How donations up to the target of £5,000 can be multiplied six times!

To enable donations to this appeal to be multiplied by six, I am combining a matching scheme that my employer Ecclesiastical, part of the Benefact Group, runs with World Land Trust’s (WLT) Big Match Fortnight.

So for every £1 raised on this JustGiving page between 1 and 15 October 2025 (both dates included), up to my £5,000 fundraising target, my employer Ecclesiastical will double this to £2 and WLT will triple this again to £6.

Why I support World Land Trust

WLT are an amazing charity with a track record of saving threatened habitat for wildlife. They focus on saving land which is of most value in terms of biodiversity and endangered species but is under threat of being destroyed. Their model of providing funding for local conservation organisations to purchase land, ensures the long-term success of their projects, by ensuring the support and involvement of the local population.

A strong influence on my support is Sir David Attenborough, one of WLT’s patrons, who is quoted on the WLT website as saying:

This year's Autumn Appeal

This year, WLT aim to raise £2,188,483 through their Autumn Appeal to save 1,495 ha (3,694 acres) of land, enabling their conservation partner Fundación Biodiversa Colombia (FBC) to expand their El Silencio reserve. El Silencio safeguards one of the most important remnants of tropical moist forest in Colombia’s Middle Magdalena Valley, which falls within the highly threatened Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot. Extending the reserve is a crucial step in FBC's long-term goal to establish an unbroken wildlife corridor between El Silencio and the neighbouring San Bartolo Civil Society Nature Reserve, creating a total protected area of over 6,000 ha (14,826 acres). This will offer a huge boost to the long-term viability of populations of endangered species in the region. It will also allow areas of degraded forest to be restored, providing better quality habitat for wildlife.

There are many threats in this area – over the last 50 years more than 70% of ancient forest in the Middle Magdalena Valley has been destroyed. Even now, hundreds of hectares of forest per year are lost to cattle and buffalo ranching, and the threat of poaching, hunting and illegal logging persist. The land purchase is also key to safeguarding the Barbacoas lake and wetlands from the imminent threat of an encroaching man-made canal. If allowed to extend further, this would drastically alter water levels in the wetlands and severely impact the wildlife.

Please see WLT’s website for more details of this appeal:

https://www.worldlandtrust.org/

Wildlife that will benefit

Although saving wildlife rich habitat is motivation enough, I always love to know details of the animal species that will benefit. El Silencio is home to a fifth of Colombia’s bird species – 345 species, four of which are endemic. It is also home to many mammal species, including iconic forest species like the Jaguar and wetland species including the endangered Antillean Manatee and six species of primate (including endemic and near-endemic species).

Jaguar: Photo by Roberta Goodall

Many of the species that depend on this landscape are perilously close to extinction and four are critically endangered. These include:

Brown Spider Monkey – already critically endangered and near endemic in the area. They are expected to decline by more than 80% without urgent intervention. These are truly beautiful monkeys and one of the rarest primates in the world.

Brown Spider Monkey: Photo by Federico Pardo

Blue-billed Curassow – critically endangered and has also declined by over 50% in the last 30 years, with fewer than 2,500 individuals estimated to be remain in the wild. They are endemic to Colombia and are one of the most threatened bird species in the country and rely on having large areas of forest to forage for food.

Blue-billed Curassow: Photo by Lars Buck

Colombian Tapir – critically endangered in Colombia (vulnerable globally). They have declined by over 50% in the last 30 years, with only 3,000 remaining. This is a Lowland Tapir subspecies that plays a crucial role in forest regeneration by dispersing seeds in its faeces (what more could you want).

Sponsored Birdwatch

On 3 October I will be completing an all-day birdwatch to see as many species as possible between dawn and dusk. This is the eighth year that I have been able to do this, due to the support of my employer – Ecclesiastical (part of the Benefact Group), providing additional matched funding.

After a gradual increase in species seen in my first five years, from 72 to 92, the last few years have been harder with my species count decreasing to 89 species in 2023 and 85 species last year. Hopefully I can reverse this trend and get back into the 90s. Over all years my species count is 120, so another aim will be see something new.

Donations of any size will make a big difference – if I can raise the full £5,000, the matched funding will increase this to £30,000 towards WLT’s appeal.

Thank you so much for any donations you are able to make.

Andy