A great alliance for biodiversity between Savage Lands and the Jane Goodall InstituteFrance took place at UNESCO, where Dr. Jane Goodall delivered a “Speech for History”. They may not share the same taste in music, but these two change makers are banding together to preserve our ecosystems.
Savage Lands is a U.S.-based 501 (c) (3) non-profit founded by Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren and musician-turned-activist Sylvain Demercastel. Dirk and Sylvain represent Savage Lands’ U.S branch, while Benjamin Enault represents its European branch along with Sylvain. Using donations, fundraising and 100% of the royalties from their music, the non-profit organization supports reforestation and preservation of biodiversity in Costa Rica and several other countries.
Last month, Sylvain was invited to UNESCO by the Jane Goodall Institute France for Dr. Goodall’s “Speech for History”, which emphasized the importance of collaboration in the fight for biodiversity. Today, Savage Lands are announcing that they are forming an alliance with the Jane Goodall Institute France. The two organizations will partner on several preservation projects over the next three years in France and Africa.
“What Savage Lands is doing is fantastic”, Dr. Jane Goodall says. “Nature is music. Trees have music. We depend on healthy ecosystems, but when we lose species after species, our ecosystem collapses. Savage Lands are using their music to support projects that promote biodiversity, which will help make the world better for future generations”.
“We need to reconnect with our own ecosystem”, Sylvain says. “It’s more of a philosophical approach than a technical one. Humans are almost everywhere now, which means we need to bring biodiversity closer to where we are”.
This partnership comes after Savage Lands received a 1 million Euro donation from Hellfest this summer. Using a portion of that money, the metal non-profit purchased an ecological easement that covers more than 90% of roughly 37,673 square feet of endangered tropical dry forest. While the organization doesn’t own all of the land, not a single tree can be cut down thanks to this easement. Since 2022, Savage Lands has helped preserve over 100,000 square feet of Costa Rican forest in high-risk areas.
Savage Lands are preparing to release their first album, which features members of Obituary, Sepultura, Heilung and other major players from across the world of metal. In addition to Season of Mist, Hellfest and Decibel, these metalheads also partner with leaders in local communities. In Costa Rica, they formed Alianza Verde (Green Alliance) with two other local non-profits: Costas Verdes and The Clean Wave. This alliance is also supported by three private businesses: the ecological parks Mistico and Arenal Muno Aventura and Sangregado Lodge, which offers a stunning view of the Arenal volcano. Together, the Green Alliance is on pace to plant more than 11,000 trees in Costa Rica this year thanks to the help of 1,200 volunteers.
“Our goals are attainable” Sylvain says. “But we must work together and act quickly. Ecosystems are still under attack. If we don’t, then there won’t be any wildlife left to save”.Just listening to their music helps support Savage Lands. 100% of their song royalties fund the non-profit’s preservation efforts.
