2019 marked an atypical year for the environment, presenting another challenge to SOS Amazônia. The levels of deforestation and wildfires increased considerably compared to 2018. The Amazon Forest lost 9,762 km² in area, corresponding to 1.4 million soccer fields or an area six times larger than the city of São Paulo. São Paulo, which saw darkness during the afternoon on August 19, was affected by the large quantity of biomass burned in the Amazon and Cerrado.
Our fight is unstoppable. Despite the environmental achievements accumulated during these three decades, we face a reality very similar to the one seen during the Empates, when only 3% of the Amazon Forest was legally protected. The peoples of the forest continue to be persecuted, and the Amazon—with 28.6% of its territory protected—continues to suffer human interference, especially from the expansion of extensive livestock farming, which prioritizes ‘development’ over environmental concerns.
As a consequence, humanity and all life on the planet are increasingly feeling the effects of human impact on the environment.
More than ever, we need to intensify our actions and continue advancing our journey to protect the Amazon, as well as supporting traditional populations. For this reason, we expanded our biodiversity conservation initiatives, as this is our mission.
Beyond the actions of the project Values of the Amazon (supported by the Amazon Fund), which was designed to generate income for the communities while keeping the forest standing through the enhancement of non-wood forest products, in 2019, we promoted:
We appreciate the support of our partners, collaborators, donors, and volunteers, as well as all the people who care for the well-being of the Amazon Forest. We are all grateful for standing with us in this fight, in this delicate scenario of attacks on environmental policies that Brazil currently faces.
Our gratitude to the SOS Amazônia team, who have been an important pillar in continuing our struggle. Our focus has always been the protection of biological diversity, to show that people and nature can live in harmony.
We wish you all happy holidays!
Our fight is unstoppable. Despite the environmental achievements accumulated during these three decades, we face a reality very similar to the one seen during the Empates, when only 3% of the Amazon Forest was legally protected. The peoples of the forest continue to be persecuted, and the Amazon—with 28.6% of its territory protected—continues to suffer human interference, especially from the expansion of extensive livestock farming, which prioritizes ‘development’ over environmental concerns.
As a consequence, humanity and all life on the planet are increasingly feeling the effects of human impact on the environment.
More than ever, we need to intensify our actions and continue advancing our journey to protect the Amazon, as well as supporting traditional populations. For this reason, we expanded our biodiversity conservation initiatives, as this is our mission.
Beyond the actions of the project Values of the Amazon (supported by the Amazon Fund), which was designed to generate income for the communities while keeping the forest standing through the enhancement of non-wood forest products, in 2019, we promoted:
- Amazon Firefighters (Brigadas Amazônia): Monitoring, combating, and awareness actions on fire activities in three municipalities in Acre: Marechal Thaumaturgo (in the Extractivist Reserve Alto Juruá), Feijó, and Tarauacá, along BR-364, including the Envira and Tarauacá rivers, through the project “Amazon Firefighters,” supported by WWF Brazil. Three teams received training in partnership with the Feijó Fire Department to act as firefighters in these regions. More than 300 areas were visited;
- Make Forest Flourish (Faça Florescer Floresta): Recovery of four hectares of soil coverage while generating ecological, social, and economic benefits, helping to reduce pressure on the forest and maintain biodiversity. The project “Make Forest Flourish” (Faça Florescer Floresta) benefits more than 30 families located in the municipalities of Tarauacá and Mancio Lima, Acre (especially in areas affected by wildfires), and Guajará, Amazonas. One of the highlighted actions is the implementation of Agroforestry Systems and forest restoration of spring areas. This is supported by Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics alongside spontaneous donations at doe.sosamazonia.org.br;
- Producing Rubber, Conserving Forest (Produzindo Borracha, Conservando Floresta): aims to amplify the production of wild rubber, generating work and income for extractivist families in the region of Vale do Juruá, Tarauacá/Envira, and Purus in Acre—especially for families living in remote areas with high social vulnerability. More than 200 families are now benefiting from the project conducted by SOS Amazônia in partnership with the shoe company VEJA Fair Trade and with the support of Partnerships for Forests (P4F).
We appreciate the support of our partners, collaborators, donors, and volunteers, as well as all the people who care for the well-being of the Amazon Forest. We are all grateful for standing with us in this fight, in this delicate scenario of attacks on environmental policies that Brazil currently faces.
Our gratitude to the SOS Amazônia team, who have been an important pillar in continuing our struggle. Our focus has always been the protection of biological diversity, to show that people and nature can live in harmony.
We wish you all happy holidays!