Exciting news for the gorilla population in Uganda…

A newly habituated gorilla family with 30 members was launched for tourism on September 24, 2009. Christened the Nshongi group, the family is located in Rushaga on the southwestern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

This is the largest group for tourism in the country and is expected to boost Uganda’s gorilla tourism capacity.

The launch was a big event with some world class celebrities attending the occasion along with other key Uganda government officials.

—from the management of Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp

Check out this amazing photograph courtesy of Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp.

There is one silver lining to our current economic crisis: Cruise lines are starting to think more creatively and are offering deep discounts (Oceania Cruises), complimentary shore excursions (Regent Seven Seas), and new itineraries to entice all of us to book another vacation…soon.

There is one silver lining to our current economic crisis: Cruise lines are starting to think more creatively and are offering deep discounts (Oceania Cruises), complimentary shore excursions (Regent Seven Seas), and new itineraries to entice all of us to book another vacation…soon.

Windstar Cruises just announced two new seven-night Canary Islands voyages that are sure to pique some interest with fans of the line who were getting bored with the repeating itineraries in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, and the Mediterranean.

Ten years ago, Windstar offered a similar adventure in this region. On November 14, 2009, and again on November 21,2009, Windstar’s 148-passenger Wind Spirit motor-sail-yacht will call upon the following ports:

• Lisbon, Portugal
• At Sea
• Casablanca, Morocco
• At Sea
• Agadir, Morocco
• Lanzarote, Spain
• Las Palmas, Spain
• Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain

Double occupancy per person cruise fares start at $1,999.These two voyages are expected to sell out so call your travel agent or Windstar Cruises (1-800-258-7245) for more information or to book a cruise.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita has added a perk to lure those who love to golf: complimentary unlimited play, including a cart fitted with GPS. And, this is indeed a bonus since the Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius is the only golf course in the Indian Ocean built to USGA (United States Golf Association) standards. (Unlimited golf privileges kicked in on October 1, 2009.)

“We want every guest to have the opportunity to play the course at Four Seasons Mauritius,” says Andrew Harrison, general manager of the Resort. “Ernie Els has created a championship course that is a challenge for experienced golfers, but also encourages play at all levels, so families can golf together.”

“Intricately woven into the scenery, the course is designed with a close eye on preserving the coastline’s natural beauty,” says Ernie Els. “The way we have routed the course means it moves in and out of the trees, along the water and back, giving players great variety—including spectacular rocky outcrops, large native trees and jaw-dropping views of the mountains and Indian Ocean.”

An international team of researchers has developed a remarkable new roadmap for finding and protecting the best remaining holdouts for thousands of rare species that live only in Madagascar, considered one of the most significant biodiversity hot spots in the world.

An international team of researchers has developed a remarkable new roadmap for finding and protecting the best remaining holdouts for thousands of rare species that live only in Madagascar, considered one of the most significant biodiversity hot spots in the world.

In their conservation plan, the researchers, led by conservation biologists at the University of California, Berkeley, not only included lemurs—those large-eyed, tree-hopping primates that have become poster children for conservation—but also species of ants, butterflies, frogs, geckos and plants.

Altogether, more than 2,300 species found only in the vast area of Madagascar—a 226,642-square-mile (587,000-square-kilometer) island nation in the Indian Ocean—were included in the analysis. Centralizing and analyzing the sheer quantity of data available to develop a map of conservation priorities provided an unprecedented analytical challenge. The results are described in the April 11 issue of the journal Science.

First, a massive team of researchers collected highly detailed data to learn the exact locations of thousands of animal and plant species across the island. The researchers then used software specially developed for this project, in collaboration with a computer science researcher at AT&T, to estimate the complete range of each species. A separate optimization software, customized for this project by researchers at Finland’s Helsinki University, was used next to identify which regions are most vital for saving the greatest number of species. Species that have experienced a proportionally larger loss of habitat due to deforestation were given top priority in the resulting conservation plan because they are at greater risk of extinction.

