The Brazilian Amazon is under imminent threat from profit-seeking outside interests that are destroying a vital ecosystem that is critical to maintaining the health of all life on Earth. Rare and endemic species are rapidly losing forests necessary for their survival. Likewise, traditional communities living on undesignated, unprotected public lands struggle against growing pressures.

Rainforest Trust and our partner, Instituto Internacional de Educação do Brasil, will protect 2,262,878 acres in the states of Amazonas and Pará in the Brazilian Amazon for species and people who make their homes here. This protection will be achieved through designations that legally recognize land tenure of traditional communities and their long-standing role in managing their lands.

Header photo credit: The Ariel Toucan, by Maarten Aeehandelaar

Save Imperiled Species

The proposed protected areas harbor many rare birds, including Wattled Curassow (EN), Ariel Toucan (EN), Eastern Red-necked Araçari (EN), Olive-winged Trumpeter (EN) and Black Rail (EN). The Giant Otter (EN) and the Black-faced Black Spider Monkey (EN) also inhabit this landscape.

Preserve Vital River Ecosystems

The proposed protected areas safeguard watersheds and rivers. Rivers are the highways of the Brazilian Amazon and are used by logging companies and illegal loggers to move timber to downriver ports. By helping local and Indigenous communities secure these lands around the rivers, these areas with low deforestation will be able to maintain their rich rainforest.

These territories play an important role in mitigating climate change both locally and globally. Their wetlands and forests store 648,507,695 metric tons of CO2 equivalents, an amount comparable to the emissions from nearly 73 billion gallons of gasoline consumed.