This morning at Rutland Water, Tim Appleton (one of the co-founders of Birdfair) revealed that £350,000 had been raised from last year's event. This will support the BirdLife International partnership work for Important Bird Areas in Africa including Tsitongambarika Forest in Madagascar - home to the scaly ground roller which featured in last year's art work.
This means that since 1989, Birdfair (which is jointly organised by the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust and the RSPB) has raised £4,246,152 for conservation projects around the world - a remarkable achievement by the organisers, the sponsors, exhibitors and all those who attend the festival.
This year, funds raised will contribute to the restoration of islands in French Polynesia including Rapa Iti home to internationally important populations of seabirds and the endangered Rapa fruit dove, which is the star of this year's wonderful artwork from Carry Akroyd.
If you have never been, I urge you to go to Rutland on 18-20 August.
That is great news. The conservation of the fauna and flora of Madagascar is so vitally important as so much of it is unique to the island and found nowhere else in the world..I attended two days of the Fair last year so I am pleased I contributed,at least in a very very small way to this splendid sum of money, which I am sure will be put to very good use