The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest in the world, spanning over 1.7 billion acres across nine countries. At this immense scale, it is one of our planet’s primary carbon sinks, and a crucial defense against climate change.
This mega-biodiverse ecosystem covers 40% of South America and is home to 45 million people, including 385 distinct Indigenous peoples who have stewarded much of these forests for generations. But this vital ecosystem is under threat. Protecting the Amazon is a global priority for the future of our planet.
For more than 35 years, Rainforest Foundation US has partnered with Indigenous peoples to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Our journey began in 1988 in Brazil, where we stood with the Kayapo people to defend their rights to their ancestral lands—the vast Menkragnoti territory. Today, our work in the Amazon spans three countries, supporting nearly 200 communities across the basin.
Covering an area comparable in size to the continental United States, this vast biome is home to an astounding share of our planet’s biodiversity and freshwater, and is crucial for maintaining the global ecological balance necessary for a livable planet.
As one of the Earth’s primary carbon sinks, the Amazon absorbs vast amounts of carbon dioxide (100 million metric tonnes annually). It plays a vital role in regulating the climate and mitigating the effects of climate change.
The Amazon basin is home to the world’s largest river system and significantly influences the global water cycle and rainfall patterns both in South America and worldwide. It is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, and it directly sustains the lives of millions of species and people.
The fate of the Amazon rainforest affects us all!
The Amazon is home to approximately 1.5 million Indigenous people from 385 different ethnic groups.
Contrary to the common perception that the Amazon rainforest is an intact wilderness, Indigenous peoples have shaped and managed it for thousands of years. These communities hold about 29% of the rainforest (an area larger than Mexico and France combined), yet many still lack legal recognition of their land.
Science has demonstrated that forests managed by Indigenous peoples in the Amazon are healthier and sequester more carbon than forests outside their territories, which have actually become sources of carbon due to extensive deforestation and degradation. Despite their crucial role in environmental stewardship, Indigenous people continue to face harassment, criminalization, and even murder for their efforts to protect their lands.
We’ve already lost approximately 15% of the Amazon rainforest.
Estimates say that if deforestation reaches 20-25% of the basin, this could trigger a large-scale dieback of the forest, leading to catastrophic consequences for rainfall patterns across South America and the global climate.
Every minute, the Amazon loses a forest area roughly the size of four soccer fields.
In the past 22 years, this loss accounts for over 168.5 million acres of forests. The primary driver of Amazon deforestation is agricultural expansion, which is responsible for a devastating 84% of this destruction.
Extreme weather events driven by climate change are increasingly threatening the Amazon.
Mining is present in all Amazon countries, impacting 17% of the region.
Oil blocks cover 9.4% of the Amazon (~198 million acres). These activities lead to deforestation, habitat destruction, and pollution, which endanger wildlife and Indigenous communities, and exacerbate climate change.
Discover the fascinating secrets of the Amazon!
Our new Kids’ Corner is full of new games, activities, and learning materials to help kids explore the rainforest—and see how they can help protect it.
