International conservation charity, World Land Trust, is marking World Wildlife Day on 3 March 2015 by appealing to the public to rise to the challenge of protecting wildlife before it is too late.

John Burton, World Land Trust Chief Executive, said: “On World Wildlife Day, World Land Trust calls on the public to act now to halt the shocking decline in wildlife populations and the horrific escalation in wildlife crime. If you value wildlife, biodiversity and the future of the planet, now is the time for action.”

World Land Trust works with an international network of conservation partners to protect the world's most biologically important habitats and their species. Founded in 1989, the Trust has active conservation projects in more than 20 countries across four continents.

Sir David Attenborough, Patron of World Land Trust since 2003 said: “If you want to save Jaguars and hummingbirds, the only way to do so is to save the places where they live. So if you care about the natural world and want to support it, I would suggest there is no better way of doing so than helping the World Land Trust to protect these endangered environments.”

WLT is urging the public to take action for wildlife on World Wildlife Day by supporting one of the following initiatives.

PROTECT THE WORLD'S BIG CATS

Time is running out for big cats in the wild and species such as Bengal Tiger, Jaguar and Puma are at risk. World Land Trust is currently putting the spotlight on feline predators with a major appeal to raise funds to save habitat for big cats. A gift donation to WLT's Big Cat Appeal will help keep big cats safe in the wild. For more information, visit worldlandtrust.org/projects/big-cat-appeal

SAVE AN ACRE OF WILDERNESS

World Land Trust funds land purchase to create nature reserves in areas where biodiversity is at risk. Donations to WLT's Buy an Acre fund have helped save habitat in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico. Make a gift donation of £25 and save a quarter of an acre. Make a gift donation of £100 and save a whole acre. For more information, visit worldlandtrust.org/projects/buy-acre

TACKLE WILDLIFE CRIME

World Land Trust raises funds for its network of conservation partners to employ and equip rangers to protect some of the most threatened habitats on Earth. A ranger's work can be as dangerous as it is rewarding and rangers supported by WLT have found themselves confronting illegal loggers and armed poachers during their routine patrols through the reserves. A donation of £5,000 will keep a ranger equipped and in post for a year and WLT is currently seeking donations to fund a network of more than 20 rangers for the next five years. For more information, visit worldlandtrust.org/projects/keepers-of-the-wild

For more information on World Land Trust, visit www.worldlandtrust.org

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John Burton will be available for media interviews on or before 3 March 2015.

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:

McCluskey International

Judy McCluskey / Sarah Salord / Jessica Meins

T: 020 8747 2170 E: worldlandtrust@mccluskey.co.uk

Factsheet with information on decline in species attached to this release

NOTES TO EDITORS

About World Land Trust (WLT)

World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity, which protects the world's most biologically important and threatened habitats acre by acre. Since its foundation in 1989, WLT has funded partner organisations around the world to create reserves, and give permanent protection to habitats and wildlife. The mission of the World Land Trust is: To protect and sustainably manage natural ecosystems of the world; To conserve their biodiversity, with emphasis on threatened habitats and endangered species; To develop partnerships with local individuals, communities and organisations to engage support and commitment among the people who live in project areas; To raise awareness, in the UK and elsewhere, of the need for conservation, to improve understanding and generate support through education, information and fundraising.

World Wildlife Day

World Wildlife Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conservation provides to people around the world. At the same time, the Day reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts. On 20 December 2013, the Sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly decided to proclaim 3 March as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's wild fauna and flora. The date is the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973, which plays an important role in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the species' survival.