Roses & Rhinos - In Naivasha, Kenya, one flower company’s commitment to “conservation through trade” demonstrates how to marry business and environmental interests. Dashing through the supermarket on the way to a dinner party, you grab a bottle of wine and a bunch of roses for the hostess. In that moment, the image of white rhinos grazing in central Kenya probably does not cross your mind. What’s the connection? The flowers. Kenya is one of the world’s leading flower exporters. The shores of Lake Naivasha in the central Rift Valley are home to massive farms that produce tens of millions of stems a day destined primarily for shops in Europe. These operations support well over half a million people, and make a major contribution to Kenya’s economy. And they depend on the availability of clean water. Of course, they are not alone. Resident fishermen and farmers also depend on the lake for their livelihoods, and the native wildlife – including a wide array of water birds, as well as hippos and iconic African species like giraffes, zebras and antelope – depend on a healthy lake as the foundation of a functioning ecosystem. With business investment, community well-being and biodiversity at stake, it is essential to manage the lake effectively. “The health of Lake Naivasha isn’t just one sector’s concern, and it isn’t just one sector’s responsibility,” says Robert Ndetei, Manager of WWF’s Lake Naivasha programme. “Businesses, communities and local authorities all have a role to play. And we are seeing that there’s so much to be gained through cooperation.” Responding to risk Oserian began as a vegetable farm on the shore of Lake Naivasha in the late 1960s. It has since grown into one of the largest flower farms in the region, with 220 hectares under production. A business of this size – even one committed to sustainability – leaves a significant footprint on the landscape. But this enterprise has emphasized respect for the unique environment of Lake Naivasha from the beginning, says Production Director Hamish Ker. Yet, in 2009, even a water-efficient operation like Oserian got a scare when a significant drought gripped the Naivasha catchment. “The drought of 2009 strengthened people’s resolve to manage the precious resource of Lake Naivasha collectively. This is when farms started implementing efficiencies, like stopping overhead irrigation,” says Ker. “This is also when WWF and the government really got active. Everyone realized you can’t win alone. Oserian and a few other responsible water users might be doing well on efficiency, but we didn’t know what all water users were doing. The 2009 drought got everyone concerned. It catalyzed cooperation.” One example of this new cooperation is a “payment for environmental services” scheme, or PES. Under the plan, the 21 members of the Lake Naivasha Growers’ Group, including Oserian, reward subsistence farmers in the surrounding hills for their efforts to improve the quality and quantity of water reaching the lake. The growers provide farmers with vouchers for agriculture inputs such as improved seeds and supplements for their livestock. Many also donate tree seedlings to participating farmers to reduce erosion on the hillside properties. “Now we aren’t waiting for crisis. We’re alert and we’re taking action,” says Ker. Business case for sustainability Oserian supports a number of philanthropic efforts to improve the quality of life in Naivasha – but the PES scheme isn’t the only one of them, says Linda Munyao, the company’s Environmental & Audit Manager. “This is business. It’s not charity; it’s an investment. We need Lake Naivasha, so if we ensure the lake is there and healthy tomorrow, we are investing in the future of our business,” says Munyao. “We see a market advantage to being a sustainable company. First, when buyers know we are environmentally friendly, they give preference to Oserian products. Obviously, then we are able to sell more and do better business. Then, we see other companies wanting to emulate what we are doing, and that’s good for Lake Naivasha and for Kenya. Because it’s no good having just one or two businesses be sustainable – we can’t conserve small areas while the rest is crumbling. So we want others to join with us and engage in eco-friendly business.” Munyao says Oserian is open to having other growers learn from their experience, whether that’s improving irrigation efficiency, creating wetlands on site to treat wastewater, switching to organic fertilizers, using geothermal energy or breeding predator insects to handle pest bugs. “If you marry yourself closer to nature, it’s a win-win. Nature has been honing its system for millennia. So, it’s going forward by going back to the past. We’re more efficient and cost effective, the plants are healthier and it’s a better working environment,” says Ker. The Lake Naivasha Growers’ Group is a forum for sharing best practices, promoting conservation and – because it is a business group – ensuring the commercial viability of the region. “The growers have been effective in advocating for better management of the lake in a way that WWF alone could never be,” says Ndetei. “They make a compelling economic argument, and WWF offers the conservation science. Together, we have gained the attention of the government. But more than their attention, we have gained their trust. The Kenyan government has created a local coordination unit, and is now funding and implementing policies to manage Lake Naivasha sustainably.” What about the rhinos? Oserian’s management is aware that the company’s mere presence in the Rift Valley landscape presents responsibilities and opportunities that extend beyond roses and carnations. The 18,000-acre Oserian Wildlife Sanctuary is home to 15 white rhinos, alongside healthy populations of buffalos, zebrass – including the threatened Grevy’s zebra – giraffes, antelope, gazelles, warthogs and leopards. For Ker, the sanctuary embodies the company’s mantra, “conservation through trade.” “We’ve got to where we are through trade. Without successful trade, we would not be able to develop better farming practices and we could not support wildlife conservation – you could say we are natural champions in safeguarding nature for future generations,” he says.

