Jeff Bezos’s Earth Fund is backing forest protection in Guyana. The fund, Andes Amazon Fund, Nia Tero and Rainforest Trust announced a collective initial pledge of $12.5 million to support the country’s conservation plans, including proposed permanent protection for the Acarai–Rupununi Corridor. The corridor covers more than 1 million hectares, or approximately 2.4 million acres.According to the joint announcement, funding will support securing legal protection, establishing boundaries, and safeguarding the landscape against mining, industrial logging, and other incompatible activities. The pledge combines new and existing funding and supports Guyana’s wider ambition to protect 30% of its lands and waters by 2030. The government is advancing a proposal to permanently protect the corridor.
What the funding will support
The commitment follows President Irfaan Ali’s announcement that Guyana would advance the process of permanently protecting the corridor. The donors say their funding will support forest, freshwater, and biodiversity conservation while helping establish lasting legal safeguards. Conservation organisations and other eligible partners will implement it, working with the government, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities. The announcement does not break down how much each donor is contributing.“For Guyana, forest stewardship is not a sacrifice we make for development; it is the foundation of the development model we are building,” Ali said.
Indigenous communities will have a role in planning
The partners said supported projects would uphold Indigenous rights, including Free, Prior and Informed Consent. That principle requires communities to make an informed choice about proposed activities affecting them before they proceed.Indigenous Peoples and local communities are also expected to participate in conservation planning, governance and management. The initiative aims to support their livelihoods while protecting the environment. Padu Franco, senior programme manager for the Andes and Amazon at the Bezos Earth Fund, linked the pledge to the fund’s broader rainforest work.“This pledge backs Guyana’s conservation ambitions and the Indigenous stewardship that has helped keep these forests standing,” he said.
More investment needed for Guyana’s 2030 goal
The Acarai–Rupununi Corridor forms part of Guyana’s broader conservation target, commonly described as “30×30”: protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030.The donors said reaching that goal would require substantially greater, sustained investment from philanthropic, public and private sources. They described the initial pledge as a foundation for further work, including exploring long-term financing arrangements, strengthening conservation institutions and supporting community stewardship. The partners have invited additional public and private funders to contribute as Guyana develops the protection plan.
