After years of caring for their forests, recognition arrives for the communities of Petén, Guatemala

The experience of Guatecarbon shows how organized communities can defend their rights, influence national policy, and ensure that payments for protecting forests reach those doing the work.
Making Forest Carbon Markets Work for Communities: A Case Study on Benefit Sharing in the REDD+ Guatecarbon Project

Benefit sharing is a critical component of REDD+ forest carbon projects, particularly where Indigenous peoples and local communities are central to forest stewardship. As REDD+ evolves into market-based mechanisms, with carbon credits generating revenue in international carbon markets, ensuring that benefits are distributed fairly is essential for the long term success of the initiative. However, […]
No Forests = No Future: A Call to Support Indigenous Defenders on the Frontlines

As we near the end of 2025, an urgent truth continues to drive our work: Without tropical forests, we have no future. Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS) has long supported Indigenous partners across the Amazon basin and Central America’s rainforests. It has been proven time again that Indigenous peoples are the most impactful defenders of rainforests […]
The Amazon Spoke. Did World Leaders at COP30 Listen?

More than 50,000 people marched in the “Great People’s March” during COP30, calling for an end to violence against land defenders, a halt to environmental destruction, and a global phaseout of fossil-fuels.
Mutirão: Brazil’s Indigenous answer to the climate crisis (Published by DW News)
The Rainforest Foundation Family
Amazon Flotilla: Indigenous Peoples Must be at the Center of COP30 Climate Negotiations

An extraordinary journey along the Amazon River just took place. The Yaku Mama Flotilla traveled over 1,800 miles from the Andes in Ecuador to Belém, Brazil, the host city of the next United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30). This is the first time in history that the COP will take place in the Amazon. Onboard […]
Direct Access for Indigenous Peoples Is Key to the Effectiveness of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York, 7 November 2025– The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) was officially launched yesterday during the COP30 Leaders Summit in Belém, Brazil. The TFFF is an ambitious proposal from the Brazilian government to establish a lasting financial mechanism for forest protection. Following Brazil’s initial contribution, Portugal and Norway have announced their […]
Climate finance must reach Indigenous communities at COP30 & beyond (Commentary published by Mongabay)
Building a Fairer Forest Finance System: Indigenous Leadership in the Tropical Forests Forever Facility

As world leaders prepare to gather in Belém, Brazil, for COP30 in November, one topic is expected to take center stage: the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF)—an ambitious proposal from the Brazilian government to create a lasting financial mechanism for forest protection. The TFFF aims to provide countries with steady, long-term payments for proven forest […]