Category: events

In December 2024, our final Forest Guardian training of the year was held in the community of Tucuma, located on the banks of the Arapiun River. This training brought together the Arapiun people and was led by Chief Dadá Borari, Head of the Treesistance Forest Guardian Program, along with members of the Maró guardian group.

Their mission: to empower the local community with the tools and knowledge needed to defend their territory.

The team, accompanied by representatives from CITA (Indigenous Council of the Tapajós and Arapiuns), provided a multi-day training program focused on combating forest crimes. Participants engaged in workshops covering a range of critical topics, including:

• Technology and Technical Training: Equipping the community with tools to monitor and report illegal activities.
• Map Creation Workshops: Developing accurate maps to better understand and protect their territory.
• Navigating Conflict Zones: Training on strategies to safely traverse and monitor contested areas.
• Safe Confrontation and De-escalation Techniques: In-depth discussions on addressing conflicts in a manner that prioritizes safety and resolution.

The program’s holistic approach ensured that participants not only gained technical skills but also developed the confidence to confront challenges in their region effectively.

This initiative was made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Koffels Solicitors & Barristers, an Australian law firm committed to supporting sustainable and indigenous-led conservation efforts.

As we conclude another impactful year, the Treesistance Forest Guardian Program remains steadfast in its commitment to preserving the Amazon and empowering its people. Together, we continue to build a future where communities thrive and the forests they call home are protected.

Launch of the TreeGreen Fund: Empowering Indigenous Amazon Communities with Sustainable Energy Solutions

As fuel costs soar across the Amazon, Indigenous communities face an ongoing struggle to meet basic energy needs, leaving them caught in cycles of poverty and vulnerable to exploitation. Long-term nature conservation in Indigenous territories is only sustainable if these communities gain access to reliable, affordable energy solutions. Recognizing this, Treesistance and Dutch energy provider Greenchoice have launched the TreeGreen Fund — a pioneering initiative aimed at addressing energy inequality and uplifting communities in the Brazilian Amazon.

With an initial €500,000 fund, the TreeGreen Fund is committed to delivering solutions that champion Indigenous-led nature conservation and territorial defence while supporting health, education, and sustainable economic growth. Core to the fund’s mission is community ownership and empowerment, embedding Indigenous representatives directly into its institutional framework and supporting skill-building initiatives. In collaboration with the Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA), a training and capacity-building program will equip communities to install, use, manage, and maintain critical energy infrastructure.

Additionally, the fund will operate through a revolving development fund managed by Impact Bank in Brazil, allowing Indigenous communities to sustain projects independently.

Programs under the TreeGreen Fund are comprehensive and geared toward essential community needs. These include:

• Territorial Defense: Energy solutions will power forest guardian outposts, communication systems to report forest crimes in real-time, and essential technology for monitoring and defense.
• Health and Logistics: The fund will support refrigeration for medicines and seasonal foods, provide solar-powered boats for transport, and enable water access and filtration systems to combat extreme drought conditions.
• Educational and Community Spaces: Schools, meeting points, and collective spaces will gain access to renewable energy, bolstering education and communal activities.
• Sustainable Economic Development: Energy will be channelled into projects that promote economic resilience and sustainability.

By providing reliable energy and fostering community-driven conservation, the TreeGreen Fund marks a crucial step toward both social equity and environmental stewardship in the Amazon. The fund’s vision goes beyond immediate support, aiming to strengthen Indigenous communities’ capacity for self-reliance while creating a sustainable pathway to conserve one of the planet’s most vital ecosystems.

We were honored to have been named a finalist in the Dutch SDG Awards. This recognition is a testament to the passion and commitment behind Treesistance’s efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest. Our mission — to combine indigenous knowledge with scientific innovation — reflects our deep belief in transforming how the world addresses forest crime and conservation.

The Dutch SDG Awards recognize organizations that are pioneering in creativity and innovation to drive social impact, especially in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. SDG Netherlands brings together individuals, organizations, and communities to work collectively toward a more sustainable and equitable future. The nomination, means being acknowledged for contributions that go beyond the ordinary, from environmental preservation to fostering global cooperation and meaningful change.

At the core of our work is empowering indigenous communities to protect their territories, and we are grateful for the strong partnerships we’ve built globally. This support goes beyond financial contributions, as it includes sharing knowledge, expertise, and standing together for a shared purpose.

This recognition inspires us to continue spreading our message to our community in the global north and to remind both the general public and business world….. that you don’t have to be in the forest to join the fight.

* Image shows Treesistance team members Jesse van ‘t Hull and Niek Oldenburg with friend of the organisation Meindert Brouwer. Read more here

In July 2024, Chief Dadá Borari, leader of the Treesistance Forest Guardians program, organized an important training session for the Munduruku Cara Preta and Maytapu communities in Pinhel and Escrivão. These communities, located on the banks of the Tapajós River in Aveiro, a municipality covering 17,158 km² and home to around 15,000 inhabitants, came together to strengthen their defense against external threats to their lands.

The training, attended by over 50 participants, focused on territorial defense, map creation, and fieldwork using mobile phones and GPS cameras. This initiative, supported by members of the Maró Indigenous Territory, is a critical step in safeguarding the region from illegal activities such as mining and deforestation, and large infrastructure projects like the BR-163 highway.

Historical Context: Fordlândia and the Tapajós River

Not far from these communities lies Fordlândia, a failed rubber plantation project funded by Henry Ford from 1927 to 1945. Though the project ultimately failed, it serves as a reminder of external attempts to industrialize the Amazon and the lasting pressures on the region’s natural resources.

