Projects

This land purchase will expand the rich, primary lowland forest protected as part of a biological station that hosts one of the world’s highest concentrations of primate diversity.  

Habitat loss due to development and deforestation has shrunk the Araripe Manakin habitat to only 28 km². The land purchase is urgent to stop the development from encroaching onto more lands of this endangered species. 

Purchases land adjacent to the Serra do Brigadeiro State Park for conservation purposes. Land is being sold by landowners so Amigos de Iracambi wants to purchase it before it gets into the hands of agricultural developers. This site is globally significant for its biodiversity and large mammals. 

The blue iguana is an Endangered species endemic to Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. With support from the Preventing Extinction Fund, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is acquiring 3.6 hectares of undisturbed dry forest and woodland and dry shrubland habitat to extend the Salina Reserve Important Bird & Biodiversity Area (IBA).

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This project seeks to protect Reserva Terrapreta, a 48-hectare property located between the Serranía de Chiribiquete and Sierra de la Macarena National Parks in Colombia. This acquisition safeguards important habitats for threatened species, including the brown wooly monkeys (VU), the lowland tapir (VU), the giant anteater (VU), and the yellow-spotted river turtle (VU), among others. This project also helps ensure ecological connectivity between Andean, Orinoco, and Amazonian ecosystems.

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The rufous-fronted parakeet is an endemic and threatened species from Central cordillera in Colombia. With support from Preventing Extinction Fund, Coporación GEOBIOTA will purchase 150 ha of forest habitat nearby the Los Nevados National Park to protect the rufous-fronted parakeet and other highland species of biological importance and create a biological station for research.

Purchase and protect 125 hectares of critical forest habitats for the conservation of the critically endangered cotton-top tamarins near National Park Santuario Los Colorados in Northern Colombia.

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Purchase of the La Cumbre property to link two forested areas to allow more breeding and protected habitats for parakeets. 

Purchase of La Bomba property protects critical Chocó habitat for endemic tanager species. 

This project will acquire 38.4 hectares of land in the La Esmeralda reserve that would protect rare and endangered species. This area is globally significant for rare species. 

The project in Magdalena Valley will expand the Paujil Reserve by more than 1,000 acres. The 700 mile-long Magdalena river basin holds lowland rainforest encircled by two Andean mountain ranges and is located just 85 miles north of the capital Bogotá. This rainforest ecosystem has high endemism and one of the richest assemblages of biodiversity on the planet, with flora and fauna from neighboring Amazon, Chocó and Central American regions. Tragically, colonization and deforestation have resulted in the elimination of 16.1 million acres (98%) of the region's lowland forest.

Protect a property that is adjacent to one of Colombia’s National Parks, a private protected reserve, and home to a small primate that is endemic to northern Colombia and listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered due to extensive deforestation and by its capture for the illegal pet trade.  

Preventing Extinction Fund – Protected Area Rapid Response Award

Fundación Work with Nature is purchasing a 2.7-hectare plot of pristine Caribbean Lowland rainforest adjacent to their existing 225-hectare reserve. Securing this parcel helps protect forests from threats of illegal logging and encroaching agriculture and improves habitat integrity in this important tropical forest ecosystem. The area is extremely rich in biodiversity – 38 different species of mammals, 270 species of birds, 132 butterfly species, 63 species of reptiles, 34 species of amphibians, 36 species of fish, and 11 species of dragonflies have been identified on the reserve. These include a variety of endemic species as well as IUCN Red List species, including green macaw, puma, and mantled howler monkey. This grant was made under the Preventing Extinction Fund, a joint initiative of QRFN and Rainforest Trust.

Purchases 32 hectares directly adjacent to the northern part of the Braulio Carillo National Park and contribute to the creation of a migration biocorridor for the Great Green Macaw. 

Project update: Establishing biological corridor in Reserva Kinkajou, Costa Rica

Creation of forest concessions by bringing together community lands for conservation and mplementation of a team of Eco-Guards that will study and protect the site. This site is globally significant for its biodiversity and large mammals. 

Fundación Sumac Muyu purchased 44 hectares of tropical rainforest in the Volcan Sumaco region of Ecuador to expand the Rio Bigal Biological Reserve. This region has one of the highest densities of bird species on earth and is adjacent to the 200,000-hectare Sumaco-Napo Galeras National Park, which is recognized as an Important Bird Area, Alliance for Zero Extinction site, and a Key Biodiversity Area. The 44-hectare property is in the Suno River area and adjacent to a 175-ha plot that Fundación Sumac Muyu purchased in 2022. The northern section of this tract borders the National Park, and in combination with recently purchased existing parcel, would provide a 220-ha buffer zone, protecting critical habitat for pink-throated brilliant, spider monkey, spectacled bear, and other threatened species.