WWF finds US grocery retailers stocking toilet paper linked to rainforest destruction - WASHINGTON, DC:   American companies and consumers are inadvertently contributing to Indonesian rain forest and tiger habitat destruction by buying toilet paper and other tissue products made with fiber from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), according to a World Wildlife Fund report released today. Don’t Flush Tiger Forests: Toilet Paper, U.S. Supermarkets, and the Destruction of Indonesia’s Last Tiger Habitats finds that APP, the fifth-largest tissue producer in the world, is rapidly expanding into the U.S. market with paper linked to rain forest destruction, originating from areas that are the last home for critically endangered species such as Sumatran tigers, elephants, and orangutans. Products made with APP fiber, such as toilet paper, paper towels and tissue, are increasingly landing in grocery stores, restaurants, schools and hotels across the country under the Paseo and Livi brand names. Eight large retailers – BI-LO, Brookshire Grocery Company, Delhaize Group (owner of Food Lion chain), Harris Teeter, Kmart, Kroger, SUPERVALU, and Weis Markets – have decided to stop carrying tissue products made with APP fiber during the last several months. “We applaud the decision by these companies to remove these products from their stores,” said Jan Vertefeuille, head of WWF’s Tiger Campaign. Since it began operating in Indonesia in 1984, WWF estimates that APP and its affiliates have pulped nearly 5 million acres of tropical forest on the island of Sumatra, which equals an area roughly the size of 4 million football fields or larger than the state of Massachusetts. “Consumers shouldn’t have to choose between tigers and toilet paper,” said Linda Kramme, a WWF forest expert. “We’re asking retailers, wholesalers and consumers not to buy Paseo or Livi products until APP stops clearing rain forests in Sumatra.” Fastest-growing toilet paper brand in the U.S. APP distributes its tissue, paper and paper-based packaging products through a number of North American-based subsidiaries and affiliates, including Solaris Paper, Mercury Paper, Paper Excellence, Global Paper Solutions, and Eagle Ridge Paper. In recent years, APP has greatly expanded into the U.S. tissue market, including through Paseo and Livi tissue products. Oasis Brands, which markets Paseo, announced in 2011 that Paseo had become the fastest-growing brand of toilet paper in the U.S. Paseo and Livi are also marketed as "away-from-home" products used in public restrooms in restaurants, office buildings, schools and hotels. “More than 50 percent of shoppers say they consider sustainability when they shop, but Americans may not be aware that products used every day, like paper and tissue, can be linked to devastating impacts on forests in faraway places,” the report states. To produce the report, WWF researched Paseo sales to U.S. grocery chains and found Paseo products being carried in grocery chains across the country in 2011. WWF contacted 20 grocers sourcing the largest amounts of Paseo to make them aware of Paseo's link to rain forest destruction. The 12 companies identified and contacted, but that did not respond or commit to stopping Paseo sales, are: • Albertsons LLC • Giant Eagle • Hy-Vee • IGA • Ingles • K-VA-T (sold at Food City) • Lowes Food Stores • Marsh • Price Chopper • Roundy’s (sold at Roundy's, Pick'n Save, Rainbow and Copps) • Save Mart • Spartan “We urge companies to be responsible stewards of the planet and stop carrying Paseo products until APP stops clearing rain forest,” Kramme said. Trying to improve the pulp and paper sector Paseo is produced with pulp from APP, a subsidiary of China-based Sinar Mas Group and one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies. APP owns two pulp mills on the Indonesian island of Sumatra – one of them among the world’s largest – and is responsible for more deforestation in Sumatra than any other company, according to field investigations, government data and satellite imagery. The research into APP and its Paseo and Livi tissue paper brands is part of efforts by WWF to encourage a more responsible pulp and paper sector, specifically by addressing the increase in the United States of pulp and paper products produced with rain forest fiber or from plantation fiber from converted rain forest. WWF is working to ensure that North American paper sourcing no longer negatively impacts Indonesian natural forests and instead drives demand for paper from responsibly developed and managed Indonesian plantations. WWF also is working with other Indonesian pulp and paper producers willing to adopt better practices to bring more options to the marketplace. Many responsible companies are already showing leadership. One of the easiest ways that companies and consumers can help is by buying tissue products made with fiber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or 100 percent recycled fiber to ensure they aren’t contributing to forest destruction, and urging retailers to stop selling brands linked to destructive practices. To download the report and learn more about WWF’s tissue campaign, please visit www.worldwildlife.org/tp.  

