique mountain where hot springs are still used for ritual and healing.

Proposed activities include;community learning dialogues;tree planting and forest protection activities;training on tree management;tree and seed exchanges for communities.
Mupo expect to achieve community rights to sacred forests recognised and secured, reforestation on community land with the rehabilitation of rivers and reservoirs, protection for endangered forests and the youth linked with elders to ensure long term understanding of natural processes and practical skills.

Restore Our Planet has agreed to fund this project initially for two years from 2008.

To see a film made on the work of Mupo click here (opens a new window)

Restoration of indigenous forests, Manica Province

Set up by a team of experienced development professionals, MICAIA`s goal is local prosperity in a sustainable world. In practise at community level, this means that MICAIA works to enable local people to prosper in strong, diverse local economies and healthy, vibrant communities.

This project will work with communities in two parts of Manica Province, Darue/Zinguena and Chicamba within the Moribane forest. This covers 120 square kms and is a forest reserve established to include the highlands of the Chimanimani Mountains that are shared by Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

There are three areas of proposed activity. Community mobilization, training and learning; establishment of seedling nurseries ultimately using locally sourced indigenous fruit and other trees; tree-planting and seedling management.

The main objective is to restore depleted indigenous forests in Manica Province, providing increased tree cover on family plots and in depleted forest areas, protecting vulnerable forest areas and increasing local knowledge of indigenous trees and their uses.

MELCA – Ethiopia forest re-generation and re-planting

MELCA is a forest re-generation and re-planting project in Ethiopia. The program is pioneering ways of enhancing traditional ecological knowledge and protecting fragile forest and watershed ecosystems through community participation and empowerment.

Melca aim to recuperate 5212 hectares of the Menagesha Suba State Forest – the oldest ‘protected area’ in Africa. This provides habitat for a vibrant wildlife comprising more than 30 different species of mammal, over 180 different species of bird and many plant varieties.

Restore Our Planet have funded the planting of up to 600,000 saplings on over 300 ha of degraded land over five years with funding provided for the protection of a further 600ha of degraded dry Afro-montane forest in order to regenerate over a million more trees and re-establish areas of the forest for the benefit of local biodiversity and the marginalised local communities.

The vital services provided by the re-established forest include the rehabilitation of local natural water resources and the stabilisation of the soil, preventing processes of desertification as well as providing habitat vital for the survival of the rare and endemic local wildlife including the Menilik bushbuk.

Kibera Community Centre and land management

Kibera is a township in Kenya ‘housing’ around a million people. Restore Our Planet helped fund The Kenya Trust to build two new classrooms, a small room and adjacent toilets for The Salvation Army`s school which forms part of the Community Centre in the village.

In addition Restore Our Planet’s grant also financed additional tree and shrub planting around the school that will help restore the surrounding degraded land and help encourage sustainable community resource management.

Sanctuaries for rescued ‘dancing’ bears

Thanks to the efforts of International Animal Rescue, in January 2010 the last of India`s `dancing` bears was rescued and placed in their sanctuary near Bangalore. The owner is to be retrained as a wildlife park keeper. His agreement to abandon bear `dancing` marks the end of a five year campaign in which 600 bears were rescued throughout India.

Sloth bear population numbers are believed to be as little as 18,000 and in decline, they are officially an endangered species. However, in India there were circa 1,000 sloth bears kept in a pitiful condition by Nomadic Kalandar tribesmen, solely for the purposes of ‘dancing’ for tourists.

Restore Our Planet supported IAR’s work to help provide the appropriate habitat for their bear sanctuary at Bannerghatta (near Bangalore, Southern India), and at Agra (near the Taj Mahal in Northern India), which can accomodate up to 200 rescued bears. This large site where over 6,000 new trees are to be planted provides the rescued bears with the environment that they require to live out the rest of their lives in comfort – as most cannot be returned to the wild.

The IAR’s wider work included working with police to prevent poaching, and implementing a scheme where tribesmen were encouraged to surrender their bears for 50,000 rupees (circa. £625) to start up a sustainable business – carpet weaving, bicycle repairs, and welding are some of the successes.

