With 53,000 square miles of tropical habitat - an area the size of North Carolina - destroyed each year, the state of our planet’s rainforests has reached a crisis point. For the last 25 years, we have focused on alleviating threats in Latin America,

but if we want to leave a functionally-intact planet for our children, we must act globally. The imperative to do so is overwhelming. In Indonesia, oil palm production has expanded 15-fold from 1985 to 2007. Madagascar has lost half of its remaining forest since 1953. And the loss of 56,000 square miles in Central Africa has left Gorilla populations on the brink of extinction. Our innovative and cost-effective conservation model offers real solutions to these urgent threats, and we’ve recently launched new projects in Madagascar, Borneo, and Central Africa that will directly address them. Not only do these projects target the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots, but they also offer us the opportunity to save hundreds of thousands of acres at low cost.As always, Rainforest Trust is grateful for your strong and continued support.Sincerely,

Dr. Paul Salaman CEO, Rainforest Trust

RAINFOREST BULLETIN

A Global Alliance Saving Rainforests

FROM OUR CEO

1.800.456.4930 | info@RainforestTrust.org www.RainforestTrust.org

FALL 2014

RAINFOREST TRUST MISSION: to purchase threatened rainforests and protect endangered wildlife through community engagement and local partnerships.

Major Reserve Expansion

Million Acre Jaguar Initiative

Rainforest Trust Projects

Photo Highlight

Species Spotlight

Rainforest Ambassadors

In the Field: Jesse Lewis

IN THIS ISSUE

In an effort to protect the disappearing Chocó rainforest, Rainforest Trust’s Ecuadorian partner Fundación Jocotoco has expanded its Río Canandé Reserve by 1,222 acres. The expansion, accomplished with Rainforest Trust’s support, brings the reserve’s total size to 5,831 acres.The reserve protects one of the last remnants of the Chocó rainforest in Ecuador, which is considered a hotspot for biodiversity and has one of the highest concentrations of endemic and threatened species in South America.Due to the high level of endemism and the increasing threats facing the region, such as deforestation and the rapid spread of African oil palm plantations, Fundación Jocotoco has made expansion of the Río Canandé Reserve a priority. The danger confronting local wildlife is further intensified by the fact that less than ten percent of the original Ecuadorian Chocó rainforest remains intact.

The purchased properties contain healthy ecosystems and extraordinary biodiversity. In recent months, forest guards at the Río Canandé Reserve have repeatedly observed flocks of Endangered Great Green Macaws and troops of Critically Endangered Brown-headed Spider Monkeys in the area. “Few places, even in the tropics, can match the exuberance of life in the Chocó, and our Río Canandé Reserve preserves some of the best of this dwindling habitat,” said Dr. Robert S. Ridgely, Rainforest Trust President and Fundación Jocotoco Co-founder. “The recent acquisition is a splendid addition to one of Jocotoco’s most important reserves.”Fundación Jocotoco completed this purchase in partnership with Rainforest Trust, World Land Trust, American Bird Conservancy, and March Conservation Foundation. Many friends of the late Don Carr also supported the project.

Million Acre Jaguar Initiative Announced Once inhabiting an enormous territory stretching from the United States to Argentina, Jaguars face an increasingly uncertain future. A major new wildlife initiative launched in September by Rainforest Trust, however, promises to provide these imperiled felines with much needed protection. Over the next year, the Million Acre Jaguar Initiative will raise funds to create and expand

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Major Expansion of Ecuador’s Canandé Reserve Protects Imperiled Rainforest

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25 Horner StreetWarrenton, VA 20186

www.RainforestTrust.org

Rainforest Trust Site Now Mobile-FriendlyTo provide Internet visitors with an improved experience, Rainforest Trust has updated its site with a responsive design. The new features optimize viewing performance on tablets, phones and other handheld devices. As a result, user experience and navigation have been significantly enhanced.

“It’s absolutely critical that we maintain a strong connection and meet our donors and potential donors wherever they are. More and more this means tablets and smart phones,” said Joe Lowe, Communications Director for Rainforest Trust.