WWF captures first known tiger images in northern India forest - New Delhi, India - As it nears the end of its journey inside the northern Indian State of Uttarakhand, the Kosi River flows down the Himalayan foothills that separate the Corbett Tiger Reserve from the Ramnagar Forest Division to its east. The rustic forests that blanket this area are an important tiger habitat and form part of a crucial natural link – known as a corridor – that allows the endangered big cats and other important species to thrive. A WWF team working in Kaladhungi, which forms part of the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), has documented a Bengal tiger traversing the Kosi River, the first time the endangered species is known to have been captured on camera in the area. Northern india tigers View more videos from WWF Debmalya Roy Chowdhury, a Project Officer working in the area, shares an eyewitness account of this rare sighting: “It was almost 11 in the mroning on 31 October, 2011. I was with two colleagues, Chandar Singh Neg and Tara Thaplial, [and we were] all very tired after a six kilometre walk on the bed of River Kosi under a scorching sun. We were about to reach one of the camera trap points along River, where WWF-India has been conducting the Kosi Corridor Monitoring Study for past two months. Just after crossing the river bed, Tara screamed out “Sir, tiger-tiger!” I looked up. How I felt at the moment is very hard to describe in words. There was a huge, mature male tiger walking along the river bed in that broad daylight attempting to move into the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The big cat was few hundred metres away from us.  After a few seconds of being perplexed, I started clicking off photographs. The tiger spotted us and tried to take cover, but realising there being none it turned back towards our camera point and disappeared into the jungle. This sighting made us get over our tiredness and we followed its tracks up to our camera point.  This was the most memorable on-foot sighting of a tiger I have ever had in my life - and it is probably the best direct evidence we have to document how well the River Kosi corridor is working.” Amazing findings in the Kosi River corridor Adding substance to the above documentation are findings from a WWF-India study conducted in 2011. As part of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India’s all India tiger estimation exercise, WWF was involved in camera trapping and the subsequent estimation of tigers in the Ramnagar Forest Division, which includes the Kosi River corridor. The results were astonishing – both the positive findings as well as the challenges faced by the tigers. “Our study lead by tiger biologist Meraj Anwar revealed that Ramanagar Forest Division has the highest density of tigers outside a Protected Area anywhere in India and perhaps the world. We obtained a high tiger density of over 15 tigers per 100 sq. km. In fact, this density is higher than that of many well known Tiger Reserves in India,” said Joseph Vattakaven, a Tiger Coordinator with WWF India. The detailed findings were published in Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2010.* Adds Joseph, “We have initiated a detailed study on the pressures the River Kosi corridor is currently facing. Our intensive camera trapping study that is ongoing shows that tigers are dispersing via the River Kosi corridor but the unchecked mushrooming of resorts in the corridor is the single biggest cause for concern. Also, the fact that these tigers are in a non-protected area increases the urgency for measures to protect them. The protection they currently get is far less than the adjoining Corbett Tiger Reserve.” The urgency of protecting this tiger population comes as WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative launches a Zero Poaching action to stop tiger poaching in its tracks in tiger heartlands – the core areas where the big cat lives and breeds.  WWF and its partners increasing their engagement in the Kosi River Corridor will be a key aspect to building a future for the tiger there.  The Tigers Alive Initiative is calling on tiger country governments to secure the heartlands through renewed dedication and support for the well trained and managed field staff working every day on the tiger conservation frontlines. 

