Beavers living in the River Otter in Devon will be allowed to remain in the wild following a historic decision by Natural England to allow their ‘re-introduction’.

Natural England’s Board today confirmed that a licence will be issued to Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT), permitting “the managed release into the wild of beavers currently resident in the River Otter catchment in Devon, on a 5 year trial basis.”

The move is being applauded by local people who want the beavers to remain in the River Otter, landowner Clinton Devon Estates, DWT and Friends of the Earth, which had started legal proceedings over earlier Government plans trap the beavers and hold them in zoo or other secure facility.

According to a statement released by NE, DWT’s licence application was “thoroughly assessed against the internationally recognised guidelines published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.”

“Under the terms of the licence, by September at the latest, Devon Wildlife Trust must develop a management strategy to deal quickly with any undesirable impacts which the beavers may have on the River Otter during the trial period, as well as a monitoring programme to study their impacts.”

Another conditions stipulate that the beavers must be confirmed as being of are of Eurasian origin, and free of the rare but unpleasant tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, which can transfer to other wildlife and to people.

England’s first otters in hundreds of years!

“We are delighted by Natural England’s decision to grant us a licence to give these beavers a long term future on the River Otter”, said Harry Barton, Chief Executive of Devon Wildlife Trust.

“The beavers of the River Otter are the first breeding population in the English countryside for hundreds of years. We believe they can play a positive role in the landscapes of the 21st century through their ability to restore our rivers to their former glories.

“We know from our own research and research done in Europe that beavers are excellent aquatic-engineers improving the flood and drought resilience of our countryside and increasing the water quality of our rivers.  They are incredibly industrious animals and their hard work has benefits for people and wildlife.”

For the last six months DWT has been working with Defra, Natural England, local farmers and the wider community to secure a solution that would see the disease risk addressed and the beavers remain.

“This project will measure the impact that these beavers have on the local environment, on the local economy and on local people”, said Peter Burgess, DWT’s Conservation Manager, who led the licence application.

“The evidence from elsewhere shows that beavers should have an overwhelmingly positive effect, but this is the first time the animals will be living in a well-populated, agriculturally productive English landscape for hundreds of years.”

But he added: “We need to ensure that any negative impacts of beavers are avoided. This will mean working alongside the Environment Agency, local authorities and landowners to manage any problems that may arise over the coming years.”

Clinton Devon Estates, the biggest landowner on the lower River Otter, also welcomes the awarding of the licence. Dr Sam Bridgewater, the estate’s Nature Conservation Manager, says that the focus of the debate needs to be 20 to 30 years from now:

“We need to look at what’s happened on the continent where there were fewer than 2000 beavers at the start of the 20th Century but there are now over 600,000. If their numbers increase, then it is inevitable that they will eventually start to engineer their local environment.

“This will bring all kinds of benefits such as a potential slowing down of flood waters and an increase in the diversity of wildlife habitats, but will also likely cause some grief. I think a key issue for the authorities to address is that mechanisms are put in place to allow any conflicts to be avoided quickly in the future.”

Over 10,000 messages of support for the beavers

There has been overwhelming national and local support for the beavers to remain in the wild. Over 10,000 people sent messages to the Minister for the Natural Environment, and at a recent event in the village of Ottery St. Mary more than 100 people turned up, the vast majority in support of the beavers.

“This is great news for Devon’s beavers”, said Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron – who had earlier led the group’s application for a judicial review of an earlier decision to trap the beavers citing violations of the Habitats Directive.

“Beavers add to Britain’s rich natural heritage and can bring huge benefits to the local environment, such as boosting wildlife and reducing flooding risks. Hopefully we’ll now see renewed efforts to reintroduce beavers to other suitable locations right across the country.”

Natural England’s Chairman Andrew Sells confirmed that future decisions on the release of beavers will “in large part” be informed by the results of this trial, adding: “Reintroduction of a species is a complicated and emotive subject and we have considered this application very carefully.

“Responses to our written consultation and public meetings have been generally positive and we are now satisfied with Devon Wildlife Trust’s plans for managing and monitoring the project, which will allow important evidence to be gathered during the trial on any impacts which the beavers may have.”

But he warned: “The unauthorised release of beavers remains illegal and Natural England does not expect to grant any other licences for beaver release during this trial period.”

Trapping and testing of the animals for the Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm will be carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency under a separate licence that was granted towards the end of 2014.

