The Kayapó Fund: an innovative partnership to protect the Amazon  

The Kayapó people of Brazil live in the largest single protected tract of tropical forest in the world. Their territory spans 27.2 million acres in the southeastern Amazon and is one of the only barriers to deforestation and fires, as more and more surrounding forests are razed for agriculture.  

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s grant to Conservation International (CI) for the Global Conservation Fund (GCF) provides long-term financing to protect the critical biodiversity and ecosystems in this forest.  

This joint partnership among non-governmental organizations, Brazil’s indigenous groups, and the Brazilian National Economic Development Bank (BNES) will also help reduce the impacts of climate change and preserve the Kayapó culture.  

The Kayapó Fund is truly a victory for the Kayapó people, the country of Brazil, and CI. While the Kayapó were able to protect their territory for 20 years, without the fund they would not have been able to halt encroaching agriculture and logging business.