United, we can

Sitting up in bed with my morning cup of tea, I read my World Land Trust’s Spring News. 

It’s always packed full of information, news with the work that the WLT is doing, science and nature, the power of people and the WLT Community.

One article in this edition particularly caught my eye – The Forest will continue.

Back in 1989, a gigantic tract of rainforest went up for sale in Belize.   If sold, the probability was that this rainforest – home to so many animals – would be felled.   253,138 acres were under threat. 

The cost of security these acres?  £6.3 million.  Or £25 an acre.

And the WLT news made a truly significant statement, which really struck a chord with me.

Most people cannot afford to buy a rainforest.  But a lot of people could afford £25.

Conservationists had found a way to raise the funds needed to buy and protect this beautiful rainforest.   And lo, the Rio Brave Conservation Management Area was created, the Programme for Belize was born, and the World Land Trust arrived on the scene.

What struck me about the quote above is that it just shows what people can do when the unite, and everyone does a little bit.

In 2020, the World Land Trust united with other conservation organisations to protect the Belize Maya Forest, which is situated next to Rio Bravo.   A key habitat corridor, 236,263 acres were secured – and they became part of the Selva Maya.   This covers a huge 38 million acres – a huge forest network.  

More land came up for sale in 2024, between two reserves.   WLT partnered with other funders to secure this land – it could otherwise have been vulnerable to clearance for agriculture and a road.

It just shows:  united, we can.

A little adds up.   Lots of trees add up to make a wood, and acres to make a rainforest.  

If we can all dig in a bit and give a bit of ourselves, and share what we’ve done – yes, we can.

United, we can.