Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Bolsters Forest Conservation with Recent Partnerships
Ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of Forests on March 21st, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has announced three new partnerships aimed at strengthening support for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) and advancing forest conservation in the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and the Congo Basin. These collaborations, part of the Foundation’s Forests and Communities Initiative (FCI), will focus on bolstering the role of IPLCs as frontline guardians of vital forest ecosystems.
Protecting 9.4 Million Hectares in the Amazon
In Brazil, the Foundation is partnering with the Mebêngôkre-Kayapo-led Associação Floresta Protegida to support the Kayapo Project. This initiative safeguards 9.4 million hectares of tropical forest across six Indigenous Territories in south-central Pará and northern Mato Grosso [1, 3]. The partnership, running from 2026 to 2028, will focus on two key areas: the Kayapo Forest School and a territorial monitoring program.
The Kayapo Forest School trains the next generation of Indigenous leaders by combining traditional knowledge with modern conservation technologies, such as drones and camera traps [3]. The territorial monitoring program supports over 1,500 Kayapo guardians in protecting more than 2,200 kilometers of territorial borders [3].
“The partnership reinforces durable Indigenous governance and autonomy,” said Patkore Kayapo, President of Associação Floresta Protegida [2].
Community Resilience in the Congo Basin
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Foundation is collaborating with the Centre for Innovative Technologies and Sustainable Development (CTIDD) to implement the PRC-PROZAC project in Equateur Province [1]. The 2026-2028 project will support communities in Bolomba, Basankusu and Mbandaka through reforestation, sustainable agroforestry, and income-generating activities, aiming to reduce pressure on forest ecosystems while improving local livelihoods [1].
Trésor Bondjembo, Executive Director of CTIDD, stated that the project presents an opportunity to demonstrate that local communities can be central to forest conservation and natural resource governance [1]. He added, “This partnership represents a significant responsibility for CTIDD: to demonstrate our commitment to sharing our expertise in support of a just cause — the fight against climate change.”
Flexible Support for Community Initiatives in Southeast Asia
The Foundation is also partnering with the Samdhana Institute to implement the CLENCHED project across the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia [1]. This initiative will provide flexible grants to 25 Indigenous and community-led projects focused on forest conservation, biodiversity protection, and tenure security, with a particular emphasis on strengthening the capacity of women, youth, and marginalized groups [1].
Erwin Quinones, Deputy Executive Director for Philippines and Mekong Operations at the Samdhana Institute, welcomed the partnership as a means to support community-led conservation and human rights defense across the region.
A Commitment to Indigenous Leadership
Romain Ciarlet, Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, emphasized that the initiative is based on the understanding that those who have protected forests for generations must be at the center of any credible conservation response [1]. “Indigenous peoples are not only guardians of biodiversity; they are key actors in the global response to climate and environmental challenges,” he said.
Founded in 2006 by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is a global non-profit organization dedicated to advancing planetary health [4].