
What's at Stake
Source of air, water, food, shelter, medicine: Forests are critical to the survival of every living thing on Earth. 1.6 billion people live near forests and depend on them to live. 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, nine forestry concessions safeguard around 353,000 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.
*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.


The World’s Best Forest Guardians: Indigenous Peoples

Community: The Secret to Stopping Deforestation in Guatemala

Our 360 Approach to Stopping Rainforest Destruction
All resources for Forests
Where Wildlife and Farming Thrive Together: A Photo Essay
Tea gardens are rich in biodiversity. Check out some of the beautiful images of wildlife that Sandeepan Bhattacharjee has captured while working on tea estates.
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.
Our Work to Prevent Forest Fires
Protecting forests is at the heart of the Rainforest Alliance’s mission, which is why our interventions work to prevent forest fires in precious tropical landscapes.
Stopping the Insect Apocalypse: Tips on How You Can Help Save Insects
Here are some things you can do in your daily life to support our many-legged friends.
Can a new triple alliance save rainforests from ruin?
Brazil, Indonesia, and DR Congo have now formed a tripartite alliance aimed at better preserving tropical rainforests amid the worsening global climate emergency.
Thriving Communities, Healthy Landscapes
We're helping more than two million farmers embrace more sustainable growing practices that can help build resilience to climate change and boost yields.