Rainforest Partnership

Results: Forest and Biodiversity Conservation: Began the process of creating a protected area spanning 50,000 acres with the Amahuaca people in the Amazon on the Peru-Brazil border, while also creating a comprehensive natural resource management plan. Published Guides for Amphibian and Reptiles of Pampa Hermosa in Peru and distributed to local communities as well as two photo books covering different regions in Peru, in partnership with the National Park Service of Peru. Achieved official approval of the Regional Action Plan for the Yellow Tailed Monkey and the Nocturnal Andean Monkey in Amazonas to protect these two endangered species and their forest habitat across 13 protected areas. Completed a comprehensive diagnosis of research in Forestry, Flora and Fauna in the Amazonas Region in Peru, an area spanning 9.7 million acres, which will inform future conservation efforts as well management plans and conservation education. Capacity Building and Conservation Education: Through virtual workshops and innovative partnerships with the conservation group Red AMA, our teams began work with 10 communities to strengthen management of their protected areas, spanning 316,830 acres. Developed an immersive biodiversity conservation management course for the Regional Government of Ayacucho in Peru and trained 66 local and regional government officials and community leaders to enact long term conservation of the region. Our Peru team curated over 15 webinars on Facebook Live, engaging over 50,000 viewers during the pandemic with panels from scientists and national, regional and local governments. Mexico Impact Formed our first partnership in Mexico with Amigos de Sian Ka’an to conserve and better protect the Maya Forest and the 17 ecosystems coexisting within the state of Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula. Ecuador Impact Launched agroforestry and sustainable production projects with 70 indigenous women in the Ecuadorian Amazon across 6 communities to establish long-term and sustainable incomes. Global Reach RP created World Rainforest Day (WRD) on June 22nd, 2017- a collaborative effort to raise awareness and encourage action to save one of Earth’s most precious resources, our rainforests. In 2022, we convened over 75 partners and 9.9 million people across 6 continents. Launched Gen Z for the Trees, a youth-led initiative with a bold vision: zero-deforestation by 2030. The team has reached hundreds of young people, begun long-term work on corporate transparency, and established itself as a beacon of hope for the future of the world’s forests. Films for the Forest (F3), our international short film competition, went global in 2020. As a result of Covid-19-related shutdowns, we pivoted to being 100% virtual. We successfully live streamed films from 20 countries to an audience spanning 6 continents on Earth Day.

Target demographics: protect and regenerate tropical rainforests by working with rainforest communities to develop sustainable livelihoods and empower and respect both people and nature.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Conserve and better protect 1,161,851 acres of rainforests by partnering with 28 indigenous and many more local communities, and 3 regional governments in Peru - directly and indirectly impacting 550,612 people.

Geographic areas served: Peru and Ecuador

Programs: Tropical Andes (Cloud Forest Ecosystem) - To the north of Peru, an enormous forest covered by a blanket of clouds extends over around 900,000 acres - the Cordillera de Colán. Rainforest Partnership launched this project in 2021 to ensure long-term protection of the cloud forests and high biodiversity of the area. RP coordinated with 7 conservation units, which came together for the first time to develop the overall conservation strategy made up of four components: strengthening conservation management, conducting conservation research, supporting local sustainable agricultural production, and improving communications systems and environmental education. The project increased access to environmental education and awareness, sustainable economic options, and management tools that empower local communities to envision, plan, and implement their own projects and plans for the future of their communities and land. With expanding and replicable models, the project directly and indirectly impacted the over 68,000 people who live within the Cordillera de Colán. Lowland Amazon and Other Tropical Forest Systems - On August 8, one of Rainforest Partnership's Project Coordinators arrived at the community of Sani Isla, the first stop on a weeklong journey to five Kichwa communities along the Napo River. This day marked the beginning of the Women of the Rio Napo project, which brought together groups in these communities - led by women but inclusive of all who want to participate - to build sustainable enterprises that built economic security, community resilience, and community capacity to lead conservation of their forests. Building sustainable livelihoods has always been a central tenet of RP's 360 conservation model. The project expanded greatly: the communities began to work in agroforestry/sustainable production of rainforest products as well as sustainable fish farming, and over time the project created more income and stability. Sustainable livelihood projects are thus key to building a foundation for long term, effective forest protection, led by rainforest communities themselves. Global Engagement - Rainforest Partnership acts as a founder and convener of several global events and programs that activate a broad coalition of people for the protection of the world's tropical forests. These include: - World Rainforest Day (WRD), founded in 2017 by Rainforest Partnership, is an international day of celebration, with the mission of recognizing standing, healthy forests as one of the most powerful and cost-effective climate change mitigation tools we have - and creating a collective, global movement to protect and restore them. - Since its founding in 2010, Films for the Forest (F3) has engaged with filmmakers and global audiences across six continents. F3 is a space for impact driven stories to be amplified and impact filmmaking to be nourished. - Gen Z for the Trees (Z4T), RP's youth-led initiative with a bold vision of net-zero deforestation by 2030. The Z4T Team empowers activists to resist climate defeatism and showcase the impact youth can have in rainforest conservation. - Rainforest Academy, an unprecedented storehouse of knowledge about rainforests and rainforest protection through a comprehensive curriculum, trainings, short courses, podcasts, and research.