The mission of the Rainforest Foundation is to support indigenous and traditional people of the world's rainforests in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfill their rights by assisting them in:
* Securing and controlling the natural resources necessary for their long term well being and managing these resources in ways which do not harm their environment, violate their culture or compromise their future; and
* Developing the means to protect their individual and collective rights and to obtain, shape and control basic services from the state.
The Rainforest Foundation was one of the first organizations to focus on the vital link between preserving rainforests and supporting the rights of indigenous and traditional peoples who call the rainforests home and have protected them for millennia. The "rights-based forestry" approach sets the nature of the Rainforest Foundations' work apart from most other rainforest and environmental organizations.
Monumental Mayan Land Rights Victory in Belize
Oct 19th, 2007- In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Belize ruled in favor of the Mayan villages of Conejo and Santa Cruz, affirming the collective rights of the indigenous communities to land and resources. Read more here.
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http://www.rainforestfoundation.org