Support: Devon Wildlife Trust now faces the task of funding the River Otter Beaver Project. An initial call for donations led to £45,000 being raised in just two months. However the cost of the five year monitoring project is estimated to run well above this figure. DWT is now asking supporters of the beavers to donate via its website or by phone on 01392 279244.

Oliver Tickell edits The Ecologist.

Beavers living in the River Otter in Devon will be allowed to remain in the wild following a historic decision by Natural England to allow their ‘re-introduction’.

Natural England’s Board today confirmed that a licence will be issued to Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT), permitting “the managed release into the wild of beavers currently resident in the River Otter catchment in Devon, on a 5 year trial basis.”

The move is being applauded by local people who want the beavers to remain in the River Otter, landowner Clinton Devon Estates, DWT and Friends of the Earth, which had started legal proceedings over earlier Government plans trap the beavers and hold them in zoo or other secure facility.

According to a statement released by NE, DWT’s licence application was “thoroughly assessed against the internationally recognised guidelines published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.”

“Under the terms of the licence, by September at the latest, Devon Wildlife Trust must develop a management strategy to deal quickly with any undesirable impacts which the beavers may have on the River Otter during the trial period, as well as a monitoring programme to study their impacts.”

Another conditions stipulate that the beavers must be confirmed as being of are of Eurasian origin, and free of the rare but unpleasant tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, which can transfer to other wildlife and to people.

England’s first otters in hundreds of years!

“We are delighted by Natural England’s decision to grant us a licence to give these beavers a long term future on the River Otter”, said Harry Barton, Chief Executive of Devon Wildlife Trust.

“The beavers of the River Otter are the first breeding population in the English countryside for hundreds of years. We believe they can play a positive role in the landscapes of the 21st century through their ability to restore our rivers to their former glories.

“We know from our own research and research done in Europe that beavers are excellent aquatic-engineers improving the flood and drought resilience of our countryside and increasing the water quality of our rivers.  They are incredibly industrious animals and their hard work has benefits for people and wildlife.”

For the last six months DWT has been working with Defra, Natural England, local farmers and the wider community to secure a solution that would see the disease risk addressed and the beavers remain.

“This project will measure the impact that these beavers have on the local environment, on the local economy and on local people”, said Peter Burgess, DWT’s Conservation Manager, who led the licence application.

“The evidence from elsewhere shows that beavers should have an overwhelmingly positive effect, but this is the first time the animals will be living in a well-populated, agriculturally productive English landscape for hundreds of years.”

But he added: “We need to ensure that any negative impacts of beavers are avoided. This will mean working alongside the Environment Agency, local authorities and landowners to manage any problems that may arise over the coming years.”

Clinton Devon Estates, the biggest landowner on the lower River Otter, also welcomes the awarding of the licence. Dr Sam Bridgewater, the estate’s Nature Conservation Manager, says that the focus of the debate needs to be 20 to 30 years from now:

“We need to look at what’s happened on the continent where there were fewer than 2000 beavers at the start of the 20th Century but there are now over 600,000. If their numbers increase, then it is inevitable that they will eventually start to engineer their local environment.

“This will bring all kinds of benefits such as a potential slowing down of flood waters and an increase in the diversity of wildlife habitats, but will also likely cause some grief. I think a key issue for the authorities to address is that mechanisms are put in place to allow any conflicts to be avoided quickly in the future.”

Over 10,000 messages of support for the beavers

There has been overwhelming national and local support for the beavers to remain in the wild. Over 10,000 people sent messages to the Minister for the Natural Environment, and at a recent event in the village of Ottery St. Mary more than 100 people turned up, the vast majority in support of the beavers.

“This is great news for Devon’s beavers”, said Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron – who had earlier led the group’s application for a judicial review of an earlier decision to trap the beavers citing violations of the Habitats Directive.

“Beavers add to Britain’s rich natural heritage and can bring huge benefits to the local environment, such as boosting wildlife and reducing flooding risks. Hopefully we’ll now see renewed efforts to reintroduce beavers to other suitable locations right across the country.”

Natural England’s Chairman Andrew Sells confirmed that future decisions on the release of beavers will “in large part” be informed by the results of this trial, adding: “Reintroduction of a species is a complicated and emotive subject and we have considered this application very carefully.

