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THE MAGAZINE FOR WWF MEMBERS  AUTUMN 2019

LIFELINE FOR LIONS

Africa’s lions are in trouble, but you’re
helping give them a safer future

MOUNTAIN GUARDIANS MISSION JAGUAR

Meet the amazing herders fighting Join us on an Amazon adventure
to protect their mountain as we track down the shy and
home and its snow leopards secretive jaguar in its jungle lair
 CONTENTS
“GIVEN THE SPEED
Camera traps help us monitor
wildlife living in Kenya’s Maasai
Mara, and assess the impact of TOGETHER, WE DID IT! 4 track down the elusive jaguar

OF NATURE LOSS AND

local human activities, as part of A round-up of all you’ve helped
our Biome Health Project. We’re
also developing an ambitious
us achieve in recent months INTERVIEW: DR DAN INGRAM 26
The director of the Biome Health
WWF IN ACTION 6
plan to protect and connect
vital wildlife corridors between Project reveals how technology is

INCREASE IN HUMAN
southern Kenya and northern Environment news, including the revolutionising conservation
Tanzania to give wildlife
incredible London climate lobby!
the space it needs
YOUR AUTUMN GARDEN 28
THE KING IN CRISIS 10 Wildlife gardener Kate Bradbury

PRESSURES, WE
Africa’s lions are quietly slipping reveals 10 ways you can prepare
towards extinction, but you can your garden now for winter
help them. By Paul Bloomfield
GIVEAWAYS 30

MUST ACT NOW”

BIG PICTURE 16 Win a nature-inspired scarf
A rare image of a wild tiger in from our gorgeous new Erin
Nepal by Emmanuel Rondeau Donohue range or a copy of the
stunning photo book Born to Ice
MOUNTAIN GUARDIANS 18
How you’re empowering India’s CROSSWORD 31
local herdsmen to protect the Solve our crossword and you
mountain wildlife they love. could win a copy of The Deep
By Barney Jeffries
NOTES FROM THE FIELD 31
MISSION JAGUAR 22 Jaguar expert Dr Valeria Boron
Join Emmanuel Rondeau on an puts up camera traps to uncover
Amazon adventure as he accepts the secrets of the shy jaguar
an almost impossible mission to

SPACE FOR NATURE MEET THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

DR YUSSUF
WATO
DR DAN INGRAM
oversees
DR VALERIA
BORON
Humans now use over 70% of the world’s
is WWF’s WWF’s Biome is a jaguar
ice-free land surface. Unsurprisingly, wildlife Health Project, expert.
populations of many species such as programme manager investigating how wildlife She says: “Despite the
in Kenya. He says: “If we in key habitats responds importance of the Amazon
African elephants, jaguars and African to different levels of
take decisive action now for jaguars, we know
lions have plummeted in recent decades, and ensure communities human disturbance. He very little about these
unable to cope with competition for land understand lions can help says: “Given the speed of elusive animals or the
improve their livelihoods, biodiversity loss and rise conservation value of
in an increasingly fragmented landscape I’m positive that lion in human pressures, we different protected areas,
– competition that can result in the loss of populations can recover.” need to act now.” especially in Brazil.”
life for both people and animals.
It’s a pattern playing out across our
planet. Resources are being consumed GET IN TOUCH MEET THE ACTION TEAM
faster than nature can restore them, Editor Jessie-May Murphy
wwf.org.uk/contact editor@wwf.org.uk
driven by an increasing demand for land,
Editorial executive Holly Towner
energy and water. So we’re recording 01483 426333 Loyalty marketing manager Ruth Simms
the health of our planet, funding new WWF-UK Living Planet Centre, Loyalty marketing executive Jo Trinick
methods to measure how species are Rufford House, Brewery Road,
Senior editor Guy Jowett
faring, and testing technology to help us Woking, Surrey GU21 4LL
For Immediate Media Co.
understand the complex threats to nature. Consultant editor Sophie Stafford
We believe it’s possible to feed a FOLLOW US Art editor Nicole Mooney
COVER: © GETTY. CONTENTS: © GETTY

growing global population, limit warming Account manager Kirsten Coleman

wwf.org.uk/facebook
to 1.5°C, and reverse the loss of nature, Design director Will Slater
but we all have an urgent role to play. wwf.org.uk/twitter Editorial director Dan Linstead

Thanks to you, we’re pushing to restore wwf.org.uk/pinterest THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS

nature and influence the shape of global wwf.org.uk/news Paul Bloomfield, Dr Valeria Boron, Kate
agreements and targets on biodiversity, Bradbury, Michael Kaelo, Dr Dan Ingram,
wwf.org.uk/youtube
Barney Jeffries, Becci May, Emmanuel
climate and sustainable development – for wwf.org.uk/instagram Rondeau, Dr Yussuf Wato
a positive future for people and planet.
Produced in association with Immediate Media Co. www.imcontent.co.uk

2 | Action Autumn 2019

 THANK YOU TOGETHER, WE DID IT!

TOGETHER, WE DID IT!

“CLIMATE CHANGE IS A GLOBAL CRISIS,
IMPACTING ON WILDLIFE, PEOPLE AND
PLANET ALIKE. WE MUST PULL OUR
WORLD BACK FROM THE BRINK – WE
Thanks to your membership, we can help ARE THE LAST GENERATION WHO CAN”
protect wildlife and wild places. Here ROD DOWNIE, CHIEF POLAR ADVISER

are some of the great things supporters

like you have helped achieve 3
4 Camera traps giv
snow leopard’s wo
insights into the
e us a window int
rld. They provide
o the
critical
cats’ movements
habitat use that and
help us protect the
1 INDIA
6
m

YOU’RE HELPING TO SWEETEN LIVES 6 CHINA

Thanks to you, we’re helping India’s traditional honey
1
collectors to develop more sustainable practices. The vast
forests of central India are home to incredible wildlife,
YOU’RE HELPING MONITOR SNOW LEOPARDS

© XINJIANG EAST TIENSHAN STATE OWNED FOREST ADMINISTRATION/WWF-CHINA

including leopards and sloth bears, as well as indigenous 5 Thanks to you, we’ve been increasing our efforts to monitor
important snow leopard populations in China – and they’re
people who live in the forests and harvest their resources.
already paying off! China is thought to be home to around 60%
Collecting wild honey is a key source of income for the Baiga
of the world’s snow leopard population, yet only a tiny percentage

10%
and Gond people in the Kanha-Achankmar
of the species’ habitat here has been surveyed. So, for the first
corridor, but traditional techniques involve
time, we set up camera traps covering an area of 2,975 sq km
using smoke to subdue the bees and felling tree
in three key mountain landscapes – Qilianshan, Tien Shan and
branches to extract the honey. This leads to
Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve. The cameras, which
tree damage, the death of entire bee colonies,
our snow leopard adopters helped to fund, have already yielded
and to honey collectors being stung. We’re
over 60 images of these rare cats in Yanchiwan Nature Reserve,
2
working with these communities to improve methods
Qilianshan. The amazing camera trap and video images include
for collecting wild honey, with better storage and
The Amazon is thought to be home females with cubs, and the first snow leopard photo ever taken in
© GETTY

marketing to secure a fair price, so the lives of the

the Sanjiangyuan reserve. Thanks to you, we can monitor snow
wild bees and honey collectors are a bit sweeter. to 10% of known species on Earth –
leopard populations, their range and habitat use, and identify
and more are being found all the time! changes over time. This will help us to build a better picture of
© GETTY

their status and help protect these vulnerable cats.

2 SOUTH GEORGIA 3 SCOTLAND

YOU HELPED UNCOVER THE HUMPBACK’S SECRETS YOU HELPED 4 UK 5 COLOMBIA

Together, we’re helping to discover the most important feeding SCOTLAND LEAD THE
grounds for humpback whales in the waters around South Georgia. WAY IN TACKLING YOU’RE INSPIRING YOUNG CONSERVATIONISTS YOU’RE HELPING PROTECT THE AMAZON
CLIMATE CHANGE
The island was once an epicentre of whaling activity and its seas were With your support, we’re enabling young people who’ve been Part of the Amazon rainforest is better protected against

© GETTY
home to thousands of whales, perhaps due to their immense seasonal inspired by Our Planet to help protect the natural world. Our deforestation, thanks to local community leaders you helped
productivity and the influx of Antarctic krill. In January we This April, Scotland new version of the child-friendly app ‘Seek by iNaturalist’ train. Spanning 43,000 sq km in Colombia, Chiribiquete
part-funded the British Antarctic Survey whale research team declared a climate – produced with the California Academy of Sciences and National Park is one of the world’s
to tag two humpbacks here. For the first time ever, scientists emergency. From student school strikers to thousands of WWF National Geographic Society – allows youngsters to instantly largest tropical rainforests, and a
can follow South Georgia whales in real time as they journey supporters who joined us in calling for urgency and ambition identify wildlife, thanks to image recognition technology. vital area for endangered wildlife and indigenous
across their summer feeding grounds. Now they can find in Scotland’s climate action, your voice was heard. As new Point the Seek camera at an animal or plant and the app will communities. Forty-eight forest guardians are
out where they go and how their movements overlap with climate change legislation makes its way through the Scottish reveal what it is. The engaged in protecting key boundary areas, which are
areas of high productivity, krill fishery hotspots and Parliament, you’ve helped to secure a net zero target to end goal is to help everyone threatened by illegal deforestation to make way for
marine protected areas. To follow the whales’ journeys, Scotland’s contribution to climate change by 2045, and a discover and protect crops and cattle. With your support, we’ve trained two
visit wwf.org.uk/humpbackwhale commitment to help keep global warming below 1.5°C. MSPs local wildlife, while groups of forest monitors in Caquetá and Guaviare
© GREG ARMFIELD / WWF-UK

have also agreed to review how the final law can emphasise contributing to scientific provinces to survey their local areas, use GPS, analyse
the importance of 1.5°C, since even half a degree more of data on biodiversity. data and work with local authorities to discourage
© WWF-SCOTLAND

warming has real and dire consequences for people and nature. Share your discoveries illegal logging. Even people who previously cleared the
None of this could have happened without you. We’re now on social media with forest illicitly have now become forest guardians,
working with politicians to make sure that, when the Bill is #SeekOurPlanet and and we’re already seeing the rate of
voted into law this autumn, these climate commitments are tag @SeekbyiNat deforestation slow in the
turned into ambitious actions. areas they protect.

4 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 5

 WWF IN ACTION WWF IN ACTION

MAKING OUR VOICES HEARD NEWS IN BRIEF

The beautiful
The Time is Now mass Llyfnant Valley, in
Powys, will be part
How we’ve been fighting for wildlife and our world lobby was preceded by of the Summit to
Sea project

some huge successes

you made possible
FIRST STEPS TO SOLUTIONS

© BEN PORTER
In April, we launched a campaign calling
on Parliament to take urgent action on
the nature and climate crisis. On 1 May,
MPs declared an environmental and
climate emergency, making the UK
RESTORING NATURE IN WALES
Wales is home to precious wildlife, but
the first country in the world
many species are in decline. So we’re
to take this symbolic
working with partners to restore and
first step.
connect flourishing ecosystems through
the ‘Summit to Sea’ project. Our aim is to
restore nature across 100 sq km of land

DEMANDING ACTION
and 20 sq km of ocean, stretching from
Pumlumon, the highest point in mid-Wales,
Thanks to your incredible support, down through wooded valleys to the Dyfi
there were 750,000 names on the Estuary and into marine protected areas
enormous joint petition we handed to of Cardigan Bay. In the coming years,
We turned Downing Street on 30 May. More than we’ll help to restore this area’s natural
an iconic red
100,000 belonged to WWF supporters, and cultural heritage, bring communities
phone box wild
with plants and who joined members of organisations, together and create sustainable enterprises.

2,000
birdsong, and
including Greenpeace, in calling
travelled around
the UK inviting for urgent action on the NEWS IN NUMBERS
people to record climate crisis.
a message for
their MPs about
their climate
concerns
COMMITTED TO
STAYING COOL

#THETIMEISNOW TO ACT FOR NATURE AND CLIMATE

On 12 June, the UK government
committed to reaching net zero Old Mout Cider is protecting critical habitats,
greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,
including 2,000 sq km of Amazon rainforest.
Thanks to you, our collective voices people following the Extinction Rebellion alarms and sirens, and cheered loudly to and became the first country to pass
The eco-conscious company helped to
were heard at the biggest mass lobby for protests and the school climate strikes. There’s symbolise that ‘the time is now’ to take action. a law to end our contribution to
protect the kiwi, New Zealand’s national
nature and climate the UK has ever seen no doubt we’re in the midst of a climate and Though the current crisis can seem climate change. We’re pushing the
government to act now to invest bird. Now they’re helping us to monitor
When 12,000 people came to Westminster nature crisis. Global wildlife populations have desperate, the Time Is Now lobby was an
in policies to achieve jaguars and support local communities in
for the UK’s largest ever environmental plummeted by 60% since 1970, while climate inspiring reminder that people power can
this target. developing sustainable forest livelihoods
lobby, we were at the heart of the action. The change presents the greatest environmental make a real difference. Former archbishop

100
in Brazil’s Chico Mendes Reserve.
mass gathering on 26 June was organised by crisis the world has ever faced. The question of Canterbury, Rowan Williams – who led a
two coalitions we are part of – The Climate now is what we’re going to do about it, and multi-faith ‘Walk of Witness’ along Whitehall
Coalition and Greener UK. We were proud when we’re going to take the bold actions that during the event – drew parallels with ending You’re helping to stop
to see such an impressive number of WWF are so urgently needed in response. the slave trade, another great popular cause nature being drowned
supporters there on the day, while more than
70 ‘pandas’ were on hand to make sure things
Our chief executive, Tanya Steele, said:
“Public concern for the environment is at
that ultimately triumphed.
Despite the size of the undertaking, the UK A CALL FOR NATURE out in the Arctic Ocean.
As climate change melts
went smoothly. an all-time high, and for good reason. We’re helped lead the world in ending slavery. Now Filled with native plants and birdsong,
our wild phone box was a hit at the sea ice and more
People from all walks of life and all corners destroying the planet and jeopardising the we face another urgent challenge. We have the
© CHRIS RATCLIFFE / WWF-UK

#TheTimeIsNow lobby. We welcomed industrial activity moves

of the country met with more than 300 MPs survival of people and wildlife. Our leaders solutions, but we’re the last generation that
to demand ambitious new laws to restore must make bold decisions now, and commit can act before it’s too late. The Time Is Now more than 500 people from across the in, increasing underwater noise is making
nature, cut plastic waste, improve air quality to investing in technology and policies that showed that there’s strong public appetite for UK to record personal messages to it hard for whales to communicate. So far,
and urgently act on the climate crisis. accelerate emissions reductions and put the UK to step up and lead the way again. politicians, demanding they take over 80,000 people from more than 100
The lobby’s theme was ‘The Time Is Now’ nature on the path to recovery.” At 2pm, the Be inspired by your support on the day at: urgent action on climate countries have signed our petition calling
– a message being echoed by more and more thousands present rang alarm clocks, phone wwf.org.uk/yourmasslobby and nature. on world leaders to reduce Arctic noise.

