WIN

WILDLIFE-INSPIRED
HOMEWARE
COLLECTIONS
PAGE 30
THE MAGAZINE FOR WWF MEMBERS SUMMER 2020

GHOST CATSolving the mystery

of Nepal’s elusive
snow leopards

ARCTIC SOUND SANCTUARY GIANTS OF THE DEEP

How you’re helping protect Discover the new robot cameras
sensitive Arctic marine life from helping us reveal the secret lives
increasing underwater noise of Scotland’s basking sharks
 CONTENTS
“WE’RE COMMITTED
In the Arctic, natural sound is in
danger of being overwhelmed by
an increasingly loud, manmade
TOGETHER, WE DID IT! 4 SECRET SHARKS: ON CAMERA 22

TO RESTORING
racket, putting bowhead whales, A round-up of all you’ve helped How SharkCam is revealing the
belugas and narwhals at risk us achieve in recent months surprisingly sociable behaviour
of Scotland’s basking sharks.
WWF IN ACTION 6 By Derek Niemann

OUR OCEANS
Environment news, including
our fight against deforestation INTERVIEW: CHRIS JOHNSON 26
The Antarctic is changing, so
SEARCHING FOR SHADOWS 10

FOR FUTURE
we’re studying sealife to ensure
Thanks to you, we’re helping it’s got breathing space to adapt
to tag and track more of
Nepal’s elusive snow leopards FIGHT FOR YOUR WORLD 28

GENERATIONS”
to uncover their mysterious Be part of the change and do your
lives. By Paul Bloomfield bit to protect our precious planet

OCEANS OF NOISE 14 GIVEAWAYS 30

As sea ice melts, the peace of the Win wildlife-themed homeware
Arctic Ocean is being destroyed. and eco-friendly kids’ clothes
Find out how we’re working to
reduce manmade noise to protect CROSSWORD 31
sealife. By Paul Bloomfield Solve our crossword and you
could win a copy of Handbook of
BIG PICTURE 20 Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
Shocking illegal deforestation in
the Amazon has been discovered NOTES FROM THE FIELD 31
and reported, thanks to drones Katherine Elliott encounters
you helped us to provide cheetahs in the Maasai Mara

MEET THIS ISSUE’S GUEST CONTRIBUTORS

CHRIS JOHNSON DR MELANIE SHEREN
leads our LANCASTER, SHRESTHA
Antarctic WWF’s Arctic is a research
programme, species officer for
and is using innovative specialist, is studying WWF-Nepal. He was part
technology to monitor the the effects of manmade of a recent expedition to

PROTECTING OUR BLUE PLANET

effects of climate change. noise on marine life. fit snow leopards with
“Marine ecosystems “We’re trying to reduce tracking collars. “We’re
are undergoing a rapid the stressors that sealife proud and relieved our
transformation,” says experiences as sea ice efforts produced such
Chris. “We must act now.” melts,” she explains. great results,” he says.
Oceans are an important part of our planet’s life-
support system. They produce around two-thirds
of all the world’s oxygen, and absorb around a third
of all climate-warming carbon dioxide and over GET IN TOUCH MEET THE ACTION TEAM
Editor Liz Palmer editor@wwf.org.uk
90% of all the heat we produce. Without the oceans Editorial executive Holly Towner
wwf.org.uk/contact
protecting us, our planet would be 35°C hotter. Senior supporter engagement manager
So it’s vital we keep them healthy. 01483 426333 Hannah Crawley
But our oceans are under pressure. Almost six WWF-UK Living Planet Centre, Supporter engagement managers
Stephen Osborne, Merlin Meyer
COVER: © GETTY | CONTENTS: © VDOS GLOBAL / WWF-CANADA

billion tonnes of fish and invertebrates (such as Rufford House, Brewery Road,
Senior editor Guy Jowett
crustaceans) have been caught since 1950. Marine Woking, Surrey GU21 4LL
plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980, For Immediate Media Co.
and the climate crisis is destroying precious coral FOLLOW US Consultant editor Sophie Stafford
reefs and having devastating effects on sealife. Art editor Nicole Mooney
wwf.org.uk/facebook Production editor Charlotte Martyn
Thanks to your support, we’re working to ensure wwf.org.uk/twitter Account manager Katy Hewett
oceans are well managed, and to protect whales Design director Will Slater
wwf.org.uk/pinterest
from the impacts of climate change (page 14). Editorial director Dan Linstead
Together with Sky Ocean Rescue, we’re challenging wwf.org.uk/news
wwf.org.uk/youtube
THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS
governments to do more to safeguard our amazing Paul Bloomfield, Katherine Elliott,
seas. From expanding protected areas to revealing wwf.org.uk/instagram Tessa Francis, Barney Jeffries,
the secret lives of basking sharks, we’re committed Chris Johnson, Melanie Lancaster,
to restoring our oceans for future generations. Derek Niemann, Sheren Shrestha

You can help by becoming an ocean hero (page 29). Produced in association with Immediate Media Co. www.imcontent.co.uk

2 | Action Summer 2020

THANK YOU TOGETHER, WE DID IT!

TOGETHER, WE DID IT!

“IT IS ONLY THROUGH COLLECTIVE
ACTION TOWARDS A SHARED MISSION
THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE BIG RESULTS”
MARCO LAMBERTINI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WWF INTERNATIONAL

Thanks to your membership, we can help

protect wildlife and wild places. Here
are some of the great things supporters There are around
430
like you have helped achieve adult wild tigers
in the
Russian far east
and

6
a small number ha
ve
recently been rec
orded
1 AUSTRALIA across the borde
r in China

YOU HELPED CARE FOR BUSHFIRE VICTIMS 6 RUSSIAN FAR EAST

You donated more than £2.7 million to our Australia
YOU HELPED RUSSIAN TIGERS ROAR BACK

© NATUREPL.COM / VLADIMIR MEDVEDEV / WWF

bushfire emergency appeal for rescuing and treating
injured wildlife and restoring their habitat. Over Thanks to you, Amur tigers are making a remarkable comeback
120,000 sq km of forest were destroyed by the fires, and
an estimated 1.25 billion animals killed. Your support
2 5 4
in the Russian far east. Tigers had been almost wiped out in
the province of Evreiskaya, but with your support we’ve been

3
enabled us to partner with organisations providing working with partners to release tigers from the rehabilitation
veterinary care and food and water for starving animals, centre back into the wild. A recent survey revealed there’s now
and even deploying sniffer dogs to find surviving koalas. a stable population with an estimated 20 individuals. Even
It’s also helping us assess the damage, protect and replant
forest habitat, and advocate for better climate policies 1 better, they’re successfully breeding: the survey found three
tigresses with litters of one, two and three cubs. There’s now real
from the Australian government. On top of the generosity potential for this tiger population to spread into neighbouring
of supporters, we were overwhelmed by donations from areas in Russia and China, taking us that bit closer to our goal
celebrities and companies, including Formula One’s The world’s only remaining population of doubling the number of tigers in the wild. The presence of a
Lewis Hamilton and Pets At Home. There’s a long way to of Javan rhinos has increased despite healthy tiger population in the region will also boost efforts to
© GETTY

go in our bushfire recovery mission, but together we’re establish a transboundary protected area, linking Amur tigers in
threats such as poaching and the risk
helping save what survived and restore what was lost. the Russian far east with those in northern China. This will help
of natural disasters and disease tigers range freely, help to safeguard their habitat from logging
and mineral extraction, and protect all wildlife from poaching.
2 UGANDA/DRC 3 BOLIVIA

© GETTY
YOU HELPED GIVE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS A BOOST YOU HELPED FIRE- 4 INDONESIA 5 KENYA
© GETTY