Strengthening traditional Governance in Kiambu

This project is a beneficiary of the Gaia/African Biodiversity Network Micro-Projects Fund.

The project will be implemented in Lara division of Kiambu district in Kenya. The target forest is the Gitoro block of Mt. Kenya forest in Meru, a section of 50 hectares. Trees will be planted on Ameru communal lands in Kamburu, Kagwe, Kagaa and Mtimbei administrative areas.

A key problem is that as elders lose respect from and commitment to the community, so the social structure for communal responsibility and environmental governance is getting weaker. Also local indigenous tree biodiversity has virtually disappeared, thereby threatening the ecological balance of the area, traditional health practices and the food security of the local communities.

However there is an ongoing `back to roots` programme which seeks to uphold inter-generational learning and there remain potent sources of knowledge on indigenous biodiversity and traditional practices. There is also a large amount of reforestable communal land containing valuable sources of water where indigenous tree nurseries can be established. To see a film made on the work of ICE click here (opens a new window).

Black Rhino Breeding and Conservation Programme

Imire Conservation Park is a 10,000 hectare sub tropical, Miombo tract of land 120kms south east of Harare.

It opened in 1972 as a pilot project to allow the reintroduction of wildlife into commercial farming areas.It was an experiment to prove that by taking a holistic approach to intensive agriculture not only could there be economic benefits to the farmer but also that animals indigenous to the area, previously killed and chased out, could become an integral part of commercial farming.

It was so successful that within 10 years the entire 10,000 hectares was fenced and the animals were able to move freely alongside the cultivation and agriculture. Biodiversity benefits were seen immediately including that of trees and grassland. In 2004 Imire merged with National Parks becoming a Conservancy, the owners became trustees, guardians and custodians of the land, animals and conservation.

The Park has become focused on;Reforestation;Endangered species breeding;riverine rehabilitation;sustainable power and fuel production;education and health care.Restore Our Planet has agreed to provide funding aimed specifically at the protection of the Black Rhino

Restoration of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem

Two-thirds of Kenya is arid, semi arid or desert, leaving one-third to support nearly 30 million people, with cash and food crops, and livestock farming. The same one-third also contains most of the national parks, wildlife habitats, and is also the setting for rapid urban development.

This pressure on land use makes Kenya very susceptible to desertification processes including deforestation and soil erosion. We are helping to fund the Green Belt Movement’s three year pilot programme supporting forest adjacent communities in the Central Province area of Kenya to rehabilitate the degraded Aberdare`s mountain range ecosystem and establish community-based natural resource management systems.

The total project aims to plant 5million trees over 5,000 hectares of degraded forest. Our funding will also help rehabilitate degraded river banks, watershed areas and farmlands in 71 sub-locations with a total population of 389,000. Improved access to food, water, fuel wood, medicinal plants and income from the sale of seedlings will benefit a further 90,000 households in the local area.

Trees of Life

As the birthplace of Vodun ( more commonly known as `Voodoo` ) Benin has retained a strong tradition of cultural relationship with its natural environment. As a result, while there has been extensive development and infrastructure growth in the country, there remain a significant number of sacred forests associated with each village which are believed to be the home of deities and are therefore protected.

The `Trees of Life` project is an integrated programme which aims to support communities in Avrankou Commune to protect and expand existing sacred forests, as well as plant indigenous trees as vital resources for ecosystem stability, sustainable livelihoods and climate change mitigation. Two indigenous tree nurseries will be established to distribute seedlings to 52 villages where planting will take place around schools, churches and traditional voodoo sites.

The 52 villages in Avrankou Commune will be informed, educated and sensitized to the importance and value of forests and trees and each village will train and equip forest protection `clubs`. Locally called `Ecoguarde` clubs these are groups of five to ten carefully chosen women and youth who are committed to act as community environmental guardians.

Regeneration and Reforestation of the Godere Forest

This project is a beneficiary of the Gaia/African Biodiversity Network Micro-Projects Fund.

