BOLIVIA | 1.8M ACRES PROTECTED
Holding the Line against Agribusiness in Bolivia
In eastern Bolivia, where the high rate of deforestation is increasing, Rainforest Trust is defending an expanse of biodiverse Amazon rainforest serving species and traditionalist communities alike against industrial agriculture aimed at developing cattle pastures and soy farms to feed the cattle. This intact forest runs along the Madre de Dios River and is home to the Amazon River Dolphin, Giant Otter, White-lipped Peccary, Lowland Tapir, Black-faced Black Spider Monkey, and Jaguar.
Thanks to our generous donors and dedicated local partner, Conservación Amazónica, we recently helped secure 1,817,245 acres across two new Municipal Protected Areas, adding to two previous successes and bringing the total rainforest preserved through this effort to more than 3.4 million acres or 173 % of our original goal.
The newly protected Santos Mercado Municipal Protected Area( 1,344,507 acres) and Villa Nueva Municipal Protected Area( 472,738 acres) connect to a broader conservation network across 22 million acres, a landscape larger than Panama. This space gives wide-ranging mammals like Jaguars room to roam and allows Endangered Amazon River Dolphins to safely access flooded lakes essential to their survival.
Vulnerable Harpy Eagle | Thorsten Spoerlein
PANAMA | 38,636 ACRES PROTECTED
Protect Panama’ s Ancient Rainforests in the Face of New Highway
Ancient rainforests on the Caribbean Slope in northern Panama blanket the Chagres River watershed, a vital source of fresh water for half of the country’ s population, and a region of abundant biodiversity and high levels of endemism. Despite its ecological significance, a controversial 17.6-mile highway, already at least 40 % complete, cuts right through the rainforest. Fortunately, Panama has emerged as a global leader in biodiversity conservation, and our partner, Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza( ANCON), has worked with government officials to create the 38,636-acre Sierra Llorona National Park. This formal park designation establishes a legal conservation framework to restrict and regulate land-use activities such as deforestation, land conversion, hunting, and infrastructure development to protect Jaguars, Baird’ s Tapirs, Harpy Eagles, Pumas, and Central American Spider Monkeys.
ANCON collaborates with Asociación Adopta Bosque Panamá( ADOPTA), whose regional expertise in monitoring, enforcement, and management has been valuable. The project supports active monitoring of 36 planned built-in wildlife crossings to study wildlife movement and the effectiveness of the crossings.
Endangered Black-faced Black Spider Monkey | ViniSouza128