Ways to Save The Planet Earth

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Save The Planet One Bit at a Time Ecuador Save a Hectare Save Tasmania Forests ACT NOW Sign the agrofuels moratorium!	Sir David Attenborough's Patron's Messages These are messages from Sir David Attenborough CH FRS, World Land Trust Patron, as published in the Trust's Annual Review & Accounts. Please join Sir David in supporting the World Land Trust: Make a donation today. When John Burton contacted me in 1989 to ask whether I would support a brand new rainforest initiative in Belize I was pleased to give it my backing.  Sir David Attenborough with an image of a new tree species that will be named in honour of Sir David. (Photo taken at the launch of the WLT webcam project, January 2008.) “My links with the WLT go back very many years before it was established in 1989 - indeed, as far back as 1976 while I was working on Life on Earth. Those who watched the programme will recall that, while filming in Rwanda, we were alerted to the plight of the Mountain Gorillas. With John Burton, WLT’s Chief Executive, who was, at that time, working for the Fauna Preservation Society (now Fauna and Flora International) we were able to launch the Mountain Gorilla Project which, over the subsequent years has successfully halted the demise of these wonderful animals." "When John Burton contacted me in 1989 to ask whether I would support a brand new rainforest initiative in Belize I was pleased to give it my backing. Since then I have watched as the WLT has gone on to purchase and protect critically endangered tracts of land to protect it acre by acre for the future." The fate of the creatures which share our planet lies entirely at the hand of mankind - it is within our power to protect them or watch them become extinct. Let us choose the first route. "I have been immensely lucky in that my professional work has taken me to all corners of the world where I have been able to see first hand some of the rarest and most spectacular wildlife on earth. But the fate of the creatures which share our planet lies entirely at the hand of mankind - it is within our power to protect them or watch them become extinct. Let us choose the first route." (Extract from Patron’s Message, Annual Review and Accounts 2003, available from the WLT online or in hard copy.) As a Patron of the WLT I take heart in the approaches used by the Trust . "In human nature there is good and evil, and often it is within man’s capacity to destroy the very things we value most. For millions of years we have been exploiting our planet and its natural resources but it is only with modern technology that we have tipped the scales to an alarming degree. We are at risk of destroying the very bedrock on which our existence was built. As a Patron of the WLT I take heart in the approaches used by the Trust and particularly welcome work carried out by the WLT team in 2004 to address the global warming issue. WLT’s new Carbon-balancing programme really does give us a way of helping put back what we are taking away. I would urge everyone to think deeply about what is important in life and to consider the consequences of daily activities. Balancing your carbon emissions with the WLT means that we can be even more effective in our key objective: acquiring land for conservation. Please join with the World Land Trust to do what we can to save what is precious to us." Please join with the World Land Trust to do what we can to save what is precious to us. (Patron’s Message, Annual Review and Accounts 2004, available from the WLT online or in hard copy.) "When I was making ‘Life in the Undergrowth’ I was frequently asked why I make programmes about tiny creatures, sometimes no bigger than a full stop, or insects disguised as a flower. The simple answer is that I am fascinated by them because they are amazing, and part of the pleasure of living is finding out about these creatures. Despite man’s sophistication we are unable to recreate anything quite so wonderful." Sadly hundreds of thousands of small, and not so small, animals are being lost by the minute as tropical forests continue to fall to the chain saw. "Sadly hundreds of thousands of small, and not so small, animals are being lost by the minute as tropical forests continue to fall to the chain saw. In the majority of cases we are guaranteeing that these animals are doomed to extinction before we even know about them. And yet we do know that more than half the world’s estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects live in tropical forests." Sir David Attenborough meets WLT's Diploma Students. (Photo taken at the WLT's Trustee Meeting, December 2007.) "I have been enormously inspired by the progress of World Land Trust and its remarkable achievements in halting at least some of the destruction to tropical forests. 2005 was one of the Trust’s most important years and critical areas of land protecting a huge biodiversity of wildlife have been purchased and are being managed by our local partners." World Land Trust gives absolutely everyone an opportunity to get involved and take personal responsibility in a really positive way. "World Land Trust gives absolutely everyone an opportunity to get involved and take personal responsibility in a really positive way. Each year the Trust sets its fundraising targets higher and in its seventeen years has managed to exceed its most ambitious targets. 2006 will see even greater efforts and I urge you to join with us to save even more critically threatened habitats, for the future of their wildlife great and small, and for the future of mankind. Thank you." (Patron’s Message, Annual Review and Accounts 2005, available from the WLT online or in hard copy.) "Sometimes I am asked ‘What is the point of saving habitats and the world’s threatened wildlife if the world’s climate is going to dictate lost habitats in the future’. And, quite honestly, I’m not sure of the answer." I support the notion that tropical forests and other critically threatened habitats and their wildlife must be saved at all cost. "When making Planet Earth cameramen became very emotional as they saw polar bears slipping and sliding on melting ice, and the harsh reality is there to be seen. But I believe none of us would continue with life if we didn’t have an optimism for the future." "As Patron of the World Land Trust of course I support the notion that tropical forests and other critically threatened habitats and their wildlife must be saved at all cost. During 2006 WLT was able to raise record funding to support direct conservation in many different countries, and it is hugely encouraging to hear, as I do at regular intervals, from John Burton, about new land that has been saved." Let us all rise to the challenge: reduce our impact on the environment and vest any extra cash we have in saving what is left of the world’s wild spaces. "While, on one hand we need to take responsibility for our daily life: or to use the catch phrase of 2006, our Carbon Footprint, we also have the ability to save wildlife. Let us all rise to the challenge in 2007: reduce our impact on the environment and vest any extra cash we have in saving what is left of the world’s wild spaces. World Land Trust is doing an excellent job and I thoroughly recommend their work." Sir David Attenborough, CH FRS (Patron’s Message, Annual Review and Accounts 2006, available from the WLT online or in hard copy.) Help us save wildlife habitats: Support the World Land Trust Please join Sir David in supporting the World Land Trust: Make a donation today. More information about Sir David Attenborough David Attenborough: A Tribute to the Patron of the WLT on his 80th Birthday » How can I contact Sir David Attenborough? Other Messages of Support David Attenborough writes about WLT's work in The Guardian newspaper » Messages from other WLT supporters »

