Forgotten Tribes of the Amazon: The Héta of Brazil

The Héta of Brazil Many of us recognize some of the more famous tribes of the Amazon, such as the Yanomamö and Kayapó, have seen their images and heard their voices. This is the first in a series of posts by Acaté bringing to light a few of the dozens of unheralded tribes that have […] Continue reading »

Pressure Cooker: The Ever Shrinking Rainforest and Changing the Game

At Acaté, each person on our all-volunteer staff and board has experienced the profound majesty of the Amazon Rainforest. We also have had the privilege and honor to work alongside one of the least acculturated remaining tribal groups of the Amazon, the Matsés, or Jaguar people. Like all indigenous peoples of the world, the Matsés […] Continue reading »

Our Slipping Global Biodiversity

National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore, talks about his quest to save species through his documentary and studio photography. The challenge he faces is getting people to pay attention and care about their environmental impacts, but he knows it isn’t an impossible task. In Australia, two-weeks after he documented the weekly death toll of koalas in […] Continue reading »

Regaining Sustainable Agriculture Practices in the Amazon

Nothing is more challenging than advising experts. The Matsés indigenous people are master farmers, and it seems strange to even suggest farming ideas to people who live almost entirely off the land. The problem is that their traditional small-scale swidden (slash-and-burn) approaches to farming, once superbly adapted sustainable agriculture for a semi-nomadic lifestyle, do not […] Continue reading »

Gold Mining: Turning the Amazon into a Wasteland

In three short years, our increased demand for gold due to economic fears, has destroyed over 50,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest. Gold Mining in Amazon Rainforest Increases Drastically The area of greatest impact from gold mining is in the Madre de Dios region of southeastern Perú. In addition to the legal gold mining approved by […] Continue reading »