GLOBAL CONSERVATIONFALL 2014

A WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY PROGRESS REPORT

Wildlife Conservation Society Progress Reports provide you, our generous supporters, with updates and insights on core

conservation activities. Together, we are securing a future for wildlife and wild places.

WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature.

WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth.

Executive Editor: Mary Deyns Brandão Managing Editor: Christine Westphal Writer: Nellie BeachArt Direction: Drew AlbinsonStaff Photographer: Julie Larsen MaherEditorial Support: Sarah Walker

With deep appreciation to: Sofia Baca, Merry Camhi, Peter Clyne, James Deutsch, Amanda Hardy, Nina Holbrook, Boo Maisels, Martin Mendez, Dale Miquelle, Olivia Scholtz, Daniel Segan, Kaitlyn Sephton, Jonathan Slaght, and Peter Zahler

Photos: Front and Back Covers, P. 5, P. 6, P. 9 (top) © Julie Larsen Maher/WCS; Inside Front Page © Julie Kunen/WCS; P. 1 © Graham Harris/WCS; P. 2 (left) © Bastak Zapovednik; P. 2 (right) © International Fund for Animal Welfare; P. 3 (left) © Paul Hilton/Greenpeace; P. 3 (right) © Paul Hilton/WCS; P. 4 © Keith Ellenbogen/WCS; P. 7 (top) © Cristián Samper/WCS; P. 7 (bottom) © C. Prudente; P. 8 © L.E. Baskow/Left Eye Images; P. 9 (bottom) © Jeff Burrell/WCS

WCS Progress Report: Global Conservation ▪ 1

PENÍNSULA VALDÉS NOW A BIOSPHERE RESERVE

The rugged Península Valdés in Argentina’s Patagonia region has been declared a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Environmental, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), drawing attention to the extraordinary bio-diversity there and urgent need to protect the region’s wildlife. Based on expertise gained from over 50 years of local field work, the Wildlife Conservation Society provided the necessary technical information to make the designation a reality, in partnership with the local NGO Fundación Patagonia Natural and relevant Argentinean govern- ment institutions.

Located on the Atlantic coast of Patagonia in Southern Argentina’s Chubut Province, Península Valdés is home to the largest South American breeding colony of the massive southern elephant seal, and is teeming with more than 70,000 pairs of Magellanic penguins, over 10,000 South American sea lions, significant populations of cormorants, gulls, and terns, and nearly 4,000 southern right whales—almost one-third of the world’s remaining breeding population. On land, the peninsula supports over 4,000 camel-like guanacos and some of the highest densities of maras and flightless Darwin’s rheas in Patagonia.

Historically, unregulated human activities in Península Valdés have caused significant land degradation and the decline of native wildlife, and the waters surrounding the peninsula have been exposed to oil and waste pollution as well as overfishing. These factors along with growing development pressure—especially by the tourism industry and real estate sector—urgently call for a change in management of the properties containing valuable wildlife areas on Península Valdés so that they can be better protected.

The recent Biosphere Reserve covers over four million acres and increases legal protection for the wildlife on the peninsula and in adjacent coastal waters. WCS will leverage these changes in order to fulfill our commitment to ensure that by 2020 at least 20 percent of the surface of Península Valdés and 80 percent of the coastal areas with colonies of marine wildlife will be effectively protected. Our goal is to encourage the social and economic growth of local communities while forming a network of strategically selected and linked, intact wild areas that, together, preserve the wildlife and landscapes in this region for future generations.

In spring 2014, WCS assisted in the release of five young tigers into the wilderness of the Russian Far East as part of an effort to recolonize lost Amur tiger habitat. Though tigers disappeared from Amurskaya Oblast (“Province”) and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the Russian Far East nearly 50 years ago, recent assessments indicate that the habitat and prey numbers in these regions are sufficient to support tigers once again.

In the past few years alone, nearly a dozen Amur tiger cubs have been found abandoned in the Russian Far East. These orphaned animals, too inexperienced to hunt on their own, most likely lost their mothers to poachers. Female tigers with cubs are particularly vulnerable to poaching; rather than fleeing from humans, mother tigers will stand their ground to defend their cubs. A single poacher’s bullet can thus kill an adult mother as well as her young cubs that will starve to death in her absence. When three separate litters of tigers were orphaned in the winter of 2012, all survivors—with the help of WCS Russia—eventually made their way to a federal tiger rehabilitation center where they were kept away from human contact and taught to hunt on their own in a safe, controlled environment.