HIT COMMUNITIES
YOU HELPED RARE RHINOS BREED SUCCESSFULLY
Thanks to your support, the number of mountain gorillas in the
Bwindi-Sarambwe ecosystem has risen from an estimated 400 in START TO RECOVER YOU’RE HELPING CREATE A BUZZ
2011 to at least 459 in 2018. This brings the total number of wild Your support has been critical in increasing the population of one You helped provide 150 beehives for

© GETTY
mountain gorillas to a minimum of 1,063 when combined with results Thanks to your generosity, of the world’s most endangered animals. Javan rhinos are found communities in Kenya’s Mara ecosystem –
from the Virunga volcanoes survey of 2015-16. They’re still communities in Bolivia in only a single protected area, Ujung Kulon National Park on and that’s good news for elephants too. As
endangered, but this increase shows what can be achieved. are rebuilding their lives the Indonesian island of Java. Numbers are precariously low, but human populations rise and natural habitats
We work through the International Gorilla Conservation after last year’s devastating camera traps have recently spotted four new calves, bringing the shrink, people and elephants are increasingly
Programme to ensure communities benefit from living forest fires. Our Amazon total population to 72 – up from about 50 a decade ago. That’s coming into conflict. Elephants can destroy crops,
alongside mountain gorillas and see the value in emergency appeal raised almost £1 million to support efforts in the result of intensive and they can be dangerous too – but they’re scared
protecting the apes and their habitat. All mountain Bolivia and Brazil. We provided medicine, food, water pumps and conservation work you of bees. Not only are the hives a great deterrent,
© STEPHEN BELCHER PHOTOGRAPHY / WWF

gorilla tourism is currently suspended in firefighting equipment to areas affected by the fires. We’ve also helped fund, including but by enabling local people to improve their
response to coronavirus, but by helping to embed been working with indigenous communities who depend on the population monitoring, incomes they can also support more positive
best practice into the day-to-day management forest for their livelihoods and have been hit by the loss of fruits, clearing invasive arenga
© MARIZILDA CRUPPE / WWF-UK

attitudes towards conservation. In Oloisukut

of mountain gorilla sites, we nuts, timber and other products they harvest. Looking ahead, palm trees, and working conservancy, over 100 women will benefit from
can ensure that, when visits we’ll support our local partners to assess the environmental and with local communities 50 of the new modern hives. The women have
resume, responsible gorilla socioeconomic impacts of the fires not only in the Amazon but to grow rhino food plants kept bees before, but traditional hives made from
tourism continues to be a in the neighbouring Chiquitano dry forest and Pantanal regions to enrich their habitat. wooden logs weren’t as efficient. Now, they expect
cornerstone of mountain too. We’ll help them determine the restoration efforts that will be The rhinos clearly to harvest 850kg of honey, worth around 340,000
gorilla conservation. needed to help forests, biodiversity and communities recover. appreciate our efforts. Kenyan shillings (£2,600), twice a year.

4 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 5

 WWF IN ACTION FOR YOUR WORLD

DISCOVER OUR SUSTAINABLE NEWS IN BRIEF

How we’ve been fighting for wildlife and our world

SHOPPING BASKET
Unsustainable food production and unnecessary food
waste contributes to climate change and causes almost

© JOSEPH GRAY / WWF-UK

60% of global biodiversity loss. So we’re working with
Tesco to make sustainable food available to everyone

PLANTING SEEDS OF HOPE

Over 750,000 seagrass seeds have been
planted in Dale Bay, Pembrokeshire, as part
of our seagrass restoration project with

1. THE AIM
Sky Ocean Rescue and Swansea University.
Thanks to around 2,000 volunteers,
We’re working with Tesco to halve thousands of small hessian bags were
the environmental impact of the filled with sand and prepared for planting.
average UK shopping basket. To do Cultivated seeds were added to the bags,
this, we need to understand the tied at metre intervals to a length of rope,
impact our favourite foods are and dropped along the seabed. Over time,
having on the planet the bags and rope will disintegrate, leaving
the seedlings to take root and grow into a
seagrass meadow that will store carbon and
provide habitat for amazing marine life.

2.We’re
THEstarting
INVESTIGATION

594
Conversion of forests to oil palm
NEWS IN NUMBERS
plantations is one of the biggest
by focusing on
causes of habitat loss for orangutans. 20 typical household staples –
We want more companies to commit from tuna to tomatoes, beef to
to sourcing sustainable palm oil that
respects nature, wildlife and people bread, biscuits and bananas.
We’ll be looking at more

BROKEN PROMISES ON PALM OIL ARE HARD TO STOMACH

products in future

Rhino poaching in South Africa has fallen

3. THE IMPACT
Products on our supermarket shelves that they’re not selling products involved in or investing in projects to restore the for the fifth year in a row, according to the
are still causing the destruction of destroying nature – and that they’re fully environment and protect human rights in latest government figures. Last year, 594
tropical rainforests and harming committed to a world where unsustainable landscapes where palm oil is produced. We measured the impact each product rhinos were killed by poachers – down from
wildlife including orangutans and palm oil no longer exists.” Shockingly, a quarter of the companies has on seven key issues affecting the 769 the year before, and a peak of 1,215 in
elephants, according to our latest The scorecard examined 173 companies surveyed didn’t have any commitments to planet: climate change, deforestation, 2014. Habitat loss and poaching remain huge
Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard from Europe, North America, Australia and buying only certified sustainable palm oil. sustainable agriculture, marine threats to rhinos, but these figures suggest
It’s been 10 years since we began scoring Asia, including all the big UK supermarkets Of the rest, two-thirds set 2020 as a target – our conservation efforts are working.

1.6M
sustainability, sustainable diets,
companies on their efforts to clean up the as well as brands such as McDonald’s and but only half of them have reached it. packaging waste and
palm oil sector, and many top brands and Unilever (the company behind products such Some companies are leading the way, food waste
retailers have trumpeted commitments to as Magnum ice cream and Dove soap). however. Topping the list was Ferrero, maker Thanks to our
eliminate deforestation from their supply We scored them according to what they’re of Nutella, which scored 20 points out of a

4.We’re
THEworking
IMPROVEMENTS
campaigning,
chains by 2020. Yet despite many encouraging doing to tackle the impacts of their own possible 22. Among UK companies, Marks 1.6 million people
© NATUREPL.COM / ANUP SHAH / WWF

signs of progress, not a single company scored operations, such as having a public and time- & Spencer and Co-op scored highest, with in China pledged
top marks in the latest assessment. And those bound commitment to eliminate deforestation Tesco, Asda and Unilever also doing well. to find ways to
reduce the impact of all these to ‘travel ivory
broken promises mean vital natural habitats from their supply chains, and buying palm Palm oil is a highly efficient vegetable free’ during last
continue to be destroyed. oil that’s been certified as sustainable by the oil crop that can be produced in a way that foods. For example, we’re making
sure the soy used to feed animals autumn’s Golden Week holiday, the busiest
“Consumers don’t want their food or Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). safeguards people, wildlife and nature. time for foreign travel. Despite a global ban
other purchases to come with a side order of But we also awarded marks to those We need to show companies and governments in Tesco’s supply chain
doesn’t contribute to on the commercial international trade of
deforestation and destruction of wildlife,” organisations that are going a step further that we want deforestation off our plates for Find out more at deforestation ivory, a recent study found 27% of Chinese
says our palm oil expert, Dr Emma Keller. – by insisting that their suppliers also have good. You can find out more at: nationals who travelled outside the country
“UK companies must prove to their customers deforestation-free policies, for instance, wwf.org.uk/deforestation-free wwf.org.uk/basket at least once a year bought ivory while away.
6 | Action Summer 2020
2019 Action Summer 2020 | 7
WWF IN ACTION FOR YOUR WORLD
NEWS IN BRIEF
GETTING THE LOWDOWN ON LIONS While Russian polar bear
numbers are holding up,
With our partners in Kenya, we’ve thousands of kilometres, identifying Canadian populations are
embarked on the biggest and most hundreds of individual lions (from their suffering. Rapidly melting
sea ice is believed to be a
accurate survey of lion populations unique whisker patterns, for example). key factor in this decline
ever undertaken To supplement this, we’ll be carrying
The number of African lions has fallen out interviews with more than 3,500 local
by an estimated 43% over the last three experts across the rest of the country to
generations. But for conservation efforts get a clear idea of how many lions and
© TRISTAN FEWINGS / WWF-UK

to really make a difference, we need other large carnivores are living outside
accurate data on where lions are found the main areas.
and how they’re faring. So far, results are mixed. In parts of
It’s thought there were about 2,000 southern Kenya, numbers are lower than
lions in Kenya 10 years ago. But that had been estimated. But they’re holding

