****** BIG MATCH FORTNIGHT HAS NOW ENDED SO DONATIONS ARE NO LONGER BEING MULTIPLIED BY SIX, ALTHOUGH DONATIONS ARE STILL BEING ACCEPTED AS THE ‘LIFE ON THE EDGE’ APPEAL IS CONTINUING ******

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 runs, with the World Land Trust (WLT) Big Match Fortnight matching scheme.

So for every £1 raised on this JustGiving page between 12 and 26 October 2021 (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.  All money from this appeal goes to purchase threatened forest, which is looked after by a local partner organisation - EcoMinga, who they have been working with since 2007.  This ensures that the protection of the forest is sustainable and looked after by the people who know it best.  As well as protecting wildlife this helps to reduce climate change, by keeping carbon stored away in the forests.

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

"The money that is given to the World Land Trust, in my estimation, has more effect on the wild world than almost anything I can think of."     Sir David Attenborough

This Year's Appeal

This year we can help WLT save threatened forest in Ecuador in an area of the Tropical Andes which is one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, ranking first for plant, mammal, amphibians and freshwater species, and second for reptiles.  All donations to WLT's £1.43 million ‘Life on the Edge’ appeal will fund the purchase of 5,123 acres of forest around two existing reserves – Rio Anzu and Rio Zúñac.  The area around Rio Zúñac is under threat, with nearby forests being cleared to make way for cattle pasture and fruit production.  Most of the tall forests in the Río Anzu area have already been cut down for their valuable timber, and what forest is left is further threatened by the recent proposal of an oil extraction project.

As well as the amazing biodiversity, with new species still being discovered, the area is home to eight EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) species, including the Mountain Tapir, Spectacled Bear and Ringed Spinytail Iguana.  Jaguars are also found here, including more than one rare black (melanistic) individuals, which have been spotted on camera traps at Río Anzu.  The remaining five EDGE species are birds, including the Black-and-chestnut Eagle which now has fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining across its entire range.  Anzu and Zúñac comprise part of the most important Black-and-chestnut Eagle habitat in Ecuador. This broader area is home to around 30 of the Endangered birds – 15% of Ecuador’s entire population – with as many as 12 living in the reserves themselves.

Please see WLT’s website www.worldlandtrust.org for more details of this appeal.

Sponsored Birdwatch

On 14 October, or later if the weather looks bad, I will be going on an all-day birdwatch to see as many species as possible between dawn and dusk.  This is the fifth year that I have done this, with my species count increasing from 72 in the first year to 85 last year.  I think this will be very difficult to beat but hopefully I can get close.  This will also be the fifth year that Ecclesiastical have provided matched funding allowing donations to go so much further.

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