Project Amazonas

A non-political, non-sectarian NGO working since 1994 to serve the people of the Amazon and conserve the rainforest.

Although rainforests cover less than 2% of the Earth's surface area, they are home to 50% of the Earth's plant and animal species.

Before European contact in 1542, it is estimated that as many as 10 million people lived in the Amazon. Today there are less than 200,000 indigenous people. Almost one hundred distinct tribes have disappeared since the early 1900’s due to introduced diseases, persecution, and assimiliation.

One in five of all bird species in the world can be found in the Amazon Basin. At our four field stations in the Peruvian Amazon, over 550 species of birds have been recorded!

Rainforests act as a planetary thermostat by regulating and moderating temperatures and weather patterns. By absorbing carbon and sequestering CO2, rainforest help slow global climate change.

Although about 25% of all drugs are derived from rainforest ingredients, scientists have only examined the medicinal properties of around 1% of tropical plants. A large number of plant species in the Peruvian Amazon have been utilized by indigenous and other inhabitants of the region for medicinal purposes. The large medicinal plant and traditional remedies section of the Belen Market in Iquitos is a "must-visit" for anyone traveling to Iquitos.

Over one fifth of the world's fresh water is contained in the Amazon basin's rivers, streams, and tributaries.

The Amazon covers 2.5 million miles, about the size of the USA west of the Mississippi.

Each minute the Amazon River discharges 3.4 million gallons of water into the Atlantic, 14 times the discharge of the Mississippi.

More than 2,000 tropical forest plants have been identified as having anti-cancer properties. Most of these have yet to be clinically tested, however.

During the rainy season the Amazon River overflows its banks and can extend into the forest for a width of 25 miles in some places. Where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean, the Amazon is over 200 miles wide!

Featured Solution & Their Sponsors

Protect a forest reserve from illegal logging and hunting

The Project Amazonas forest reserves are staffed by rotating forest wardens from adjacent communities. These wardens perform the vital tasks of keeping trails open, facilities well-maintained, and above all, protecting against illegal logging and hunting. Protect the forest and all its inhabitants—animal and human—by funding a forest warden position for a year, or by making a continuing contribution by funding a forest warden for the same month every year at Madre Selva, Sabalillo, Paucarillo, Moyobomba, or Santa Cruz.

Lend A Hand

Help Deliver a Baby

Brush Children's Teeth

Hire a Caretaker

Project Amazonas boat, the Tucunare.

Float the Boat

Nurture a nurse

Recent News

NYC fundraising gala to support Project Amazonas and Peru disaster relief

20 May 2017 - New York City fundraiser to support Project Amazonas and Peru disaster relief.

High-tech, low-cost innovations for Amazon schools

March 2017 - Educator Dana Rensi is spearheading an effort to provide rural Amazon schools with low-cost, high-tech educational resources. Read more about the innovative endeavor at www.dailytidings.com/news/20070403/seeding-silicon-jungle (if link doesn't open, typing "seeding-silicon-jungle" into your browser should take you to the full article)

Project Amazonas is looking foward to collaborating with Ms. Rensi, and with Stanford bioengineer Manu Prakesh whose lab has designed extremely low-cost, and low-tech but highly effective medical centrifuges and microscopes that Ms. Rensi will be field testing in the Peruvian Amazon.

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Project Amazonas, Inc.

701 E Commercial Blvd #200

Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA 33334