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WWF mourns Virunga ranger death

2012-05-15

A park ranger and two Congolese soldiers protecting evacuating civilians in Virunga National Park have been gunned down in an apparent ambush. The men came under machine-gun fire from a group of about 100 unidentified militia members while attempting to secure an important transit route.

“We're deeply saddened by the deaths of these men, who have served their community so honourably,” says Natasha Kofoworola Quistour from our Central Africa office. “We owe them and their families a debt of gratitude for their courage and sacrifice.”

Ranger Paris Paluku leaves behind a wife and two children. “Paris will be remembered as one of the most courageous men to have worked in the park,” adds Chief Warden Emmanuel de Merode. “He was always at the head of any patrol, which put him at risk and ultimately cost him his life.”

Over 150 Virunga rangers have died in the line of duty since 1990.

Virunga National Park, located on Democratic Republic of the Congo’s border with Rwanda and Uganda, has been infiltrated by four distinct militia groups in recent weeks, according to de Merode. Local residents are said to be fleeing the area to avoid violence in “a large scale population displacement”. The park is currently closed to tourists due the ongoing instability.

Earlier this week a militia group entered an area of park that's home to approximately 200 critically endangered mountain gorillas. Currently, the gorillas are not believed to be at risk.

"The situation remains volatile and must be contained so that insecurity does not spread into bordering communities or wildlife habitats,” says Raymond Lumbuenamo, WWF director in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A patrol of Congolese and Rwandan rangers who were on a mission to remove poachers’ snares from critical mountain gorilla habitat were forced to flee into Rwanda at the outbreak of unrest. The men are now on their way to safety, according to our partner organisation Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration.

At least 23 of Virunga National Park’s mountain gorillas have been killed since the outbreak of armed conflict in the region in 1990. In February, a mountain gorilla was found dead after being caught in an illegal snare intended for antelope.

There are only an estimated 786 mountain gorillas remaining across Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. WWF works in Virunga National Park to conserve forests, freshwater and species and to help communities better manage natural resources through our Virunga Environmental Programme and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme.

Brazil's forest emergency - sign the Dilma petition today!

2012-05-11

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has until 25 May to decide whether to veto damaging changes to Brazil’s Forest Code - changes that will reduce protections against deforestation in the Amazon and other areas and offer wide-ranging amnesties for illegal deforestation. Please take action today by signing and sharing this joint petition from WWF, Avaaz and Greenpeace - show president Dilma how much support there is for her to veto the changes.

The proposed changes to the Forest Code threaten Brazil’s recent successes in reducing forest loss, and compromise efforts to tackle corruption in the Amazon region.

Only a full veto from the president will safeguard Brazil’s forests and the global climate. President Rousseff officially received the bill this week and has until 25 May to veto all or part of it, or to allow it to become law.

Already nearly 1.5 million people from around the world have signed Avaaz’s petition calling on President Rousseff to veto the proposed Forest Code - this number is expected to rise dramatically in the next few days.

Likewise, hundreds of thousands of WWF and Greenpeace supporters have echoed the call on social media channels such Twitter, using #SOSBrazil and #VetaTudoDilma, and by posting messages directly to the Facebook page of the president’s political party, Partido dos Trabalhadores.

WWF’s director general, Jim Leape, says: “Over the past decade, Brazil has achieved stunning progress in reducing deforestation in the Amazon. We recognise that President Rousseff is under massive political pressure from those who would burn the forest for short-term gain, but we urge her to stand firm for the protection of the forest resources that are so vital to the future of all Brazilians, and the world.”

If Ms Rousseff does veto the change - or any part of it - Brazil’s Congress will have up to 30 days to decide what to do. The Congress can still overthrow the president’s decision - although that would require the absolute majority of votes from both houses of parliament.

You can …
• Sign the petition today
• Send the president a message on Facebook and/or Twitter (#VetaTudoDilma)
• Read the latest blog on the issue from WWF campaigner Danny Smits

Queen’s speech - WWF reaction

2012-05-10

There were some encouraging elements in the latest Queen’s speech about the government’s plans to bring in legislation to help green the power sector, and to protect our precious rivers and streams – but now we need to see these being put into action.

Commenting on the draft Water Bill, our freshwater specialist Rose Timlett says: “With half the country in drought and aquifer levels still resoundingly low, time is running out for the government to take action on water.

"The Water Bill ignores the need to reform the water abstraction system, a system that is currently unfair, out of date and a threat to our rivers and wildlife.

“Government also failed to cut through the red tape preventing water companies from installing water meters, a move that would save most consumers money, help save our precious environment from drought now and in the future, and save huge amounts of water from being wasted.”

Commenting on the Energy Bill, our climate team head Keith Allott says: “Reform of the UK energy market should be one of the government’s highest priorities. Backing jobs and investment in the renewable energy sector is also a golden opportunity for growth that the government should be grabbing with both hands.

“Four years ago David Cameron said we can’t afford not to go green, and nowhere is that truer than the energy sector. Energy investors are demanding a strong policy framework in support of renewables and a decisive shift away from fossil fuels - so this bill simply has to deliver.”

Brazil Forest Code: clock is ticking for President Dilma

2012-05-10

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has until 25 May to decide whether to veto changes to Brazil’s Forest Code that will reduce protections against deforestation in the Amazon and other areas and offer wide-ranging amnesties for illegal deforestation. Stay tuned for some huge international action you can get involved in - details very soon...

The 15-working-day period for a complete or partial veto on the Forest Code submitted by the Brazilian Congress started on Monday 7 May, when the bill was officially handed to the president. In absence of a veto, the new law would be sanctioned automatically once the deadline has passed.

Along with a broad alliance of more than 200 institutions from Brazilian civil society and international NGOs Avaaz and Greenpeace, WWF is strongly urging President Rousseff to veto the entire draft, recalling her promise from last elections not to approve any bill that includes an amnesty and favours forest deforestation.

Should Ms Rousseff veto the law - as a whole or parts of it - the Congress will have up to 30 days to consider the veto. The Congress can still overthrow the president’s decision during a joint session of the federal Senate and House of Deputies. This requires the absolute majority of votes from both houses.

You can...
Find out more about the proposed changes to Brazil's forest law

Brazil passes Forest Code reforms - grim news for the Amazon

2012-04-26

Brazil’s Congress last night passed legislation that will strip the Amazon and other important regions of critical environmental protections. The future of Brazil’s forests now lies in the hands of President Dilma Rousseff who has 15 days to approve or veto changes to the country’s long-standing forest law. In the coming two weeks, we’ll be putting pressure on the President to keep her election promises and oppose more deforestation. Please stand by to take action for Brazil's forests.

