Where it All Began

In the 1980s, burning rainforests in Brazil drew worldwide attention to the plight of the Amazon Basin: Without a plan for development and conservation, would this vast forested “lungs of the world” disappear? And would it take with it all benefits to global air and water, human and animal diversity, scientific and medical advances?

Many international organizations rushed to develop plans for conservation and development of the lower Amazon. In the late 1990s, however, a small group of conservationists looked higher, to the source of the Amazon. Our Co-Founders Adrian Forsyth and Enrique Ortiz developed our founding program that provided support for Brazil nut harvesters in Peru as an incentive for protecting the forest, the first of many locally driven, pragmatic conservation solutions that are the hallmark of our organization.

Two decades in, we have protected over 8.15 million acres of rainforest; provided cutting-edge tools to government and forest users to protect their lands; empowered hundreds of indigenous communities to develop forest-friendly livelihoods; and hosted thousands of scientists pioneering innovative research at our three conservation hubs. We have made a difference.

The threats to a healthy Amazon are multiplying. Now is the time to intensify our efforts to stop deforestation, partner with Amazonian people to find a more sustainable path to their own vision of development, build greater climate resilience, and support good governance to conserve the ecosystems and biodiversity on which we all depend.