The goal of the Andes-Amazon Initiative is to ensure the long-term ecological integrity and climatic function of the Amazon basin. Achieving that goal will require that at least 70 percent of historic forest cover remains intact.
The Andes-Amazon Initiative is dedicated to promoting conservation and sustainable development by working with and supporting NGOs, Indigenous organizations, research institutions, governmental agencies and committed private sector partners.
In 2022, to avert an ecological tipping point and conversion of forest ecosystems to savannas in the Amazon region, the Moore Foundation extended its commitment to work in the Amazon Basin.
Current strategies
We aim to ensure that by 2031 at least 70% (465 million hectares) of the historical forest cover and the freshwater ecosystems that sustain it are properly conserved and managed. To do that, we are supporting efforts to:
- Ensure the conservation and effective management of 50 million hectares of Indigenous peoples and local communities lands,
- Ensure the conservation and effective management of 50 million hectares of freshwater/forest ecosystems.
- Redirect and reduce the drivers of habitat change in the area,
- Support institutional frameworks necessary for the economic success of the Indigenous people and local communities.
The history of the Andes-Amazon Initiative
The foundation began supporting biodiversity and forest conservation in the Amazon basin in 2001 and launched the Andes-Amazon Initiative in 2003. Funding for the Andes-Amazon Initiative is authorized through 2031.
Historically, most of our grants have supported work focused on the creation and effective management of Indigenous lands and protected areas, with supporting strategies centered on capacity building, science and public policy. We have also tested other complementary approaches:
- Support for clean commodity supply chains in forestry and cattle ranching — the primary drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon. (this effort informed the creation of our Conservation and Markets Initiative.
- Integrated land use planning and governance in the Andean Amazon, particularly in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.
- Strategies to reduce or mitigate the impact of infrastructure development.
- The advancement of REDD frameworks to increase the value of standing forest.
In recent years, we have also augmented our work by addressing infrastructure development in a few target geographies as a key driver of environmental degradation.
More work remains, and is more urgent than ever. We have much to celebrate too. Since inception, we have invested more than $500 million in conservation and supporting strategies, supporting our grantees in successfully bringing over 400 million hectares — or about 65 percent of the original forest cover of the Amazon — under sustainable management.
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