Thank you to everyone who has already supported us by sending an e-mail to President Rousseff and sharing the news on Facebook and Twitter. It’s because of you and the millions of other Brazilian and international voices that we managed to delay the vote three times. But the agricultural lobby behind the changes is incredibly powerful. And we need your help to encourage President Rousseff to oppose them and stand up for forests.

You can

Share this update on Facebook and Twitter (#SOSBrazil)
Find out more about Brazil’s forest law
Read the latest on BBC News, Reuters or Huffington Post

Renewable energy an ‘absolute necessity’ for the world

2012-04-25

Our message to world ministers arriving in the UK for the international Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM3) was that without big investment in renewable energy now we risk being stuck with a high-carbon world for decades. And investment in renewables brings huge opportunities too…

We hosted a press conference at the Foreign Office at the start of the third international Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM3).

Samantha Smith, leader of WWF’s global climate and energy initiative - who accompanied David Cameron to the Arctic six years ago to see climate change impacts first-hand - spoke alongside UK climate change minister Greg Barker and ministers from Denmark and Germany.

As Samantha reminded everyone: “The International Energy Agency warned this morning that failure to invest urgently in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies could lock the world into temperature increases of up to 6˚C - substantially above the global goal to prevent temperature rises of over 2˚C.

“To address this threat, decarbonising our energy systems and moving towards renewable forms of energy is an absolute necessity.

“But it’s an opportunity too. Recent WWF research shows that a large-scale transition to renewable energy globally can be done with today’s technology, to provide energy for the entire world’s population.

“Countries like Mexico, which recently followed the UK and Scotland’s lead in passing a climate law, can see that ending poverty and growing their economy will be much harder unless the threat of climate change is addressed.

“What’s needed now is for countries like the US and Canada to follow their lead and embrace renewable energy too.”

Ministers from Denmark and Germany stressed the urgency with which investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency had to be made.

They also explained that the ambitious national renewable energy and energy efficiency targets set by both countries for 2020 and beyond would help them be early-movers in new clean energy technologies and reap the substantial economic growth benefits that come with international leadership.

Greg Barker, UK energy and climate change minister, said: “We are committed to ensuring the UK meets its 2050 climate objective, which has been designed to limit global temperature increases to around 2˚. In order to reduce our emissions by 80% by 2050, we need to accelerate progress in the development of clean energy technologies.

“This week we will be signing a number of agreements with visiting ministers, and encouraging the private sector to bring forward investments to help develop renewables, energy efficiency and entrepreneurship at a faster rate.”

You can...
Find out more about how and why we're supporting clean renewable energy

Read latest blog post from our energy team: 'Crunch time for Cameron on climate'

See WWF's Samantha Smith speak at our press conference ahead of the Clean Energy Ministerial this week...

And here's UK energy minister Greg Barker being asked a direct question about the government's plans for meeting carbon targets...

This is Dr Karsten Sach from Germany's environment ministry, with an update on his country's renewable energy developments and plans...

And Martin Lidegaard, Denmark's minister of climate and energy, explains how Denmark plans to meet its carbon emission and renewable energy targets...

Stand with Brazil on Earth Day and say no to forest destruction

2012-04-20

Our SOSBrazil campaign to save Brazilian forests has been successful so far, but it’s not over yet. There may be another attempt to approve disastrous changes to the country’s Forest Law on Tuesday or Wednesday next week (24-25 April). And the millions of Brazilians who oppose forest destruction need your help. Join their demonstrations this Sunday, 22 April - Earth Day - by supporting the movement on Facebook and Twitter (use #SOSBrazil).

The SOSBrazil campaign has done brilliantly. Few people believed in November last year that Brazil’s powerful agribusiness lobby could be stopped in their attempt to overturn the country’s exemplary Forest Law.

But despite the warnings of scientists and against the wishes of the Brazilian people to conserve their unique natural heritage, many politicians still remain determined to pass legislation that serves the interests of the rich and powerful. It’s thanks to you that they haven’t succeeded yet.

Because you stood in solidarity with millions of Brazilians who oppose these reforms, the final vote on the Forest Law was postponed last December, and twice more in March this year.

Thanks to you, the Brazilian government now realises that it’s not only millions of hectares of forest and billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions that are at stake, but also the global reputation of Brazil.

There may still be another attempt to approve this disastrous legislation on 24 and 25 April. WWF, in cooperation with more than 200 Brazilian organisations, including scientists, students, trade unionists, clergy, lawyers, as well as former Brazilian environment ministers, will launch a protest action in major Brazilian cities this Sunday, 22 April (which is also the annual Earth Day).

They’ll be calling on President Dilma Rousseff to halt the vote once and for all. And you can add your voice to the demonstrations on Twitter and Facebook.

The politics behind this campaign are complicated. But we know we’re making a difference. The pressure from within Brazil and around the globe has made it very difficult to pass these unjustifiable reforms. We hope we can count on you to stand with us in the crucial days to come.

We’ll be keeping you updated and providing ways to take action soon. In the meantime, please ‘Like’ us on Facebook, sign up for email updates, follow us on Twitter and spread the word with your friends

Fracking and shale gas - no answer to climate change

2012-04-17

Today’s new report from the Department of Energy and Climate Change is all about minimising the risks of seismic tremors caused by hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of rocks to extract shale gas. But we believe the whole idea of large-scale shale gas extraction is completely incompatible with the urgent issue of tackling climate change.

We’re against the use of fracking to extract shale gas - or any other ‘unconventional’ fuels - from the ground. (You can have your own say on today’s recommendations on the DECC website.) The issue of earth tremors is an admittedly worrying distraction. The real concern is the use of fossil fuels.

According to recent research from the International Energy Agency, there’s enough ‘conventional’ gas available in the world to last 120 years, at today’s consumption rates. It’s estimated there’s about another 250 years-worth of ‘unconventional gas’ (like shale gas) that could be added to that.

But here’s our point: just because this gas is ‘available’, doesn’t mean we need to use it all. There are much better and more sustainable alternatives. As the old saying goes, the stone age didn’t end because we ran out of stones.

Gas is far from being a clean green energy source. As Jenny Banks from our energy team points out: “The idea that gas is the solution to climate change is a myth put out by vested interests.

“The fact is, if we replaced all the coal used in power generation with ‘cleaner’ gas, greenhouse gas emission levels would still be six times too high.

The IEA report agrees that if we want to keep global temperature rise below 2˚C, “An increased share of natural gas in the global energy mix is far from enough” and would, in fact lead to 3.5 degrees of warming.