MIXED PICTURE
figure was based on estimates and various up in the Maasai Mara, where much of the
different study techniques, so it’s not conservation work you support is focused.
MARATHON MAN
FOR POLAR BEARS
likely to be very reliable. The stats suggest the Mara ecosystem is
To put that right, we’ve joined forces home to 484 lions, and that numbers are
Running one marathon is an achievement;
with Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya stable or even increasing slightly.
running 52 in a year is something else!
Wildlife Trust and other local partners to Surveys like this are important The latest assessments of polar
But that’s what long-standing Team Panda
carry out the first ever lion survey to apply because having an accurate picture of lion bear populations have brought
member and WWF supporter Craig Brewster
the same methods across a whole country. populations enables us to see how well both good and troubling news
did over 12 months. Craig came up with the
The survey will provide us with an conservation initiatives are working, and Scientists from the IUCN Polar
‘ridiculous’ (his word!) idea to celebrate his
accurate ‘baseline’, and will be repeated in to make better decisions in future. And a Bear Specialist Group studied
50th birthday. After thousands of miles in six
future so we can see how things change. nationwide picture means we can protect trends in the 19 ‘subpopulations’
countries, he ran his final marathon on New
There are two parts to it. First, we’re key areas and improve connections of polar bears across the Arctic.
Year’s Eve. It was tough at times. “We had
carrying out sight-based surveys in the between different prides of lions. Encouragingly, they found that
snow, ice, torrential rain, 50mph winds and
places we know the main lion populations We’ll let you know when the results are numbers were stable in the
36ºC heat,” he says. “Several times I almost
are found – an area of 77,595 sq km. in. To get more involved, you can adopt a Chukchi Sea between Alaska and
quit, particularly when facing 11 marathons in
The teams have already driven tens of lion at wwf.org.uk/lionadopt Russia, and the Barents Sea off the
December.” Craig, we salute you!
northern coasts of Norway and

UNITED FOR EARTH HOUR

Russia. It’s the first time we’ve had

© WWF-PORTUGAL
Supporters around enough data to assess the status
the world expressed of these important populations.
With the news headlines dominated by their creativity But in Canada, things aren’t
online for
© WILD WONDERS OF EUROPE / WIDSTRAND / WWF

the global health crisis, this year’s Earth Earth Hour looking so good. Four polar bear
Hour event was focused on connecting subpopulations now seem to be in
people and inspiring hope for the future. decline in Hudson Bay and the
And your support blew us away! Beaufort Sea as sea ice breaks up
On 28 March, people around the globe earlier in the year, making it harder
switched off their lights at 8.30pm for one hour to for bears to find food.
show their support for a more sustainable future. According to scientists, numbers
Dozens of UK landmarks, including Buckingham in Southern Hudson Bay dropped
Palace and Blackpool Tower, went dark, as did by 17% and in Western Hudson Bay
football stadiums, universities and even hotels. by 18% between 2011 and 2016
With the world staying at home to prevent the – though local people say they’ve
spread of Covid-19, the Earth Hour celebrations seen more bears, which highlights
SAFEGUARDING FRESHWATER HABITATS moved online. Our Facebook Live quiz attracted the need for more research.
With a group of scientists, we’ve published an 21,000 viewers, while a virtual dance party With the Arctic heating up at
Emergency Recovery Plan to tackle the crisis organised by Secret Sunrise was enjoyed by Hour is more than a symbolic event, it’s a global least twice as fast as the rest of
facing the world’s freshwater ecosystems. Life hundreds of house-bound revellers. environmental movement to stop the destruction the planet, polar bear habitat is
can’t exist without fresh water. Our rivers, lakes There was also a guided meditation session, of the natural world we depend on. visibly shrinking. It’s vital we keep
and wetlands provide us with water, food and online storytelling, a kids’ quiz and even a virtual You told us the coronavirus outbreak made you monitoring how the bears are
livelihoods, and protect us from floods, droughts tour of the ‘Among The Trees’ exhibition at want to take part in Earth Hour even more, to coping with the changing climate,
and storms. But they’re in trouble. Over the London’s Hayward Galleries, which attracted over feel connected to a global community during this while doing everything we can

© SHARON DREYFUSS / WWF-US

© JUOZAS CERNIUS / WWF-UK

past 50 years, populations of freshwater species Consistent monitoring 9,000 viewers. And those are just the events in the challenging time. One supporter said: “Thank to put the lid on global warming
have fallen by 83% and nearly a third of our before it’s too late.
© WWF-SINGAPORE

techniques will enable us UK. Hundreds more took place around the world. you for making us feel less helpless.” During these
to accurately assess lions
freshwater ecosystems have been lost. We’re across Kenya, both in
Your support for these Earth Hour events difficult times, we need more than ever to find You can help fight climate
urging governments to adopt the solutions in densely populated areas was incredible – we all came together to show ways to connect with each other and inspire hope change by adopting a polar bear:
our six-point plan as part of the new global deal and more remote regions we care about the future of our planet. Our for the future. For more ideas about how you can wwf.org.uk/polarbearadopt
on biodiversity being agreed this year. health and happiness depend on nature, so Earth help beyond the hour, visit page 28.

8 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 9

 CHASING
XXX SNOW LEOPARDS

ROCK STAR
A young male snow leopard melts away
into the rocks in Nepal’s mountainous
upper Dolpa region. He is one of two

SHADOWS
individuals successfully fitted with
satellite-tracking collars last November
during a pioneering 40-day expedition you
supported. The team named him Zeborong
after a local snow leopard conservation
committee. His collar will send GPS
locations at four-hourly intervals,
offering insights into how these
spectacular but vulnerable cats use the
landscape in which they live.

Looking for a snow leopard is like searching

for a needle in a haystack. But to protect
the ‘ghost of the mountains’ we need to
understand its habits and how it uses its
habitat. Collaring two of these elusive cats
in Nepal is a crucial step forward

WORDS BY PAUL BLOOMFIELD | IMAGE © DNPWC/WWF-NEPAL

10 | Action Summer
Autumn 2020
2020 Action Autumn 2020 | 11
ActionSummer
 SNOW LEOPARDS
LOFTY AMBITIONS
The expedition team treks into the high
Himalayas to the base camp at Samling
Monastery, perched at an altitude of 4,150m.
The group includes WWF conservationists,
CAT SCAN
Zeborong, a three- to four-year-old adult male
working with staff from Shey Phoksundo National weighing 38kg, is captured and swiftly sedated.
Park and Nepal’s Department of National Parks Then he’s weighed, measured and given a once-
and Wildlife Conservation, vets from the National over by a vet to ensure he’s healthy. The traps
Trust for Nature Conservation, and the local are connected to transmitters that inform the
community. During the 12-day journey from monitoring team as soon as they’re triggered –
Kathmandu, the team traversed 5,300m though there are some false alarms triggered by
passes to reach the heart of Shey Phoksundo. livestock or other wildlife. Great care is taken to
It’s Nepal’s largest national park, home to set the traps in locations that provide space for the
Himalayan wolves, antelope-like gorals, blue team to safely sedate and collar the leopards. Each
sheep, black bears and snow leopards. collar, which costs around US$3,500, will transmit
for 18 months then drop off automatically.

ADOPT A SNOW LEOPARD

Your membership already helps support
our work monitoring snow leopards and
helping to conserve their environment.
But if you’d like to do more, adopting a
snow leopard could help us expand our
vital research by fitting collars on two more
cats in Nepal. This will help us understand
snow leopards’ movements and influence
conservation planning. You’ll also support
community-run livestock insurance
schemes to help local herders protect their
livelihoods and reduce conflict with these
top predators. You can find out more at
wwf.org.uk/snowleopardadopt

FREE TO ROAM
Samling, the second male snow leopard
collared during the expedition, is five or
six years old and named after an ancient
monastery. After he wakes from sedation,
he gradually vanishes into the mountainous
terrain. The team is now monitoring the
GPS data from Zeborong and Samling’s
collars to build a picture of their movement
patterns and identify their home ranges
and corridors, as well as their behaviour
patterns. Thanks to your support, this work
will help us identify and protect critical and
climate-resilient habitats to safeguard the
MAPPING CAMERA TRAPS future of this extraordinary animal.
As well as collaring snow leopards,
the expedition team worked with park
staff and local citizen scientists – here
seen planning camera locations – to
set up more than 300 camera traps.
The data gathered will help improve
population estimates for these elusive
cats. The Dolpa region in which Shey
Phoksundo lies is thought to host the
highest density of Nepal’s 301–400
snow leopards – 10% of the world’s
estimated total of 4,080–6,590
individuals. Information from the
camera traps and local insights helped
the team decide where to set the traps.
“We can only work in the landscape

ALL IMAGES © DNPWC/WWF-NEPAL

with the community’s help,” says
Sheren Shrestha, a WWF senior
researcher, who joined the expedition.
“They know the snow leopards’
movements and coexist with them.”

12 | Action Summer 2020

PRESERVING OUR OCEANS ARCTIC NOISE

DROWNING IN SOUND?
Our oceans are alive with an orchestra of marine
wildlife. But as the ice melts, the harmony of Arctic
seas is being drowned out by increasing human
activity. We’re working to understand the impact of
this audio intrusion – and how to help combat it

IMAGE © FLIP NICKLIN / NATUREPL.COM

WORDS BY PAUL BLOOMFIELD
Marine mammals such as beluga whales in
the Arctic depend more on their hearing
than other senses because sound travels well
under water. But the Arctic Ocean is getting
noisier and this could have a profound impact
on animals that rely on sound to survive

14 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 15

PRESERVING OUR OCEANS ARCTIC NOISE

UNDERWATER NOISE
The once-serene Arctic Ocean is
now an aural assault course for
wildlife, as melting ice opens it up
THE RISE OF ■ 60,000 ■ Arctic shipping
traffic is expected to
■ Recorded
underwater
for intrusive human activity SHIPPING NOISE commercial tankers
and container ships quadruple noise from
ship traffic
THE EFFECTS OF OIL AND GAS are on the seas at
any given time.
by 2025. is doubling
every decade.
■ Oil and gas exploration uses seismic airguns ■ Ships with airguns fire them every ■ According to a 2014 report, Inuit
that are six to seven orders of magnitude ■ The distance
90%
10–12 seconds for weeks or months. throughout the Arctic say seismic
louder than the loudest ship sounds. The sound can travel further than surveys are driving animals away ■ travelled by ships
■ In 2017, almost
4,000km.
in the Canadian
■ The sounds they emit are at frequencies
similar to cetaceans’ communication signals,
from their hunting grounds. of all goods
travel by ship. Arctic has nearly 90 vessels
causing confusion among marine mammals
and increasing the potential for harm.
tripled travelling the Northern Sea
Route violated safety rules.
in 25 years.

BOW/STERN THRUSTER
HYDROPHONES PICK
UP SOUND WAVES
SEISMIC AIRGUN: FIRES WHERE DRAG FROM PROPELLER Pacific

REFLECTED
HIGH-ENERGY SOUND
WAVES AT THE SEABED VESSEL NOISE POOR HULL
MAINTENANCE
ENGINE AND
ON-BOARD CAVITATION (IMPLODING LIQUID
Ocean

ENERGY COMES FROM MACHINERY BUBBLES TRIGGER SHOCKWAVES)

Arctic
Ocean

Atlantic
Ocean

THE SOUNDS KEY TO ARCTIC

SHIPPING ROUTES
OF MARINE ■ Bowhead whales sing
for almost 24 hours a day
■ East Greenland narwhals
spend on average 27% of
■ Noise can damage beluga
whales’ hearing by causing a
■ Underwater noise makes it hard
for walrus mothers and calves to
Northwest Passage ■
ANIMALS in winter to woo mates. their time echolocating. loss of hair cells in their ears. find each other if they’re separated.
Northeast Passage ■
Arctic Bridge Route ■

MAJOR SOURCES OF UNDERWATER NOISE

■ Piledriving ■ Military ■ Seismic ■ Shipping ■ Sonar ■ Wind farms ■ Pleasure
and other activity surveys and fishing craft
offshore boats
construction

A
soft alto voice swells in the maestro’s free-jazz horn playing – and just accessing areas that were previously resources, for shipping navigation, for along the Arctic coast of Russia can cut the “Noise travels at a shallower depth
darkness. Rising to a strident treble, as varied. A three-year study published icebound and therefore inaccessible. installing infrastructure such as wind distance between ports in east Asia and in Arctic waters,” explains Dr Melanie
it swoops and soars, then settles in 2018 recorded 184 different song types The 2019 Special Report on the Ocean turbines, and for ship-based tourism – Europe by 30–40% compared with using Lancaster, WWF’s Arctic species specialist.

GRAPHIC: KETILL BERGER, FILM & FORM, FILMFORM.NO /

into a soothing adagio, ebbing in just one area, the Fram Strait between and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate by but also potentially detrimental impacts. the Suez Canal, and traffic on that route “Also, ice blankets the water from wave
and flowing in pitch, volume and Greenland and Svalbard. the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Along with oil spills and ship strikes increased significantly from 2009 (two and wind action for much of the year, so it’s
urgency. Eventually the last note recedes, The bowhead’s unique vocalisations Change (IPCC) makes sobering reading. on marine wildlife, there’s another, less vessels) to 2013 (71 vessels). much quieter than most of the rest of the
and another mesmerising performance by are accompanied in the Arctic by a range It concludes that the current loss of summer well-studied threat: underwater noise. Similarly, the Northwest Passage speeds world’s oceans. Hence we think that the
the Arctic’s oldest crooner is over. of other sounds: whistles and clicks of Arctic sea ice is at its worst in at least 1,000 up travel between north Atlantic and north marine wildlife of the Arctic is less used to
The bowhead whale – the longest-lived narwhals and belugas, creaking of ice, barks years. IPCC models project continued SHRINKING SEA ICE Pacific ports. Because more vessels are noise than animals in other regions.”

