Costa Rica Gathering 2025: Honoring 30 Years and Building ACT’s Future

ACT, Indigenous Partners, Donors, Guests and Board Members.

From October 20 to October 22, 2025, ACT members from the USA, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and the Guianas gathered in Costa Rica for a transformative event. Joined by board members, donors, guests, and Indigenous partners — María del Rosario “Charito” Chicunque, Pablo Chindoy, and Marinete Tukano — the gathering focused on strategic conversations to align ACT around its next chapter while…

Read More

A People Who Resist Collectively: The Gathering of the Wai Wai

Wai Wai Indigenous people and the ACT-Brasil team | Photo: Ricardo Rey Londoño / ACT-Brasil Archive

The Wai Wai are an Indigenous people who live across portions of the Guianas (Guyana and Suriname) and northern Brazil, especially in the south of Brazil’s Roraima state. Informal records link their name, which derives from the Karib language family, to the armadillo. The armadillo may be perceived as emblematic of the Wai Wai identity…

Read More

Training Community Rangers to Protect the World’s Greenest Country 

At the airport in Suriname’s capital city, travelers are greeted by a sign beneath a vibrant photo of frogs, parrots, and other rainforest creatures. It reads: “Welcome to Suriname: The most forested country in the world.”  Tucked on the northeastern edge of South America, the former Dutch colony is the continent’s smallest country by both…

Read More

The Jaguar: Guardian of the Amazon 

Jaguar

In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, one elusive and powerful creature reigns supreme—the jaguar. Known as el tigre in much of South America, the jaguar is more than just an apex predator. Jaguar conservation in the Amazon is essential for the health and resilience of Amazonian ecosystems. The jaguar is also a sacred being…

Read More

The Unresolved Fight For Indigenous Land Rights In Suriname: UPDATE

Wuta, Trio man from the indigenous village of Kwamalasamutu in southern Suriname.

UPDATE: A Critical Moment  With just over a month left in the current government’s term, recent legislative changes in Suriname threaten to halt enormous momentum toward finally codifying fundamental rights for the country’s Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in national law. These changes undermine international human rights commitments, including the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed…

Read More

The Unresolved Fight For Indigenous Land Rights In Suriname

Wuta, Trio man from the indigenous village of Kwamalasamutu in southern Suriname.

In recent years, indigenous communities across the Americas have fought hard to protect their land. From Standing Rock in the U.S. to protests in Brazil, indigenous peoples have demanded recognition of their rights. But in Suriname, a small country on South America’s northeast coast, indigenous land rights are still not legally guaranteed.  Suriname is the…

Read More

New Indigenous Cultural Center in the Brazilian Amazon

Indigenous healers gathered in the forest. Photo by Amanda Lelis.

Indigenous Health Sovereignty in the Amazon In a world increasingly defined by political turmoil, conflict, and environmental crises, stories of resilience and hope shine even brighter. One such beacon of hope emerges from the heart of the Brazilian Amazon: the newly inaugurated Kapai and Aretina Guardians of Knowledge Center. This community-driven initiative aims to preserve…

Read More

Amazon Conservation Team Guianas at the World Environment Day Expo

Wuta, Trio man from the indigenous village of Kwamalasamutu in southern Suriname.

A field-based conservation organization that partners with indigenous and other local communities to protect tropical forests and strengthen traditional culture. Visit our booth at the at the World Environment Day Expo, to learn about our unique model of Amazon rainforest management in Suriname. For over 25 years, ACT has co-created new methods of conservation with our…

Read More