Rainforest Rescue

20/03/2026

: On the shores of Lake Victoria, a small forest held its ground. Kitubulu – 80 hectares, quietly filtering water, sheltering wildlife – was weeks away from bulldozers. Then our partner FEM EARTH intervened.

A protected forest near Lake Victoria was set to be cleared for offices and a shopping mall. After sustained pressure from civil society, Uganda’s president has ordered the cancellation of all land titles in the Kitubulu Forest Reserve.

31/01/2026

Many activists face lawsuits just for speaking up. We’ve been there. That’s why we’re calling for anti‑SLAPP laws with real teeth.

Across Europe, activists are being intimidated, threatened, and sued simply for speaking out against wrongdoing. A new study on intimidation lawsuits reveals that Germany is among the countries with the highest number of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). Our petition is urgen...

27/01/2026

Illegal loggers return to Nigeria’s Ekuri forest – while police arrest its defender, Martins Egot. President Tinubu’s timber export ban promised to protect rainforests, yet local enforcement tells another story. Machines are cutting again under police watch.

President Bola Tinubu has banned timber exports to protect forests – yet rainforest defender Martins Egot has been arrested, accused of inciting young people to violence. The activists had stopped machinery belonging to the logging company Ezemac as it entered the Ekuri Community Forest. The case ...

26/01/2026

: Indonesia shuts down 28 destructive companies in Sumatra – including Toba Pulp Lestari and the Batang Toru dam. This decisive step comes after Cyclone Senyar exposed how deforestation fuels disaster. It’s a milestone for people, forests and justice.�

Two months after Cyclone Senyar hit Sumatra, permits for the dam and hydropower plant in the Batang Toru forest have been revoked with immediate effect. The Martabe gold mine, the pulp company Toba Pulp Lestari, and 25 other firms must also shut down. The Indonesian Secretary of State announced the....

20/01/2026

Nigeria’s forests cannot wait – the new timber export ban will only matter if it is enforced on the ground. Illegal loggers still load trucks in broad daylight while forest communities watch their land disappear. Tell President Tinubu, state governors and enforcement agencies: turn this ban into real protection for forests and people. ✍️ https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/petitions/1318/nigeria-s-forests-cannot-wait-enforce-the-timber-export-ban-now?t=30082

Gorillas, chimpanzees, and elephants – Nigeria’s jungles shelter some of the world’s most iconic and endangered species. Yet the forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. President Tinubu has now banned the export of wood and related products. This marks a policy milestone, but its succ...

13/01/2026

Please SIGN: Half of Chiapas’ forests are gone – and illegal logging continues. The loss threatens biodiversity, clean water, and local livelihoods. Tell Mexico’s government to enforce the law and protect what remains. ✍️

The forests of Mexico’s Chiapas state are among the most biodiverse on Earth, yet they face grave danger: Nearly half have already been illegally logged for timber. Please support the campaign of our partner organization, Otros Mundos Chiapas, to stop the destruction by signing our petition.

02/01/2026

A dusty forest road in Cross River State. A community‑approved checkpoint built to stop illegal logging. Then the police arrive. Our Nigerian partner Odey Oyama and his team are arrested and falsely accused of “conspiracy” and “inciting conflict between local communities”. What they truly threatened was not peace, but the profits of criminal logging networks and their allies. Instead of breaking him, that day strengthened Odey’s resolve.

Odey Oyama is one of Nigeria's leading rainforest environmentalists. Director of the Rainforest Resource Development Centre (RRDC), Oyama has been our partner for nine years. In this interview – shortened for publication in Regenwald Report, our German print magazine – he shares his recent exper...

24/11/2025

Please SIGN: 240 NGOs, Indigenous peoples and grassroots movements are uniting against the . Together we say: our forests are not for speculation, our lives are not collateral. Stand with this global alliance.

The COP30 World Climate Conference in Brazil saw the launch of the new Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) to finance conservation. Yet instead of addressing the causes of deforestation, the TFFF is turning rainforest protection into a financial product: While investors profit, Indigenous fores...

23/11/2025

Our partners in tell their stories: In Maranhão, drones and planes douse villages, crops and water with pesticides so agribusiness can seize land. Communities call it chemical warfare.

Guadalupe Rodríguez, Felipe Duran and Klaus Schenck are in Brazil on behalf of Rainforest Rescue to touch base with our partner organizations. Here is their report on the visits in the state of Maranhão. The final stop on their journey will be the the Peoples’ Summit, which will take place along...

15/11/2025

Making our voices heard in Belém at !

15/11/2025

is on the ground in Belém at the Global Climate March as over 40,000 people speak out for forests, climate justice, and Indigenous rights at . We're standing in solidarity and calling for real action!

While lobbyists push agendas inside the talks, the streets outside echo with a demand to protect forests, defend rights, stop deforestation, and fund climate justice.

26/10/2025

Please SIGN: Violence in eastern is a disaster for the forest and human rights. Neighboring is driving mining. Tell the to end its partnership with Rwanda on critical raw materials! https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/petitions/1300/drc-europes-green-transition-must-not-cost-congos-blood-and-forests?t=25248

The violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo is not only a humanitarian catastrophe but also an environmental disaster. The exploitation of mineral resources and forests driven by neighboring Rwanda plays a significant role in this issue. The EU must end its partnership with Rwanda on critical r...