6 | Action Autumn
Summer2019
2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 7
WWF IN ACTION WWF IN ACTION
NEWS IN BRIEF
PLASTIC ON YOUR PLATE? Once a den has been found, the
patrol team make sure the polar
bears are gone before they crawl
As our shocking new report reveals example. But the bottom line is that this inside. There’s always a chance
the family hasn’t left, or another
that, on average, we ingest a credit- is a universal problem. bear has sought refuge from the
card’s worth of plastic each week, Alec Taylor, our head of marine policy, elements inside!
we’re saying it’s time to act says it’s time to act: “Plastic is polluting
Plastic is polluting the air we breathe, our planet in the deepest ocean trenches,
© NATUREPL.COM / ALAN JAMES / WWF

the water we drink and the food we eat – but now we know that it’s also polluting
and the world is waking up to the reality our own bodies. This report must serve
of the crisis. The findings of a new study as a wake-up call to the UK government
we commissioned might just speed up the – we don’t want plastic in our ocean, and
efforts to do something about it. we don’t want it on our plates.”
The analysis, No Plastic in Nature, We’re rallying public support for
looked at how plastic gets into human a global petition calling for a legally
bodies. It found that, on average, people binding treaty on marine plastic
could be ingesting about 2,000 tiny pollution, which would establish national
ROBOT CAMERAS REVEAL SHARK SECRETS
AT HOME WITH
pieces of plastic every week. That’s targets and reporting mechanisms, and
approximately five grams of plastic – provide extra support for developing
In a first for UK marine conservation, WWF,

POLAR BEARS
roughly the weight of a credit card! countries to manage waste better. Thanks
Sky Ocean Rescue and partners have deployed
Most of the plastic comes in the water to your incredible support, more than
robot cameras to study basking sharks in
we drink: it was detected in tap water and 500,000 people have already signed.
the Inner Hebrides. The team located and
bottled water all over the world. Another Since 2000, the world has produced as Thanks to your support, this
tagged several sharks, so that an autonomous
major source is shellfish, which retain much plastic as in all the preceding years year’s polar bear cub count in
underwater SharkCam could then follow the
microplastics from polluted seas in their combined, and a third of it has leaked Russia was a great success
animals, filming their behaviour for around
digestive systems. And if you sprinkle into nature. This is not something that With the climate crisis regularly
six hours. It’s hoped the almost 360-degree
some salt on your meal and maybe enjoy can be fixed with small interventions: we in the headlines, the plight of polar
footage will reveal more about the species’
a beer on the side, those are two more need to see urgent global action along the bears is one of the most powerful
social interactions and behaviour, and help
significant sources. whole plastic production chain. symbols of our changing world. It’s
build the case for the creation of a brand
How much plastic you consume The alternative – doing nothing about vital that we monitor them closely
new marine protected area that will help to
depends on where you live – water in the a crisis that is affecting every living to target conservation efforts
safeguard these amazing animals.
US and India contains twice as much creature and ecosystem on Earth – where they are most needed.

ENCOURAGING NEWS FOR

as it does in Europe and Indonesia, for is surely too hard to swallow. Every year, in late March and

© GETTY
early April, as polar bears and

INDIA’S WILD TIGERS

India continues to their cubs emerge from their dens,
It took you
lead the way in tiger
recovery and has our team in Chukotka, Russia,
XXX
the largest wild tiger conducts a community-led patrol
approximately We’re celebrating the news that India’s covering almost 100km of the

ONE WEEK
population of wild tigers may be growing Arctic coast.
In July, the government of India announced This year, they found 14
that there are estimated to be around 3,000 tigers maternity dens and the tiny tracks
living in the wild in the country. This new estimate of 23 cubs heading down to the
suggests numerous populations within India may sea ice with their mothers to feed.
be stable or growing. The patrol has noted an increase in
© KATH CARTER

to consume this WWF’s experts played a key role in the 2018

Indian tiger survey, which was unprecedented
both dens and cubs over the past
five years, but this could simply
credit card in its scale, covering over 380,000 sq km of
forest and 20 states. It collected data including
be as a result of bears moving
into the area. More research is
PANDA BREAKS LONDON MARATHON RECORD! vegetation types, human disturbances and signs needed so that we can draw more
It’s not every day a panda sets a new world of carnivores. tiger protection, habitat and prey management, accurate conclusions.
record – but by completing this year’s London Surveyors also looked for signs of carnivores participation of local communities in tiger That’s something we’ll be
Marathon in 3 hours 48 minutes, that’s exactly on foot, which were then used to decide where to conservation and political will, India continues to helping with. This year, the patrol
what Kate Carter did. Kate was there as part of position camera traps in around 26,000 locations. lead the way in wild tiger population recovery. used new technology to improve
WWF’s Team Panda, and she actually dressed The cameras took over 76,500 photographs of “The protection of tigers is more than just its efficiency, including drones.
up as one! Kate’s outfit – complete with what tigers and over 51,000 images of leopards. a numbers game and it’s vital we ensure that With your support, we’ll continue
she called a “raging furnace” of a head – put Becci May, our Asian big cats expert, responded: tiger conservation remains a global priority. to help them expand the patrol
her in the running to break the Guinness World “At a time when the future of wild tigers is under By protecting tigers, we also protect vast areas area to get a better understanding
Record for the fastest marathon in a full body threat, every tiger counts. The updated India tiger of forest, our greatest natural ally in the fight of what climate change really
© WWF-SINGAPORE

costume by a woman. Amazingly, she smashed population estimate indicates that, at a national against climate change – something which will means for polar bears – and to

© WWF-RUSSIA
it by a huge 25 minutes. Congratulations to level, tiger populations in India may be stable or ultimately benefit wildlife and people. If we use the knowledge to protect this
Kate and all of Team Panda, who raised over even growing. This is very encouraging. Thanks to continue to work together, we can reverse the iconic predator.
£34,000 to help our work around the world. increased conservation efforts including enhanced decline of tigers.”

8 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 9

LIVING WITH LIONS PROTECTING THE MARA

Africa’s lions face an uncertain future,

due to conflict with people and the loss of
their habitat and prey. But with your help,
we’re working to give them a safer future

D
eath stalks the Kenyan savannah. Under the fierce equatorial
sun, animal activity is not easy to detect. An occasional breeze
twitches the red oat grass and tickles acacia leaves; otherwise,
all is still. But a smell betrays the spot where life has been
extinguished. And as you get closer to the scene, there’s an
insistent buzz of flies. Nearby, a cluster of vultures surrounds the kill,
and tawny fur comes into view: a lion, lying still in the grass. But today
this great predator of the African plains is not killer but corpse, felled by
poison. The vultures, too, are unmoving, victims of the same toxin.
Heartbreakingly, such a scene is a not-infrequent sight in Africa’s

SPACE
lion range countries. But the aftermath of poisoning still moves the
men and women striving to protect the continent’s wildlife. “The site
where a predator has been poisoned is a sad place to be,” says Michael
Kaelo of the Mara Predator Conservation Programme, our partners in
Kenya. “Sometimes we come across a lion that is not yet dead, and it’s
terrible to see how much it suffers. There’s diarrhoea and uncoordinated
movements – you can see that the poor animal is in agony.”
Tragically, the demise of that individual lion may not be the end of the
dying. Michael explains: “If no one is around to save the lion or remove

FOR
its body, it’s inevitable that other animals will come to scavenge from the
corpse. So the poison spreads and, instead of just one target individual
dying, there’s a mass of carcasses.”

HUNTER HUNTED
It’s impossible to imagine this magnificent hunter under threat – the
lion is an apex predator. Yet Africa’s most iconic carnivore is in serious
trouble. Across the continent, wild lion numbers have declined by over
40% in the past three generations of these big cats.

LIONS
Historically, the species’ range spanned most of Africa, plus parts
of the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans. Today, apart from a small
population of Asiatic lions in the Indian state of Gujarat (estimated at
523 after a 2015 census), the world’s wild lions are confined to sub-
Saharan Africa, with perhaps 80% of the population in the east and
south of the continent. Lions are locally extinct in 26 African countries.
Indeed, while the species as a whole is classified by the IUCN as
vulnerable, the west African population is critically endangered.

© ANDY ROUSE / NATUREPL.COM / WWF

In Kenya, it can Lions now occupy just 8% of the territory they used to roam.
be challenging for This highlights one of the greatest threats facing Africa’s lions –

WORDS BY XXX; IMAGE © XXX

communities to their habitat is shrinking at an alarming rate. This is driven by the
live alongside lions.
Lions often kill valuable
increasing pressure on land and resources arising from ever-increasing
livestock, which can global consumption. This situation will only get worse as world
result in devastating populations expand. Africa’s human population is projected to more
retaliatory poisoning
than triple from 1.3 billion today to around 4.3 billion by the end of
the century. The land required to provide homes for and feed those

10 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 11

LIVING WITH LIONS PROTECTING THE MARA

8.00PM
The eight lions
return to feed
5.00AM
A pride of
eight lions
kills two cows

IN THE
9.00AM
And 25
vultures
DANGER ZONE
Poisoning can kill not just the target lions, but also
a myriad of other scavengers, from vultures to
jackals. Thanks to your support, and in particular our
lion adopters, we have helped the Mara Predator
Conservation Programme to train rangers and
community members to identify and respond to 6.30AM
incidents of poisoning, and quickly and effectively The owner
decontaminate the site, to reduce the risk of laces the dead
further harm to wildlife and people. cows with poison

8.00AM
Followed by
a tawny eagle

As lions and communities come

7.00AM
into ever-closer contact and numbers
of wild herbivores are depleted, lions

7.30AM
often prey on livestock instead. Paul
Seven hyenas
and Nkunini often help to herd cows
feed on the
during weekends, holidays or when
Then two carcasses
adults are unavailable
jackals arrive

A Kenya Wildlife Service vet

tries to save a young male lion
from the Mara’s famous Marsh pride.
s,
Sick from eating a poisoned cattle carcas
he was attacked by buffaloes. He was
put Worryingly, lions of up to 600 sq km, depending on the Today, it’s essentially an economic matter. my children’s school fees.” Unsurprisingly, scavengers that come to feed. Even birds of
to sleep to prevent further suffering themselves are being availability of prey,” explains Dr Yussuf “Almost every week we lose several lambs then, when a lion kills a cow, villagers may prey may die.”
targeted as a result of the Wato, who manages our wildlife programme and young goats to hyenas or jackals,” John respond by targeting lions. Knowing that Poison can have devastating effects on
growing illegal trade in in Kenya. “But many protected areas are reports. Lions, though, target larger prey the pride will often return to a carcass to local people, too. Rain leaches the toxins from
people – growing crops and raising livestock their body parts. These are mostly destined becoming increasingly isolated as suitable and – in the absence of wildebeest and feed for several days after making a kill, the the carcass, washing it into waterholes and

LIONS MAY KILL

– is expanding exponentially. for China and south-east Asia, where their habitats connecting these protected areas cow’s owner may lace the corpse with poison, rivers from which communities fetch water.
This has numerous impacts on lions. First, teeth and claws are used in amulets, and are lost or fragmented.” A recent issue is the usually pesticides. “Depending on the concentration of the
the amount of available prey is reduced. their bones are sold for traditional medicines, growing number of fences being put up in Though many feline deaths go poison in the water, drinking it may lead to

LIVESTOCK ON
This is because wild herbivore habitat is often mislabelled as tiger products. community areas, due to the sub-division of undiscovered or unreported, some high- sickness or even death,” says Michael.
lost and fragmented as land is converted land. These barriers create a huge problem for profile poisonings have raised international
LIVING SIDE BY SIDE OVERCOMING COMPLEX CHALLENGES
WHICH FAMILIES
for farming, grazed by livestock or occupied all wildlife, as they block traditional migration awareness of the problem. In April 2018,
by people’s homes, roads and other As the lions’ habitat shrinks, their prey routes and reduce habitat connectivity. worldwide media reported the poisoning of In Kenya, we’re supporting the work of

DEPEND FOR THEIR

infrastructure. But it’s also because of wild declines and human activities expand, the “As the availability of wild herbivore prey 11 lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park, local partners including the Mara Predator

© JUOZAS CERNIUS / WWF-UK | © NATUREPL.COM

meat hunting, a source of food and income cats increasingly come into direct conflict declines, hungry lions predate the valuable Uganda. And in December 2015, three lions Conservation Programme (MPCP) to develop
for some communities. In many countries, with people. Kenya is home to fewer than livestock on which families depend for their from the Marsh Pride in the Maasai Mara, solutions to these problems. For example,

LIVELIHOODS
hunting certain species for wild meat is 2,000 lions, and many of these are found in livelihoods,” Yussuf continues. “Communities made famous by the BBC’s Big Cat Diaries, the bomas (enclosures) in which livestock is
illegal, so it’s hard to accurately quantify community lands and conservancies, living may then kill the predators in retaliation.” died after being poisoned while the series kept overnight are usually constructed from
this threat. in close proximity to people. In tribes such as the Maasai, killing a Dynasties was being filmed in the area. branches, offering little protection from
In addition to having less prey to hunt, In some protected areas such as Tsavo, lion was historically part of initiation into buffalo, which may be driven from lions’ Poisoning is a highly indiscriminate large predators.
lions often die after being caught in snares pastoral communities graze their livestock manhood. “In the past, you could not become ranges by grazing pastoralists – that can method of killing, so it’s very dangerous. So MPCP has supported local communities
set for large and small herbivores, in part illegally, and often come into conflict with a warrior or be seen as brave until you killed mean cattle, the most valuable livestock. “It doesn’t just kill the target predator, the to build stronger bomas using sturdy recycled
because they are attracted to the carcasses lions that might kill their livestock. a lion,” explains John, a Maasai pastoralist “One bull can be worth 50,000 Kenyan lion,” explains Michael Kaelo. “It also kills plastic poles. We’re also working with
of trapped prey animals. “Lion prides have variable home ranges from Narok County. “It gave you pride.” shillings [nearly £400]. That could help pay hyenas, jackals, vultures and any other partners to install solar-powered

12 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 13

 LIVING WITH LIONS
As part of a national census you
supported, Christine and Stephen
take photos of every lion they see,
and then use the cats’ unique whisker
spot patterns to identify individuals.
The results will help inform Kenya’s
conservation strategy

WHAT THREATS
AFFECT LIONS?
HABITAT FRAGMENTATION
The Cerrado may not be a household
name, but this ecosystem is vital to the
health of our planet.
As wild habitat It’s home
is converted and to an
incredible range
fenced off for of wildlife,
farming, grazingasandwell as
supporting food– and
habitation, lions water
and their production
prey –
for
are millions of people,
increasingly confinedand it plays a
to islands
critical role in fighting
of land, isolating climate
populations andchange
increasing their risk of local extinction
Night falls over Kenya’s Tsavo East

CONFLICT WITH PEOPLE

National Park and it’s time for
Christine Mwende from Tsavo Trust
Predators can pose a and Stephen Nyaga from KWS to go to
threat to livestock and work. They search for lions at night as
communities. People may this is when lions are most active
retaliate, sometimes
using poison

FEWER PREY
Numbers of herbivores
flashing LED lights that deter predators
from livestock enclosures.
who might otherwise target lions. Thanks
to regular patrolling and improved livestock
bigger picture – specifically, working with
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to create a
accurate count of Kenya’s lions – and your
support has been vital. A FUTURE FOR LIONS
on which lions depend “In all homesteads in the Maasai Mara management in these conservancies, wildlife new national strategy for lion conservation. The future for lions in Africa can’t be Lions are under threat like never
are falling, affected by where ‘lion lights’ have been deployed by (including lions) has returned to these areas. To make sure all our conservation efforts are secured by working in just one country. So before. Wild populations are in
habitat loss and hunting
WWF, no livestock has been lost to lions,” It’s a virtuous circle, too: people who benefit based on good science, we need to determine we’re also working with government and decline and they desperately need
for wild meat
our help. With your support, we’re
Yussuf reports. And there’s an added bonus. from these initiatives spread the word to just how many lions survive in Kenya. conservation bodies and local communities
already working with communities to
ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE “The lights protect our cattle, but the solar others who might otherwise try to kill lions. So we’re working with KWS and many on an ambitious transboundary conservation
help them live alongside these apex

WE MUST MAKE
panel is also useful for other things,” says local partners on a nationwide lion census programme between southern Kenya and predators. You’re also helping us
Lions are increasingly being
poached for body parts – John. “Our children can do their homework using the innovative Spatially Explicit northern Tanzania. It aims to connect provide field staff with the tools and
bones, teeth and claws – after dark, using lights run on solar energy, Capture Recapture method, which includes eight protected areas and 32 community equipment they need to monitor this

SURE THE KING

sold largely in Asia for
traditional ‘medicines’
and we can charge our phones.” The result: identifying individual animals conservation areas, forming wildlife species and keep lions safe. If you’d
conflict with wildlife decreases, and the time from their whisker corridors and dispersal areas. This will help like to do more, a gift today could help.

CLIMATE CHANGE
OF THE BEASTS
available for study and recreation increases. patterns, each predators such as lions, as well as the wide- £15 could pay for camera equipment
Thanks to you, we also support the MPCP’s as unique ranging herbivores on which they prey. The to photograph lions and assist with
Weather changes can lead

CAN ROAM FREELY

to die-offs of herbivores community engagement projects, training as a human project will also improve the livelihoods of monitoring and identification
and more pests and local people to identify and tackle poisoning fingerprint. communities living in the landscape, and £50 could help pay for solar-powered
diseases. Altered rainfall
incidents, raising awareness of the dangers of This huge ensure they benefit from conservation efforts. ‘predator lights’ to keep livestock safe
or more droughts can also
affect livestock grazing, poison to wildlife and humans, and running project, which “We have a huge responsibility to current and prevent conflict with lions
indirectly increasing wildlife clubs for local schoolchildren. “We came to realise that these animals launched in and future generations to reverse the lion

© JUOZAS CERNIUS / WWF-UK | © GETTY

conflict with communities £100 could help fund a workshop to
When people benefit directly from lions generate a lot of income from tourism, and 2018, will population decline in Kenya and the African enable field staff to prevent and deal
and other wildlife, they are more likely to that partners such as WWF support our provide continent,” concludes Yussuf. “We don’t with lion poisoning incidents
DISEASE OUTBREAKS want to protect them. With your support, community development because of the first want to be among those who will preside
£1,800 could help provide predator-
Lions are prone to infection we’ve helped WWF-Kenya to establish such animals,” says John. “So even if a over the extinction of this iconic species. As proof bomas for local herders
by diseases including canine
distemper virus, feline the community-led Siana and Oloisukut lion kills my livestock, now I just scare top predators in the food chain, lions play
If you’d like to do even more,
parvovirus and even conservancies in the buffer zone around the them away.” a critical role in their ecosystem. We must
bovine tuberculosis you can donate today at:
Maasai Mara. This will ensure that money While we’re helping build these make sure the king of the beasts can roam
wwf.org.uk/lionlifeline
from wildlife tourism reaches the people relationships, we’re also looking at the freely in the wilderness of Africa.”

14 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 15

 THE BIG PICTURE

CRUISING THE CORRIDOR

Thanks to your support, wild tigers are able
to roam between the forests of Nepal and
India – and now we’ve caught one in the act!
Seeing a tiger in the wild can be hard, but
photographing one is a huge challenge, as film-
maker Emmanuel Rondeau found out when
we asked him to capture an image of one of
these cats using the Khata biological corridor.
Khata is an important 13km-long stretch of
forest between Bardia National Park in Nepal
and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India. It
enables wild tigers to move between the two
protected areas to feed and find mates – and
it’s already making a huge difference.
Nepal’s latest national tiger survey, which
you supported, recorded four tigers living
exclusively in the corridor, while another nine
had territories that ranged between the corridor
and Bardia. And there’s more. The number of
tigers estimated to be living in Bardia increased
from just 18 in 2009 to 87 in 2018.
But that didn’t make photographing one
any easier. Emmanuel explains, “With the help
of WWF’s tiger experts, I found the perfect
location to capture an image of a wild tiger
roaming its territory at night. One of the trees
was etched with tiger claw marks, so I was
sure the cat would soon be back to mark its
territory. I set up my camera traps, but several
weeks later I hadn’t got a single shot. Then,
after it had been pouring with rain, I went to
change the camera settings – and found this
perfectly sharp image. I couldn’t believe it!”
Thanks to you, we’re helping to keep tiger
habitats connected by working with local
people to monitor, manage and protect these

© EMMANUEL RONDEAU / WWF-US

areas, and enabling communities to benefit
from wildlife such as through ecotourism.
If you’d like to do more, please adopt a tiger
today at wwf.org.uk/tigeradopt

16 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 17

PROTECTING SNOW LEOPARDS WORKING TOGETHER

MOUNTAIN GUARDIANS High in the Indian Himalayas, we’re

working with some amazing local
people to discover the secrets of the
snow leopards of Sikkim

“T
he snow leopard is important to me,” says Gopal Limboo.
“In my home, the high altitude regions of Sikkim, it’s the
only big cat and it has a key role to play in maintaining
balance in the ecosystem. It makes me sad that it’s
endangered.” Laku Tshering Bhutia agrees: “We need
snow leopards to keep our unique but fragile alpine habitat healthy.
This place is everything to us; it’s the source of medicinal plants and
the headwaters of our rivers.”
Gopal and Laku understand the delicate ecological balance of the
high Himalayas better than anyone. Born and raised in the mountains
in Sikkim, north-east India, they used to work as herders, grazing their
livestock in the forests and alpine meadows. Today, though, they are part
of a group of conservation volunteers known as the Himal Rakshaks or
‘mountain guardians’.
We’re working with them to help secure the future of the beautiful
but threatened snow leopard. “Up until now, WWF-UK’s snow leopard
conservation support has mainly focused on Nepal, which is home
to between 300 and 500 snow leopards and therefore an important
stronghold,” explains our big cat expert, Becci May. “But data from the
individual cats we’ve collared with tracking devices has shown that
they move into Sikkim in north-eastern India. It’s an important area,
connecting snow leopard habitats across India, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.
“But very little is known about snow leopards in Sikkim – we don’t
know how many there are or how the population is changing. Finding
this out is vital if we’re to protect them effectively.”

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Getting reliable information in this remote mountainous region presents
huge challenges. “Areas can be cut off by heavy snowfall or by flooding,”

WORDS BY BARNEY JEFFRIES; IMAGE © HIMAL RAKSHAKS/WWF-INDIA

says Rishi Kumar Sharma, who leads WWF’s snow leopard work in
India. “There are many places that you can’t get to without a local guide.”
What we needed were local people who know and love the mountains,
who have good relationships with neighbouring communities, and
who are passionate about protecting their environment. And in
Sikkim, we knew just the right people. “As erstwhile herders, the
Himal Rakshaks are well versed in the mountain ecosystem,” explains
Rishi. “They’re an amazing repository of traditional knowledge about the
To learn more about the local flora and fauna, and know the terrain like the backs of
secretive snow leopards their hands.”
that roam the eastern
Himalayas, we enlisted the
For more than a decade, the Himal Rakshaks have been the first
help of people who know line of defence against the threats facing their mountain home.
the land – and its wildlife – With support from the state forest department and various
best: the Himal Rakshaks
environmental organisations, including us, they’ve taken the lead in
removing snares and other animal traps and reporting poaching

18 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 19

PROTECTING SNOW LEOPARDS WORKING TOGETHER

FIVE SUPER The Himal Rakshaks are from high-

SIKKIM SPECIES
altitude villages, and help protect
Sikkim’s most important wildlife
areas. They survey wildlife and
report illegal activities

“I LOVE
SNOW LEOPARD THESE
MOUNTAINS
These graceful creatures are most at
home in rugged mountain terrain above
3,000m. Their remote habitat and elusive

AND NOW
habits make estimating their numbers
difficult, but we’re working with others to
improve population estimates.