“Never before have biologists and policy makers had the tools that allow analysis of such a broad range of species, at such fine scale, over this large a geographic area,” said Claire Kremen, UC Berkeley assistant professor of conservation biology and the project’s co-lead researcher. “Our analysis raises the bar on what’s possible in conservation planning, and helps decision makers determine the most important places to protect.”

The team’s work demonstrates that relying on a single group of species for a conservation plan does not provide adequate protection for other species groups.

“Preserving biodiversity in the midst of tremendous pressures, such as habitat destruction and global warming, is one of humanity’s greatest environmental challenges in the 21st century,” said Kremen, who worked on this project with New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, where she is an associate conservationist. “Conservation planning has historically focused on protecting one species or one group of species at a time, but in our race to beat species extinction, that one-taxon approach is not going to be quick enough.”

According to some estimates, about half of the world’s plant species and three-quarters of vertebrate species are concentrated in biodiversity hot spots that make up only 2.3 percent of Earth’s land surface. Madagascar, a developing country off the southeast coast of Africa, is one of the most treasured of these regions of biodiversity.

An estimated 80 percent of the animals on Madagascar do not occur naturally anywhere else on Earth. Half of the world’s chameleons and all species of lemurs are endemic to this island. They are joined by whole families of plants, insects, birds, mammals, reptiles and frogs that are found only in Madagascar.

“The diversity of Madagascar is not yell well understood, as a large number of species has been recently described, and new discoveries are made every year,” said study co-author David Vieites, a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and in the Department of Integrative Biology. “For example, since our study began three years ago, some 50 new species of amphibians were discovered. Sadly, because of the high rate of habitat destruction, huge numbers of species will go extinct before scientists have a chance to document them.”

Fresh attention was paid to Madagascar when, in 2003, the country’s government announced an ambitious goal of tripling its existing protected area network from about 5 million to 15 million acres (20,234-60,700 square kilometers), or about 10 percent of the country’s total land surface.

“Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, which makes the government’s commitment to biodiversity even more remarkable,” said Alison Cameron, co-lead researcher of the project, and post-doctoral researcher at UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management. “Government leaders have developed a very progressive vision for social and economic development, in which the natural landscape is viewed as a valuable resource.”

The MacArthur Foundation supported this project with a joint grant to UC Berkeley and the Wildlife Conservation Society, whose staff in Madagascar work with government officials there to incorporate the results of this study into conservation policy. The Wildlife Conservation Society has already established several new protected areas within the country.

Ultimately, a diverse group of 22 researchers from museums, zoos, herbaria, universities, non-governmental organizations and industry contributed to this new analysis. The authors received help from an additional 62 non-authored collaborators who, in turn, were part of much larger research teams that collected the data used in this study.

Another co-author affiliated with UC Berkeley is Brian Fisher, an adjunct professor at the campus’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management and chair of entomology at the California Academy of Sciences.

For their analysis, the researchers utilized decades worth of field data painstakingly collected throughout Madagascar by intrepid biologists.

“Simply identifying the species on the island and determining where they are located is very difficult,” said Kremen. “The terrain is rough, there are few roads, and we often had to hike 18 miles (30 kilometers) to get to the field site. Once there, we’d live for months in a tent under a tarp, enduring leeches and torrential rainfalls, eating rice and beans, to document the range of animal and plant species in a specific area. This is truly hard-won data.”

The rich data source allowed the researchers to map out the habitat of 2,300 species throughout every square kilometer of the island. “We spend years of our lives collecting this data, and people sometimes wonder why we do it,” said Kremen, who personally spent the greater part of eight years primarily collecting field data in Madagascar. “It is gratifying to know that the data collected may literally put some species on the map for protection.”

Based upon this work, some surprising areas emerged as conservation priorities, including coastal forests and central mountain ranges, which had large concentrations of endemic species. Such regions, the researchers noted, have historically been neglected in favor of large tracts of forest.

