***** BIG MATCH FORTNIGHT HAS NOW ENDED SO DONATIONS WILL NO LONGER BE MULTIPLIED BY SIX. £5,000 TARGET HAS BEEN REACHED WHICH WILL BE TURNED INTO £30,000. *****

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

So for every £1 raised on this JustGiving page between 11 and 25 October 2023 (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. The money from this appeal will go to purchase 181 hectares of threatened forest, extending an existing reserve, as well as planting 36,500 trees in areas which have been degraded. The land will be looked after by a local partner organisation – Fundación Guanacas, who WLT have been worked with previously to extend their reserve. This ensures that the protection of the forest is sustainable and is looked after by the people who know it best. As well as protecting wildlife this helps to fight 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:

This Year's Appeal

This year we can help WLT save threatened forest in Colombia, as part of their Forests of Mists appeal. The area is one of the last remnants of lower montane wet forest in the region and is part of broader efforts to save the declining cloud forests of the Andes. These are among the most diverse and threatened ecosystems in the world and I think supporting the work or World Land Trust is one of the easiest ways to make a real difference.

The number of species found in this area is huge and includes 133 bird species, 70 orchid species, a critically Endangered species of Magnolia and many vulnerable amphibian species.

It isn’t possible to do justice to the variety of life here, but as always there are some stand out species which is nice to mention. One is the Antioquia Brushfinch which is one of the rarest birds in the world, but is found in this reserve. It was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 2019 and there are thought to be fewer than 50 individuals left in the world. Cat species found in the reserve include one of the smallest species in the world called the Oncilla, which is listed as vulnerable. The area is a pivotal biological corridor for the Oncilla and larger species including the Ocelot and Puma. The reserve is also home to the world’s largest palm tree – the Quindio Wax Palm.

See Gallery for photos (Antioquia Brushfinch: Matt Hall, Oncilla: Helen Black, Antioquia Chocolate Frog: Sebastian Vieira @svphotog. Other credits as labelled).

Sponsored Birdwatch

On 13 October, or the week after 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 sixth year that I have done this, with my species count increasing from 72 in the first year to 92 last year. I always try to beat the previous year’s total, but last year’s total was helped by perfect weather and will be hard to beat. This will also be the sixth 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