Rise for the Amazon Day is here.

The Amazon, one of the world’s most extraordinary places, is at a crossroads. From deforestation to fires, this vital forest faces unprecedented threats. Yet its people, wildlife, and ecosystems endure with remarkable strength. Now, on September 5th, we rise together in solidarity.

Your support can make all the difference as we stand side by side with Indigenous leaders, forest guardians, and communities putting everything on the line. Every gift, fundraiser started, and message of solidarity adds strength to the movement.

 

The Amazon needs us.
Together, we can protect it.

 

 
In this moment of urgency, Amazon Conservation Board Member and donor Marie Arana wants to share a personal message with you about why protecting the Amazon matters now more than ever:

 

This special day is more than a call to action—it’s also a perfect opportunity to explore smart giving strategies that maximize your impact. As we come together tomorrow for Rise for the Amazon Day, we invite you to take part—whether by sharing the message, making a gift, or finding new ways to stand with the forest and its people. And remember, there are also tax-smart ways to give, such as donating appreciated stock, creating a will, or making gifts directly from your IRA, that can maximize your impact today without impacting your current budget and taking advantage of tax benefits.

Exclusive for donors: When you give today, you’ll receive access to our donor webinar on September 16, where our experts share an inside look into their current conservation work, show how your support is making an impact, and answer donor questions in real time. Donate today for access to this special event.
 
Every gift helps protect wildlife, support Amazonian families, and keep forests standing and thriving.
 

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

 

 
 

On September 5, we celebrate the inaugural Rise for the Amazon Day—a day of awareness and action for the greatest wild forest on Earth. This day reminds us of the Amazon’s importance to life everywhere and calls us to take action to protect it.

The Amazon shapes weather, regulates our climate, and is home to millions of people and species found nowhere else. It is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, and its resilience is deeply tied to our own. Yet pressures from deforestation, extractive industries, and climate change are pushing this forest to a dangerous tipping point.

That’s why this day matters. It is a chance to pause, to reflect, and most importantly to rise together in defense of the forest and all it sustains.

A Glimpse Into the Amazon’s Hidden Life

To celebrate Rise for the Amazon Day, we’re sharing a new video from our research team at Wayqecha Biological Station in Peru, who give us a rare look at the Andean bear, also known as the spectacled bear.

Through the use of camera traps and GPS collars, we’re uncovering the secret lives of these bears and learning just how vital they are to the ecosystem. Scientists call the Andean bear an umbrella species because protecting it means protecting everything else within its vast range—over 230 square miles. When the bear thrives, so do deer, foxes, pumas, dwarf deer, and countless plant and insect species. Its survival is tied to the survival of an entire landscape.

This is what conservation makes possible: a single species, safeguarded, becoming a keystone for the health of the entire forest.

Tomorrow, Join Us in Rising Together

As we prepare to celebrate Rise for the Amazon Day tomorrow, we are reminded that protecting the Amazon is not an isolated act. It is a collective responsibility. Every effort to keep forests standing ripples outward: securing sustainable livelihoods for communities, preserving biodiversity and ecosystems, and stabilizing the global climate we all depend on.

As we come together tomorrow for Rise for the Amazon Day, we invite you to take part—whether by sharing the message, making a gift, or finding new ways to stand with the forest and its people. And remember, there are also tax-smart ways to give, such as donating appreciated stock, creating a will, or making gifts directly from your IRA, that can maximize your impact today without impacting your current budget and taking advantage of tax benefits.

By rising together, we can ensure that the Amazon—and the Andean bear within it—continues to thrive for generations to come.

 

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

 

 
 

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.

 

 
 

For 25 years, Amazon Conservation has worked hand in hand with Indigenous communities, scientists, and local partners to protect the Amazon’s most important forests and rivers. From the remote biological stations in the heart of the rainforest to remote, biodiversity-rich protected areas, our teams are on the ground monitoring wildlife, restoring habitats, and supporting sustainable livelihoods that keep the Amazon standing. 

Yet this irreplaceable forest faces mounting threats from deforestation and climate change, making our work more urgent than ever.

In just one week, on September 5, we come together for 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 support the local communities who depend on them. This day is about more than awareness; it is about joining the movement to defend the Amazon’s wildlife, conserve rivers and waterways, and empower local and Indigenous leaders working tirelessly to safeguard their ancestral lands. 