The UK government says it intends to launch a gas generation strategy in autumn 2012, focusing on security of supply. We believe the scope of this strategy should be widened to include details of exactly how an increasing shift towards gas won’t scupper efforts to meet the UK’s Climate Change Act emissions reduction targets.

The Committee on Climate Change, which advises government on its legal climate commitments, has recommended that the UK power sector must be almost fully decarbonised by 2030. How does that square with the government’s recent raft of concessions to the gas industry, including a guarantee that emissions from gas will not be curbed before 2045?

Jenny Banks sums it up: “Government thinking at the moment is apparently that we should get every last drop of fossil fuel out the ground. It’s ludicrous to think this is compatible with addressing climate change.

"Clearly, reducing emissions means we have to leave shale gas and other unconventional fuels in the ground.”

You can…
Find out how you can help us support clean sustainable energy
Read and contribute to the new DECC report on shale gas and fracking

Mexico joins UK with a pioneering climate law

2012-04-13

Mexico - the world’s 11th biggest economy, and also 11th biggest greenhouse gas emitter - has taken a really important step in the fight against climate change. Its House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly in favour of legislation requiring the whole country to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2050. Once it’s approved by the Senate, Mexico will be only the second country in the world, after the UK, to pass climate change legislation.

The Mexican government's important new rules to tackle climate change will involve phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, making renewable energy fully competitive with oil, gas and coal, and ensuring that 35% of Mexico's electricity will come from clean sources by 2024.

There will also be a strong focus on conserving Mexico's environment, and making sure there’s wide participation by its people.

Here's how WWF in Mexico announced the news...

As our own climate change team leader Keith Allott says: “This is great news. And it’s all the more significant because Mexico is set to become one of the world’s biggest economies - projected to be fifth largest in the world by 2050. But with around 40% of its people still living in poverty, Mexico’s government can see that ending poverty and growing the economy will be that much harder unless they cut greenhouse gas emissions and embrace renewable energy.

“This news also shows once again the global significance of the UK and Scottish Climate Change Acts - we’ve taken a bold lead that other countries are now following.

“David Cameron now needs to ensure that the UK act is implemented vigorously, and that we embrace the huge potential to save energy and develop new, clean renewable energy sources in the UK.”

We’re waiting with interest for the upcoming Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM3) event on 25-26 April, where David Cameron will make his first speech on the environment since becoming PM.

You can…
Find out more about how and why we’re supporting clean, renewable energy

Amur leopard: Russia steps up protection for world’s rarest big cat

2012-04-13

The Amur leopard - the world’s most endangered cat - received a big survival boost last week when Russia announced the creation of a new national park that will cover 60% of their remaining habitat. Amur leopards are critically endangered, with as few as 35 left in the wild, following the loss of much of their forest habitat.

The new 262,000-hectare 'Land of the Leopard National Park' will protect all of the Amur leopard’s known breeding grounds, which the leopards use from generation to generation. It’s the result of years of hard work by WWF in the region, supported by the thousands of you who’ve chosen to adopt an Amur leopard.

“Amur leopards are literally teetering on the brink of extinction,” says our head of species Diane Walkington. “The establishment of Land of the Leopard National Park is such exciting news. In conjunction with other conservation efforts, this provides a huge opportunity for the Amur leopard’s future.”

Leopards won’t be the only big cats to benefit. The new national park is good news for tigers too, with 10 Amur (Siberian) tigers known to live in the area. While all tigers need protection, this group is particularly vital as they connect to another population on the Chinese side of the Amur River.

Unified approach
The Russian government is investing around half a billion rubles (more than £10 million) into developing the park, and will spend nearly a million pounds a year on maintaining it. While the most important areas will be strictly protected, with access by permit only, the park will also contain zones for sustainable economic activity, including eco-tourism.

Since 2001, we’ve been pushing for a unified protected territory to secure the leopards’ survival.

“Our public campaign received the support of government leaders at the highest level,” says Yuri Darman, director of our Amur branch. “Vice-minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ivanov took on personal responsibility for the conservation of the Amur leopard and the establishment of the national park. We’d like to offer him a warm ‘thank you’ from man and wildlife alike.”

You can…
Adopt an Amur leopard
Find out more about our work to protect Amur leopards
Watch ‘video trap’ footage of Amur leopards in Russia

Ivory burning in Gabon: why it's good news for elephants

2012-04-12

Gabon will soon be burning its entire stockpile of ivory - and that’s good news for central Africa’s embattled elephants. Burning the tusks will stop them leaking onto the black market, and shows that Gabon is serious about clamping down on the criminal networks involved in poaching and trafficking endangered species. Last year, the central African country created an elite military unit to secure its parks and to protect wildlife, especially against poaching and illegal ivory trading.

But we urgently need Gabon’s neighbours to follow its lead. Thousands of elephants are killed in the region each year for their ivory, to meet the rampant demand for carvings and ornaments in Asia. Despite controls on international trade, corruption and weak law enforcement mean poaching and smuggling remain a huge problem.

“With a very few exceptions it’s illegal to trade ivory internationally,” explains Heather Sohl, who leads WWF-UK’s work on combating illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. “But some countries have domestic markets that are very poorly regulated – and that provides an opportunity where illegal ivory can be sold, which criminals have been quick to exploit.”

A growing problem
An estimated 5,000 to 12,000 elephants are killed each year for their tusks, and recently things have escalated. In January this year, poachers massacred hundreds of elephants in a national park in Cameroon. Soldiers responding to the slaughter were also reportedly killed.

You can see just how bad things are by watching the BBC's Panorama programme (first screened on 12 April), Ivory Wars: Out of Africa - which goes undercover in central Africa and China to reveal the full shocking extent of the illegal ivory trade.

Tackling wildlife crime in Africa and Asia
Gabon announced its intentions last week ahead of a meeting it hosted on tackling wildlife crime in central Africa, which is a major threat to endangered species like elephants. The meeting brought together governments from central Africa and Asia, along with wildlife trade experts and international organisations including Interpol and CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna). They agreed a number of recommendations for increasing national, regional and international cooperation to combat wildlife crimes.

You can…

Watch the BBC Panorama programme Ivory Wars: Out of Africa
Help us stop illegal wildlife trade
Find out how we’re protecting African elephants

Drought: government must do more

2012-04-05

As England’s drought restrictions come into force today, we believe the government must ramp up efforts to protect people and nature from drought – including introducing the widespread roll-out of water metering.

