Charities pledge nearly $500 million to fight deforestation

SAN FRANCISCO — A coalition of charitable groups and the government of Norway on Tuesday pledged to spend nearly half a billion dollars over the next four years to prevent deforestation internationally and recognize indigenous people’s rights to manage forests.

The charitable groups pledged $459 million to help indigenous groups gain rights to the forests where they live and to help them protect their land. The government of Norway pledged another $33 million to help prevent deforestation in Indonesia and Brazil.

The coalition of more than 15 organizations and Norway made the announcement ahead of an international climate change summit in San Francisco. It includes the Ford and the Rockefeller foundations.

“Evidence shows indigenous communities are the most effective stewards of the land they inhabit and in doing so, they are ensuring that the greenhouse gas levels do not do irreversible damage to people and the planet,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation.

The funds will support those working to protect, restore and expand forests, help communities make land use more sustainable and empower indigenous people by teaching them about their rights.

Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, said that to prevent deforestation, the rights of indigenous people need to be secured and governments need to protect those fighting for land and the environment.