Rainforest Partnership

Rainforest Partnership is an environmental organization based in Austin, Texas, focused on rainforest conservation, community development, and public education. Its work connects communities in and around Latin American rainforests with supporters, institutions, and partner communities in the United States. The organization primarily works in Ecuador and Peru, where it seeks to make forest protection economically viable for local residents rather than treating conservation as an objective separate from community livelihoods. Founded in 2007 by Niyanta Spelman, Hazel Barbour, Jordan Erdos, and Bob Warneke, with facilitation from Beth Caplan, Rainforest Partnership developed a community-centered approach to conservation. Its projects are intended to help communities create sustainable economic alternatives to deforestation and to give local people a direct stake in maintaining forest ecosystems. Rather than applying one standardized development model, the organization adapts its programs to local cultures, skills, knowledge, environmental conditions, and market opportunities. The organization’s first major community partnership was established in 2008 in Chipaota, Peru. The project supported a sustainable management plan for harvesting piassaba palms, whose fibers can be used to make brooms. Other initiatives have explored markets for shade-grown crops and forest products, including acai, cacao, coffee, medicinal plants, palm products, and crafts made by local artisans. In Pampa Hermosa, Peru, the organization has supported approaches involving sustainable logging and ecotourism as alternatives to destructive land-use practices. These projects are designed to combine biodiversity protection with income generation and local control. Rainforest Partnership also operates public-facing education and cultural programs. Its Films for the Forest short-film competition, launched in 2010, uses filmmaking and community screenings to encourage discussion of rainforest protection. Beginning in 2012, the program was featured through South by Southwest community screenings in Austin, helping connect rainforest advocacy with the city’s film and cultural networks. The organization also launched World Rainforest Day on June 22, 2017, as an annual awareness and action initiative focused on the importance of tropical forests and the need to prevent deforestation. The organization’s model is collaborative and bottom-up. Local partners are expected to play an active role in identifying priorities and shaping project decisions, while Rainforest Partnership helps connect those priorities with technical assistance, communications, markets, donors, and international visibility. Its activities therefore span conservation planning, sustainable livelihoods, community partnerships, environmental education, advocacy, and media engagement. Publicly described work has centered on Latin American rainforest communities and education in the United States; detailed information about its current project portfolio, staffing, finances, and organizational structure is limited in the supplied reference material.

Rainforest Partnership was founded in 2007 in Austin, Texas, by Niyanta Spelman, Hazel Barbour, Jordan Erdos, and Bob Warneke, with Beth Caplan facilitating the organization’s formation. Its purpose was to connect rainforest conservation with the economic and social needs of communities living in or near tropical forests. The organization’s geographic focus has included rainforest regions of Ecuador and Peru, together with educational and awareness activities in the United States. In 2008, Rainforest Partnership established its first major partnership with the community of Chipaota in Peru. The project addressed the practical problem that forest protection must be compatible with local livelihoods. It supported a sustainable management plan for piassaba palms, whose fibers are used in broom production, creating a potential income stream based on continued forest stewardship rather than forest clearance. The organization subsequently developed or supported projects tailored to individual communities and ecosystems. Possible livelihood approaches described in its public materials include the development of United States markets for shade-grown crops such as acai, cacao, and coffee; cultivation or commercialization of medicinal plants and palm products; and support for crafts produced by local artisans. In Pampa Hermosa, Peru, the organization has worked on approaches involving sustainable logging and ecotourism. The goal of such programs is to create alternatives to deforestation while protecting wildlife and maintaining benefits for local residents. Rainforest Partnership describes its method as bottom-up and collaborative. Project design is intended to reflect the priorities, culture, knowledge, and skills of local communities, as well as the opportunities and constraints of each forest. The organization’s role can include connecting local partners with external supporters, helping develop sustainable enterprises, and communicating the conservation value of the work to audiences outside the rainforest region. This collective model places substantial importance on the consent and ideas of Latin American partners. Alongside field projects, Rainforest Partnership developed cultural and educational initiatives. On May 13, 2010, it began Films for the Forest, a short-film competition for works generally between 30 seconds and three minutes in length. Entries have come from filmmakers in multiple countries, and the program has used screenings to bring rainforest issues into public cultural spaces. Since 2012, Films for the Forest has been associated with South by Southwest community screenings in Austin. Richard Linklater has served as the competition’s primary judge, with guest judges participating over time. On June 22, 2017, Rainforest Partnership launched World Rainforest Day. The initiative was intended to create a recurring occasion for public education and action concerning tropical forests, deforestation, and climate protection. Listed partners have included organizations and events connected with conservation, film, environmental networking, and Earth Day programming. The organization has received local media attention in the Austin area, including coverage or features associated with Austin American-Statesman’s online outlet Austin360, public radio station KUT, News 8 YNN Austin, and The Austin Chronicle. The supplied reference material does not provide a complete account of current leadership, budgets, legal structure, staffing, or the status of every historical project. Accordingly, the organization’s documented public identity is best characterized as an active environmental nonprofit built around community-led rainforest conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and public engagement.

• 2017

  World Rainforest Day is launched

  [1]Rainforest Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  Rainforest Partnership introduced June 22 as World Rainforest Day, an awareness and action initiative for tropical rainforest protection.

• 2012

  Films for the Forest appears at SXSW community screenings

  [1]Rainforest Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  The film initiative expanded its public reach through South by Southwest community programming.

• 2010

  Films for the Forest begins

  [1]Rainforest Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  The organization launched its international short-film competition on rainforest themes.

• 2008

  First major partnership in Chipaota, Peru

  [1]Rainforest Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  Rainforest Partnership began a major community partnership focused on sustainable piassaba-palm management and forest-compatible livelihoods.

• 2007

  Rainforest Partnership is founded

  [1]Rainforest Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  Niyanta Spelman, Hazel Barbour, Jordan Erdos, and Bob Warneke founded the organization, with Beth Caplan facilitating its formation.

A community-led rainforest conservation organization that combines forest protection with locally appropriate economic development and public education.

• Community conservation and sustainable livelihoods · 2008

  Chipaota Sustainable Palm Management Project

  Rainforest Partnership’s first major community project, established in Chipaota, Peru, supported a sustainable management plan for piassaba palms. The palm fibers can be used in broom production, creating an income opportunity tied to maintaining forest resources. The project illustrates the organization’s approach of linking conservation with locally relevant economic activity rather than relying solely on external enforcement or donations.

• Community conservation and ecotourism

  Pampa Hermosa Conservation and Livelihoods Work

  In Pampa Hermosa, Peru, Rainforest Partnership has supported alternatives to deforestation adapted to the local cloud-forest context. Publicly described approaches include sustainable logging plans and ecotourism. The intended result is a balance between protecting wildlife and forest ecosystems and preserving economic options for nearby communities.

• Environmental film and education program · 2010

  Films for the Forest

  Films for the Forest is a short-film competition featuring works centered on a designated rainforest-related theme. Entries are typically between 30 seconds and three minutes and have come from filmmakers around the world. The initiative uses film submissions, screenings, judges, and cultural partnerships to make rainforest conservation accessible to wider public audiences.

• Public awareness campaign · 2017

  World Rainforest Day

  World Rainforest Day is an annual awareness initiative launched by Rainforest Partnership on June 22, 2017. It promotes understanding of tropical forests’ environmental and climate significance and encourages individuals and organizations to take action against deforestation.

• 2017World Rainforest Day

  International

  An annual public-awareness campaign launched to highlight the importance of tropical rainforests and encourage action to prevent deforestation.

  Outcome. The initiative established June 22 as a recurring rainforest-awareness date and involved partners from conservation, film, environmental-networking, and Earth Day communities.

  Source
• 2012SXSW Films for the Forest Community Screenings

  United States

  Films for the Forest was presented through South by Southwest community screenings in Austin, connecting rainforest advocacy with a major local film and cultural event.

  Outcome. The screenings expanded the initiative’s public and cultural reach; detailed attendance or fundraising results are not provided.

  Source
• 2010Films for the Forest

  United States · International

  A global short-film competition using creative media to communicate rainforest themes and support public engagement with conservation.

  Outcome. The program continued with international submissions and later gained visibility through SXSW community screenings.

  Source

1. 1Rainforest Partnershipen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rainforest Partnership official websiterainforestpartnership.org