Categorie: events

Surara at Santiago Wild

Posted on by Elli

We are delighted to share that Surará – Spirit of Resistance has won the “Guardians in Action” category at the 2026 Santiago Wild Festival.

Directed by Lea Hejn, the film follows Chief Dadá Borari and tells the story of the Borarí people’s struggle to defend their ancestral territory in the Maró Indigenous Territory.

Set deep in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, the film unfolds through the voices of a chief, a teacher and a shaman. Combining re-enacted scenes with archival footage, it follows the Borarí Forest Guardians as they defend their territory against logging companies and work to keep the forest standing.

The film captures the emergence of an Indigenous-led resistance movement that has since contributed to the training of Forest Guardians across the Amazon Rainforest and Cerrado. It is both a tribute to the Borarí people’s resilience and a reflection on the power of Indigenous leadership in protecting forests and territories.

This territorial defence model will also be recognised by the United Nations as a headline success story in the 2026 World Wildlife Crime Report.

We are grateful to everyone who helped bring this story to life and honoured that it continues to reach new audiences.

You can watch the film trailer here. 

Treesistance Joins the IUCN

Posted on by Elli

Treesistance is now an IUCN member.

At its recent Council meeting, IUCN welcomed 48 new members, bringing the total number of member organisations to more than 1,500. Together with over 17,000 experts, IUCN is the global authority on nature and the measures needed to protect it.

Joining that community matters to us not for the credential, but for what it represents: Indigenous-led conservation being taken seriously at the highest levels.

The Forest Guardians of the Amazon have been demonstrating the value of this approach for years. Through territorial defence, community organisation and Indigenous leadership, they continue to protect forests and strengthen the resilience of their territories.

For Treesistance, this marks another step in helping to connect Indigenous-led solutions with wider conservation efforts and conversations around the world, while continuing to learn from and contribute to a growing global community working to protect nature.

Logistic Upgrades in Maró

Posted on by Anja Bimmel

In the Maró Indigenous Territory in the Brazilian Amazon, territorial protection depends on presence. Forest Guardians need to be able to move across large and often difficult terrain, respond to threats, reach remote areas, and maintain regular patrols throughout the territory. That is why practical logistic support can make an immediate difference.

Following conversations between Chief Dadá Borarí, Head of the Treesistance Forest Guardian Programme, Treesistance, and committed funders in Europe, resources were directed toward one of the clearest needs identified by the guardians themselves: improved mobility on the ground.

Through this support, motorbikes were purchased for the Maró Forest Guardians and are now being used on active patrols to help protect Indigenous land. Since then, Treesistance has also supported the purchase of a quad and additional bikes, further strengthening the guardians’ ability to move through the territory and coordinate their monitoring work.

These upgrades are simple, practical, and highly effective. They help guardians reach areas that would otherwise be difficult or time-consuming to access, improve response capacity, and support more consistent territorial monitoring.

The support also shows the value of direct connection between funders and the communities they are helping to resource. When needs are clearly identified by the community and funding can move efficiently toward those priorities, impact can happen quickly and visibly.

For the Maró Forest Guardians, these vehicles are not just equipment. They are part of a wider territorial protection system, supporting daily patrols, community-led monitoring, and the defence of land that has been protected by Indigenous communities for generations.

Treesistance’s role is to help ensure that Indigenous-led protection efforts receive the practical tools, infrastructure, and long-term support they need to continue.

2025: A Year of Impact

Posted on 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!

Regenerating Futures

Posted on by Elli

Treesistance is proud to join forces with Horta da Terra and CITA (the Indigenous Council of the Tapajós and Arapiun) in a co-created initiative focused on  syntropic regenerative  agriculture.

In October, over 20 Indigenous representatives from the Lower Tapajós gathered for a multi-day immersion at the Horta da Terra agroforest in Pará. This was more than a technical training — it was a regenerative cultural exchange, rooted in reciprocity, ancestral knowledge, and the shared goal of building climate-resilient food systems.

This collaboration recognises that Indigenous communities have long practiced sustainable land stewardship — transforming their territories into productive environments without harming nature. By combining ancestral wisdom with applied science and appropriate technologies, we believe it’s possible to scale ecosystemic food systems that serve both people and the planet.

As climate change accelerates and droughts deepen, these exchanges offer real alternatives, both to survive and regenerate.

Video filmed and edited by Vivi Borari.

 

Treesistance at COP30

Posted on by Elli


Treesistance at COP30: Centering Indigenous Leadership from Pará

As COP30 convenes in Belém, Pará — a historic milestone marking the first climate summit held within the Amazon. Treesistance stands firm in its belief that those who live in the forest must lead the conversations about its future.

In line with this principle, Treesistance will not send its own European delegation. Instead, all resources will be directed to ensuring our Indigenous partners from Pará can attend and represent their territories and communities through the Answer Caravan (Caravana da Resposta).

The Amazon is their home. Their lived experience and stewardship hold intrinsic value in shaping real and lasting climate solutions. We believe the time has come for global decision-makers to listen directly to Indigenous peoples — not for others to speak on their behalf… especially when standing on their lands.

Photo shows Treesistance’s Indigenous Relations Coordinator Vivi Borari with Davi Kopenawa in Belem.

Chief Dadá meets Pope Leo

Posted on by Elli

Earlier this month, Chief Dadá Borarí travelled to Castel Gandolfo, Italy, to participate in Pope Leo XIV’s Raising Hope Conference — a gathering focused on ecological justice, human dignity, and spiritual solidarity.

