Dear Friends, Looking back on 2008 and forward to 2009 is what the show is about today. Mostly we hear from people in Byron Shire about their best memories of the year just gone, and what they are looking forward to in 2009.

This coming year has been declared the International Year of the Gorilla and we hear also a fascinating interview by Deutche Welle radio about the efforts to conserve these magnificent animals.

I hope you have a great party for New Years Eve if that’s your thing, or a quiet one at home.

I send my best wishes for a safe, happy, healthy and peaceful new year to you.

The Year of the Gorilla 2009 was launched at the opening of the United Nations Wildlife Conference in Rome, Italy.

The aim is to boost conservation of humankind's closest relatives and their habitats by increasing the livelihoods and incomes of local people. Currently, three out of four gorilla species are critically endangered. Major threats to gorillas are poaching for bushmeat, habitat degradation, armed conflicts and diseases.

Living Planet speaks to gorilla expert and Chief Consultant to the UNEP/UNESCO Great Ape Survival Project, Ian Redmond, and asked him how the situation of gorilla populations has changed since his early work with Dian Fossey in the 1970s.

http://yog2009.org/

http://www.janegoodall.org/

The Living Planet can be listen to as a podcast from

www.dw-world.de