Rainforest Foundation US

10/08/2026

This , put your donor-advised fund to work for rainforests. 🌳
A grant to Rainforest Foundation US supports Indigenous peoples and local communities working to protect their rights, territories, and some of the world’s m supports Indigenous peoples and local communities working to protect their rights, territories, and some of the world’s most critical rainforests .
If you have funds in a DAF, October 8 is a great moment to put them into action.

10/06/2026

📅 DAF Day is October 8! If you have a Donor-Advised Fund, this is the perfect opportunity to recommend a grant to Rainforest Foundation US and support Indigenous communities to protect their rainforests and our planet.

Join people across the US who are putting their charitable dollars to work on this national day of giving. With the year’s end approaching, now is the perfect moment to help protect rainforests across Central and South America 👉 https://secure.dafpay.com/donate/eea108b9-026b-4a5a-af15-e56679ad9f33

10/05/2026

📢 A new Indigenous forest monitoring hub has opened in the Peruvian Amazon.

In Matsés territory, a new monitoring hub is now up and running, supporting the work of more than 70 Indigenous monitors defending their territory from threats including deforestation, illegal mining, and drug trafficking.

The hub will serve as a satellite information center, helping monitors access and use timely data to identify threats and respond on the ground. It is also connected to the territorial information centers of ORPIO in Loreto and AIDESEP, strengthening the flow of information from communities to regional and national Indigenous organizations.

The hub was made possible with support from Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS) and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), working alongside ORPIO and AIDESEP.

Through our Rainforest Alert program, RFUS has now trained and financed more than 400 Indigenous forest monitors protecting 19.6 million acres across Brazil, Peru, Guyana, and Panama.

Another step toward putting technology, information, and resources directly in the hands of the communities protecting the Amazon. ✊

Learn more about Rainforest Alert here: https://rainforestfoundation.org/our-work/what-we-do/rainforest-alert/

Aidesep Pueblos Indígenas
Orpio

10/02/2026

This Sunday, Brazilians head to the polls for presidential and general elections, and the fate of the Amazon hangs in the balance.

A record 191 Indigenous candidates are on the ballot — more than double the number in 2014 and the highest ever registered in Brazil. Women account for 44% of the candidates, and close to half come from the Amazon region.

This record number reflects years of organizing by Brazil’s Indigenous movement, spearheaded by our partner, the Coalition of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB - Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil), and its regional organizations, to strengthen Indigenous participation in political spaces and bring priorities from the territories into national debate.

With Brazil choosing its next president and lawmakers, these elections carry profound stakes for the Amazon and the people who call it home. We’re watching with our hearts in our throats, and standing in solidarity with our partners. We hope these elections bring more Indigenous leaders into power and strengthen the political will to defend Indigenous rights and the forests that sustain us all.

Photo by Isis Medeiros/RFUS

09/29/2026

Last week, during Climate Week NYC, Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS) had the opportunity to co-host the event "Rights and Rainforests Are Climate Infrastructure," bringing supporters and allies together to rethink how we protect and invest in tropical forests.

We were honored to hear from long-time partners and allies including Jorge Perez Rubio, President of Aidesep Pueblos Indígenas; Cristina Coc, member of our Board of Directors and co-founder of the Maya Leaders Alliance; and Andrea Johnson of the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA). They shared their perspectives on where the movement needs to go and how we can better stand alongside Indigenous communities in defending their rights.

One message came through clearly: lasting change begins with listening, building trust, and recognizing Indigenous and local communities as leaders in rainforest protection.

For philanthropy, that means recognizing that new approaches are emerging and considering how funding can better support the communities protecting forests.

The conversation doesn’t end with Climate Week.

To learn more, check out our latest story from Executive Director Suzanne Pelletier, who draws on nearly four decades of work alongside Indigenous peoples to reflect on which approaches fall short, where to focus our efforts, and what we must build now so rainforests stand strong for generations (🔗 in comments).

09/22/2026

An Indigenous forest monitor receives a satellite alert showing possible deforestation within their territory. What happens next?

Turning that alert into action requires trained monitors, equipment, and a place to coordinate the response before more forest is lost.

Now, at the mouth of the Auaris River in northern Brazil, the Ye'kwana people have inaugurated a new hub to coordinate Indigenous-led monitoring in the region.

From here, monitors can combine satellite data, drone imagery, and field reports to investigate incursions, document environmental damage, and organize a response.

The hub is one of more than a dozen planned across strategic river basins in Yanomami territory, where illegal gold mining has devastated forests and waterways for decades and continues to threaten Indigenous communities.

This effort is led by the Associação Wanasseduume Ye'kwana (SEDUUME) and supported by Rainforest Foundation US, with funding from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and other allies, in collaboration with Hutukara Associação Yanomami, Urihi Associação Yanomami, and Instituto Socioambiental - ISA.

09/05/2026

This Amazon Rainforest Day — and International Day of Indigenous Women — meet the all-women Indigenous firefighting brigade of Roraima, Brazil. Fourteen women from five Indigenous territories, trained to fight and prevent fire, blending generations of traditional ecological knowledge with adaptation strategies for a changing climate.

Beyond fighting fires, the Pataxibas also organize community garden planting events, teach fire safety in schools, and mentor the next wave of young Indigenous leaders. Their work is proof of what sustained, Indigenous, and women-led investment in climate resilience can build across the Amazon and beyond.

Learn more here https://rainforestfoundation.org/women-indigenous-firefighting-team-in-the-brazilian-amazon/?segmentCode=FB00

08/26/2026

We have more tools than ever to help us combat deforestation, and they're most effective when they're in the hands of the people who know these forests best.

We're proud to see our work in Peru featured in this video from Mongabay.com and World Resources Institute (WRI) on the top tools to protect rainforests. It highlights how Indigenous-led forest protection, paired with monitoring tools like Global Nature Watch (which powers our Rainforest Alert program), is helping detect and stop tropical deforestation in real time.

📽️ Video excerpt from Mongabay.com's full feature, Top Tools to Protect Rainforests. All credits to Mongabay.

08/09/2026

📚 To mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, we've updated our annual reading list to feature some of our staff's favorite books by Indigenous authors from around the world. This year, we've expanded the list to 18 powerful titles.

Do you have a favorite book by an Indigenous author that isn't on our list? We'd love to hear your recommendation in the comments.

Read the full list 👇

Celebrate International Day of Indigenous Peoples by exploring 18 compelling books by Indigenous authors that inspire and educate. Compelling Books by Indigenous Authors.