June Rhino Champions: Rhino Protection Units

Our featured Rhino Champions for June are the Rhino Protection Units who patrol the forests of Indonesia to protect Sumatran and Javan rhinos.

Javan Rhinos

Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP) is Indonesia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the largest remaining tract of lowland tropical forest on the island of Java, and home to the world’s last surviving population of the Critically Endangered Javan rhino. 

For nearly twenty years, IRF and our partners have funded Javan Rhino Protection Units in Ujung Kulon National Park – highly-trained, anti-poaching teams that patrol the forests, monitoring wildlife, removing traps and snares, and identifying and apprehending illegal intruders. As the Javan rhino population expands, it is critical that this intensive protection continue.

Why Zambia has not benefited from its rosewood trade with China!

Story by: Paolo Omar Cerutti & Davison Gumbo

Rosewood is the generic name for several dark-red hardwood species found in tropical regions across the globe. It fetches very high prices because it’s strong, heavy, has a beautiful red hue and takes polish very well – and because the trees are becoming increasingly scarce. On the Chinese market in 2014, for example, prices were in excess of USD$17,000 per ton. That’s ten times higher than the price of more standard tropical hardwood.

There’s a huge demand in China for rosewood logs to make hongmu – antique furniture. Hongmu was used historically by the imperial elite and is now coveted by China’s rising middle class. Supplies of the wood from markets in Latin America and South-East Asia have dwindled in recent years, so Africa has become a key source. Within Africa, Zambia has become one of China’s main rosewood exporters in the past decade.

But the harvesting of rosewood is often not done sustainably. Several African species have already received protection under the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species.

Keep the Luangwa River Wild and Free - Stop the construction of the proposed Ndevu Gorge dam

From World Wildlife Fund petition page.

Wild and Free, the Luangwa River...

The South and North Luangwa National Parks are known as two of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world—evidenced by the wide range of wildlife supported by the Luangwa River.

The Luangwa River is the only refuge for reintroduced black rhinos in Zambia, and is home to some of the largest concentrations of elephants and hippos in Africa, massive buffalo herds, and over 400 species of birds.

Amidst the abundant wildlife and a booming tourism industry, the Luangwa faces many threats—including hydropower development, deforestation, and unsustainable commercial agriculture. The most threatening challenge is a proposed dam at Ndevu Gorge, which would transform the river and put all those who depend on it at risk.

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Can a Chinese law stop the slaughter of African elephants?

From CNN Report...

Despite a new blanket ban on the ivory trade in China, the closest major city to Mozambique's largest nature reserve remains a smuggling hotspot for criminal gangs. CNN's David McKenzie reports.

Nsefu's Coe Lewis on 600 KOGO News Radio!

Coe visited 600 KOGO News Radio to talk about Nsefu Wildlife Conservation Foundations (Nsefu.org) conservation efforts in Zambia. Listen to her interview.

Coe and crew arriving in Zambia!