After two unusually dry winters, seven water companies - Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, Anglian Water, Sutton and East Surrey, Veolia Central and Veolia South East - have imposed hosepipe bans across large parts of the country, with most of England in or at high risk of drought. Although we’re urging the public to do all they can to save water, we’re also calling on the government and water companies to do far more.

We want them to lead the way and act with a sense of urgency to push for near universal water metering and to reform laws on how much water we take (abstract) from rivers - currently we take too much. Whilst abstraction reform is proposed by the government’s Water White Paper, a new law is unlikely until after the next general election. No plans for the roll-out of metering were made in the White Paper and no timetable, other than ad hoc improvements, have been put forward to tackle the issue. This is despite the government’s own estimated figures that the strategic roll-out of water metering could save the country £1.5 billion.

WWF’s freshwater expert, Dr Rose Timlett, said: “The government needs to be doing much more in response to the drought and should learn from the example of other countries. Parts of drought-stricken US and Australia are light years ahead of us, using a combination of water meters, rewards for water saving, efficiency kits and intermittent restrictions, to save up to 30% off water demand.

“Hosepipe bans are currently necessary, but they’re a quick fix and won’t solve the problems long-term. Unless the government does more and with a greater sense of urgency we might face the harsh consequences of losing unique wildlife in the not too distant future.”

How is the environment coping?
Water is the lifeblood of the river. When we have too little it affects everything in it - from the smallest bug to the biggest fish. At the moment rivers across the south and east are flowing below normal levels. Some are drying up completely, which can have immediate effects – fish get distressed and can suffocate, some plants and aquatic bugs that are the basis of the food chain die-off – and even when flows return it can take many years for the ecosystem to recover. Over time, low water levels can change the very nature of the ecosystem: fish spawning and migration are impacted, plant and bug populations change, the river can become choked with silt, and pollutants are more concentrated.

You can...
Read our water myth-busting facts
Discover some water saving tips

WWF’s Earth Hour – how the UK joined the huge world switch-off

2012-04-01

Hundreds of millions of people across the world - in a record 150 countries and territories - switched off their lights on Saturday night for WWF’s Earth Hour, the world’s biggest call-to-action for the protection of the planet. Thank-you to everyone who took part.

An astonishing new record of 150 countries and 6,434 towns and cities across the world took part this year. Libya, Algeria, Bhutan and French Guinea were among the countries participating for the first time, playing their part in a wave of global Earth Hour switch-offs from east to west.

People, businesses, and organisations across the UK have been doing spectacular things - check out our map to see what’s been happening near you.

Watch this short film to see some highlights from our London flagship Earth Hour celebrations...

And have a look at some of this year's Earth Hour UK photos from flickr...

In the UK, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Wembley Stadium, Clifton Suspension Bridge, Edinburgh Castle, the Senedd assembly building in Wales and HMS Victory in Portsmouth were just a few of the landmarks that took part.

A primary school in Pontypridd in Wales led the UK switch-off as winners of our Community Challenge competition (sponsored by MORE TH>N) - Ysgol Evan James school then led a candlelit walk during Earth Hour.
In London, a human-powered dancefloor lit up the UK’s flagship Earth Hour event at Somerset House.

Street dance troupe Flawless, stars of Britain’s Got Talent and new film StreetDance 2, counted down to the switch-off and performed a twilight routine.

As local landmarks including the National Theatre, South Bank Centre and Waterloo Bridge went dark, street band the Luminites performed to Earth Hour supporters while chef (and WWF ambassador) Tom Aikens and his staff served sustainable canapés.

Iconic landmarks switched off across the UK including: Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, National Theatre, EDF Energy London Eye (dimmed only), Wembley, Royal Albert Hall, Somerset House, National Gallery, Old Trafford, Clifton Suspension Bridge, Edinburgh Castle, Millennium Centre and the Piccadilly Circus lights.

Here's a fantastic snippet of film showing the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben switching off for WWF's Earth Hour on Saturday night...

In Scotland, schoolchildren and supporters laid out candles spelling 'Climate Action Now!' in massive letters on Edinburgh Castle esplanade just before the big switch-off of the castle itself.

Almost 100 other Scottish landmarks and structures went dark for the hour, and local community events included stargazing in Biggar, outdoor theatre in Falkirk, a human-powered cinema in Kirkcaldy and a nocuturnal wildlife walk on Skye.

WWF Northern Ireland led an Earth Hour spectacle for 200 guests in the Great Hall of Parliament Buildings. The event included fun and games from Cool FM, introduction from Anna Lo MLA, chair of the environment committee, a magical Earth Hour show from Cahoots NI theatre company, followed by a performance from Sky 1’s 'Got To Dance' finalists, Razzle Dazzle as they hit the switch and left the crowds in darkness. Then, when the lights went out, the guests were taken on a WWF panda torch-lit tour from the senate and chamber to the library and community room.

Earth Hour 2012 worldwide, as it happened…
Across the world, iconic landmarks switching off include the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Tokyo Tower, Taipei 101, Great Wall Of China, Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest), Orchard Road Singapore, Lumbini Sacred Garden, Gateway of India, The BurjKhalifa, the Libyan Museum, Table Mountain, National Library of Belarus, Dubrovnik city walls, Athens Acropolis, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Brandenburg Gate, Allianz Arena, Tower of Pisa, Cupola of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio, CN Tower, Las Vegas Strip, Times Square, Empire State Building, UN Headquarters and more.

Samoa: the small island nation of Samoa were first to go dark for Earth Hour 2012, at 7.30am UK time Saturday - having previously been the country to switch off last, prior to its move across the International Date Line earlier this year.

Faleolo International Airport went dark as the community came together to launch a number of local green activities for the year ahead, illustrating their commitment towards a cleaner and safer future.

(The Cook Islands bring Earth Hour 2012 to a close, turning their lights back on at 7.30am Sunday, UK time.)

As the lights went off across south-east Asia, record participation in one of the campaign’s major growth regions has ignited more passion for the movement.

Philippines: We don’t have exact figures yet, but it’s hoped the Philippines’ participation will have topped last year’s estimated figure of 18 million - cementing it as one of the top participating countries in the largest voluntary action for the environment.

China: the main Earth Hour event at the Great Wall of China saw hundreds of university students and International Earth Hour ambassador Li Bing Bing visually pledge their ongoing commitment for the environment in 2012.

The China World Trade Center and the Olympic Park’s Bird’s Nest Stadium and Water Cube also turned their lights off to mark Earth Hour.

Singapore: Nearly 1,500 Singaporeans stood shoulder-to-shoulder to create a massive ‘60+Singapore’ human formation along Orchard Road, one of the nation’s most glamorous shopping and entertainment neighbourhoods. Over 370 major businesses across the city state made commitments in support of Earth Hour, ranging from a simple flick of the switch to broader environmental pledges.

