AMERICAS
FIGHTING TO SAVE THE PERUVIAN AMAZON
Nearly 60 % of Peru ’ s landscape is covered with Amazon rainforest . These biodiversity-rich forests are home to hundreds of indigenous communities , who rely solely on this land to survive . The local benefits are obvious , but the Peruvian Amazon is also vital in the global fight against climate change . The region is one of our planet ’ s most important carbon stores , containing over 48.2 billion metric tons of carbon .
Despite the critical importance of the Amazon , deforestation to harvest natural resources and convert land to agricultural plantations is rampant . Millions of tons of carbon are released , habitat is destroyed and countless people are left with no refuge .
Over 25 years ago , Rainforest Trust began investing in the protection of the Peruvian Amazon , partnering with the Center for the Development of an Indigenous Amazon ( CEDIA ) on multiple projects . CEDIA guides and supports local indigenous communities through the process of gaining legal title to their land , which prevents commercial developers and land grabbers from obtaining the land and destroying the forest .
In 2020 , 1,164,735.91 acres - an area roughly the size of Grand Canyon National Park - were protected by Rainforest Trust and CEDIA . This protection has expanded to over 11 million acres , an area roughly the size of New Hampshire and Vermont . When our current projects are complete , an additional 5 million acres will be titled .
PROTECTED IN THE AMERICAS
2020
1,444,792
1988-2020
14,332,705
ACRES SAVED
2020
95,547,077mT
1988-2020
CARBON STORED
3,199,997,217mT
BIRD SPECIES PROTECTED
240
1988-2020
94
2020