We received a lovely letter from Rainforest Trust this morning that we wanted to share with you:
I am sure you remember kindly supporting our Brazilian Amazon Fund last year – thank you again for this! I am pleased to share the update below from Rainforest Trust’s Vice President for Conservation, James Lewis, which describes a landmark success made possible by your support.
I hope you and your team will enjoy reading this good news, and take pride in knowing that your support helped make this possible.
Dear Pump Technology,
Last week, thanks to the extraordinary generosity and commitment of donors such as yourself, a large expanse of unprotected mangroves at the mouth of the Amazon was formally protected — just one year after the project was launched! Working in partnership with RARE Brazil, this project marks the first legally protected area in the Amazon to be created with Rainforest Trust support.
The over 180,000 acres of the Amazon Estuary now safeguarded are a critical part of the largest continuous belt of mangroves in the world. It provides a unique refuge and nursing environment for marine and coastal species facing extinction, like Atlantic Goliath Grouper, Black Rail, a tiny, elusive marsh bird, and the American Manatee. Rainforest Trust and RARE Brazil were able to safeguard 7% more of this astounding estuary than originally planned.
This is a stunning win for the Amazon, for the traditional fishing communities of this region and for sustainable fisheries, and for the climate. We could not have done it without you!
President Lula of Brazil’s signing of the decrees that successfully complete our Amazon Estuary project is cause for celebration, as announced in this article on the Brazilian government’s website.
In addition to the rare, threatened species protected here, the estuary is a priority area for the conservation of migratory birds, and it is also an important habitat for species such as swamp ghost crab, white shrimp, mussels, mollusks and oysters. The region is an important source of food and livelihoods for over 10,000 people in traditional coastal communities on the Amazon coast. The new federal designation will enable local communities to co-manage the reserves, defending their rich marine biodiversity from multiple threats of coastal development.
This project was the first to be funded in part by our Brazilian Amazon Fund, created in 2023 to permanently safeguard 20 million acres in Brazil over the next four years. Another cause for celebration!
Thank you for defending Brazilian coastal ecosystems through your financial support! We look forward to continuing our work together in Brazil and around the world to safeguard fragile ecosystems, species and communities, and to keep carbon stored for a healthier planet.
With gratitude
James Lewis
Vice President, Conservation
Rainforest Trust
