Why we’re talking about people (and not trees) on World Rainforest Day

Picture rainforest – what do you see?

Flourishing forest, vibrant wildlife, miles of the Amazonian river snaking through towering tropical trees? Or perhaps you visualise piles of timber and lost habitats?

Both are true, but it’s not the whole picture.

50 million people live in rainforest.

Rainforest has been home to people for over 13,000 years who rely on their environment for food, shelter, and medicines. People who manage land sustainably, living in balance with their environment.

This balance has been disrupted on a global scale. People have been displaced by the climate crisis, forced to give up their way of life and to fight against unwelcome outside influences like logging companies.

That doesn’t sound good.

It’s not.

People are so often erased from the rainforest narrative. We exist to change this.

We want to help people living in rainforest to carry on doing just that. We know that if people are given the opportunity to continue managing their forest, as is their right, wildlife, trees and people will flourish.

Makes sense to me – how can I help?

Here’s the good news. By working with Cool Earth, people living in the rainforest can focus on what matters most; family, livelihoods and wellbeing. All whilst protecting the rainforest like they always have.

And here’s where you come in. For all the reasons we mentioned earlier, people need our backing. And by backing, we mean cash.

Put simply, you donate cash, we get it to the people who need it most, and they can continue to protect rainforest.

A win-win-win if we ever saw one.

Start protecting rainforest now. Donate.