Chief Dadá, known globally for his leadership in the Amazon and as a key voice in the film The Letter, shared a powerful message rooted in Indigenous cosmology and resistance. As a symbolic act, he brought with him a small sample of water — representing the tears of the Earth, and what Pope Francis has called “the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor.”

At a key moment during the event, Dadá was the only participant who remained seated as the Pope entered the conference. This was not an act of disrespect — but one of deep principle. For Dadá, all beings are equal. His quiet gesture was a reminder that life, in all its forms, is sacred, and that true justice means honouring the Earth, the animals, and the people who defend them.

His presence at the conference was not only symbolic, but timely — reinforcing the role of Indigenous guardians in the global movement for ecological balance and justice.

As always, he brought more than words. He brought truth, courage, and the perspective of those who live in direct relationship with the forest — and defend it every day.

Frisdrank Purpose

Posted on by Elli

Introducing Purpose

We’re thrilled to announce a beautiful collaboration: the Purpose Drink, a non‑alcoholic, organic functional beverage created in partnership with De Frisdrankfabriek, is now supporting frontline Nature Defenders through Treesistance.

The world doesn’t need more products — it needs ones with purpose.

Purpose Drinks is born from that belief. Infused with select Amazonian super-fruits, it’s designed to lift your mood and nourish your body. And with every bottle sold, a portion goes directly to support Indigenous forest guardians working to protect the Amazon. What makes this partnership different is how seamlessly intention is built into every step — from sourcing to impact. Purpose Drinks is crafted with organic ingredients, ethical production, and a mission to support the forest guardians on the ground.

As Purpose Drinks begins to reach more hands and shelves, we invite you to be part of the journey. Whether it’s sharing the story, tasting the product, or supporting the cause — every action helps build a movement where wellbeing and justice go hand in hand.

Find your purpose — one sip at a time.

Read more at www.purposedrinks.com 

Follow on Instagram here

And place your order here

Nieuw partnerschap met Jacobs Futura

Posted on by Elli

Treesistance is proud to announce a new partnership with the Jacobs Foundation’s Futura Program, through their Rainforest Grants initiative. Together, we are working on An Indigenous Roadmap For Effective Forest Conservation in Brazil.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is not only one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time — it is also overwhelmingly illegal. Around 90% of forest loss happens outside the law, often in Indigenous territories that remain vast but under-protected. Yet most conservation efforts continue to treat it as a biological or social issue, overlooking a crucial truth: this is also a crime problem.

Treesistance is different. By applying crime science and situational crime prevention techniques, we work hand in hand with Indigenous communities to strengthen their ability to protect their territories. This approach doesn’t replace Indigenous knowledge — it complements and amplifies it, providing tools that guardians can use alongside generations of lived expertise.

Through this new partnership, Treesistance will collaborate with Indigenous territories across the Brazilian states of Pará, Amazonas, and Mato Grosso to protect more than one million hectares of primary rainforest and Cerrado. This includes the self-demarcation of five territories in the Lower Tapajós region of Pará, the development of access-to-justice strategies in TI Andirá-Marau (789,000 hectares) and TI Pimentel Barbosa (329,000 hectares), and the organisational strengthening of Indigenous leadership and coordination — foundations that are vital for the long-term success of each territory.

The Jacobs Foundation’s Futura Program contributes not only financial support, but also visibility and long-term partnership — helping to amplify Indigenous leadership and connect local guardians with international networks.

At its heart, this project is about amplifying Indigenous leadership. By ensuring that conservation strategies are guided by those who live in and depend on the forest, we not only protect territory — we build resilience, self-determination, and justice.

For Treesistance, this collaboration marks another step in scaling our model — linking grassroots defenders of the Amazon with global partners who share the vision of protecting forests not as commodities, but as living, breathing sources of life.

2 jaar Treesistance

Posted on by Elli

2 jaar Treesistance

Two years ago, Treesistance was created out of an urgent need: to stand beside Indigenous communities who face violence and threats every day for defending the Amazon. What began in 2023 as a small initiative has grown into a global movement rooted in solidarity, courage, and Indigenous leadership.

What makes Treesistance different is simple

It is Indigenous-led at its core. Forest guardians are not an “add-on” to conservation — they are the strategy. By putting their knowledge, their leadership, and their daily realities at the center, we ensure that protection of the Amazon is effective, just, and sustainable.

This approach is built on four strategic pillars:

Territorial defence — equipping forest guardians with the tools and training they need to patrol and protect their lands.

Monitoring and research — gathering data and evidence to confront environmental crime and support legal action.

Community empowerment — strengthening education, health, and local economies to build long-term resilience.

International solidarity — connecting Indigenous struggles in the Amazon with allies, funders, and movements around the world.

Two years in, this model is already proving its impact. Forest guardians in Maró are carrying out daily patrols, monitoring illegal logging with GPS cameras, and keeping their territory safe. Our track record includes training dozens of new guardians, building partnerships with universities and NGOs, and raising funds that directly support equipment, transport, and security for the defenders on the ground.

This work is resonating far beyond the Amazon. In June 2025, Chief Dadá Borarí became the first Indigenous laureate of the Prix Voltaire sustainability award, a moment of recognition that symbolised the courage of all those who continue to resist. At the same time, Treesistance has seen new founders, funders, and partners join us. They are inspired by the clarity of our mission: that forest protection must be Indigenous-led, and that solidarity is not a slogan but a practice.

Looking ahead, our focus is on scaling this model to new territories, building deeper alliances, and growing a support base that ensures guardians can continue their work with safety and dignity.

Two years of Treesistance have shown what is possible when Indigenous leadership is placed at the center. We are humbled by the resilience of the guardians and grateful for everyone who has walked with us on this path. This is only the beginning — and together, we will continue to resist.

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