A veterinarian combines his passion for helping wildlife with global conservation through his support of Rainforest Trust.

Dr. Edward Aller, a dedicated veterinarian, has been enthralled with wildlife since the very beginning of his life. The son of marine scientists, he spent much of his childhood exploring forests, beaches, mangroves and reefs. He vividly remembers riding his bike down to a small store in his hometown on Long Island, NY to look at gemstones, fossils and other natural treasures.

“I remember they used to have a coin bank for rainforest conservation, and I used to put all my extra change into it,” Edward reflected.

One of the many benefits of having parents in the field of marine science was joining them on sabbatical trips to work with the Australian Institute Of Marine Sciences, where he became a certified diver at age 13 and was fortunate enough to dive in the Great Barrier Reef multiple times.

“I would consider a reef to be the aquatic equivalent of a rainforest,” Edward stated.

Edward’s passion for nature was cemented after a month-long tropical rainforest ecology course in Costa Rica during college. Living and working in a remote village, he learned how to set up a nursery and cultivate plants to reforest degraded areas. During this course he experienced both pristine rainforest and cloud forest, and was “heartbroken to see the level of deforestation and erosion around that region.”

Edward became involved with Rainforest Trust a few years ago, after searching for ways to combat the amount of biodiversity loss, deforestation, pollution and increasing scarcity of resources around the world. He decided the best course of action was to become a Conservation Hero.

“I used the act of supporting and following Rainforest Trust as a way to stay positive and give me hope for the future,” Edward said.

“I also enjoy following the specific projects and dream of having the time and resources to visit them.”

One of the main reasons Edward supports Rainforest Trust is because he believes in the importance of working with local partners and the value of involving communities in conservation initiatives.

By supporting Rainforest Trust as a Conservation Hero, Edward has helped save more than 248 acres– and intends to keep going!