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

A Special Invitation for Our Donors

To show our gratitude for your ongoing support, all donors will receive an invitation to a donor-only webinar on September 16. This virtual event will provide exclusive previews of major findings and the latest news on our conservation work directly from experts in the field, as well as the opportunity to interact and ask any questions to these scientists. This is our way of bringing you closer to the impact you help make possible.

Donate today before the webinar fills up!

Make an Impact

Rise for the Amazon Day is a perfect opportunity to explore smart giving strategies that maximize your impact. Even in an uncertain economy, there are multiple ways to contribute to support nature without impacting your current budget and taking advantage of tax benefits. Here are some ways to give thoughtfully while supporting the Amazon:

• Monthly or Recurring Gifts: Split your high-impact annual donation into manageable monthly contributions to maximize your impact, while also giving our teams predictable resources to protect the forest year-round.
• Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs): A DAF allows you to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax benefit, and recommend grants to Amazon Conservation over time. Learn more and start your DAF gift here.
• Gifts from Your Estate: Plan a future gift through your will or estate that supports the Amazon for generations to come. This is a meaningful way to leave a lasting legacy.
• Matching Gifts and Corporate Giving: Many employers match charitable contributions made by their employees. Check if your company offers a matching program to double your impact.
• Gifts of Appreciated Assets: Contributing stocks, mutual funds, or other assets can provide significant tax advantages while supporting critical conservation work. Learn more about these options here.

These strategies allow you to give smarter, make a bigger impact, and ensure your support is tailored to your goals and values. Every gift helps protect wildlife, support Amazonian families, and keep forests standing and thriving.

 

As we look ahead over the next week towards this first Rise for the Amazon Day, we invite you to reflect on the difference we can make when we work together. Stay tuned for more details about the donor-exclusive webinar and other ways to engage. Your support is what makes this movement possible.

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

 

 

The Amazon is one of the most extraordinary places on Earth. Its forests breathe life into the world, its rivers flow like veins carrying water and energy, and its people and wildlife embody a resilience that inspires us all.

But the Amazon is at a crossroads. Rising pressures from deforestation, fires, and climate change are threatening to push this vital ecosystem toward an irreversible tipping point. At the same time, communities across the region are leading powerful efforts to protect their home. What they need is for all of us to rise with them.

That’s why on September 5, we’re celebrating Rise for the Amazon Day as a day for people everywhere to come together in solidarity with the Amazon.

Rise for the Amazon Day is about more than giving. It’s about standing shoulder to shoulder with Indigenous peoples protecting their lands, with scientists tracking the forest’s health, with farmers choosing sustainable paths, and with wildlife whose future depends on the choices we make today.

It’s a reminder that the Amazon belongs to all of us, and protecting it is one of the most powerful gifts we can offer future generations.

 

How You Can Be Part of Rise for the Amazon Day

There are so many simple ways to join in and make an impact:

• Make a gift – Every contribution supports Amazon conservation on the ground where it matters most. Also learn about our options for giving non-cash assets here.
• Give monthly – Become a sustaining donor and help protect the forest all year long.
• Start a fundraiser – Rally your friends and family with your own fundraiser to multiply your impact.
• Spread the word – Share our campaign and inspire others to rise with you.
• Honor someone special – Dedicate your gift to a loved one and let them know they’re part of something bigger.

You are part of a movement that reaches far beyond one person, one community, or even one country.
 

 

Why This Day Matters

The Amazon is a source of life for the entire planet. Its forests stabilize the global climate, safeguard fresh water, and sustain millions of people and countless species. By coming together on Rise for the Amazon Day, we can take meaningful action to protect this irreplaceable place.

Originally started in Brazil to commemorate the creation of the State of Amazonas, this day now celebrates the global importance and beauty of the Amazon Rainforest and calls for urgent action to protect this vast, biodiverse biome. Today, Rise for the Amazon Day invites people everywhere to stand together for the Amazon’s future.
 

Together, We Can Protect the Forest…and Ourselves

The Amazon’s story is still being written. With your help, it can be a story of resilience, of communities empowered, of forests standing tall, and of a planet that breathes easier.

This Rise for the Amazon Day, we invite you to stand with us. Together, we can protect the Amazon Rainforest–for us all.
 

