The World’s Best Forest Guardians: Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples and local communities have an unsurpassed connection to the Earth's forests.
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Indigenous people have lived from the forest since time immemorial, using its resources sparingly and carefully so that it might continue to produce its riches. What the Rainforest Alliance brings to this age-old model are the tools and support to make it economically viable in today’s world. We connect local and indigenous communities with markets, provide technical and business support, and work to improve human well-being—all while conserving the forest.
This page features information about the Rainforest Alliance's work to promote community forestry and links to all our related content and resources.
Working with forest communities, governments, companies, and civil society organizations, we promote more sustainable forest management practices throughout the tropics. We provide training, tools, and knowledge to communities; promote youth inclusion and gender equality; work to increase forest cover, biodiversity, and carbon capture; promote secured rights to forests; and provide access to alliances, finance, and markets, so that forest communities—and forests—may thrive.
This paper outlines our principles and strategies for stopping forest degradation and supporting forest communities in vulnerable tropical regions.
Our Kleinhans Fellowship supports research that seeks solutions to the challenges faced by the community forestry model.
Our Forest Allies initiative leverages the enormous power of our partnerships to support forest communities as they address the climate crisis and combat deforestation.
This paper summarizes our lessons learnt from twenty years of global experience in community forestry.
Indigenous peoples and local communities have an unsurpassed connection to the Earth's forests.
The forest concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve have boasted a near-zero deforestation rate for 20 years.
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.
We are working to grow Mexico’s domestic market for sustainably produced products.
Assessment of the conservation status of big-leaf mahogany, Spanish cedar, and three lesser-known timber species populations in the forestry concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Petén, Guatemala Ensuring the sustainability of forest harvesting is a cornerstone for developing competitive community forest enterprises (CFEs). Without continued availability of the forest products upon which an enterprise relies, […]
Conserving forests in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru... Continue Reading
Reduced Emissions from Avoided Deforestation in the Multiple Use Zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala... Continue Reading
The only realistic way to conserve forests is to apply sustainable forest management practices.... Continue Reading
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
The people of Madre de Dios are sustainably managing more than 197,000 acres (80,000 hectares) of forest.... Continue Reading