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OUR WO R K
THEMES
A MA ZON
Amazonia
The Amazon is the largest and most biodiverse rainforest,
represents 60% of the world’s rainforests, and is home to
over 305 Indigenous cultures, uncontacted tribes, and millions of plant and animal species. This region plays a crucial
role in global climate regulation, providing 20% of our fresh
water and 9% of our oxygen. However, since 1970, 22% of
the Amazon has been deforested, bringing the rainforest
dangerously close to its tipping point of 23%-25% deforestation.1 Once reached, the Amazon would undergo a “forest
dieback,” leading to 75% deserti昀椀cation. This dieback would
turn the most biodiverse forest, the largest living pharmacy
in the world, and one of our largest carbon sinks on the planet into a savannah.
The most recent Monitoring Andean Amazon Project study,
which tracked forest loss in the Amazon over 昀椀ve years,
1 Lovejoy, T. E., & Nobre, C. (2018). Amazon Tipping Point. Science Advances, 4(2).
shows that Indigenous territories had the lowest deforestation rate among protected and unprotected areas of the
Amazon. In addition to protecting and maintaining existing
standing forests, communities are also reforesting in their
communities and territories, supporting the regeneration of
this region.
Despite its critical importance, only $100 million is invested
annually in its conservation, a minuscule fraction of global
philanthropy despite the Amazon’s critical role in climate
stability and biodiversity. One Small Planet, along with
many growing partners globally, invests resources in
Indigenous communities in the Amazon to make
conservation efforts permanent while supporting
cultural restoration.