Releasing tigers back into the wild is not a simple task, and the most difficult challenge comes when the young animals must acclimate to their new surroundings. To survive, they must be able to find and kill their prey at a rate sufficient to avoid starvation while also avoiding conflict with humans

sharing the landscape. An inexperienced tiger in an unfamiliar place might starve before the end of these first few months or during their first winter when prey suddenly become harder to catch, snow makes travel difficult, and the cold demands higher levels of prey consumption to generate enough energy. Villages teeming with dogs might suddenly become attractive—an easy solution to hunger. This is where WCS Russia plays a critical role. Our field staff are skilled at monitoring tigers and regularly check to ensure the tigers are behaving normally, avoiding human settlements, and hunting enough prey to survive.

The first phase of the Amur tiger reintroduction came in the spring of 2013 with the release of Zolushka, the first orphaned cub brought into the rehabilitation facility at only a few months old. She was released in Bastak Reserve, some 1,000 kilometers from where she was found. Zolushka has flourished in her new environment, and she has already consorted with a resident male tiger. All five tigers released in spring 2014 are also doing well; they are exploring their forests and killing wild game. The innate instinct to disperse is strong in these young cats, especially the males, with one even swimming across the Amur River into China as part of his quest to find a territory to call his own. This is an encouraging sign that rehabilitated tigers can successfully establish themselves and represent the beginnings of a new population in wild lands where they once thrived.

WCS Progress Report: Global Conservation ▪ 2

Zolushka, the first tiger ever to be rehabilitated as a cub and released back into the former range of tigers in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, inspects a camera trap at Bastak Nature Reserve in March 2014, nearly a year after her release.

TIGER CUBS RELEASED INTO HISTORICAL RANGE

A rehabilitated tiger is released into Zhelundinskii Wildlife Refuge, Amurskaya Oblast in the Russian Far East.

WCS Progress Report: Global Conservation ▪ 3

INDONESIAN MANTA RAY TRAFFICKING ARRESTS

In August and September 2014, the first-ever arrests of traders of manta rays in Indonesia took place. Four individuals possessing shark, ray, and other illegal wildlife products listed as banned by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) were arrested by Indonesian officials with the help of WCS’s Wildlife Crimes Unit, which provides data and technical advice to law enforcement agencies to support the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crimes. The traders were in possession of 110 pounds of manta ray gill plates, 8.8 pounds of sea turtle scales, and an entire manta ray weighing 132 pounds, among other items.

WCS was instrumental in advocating for the CITES listing of rays as a trade-regulated species, which was then leveraged to create a new law in Indonesia to protect giant and reef manta rays from fishing and trade. Now trafficking manta rays and their parts and products in Indonesia is punishable by a maximum fine of US $25,000. WCS’s ability to work at both international and national scales, in combination with the boots-on-the-ground work of our Wildlife Crimes Unit, led to this arrest—the first law enforcement action under the new regulation.

Reef and oceanic manta rays are large, enduring, plankton-eating cartilaginous fishes—gentle and beloved relatives of sharks. Oceanic mantas can reach up to 23 feet in length from wing tip to wing tip, weigh over 2 tons, and live for at least 20 years. They have very low reproductive rates, and are only able to give birth to one live pup every two years. The growing ecotourism industry based on manta-watching is estimated to be worth $140 million annually, with Indonesia being one of the top 10 destinations.

Manta rays are increasingly targeted for their gill plates: appendages that filter the plankton on which they feed. These gill plates are in demand in Chinese markets for use in a health tonic that is not even recognized in traditional Chinese medicine. One kilo of manta gill plates can fetch US $250-500 in China, and the total trade is worth $30 million annually. This growing market is driving dramatic increases in largely unregulated manta fisheries. Manta rays are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. By further influencing global policy to better protect rays, as well as by enforcing stricter punishments on those who support the unnecessary and illegal demand, WCS hopes to counter the decline of this harmless and ecologically important species.

Manta rays have low reproductive rates—giving birth to only one live pup every two years—and are

increasingly targeted for their gill plates.

WCS Progress Report: Global Conservation ▪ 4

TAGGING SHARKS IN NEW YORK WATERS Scientists from WCS’s New York Aquarium are tagging coastal and open ocean sharks in local waters within the New York Bight—not far from Coney Island—to better understand how these animals move and use the local seascape habitat. Since 2012, acoustic tags have been placed on 17 juvenile sand tiger sharks in nearshore waters, while 6 shortfin mako sharks and 1 blue shark have been satellite tagged. WCS is studying the sharks’ local and long-range movements to determine the best strategies for protecting them and to raise awareness of the importance of conserving New York’s native shark populations.

