At 10.5 million hectares, the Kayapó Indigenous Territories is by far the largest tract of tropical forest in the world under protection.

The ability of the 5,000 Kayapó Indigenous People of Brazil to control access to their land and rich natural resources in the southeastern Amazon ensures not only the ecological integrity of the area, but also the long-term physical, social and cultural security of the Kayapó people.

Conservation International-Brazil with Global Conservation Fund (GCF) support is providing the Kayapó with the equipment and finances necessary to manage their vast tract of legally ratified territory for conservation and sustainable development. The project includes a surveillance program by local Kayapó organizations in collaboration with the government Indian Agency that is monitoring 1,600 kilometers of frontier border.

This improved surveillance has resulted in a greatly decreased incidence of invasion by ranchers, colonists, fishermen, hunters and non-Indian Brazil nut collectors, especially in the northeast.

The program also includes plans for the development of a $10 million endowment fund to provide annual revenue for patrols, training and equipment that will enable the Kayapó to monitor and protect their forests in the long term. GCF has committed $2.5 million in capital for the fund, and is providing technical expertise to help design and establish it.