A Rainforest Without Rain: Communities in the Amazon Grapple with the Impacts of Extreme Drought and Fires
This drought is the worst in four decades and is contributing to an alarming number of fires this year raging across multiple regions throughout the Amazon and posing a threat to Indigenous and local communities and some of the world’s most vital ecosystems.
IMAGE CREDIT: Federico Gutierrez Panduro/Rainforest Foundation US
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.
Amazon On Fire: 2024 Sees Highest Number of Fires in 20 Years
In a troubling trend, the Amazon registered a 43.2% increase in fire hotspots during the same seven month period (January – July) from 2023 to 2024. According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The Amazon registered 20,221 fire hotspots through July 2024, the highest number for this period since 2005.
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.
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.
Brazil Amazon Fires: 26 Million Acres Scorched in 2023, Up 35.4% from Previous Year
A staggering 26.4 million acres of Brazil’s Amazon were scorched in 2023, a 35.4% increase from the previous year. Deforestation from agriculture and cattle-ranching is a main driver of forest fires in the Amazon.
“The River is Gone” Communities in the Amazon Struggle Through Worst Drought in Recent History
A severe drought in the Amazon is disrupting transportation, isolating communities, and putting wildlife at risk for survival. Indigenous peoples in the region are urging their governments to declare a climate emergency.
The Future is Female, and Indigenous
The III Indigenous Women’s March, held from September 11-14 in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, brought together over 6,000 female leaders from various Indigenous communities worldwide. A delegation of women from Roraima highlighted how far women in Brazil were willing to travel to have their voices heard in the rallying cry in defense of their lands and cultures. Read our full account of the events.
Brazil’s Supreme Court Votes in Favor of Indigenous Rights in Landmark Trial
Brazil’s Supreme Court reached a majority decision to reject Marco Temporal, a pernicious legal argument that translates as a “Time Limit” on Indigenous peoples’ land rights. As the results were announced, Indigenous communities around Brazil erupted into celebration, filling the central plazas of state capitals with music and dancing.
Amazon Summit Falls Short: Leaders Must Dig Deeper and Assume Deforestation Commitments
The final declaration of the Amazon Summit, referred to as the Belém Declaration, has fallen short of expectations for collectively implementing crucial measures to protect the Amazon rainforest, its peoples, and the global climate. It notably lacks a commitment towards zero deforestation by 2030 and fails to address halting oil exploration in the region. Read our full statement.