WWF ARCTIC PROGRAMME

mammal on Earth, reaching 200 years old and grunts of seals and walruses. But they’re declines in Arctic sea ice through to the end We know that maritime traffic in the taking advantage of this shorter route, the Shipping is not the only human activity
– has been dubbed ‘the jazz singer of the being increasingly backed by an expanding of the century. Arctic has grown. The IPCC suggests that total distance travelled by ships in Arctic that produces noise. Vessels exploring for
Arctic’, intoning diverse melodies almost and disruptive percussion section – the The loss of sea ice opens up areas of the shipping activity during the Arctic summer Canada nearly tripled between 1990 and oil and gas reserves use seismic airguns
non-stop during its winter mating season. rhythmic throb of ships’ engines, the airgun Arctic that were historically inaccessible increased significantly over the past two 2015. As shipping traffic grows, so does to survey the seabed, and construction
In truth, the bowhead is more Miles Davis shots of seismic surveys, the thump of to human activity, presenting economic decades, concurrent with reductions in noise – an effect more noticeable in the of infrastructure such as wind turbines
than Al Jolson, its music akin to that piledrivers. In short, the sounds of humans opportunities – for exploitation of mineral Arctic sea ice. The Northern Sea Route formerly tranquil Arctic Ocean. often involves percussive piledriving,

16 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 17

 ARCTIC NOISE

An increase in leisure cruises in the

Arctic is adding to the noise. This
drowns out communication between
walrus mothers and their calves

Clearly, further research is crucial. that accelerates global warming and the loss
We need to record underwater noise levels of sea ice. And we’re continuing our efforts to
now so we can measure future increases. ensure the UK government follows through
We need to further study the ecology on its commitment to meet a net-zero
of Arctic species, and how they react to emissions target.
increased underwater noise. And we must There’s much to be done to understand
work to limit these impacts. and manage the impacts of underwater
“Currently, we’re working with the noise in this beautiful region. But with your
government of Canada and the Arctic help, we hope to ensure that the love songs
Council working group on the Protection of bowheads will continue to serenade the
Narwhals emit intense high-frequency of the Marine Environment to map Arctic for many centuries to come.
clicks and use the echoes to locate
prey and avoid obstacles. Distant
underwater noise from shipping across the

PROTECT THE ARCTIC

icebreakers cause them to stop calling Arctic, and overlay this with important
and sink lower in the water areas for Arctic biodiversity,” reports
Melanie. “We’re aiming to understand
what the normal background levels are, to You’re supporting our work to
identify quiet areas that could potentially be combat the most urgent threats to
both increasingly common in the Arctic as raising your voice to be heard,” says Melanie, near airguns during seismic surveys. summer area for narwhals that’s also sanctuaries for marine mammals and other the Arctic and its rich biodiversity.
summer sea ice becomes less extensive. providing a helpful analogy. “You have a This may be because the whales stopped close to an iron-ore mine opened in 2014, wildlife, and to define areas that are already If you’d like to make an extra gift,
Increasingly, then, manmade noise may couple of alternatives: you don’t talk as calling, moved away, or both. It’s also which drives ship traffic through the Sound starting to get noisy.” this will make a bigger difference.
mask or obscure important natural sounds, much, or you just go somewhere else – and noteworthy that bowhead courtship songs via the Arctic Bridge Route. By satellite- On a global scale, we’re following the £10 could help pay for acoustic
heighten stress levels among animals and belugas seem to do one of these things.” are a similar frequency to ship noise, so they tagging narwhals, we hope to improve our upcoming submission by the governments of tags for narwhals, belugas or

NARWHALS

© PAUL NICKLEN / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STOCK / WWF-CANADA | © ALAMY

change their behaviour. are more likely to be masked. understanding of this cetacean’s ecology and Canada, Australia and the US to the Marine bowhead whales
Arctic cod, too, react to vessel noise by the impacts of climate change – including Environment Protection Committee of the
THE SEARCH FOR HARMONY moving away from the sound and curtailing increased noise from shipping. UN International Maritime Organisation £20 could go towards

‘FREEZE’ AT
Narwhals and belugas, both Arctic residents, their exploratory activities, which reduces (IMO, the global shipping regulator) to hydrophones to record
produce a range of vocalisations – squeaks, the distance over which they forage, so CHANGING BEHAVIOUR put underwater noise back on its agenda. underwater noise levels
whistles and clicks – for communication they’re less effective at finding food. Indeed, We also need to understand larger-scale By highlighting the global nature of the £50 could help our work to

THE APPROACH
and echolocation. Research in the western manmade noise is the biggest factor impacts. “Ship noise doesn’t necessarily problem, we’re hopeful that many of IMO’s implement a network of
Canadian Arctic showed that recorded affecting the ability of fish in various marine cause injury or death, but it does tend to 174 member states will recognise the need marine protected areas
beluga vocalisations decreased significantly environments to feed, avoid predators and change the way animals behave,” Melanie for new action on this issue. across the Arctic

OF SHIPS
when vessels were close, suggesting that reproduce successfully. explains. “It might cause animals to The UK doesn’t have Arctic territory, but
belugas either moved away or reduced how Older studies suggest that narwhals temporarily move out of an area where it has £279 billion invested in companies £100 could support our advocacy
often they vocalised in response to traffic. ‘freeze’ at the approach of ships, staying they’ve been feeding, for instance, and that are active in the region. We’re working work to ensure that UK
Another study in the Canadian high still and silent. But more research is the result could be mass displacement of to influence the UK government’s Arctic development activities in the
Arctic found that belugas showed a strong It’s a similar story for our sub-aqua needed. We’re working with the Canadian animals, separating large numbers from Policy Framework to ensure activity in the Arctic are sustainable
‘flee’ response to an icebreaker between soloists, bowhead whales. An acoustic study Department of Fisheries and Oceans on their food source. It’s important for us to Arctic is sustainable. This includes following Donate today: wwf.org.uk/noise
35km and 50km away. “Imagine yourself in in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea found that their a long-term seasonal project at Tremblay understand how those behavioural changes our Arctic Blue Economy principles and
a noisy restaurant where you have to keep communication rate dropped significantly Sound, Baffinland. This is an important will have an impact at population level.” steering away from oil and gas extraction

18 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 19

 THE BIG PICTURE

EYES IN THE SKIES

This shocking image shows an ugly secret hidden
deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest – recent
deforestation on a large scale. But thanks to you we
are increasing chances of detection in remote areas
This image was captured by a drone you helped fund,
making its first surveillance flight over once-pristine
rainforest in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. Home to
the indigenous Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau people, the region
covers 18,671 sq km and contains undiscovered wildlife,
unexplored caves full of rock drawings and the source of
water for at least 12 of Rondônia’s river systems.
The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau rely on the rainforest for their
way of life, but loggers and land grabbers covet their
land. Over the years, they’ve regularly invaded, but since
2018 the level of threat has intensified. Last year, land
grabbers burned forests here and elsewhere to make
way for cattle pasture, believing they were unlikely to be
punished by the government. The devastating fires were
so widespread they could be seen from space.
Thanks to your amazing response to our Amazon
emergency appeal, and in partnership with Kanindé
Ethno-Environmental Defense Association, we’re
helping the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau protect their rainforest.
We provided 13 drones to monitor deforestation and
land grabbing, and trained 42 indigenous people to
operate them. These ‘eyes in the skies’ will enable the

© MARIZILDA CRUPPE / WWF-UK

Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau to find and document incursions and
alert local authorities to illegal activities. The drones will
also help them prepare for the next dry season in July
by increasing surveillance and monitoring. See page 4 to
find out how else the emergency funds have been spent.