“Responses to our written consultation and public meetings have been generally positive and we are now satisfied with Devon Wildlife Trust’s plans for managing and monitoring the project, which will allow important evidence to be gathered during the trial on any impacts which the beavers may have.”

But he warned: “The unauthorised release of beavers remains illegal and Natural England does not expect to grant any other licences for beaver release during this trial period.”

Trapping and testing of the animals for the Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm will be carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency under a separate licence that was granted towards the end of 2014.

Support: Devon Wildlife Trust now faces the task of funding the River Otter Beaver Project. An initial call for donations led to £45,000 being raised in just two months. However the cost of the five year monitoring project is estimated to run well above this figure. DWT is now asking supporters of the beavers to donate via its website or by phone on 01392 279244.

Oliver Tickell edits The Ecologist.

Beavers living in the River Otter in Devon will be allowed to remain in the wild following a historic decision by Natural England to allow their ‘re-introduction’.

Natural England’s Board today confirmed that a licence will be issued to Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT), permitting “the managed release into the wild of beavers currently resident in the River Otter catchment in Devon, on a 5 year trial basis.”

The move is being applauded by local people who want the beavers to remain in the River Otter, landowner Clinton Devon Estates, DWT and Friends of the Earth, which had started legal proceedings over earlier Government plans trap the beavers and hold them in zoo or other secure facility.

According to a statement released by NE, DWT’s licence application was “thoroughly assessed against the internationally recognised guidelines published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.”

“Under the terms of the licence, by September at the latest, Devon Wildlife Trust must develop a management strategy to deal quickly with any undesirable impacts which the beavers may have on the River Otter during the trial period, as well as a monitoring programme to study their impacts.”

Another conditions stipulate that the beavers must be confirmed as being of are of Eurasian origin, and free of the rare but unpleasant tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, which can transfer to other wildlife and to people.

England’s first otters in hundreds of years!

“We are delighted by Natural England’s decision to grant us a licence to give these beavers a long term future on the River Otter”, said Harry Barton, Chief Executive of Devon Wildlife Trust.

“The beavers of the River Otter are the first breeding population in the English countryside for hundreds of years. We believe they can play a positive role in the landscapes of the 21st century through their ability to restore our rivers to their former glories.

“We know from our own research and research done in Europe that beavers are excellent aquatic-engineers improving the flood and drought resilience of our countryside and increasing the water quality of our rivers.  They are incredibly industrious animals and their hard work has benefits for people and wildlife.”

For the last six months DWT has been working with Defra, Natural England, local farmers and the wider community to secure a solution that would see the disease risk addressed and the beavers remain.

“This project will measure the impact that these beavers have on the local environment, on the local economy and on local people”, said Peter Burgess, DWT’s Conservation Manager, who led the licence application.

“The evidence from elsewhere shows that beavers should have an overwhelmingly positive effect, but this is the first time the animals will be living in a well-populated, agriculturally productive English landscape for hundreds of years.”

But he added: “We need to ensure that any negative impacts of beavers are avoided. This will mean working alongside the Environment Agency, local authorities and landowners to manage any problems that may arise over the coming years.”

Clinton Devon Estates, the biggest landowner on the lower River Otter, also welcomes the awarding of the licence. Dr Sam Bridgewater, the estate’s Nature Conservation Manager, says that the focus of the debate needs to be 20 to 30 years from now:

“We need to look at what’s happened on the continent where there were fewer than 2000 beavers at the start of the 20th Century but there are now over 600,000. If their numbers increase, then it is inevitable that they will eventually start to engineer their local environment.

“This will bring all kinds of benefits such as a potential slowing down of flood waters and an increase in the diversity of wildlife habitats, but will also likely cause some grief. I think a key issue for the authorities to address is that mechanisms are put in place to allow any conflicts to be avoided quickly in the future.”

Over 10,000 messages of support for the beavers

There has been overwhelming national and local support for the beavers to remain in the wild. Over 10,000 people sent messages to the Minister for the Natural Environment, and at a recent event in the village of Ottery St. Mary more than 100 people turned up, the vast majority in support of the beavers.

“This is great news for Devon’s beavers”, said Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron – who had earlier led the group’s application for a judicial review of an earlier decision to trap the beavers citing violations of the Habitats Directive.

“Beavers add to Britain’s rich natural heritage and can bring huge benefits to the local environment, such as boosting wildlife and reducing flooding risks. Hopefully we’ll now see renewed efforts to reintroduce beavers to other suitable locations right across the country.”

