“As one of Amazon Conservation Team’s (ACT) founders, I have long observed the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) with a feeling of affinity, as both organizations were born in the last decade of the 20th century—certainly a more idealistic time in the NGO world—with a focus on Indigenous empowerment.” -Liliana Madrigal, Senior Director of Program Operations
Continue »
“Am I ready to hang up my spurs and have tenure and retire and play golf? No, of course not.…
Continue »On September 11, 2015, a celebratory event was held at the Externado University in Bogotá, Colombia marking the beginning of a life-changing adventure for Ercilia Paitekudo and Maria Encarnación Sueroque, two Huitoto women from Cuemani and Guacamaya in the middle Caquetá River region.
Continue »
In August 2015, a groundbreaking event took place in the village of Ulupuene in the Brazilian Amazon: internet connectivity arrived.
Continue »ACT Suriname is partnering with the Barefoot College in the Solar Engineering Training Program. Through this program, two indigenous Trio women from Tepu will complete a six-month training in India from October 2015 – March 2016. Solar energy in the villages will provide communities with a clean and more reliable source of energy.
Continue »
In May 2015, ACT President Dr. Mark Plotkin asked our supporters to donate to a unique project in honor of his 60th birthday.
The project—to create the Trio Indian Shaman’s Encyclopedia—is the capstone on the work Mark began with the Trio people more than 30 years ago and will serve as a guide for tribal peoples throughout the Amazon seeking to protect oral shamanic knowledge.
Continue »
In July, DigitalGlobe honored ACT with the Seeing a Better World Award. ACT has received complimentary imagery from the company since January 2014, allowing for drastically improved monitoring and protection of large swaths of rainforest. These images are an incredible gift that allow us to be on the forefront of satellite mapping for conservation.
Continue »The Amazon Conservation Team welcomes actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. to its Advisory Board. Though still widely beloved for…
Continue »
In the remote forests of Suriname, ACT is collaborating with students from the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands), the Anton de Kom University (Suriname) and Suriname’s Institute for Natural resources to protect biodiversity in Trio and Wayana lands. Through this partnership, both students and ACT’s Indigenous Park Guards (IPGs) will gain important skills.
Continue »From May 13-15, 2015 in Colombia, the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), the Organización Gonawindúa Tayrona (OGT) which represents the Kogi people, and renowned Colombian artist Pedro Ruiz collaborated on a workshop designed to teach children the value of their territory and of partnerships between communities.
Continue »