Korea: an astounding 74,502 buildings in Korea switched off their lights tonight, to the Twitter account of the US Embassy in Seoul.

By the time the lights-off event had reached south-east Asia, ‘Happy Earth Hour’ became the #1 worldwide trend on Twitter.

Indonesia: social media has helped drive the localised version of the ‘I Will If You Will’ campaign, with participants using digital media to organise grassroots action from across the archipelago. Celebrities Titi Dwijayanti (Titi DJ) and Jessica Iskandar pledged their commitments via YouTube.

India: Social media is again responsible for the massive turn-out in India, which culminated in an alternative power-sourced MTV Unplugged concert in New Delhi. A similar concert and lights-off event has been held at the Mysore Palace, India’s most popular tourist attraction. Megacities competed right across India for the title of Earth Hour Champion.

Nepal also celebrated its largest ever Earth Hour with dual events in capital Kathmandu and Lumbini, birthplace of Lord Buddha - with Earth Hour supported by six monasteries, seven musicians and nearly 10,000 youth contributing to an ambitious plan to plant 1 million trees by 2020.

“Through Earth Hour, we want to promote the message of conservation - starting with Lumbini and travelling beyond its borders - as the way of life for human beings not just in Nepal but across the world,” said the Venerable Maitri Mahastavir, Spiritual Advisor of the Lumbini Development Trust.

Facebook was used to coordinate Earth Hour in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq as well as in Libya’s capital Tripoli, where it was organised by nineteen-year-old Mohammad Nattah and Muhammad Bugashata.

Libya: Earth Hour celebrations were held at the Red Saraya Museum and Martyrs' Square - the site where thousands of men, women, and children celebrated the end of the Qaddafi regime. With the help of the local scout team, Libya's second biggest city Benghazi also took part with lights turning off at Al Daawa al-Islamiyah Trade building, Tebisty Hotel and Keash Square.

United Arab Emirates: the world’s tallest skyscraper - Dubai’s Burj Kalifa - plunged into darkness as Dubai Municipality, the Burj Al Arab, Etisalat, and the Clock Tower also switched off their lights.

Russia: organisers estimated that some 15 million people observed Earth Hour - a massive 40% more than last time. The country, stretching across nine time zones, records the longest participation of any country in Earth Hour.

Major celebrations were held at Vorobyovy Goary (Sparrow Hills) in Moscow which, thanks to its elevation, enjoyed spectacular views of 75 famous structures including the Luzhniki stadium just across the Moscow River, and Moscow City Hall, going dark across the skyline.

Greece used Facebook to spread the message that conservation is not a luxury, it’s a necessity with its Earth Hour celebrations - warning that assaults on the environment in the name of overcoming its economic crisis were misguided. With the slogan “We Can Save”, WWF-Greece asked Earth Hour participants to upload and share a message of what they think can be saved in an effort to protect the environment.

Central Europe: close to 300 cities and towns across Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and Ukraine observed Earth Hour. In Austria Earth Hour gained the support of both President Heinz Fischer and Chancellor Werner Faymann, who switched off the lights of Vienna’s Imperial Castle, the President’s residence, and the Chancellery buildings. In Croatia, a much older centre of power - Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace in the historic city of Split - joined sites in capital Zagreb in switching off.

Germany: official celebrations centred around Berlin’s famous Brandenburg Gate.

France: In Paris, more than 230 monuments and major gathering points dimmed the lights for an hour, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triumph, as well as fountains and bridges over the Seine.

As Earth Hour made its way across the Atlantic, from Canada to Chile, the excitement behind the movement began to build in the Americas. The social media shout-outs for the event continued, with the likes of Yoko Ono, Gisele Bundchen and Gael Garcia Bernal tweeting their participation.

Brazil: Altogether, 451 monuments across 125 Brazilian cities, including the famous Christ the Redeemer statue, switched off as Earth Hour took on special meaning in areas closest to some of the key environmental icons of Brazil.

Argentina: 30 cities and towns joined the initiative and there was a 5,000-strong turn out to the Buenos Aires recycling event launched by mayor Mauricio Macri.

Mexico: celebrations in Mexico took place around Revolution Monument, while Peru’s World Heritage town of Machu Picchu, home of one of the new Seven World Wonders, also turned off its lights.

Canada: saw 441 cities take part in Earth Hour this year with a highlight being the switching off of lights on Niagara Falls. Lights were also dimmed at the CN Tower, a signature of the Toronto skyline and the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere.

Toronto hosted a concert where singer/songwriter Andrew Huang performed an Earth Hour anthem, with lyrics written by crowd-sourced Facebook submissions.

Here’s that crowd-sourced Earth Hour song in full…

United States: dozens of landmarks and iconic buildings went dark across the US, including the typically brightly lit Las Vegas strip and the famous Welcome sign. In New York, the United Nations headquarters looked spectacular as it joined the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge, as well the American Eagle Building and the NASDAQ Building in Times Square for an hour of darkness.

Earth Hour 2012 ended this year in the tiny Pacific nation of the Cook Islands, on the beautiful atoll of Aitutaki. It was a fitting place for the celebrations to finish in a country that is under dire threat from global warming and rising sea-levels.

Earth Hour was also even extended into space for the first time this year, with astronaut and WWF ambassador André Kuipers blogging, tweeting and posting flickr images live from the International Space Station before, during and after Earth Hour. Find out more about André's involvement from the European Space Agency website.

More about WWF’s Earth Hour
WWF’s Earth Hour is only five years old, but we’re thrilled that it’s already become such an important and unmissable annual fixture for so many people.

Earth Hour began in 2007 as a one-city initiative in Sydney, Australia and has since grown to be the world’s largest voluntary action for the environment: from melting sea ice in the Arctic to a looming deforestation disaster in the Amazon, coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef to a drought-induced famine in the Horn of Africa, people across the globe have joined up to send a united message: it’s time to take action for the planet.

As Earth Hour co-founder Andy Ridley put it this year: “For the first time in history we have the power to connect behind a common purpose and the ability to create a network without national borders, based on the most influential voices and the smallest voices. The growth in social media, the world’s news media outlets and the digital revolution has allowed that to happen.

“If we can do this for Earth Hour, imagine what can be achieved for the planet beyond this hour.”

