Action Fund
By donating to World Land Trust’s Action Fund, we are able to act quickly, whenever and wherever urgent conservation action is needed.
We are delighted to share that our partner, Fundación ProAves (ProAves), has successfully expanded the Las Tángaras Reserve in Colombia by 98 ha, securing a key property that was previously at immediate risk of being cleared.
The property had been earmarked for cattle farming and even identified as the proposed site for a slaughterhouse. But now, after more than a year of negotiations between ProAves and the previous owners, this forest is protected for generations to come.
We’d like to thank our World Land Trust (WLT) Friends and a charitable foundation for their generous support of our Action Fund – which played a key part in making this possible.
The property lies in a wider landscape increasingly converted into pasture for cattle farms. Credit: ©ProAves
Strengthening a vital wildlife corridor
Located in Colombia’s Chocó region, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, the acquisition strengthens a critical wildlife corridor and helps reconnect fragmented areas of forest.
The purchase will also help safeguard the watershed of the Atrato River, which became Colombia’s first river to be granted legal personhood in 2016, recognising the close connection between the health of the river, wildlife and local communities.
Acquiring this property will safeguard the watershed of the nationally important Atrato River. ©ProAves
A haven for endemic wildlife
The forests surrounding Las Tángaras Reserve are home to an extraordinary wealth of species. ProAves’ rangers regularly encounter two highly iconic birds, the Gold-ringed Tanager (Bangsia aureocincta) and Black-and-gold Tanager (Bangsia melanochlamys), both of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
The Gold-ringed Tanager is one of the many species this acquisition will help protect. ©Agami Photo Agency
The reserve also provides habitat for the striking and Critically Endangered Harlequin Poison Frog (Oophaga histrionica) and the elusive Olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina ruber), the smallest member of the raccoon family.
Today, the Harlequin Poison Frog is listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered. Safeguarding its habitat is of the utmost importance. ©ProAves
On the ground
With the land now secured, ProAves will begin the next chapter: restoring former pasture areas, supporting natural forest regeneration, and permanently integrating this property into the Las Tángaras Reserve.
This is a major contribution towards ProAves’ efforts to create a larger and more resilient refuge for wildlife across the wider Chocó region.
At WLT, we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to every supporter who helped make this conservation success possible.
Act now to create more stories like this.
Buy an acre
Habitat loss is the greatest threat facing wildlife worldwide. We believe that by protecting land, acre by acre, we are taking the best action to ensure a future for wildlife.
Plant a Tree
Reforestation is one of the main methods of restoring many damaged ecosystems, with Plant a Tree, you can bring vital forest habitats back to life.