“Earlier efforts at conservation planning focused on whether a protected species was included in a designated area, but that region may not include a significant fraction of the species’ population for it to remain viable in the long term,” said Cameron, who also provides technical advice to the Wildlife Conservation Society and the government of Madagascar. “In contrast, our analysis goes further by maximizing the proportion of every species, so that they achieve maximum conservation, within the target of 15 million acres set by the government. This is a huge shift in approach, made possible through advances in computer technology that allowed us to centralize such a large amount of data and to analyze it all together.”

The researchers noted that similarly rich sources of data exist in other parts of the world, and that their method of analysis could be easily transferred to other high priority regions for conservation.

—Sarah Yang for UCBerkeley

Sanctuary Lodges & Camps—founded by Abercrombie & Kent as environmentally sustainable lodgings—has expanded into Zambia with five new properties:

Sussi & Chuma is built among huge ebony trees, just upstream from Victoria Falls in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. The 10 luxury tree houses have private views of the Zambezi River. Chuma House is an exclusive two-bedroom villa located near the lodge.

Lechwe Plains Tented Camp in the Lochinvar National Park, north of Lusaka, is a photographer’s paradise. Located on the Chunga Lagoon, this World Heritage Wetland offers incredible birdlife and tens of thousands of Kafue Lechwe (antelope), an aquatic antelope of exceptional grace.

Kulefu Tented Camp in the Lower Zambezi National Park is on the wildest stretch of the Zambezi. Eight spacious tents are set on platforms at the river’s edge.

Puku Ridge Tented Camp in the South Luangwa National Park is a real wilderness experience under canvas with exciting wildlife opportunities. This superb property is located on a ridge overlooking game rich floodplains.

Chichele Presidential Lodge was originally built by President Kaunda and refurbished as an early colonial “Gentleman’s Lodge”. The hilltop setting in South Luangwa National Park overlooks plains teeming with wildlife.

“Though relatively unknown outside Africa, Zambia offers a diverse range of environments with prolific wildlife,” said Abercrombie & Kent Group Chairman and CEO Geoffrey Kent. “Walking safaris were pioneered in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley; if you have only seen animals from inside a vehicle, you will find walking with big game a thrilling experience. Night drives are also a specialty and the best means of seeing some of the more elusive nocturnal species, including leopard.”

The company also operates Olonana in Kenya’s Masai Mara; Swala in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park and Kusini in the Serengeti; Gorilla Forest Camp in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; and four properties in Botswana (Sanctuary Chief’s Camp, Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero, Sanctuary Stanley’s Camp, and Sanctuary Baines’ Camp).

For more information, visit Abercrombie & Kent or call 1-(800) 554-7094.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Photo of Zambezi Kulefu Camp by Yolandi Scanes, courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent

Twenty-nine animal conservationists who have dedicated their lives to saving the Earth’s endangered species have been nominated to receive the biennial Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation. The nominees’ work spans the globe, representing a range of species from insects to mammals, and includes amphibians, elephants, bats, wolves and sharks, among many others. The Nominating Committee will review the applications and select the six finalists, who will be announced in the spring of 2010. The Prize Jury will then determine the winner who will be announced in mid-2010 and honored at the next Indianapolis Prize Gala, to be held September 25, 2010, in Indianapolis.

Twenty-nine animal conservationists who have dedicated their lives to saving the Earth’s endangered species have been nominated to receive the biennial Indianapolis Prize. The nominees’ work spans the globe, representing a range of species from insects to mammals, and includes amphibians, elephants, bats, wolves and sharks, among many others. The Nominating Committee will review the applications and select the six finalists, who will be announced in the spring of 2010. The Prize Jury will then determine the winner who will be announced in mid-2010 and honored at the next Indianapolis Prize Gala, to be held September 25, 2010, in Indianapolis.

In addition to receiving the $100,000 Prize, the recipient is also awarded the Lilly Medal, an original work of art that signifies the winner’s contributions to conserving some of the world’s most threatened animals.

The 2008 Indianapolis Prize was awarded to legendary field biologist George Schaller, Ph.D. Schaller’s accomplishments span decades and continents, bringing fresh focus to the plight of several endangered species—from tigers in India to gorillas in Rwanda—and inspiring others to join the crusade.

