Our White-Bellied Heron Programme aims to conserve one of the most threatened bird species in the wild. An important component of the programme is the development of a captive breeding centre for these majestic but Critically Endangered birds. Rebecca Pradhan (RSPN) and Gemma Goodman-Hattie Gemma Goodman-Hattie, Co-Head of Programmes, visited Bhutan to [...]
The Yangtze finless porpoise is a critically endangered subspecies of cetacean found only in the Yangtze river, China. Over the past two decades their population is believed to have dropped dramatically, but data are so sparse it is impossible to determine the extent or causes of this crash. The Yangtze finless porpoise is now [...]
20 Sunda pangolins live to fight another day! There was a chink of light earlier this month in what is often a gloomy picture for wildlife in Vietnam. Synchronicity Earth partner Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW) successfully released 20 Critically Endangered Sunda pangolins back into the wild as part of the Carnivore and Pangolin Restoration Programme, a [...]
In 2013, Synchronicity Earth became aware of the plight of a little known species of heron – the White-bellied Heron. Not dissimilar in appearance to the well-known Grey Heron, which is widespread and abundant throughout the UK and much of the world, but differing in its huge size, as the world’s second largest heron, [...]
Synchronicity Earth’s Founding Trustee, Adam Sweidan, and I attended the recent International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Leaders meeting in Abu Dhabi. The IUCN SSC is a network organisation with a few core paid staff. However, the majority of its 140 Specialist Groups and committees are made up of [...]
After discovering the plight of the world’s second largest heron and one of the most threatened birds globally, I felt a need to do something to help kick-start collaboration between the range states and to increase action and interest in the species. I identified some of the most dedicated White-bellied heron conservationists and researchers [...]
By Peter Bosshard A blog by Peter Bosshard. Peter is the Policy Director of International Rivers. In the 1950s, thousands of Baiji river dolphins plied the waters of the Yangtze, Asia’s mightiest river. The Chinese river dolphin had evolved over 20 millions of years, and was revered as the goddess of the Yangtze. By [...]
By Rudo Sanyanga A blog by Rudo Sanyanga from International Rivers. A native of Zimbabwe, Rudo holds a PhD in Aquatic Systems Ecology from Stockholm University. She is the Africa Program Director of International Rivers and is based in Pretoria. This article was first published by Business Day. THE world's water experts convene in [...]
Last night, Synchronicity Earth hosted a small event about large-scale dams. During it, we showed Todd Southgate’s DAMOCRACY, a story of resistance against two of the world’s most controversial dams – the Belo Monte in Brazil and the Ilisu Dam in Southeastern Turkey. The film was recently screened at the Wild and Scenic Film [...]
Last week I attended a two-day symposium on Wildlife Trafficking in London. The symposium was initiated by United For Wildlife – a flagship project of The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry – which brings seven of the world’s largest wildlife NGOs into an unprecedented collaboration. The symposium [...]