EXCLUSIVE WIN TICKETS DAVID ATTENBOROUGH FILM PREMIERE See page 30 THE MAGAZINE FOR WWF MEMBERS SPRING 2020 FORESTS IN CRISIS A planet without forests is a planet without life – but there’s still time to protect them PLANTING OCEANS OF HOPE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL How you’re helping grow amazing We’re celebrating the launch of a undersea meadows of seagrass, new flm with a powerful message of home to abundant marine life hope from Sir David Attenborough CONTENTS Between January and November 2019, more than seven million hectares of TOGETHER, WE DID IT! 4 A CHAT WITH land in the Brazilian Amazon were A round-up of all you’ve helped STEVE BACKSHALL 26 “IF WE LOSE THE burned. The huge spike in fres is a result of accelerated deforestation us achieve in recent months The popular presenter talks caused by land grabbing and illegal about our changing world – and felling. This is not yesterday’s news – it’s an ongoing crisis WWF IN ACTION 6 how he’s doing his bit to help AMAZON, WE LOSE Environment news, including our new Below the Canopy report NEW: FIGHT FOR YOUR WORLD 28 THE FIGHT AGAINST FOOD FOR THOUGHT 10 Our planet needs us now more We need forests to fght the than ever. It’s time for us all to do climate crisis, but the food we our bit and be part of the change eat is driving shocking global CLIMATE CHANGE” deforestation. Paul Bloomfeld GIVEAWAYS 30 fnds out how we’re helping, Win two tickets to the exclusive thanks to your support London premiere of our new flm featuring Sir David Attenborough BIG PICTURE 18 Sir David Attenborough’s CROSSWORD 31 new documentary refects on Solve our crossword and you humanity’s impact on the planet could win a copy of our Knorr Future 50 Foods Cookbook PLANTING HOPE 20 How you’re helping to sow NOTES FROM THE FIELD 31 wondrous underwater meadows WWF’s intrepid Tessa Francis of seagrass, which are not only helps tag basking sharks of the full of life but help fght climate coast of Scotland in order to change. By Derek Niemann uncover their secrets MEET THIS ISSUE’S GUEST CONTRIBUTORS TANYA STEELE STEVE DR RICHARD is WWF’s chief BACKSHALL UNSWORTH executive. She is a naturalist is the director visited Brazil to and presenter. of Project see the Cerrado. She says: He hosted a WWF event Seagrass and works for “I was shocked by the scale about the recent IPCC Swansea University. He WORLD ON FIRE of the habitat destruction. report on climate change. says: “Seagrass can store Nature has been replaced He says: “Our local actions carbon 35 times faster Our home is on fre. Every year, precious landscapes like by an ocean of crops as far have global consequences. than a tropical forest. So as the eye can see. We all The poles are suffering our planting programme the Amazon are being burned. But did you know that need to think about where more extreme changes will help tackle the food production is the leading cause of deforestation? our food comes from.” than anywhere else.” climate emergency.” The problem is buried deep in our food supply chain, for example when soy is grown on deforested land to feed animals, such as British-reared chicken or pigs. GET IN TOUCH MEET THE ACTION TEAM This has devastating consequences for more than Editor Liz Palmer [email protected] a billion people, who depend on forests for their wwf.org.uk/contact Editorial executive Holly Towner Loyalty marketing manager livelihoods, and well over half the world’s land-based 01483 426333 Stephen Osborne species of plants and animals which call them home. WWF-UK Living Planet Centre, Senior editor Guy Jowett Forests are crucial allies in the fght against climate Ruford House, Brewery Road, For Immediate Media Co. COVER: change as they absorb carbon from the air and store it Woking, Surrey GU21 4LL Consultant editor Sophie Staford in their trunks, stems, leaves and soils. But if they are Art editor Nicole Mooney © GETTY | CONTENTS: cleared, or their delicate balance disturbed, that carbon FOLLOW US Account manager Katy Hewett is released back into the air as carbon dioxide and other Design director Will Slater wwf.org.uk/facebook greenhouse gases – worsening the climate crisis. Editorial director Dan Linstead wwf.org.uk/twitter Now more than ever, we need innovative solutions THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS and urgent action to safeguard our forests and ensure wwf.org.uk/pinterest Steve Backshall, Karina Berg, © WWF-BRAZIL they can continue to provide critical ecosystem services wwf.org.uk/news Paul Bloomfeld, Tessa Francis, Barney Jefries, Emma Keller, Derek while meeting the growing demands of humanity. Find wwf.org.uk/youtube Niemann, Ruth Simms, Tanya Steele, out how you can get involved on page 10. wwf.org.uk/instagram Dr Richard Unsworth, Ricardo Zanre Produced