Indigenous rainforests are the climate solution we can’t ignore

One of the most powerful tools we have against the climate crisis are rainforests stewarded by Indigenous peoples.

Indigenous peoples may hold just 30% of the Amazon, but they’re punching well above their weight, locking away a massive 460 million tonnes of CO₂. That’s more than the UK churns out annually.

In fact, their forests are more effective at storing carbon than any other part of the Amazon.

Impressive? Absolutely. Essential? Without a doubt.

Indigenous Rainforests: The Ultimate Carbon Sinks

Here’s the hard truth: In 2022, a staggering 98% of Amazon deforestation happened outside Indigenous territories. While Indigenous communities are keeping their forests standing, elsewhere, trees are falling fast.

And the consequences? Rainforest outside Indigenous control releases 1.3 billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere each year, ten times more than Indigenous lands.

The message is crystal clear: where Indigenous peoples continue to protect their land, rainforests survive. And when rainforests survive, we all benefit.

A leader in conversation among the Asháninka, Jaime is a close collaborator with Cool Earth, and his camera traps have captured everything from the rare spectacled bear to the elusive puma. Pictured here next to a tree he planted in his youth. — A leader in conversation among the Asháninka, Jaime is a close collaborator with Cool Earth.

So, What’s The Secret?

It’s simple: people.

For generations, Indigenous communities have protected their forests, not because they have to, but because it’s who they are.

Their deep spiritual and cultural connection to their rainforest homes means they live in balance with nature, from sustainable farming techniques that let the land regenerate to cultivating native plants that boost soil fertility.

As Rosa, an Indigenous woman from an Awajún village we partner with in the Peruvian Amazon puts it:

“We work to keep nature alive, not destroy it. We reforest, we rescue endangered species and traditional plants so we can continue our way of life and culture.”

This isn’t just about trees. It’s about knowledge, traditions, and a way of life that has safeguarded the planet’s most important ecosystems for centuries.

If we’re serious about tackling climate change, we need to be serious about backing Indigenous peoples.