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Managing the Amazon forests

We want the Amazon rainforest to be worth more standing than cut down. Timber can provide a valuable source of income - but it needs to be harvested sustainably, which means forests must be well-managed.

Sunrise near the Inferno rapids on the Juruena River, Juruena National Park, Brazil.

Why we’re involved

It’s possible to harvest trees for timber selectively without permanently damaging the natural rainforest environment - and it’s much better than clearing the forest for agriculture and other land uses.

But in the vastness of the Amazon, it’s not always clear who the land belongs to. And that means timber companies have little incentive to operate responsibly.

Managing forests

How we’re helping

In Brazil, for example, one of the most effective ways of promoting responsible forest management is through National Forests. These belong to the state, but the government can grant timber companies the right to manage certain areas, known as concessions.

In the Brazilian Amazon there are 31 National Forests covering 16 million hectares - that’s an area larger than England.

Before any logging is allowed, there has to be a biodiversity survey to establish which areas need to be protected and which can be used for timber.

So far, very few National Forests have reached the concession stage. Along with the government's Chico Mendes Institute, we’ve identified the National Forest of Altamira as a pilot site. By supporting responsible forest management in Altamira from the outset, we can make sure any future forest management in Brazil’s National Forests is genuinely sustainable.