Rosa Andrea Ponce de León

We work on the ground where the Andes Mountains meet the Amazon rainforest. Science-guided strategies and innovative conservation are our tools; communities on the ground, our allies. We protect this vital forest by creating a network of public and private lands managed for conservation and sustainable use of resources. Our target is always the most enduring conservation impact. By concentrating our resources in the field - where they have the largest impact - we have protected millions of acres in the western Amazon. We have created replicable conservation models—such as conservation concessions, where a national government relies on a private partner such as us to manage public land for conservation—that have been successfully applied elsewhere in the region and around the world. We go beyond land protection to empower indigenous communities to create forest-friendly livelihoods, deploy cutting-edge technology like drones and satellites to detect deforestation and alert authorities, and host hundreds of scientists and students at our three research stations every year to advance our understanding of this irreplaceable habitat.