The Rainforest Fund, established in 1989 by musician Sting and Trudie Styler alongside Dr. Franca Sciuto, has funded more than 300 projects globally to protect indigenous lands and preserve rainforest environments.
Origins of the Rainforest Fund and Meeting Chief Raoni
The foundation traces its roots back to 1987, following the release of Sting’s album Nothing Like the Sun. Belgian filmmaker Jean-Pierre Dutilleux introduced the musician to the Brazilian Amazon, where Sting met Chief Raoni Metuktire, an elder leader of the Kayapó people recognized by his ceremonial lip plate.
During their meeting, Chief Raoni made a specific request rather than asking for monetary aid. At the 1989 Rainforest Foundation Launch and Press Conference, Sting recalled the interaction, stating, “Raoni didn’t ask us to build him a hospital or a school. He asked for one thing: ‘Help us mark out our land.’ He knew that without a border, without legal title signed by the government, they would be wiped out. It wasn’t about sending money; it was about giving them the legal tools to defend what was already theirs.”
Threats to the Amazon Basin in the Late 1980s
At the time of the 1987 meeting, the Amazon River and surrounding regions faced severe pressures from illegal gold miners, loggers, and a proposed massive hydroelectric dam complex along the Xingu River. Indigenous communities sought legal assistance to establish formal boundaries and protect their territories from industrial encroachment.
Reflecting on the resilience of the local populations, Sting stated in an interview with the BBC that “The native people are the best guardians of the forest. They don’t need us to tell them how to look after it; they’ve done it for thousands of years. They just need the law on their side.”
Global Awareness Tour and Institutional Support
Following their return to Europe, Sting, Trudie Styler, Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, and Franca Sciuto co-founded the Rainforest Foundation in 1989. To raise public awareness and secure resources, Sting organized a 60-day, 17-country world tour accompanied by Chief Raoni.
Throughout the tour, the delegation met with international political and religious figures, including Pope John Paul II, French President François Mitterrand, and King Charles III, holding numerous press conferences to highlight the plight of the Amazon. These efforts raised millions of dollars in individual donations to fund the physical surveys and boundary demarcation of indigenous territories.
In a 2011 blog post for the Huffington Post, Trudie Styler described the impact of witnessing the destruction firsthand. “Observing the destruction from a distance of several thousand feet was bad enough. The global consequences were plain to see from our bird’s-eye view. But what was even more heart-wrenching was landing the plane and meeting some of the indigenous people whose land was being ruined,” Styler wrote.
Scope of Work and Ongoing Projects
Styler detailed the core mission of the organization, noting that the Rainforest Fund provides financial support for people living in and around the world’s rainforests to help them preserve their environment and protect their rights to land, life, and livelihood. The foundation aims to help indigenous groups achieve independence and self-sustenance by prioritizing legal rights to their ancestral lands.
Over the past few decades, the organization has expanded its reach across four continents, providing funding and operational support to numerous community organizations and nongovernmental organizations through legal aid, human rights advocacy, and environmental protection initiatives.