Update on The Lost World Project

It has been an extremely busy two-three months on The Lost World Project, which would explain our complete lack of producing any new blogs over that period. We currently have 18 people in Venezuela climbing down from Mount Roraima's summit, and will be sending another 18 people to visit the area that inspired Disney Pixar to make their animated blockbuster 'UP'.

The reason we are doing this is in order to raise the final amount needed to complete the final scenes and produce The Lost World Film - the culmination of two years conservation work to protect the long-term future of Mount Roraima and the Guiana Highlands. We will look to use the film as a case study for global conservation projects, and highlight the problems associated with illegal goldmining, bauxite mining, unsustainable tourism and the introduction of foreign animal species.

We are really looking forward to letting you all know more information about the contents of the film and the narrator that we have lined up for the final project - but we need to keep quite a bit of it back as a surprise for the Premiere of The Lost World Film at the Royal Geographical Society on 30th June (ticket information will follow soon). However, we can use this blog to reveal that we have secured a world exclusive...

The family of Jimmy Angel, the man who discovered the legendary Angel Falls, has very kindly provided us with footage of Jimmy Angel discovery the world's tallest waterfall. The footage is in black and white and is absolutely amazing - at the start of the project we could never have imagined getting such fantastic footage. We will hopefully be able to start publishing a few videos in the next blog, but I hope that you will be blown away by what we believe to be some of the most incredible footage ever seen in a natural history documentary!

Eight Killed in attack on Ranger Patrol in Congo's Virunga National Park

Sadly, we are bringing bad news with this week's blog and would like to offer our condolences to the eight people who died in Congo's Virunga National Park when Rwandan militia attacked a Ranger Patrol. Three rangers and five Congolese soldiers were killed and our thoughts are with their families.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


24th January 2011

For more information go to www.gorilla.cd/blog

Attack on Ranger Patrol in Congo’s Virunga National Park leaves 8 dead and 3 critically injured

Three rangers and five Congolese soldiers have been killed during a violent attack on their patrol vehicle in Congo's Virunga National Park. A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) hit the early morning patrol when it fell into an ambush approximately one kilometer north of Mabenga, just inside the park border. The rangers were being deployed along a road that passes through the national park in an attempt to secure a safe passage for the public. The attackers, who escaped on foot, are believed to be FDLR Rwandan militia, an illegal movement believed to include the perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The attack is thought to have been carried out in retaliation for the destruction of two of their camps by park rangers in December 2010.

The attack took place about 100 km north of the city of Goma. This is the worst attack on Virunga Park patrols in over a year. Park rangers and regular army units have been working together to secure the area within the national park known to be heavily frequented by FDLR militia.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleagues who were killed in their efforts to protect the public from illegal armed groups" said Virunga Park Director Emmanuel de Merode. "130 of Virunga's rangers have died since the beginning of the war in 1996, but the park's staff remains determined to protect the park"

The rangers will be burried tomorrow morning at the park cemetary on the banks of the Rutshuru River. The injured are in a critical state and have been moved to Rutshuru hospital.

Some 400 Park Rangers protect Virunga National Park in eastern DRC, a region affected by a 12-year civil war and political instability. The Park is home to mountain gorillas, lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants and rhinos, among other wildlife. The Rangers have remained active in protecting these parks, four of which have been classified as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Poaching, wildlife trafficking and habitat destruction remain the key threats to the survival of the wildlife in the park.

Editor’s Notes:

The Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) and its Rangers work throughout the country to protect the National Parks of Congo and their wildlife from poachers, rebel groups, illegal miners and land invasions. Over 160 Rangers have been killed in the last 10 years protecting the 5 parks of eastern DRC, and Rangers worked throughout the civil war, rarely receiving a salary.

Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest national park (established in 1925) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, is home to 200 of the world’s mountain gorillas and a small population of eastern lowland gorillas. Formerly known as Albert National Park, Virunga lies in eastern DR Congo and covers 7,800 square kilometers. The park is managed by the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN).

Join the 2011 Expedition

Join the Adventure of a Lifetime and help save Arthur Conan Doyle's 'lost world'

In April 2011 Ibex Earth will be travelling back to Mount Roraima, Venezuela with the star of BBC 2's 'Decade of Discovery' Stewart McPherson and we are looking for ten people to travel with us and see one of the world's most breathtaking natural wonders as part of The Lost World Project.

