Climate Summit 2014

Threatened wildlife: Hyacinth Macaw © Jeff Zack

Protected Ecuadorian cloud forest © Jocotoco

November 10, 2014

Rainforest Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization focused on protecting threatened tropical lands and saving endangered species, has joined the New York Declaration on Forests as an endorser.

The New York Declaration on Forests was announced in September at the United Nations Climate Summit, and is endorsed by many governments, corporations, charities and indigenous groups.

The Declaration’s stated goal is to halve deforestation by 2020 and eliminate it by 2030. Another goal of the Declaration is the restoration of hundreds of millions of acres of degraded forest and landscapes.

As an endorser, Rainforest Trust will work to protect millions of acres of threatened tropical rainforest and the endangered wildlife it supports.

Rainforest Trust’s goal by the year 2020 is to protect over 20 million acres of tropical rainforest habitat.

“We applaud the New York Declaration on Forests,” said Dr. Paul Salaman, CEO of Rainforest Trust. “Achievement of the goals of the Declaration would be of tremendous benefit in protecting wildlife habitat and addressing climate change. Of course, Rainforest Trust would prefer to see the targets of the Declaration exceeded so as to end tropical rainforest destruction and degradation more quickly.”

Rainforest Trust is focused on saving rainforest and endangered species in partnership with local conservation leaders and indigenous communities. Since its founding in 1988, Rainforest Trust has saved nearly 8 million acres of rainforest and other tropical habitats and has 85 projects across 22 countries.