I CAN DO
RED PANDA SOMETHING
TO PROTECT
Is it a panda? A bear? A cat? A raccoon?
No. This solitary tree-dwelling mammal
is a real one-off, and classified as its own
unique family, the Ailuridae. It’s found

THEM”
across the forests of the Himalayas. Laku Tshering Bhutia coordinates
the Himal Rakshaks in the
Khangchendzonga Biosphere
Reserve. He joined in 2006 in order to
ensure the growth of tourism in the
area did not damage the wildlife

and illegal harvesting of medicinal plants and the flowers. There are also many beautiful Singaman Limboo is one Himal Rakshak “We need a more robust estimate of snow a big difference to local communities when
fungi – all of which, if left unchecked, lakes in the mountains, which are an hoping to become a snow leopard monitor. leopard numbers in Sikkim, as well as the their own people are engaged in, determining

ALPINE MUSK DEER threaten this fragile ecosystem. important source of the rivers and springs on
which we rely for fresh water.”
“I love these mountains and it’s a great
opportunity for me to do something to
populations of wild ungulates they prey on. At
the same time, we need reliable information
and taking forward such initiatives
themselves, rather than someone from the
Native to the Himalayas, this small deer
is classified as ‘endangered’ due to habitat RESTORING NATURE Monitoring snow leopards will be a new protect our local biodiversity,” he says. on livestock densities and the communities outside coming in to tell them what to do.”
loss and hunting. It’s especially sought after Another vital role the Himal Rakshaks play challenge for the Himal Rakshaks. “In “The breathtaking variety of specialist that depend on snow leopard habitat. This is Our crucial snow leopard work in Sikkim
for its aromatic musk gland, which is used
in cosmetics and Asian medicine.
is in mobilising their own communities to the past, we have worked with the Himal plants and animals here amazes me. I feel so we can better understand this important is made possible thanks to you, and our snow
address issues such as waste disposal. This is Rakshaks on tackling issues such as waste a responsibility to protect the wildlife, dynamic and how interactions with local leopard adopters. Together with the Himal
an increasing problem as new infrastructure reduction, but serious scientific monitoring especially endangered species. They are our people affect snow leopards.” Rakshaks, we can help secure the future of
is built and tourism increases in the region, like this is a new challenge,” says Rishi. “We natural treasures.” Conflict between people and snow this amazing landscape, for the people and
bringing a big influx of people. Not only does will help to build their capacity and give them leopards can be a problem, as snow leopards wildlife it supports.
rubbish spoil the landscape that tourists valuable professional skills. With the training A NEW CHALLENGE sometimes prey on livestock and are killed in
come to visit, it also attracts free-ranging and practical experience we’ll provide, they’ll Nevertheless, monitoring snow leopards retaliation. It’s an issue we’ve been working
dogs, which kill wild prey for snow leopards,
and livestock (which causes economic losses
be well placed to help with future species
monitoring and conservation efforts – and
is hard and sometimes dangerous work.
The high altitude areas, which snow leopards
to address in other places, for example by
helping herders to build secure enclosures
ADOPT A SNOW LEOPARD
ASIATIC BLACK BEAR

© HIMAL RAKSHAKS/WWF-INDIA | © GETTY | © MINDEN PICTURES

for communities). this may increase their household income.” inhabit, are a long way from the local towns for their livestock, and setting up insurance Thanks to your membership, you’re
Also known as the white-chested bear, The results of the Himal Rakshaks’ work The Himal Rakshaks will be trained in and villages – this certainly isn’t your and compensation schemes. Happily, it’s not already helping us to improve the
the Asiatic black bear is found in the
Himalayas but classified as ‘vulnerable’ due so far have been impressive. Forest cover and using camera traps, carrying out surveys of average 9 to 5 job. too big a problem in Sikkim at the moment. habitat for snow leopards and
to habitat loss and hunting. They are great wildlife populations have started to bounce ungulates, such as musk deer, Himalayan “You have to be in expedition mode,” “Local people mostly have yaks, which are too their prey through our work with
tree climbers too.
back, and waste is being managed better. tahr – a wild goat – blue sheep, Tibetan explains Rishi. “You’re sleeping in a tent, big for snow leopards to prey on,” explains partners and local communities.
This benefits local people, many of whom argali and Himalayan goral, and using GPS cooking and washing outdoors, often in Rishi. “Though the cats will occasionally kill You’re also supporting our efforts to
now make a living as tour guides or through and navigation equipment. Their work will severe weather.” A lack of proper camping yak calves and other smaller livestock.” reduce conflict between these cats
offering homestay accommodation. include setting up camera traps in the places gear and other field equipment is a real By working closely with the Himal and local people who depend on
“A clean environment and clean mountains where snow leopards are likely to be spotted, challenge for the Himal Rakshaks, but with Rakshaks, we’re aiming to prevent retaliatory livestock for their livelihoods. But if
DHOLE are very important,” says NB Bhandari,
another Himal Rakshak. “Since many
as well as helping to review the footage and
trying to distinguish different snow leopards
your support we’re helping to provide them
with more of the things they need to do their
killing of snow leopards and to help local
people receive financial support if they do
you would like to do more to protect
these icons of the Himalayas, you
In prehistoric times, this wild dog was
found across south and east Asia – but amazing animals live in Sikkim’s national based on the unique patterns on their spotted work safely and effectively. lose livestock to the predators. “The Himal can adopt a snow leopard today at:
today fewer than 2,500 adults remain.
Once persecuted as pests, they’re now a parks and sanctuaries, the region has become coats. “People love doing that,” says Rishi. “The information from these biodiversity Rakshaks act as conservation ambassadors wwf.org.uk/snowleopardadopt
protected species in India. famous. Tourists come to see the wildlife and “It’s like a game!” surveys is really important,” says Rishi. within their region,” says Rishi. “It makes

20 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 21

MISSION JAGUAR
MISSION JAGUAR

SPOTTED!
Once believed by the ancient Maya to be a
god of the underworld, today the jaguar faces
all-too-human threats. The biggest cat in
the Americas has already been pushed out
of around half of its historic range, and its
remaining rainforest home is under pressure.
Though around 170,000 jaguars are thought
to remain in the wild, we know surprisingly
little about them. So improving our
knowledge of their distribution and behaviour
is critical to protecting them and their final
strongholds, such as the Amazon rainforest.
One way to do that is with camera traps,
which captured this curious cat in Nouragues
Nature Reserve, French Guiana

Creatures of shadows and secrecy, jaguars are rarely seen.

In their remote rainforest home, they live undetected but

© EMMANUEL RONDEAU / WWF FRANCE

under pressure. We sent film-maker Emmanuel Rondeau
on an almost impossible mission: to photograph a wild
jaguar deep in the Amazonian jungles of French Guiana

Action Autumn 2019 | 23

 MISSION JAGUAR
CARBON CALCULATIONS
Perched on top of a 45m-high pylon
at the rainforest research station,
Emmanuel enjoyed spectacular
views across the canopy, while a
scientist from the French National
Centre for Scientific Research
checked on his cutting-edge
climate monitoring equipment.
The ‘Nouraflux’ takes 10 readings
every second to analyse how much
carbon dioxide the forest absorbs
from the atmosphere. Each hectare
here absorbs 3kg of CO2 per year,
or about a fifth of the average
Briton’s carbon footprint. Therefore,
protecting these tropical forests
is not just crucial for jaguars and
the other amazing creatures that
live here, it’s vital for combatting
climate change as well.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Success at last! Despite challenges
UNEXPLORED TERRITORY – from the intense humidity to
camera vandalism by a clumsy tapir
To begin his quest, Emmanuel travelled deep
into the heart of the rainforest. His starting – Emmanuel finally captured the
point was a research station located eight first high-definition image of a wild
hours by canoe, then four hours on foot jaguar in this reserve. Discovering
from the nearest village. With their roots more about the jaguars’ habits and
embedded in one of the oldest exposed rock movements will help us to protect
surfaces in the world – the Guiana Shield and connect its most important
– these Amazonian forests are remote and habitats. And it comes at a perfect
mysterious. They form part of one of the time: last year, governments in 14
largest areas of protected rainforest in the countries that are home to jaguars
world, covering a region the size of Scotland. made a public commitment to
Experts believe 80% of the wildlife living ramp up their conservation efforts.
here is still unknown to science. With your support, we’ll continue
working tirelessly to secure a bright
future for these incredible cats.

TARNISHED GOLD
Even in this remote region,
gold mining is a serious
threat to the jaguar and
the rainforest. The toxic
mercury used to flush
out the gold is released
into the rivers, poisoning
the water, soil and air,
and being absorbed by
plants and animals – and
even the local people
who consume them. It
leaves behind a desolate
landscape. So patrols look
for gold mining camps and
destroy any equipment
they find to prevent
miners from resuming
their illegal activities.
Sadly, gold mining isn’t
CAUGHT ON CAMERA!

