GC Supports Thermal Imaging to Prevent Fires in the Guanacaste Conservation Area
Response efforts to forest fires were intensified during the first quarter of 2026, which began with significant challenges due to the high number of incidents reported. Personnel carried out prevention, monitoring, and control actions to reduce the environmental impact on protected areas and surrounding communities.
The dry season saw a continuation of the prioritization of wildfire response and prevention efforts. Twenty forest fires were put out by authorities, who also conducted 138 preventative operations and field engineering monitoring actions to safeguard ecosystems that were at risk of fire. These endeavors highlight the significance of merging quick reaction to emergencies with plans for prevention in the long run.
As a result of Global Conservation's funding, the Guanacaste Conservation Area's operational and technical capacities have been significantly enhanced. The long-term preservation of important habitats and animals, better field operations, protection of biodiversity, prevention of wildfires, and institutional cooperation are all directly impacted by this partnership. One of the most significant protected areas on Earth cannot be effectively conserved without ongoing global assistance.
Overall, the indicators for the first quarter of 2026 show that management is actively working to maintain biodiversity, reduce environmental threats, increase legal enforcement, and secure Costa Rica's natural heritage for the future.
Ugandan wildlife authorities have reintroduced rhinos into a remote protected area where they were once poached into extinction, an event seen by conservationists as a milestone in efforts to support the recovery of a species threatened by poaching.
Global Conservation is working under a newly signed cooperation agreement with Peru’s Public Ministry’s Specialized Environmental Prosecutors Office to undertake a dangerous, multi-phase national park enforcement mission to remove illegal miners and organized crime syndicates destroying one of Peru’s most important and largest national parks, Tambopata National Park in the Amazon.
As wealthy people and governments seek refuge in gold from inflation, wars, and geopolitical instability, the heyday of the precious metal has turned mining into such a magnet that, since last year, illegal miners have deforested an area equivalent to roughly 700 soccer fields within Tambopata, digging up dirty gold potentially worth millions of dollars.
On August 27, the 2nd Jungle Brigade for the Protection of the Amazon received a visit from Dr. Ronal Ramón Flores Ñañez, Deputy Supreme Prosecutor attached to the Office of the Attorney General, and Dr. Frank Robert Almanza Altamirano, National Coordinating Senior Prosecutor of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Offices, to verify the military actions carried out against the advance of illegal mining in Madre de Dios.
The raid over several days this week was part of an intensified government campaign against illegal gold mining in Madre de Dios, one of Peru’s most biodiverse regions, as authorities try to stop the activity from advancing into protected areas of the Amazon. Mining has stripped away vast areas of rainforest, leaving behind a scarred landscape of contaminated pools and altered rivers in the hunt for lucrative gold.
Teams of soldiers on Tuesday stormed Tambopata National Park, a spot in the Peruvian Amazon in the southeastern Madre de Dios region visited by an average of 40,000 tourists per year. ABC News documented countless gold mining camps along the Tambopata river, which was home to a rich rainforest a few years prior.
Robert Baigrie is Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), building relationships that are able to generate transformational support for the organization’s highest priority initiatives. As a member of WCN’s senior leadership team, he works closely with the President and CEO across business and conservation pillars, with an immediate focus on the Africa Keystone Fund.
During the second quarter of 2026, Global Conservation in Mexico has worked alongside our partners CONANP, CONAPESCA, and SEMAR to deploy two Marine Monitor systems. And park rangers alongside fisheries officers have been working closely together to carry out marine and land patrols along the marine protected area.
The Sumatran orangutan population is steadily decreasing. The population has fallen by 19.5% since 2011, according to recent survey results published in a respected scientific journal. The current population stands at 11,694 individuals. At the same time, there are only an estimated 716 remaining Tapanuli orangutans, making their population a critically endangered species.
To help secure the future of this unique place, Global Conservation signed an agreement with the Myanmar Ministry of the Environment in 2018. This year, the Myanmar Department of Forestry will begin to deploy Global Park Defense in AKNP, and Global Conservation will work to have AKNP listed as a Natural and Cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In order to stop illicit palm oil plants and timber extraction, Global Conservation is supporting the construction of new guard posts, restoring forests through the Squa nursery program, and advancing law enforcement partnerships.
Successful arrests have marked a significant milestone in protecting Komodo NP. Intelligence-led enforcement efforts and collaboration with governmental agencies reflect a long-term commitment to dismantling the poaching network and bringing all perpetrators to justice.