Losing the Rainforest September 8, 2008 Reporting by Roddy Scheer Rising demand for soy and cattle led to the illegal clearing of 3,000 square miles of forest in Brazil in the past year. © www.destination360.com For the first time in three years, deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon basin increased, jumping 69% from the prior year alone. Analysts blame rising demand for soy and cattle, which pushed farmers and ranchers to illegally clear some 3,000 square miles of forest between August 2007 and August 2008. According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, which conducts the annual survey, deforestation has claimed one-fifth of the 1.6 million square miles that make up the country’s Amazon basin. The agency hopes that its survey will help the Brazilian government better control illegal deforestation by alerting it about heretofore unknown tree cutting hotspots. “We’re not content,” Brazil’s Environment Minister Carlos Minc told reporters. “Deforestation has to fall more and the conditions for sustainable development have to improve.” Source: MSNBC

Medicine and the Rainforest The rainforest supports millions of plant, animal, and insect species - a virtual library of chemical invention. In these archives, drugs like quinine, muscle relaxants, steroids and cancer drugs are found. More importantly, are the new drugs still awaiting discovery - drugs for AIDS, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer's, just to mention a few. Experts estimate that we are losing 137 plant, animal, and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, hundreds of prescription drugs currently sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. And while 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less than 1% of the tropical trees and plants in the rainforests have actually been tested by scientists. The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified over 3000 plants that are active against cancer cells. 70% of these plants are found in the rainforest. Twenty-five percent of the active ingredients in today's cancer-fighting drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest. Two drugs obtained from a rainforest plant known as the Madagascar periwinkle, now extinct in the wild due to deforestation of the Madagascar rainforest, has increased the chances of survival for children with leukemia from 20 percent to 80 percent. Think about it -- 8 out of 10 children are now saved rather than 8 of 10 children dying from leukemia! In 1983, there were no U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers involved in research programs to discover new drugs or cures from plants. Today, over 100 pharmaceutical companies and several branches of the US government, including the National Cancer Institute, are engaged in plant research projects for possible drugs and cures for viruses, infections, cancer and even AIDS. Examples of pharmaceuticals that are derived from plants within the rainforest: Curare (muscle relaxant) Diosgenin (birth control pills, hormones, steroids, asthma and arthritis treatment) Quinine (malaria and pneumonia treatment) Reserpine (sedative, tranquilizer) Strophantus (heart disease treatment) Strychnine (emetic, stimulant)   Medicine and the Rainforest Further Resources Websites: Welcome to the Rainforest: http://rain-tree.com Medicinal Treasures of the Rainforest: http://www.ran.org/info_center/factsheets/05f.html Natural Products Branch of the National Cancer Institute: http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/pdfdraft/7_therap/fs7_33.pdf Rainforest Alliance: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/resources/daily-use.html

