Protect the Amazon Rainforest and its Guardians

In this update we wish to share a few of the actions and updates for the Javari Project, which continues to be spearheaded by Ms. Céline Cousteau.

Education is central and the next step in this pillar, which was introduced in our last update, was the partnership with the College of William & Mary’s Institute for Integrative Conservation to create a program inspired by the documentary "Tribes on the Edge".  The launch date for this program is set for early 2022 and its' designed for ages 9 through 12, which reflects the high percentage of student grades that participated in earlier sessions of the Tribes on the Edge education program which where 48% in Grades 3 to 5 and 28% in Grades 6 to 8. 

The Javari Project has grown up! It is now a separate formal entity with completion of its non-profit registration process in The Netherlands and is a “for purpose organisation created to support the Indigenous People of the Vale do Javari”. Collaboration will continue to be a core principle at The Javari Project as it will work side-by-side other NGO’s and the Indigenous leaders from the Vale do Javari to create tangible actions to support their livelihoods and well-being.  It has been incredible to see how this initiative has evolved to where it is today and that is because of the support of donors around the world.

While in-person visits into this fragile part of the world remains prohibitive, one of the key priorities for Ms. Cousteau is to share with as broad an audience as possible what is happening in the Amazon, status of the Indigenous tribes and the implications for the rest of the world.  Over the last few months there have been multiple print interviews such as the one in Elle Argentina, in-person event at Musée océanographique de Monaco and on-line participation as a speaker at conferences including Amazonia Rising.

For Céline storytelling remains a priority.  It allows her to share with others how the health crises, legal challenges and environmental degradation in the Brazilian Amazon are not only threatening the survival of Indigenous communities, but the protection of vital ecosystems that ensure our planet's resilience to climate change.

In a year that has been characterised by extreme environmental events, we are grateful for all of the support to The Javari Project and protecting this vital part of our earth and the people that call it home.

Links:

• Elle Argentina Interview in Spanish
• July 30 Interview on Azul Zero in Spanish