The impact of our changing climate is having real effects on real people and we must act now to stop it.
Intact forests like the Amazon can absorb enough carbon to offset many countries’ total carbon emission.
The Amazon itself stores 90-120 billion tons of carbon, helping stabilize the entire planet’s climate. When forests are damaged or fragmented due to human activity, not only is carbon released from the outright deforestation, but edge effects (forest damage at created edges), drying, and fire cause over 150 million tons of annual emissions.
The United Nations Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 emphasizes the critical importance of conserving forests, reforesting degraded land, and sustainably managing forests as a critical way to fight climate change.
By promoting sustainable livelihoods, we help turn people away from destructive practices that contribute to worsening our global climate, such as illegal logging and gold mining.
Through supporting communities in turning to forest-friendly practices like ecotourism, sustainable use of forest products, and harvesting of Brazil nut, cacao, and Açaí, we help them gain an income that protects forests, not harms them.
Intact forests are one of the best ways to fight climate change.
Keeping large swaths of forests whole stops carbon from being released into the atmosphere, and increases oxygen production. We protect over 4 million acres of forests through our holistic conservation approach.
As the only organization supported by the European Union’s Euroclima+ program in South America, we are using our multi-country, boots-on-the-ground approach to develop models of forest management in Peru and Bolivia that facilitate climate change adaptation and mitigation for communities.
This innovative model will gather the science, research, and best practices in climate change and mitigation done to date and pilot adaptable sustainable livelihoods experiences that can be replicated around the world.
In 2019, we reported record high levels of gold mining deforestation in the southern Peruvian Amazon, with the Camanti area in the Cusco region representing one of the top three most threatened areas after La Pampa and Upper Malinowski. But this past week the protected area was officially established as the Camanti Sostenible Conservation Concession, […]
Apolo is the second largest municipality in the Bolivian department of La Paz and overlaps with nationally important protected areas, including the Madidi National Park (7,320 sq mi, 18,960 sq km) and Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve. Our sister organization on the ground in Bolivia has worked with this community since 2015 to protect critical water […]
Ruthmery Pillco, who leads field activities for our Andean Bear Conservation Project, was recently announced as one of fifteen Disney Conservation Heroes, recognized for their efforts to protect the planet. She joins a diverse global community of indigenous conservationists protecting critically endangered and threatened species such as Grauer’s gorillas, golden lion tamarin monkeys, and leatherback […]