The Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

NGO working in Africa and South America. It is one of the first international organizations to support the

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

of the world's

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfill their

rights Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical the ...

to land, life and livelihood. The Foundation aims to protect rainforests by securing the land rights of indigenous peoples and other forest-dependent communities. It also campaigns internationally on issues such as industrial logging, climate change, agricultural expansion and nature conservation. It forms part of the Rainforest Foundation network, with independent sister organizations in the United States and the Norway: the Rainforest Foundation US and the Rainforest Foundation Norway.

History

The Rainforest Foundation was first founded in 1989 by Sting and his wife

Trudie Styler Trudie Styler (born 6 January 1954) is an English actress and film producer. Early life and family Styler was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the daughter of Pauline and Harry Styler, a farmer and factory worker. When Styler was two years ...

after the indigenous leader of the

Kayapo people The Kayapo (Portuguese language, Portuguese: Caiapó ) people are the indigenous people in Brazil who inhabit a vast area spreading across the states of Pará and Mato Grosso, south of the Amazon River and along Xingu River and its tributaries. T ...

of Brazil, the Chief Raoni made a personal request to them to help his community protect their lands and culture. The Rainforest Foundation's initial project was successful in coordinating the first ever privately funded demarcation of indigenous land in the region - 17,000 square miles of traditional land, the Menkragnoti area, next to

Xingu National Park The Xingu Indigenous Park (, pronounced ) is an indigenous territory of Brazil, first created in 1961 as a national park in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Its official purposes are to protect the environment and the several tribes of Xingu in ...

, was demarcated and legally titled to the Kayapo people by the Brazilian government in 1993. Since then the Rainforest Foundation UK, along with its sister organizations the Rainforest Foundation US, The

Rainforest Foundation Norway Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) working to protect the world's rainforests and to secure the legal rights of their inhabitants. It is one of the largest rainforest organizations in the world, and collabo ...

, and the Rainforest Foundation Fund, have protected millions of hectares of forest in 20 different rainforest countries around the globe.

Approach

The Rainforest Foundation UK promotes a

-based approach to rainforest protection. Its approach is founded on the belief that the best way to protect rainforest

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

is through empowering indigenous peoples and other forest dwellers to defend their fundamental rights to lands and resources. Its primary work in the Congo Basin promotes land and resource rights through community-led mapping, as well as through legal and advocacy training. In order to pursue its mission, RFUK works in cooperation with local organizations, indigenous groups, and traditional populations of the rainforest. It also seeks to “campaign to influence national and international laws to protect rainforests and their inhabitants”. The organization has adopted an approach that emphasizes the strengthening of

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

development in the Congo Basin, citing concerns over environmental damage and the displacement of local communities. In 2013, the charity, in collaboration with Ethical Consumer, produced a 'palm oil guide' for British consumers, which listed several brands available in the UK market with scores for each. The guide was discontinued in 2017.

Logging

The Foundation has been a vocal supporter of a moratorium on new logging concessions in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, which has been in place since 2002. The organisation has campaigned alongside other environmental and human rights charities to preserve the moratorium.

Climate change and REDD

The Foundation has been a major critic of carbon offsetting schemes such as

REDD Redd is a Turkish rock band established in 1996 by tenor opera singer Doğan Duru and guitarist Berke Hatipoğlu under the name ''Ten''. They used to play at bars until they set up their own studio in 2004. Their first album, titled ''"50/50" ...

, citing issues such as a lack of effectiveness and negative impacts on forest-dependent communities.

Funding

The Rainforest Foundation UK is a non-profit organization. The majority of its financing comes from foundation grants, development agencies (e.g. DfID, GIZ) and other non-profit organizations, the Rainforest Fund among them, as well as from individual donations. The independent charity rating website Alive And Giving gave the Rainforest Foundation UK an efficiency score of 90%, based on 2012 data from the Charity Commission for England and Wales. According to its own 2016/17 Annual Report and 2016 data from the UK Charity Commission, 95% of the Rainforest Foundation UK's expenditures go to charitable activities, with the remainder spent on governance costs, administration and fundraising.Rainforest Foundation U
Annual Review and Accounts 2016/17
/ref>

Collaboration

INGOs

The Rainforest Foundation UK has worked on joint projects and campaigns with several other international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), including: * Forest Peoples Programme *

Survival International Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969, a London based charity that campaigns for the rights of indigenous and/or tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples. The organisation's campaigns generally focus on tribal peopl ...

*Well Grounded *Ethical Consumer * IIED *Fern *Client Earth

National NGOs

The Rainforest Foundation UK works in partnership with several human rights and environmental organisations in Africa and South America, including:

Cameroon

*AJESH (Ajemalibu Self Help) *APED (Appui pour la Protection de l’Environnement et le Développement) *APIFED (Appui à l’autopromotion et l’insertion des femmes, des jeunes et des désœuvrés) *CED (Centre pour l’Environnement et le Développement) *FODER (Forêts et Développement Rural)

Central African Republic

*MEFP (Maison de l’Enfant et de la Femme Pygmées)

Democratic Republic of Congo

*CADEM (Centre d’accompagnement de la population pour le développement de Maï Ndombe) *CAGDFT (Centre D’Appui à la Gestion Durable des Fôrets Tropicales) *GASHE (Groupe d’action pour sauver l’homme et son environnement) *RRN (Réseau Ressources Naturelles)

Gabon

*BRAINFOREST

Ghana

*Friends of the Earth Ghana *Civic Response

Peru

*CARE (Central Ashaninka del Rio Ene) *FENAMAD (Federación Nativa del Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes) *AIDESEP (Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana)

Republic of Congo

*FGDH (Forum for the Governance of Human Rights) *OCDH (Congolese Human Rights Observatory)

Corporate alliances and promotions

The Rainforest Foundation UK does not participate in product certification schemes. However, it has previously partnered with companies and social enterprises for its fundraising. Current and past alliances include: * Betty's and Taylor's Group Ltd *Caffe Musetti *Triodos Bank *Ecotricity
Loving Earth

Publications

Rainforest Foundation UK produces a quarterly newsletter and publishe
news updates
on its website, as well as producing an annual report on its work. The organization also publishe
reports, research and policy briefs
on issues related to its work.

References

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External links

Rainforest Foundation UK
Human rights organisations based in London International environmental organizations