 

If you are a current or retired U.S. government employee, did you know that the Combined Federal Campaign’s (CFC) 2024 GIVE HAPPY Campaign is already in full swing? Now through January 15, government employees and retirees can help make a difference for a thriving Amazon by GIVING HAPPY to Amazon Conservation.

This year’s campaign theme – GIVE HAPPY – connects giving with happiness, showing that when Federal employees give together, they spread happiness and they get happier too. Through the CFC, members of the Federal community go beyond their call to public service by contributing to the thousands of charities that work to improve the quality of life for all.

Search for Amazon Conservation on the CFC giving page or by using our CFC #49371 to GIVE HAPPY and GIVE HOPE for a thriving future for the Amazon!

OR

Text “DONATE” to 978-487-5678 and include our CFC #49371!

For more than 60 years, members of the Federal community have contributed to charities through the CFC, giving more than $8.7 billion to help those in need locally, across the nation, and throughout the world. As communities across the globe are experiencing the impacts of a changing climate, the CFC’s GIVE HAPPY Campaign is the ideal opportunity to join forces and support climate-smart and nature-based solutions to protect critical yet vulnerable places like the Amazon Rainforest.

Why Amazon Conservation? The Amazon contains the single largest tropical rainforest on the planet, spanning more than 1.6 billion acres across 9 South American countries. A significant source of the world’s trees, oxygen, water, food, wildlife, and medicine, the Amazon is the most important terrestrial biome on the planet. Protecting the Amazon ensures a healthy future for all of humanity.

What greater gift could you give than preserving our planet for future generations? 

It’s quick, easy, and convenient to make your pledge for the Amazon today! To donate to protect the greatest wild forest on Earth, search for Amazon Conservation (CFC #49371) at www.givecfc.org. Through this convenient pledge portal, you can set your pledge up as a payroll deduction, credit/debit card, or an e-check/bank transfer. If you have donated to us through the CFC in previous years, you can easily renew your pledge via the pledge portal.

To learn more about Amazon Conservation and share our work with your colleagues, consider inviting us to your CFC event! We have staff available to attend virtual events anywhere as well as in-person events in the DC, Virginia, and Maryland area. We would love to answer your questions about conservation in the Amazon and illustrate how far your dollars go towards protecting wild places, empowering people, and putting science and technology to work.

New to the CFC? Give it a try — just $5 per paycheck to your favorite charity makes a big difference.

Did you GIVE HAPPY already? Be sure to download your “I GAVE” badge and display it proudly.

If you are a government employee or retiree, be sure to make your pledge and GIVE HAPPY by January 15 to Amazon Conservation (CFC #49371) at www.givecfc.org.

As part of a significant step in advancing the sustainable management of regional conservation areas in Peru, our sister organization in Peru Conservación Amazónica–ACCA donated 290,000 Peruvian Soles (about $77,100) to the Cuzco Regional Government in support of a project aiming to create a regional system of protected areas in the country’s Andes-Amazon region. This initiative arises from an agreement between the Cuzco Regional Government and Conservación Amazónica–ACCA to sustainably manage the Chuyapi Urusayhua Regional Conservation Area (RCA), one of the region’s five RCAs.

Thanks to the financial support of the Andes Amazon Fund, this is Conservación Amazónica–ACCA’s third donation to the Cuzco Regional Government totaling more than 725,500 Soles (about $193,100) since 2022. These funds are dedicated to the sustainable management of several Regional Conservation Areas including Ausangate, Tres Cañones, and Chuyapi Urusayhua. With this latest contribution, Conservación Amazónica–ACCA and the Cuzco Regional Government continue to consolidate their commitment to the conservation and environmental management of the region’s rich biodiversity.

The Chuyapi Urusayhua RCA was established in 2021 to conserve water resources; to preserve vulnerable ecosystems, including highland grasslands called punas and the Yungas forests; and to protect emblematic species such as the Andean bear (or spectacled bear), cock-of-the-rock, puma, and jaguarundi. The recent funds from Conservación Amazónica–ACCA supports continued control and surveillance activities, sustainable economic activities, and a range of conservation and protection mechanisms that help further the overarching objectives of the RCAs.

