Anja Bimmel, Author at Treesistance

2025: A year of implementation, integration, and scaling

Posted on december 29, 2025december 29, 2025 by Anja Bimmel

Tim and Dadá with the TI Rio Gregorio Guardians in July 2025.

Its been an intense but incredibly productive and rewarding year. We are proud to share the progress and impact of Treesistance’s efforts in 2025.

2025 marked a decisive shift for Treesistance, from building foundations to fully implementing, integrating, and scaling our solutions across the Amazon. As our organization continues to grow, this year was defined by strengthening the ecosystem that makes territorial protection possible: people, infrastructure, and long-term economic pathways.

These achievements belong to our Indigenous partners, whose dedication and commitment continue to inspire us. With special thanks to our longest-standing partners Cita, and to the many territorial defence groups, funding partners and wonderful individuals who made this work and impact possible.

Headlines

Waterguardians — Water Guardians from Marituba in front of their new speedboat.

We have Forest Guardians trained and operating in 13 Indigenous territories across 3 Brazilian States with over 1,000,000 Hectares of Rainforest and Cerrado under protection.

We launched Water Guardian groups in two Indigenous territories in the Lower Tapajós who protect over 168km of under threat coastline.

We have been selected by the UN as preferred partner and will be featured as their headline success story in the World Wildlife Crime Report 2026.

Our 500,000-euro Green Energy Fund created in partnership with Greenchoice has funded multiple community installations and a successful capacity building program with UFOPA (Federal University of Western Pará)

Dadá with Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the former Dutch Minister for State and Secretary General of NATO.

Launch of 3 economic development pilots. Including an innovative syntropic regenerative agriculture exchange program.

Supported the Caravana da Resposta (Answer Caravan) which brought over 300 Indigenous leaders to COP30 in Belem

Finished filming our latest short film ‘Surara’ which will be released in 2026

Dadá was recognised as the 5th winner and laureate of the acclaimed Prix Voltaire award for ‘Friendly Fights for Future Fundamentals’.

Launched Purpose. A functional Amazonian superfruit drink that will directly fund our guardian program

See the full: Impact Report 2025
We welcome any questions, ideas or suggestions you may have.

Surara (We are warriors) … Remember you don’t have to be in the forest to join the fight!

Groep Forest Guardians opgericht in Cobra Grande

Posted on augustus 10, 2024oktober 30, 2025 by Anja Bimmel

Successful formation new forest guardians group

This July we supported the successful formation of another group of forest guardians. The training involved 3 Indigenous groups: Arapiun, Jaraqui and Tapajo and was carried out in the Cobra Grande, meaning Big Snake, Indigenous Territory. The people of this area are faced with invaders interested in planting soybeans, raising cattle, illegally extracting timber, and engaging in predatory hunting and fishing. Now that the formation of a local group of forest guardians is complete, the Indigenous people in the area now have more tools and knowledge to protect their lands from illegal invaders.

Training new forest guardians

The training was led by the Treesistance Head of Forest Guardians program Chief Dadá Borari and selected members of the Maró Indigenous Territory and was made possible by the Dutch law firm Synergy Business Lawyers, who sponsored the formation. More than 50 individuals were successfully trained and are already working in the field.

The training included discussions on safe confrontation techniques, presentations on territorial defense and using technology in the field. Skills that are unfortunately a necessity in an area that has had a troubled history with non-indigenous people trying to exploit their land at the cost of the environment and the Indigenous People that try to defend it.

Group training forest guardians: using technology in the field.

Threats to the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory and People

The Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory is located in the municipality of Santarem, on the banks of the Arapiun River. This river springs from the Tapajos and Amazon river. For more than 20 years FUNAI (National Indian Foundation Brazil) has been working to demarcate the territory. Unfortunately due to circumstances like missing cartographic and land studies the process has taken longer than hoped. Due to this delay in demarcating their lands, the people of the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory are faced with numerous invaders. This caused many conflicts between indigenous and non-indigenous people. So much so that cases of violence and discrimination against indigenous people led the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office to request that an investigation be opened by the Federal Police.*

Another problem faced by the indigenous people, with the delay in demarcation, was the creation of an agro-extractive settlement by INCRA – National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform, which overlaps their lands. But thankfully that issue is resolved with the delimitation of the Cobra Grande TI, which has 8,906 hectares on the left bank of the lower course of the Arapiuns River.

*Update – On September 5th 2024, the Ministry of Justice signed a decree to formally recognize the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory

Welcome and specials thanks

We welcome the new group of forest guardians and wish them lots of strength and wisdom in the challenges that they face. Also we would like to give a special thanks to the Dutch law firm Synergy Business Lawyers for sponsoring this formation.

Formatie van Kumaruara Guardians

Posted on juni 5, 2024oktober 31, 2025 by Anja Bimmel

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.