CONNECTING TO
CONSERVE
The South American Forest Conservation Alliance (SAFCA) is a cross-border coalition of civil society organizations with a vision to sustainably conserve South America’s tropical forest ecosystems - unique and globally vital for local livelihoods, biodiversity, and climate change mitigation. Through long-term, strategic collaboration, we advocate for common causes in national and international forums. We also build collaborative frameworks that generate knowledge, raise awareness, and mobilize resources to deliver innovative, high-impact conservation across landscapes.
KNOWLEDGE
For SAFCA, knowledge management is not just about collecting information - it is about transforming knowledge into action for forest conservation. Working in complex socio-ecological systems requires decisions to be based on the best available knowledge, yet major gaps often exist between environmental challenges and the technical or scientific data needed to solve them.
SAFCA bridges this gap by facilitating knowledge exchange and strengthening the expertise of individuals and organizations. In doing so, we reduce uncertainty, improve ecosystem management, and ensure that solutions are evidence-based, scalable, and effective.
At SAFCA, knowledge management is our unique strength - turning shared learning and diverse knowledge into conservation strategies that deliver tangible results on the ground.
PURPOSE
CONNECTIVITY: SAFCA’S STRATEGIC PURPOSE
The SAFCA Alliance works to establish and manage biological corridors that connect tropical forest landscapes across South America. These corridors serve as lifelines for biodiversity, enabling species to thrive and move freely despite mounting pressures from deforestation and climate change. By linking Indigenous and rural community territories with officially protected areas, this approach fosters sustainable coexistence between people and nature.
OUR THREE STRATEGIC PILLARS
SAFCA’s efforts are guided by three interdependent pillars:
Sustainable Resource Management: Building resilient livelihoods, strengthening environmental governance, and promoting the sustainable use of forests and natural resources in partnership with local and Indigenous communities.
Ecosystem Protection and Connectivity: Conserving critical ecosystems and biodiversity through well-managed protected areas, restoring degraded landscapes, and ensuring ecological connectivity across territories to support climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Knowledge and Governance for Change : Advancing knowledge management to enable informed decision-making, while upholding Indigenous governance systems and fostering collective action for forest protection.
THE GRAND ARC OF TROPICAL FORESTS
Our immediate focus is the Grand Arc of Tropical Forests, a vast, biodiverse stretch of the central-western Amazon.
Mid-term: Creating and consolidating protected areas and Indigenous ancestral territories.
Long-term: Achieving landscape connectivity through political action and sustainable production in the landscapes between Indigenous territories and natural reserves.
NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS: SAFCA’S FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION
At the heart of SAFCA’s work lies the framework of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) - actions that harness healthy ecosystems to address society’s greatest challenges. NbS deliver co-benefits for people and nature alike by protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing forests.
This approach demonstrates how tropical forests can contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction, water and food security, biodiversity conservation, and resilient livelihoods. Widely promoted NbS are recognized as a key pathway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
For SAFCA, they provide a unifying foundation for interventions at local, regional, and international levels.
CHALLENGES
THE AMAZON AT A TIPPING POINT
The Amazon rainforest is rapidly approaching a critical tipping point. Scientists warn that vast areas could shift into drier ecosystems as deforestation and climate change disrupt rainfall patterns and intensify dry seasons. Since the Amazon generates much of its own rain, large-scale forest loss in the east can have serious consequences for the entire region.
Research suggests this tipping point may be triggered once 25% of forest cover is lost. According to MAAP, the Amazon has already lost more than 85 million hectares - around 13% of its original 647 million hectares. Losses are uneven: the eastern Amazon has lost about 31% of its forest, surpassing the tipping threshold, while the central (11%) and western (6%) parts remain below it.
The CHIQUITANO DRY FOREST CONNECTION
This looming crisis is not confined to the Amazon itself. The neighboring Chiquitano dry forest in Bolivia - the largest intact tropical dry forest on Earth - is also under severe pressure from deforestation, agricultural expansion, and fires. Its degradation not only threatens unique biodiversity, but also weakens the ecological resilience of the wider Amazonian system.
A CHAIN REACTION
Scientists fear that continued deforestation and wildfires could trigger a chain reaction, spreading the collapse from east to west and affecting interconnected ecosystems like the Chiquitano. Protecting both rainforests and dry forests is therefore essential to avoid crossing an irreversible threshold.
This is why SAFCA fights to conserve both the Amazon rainforest and the Chiquitano dry forest - to safeguard biodiversity, climate, and the future of local communities.
GEOGRAPHY
The GRAND ARCH OF TROPICAL FORESTS in central-western Amazon, spans seven regions across Bolivia and Peru - from eastern Bolivia on the border with Brazil to northern Peru on the border with Colombia.
This vast, biodiverse region remains largely pristine, unlike the heavily deforested eastern Amazon. Protecting it is vital, and SAFCA’s initiatives are designed as scalable models that can be replicated across South America.
Our boots-on-the-ground efforts are strategic: they not only safeguard tropical forests and strengthen local livelihoods, but also serve as catalysts for scaling up successful approaches - providing core models for replication across the region.
ALLIANCE PARTNERS
SAFCA currently consists of three South American NGOs and one Danish NGO.
If you share SAFCA’s vision and approach to conservation - grounded in Connectivity, Nature-based Solutions, and Knowledge Management as the basis for effective forest protection, advocacy, and awareness - you are welcome to reach out at info@safca.international
GOVERNANCE
SAFCA is governed by an Executive Board of eight members - the directors and one appointed representative from each of the four partner organizations. The Board’s primary role is to ensure strategic collaboration on forest conservation that delivers measurable results and attracts funding for the benefit of nature and local communities. While the Board makes strategic decisions, all alliance partners retain full financial independence and are not required to contribute to or cover the financial commitments of other members.
Collaboration within the alliance is further strengthened through Task Forces composed of experts from each program partner. These Task Forces implement joint activities within specific thematic areas and serve as platforms for peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing, and regional-level coordination.
Each year, the alliance convenes an annual workshop for both management and technical staff, focusing on capacity building, knowledge exchange, strategy development, and relationship strengthening. Representatives from the target groups, as well as from other national and international NGOs, also participate to promote and strengthen locally led development initiatives.
The collaboration framework is formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The Executive Board meets in person at least once a year and holds additional online meetings as needed to maintain continuity in decision-making. SAFCA’s collaborative structure enhances its ability to address transboundary challenges through coordinated action, mutual trust, and close cooperation.