20 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 21

 MARINE TAGGING TECHNOLOGY BASKING SHARKS

Together with Sky Ocean

Rescue and other organisations,
we’re uncovering the secret
lives of basking sharks in the
UK, revealing hidden depths to
these gentle giants of the ocean

A
flash of fin; a cavernous gape like the inside of
a ribcage; a tapering body the length of a school
bus. Until very recently, the world’s second-
largest shark was all mouth and no biology:
our understanding of the basking shark barely
dipped below the surface. But thanks to an exciting
project involving underwater robot cameras, all this is
about to change. We’ll be able to see and understand
these mysterious sharks as never before.
These fish need our help. Though they roam the seas of
every continent except Antarctica, scooping up plankton
in their wide-open jaws, basking sharks are globally

WHAT
endangered. Fortunately, the UK is ideally positioned
to help them, because a small area off the west coast of
Scotland is the summer home to astonishing numbers.
In the so-called Sea of the Hebrides, bounded to the west
by the archipelago that includes Coll and Tiree, as many
as 900 sharks have been counted in a single day, thought
to be the largest recorded gatherings on the planet.
However, this vital drop of the ocean currently affords

LIES
the basking shark no special protection in law.
WORDS BY DEREK NIEMANN; IMAGE © NATUREPL.COM / ALEX MUSTARD / 2020VISION / WWF

SUBMARINE SURVEILLANCE
Last summer, we embarked on a project with Sky Ocean
Rescue to support our case for designating the area
as a marine protected area (MPA) to better safeguard
the sharks. We were joined by experts from Scottish
Natural Heritage and the University of Exeter, along
with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) of

BENEATH
Massachusetts, who made the same journey across the
Atlantic that the sharks themselves might have followed
in the spring. Except our travellers brought with them
some extraordinary kit we hope will enable us to make
some remarkable discoveries.
Just about everything scientists know about basking
In a first for UK marine conservation, sharks is based on observations at the surface. But
underwater cameras have been groundbreaking new technology can provide clear and
used to observe the behaviour of sharp film of the animals’ lives from the bottom of the
basking sharks in the Inner Hebrides.
These graceful giants binge on
sea. The REMUS SharkCam autonomous underwater
plankton from late April to autumn vehicle is equipped with 360-degree cameras and
navigational and scientific instruments that enable it to
locate, track and film tagged marine animals, such as

22 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 23

 MARINE TAGGING TECHNOLOGY XXX

STEP 1: A PURPOSEFUL PAIR STEP 2: FIND YOUR SHARK

Just before dawn, two boats head out to sea together. The larger one In the choppy waters of the Hebrides, the crew scan the horizon
carries the heavy gear – the SharkCam, filming equipment and monitors. for hours at a time, looking for the shark’s pointed dorsal fin, which
The smaller, faster and more manoeuvrable boat will get right up close to protrudes just above the surface of the sea. “Blue, blue, nothing
the basking shark, without causing it undue stress, so a tag can be fitted. but blue,” laments one of the team. And then she spots one.

HOW
TO TAG A
BASKING
Despite their size, little is known about
basking sharks’ lives. Most studies have
been restricted to watching them feed on

SHARK
plankton near the surface of the ocean.
But what they get up to on the seabed
has remained a mystery... until now

great whites. Nothing like this has ever been success! The whole team cheered. Straight hall too, as pairs circled each other head
attempted with basking sharks before. away, we winched SharkCam from the boat to tail. Surely this was courting behaviour;
But first you have to tag several sharks into the water and it sped off after the fourth could this be where the sharks mated, too? STEP 3: A ‘GAME’ OF TAG STEP 4: SHARKCAM IS OFF!
A team member wields a pole with a hook on the end, As soon as the tag is fixed on the shark’s back, the crew on the bigger
with a device that guides SharkCam in visual shark. Our mission now was to follow the Dr Suzanne Henderson from Scottish which they loop over the shark’s dorsal fin. The tag (right) is boat prepare to launch SharkCam into the sea. Looking somewhat like
pursuit. And this involves a long day at sea. shark for around four hours. An onboard Natural Heritage, who worked on the project, secure, trailing along the animal’s back. It has a built-in GPS a rocket, this 360-degree robot camera is computer-programmed to
The honours fell to two teams who set out computer meant the WHOI team could tell says: “The footage is a first. It makes us and will drop off after about a week, to be collected later. follow the shark’s tag as if it were a magnet.
from Tobermory harbour before the sun where the shark went and how deep it was. reassess our understanding of the basking
rose. “It took nearly five hours for our boat to They were exhilarated, giving us all a running sharks’ underwater behaviour, with these

THE CAMERAS
reach the basking shark hotspot,” explains gentle giants spending more time swimming
© NATUREPL.COM / WILD WONDERS OF EUROPE / SÁ / WWF |© NINA CONSTABLE / WWF-UK

WWF’s Tessa Francis. “While the WHOI just above the seabed than previously
team prepared the equipment, I watched thought. It brings home why it’s so important

REVEALED A UNIQUE
puffins and other seabirds. On arrival, a that the species and its habitat is protected.”
pod of bottlenose dolphins came to greet us, Last autumn, our findings were submitted

GLIMPSE INTO THE

but the telltale dorsal fin of a basking shark to a consultation led by the Scottish
was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t until the government on whether the Sea of the

SHARKS’ LIVES
afternoon that we spotted our first one.” Hebrides should become an MPA – the
world’s first protected area specifically for
ACCESS ALL AREAS basking sharks. Such a move would put legal
The teams were in two boats – one measures in place to manage fisheries in the
responsible for tagging the sharks, the commentary: ‘The shark is spending a lot of area and other activities that could disturb
other for deploying SharkCam. The tagging time on the ocean floor.’ It was incredible!” the sharks. We expect a decision will be made
boat had a vet on board and only allowed What the cameras revealed was both later this year, so watch out for updates.
themselves a maximum of three attempts to extraordinary and unprecedented, giving

SEE FOR YOURSELF

approach and tag a shark to avoid distressing a unique glimpse into the sharks’ highly
the animal. But sharks have slippery backs, sociable lives on the seabed. Groups of STEP 5: IT’S BEHIND YOU STEP 6: ANALYSING THE RESULTS
Though the SharkCam follows the basking shark at all times, both on the The SharkCam is studded with five or six cameras that relay high-
and attaching a tag isn’t easy. sharks fed and hung out together, often Watch the incredible footage from
surface and at the bottom of the sea, it’s set to keep a respectful 5–10 metres definition videos back to the team on their computer. There are many
“After failing to tag three sharks, we were resting for hours at a time on the lush turf of our shark-tagging adventure at back from the shark at all times, so that it causes minimal disturbance. hours of footage to analyse, as well as sonar imaging to interpret, plus
all feeling a bit anxious,” recalls Tessa. “Then kelp. The floor became an underwater dance wwf.org.uk/baskingsharks It’s a way of gaining intimate knowledge without being obtrusive. pictures from tiny cameras that were mounted on the tag itself.

