Hi again,
Herewith, some snippets from various sources.
I appeal to you to send me items to distribute to our members for the Cleft Stick, the Game Ranger magazine and to be posted on the web site. These are your magazines and website, so ensure it gets the news that you would like to see in it.
Please let me have any changes to your physical address, phone no. or e-mail address to keep the database up to date. Remember this is the address we will send your Game Ranger Magazine to.
Thanks to all of you who have made the effort. Please will any of you who know of members who do not get this “electric” Cleft~Stick, & have access to e-mail, pass their address along to me.
Don Yunnie
7 Chalet Drive, Hilton, 3245, South Africa Local Tel & Fax (033) 343 1534
Int. Tel & Fax (+2733) 343 1534 cell 082 377 7562, E-mail dyunnie@xsinet.co.za
If you do not wish to receive this e-mail newsletter please send a blank e-mail to me at the above address with the word “Unsubscribe” as the message heading.
Please feel free to write to express your views on the content or the subject of any of the articles in this magazine – to the address above.
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Wildlife numbers plummet globally
WWF May 16 2008
London - The world's wildlife populations have reduced by around a quarter since the 1970s, according to a major report published on Friday by the WWF conservation organisation.
Marine species have been particularly hard hit as the human population booms, while numbers of birds and, fish and animals have also gone down, said the WWF in a report.
The study comes ahead of next week's UN convention on biological diversity in the former West German capital Bonn, which will discuss aims to achieve a "significant reduction" in the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.
The WWF, the world's largest independent conservation body, said it was "very unlikely" that the UN would meet its targets, despite the decline appearing to flatten off in recent years.
The WWF's Living Planet Index, which tracks the fortunes of nearly 4 000 populations of 1 477 vertebrate species from 1970 to 2005, showed an overall decline of 27 percent.
Over-fishing and hunting, along with farming, pollution and urban expansion, were blamed.
WWF director general James Leape warned: "Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease and where water is in irregular or short supply.
"No one can escape the impact of biodiversity loss because reduced global diversity translates quite clearly into fewer new medicines, greater vulnerability to natural disasters and greater effects from global warming."
The marine LPI showed a 28-percent decline with a dramatic drop between 1995 and 2005. The overall freshwater LPI fell by 29 percent between 1970 and 2003.
Swordfish numbers plummeted by 28 percent in the decade from 1995, while ocean birds suffered a 30 percent decline since the mid 1990s.
"Biodiversity underpins the health of the planet and has a direct impact on all our lives so it is alarming that despite an increased awareness of environmental issues we continue to see a downward trend," said Colin Butfield, head of campaigns at WWF-UK.
The British-based conservation charity also warned that a failure to halt biodiversity loss would have negative impacts for humans.
In the next 30 years, climate change is expected to become a significant threat to species, said the WWF.
The declines come at a time when humans are consuming ever more natural resources, and are now using 25 percent more than the planet can replace, it said.
The WWF urged governments to take urgent action to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, calling for cross-ministry protection plans.
They should also set up financial incentives to support the establishment and maintenance of protection zones, it said.
"The fact that human activities have caused more rapid changes in biodiversity in the last 50 years than at any other time in human history should concern us all," said Britain's Biodiversity Minister Joan Ruddock.
"Supporting wildlife is critical to all our futures and the UK will continue to give strong support to international action.
"The rate of wildlife loss needs to be slowed both in the UK and internationally.
"International action is needed to tackle the worldwide decline in wildlife, with all countries working together."
Don’t let invasive bio-fuel crops attack your country
warn top scientists Bonn, Germany, May 20, 2008 (IUCN/GISP) – Countries should avoid planting crops for biofuels that stand a high risk of becoming invasive species, according to a report released today.
The Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) has identified all the crops currently being used or considered for biofuel production and ranked them according to the risk they pose of becoming invasive species.