Corals inflate to escape the sand - Time-lapse footage reveals how mushroom corals inflate and deflate to free themselves from smothering sand.

Fascinating ancient Sahara site celebrated for World Wetlands Day - Tunis, Tunisia: A remote seasonal salt lake on the edge of the Sahara leads a list of 15 new Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance being declared in the country on World Wetlands Day, February 2. Chott Elguetar, a 7,400 ha site with an intermittent lake, is vital to the survival of the threatened Scimitar Oryx, Addax and Dama Gazelle. It also contains traces of human religious and industrial activity that have been dated back 40,000 years. WWF has welcomed the announcement, noting that Tunisia’s designation of 15 new Ramsar Sites nearly doubles the country’s total, to 35. “These designations are the result of a long process that requires effort and time from the government and conservation groups,” said Faouzi Maamouri, Coordinator of the WWF office in Tunisia. “But even with everything this country has been through recently, there is a strong commitment to protecting wetlands and the services they provide for both people and nature.” The Ramsar Convention, so named for its signing in the Iranian city of the same name, is an intergovernmental treaty to maintain and conserve Wetlands of International Importance – or Ramsar Sites. These include rivers, lakes, marshes, mangroves, coral reefs and other natural or human-made wetlands. The new sites in Tunisia include natural wetlands, oases and coastal lagoons, as well as structures such as dams and reservoirs. Many of them contribute directly to human well-being by supporting agriculture or fisheries. Others provide habitat for vulnerable or endangered birds and mammals. Highlights in addition to Chott Elguetar include: Marais d’eau douce Garaet Douza – 1,400 ha; a seasonal freshwater marsh surrounded by a circle of mountains, which give it a wonderful landscape. It is a good site for the promotion of Saharan ecotourism, as it is a natural wetland that has not been adversely affected by agriculture and harbours a wealth of biodiversity. Barrage Oued Ermal – 620 ha; a dam and reservoir that provides a vital habitat for several waterfowl at various critical stages of their life cycle. It is a nesting place for Cattle Egret, Spoonbill, Eurasian Coot, Shoveler Ducks, Plover, Gadwall, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Marbled Duck, Marsh Harrier, Kingfisher, Water Pipit, Skylark and Chiffchaff. Barrage de Sidi El Barrak – 2,734 ha; one of the most important dams and reservoirs in Tunisia for irrigation and supplying drinking water to the cities of Tunis and Sfax. Tunisia isn’t the only country expanding its list of Ramsar Sites. Since the beginning of 2012, Indonesia, Estonia, Romania, France and Kazakhstan have added new sites. “World Wetlands Day is a moment to reflect on the freshwater ecosystems that we all depend on,” said Denis Landenbergue, WWF International Freshwater Manager. “But the recent additions to the Ramsar List – and others to come in the near future – show that the work to conserve wetlands happens all year. As one of five international organization partners that have been with the convention since the beginning, WWF is proud to support Ramsar.”