So earlier this week I came across vodafones 'world of difference' campaign, a competition that offers 500 people the chance to gain two months paid work with a charity of their choice. It opens later this year with a lengthy application form to fill out. Last year they had 1,100 applicants, so if I put together a very good application I could definitely be in with a chance.

I began researching the charities that were involved and one immediately stood out, The Cat Survival Trust in Hertforshire which focuses on the protecion of both wild cats and their environment. At their headquarters in Welwyn they have a collection of wild cats that have been taken in due to being unwanted or were confiscated from un-registered owners. I immediately e-mailed enquiring about the scheme and was thrilled to see a reply the very next morning. I arranged to visit the charity the next day so I could further discuss about applying with them

On arriving at the charity I was first introduced to Dr Terry Moore, the honorary trust director and a truly inspiring man. I was then shown round the trust and met many of their furry felines. I was particularly touched by the story of their African Serval who was illegaly smuggled into the country in a handbag at 2 days old. He was then handed over to the trust when the keeper though he may get found out.

Next I was shown the snow leopards, and I was thrilled to find out they had succesfully just had their 7th litter of cubs. 3 females only 3 weeks olds. Terry encouraged the mum outside and she peacefully left her babies, as if she knew no harm would come to them. Then Terry climbed inside with the cubs and one by one weighed each of them. Then he handed one to me. I was so overwhelmed! It was incredible. I was actually cuddling a 3 week old snow leopard! I can barely describe the feeling I got holding this gorgeous creature. It was one of the most amazing moments in my life.

We then returned back to the office and Terry proceeded to show me some video footage of his 10,000 acre reserve in Argentina. It was so fantastic to see how enthusiastic he was about his work. He was so passionate about conserving wildlife.

He purchased the nature reserve in 1991, which was home to 40 cats from 5 different species. There are currently now 70 cats in the reserve so it is very clear it is having a positive impact! The reserve is not only home to cats but a huge array of both flora and fauna, including the orginal genetic stock of fruits and vegetables which we now take for granted from the supermarket commercial hybrids. This also included a cherry without a pip growing naturally within the reserve!

Terry then went on to explain the importance of conserving the rainforest. The trees of the forest absorb moisture which is continuously released as a flow throughout the dry season. This provides fresh, clean water for farms and agriculture further down stream. He also explained that the forest helps prevent the soil from being washed into the river and this was clearly evident from the aerial video footage. The river alongside the rainforest was a beautiful clear blue, this later joined a much larger river with a very muddy, dirty appearance. This was due to it taking a path through Brazil, where nearly all the rainforest had been cleared. This means the land becomes completely in-plantable and useless.

Terry is currently working on a new project which involves raising funds to purchase another 300,000 acres of forest across 7 different countries. If I gained a 2 month position I would be very proud to help him do this. This would give me the opportunity to learn so much and develop new skills that could really help my career. I found Terry so inspiring and I would be thrilled to work alongside him.

You can help out by donating to the cat survival trust, or perhaps you may want to adopt one of their rescued cats. See here for more details: http://www.catsurvivaltrust.org/

Do we really want the amazing animal species of today to simply become a myth in a book? The species that we take for advantage could one day simply disappear, leaving our future generations to admire them only in stories.

We have been continously over exploiting our planet and it is affecting the natural balance of life. Losing just one species can have an impact on the whole ecosystem, whether it be plant, insect, bird or mammal, it will affect the natural order. Take for example the story of the red squirrel, the UK's native species is slowly disappearing due to the introduction of the grey squirrel over 130 years ago. Unfortunately the red squirrel has been out competed by its exotic counterpart and the UK may one day say goodbye to our native species due to mans mistake.

Source: 1

Photo by: Lucy Boynton

Not many people have had the privilge of seeing a hazel dormouse, but whilst studying them on a field trip I not only sighted 1, but 4 of these tiny, furry mammals. But unfortunately their numbers are rapidly declining. During 1950-1980 many ancient woodlands were cleared so the demand for timber could be satisfied by planting conifers. This meant the dormouse has undergone a decline of over half their orginal population size during the twentieth century. Their need for ancient woodland is crucial to their survival and if deforestation and fragmentation continues the hazel dormouse may be another species that disappears in the UK.

Source: Kirby. K. J. (2003) Woodland Conservation in privately-owned cultural landscapes: the English experience. Environmental Science & Policy. 6(3), pp 253-259.

Garland . L., Woods. M. (2005) Dormice on road verges. Ecology and Environmental Management in Practice. 48, pp 1-7

Photo by: Bjoernschulz

Not only may we lose some of our treasured species but also are natural resources are under threat. Without these we will suffer, no materials to build our homes, no plants to feed us, no fresh water to quench our thirst, we are slowly ruining our own planet.

Maintaining our biodiversity is key to conserving what is important to us, so that the beauty and richness of life will still be available to our children. Through the huge variety of animal species we can learn about their adaptations they developed through evolution and natural selection, so that intead of moulding the environment to suit us we can begin to adapt ourselves so we don't end up in an articical world.

Conservation can help redress the balance between man and nature so that once again we can enjoy the world as it is meant to be.