Natural England’s Chairman Andrew Sells confirmed that future decisions on the release of beavers will “in large part” be informed by the results of this trial, adding: “Reintroduction of a species is a complicated and emotive subject and we have considered this application very carefully.

“Responses to our written consultation and public meetings have been generally positive and we are now satisfied with Devon Wildlife Trust’s plans for managing and monitoring the project, which will allow important evidence to be gathered during the trial on any impacts which the beavers may have.”

But he warned: “The unauthorised release of beavers remains illegal and Natural England does not expect to grant any other licences for beaver release during this trial period.”

Trapping and testing of the animals for the Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm will be carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency under a separate licence that was granted towards the end of 2014.

Support: Devon Wildlife Trust now faces the task of funding the River Otter Beaver Project. An initial call for donations led to £45,000 being raised in just two months. However the cost of the five year monitoring project is estimated to run well above this figure. DWT is now asking supporters of the beavers to donate via its website or by phone on 01392 279244.

Oliver Tickell edits The Ecologist.

Beavers living in the River Otter in Devon will be allowed to remain in the wild following a historic decision by Natural England to allow their ‘re-introduction’.

Natural England’s Board today confirmed that a licence will be issued to Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT), permitting “the managed release into the wild of beavers currently resident in the River Otter catchment in Devon, on a 5 year trial basis.”

The move is being applauded by local people who want the beavers to remain in the River Otter, landowner Clinton Devon Estates, DWT and Friends of the Earth, which had started legal proceedings over earlier Government plans trap the beavers and hold them in zoo or other secure facility.

According to a statement released by NE, DWT’s licence application was “thoroughly assessed against the internationally recognised guidelines published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.”

“Under the terms of the licence, by September at the latest, Devon Wildlife Trust must develop a management strategy to deal quickly with any undesirable impacts which the beavers may have on the River Otter during the trial period, as well as a monitoring programme to study their impacts.”

Another conditions stipulate that the beavers must be confirmed as being of are of Eurasian origin, and free of the rare but unpleasant tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, which can transfer to other wildlife and to people.

England’s first otters in hundreds of years!

“We are delighted by Natural England’s decision to grant us a licence to give these beavers a long term future on the River Otter”, said Harry Barton, Chief Executive of Devon Wildlife Trust.

“The beavers of the River Otter are the first breeding population in the English countryside for hundreds of years. We believe they can play a positive role in the landscapes of the 21st century through their ability to restore our rivers to their former glories.

“We know from our own research and research done in Europe that beavers are excellent aquatic-engineers improving the flood and drought resilience of our countryside and increasing the water quality of our rivers.  They are incredibly industrious animals and their hard work has benefits for people and wildlife.”

For the last six months DWT has been working with Defra, Natural England, local farmers and the wider community to secure a solution that would see the disease risk addressed and the beavers remain.

“This project will measure the impact that these beavers have on the local environment, on the local economy and on local people”, said Peter Burgess, DWT’s Conservation Manager, who led the licence application.

“The evidence from elsewhere shows that beavers should have an overwhelmingly positive effect, but this is the first time the animals will be living in a well-populated, agriculturally productive English landscape for hundreds of years.”

But he added: “We need to ensure that any negative impacts of beavers are avoided. This will mean working alongside the Environment Agency, local authorities and landowners to manage any problems that may arise over the coming years.”

Clinton Devon Estates, the biggest landowner on the lower River Otter, also welcomes the awarding of the licence. Dr Sam Bridgewater, the estate’s Nature Conservation Manager, says that the focus of the debate needs to be 20 to 30 years from now:

“We need to look at what’s happened on the continent where there were fewer than 2000 beavers at the start of the 20th Century but there are now over 600,000. If their numbers increase, then it is inevitable that they will eventually start to engineer their local environment.

“This will bring all kinds of benefits such as a potential slowing down of flood waters and an increase in the diversity of wildlife habitats, but will also likely cause some grief. I think a key issue for the authorities to address is that mechanisms are put in place to allow any conflicts to be avoided quickly in the future.”

Over 10,000 messages of support for the beavers

There has been overwhelming national and local support for the beavers to remain in the wild. Over 10,000 people sent messages to the Minister for the Natural Environment, and at a recent event in the village of Ottery St. Mary more than 100 people turned up, the vast majority in support of the beavers.

