Our Mission to Protect the World’s Forests
We are working in 60+ countries to build sustainable, rural economies—a proven strategy to keep our forests standing.... Continue Reading
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What's at Stake
Forests are critical to every living thing on Earth. Not only do they give us clean air, shelter, and rain, they house 80 percent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. Alarmingly, humans have destroyed half of the world’s tropical forests and driven extinction rates up thousands of times higher than what is natural.
Climate & Nature
Forests are a powerful natural climate solution. As trees grow, they absorb and store carbon emissions, while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Conserving forests could cut an estimated 7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide each year—the equivalent of getting rid of every car on the planet.
Our Work: Forests & Biodiversity
Together with forest and farming communities, Indigenous leaders, companies, governments, and global citizens, the Rainforest Alliance works in 58 countries to promote more sustainable land management practices while cultivating thriving rural economies—the most widely proven strategy to restore biodiversity and keep our tropical forests standing.
The World’s Best Forest Guardians: Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples and local communities have an unsurpassed connection to the Earth's forests. ... Continue Reading
Community: The Secret to Stopping Deforestation in Guatemala
The forest concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve have boasted a near-zero deforestation rate for 20 years.... Continue Reading
Indonesian Coffee Farmers Help Conserve Biodiversity in Iconic National Park
We're training coffee farmers in the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park buffer zone to help them conserve biodiversity and improve their livelihoods.... Continue Reading
All resources for Forests & Biodiversity
Project Profile: Reduced Emissions from Avoided Deforestation in the Multiple Use Zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala (GuateCarbon)
Reduced Emissions from Avoided Deforestation in the Multiple Use Zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala... Continue Reading
What is Sustainable Forestry?
The only realistic way to conserve forests is to apply sustainable forest management practices.... Continue Reading
Project Profile: Achieving Conservation and Improving Livelihoods through the Sustainable Management of Community-Based Forest Operations in Cameroon
Thanks to the exceptional richness of its forest ecosystems, Cameroon occupies the fifth rank in Africa in terms of biodiversity.
Although overall deforestation rates in the region are still lower than those in parts of the Amazon and southeast Asia, they have accelerated over the past few years, driven by the establishment of large-scale agricultural and mining operations. With the aid of government agencies, large firms have been seizing swaths of land in forested areas that were traditionally...... Continue Reading
Project Profile: A Regional Focus on Sustainable Timber Management in the Congo Basin
Central Africa contains the second largest expanse of contiguous moist tropical forest of the world. It represents 70 percent of the African continent’s forest cover and constitutes a large portion of Africa’s biodiversity.
In the Congo Basin, forests are home to roughly 30 million people and support livelihoods for over 75 million people from more than 150 ethnic groups. In all of the six countries, forestry is a major economic sector, providing jobs and local subsistence from timber and...... Continue Reading
Conservation Superhero José Román Carrera
For José Román Carrera, protecting forests is a matter of life and death.... Continue Reading
Creating Economic Opportunities from Sustainable Forest Management in the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras
This case study chronicles work undertaken with the CAIFUL forestry cooperative, situated near the indigenous Miskitu community of Brus Laguna, in the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, in northeastern Honduras. Home to approximately 11,000 people, Brus Laguna is one of the country’s poorest municipalities, with an annual per capita income of US$1,090. The people who call […]