
What's at Stake
The vast continent of Asia contains an astonishing diversity of landscapes and distinct ethnic groups—as well as wildly divergent threats to its forests, people, and wildlife. Asia’s abundance of plant and animal species, as well as its wealth of indigenous knowledge, hangs in the balance.

Rapid forest loss
The world’s third largest tropical forest, after the Amazon and Congo rainforests, is in the archipelago of Indonesia. But forests here have been cleared at an alarming rate to make way for paper pulp and oil palm plantations. And every fall, fires set to clear forests for agricultural expansion rage, threatening not only precious forests and wildlife, but the communities in the region.
Our Impact
The Rainforest Alliance works across many commodities in Asia, from forestry to tea and coffee production. Despite centuries-old challenges in some countries, we’ve achieved substantive gains in livelihoods and the health of forests and biodiversity.
Better working conditions on certified tea estates
2X as likely to have access to maternity leave
on certified farms vs. noncertified farms*
In Tamil Nadu, India, a study of 300 farmworkers on seven Rainforest Alliance Certified tea estates and one noncertified estate found a significantly higher percentage of workers on certified estates had contracts and annual paid leave, sick leave, and maternity leave. Read the report
*Source: 2013. Assessing the poverty impact of sustainability standards: Indian tea. Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, London.
Decrease in deforestation and air pollution in Kalimantan, Indonesia
31% decrease in air pollution
on FSC certified forests in Kalimantan*
In Kalimantan, Indonesia, FSC® certification significantly reduced deforestation by five percentage points and air pollution by 31 percent, compared to the rates of control villages in noncertified logging concessions. Read the report
*Source: 2015. Social and Environmental Impacts of Forest Management Certification in Indonesia. PLoS ONE
Our Work: Asia
The Rainforest Alliance works with farm and forest communities across Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Myanmar, and China. While training and certification cannot solve entrenched poverty or systemic inequities, they are powerful tools for widespread, incremental improvement to the health of ecosystems and communities.


Sri Lankan Tea Farmers Fight Climate Change

Planting Cocoa, Growing Climate Resilience

Preparing Cocoa Farmers for Climate Change
All resources for Asia
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.
After Bloody Conflict, Indonesian Cocoa Farmers Work Together Toward Sustainability
Cocoa farmers in once-divided Poso, Indonesia, join forces to earn Rainforest Alliance certification.
Project Profile: Stopping Deforestation and Advancing Sustainability in West Kalimantan
Since 2018, the Rainforest Alliance has been working in the Sintang District of West Kalimantan to promote an Integrated Landscape Management approach around oil palm and natural rubber production.
An Indonesian Farmer Harnesses the Healing Power of Trees through Reforestation
Reforestation is at the heart of Eko Purnomowidi's work at Klasik Beans, a Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee cooperative he co-founded in West Java, Indonesia.
Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa
We work with almost one million cocoa farmers to build thriving livelihoods and climate resilience through certification and training.
Building Cocoa Ambassadors: A Case Study on Youth Capacity-Building in Jembrana, Indonesia
Like many other regions and sectors, there is a dearth of young farmers entering the cocoa value chain in Jembrana. Only 10% of the famers in Jembrana are youth. Many young students living in rural... View more