“This is great news for Devon’s beavers”, said Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron – who had earlier led the group’s application for a judicial review of an earlier decision to trap the beavers citing violations of the Habitats Directive.

“Beavers add to Britain’s rich natural heritage and can bring huge benefits to the local environment, such as boosting wildlife and reducing flooding risks. Hopefully we’ll now see renewed efforts to reintroduce beavers to other suitable locations right across the country.”

Natural England’s Chairman Andrew Sells confirmed that future decisions on the release of beavers will “in large part” be informed by the results of this trial, adding: “Reintroduction of a species is a complicated and emotive subject and we have considered this application very carefully.

“Responses to our written consultation and public meetings have been generally positive and we are now satisfied with Devon Wildlife Trust’s plans for managing and monitoring the project, which will allow important evidence to be gathered during the trial on any impacts which the beavers may have.”

But he warned: “The unauthorised release of beavers remains illegal and Natural England does not expect to grant any other licences for beaver release during this trial period.”

Trapping and testing of the animals for the Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm will be carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency under a separate licence that was granted towards the end of 2014.

Support: Devon Wildlife Trust now faces the task of funding the River Otter Beaver Project. An initial call for donations led to £45,000 being raised in just two months. However the cost of the five year monitoring project is estimated to run well above this figure. DWT is now asking supporters of the beavers to donate via its website or by phone on 01392 279244.

Oliver Tickell edits The Ecologist.

Farmers in Nigeria’s north eastern state of Taraba are being forced off lands they have farmed for generations to make way for US company Dominion Farms to establish a 300 square kilometre rice plantation.

The Dominion Farms project forms part of the UK-backed New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa and the Nigerian government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

Both initiatives are ostensibly intended to enhance food security and livelihoods for small farmers in Nigeria. But a new report published today ‘The Dominion Farms land grab in Nigeria‘, finds that the Dominion Farms project is having the opposite effect.

In fact, the lands provided to Dominion Farms are part of a public irrigation scheme that 45,000 people depend on for their food needs and livelihoods.

Diane Abbott MP has written to the Development Secretary Justine Greening to ask questions about the involvement of the New Alliance in the Dominion land grab, and is awiting her reply.

“Aid money should be spent supporting communities to develop sustainable agriculture rather than supporting initiatives which are enabling companies to evict those communities”, commented Heidi Chow, food sovereignty campaigner from Global Justice Now.

“Initiatives like the New Alliance seem to be more about providing opportunities for agribusiness to carve up the resources of African countries rather than trying to address poverty or hunger.”

Farmers are unanimous – this is our land!

“The local people are united in their opposition to the Dominion Farms project”, says Raymond Enoch, an author of the report and director of the Center for Environmental Education and Development in Nigeria. “They want their lands back so that they can continue to produce food for their families and the people of Nigeria.”

The local people were never consulted about the Dominion Farms project and, although the company has already started to occupy the lands, they are still completely in the dark about any plans for compensation or resettlement.

“The only story we hear is that our land is taken away and will be given out”, said Rebecca Sule, one of the affected women farmers from the Gassol community in Taraba State.

“We were not involved at any level. For the sake of the future and our children, we are requesting governmental authorities to ask Dominion Farms to stay away from our land.”

Mallam Danladi K Jallo, another local farmer from Gassol, added: “Our land is very rich and good. We produce a lot of different crops here, and we farm fish and rear goats, sheep and cattle.

“But since the Dominion Farms people arrived with their machine and some of their working equipment, we were asked to stop our farm work and even leave our lands as the land is completely given to the Dominion Farms project.”

The global land grab comes to Taraba

The Nigerian government’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Federal Ministry of Investment are seeking to increase foreign direct investment in agriculture as a strategy to raise national food production.

Under the policy, vast tracts of agricultural lands have been identified by the government for large scale projects by foreign companies – including 380 sq.km controlled by Taraba State’s Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority (UBRBDA) – a government agency established in 1978 to support local farmers with irrigation schemes, flood defences, roads, stores and warehouses.

The UBRBDA lands and the Gassol Community lie on the north-eastern shoreline of the Taraba River. Some 10,000 farmers depend on these lands for their livelihoods, of which 3,000 hold land titles inherited from their ancestors who first settled there. In all some 45,000 people are sustained by the fertile farmland.