ALL IMAGES ©EMMANUEL RONDEAU / WWF FRANCE

the only danger the jaguar

YOU’RE HELPING PROTECT JAGUARS

Camera traps offer vital insights into elusive
faces. Loss of its prey
animals such as jaguars. Emmanuel set up
and habitat, retaliation
eight cameras in the forest to capture video
for killing livestock, and
and photos whenever an animal crossed
increasing demand for their
an infrared trigger. This might sound
Thanks to your support, we’re leading efforts to protect the
body parts all threaten
straightforward, but first he had to identify a wildlife and support indigenous people and other Amazonian
the survival of this
awe-inspiring species.
trail used by jaguars and then make sure any communities to conserve their rainforest home. If you’d like
passing cats would be in sharp focus. Here
to do more, you can help us to monitor and protect these
he is pretending to be a jaguar and crawling
into view! Once everything was set up, beautiful cats in Brazil and Colombia by adopting a jaguar. Your
Emmanuel left his cameras in the forest for support will enable us to improve conservation measures in
two months – and crossed his fingers. critical areas. Visit wwf.org.uk/jaguaradopt

24 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 25

 INTERVIEW

Dr Dan Ingram explains how, with

your support, the Biome Health Project is
transforming our understanding of how wildlife

SPY
responds to human pressures
Why is the Biome Health Project so urgent? internet. In Fiji, we’re even putting acoustic sensors
The project was devised in response to WWF’s Living underwater, and using cameras to video marine life
Planet Report 2018, which revealed that wildlife and map the structure of the coral reefs in 3D.
populations have declined by over half in less than
50 years. We want to understand how biodiversity What have you learned so far?
responds to threats, and design conservation actions We’ve received two million camera trap photos
that will have impact. Given the speed of nature loss from Kenya and 1.2 million from Nepal. To identify

IN THE
and increase in human pressures, we must act now. the animals in the photos, we’re using an artificial

WILD
intelligence algorithm that identifies common species
How does the project work? and removes images taken through false triggers like
The project covers four different ‘biomes’ – large grass moving in the wind. We’re now teaching the
ecological areas that are home to a specially adapted algorithm to distinguish between large rocks and
community of plants and animals – in four countries. animals! In Kenya, the images suggest that servals use
We’ve selected tropical forest, savannah grassland, the protected site the most. This will inform the future
subtropical dry forest and coral reef sites for their management of the park, and could help other sites to
spectacular and distinctive species and the range re-establish serval populations.
of human threats experienced there. We’re looking
at the effects of livestock grazing in the Maasai How are our members helping this project?
Mara in Kenya, fishing in the Great Sea Reef in Fiji, This project wouldn’t be happening without your
deforestation in Borneo in Malaysia, and forest support. Your membership enables us to conduct this
fragmentation in the Terai Arc Landscape in Nepal. groundbreaking scientific research, and to apply our
discoveries to active conservation projects. You’re also
Tell us about the study sites supporting our work to train park rangers and local
In Kenya, the Biome Health We selected several sites in each biome to allow us conservationists in scientific methods such as camera
Project has 250 camera traps to compare the intensity of the threat experienced, trapping, to provide workshops and to support local
keeping an eye on the wildlife
ranging from relatively untouched to high-pressure communities with monitoring their wildlife.
areas. Some sites also host active conservation

© BIOME HEALTH PROJECT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON / WWF-UK

programmes. At each one, we’ll monitor the health of Are there any dramatic tales from the field?
the biome for several years and try to understand how In Bardia National Park in Nepal, we were driving to
the region and its characteristic wildlife respond to a meeting with the local community when we were
changing human influences over time. The results will stopped in our tracks by the sight of three rhinos
help us to understand the limits that biodiversity can crossing a river, casually followed by three swimming
withstand, and develop conservation solutions that tigers. What a privilege!
can be applied to other similar sites.

What technology are you using? BE PART OF THE PROJECT

In Nepal and Kenya, we’re using camera traps to This is just the beginning for the Biome Health
detect ground-dwelling animals, and acoustic sensors Project, and we can’t wait to bring you more
to record sounds made by vocalising species, such as exciting news. If you’d like to stay in touch, visit
birds and insects, as well as the high-frequency calls wwf.org.uk/biomehealth, listen to the acoustics
of bats. In Borneo, the acoustic sensors are recording from Borneo on wwf.org.uk/borneomusic and
continuously, relaying the sounds to the UK over the follow @Biome_Health for news on Twitter.

26 | Action Spring
Autumn2018
2018 Action Autumn 2019 | 27
LIVING SUSTAINABLY

PREPARE
1 MAKE LEAF MOULD MULCH
2 MULCH BORDERS
Provide a perfect damp habitat for
beetles and amphibians by rotting down
autumn leaves into leaf mould. Punch Mulching borders with organic
matter such as horse manure

YOUR GARDEN
old compost bags full of holes, fill with
leaves, then sprinkle with water, shake and leaf mould will generate
and tie. Next autumn, use it to mulch food for birds. You’ll soon
your borders. notice robins and blackbirds

3 TURN NESTBOXES INTO ROOSTS

feasting on the worms and other
creatures among the mulch.
On the coldest nights, some birds
roost together to keep warm. Make

FOR WINTER
9 BUILD LEAF AND life easier for them by transforming

LOG PILES your bird nestboxes into cosy winter

roosts by stuffing them with straw,
Create piles of leaves and
hay or dry autumn leaves.
logs where you know they
won’t be disturbed. Heap
leaves up on their own
or use them to fill in gaps
between logs to make a
cosy hibernation den.

Your garden may be quiet now, but it’s 10 CLEAN OUT YOUR POND
Fallen leaves break down in

full of wildlife preparing for the challenges ponds, releasing toxic gases.
When the pond freezes over
the trapped gases can kill

of winter. Wildlife gardener Kate overwintering frogs. So remove

leaves in autumn to prevent

Bradbury reveals how to

them from building up.

provide a lifeline for

everything from frogs
4 LEAVE SEEDHEADS INTACT
to finches when they Seedheads not only provide
food for birds, they offer a

need the most help...

place for small insects, such as
ladybirds and caterpillars, to
shelter over winter.

Winter is coming and it can be a tricky time

for garden wildlife. Species that hibernate,
such as hedgehogs, amphibians, reptiles and
insects, need to find a safe place to shelter for
many months without being disturbed. They
also have to survive without food.
It’s a different story for garden birds – 8 LEAVE THE COMPOST HEAP 5 DON’T TURN THE SOIL
A wide range of species winter
rather than hibernating, they battle through Compost heaps make a great
overwintering site for species underground, including
the worst conditions. They have to spend bumblebees, slow worms and
from bees to slow worms and
every moment of winter’s short days looking hedgehogs providing they’re not moth pupae, so try to avoid
for enough food to give them the calories they disturbed all winter. doing any digging until mid-
spring. Provide pots of nectar-
need to survive each bitter night. rich flowers – grape hyacinths,
It sounds far worse than it is. After all, winter aconites, crocuses – for
our wildlife has been coping with winter wildlife survive winter. We can start by when the bees wake up hungry.
for thousands of years. But the effects of making changes to the way we garden
habitat loss and the climate crisis mean that in autumn. By leaving seedheads and

SHARE YOUR GARDENING TIPS

the availability of natural food is no longer creating hibernation habitats (called
guaranteed. Changes in temperature can hibernacula), we can encourage species to
6 FEED AND WATER
THE BIRDS
also interfere with the natural cycles of some overwinter safely in our gardens. And by 7 HELP HUNGRY HEDGEHOGS Let us know how you support your garden

ILLUSTRATION: SCOTT JESSOP

Provide calorie-rich food
species’ hibernation patterns. What’s more, putting out food and topping up our bird Start leaving out meat-based cat such as suet, peanuts and wildlife in winter, and make the most of
gardens tend to be tidier than the wider baths regularly, we can give birds the best or dog food for hedgehogs now, sunflower hearts. Keep
this quiet time to prepare for the next year,
until it’s no longer eaten. Keep your bird bath topped
countryside, and so some garden wildlife, possible chance of making it through the by sharing your tips and photos with us
an eye out for autumn orphans up with fresh water and
such as hedgehogs, may find it difficult to hardest months of the year. – baby hedgehogs too small to make sure you unfreeze on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag
locate the perfect hibernation spot. Here are 10 ways you can help hibernate. If you find one, call it daily during sub-zero #GrowForYourWorld and tag us at @wwf_uk
Luckily, there’s plenty we can do to help your garden wildlife this winter. your local wildlife rescue or temperatures by pouring
hedgehog carer for advice. on some lukewarm water. We can’t wait to hear your suggestions.