This project will protect the Palacios lot—40 hectares initially, with a window to expand to 278 hectares—that provides critical habitat for four recently discovered, locally endemic amphibians and one locally endemic reptile. This site is one of only two localities in the world for the reptile Hotsprings Lightbulb Lizard (EN), and it would become the only protected area for this species. The purchase also helps preserve habitat for threatened mammals—including mountain tapir (EN), spectacled bear (VU), and oncilla (VU)—and improves connectivity between Sangay National Park and the Olivier Currat Reserve. This grant was made under the Preventing Extinction Fund, a joint initiative of QRFN and Rainforest Trust.

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Preventing Extinction Fund – Protected Area Rapid Response Award

Fundación Jocotoco is expanding their existing 2,477-hectare Narupa Reserve through the acquisition of 40 hectares of Evergreen Low Montane Forest in the eastern foothills of the Andes. This region of the upper Napo Valley is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world and is a hotspot of endemic birds and other species. This project secures important habitats for Guacamayo plump toads, military macaws, black-and-chestnut eagles, and other endangered species. This grant was made under the Preventing Extinction Fund, a joint initiative of QRFN and Rainforest Trust.

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Fundación Jocotoco has acquired a critical property in the middle of the Tapichalaca Reserve in south-eastern Ecuador, which protects the upper Andean cloud forests in the biodiversity hotspot of the Andean Amazon. This biodiversity hotspot is threatened by a 10% annual deforestation rate and home to at least twenty globally endangered or critically endangered plant species. The Tapichalaca Reserve further provides important connectivity between two large national parks.

In the buffer zone just outside the Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, the Bigal/Payamino corridor is a natural bridge connecting the Lowlands to the south and east with the highland to the north and west. The corridor is remarkable for its unusual mixture of highland and lowland wildlife species. Large mammals actively use the corridor, and have a high density in the region. The purchased plot is situated along the border with the Payamino community, who will be an active partner in this project. The foundation will conduct workshops, construction projects, and long-term Jungle Trek projects with the community.

Jocotoco’s reserve expansion strategy for Tapichalaca is based on building connectivity between Yacurí National Park and Podocarpus National Park to ensure that gene flow and species dispersal can continue within these three protected areas. The objective is to rapidly purchase three tracts of land to continue the expansion of Tapichalaca and connect these National Parks. A newly built road southeast of the Tapichalaca Reserve and the improved pavement of the highway that transverses the Tapichalaca Reserve is having a negative impact on standing forests and thus creates an urgent need to protect parcels while they are still available. The project sites are globally significant for rare species and high biodiversity.

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Coastal Ecuador represents one of the most biologically important yet threatened ecosystems in all of Latin America. Located within the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena Biodiversity Hotspot at the nexus of some of the wettest forests in the world (Chocó rainforests) and the last remaining fragments of coastal dry forests of South America, it is one of the 25 most important concentrations of biodiversity on the planet. Unfortunately, recent reports estimate that approximately 98% of native forest cover on the coast of Ecuador has been lost to deforestation and other human activities, making it one of the most severely threatened areas on earth in terms of biological extinction. This project funded the acquisition of a 102 hectare parcel that contains intact, highland forest, and lowland humid forest.

This project expanded the Buenaventura Reserve by including privately held tracts of land that were in the upper elevational zones of the reserve.  The area is home to endemic and highly threatened species including the Endangered El Oro Parakeet and the Critically Endangered Ecuadorian White-fronted Capuchin. In a landscape increasingly dominated by cattle and pastures, Buenaventura is now the region’s largest forest remnant, and further habitat loss will dramatically increase risks of extinction for the unique wildlife in this last surviving island of cloud forest. 

Purchases an 85-hectare property to be incorporated into Nature and Culture International private reserves located in a biologically diverse area called Abras de Zamora. This would extend the reserve within the buffer zone of the Podocarpus National Park. This area is globally significant for rare species. 

Project update: Expanding the San Francisco Reserve in Ecuador to protect critical habitats for new and rare amphibian species

Purchase an 80-hectare parcel to conserve Andean slope old-growth forest. 

Yunguilla Reserve is the only site where the once critically endangered Pale-headed Brushfinch remains. This purchase expands the existing reserve by 43 acres. 

Project expands the Buenaventura Reserve by 1034 acres and help the conserve the landscape. 

The largest population of the Lilacine Amazon, numbering around 600 individuals—and their preferred roosting sites—has been located at the Las Balsas community in southwestern Ecuador, consisting of six patches of Carob Forest along the Rio Piedras river valley. This area is also located within the Key Biodiversity Area Bosque Protector Chongón Colonche. There is a pronounced risk that roosting sites of the Lilacine Amazon will be deforested soon in Las Balsas, both for the increasing need for charcoal production and because these forest patches are located on flat, easily accessible areas along the river, which are ideal for agriculture. This project will purchase 99-year usufruct rights of land totaling 210 acres. 

