Indigenous Leadership at the Frontline: Why Climate Solutions Must Start with Forest Protection
In the heart of San Francisco Climate Week, we look beyond the latest climate tech gadget to the most effective and underfunded climate solution on the planet: Indigenous Peoples and local communities as forest stewards. As global investments pour into defense, the most effective and scalable solution for protecting the planet remains critically underfunded.
Tropical rainforests are among the planet's most powerful natural climate solutions, storing vast amounts of carbon while helping stabilize the global climate. Yet these forests are increasingly threatened by deforestation, infrastructure expansion and illegal extraction — despite overwhelming evidence that protecting rainforests is best done by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This is especially critical in the Amazon, where the border regions of Peru and Brazil are home to the largest documented groups of Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation.
In this session, Rainforest Foundation Norway and partners will showcase how frontline communities are securing millions of hectares of rainforest by merging ancient wisdom with modern tools — from securing land titles to drone surveillance and AI-driven monitoring. We will learn how surrounding Indigenous communities are becoming the first line of defense for their isolated brothers and sisters, creating a powerful model of protection that safeguards both vulnerable peoples and the forests they depend on.
This session will make clear an irrefutable truth: Indigenous Peoples and local communities are key actors delivering climate impact at scale.
📅 Date: Wednesday, April 22
📍 Location: Digital Jungle – 972 Mission Street, San Francisco
🕒 Time: 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Doors open at 9:30 a.m.
Agenda
9:30 a.m. | Doors Open & Registration
10:00 - 11:30 a.m. | Event Session
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Light Lunch & Mingling
Featured speakers
🌳 Alana Manchineri - Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon
🌳 Jorge Perez - Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest
🌳 Maria DiGiano - Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
🌳 Ines Luna Maira - Rainforest Foundation Norway
🌳 Beatriz Huertas - Rainforest Foundation Norway
A light lunch will be served following the session, with time to connect and continue the conversation with speakers and fellow participants.
Join us for this conversation on protecting the world’s most climate-critical forests and the communities leading the way.
By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of SF Climate Week.