Every minute, we lose rainforest land equivalent to 10 football (soccer) fields. That's not a typo — in the time it takes to read this article, hundreds of acres of precious forest will vanish.
It's a crisis that threatens our planet's future. But here's the good news: we already know how to save our forests. And it starts with supporting the Indigenous peoples who have protected forests for generations. Although they make up just 6% of the world's population, they protect an incredible 80% of Earth's remaining biodiversity.
As we approach a crucial climate meeting in Brazil in November 2025 (COP30 — that's the 30th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference), Indigenous leadership could transform how we protect our rainforests. This meeting marks ten years since the world’s nations first collectively promised to fight climate change in the Paris Agreement.
Now it’s time to turn promises into action. That’s why Global Citizen has launched our biggest campaign yet to Defend the Planet and invest in Indigenous-led climate solutions. Keep reading to find out more about Protect the Amazon: Take Action Now, and how you can help end deforestation, stop the use of fossil fuels, and support communities hardest hit by the climate crisis.
Decreasing Deforestation in the World’s Largest Rainforest — the Amazon
The world’s rainforests are crucial in the fight against climate change: They store enormous amounts of carbon, moderate temperatures, and help regulate global climate patterns. The largest rainforest on earth is the Amazon river basin, which is part of eight different South American countries plus French Guiana (an overseas territory of France).
The deforestation rates in Brazil, which is home to nearly 60% of the Amazonian rainforest, just dropped by over 30% as compared to the previous year — hitting a nine-year low. Although the global rate of deforestation has slowed over the last three decades, the current pace still directly impacts the world’s ability to fight the climate crisis. But there’s hope: Indigenous-managed lands have lower rates of deforestation, and in some places, are even managed better than areas officially protected by a country’s government.
Protecting Rainforests Creates Jobs
Saving rainforests doesn’t just help the climate crisis — it can also create jobs and financial support for forest communities. For example, the Brazilian government's Amazon Region Protected Areas program, launched in 2002, has turned forest protection, conservation, and sustainable forestry work into job opportunities. In 2023, Brazil revitalized its ambitious PPCDAm plan targeting deforestation in the Amazon by coordinating across ministries to promote local, forest-friendly livelihoods. Indigenous rangers now patrol their territories using a powerful combination of ancestral knowledge and modern technology — smartphones connected to satellite monitoring systems help them spot and stop illegal logging before it spreads.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has accelerated this progress, recognizing 13 new Indigenous territories since taking office. This legal protection allows even more communities to manage their ancestral lands sustainably while creating jobs in conservation, eco-tourism, and forest-friendly enterprises. Former loggers are finding new careers as eco-tourism guides, proving that protecting the Amazon can provide more sustainable livelihoods than destroying it.
Why Indigenous Leadership Matters
Many Indigenous communities have lived with these forests for generations. Their knowledge, passed down through centuries, helps them spot threats to the forest that satellites might miss.
"We are the only people on this planet who still speak the language of the water, the earth, the air, the stars, the water, the animals, the forest and all the Creation of the planet," explains Chief Nixiwaka Yawanawá from the Brazil-Peru border region.
This deep connection allows them to lead innovative conservation approaches — as forest monitors, sustainable agriculture experts, and eco-tourism leaders. These initiatives create meaningful employment while at the same time preserving ecosystems crucial in the fight against climate change.
But They Need Our Support
Despite their success, Indigenous communities around the world face serious obstacles. Many lack legal rights to their ancestral territories. Globally, 60% of their lands are threatened by oil and gas production, mining, commercial agriculture, and urbanization, as well as illegal logging. They are also nearly three times as likely to live in extreme poverty, and they receive less than 1% of the global financing contributed by wealthier nations to fight the climate crisis.
A key way to save our rainforests is to support the people who protect them. Here's how you can help:
- Check your shopping cart: Many everyday products are linked to deforestation. Look for certifications that guarantee sustainable, Indigenous-supporting production.
- Raise your voice: Tell your representatives you want stronger forest protection laws and increased climate finance specifically for the world’s most vulnerable communities.
- Support Indigenous-led organizations: They're on the frontlines of forest protection, but they need resources to continue their work.
- Join Global Citizen's campaigns: Together, we can pressure world leaders to increase funding for forest protection and Indigenous rights.
Protect the Amazon and the Road to Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia
As we approach COP30 in Belém, Brazil, we have a unique opportunity to transform how we protect tropical forests. One of the main goals of Protect the Amazon: Take Action Now is to raise $1 billion to protect the Amazon rainforest and support similar efforts worldwide.
Additionally, Global Citizen will be in Belém holding the first ever impact concert in the Amazon. The Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia will spotlight Indigenous leaders and champion the individuals and governments ending deforestation.
But this isn't just about saving trees. When we invest in forest communities, everyone wins, and the future of our rainforests depends on all of us working together.
Ready to take action? Join Global Citizen's campaign to protect our rainforests and support Indigenous communities. Together, we can ensure these vital ecosystems survive for generations to come.