Rainforest Trust has surpassed a major global conservation milestone, helping protect more than 60 million acres of rainforest habitat worldwide—an area roughly the size of the United Kingdom—following the establishment of the Banakima and Lowa Community Forest Concessions (CFCLs) in the Nkuba Conservation Area in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The milestone reflects 38 years of conservation investment focused on securing permanent, legally recognized protection for some of the world’s most threatened species and ecosystems through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support.

“Crossing the 60-million-acre threshold is both a celebration and a responsibility,” said Rainforest Trust CEO James Deutsch. “It represents decades of conservation and a reminder that protecting the world’s most important rainforests depends on sustained investment by funders and strong local partnerships.”

Since its founding, Rainforest Trust has helped establish or expand protected and conserved areas across the tropics, contributing to long-term protection for biodiversity, climate, and local communities.

As deforestation pressures accelerate globally, Rainforest Trust continues to focus on community-led, sustainable conservation solutions that deliver lasting benefits for people, wildlife, and the climate.

“Protecting nature at this scale requires long-term partnerships, legal certainty, and conservation approaches that last,” said Rainforest Trust VP of Conservation James Lewis. “This achievement reflects the steady, cumulative progress of getting those fundamentals right.”

The newly established CFCLs in the DRC will strengthen long-term protection in the Congo Basin, one of the planet’s most important regions for biodiversity and carbon storage, while formally recognizing community leadership in forest management. The Nkuba Conservation Area provides critical habitat for endangered species, including Grauer’s Gorilla and African Forest Elephants, and faces increasing pressure from illegal logging, land conversion, and poaching.

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 60 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.

Contact:
Brynn Garner
Rainforest Trust
brynn.garner@rainforesttrust.org
+1 (910) 617-5370