Rainforest Trust Announces Joint Earth Day Campaign to Save 100,000 Acres of Amazon Rainforest and Create Reserve for Jaguars

WARRENTON, Va., March 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rainforest Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization focused on saving threatened lands and endangered species, has announced a cause campaign that invites the public to save 100,000 acres of Amazon rainforest that is home to  jaguars, giant river otters, and other endangered wildlife.

To launch its "Amazon Earth Day" campaign, Rainforest Trust has partnered with Greatergood.org and The Rainforest Site, charitable sites that have raised more than $30 million for non-profits since 1999. The campaign will run from March 28 through Earth Day, April 22. To raise the $50,000 needed for the campaign, the organizations have issued a call to action to environmental and wildlife supporters to pledge 50 cents an acre. The campaign will also be featured on AOL.com in April as part of the company's "Make a Difference" program, a corporate social responsibility initiative to raise awareness for non-profit organizations.

Rainforest Trust's campaign project is concentrated in the Sierra del Divisor mountain range in the Peruvian Amazon, which faces imminent threats from oil development, road and pipeline construction, and illegal logging. Unchecked, these threats could destroy the area in a matter of years. To permanently protect the Sierra del Divisor and the biodiverse lands surrounding it, Rainforest Trust is working with its Peruvian partner, CEDIA, to establish two protected areas with a buffer zone of community territories that will ultimately span 5.9 million acres. In total, $2.9 million will be raised over four years to fund these initiatives.

"Protecting the Sierra del Divisor range is crucial for global wildlife, for indigenous peoples and the world," said Dr. Paul Salaman, CEO of Rainforest Trust. "The Amazon holds two-thirds of the world's fresh water and produces 20% of the planet's air. So it makes sense to focus on it for Earth Day as the well-being of our planet has much to with what happens there. Even small sums of money can have powerful and lasting impacts in this extremely biodiverse area. A donation of $25 can protect 50 acres of Amazon rainforest. Anyone inspired to protect endangered species should find out what just 50 cents can do."  

To donate or learn more about this project visit www.rainforesttrust.org/acres-for-50cents

Rainforest Trust, formerly World Land Trust-US, is a nonprofit conservation organization focused on saving rainforest and endangered species. Since its founding in 1988, Rainforest Trust has saved nearly 8 million acres of rainforests and other tropical habitats in 67 projects across 17 tropical countries. The nonprofit purchases and protects threatened land in partnership with local conservation leaders and indigenous communities. Rainforest Trust has been awarded the top four-star Charity Navigator rating for each of the last five years.

GreaterGood.org is an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization devoted to improving the health and well-being of people, pets, and the planet. Since 2006, it has given more than $30 million to charity partners and programs worldwide that work toward our mission. GreaterGood.org raises funds through a suite of 9 cause-related websites, including The Rainforest Site.

The Rainforest Site is dedicated to protecting rainforest ecosystems and endangered species by connecting conscious-minded consumers with conservation projects from around the world. The site, which features environmentally-friendly gifts, uses innovative means to protect rainforest such as sponsored click-to-conserve buttons that allow visitors to preserve threatened lands.

Media contact:                                                                               
Joe Lowe, Rainforest Trust
[email protected]    
202-361-0113 

SOURCE Rainforest Trust