The annual Red List is the most comprehensive guide to the world’s endangered species. It is compiled on the back of the work of thousands of scientists, and it documents 47,677 different species at risk, providing information on those most endangered and those that have become extinct.

It is a shocking reminder of just how much impact human activities are having on the biodiversity of the world, and should be a wake-up call for us all.

Amphibians Fare the Worst

Of all the groups of animals, it is the amphibians that seem to be facing the biggest threat. Out of 6,285 amphibians on the list, 1,895 of these are in serious danger. The list also documents 5,490 mammal species, 79 of which are extinct in the wild, 188 of which are critically endangered and 449 of which are endangered.

Reptiles are also under increasing threat. There are 293 new reptiles on the list since last year, and 1,677 of the total number are threatened, with 469 facing extinction and 22 thought to be extinct.

A Third of Species at Threat

The list reveals that over a third of all the species on the list are now threatened with extinction. Of the 47,677 at risk, 17,291 of these are thought to be threatened. This includes 21% of mammals, 30% of amphibians, 70% of plants and 35% of invertebrates. It’s clear from these startling figures that if more is not done then we could well see a mass extinction within the next few decades.

Kihansi Spray Toad

Kihansi Spray Toad

One species to get special attention in the report was the Kihansi Spray Toad. This tiny toad is now thought to be extinct in the wild, even though it was only discovered in 1996. It is only found at the Kihansi waterfall in Tanzania, and as recently as June 2003 there were about 21,000 of them. Now, following the construction of a dam and the effects of a deadly fungus, they are thought to be extinct in the wild.

Plants Also Faring Badly

Although it is the animals on the list that may provoke the biggest reaction, there are now 12,151 plants included. These include the Queen of the Andes that is found in Peru and Bolivia. This nine-foot giant only seeds once every 80 years and then dies. It is now under increasing threat from climate change and the increase in cattle numbers.

More Needs to be Done

Conservationists are saying that not enough is being done to protect the biodiversity of the planet. It is clear that we are running out of time and that harmful human practices are leading to the extinction of thousands of species.

Mark Wright, the conservation science advisor at WWF-UK, said that “the continued and unprecedented loss of species must not be accepted as just a sad reality we can do nothing about. Biodiversity loss is an alarming indicator of the general health of our planet and of the well-being of our own species. We must act to halt this decline.”

International Union for Conservation of Nature

The Red List is available on the IUCN website.

Elephant Conservation

The African elephant is one of the most majestic animals on earth. Graceful, beautiful and unique, a world without them is almost too awful to imagine. But that is the stark possibility that was presented this week by experts in animal conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), who said that the African elephant could be extinct in the wild in as little as 15 years.

Dwindling Population

The population of African elephants today stands at about 600,000. This may seem like a fairly healthy number, but it is going down rapidly. Experts suggest that the population is now going down by as many as 38,000 each year, or 100 each day. And at this rate they only have a certain amount of time left.

The Ivory Trade

These figures have been worked out based on seizures of illegal tusks that have been found on their way to eastern markets. This is a trade that is growing rapidly after being brought relatively under control in recent years. In 2006 alone, 11 tonnes of ivory was seized on ships heading for the far east. The trade has grown so large that the amount of elephants being killed now outweigh the number being born.

Elephants are just one of the animals under threat from illegal poaching. The illegal trade in wildlife is currently valued at a staggering $12.5 billion.

Troubled History

The problem with the poaching of elephants is that the ban on ivory trading has been undermined over the years. 20 years ago, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) introduced new measures that effectively made the ivory trade illegal. Enormous protection was given to elephants to prevent the vast drops in numbers that had been witnessed throughout the 1980s. During the space of ten years, the numbers went down from 1.2 million to 450,000.

Despite initial success, loopholes and new efforts by the pro-ivory industry have seen the trade rise again. One of the major problems is that sales of ivory from elephants that have died from natural causes are occasionally permitted. However, this only serves to fuel demand. On top of that, the recent economic crisis has made things even worse as anti-poaching efforts are scaled back.

The problem can be witnessed starkly in Zakouma National Park in Chad. As recently as 2005, there were 3,885 elephants here. This year that number has gone down to just 617.

New Regulation Needed

Now IFAW is calling for immediate action to combat the potential extinction of this incredible animal. It is calling on all members of CITES and the EU to stop its support for the ivory trade completely.

Kenya has proposed to extend the ‘resting period’ for ivory sales from nine to 20 years, and IFAW is asking for support for this initiative at the next CITES meeting in March 2010.