David Nussbaum, CEO of WWF-UK, said “WWF’s Earth Hour is always such a positive and inspiring event, with so many millions of people taking part around the world. But the mass switch-off is only part of the story, as Earth Hour’s supporters go beyond the hour and make real commitments that will help protect our natural world when the lights go back on. I’d like to thank everyone for making this our best Earth Hour yet.”

Earth Hour’s 'I Will If You Will' campaign went viral during the event, engaging tens of thousands of people to Dare the World to Save the Planet. The challenge platform hosted at www.youtube.com/earthhour was receiving an estimated 20,000 visits per minute from people all over the world and reached 2 million views in 14 hours. The total over the weekend was around 4 million hits.

More than 150,000 visitors have now accepted the challenges from celebrities, governments, organisations and individuals - including global ambassador Miranda Kerr, Kumi Naidoo from Greenpeace International, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Latin American ambassador Claudia Bahamón, TV stars Giuliana and Bill Rancic, actress Isabel Lucas and local WWF ambassadors Nadya Hutagalung and Marc Nelson. Latin American Ambassador, Colombian model and TV presenter Claudia Bahamon will live without electricity for one week after 500 people accepted her IWIYW challenge.

Other well-known names supporting Earth Hour 2012 include global ambassador Miranda Kerr, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, former US Vice President Al Gore, Hilton Hotels. In the UK supporters include ambassador KT Tunstall, and some of the UK’s top chefs such as Valentine Warner, Rick Stein and Niall McKenna, plus Manchester United and global group Westfield.

Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela tweeted his support for Earth Hour as it swept across Asia and approached Africa, saying: “Let us stand together to make of our world a sustainable source for our future as humanity on this planet #NelsonMandela #EarthHour”.

You can…
Have a look at the images on the global Earth Hour flickr page

See how the BBC covered the event online with ‘before and after’ shots during Earth Hour

Check out our Earth Hour Facebook page

Catch up with some of the slightly overwhelming number of comments on Twitter - and follow #EarthHour

Remember, it’s not too late to sign up to confirm your support for Earth Hour

Our sincere thanks again to everyone everywhere who's taken part in WWF's Earth Hour 2012!

Virunga - Africa's prized park needs protection from new oil threat

2012-03-30

Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is Africa’s oldest and most biodiverse national park and a World Heritage Site. Almost half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas live inside the park, along with numerous birds, reptiles and mammals found nowhere else on Earth. But thanks to a British company looking for oil, it is under threat. Marc Languy is WWF’s Conservation Director for Central Africa and has sent this update from the park...

“Over the past two weeks, WWF has received alarming reports from our conservation partners working in Virunga National Park that the British oil company SOCO International is making preparations for oil exploration within the park’s boundaries.

Virunga is an “integral reserve” under DRC national law and its World heritage Status clearly forbids any type of industrial exploration within the park. The company does have authorisation to explore for oil outside Virunga NP and above it by aerial surveys. But if SOCO confirms its repeated intention to explore for oil on the ground within the park, the company will be breaching national laws and international conventions.

WWF has been working in Virunga National Park for over 40 years together with the Congolese government and many other conservation organisations dedicated to preserving the area’s unique natural treasures. Shockingly, in that time, more than 100 rangers in the park have given their lives in the fight to protect this jewel of Africa from those who wish to destroy it.

Having survived years of armed conflict, it is devastating to see an oil company jeopardise the park’s people and wildlife in its pursuit of profit. It’s not only because of the drilling and pollution that oil exploration will damage the park - the associated influx of people brings a risk of further conflict which can have a devastating impact on the lives of local communities, and on the park’s endangered species.

European governments have a responsibility to ensure that companies headquartered in their territories respect international conventions and national laws, especially when operating overseas. So we're asking companies and their shareholders and investors to join us in declaring World Heritage Sites off limits for oil exploration.

There are very few extraordinary places of biodiversity and beauty remaining on Earth where nature provides so many benefits to mankind. Virunga National Park is one of them and it must remain untarnished for future generations.”

You can...
Find out more about our work to protect endangered mountain gorillas

Watch this powerful video - it's 20mins, but worth it. In a recent WWF TEDx talk, Emmanuel De Merode, director of Virunga National Park, vividly describes the daily struggle to protect one of the world's great jewels of biodiversity, and especially its rare population of mountain gorillas...

Barking up the right tree? See which councils use legal, sustainable wood

2012-03-29

More than half of UK local authorities still don't have a legal and sustainable timber procurement policy - and only 16 are implementing their policy effectively - despite upcoming legislation to halt the import of illegally sourced wood products. That's the findings of our new report, 'Barking up the right tree?'.

The UK is currently the third biggest importer of products made from illegal timber in Europe, after Germany and Italy.

The public sector, which includes local authorities, is thought to account for as much as 40% of all wood products entering the UK market and it's estimated that up to 10% of wood products entering the UK from outside Europe comes from illegal sources. But from 3 March next year, the EU Timber Regulation will ban illegally harvested timber and timber products from the UK.

For the report, ‘Barking up the right tree?’, we contacted all 433 UK authorities to find out their policies and actions on the environmentally responsible purchasing of timber and paper products.

Based on their responses, a five-tier system rated them from red to green. In total, 336 red ratings were given to authorities that did not have a policy, did not know if they had a policy, or did not respond.

Local authorities in Durham, Newcastle and Brighton were amongst those that took steps to improve their rating and scored towards the higher end of the ratings system. In total 16 were given the highest green rating. Key barriers to having a legal and sustainable timber product procurement policy included not enough time, a lack of resources, the issue not being a priority, and a lack of information. Only two local authorities claimed not to purchase any timber products.

Local authorities buy a wide range of wood products from building materials, flooring and hardwood fire doors to printing paper and bathroom tissue. Wood products entering the UK could still be undermining social infrastructure and devastating natural habitats in places like Indonesia and the Congo Basin.

Illegal and unsustainable logging impacts on communities and species, such as the orang-utan and gorilla, whilst also making a significant contribution to climate change.

Beatrix Richards, head of forest policy and trade at WWF-UK, says: “Overall the study shows that the majority of local authorities still have a huge amount of work to do to comply with both the new law coming into force in 2013 and the government’s own procurement policy guidance to ensure they’re not buying illegal and unsustainable timber products.

“With support from central government, each local authority must put in place a legal and sustainable timber procurement policy and make it a mandatory requirement. Existing research has shown that such policies do not have to cost more.”

A total of 124 local authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland completed the online survey – a response rate of nearly 30%. But this varied across devolved countries with Wales and Scotland strongest and England and Northern Ireland weakest. In England, as few as 16% of authorities have a policy in place, while in Northern Ireland it is just 8%. This compares with 25% in Scotland and 32% in Wales.

