Rewilding- Part One

Last month I went to a talk at the University of Leeds all about rewilding in the UK. The talks were given by George Monbiot and Alan Watson-Featherson.

George described how although there are many upland reserves in the UK, they are only maintained to have the lowest level of biodiversity. This is because many years ago, someone decided that heather and scrub should cover most of the land despite the fact that forests would have historically covered these areas. To prevent the regrowth of the forests, sheep were used to over graze the land along with burning and cutting. George found that this is a problem all over the country as in lowlands there are few trees, but, in the uplands, where they would naturally be more, there are even less.

For the love of Pangolins

Images from African Geographic

If you didn't already know, I have a soft spot for pangolins. I don't know whether this is because they defend themselves by curling up into a ball or if they are just so under appreciated in the animal world. The pangolin undergoes a heavy amount of poaching and to learn more about them click here.

The reason I have told you about my love for them, is because on the 23rd April the largest case in pangolin smuggling since 2008 was stopped before it could leave Sumatra where it was due to head to China. Along with the haul being stopped, the smuggler was also caught.

Good News For Some Ecosystems- Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka have become the first nation to comprehensively protect all of the mangrove forests.

This great news has even more importance than most people think. Mangroves sequester far more carbon than other forests and the carbon is sequestered for a much longer period of time compared to your normal forests. Along with this, the mangrove tree root system provide nurseries for many fish species that go on to populate coral reefs, a beautiful natural wonder. These fish also provide jobs to the local fisherman who require the fish to provide an income.

My New Placement- Wildlife Heritage Foundation

As you may have guessed if you follow me on instagram (@erinkaywilliams), I have been working with some big and small cats at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, my last placement on my placement year.