LIVING PLANET Exclusive magazine for WWF supporters #47

YOU ARE HELPING TO REGENERATE AUSTRALIA

You’re helping to United against Your support in save the greater glider wildlife crime action: a new before it’s too late hospital in NSW © WWF-Australia / Leonie Sii © naturepl.com / Neil Aldridge / WWF © naturepl.com / Neil

HOW YOU’RE HELPING FIGHT WILDLIFE CRIME

Illegal wildlife crime fuels corruption and and launder the proceeds of the illegal trade threatens biodiversity worldwide. Through in wildlife.” your overwhelming response to our recent campaign, you told us that you too Closing high-risk wildlife markets passionately believe it’s time to put an end WWF welcomes a potential game-changer for to wildlife trafficking that’s driving more wildlife conservation in Viet-Nam. Last year, endangered to the brink of extinction Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc agreed to and risking future pandemics. address the illegal wildlife trade as part of his Thanks to your support, you are helping country’s efforts to prevent future pandemics, ensure that we tackle the threats to and halt further loss of Viet-Nam’s wildlife. and humans from illegal wildlife trade at an Key highlights of his directive are: international level. Closing down illegal wild Disrupting criminal syndicates markets and high-risk sites that illegally sell wild animals By enabling us to partner with the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Planning for ivory and rhino horn Specialists (ACAMS), the global association stockpile destruction of financial crime prevention professionals, Stricter control and management you’re helping us work with financial of farmed wild animals, including intelligence units and compliance investigators tiger farming. around the world. Commending the actions being taken One of our major goals is to create a by governments like Viet-Nam’s, WWF compliance toolkit to help the financial International Director General, Marco sector identify, report and remedy the Lambertini said: risks associated with each stage of illegal wildlife supply chains. Margaret Kinnaird, WWF’s Global Wildlife “Unsustainable exploitation of Practice Leader, explains: nature has become an enormous risk to us all. We must urgently recognise the “Wildlife crime is run by highly sophisticated links between the destruction of nature and organised criminal syndicates with Wall and human health, or we will soon see Street savvy. This important partnership will the next pandemic. help bridge the gaps in the financial systems that these criminals exploit to move, hide The science is clear; we must work with nature, not against it.” to stay safe. to staysafe. Please continuetolookaftereachotherand Regenerate Australia. Thank youforjoiningusto our lives. They areworththebiggestfightof and whatitmeanstobeAustralian. landscapes andspeciesthatdefineournation, It showshowmuchweallvalueourunique at theprogressyou’ve helpedachievesofar. Yes there’sstillalottobedone, butjustlook heartbreaking loss. for thefutureofallAustraliansaftersuch our chancetorestoreandrevitalisecountry trees sotragicallyimpacted well asthe life andongoingtraumaforcommunities, as Propelled toactbythedevastatinglossofhuman the ashesoflastyear’s catastrophicbushfires. The plantoRegenerateAustraliarosefrom animals. and excitement forthefutureofouriconicland program ever–comesagrowingsenseof most innovative wildlifeandnatureregeneration of Planet It’s aprivilege tobringyouthisissueof BEFORE NEVER LIKE RESPONSE NATUREIN AND AWILDLIFE REGENERATE AUSTRALIA CAN WE TOGETHER A messagefromCEO,DermotO’Gorman Regenerate Australia at such a pivotal time. With the launch at suchapivotaltime. Withthelaunch 3 billionanimals CEO, WWF-Australia Dermot O’Gorman My warmestthanks. A koala in carecuddling aplush panda with RSPCAQueensland, supported byWWF-Australia.

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© WWF-Aus / © RSPCA QLD / Peter Wilson REGENERATE AUSTRALIA: YOUR IMPACT IN ACTION