The Godere forest is in Gambella National Regional State, Ethiopia. It is unique in plant composition and wildlife diversity and provides many vital ecosystem services for the surrounding area. The local community also depends on it for hunting and gathering purposes such as the harvesting of wild honey. However it is facing heavy deforestation due to agricultural expansion, illegal timber felling for construction and firewood and a general lack of commitment from local administration to protect the forest from outside forces.

To prevent further degradation of the forest, community-based legal research needs to be organised covering advocacy strategies and activities. The latter will include building the commitment of the local administration to protect the forest; establishing the foundations for sustainable land use; preventing land expansion for agriculture; re-strengthening traditional/local ways of protecting the forests;restricting access to certain areas to assist regeneration; community tree-planting.

Micro-Projects with the African Biodiversity Network

Over the last five years of its existence, the Micro-Projects Fund has supported community-driven, innovative ideas on rehabilitating degraded ecosystems and protection of critical sources of water, foods, herbs and other livelihood options. This approach has enabled Gaia and the African Biodiversity Network to build a critical mass of like-minded local groups to influence wider changes in their countries.

These organisations are committed to sharing learning and catalysing action across the continent on issues relating to natural resource conservation and sustainable development. The grants provided allow these emerging NGOs to initiate community based reforestation and long-term forest protection initiatives.

Restore Our Planet has provided the necessary funding to the following `networked` organisations in East Africa: Foundation HELP, Vijana Vision and Envirocare in Tanzania; Institute for Culture and Ecology (ICE) and Nkarya Bukaya in Kenya; National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) in Uganda and the Godere Protection Alliance in Ethiopia.

Mara Community Ecological Governance

This project is a beneficiary of the Gaia/African Biodiversity Network Micro-Projects Fund.

The project will be implemented in two localities-Kuruya village in Tarime district and Bwasi village in Musoma district, both in Tanzania. Tree planting will be carried out on Isarawa hills which are located between Kuruya and Irienyi village and Bwasi community forest. Problems and challenges include rapid deforestation due to high population, requirements for fuel wood, shifting cultivation of food crops and cotton, charcoal and brick burning and construction material. There are also tensions between major religions, modern education and customary beliefs and practices.

However the communities have started appreciating the role of culture in conservation and ensuring sustainable management of resources and as a result there is the required goodwill and trust.

Activities will include community dialogues with members of Bwasi and Kuruya villages on forest protection and regeneration, training in ecological governance practices and legal systems and the planting of seedlings on degraded land and on community farmland for agroforestry purposes.

Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Programme

The Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Programme (CCCP) was established in 2000 as an emergency response to the discovery of a small population of crocodile long thought to be extinct in the wild. Traditionally hunted for their skins, the Siamese crocodiles were found during a Fauna & Flora International (FFI) biodiversity survey, and are now listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. The remote Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia are home to the world`s largest remaining population, though small pockets are found in Indonesia and Vietnam as well. Over the past hundred years, habitat destruction and hunting have eliminated 99% of the historical habitat of the Siamese crocodile throughout Southeast Asia, and current threats include the production of hydro-power dams in two of the known habitats. Only an estimated 250 individuals are currently known to exist in the wild.

Since 2000, FFI has worked in partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia and local communities to save these crocodiles and their globally important wetlands. By training wildlife officers and community wardens, establishing community-managed sanctuaries, and starting a captive breeding programme, the CCCP is on its way to accomplishing its goal of establishing a population of 1,000 crocodiles in the wild by 2020.

In addition to reinstating the Siamese crocodile population, the CCCP aims to improve the livelihood of the local residents. This includes helping them to find alternative methods of fishing and sources of protein, to reduce net entanglements and maintain the food source for the crocodiles. By hiring local community wardens (initially funded by Restore Our Planet), CCCP works with to engage the community to work toward the shared goal of conserving the crocodile and its habitat together.

The International Gorilla Conservation Programme

The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) was established in 1991 as a coalition of three international conservation organisations. Its current partnership consists of Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Mountain gorillas, listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, live in the Afromontane forest habitat of Central Africa, spanning the borders of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their numbers are estimated to be around 880 as of September 2016. The aim of the IGCP is to protect the remaining numbers of mountain gorillas and their natural habitat.

