New Hope for the Brazilian Amazon
The Brazilian Amazon is under siege by commercial interests that have been destroying it for profit through land-grabbing for illegal mining , logging and the expansion of agriculture and cattle farming .
The rate of deforestation in the Amazon jumped a shocking 59.5 % during the four years of former president Jair Bolsonaro ’ s term from 2019 to the end of 2022 . Since the election of President Luiz Inácio “ Lula ” da Silva , there has been a clear commitment by Brazil ’ s top leaders to protect the Amazon and Indigenous Peoples of Brazil . Indigenous Peoples have been safeguarding the Amazon ’ s biodiversity for millenia . Despite hundreds of years under a system that profited from dispossession of Indigenous lands , waters , and culture , perhaps the tides have truly turned in Brazil . These actions bring new hope for desperately needed conservation projects in the country that holds 60 % of the Amazon .
Rainforest Trust has always held the rights , cultures and customs of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the highest regard , and will continue to operate with their full engagement and Free Prior and Informed Consent in all projects we support in Brazil .
Our Ambitious Plan to Protect the Brazilian Amazon
Over the next four years , Rainforest Trust proposes to protect or be in the process of protecting 20 to 25 million acres of the Brazilian Amazon through an investment of $ 50 million . Our staff have been holding high-level meetings to develop new projects at the state and federal levels in Brazil . Our primary focus is to support the best local organizations around the world and help them develop the best possible projects . We will especially emphasize partnerships with Indigenous peoples and local communities that result in at least 50 % of projects securing land tenure protections . Our work in Brazil will help us reach the goals of our $ 500 million commitment to 30x30 .
Our ambitious goals in Brazil are essential to our threepronged strategy to move the needle on conservation in three of the largest remaining tropical landscapes on Earth that still have significant portions of intact rainforest : the Amazon Basin , the Congo Basin of Africa and Papua in Southeast Asia .
In January , the first project that was a result of our efforts to build partnerships in the Brazilian Amazon was launched . “ Save the Brazilian Amazon ” with our partner Instituto top hyacinth macaws rest in the canopy of the brazilian amazon forest | tarcisio schaider
12