Save Riverine Forest in Brazilian Amazon from Mining and Deforestation
Support More Work Like ThisSupport More Work Like ThisRemote intact rainforest, rare aquatic species, and Indigenous livelihoods of the Putumayo–Içá River basin are being threatened by illegal mining, logging, and poaching.
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Species at Risk
Tucuxi River Dolphin (EN), Giant Otter (EN), Amazonian Manatee (VU), Yellow-spotted River Turtle (VU), Arapaima (DD)
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Carbon stored
210,715,812 mT*
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Amazon Conservation Team–Brazil and Wildlife Conservation Society–Brazil
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725,000 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
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Project Cost: $2,609,542
725,000
Remote intact rainforest, rare aquatic species, and Indigenous livelihoods of the Putumayo–Içá River basin are being threatened by illegal mining, logging, and poaching.
-
Species at Risk
Tucuxi River Dolphin (EN), Giant Otter (EN), Amazonian Manatee (VU), Yellow-spotted River Turtle (VU), Arapaima (DD)
-
Carbon stored
210,715,812 mT*
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Amazon Conservation Team–Brazil and Wildlife Conservation Society–Brazil
-
725,000 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
-
Project Cost: £2,071,065
725,000
The Arapaima can reach a length of
making it one of the world’s largest freshwater fish.
The Putumayo–Içá River flows through remote, intact rainforest of the ancestral territory of the Tikuna and Kokama People in the western Brazilian Amazon. These Indigenous Peoples have lived here for centuries, and their traditional knowledge, culture, and ways of living have kept forests standing and sustained healthy populations of fish and wildlife. This remote, highly biodiverse territory has not been mapped, and the Indigenous Peoples have no legal option to protect the ecosystems on which they depend. An increase in illegal gold mining and illegal, unregulated, and unsustainable logging and fishing are depleting and degrading forest resources.
Rainforest Trust will support our partners, Amazon Conservation Team–Brazil and Wildlife Conservation Society–Brazil, in securing approximately 725,000 acres of highly intact forest through Indigenous rights-based conservation. The project will be carried out in collaboration with four communities of Tikuna and Kokama people to obtain legal tenure of their ancestral territories and support them in strengthening their management and governance capacity. This project will produce detailed biological surveys and monitoring of the land and waters.
Header photo: Amazonian Manatee, by COULANGES
Explore the Brazilian Amazon
The project landscape, courtesy of WCS
Yellow-spotted River Turtle, by GM Jett
Tucuxi Dolphin, by Stephen Horvath/Flickr
Arapaima, locally known as Pirarucu, by Suriyachan
Ensure the survival of biodiversity and Indigenous livelihoods
The Arapaima, a very large freshwater fish locally known as the Pirarucu, depends on a free-flowing river, natural flooding of protected forests, and uncontaminated waters. It is an important food resource for Indigenous communities but highly coveted by outside poachers. Animal trafficking of turtle eggs to markets in cities has depleted the population of five species of turtle present in the area, including the Vulnerable Yellow-spotted River Turtle. Mammals within the project area include Endangered Giant Otter and Amazon River Dolphin as well as Vulnerable Amazonian Manatee and Lowland Tapir.
The proven approach of working with Indigenous Peoples to achieve shared conservation goals can save this biodiverse area while protecting collective land rights and forest-based ways of life. Once the Tikuna and Kokama territories are designated, any economic activity other than traditional Indigenous activities will be prohibited.
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Conservation work is critical, challenging, and can be costly. We work hard to ensure we raise only the funds needed for each project. In the rare case we raise more money than needed or a project comes in under budget, excess monies will be transferred to the Conservation Action Fund. This fund supports our important conservation work throughout the tropics.
Project Modifications
Rainforest Trust conducts extensive research and due diligence on each of the projects that we support, so that once a project is offered for public support we believe it will succeed. We work closely with our project implementers, offer support, and regularly monitor their progress. Given the nature of the work, projects may not progress exactly as intended and may be unable to meet all objectives. To respond dynamically to the needs of our project implementers and the realities of the landscapes in which they operate, Rainforest Trust expressly reserves the right to modify a project as it deems necessary, provided that donor intent is honored by ensuring that that the original project objectives are diligently pursued and that project funds continue to benefit the landscape and species identified in the project overview. Project modifications that we may need to make in certain circumstances include the specific project implementer, the size of the landscape to be protected, the type of protection to be afforded to the landscape, and the development of sustainability mechanisms.
Partnering to Save Rainforest
Our partners’ ability to work with their governments and build strong connections with local communities ensures the successful implementation of our projects.
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