Support the IFAW

If you want to help the IFAW in its bid to save the elephant from imminent extinction, you can support it through its website. Not only will you be helping the plight of the elephants, but the fund also supports animal welfare initiatives across the globe, running projects in over 40 countries.

Richard Leakey

Richard Leakey is one of the most well-known and controversial conservationists alive today. As well as being a respected conservationist, he is also a palaeo-anthropologist and a politician, living and working in his home country of Kenya. His conservation programmes have been hugely beneficial for animals right across Africa, and he continues to support Africa’s wildlife through new initiatives up to the present day.

Early Years

Richard Leakey is the son of famous archaeologist Louis Leakey. He was born on December 19^th 1944 in Nairobi, Kenya, and grew up during the Mau Mau Rebellion. He did not perform well at school, and as soon as he left at 16 he became an entrepreneur, setting up a trapping business. This later grew into a safari business, and his early love of animals would later prove significant when he moved into conservation.

Fossil Hunter

Leakey had been involved in palaeo-anthropology since birth, mainly as a result of his parents, and this became an important activity for him. As part of his safari business he carried out tours to Olduvai by plane, and it was from his plane that he noticed that Lake Natron could be a prime spot for fossil hunting.

He started to go on fossil-hunting expeditions, including excavations to Omo River in Ethiopia and organising his own expeditions to Allia Bay on Lake Turkana. During this period of 1967 and 1968, he also formed the Kenya Museum Associates and got promoted to the administrative director of the museum.

In 1984 he made perhaps his most important archaeological find in the Turkana Boy. This was a 1.6-million-year-old Homo Erectus boy skeleton, and is one of the most significant finds of recent times.

Richard Leakey

Conservation

His other great passion was conservation, and in 1989 he was made the head of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Department. Poaching of elephants had become a huge problem in Kenya, and the international outcry led President Daniel Arap Moi to appoint Leakey to the role.

It was here that he won a major publicity coup when he organised the burning of 12 tonnes of ivory in Nairobi National Park, sending a clear message to illegal poachers that they would not be tolerated.

A year later the Wildlife Conservation and Management Department was replaced by the Kenya Wildlife Service, of which Leakey became chairman. He took a proactive approach to poaching by setting up special armed units to form a successful deterrent. This had a significant impact on the level of poaching, leading the World Bank to approve loans of $140 million for further work.

Controversy

Despite his conservation achievements, Leakey has never been far from controversy. He has always maintained that the national parks should not be a place where people should watch animals, and that instead the animals should be left alone free from human interference. This did not endear him to many, and he has been known to get on the wrong side of politicians.

In 1993 he was involved in a plane crash where he lost both his legs. There were claims of sabotage due to his unpopularity in some quarters, but nothing has ever been proved.

Wildlife Direct

Leakey established WildlifeDirect in 2004 to overcome the inadequate funding that he believes is at the heart of conservation problems in developing countries. It encourages people to support field conservation projects around the world through making online donations.

Wildlife Direct

Africa Water Problems

The Water Project

The Water Project is one of the largest charities working exclusively to provide clean, safe drinking water to people across the developing world. According to the charity, about 80% of illnesses in the developing world are linked to water and sanitation, and one in every four deaths in children under the age of five are due to a water-based disease.

As well as raising money for projects across the developing world, it also runs a campaign to get people to stop drinking bottled water. It says that this is a luxury and not a necessity, and it encourages drinking from the tap at all times.

The charity runs a number of projects to help those most in need, including:

Weirs (Sand Dams) – these are built to store the tropical rains that fall in Sub-Saharan Africa. They create reservoirs without affecting downstream areas, and the water can then be used for agriculture and drinking. As the water seeps into the ground, it also helps to replenish supplies which are good for crops.

Rain Catchment – these very simple tanks can hold more than 100,000 litres of rainwater. The problem in Africa is that when it rains most of the water is lost. Storing the water is essential to reusing it over longer periods of time.

Sand Filters – these can be built using local materials, so as well as providing clean water they also provide local jobs. A simple sand filter removes up to 90% of bacteria and 100% of parasites in the water, making it a cheap and highly effective way of preventing disease.

Water in the News

You don’t have to look far to see how communities and populations are being devastated by issues relating to water. Take Kenya, for example. Kenya is particularly affected by a lack of water due to the lack of water resources, and the fact that the water basins don’t reach large proportions of the population. Water pathogens, parasitic worms and cholera are all serious issues for the population.