28 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 29

 COMPETITIONS NOTES FROM THE FIELD

LUXURIOUS SCARVES
We’re giving two readers the chance to
win one of four fantastic nature-inspired CROSSWORD
Solve our crossword and you could win a
silk and linen scarves by Erin Donohue
copy of The Deep: The hidden wonders of
We’ve teamed up with one of our most passionate designers, Erin our ocean and how we can protect them,
Donohue, and ethical jewellery and accessories brand, Just Trade, to published by Wildfire, worth £20
offer these beautiful, planet-friendly scarves in time for Christmas.
The scarves come in four stylish designs, including botanical
florals and three iconic species – elephant, polar bear and jaguar Valeria fits a camera
print. Stylish, cosy and long-lasting, these super-soft scarves are trap to a tree in the
Chico Mendes reserve

WIN!
made from 100% natural fibres – silk and linen – and have been to help protect
hand-printed using AZO-free dyes. jaguars living here
The range has been ethically produced by a Fairtrade factory in

ON THE TRAIL OF THE JAGUAR

Vietnam, which provides marginalised people and artisans
in provincial villages with employment and new skills.

A BEAUTIFUL SCARF These wearable works of art make the perfect gift for
the eco-conscious consumer and are worth £18.
The Amazon is one of the jaguar’s last strongholds. It’s estimated
INSPIRED BY To be in with a chance of winning one, simply follow
that over 70% of the wild population lives here. No wonder the

NATURE © WWF-UK
region is a top priority for WWF. But we know surprisingly little
the instructions below and mark your entry
about these elusive cats or how important protected areas are to
‘Erin Donohue Competition’.
their conservation. So I’ve been helping to find some answers by
setting up cameras to monitor jaguars living in the Chico Mendes
reserve in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.

SHOP FOR YOUR WORLD

A dense jungle covering one million hectares, the reserve is
full of wildlife, including hundreds of species of birds, monkeys,
ocelots and a rare, spotty rodent called a pacarana. It’s also home
Everything we source, create and sell through the WWF shop to about 10,000 people, who live off the forest, harvesting brazil
has to exceed strict environmental and ethical standards. nuts, rubber and timber, as well as rearing livestock and growing
We select designers and suppliers who share our values, so crops. Outside the reserve, the trees have almost all been cleared
you can shop safe in the knowledge that any products you for pasture, a sign of the increasing pressures on the Amazon.
purchase are kind to the planet and the people who make them. Our trek into the Chico Mendes reserve was quite an adventure.
WWF Action crossword 43: autumn 2019 issue. Compiled by Aleric Linden
It had been raining hard, and we trudged around three kilometres
For more sustainable and inspiring gift ideas, take a look at our After solving the crossword, take each letter from the shaded squares with thick mud clinging to our boots, weighing us down. But
full range at wwf.org.uk/shop (going from left to right and top to bottom) to spell out the prize word. when we reached the forest, I forgot my aching legs. Fringed with
To be in with a chance to win, just send a postcard with the prize word impenetrable thickets of bamboo, we had to open up our own trail
to the address on page 30, or email it to competition@wwf.org.uk. using a machete. But we didn’t mind because we knew that, some
The closing date is Friday 15 November day soon, a jaguar would follow our path. Always pragmatic, these

BORN TO ICE BOOK

big cats prefer to walk on trails and roads, just like humans – and
HOW TO ENTER Clues across
© 2018 PAUL NICKLEN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WWW.SEALEGACY.ORG

6 It puts an animal’s survival at risk – this is part of our plan to monitor them.

ACTION GIVEAWAYS 5 One of the greenhouse gases in e.g. poaching or habitat loss (6)
the Earth’s atmosphere (7,5) 7 The source of solar power (3)
10 African big cat, the population of THE TREES HAVE EYES
We’re giving away two copies of Send an email with your name,
8 Whaling weapon (7)
9 _ rhino, second-largest living land which is in steep decline (4) As the jungle opened up into magnificent tall trees, we reached the
Paul Nicklen’s latest masterpiece address and phone number, mammal after the elephant (5) 12 _ kangaroos, marsupials impacted location chosen for our first camera trap. I helped to attach one
11 The unmistakable cry of a lion (4) by deforestation (4) camera to a tree at knee-height, facing the trail we had made, and
along with Erin Donohue
“To witness the Arctic and Antarctica through Paul 12 Snow leopards have long ones (5) 13 The largest cat in the Americas (6)
a second on the opposite side. This enables us to capture photos
Competition or Born to Ice 14 The IUCN’s conservation database
Nicklen’s lens is to experience hope in action,” writes 15 Non-polluting, like green energy (5)
of both sides of the jaguar as it walks past. Every cat has a unique
Competition in the subject line, 16 Hair on a lion’s neck (4) (3,4)
Leonardo DiCaprio in the foreword of Born to Ice. 15 A word connecting emissions, pattern of rosette markings on its coat, like a fingerprint, that
Crammed within the pages of this photography book to competition@wwf.org.uk 19 King _ , the world’s longest
venomous snake (5) footprint and offsets (6) helps us identify individuals.
are portraits of the polar regions’ most awe-inspiring Alternatively, post your entry 20 An energy product derived from 17 Where land meets sea (5)
For up to three months, our cameras will capture images of
landscapes and iconic species, described by National to Action Magazine, WWF- plants (7) 18 These unethical shark fin recipes
are decimating shark numbers (5) every animal that passes by. Then we will analyse the thousands
Geographic photographer Nicklen as “the most moving UK, Living Planet Centre, 21 The Himalayas are among the
of photos they capture. The images will help us to understand
habitats of these big cats (4,8) 20 Pollinating insect (3)
images of the millions I have taken over the decades”. Rufford House, Brewery Road, how jaguars, their prey and other wildlife in the forest is coping
They will make you gasp, tremble, laugh and cry – and Woking, Surrey GU21 4LL. Clues down Summer 2019 answers with threats, such as habitat loss and poaching. And to assess how

© VALERIA BORON/WWF-UK
hopefully remind everyone who sees them that these 1 A wind farm located inland, Prize word: SEALS
effective different protected areas are in conservation efforts.
Only one competition per entry Across 1. Fossil fuel 7. Leakage
are lives worth protecting as the ice dwindles. not at sea (7)
8. North 9. Cubs 10. Paths 14. Arctic We plan to set up camera traps in another 35 sites, so there’s
We have two copies of Born to Ice, worth £80 each, to please. Closing date: Friday 2 _ vehicle, engine-driven form 15. Bleach 18. Pitch 19. Hare 21. Flora
15 November 2019. For of transport (5) 22. Dead Sea 23. Antarctica lots of work still to do. We can’t wait to share the results!
give away courtesy of teNeues (teneues.com). To enter,
Valeria
3 They are turned off during Earth Down 1. Flatback 2. Swan 3. Ice cap
follow the instructions on the right and mark your entry terms and conditions, visit: 4. Fin whale 5. Litre 6. Glacial
Hour (6) 11. Titicaca 12. Malaysia 13. Cheetah
‘Born to Ice Competition’. wwf.org.uk/compterms 4 River-mouth formation (5) 16. Acidic 17. Volga 20. Wadi
Dr Valeria Boron, WWF’s jaguar expert

30 | Action Autumn 2019 Action Autumn 2019 | 31

 A LOVED ONE REMEMBERED.
A WORLD PROTECTED.

• ACTION • AUTUMN 2019 • ISSUE #43

Donating or fundraising in memory of someone you loved is a very special and
meaningful way to remember them. From creating a tribute fund, collecting
donations at their funeral or memorial, or taking part in an event in their name
– you can honour their life, while fighting to protect the world they loved.

To find out more, please contact Maria Dyson.

Phone 01483 412459 or email inmemoryteam@wwf.org.uk
wwf.org.uk/giveinmemory

GIVE IN THEIR MEMORY. FIGHT FOR YOUR WORLD.

©BEA BINKA

IN YOUR NEXT ISSUE

FORESTS IN CRISIS + SEAGRASS - PLANTING HOPE
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