Thirsty festival goers save endangered species

Monday 15 December 2014

Drinks cans recycled at this year’s Jersey Live played a major part in saving an endangered species in the Brazillian rainforest.

The recycle value of the record-breaking 20,000 cans drunk by festival goers at the event went into Durrell’s Can for Corridors project which creates tree corridors to link fragments of massively degraded rainforest.

Thanks to Durrell’s project to date, more than two million trees have been planted in the Brazillian Atlantic rainforest corridor and across 1,000 hectares of land outside Sao Paulo. Islanders have directly contributed to this amazing achievement by regularly recycling their cans at Durrell. Every 50 cans recycled equals one tree and helps many species such as the endangered jaguars and tapirs.

The latest link has saved a tiny colony of  black lion tamarins who were facing extinction but have now been able join the  largest colony of tamarins in the wild.

Dominic Wormell, Head of Mammals at Durrell thanked Islanders and the the organisers of Jersey Live.

“This fantastic achievement demonstrates just what can be accomplished through long-term commitment and support, saving species, restoring habitats, changing landscapes and also having a positive impact on the lives of the local communities,” he said.

“It is amazing to think that some of the local school children who started collecting cans for our Cans for Corridors scheme in their primary school years will almost be adults now, but it is thanks to this kind of ongoing support that we have been able to make this most recent breakthrough.”