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Rainforest Trust Joins IUCN

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Rainforest Trust has joined the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), becoming a member of the world’s largest and oldest environmental network.Joining IUCN will provide Rainforest Trust with improved networking opportunities along with access to new potential partners and funding sources. Rainforest Trust is also eligible to attend the IUCN World Conservation Congress with the opportunity to vote on resolutions that shape IUCN’s future strategies and programs.Rainforest Trust’s CEO Dr. Paul Salaman will be attending this year’s IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia, November 12-19.

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Indri: Indri indriSTATUS: Critically Endangered

HABITAT: Tropical rainforests and montane forests of eastern Madagascar provide a home for the Indri.DIET: The Indri’s diet consists primarily of immature leaves.THREATS: Habitat destruction due to deforestation and slash and burn agriculture pose the largest threats to the Indri.CURRENT PROTECTION: A ban against international trade of the Indri exists, and the species is found in several national parks and nature reserves. Without improved protection, however, Indri populations are expected to decline by upwards of 80 percent in the next 35 years.

INTERESTING FACT: Tribal taboos in Madagascar have historically forbidden the hunting of Indris. The loss of traditional Malagasy culture has eroded these taboos and hunting is now on the rise.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

Q & A with Jesse Lewis

Rainforest Trust’s Education Coordinator Jesse Lewis has worked as an environmental educator for the last ten years, teaching conservation studies in the United States and abroad. He is now helping to develop Rainforest Trust’s Rainforest Ambassadors program.

Q: What motivates you to work with kids? Kids see the planet with fresh eyes full of wonder. Children are still developing their ideas about the world around them and how they fit in. So to work with youth is an opportunity to shape that understanding in profound ways. Q: What is the importance of educating youth about rainforest? We protect what we love. It’s important to educate children so they can be aware of these ecosystems, the plants and animals that call them home, and the threats they face. Q: What do you hope to accomplish as the rainforest education coordinator? My goal is to broaden the Rainforest Ambassadors program among students, parents and teachers. Rainforest Ambassadors fosters learning about rainforests, but it also gives kids the opportunity to protect them with donations they raise. I think this is a powerful message for students - that they have agency to make the world a better place no matter what their age. Q: What projects are you working on now? I’ve been working to extend the message of our Jaguar initiative to schools nationwide. For Halloween, I’m focusing on a campaign to help save Dracula Orchids. We’ll be having a rainforest-themed costume contest via our social media channels and posting spooky Halloween ideas on our Pinterest site.Q: How can people learn more about the Rainforest Ambassadors program? Visit our website and download our booklet or ask us to mail one. Check out the link on our homepage for ideas from previous participants. And please feel free to contact me (jesse@rainforesttrust.org) to learn more about getting involved.

Kids 4 Rainforests Program Expands Mission and Adopts New NameAfter leading student and youth conservation efforts for more than four years, Rainforest Trust’s Kids 4 Rainforests program is expanding. To improve outreach and connect with a wider range of young people, including high school students, the program has been renamed “Rainforest Ambassadors.” The Rainforest Ambassadors program will continue to focus on building bridges between classrooms and rainforests while developing new partnerships. This will include creative collaborations with zoos, environmental educational centers and youth groups in and outside the classroom. Like Kids 4 Rainforests, the Rainforest Ambassadors program will actively foster a new generation of conservationists inspired to protect the world’s rainforests. “Today’s students will soon be making decisions affecting the environment, and it’s critical that we help them establish strong connections with the natural world,” said Dr. Paul Salaman, CEO of Rainforest Trust. “The young people who help us champion rainforest conservation have an important role to play as communicators and ambassadors in their schools, homes and communities.” To learn more about Rainforest Ambassadors visit www.RainforestTrust.org.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Rainforest Ambassador

Enlargement of Reserve Helps Form Colombian Wildlife Corridor With the support of Rainforest Trust, conservation partner ProAves purchased 1,772 acres of rainforest in Colombia’s Chocó Department. The purchase, which took place in August, will significantly expand ProAves’ Las Tangaras Reserve and provide an important refuge for the Chocó region’s many endemic and threatened species. The purchased property, Playa Larga, will help form the core of a large conservation corridor comprised of several protected areas, including three ProAves reserves and two Emberá indigenous reserves. ProAves is working to establish this conservation corridor to protect habitat and ensure the survival of over 230 species of birds, including threatened species like the Endangered Gold-ringed Tanager, Rose-faced Parrot, and 13 endemic species found nowhere else. Other imperiled species found in Playa Larga include the Endangered Baird’s Tapir and the Critically Endangered Red-banded Poison Frog.