The primary threats to the mountain gorillas are habitat destruction, poaching, disease, and civil war and unrest. IGCP’s conservation projects aim to mitigate these threats by collaborating with local communities and key stakeholders to strengthen mechanisms for transboundary migration of the gorillas and increase protection of their borders. Restore Our Planet supported IGCP to protect the Gorilla’s shrinking indigenous habitats within the national parks. By providing the local communities with an alternative source of wood for fuel and construction, as well as promoting the use of energy-saving cooking stoves, they helped to preserve the habitat by reducing pressure on the surrounding forest. Restore also helped support IGCP’s work with communities who are planting fast-growing exotic tree species and native bamboo in carefully managed woodlots – reducing the need for illegal harvesting within the national parks and maintaining critical food sources for the gorillas.

While the forest itself has been boundary fenced to act as a physical barrier to illegal encroachment, successfully reducing human-wildlife conflict, the IGCP projects also encourage sustainability through the establishment of community-based livelihood strategies. Amongst these are enterprises like curios-making and beekeeping. The most recent research, conducted in 2010, shows an annual growth rate of 3.7% in response to these efforts. IGCP, along with its partners, hope to continue with these strategies in order to ensure the viability and longevity of the mountain gorilla species.

Community Resource Management, Ngasini-Mawala

This project is a beneficiary of the Gaia/African Biodiversity Network Micro-Projects Fund.

Ngasini and Mawala forests are near Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Due to agricultural expansion such as pig-breeding and banana cultivation, illegal collection of firewood and the erosion of traditional beliefs and practices these forests have become severely degraded.

The National Forest Policy while recognising the existence of local forests reserves managed by local authorities also designates village reserves to be managed by the communities. These will be demarcated on the ground, management objectives defined and multi-purpose forest management plans prepared, covering all different uses of forests. This allows villages to control the rate of environmental degradation.

Granted appropriate user rights and security of tenure as incentives for sustainable forest management, local communities are likely to participate actively in the conservation of their forest resources. This project will establish new tree nurseries and organise appropriate community training regarding forests and water.

Conservation of the Livingstone’s Fruit Bat

Livingstone’s fruit bat (Pteropus livingstonii), one of the world’s largest megachiropterans, is only found on two islands (Moheli and Anjouan), in the Union of the Comoros. Increased land needs for subsistence agriculture and use of wood for fuel and construction endanger the species’ habitat. These threats are exacerbated by high rural poverty and rapid population growth. The wild bat population is estimated at around 1,200 individuals, listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered.

The project will ensure the long-term survival of the species by working closely with Dahari a local NGO and by the management of a coordinated captive breeding programme. We have developed local capacity and introducing methods and procedures for bat monitoring and habitat protection. In parallel with this work in the field we have established and currently manage the studbook for an international breeding programme for the species. At Jersey zoo we have a colony of 52 bats and have raised 7 pups so far this year.

Rwandan Gorillas

The Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund International is dedicated to the conservation and protection of gorillas and their habitat in Africa. They are committed to promoting continued research on their threatened ecosystems and education about their relevance to the world in which we live.

In collaboration with government agencies and other international partners, they also provide assistance to local communities through education, training and economic development initiatives.

Restore Our Planet has made donations in support of the Gorilla Fund’s vital habitat protection and restoration work, in order to protect the vulnerable environment of Rwanda’s endangered Mountain Gorillas from human encroachment.

Conservation of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros

The current estimate of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis ) population is just 2,006 of which 81% live in Assam, and 75% of that figure survive in Kaziranga National Park, making this park fundamental to the survival of the species. The Indian rhino was once found throughout the northern sub-continent.

In the past century human encroachment on vital habitat, hunting and the slaughter by poachers, eager to satisfy the voracious illegal market for rhino horn in Chinese medicine, has resulted in a catastrophic decline in the species.

The aim of this project is to ensure the survival of the Indian rhino through three key objectives. Increased anti-poaching operations with population and habitat monitoring;Protection of the park`s boundaries from human encroachment and entry by poachers;Increased awareness through staff training and community environmental education workshops.

