Our Mission

The Amazon Conservation Team partners with indigenous and other local communities to protect tropical forests and strengthen traditional culture.

Our Vision

We see a future where healthy tropical forests and thriving local communities exist in harmonious relationship with each other, contributing to the well-being of the planet.

Our Values

Responsibility:

We believe that conservation is our moral and ethical duty. We are a part of Nature, not apart from it. Nature is our home, not our servant.

Determination:

We believe that effective conservation always begins on the ground, no matter what. Though we may face difficulties or danger, we do not turn back from our vision or abandon our partners.

Interconnection:

We believe that tropical forests and the local communities that dwell within them are interdependent parts of one whole. We work to protect and strengthen both.

Trust:

We succeed because we are invited to collaborate with our partners. Our relationships with the communities endure because they are built on a foundation of unqualified respect, cooperation, and reciprocity.

Humility:

We seek guidance, hope, and strength from our indigenous elders. We acknowledge that we may never fully understand their realities.

Knowledge:

We believe that the knowledge and practices of indigenous and local communities are key to conservation. We also believe that traditional knowledge and western technology can work together to manage and protect the forest and strengthen the communities.

Continuity:

We believe that strong traditional healers and leaders, and the transfer of their knowledge and culture to successive generations, are essential for sustaining their communities, and therefore, the forest.

Integrity:

We stand by our mission and values and will not compromise them for any reason. We choose to work with environmentally and socially responsible persons and entities.

Equality:

We share common ground with our many partners. We actively seek the meaningful and inclusive participation of all community members in our actions and programs.