World Land Trust
 | |
| Founded | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Founder | John Burton |
| Type | Charitable trust |
| Registration no. | 1001291 |
| Location | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Revenue | £3.2 million (2014)[1] |
| Slogan | Saving threatened habitats worldwide |
| Website |
www |
World Land Trust (WLT) (formerly the World Wide Land Conservation Trust) is a UK-based non-profit environmental organization established in 1989. Its primary aims are to ensure conservation of plants, animals and natural communities in areas at risk.[2] For this purpose, it privately funds the purchase of large tracts of land by local NGOs for the purposes of protecting it.
WLT also seeks to help in-situ conservation measures by providing training, capital and equipment for environmental stewardship in economically backward areas. World Land Trust also provides a service to offset the carbon emissions of individuals and businesses and runs a widespread tree planting operation. It is affiliated to the World Conservation Union. The noted environmentalist John Burton is the CEO of the Trust.
History
World Land Trust came into being in 1989 when the Programme for Belize was launched to raise money to privately buy land in Belize to protect tropical rain forests. The core of the trust was a $10,000 start up donation from the Massachusetts Audubon Society to John Burton, for the purposes of setting up an office in the United Kingdom for the trust. Initial appeals were made in the BBC Wildlife magazine and were followed up with support from noted naturalists Gerald Durrell and his wife Lee Durrell. Between that time and now, the Trust has developed to help purchase and conserve land in over 20 countries worldwide [3] and now has an annual income of over £3.2 million to fund land purchase and conservation in 2014.[4]
The Trust has maintained its links with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust; Lee Durrell remains a key supporter.[5] The Trust's patrons are Sir David Attenborough, Chris Packham, and David Gower.[6] Other high-profile supporters of the Trust are Bill Oddie, Tony Hawks, Mark Carwardine, Steve Backshall and Nick Baker.[7][8]
A partner organization, World Land Trust - US [formerly World Parks Endowment] was also created in 1989. In 2013 World Land Trust-US officially became Rainforest Trust, following a decision by its board that a different name would better reflect its aims and objectives.
Projects [9]
- Misiones Rainforest Corridor in Argentina, working with Fundación Biodiversidad-Argentina and Fundación Naturaleza para el Futuro.
- Coastal Steppe Project in Patagonia, Argentina, working with Fundacion Patagonia Natural.
- Yungas Cloud Forests of El Pantanoso in Argentina, working with Fundación Biodiversidad-Argentina.
- The Caucasus in Armenia, working with Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets.
- Programme for Belize, protecting broadleaf forest, palm savannah and freshwater lagoons of the Rio Bravo, working with Programme for Belize.
- Beni Savanna in Barba Azul Nature Reserve, Bolivia, working with Asociación Armonía.
- Atlantic Rainforest conservation in Brazil working with Reserva Ecológica de Guapi Assu.
- Chocó and other threatened Forest in Colombia with Fundación ProAves.
- Tropical Forest Conservation in Ecuador, working with Fundacion Jocotoco, Fundacion EcoMinga and Pro Bosques. Also, Tumbesian Lowland Dry Forest, Andean Mountain Forest and Wet Chocó conservation, funded through the Carbon Balanced programme.
- Tropical forest and wetland in Caribbean Guatemala, working with Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la Conservación.
- Tropical forest cloud forest in western Honduras, working with Asociación Ecológica de San Marcos de Ocotepeque.
- Indian Elephant Corridors in India, working with Wildlife Trust of India.
- Deserts of central Iran, working with Iranian Cheetah Society.
- Kenyan Grasslands in the Kinangop Highlands of Kenya with Nature Kenya.
- Borneo Rainforest, creating Orang-utan corridors in Malaysian Borneo with LEAP and Hutan.
- Protecting the Biodiversity of the Sierra Gorda in Mexico with Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda.
- Saving the Paraguayan Wilderness in the Dry Chaco, Chaco- Pantanal and Atlantic Forest in Paraguay, with Guyra Paraguay.
- Cloud Forests and Paramó Grasslands in northern Peru, supporting local communities, working with Naturaleza y Cultura Peru.
- Philippine Reef & Rainforest Project, Danjugan Island, working with the Philippine Reef & Rainforest Conservation Foundation.
- Kites Hill Reserve, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, which was donated to the Trust and is managed as a nature reserve.
- Dry Forests of Margarita Island off the north-eastern coast of Venezuela, working with Asociación Civil Provita.
- Annamite Lowland Forest in North-central Vietnam, working with Viet Nature Conservation Centre (VNCC), funded through the Carbon Balanced Programme
- Keepers of the Wild, supporting rangers to protect some of the most threatened habitats and wildlife on Earth.
- Plant a Tree, to restore forests lost prior to purchase or to reconnect areas of forest habitat. Tree planting areas include Brazil, through Reserva Ecológica de Guapi Assu and in Ecuador with Fundación Jocotoco.
Previous projects
- Rainforest Action Costa Rica, the rainforests of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, working with Fundación Tierras Unidas Vecinales por el Ambiente.
- Management of the conservatory Wyld Court (now The Living Rainforest) - a tropical forest exhibit, in Hampstead Norreys[10]
External links
References
- ↑ http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1001291
- ↑ http://www.worldlandtrust.org/about/how-we-work
- ↑ http://www.worldlandtrust.org/projects/where-we-work
- ↑ "Charity overview". charitycommission.gov.uk. 15 Jul 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
- ↑ http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/world/WLT-at-25.html#cr
- ↑ http://www.worldlandtrust.org/about/patrons
- ↑ http://www.worldlandtrust.org/documents/news/GreenInk.pdf
- ↑ http://www.worldlandtrust.org/about/testimonials
- ↑ http://www.worldlandtrust.org/about/partners/programme-partners
- ↑ http://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/2000/06/new-owner-for-wyld-court-rainforest.htm