For 25 years, Amazon Conservation has worked hand in hand with Indigenous communities and local partners to protect the Amazon’s most important forests and rivers. Your generosity makes it possible for people across the Amazon to build better futures while protecting the forest we all depend on. Thanks to donors like you, communities are finding sustainable alternatives to destructive industries such as illegal mining and logging. 

One of those livelihoods is sustainable fish farming. In a region where illegal mining and logging too often provide the only income opportunities, fish farming offers families a way to earn a living while keeping the forest and rivers healthy.

In the Madre de Dios region of Peru, Nemésio has become a leader in this effort. With support from Amazon Conservation and our sister organization, Conservación Amazónica-ACCA in Peru, Nemésio raises native Amazonian fish through responsible aquaculture (or fish farming) practices. His ponds are designed to work in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem, providing food and income for his family without turning to destructive industries.

Sustainable aquaculture is more than just a source of food and income – it is part of a growing movement of community-led conservation across the Amazon. Families are finding new opportunities that protect rivers and forests, improve food security, and show that there are viable alternatives to activities like illegal mining that threaten both people and the environment.

For Nemésio, this work represents hope for the future: “More than anything, we want to succeed and show to others that there is an alternative to work in mining and illegal logging that actually protects our forest patrimony.”

Watch Nemésio’s story here:

 

By supporting sustainable initiatives like Nemésio’s, you are proving that conservation and prosperity can go hand in hand. Families have the tools to thrive, forests remain intact, and the Amazon becomes stronger for generations to come.

Why This Matters for Rise for the Amazon Day

On September 5, we will celebrate our inaugural Rise for the Amazon Day, a global call to action to protect the forests that give the world so much – in the form of air, food, water, medicine, and climate stability – and to support the communities who depend on them.

Stories like Nemésio’s show what is possible when conservation is done in partnership with local people: forests stay standing, families prosper, and the Amazon’s future becomes more secure for us all.

Make a Gift Today

Your donation makes stories like Nemésio’s possible. By giving today, you support sustainable livelihoods, protect critical forests, and ensure that both people and nature can thrive in the Amazon.

 

Together, we can protect the Amazon Rainforest–for us all.