SUCCESS! And on to the next Appeal with the World Land Trust!
Hot on the heels of the very successful El Silencio appeal in Columbia, the World Land Trust has moved straight into its Spring Appeal for 2026 - connecting Brazil's Atlantic Forest, for its partner Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA). REGUA and the World Land Trust have been partners for over 2 decades, and REGUA itself has been in existence for 25 years.
Brazil’s Atlantic Forest is known locally as the Mata Atlântica. Rich in biodiveristy, it stretches from coastal mangroves to mountains, shrouded in clouds. But less than 12% of the original Atlantic Forest remains, and the fragments that are left are isolated from each other. And through this appeal, there the opportunity to save 180 ha (444 acres) of land in Brazil's Guapiacu valley and protect the wildlife, forests and waterways there.
The target is £197,260 and at the time of writing, it's now 43% of the way there (Friday 20th March 2026). This just shows how committed many people are to protecting our wild spaces for nature.
A wonderfully kind private donor (a huge thank you to them) has provided funds to match donations up to £197,260 - so a £25 donation from you could be matched to make £50 overall, doubling your donation at no extra cost to you!
The Hermes plot is a low-level forest which is home to many species, including some which are highly threatened and others which you can't find anywhere else in the world. Donate to this appeal, and you'll be helping species such as the Brown-throated sloth, the capybara, the central-humming frog, the Brazilian snake-necked turtle, the puma (cougar), lowland tapir, red-billed currasow, the smooth-horned frog, the southern woolly spider monkey and the white-necked hawk. A successful appeal will secure the waterways, and keep the area intact for wildlife and rangers. Not only that, it will fund the essential employment of a forest ranger for an entire year. REGUA offers employment to local people as staff and forest rangers, thereby building strong relationships with people.
With all the terrible events taking place in the world, it’s a breath of fresh air and wonderful to see people and organisations being proactive and making a difference.
The World Land Trust is based in Suffolk, but which has an international reach. It protects habitats and wildlife in tropical regions and it raises funds to buy land for the specific purpose of conservation, working with local conservation partners.
Since its founding back in 1989, the Trust has worked with many conservation groups around the world. With the help of its supporters and very generous donors, it has funded 3,312,183 acres, co-funded a further 3,582,825 acres, the planting of 3,362,691 trees and the protection of over 13,066 species. That’s quite a feat, so that just shows what you can do when you have a very strong focus.
One of the events I look forward to most of all in the year is the World Land Trust's Big Match Fortnight. It is held in the first two weeks of October each year, and it's a wonderful opportunity to get involved in a massive conservation appeal and really make a difference to wildlife, and local communities. And it kicks off an appeal to save habitat for wildlife - in October 2025, that was in Columbia. A whopping £2.2 million was the target, and great news - it's been achieved!!!
The aim was to raise £2.2 million for the World Land Trust's partner, Fundación Biodiversa Colombia (FBC), and the funds will go to expand the El Silencio Reserve, thereby saving 3,694 acres of very threatened land before it is lost to deforestation. The region is an absolutely hotspot of biodiversity, bursting with wildlife. This video gives you an insight into what it's like there.
This is the biggest appeal the World Land Trust has had to date
The funds will bring two more key properties into the El Silencio reserve, which will help FBC connect over 6,000 hectares of wetland, grassland and forest.
It will fund the employment of two rangers who will protect and patrol the land for three years.
It will protect critically endangered species and bring areas of land that are degraded under protection so that the land can be restored.
The appeal will also safeguard Ciénaga de Barbacoas. This wetland provides breeding grounds for manatees and waterbirds. It will support the fishing practices of local communities.
This means that land currently in danger of being cleared for cattle and buffalo ranching, with hunting, illegal logging and a growing manmade canal, can be saved for species such as amphibians, insects, primates, bats, bird species (over 300 of them) and animals such as the Magdalena River Turtle.
Animals such as the Magdalena River Turtle, the Critically Endangered Brown Spicer Monkey, the Silvery-brown Tamarin an the Grey-handed Night Monkey are all depending on us all.
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