Along one side of the lands runs an 8 km long embankment that was built by UBRBDA to protect the farmlands from the river’s overflow. The lands provide major ecological and hydrological functions and are a major source of livelihoods for the farmers of Gassol and other neighbouring communities.

In 2010, Dominion Farms first made its appearance in Gassol seeking the allocation of lands, water resources, fishing ponds and grazing areas used by the community for the construction of a large scale rice farm.

Two years later the company achieved its objective when it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Taraba State government and the Nigerian government for a 300 sq.km concession on the UBRBDA lands for the creation of a large scale rice farm.

“The MOU was signed without public knowledge and the details of its contents remain unknown to the local community of Gassol and organisations that have been following the deal”, states the report.

As well as seizing the land from local farmers, it adds, the project “will also affect the pastoralists of the area by disrupting the spaces they use for livestock grazing and pastoralist routes.”

‘Severe irregularities’

Two Nigerian NGOs, Environmental Rights Action (ERA) / Friends of the Earth Nigeria (FOEN) and Center for Environmental Education and Development (CEED) visited the area in June 2014 to find out how local Gassol farmers were affected by the Dominion Farms project.

“Consultations with the affected farmers in Gassol community revealed severe irregularities”, they found. “The farmers interviewed indicated that only the local elites and government agents were consulted, some of whom had personally endorsed the project in their community in spite of apparent widespread opposition amongst the members of the community.

“It further revealed that consultations did not deal with the question of whether or not the local communities accept the project and under what terms they would do so”

Some affected farmers said that a range of promises – about adequate compensation for their lands, about the building of schools, roads, hospitals and a farm training centre, and about the employment of local people – had been made when Dominion Farms and government agencies initially visited the area. However “none of these promises have been kept.”

The MOU between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Taraba State Government and Dominion Farms Ltd was signed “without proper consultations with the affected communities”, the investigators found.

“Those consultations that did take place involved mainly government officials. The information that local people received about the project was insufficient and was presented in a partial manner in favour of the project.

“Local farmers were never asked if they agreed to the project or under what terms they would accept the project, and were thus kept out of a decision that has major impacts on their lives.”

Farmers forced off their lands


The agreement was also signed without a social and environmental impact assessment, and did not include any resettlement plan for the farmers that would be evicted from their farms.

“Pledges that were made during the process of allocating lands to Dominion Farms to improve the livelihood of the local farmers of Gassol have so far not transpired”, the report adds. “No roads have been constructed, no hospitals, training centres or schools have been built, and locals have not been hired by the company.

“Families who have been farming and living for generations on the lands acquired by Dominion Farms are upset and disillusioned. They say the project will breach their right to adequate food and livelihoods, and their right to access the lands.

“They consider it a forced eviction without proper consultation and compensation. Several farmers said that Dominion Farms is putting undue pressure on them to leave the plots of land that they have been farming.”

Dominion Farms has already filled in ponds and water canals that local people depend on for fishing and has stationed security agents in the area to prevent farmers from accessing their lands. People have also been forced to stop grazing their goats and cows on the lands occupied by Dominion Farms.

Local peoples are also concerned that Dominion Farms is not providing the service and technical support to farmers that was formerly provided by UBRBDA and they worry that the facilities will erode if they are not properly maintained.

“They have complained to the authorities”, states the report, “but, as of yet, no action has been taken by either local, state or federal authorities.”

Dominion Farms: registered in Kenya, based in the US, controlled from Canada

Dominion Farms Limited is a company registered in Kenya, with headquarters in Oklahoma, US, that is majority owned by US-Canadian businessman Calvin Burgess as part of his ‘Dominion Group of Companies’.

The company operates a controversial rice farm operation in the Yala Swamp area of Western Kenya that local farmers say has resulted in the loss of their lands and livelihoods, and grave social, environmental and health impacts on the affected communities.

Dominion’s activities in Nigeria and Taraba State are relatively new. In 2012, the company began a process to establish a large rice farm project in the Northern Nigerian state of Taraba. The company signed a MOU with the Federal Government of Nigeria represented by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and the Taraba State Government.

The Dominion Farms project in Taraba is part of the co-operation framework agreement of the G8’s New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa. Dominion Farms has signed a letter of intent between the Government of Nigeria and the G8 aid donor countries.

The letter details a $40 million investment in “growing and processing rice on 30,000 ha of land”, a 3,000 ha “nucleus farm owned by Dominion”, a rice mill and the training of Nigerian youth at Dominion’s Kenyan operations.

