New Species Recovery Alliance brings together nine leading conservation funders to prevent extinctions and accelerate wildlife recovery worldwide

YEREVAN, ARMENIA — Rainforest Trust has joined eight other leading conservation funders and organizations in a landmark commitment of more than $500 million over the next five years to prevent extinctions and recover the world’s most threatened species. Announced at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the new Species Recovery Alliance aims to become the largest coordinated philanthropic effort dedicated to recovering threatened species.

As a founding member, Rainforest Trust will bring nearly four decades of experience protecting critical tropical and subtropical habitats to the ambitious global initiative. Since 1988, Rainforest Trust has helped safeguard more than 70 million acres of vital habitat across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region, working alongside Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and conservation partners to establish protected and conserved areas.

“Unlike most other forms of environmental loss, global species extinctions cannot be reversed,” said James Deutsch, CEO of Rainforest Trust. “That’s why saving endangered and critically endangered species has always been central to Rainforest Trust’s mission, and why we are thrilled to join the Species Recovery Alliance with a particular focus on saving habitat critical for endangered and critically endangered species in the tropics and subtropics.”

Habitat loss remains one of the greatest threats to biodiversity worldwide. Protecting the places where threatened species live is essential to preventing their extinction and creating the conditions necessary for their recovery. Through its partnerships with local conservation organizations and communities, Rainforest Trust works to safeguard irreplaceable ecosystems that provide refuge for some of the planet’s rarest wildlife.

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, more than 31,000 species worldwide are classified as extinct in the wild, critically endangered, or endangered. More than 10,000 are critically endangered, and over 10% of those threatened species have populations of fewer than 50 individuals remaining.

While protecting habitat is fundamental to species survival, research shows that 57% of threatened species also require targeted conservation interventions, including habitat restoration, conservation breeding, reintroductions, invasive species control, and measures to prevent poaching. The Species Recovery Alliance will help coordinate investments across these complementary approaches to accelerate measurable recovery.

Rainforest Trust joins Ayers Wild Cat Conservation Trust, Bezos Earth Fund, Colossal Foundation, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Fondation Segré, Franklinia Foundation, Re:Wild, and WildLives Earth as founding members of the alliance.

Rather than pooling their funding, members will coordinate and align investments, share knowledge, and work with local conservation partners to support effective recovery efforts at the scale and over the timeframes needed to achieve lasting results. Members will also track progress using the IUCN Green Status of Species and Red List of Threatened Species.

The announcement coincides with the launch of the Coalition of Action to Recover Endangered Species (CARES), an initiative led by Colombia and Armenia that brings together 17 governments committed to accelerating national action to prevent extinction. The two initiatives are independent but share a common ambition to advance species recovery and support Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

As the world works toward protecting 30% of the planet by 2030, Rainforest Trust’s participation in the Species Recovery Alliance reinforces a critical message: protecting the world’s most important habitats is essential to ensuring threatened species have a future.

Through the Alliance, Rainforest Trust will continue advancing its mission to protect imperiled tropical ecosystems while working with fellow funders and conservation partners to help prevent irreversible biodiversity loss.

Media Contact:
Brynn Garner Rainforest Trust at  brynn.garner@rainforesttrust.org | +1 910 617 5370

About Rainforest Trust

Since 1988, Rainforest Trust has been working with partners to safeguard imperiled tropical habitats and threatened species by helping to establish protected and conserved areas in partnership with Indigenous and local organizations and communities. To date, Rainforest Trust has helped protect more than 70 million acres of vital habitat across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. Rainforest Trust is a nonprofit organization that relies upon the generous support of the public to successfully implement its important conservation action. The organization is proud of earning a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. Learn more about the work of Rainforest Trust by visiting RainforestTrust.org, X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

About the Species Recovery Alliance

The Species Recovery Alliance is a coordinated philanthropic initiative bringing together nine founding funders and organizations committed to investing more than $500 million over five years to prevent extinctions and recover the world’s most threatened species. Members coordinate funding, share knowledge, and support locally led conservation actions designed to achieve measurable species recovery.