WLT’s latest report offers an impressive insight into the charity’s work in 2024
In a year when global headlines were dominated by the climate impacts of increasing temperatures and record-breaking wildfires, the work of World Land Trust (WLT) and Carbon Balanced Paper has never been more important. The results of this work have just been published in the form of WLT’s latest impact report, which gathers all the facts and figures from the conservation charity’s work in protecting some of the world’s most vulnerable habitats from the threats of deforestation and illegal poaching.
Bringing together the 2024 results of the charity’s range of global campaigns and projects, the report is both a snapshot of a vast international operation and an impressive list of environmental achievements, from the discovery of new animal species to the planting of over three million trees to reforest areas previously destroyed by agriculture, mining and wildfires.
“2024 has been a year of both reflection and renewed purpose for WLT,” says Dr Catherine Barnard, CEO of WLT in the report’s introduction. “After more than three decades of working in partnerships to protect threatened habitats, the urgency of our mission has never been clearer. The escalating loss of biodiversity and ever-worsening impacts of climate change are stark reminders that conservation is not a luxury, it is an irrefutable necessity.”
A year of environmental action
The scale of WLT’s achievements in 2024 is striking. Across 62 projects in 24 countries, a total of 244,342 hectares of threatened land was saved, with 173,858 hectares (71%) funded solely by WLT supporters. These newly protected areas stretch from the Amazon basin to the Himalayas, safeguarding the habitats of a vast array of animals, from jaguars and elephants to tiny frogs and birds.
Equally vital is connectivity, with six wildlife corridors established in Kenya, Guatemala and Tanzania, creating safe passageways that ensure species survival across fragmented landscapes. Monitoring across 73 reserves confirmed that biodiversity persistence rates remained above 98%, demonstrating that conservation measures are not only preserving land but keeping ecosystems thriving.
Two of WLT’s flagship programmes, Buy an Acre and Plant a Tree, made significant headway in 2024. Supporters helped expand Kenya’s Dakatcha Woodland, secure more than 5,400 hectares of Argentina’s Chaco Forest, and add 1,636 hectares of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. Meanwhile, tree planting surged, with WLT-backed partners planting nearly 249,000 trees in 12 months. These efforts not only restore habitats but sequester carbon, a key driver in reducing atmospheric CO2 and halting climate change.
The Carbon Balanced Paper effect
If 2024 proved anything, it’s that climate change is no distant threat – it’s here, reshaping ecosystems and the communities around them. Against this backdrop, the Carbon Balanced Paper programme provides essential funding for local conservation projects as well as the restoration of land devastated by deforestation.
Carbon Balanced Paper offers businesses a way to offset the emissions of their communications while directly contributing to biodiversity conservation. In 2024, six projects in five countries collectively balanced over 200,000 tonnes of CO2e, from Vietnam’s Khe Nuoc Trong Forest to Guatemala’s Caribbean lowlands. The six projects are:
Caribbean Guatemala – Conservation Coast – Saved over 35,000 tCO2e in 2024
Uganda – Trees for global benefits – Saved over 75,000 tCO2e in 2024
Ecuador – Promoting ecosystem connectivity in the south of Ecuadorian Amazon – Saved over 7,581 tCO2e in 2024
Vietnam – Protection of biodiversity in the Khe Nuoc Trong Forest – Saved over 42,659 tCO2e in 2024
Mexico – Biodiverse carbon in Xilitla – Saved over 28,782 tCO2e in 2024
Mexico – Ensuring connectivity in a network of private reserves of Sierra Gorda – Saved over 24,134 tCO2e in 2024
A highlight of the year was the addition of Uganda’s Environmental Conservation Trust to the programme. Their work in the Albertine Rift – one of Africa’s richest biodiversity hotspots – integrates sustainable agroforestry practices with carbon storage, benefiting people and nature.
Continued determination
The WLT 2024 report marks the penultimate year of the organisation’s 2020-2025 strategic plan. With over 686,000 hectares of land secured so far, the charity is determined to scale up in its final year. For supporters, the message is clear: every action, whether joining the Carbon Balanced Paper programme or making an individual donation, translates into real-world action for nature.
“At WLT, we remain hopeful for the future,” says Dr Barnard. “As the pressures on natural ecosystems mount, so too does our resolve to act. We will continue to grow our impact, champion locally-led conservation and ensure that every donation entrusted to us delivers lasting change.”
To download the WLT Impact Report 2024, go to bit.ly/WLT-Impact-Report-2024
