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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.
What's at Stake
Source of air, water, food, shelter, medicine: Forests are critical to the survival of every living thing on Earth. They also provide livelihoods for 1.6 billion people. Yet, alarmingly, deforestation rates are accelerating—triggering a global chain reaction of increased greenhouse gas emissions, rising temperatures, and devastating forest fires.
Trees: Our Best Defense Against Climate Change
Forests are a powerful natural climate solution. As they grow, trees absorb carbon emissions, converting them into clean oxygen. In fact, 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 Impact
The Rainforest Alliance has developed innovative, farm and landscape-level strategies to tackle tropical deforestation—a proven, 360-degree approach that addresses not only immediate environmental threats, but also the underlying economic pressures that contribute to them.
Strong Forests
0.4% deforestation rate
in the forest concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala*
In Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve, 11 forestry concessions safeguard around 500,000 hectares of the largest and most important tropical forest north of the Amazon. These community-run concessions have boasted a near-zero deforestation rate since 2004—a remarkable feat given that adjacent areas suffer some of the highest deforestation rates in the Americas.
*11 community forestry concessions in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve have demonstrated a near-zero deforestation rate, since data collection began in 2000. Data accurate as of December 2019.
Our Crisis Mobilization to the Amazon Fires
USD $1.2 million
raised in emergency funds*
Following the catastrophic fires that engulfed the Amazon in 2019, we raised more than US $1.2 million to help scale up the crisis mobilization of frontline organizations across the region—including essential fire-combat equipment for community fire brigades, and efforts to tackle the root cause of the fires: deforestation.
*Data accurate as of May 2020
Our Work: Forests
Together with forest and farming communities, Indigenous leaders, companies, governments, and global citizens, the Rainforest Alliance works in 70 countries to promote more sustainable land management practices and cultivate thriving rural economies—the most widely proven strategy to keep our tropical forests standing.
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Why Our Forests Are Burning
The answer is complex, but at the root of it all: a destructive combination of climate change and reckless land use.
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Our 360 Approach to Stopping Rainforest Destruction
Our proven approach to protecting forests puts communities and livelihoods first.
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Community: The Secret to Stopping Deforestation in Guatemala
Learn how communities have achieved a near-zero deforestation rate for the last 14 years.
All resources for Forests
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White Paper
Agroforestry – Resilient Land Use through More Holistic Production Systems
Meeting the demand for agricultural commodities—while conserving biodiversity, and mitigating and adapting to climate change—is a major challenge of this century. The Rainforest Alliance believes that
View: Agroforestry – Resilient Land Use through More Holistic Production Systems
Topics: Insights
Media Coverage
What can world leaders do to make COP26 deforestation pledge a success?
Global leaders who have pledged to halt deforestation by 2030 must move quickly to strengthen forest protection laws, line up funding, and include Indigenous people in conservation efforts to have the best chance of success.
One-sheets
Institutional Capacities in Latin America
Working across Latin America’s most significant natural landscapes—from the South American Amazon rainforest to the Mayan jungle which extends through Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize—the Rainforest
View: Institutional Capacities in Latin America
Media Coverage
‘Collaboration is key’ to address big environmental challenges, says Daniel Katz
Daniel Katz, board chair at Rainforest Alliance, explains about the trends and obstacles in the conservation sector and the importance of collaboration.
Media Coverage
What are nature-based solutions and how can they be harnessed to tackle climate change?
Santiago Gowland, Chief Executive Officer at Rainforest Alliance, describes why nature-based solutions are so important, what is needed to scale them up, and how can policymakers make the most of them.
Project Profile: Stopping deforestation and improving livelihoods with community forestry in the Congo Basin
Sitting in the heart of the Congo Basin, the 36,000 square kilometer Salonga National Park (SNP) is the largest protected area of dense rainforest on the African continent.[Read more...]
Topics: In the Field
