Page 49 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #06

AGENDA NEWS

Bumblebees
(pictured) and YOND
solitary bees will
benefit the most
from the ban. THE
headlines

SEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION

A RECENT BBC decline.It’s not just about
DOCUMENTARY extinction,anyway: the loss
HIGHLIGHTED of 100,000 animals over 16
THE WORK OF years is significant.
CONSERVATIONISTS
RESCUING So, what should be
ORANGUTANS, BUT done about it?
EU ban to help some bees THERE ARE MUCH We need to stop
BETTER WAYS TO
deforestation and hunting.
SAVE THE RED Donors need to demand
Member states vote in favour will reverse the declines, when APE, SAYS ERIK from projects they give
of neonicotinoid ban. other factors, such as disease MEIJAARD. money to that they are
and climate, are also at play. having a net positive impact
The EU has voted to ban, The case is strongest for Why are orangutans – not just that they have
by the end of the year, bumblebees and solitary bees, declining? saved 50 orangutans
the outdoor use of three says Brown. “The evidence that Conversion of primary forest but that they’ve saved a
neonicotinoid pesticides neonicotinoids have anything to to palm oil and paper pulp particular area that would
implicated in bee declines. do with honeybee problems is forest plantations is one otherwise have been
Professor Mark Brown of much more limited.” reason,but this is
Royal Holloway University of Neither is it clear how only responsible
London says it’s clear that these farmers will respond. “This for about nine
neurotoxins have negative effects might involve changing crops, per cent of loss
on individual bees and colonies. or using other – better or worse of abundance
Less certain is whether the ban – pesticides,” says Brown. SB in orangutans
on Borneo.The
biggest driver is
hunting for food How can
and killing as a bearded
pigs help this
result of human-
orangutan?
wildlife conflict,
but no one wants
The number of elephants
working in the teak industry y in to talk about this. converted to a timber or
Myanmar freed by export ba ans and palm oil plantation.
logging restrictions. One of t the largest Does rescuing
elephant sanctuaries in Southeast Asia will be orangutans help? Anything else?
completed by the end of 20 018 to house them. Not really – our research If you really want to save
suggests we’ve lost 100,000 orangutans,it would be
orangutans in Borneo better to focus on bearded
over the past 16 years pigs.Local communities
and saved perhaps 1,000 care much more about
through translocations and pigs because they are a
rehabilitations.Of those major source of protein,
WILDFLOWER currently in captivity,we but they are declining too
estimate about 1,500 might because of deforestation
CORRIDORS
be released over the next and overhunting.If you can
In May, Ben Bradley MP introduced 10 years – but we are losing stop both of these from
a Protection of Pollinators Bill to 6,000 a year. happening,you’ll help save
the House of Commons. If passed,
the bill will place a duty on Defra orangutans as well.
to encourage the creation of a Could orangutans
connected network of wildflower- go extinct? DR ERIK MEIJAARD is the
rich grasslands across the country, Orangutans are not going director of Borneo Futures Anup Shah/naturep .com
www.borneofutures.org
to stem the decline of pollinators. extinct any time soon,
O Want to comment? Email
but they are in very steep wildlifeletters@immediate.co.uk
June 2018 BBC Wildlife 49