The latest donation reinforces the commitment of both entities to the protection of biodiversity, natural resources, and the well-being of local communities. The ongoing partnership demonstrates that joint efforts can more effectively achieve shared objectives, and it shows the Cuzco Regional Government’s political will to continue improving the conservation of its ecosystems and the management of the RCAs. It also highlights the Cuzco Regional Government’s commitment to building a regional system of protected areas, as well as the creation of new regional conservation areas such as the proposed Araza Forests RCA.

As Earth Month comes to a close in these final days of April, we want to share some of the inspiring ways that supporters like you have helped empower future generations of conservationists. Whether we’re talking with local students who have grown up surrounded by rainforest or classrooms of students continents away, we have seen how enthusiastic young people in the Amazon and around the globe are about protecting the planet and its forests. 

At Amazon Conservation, Investing in Our Future means encouraging this appreciation for the Amazon and supporting future conservationists by:

1. Supporting local programs that help ensure today’s youth have the space and resources to learn about and feel inspired to protect their local forests. Programs like the Children’s Forest in the Bolivian community of Motacusal help safeguard spaces where communities can pass on local forest knowledge to their children and ensure that future generations have the opportunity to continue living healthy lives in the Amazon.

   Your contribution of just $25 can help safeguard 15 acres of forest to protect the home and resources of local Amazonian communities like Motacusal for future generations.

2. Creating opportunities for local youth to learn about the importance of their local forests and species and how to keep the Amazon standing. We believe environmental education is fundamental in inspiring young people to become conservationists, like the recently inaugurated Andean Bear Interpretation Center at our Wayqecha Conservation Hub in the cloud forests near Cuzco, Peru, located in an area encompassing a uniquely biodiverse landscape that bridges the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Rainforest. The Interpretation Center is an important space for connecting local youth with the nature and science of their region and empowering them to support local conservation efforts and become stewards of their forest.
   

   Your contribution of just $50 sponsors one local student to take part in an environmental education program that utilize resources like the Andean Bear Interpretation Center at Wayqecha to teach them about the local ecosystem, wildlife species, and the important role of protecting local habitat and resources to conserve the larger Amazon.

3. Providing new tools and resources for local students in the Amazon to observe and interact with their forests and native wildlife in new ways. These tools, paired with environmental education programs in local schools, help empower and inspire future generations of conservationists.

   Last December, we delivered 7 new high-quality binoculars to a school in the Municipality of Puerto Rico in the northern Bolivian Amazon and hosted a workshop with the school of 26 students between 4 and 16 years old to demonstrate how to use the binoculars to observe and record wildlife in the forests around their community. For many of these students, the experience provided new insight into the importance of preserving the forests in and around their community.

   Your contribution of just $100 can provide one set of new high-quality binoculars to local youth like those in Puerto Rico to empower them to learn about their forests and local wildlife in new ways.

4. Ensuring field experience and opportunities for local scientists to contribute to ground-breaking research and local conservation efforts at our Conservation Hubs. In 2022, supporters like you funded research scholarships to 4 young Peruvian scientists through the Catto Shaw 2022 internship program to spend seven months with Team Ukuku working to restore Andean bear habitat and food sources at our Wayqecha Conservation Hub. These scholarship programs are central to our work because they provide local scientists with competitive field experience, space to explore their home country’s ecosystems and biodiversity, and opportunities to better understand the importance of their local forests for the larger Amazon region.

   

   Click to learn more about Yessenia’s work with Team Ukuku.

   Your contribution of $1000 can help provide a scholarship for one local student to conduct field work and gain valuable biology experience at one of our research stations, thus inspiring future generations of local scientists to help conserve the Amazon.

5. Encouraging young supporters globally to get involved and help save the Amazon. Earlier this year, we partnered with Year 4 students at Avonwood Primary School in the United Kingdom to put together a fundraiser to raise £100 to raise awareness about the Amazon and our Los Amigos Conservation Hub in Peru. The 8-year-old students learned about the important species that depend on the rainforest and created wildlife portraits to fill a virtual gallery that they centered in their fundraiser to spread awareness and raise more than £170 for the Amazon, surpassing their goal by 70%!

   Thanks to these young students eager to make a difference and their family and friends for supporting them, we know the future of the Amazon and the planet depends on supporting our youngest conservationists today.