Expand the Tapichalaca Reserve in Ecuador in the Eastern Andes, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. This reserve, with its upper tropical cloud forest and parámo grassland habitat, is a key place for the conservation of orchids in Ecuador 

Purchase of the Revilla parcel connects two existing protected areas – Canandé Reserve and the Tesoro Escondido Reserve – into a single, contiguous protected area of more than 11,000 acres that are now managed by a respected, local organization called Fundacíon Jocotoco.  

Expands the biodiversity hotspot of Kivisuo, which serves as an internationally important peatland and carbon stabilization area. This purchase of 40 additional hectares will bring the land into the already existing marshmire ecosystem complex which will conserve it from being clearcut. This area is globally significant for climate stabilization.

Protect 150 hectares of fully intact boreal marshmire from peat mining; the site will be registered as Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas under UNEP.

To protect the humid subtropical forest habitat that could be cleared for coffee-growing and development. The land is described as being one of the highest biodiversity hotspots in the region. 

Protect 1840 acres of remaining habitat for a critically endangered population of chimpanzee.

This project seeks to protect a critical 16-hectare parcel on the Tompotika Peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia, that occupies a key strategic position in the corridor connecting protected maleo (Macrocephalon maleo, CR) nesting ground to non-breeding forest habitat. This acquisition also safeguards important habitats for species endemic to Sulawesi, including the Tonkean macaque (VU) and Dian’s tarsier (VU). This grant was made under the Preventing Extinction Fund, a joint initiative of QRFN and Rainforest Trust.

This river preserve is crucial to ensure protection of species and the long-term land management and research in the area. 

Protect parcels along the Suaq-Belimbing River across from the Gunung Leuser National Park. 

Purchase a 10-acre site to help protect the Ol Kinyei Conservancy.

Land purchase to protect the world’s only breeding habitat for the Clarke's weaver and rescue this species from extinction. The region includes several other globally endangered birds, mammals, and rare plants. 

Protects one of the last intact jaguar habitats for future recovery efforts of this endangered species. The goal is to expand the reserve to encompass habitat between the Rio Aros and Rio Yaquil which is necessary for wide-ranging predators such as the jaguar. 

Project will expand the Cheetah Conservation Fund’s private reserve by 12,500 acres and help protect the world’s fastest land mammal and African’s most endangered big cat.

This land purchase will help protect land in what is known as the Tinjure-Milkhe-Jaljale Rhododendron Complex, a region that possesses a variety of floristic realms comprising temperate broadleaved forests dominated by rhododendrons and prime habitat for a number of endangered mammals.  

Safeguard a mosaic of highly sensitive, sub-tropical old growth forests that harbor hundreds of plant species, endemic orchids, and some of the last remaining intact habitat for globally threatened mammals. The forest contains spring sheds vital to 7,500 small tenure farmers that live downstream, where water scarcity is becoming increasingly severe. 

Preventing Extinction Fund – Protected Area Rapid Response Award 

The rainforests in the upper watershed of the San Bartolo River constitute some of the last remnants of lowland Pacific rainforest of western Panama. It harbors plant and animal species that are considered Critically Endangered at the National level since they do not occur anywhere else in the country, in addition to several globally Endangered and Vulnerable species (IUCN). Supported by the Prevention Extinction Fund, ADOPTA will purchase a 150-hectare plot of land to ensure the long-term conservation of this imperiled rainforest and all the endangered wildlife that it harbors. It will also allow ADOPTA to leverage additional funds to expand the reserve by purchasing other adjacent plots and hence expanding the protected habitats for focal species.

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Expanding a cloud forest reserve that sustains diverse tropical forest ecosystems. Without the intervention of Fundacion “Adopt a Panama Rainforest” the co-owner of the land would’ve continued to clear out this cloudforest to expand his cattle ranching. 

Expand the Abra Patricia Reserve, which is located in the Peruvian Yungas forest along the eastern slope of the Andes in northern Peru. Here, bird diversity is among the highest on Earth, yet the area is currently experiencing some of the fastest deforestation rates in the country. This project secures an Alliance for Zero Extinction priority site and Critically Endangered species. 

A grant to the Tribe in 2019 allowed them to conserve 50 hectares of their sacred forest. A second grant made in 2020 will protect an additional 70 hectares of primary forest that would have otherwise been sold to outside developers. The community reports that unfortunately much of the forest was lost during the COVID-19 pandemic as many people sold their share of forest; the forest previously protected by the QRFN grant is remaining as they have been able to secure and protect purchased land.

