Keeping Forests Standing and Bettering Lives
Rainforest Foundation US has begun an unprecedented program of direct finance forest defense, wherein indigenous communities are financially rewarded for successfully protecting their territories against deforestation. In Puerto Alegre, on the Amazon River in Northern Peru, community members speak about the tremendous vulnerabilities confronting them.
In the Upper Napo of Peru, Kichwa Communities Wall Off the Forest
As our rainforest protection program scales up throughout the region, a chance for exponential gains.
A Push to Enshrine Greater Rights for Guyana’s Indigenous Peoples
Guyana’s indigenous peoples are pushing for revisions to the Amerindian Act, the federal law that outlines their rights. Proposed changes include the right to collective territory, and upholding indigenous groups’ land titling to fight extractive industries.
Panama Government Permits Rainforest Destruction, in Abrupt Reversal
A Panamanian governmental agency annulled the land claim of Aruza, an indigenous Wounaan village sitting on 31 square miles of primary rainforest in the Darien Gap. With the support of Rainforest Foundation US, Aruza is legally challenging the decision.
Climate Change Impacts Hit Hard in the Rainforest: Indigenous Communities are Already Experiencing Climate Scientists’ Warnings of Water Scarcity and Human Vulnerability
The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts increasingly unstable water availability. Trace the stories of our indigenous partners who are already seeing these impacts and what it means for the urgency of rainforest protection.
A Fund to Protect the Rainforests in Mexico and Central America
Indigenous peoples and local communities launch the Mesoamerican Territorial Fund, a regional financial mechanism, to address inequity in climate finance. Monitoring activities in Petén are a pillar of the community concession model in Guatemala. IMAGE CREDIT: Red Compa-ACOFOP
Equal Rights to Defend the Rainforest: As Rainforest Alert Expands, An Eye Towards Gender Inclusion
Gender inclusion is key to effective and sustainable forest protection, yet many indigenous women have been traditionally excluded from participation. We highlight the work of women who are leaders in our Rainforest Alert program.
To Meet Guyana’s Climate Promises, Empower Indigenous Peoples
To blunt climate change, Guyana has pledged to aggressively expand the amount of rainforests protected within its borders. But as the threat of big oil looms, indigenous peoples’ land rights need to be recognized in order to meet this goal.
The Fate of the Amazon May Rest on One Bill: the Most Anti-Indigenous Peoples Legislation in Decades
Thousands of indigenous protesters from around Brazil have flooded Brasilia, the nation’s capital, to decry a congressional effort to pass the most anti-indigenous legislation in decades.
The UN’s IPCC Report: To Avoid the Worst of the Climate Catastrophe, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Must Be Protected
Earlier this month, the United Nations’ climate change panel released a report stating that global warming will inevitably intensify in the coming decades. The only question is: By how much? Here, we lay out the role RFUS will play in mitigating the damage.
