Queensland farmers have welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement it will commit $200 million to continue the Reef Rescue program for another five years.

Since it began in 2008, the program has proved successful at reducing soil and chemical runoff into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says farmers are finding news ways of working to improve the environment and their productivity.

“Already, what we’ve been able to achieve under this program is the equivalent of a million wheelbarrows of stuff, of pollutants, not ending up in the Great Barrier Reef. That’s a great result all round; great for the reef, great for agricultural productivity.”

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UN-backed partnership helps Kenyans protect forests, improve livelihoods

A United Nations-backed project in Kenya is protecting forests and wildlife, as well as providing alternative livelihoods, and offers valuable lessons on how governments and the private sector can successfully work together for the betterment of communities and the environment.

The project is run through the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), which seeks to create financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions and invest in low-carbon technologies to sustainable development.

The Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project is protecting 200,000 hectares – 500,000 acres – of dryland forest in south-eastern Kenya in a vital wildlife and biodiversity corridor between two national parks, Tsavo East and Tsavo West.

Nearly 150,000 rural Kenyans are benefitting from the distribution of revenues from the sale of the carbon offsets in the project, which is carried out with private sector partner Wildlife Works.

“The fundamental purpose of Wildlife Works is to take the pressure off natural resources, particularly forest-based resources, by creating an environment of alternative livelihoods,” said Bryan Adkins of the Kasigau REDD+ Project.

“It’s a social enterprise, which means that it puts the value of community input and community involvement at the forefront of its mission,” he added.

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Marathon runners to experience unique race in Chilean Patagonia as Event organizers hope to promote preservation and reforestation.

Athletes from all around the world will compete in a unique race in Chilean Patagonia in an effort to promote preservation of some of the world’s most beautiful natural sites there. The race, organized by the Nomadas International Group (NIGSA) who hope to promote their cause of preservation and conservation in the region, will take place in the Torres del Paine National Park on Sep. 23.

“Reforestemos Patagonia and the Patagonian International Marathon have a common vision, which is the interest in encouraging the protection of this important zone, severely affected by the forest fires of 2011 that consumed 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of Torres del Paine National Park,” said Javier Fuentes, Executive Director of Reforestemos Patagonia.“With the Patagonian International Marathon we hope to continue the course already drawn by the Patagonian Expedition Race, that is, bringing attention to the beautiful landscape and biodiversity of Patagonia, its tourist attractions and in doing so support the sustainable development of this region,” said Ann Christine Meidinger, Global Marketing Director of NIGSA. “But this time, we want to involve many more people.”

Organizers hope to promote the marathon alongside the Reforestemos Patagonia initiative, a  non-profit campaign that aims to promote eco-tourism in the region to replant trees after huge  forest fires devastated the area in January.

Over 250 athletes have already registered for the race, and registration will remain open until Sep. 7. Alongside the marathon, runners will be able to compete in a half-marathon or 10 km race in Chile’s most visited and iconic national park. Registration currently costs between US$100 and US$122 depending on the distance and anyone who wants to can register on the event website.

Russia creates massive park for rare cats

Russia has created a massive national park to protect some of the world’s rarest big cats, the critically endangered Amur tigers and leopards, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Dubbed the “Land of the Leopard” National Park, the reserve covers 1,011 square miles (262,000 hectares) of key habitat for leopards and tigers. The park was created by merging three existing protected areas — Barsovy Federal Wildlife Refuge, and Borisovkoe Plateau Regional Wildlife Refuge — and adding new areas along the Chinese border.

“This is tremendous news for big cat conservation,” said Peter Zahler, WCS Deputy Director for Asia, in a statment. “The creation of this park greatly increases the amount of land protecting critical populations of two of the world’s big cats, and it will go a long way to securing their future. We look forward to continuing to provide whatever support is requested to help conserve tigers and leopards in the region.”

“The new park is great news for Far Eastern leopards and Amur tigers,” added WCS Russia Program Director Dale Miquelle. “We commend the Russian government for their foresight in creating this new protected area, and we are optimistic that it will provide a critical refuge for some of the most endangered big cats on the planet.”

The Amur or Siberian tiger is threatened by habitat loss, hunting as vermin, and poaching for the traditional Chinese medicine market. But the Amur leopard — also known as the Far Eastern leopard — is much worse off. Its population is thought to number less than 40 in the wild.

mothernaturenetwork:

25 most endangered turtles to get helping hand from conservation group

The Wildlife Conservation Society plans to breed and reintroduce some species of turtles and tortoises into the wild.

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PICTURED ABOVE: This inhospitable-looking landscape is home to some critically endangered species. The Niger government, this month, formally decreed this whole area - the Termit Massif and Tin Toumma desert - to be a national nature and cultural reserve. At almost 100,000 square kilometres it is the largest single protected area in Africa.

Niger creates Africa’s largest protected reserve

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Chai Nat province in the central region of Thailand will organize a Straw Bird Festival to promote local tourism and preserve local culture.

The 10-day event will take place from 3-12 February 2012 at the stadium in front of the Chai Nat Town Hall. One of the highlights will be spectacular processions of gigantic birds fashioned out of rice straw.

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PICTURED ABOVE: Michael Mansoor (right), Chairman, CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank and Duane Silverstein, Executive Director, Seacology signing MOU while Debra P. King, Director Corporate Communications, CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank looks on.

Three Caribbean islands will get a new year’s gift from CIBC FirstCaribbean in the form of support for endangered environmental projects in their different island communities.

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PICTURED ABOVE: On the left: a seamount that has not been fished, on the right: trawl marks in a seamount ‘graveyard’

Seamounts and coral: a conservation diary from the deep

A team of scientists has set out on a six-week mission, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, to explore the Indian Ocean’s underwater mountains, or seamounts.

The scientists aboard the research vessel, the RRS James Cook, will study life thousands of metres below the surface.

In the fourth of her BBC Nature diary entries, Aurelie Spadone from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, who is part of the team, witnesses the exploitation of the seamounts she is exploring.

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