Transforming the ecosystem of environmental crimes into an ecosystem of green enterprises has been a mantra of Igarapé. It is essential to rapidly build a sustainable and inclusive economy in the Amazon. This will not only improve the socioeconomic conditions of a region that lacks…

It is urgent to build bridges and open pathways to expand green enterprises and sustainable development in Brazil, particularly in the Amazon, given its critical importance for global climate balance. The Green Bridge Facility (GBF) is an Igarapé initiative designed to serve as an entry…

At the close of the G20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proposed the creation of a new Climate Change Council. Rather than presenting a finalized proposal, the Brazilian government invited the international community to…

Threats to physical security, land conflicts, environmental degradation, and weak state presence are among the most urgent challenges faced by organizations in Brazil and Colombia working on the frontlines of the Amazon. These risks are compounded by global demand for commodities — including timber, gold,…

Environmental crimes drive deforestation, biodiversity loss, and land-use change across the Amazon Basin and other Brazilian biomes. Fueled by interconnected illicit markets dominated by cross-border criminal organizations, the criminal ecosystem creates a cycle that could push the forest to the point of no return. There…

Ilona Szabó de Carvalho at TED Countdown Summit 2025. June 16 – 18, 2025, Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Humphrey Gateri / TED What if the future of global power didn’t depend on extracting and depleting the planet,  but instead on restoring and regenerating it? That is…

Environmental and natural resource-related crimes represent the third-largest illicit economy in the world in terms of the volume of money involved, ranking behind only drug trafficking and human trafficking. These are offenses that affect nature and threaten the planet’s sustainability, such as illegal logging, illicit…

This publication presents an analysis of six community-led initiatives in the Amazon, organized around practical lessons that address the region’s challenges. Among the most pressing challenges are the advance of deforestation, the intensification of illicit activities, pressure on protected territories, biodiversity loss, barriers to accessing…

Environmental and human rights defenders play a critical role in combating ecosystem degradation and mitigating climate change. They serve as central members of their communities, organizing others to fight injustices and abuses. Environmental defenders are the first line of defense in places where the biome…

The global energy transition is putting into motion a rapid shift from fossil fuel dependency to mineral extraction. This shift is fueling exponential growth in demand for critical minerals, the backbone of clean energy, and a vast range of advanced digital technologies. As a result,…

The Amazon faces a variety of security challenges, ranging from historical issues such as high homicide rates, theft, illicit trade, and violence against women to new threats to the region’s rich biodiversity, including deforestation, unauthorized logging, unregulated mining, and land grabbing. Considering the complexity of…

CALI, Colombia: The International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB) today launched its Framework for high integrity biodiversity credit markets. The Framework lays the foundation for how biodiversity credits, a financing mechanism, can be harnessed to drive much needed investment towards the conservation and restoration…

  The Igarapé Institute, along with various civil society organizations from Brazil, Colombia, the United States, and Peru, presented seven key recommendations to combat, mitigate, and prevent the damages caused by illegal gold mining in the Amazon basin. The proposals were discussed during the event…

Deforestation in the Amazon region, especially in the State of Pará, poses a significant environmental challenge. Until 2022, Pará led deforestation among the Amazon states, driven by a series of interconnected factors. The implementation of infrastructure (roads, hydroelectric dams), the expansion of agricultural and livestock…

Financing a Sustainable Global Bioeconomy, released Sept 12, 2024, is a landscape analysis of the current and prospective interplay between finance and the bioeconomy authored by NatureFinance and the World Bioeconomy Forum, with the support of dozens of civil society organizations – including the Igarapé…