This year the rainy season has failed yet again, and the country is seeing the worst drought in ten years. People are losing their livestock because don’t have any water. Oxfam has recently warned that up to 23 million people could face famine across East Africa due to the drought that has been inflicted by climate change. There are also reports that elephants, crocodiles, lions and zebra are suffering and dying due to a lack of water.

To make matters worse in Kenya, social tensions are increasing due to lack of water in certain regions. In the Mau Forest, a large number of foreign settlers have arrived in recent years, and the destruction to the habitat is having a terrible impact on a large proportion of the country. There are fears that this could escalate into conflicts between groups, further exacerbating the problem.

Help

Donating to a water charity is one of the best things that you can do to help those affected by a lack of water and water-bourn diseases. The Water Project, Charity:Water and Water Aid are just a few of the charities that you can donate to, so visit their websites and find out more about how you can support them.

Carbon Offsetting

The biggest moral dilemma with going on holiday used to just involve ensuring that you went with a company promoting responsible tourism. But now a new problem has arisen as climate change has become a greater issue. Many of us fly to exotic places all around the world each year, but each time we do so we are responsible for the release of carbon emissions into the environment.

All of us can reduce our carbon emissions in very simple ways, such as turning off the lights when not using them. But as there is not a lot we can do personally to reduce our CO2 emissions when flying on a plane, we have to instead take responsibility for those emissions by cancelling them out.

Responsible travel now involves carbon emission reduction. But how do you go about reducing your carbon emissions when you are sitting on a plane? The answer lies in carbon offsetting.

Reducing your Impact

The basis behind carbon offsetting is that as you release carbon dioxide into the air through your activities, you invest a certain amount of money into a scheme that is dedicated to reducing carbon emissions, thereby ‘paying back’ your carbon and cancelling it out. The same amount of carbon is taken out of the environment from your donation to a carbon offsetting scheme as you release on your journey, helping you to sleep better at night.

Carbon Neutral

Carbon Neutral

There are many carbon offsetting schemes, including Target Neutral, CO2 Balance and Climate Care. But one of the most well-known companies geared towards helping you to pay back your emissions is Carbon Neutral. It has a simple, user-friendly website that provides a very simple calculator. Using this calculator, you can work out the exact amount of CO2 that will be released from your flight, which takes airports and connections into account. Straight away you are given a figure and a range of options as to how you can pay this back to make your trip carbon neutral.

Payback Methods

There are a range of options available for paying back your carbon emissions on all of the websites. Mostly, they are geared towards a combination of renewable energy projects such as wind, wave, solar, tidal, hydro, biomass and biogas projects; resource conservation including changing industrial processes to make them more efficient; and donating to CER (Certified Emission Reduction) programmes in developing countries.

Criticisms

Carbon offsetting is a relatively new phenomenon, and as such there have been some criticisms in the past. One of the most popular practices in the past for offsetting carbon was to plant trees. However, it soon became clear that this was not the most effective technique. In some cases, mismanagement of the projects meant that local people were being thrown off their land to make way for the trees, and non-native trees were being planted that caused more problems than they solved.

It has now been agreed that tree planting is not the most effective means of combating the problem, and as such most of the main schemes and charities now advocate spending the money on schemes that incorporate technology solutions instead.

Elephant Tusks

Kenyan authorities have reported the discovery of a huge haul of illegal ivory that was destined to head to the Asian market. In total, 684 kilograms were seized at Nairobi Airport, comprising entirely of elephant tusks.

This is a huge haul that is worth millions of dollars on the black market. Kenya Wildlife Service also revealed that a similar sized haul was found in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia at the same time. Back in July, another large haul of ivory was found in Kenya, consisting of 16 elephant tusks and two rhino horns, suggesting that poaching and the illegal ivory trade is still thriving in East Africa.

Asian Connection

The most recent haul was destined to travel to Bangkok. The demand for ivory in Asia is very high, and China is an especially popular destination. Some experts believe that the increasing Chinese workers across Africa are playing a role in the growth of the trade in recent years. Many of them are on low salaries, and as a result they have turned into middle men for the potentially lucrative trade. Ivory sells for up to $1,000 a kilogram, making it a tempting proposition for many.

A Growing Trade

Ivory

So far this year, poachers in Kenya have killed 128 elephants for their ivory. This was up from last year when 98 elephants were killed. Although all killing of game has been outlawed since 2003 in the country, restrictions are occasionally lifted on a one-off basis, which only serves to exacerbate the problem.

How to Help

Elephants may not suffer from the same endangered status as other large mammals in Africa, such as mountain gorillas and rhinoceroses. But they are still under threat all across the continent due to poaching and problems caused when they come into contact with people.

Save the Elephants is one of the biggest and most active charities dedicated exclusively to the protection of elephants across Africa. The charity focuses on different key areas to protect the animals and ensure their continued survival.

These include research through such schemes as GPS tracking to gain a greater insight into the behaviour of the animals which can lead to new and more effective protection methods. They also focus on education at a grassroots level, working on the belief that the local communities are the best ambassadors for elephants as they share the land with the animals.

Another important aspect of the charity’s work is protection. Elephants are constantly at risk from the illegal ivory trade, and poaching is rife. In order to combat poaching, effective deterrents must be put in place. Radio tracking and aerial surveillance are used to combat illegal poaching, and it is initiatives like this that help to ensure the protection of the species.

There are many other charities that support elephant conservation, two of which are Born Free and ACF (African Conservation Foundation). Visit the websites to find out more about the plight of the elephants and to find out what you can do to help.

NTV Kenya

Sir David Attenborough

Early Life

Attenborough was born on May 8, 1926, the brother of Richard Attenborough. He showed an early interest in nature when he began to collect fossils as a boy, and it was an interest that would stay with him throughout his life.

When he was older he went to Clare College, Cambridge, where he studied for a degree in natural sciences. He married his wife in 1950, and they were together until she died in 1997.

The BBC

Attenborough first became involved with the BBC when he applied to become a radio talks producer in 1950. He failed to get the job, but his CV was recognised, and he ended up joining a training course for three months, following which he took up a full-time post in 1952.

He started out as a producer for non-fiction broadcasts, after which he presented his first series, ‘The Pattern of Animals’, with the naturalist Sir Julian Huxley. This involved looking at animals from London Zoo in a studio and discussing their individual characteristics.

Following this he made another animal-themed programme called ‘Zoo Quest’ about an expedition to collect animals, which was broadcast in 1954. His interest in animal programmes increased, and he formed his own department at the BBC, the Travel and Exploration Unit, where he began to produce more documentaries.

He left the BBC in the 1960s, but came back to fill the position of controller of BBC Two. He became director of programmes from 1969 to 1972, but turned down the post of director general.

Life Series

After working as the controller of BBC 2, he went back to making programmes, and it was during this stage of his career that he started work on the ‘Life’ series, which many consider his finest achievement. It started in 1979 when he wrote and presented ‘Life on Earth’.

This was followed by ‘The Living Planet’ in 1984, and ‘The Trials of Life’ in 1990. Other series include ‘Life in the Freezer’ in 1993, ‘Life of Birds’ in 1998 and ‘Life in Cold Blood’ in 2008, the last of the series.

Altogether, the series aimed to provide a complete view of life on earth as we know it, and it is certainly the most complete series of documentaries on the natural world ever created.

Narrator

Attenborough’s voice was perfect for narration, and as well as narrating the Life Series he also narrated landmark programmes such as ‘The Blue Planet’ in 2001 and ‘Planet Earth’ in 2006. He also narrated over 250 episodes of the BBC’s main wildlife programme, ‘Wildlife on One’, between 1977 and 2005.

Conservation

Nearly all of Attenborough’s series have included some information about how humans are impacting on the planet. Some environmentalists suggest that he could have gone further in his criticisms, but what cannot be argued is the amount of work that he has done in the name of conservation throughout his life.

He has supported numerous charitable causes, including the campaign ‘BirdLife International’ which was against the killing of albatrosses by long-line fishing boats, and a campaign by the WWF to make 220,00 square kilometres of the rainforest in Borneo into a protected area.

He is also the vice president of BTCV and Fauna and Flora International, the president of Butterfly Conservation and a patron of World Land Trust.

By not only working on projects that he finds important, but through inspiring others to act through his inspirational wildlife programmes, Sir David Attenborough has had a huge impact on environmental causes throughout his lifetime, and can truly be considered a conservation hero.

Volunteer work with baby rhino

Gap years are looked on fondly by potential employers, but only if they are the right type of gap year. If you go to Australia and spend six months on the beach it is unlikely to impress, even though it will probably be a lot of fun. It will be a lot more valuable to volunteer your services for a conservation project of some kind, to put your skills to good use, and this will provide you with an experience that no tourist would be able to have.

If you want to go on a conservation gap year, Tanzania could be one of your best bets. This vast and beautiful country is packed full of wildlife and pristine natural environments, so if you join a programme here you could find yourself looking after turtles in the Indian Ocean, observing lions in the Serengeti or looking after chimpanzees in a sanctuary on Lake Tanganyika.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, a quick search of the internet will reveal a whole host of companies and charities that offer a conservation gap year. Tanzania is a popular location, so it’s also not too hard to find someone these days who has been on a similar programme who could provide you with advise. Of course, you don’t have to spend your whole gap year on a conservation programme. Instead you may want to combine an element of travel with a project to get the best of both worlds.