24 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 25

 INTERVIEW

FEELING
An inquisitive humpback
whale approaches the
research team’s boat.
Humpbacks make an epic
8,500km journey to the
Antarctic Peninsula every

THE HEAT
year to feed and build up
sufficient energy stores
to sustain them for the
rest of the year

Chris Johnson leads WWF’s Antarctic programme,

using innovative technology to learn how climate
change affects whales along the Antarctic Peninsula
What’s special about Antarctica? How have drones supported your research?
Antarctica is a place where scientists come to I’m working with a team from Duke University on
determine the health of the world. And it’s changing new drones that can fly above a whale and take a
alarmingly fast here! Antarctica has lost more sea ice photograph of its body. This helps us see how big
in the past four years than the Arctic has lost in the it’s growing as it feeds on krill. This is particularly
past 34 years. Sea ice is a crucial habitat for krill – important for migratory species such as the
tiny planktonic crustaceans that support the whole humpbacks that breed off Colombia and Ecuador.
Antarctic food web. Krill are the reason why so many They only feed here in the Antarctic Peninsula, then
penguins, seals and whales feed here. they head back to their breeding grounds, where they
don’t feed for most of the year. So the whales really
What other changes are you seeing? have to bulk up when they’re in Antarctica!
As the climate changes, oceans are getting warmer.
Sea temperatures along the Antarctic Peninsula have How will you use this information?
risen by more than 2.7°C since the 1970s – about five The drone images enable us to do a health checkup,
times the global rate of warming. As suitable habitat measuring how much weight they put on during the
recedes, the range of Antarctic krill is contracting summer feeding season. Then we can find them in
south. Their shifting distribution will affect all the their breeding grounds and see how much weight
species that rely on this food source. Many whales they lost on migration. We’re monitoring the long-
migrate here to feed, and it will impact their body term health of a number of migratory whale species
condition, reproductive fitness and population this way. Comparing the pictures year-on-year will
abundance. It will also bring the whales and other reveal if it’s been a good or bad feeding year, and how
krill predators, such as penguins, seals and seabirds, much climate change affected the availability of krill.
into increasing conflict with commercial krill fishing,
putting Antarctica’s iconic wildlife under pressure. Why is this research so vital?
By combining information from video tags and
How do you study the whales? drones, we can figure out where the whales’ most
Working with a team of experts, including whale critical feeding habitats are all around the continent.

© KC BIERLICH / DUKE UNIVERSITY MARINE ROBOTICS & REMOTE SENSING LAB

ecologist Dr Ari Friedlaender of the University of Then we’ll work with scientists and governments to
California, Santa Cruz, we use new technology to try and protect this last great wilderness. If we can
observe minke and humpback whale behaviour get the most vital areas of our oceans designated
beneath the ocean’s surface. We’re using tags fitted as marine protected areas, it will help give wildlife
with ‘whale cams’ to get a whale’s eye view under breathing space to adapt to our changing climate.
water. This helps us discover where the whales are,
what they’re doing and how healthy they are. How will your findings inform our work?
Antarctica is special – there’s nowhere else like it
Can you explain how the tags work? on Earth. And the science is clear: climate change
The tag is the size of an iPhone and has a video is threatening the stability of marine ecosystems
camera on the front and suction cups on the bottom. and they’re undergoing a rapid, unprecedented
We stick it to the back of a whale, and when it dives transformation. We have 10 years to limit global
we get an awesome view of the whale and its friends warming to 1.5°C. As governments around the world
feeding on krill. This lets us work out how the whales are making commitments to fight climate change,
are feeding and how much krill they’re eating each this year we can deliver on commitments to establish
day. The tag also has sensors that show – in 3D – marine protected areas around Antarctica, creating
how the whale twists and turns as it dives. a safety net for some of our most precious wildlife.

26 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 27

THANK YOU FIGHT FOR YOUR WORLD

FIGHT FOR
“I LOVED
2 BUILD A MOVEMENT EVERY
MINUTE OF

YOUR WORLD
We want to hear from future protectors of the planet

YOUNG PEOPLE UNITE! RIDELONDON

AND AM SO
Today’s young people will be the
stewards of our planet in the years to

PROUD TO 3 GIVE FOR

come. That’s why we’re putting them
at the centre of our work. If you know
someone aged between 11 and 18

HELP THE YOUR WORLD

who’s passionate about protecting
At a time when the whole world is fighting one of the most challenging the planet, encourage them to

health issues of our generation, the need to unite and make our voices
CAUSE”
email our youth engagement
team and discover how they
heard for the planet has never been greater. #FightForYourWorld can be part of WWF. Join Team Panda by signing up for

BEN G,
Please get in touch with us: one of our fundraising events –
youngpeople@wwf.org.uk or take on your own challenge
TEAM PANDA
CYCLIST DO IT FOR THE PANDA
If you’ve been thinking about doing more
INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION for your world, why not take on a personal

1 DEMAND ACTION
Our youth ambassadors are a dedicated challenge and support our work at the same
MAKE A STATEMENT group of young people who are time? You can join Team Panda by taking on

1
passionate about taking action for a run, walk or cycle or by setting your own
Next time you sit down to the planet. Ollie, Hattie, Anastasia, challenge while raising money to support us.
Help us put an end to deforestation in our food enjoy a meal, get creative Sally, Will (above), Izaak, Jemba and Every team member receives a fundraising
and design a plate placard that Rowan meet regularly with our youth pack, along with regular updates that will
MAKE A PLATE PLACARD shows you don’t want your engagement team and colleagues across help you keep up to date and motivated. Most
As you may have read in your last issue of Action, precious food to cause deforestation. the organisation to discuss ideas, help importantly, you’ll get our ‘The Panda Made

2
landscapes such as the Amazon and Cerrado are being burned Think about what you’re eating. If it’s shape projects, attend and host events, Me Do It’ top and panda ears headband!
to make way for agriculture every year – killing wildlife and meat or dairy, the supply chain may and meet key stakeholders and decision- We offer charity places in the most popular
making the climate crisis worse. Shockingly, the food we buy in have included soy grown on deforested makers. Ultimately, these brilliant UK-based challenge events, such as the
the UK is part of the system driving this devastation. land in South America. If it’s vegan, it may young people are stepping up to help Brighton Marathon, RideLondon and more.
contain unsustainable palm oil that’s driving us take action, protect our planet And once you’ve done one, you’ll want to do
deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia. and create a brighter world for more! So, what are you waiting for?
Youth ambassadors such
Now, conjure up your best food jokes and puns. future generations. To see which events you can sign up to,
as Ollie host events and

3
To find out more, visit our website help bring our work to a visit wwf.org.uk/events or get in touch
You’ll need some paper or card to write your wwf.org.uk/youthengagement wider audience at TeamPanda@wwf.org.uk
message on (recycle a cereal box if you have

© STEPHEN CONROY / WWF UK | © CHRIS J RATCLIFFE / WWF-UK | © GETTY | © MARK CHILVERS / WWF
one), a lollipop stick, glue, ruler and scissors.

4 Design your tiny placard, cut it out, stick it on a

lollipop stick and place it in your meal.

5 Then take a photo and share it as widely as possible

4 BE THE CHANGE
on social media with your friends and family as well
as all your followers to raise awareness of this vital issue.
Don’t forget to tag @wwf_uk. You can also email your
photo to us at: editor@wwf.org.uk Become a real-life Ocean Hero

HELP PROTECT OUR OCEANS

There’s no way for us to know which food is causing Sky Ocean Rescue and WWF are working
deforestation, and we don’t think this is right. But if enough of to protect and restore our amazing oceans, as seagrass, to achieving change at the plastic that could end up in our seas, eating
us speak up and raise awareness of this vital issue, we can get and we need your help. We’re committed to highest levels of government, we’re striving sustainable fish or reducing your carbon
deforestation off our plates for good. tackling the threats, restoring the oceans to continue to futureproof our oceans for emissions, everyone can play an important
By adding a tiny protest sign to your next meal and sharing it and challenging the UK government to generations to come. role in the fight to save our seas.
with the world, you can show governments and businesses that do more. From finding pioneering ways Join the fight by becoming an Ocean Find out how you can help at
you want action to protect our amazing forests. of bringing back important habitats such Hero. Whether it’s saying no to unnecessary wwf.org.uk/oceanhero

28 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 29

COMPETITIONS NOTES FROM THE FIELD

CROSSWORD
WIN YOUR FAVOURITE Solve our crossword and you could win a
copy of Handbook of Whales, Dolphins and