To assist these aims Restore Our Planet has agreed to fund the hiring of elephants for anti-poaching patrols, cash incentives to forest staff and scholarships to children of Kaziranga Forest staff.

Protecting Quilombola Forests in the Brazilian Amazon

Protecting Quilombola Forests in the Brazilian Amazon forms a part of the `In Their Lifetime` appeal established in 2009. This is a pioneering appeal that enables Christian Aid to try out new approaches to fighting poverty and scale up the ideas that work best.

It`s about bringing together philanthropists, technical experts and grassroots organisations to find radical new solutions to entrenched, complex problems. The overall objective of this project is to protect 1,019,768 hectares of tropical rainforest which is both the home and source of survival for some 2,000 Quilombola families in the northern State of Para, Brazil.

This can be achieved by building the knowledge and capacity of the forest-dependent Quilombola communities to defend and protect their territory from activities such as illegal logging and mining. Also by sensitizing state stakeholders and wider Brazilian society about the need for public policies and measures to protect the rainforests and the crucial role the Quilombola can play.

Restore Our Planet is pleased to support this innovative project.

Safe habitat for Borneo’s orangutans

Bornean orangutans are critically endangered and their very existence hangs in the balance. Habitat loss and the illegal pet trade have depleted their numbers and urgent conservation action is needed to reverse the trend in population declines.

In 2008 Restore helped fund the lease of 86,450 hectares of rainforest in East Kalimantan, Borneo called Kehje Sewen, to keep this area from being sold to palm oil producers or logging companies. The first pioneer rehabilitated orangutans were released here from Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation rehabilitation centres in early 2012, and to date 68 orangutans have been reintroduced here. Simultaneously BOS Foundation commenced orangutan reintroductions in Central Kalimantan where over 200 orangutans have been released and the populations thriving. These are the most successful orangutan reintroduction programs in the world and this is a huge step towards establishing much needed viable and safe orangutan communities.

BOS Foundation focuses their efforts on long-term orangutan conservation managing the world’s largest orangutan rescue and rehabilitation centres in the world at Samboja Lestari in East Kalimantan and Nyaru Menteng in Central Kalimantan to support orphaned or displaced orangutans. They also protect over 300,000 hectares of rainforest on Borneo in Mawas, which provides habitat to 3,000 orangutans, and as such is one of the last remaining strongholds for orangutans on Borneo. Their wider work covers projects such as reforestation as well as education and community development programmes to co-establish ways to work and live with the rainforest in a sustainable way. Restore’s funding to BOS Foundation, has helped BOS Foundation projects survive and thrive.

Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme

The Ethiopian wolf is endemic to the highlands of Ethiopia, where it persists in a handful of Afroalpine mountain ranges. This project is located in the Bale and Arsi Mountains, South Ethiopia and Menz, Wollo. Mt Guna and Simien, North Ethiopia.Monitoring and research activity estimates no more than 500 adult wolves remaining.

The project is a long term endeavour which has amongst its objectives, the monitoring of all populations of wolves so that evidence based management interventions can be implemented where appropriate; community and school education regarding the importance and value of natural resources; supporting community development in the area and working with partner organisations to deliver capacity- building and ensure adequate wolf habitat remains in perpetuity.

The prevention of rabies and canine distemper in the largest population in Bale is also a core objective. Restore Our Planet has supported this Programme due to the habitat/community qualities and its long term focus on one of the worlds `lower profile` species.

The Central Himalayan Rural Action Group

90% of the population in the state of Uttaranchal in the central Himalaya depend upon forests for their subsistence needs. The disappearance of forests from this region is thus a severe threat to local livelihoods as well as a regional threat leading to increased risks of flooding and drought.

The Central Himalayan Rural Action Group is a small Indian NGO which during 1997-2003 worked in Uttaranchal in the district of Nainital and surrounding districts focussing on the reafforestation of 600 hectares of degraded hillsides.

Restore Our Planet have funded the continuation of this work over the years 2004-2006, supporting CHIRAG’s work with 20 new villages to reafforest a further 360 hectares of degraded hillside and provide maintenance protection and monitoring as well as further environmental training.