Amazon Charitable Trust aims to take a unique approach, grounded in the belief that the endangered eco-systems of the Amazon Rainforest will best be conserved by encouraging the development of local communities that are genuinely sustainable, providing dignity and quality of life.

This philosophy is motivated by the fact that no conservation activity can be successful without the support of the inhabitants of an endangered area.

The Amazon Charitable Trust, set up in January 2009, works with the local population of the Xixuaú, based on the Xixuaú River, a tributary of the Rio Jauaperi, near the Rio Negro, 400 km northwest of Manaus in the state of Roraima, to ensure they have the resources and skills to become the best guardians of spectacular biodiversity and natural cycles that shape our world.

Together with the Xixuaú Cooperative, Amazon Charitable Trust aims to develop and support the sustainable livelihood of the local population in order to ensure that they can continue their guardianship of the pristine primary forest that surrounds them – an area of 178,000 hectares (approximately 500,000 acres).