Significance of Community-Held Territories in 24 Countries to Global Climate
New research shows indigenous peoples and local communities live on at least 3.75 million square miles of land spanning most of the world’s endangered tropical forests—yet have legal rights to less than half of these lands.
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.
Violence Returns to a People Scarred by Genocide
The Yanomami, an indigenous people in the northern Amazon rainforest, were attacked by illegal gold miners several times in recent weeks, leaving several people wounded and two young children dead. With tens of thousands of miners still illegally occupying their land, the threat of continued violence remains.
Mining on Sacred Land in Raposa Serra do Sol
Gold mining brings prospectors, disease, and destruction to indigenous lands in Brazil. But indigenous communities are fighting back.
New COVID-19 Variant Threatens Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon
A new variant of COVID-19 is putting indigenous peoples across the Amazon at heightened risk–yet again. Reports from the ground come from Peru and Brazil.
Rainforest Foundation US 2020 Year In Review
A summary of the highlights of Rainforest Foundation US’s impact to protect the peoples and the rainforests of Central and South America in 2020.
A Tragedy Foretold: COVID-19 Infections Spike in Yanomami Territory
An unprecedented report details the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, suggesting that one in three individuals may have already been infected by the new coronavirus.
Video: The Shaman’s Message
The Shaman’s Message is inspired by Yanomami shaman and leader, Davi Kopenawa, whose work “holds up the sky,” protecting the forest, biodiversity and climate stability.
Fires in the Amazon Shift with the Seasons, and Rage On
Rainforest Foundation US analyzes Amazon fire data from 2019 and 2020. Indigenous peoples’ traditional land management practices lower the risk of extreme forest fires.
