Executive Manager's Message

There’s never a quiet moment in the CLP, but the past few months have been particularly busy. In June the team set off for Beijing, China to run our annual international training course, which was attended by representatives from 32 CLP projects and 12 countries. The course was led by experts in project management, behaviour change management and communications. Seeing this group of individuals learn, work, share experiences and bond with each other reaffirmed what I already knew – that the CLP is supporting some extraordinary people and projects and truly building the capacity of future conservation leaders.

The 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology was also held in Beijing. As the first SCB meeting hosted in Asia, it was quite a momentous occasion – and even more momentous in that it was organized by a CLP alum, Sun Yue-Hua, who won an award in 1999 to study the endemic Chinese Grouse. Over 80 CLP alumni attended the SCB, 25 of whom received CLP travel grants to attend the meeting to give oral or poster presentations. It was therefore an opportune time for us to hold a workshop to look at the main issues conservationists are facing today and provide an opportunity for alumni to learn from and support one another.

In September we welcomed Julie Jackson to the Conservation Leadership Programme team. Julie has been hired as a Programme Officer based at Conservation International and will be coordinating the activities of the CLP Alumni Network. She is passionate about conservation and will be a great addition to the team.

This edition of the newsletter features several fantastic success story from Asia, including the release of 50 captive-bred Philippine crocodiles that have been released into the wild giving a major boost to the species survival, and a new nature reserve has finally been established in China to protect the last remaining habitat of the world’s rarest primate. Elsewhere, there are close encounters with dugong in Madagascar and an urgent call for support from Cuba’s Jardin de los Helechos botanic gardens.

We’re always interested in hearing news and keeping up to date with developments. Why not join the CLP Facebook group so you can keep in touch with all the latest updates from CLP projects around the world? Also visit our website to read the latest CLP news -- most recent is the Call for Applications for 2010 Conservation Awards.

Robyn Dalzen
Executive Manager

18 - 25 October 2009 13th World Forestry Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina

1 - 5 November 2009 13th World Lake Conference: Lake Ecosystem Restoration: Global Challenges and the Chinese Initiative, Wuhan, China

8 – 13 November 2009 9th International Conference on Artificial Reefs and Related Aquatic Habitats, Curitiba, Brazil

15 – 18 November 2009 2009 Carnivore Conference: Carnivore Conservation in a Changing World, Denver, USA

18 – 20 November 2009 Role of Botanic Gardens in the Conservation of Plant Biological Diversity, Cienfuegos, Cuba

23 – 27 November 2009 The East Asian Seas Congress 2009. Partnerships at Work: Local Implementation and Good Practices, Manila, Philippines

23 – 25 March 2010 11th Student Conference of Conservation Science, Cambridge, UK

12 - 18 September 2010 International Primatological Society’s XXIII Congress: Quest for Coexistence with Non-human Primates, Copenhagen, Denmark

The Conservation Leadership Programme is now soliciting applications for 2010 Conservation Awards
Apply before 6th November 2009

Reintroduction of 50 Philippine Crocodiles

News From the Field

Team Awards are granted to teams of three or more individuals who are undertaking high-priority conservation projects. The awards are arranged in a tiered system to allow for progression and include the Future Conservationist Award, Conservation Follow-up Award and Conservation Leadership Award.

AFRICA
A Conservation Framework for Furcifer Chameleons in Madagascar (2008)
In January 2009, Christian Randrianantoandro sent the 17 IUCN Red List species accounts for Furcifer chameleons species to a number of expert individuals and institutions. Although the response has been disappointing, with only a few people sending comments, they have obtained funding to expand the project to include all Calumma and Brookesia chameleons.

The Mpingo Conservation Project (2004)
In April 2009, the Mpingo Conservation Project (MCP), announced that two communities obtained certification to manage an area of natural forest for sustainable use – a first for Africa, and a real landmark achievement.

Dugong Without Borders: Building Capacity for Indian Ocean Sirenian Conservation, Comoros (2009)
Early in the morning, as the tide rises, an outrigger canoe advances on the silent, shallow waters of Baie des Courriers where eight fishers wait patiently. Suddenly, a muffled, deep breathing sound reveals the presence of the famous ‘sea-pig’, Lambohara (dugong)…

Read more about projects in Africa...

ASIA
Initiative to Reduce the Mortality of Ganges Dolphin in Brahmaputra River, India (2008)
The Project Team of Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Project conducted altogether 79 dolphins monitoring and 78 awareness campaign across Brahmaputra Valley from April to June 2009. The team has also been conducting an extensive database collection to understand the general awareness level of dolphin conservation across Brahmaputra Valley.

Katala Quest 2003 Northern Palawan, Philippines (2003)
Final results of the Katala Quest expedition in Northern Palawan have been published in a compilation book entitled “Conservation Studies on Palawan Biodiversity” published by the Katala Foundation Inc. The CLP funded expedition aimed at assessing the status of the critically endangered Katala as locally known or the Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia) and associated vertebrate communities in lowland forests of northern Palawan.

Read more about projects in Asia-Pacific...

EURASIA
Community-based Conservation of Lake Kuyucuk, Kars, Turkey (2008)
Kars’ Lake Kuyucuk Wildlife Reserve has been awarded two prestigious accolades. Firstly, it was heralded as Turkey’s 2009 European Destination of Excellence, and secondly, the site has been officially designated as the first RAMSAR site in eastern Turkey.

Expanding protected areas in Argun Midflow and bird monitoring network in Daurai ecoregion on Russia-China-Mongolia Border (2008)
It appears that sometime good and bad news come hand in hand: In line with our proposal for the expansion of Dauria International Protected Area, we finished the design and full technical documentation for two protected areas in Russia: 1) Argun Midflow Wetlands and 2) Gazelle Valley which together form a chain along the Russian-Mongolian and Russian-Chinese border from Torey Lakes in the west to the end of Argun Midflow wetland cluster in the east.

Read more about projects in Eurasia...

LATIN AMERICA
Programme for the Conservation of Cuban Cacti (2007)
A stunning man-made oasis of plant diversity, which has become widely recognized as a symbol of hope for cuban plants is withering right in front of the eyes of workers and visitors.

Environmental planning and education program in Cerro Verde, the first Coastal-Marine Protected Area in Uruguay (2007)
In March 2009 Karumbé, a local NGO, continued studies of Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) ecology with emphasis on topics related to its migration. The main objective is to identify key sites for habitat conservation and determine potential threats the species may face in La Coronilla- Barra del Chuy area.

Advancing Sea-bird Conservation in Peru’s Artisanal Fishery Through Education and research
The team are busy updating the information on their project web site. They have also been working together with the Focal point for the Agreement of Albatrosses and Petrels.

Read more about projects in Latin America...

Click here to read the latest Intern updates

CLP Alumni: Where Are They Now?

One of the most enjoyable aspects of attending the SCB conference is the unique opportunity to meet so many CLP alumni under one roof, and attending their oral and poster presentations. Jayson Ibanez was awarded a CLP grant to attend the Beijing conference in July where he gave a presentation entitled, "Hope For Threatened Tropical Forest Raptors: Lessons From The Philippine Eagle Conservation Program". We managed to catch up with him after his presentation to find out how his career has progressed since his team was awarded a Future Conservationist Award five years ago.

Read the full story...

Final Reports Received

These recently concluded projects have had some exciting results. To download a pdf copy of a project report, click on the project title below to visit the relevant project page on the CLP website.

Project Websites

Check out project websites for updated news and images from award winning teams in the field: