2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 3
LETTER FROM THE CEO
For Rainforest Trust , as for every person and organization , 2020 was a strange and challenging year . But for us it became a year of finding strength through adversity , and we emerged stronger and with greater impact than ever .
The COVID-19 pandemic stressed our implementing partners in Africa , Asia and Latin America , slowing land purchases , preventing community meetings and cutting tourism income . We , and our donors , responded with a COVID-19 Emergency Conservation Fund to replace lost income and support critical activities such as patrols . Our partners established new protection of over 3.5 million acres through the year , down from a record 11 million in 2019 but better than 2017 or 2018 . In spite of COVID , projects stayed on track , and we have already seen substantial protected area creation in 2021 .
Our supporters stood by us through the year , enabling us to raise a record $ 26 million and allocate it to the largest portfolio of new projects in our history . They also provided a record level of unrestricted support allowing us to end the year in the black and to maintain our commitment that all gifts not specifically unrestricted go entirely to conservation . We are deeply grateful .
During the summer of 2020 our board and staff met eight times by Zoom to hammer out a powerful new strategic plan — pledging to raise and allocate at least $ 200 million during 2021-2025 , protect 125 million acres including habitat for half the world ’ s threatened birds and mammals , and safely lock up 15 billion tons of carbon , three times the U . S .’ s entire annual emissions .
I joined the organization in April 2020 , attracted by our mission of creating protected areas to save species and protect our planet . A friend at another conservation organization , encouraging me to take the job , called our mission “ the silver bullet in conservation .” Indeed , no other organization provides donors with as cost-effective and impactful a way to fight biodiversity loss and climate change .
Thank you for standing with us through this challenging year . Together we have shown that we can weather adversity and help save the world . Our work is cut out for us .
With sincere thanks and deepest respect ,
James Deutsch , CEO