We are proud to be a founding member of the recently-established Nature Crime Alliance (NCA), a global multi-sector initiative to fight environmental crimes across the globe, led by the World Resources Institute (WRI). Through this joint initiative, we will be working with NGOs and local governments to raise political awareness, implement financial commitment, and strengthen operational capacity to initiate solutions to nature crimes by bringing change and positive impacts to life. Other founding partners in this alliance include the government of Norway’s development agency (Norad), the Wildlife Justice Commission, the conservation news platform Mongabay, and more.
Environmental and nature crimes can come in the form of logging, mining, wildlife trade, land conversion, crimes associated with fishing, and various illegal activities that pose a threat to the environment. These harmful activities pose a major threat to the world’s vital ecosystems, incredible biodiversity, diverse economies, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and the global climate. Without a concerted international effort to tackle nature crimes, these crimes have now become the largest financial driver of terrorism and other forms of conflict across the globe. The Nature Crime Alliance has emerged to fill this gap and amplify global efforts to fight back against nature crimes.
This alliance aligns well with Amazon Conservation’s long history of fighting environmental crimes in the Peruvian Amazon. From 2016-2020, we built a real-time satellite-based monitoring system that directly supported the Peruvian government in creating the National System of Control and Monitoring (Sistema Nacional) and improved the capacity of local forest users to monitor and protect their lands. This project was made possible thanks to the support from Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), which is currently funding the project “Technology Meets Policy: Real-time Monitoring and Action in the Amazon,” a five-year initiative aimed at reducing deforestation from illegal activities within the territories of the indigenous target groups in Ecuador and Peru while addressing gaps in deforestation prevention by linking technology and real-time monitoring with improved governance.
To continue our efforts in combating illegal deforestation and improving governance, Amazon Conservation’s President John Beavers explains that “for us, the Nature Crime Alliance is such an important group to be part of, because to bring together the critical mass of organizations, resources, and the focus needed to be able to fight illegal deforestation at scale, whether it’s the Amazon or across the world, is a key piece to make conservation, sustainable development, and social justice work.”
To read the full statement on the Nature Crime Alliance’s objectives and approach, click here.
As we enter a fast-growing digital landscape, many organizations and non-profits have begun exploring new ways to secure funding to broaden their impact. Earlier this year, we implemented a new donation tool called 
These agreements will later serve as a foundation in support of achieving, through a strategic alliance, the development of synergies for the implementation of actions, planning projects, and comprehensive management of natural resources, as well as actions aimed towards conservation in these municipalities.
From August 24th – 26th, our Peruvian sister organization 
These flagship products come from the Madre de Dios region in Peru, where there is a high concentration of trees for harvesting at an economic scale. They are the only species in the global nut market whose production is not cultivated, and can only be harvested in the wild. Harvesting season is between December through March, and can be eaten raw, or toasted.
Açaí berries are produced in dense branch clusters called ‘panicles’ that contain 500 to 900 fruits each. There is also a green variety called Açaí Tinga that only grows in one Amazon estuary. Asaí Euterpre Precatoria is the species most found in the Bolivian Amazon and has a greater concentration of nutrients. These special fruits have a small window for freshness once harvested, which is why imported Açaí products are often found in powdered or frozen forms. Recently, the growth in Açaí’s popularity predicts the market for this product to reach 1.7 billion by 2028
You may know Cacao as a wonderful source of chocolate, but did you know it also is one of the richest antioxidants on earth? These tropical fruits grow in altitudes of 30 – 300 m, and its trees produce roughly 70 fruits annually. There are two ‘flush’ harvesting seasons that last from October to February, and May to August. Upon harvesting, its seeds are fermented for 1-7 before being dried, roasted, and either ground to a powder or winnowed into nibs. Not only is cacao useful for consumption, but cacao trees are also considered a shade crop that provides habitat for other plants and animals.
Aguaje is the fruit of the Moriche palm found throughout swamps across South America. The fruit offers a variety of flavor combinations, being sweet, salty, and mildly acidic. Some describe the taste as being similar to carrots when eaten raw. The palm goes by various names based on the country, including canangucho (Colombia), morete (Ecuador), or aguaje (Peru), and Palma Real (Bolivia).
Also known as cupuaçu, Copoazú is the national fruit of Brazil. This fruit is closely related to Cacao and emits an aroma of pineapple and chocolate when opened. Many have described it as tasting similar to chocolate with notes of tropical melon flavors. The seed can also be harvested to make butter that is good for skin and hair health.
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