“Following in Schaller’s footsteps will not be easy, but the current nominees are exceptional,” said Michael Crowther, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Zoo, the organization responsible for initiating the conservation award. “These conservationists are all living their own unique and fascinating adventures that battle the odds, but achieve great victories.”

The nominees for the 2010 Indianapolis Prize include many individuals working to conserve the diverse wildlife of Africa:

Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Ph.D.: (Save the Elephants) Founded Save the Elephants; devotes his life to the cause of elephant conservation—from testifying before Congress to leading anti-poaching aid programs in Africa.

Jack Hanna: (Columbus Zoo and Aquarium) For more than 30 years, Hanna has been the public face of zoos, bringing the conservation message to millions of people worldwide; passionately dedicated to Rwanda’s endangered animals and its people.

Lisa Hywood: (Tikki Hywood Trust) Works tirelessly to preserve Zimbabwe’s wildlife—including captive breeding, management and monitored release of endangered species and conservation education in under-privileged, rural areas.

Laurie Marker, D.Phil.: (Cheetah Conservation Fund) Founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund; led a conservation program from humble beginnings in rural Namibia to an unparalleled model for predator conservation.

Gregory Rasmussen, Ph.D.: (Painted Dog Conservation) Diligent advocate of the critically endangered African wild dogs; founder of the Painted Dog Conservation, which strives to increase the range and numbers of wild dogs in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa.

Lente Lidia Roode: (Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre) Established the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, a nonprofit organization that provides a safe haven for orphaned and sick animals, complete with an education center, rescue unit and breeding program.

Additional nominees working outside of Africa:

Karen Eckert, Ph.D.: (WIDECAST: Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network) Dedicated to research, multilateral marine resource management and the international conservation policies for sea turtles for more than three decades.

Gerardo Ceballos, Ph.D.: (Instituto de Ecologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico) Leader in designing conservation strategies for endangered species and threatened ecosystems; conducted the first geographically explicit analysis of patterns of population and species extinction in a major taxonomic group (mammals).

Nigel Collar, Ph.D.: (BirdLife International) Researched and compiled a unique and comprehensive dataset on globally threatened bird species that was published in groundbreaking regional Red Data Books worldwide.

Ruth M. Elsey, M.D.: (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries) Fostered programs to enhance the survivability and sustainability of the American alligator, in addition to parallel efforts for other crocodilians.

George Fenwick, Ph.D.: (American Bird Conservancy) Founded American Bird Conservancy; dedicated to creating and sustaining globally significant biodiversity reserves, tackling policy-based threats to birds and generating funding resources for the biodiversity community.

Rodney Fox: (Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions/Fox Shark Research Foundation) Miracle survivor of one of the world’s worst shark attacks; regarded as a world authority on Great White Shark research, observation and conservation.

Birute Mary Galdikas, Ph.D.: (Orangutan Foundation International) More than 35 years of advancing research on wild orangutan ecology and behavior; established rehabilitation and release programs and saved millions of acres of tropical rain forest in Kalimantan.

Paul Garber, Ph.D.: (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) More than 30 years of dedication and commitment to research, conservation and educational programs involving the monkeys of Latin America.

Maurice Hornocker, Ph.D.: (Selway Institute; Professor Emeritus, University of Idaho) Devoted his career to understanding the ecological role of wild cats and advocating for the conservation of large carnivores, including the first-ever field investigation of cougars.

Rick Hudson: (Fort Worth Zoo; International Iguana Foundation; IUCN Turtle Survival Alliance) Dedicated advocate for reptile conservation, including groundbreaking work with the Jamaican iguana and the coordination of the largest turtle rescue event in history.

Rodney Jackson, Ph.D.: (Snow Leopard Conservancy) Conducted an in-depth radio-tracking study of snow leopards in the 1980s; dedicated to building local communities’ capacity as key players in conserving the species.

Jana Johnson, M.S., Ph.D.: (Moorpark College, The Butterfly Project) Founded The Butterfly Project, a center for endangered butterfly propagation and research; helped the Palos Verdes blue butterfly population, once presumed extinct, grow from 200 to 10,000.

James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D.: (National Wild Turkey Federation) Devoted leader in wild turkey research, scientific wildlife management and forging cooperative conservation partnerships to grow the wild turkey population from 1.3 million to 7 million in less than 30 years.

Thomas H. Kunz, Ph.D.: (Boston University) For more than 50 years, has significantly and instrumentally contributed to the conservation and teaching of bat ecology, physiology and behavior.

Amanda Lollar: (Bat World Sanctuary) Established Bat World Sanctuary, the largest rehabilitation facility in the world dedicated exclusively to bats; created the first nutritionally sound diet for debilitated bats.

Edward Louis Jr., Ph.D., DVM: (Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo) Tireless conservation advocate of island biogeography, including the discovery of 30 percent of known lemurs to date.

Stephen McCulloch: (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution) Created legislation to fund several ongoing marine mammal research and conservation programs while working to construct the first teaching marine mammal hospital, science and education center.

Rodrigo Medellin, Ph.D.: (University of Mexico) Galvanized bat research throughout Latin America by using a multipronged approach including research, education, population biology, molecular ecology and community involvement.

Patrick T. Redig, DVM, Ph.D.: (The Raptor Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota) Dedicated more than 35 years to protecting raptor populations though extensive field work, bench research, clinical work, professional teaching and community service.

Patrick Rose: (Save the Manatee Club) Worked to help educate opponents, build coalitions and focus on specific protection goals for manatees, including protecting the manatee’s habitat and advocating for strong growth management laws.

Carl Safina, Ph.D.: (Blue Ocean Institute) Brought ocean conservation into the environmental mainstream by using science, art and literature to inspire “sea ethic.”

Simon Stuart, Ph.D.: (IUCN-World Conservation Union) Developed the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, which assesses the extinction risk for species.

Amanda Vincent, Ph.D.: (The University of British Columbia) First person to study seahorses underwater, document extensive commercial trade, and initiate a seahorse conservation project, Project Seahorse.

The biennial $100,000 Indianapolis Prize represents the largest individual monetary award for animal conservation in the world and is given as an unrestricted gift to the chosen honoree.

The Indianapolis Prize was initiated by the Indianapolis Zoo as a significant component of its mission to inspire local and global communities and to celebrate, protect and preserve our natural world through conservation, education and research. This award brings the world’s attention to the cause of animal conservation and the brave, talented and dedicated men and women who spend their lives saving the Earth’s endangered animal species. It was first awarded in 2006 to Dr. George Archibald, the co-founder of the International Crane Foundation and one of the world’s great field biologists.

In 2008, the Indianapolis Prize went to Dr. George Schaller, the world’s preeminent field biologist and vice president of science and exploration for the Wildlife Conservation Society. The Eli Lilly and Company Foundation has provided funding for the Indianapolis Prize since 2006.

A flurry of South Africa travel packages are being announced now that the 2010 World Cup is only eight months away. Here’s a 15-day adventure from Africa Adventure Consultants that combines 10 nights in Cape Town (or other cities), two soccer matches in Category 1 (best) seats, and a four-night game safari at Thornybush Private Game Lodge in Thornybush Nature Reserve near Kruger National Park. The land-only price is $7,820 per person.

Africa Adventure Consultant’s president Kent Redding is seeing an uptick in bookings for the period surrounding the World Cup. “Now is certainly the time for soccer fans to make World Cup Africa travel plans, as we’re already seeing limited availability at some hotels throughout South Africa. With the recent news from London regarding bogus tickets, it’s also important to purchase your travel packages from reputable operators.”

In addition to World Cup Africa travel, Denver-based African safari expert Africa Adventure Consultants organizes safari adventures throughout East and Southern Africa, with destinations including Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Rwanda, Zambia, Victoria Falls and Ethiopia.

For more information, visit Africa Aventure Consultants or call 1-(866) 778-1089.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Photo courtesy of Thornybush Private Game Lodge