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Second site discovered for Tanzania’s Critically Endnagered Amani flatwing dragonfly

December 19, 2013
amani flatwing 2

The recent discovery of a second site where the Amani flatwing dragonfly lives may help increase its chances of survival.

The Fund gave Dr. Viola Clausnitzer $8,000 to help conserve the Amani flatwing dragonfly (Amanipodagrion gilliesi)  in Tanzania. The grant helped fund a community workshop and train local field guides to identify and conserve this Critically Endangered species. Dr Clausnitzer recently reported to the Fund that “The field guides, who do the monitoring, have reported a 2nd site, where they found the Amani Flatwing. The future of this species is in much safer hands than before, just because the local people are aware of the rarity within their forest.” Read more…

Thriving African Wild Dog Population Confirmed in Kenya

December 5, 2013

With a grant from the Fund, the African Wild Dog Conservancy has confirmed the existence of a significant and widely distributed wild dog population in the North East and Coast Provinces of Kenya, from just north of the equator to the Indian Ocean, and near the Kenya/Somalia border region to Tsavo National Park. This wild dog population was previously unknown to the international conservation community.

african wild dogs

Given the limited availability of water for human settlement, relatively low density of people, and that the dominate ethnic group living in much of the core area does not hunt game (wild dog prey species), this region is a potential long-term stronghold for this endangered canid.

Also promising, interviews with locals indicate that wild dogs accounted for only 4% of overall livestock losses to predators; approximately half of those losses occurred in one area. All reported losses due to wild dogs occurred while grazing, not in bomas where livestock is kept. This information will be incorporated into AWD’s  education outreach program.

Overall, the program is very interesting and we encourage you to visit AWD’s website to learn more about their project at http://www.awdconservancy.org/

Red-shanked douc of Loas

December 5, 2013

Two time Fund grant recipient Camille Coudrat recently informed us that she published the results of her first grant in the Journal Oryx. The Fund provided financial support to Dr Coudrat to study a population of Red-shanked douc in Laos. After walking 300km along transects in the Nakai–Nam Theun National Protected Area, she estimated that more than 4,000 groups of these non-human primates inhabit this part of east central Laos. Possibly comprising the most significant population of these Endangered primates.

red-shanked douc

Through a second grant, the Fund is helping Dr Coudrat establish a research and outreach center for the continued study of this important population. Dr Coudrat will investigate the behavioral ecology of Red-shanked douc and work with the local community to help ensure its long-term survival.

For more information about this project and the work of Dr Coudrat and her colleagues visit the Conservation Laos webiste.

Andros Rock Iguana study supports expansion of National Park

December 4, 2013
Iguana with Giermo

Mr. and Mrs. Giuliano Colosimo

The Fund provided support to Mr. Giuliano Colosimo, a graduate student at Mississippi State University, to study the population genetics of Andros Rock Iguanas in the Bahamas. Although Andros is considered to be the largest island of the Bahamas archipelago, it is composed of four large landmasses, North Andros, Mangrove Cay and Alcorine Cay, and South Andros, separated by saline tidal channels called bights. Giuliano wanted to know whether or not these landmasses were home to genetically distinct sub-populations of iguanas.

Read more…

Fish Finders

May 29, 2013

A fish, thought to be extinct, was recently rediscovered in the Western Ghats in India by grant recipient Rajeev Raghavan. “Our very first survey brought us a surprise. We collected a single individual of Hemibagrus punctatus – a species red listed as Critically Endangered and possibly Extinct.”

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Geometric Tortoise Survive Wildfire

May 29, 2013

In January 2012 a wildfire ravaged the 1,000 hectare Elandsberg Nature Reserve 100km north of Cape Town, South Africa – home to the Geometric tortoise (Psammobates geometricus). Where more than 200 lived before the fire, estimates suggest only 65 still survive. The IUCN’s Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group considers this tortoise to be one of the world’s 25 most endangered.

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Fund Reviewing 1st 2013 Grant Applications

May 23, 2013

The Fund is currently reviewing the 500 applications it received between 1 November 2012 and 28 February 2013. Within a few weeks the Fund will announce the results of its review, and distribute $500,000 to selected grant applicants. In total, our 500 grant applicants are requesting $8m. Obviously, with $500,000 we will not be able to support every application.

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New Lizard Species Named in Honor of HH Mohamed bin Zayed

March 24, 2013

Peru surprises with 2 new amazing species of woodlizards
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Press Release

Two new woodlizard species have been uncovered from poorly explored areas of the Peruvian jungles. The males have beautiful body colouration with a distinctive green pattern before a dark brown and black background. It is assumed that the two species share the same territory, with only a slight difference in altitude ranges, which makes their biological divergence intriguing from an evolutionary point of view. The study was published in the open access journal Zookeys.

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Emergency Aid to Cambodian Crocs

March 7, 2013

The Fund dispatched $12,000 in emergency aid to help relocate Siamese crocodiles in Cambodia before construction begins on a hydroelectric dam. The dam will obliterate the second largest population of Siamese crocodiles if they are not immediately relocated.

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