Since 1989 World Land Trust has been working hard to preserve precious rainforests and threatened land by helping partner organisations purchase and protect parts of the world that shelter vulnerable wildlife across the globe, from South America to Asia.
World Land Trust doesn’t just buy land; the ownership of the land is entrusted to conservation organisations run by local people who take on the responsibility of protecting the land, monitoring the wildlife and biodiversity on the reserve, and employing park wardens, with help from WLT.
At APH we have been supporting WLT’s urgent land purchase projects mainly in Ecuador through their Buy an Acre scheme. Since our partnership began in 2005 we have been able to donate more than £17,000, saving around 115 acres of threatened habitat. Alongside our commitment to help World Land Trust create reserves APH has also Carbon Balanced our unavoidable carbon emissions for the past ten years.
Vital wildlife work
World Land Trust is a UK based charity that works globally to help preserve threatened habitats and the wildlife that call them home. Here are some of their projects:
Buy an Acre
For more than 25 years World Land Trust has been saving threatened habitat one acre at a time. Today, donations to the Trust’s Buy an Acre appeal are used to purchase properties in in parts of the world where it is possible to buy land for an average of £100 per acre.
World Land Trust itself owns no land outside the UK, and land title is vested in WLT’s partners, the in-country non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who manage the projects and the nature reserves that WLT supports. For a full list of WLT’s partners click here.
Successful conservation requires the engagement of local people. WLT’s partners are committed to developing the conservation economy by employing local people in land management and protection, and by offering training and support for sustainable local enterprises such as eco-tourism, food production and artisan crafts.
Once the land is purchased, WLT and its local partner draw up a management plan. Each project, because of its urgency and degree of threat, comes with a different set of problems, and the solutions differ. However, long term conservation of the land and its wildlife and biodiversity is always the key objective.
Big Cat Appeal
The Big Cat Appeal is raising money to give greater protection to endangered Tigers, Pumas and Jaguars and other big cats whose survival is threatened in the wild. Since the appeal was launched in 2014, funds from the Big Cat Appeal have been used in Northern India to preserve an important wildlife corridor used by the Bengal Tiger, in Brazil to protect land used by Pumas and in Argentina to save a property that is an important habitat for Jaguars.
Keepers of the Wild
World Land Trust’s Keepers of the Wild programme supports rangers to protect the world’s most threatened habitats. Employed by the Trust’s conservation partners, rangers are usually members of the local community and some were once hunters. Ironically, these former hunters can make excellent wildlife guides thanks to their intimate knowledge of local wildlife. Earning a wage they become respected in the local community and can provide for their families.
Plant a Tree
WLT help keep the world a green place by planting trees to restore habitats lost through fire, cattle grazing and invasive species of plants. WLT is currently working in Ecuador to plant trees in the Jorupe Reserve.
World Land Trust Supporters
National treasure David Attenborough, wildlife expert Chris Packham and cricketer David Gower are the official patrons of the World Land Trust.
Bird enthusiast and TV presenter Bill Oddie is a long term supporter of the World Land Trust cause:
World Land Trust’s work is vital to help protect some of the most threatened wildlife habitats on earth, and corporate sponsors like APH are incredibly important in helping the WLT reach their goals