“In spite of the New Alliance rhetoric on tackling food security, on the ground the Dominion Farms investment has resulted in land grabbing, reducing the ability and resilience of local farmers to feed themselves and their communities”, says the report. “Ultimately, it exposes the problems of the G8’s push for corporate-driven agriculture.”

Nigeria is already suffering from violent conflicts and insecurity, especially in the North. Land grabs for agribusiness projects will only make the situation worse.

 

---

 

The report: ‘The Dominion Farms land grab in Nigeria‘.

Oliver Tickell edits The Ecologist.

 

There is a side to the Ebola crisis that, perhaps understandably, has received little media attention: the threat it poses to our nearest cousins, the great apes of Africa.

At this moment in time Ebola is the single greatest threat to the survival of gorillas and chimpanzees.

The virus is even more deadly for other great apes as it is for humans, with mortality rates approximately 95% for gorillas and 77% for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Current estimates suggest a third of the world’s gorillas and chimpanzees have died from Ebola since the 1990s.

As with humans, these deaths tend to come in epidemics. In 1995, an outbreak is reported to have killed more than 90% of the gorillas in Minkébé Park in northern Gabon. In 2002-2003 a single outbreak of ZEBOV (the Zaire strain of Ebola) in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed an estimated 5,000 Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla).

It’s hard to accurately count such elusive creatures but the WWF estimates there are up to 100,000 left in the wild – so a single Ebola outbreak wiped out a considerable chunk of the world’s gorilla population.

Deforestation link to Ebola transmission

There are of course additional factors behind the declining numbers of Africa’s great apes: illegal trading in wildlife and bushmeat, war, deforestation and other infectious diseases.

The world’s remaining wild apes are being increasingly forced into isolated pockets of forest, which impedes their ability to forage, breed and to hide from hunters.

There is also a growing body of evidence linking deforestation and subsequent changes in climate to the spread of Ebola and other infectious diseases.

Back in 2003 an article on the decline of great apes, written by a team led by primatologist Peter Walsh, predicted that:

“Without aggressive investments in law enforcement, protected area management and Ebola prevention, the next decade will see our closest relatives pushed to the brink of extinction.”

Sadly, this prediction appears to have come true. Since 2008, the IUCN has listed the Eastern Gorilla (Gorilla beringei) as endangered and the Western Gorillas as critically endangered.

If we do not act fast, these may prove to be the last decades in which apes can continue to live in their natural habitat.

We have a safe and effective vaccine – but haven’t used it

Unfortunately, there appears to be a lack of political will to implement policies which would bring viable solutions into effect. We need both short-term solutions to halt the spread of Ebola and long-term ones to prevent future outbreaks.

As a short-term strategy, vaccination could prove enormously useful in tackling the Ebola crisis in apes. Unlike for humans, a vaccine for gorillas and apes has been developed which thus far has been proven both safe and effective.

To date though, these trials have not involved ‘challenging’ the vaccinated chimps with the live virus. Across much of Europe, medical research on great apes is either banned or highly restricted because of their cognitive similarity to humans. The question is whether or not we should make an exception in this case.

In the long term, conservation efforts aimed at restoring forest habitat could also help curb the spread of the virus, as larger forested areas would reduce the chances of infected animals coming into contact with one another.

In tandem with forest regeneration, greater protection for apes from hunters and strict laws to control bushmeat consumption would also be hugely beneficial, both for apes and for humans.

Meera Inglis is reading for a PhD in Conservation Policy at the University of Sheffield.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Hopes that India and the US might announce ambitious plans to co-operate in tackling climate change have proved wide of the mark.

A meeting here between the visiting US president, Barack Obama, and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, showed India determined to follow an independent line.

One agreement reached was on nuclear power: the two leaders smoothed the way for India to import US technology for any future nuclear plants, under a deal to limit the legal liability of US suppliers in the event of a nuclear power plant catastrophe.

Yes to renewables, no to emissions cuts

Modi and Obama also announced action to advance India’s transition to a low-carbon economy, and India reiterated its goal of increasing its solar target to 100 gigawatts by 2022, which the US said it would support.

Modi went on to urge nations with the greatest solar energy potential to join India in innovation and research to reduce the cost of the technology and make it more accessible.

But on emissions, there was no repeat of the recent agreement between the US and China reached just before the UN climate talks in Lima last December.