Financing Climate Justice: New Case Studies Share Practical Lessons on How Climate Finance Can Reach Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Examples from Guyana, Peru, Mesoamerica, and a global Indigenous alliance demonstrate practical solutions to overcome systemic funding barriers. New York, 18 September 2025 — Indigenous peoples and local communities protect more than a third of the planet’s most vital forests, yet receive less than one percent of international climate funding. Without adequate […]

Forest Carbon Data Helps Communities Benefit Financially from their Forests

By Isabela Barriga, David Gibbs and Cameron Ellis This article was originally published by Global Forest Watch and is republished here with permission. You can view the original article here. Indigenous Peoples and local communities play a crucial role in protecting forests and the areas they manage tend to experience lower deforestation rates than other […]

How Climate Finance Can Reach Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities: Practical Lessons from Four Regional Case Studies

Indigenous peoples and local communities protect 36% of the world’s intact tropical forests, yet receive less than 1% of international climate funding. If you are familiar with this work, you know this contradiction intimately. But closing the gap requires more than good intentions—it demands practical strategies that navigate entrenched systems while building genuine autonomy. Four […]

Paving the Way Towards COP30: “The answer is us—all of us”

Last month in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, Indigenous peoples and local communities gathered to send a powerful message to the world: the future of Earth’s forests, and the survival of all life they sustain, hinge on Indigenous peoples and local communities.

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, […]

The Artisans of Chunga: An Opportunity to Care for the Forest

The Embera Wounaan Comarca is implementing a REDD+ project to strengthen sustainable forest management and curb deforestation by promoting traditional practices like basket weaving and culture-based economies.

Forest communities craft recommendations for better ART TREES carbon credit standard (Published by Mongabay)

2024 A Year In Review

A Message From Our Executive Director Dear Friends and Supporters, As we look back on this year, we are both humbled and inspired by the progress made alongside Indigenous communities across the Amazon and Central America. Together, we have witnessed historic wins: from securing legal titles for 20 Indigenous communities in Peru’s Amazon to training […]

Direct funding of Indigenous peoples can protect global rainforests & the climate

In an op-ed featured on Mongabay, the Executive Directors of the Rainforest Foundations of the United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom emphasize the essential role of Indigenous peoples in addressing the climate crisis. They urge the global elite to not only acknowledge this vital role but also to provide financial support.

Questions Over Accounting and Inclusion Mar Guyana’s Unprecedented Carbon Scheme

Guyana has added almost all its forests to the carbon market, signing a $750 million carbon credit deal with petroleum company Hess Corporation, of which 15% will go to Indigenous communities. However, climate experts and Indigenous leaders are questioning the scheme’s accuracy in measuring carbon emissions and whether communities were properly consulted.