Beatrix Richards adds: “Legislation to ensure legality will only do so much. Local authorities, central government departments and consumers in general need to continue to drive demand for sustainable forest management by buying timber products certified through credible certifications schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to ensure both legality and responsible management. This will help to ensure that what they are buying is not destroying people’s livelihoods and biodiversity.”

Choosing FSC certified wood products, from garden furniture to toilet paper, is the best way for the public to ensure that timber has been harvested legally and with respect for forests, people and wildlife.

The report forms part of WWF’s What Wood You Choose? campaign. The two-year, EU-funded initiative raises awareness of the impacts of wood and paper consumption in the UK on communities in timber-producing developing countries.

You can...
Read our 'Barking up the right tree?' report
Find out more about our What Wood You Choose campaign

UK nuclear power plans dropped by E.ON and RWE

2012-03-29

Today’s announcement by German utility companies RWE and E.ON that they’re abandoning plans to build new nuclear power stations in the UK reinforces our argument that the economics of nuclear are very uncertain - and that the government should be backing renewable energy instead.

Keith Allott, head of our climate change team, says: “Despite the government’s efforts to bend over backwards to support the nuclear industry, it's now blindingly clear that the economics of nuclear just don’t stack up.

“Three major utilities have now pulled out of nuclear plans in the UK, and the only two reactors under construction in Europe are massively over-budget and behind schedule.

“The government needs to wake up… If it backs the renewables industry instead of flogging the nuclear horse, the UK could become a world leader in a sector that’s already seeing massive growth.”

Our recent Positive Energy report showed that clean renewable energy could supply well over 60% of the UK’s electricity by 2030. This would meet our carbon reduction targets while massively reducing our reliance on imported gas - as well as creating many thousands of green jobs in the renewables industry.

You can…
Find out more about why and how we’re supporting clean, green renewable energy

Planning policy: WWF's first response

2012-03-27

The government's new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was launched today. We'll give a more detailed reaction once we've scrutinised the full NPPF statement, but here's the initial comments from our senior planning advisor Emmalene Gottwald.

"Today's statement from the coalition government is disappointing - and a lost opportunity.

Its pursuit of growth fails to account for the very real value that the UK's countryside and natural capital provides.

There are some improvements on the original draft NPPF: it's good to see local authorities getting longer to prepare for these changes; to see a definition of sustainable development that includes the principles from the 2005 SD Strategy; and to see the removal of the 'default yes' clause.

Ultimately though, there's still no strong, clear guidance to local authorities on how they can use the sustainable development policy in the NPPF and apply it to their circumstances.

What was needed was a better policy framework to make sustainable development a day-to-day exercise and a practical reality. Instead, what we have reinforces the status quo - the same old problems will again rise to the surface.

It will take a year or so, when applications under the new framework start to become reality, before we can truly judge the full impact of these changes. But our fear is that this system is simply not robust enough to protect our rural and open spaces from irreparable and costly damage."

Budget response by WWF: government backing wrong horses for economic growth

2012-03-21

David Nussbaum, chief executive of WWF-UK, responds to today's Budget speech.

Today’s Budget will prompt much debate in the weeks ahead about misplaced priorities, missed opportunities and the larger question of whose interests this Budget really serves. But from my perspective, the Chancellor has failed to put the green economy where it should be - firmly at the centre of a plan for growth.

Today’s package was one of confidence and assurances for high-carbon infrastructure and fossil fuels, with an alarming pledge to drill "large and deep" to reach unexplored oil reserves to the west of the Shetlands. As the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico proved, hard-to-reach oil is a difficult and dangerous way forward, with the potential for a messy outcome.

According to the Chancellor, "gas is cheap". When one takes into account the grave costs to our environment and climate of failing to meet our targets to reduce carbon emissions, I beg to differ.

The government rightly held firm on fuel duty and air passenger duty (APD). The long-awaited Green Investment Bank opens next month (but its ability to borrow remains unclear). However, with signals that they may increase airport capacity in the South East, build more roads and reduce environmental safeguards in planning, this is a government backing the wrong horses for economic recovery.

Last weekend WWF joined more than 50 leading businesses, trades unions and other groups in a letter to George Osborne in support of a greener economy, pointing out that smart regulation can actually reduce business costs and drive much-needed innovation and growth.

Economics and ecology are interdependent - now more than ever before - as the consequences of poor environmental management and over-consumption of our stock of natural resources are posing real constraints on business.

But it is no longer just environmental campaigners and scientists sounding this warning. Both McKinsey & Co and Accenture have recently warned of a looming disaster if we don't break the nexus between economic value creation, environmental damage and over-reliance on scarce resources.

I find it very odd that a government that's tightened financial regulation to prevent systemic failure is simultaneously loosening environmental regulation, without any apparent regard for the environmental or longer-term economic consequences.

Our environmental risks are increasingly systemic, and in some areas the threats of ecosystem failures are very real.

This sidelining of environmental regulation to me reflects the persistence of the 'flat earth' mentality within the treasury and certain parts of the Conservative party who seem to refute that environmental protection and economic growth can be compatible goals.

This constituency see the environment solely as a cost to business and the economy, and fail to recognise the opportunities to grow new industries, jobs, exports and wealth by fostering a strong domestic clean technology sector.

In contrast, Finland and Denmark have joined Germany in establishing 'cleantech' as a vital part of their foreign investment drive. Instead, this government’s solution for putting the UK in a leadership position seems to be based on building a new airport.

David Cameron seemed to 'get' this before the election. I still believe in his heart he wants to show real leadership. But, as Steve Hilton obviously found, there are many powerful forces in the treasury and in parts of the Conservative party to whom the very concept of 'natural capital' is foreign. It’s time for the Prime Minister to re-engage and live up to his ambition to lead the ‘greenest government ever’.

However, at a time when the green economy offers a clear path to recovery, the Chancellor seems to remain firmly in the old treasury mindset of supporting old, dirty industries at the expense of clean, green ones. From his speech, you’d think the only emissions he’s keen on tackling are those from smokers.

Earth Hour - Saturday 31 March!

2012-03-21

WWF’s huge annual lights-out event kicks off at 8.30pm on 31 March. Not long to go now! Please sign up, if you haven’t already, to say you’ll be getting involved. You can join hundreds of millions of people around the world - and it can be as simple as celebrating at home with family or friends. Here's some fun Earth Hour plans so far - plus a personal message from UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon...

From Scotland to New Caledonia, from Moscow to Mexico City, from Bosnia to Bermuda - at 8.30pm on Saturday 31 March the world will come together to show support for our brilliant world and celebrate WWF’s Earth Hour.