Vital feed and water stations, Greater Blue Mountains, NSW To protect critically important key populations in this World Heritage Area, including the greater glider, spotted-tailed quoll, superb © WWF-Aus / Madeleine Smitham lyrebird and koala, your support has helped install feed and water stations as well as camera and audio monitoring. Connecting habitat, Macedon Ranges, This region is home to Australia’s southern- most, genetically significant population of Port Stephens Koala Hospital aims to provide the world’s best greater gliders where we’re working with practice standards of care to sick, injured and orphaned , partners to reconnect glider habitat, install nest giving them the best opportunity to be returned to the wild. boxes and build on the important survey work Helping koalas bounce back in NSW the local community has been conducting on the ranges’ tree-dwelling mammals. In the aftermath of last year’s bushfires, your support has enabled the upgrade and Drone direct-seeding preparation underway expansion of the Port Stephens Koala Hospital into a world-class facility. The sanctuary’s One of the most exciting innovations is using director, local vet Dr Donald Hudson, said: drones to disperse the of koala food trees. “We’ve got X-ray machines, ultrasound surgery Your incredibly generous support for our and intensive care units – everything we could Koalas Forever program at Christmas has possibly need to treat the koalas and get them helped kick-start this ambitious plan to double back to health. It’s fantastic.” koala numbers in east coast states by 2050. Preparation work is well underway as our With your continued help, the sanctuary teams source the ideal seeds and pinpoint the will also support vital research and ensure we best locations for koala habitat restoration. have thriving koala populations in the area for the future. These key initiatives are part of Regenerate Australia, the biggest and most innovative Three priority landscapes you’re helping wildlife and nature regeneration program in to restore Australia’s history. They are only possible thanks to your Thanks to you, our Towards Two Billion ongoing generous support. Trees campaign continues at pace. We’ve joined forces with the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative (GER) to boost wildlife and ecosystem recovery throughout the ranges, from southeast down to central Victoria. Planting trees, Border Ranges, Queensland We’re working with partners and engaging for Nature / WWF-Aus Trust © Queensland local volunteers across six sites to plant new woodland and forest habitat, install nest boxes to replace lost tree hollows, and control weeds. Species that will benefit from the project include yellow-bellied gliders, koalas, little bent-wing bats and dusky woodswallows. Drone seeding in Aroona, QLD. NATHAN’S LASTING LEGACY FOR NATURE

We’re drawing strength from stories that not “The images below were taken in Arnhem Land, only uplift us, but look towards a brighter where I was working with the local Yolngu future. That’s why we wanted to share the people. They show Dad’s joy, being both with memories of park ranger, Andrew McPhee with his son, and in the bush. you - memories of his late father, Nathan, a passionate environmentalist, an inspiration to “Dad left WWF a gift in his Will, and I’m so his son, and a WWF-Australia supporter: glad Dad’s final gift creates a better world for people and nature.” “Back in 1974, Dad wrote me a letter A gift in your Will for WWF-Australia has and placed it in a time capsule. the power to change the future. To find out Opening it on January 1, 2000, I read more please email Carrie Alexander at an amazing account of his thoughts on [email protected] the world then and in the future. In 1974 the world was in the grip of the global oil crisis. Dad was already speculating on the need for cleaner renewable energy, climate change, the demise of the Amazon, and Australia’s poor record of species protection.

“His passion for the environment grew on me as I got older. In 2006, much to Dad’s delight, I became a park ranger. I’m currently the Senior District Ranger for Nitmiluk National Park, Katherine Gorge, NT, leading a fire management project that has positive environmental impact. These photos are of a day trip I did with Dad, taking him out into the Arnhem Land environment. USING YOUR VOICE TO END ANIMAL EXTINCTION

With its luxurious thick fur coat, the greater rate, as Rachel Lowry, WWF-Australia’s Chief glider is a glorious sight as it glides for up to Conservation Officer explains: 100 metres through the forest canopy, using “The EPBC Act is meant to protect the homes its long as a rudder to change direction. of our most threatened species, but in the 20 “But most of us may never see Australia’s years since the law was passed, more than 7.7 largest gliding mammal in the wild million hectares of threatened species habitat without urgent action now,” says Stuart has been destroyed – that’s an area bigger Blanch, WWF-Australia Senior Manager for than the whole of .” Landclearing and Restoration: With your support, WWF-Australia can “Strengthening our Environment Protection continue to work with key partners to fix and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act Australia’s environment laws. Together we can is crucial if we are to give our animals a take a stand for wildlife and the places we love fighting chance, and protect the native forests before it’s all gone. that our dwindling populations of greater gliders and koalas rely on.” “Together we can stop Australia’s At time of going to print, over 42,000 of you extinction crisis, but we must had already signed our petition calling on the strengthen our nature protection laws government to urgently strengthen Australia’s and ensure they are properly enforced, national nature laws – the EPBC Act 1999. based on science and without political interference. If we don’t take action By supporting one of our biggest advocacy now, the loss to Australia will campaigns to date, you sent a clear message be irreversible. to our politicians that we expected them to fulfil their duty of care towards our vulnerable wildlife. Australia already has the worst mammal © Josh Bowell extinction rate of any country in the world. Of our 1,800 threatened species, 327 were severely impacted by the fires – including our iconic koala, black-flanked rock-wallaby, regent honeyeater, swift parrot and greater glider. © Aleks Terauds / WWF-Aus Terauds Aleks ©

“In 2016, the greater glider was listed as vulnerable to extinction under the EPBC Act, mainly due to catastrophic . Our recent report found that their habitat loss actually increased by 52% in NSW Swift parrot (Lathamus discolor). and Queensland after it was listed as Tragically, failures in the EPBC Act mean that vulnerable, similar to the koala.” rampant destruction of threatened species – Stuart Blanch, WWF-Australia Senior habitat has continued at an unprecedented Manager for Landclearing and Restoration

WWF-Australia GPO Box 528, SYDNEY NSW 2001 Tel: 1800 032 551 [email protected] wwf.org.au ABN 57 001 594 074