EMILY TAN HOMEWARE

Porpoises by Mark Carwardine, published
by Bloomsbury and worth £35

Treat yourself to your choice of gift

from our exclusive new range
Cheetahs are famous
for their bursts of speed

WIN!
We’ve teamed up with Suffolk-based artist and designer when hunting, but they
Emily Tan to create a beautiful new collection of homeware, actually spend most of
their time sleeping
clothing and gifts.
Driven by a desire to inspire positive impact and help the

BEAUTIFUL CELEB SPOTS

planet, Emily has designed a unique collection for WWF,
including posters, cushion covers and mugs as well as

HOMEWARE
organic cotton tote bags and T-shirts. Each item features
one of three powerful designs depicting some of the world’s You don’t expect to encounter TV personalities
most iconic species – lions, penguins and snow leopards. in the middle of the African savannah. Like
As well as featuring Emily’s striking artwork, all items millions of people around the world, I was
are printed in the UK using AZO-free dyes on organic wowed by the footage of the five cheetah
cotton, FSC-certified paper or clay. And they’re printed to brothers hunting together in Our Planet, the
order to eliminate mass production. Netflix series. Now here they were in real life,
We’re giving two members the chance to win an item of tails twitching, relaxing in the shade of a tree.
their choice from Emily’s collection of wildlife-inspired Meeting these spotted celebrities was a
designs. You can see the full range of her products by highlight of my visit to Kenya’s Maasai Mara last year to see the
visiting our online store – wwf.org.uk/shop – and amazing work you’re supporting there. It’s an incredible landscape
searching for ‘Emily Tan’. with the most spectacular wildlife – scenes of huge herds of
To be in with a chance of winning, just follow the wildebeest crossing the croc-filled Mara river are world famous.
instructions in the box below and mark your entry ‘Emily WWF Action crossword 45: Summer 2020 issue. Compiled by Aleric Linden But what you rarely see in wildlife documentaries are the people
Tan Competition’. Good luck! living nearby. Much of the wildlife in the Mara is found outside the
After solving the crossword, take each letter from the shaded squares
Maasai Mara National Reserve, in the community-managed areas,
(going from left to right and top to bottom) to spell out the prize word.
called conservancies, that surround it. With your support, we’re
To be in with a chance to win, just send a postcard with the prize word
helping local communities to run key conservancies at Siana and
to the address on page 30, or email it to competition@wwf.org.uk.

WIN ECO-FRIENDLY KIDS’ CLOTHES!

Oloisukut in ways that allow people and wildlife to thrive together.
The closing date is Friday 24 July

HOW TO Clues across 4 Decade in which the Exxon Valdez WILDLIFE FOR PEOPLE
ENTER ACTION 1 Zero-emissions pedal vehicle (7) and Chernobyl disasters both Tourism creates local jobs and provides income. Oloisukut
7 Most Greenland residents belong occurred (8)
conservancy has some of the highest giraffe numbers in the region,
Take your pick from our new F&F
GIVEAWAYS to this group of Arctic people (5) 5 Sweet product obtained from cane
and beet cultivation (5) and giraffe-themed gifts generate extra income for the community.
clothing range at Tesco 9 The large-scale restoration of
6 Another term for killer whale (4) Sadly, the loss of tourism to this region due to coronavirus has
nature (9)
Send an email with your 10 _ predator, animal at the top of the 8 An agreement such as the Kyoto had a massive impact on these communities. So we’re looking
Kitting out your children doesn’t need to cost the Protocol (6)
name, address and phone food chain (4) to support the financial sustainability of the conservancies and
Earth thanks to our new sustainable F&F (Florence 11 _ Falls, natural wonder on the 12 Inner _ , underwater robot cameras
number, along with Emily promote other sustainable livelihoods for local people.
& Fred) clothing range at Tesco. Featuring a range Zambia-Zimbabwe border (8) filmed basking sharks here in the
Tan or Florence & Fred UK last year (8) It’s important that communities receive benefits from having
of endangered wildlife from tigers to giraffes, this 13 Sett-dwelling mammal (6)
in the subject line, to 14 Inland shipping route. North 13 This group of whales includes blue wildlife on their doorstep, because living close to wild animals can
charming and exclusive range caters for all young and right whales (6)
competition@wwf.org.uk America’s St Lawrence is one (6) create problems. Elephants destroy crops, while lions, leopards and
cubs, from babies up to age 14. The 20-piece collection 15 Hunters of minkes and the like (7)
17 The Gulf of Genoa is part of this sea cheetahs prey on livestock. Thanks to you, and in particular to our
includes sweatshirts, leggings and T-shirts in cool Alternatively, you can in the Mediterranean (8) 16 Domesticated bovine animals (6)
neutral colours, entwined with animals, and aims to post your entry to 18 What’s harvested from cereal food lion adopters, the Mara Predator Conservation Programme, our
19 _ oil, popular product which has led
to extensive deforestation (4) crops (5) local partner, is offering solutions. Reinforced livestock enclosures
inspire a new generation of environmental champions. Action Magazine, 20 An animal’s breeding partner (4)
22 Harmful phosphates were once built with recycled plastic poles are a lot more effective at reducing
Made from sustainable, 100% organic cotton, these WWF-UK, Living Planet 21 Any agricultural product, cultivated
common in this laundry product (9) attacks than traditional wooden ones. We’ve also given beehives to
desirable essentials are produced with up to 94% Centre, Rufford House, 23 _ pollution, a threat to the peace and harvested (4)
lower emissions and no pesticides or chemicals, so local women’s enterprise groups: not only does the honey provide a
Brewery Road, Woking, and safety of marine wildlife such
source of income, but bees also deter elephants (see page 5).
they’re kinder to the planet. And the people making Surrey GU21 4LL. as whales (5) Spring 2020 answers
the clothes are treated right too. For every item sold, 24 Extensive Eurasian grasslands (7) Despite the challenges, most local people want wildlife to return
Prize word: CORALS
Only one competition per to their conservancies. Encouragingly, we saw that key habitats are

© KATHERINE ELLIOTT
Across 1. Agriculture 7. Logging 8. Ozone
a percentage of the price will help fund our work to
entry please. Closing date: Clues down 9. Park 10. Advanced 13. Amazon
14. Adopts 16. Treeless 19. Pods recovering and wildlife numbers are starting to increase here.
protect the planet for future generations. 1 Arctic whale noted for its large ice-
We’ve got three £25 F&F vouchers to give away. Friday 24 July. For full terms breaking skull (7)
21. Bison 22. Extreme 23. Forest fires I even saw a mother cheetah with no fewer than seven cubs!
Down 1. Algeria 2. Rain 3. Caged
and conditions, visit: 2 A young whale (4) 4. Leopards 5. Range 6. Elephant
To enter, follow the instructions in the box on the right
and mark your entry ‘Florence & Fred’. wwf.org.uk/compterms 3 Worryingly, the climate currently
11. Disaster 12. Lowlands 15. Plovers
17. Rhino 18. Shelf 20. Star
Katherine Elliott
finds itself in this state (6)
WWF-UK regional manager – Africa
30 | Action Summer 2020 Action Summer 2020 | 31
ADOPT A
BETTER

• ACTION • SUMMER 2020 • ISSUE #45

FUTURE
SCAN WITH ARLOOPA APP

1 Download the free

Arloopa app: arloopa.com

2 Scan this page to

experience the magic

3 Watch as a jaguar appears

and walks around!

Feeling inspired and

want to do more?
Help protect threatened
species, including jaguars,
with an animal adoption
wwf.org.uk/adoptions © EMMANUEL RONDEAU / WWF FRANCE

WWF.ORG.UK

FSC logo to
go here
ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINTING, MAY 2020