Building on World Progress Towards 30x30
The below map depicts the nations of the world showing the share of land area protected in large (> 1,000 ha ) protected areas in 2022 according to the World Bank . Shown here are three protected areas , in three very different ecosystems , created with Rainforest Trust donor support in 2023 .
No data 0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 %
426,153 acres in Colombia
94,963 acres in Cambodia
2,288,758
Total Acres Protected in 2023 by Rainforest Trust , our local pa�ners , and our generous donors
861,642 acres in Republic of the Congo
Data source : Multiple sources compiled by World Bank ( 2024 ) / OurWorldInData . org / biodiversity
1 . Protected area : A protected area is a clearly defined geographical space that is recognised , and managed through legal or other effective means . Protected areas are managed to preserve their ecosystem services and cultural values over the long-term . There are seven different categories of protected areas , ranging from strict nature reserves which are protected from all but light human use ; to protected areas which allow the sustainable use of natural resources ( such as logging , or fishing ). Protected areas can be in the ocean ( a marine protected area — MPA ) or on land .
2 . 1,000 hectares is equal to 2,471.05 acres
which is compatible with habitat management for the endangered birds on the Tonle Sap floodplain .
Colombia
The primordial forests of Colombia ’ s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta offer refuge for hundreds of endemic , migrant and endangered species , including the Critically Endangered Blue-billed Curassow , Santa Marta Wren , and Santa Marta Sabrewing , and the Endangered Blue-bearded Helmetcrest . Indigenous Peoples have safeguarded this highaltitude region for centuries , and today their reservation lands are legally titled as Resguardos . Alarmingly , devastation from commercial mining has become an imminent threat . Although Resguardos status protects ancestral territories and the cultural and political autonomy of Indigenous communities , it provides no legal protection against mining .
On the initiative of the Indigenous communities here , Rainforest Trust and our partner , Resguardo Kogui Malayo Arhuaco ( RKMA – itself Indigenous led ), protected 426,153 acres of Indigenousowned land in 2023 by expanding the
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park . This brings the highest level of environmental protection possible in Colombia — the only way to stop mining — while maintaining Indigenous ownership and management . National park designation fortifies wildlife corridors that stretch from the lower terrain to the high peaks , improving ecological resilience in the region . It will also safeguard the threatened bird species , amphibians endemic to the mountain range , and the Critically Endangered Brown Spider Monkey and Red-crested Tree Rat . left Yellow-breasted Bunting | jawad photography-shutterstock center Baby Chimpanzee | jindrich pavelka
Rainforest Trust 2023 Annual Report 21