Last year, 135 countries across the planet took part in the big Earth Hour switch-off - this year we’re delighted to say we’ve been joined by a few new ones, including Bhutan and Iraq.

More and more people are also realising that their support for our planet needs to extend beyond the hour - to their everyday lives. Watch this quick video to get an idea of the sheer scale and energy and exciting desire for change that fuels Earth Hour...

Here in the UK, you can see exactly who’s doing what, and whether it's near you, by checking the updates on our Earth Hour sign-up map.

Catch up with our Earth Hour news stories too: for instance we've just announced the winners of our Community Challenge competition - to choose the UK community that will have the exciting role of leading off the big switch-off on 31 March. Congratulations to Ysgol Evan James primary school in Pontypridd, Wales.

And there's the UK MPs from all the major parties who turned up for our Earth Hour launch in parliament, and pledged not only to to switch off lights on 31 March but to go beyond the hour by supporting the UN environment summit in Rio this June (Rio+20) - which explains the colourful costumes.

Find out who's won our Earth Hour recipe competition (it was Paul Robinson’s yummy baked plaice dish that grabbed first prize, in case you can’t wait to find out…)

If you want some extra help preparing for the night, say ideas for running a pub quiz or a competitive 'Come Dine With Me'-style dinner party, it’s all here - on a plate, you might say.

Need more inspiration? See what other people have told us they'll be doing on the night - and beyond.

Please help us spread the Earth Hour word too - not just by getting a special Earth Hour Twibbon badge for your Facebook and Twitter accounts (use #earthhour in your tweets too), or a special clickable lightswitch for your website, but also by using our gorgeous Earth Hour eCards.

Earth Hour activities around the world - and on video
In Scotland, the Panda has been out on the ice practising curling in the dark against champion curler Eve Muirhead - and resorting to some underhand tactics, as you can see...

In Wales, meanwhile, the Panda has been on roller skates with Cardiff's roller derby girls...

WWF-Canada's entertaining new promo video asks: 'Do you have what it takes to join Team Earth Hour?' And of course the answer is always 'Yes'...

They've also been putting together a crowd-sourced song - their in-house songsmith asked the Canadian public for lyrics to combine into a suitable Earth Hour anthem. The results should be out any time soon...

Update: here's the finished Earth Hour anthem from Andrew Huang (with help from Earth Hour fans)!

Earth Hour Global launched an "I Will If You Will" video campaign - a 'beyond the hour' initative where people publicly dare fellow-viewers to take an environmental action - whether it's signing up for Earth Hour itself, or using less electricity in general, recycling more, changing to a diet that's better for them and the planet, etc. In return they offer to do something personally challenging, sometimes funny, and occasionally slightly mad...

For example, the man who says he'll allow his toddler daughter to dress him for a week if 5,000 people start recycling...

Or the two firemen who say if enough people pledge to take public transport, they'll climb a 96-storey building - topless, for some reason...

This Italian pianist has offered to play for eight hours non-stop if enough people take action...

And here's Greenpeace International's director Kumi Naidoo, who's putting his beard on the line for Earth Hour, saying he'll dye it green for the Rio+20 summit if enough people commit to taking lasting action for Earth Hour...

Earth Hour ambassador Miranda Kerr is offering a free yoga class if people get involved in the campaign...

And finally, not forgetting this brave woman who's agreed to get a panda tattoo on her back - even though she hates tattoos...

If they can do it, so can you! Sign up for Earth Hour now, and tell us what you'll be doing beyond the hour too...

If you need any more weighty persuasion, here's Ban-Ki Moon, Secretary General of the UN, giving his support for WWF's Earth Hour, saying: "We need to fuel our future with clean sustainable and affordable energy for all. By acting together today we can power a brighter tomorrow".

The president of Fiji has offered to do a 30km walk (even though, as he says, he's 70) to help persuade companies and communities in his country to get involved in Earth Hour - and to go beyond the hour...

This year we also have a unique 'beyond the Earth' perspective from astronaut and WWF's Earth Hour ambassador André Kuipers, who's blogging, tweeting and posting flickr images from the International Space Station before, during and after Earth Hour. Find out more about André's involvement here.

And lastly for now, here's a slightly longer version of this year's official Earth Hour video...

Don't forget to sign up for Earth Hour now - and switch off at 8.30pm on Saturday 31 March!

Two 'twice-extinct’ trees rediscovered in coastal Tanzania

2012-03-20

Scientists have confirmed the rediscovery of two tree species that were feared to have become extinct - twice - according to a report published in the Journal of East African Natural History. The finds were made in highly threatened fragments of dry forest in coastal Tanzania.

One of the trees, Erythrina schliebenii, belongs to the genus of ‘coral trees’ which have spectacular red flowers and viciously spiny trunks. The tree was only known from two collections from the 1930s until it was recollected in a small patch of unprotected forest in 2001. It was feared that it might have gone extinct again when a Dutch company cleared part of that forest for a biofuel plantation in 2008.

The other tree, Karomia gigas, was only known from a single specimen cut down a few years after it was first discovered in coastal Kenya in 1977. Another tree was found some 600 km away in a tiny fragment of forest in Tanzania in 1993, but a more recent search at the same site was unable to relocate it.

Last year botanists from the University of Dar es Salaam set out to look for both trees near where they had been found. They discovered small populations of both in remote coastal forest near Kilwa in SE Tanzania.

The coral tree Erythrina schliebenii was collected with mature seeds for the first time, allowing taxonomists at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew to confirm it as a distinct species. This was only possible through consulting reference collections of coral tree specimens housed in herbaria throughout the world.

Neil Burgess, senior advisor to WWF’s conservation and Africa programme, said: "The re-discovery of these two trees highlights the lack of information in a forested region where we could be losing species without ever knowing they are there.

“Conservation of these forests, in partnership with local villages, is essential. This can also lead to standing forest being used as an income source for communities through the development of sustainable logging initiatives.”

Recent improvements in infrastructure, together with a rapid population increase, are putting the coastal forests of SE Tanzania under increasing threat of being degraded and cleared.

“Erythrina schliebenii has only survived because it grows in rocky areas that are not usually cleared for cultivation but even those areas will be cleared one day if nothing is done,” added botanist Cosmas Mligo from the University of Dar es Salaam,

Roy Gereau from the Missouri Botanical Garden, who is a member of the East African Plant Red List Authority and coordinates the collection of data for IUCN Red List assessments in East Africa, said: “Both trees are still in critical danger of extinction, given that fewer than 50 individuals of each species are known.”