The General Fund helps support all our efforts across the organization. Because we cannot always foresee where the need will arise, it is important we have access to funds that enable us move quickly and serve where the need is most critical. By donating to our General Fund, you are helping us stay nimble and responsive.
Two cadre members from the Brigada Aliança have been overseeing direct conservation of river turtles for the past twelve years on the Rio das Mortes (River of the Dead). This work has impacted not only the turtle population, but also the overall fishery, 615,000-acre Araguaia State Park and local community. Recognition of this superb effort eventually saw the merging of a federal conservation program with ours that now entails more than 300 kilometers of river, one of the most promising and synergistic joint ventures in Brazil.
The basic annual budget of $150,000.00 for this project covers fuel, turtle-box construction, equipment purchase and maintenance, community outreach, communications and salaries. The impact of this money is exponential, as it inadvertently includes crucial support for both federal and state wildlife agencies to continue execution of their respective services and park management. Truth be told, employees from these agencies have said that, without the support of Brigada Aliança, their jobs would be impossible to execute.
Brigada Aliança’s goal is to eliminate wildfire from the Amazon. “Action, Not Words” is our motto. To deploy, we need money. The limited funds we have raised since 2009 have delivered historical results. Now we want to expand that model quickly in order to protect vulnerable forests elsewhere that, without our help, most certainly will burn.
To deploy new units into areas of high fire incidents, the Brigada Aliança requires a basic kit to ensure its effectiveness in the field. This kit of more than 40 items has been built over time based on safety concerns, cost-effectiveness and mission success. Matching this equipment with highly trained wildland firefighters, this model becomes the most effective and cost-efficient conservation machine in the Amazon.
For $550,000.00 per geographic region, the Brigada Aliança is able to equip and deploy year-round a motivated team of wildland firefighters providing fire prevention, fire control and educational support benefiting both public and private lands. The results can be seen by NASA.
Fire is the single biggest cause of deforestation in the Amazon and, unfortunately, the government agencies tasked with combating it are rife with corruption and scandal. Therefore, the Kamayurá — with the help of Brigada Aliança — have formed an elite firefighting unit that has undergone intense and rigorous training conducted by US Forest Service Smokejumper and Hotshot crews. With little to no funding or logistical support, these men have reduced fires dramatically in the 3 years since they started operating fully.
These men are a source of pride in a tribe that, only a few years ago, was at risk of losing its culture and heritage completely. The firefighters fill the role of the warrior, a role that was left vacant when the modern world clashed with their own. These men are known as the Guerreiros de Fogo — the Fire Warriors — and they are fighting not only for their culture, but also for their home
- Chief Damião, Chief of Xavante Warrior Tribe