Gap year teaching project in Africa

If you like photography then you’ll get some great opportunities to take pictures when you go to Tanzania. Keen nature photographers are often attracted by the possibility of getting up close to nature that’s only really on offer to those who get involved in a conservation project. And to be able to combine real conservation work with taking great photographs of wildlife is often hard to resist.

There is so much more to a gap year than just taking a bit of time out. To really get the most of it, and to have the most fun, a gap year conservation project provides a great alternative. On top of that, you’ll be involved in doing something good, so there can really be no better way to spend your time.

Despite its huge surface area, Lake Victoria is a relatively shallow lake. It is also only supplied by a limited amount of rivers, and all of these factors make it particularly vulnerable to climatic changes. Indeed, it has dried up completely on no less than three occasions in the past, coinciding with previous ice ages. However, the problem is now reoccurring, and this time overpopulation and climate change are both playing their part.

Sharing borders with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, Lake Victoria provides a lifeline for millions of people. In fact, 30 million people live in the area of the river basin and depend either directly or indirectly on it for their survival. However, a growing population has led to both a reduction in the amount of vegetation surrounding the lake and the increasing problem of over-fishing, which are all damaging the ecosystem.

The UN has already expressed its concern at the problems facing the Lake Victoria. In September 2008, a meeting was held by the UN Habitat Executive Secretary and ministers from the five countries in the catchment area of the lake: Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi. During the meeting the UN asked these countries to do more to protect the lake for future generations, so concerned is the body about the future of the region.

Despite the problems faced by Lake Victoria, it is also a draw to thousands of tourists because of its ease of access and its wild beauty. People come here to enjoy the views, to take a boat trip across the lake, to go fishing or to watch the spectacular wildlife. Bird watching is hugely popular, with cormorants, egrets and fish eagles resident in the lake. There are also crocodiles and hippos in the lake, although catching a sighting of one of these is far trickier.

It is quite clear that if people are going to enjoy this lake in the future then more needs to be done to look after it. If you decide to visit the lake during a trip to East Africa, you will see first-hand its beauty but also the problems that are blighting it. If you can go with a tour company that has environmental credentials then this can help to inject some of your cash into local community projects. There are also conservation organisations operating in the regions, such as Friends of Lake Victoria and ECOVIC, that you can support.

Lake Victoria is a fantastic place to visit, and will provide you with stunning scenery and a great adventure. But it needs protecting. If you are lucky enough to visit this special area then you will witness its beauty first-hand, but tourism can only last as long as conservation is taken seriously. If you visit Lake Victoria then you will realise that it is not just important for the people and animals that inhabit the region, but for us all.

1 – Don’t Buy Souvenirs Made from Animals

A powerful advertisement by WWF

Most people probably know that they should steer well clear of ivory products, but might not realise that poachers also pose a massive threat to other African species. For example rhinos may be hunted for their horns; gorillas, leopards and other animals are hunted for their skins; and marine creatures are harvested to sell as souvenirs.

One of the best ways that you can help conservation in Africa is to make sure that you never buy this type of souvenir. This includes steering clear of the meat of these animals in exotic restaurants, both in Africa and elsewhere.

2 – Donate to a Cause

There are lots of charities out there dedicated to conservation in Africa. This includes international charities such as the World Wildlife Fund or the Born Free Foundation, as well as smaller local charities.

Even a small donation to one of these charities can make a big difference. Next time it’s a friend’s birthday, why not adopt an animal as a gift for them? You’ll receive a great gift pack to give them as part of their present, and you will both be a little happier knowing that you are helping an animal somewhere in Africa. Check out one of our favourite charity the David Sheldrick Trust in Kenya for more information on how to adopt an orphaned baby elephant or rhino. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

David Sheldrick Trust

3 – Get Involved

If you don’t want to just donate money to a wildlife conservation charity, why not actually get involved yourself?

There are lots of charities which offer volunteers the chance to go and spend some time helping on a wildlife conservation project in Africa. Not only will you be helping the conservation cause, but you will get the experience of a lifetime. Projects vary from a week up to several months and are a great way to spend a gap year or a sabbatical as they give you something that is absolutely priceless.

Drop us an email and we can give you details of some of our recommended organizations in Africa and you too can start making a difference!