PROTECTED ACRES
With your help, we and our partners safeguarded essential acres for Leopards, Cheetahs, African Wild Dogs and other threatened species throughout Africa.
SOUTH AFRICA | 56,594 ACRES PROTECTED Protecting a Biodiversity Hot Spot
The Soutpansberg range, or“ Salt Pan Mountains,” in the northeast corner of South Africa is uniquely isolated from other Afromontane forests. Its evolutionary seclusion has made it a hotbed for endemic species of reptiles, ants, scorpions, and spiders, and new species are being described by science every year. Several wide-ranging mammals also make the Soutpansberg their home, including threatened Leopards, Cheetahs, and Endangered African Wild Dogs as well as the only species of pangolin in the southern part of the continent: Temminck’ s Ground Pangolin. The region is also a hotbed of plant diversity.
Through our partnership with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, we are
Togo Slippery Frog | PPI
GHANA | 22,000 ACRES PROTECTED
Quadruple Protection for the Togo Slippery Frog Reserve in Ghana
In a race against extinction, Rainforest Trust has continued partnering with Herp Conservation Ghana to expand the Onepone Endangered Species Refuge for the Critically Endangered Togo Slippery Frog, previously believed extinct for 40 years. Your lasting support will help protect the mountain headwaters that shelter a newly identified breeding population of this rare frog from the risks of deforestation, stream sedimentation, and agrochemical pollution. If these juveniles can reach full maturity, the known global population of the Togo Slippery Frog will more than double. supporting the establishment of the Soutpansberg Protected Area within the UNESCO Vhembe Biosphere Reserve to create a continuous conservation corridor through the designation of multiple private nature reserves. Enabling biodiversity stewardship agreements is critical to stave off growing pressures from deforestation, pollution, water extraction, and illegal bushmeat snares in the area.
Your strategic investment helped protect this unique ecosystem and preserve it as a biodiversity stronghold.
Preserving headwater streams on the Onepone Endangered Species Refuge provides dual benefits by also safeguarding the future of more than a dozen threatened species living downstream, including the Vulnerable White-bellied Pangolin and the Critically Endangered Hooded Vulture. Support from local communities has grown handin-hand with these efforts, as their livelihoods now include multiple opportunities for generating revenue through ecotourism and organic farming.
Temminck’ s Ground Pangolin | Robin Bruyns