Here is some words from a Forum I use to Visit. Author: August - Time is of the essence, now, isn’t it? A partially man-made ecological catastrophe on a global scale is a very time-consuming affair. But it is an on-going process that is certainly not going to be avoided unless we start doing something about our dependence on oil, gas, and coal. And begin to really push the “family of humanity” forwards toward a future of renewable energy supply. And begin to take care of tropical rainforests and stop the on-going rainforest eradication project (which is taking place mostly as a result of a never-ending quest for short term profit) from happening. And that’s just on of the many things that should be on the do-and-not-to-do-list. Not to mention the population explosion (a two-child-per-woman taboo situation, that is). And not to make an ever-growing list of other serious environmental concerns; most of which have most certainly been covered by the users of this discussion board throughout the forum’s years of existence. Not to worry though. Ehhhmm. As it is going to take such a helluva lot of time, I mean. Not to worry, of course, but cheer up. As life goes on, and all. - I’m constantly returning to some of the most basic principles that I outlined in a series of essays in 2004. 1. - All humans need to come to terms with the fact that the consumption of fossil fuels is simply not good for us. If this were to happen, my easiest bet is that technological advancements in the fields of solar, wind, tidal, and other renewable sources of energy would gain speed, and frankly do so at a tremendous rate. I’m also thinking that political, economic, and societal preparatory actions in the direction of renewable energy source installation would gain speed. 2. - All humans need to come to understand that the population explosion, which is a real problem, is a matematically proven phenomenon which has everything to do with the practice of giving birth to three or more children per woman. Now, such a realization is a mighty big problem, of course. It is a problem which go straight into people’s bedrooms, and soon finds itself in trouble with age old extended family traditions, cultural, social, moral, spiritual, and religious beliefs. 3. - Rainforest protection. It’s been said, often enough, that the tropical rainforests are the lungs of the planet, producing oxygen that the whole and unbounded ecosystem which is the earth depends on. Good reasons for us to stop chopping these ancient forests down! 4. - Maintain an unrelenting focus on agriculture and aquaculture. Why? For the simple reason that people need to eat. 5. - Demand that a global political landscape based on peace and mutual understanding of the problems at hand be put in place. It is probably the most important preparatory measure imaginable! Why? Well, put frankly and naïvely, like a child would do, it is perfectly true to say none of our common problems regarding the general state of our environments can ever be solved by means of conflict and war. What is urgently needed is the inception of an international political climate based on co-operation, and not of fierce and adrenalin-driven competition that can only lead to new conflicts of an ever-expanding scale. I am hopeful that this can be achieved. But I can only guess that it is going to require the efforts a lot of females and youth. In terms of international politics, economics, and societal leadership, as for now, that is, what is known to us is a man’s world. - To make things worse: it is an old man’s world. - I think it’s just about time these old men of the established political class put their all-so-unfashionable hats on their heads, took their wooden sticks with them, and walked home. Do not hesitate to COMMENT this forum thread

Paraguay Government and World Land Trust Announce Management Partnership /press_releases/2537 Suffolk, UK  The Environment Minister of Paraguay, Arq. Carlos A. Lopez Dose, has announced a dramatically innovative initiative to form a shared-management partnership with British conservation charity the World Land Trust. This remarkable management handover will protect 2,500,000 acres of endangered forests mostly in the northern Chaco of Paraguay and is testament to the World Land Trust's ability to expertly manage projects overseas with tact and diplomacy. In 2005 the World Land Trust formed a partnership with Guyra Paraguay, one of Paraguay's foremost conservation NGOs and immediately embarked on a programme of land purchase to create a network of private nature reserves. Most of the land outside of Paraguay's National parks is privately owned, and the remaining forests are seriously threatened by the rapid expansion of agriculture, which in recent years has been driven by the demand for soya and biofuels. The World Land Trust's partnership with Guyra Paraguay has proved incredibly successful and to date and WLT has provided US$725,000 for land purchase in Paraguay. This has resulted in Guyra Paraguay now owning and protecting reserves in the Atlantic Rainforests and grasslands of southern Paraguay, 70,000 acres of wetlands in the north east and over 10,000 acres of dry Chaco. It is a direct result of these activities that the Government of Paraguay has recognized the importance of wildlife heritage and has approached Guyra Paraguay and the World Land Trust to sign a shared management agreement to protect what is believed to be one of the largest protected areas to be managed by NGOs anywhere in the world. The World Land Trust's principal role is raising the funds for land purchase to enable the purchase of key tracts of land to strategically compliment the 2,500,000 acres and to raise additional funds for its protection. Although the dry Chaco is a relatively hostile environment it is home to rare wildlife and is also inhabited by groups of indigenous Amerindians, some of which have remained in isolation, so remote is the area. Another objective of the shared management project is to protect the lands that these groups rely on from unwanted intrusion. According to the World Land Trust's CEO, John Burton, "This is certainly the biggest challenge that the WLT has faced in its 20 year history, and I believe that it is vital that we rise to the challenge, to do as much as we can for the future of the world's wild places. We MUST save this wonderful habitat, and we must work with the people who live there."