Our matching appeal to save the Endangered White-footed Tamarin in the lush rainforests of the Caribbean-facing slope of the Colombian Andes far exceeded expectations, thanks to the support of our donors and matching support from Robert Giles, Luanne Lemmer, and Eric Veach. A total of nine properties have been acquired to expand the original “Arrierito Antioqueño Nature Reserve” from 1,773 acres to over 5,300 acres, ensuring that the last relict of this unique habitat is saved.

The Arrierito Antioqueña (local name for the Chestnut-capped Piha) Nature Reserve sits within a melting pot of three overlapping ecoregions that has given rise to a number of endemic species of birds, mammals, butterflies, plants, and amphibians. Two fine examples are the enigmatic White-footed Tamarin and the Chestnut-capped Piha, both highly endangered and dependent on the last vestiges of primary forest now contained within the greatly expanded nature reserve. The site is also the last stronghold for the region’s rainforest biodiversity with 10 endangered amphibian species and 12 endangered bird species, including the spectacular Multicolored Tanager.

The Arrierito Antioqueño Nature Reserve is an important historical cultural center with much evidence of the now extinct Nutabes indigenous peoples and also ruins of a 19th century fort that was a major gold repository that point to an early wave of colonization and environmental exploitation in the region. But it is the area’s unique and highly threatened biodiversity that make the site critical for conservation and is the reason the reserve area is recognized by major international conservation organizations as an Alliance for Zero Extinction site.

Numerous animal and plant species faced the abyss of ecological catastrophe, but today we thank you for generously donating to ensure viable populations can be preserved forever at this very special site. Your critical support has once again made the difference.