Day 12

150 m² of Amazon rainforest are protected in Brazil

The “green lung” of the earth is in danger The “green lung” of the earth is in danger

Protect the rainforest today, for a vibrant world tomorrow

The Huni Kuin, like many other indigenous people, are the guardians of the rainforest. A quote describes what the forest means to them. "We are the Huni Kuin, an indigenous people from the Acre region of Brazil. The rainforest is our home. Our whole being, our traditions and our culture are rooted in it. We protect and preserve it because it is the source of our life. Some of us live there in complete isolation. Others have contact with civilization. What is happening here in Brazil is not only changing our homeland. It is also changing our earth, the planet we live on. We are the first to feel this here and on our own bodies. This is a catastrophe. For us, for nature, and ultimately for you, on the other side of the world. It is not too late yet. The only way to protect our people and the forest is to buy our own land. We have already started doing this and we want to continue doing it." - Txana Bane, Huni Kuin Elder (2021)

Hajo Schumacher presents his favorite project in the video

need

Protected habitat in the Amazon for plants, animals and the indigenous Huni Kuin

activity

A local foundation buys several thousand hectares of rainforest to create a protected area

Measurable performance

For each good deed, 150 square meters, i.e. approx. 12 x 12 m of rainforest can be purchased and thus protected

Result

The Huni Kuin as guardians of the forest can expand their territory and the rainforest remains permanently legally protected

Systemically relevant impact

As a pioneering project, it is a model for other projects that aim to protect the rainforest from further deforestation and provide a habitat for indigenous people. The culture of the Huni Kuin and the biodiversity of the rainforest are secured in the long term.

background

The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest area on earth. Around 30% of the world's animals and plants live here (Butler, 2019). Jaguars, macaws, river dolphins and giant otters are just some of the species that live here. The Amazon also provides rain for large parts of South America and is one of the largest carbon stores in the world (Nobre & Fabrício Neto, 2021). But the "green lung" of our planet is under threat. Most of the Amazon is in Brazil. The government tolerates the exploitation of the rainforest by the mining, timber and agricultural industries (SZ, 2022). Indigenous societies have defended this habitat for centuries. One of the peoples who have particularly protected their culture and the forest is the Huni Kuin. On international stages such as the climate summit, indigenous peoples are fighting against the destruction. Nevertheless, their homeland, the Amazon rainforest, continues to be destroyed. Many of the products for which the rainforest was cleared are also exported to the EU. In particular, soy, which is used here as animal feed, but also illegally logged wood and gold from illegal mines (Fatheuer, 2020). The consequences: forest fires are becoming more and more frequent, animal species are becoming extinct, extreme weather is becoming more frequent and the global climate is warming. (Greenpeace, 2022). Supporting indigenous people in the Amazon is therefore also important for us in Europe. Studies show that the Amazon rainforest is much better protected in indigenous areas than outside these territories (FILAC, 2021). Indigenous areas are therefore particularly important for the protection of this unique ecosystem and the people, animals and plants that live there.

The good deed

The most effective and safest way to protect the Huni Kuin and the rainforest is to buy your own land. With your good deed, you will permanently protect 150 m2 of untouched Amazon rainforest from deforestation. The total area of the reserve is 168 square kilometers - about a fifth of the area of Berlin. The land is located in the Brazilian state of Acre, on the border with Peru. It directly borders the official territory of the Huni Kuin, thus expanding it. The reserve will also offer protection to Huni Kuin groups in the region who have not yet been contacted. The purchased land will become a reserve for the Huni Kuin, in which the forest and wild animal populations will be permanently protected. The land will be managed by the Huni Kuin themselves so that they can maintain their culture and way of life with dignity.