Many New Yorkers are unfamiliar with the underwater ecological splendor that exists just a few miles offshore. The New York seascape provides habitat for not only sharks, but also migratory whales, sea turtles, seabirds, many economically important fishes, and other threatened marine species. The jewel of our local seascape is the vast Hudson Canyon, an ancient underwater extension of the Hudson River that rivals the depths of the Grand Canyon. Beyond its geological merits, this marvel shelters hundreds of marine species ranging from cold-water corals, sponges, and anemones, to whales, sharks, rays, turtles, and eels.

WCS Progress Report: Global Conservation ▪ 5

PROTECTING ELEPHANTS FROM POACHING: IVORY POLICY UPDATE

Closing All Markets Far more elephants are now killed each year than are born. Since 2007, the total amount of ivory being illegally traded globally has more than doubled in size. This devastating trend is causing dramatic population declines and losses of elephants across large parts of their range. Dr. Elizabeth Bennett, Vice President for Species Conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society, authored a high-profile essay for the August 2014 issue of Conservation Biology arguing that even a better-controlled legal ivory trade could not stop the decline in elephant numbers, since deep-rooted government corruption would continue to allow illegally obtained ivory to enter the market. As Bennett has stated, “To save elephants, all ivory markets must close and all ivory stockpiles must be destroyed.”

Domestic Ivory Bans The federal ivory ban enacted by the Obama Administration is an excellent step in stopping trade into the U.S. and across state lines, but cannot control ivory trade within states. To close this loophole, on August 5, New Jersey became the first U.S. state to sign a bill banning ivory sales within the state. New York State followed on August 12. WCS is now exploring how best to ensure that the existing ban in California can become stronger and more effective, and our 96 Elephants campaign, in partnership with 170 other organizations, aims to secure U.S. legislation that will create moratoria on ivory sales across the nation. To date, nearly half a million people have signed our petition to support such moratoria. This robust support and the strength of the bans in New York and New Jersey give us hope that there is political will to end the ivory trade in this country for good, and that the U.S. can act as a model for other countries to follow, especially in East Asia where demand for ivory is greatest.

“To save elephants, all ivory markets must close and all ivory stockpiles must be destroyed.” —Dr. Elizabeth Bennett, WCS’s Vice President for Species Conservation

YOU CAN HELP US SAVE ELEPHANTS To sign the petition to support moratoria on ivory sales, go to: 96elephants.org

WCS Progress Report: Global Conservation ▪ 6

SUCCESS IN PROTECTING GREAT APES SPANS TWO CONTINENTS

In Asia and Africa, WCS is protecting wild great ape populations and their habitat by combating threats including bushmeat poachers, conversion of ape habitat to palm oil plantations, and interspecies transmission of diseases like Ebola. This work requires bolstering protected area management, law enforcement, and other on-the-ground efforts.

In July 2014, illegal palm oil-related logging in critical orangutan rainforest in Malaysia was halted near the Batang Ai National Park (BANP) when local police seized over 1,000 logs—the biggest seizure by the government to date. WCS works with the ranger patrols of BANP and other protected areas in Malaysia to safeguard the Endangered Bornean orangutans from poachers and to significantly improve the quality of law enforcement and the strength of penalties.

Earlier in 2014, WCS’s Malaysia Program Director Melvin Gumal received a Whitley Award, the prestigious international nature conservation honor, for successes in creating new protected areas for Bornean orangutans in the BANP landscape, thereby preventing the conversion of the dense rainforests orangutans depend on into harmful monoculture plantations of palm oil and rubber. Since the program began in 2003, WCS Malaysia has worked closely with the Forest Department of Sarawak and Sarawak Forestry Corporation to estimate orangutan populations in current and proposed protected areas, proved the animals were indeed thriving in the adjacent, unprotected rainforests threatened with agricultural conversion, and successfully lobbied the Sarawak Government to stop the conversion of most of this critical habitat and turn those key orangutan rainforests into protected areas. Today, WCS Malaysia continues to assess orangutan population range and needs, and is in the midst of an intense effort to conserve the last remaining unprotected orangutan rainforests of BANP landscape that are home to another 150 endangered Bornean orangutans.

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from fruit grown on African oil palm trees. It is estimated that palm oil is in about half of all packaged goods sold in the supermarket, including candy, cleaning agents, and beauty products.