The report, Biofuel Crops and Non Native Species: Mitigating the risks of Invasion calls on countries to carry out risk assessments before they plant biofuel crops. It urges governments to use low-risk species of crops for biofuels and introduce new controls to manage invasive species.
“The dangers that invasive species pose to the world couldn’t be more serious,” says Sarah Simons, Executive Director of GISP. “They are one of the top causes of global species loss, they can threaten livelihoods and human health, and they cost us billions in control and mitigation efforts. We simply cannot afford to stand by and do nothing in the face of this threat.”
It is estimated that the damage from invasive species costs the world more than $1.4 trillion annually – five percent of the global economy. The US alone spends $120 billion annually on the control and impacts of more than 800 invasive species infestations.
The giant reed (Arundo donax), for example, is a proposed biofuel crop from West Asia which is already invasive in parts of North and Central America. Naturally flammable, it increases the likelihood of wildfires – a threat to both humans and native species in places such as California. In South Africa, the giant reed is considered a national problem as it drinks 2,000 liters of water per standing meter of growth, threatening water security for the nation’s growing human population.
Many of the plant species being considered for biofuels have the potential to become invasive if introduced to new areas, the report warns. Few governments have adequate systems in place to assess risks of invasion or contain them once they occur, and developing countries are the most vulnerable.
“Prevention is better than the cure,” says Geoffrey Howard, IUCN’s Global Invasive Species Coordinator. “We need to stop invasions before they occur. The biofuel industry is a relatively new concept so we have a unique opportunity to act early and get ahead of the game – we mustn’t throw that away.”
The African oil palm is another example of the havoc an invasive species can wreak. It is recommended for biodiesel and has already become invasive in parts of Brazil, turning areas of threatened forest from a rich mix of trees and plant life into a homogenous layer of palm leaves.
A meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity currently being held in Bonn, Germany, represents the best opportunity in a decade to take global action against invasive species. GISP is calling on delegates to recognize the dangers invasive species cause and recommend risk assessments before biofuel crops are planted. It also calls on the scientific community to conduct more desperately-needed research into this topic.
For the full report please visit: http://www.gisp.org/
For more information, please contact:
About our partners:
IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges by supporting scientific research; managing field projects all over the world; and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN, international conventions and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.
CABI is a not-for-profit international organization formerly known as the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux which now operates simply as CABI. The GISP secretariat is hosted by CABI Africa, based in Nairobi. CABI has been working in invasive species for nearly 100 years and is currently working on 60 invasive plants. www.cabi.org
South African National Biodiversity Institute was established in 2004 through the signing of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10. The Act expanded the mandate of SANBI's forerunner, the National Botanical Institute to include responsibilities relating to the full diversity of South Africa's fauna and flora, and built on the internationally respected programmes in conservation, research, education and visitor services developed over the past century. www.sanbi.org
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
COME & ENJOY A BIRDING WEEKEND WITH THE GAME RANGERS ASSOCIATION OF AFRICA
Tour 1:- 23rd to 26th October 2008 - R2,100.00 per person sharing
Tour 2:- 20th to 23rd November 2008 – R2,200.00 p p sharing
The Game Rangers Association of Africa is inviting you to join us for a long weekend of exciting birding at Ndumo Game Reserve.
This is a world-renowned birding destination on the South African and Mozambique border. The reserve is 10 117 ha. in extent and boasts over 400 species of birds as well as abundant wildlife.
The visit to Ndumo will give you an opportunity to see some of the specials in the Northern Zululand area, such as the African Broadbill, Pels Fishing Owl, Black Coucal and African Finfoot.
Your Tour Leader will be George Zaloumis or Drummond Densham, both of whom have worked as rangers at Ndumo Game Reserve.
The weekend is planned to afford excellent opportunities for you to bird watch on the walks along the Phongola River and other pans as well as a vehicle tour to the Nyamithi pan. There will also be opportunities to visit the bird hides and to travel around the reserve with the Guides.
Facilities
Accommodation has been block booked. There are 7 x two-bedded air conditioned huts and, for those wishing to camp, 2 camp-sites with plug points, (you must be fully self-contained). The communal ablutions are close to the huts and campsites.
There is a swimming pool for visitors to cool off in after a successful day of birding and adventure, and a kitchen with walk-in cooler and freezer rooms.
Bookings should be made thru’:-
Muriel Yunnie yunnied@telkomsa.net
Tel. & Fax 033-3431534 (Monday – Saturday 14:00 – 18:00)
For Additional Information please contact :-
George Zaloumis gaz@futurenet.co.za
tel. & fax 033-3307097 082-4305290
OR Drummond Densham densham@sai.co.za
Tel. 033-330 4039 (Evenings only) 083-321 7959
Fax. 033-260-6118
COSTS
The long-weekend from Thursday after-noon to Sunday 10:00 AM will cost
Tour 1 - R2,100.00
Tour 2 - R2,200.00 Per person sharing in the hutted accommodation, (single supplement R800.00 pp) and
R1,750.00 /per person if camping.
The cost will include accommodation/camp-site, three evening meals, three brunches, tea and coffee as well as the vehicle tour and guided walks. Please note – should there be large increases in the price of fuel, and therefore, food, it may be necessary to increase the tariff slightly to cover these cost increases.
A DEPOSIT of R1,000.00 per person is required with-in 14 days of your reservation to confirm your booking.
A cancellation fee of R800.00 pp will be levied for any cancellation after 1st September 2008 for Tour 1 & 1st October 2008 for Tour 2.
Closing Date : - Full amount due by
1st September 2008 – Tour 1
1st October 2008 -- Tour 2
Payment: - by Bank deposit or direct transfer to:-
Game Rangers Association of Africa, First National Bank,
Howick branch, Branch Code 220725, Current Account No.62103195956.
Please record your Name plus "Ndumo" in the reference section of the deposit slip or direct deposit. Please email or fax proof of your deposit to the email or fax number given above.
Important
The price does not include drinks or Ndumo staff gratuities.
Ndumo is in a Malaria area, and all visitors are advised to consult their doctors.
Additional information will be sent out once you have booked.
Help Requested
You will all remember the appeal from Prof. Peter Munday in C~S 09 08, for the young Zimbabwean lady helicopter pilot who was trying to complete her licence. She needs to borrow the funds, and has promised to repay the lenders.
Hereunder a challenge from Dr. I. Player.
-----Original Message-----
From: icplayer [mailto:icplayer@eastcoast.co.za]
Sent: 16 May 2008 09:26 AM
To: Don Yunnie
Subject: Appeal Peter Munday
My Dear Don,
I read the Cleft Stick article about the lady in Zimbabwe and the appeal from Peter Mundy. I am prepared to put up R1000 and hopefully others will come forward too.
Yours sincerely
Ian Player
Wilderness Foundation
P O Box 53260
Yellowwood Park
4011
Phone +27 (0)31 4622808
Fax +27 (0)31 4624656
Tailpiece
Trays up - the gay flight attendant!
My flight was being served by an obviously gay flight attendant, who seemed to put everyone in a good mood as he served us food and drinks.
As the plane prepared to descend, he came swishing down the aisle and told us that 'Captain Marvey has asked me to announce that he'll be landing the big scary plane shortly, so lovely people, if you could just put your trays up, that would be super..'
On his trip back up the aisle, he noticed this well dressed and rather Arabic looking woman hadn't moved a muscle.
'Perhaps you didn't hear me over those big brute engines but I asked you to raise your trazy-poo, so the main man can pitty-pat us on the ground.'
She calmly turned her head and said, 'in my country, I am called a princess and I take orders from no one.'
To which (I swear) the flight attendant replied, without missing a beat, 'well, sweet-cheeks, in my country I'm called a queen, so I outrank you. Tray-up, bitch.'