2024 Annual Report and a Message from our New Board Chair

December 19, 2025

Dear Supporters of Amazon Conservation,

As I begin my tenure as Board Chair, I am honored to build on the extraordinary legacy that has defined Amazon Conservation for nearly 25 years. This organization has always stood apart for one simple reason: its commitment to pairing world-class science and technology with the experience, leadership, and resilience of the people who depend on the forest. 

With your support, that combination continues to drive real impact. In 2024, our collective efforts:

  • Expanded protection of the core of Amazon, establishing over 2.8 million acres and 4 new protected areas in Bolivia, for a total of over 11.5 million acres safeguarded to date.
  • Advanced understanding of the impacts of illegal mining, with our Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program’s MAAP #196 using the first-ever “Illegal Gold Mining Impact Calculator” developed by Conservation Strategy Fund. This allowed us to quantify the true social and environmental costs of illegal gold mining and equipped national authorities, journalists, and civil society with vital data to drive informed action.
  • Consolidated production of sustainable forest products to strengthen forest-based economies. Bolivian açaí producers achieved record sales of sustainable forest products and the Indigenous community of Infierno in Peru earned organic certification for wild cacao, connecting forest-friendly products to high-value markets.
  • Supported groundbreaking science at our Manu Biological Station in Peru, where scientists discovered a new species of sandfly (Trichophoromyia macrisae), offering valuable insights into disease transmission and public health in tropical regions.

These milestones remind us that protecting the Amazon is about more than conserving trees; it is about sustaining an entire system of life, culture, and climate stability that the world depends on.

As pressures on the forest grow more complex and interconnected, Amazon Conservation continues to evolve—working beyond borders, bridging science and policy, and uniting partners in a shared vision for a thriving Amazon. 

I am honored to be a part of this mission and honored to have committed supporters like you backing Amazon Conservation at this pivotal moment.

Read our 2024 Annual Report

 

Sincerely,

Douglas Sarno
Chair
Amazon Conservation Board of Directors