The project looks to safeguard the long-term future of Mount Roraima, which is the South American plateau that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write his famous adventure novel 'The Lost World' and has most recently been the major influence behind Disney Pixar's animated blockbuster 'UP'. Sadly Mount Roraima is now under threat from unregulated/unsustainable tourism, illegal goldmining and the introduction of non-endemic species of flora and fauna. The Lost World Project looks to raise funds to address these issues via the making of a broadcast quality documentary, which will be premiered at the Royal Geographical Society on 30th June 2010 and then on national television in late 2011/early 2012.

The filming aspect of The Lost World Project was completed last Autumn when Ibex Earth sent a critically acclaimed film crew to Mount Roraima with ten university students from the UK. The footage taken in Venezuela will form part of a fifty minute documentary that will air on national television in late 2011/early 2012. This part of the project has already won a number of awards and has been endorsed by both the Royal Geographical Society and the Zoological Society of London.

We are now looking for the final ten people to form the next expedition to Mount Roraima and would like to invite you to journey with us to a land that will leave you with memories to last a life time. The Itinerary of the April expedition is available to download directly from the Ibex Earth website on the link below:

http://www.ibexearth.com/projects/lost-world.html

If you would like any further information about the project please email chris.livemore@ibexearth.com

The Lost World Project - Achievements to Date...

First and foremost we hope that you have all had a fantastic Christmas period and may we take this opportunity to wish you all the best for the New Year. We wanted to end 2010 with a quick blog about what Ibex Earth has accomplished to date with The Lost World Project, and what 2011 holds for what we believe is one of the most exciting conservation initiatives that people can get involved in.

2010 saw the first year of the Lost World Project, and Ibex Earth raising and donating US $11,000 to directly support the conservation of the Guiana Highlands and the conservation of Mount Roraima. We aimed funding through three avenues:

1. Through the Lost World Project, we were able to donate US $3,000 to support the Venezuelan National Parks institute (Inparques, La Luepa branch). This money was used to repair the park authority’s patrol vehicles, which had been lying idle due to disrepair. Through this grant, the local authorities will be better prepared to protect the fragile ecosystem of the Guiana Highlands and continue their work safeguarding the Lost Worlds.

2. The Lost World Project also offered the opportunity to build successful relationships with communities in need across the Guiana Highlands. Local communities hold the key to protecting the fragile landscape of the lost worlds, and so are an intrinsic part in securing a sustainable future for Lost Worlds. As such, Ibex Earth donated US $2,000 to support sustainable development projects in the impoverished Amerindian village of Paratepui, located close to the base of the majestic Mount Roraima where the Lost World Project took place.

3. To further our goal of raising awareness of need for the conservation of the Lost Worlds and their wildlife, Ibex Earth engaged thirty Amerindians from the Gran Sabana to be involved in the Lost World Project and participate in developing an understanding of the need for the conservation of Mount Roraima. Through engaging with Lost World Project participants, and through discussion, training and interviews, we aimed to contribute to developing local conservation awareness, and in the process, contributed US $6,000 in wages to support the developing sustainable tourism industry that holds the key to a secure future.

(Furthermore Ibex Earth also used local 'fixers' throughout the first phase of The Lost World Project, which saw an additional US $4,500 added to the local economy.)

Additionally, in order raise awareness of the need to conserve the region, the Lost World Project set out to produce a non-profit conservation documentary to highlight the importance of Mount Roraima and the need for regional protection. In August and September 2010, we sent ten students from across the UK to the Guiana Highlands along with a critically acclaimed film crew.

The group filmed the unique wildlife, landscapes and threats of the Lost World for two weeks, and the resultant footage is currently being edited into a fifty minute, broadcast quality documentary that will then be premiered at two high profile and prestigious events at two of London’s most famous venues - the Royal Geographical Society and the Zoological Society of London in June 2011. The film will then be broadcast to a global television audiences, raising awareness of this unique region to millions of viewers.

You might have already seen some of our footage during BBC 2's documentary 'Decade of Discovery', which aired on Tuesday 14th December 2010.

Happy New Year from all at Ibex Earth

Journey to the 'Lost World' - Itinerary April 2011...

