Watch our 30 second preview (with no sound) for a swift glimpse on how to adopt and what you see once you have adopted (your land's personalised satellite image & pdf certificate).

Adopting looks very complicated - what help is there?

The instructions page includes a 2 minute video guide that expands on the short preview.
Or use 'Quick Adopt' - we adopt a hectare plot in a priority park, and you personalise it (allow 48hrs for delivery).

Does my money really go to the land I adopt?

Yes.  Your money goes directly to park authorities and conservation, community and development organisations working with the park.  The money is to support specific activities as defined in the organisation’s proposal.  As a Guardian you see the proposals before deciding where to put your money and you also receive reports from the organisation(s) that you have supported on how the project progressed and what the concrete outcomes were.

Over 90% of your donation goes directly to your park, the remainder covers Healthy Planet’s costs of engaging you with effective conservation.  As Healthy Planet grows, we anticipate reducing costs and increasing the percentage of donations going directly to the parks.
The land you support belongs to the national governments, parks authorities and local communities.  It has been designated for conservation by its government, and you are furthering those efforts.

How can I stay involved?

Healthy Planet encourages it’s supporters to be as active as they want.  From the comfort of your home you can:

• Help us to raise more money for the projects of interest.
• Prioritize projects and help determine how your donation is spent.
• Monitor efforts in your park using satellite images provided by Google Earth..
• Provide important feedback to Healthy Planet and our partners

Healthy Planet manages the money and approves the applications for projects made by local park authorities and other conservation organizations. Once an application is approved, it is passed onto the park community forums who decide which of these are funded in a given year. All projects funded are independently audited and any findings and progress are reported to donors using a Google Earth based system. You may donate to an Open Park Fund or a Tied Park Fund. Applications for Open park funds are open to any conservation, developmental or community organisation working to improve around the park. Each year you select a project to fund. The weight of your vote depends upon the number of plots (hectares and sq km carry an equal weighting) of the park that you have adopted. If nobody bids to carry out work in your chosen park you can choose to move your funds to other parks where there are insufficient funds for the bids received. "Tied park funds" are for a particular project, by a particular organisation. In this case, the organisation carrying out that particular project reports back to you, and the other Guardians funding it, on their progress. .

When does the park receive my donation?

Open Park Funds applications are approved annually by the Environment and Development board of trustees at Healthy Planet. If approved by Healthy Planet the application is forwarded to the park community for consideration of funding. Funding is granted in annual installments. By continually monitoring progress we ensure that parks get a steady stream of income, which allows them to plan and execute long term projects. Tied park funds provide income for specific projects in six monthly payments.

For tied park funds the organisation that you are donating to receives  funds coming in for their project in six-monthly blocked payments.

What happens if no suitable project is approved for my park?

For Open Park Funds, if in a given year no suitable project is bid for your park, you can choose to put your funds into another priority park of your choice or of our recommendation. This would normally be a park in the same country as that in which you have adopted. This way your money is not sitting around, but being put to good use quickly. Then, as soon as organisations bid to work in your park, if necessary, funds can be transferred from other parks in the same country who have the funds but no suitable applications..

Certain iconic (the top of Mount Everest) areas are not available to adopt, as they have been reserved for auction. We will inform all registered Guardians when these conservation auctions take place. In order to better fund conservation we encourage you to adopt 1 hectare plots, especially in small parks.

The grids on Google Earth and Google Maps are not the same size. . . . . why?

The grids show 100 square kilometers, 1 square kilometer and 1 hectare, depending on how far you have zoomed in. However, because the earth is not flat the image of the grid from above will not be a perfect square. Also, because the earth is not a perfect ball shape, grids will become more rectangular in shape as you move further away from the equator.

How can I learn more?
Visit our Conservation Zone for fuller details on Guardian and other conservation work.  Or if you have any other questions, please email us at contact@healthyplanet.org.