A United Front for the Future

With the support of Treesistance, the Munduruku Cara Preta and Maytapu communities are enhancing their ability to protect their land and culture. This training marks a significant step in their ongoing efforts to preserve their territory for future generations, blending modern tools with their ancestral wisdom.

We are proud to announce that we were one of the 5 winners at the OceanLove Innovation Awards 2024 on June 20th, 2204 for our ‘Guardians of the Sacred Waters’ project in the Amazon.

Guardians of the Sacred Waters is a new Indigenous led protection and prevention model, coordinated between the European Crime prevention team and the leaders of the Lower Tapajos. The initiative is an expansion of a previous award winning pilot project on protecting the forests, which now aims to apply the tested approach to safeguarding the river ecosystem of the precious water territories in the Amazon. Using a blend of traditional wisdom and modern technology, they are taking a stand against water-based environmental crimes.

We’re delighted that we were able to successfully show the connection between forest, rivers, oceans and why they not just interconnected but actually interdependent.

Award announcement here

At the end of May, 2024, the head of the Treesistance forest guardian program Chief Dadá of TI Maró was invited by the Xavante leadership to discuss the forest protection and have an exchange about leadership, guardianship and education.

Dadá was invited by the Xavante leadership to discuss the forest protection and have an exchange about leadership, guardianship and education. The visit was facilitated by Marco van der Ree, Treesistence Strategic Advisor, and Frans Leeuwenberg who is a trusted partner of the Xavante and has been working with them for 35 years on sustainable wildlife management, food security, education and culture.  

The trio was joined by 20 Xavante leaders from 14 different villages. They participated in two long days under the mango trees in fruitful and deep conversations, the importance of integrating culture in the formal and traditional education system and how the culture relates to the territory, the land, the animals, and nature as a whole. The third day was spend travelling around the TI to get to know the terrain and the Eastern border.

The Xavante expressed how inspired they were from Dadás visit, as they have never received a leader from another Indigenous territory to share experiences in dealing with these most important issues of cultural and territorial preservation. It was a profoundly valuable exchange. 

It was obvious that the friendship built in this visit, is the beginning of a much longer journey where these two groups of Indigenous peoples will continue their exchange and mutual learning. We look forward to supporting the Xavante in forming their own groups of forest guardians to protect this incredibly important and strategically positioned territory from extractive industries. Watch this space…

After a successful training the Kumaruara people now have their own group of forest guardians. Thus ensuring their lands situated on the banks of the Tapajós river are patrolled and protected from illegal activities. Chief Dadá Borari (the Head of the Treesistance Forest Guardians program) led the training and this was made possible, thanks to the financial support of New York-based investigations company Illume Investigations.

In collaboration with the Mapirizinho Community, Chief Dadá and selected members of the Maró Indigenous Territory trained upwards of 20 individuals. The group of new forest guardians consists of men and women of all ages. During their lessons they learned the ins and outs of territorial defense. Secondly map creation and field work, using mobile phones and GPS cameras. And lastly safe confrontation techniques are discussed extensively during the training days. As this is a very important aspect of the work of forest guardians.

Kumaruara people: key players in regional Indigenous resistance

The Kumaruara people live on the banks of the Tapajos river and are overall known protagonists in the Indigenous resistance in the region. As they are resourceful and passionate in protecting Indigenous territories. One of their leaders actually hit headline news and went viral on social media by protesting a huge railroad. Leader Naldinho Kumaruara, from the Solimões village, painted the faces of the people present with annatto paint. Watch the the video of indigenous leader Naldinho Kumaruara. The railroad is planned to cross threw multiple Indigenous territories. If this plan succeeds, it will make it even easier to illegally extract and transport materials out of the area.

Legal protection of Indigenous lands

Additionally to actively protesting threats to the precious nature of the Amazon. The Kumaruara people also protect their lands and culture in different ways. For example they launched their Free, Prior and Informed consent (FPIC) consultation protocol. A very important legal right won by Indigenous peoples, that contributes to protecting their culture, customs and autonomy. With a FPIC governments cannot simply implement a policy or program on or concerning Indigenous Peoples’ lands. They first have to have the consent from the Indigenous community. This also includes any state policy or program, seeking to grant permission to a company to conduct any activity on such lands. 

Evidently the Kumaruara forest guardians group is a fantastic and essential addition to the existing multidisciplinary efforts. In order to protect the invaluable nature on their lands from illegal invaders and harmful activities.

Welcome and specials thanks

We welcome and thank the new group of forest guardians. Wishing them lots of strength and wisdom in the challenges that they face, in protecting a large and vital area of primary rainforest on behalf of us all. Also a special thanks to the New York-based investigations company Illume Investigations, for sponsoring this formation.

We celebrated our first birthday at Mandelahuisje, Amsterdam on May 24th, 2024 with As Karuana.

As Karuana are a collective of Indigenous women, musical group of artists from the Baixo-Tapajós region of the Amazon. The collective emerged in 2018 with the mission of echoing the voice of indigenous women to the world in in defence of rivers, forests and the rights of Indigenous peoples, as well as cultural resistance and the fight for good living. They are protagonists in the fight for climate justice in the territory through art and cultural expression.

Thank you to those who joined this special event and everyone who has supported, donated and collaborated with us over the last year.

With special thanks to our media production partner – BLUR