Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — At the G20 summit held in Rio de Janeiro, President Joe Biden announced a new USAID initiative, committing nearly $40 million to bolster conservation efforts in the Brazilian Amazon. The investment aims to accelerate the bioeconomy, improve environmental management, and attract additional funding from U.S. philanthropies and private sector companies.
“This is a crucial moment for the Amazon, a vital resource for the entire planet,” said President Biden. “The United States is proud to deepen its partnership with Brazil to protect this unique ecosystem and the people who call it home.”
The USAID initiatives will cover more than 42 million hectares of Protected Areas—an expanse equivalent to the size of California. These areas include both Conservation Units and 104 Indigenous territories across all nine states of the Brazilian Amazon. Key activities will focus on strengthening forest fire management, promoting regenerative agriculture in regions prone to deforestation, and supporting territorial management for Indigenous communities.
“This investment is about more than just conservation,” said a USAID spokesperson. “It’s about creating sustainable livelihoods and ensuring that economic development in the Amazon is in harmony with forest preservation.”
USAID’s efforts also emphasize reinforcing bioeconomy value chains, ensuring that economic growth and forest protection go hand-in-hand. The agency aims to build upon more than three decades of collaboration with the Brazilian government, civil society, and private sector stakeholders to preserve the Amazon rainforest.
“This funding is another step in our longstanding partnership to safeguard the Amazon,” said the spokesperson, “and to create sustainable futures for all Brazilians.”
