The Amazon Fund turns 18 in 2026 with R$5.6 billion raised in donations and 160 projects supported since the creation of the mechanism in 2008. The initiatives are aimed at preserving the forest and sustainable development of the region.
This week, Norway announced a donation of R$350 million to the Amazon Fund, during the first week of the 31st United Nations (UN) Climate Conference, COP31, hosted this year in Turkey.
With the new contribution, the Nordic country has reached R$4.1 billion in contributions since the creation of the fund in 2008.
In addition to Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States, Switzerland, Japan, Denmark and Ireland also contribute financially to the mechanism. Until 2018, the fund had only two donor countries: Norway and Germany.
🌳The Amazon Fund was created in 2008 and is a Brazilian government mechanism to attract donations from other countries and finance actions aimed at preventing, monitoring and combating deforestation, in addition to promoting the conservation and sustainable use of the Legal Amazon.
COP30, held in November 2025, in Belém (PA), increased the interest of countries in contributing financially to the preservation of the Amazon forest. During the conference, the European Union and Switzerland made new contributions to the fund official.
The European Union confirmed a donation of R$123 million, while Switzerland announced a contribution of R$33 million. In total, contributions total R$156 million.
A survey by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) showed that only R$49.9 million of these amounts had already been disbursed by countries and transferred to the fund, with R$30.5 million from the European Union and R$19.4 million from Switzerland.
According to Tereza Campello, socio-environmental director at BNDES, the amounts disbursed are part of a single Amazon Fund account. Therefore, there is no separation of values according to the donor country or the date on which the money was received.
However, after COP30, 13 projects have already been contracted by the mechanism, with a total value of R$837 million. In addition to them, another 31 projects are under analysis, totaling R$1.74 billion.
Campello states that the Fund's projects are advancing at a faster pace. Despite this, the director says that new donations are needed to maintain investments, as the fund alone is not enough to face climate challenges.
"The pace of execution is above average, but we need new donations, because, if we continue at this pace, the Amazon Fund's money will run out very quickly. And, even with the increase in donations, the fund alone will not be able to cope with the climate challenge we have in the world", he says.
Lowest deforestation rate since 1988
A survey by the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), released in October 2026, showed the lowest deforestation rate in the Amazon historical series, which began in 1988.
In the biome, deforestation was 3,335 km² between August 2025 and July 2026, a reduction of 41.8% compared to the previous period, when 5,731 km² were recorded.
Tereza Campello explains that reducing the deforestation rate helps Brazil receive resources from different countries. For her, what feeds the Amazon Fund is precisely the reduction in deforestation.
"Brazil has so much space to receive resources because we have greatly reduced deforestation. In a way, what feeds the Amazon Fund is the reduction in deforestation. And, on the other hand, by receiving resources and investing in the Amazon, in fighting fires and in generating jobs and income to keep the forest standing, you create conditions to continue reducing", he stated.
Amazon Rainforest near Manaus, capital of Amazonas — Photo: Bruno Kelly/Reuters
See where the money is invested
In the 18 years since its creation, the fund's initiatives have involved more than 650 community organizations and benefited 167 indigenous lands, 191 conservation units and around 288 thousand people with sustainable productive activities.
Despite the scope of the projects, Campello states that one of the challenges is ensuring that the resources also reach smaller communities, which do not always have the technical structure to present proposals and be accountable.
"One of the challenges is getting the project to completion, while maintaining the necessary rigor. Many small communities, including indigenous ones, do not have technicians or an organized association to deal with all the required documentation", he explained.
See where resources are invested:
Forest restoration
The Restaura Amazônia program, an initiative of the Fund, aims to promote ecological and productive restoration in the Legal Amazon. The initiative mobilizes R$500 million, R$450 million from the Amazon Fund and R$50 million from Petrobras.
The actions cover 35 indigenous lands, 77 settlements and 17 conservation units.
Social and productive inclusion
The Fund brings together R$1.7 billion in projects aimed at the social and productive inclusion of small farmers, indigenous peoples, quilombolas and traditional communities.
The initiatives have already generated R$364 million in income from the sale of products. Among the supported projects are Amazônia na Escola, Sanear Amazônia and public calls for sustainable activities, in addition to partnerships with other institutions.
Land and environmental regularization
The Fund allocates R$433 million to land and environmental regularization projects that reach the nine states of the Legal Amazon.
Fire prevention and fighting
The Fund also expanded support for preventing and combating forest fires, with R$615 million in actions covering 14 states and three biomes: Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal.
Of this total, R$371 million was allocated to strengthening the Fire Departments of the nine states of the Legal Amazon, R$150 million to integrated fire management in the Cerrado and Pantanal and R$93.8 million to the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).
Environmental inspection, control and monitoring
The Fund allocated R$826 million to Ibama to expand its monitoring and environmental protection capacity. The resources finance equipment and technologies, such as helicopters, drones, vehicles, artificial intelligence tools and new monitoring systems.
Indigenous agenda and quilombola communities
Since 2023, the average annual amount allocated to the indigenous agenda has increased from R$23 million to R$166 million, an increase of approximately seven times.
The Fund also expanded its work with quilombola communities. One of the initiatives is Naturezas Quilombolas, which allocates R$33 million in non-reimbursable resources to strengthening the territorial and environmental management of quilombola territories in the Amazon region.
Know and Recognize Award
The Amazon Fund also created the Know and Recognize award, which will select 50 initiatives led by indigenous people, quilombolas and traditional communities. Each selected project will receive up to R$50,000, totaling R$2.5 million in non-refundable resources.