The land to be preserved is home to 100 to 200 of these tortoises representing 10 to 20% of the world’s remaining population of this species. 

Securing a property to enable connectivity between two existing wildlife reserves for the continued protection of endangered species. Many developers interested in the property for development purposes, with this grant protection is ensured. This area is globally significant for rare species. 

The project will link two protected areas to create a continuous Protected Area – the Soutpansberg Protected Area (SPA) – covering 56,654 acres that will protect a number of Critically Endangered, Endangered and locally endemic species of animals and plants.  

Preventing Extinction Fund – Protected Area Rapid Response Award

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) is securing 4 hectares of critical forest habitat for threatened and endemic species in Sri Lanka’s intermediate zone. The property is located in Budunwela, Sri Lanka, and rests on the border of the Sri Lankan montane rainforests and Sri Lankan lowland rainforests ecoregions. This land purchase helps protect endemic species, including the Sri Lanka frogmouth, Serendib scops owl, and Ceylonese combtail. It also serves as a critical corridor for threatened species, including the Sri Lankan leopard, Sri Lankan elephant, and Indian pangolin. This grant was made under the Preventing Extinction Fund, a joint initiative of QRFN and Rainforest Trust.

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The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society is acquiring 31 acres of Sri Lankan lowland rainforest that provides critical habitat for endangered and endemic species, including pangolin, fishing cat, red slender loris, purple-faced lead monkey, and Serendib scops owl. Over 145 endemic species have been recorded on or adjacent to the property, including 37 endemic reptiles, 24 endemic bird species, and numerous species of endemic freshwater crabs. This grant was made under the Preventing Extinction Fund, a joint initiative of QRFN and Rainforest Trust.

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Preventing Extinction Fund – Protected Area Rapid Response Award

Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP) will protect, restore, and designate a critical wildlife corridor under community management to connect Tanzania’s western and southern elephant meta-populations and reduce acute human-wildlife conflict. This landscape is home to over 30,000 elephants, comprising approximately 35% of East Africa’s elephant population. Securing this corridor between the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and the Magombera forests will maintain critical habitat connectivity for elephants and leopards and help conserve endemic species, including the Udzungwa red colobus and Magombera Single-horned chameleon. This grant was made under the Preventing Extinction Fund, a joint initiative of QRFN and Rainforest Trust.

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This project will ensure connectivity between two high biodiversity areas where the elephant populations use the corridor to travel. Before the acquisition, this corridor was being developed with agriculture bringing human populations too close with the elephants. This site is globally significant for its biodiversity and large mammals. 

Through this land acquisition project, the Southern Plains Land Trust (SPLT) will expand our Heartland Ranch Nature Preserve in Bent County in southeastern Colorado from its current size of 24,774 acres to 42,661 acres. Alongside advancing shortgrass prairie preservation broadly, increasing Heartland Ranch’s extent to this landscape scale is vital for implementing high-priority conservation projects. SPLT’s top projects on Heartland Ranch are: recovering the American bison; protecting black-tailed prairie dogs and reintroducing their obligate species, the endangered black-footed ferret; protecting prairie elk; rehabilitating streamside areas and their ecosystem engineer, the American beaver; and safeguarding grassland birds, including the imperiled lesser prairie-chicken. Grasslands are among the world’s most endangered ecosystems, and we have the opportunity to make a significant leap forward to protect southern plains grasslands through this acquisition.

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This project transferred 3,740 hectares of family ranch land back to the Colville Confederated Tribes for long-term stewardship and conservation management. This is the linchpin property in the east-west habitat corridor linking the Cascades to the Kettle River Mountain Range (and the Rockies beyond) for carnivores like lynx and wolverine. It is also vital to the north-south corridor linking the sage steppe of the Columbia Basin to British Columbia’s arid grasslands for a range of shrub-steppe species from the sharp-tailed grouse to badgers.

Purchase a 6,614-acre site that would allow for expansion of the Heartland Ranch.

Acquire 6,960 acres of private lands for conservation that will contribute to creation of an expansive, private protected area conserving shortgrass prairie and associated species. Will enable restoration and recovery of imperiled North American grassland species including the Endangered black-footed ferret.

The American Prairie Reserve will form the largest nature reserve in the continental United States by stitching together a protected area 3.5 million acres in size. This ambitious effort seeks to support the full array of species historically present on the landscape as well as to offer a refuge for people to enjoy America’s heritage.  

Purchase and protects 135 acres of threatened land. Create a safe haven for pangolin species, vulnerable trees, and their habitats. This land purchase will also increase the protection of the indigenous community’s land rights. This area is globally significant for rare species. 

To purchase and protect 150 acres of threatened land; create a protected area for pangolins.