Dear friends,
The Galapagos are one of the world's last havens for wildlife -- pristine islands where giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, and animals found nowhere else on the planet live as they have for millennia.
But tourism and development have recently skyrocketed --
leaving many species on the brink of extinction. So when a vital, 568-acre piece of land was put up for sale, local conservationists were terrified, sure it'd be razed to make way for a hotel. But then
they came up with an amazing plan: buy the land themselves and create the islands' first-ever private reserve to permanently protect the area!
But they're running out of time -- the owner will sell to the highest bidder unless they can raise nearly a million dollars right away! That's where we come in. And the respected Rainforest Trust has found a donor promising to match what we raise dollar for dollar, so if we all chip in now,
we can make this dream possible in hours! Donate to buy this island paradise and protect it forever:
When Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos, he discovered a stunning array of unique species found nowhere else in the world. His findings on the islands' finches even laid the groundwork for our understanding of evolution!
While the Galapagos' waters have been well protected, its land hasn't fared so well. Many species of tortoise that arrived on the islands 3 million years ago are now extinct and every year more species get added to the endangered species list.
The land for sale contains a pristine forest, a crucial habitat for critically endangered birds found nowhere else. 10 years ago, when a local group saw the habitat of these birds being destroyed by development, they started a conservation program on the land that's now up for sale. They've had major success saving the Galapagos Petrel and Woodpecker Finch, but
if they can't get the money to buy the land in time, it could all be undone!
This is exactly the kind of moment this movement is made for.
Let's make this dream a reality and help save the Galapagos -- when we hit our target, we'll help buy the forest and campaign for other precious areas under threat.
When our community learned that a crucial corridor connecting two essential orangutan habitats in the wetlands of Borneo was on the brink of destruction, we sprang into action. Nearly 90,000 of us chipped in and together we helped make the crucial sanctuary a reality in record time. Now let's do it again.
With hope and determination,
Allison, Bert, Danny, Marigona, Jenny and the whole Avaaz team
More information:
Emergency Land Purchase to Save Imperiled Endemics in the Galápagos (Rainforest Trust)
https://www.rainforesttrust.org/project/emergency-land-purchase-save-imperiled-endemics-galapagos/ Fire and water forged the unique biology of the Galapagos (BBC)
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170411-fire-and-water-forged-the-unique-biology-of-the-galpagos A Warming Planet Jolts the Iconic Creatures of the Galápagos (National Geographic)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/06/galapagos-climate-change-impacts-iconic-creatures/ 
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