WCS Progress Report: Global Conservation ▪ 7

Successes and lessons learned in Malyasia are informing WCS’s strategy to protect great apes in Central Africa. WCS scientists have compiled a formidable database of field survey data from nine institutions to map the distribution and abundance of both western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees and identify priority conservation areas across their ranges. Overall, the majority (73 percent) of western lowland gorillas and central chimps in the Congo region live outside protected areas. Therefore, the long-term survival of these and other iconic species in the unprotected portions of Central African landscape requires engagement with the logging, mining, and agricultural interests within the habitat. Within the range states of western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees, a WCS-led analysis has already identified priority areas for great ape conservation which will be used in collaboration with the range state Governments to avoid overlap with the areas most likely to undergo palm oil development. WCS is currently working with private industry partners to ensure their practices are ecologically sustainable and ape-friendly.

To address disease threats, WCS scientists developed a breakthrough this year for accurately tracking wild great ape exposure to the Ebola virus, which kills the majority of chimpanzees and gorillas infected. Aided by our novel diagnostic method that detects antibodies to Ebola in the feces of those great apes that have survived exposure, we will now be better able to identify outbreaks in wild animals, learn how the virus is spreading between species, and warn public health authorities when surveillance indicates heightened potential risk for human exposure.

AN ADIRONDACKS CYCLING TOUR WCS announces Cycle Adirondacks, a week-long road bike tour through the Adirondack Park featuring daily routes that will allow riders to become immersed in the forests, lakes, streams, and wildlife-rich habitat of the famed Adirondack region. Local WCS wildlife experts will be on hand all week to provide information on wildlife and other natural history. Registration is now open for the ride, which will take place August 23-29, 2015.

Registration fees cover infrastructure and rider services, and will also support WCS’s programs in the Adirondack region. WCS has promoted wildlife conservation and healthy human livelihoods in the Adirondacks by using a community-based approach to conservation since 1994. Cycle Adirondacks will introduce hundreds of visitors to the region as well as bring recreation-based economic activity to the quaint, rural communities that characterize the landscape.

For more information and to register, visit: cycleadirondacks.com

WCS Progress Report: Global Conservation ▪ 8

MIMICKING BEAVERS TO SAVE BEARS Despite a lack of the familiar physical characteristics of a beaver, Jeff Burrell, WCS’s Northern Rockies Program Coordinator, does his best to play the part, creating “beaver deceivers” to help grizzly bears adapt to the changing climate. As temperatures rise and high-elevation food resources for grizzlies grow scarce, these large and powerful wild animals need room to roam in order to find enough calories to survive through spring, summer, and fall, as well as through winter hibernation. However, important beaver populations have almost disappeared after decades of humans removing these wetland engineers from the landscape, resulting in the degradation of wetland and riparian habitats that bears rely on for cover while traveling through otherwise open valleys outside protected areas such as Yellowstone National Park. In order to restore riparian habitats, Burrell and his team have identified key streams which, if properly restored using beaver-like techniques, can improve the health and growth of riparian plants. Increased foliage will provide the necessary cover to guide bears safely through key linkage zones connecting the bruins to other large patches of habitat with more food.

The dams are built with rocks and woody debris along small streams to mimic what beavers used to accomplish naturally: slow the loss of water downstream and raise the water table, encouraging the regeneration of willows and other deciduous plants. A healthy wetland habitat with abundant vegetation will eventually allow grizzly bears to move safely and, hopefully, attract beavers back to the region. Currently, Burrell’s team is focusing on restoration efforts that will provide covered corridors between the Salmon-Selway and Greater Yellowstone ecosystems. If successful, the project will genetically link currently isolated populations of grizzly bears across the northern Rockies for the first time in more than a century, while also reducing the likelihood of human-bear conflict.

Creating corridors and reconnecting species populations is an ingrained ethos of conservation, yet factoring climate change considerations into work on the ground is still an emerging practice. WCS is leading global efforts to better understand and mitigate the potential effects of climate change on wildlife and people—a concern that grows more urgent each year. In North America, fieldwork like Burrell’s is supplemented by a series of action-driven workshops; WCS’s Dr. Molly Cross and Dr. Erika Rowland are taking the conservation community from planning to implementation of on-the-ground efforts designed to help wildlife and ecosystems adapt to our changing world. Through a re-granting program financed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, WCS provides opportunities and guidance related to climate change to other conservation organizations. Burrell’s beaver-mimic dams are a great example of a climate change adaptation project that scales the smaller objective of retaining water in small streams up to the larger objective of reconnecting two ecosystems and allowing grizzly bears to roam widely.

WCS Progress Report: Global Conservation ▪ 9

Thank you for helping us save wildlife and wild places around the globe.

Natural debris placed in streams mimics the effect of beaver dams by slowing runoff and raising water levels, helping restore riparian vegetation that can provide cover and resources for wildlife.

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