in association with Immediate Media Co. www.imcontent.co.uk 2 | Action Spring 2020 TOGETHER, WE DID IT! THANK YOU TOGETHER, WE DID IT! “WHAT WE DO IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS WILL PROFOUNDLY IMPACT THE NEXT FEW THOUSAND YEARS… NATURE ONCE TOGETHER, WE DID IT! DETERMINED HOW WE SURVIVE, NOW Thanks to your membership, we can help WE DETERMINE HOW NATURE SURVIVES” protect wildlife and wild places. Here SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, WWF AMBASSADOR are some of the great things supporters 4 like you have helped achieve 3 Sabah’s large forests are perfect for critically endangered orangutans. In a recent survey, we 1 found populations remain ANTARCTICA stable in sustainably YOU HELPED ADVOCATE FOR EMPERORS 5 managed areas With your support, we funded a study that demonstrates emperor penguins need better protection. An 6 BORNEO © NATUREPL.COM / TIM LAMAN WWF international team of scientists reviewed over 150 © NATUREPL.COM / BRYAN AND CHERRY ALEXANDER / WWF 6 studies on these iconic birds and their environment. 2 The study recommends large-scale marine protected YOU HELPED ORANGUTANS HANG ON With your support, we’ve completed a four-year survey of areas, upgrading the penguins’ IUCN conservation Bornean orangutans across the Malaysian state of Sabah. While status from ‘near threatened’ to ‘vulnerable’, and orangutans are declining elsewhere in Borneo, our research found listing them as a specially protected species under the population in the central forests here has remained stable the Antarctic Treaty. Emperor penguins depend on over the past 15 years. This follows signifcant eforts by the Sabah sea ice to breed, so a warming climate is a big threat state government to protect forests and promote responsible to their survival. Some studies suggest their numbers © NATUREPL.COM / ANDY ROUSE WWF logging practices. The orangutan population has stabilised in could fall by more than half over the coming century. 8 million large forest areas, but numbers continue to decline in landscapes We need more research to understand how they’ll cope A staggering eight million dominated by palm oil plantations. With your support, we’re with the unprecedented changes in Antarctica. With tonnes of plastic waste leaks working with growers to create wildlife corridors that allow your help, we’ll push for stronger protection of the into our oceans each year, animals to move more freely, helping to reduce crop damage Antarctic and urgent action to tackle the climate crisis. threatening nature and people and ensure people and wildlife can thrive together. If you’d like to do more to help, adopt an orangutan: 1 wwf.org.uk/orangadopt 2 KENYA 3 SCOTLAND © GETTY YOU HELPED CUT RHINO POACHING IN KENYA YOU HELPED 4 NORWAY 5 INDIA Thanks to you, the number of rhinos lost to poachers in Kenya SCOTLAND LEAD ON fell by over 40% from 2017 to 2018. The results were gathered YOU HELPED MAKE A NOISE ABOUT PLASTIC YOU’RE HELPING MONITOR SCHEMES CLIMATE LAWS © GETTY last year. Your support helped in many ways, including Together, we’re getting world leaders to take action against plastic TO REDUCE CONFLICT WITH TIGERS providing rangers with training and Your support persuaded the pollution. So far, 1.5 million WWF supporters around the world No tigers have been killed by farmers in and equipment such as tents, handheld Scottish Parliament to pass have signed a petition calling for governments to introduce a around Corbett tiger reserve in India over the past GPS devices and binoculars. It a new climate change law that puts Scotland at the forefront of legally binding global agreement to stop plastics ending up in the six years. This is what we found when we assessed also helped eforts to identify and global eforts to beat the climate emergency. Thanks to more than ocean. World leaders are starting to listen. Governments in the a scheme being implemented in partnership monitor rhinos through ear notching, two years of campaigning by WWF and others, the country now Nordic countries, the Caribbean and the Pacifc have formally with the Corbett Foundation. Tigers preying microchipping and DNA analysis. This has some of the toughest climate laws in the world, showing the joined a call – led by our on livestock is a real problem. Thanks to your not only allows us to look after rhinos ambition that’s needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The new colleagues in Norway – for generosity, we’ve supported livestock insurance more efectively, but also provides vital law sets a target for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 a UN treaty to tackle global schemes and fnancial relief schemes in other evidence if they’re poached. Our dream at the latest – fve years earlier than the UK overall.