Conservationists are urging the public to help stop further wildlife loss by encouraging their local MPs and Prospective Parliamentary Candidates to sign a new “Wildlife Pledge”, to do all they can to stop and reverse wildlife decline.

A consortium of 11 wildlife charities, including WWT, Butterfly Conservation, Plantlife, The RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts have pulled together the pledge to help reverse the rapid decline in our wildlife – both species and habitats. It was recently reported that around 500 species have become extinct in England in the recent past and conservationists are appealing to the public to help make wildlife a top priority for politicians and stop further species being lost.

The Wildlife Pledge, which can be viewed online at www.wildlifepledges2010.org.uk is supported by wildlife organisations representing over two million people. It includes the promise to take action in tackling climate change and to help wildlife meet this challenge. It also looks for commitment from politicians to help reverse the decline of farmland wildlife by the effective promotion of nature-friendly farming, as well as to provide children with contact with the natural world as part of their education.

The pledge gives Prospective Parliamentary Candidates the opportunity to express their support and commitment to various aspects of wildlife conservation. The public can view which candidates have given their support for this issue before the election. Conservationists are encouraging people to then contact their Prospective Parliamentary Candidates informing them how important this issue is and that their response to the pledge may affect the way they vote.

Dr Martin Warren, Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation said: “Biodiversity is a crucial issue facing the future survival of the planet. It is vital that the next UK parliament takes biodiversity seriously and encourages urgent action to reverse the massive losses of the last few decades. We are urging Parliamentary Candidates to sign the Wildlife Pledge to demonstrate commitment to protecting our wildlife and stop further extinctions.”

RSPB Director of Conservation, Mark Avery, said: “Wildlife doesn’t get to vote at the election but we hope that voters can make this an issue that counts. The wildlife pledge allows people to check out how wildlife friendly their prospective MPs will be.”

Stephanie Hilborne, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts said: “The actions of the next government are absolutely crucial to ensuring a future for our wildlife. One of the many challenges they will face will be to implement the Marine Act to restore our seas and also to restore the natural environment on land. It is vital that we have MPs in the new parliament who understand and appreciate these challenges and keep the next government on its toes.”

Chief Executive of Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Martin Spray, said: “We urge all of our members and supporters to make their local candidates aware that wildlife really matters to the people in their community, as does the habitat that supports them. Wetlands are particularly vital for the wide ranging benefits they bring to our communities and to the wildlife they support. If you look after the habitat, you are looking after the wildlife, and the people. It is essential that this be an issue at the ballot box.”

Plantlife’s Chief Executive Victoria Chester said she hoped that the initiative would help to raise the profile of the natural environment even further as a political issue. “We know that many voters value wildlife and the vital contribution it makes to our lives and we want it to be there for future generations to enjoy. I hope that the Pledge will encourage all candidates and future MPs to place caring for the natural environment at the heart of the work of the new parliament,” she said.

To find out if your local candidates have signed the pledge, visit www.wildlifepledges2010.org.uk

Efforts to establish a breeding programme to save the world’s rarest duck, the Madagascar pochard, have received a boost from Defra’s Darwin Initiative.

£282,000 over three years from the Darwin Initiative will help to fully establish the breeding programme, which was started late last year as an emergency measure following the news that only six females remained in the wild. As well as supporting breeding and rearing the birds, the money will pay to train Malagasy conservationists, develop a recovery plan and identify lakes where the ducks can potentially be reintroduced. Fundraising is now underway to build a conservation-breeding centre for the project in Madagascar.

Last year, an expedition confirmed that the remaining population of only 20 ducks at a single location contained just six females and that none of the young from the previous year had survived. With the species facing such a precarious future, a partnership formed to ensure the ducks’ survival: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), The Peregrine Fund, whose scientist rediscovered the duck, and the Government of Madagascar.

In November, with funding from the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa, the partnership managed to establish a safety-net population. With minimal disturbance to the adult ducks, the team were able to remove three clutches of eggs from wild nests and have reared 23 ducklings in a temporary facility.

The project is now well and truly underway

Durrell’s Project Leader, Dr Glyn Young, says, “This dramatic mission was a vital first step but now we need to establish a sustainable breeding programme and to identify suitable locations to reintroduce ducks in the future. The Darwin Initiative support will allow us to do this.”

WWT’s Peter Cranswick added, “This money effectively means that the immediate risk of extinction for the Madagascar pochard has been averted. Many challenges lie ahead for its long-term survival – not least, to ensure that the needs of both local Malagasy people and the Pochard can be harmonised at key wetlands – but the project is now well and truly underway. ”