Three indigenous Ka'apor—two women and one man—with raised fists — Ka'apor people protesting against the planned carbon trading project in their rainforest (© World Rainforest Movement WRM)

Court halts Wildlife Works' carbon trading project in the Amazon rainforest

Jun 5, 2025The US company Wildlife Works wants to operate a project for trading CO₂ certificates in the rainforest of the indigenous Ka'apor people. Now the judiciary has suspended the carbon project in our rainforest territory, the Ka'apor indigenous council Tuxa Ta Pame informs us.

On May 30, a Brazilian federal judge issued an injunction against Wildlife Works, a U.S. company, requiring it to immediately suspend all activities in the Alto Turiaçu rainforest, home to the Ka’apor people.

The judge’s decision follows a lawsuit filed by the Ka’apor Indigenous Council, Tuxa Ta Pame, which opposes Wildlife Works’ proposed carbon project in the rainforest.

We have always protected and defended nature. That is why we are not selling nature to the carbon market. The forest is not a commodity. This must stop.”

– Itahu Ka’apor
Indigenous Council Tuxa Ta Pame

The Ka’apor Council has been one of our partner organizations in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest for over four years.

At their request, we launched the petition “Brazil: Keep U.S. carbon traders OUT of the Ka’apor rainforest” in May, which to date has been signed by more than 50,000 supporters. Through this petition, the Ka’apor Council seeks international solidarity and aims to put pressure on the authorities.

The core issue is the Ka’apor’s right to consultation and to free, prior, and informed consent, as stipulated in Convention 169 of the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO). This right applies to all projects and activities that affect Indigenous peoples’ land and lives.

According to the Ka’apor Council, the U.S. company did not comply with these regulations. Additionally, Article 231 of the Brazilian Federal Constitution is said to have been violated.

The judge also cited these concerns in her reasoning. In her ruling, she noted that the national Indigenous agency FUNAI has confirmed that there are currently no specific regulations in Brazil for the commercialization of carbon credits on Indigenous land. FUNAI therefore advises against entering into such contracts until regulations are established.

The Ka’apor have preserved their forest to this day

The roughly 3,000 Ka’apor people have preserved the rainforest through their traditional way of life and actively protect it from loggers, cattle ranchers, and mining companies. The rainforest in the 5,320-square-kilometer Alto Turiaçu territory is not only the community’s source of livelihood and a habitat of immense biodiversity, but it also stores millions of tons of carbon.

Wildlife Works aims to use this stored carbon to generate carbon credits that can be sold to companies and individuals for profit. This allows buyers to reduce their carbon footprint on paper or present themselves as climate neutral, even though they may continue to emit significant greenhouse gases in practice.

What happens next?

The project is suspended until the validity of the consultation process is determined in court. Resistance to the planned carbon project in the Ka’apor rainforest therefore continues. If you have not yet signed the petition, please consider doing so.

Further information:

REDD Monitor, June 9, 2025. Federal court in Brazil rules against Wildlife Works' REDD project on Indigenous Ka'apor territory