The Ancestral Forest: How Indigenous Peoples Transformed the Amazon into a Vast Garden
For centuries, many people in the Western world believed the Amazon to be an unpopulated and untouched forest. This has never been entirely true. The Amazon has been managed by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, explore how—through the creation of fertile soils and selecting and cultivating various plant and tree species over millennia—Indigenous peoples have transformed the Amazon rainforest into the most biodiverse ecosystem on Earth.
Cinema on the River: A Floating Film Festival in the Heart of the Peruvian Amazon
The Muyuna Floating Film Festival showcased a unique floating screen, bringing films directly to riverside communities in the Peruvian Amazon. During the festival, Rainforest Foundation US supported an Indigenous Cinema Workshop, emphasizing the urgent need to understand these issues from the perspective of Indigenous peoples and local communities.
A Landmark Victory: 20 Indigenous Communities in Peruvian Amazon Secure Land Titles
RFUS celebrates a major victory as 20 Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon received land titles. Land titles are the most effective way to reduce deforestation in Indigenous peoples’ territory, resulting in a 66% reduction in forest cover loss.
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazonian Indigenous lands decreased by 42%, reaching a six-year low
Indigenous peoples’ lands in the Amazon experienced a 42% decrease in deforestation between August 2023 and March 2024, according to a report by the Brazilian organization Amazon Institute of People and the Environment (Imazon). This is the lowest amount of destruction recorded within these territories since 2018.
Mesoamerican Community Leaders Point the Way Toward a High-Integrity Carbon Market
The Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), in collaboration with Rainforest Foundation US and Fundación PRISMA, convened in El Salvador to shape a united vision for strengthening the integrity of carbon markets in the region.
RFUS Joins Indigenous Leaders to Address Climate Challenges and Community Rights in Roraima, Brazil
We have expanded our programming in Brazil to focus on territorial defense, Indigenous governance, and territorial control through community-led forest patrolling. Learn more about our recent visit to Brazil, where we strengthened ties with partners in Roraima, including the Indigenous Council of Roraima’s (CIR), Hutukara – Yanomami Association, Seduume, and Wai-Wai organizations.
Indigenous organizations are building strong foundations to secure their rights and territories
In a world where the voices of Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and traditional communities are often sidelined, it’s imperative to create spaces that prioritize these perspectives to foster meaningful shifts within the funding ecosystem. In February 2024, Entre Povos—an initiative whose purpose is to strengthen institutions and advance its member organizations’ rights to good lives—organized a gathering in Colombia to promote dialogue, exchange, and learning among these communities.
Breaking Barriers, Building Futures: Indigenous Women Take the Lead in the Peruvian Amazon
Indigenous women in Ucayali and Loreto province, Peru, are shattering gender barriers and reshaping traditions. Despite enduring historical exclusion from leadership roles, they are now rewriting this narrative.
Discover how the Affirmative Measures Project, led by the Rainforest Foundation US team in Peru, is bridging the gap for women to actively participate and lead.
Scientific Evidence Points to Indigenous Peoples’ Forest Management as Key to Climate Change Mitigation
Indigenous peoples have shaped and managed vast rainforest territories for millennia. These rainforests regulate rainfall, store carbon, and shelter immense biodiversity and sociocultural diversity. In recent years, several studies have provided statistical evidence confirming that lands legally titled to Indigenous peoples are the most efficient models for forest protection.
Yanomami Crisis Continues: Mismanagement and Security Failures Undermine Brazil’s Efforts to Combat Health Emergency
A year after declaring a public health emergency in the Yanomami territory in Roraima, Brazil, the world is once again shocked by images of Yanomami children in states of severe malnutrition. 308 deaths were recorded in Yanomami territory in 2023. The main causes of death include pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and malnutrition.
