Connect with WILD
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Storks in Spain
A note from WILD's President Vance Martin on the next World Wilderness Congress
There seems to be a white stork on every post, pillar, and tower as we travel through the beautiful dehesa of Western Spain, reviewing possible venues for WILD10, the 10th World Wilderness Congress. It's early days yet and we've not yet finalized our hosting agreements, but matters are proceeding well.
The WILD9 process peaked just nineteen months ago (November 2009) when delegates gathered in Merida, Mexico. Starting just a few short months after WILD9, we began the process for WILD10. There was a lot of excitement at WILD9 from our European colleagues. And, we were invited to consider Europe for the next Congress. Europe presents an interesting and timely convergence of topics because of the return of wild nature throughout the continent in the past thirty years and the growing amount of related public attention and policy focus. Conceptually, the timing is good.
Our sister organization The Wilderness Foundation (UK), and our close working colleagues at Wild Europe, Rewilding Europe, Brandenburg Foundation, EUROPARC and PANParks are at the core of a growing, continental-scale movement. Wild Wonders of Europe, conceived by Staffand Widstrand during the 8th World Wilderness Congress in Alaska (2005), is now traveling the world as one of the most phenomenal nature-conservation photography exhibits in history.
A ten month preliminary engagement process has lead us to Spain. Did you know that there are nearly 3,000 wolves in Spain? Wildland corridors are re-emerging in the Cantabrian and Pyrenees mountains and in much of Sierra Nevada mountain range across Spain and Portugal, which means that wildlife is making a great comeback. The population of the iconic Iberian lynx has doubled in less than ten years and about 34% of Spain is designated as a protected area under the European Union's Natura 2000 classification. Very exciting.
There is so much more to share about the amazing return of wild nature to Europe. Pending some positive results in the next few months on the organizational and fundraising side, we'll have more news soon. Visionary things are happening with wild nature in Europe, so stay tuned...
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Update from Isandlawana
Zulu Village Project - South Africa
The Edupeg and EcoSchools programs in the Isandlwana Village are having good results! A new assistant, Khuli, joined the Edupeg program and brings new skills and excitement to the Isandlwana schools. Using the skills he learned during a training session in Cape Town, Khuli will work with teachers and school administrators to implement the unique EduPeg model throughout the six primary schools in the Isandlwana village. Having a specific EduPeg assistant helps both the teachers and the students! More about EduPeg >
EcoSchools is a worldwide program to encourage environmental awareness and action in schools, which we launched in Isandlwana in 2008. In a recent workshop, the Gadelenii Secondary school received an EcoSchool certificate for their environmental program in 2010. Congratulations! Learn more about the village and the EcoSchools program >
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A letter to WILD's Friends...
Last week I sent a letter to all of our current donors - did you get it? Below is a brief excerpt & you can read the full letter online here >
So often in our modern world, we go into the wild to prove our strength. We seek to climb the highest peak or run the fastest river. We seek to show our independence and, in a way, assert ourselves over wild nature, continuing a cycle of controlling nature for our own benefit.
What I knew clearly after several days living simply and quietly in the African bush, is that the human animal is as vulnerable as all of the species with whom we share the planet. Realizing the Nature Needs Half vision is perhaps more important for us than it is for Nature itself. For the human animal to survive and thrive, we need to protect at least half of the planet's land and water, not only because of what it provides for us in a physical way, but also because of what it can teach us when we take the time to listen. My time in Africa reinforced this message for me and reinvigorated my passion and drive for Nature Needs Half. Read more >
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Nature Needs Half in the News
"Balancing Act - Learning to be a Nature Lover and a Nature Adventurer" appeared in the Summer 2011 Trail & Timberline Magazine, a publication of the Colorado Mountain Club. Written by Emily Loose (WILD's Director of Communications) and Morgan Heim (WILD Trustee), the article explores the impacts of human recreation on nature through the lense of Nature Needs Half. Read the full article >
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SWIPEGOOD - A New Creative Way to Support WILD!
This week, WILD is the featured nonprofit on SwipeGood, an exciting and creative new way for you to support our work for wilderness worldwide. Here's how it works:
- Sign up on SwipeGood.
- Use your debit or credit card as you normally would and SwipeGood will round each purchase to the nearest dollar.
- At the end of each month, your total 'spare-change' is sent to WILD as tax-deductible contribution.
- SwipeGood has all of the details listed in their easy to read Frequently Asked Questions section.
**Don't forget to select WILD as your charity of choice! **
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