Press information

This page gives brief information on the World Land Trust and its projects. For more information, use the links to visit the relevant web pages, or use the contact details provided. There is a pdf version of this page for printing, although it is recommended that you check back here regularly for updates.

About the World Land Trust

The World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity (Reg. No. 1001291), based in Halesworth, a rural town in Suffolk, UK. Since its foundation in 1989 as the World Wide Land Conservation Trust, the World Land Trust has been working to preserve the world's most biologically important and threatened lands, and has helped purchase and protect over 375,000 acres (152,000 hectares) of habitats rich in wildlife all over the world.

The World Land Trust has a policy of transparent finances so supporters can really see where their money goes. Summary and full accounts and annual reviews are available online. Printed copies are available on request.

What we do

The Mission of the World Land Trust is:

• To protect and sustainably manage natural ecosystems of the world. To conserve their biodiversity, with emphasis on threatened habitats and endangered species;
• To develop partnerships with local individuals, communities and organisations to engage support and commitment among the people who live in project areas;
• To raise awareness, in the UK and elsewhere, of the need for conservation, to improve understanding and generate support through education, information and fundraising.

For further information visit our About the World Land Trust web pages.

Operation

• The World Land Trust supports local conservation groups, always working through local partners. Local non-government organisations (NGOs) own and manage the land.
• The WLT is dependent on public donations to assist with land purchases, mainly overseas, however, the management and ultimate ownership is with the appointed local conservation group.
• The WLT assists with technical expertise when requested, but always supports the development of local expertise, by funding study tours and training.
• The WLT encourages small-scale, sustainable development, so that projects can become financially independent.
• The WLT believes that it is important to be able to quantify results, and that the area of land now under active conservation by WLT's partners is the best ambassador an organisation can have.

For further information visit our About the World Land Trust web pages.

Track Record

Dating back to its inception, the World Land Trust has an impressive track record of success. With support from public donations, corporate supporters, government and foundation grants, the WLT has helped protect over 375,000 acres (152,000 hectares) of tropical forest, coral reefs, coastal steppe, as well as an ancient beech woodland in England. Together with World Land Trust-US (formerly World Parks Endowment) we have helped protect over 1.5 million acres (607,000 hectares) of threatened wildlife habitat.

See the full track record.

Projects and Services

Current Conservation Projects

The World Land Trust has a range of urgent conservation projects underway at any one time. These include saving  rainforests and woodlands, wildlife corridors, wetlands, and coastal habitats. For more information on WLT's conservation projects, use these links:

• Current projects
• Completed projects
• Support a WLT conservation project
• Project selection criteria
• Visit a WLT project

The Trust also has a major carbon sequestration project, Carbon Balanced, the Wild Spaces programme with zoos, and the Books for Conservation initiative.

Press Coverage

A press coverage page will be added shortly. You can see our press releases and read testimonials on the work of the WLT.

Staff

The World Land Trust has a small dedicated staff, headed by John Burton, CEO, with able assistance from full and part-time staff, interns, students and volunteers. The trustees are chaired by Prof. Renton Righelato, with Honorary President Dr. G A Bertrand. There is also a council and a number of special advisors who assist the Trust when necessary.

Printable version of this page

The information contained on this page is available in pdf format for you to download and print. This page is updated regularly, so please check back to make sure you have the latest version.

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Contact Us

Our Contact Us page gives full details of how to contact us, including a form for internet enquiries.

Press enquiries:

Emma Stuart, PA Media
Tel 01279 844099
Fax 01279 844086

Or

John A Burton, CEO World Land Trust
Tel 01986 874422
Fax 01986 874425