Land programmes are intended to provide a safe, natural habitat within the wilds where particular endangered animals can breed and increase in numbers. The land has to have the correct climate and the correct ecosystem with which to provide an adequate source of food. The land must also be protected from potentially harmful human interference such as poaching.

The first step of our land programmes is to identify a suitable habitat for the particular endangered animals. Ideally, the land needs to be as close as possible to the animal’s natural habitat in order to provide the most comfortable surroundings. However, this is often a difficult task as the loss of such land in the area can be one of the main reasons for a reduction in population size in the first place. In order to secure the land, it must be turned into a designated conservation reserve. This means that we have to acquire legal possession of the land. Since we are an animal charity, the ideal situation is if the owner or the local government donates the land to us. However, not everybody is willing to make such donations to a land programme for endangered animals, usually it is necessary to buy the land outright. This is where monetary donations can be very useful to us. Bequests, legacies & even loans are important to this pivotal process.

Once the conservation reserve has been established and the land programme is underway, human resources are required to monitor the progress of the endangered animals and provide security for the reserve. This is where an affiliation with an animal charity in the area can be beneficial. A local animal charity can provide the local personnel and knowledge to ensure that the land programmes continue to run smoothly.

The current urgent land programme of the World Wildlife Foundation is the Patagonian Land Programme.