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.
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What's at Stake
Forests are critical to every living thing on Earth. Not only do they give us clean air, shelter, and rain, they house 80 percent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. Alarmingly, humans have destroyed half of the world’s tropical forests and driven extinction rates up thousands of times higher than what is natural.
Climate & Nature
Forests are a powerful natural climate solution. As trees grow, they absorb and store carbon emissions, while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. 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
Strong Forests
0.4% deforestation rate
in the forest concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala*
In Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve, twelve community forestry concessions safeguard around 417,269 hectares of the largest and most important tropical forest north of the Amazon. These community-run concessions boast a near-zero deforestation rate—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.
Thriving Biodiversity
45,000 trees
80 elephant-friendly farms*
From 2020 through 2021, farmers we work with in the buffer zone of Indonesia’s Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park planted 45,000 trees in the area directly bordering the park. In addition, we identified 80 farms that sit in a wildlife corridor used by the critically endangered Sumatran elephant. We supported these farmers in planting species that suit the elephants’ diet.
*Data accurate as of December 2022
Our Work: Forests & Biodiversity
Together with forest and farming communities, Indigenous leaders, companies, governments, and global citizens, the Rainforest Alliance works in 58 countries to promote more sustainable land management practices while cultivating thriving rural economies—the most widely proven strategy to restore biodiversity and keep our tropical forests standing.
The World’s Best Forest Guardians: Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples and local communities have an unsurpassed connection to the Earth's forests.
Community: The Secret to Stopping Deforestation in Guatemala
The forest concessions of the Maya Biosphere Reserve have boasted a near-zero deforestation rate for 20 years.
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.
All resources for Forests & Biodiversity
The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Accelerating Global Deforestation
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated communities around the world. But it has also brought some short-lived environmental benefits. But what about forests? Have they flourished? Unfortunately not. It looks like deforestation is accelerating in 2020.
How Has Thirty Years of Logging Saved the Rainforest in Guatemala?
In the heart of Central America’s most populated country, Guatemala, lies one of the most important spaces in the world for biodiversity: the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
How Do You Save the Rainforests? Britain Has a New Idea
They are essential to our survival as a species. But every year, millions of acres of rainforest are destroyed to make way for industrial agriculture.
Coconut and Palm Oil Industries at Loggerheads over Environmental Impact
The palm oil industry has received international negative attention in recent years for clearing biodiversity-rich tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia in its production process.
Advances for People and Nature in Our Certification Program
Our best hope for a better world is to embrace sustainability and build resilience on a massive scale.... Continue Reading
Amazon Rainforest Could ‘Collapse’ as 2020 Fires Set to Be Most Devastating Yet
Environmentalists are increasingly concerned that fires in the Amazon are growing at an alarming rate – risking the ‘collapse’ of the world’s largest rainforest.