The Lost World Project – The Adventure of a Lifetime


- Expedition Itinerary -

Please note the first expedition departs London on Saturday April 2nd, and returns on Tuesday April 12th. The second expedition departs London on Saturday April 16th, and returns on Tuesday April 26th and the itinerary for both expeditions are set out below:

Day 1: Expedition members arrive in Caracas, Venezuela and are met at the airport by Ibex Earth staff. Expedition members will then travel to Cuidad Bolivar and transfer to 4x4 vehicles to travel to Santa Elena (the starting point for the expedition). On route, we stop at the National Parks Office to pick up our permits.

Day 2: The group is taken on a 4x4 jeep tour across the Gran Sabana for familiarisation, and receive equipment training and survival skills from the expedition leader. The tour includes visiting the beautiful Kama Waterfall and the world famous Jasper Creek - a riverbed made of scarlet, semi-precious gemstone. Around sunset, we arrive in the remote Amerindian community of Paratepui where we spend the night, and get our first glimpse of the towering “lost world” plateaus of Mount Roraima and Kukenan Tepui looming on the horizon.

Day 3: The third day marks the start of the trek. Expedition members walk to the first camp (Rio Tek), passing lowland savannah wildlife including giant anteaters, and idyllic traditional Amerindian villages. Once we arrive at the Rio Tek camp, we build our tents among the thatched Amerindian settlements and cook dinner before sunset next to the great Kukenan River that flows from the fourth tallest waterfall on earth.

Day 4: Expedition members climb up the lower slopes of Mount Roraima, and into the shadow of the great plateau, through cloud forest stopping at Base Camp for the night. The climb brings us ever closer to the immense ramparts of Mount Roraima, traversing the ancient talus slopes that encircle the mountain – the home to colourful orchids and giant bromeliads. Today is the most strenuous day of the trek – lasting seven hours, but passing much of the most beautiful scenery that we will encounter on the expedition.

Day 5: An early start will see the group ascend the dramatic ledge up the gigantic cliffsides of Mount Roraima, climbing towards the summit and reaching the mountain top by early afternoon. The ascent passes through mossy cloud forest, filled with ancient tree ferns, colourful tree frogs, and hummingbirds.

Expedition members will then explore the spectacular scenery and bizarre wildlife of Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘lost world’. This will include searching for ancient toads, Roraima’s rare Coatimundi and carnivorous plants. After one hour of walking, we make camp in a great cave system in the south of the plateau, cooking dinner as flames flicker on the ancient cave walls.

Day 6: The group treks north to explore Mount Roraima’s spectacular labyrinth of towering stone pinnacles and a valley lined with shimmering quartz crystals. We also explore deep fissures in search of primitive oil birds, wind carved sculptures and areas of Roraima’s unique and unearthly vegetation. We set up camp in caves in the north of the great plateau.

Day 7: The expedition leader takes the group to the underground world of Mount Roraima’s ancient cave systems, which represent some of the largest, most spectacular yet least explored quartzite caves in the world. The group will then return to Mount Roraima’s summit and once again spend the night in the caves near the south of the plateau. At sunset, the group treks to the immense cliffsides of Roraima to view the evening sunlight glance across the mountain’s colossal cliffs, returning before darkness falls completely.

Day 8: After four days on the plateau’s summit, the group begins the descent, climbing down the gigantic ledge of Mount Roraima, and camping near the Kukenan river, at Rio Kukenan camp for a hearty dinner and a final night below the towering massif of the ‘lost world’.

Day 9: The expedition members trek from Rio Kukenan camp back to Paratepui, searching the savannah for wildlife along the way – there’s the chance to see a savannah anteater, or rare rainforest-dwelling scarlet macaws of the lowland. In the Amerindian village of Paratepui, the expedition is met by 4x4 vehicles and travel to Santa Elena for a well earned drink and shower.

Day 10: The group is chauffeured from Santa Elena to Cuidad Bolivar, spending the night in the historic city centre on the banks of the mighty Orinoco River.

Day 11: An early start will see the group leave Cuidad Bolivar for Caracas, arriving in time for afternoon and evening flights back to the UK.

The Lost World Project has received endorsement from the Royal Geographical Society and has won the Captain Scott Society ‘Spirit of Adventure’ Award 2010 – if you would like to be part of the adventure of a lifetime then please email chris.livemore@ibexearth.com and you will be sent a full expedition pack for The Lost World Project.