The Rainforest Foundation USA (RFUS) has launched a new initiative called the Tree Treasury. The goal is to raise about 100 Bitcoins (BTC), worth about $10 million, to build a strategic Bitcoin reserve. The move is in line with the trend of governments, companies, and institutions building Bitcoin-backed treasuries to hedge against inflation and financial instability.


RFUS plans to use the reserve to triple its operating budget over the next 10 years. The organization has worked for 37 years to help indigenous communities in Peru, Brazil and Guyana protect their ancestral lands from logging.

Why Bitcoin? Inflation Hedge and Long-Term Strategy
In an interview on the “The Agenda” podcast, RFUS executive director Suzanne Pettier explained why the NGO chose to adopt Bitcoin. She said that holding cash reserves in traditional currencies is problematic because of inflation and the devaluation of the dollar.


“The money people give us is losing value because of inflation and the devaluation of the dollar,” Pettier said. She noted that companies like MicroStrategy have already adopted Bitcoin as a treasury asset, and RFUS hopes to apply the same idea to the nonprofit sector.
Pettier believes that now is the right time to launch this initiative because Bitcoin has market cycles. She noted that Bitcoin has historically experienced price growth after halving events, and regulatory changes may also make this period a good time to invest.

How RFUS will use Bitcoin
Unlike other Bitcoin reserves that limit spending, RFUS plans to actively use the funds to support conservation projects. The organization estimates that it costs $2 per acre of rainforest land per year to monitor and protect it.
A donation of one bitcoin (currently about $98,000) can help indigenous communities protect 50,000 acres for a year. RFUS has detailed how bitcoin donations can contribute to conservation efforts. A donation of 0.0015 bitcoins (about $147) can provide satellite monitoring for 50 acres, allowing the foundation to track deforestation and illegal activity in the rainforest. A larger donation of 0.0154 bitcoins (about $1,500) can provide an annual stipend for indigenous forest rangers, ensuring that local communities have the resources to protect the land.

RFUS is focused on supporting indigenous peoples, and unlike some conservation groups that focus solely on land protection, the foundation provides legal, technical, and advocacy support to indigenous groups to help them defend their ancestral territories.

Indigenous peoples’ participation in decision-making
RFUS works fully with indigenous communities. Pétier stressed that the foundation does not impose its own agenda but co-creates projects with local leaders.
"All of our work is done in partnership with Indigenous peoples. It's not just consultation, it's true partnership with communities," she said.
Most importantly, the Bitcoin reserves can provide long-term financial sustainability for RFUS’s conservation projects, ensuring more stable funding while helping Indigenous groups protect their lands and cultures.