Toucan Barbet

FALL 2014RAINFOREST BULLETIN 3

To learn more about Las Tangaras visit www.RainforestTrust.org.

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Million Acre Jaguar Initiative Announced (continued from page 1)Jaguar reserves throughout Latin America, beginning in Brazil, Peru and Colombia. To adequately protect Jaguars and ensure their long-term survival, the initiative has been launched with the goal of conserving one million acres.Massive habitat destruction, widespread hunting, and loss of prey have led to significant declines in Jaguar populations throughout much of

Latin America, leaving them in urgent need of assistance.Rainforest Trust’s strategic plan will directly confront the most serious challenges Jaguars face across their range by providing sanctuaries for isolated Jaguar groups to prevent local extinctions; creating wildlife corridors between established reserves to connect fragmented populations; and halting the deterioration of core habitat areas by expanding protection in those regions. Rainforest Trust will be working closely with in-country partners, communities, and trusted conservation leaders to accomplish effective and sustainable solutions in the field.“Jaguars once roamed throughout Central and South America. But having lost over half their range, they’re close to becoming an Endangered species,” said Dr. Paul Salaman, CEO of Rainforest Trust. “The Million Acre Jaguar Initiative will provide remaining Jaguars with the habitat they need to survive and rebound.”To kick off the Initiative, Ann Kruglak of Mystic Dreamer Art has pledged to match (1:1) the next $10,000 donated for Jaguars in Peru.

Rainforest Trust Projects around the WorldRAINFOREST BULLETIN2

Protection for the Dracula Orchid: EcuadorApproximately 7,000 orchid species - 25 percent of the world total - are found within Colombia and Ecuador. Many of these once thrived in the fantastically biodiverse Chocó rainforest. More than 90 percent of this rainforest has been destroyed, however, and remaining portions face threats from expanding agricultural production. As a result, numerous orchids are now facing extinction. Already, 14 species of the rare Dracula orchid are believed to be extinct, and 90 percent of those that remain are found in only three sites. Rainforest Trust is working with Ecuadorian partner Fundación Ecominga to purchase 309 acres in Ecuador’s Chocó rainforest to create a reserve for these and other threatened species. Rainforest Trust seeks $27,995 to complete project funding.

PHOTO HIGHLIGHT

This Green Bright-eyed Frog was photographed by Rainforest Trust Conservation Officer Robin Moore during a recent visit to Rainforest Trust’s new project site in Madagascar. “On my last night, we set out to search for amphibians. Although this was the first one we found, getting a photograph wasn’t easy. It was raining and he was a lively little fellow. But it was worth it. He has the most amazing eyes of any frog I have seen!” said Moore.

FALL 2014

Saving the Heart of the Amazon: PeruLocated in the heart of the Amazon, the Sierra del Divisor range is home to rich biodiversity, pristine forests, and uncontacted tribes. The mountain range, situated at the center of a ten-million-acre wildlife corridor, is one of the highest conservation priorities in the Amazon. But it is severely threatened by oil and mining development, road construction, hunting, and logging.Rainforest Trust and Peruvian conservation partner CEDIA (Center for the Development of an Indigenous Amazon) are creating two nationally protected areas that will be ringed with indigenous territories. This will ensure that 5.9 million acres of the Sierra del Divisor remain forever wild. Rainforest Trust seeks $2.1 million to complete project funding.

New Hope for Threatened Wildlife: MadagascarWith 91 percent of Madagascar’s Lemur species threatened with extinction, they are considered the world’s most endangered mammal group. The largest of these, the Critically Endangered Indri Lemur, clings to survival in eastern Madagascar’s remaining rainforests. Habitat for the Indri and the Golden Mantella Frog, one of Madagascar’s rarest amphibians, is under threat from logging and agricultural expansion. To protect these and other imperiled species, Rainforest Trust is collaborating with Malagasy partner Madagasikara Voakajy to create a network of six protected areas totaling 74,816 acres. Together, these areas will protect 60 percent of remaining Golden Mantella populations and offer a stronghold for the Indri Lemur. Rainforest Trust seeks $361,974 to complete project funding.

ONEMILLION

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To learn more about the Million Acre Jaguar Initiative, visit www.RainforestTrust.org.

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