The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

No one’s survival is more intimately linked to the lands and waters of the Amazon rainforest than the indigenous people who have lived there for thousands of years.

Today, indigenous lands occupy more than 20 percent of the Amazon Basin, an area the size of California, Arizona, Florida, New York and Texas combined.

Recognizing the important role of indigenous lands in conservation, the Conservancy has placed them at the heart of our strategies for conserving the entire Amazon Basin.

What we are doing

• Training young leaders: empowering indigenous youth with the skills to manage their lands.
• Working with communities: developing community-based natural resources management and planning.
• Strengthening local organizations: developing capacity and providing technical assistance for planning.

The Conservancy also works with indigenous communities in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, among other countries around the globe.