Lands of Freedom: Preserving and Honoring the Heritage of the Matawai
The Matawai Maroons of Suriname—descendants of enslaved Africans who fled into the rainforest over 300 ago, where they have remained ever since— in partnership with ACT, are launching a new interactive Storytelling Map showcasing their centuries-old oral histories about their ancestral lands and culture.
Read MoreOur COVID-19 Response: Update
The pandemic is hitting indigenous communities of the Amazon from all sides. They are in dire need of support to ward off the virus and save human lives right now, and to protect their cultures and forests from mounting ecological threats and economic pressures.
ACT is continuing to scale our efforts to support communities in tackling this critical issue from within in alliance with local organizations and government agencies. In areas where aid is simply not available or public services lack the capacity or will to independently reach communities in need, our work has been indispensable.
Read MoreOfficial Statement: The Passing of Robinson López Descanse
With immense pain, we mourn the passing of our friend and colleague Robinson López Descanse, Climate Change Coordinator of COICA (Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin) and former Human Rights Coordinator of OPIAC (Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon). With great sadness, we say goodbye to Robinson. We honor the valuable and immense work…
Read MoreComunicado Oficial: fallecimiento de Robinson López Descanse
Con inmenso dolor lamentamos el fallecimiento de nuestro amigo y colega Robinson López Descanse, Coordinador de Cambio Climático de COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica) y ex coordinador de DDHH de OPIAC. Despedimos con mucha tristeza a Robinson, reconociendo el valioso e inmenso trabajo que hizo por los derechos humanos de…
Read MoreCountering Emerging Crises in the Amazon: Covid-19 & Fires
In the following report, the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) highlights some of its on-the-ground efforts in response to the two tragedies that have defined the last year in the Amazon: the fires of 2019, and the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. To view the report, please click on the image:
Read MorePerseverance and Adaptation in the Face of COVID-19
How the global pandemic is impacting our indigenous partner communities in Suriname – a conversation with ACT’s Rayan Madhar on traditional knowledge in Suriname during COVID-19.
Read MoreCOVID-19 Response June, 2020
The pandemic is still sweeping through the Amazon, showing how exposed this seemingly impermeable forest can be. Indigenous and traditional communities of the rainforest are in dire need of support.
ACT continues to band together with civil society and governments in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and Suriname to mitigate and manage the crisis locally. Our partners span universities, public health departments, volunteer air patrols, health NGOs, indigenous organizations, ACT-trained Amazon Conservation Rangers, and more.
French humanitarian operation for indigenous Surinamese
July 11, 2020 – Publication: StarNieuws France has donated 280 aid packages totaling some 4,000 kg of food and basic goods to indigenous Surinamese villages severely affected by Covid-19, flooding and isolation. The first packages were brought to Kwamalasamutu by plane on July 10. The French used the budget allocated to the July 14 celebration…
Read MoreIsh Jamanthy and ACT-Suriname hold relief action for flooded villages of southern Suriname
June 26, 2020 – Publication: Waterkant The water installation company Ish Jamanthy Suriname, in collaboration with the Amazon Conservation Team Suriname, has launched an aid campaign for the residents of affected villages in South Suriname (Sipaliwini district). The indigenous and Maroon villages in this region of Suriname were hit by an extreme thunderstorm last week,…
Read MoreIndigenous concerns increased due to the spread of Covid-19
June 15, 2020 – Publication: De Ware Tijd (DWT Online) PARAMARIBO – Theodoris Jubitana, president of the Association of Indigenous Village Heads in Suriname (VIDS), is deeply concerned that eleven people from the indigenous village of Sipaliwini are infected with the new coronavirus. Referring to President Desi Bouterse’s prediction that if people in the interior…
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