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CLUA Priorities for Support & Geographic Focus
From grassroots to global, we support those working for an equitable, climate-safe world. Learn about what we support and where we focus.
BRAZIL
We support efforts to conserve the Amazon and the Cerrado biomes; to ensure Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-Descendant Peoples’, local communities’ and family farmers’ land rights are secure and freely exercised; and to advance climate-resilience, forest economies, equity, and well-being through sustainable land use.
Priorities For Support
In Brazil, the Climate and Land Use Alliance focuses on bringing together powerful networks and supporting their visions and innovations for greater justice, climate-resilience, sustainable forest economies, and the conservation of the Amazon and Cerrado biomes.
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Why Brazil?
Brazil contains two unique biomes critical to people and the planet – the Amazon and the Cerrado, the world’s largest rainforest and the most biodiverse savanna. The region is home to thousands of Indigenous and traditional peoples – including “quilombolas”, communities founded by African descendants who resisted slavery in Brazil and whose legal rights are recognized under Brazilian law. And globally, the Amazon is critically important to the Earth’s climate—both removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while regulating rainfall patterns nearby and far away.
Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendant Peoples, and local communities protecting these forests are confronted with systemic barriers undermining their decision-making power and rights to manage their lands, including a lack of title to the lands, lack of adequate policies and participation, and unequal access to resources. On top of this, organized crime networks contribute to deforestation by exploiting the Amazon and Cerrado for illegal logging, mining, and land grabbing.
In spite of the serious challenges, long-standing efforts continue to keep Brazil’s forests standing and new opportunities are on the horizon – creating real potential for lasting change. Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendant Peoples, local communities, family farmers, civil society organizations, elected representatives, progressive corporates – and their allies in Brazil and around the world – are working to expand rights and equity, halt deforestation, advance good governance and sustainable land use, create new protected areas and demarcated territories, and build forest economies that value social, ecological, and cultural diversity. These efforts hold significant promise for Brazil’s diverse Amazon and Cerrado biomes being conserved and restored for the benefit of all humanity and to support a successful just transition for the country’s economy.
What We Support
We focus on advancing climate-resilience and the conservation of the Amazon and Cerrado biomes by supporting efforts to expand and guarantee Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-Descendant Peoples’, and local communities’, including family farmers’, land rights, security, and sustainable forest economies. We also focus on shifting financial systems and production, consumption, and trade to address the drivers of deforestation. We support efforts to improve governance, policy, and accountability around land use; and to strengthen movements, narratives, and collective action in favor of forest, people, and climate. Gender equity, racial justice, and well-being are fundamental to our focus.
WE SUPPORT EFFORTS TO:
The Climate and Land Use Alliance supports a range of organizations and movements to advance Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-Descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ rights and livelihoods. This includes support for land titling, the development of sustainable forest economies and forest conservation, and increased access to finance.
What We Support
- Territorial Rights Recognition
Mapping and supporting Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-Descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ territorial demands and using data and strategic communication tools to advance land titling. - Sustainable Forest Economies
Providing technical assistance and expanding access to credit, markets, and needed services for diversified and sustainable forest economies that value biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-Descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ rights and people’s wellbeing. - Strengthening Community Funds
Supporting territorial and community funds created by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendant Peoples, and local communities to increase their access to funding.
The Climate and Land Use Alliance supports efforts to advance effective policies to prevent and address environmental crime, rights violations, deforestation and unsustainable land use. We also support work to secure good governance and greater transparency, safeguards, local participation, and oversight to ensure institutions are accountable to the commitments made at national and global levels to stop the drivers of deforestation. Impeding the social and environmental impacts of development models that threaten climate mitigation efforts are also a focus of our work.
We Support
- Greater Forest Protection
Increasing the designation of new protected areas and collective territories while promoting rights and effective management. - Sustainable Land Use and Climate Policies
Increasing effective policies for sustainable land use and climate resilience. - Ending Environmental Crime and Rights Violations
Supporting effective policies and systems that increase local resilience against environmental crimes and rights violations. - Increased Accountability
Promoting increased transparency, robust safeguards, local participation, and oversight to keep institutions accountable to commitments and strong standards.
The Climate and Land Use Alliance supports the advocacy of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendant Peoples, and local community organizations, shifting narratives in favour of justice, forests, and climate resilience; and broader movements in building collective action.
We Support
- The Protagonism of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendants Peoples, and Local Communities
Supporting the efforts of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendant Peoples, and local community organizations to strengthen and exercise a leading role in socio-environmental agendas. - Strengthening and Shifting Narratives
Increasing audience-centered and data-driven efforts to shift narratives in support of land rights; racial, gender, and environmental justice; conservation of biomes for climate resilience, water security, livelihoods and well-being, and sustainable forest economies. - Increased Collective Action
Engaging and mobilizing public, private, and political actors as well as other key segments of the population through effective collective action by civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendant Peoples, and Local Community organizations, and broader movements.
The Climate and Land Use Alliance supports organizations demanding increased transparency around public and private finance, along with fiscal frameworks and policies supportive of sustainable forest economies, and greater access to finance to protect and restore forests and ensure they are effectively managed, while supporting low-carbon agriculture.
We Support
- Finance for Forest Economies
Increasing access to national and international finance for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendant Peoples, local communities, small farmers, and entrepreneurs to advance sustainable, equitable forest economies. - Low-emission, Climate-resilient Agriculture
Advancing fiscal and financial policy frameworks that move economies away from deforestation and degradation-driving activities and toward low-emission agriculture and sustainable forest economies. - Increased Financial Transparency and Oversight
Promoting greater transparency and oversight of investments to avoid links to environmental crime and mitigate negative environmental and social impacts. - Support for Just Transitions
Promoting that the world’s energy and digital transitions are achieved without increasing deforestation or socio-environmental conflicts.
The Climate and Land Use Alliance supports efforts to remove deforestation and rights violations from supply chains, to enhance sustainable forest economies, and improve local food systems supporting livelihoods and well-being.
We Support
- Increased Investment and Support for Sustainable Forest Economies
Promoting greater access to investment and technical support, guaranteeing business ecosystems that boost and consolidate sustainable forest economies that value biodiversity, rights, and human well-being. - Improved Food Systems
Supporting local and sustainable food systems grounded in thriving forest economies and low-emission agriculture, helping to fight illegal economies, gender inequality, and structural racism. - High Integrity in Forest Carbon Markets
Ensuring forest carbon markets operate with high social and environmental integrity, particularly within Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-Descendants’, local communities’ territories. - Deforestation- and Conflict-Free Supply Chains
Advancing efforts to ensure the private sector adopts practices that are consistent with low-emission agriculture, biome conservation, thriving forest economies, and zero-tolerance of rights violations.
Grants
We unfortunately do not accept unsolicited grant proposals.
The Climate and Land Use Alliance member foundations work closely together to identify funding opportunities and make grants aligned with our shared priorities.
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Where Else We Focus
The Climate and Land Use Alliance also supports work in these tropical forest regions:
Updates
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Priorities for Support in Brazil
We focus on supporting justice, climate-resilience, sustainable forest economies, and the conservation of the Amazon and Cerrado biomes.
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Short Film: Perspectives on Forests, Lands, and Rights
To learn from diverse perspectives, we interviewed leaders about their priorities for action on forests, lands, and rights. Here’s what they shared.
