Well there goes 2021. I think it’s safe to say we all thought this year would go very, very differently. But as the global headlines begin to sound more and more like the world’s most depressing record stuck on loop, the conservation world has been full of some wonderful reasons to hope.
Here’s the rundown of our favourites:
Melvin saves a species:
Melvin Smith is a hero - literally - and this year he received the award to prove it. Nicknamed “the Caribbean’s best botanist” he’s championed the last-ditch rescue of the pencil cedar tree. There were just 100 left and a single wildfire could have wiped them out completely.
Melvin wouldn’t let that happen. Using his extraordinary climbing skills, he’s climbed the Petit Piton mountain time after time to collect seeds from wild pencil cedars. He’s used these to rear 300 new trees - triple the original population. That achievement, quite rightly, earned him a 2021 Disney Conservation Hero award.
17,000 hectares secured for conservation
Driven by extreme poverty, the wildlife haven of Bangangai in South Sudan has been under immense pressure from poaching, hunting and slash-and-burn - causing untold damage to the region’s pangolins, golden cats and bongos.
So, it was a huge milestone when the area was regazetted as an official protected area, and FFI succeeded in creating an area that also works for local communities - supporting people’s livelihoods while safeguarding the wildlife they live by. The benefits of this move will be felt for generations.
World’s rarest rabbit spotted on Facebook
Meanwhile, in Sumatra, an extraordinary species was sighted: the Sumatran striped rabbit. A photo of this little-known animal, widely considered to be the world’s rarest rabbit, was posted on Facebook, where it was recognised by some keen-eyed conservationists.
Upon receiving a tip-off about the Facebook post, FFI and the Kerinci Seblat National Park authorities were able to track down the holder - a local farmer who had captured the rabbit opportunistically on the edge of the national park - and rescue the precious rabbit. The elusive creature was then safely looked after until it was ready for release.
The rabbit has now been successfully released back into a specially chosen site in the wild - a great team effort all round!
Half a million reasons to celebrate for saiga
Turn back time and the Eurasian steppe - stretching from Hungary to China - would be carpeted with uncountable numbers of saiga antelope. But after industrial levels of poaching, habitat obliteration and devastating disease outbreaks, they’re now largely confined to a single country - Kazakhstan.
Those fortunes are starting to change. Since just 2019 we’ve recorded half a million more of these other-worldly antelope in Kazakhstan, showing real signs of progress towards a stable future.
Elephants get good news in Guinea
Even by FFI’s standards, Guinea’s forests elephants are rare. Fewer than a staggeringly low 20 were believed to survive in the country, where FFI has been protecting them since 2009.
So, when a previously undocumented family of eight - including three calves - showed up this year there was genuine excitement that a species on the very brink of local extinction might be showing the first, tentative signs of recovery.
COP26 and the Glasgow Climate Pact
Of course, we can’t forget COP26, arguably one of the most important moments for nature this year. Nature was a key part of many of the discussions for the first time, and those in power seemed to more clearly understand the links between central issues like climate change and loss of biodiversity, something which could prove key in the future for tackling these problems.
However, the overall commitments in the Glasgow Climate Pact still remain far short of what is needed to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. Going forward, we need clear accountability for governments and well-defined monitoring processes. Crucially, we must make sure that these pledges turn into actions.
And on it goes…
As the year draws to a close, we are already looking forward to all the hard work that will be happening in 2022. We must keep up the momentum, whatever the next 12 months may bring - the crucial conservation work carried out by FFI will surely only prove more important as each day passes.
And - as always - we really couldn’t do what we do without your help, so thank you for being with us along the way. We are confident that with your support we can make a real difference to the future of this planet.
Nature isn’t giving up, and neither are we.
Our members are the bedrock of everything we do, and that's been the case since 1903. Please, join FFI today for $60 a year, and help us protect everything from tigers to turtles to trees.
P.S. If you are already a member, thank you. Truly. You are the wind in our sails and the hope in our hearts. Your support throughout this last year has been utterly indispensable, and countless plants and animals are alive because of you.
Photo credit: LMspencer - Adobe Stock Images
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