Communities play a central role in new Land Acquisition Fund projects

The Land Acquisition Fund has announced the projects selected in 2024. This year, the majority of the supported projects is in Asia, including a new country for the fund: Mongolia. The support of the Land Acquisition Fund enables passionate conservationists to safeguard the habitat of endangered and vulnerable species, in collaboration with local communities. In addition to the five supported initiatives highlighted below, other initiatives are in development, including a major project in Central Asia.

Header photo: © AMPA

Conservationists on the front line

For 25 years, the IUCN NL Land Acquisition Fund has been supporting conservation organisations across the world prevent biodiversity loss and protect, connect and restore important natural areas. In collaboration with the communities in these areas, local NGOs secure nature by land purchase or long-term land lease.

The conservationists behind these organisations often work in challenging conditions where safety is far from self-evident. Yet they continue to dedicating themselves to safeguarding nature. These people, with ‘fire in the belly’, make the difference. ‘Securing important ecosystems is impossible without the conservationists on the front line,’ says Marc Hoogeslag, coordinator of the Land Acquisition Fund.

• Read more in this interview with Marc Hoogeslag

The selection of 2024

Every year, the Land Acquisition Fund selects a number of new land purchase and long-term lease projects each year through a thorough selection procedure. Of the five projects announced, three will be implemented in Asia. This is the first time the fund has supported a project in Mongolia. More projects will be announced in the course of this anniversary year. For example, a large-scale project is being developed in Central Asia that will be our largest project ever in terms of land area.

Herders protect 30,000 hectares in Mongolia

The Arts Bogd Mountain Range in Mongolia is a biodiversity hotspot. Species such as the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) can be found here, both categorised as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.

Mongolia is home to the second largest population of snow leopards, but a large proportion of these live outside protected areas. Predators such as the snow leopard are threatened in this area because they are sometimes killed in retaliation for killing livestock, for illegal trade and because there is a shortage of natural prey in their habitat due to overgrazing, mining and infrastructure works.

With the support of the Land Acquisition Fund, the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation can support two herding communities in recognising and managing over 30,000 hectares of land. This will give these communities the rights they need to protect the biodiversity and natural resources in these areas.

Management by the San Andrés de Tomás community in Peru

Amazónicos por la Amazonía (AMPA) is a well-known partner organisation of the Land Acquisition Fund. With our support, the Peruvian NGO will manage 750 hectares of land in a forested mountain range in the province of Tocache. This initiative comes from the San Andrés de Tomás community, as they, like other inhabitants, depend on the rivers in the area. AMPA is supporting the legal proceedings, after which the NGO will manage the protected area together with the community. This will give the San Andrés de Tomás people the opportunity to manage their land independently again for at least 40 years, after which the contract with the Peruvian government may be extended.

The area will be added to four other nearby protected areas. Together, they will protect the tropical mountain vegetation and the species it harbours from threats such as deforestation, agriculture and human population growth.

Restoring the habitat of the Caquetá titi

Asociación Salvemos Selva, based in Colombia, is committed to the protection of the Caquetá titi monkey (Plecturocebus caquetensis), among other species. Only 500 of this species remain in the wild, given the status ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List. The habitat of this primate species is rapidly diminishing due to factors including growing infrastructure and a growing number of inhabitants in the area. It is therefore of the greatest importance that these areas be protected as a matter of urgency.

With support of the Land Aquisition Fund, Asociación Salvemos Selva can purchase 296 hectares of land to reconnect the habitat of the Caquetá titi. This will also protect an important river that provides the communities with clean drinking water.

Asociación Salvemos Selva, an organisation led by young people, is working together with the area’s residents. The team is working together with another organisation led by young people called the Youth Land Trust.

‘The support of the Land Acquisition Fund is helping secure intact landscapes for wildlife, while at the same time supporting farmers to develop their agriculture lands in agriculture zones versus continued expansion in protected areas.’

• Sharyn Lwin from Our Future Organization in Cambodia

Exchanging land with farmers in Cambodia

The Phnom Tnout and Phnom Pok Wildlife Reserve is located in the north of Cambodia. Many endangered species inhabit this area, including the Critically Endangered Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) and the endangered banteng (Bos javanicus). The wildlife reserve currently covers 51,730 hectares and is managed by the Cambodian Ministry of Environment, with support from Our Future Organization (OFO) in regard to nature conservation.

The adjacent Bung Per Wildlife Reserve is important for connectivity in the area and provides habitat for endangered species. However, it is severely neglected and economic land concessions have led to deforestation and land degradation. Despite the fact that it is illegal to cut down forests in wildlife reserves, enforcement is challenging.

OFO is a known partner to the Land Acquisition Fund and will use the new contribution to exchange more land in the Bung Per Wildlife Reserve, which is owned by farmers, for land outside the reserve. This will give the farmers better facilities and reduce conflicts with animals, and will allow the reserve and its unique biodiversity to recover.

‘The Land Acquisition Fund is an amazing opportunity to save nature for future generations to enjoy. In poor countries such as Cambodia, the pressures to convert more and more forest to agriculture, supporting people just to meet every day needs is immense. The support of the Land Acquisition Fund is helping secure intact landscapes for wildlife, while at the same time supporting farmers to develop their agriculture lands in agriculture zones versus continued expansion in protected areas, shares Sharyn Lwin from OFO.   

Connecting forests for the maleo in Sulawesi

Tompotika is a peninsula that belongs to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. This is where the maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) can be found, among other species, which has been categorised as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List. The maleo is an endemic bird species for Tompotika, but its survival is under serious threat due to habitat fragmentation. The possible construction of a nickel mine in the bird’s habitat would only make matters worse.

The Alliance for Tompotika Conservation (AlTo) wants to halt this mine with this follow-up project. With support of the IUCN NL Land Acquisition Fund, the local NGO can secure the land where the mine is to be built. This strategically located plot of land will reconnect three forests that are home to the maleo. This will expand the habitat of the maleo and other (endemic) species.

About the Land Acquisition Fund

The main causes of biodiversity loss worldwide are the loss and degradation of habitat. This threatens many animal and plant species with extinction. The Land Acquisition Fund supports NGOs around the world to purchase or lease land for a longer period of time. This allows them to protect, connect and restore vulnerable natural areas.

‘With a view to the 30×30 objective of the international biodiversity convention, many donors focus on the protection of large areas. But we cannot afford to overlook the smaller projects. These initiatives often have an enormous impact on the places where it is crucial, on the front line of nature conservation,’ Hoogeslag shares.

Since 2001, the IUCN NL Land Acquisition Fund has financed more than 159 projects in 40 countries, protecting 60,000 hectares of nature. Together with our local partner organisations, we have been able to make a difference for numerous endangered animal species.