Continue reading “Earth Month Wrap Up: Invest in Our Future to Empower the Next Generation of Conservationists” →

Experts from Conservación Amazónica – ACCA in Peru hosted a training workshop in the use of the RAMI (Radar Mining Monitoring) tool at an event with the goal of building capacity and transferring technology to specialists in environmental monitoring at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability (SEMAS) in the Brazilian state of Pará.

The main objective of the training workshop held this past April 12-14 was to replicate Peru’s gold mining monitoring system in Brazil’s Tapajós River basin, located in Pará, using detection with radar images. In addition, it focused on improving SEMAS staff’s capacity to use free and open-source resources to process large amounts of data using the Google Earth Engine platform.

Conservación Amazónica – ACCA’s Director of GIS and Conservation Technology Sidney Novoa highlighted the similarities between Brazil’s and Peru’s territories, such as the presence of Indigenous territories, conservation and environmental protection areas, and national parks, which at times overlap with miners’ rights and mining licenses, generating land and resource conflicts. Because of these similarities, valuable lessons learned in Peru related to the implementation of monitoring technology may also be applicable in the Tapajós region. In addition, Sidney added that the technology transfer used to fight illegal mining in Peru was made possible thanks to the support of the Institute of Forest and Agricultural Management and Certification (IMAFLORA), which works closely with authorities from Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainability (SEMAS) who have also hired a local specialist to adapt the methodology to the region’s needs.

The RAMI tool, developed through a collaboration between Peruvian experts from Conservación Amazónica – ACCA and SERVIR-Amazonia, is a new geospatial technology tool that has been successfully implemented in the Madre de Dios region of Peru to help detect illegal gold mining activities. During the recent training workshop, our monitoring specialists shared their knowledge about RAMI’s programming language, data interpretation, and data qualification with the Brazilian environmental monitoring specialists.

SEMAS Secretary Mauro O’de Almeida explained that the Tapajós region was chosen for the RAMI operation because of the high levels of illegal gold mining activity. He hopes that this tool will help address the problem of illegal mining, which is a major challenge for environmental management in Pará and negatively impacts the region’s economy and natural resources.

RAMI will be a critical tool in reinforcing SEMAS’s environmental control and monitoring strategy by helping combat illegal mining, supervising licensed companies, and protecting the environment and communities that depend on these natural resources. In addition, this technology will be shared with other federal agencies in Pará to strengthen the fight against illegal mining and help ensure the sustainability of the Amazon.

RAMI is implemented by Conservación Amazónica – ACCA thanks to support of the SERVIR-Amazonia, a program developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Agency for Development International (USAID).

This April, the Municipality of Cobija in the Department of Pando along with our sister organization in Bolivia, Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA, celebrated the first anniversary of the city’s first and only protected area. The Arroyo Bahía Conservation Area (known by the acronym ANGICAB in Spanish) protects 8,952 acres (3,623 hectares) of forests and critical water sources. The area has also been identified by the Bolivian government as a priority for biodiversity conservation.

ANGICAB was established in April 2022 thanks to support from the Andes Amazon Fund with the goal of protecting the Arroyo Bahía stream and watershed, which provide freshwater to more than 80,000 people including residents of Cobija, surrounding communities in the Department of Pando, and communities neighboring Pando in Peru to the west and in Brazil to the north and east. The conservation area also protects a range of flora and fauna, including more than 351 plant, 35 amphibian, 13 reptile, 185 bird, 32 mammal, and 30 fish species.

Since the 1980s, the Arroyo Bahía watershed has steadily lost forest cover due to a growing demand for land to raise livestock, which has progressively led to greater erosion, soil compaction, and sedimentation that clogs streams. This in turn has impacted forest regeneration, water and soil pollution, and a drop in water quality and potability for local residents. Local forest harvesters in the region have also noted a decrease in the production of Brazil nut trees in recent years in relation to these changes in the local forests and watershed.

Thanks to the establishment of ANGICAB, the local government of Cobija and Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA are optimistic that local residents will engage more in taking care of their local conservation area and protect the watershed from contamination and deforestation for their own health, the health of the ecosystem, and the health of the larger Amazon region. Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA continues to work together with the local government and local communities to complement sustainable land and water management through ANGICAB with programs that support sustainable livelihoods for local families and promote strategies that help mitigate floods, fires, pollution, and the effects of climate change.