The Bezos Earth Fund has announced that it will allocate $50 million in grants to support conservation and sustainable development in the Amazon. The announcement was made in Brasília during a meeting involving Brazilian government leaders and representatives from the Council of the Global Environment Facility. Lauren Sánchez, Vice Chair of the Earth Fund, emphasized the critical importance of the Brazilian Amazon for the planet, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, stating that protecting the rainforest benefits both people and the environment.
The grants will assist local and international groups working on various initiatives in the Amazon, including the creation and management of protected areas and Indigenous territories, early detection and response to forest fires, supporting economic development and jobs based on forest resources, and building capacity for carbon markets.
Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, expressed the government’s priority of integrating socio-environmental protection and climate change mitigation into decision-making processes. Silva sees the Amazon as a valuable resource that can help Brazil attract investment, generate employment, and play a leading role in addressing the global climate crisis.
Cristián Samper, Managing Director and Leader of Nature Solutions at the Bezos Earth Fund, highlighted the Amazon’s significance for biodiversity, climate, and the millions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities who depend on it. The Bezos Earth Fund is committed to supporting Brazil in protecting this vital region while addressing the underlying causes of deforestation by finding alternative paths to prosperity for the Amazon’s inhabitants.
The Earth Fund has allocated $30.9 million to create over 8 million hectares of new protected and conserved areas in the Amazon, as well as improve the protection of 60 million hectares of tropical forests. The funding will support the designation and safeguarding of Indigenous territories such as Wayamu, Tumucumaque, Roraima, Rio Negro, and the Javari territories near Peru. Local and international organizations, including Nia Tero, the Rainforest Foundation Norway, Rainforest Trust, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, will collaborate with other local partners in this endeavor.
Given the approaching peak fire season in Brazil, the Earth Fund has granted $5 million to Re:wild, which will be distributed to more than 20 organizations across the nine Amazonian states. This funding will support fire prevention, monitoring, and preparedness through remote sensing, training forest guardians, providing firefighting equipment, and mobilizing fire crews to affected areas.
The protection of the Amazon requires the development of alternative pathways for prosperity, such as deriving greater value from healthy forests, implementing sustainable agricultural practices, expanding local bioeconomies, and strengthening economies throughout the region.
Recognizing the limited financial support that reaches Indigenous and local communities in climate and forest finance negotiations, the Earth Fund has granted $9.7 million to the Environmental Defense Fund, leading Brazilian NGOs, and Indigenous organizations. This funding will provide training, legal support, and logistical assistance to Indigenous and community leaders in two Brazilian states, enabling them to engage in and benefit from emerging carbon market opportunities.
To create a prosperous and sustainable Amazon, strong economies and employment opportunities based on healthy and biodiverse forests are essential. Therefore, the Earth Fund will grant $6 million to Instituto Clima e Sociedade (iCS) to establish a network of Brazilian economic researchers and analysts, particularly from universities and think tanks in the Amazon. This network will provide crucial research, data, and advice to government leaders, businesses, financial institutions, and civil society, facilitating the design of policies, investments, and businesses that support standing forests and provide economic opportunities for the Amazon’s population.