Where We Work

South America

Where we work: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

Background

Think "rainforest," and in most people's minds, the word immediately conjures up the region surrounding the Amazon River -- the world's largest rainforest, whose great biodiversity encompasses a wealth of plant and animal species. South America boasts other natural wonders as well, including the Andes Mountains and the Galapagos Islands. And the continent's many natural resources, such as Colombian coffee and Ecuadorian cocoa, enjoy worldwide popularity.

But environmentally destructive agricultural and forestry practices have led to the decimation of large sections of the Amazon rainforest and threatened ecosystems around the continent, while the growing number of tourists visiting the Amazon, the Galapagos and other landmarks are straining South America's water resources, adding to pollution and -- due to the construction of new hotels and other tourist facilities -- displacing local residents and wildlife.

Our Work

Much of our work in South America is focused on the Amazon Basin -- the source of the river, whose watershed is in the foothills of the Andes.

As a member of the Initiative for the Conservation of the Andean Amazon (ICAA), a multinational program funded by the United States Agency for International Development, the Rainforest Alliance is working to help farmers, foresters and tourism entrepreneurs in the Amazon improve their livelihoods while reducing the environmental degradation of the rainforest.

The Rainforest Alliance works with farmers so that they can earn certification to the standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), a coalition of leading conservation groups -- including Ecuador's Conservación y Desarrollo (CyD) and Colombia's Fundación Natura, both ICAA members -- for which we serve as coordinator. These standards cover social and environmental criteria including water, energy and ecosystem conservation, wildlife protection, fair and humane treatment of workers and good community relations.

In Ecuador, whose native cocoa beans are used to make some of the world's finest-tasting chocolate, the Rainforest Alliance and CyD have helped cocoa farmers earn certification to the SAN standards.

In Colombia, one of the largest producers of coffee in the world, the Rainforest Alliance and Fundación Natura have joined the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia to help coffee farms earn certification.

In Argentina, a country that exports around 110 million tons of tea each year, the Rainforest Alliance and IMAFLORA have helped nearly 200 small tea farmers earn certification.

In Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, we are helping forestry businesses earn certification by meeting the standards of our associated organization, the Forest Stewardship Council. Certified forestry operations take steps to harvest trees responsibly in order to protect animal habitat and conserve the biodiversity of the region's ecosystem. In this way, a growing number of forests are being protected from the damage that illegal logging and deforestation have caused throughout much of the Amazon.

The Rainforest Alliance is also making it easier for communities in the Brazilian Amazon -- such as the indigenous Kayapó people, who sustainably harvest Brazil nuts -- to sell non-timber forest products such as nuts, fruits, gums and resins.

Other regions in South America have benefited from our work. A large area of Brazil's Atlantic Forest, one of the world's most biodiverse -- and endangered -- forest tracts, is being reforested and protected as part of an agreement brokered by the Rainforest Alliance and organizers of the Transat Jacques Vabre yacht race.

In the Galapagos, we helped CyD develop the Smart Voyager program, which promotes sustainable tourism practices.

And to help tourists interested in sustainable excursions in South America and elsewhere, we have compiled two useful tools: Sustainable Trips for a Better Future and the Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism.