It suggests the best possible way to save rainforest is to simply give $2.50 a day to the people who live there.
Deep in the heart of the Amazon, the world’s first basic income pilot for Indigenous peoples who live in rainforests (a collaboration between charity Cool Earth and two female-led Indigenous groups), provides regular income to adults in various communities in Peru. And has shown some remarkable results.
The objective is to support strong and resilient Indigenous communities and ensure that they have their most urgent needs met. This is crucial because the survival of the rainforest is directly linked to the health and resilience of the people who live there. "Indigenous peoples have a balanced and respectful relationship with the rainforest," says Patricia Quiñones, who is leading the pilot at Cool Earth. However, they face huge challenges and a lack of basic human rights such as access to food, clean water, and healthcare.”
Basic income provides a valuable tool that enables Indigenous peoples who live alongside the rainforest to invest in their futures without the need to sell their land or trees. Early data from one of the communities in the pilot suggests positive trends, including:
Improved nutrition: Prior to the pilot, 9 out of 10 people living in the rainforest reported struggling with a lack of food. Early results from the pilot show families now have better access to food.
Independence: 8 out of 10 families rely on growing crops for food and income. Families are now able to invest and dedicate more time towards food growing.
Reduced pressure: With money to spend and address urgent needs, families now have fewer financial worries and, critically, can be more actively involved in reforestation and conservation activities.
But the impact goes further than that and has huge significance for rainforest too. Just one of the rainforest communities receiving basic income protects:
299 hectares (an area of rainforest the size of London).
102,000 trees (yes, Cool Earth counted them).
147,000 tonnes of carbon (equivalent to the annual use of 15,000 people in the
UK).
Now, imagine if you could do this for every rainforest community in the world.
Want to help? coolearth.org/donate