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 hundreds of community monitors who now protect nearly 20 million acres of rainforest—an area almost the size of South Carolina. These achievements are a testament to the strength and determination of our partners on the ground, as well as the invaluable support of donors like you who share our vision of a protected and resilient Amazon.
Your commitment allows Rainforest Foundation US to continue supporting innovative projects, like the B’atz project, which has strengthened Indigenous governance and benefited 40,000 people across Mexico and Central America.
As we close this year, we are filled with optimism for the future and gratitude for your ongoing support. Thank you for standing with us and with the communities that lead the way in protecting the world’s rainforests.
With deep appreciation,
Suzanne Pelletier
Executive Director
Rainforest Foundation US
Impact at a Glance
- 1.9 million acres monitored in Peru across key watersheds, with over 8,000 site visits and 1,600 reports submitted this year alone.
- Advanced land rights—ranging from supporting mapping boundaries to land titling initiatives across 3.5 million acres and 300,000 acres in Guyana and Panama respectively.
- $800,000 invested by the Mesoamerican Territorial Fund over 20 regional initiatives, benefiting 40,000 people across Mexico and Central America.
- 20 Indigenous communities in Peru secured legal titles for 75,000 acres of ancestral lands.
- Supported 307 Indigenous forest monitors from 129 communities across Peru, Brazil, Guyana, and Panama to safeguard nearly 20 million acres. This effort included training 134 people in forest monitoring, to protect their rainforests.
- Hosted two “TechCamp” trainings in the Peruvian Amazon, introducing tools to bolster territorial protection.
Program Highlights
Historic Win: 20 Indigenous Communities Secure Land Titles For Over 75,000 Acres in Peru’s Amazon
In a landmark achievement for Indigenous peoples’ land rights, 20 communities in Peru’s Amazon secured legal titles for 75,000 acres of ancestral lands, an area three times the size of Manhattan. Recognizing and consolidating Indigenous land rights is vital in the effort to safeguard these lands. The titles were presented at a celebratory event held in the Huitoto Murui community of Centro Arenal, Loreto, drawing Indigenous leaders from distant regions of the Amazon.
This accomplishment reflects RFUS’s innovative approach in partnership with the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP). This approach combines Indigenous leadership, cooperation with the regional government, and advanced mapping and satellite technology to expedite the titling process. In 2023, the collaboration helped deliver more land titles in ten months than in the previous three years. Now, with further progress in 2024, we’ve solidified a faster, Indigenous-led model for land rights and an important climate solution, which we aim to scale up across the region of Loreto in 2025.
“Equipping Indigenous forest monitors directly has enabled them to protect and oversee their lands more effectively,” said Wendy Pineda, General Project Manager for RFUS Peru. This landmark in legal land recognition reinforces not only these communities’ rights but also their resilience against territorial threats, securing a foundation for long-term protection.
Strengthening Territorial Governance and Protection Across the Amazon and Beyond
In 2024, Rainforest Foundation US supported 307 forest monitors across 129 communities in Peru, Brazil, Guyana, and Panama, collectively safeguarding 20 million acres—an area nearly the size of South Carolina. This effort included training 134 people in forest monitoring and providing technology and financial resources, effectively strengthening these communities’ ability to oversee their territories and address environmental threats.
In Peru alone, our partnerships cover territories that span over 2 million acres. In these regions, monitors conducted more than 8,400 site visits and submitted nearly 1,700 reports in 2024. Our team also collaborated with Peru’s forest compliance agency, OSINFOR, to support communities in developing conservation plans that provide relief from forestry violation fines, most of which were incurred due to illegal invasions of community lands or lack of awareness of regulations.
One of our partners, a federation of Indigenous communities in the upper Napo River (ORKIWAN), passed an internal resolution regarding illegal mining, leading to the expulsion of miners from their territories.
To further these efforts, RFUS is working with the Peruvian forest service (SERFOR) to enable community monitors to access official government satellite imagery —a tool that will enhance their capacity to protect these vast territories.
Strengthening Indigenous and Local Leadership Across Central America
After three transformative years, Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS) and the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB) are concluding the B’atz Regional Institutional Strengthening Project. Supported by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the project has strengthened Indigenous and local community organizations—one of RFUS’s core focuses—across Mexico and Central America.
The project played a key role in establishing the Mesoamerican Territorial Fund, a pioneering financial mechanism managed by Indigenous communities, which invested $800,000 in over 20 regional initiatives during the project period. The B’atz project also supported the development of AMPB’s first Strategic Plan, the inaugural Regional Gender and Climate Change Plan by the Women’s Coordination, and the establishment of the AMPB Board of Directors, marking important advances in the institutional and governance capacities of AMPB.
Additionally, through the Mesoamerican Leadership School, the project supported training 200 people in disaster risk management in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. These efforts have empowered local leaders, especially women and youth, with essential skills for climate resilience and sustainable development. With strengthened governance, increased financial autonomy, and a focus on disaster preparedness, AMPB and its members are now well-positioned for lasting advocacy and sustainable growth.
Family of slain leaders.
Justice for Saweto: A Decade-Long Battle
After a ten-year pursuit of justice, a Peruvian court sentenced four men to 28 years for the 2014 murder of four Ashéninka leaders from Alto Tamaya – Saweto, who bravely defended their lands from illegal logging. Rainforest Foundation US stood in solidarity with their families and the community, offering legal support, advocacy, and media outreach throughout their fight. The outcome of this landmark case marks a powerful testament to perseverance and the strength of unified action for Indigenous peoples’ rights and justice, and it sets an important precedent for similar cases in the region.
