# Basic Income Pilot Boosts Amazon Rainforest Protection and Community Well-Being in Peru

> A two-year pilot project in the Peruvian Amazon provided unconditional basic income to 211 Indigenous individuals, leading to nearly 90% adopting environmentally beneficial practices, according to an October 20, 2026, analysis.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-23T10:57:42.838847Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/basic-income-pilot-boosts-amazon-rainforest-protection-and-community-well-being-in-peru-8283ae0e

A two-year pilot project in the Peruvian Amazon provided unconditional basic income to 211 Indigenous individuals, leading to nearly 90% adopting environmentally beneficial practices, according to an October 20, 2026, analysis by the University of Bath [1][3][6]. This initiative, managed by the UK-based climate charity Cool Earth, offered daily cash transfers to residents across three Asháninka and Yanesha communities [1][6].

This project represents a direct link between financial stability for Indigenous peoples and the preservation of critical ecosystems. The model suggests a replicable approach for climate action and community empowerment worldwide [11].

## What the records show

The University of Bath's analysis, released on October 20, 2026, details the pilot's impact on 211 individuals across three Asháninka and Yanesha communities [3][6]. It found nearly 90% of participants adopted environmentally beneficial practices, with 87% actively joining collective actions like native reforestation and reducing forest burning [3][5]. Food insecurity decreased significantly, with households unable to afford nutritious food dropping from 73% to 26% [7]. The share of participants forced into precarious external labor fell from 43% to 18% [8]. Economic stability increased, with 70% of households saving money, up from 49% [9]. Community cohesion also improved, with 85% reporting empowered local leadership [10]. Self-reported well-being scores more than doubled [10]. The cash transfers amounted to approximately £2 a day [6].

## The timeline

The pilot program began its first cash transfer in November 2023 [2]. The comprehensive analysis of the project's results was released on October 20, 2026, by the University of Bath [3].

## What changed and for whom

For the Asháninka and Yanesha communities involved, the basic income led to significant improvements in daily life and environmental stewardship [1][6]. Participants planted native trees, protected natural springs, and constructed organic waste pits, moving away from forest-clearing by burning [5]. The financial security provided by the cash transfers reduced the need for precarious external labor, allowing more individuals to dedicate time to their farms, families, and community initiatives [8][9]. Households saw major gains in housing quality, sanitation, energy access, and asset ownership [9]. Isabel Felandro, Cool Earth's Head of Programmes, stated that providing basic income offers an alternative to the unsustainable activities often driven by poverty [7].

## What the subject has said publicly

Cool Earth plans to adopt and replicate this pilot model as part of its ongoing work [11]. The charity intends to collaborate with new communities in the central Amazon region of Peru, hoping that this model will be replicated and scaled globally [11]. The analysis suggests that the combination of cash transfers and community-based training significantly contributed to improved household welfare, Indigenous autonomy, and environmental stewardship [11].

## What we could not confirm

Details regarding the long-term funding mechanisms for expanding this basic income model beyond the initial pilot phase were not specified in the available records.

## Evidence cited
1. Does giving cash to rainforest communities work? - Cool Earth (Cool Earth) — https://coolearth.org/blog/does-giving-cash-to-rainforest-communities-work/
2. Cool Earth & AidKit: Basic Income Pilot in the Amazon (AidKit) — https://www.aidkit.com/blog/cool-earth-aidkit-basic-income-pilot-amazon
3. Unconditional Basic Income Improves Rainforest Protection in Peruvian Amazon, Pilot Program Finds (Verity News) — https://verity.news/articles/2026/10/20/unconditional-basic-income-improves-rainforest-protection-in-peruvian-amazon-pilot-program-finds
4. University of Bath partners with Cool Earth on world’s first basic income pilot for Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon (University of Bath) — https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/university-of-bath-partners-with-cool-earth-on-worlds-first-basic-income-pilot-for-indigenous-peoples-in-the-amazon/
5. Basic income trial boosts Indigenous livelihoods and rainforest protection (University of Bath) — https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/basic-income-trial-boosts-indigenous-livelihoods-and-rainforest-protection/
6. A basic income trial in the Amazon rainforest is paying Indigenous people to conserve their land — and it's working (Business Insider) — https://www.businessinsider.com/peru-basic-income-trial-amazon-rainforest-conservation-cool-earth-2024-8
7. How œ2 a day is helping Indigenous communities protect Peru’s Amazon rainforest - Down To Earth (Down To Earth) — https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/forests/how-2-a-day-is-helping-indigenous-communities-protect-peru-s-amazon-rainforest-85664
8. Unconditional basic income helps protect Amazon rainforest, study finds | Amazon | The Guardian (The Guardian) — https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/20/unconditional-basic-income-amazon-rainforest-peru-study
9. Unconditional Basic Income Is Saving The Amazon (Impactful Ninja) — https://impactful.ninja/unconditional-basic-income-is-saving-the-amazon/
10. Unconditional Basic Income Boosts Food Security and Forest Conservation in Peruvian Amazon Indigenous Communities (Tridge) — https://www.tridge.com/news/unconditional-basic-income-boosts-food-security-and-forest-conservation-in-peruvian-amazon-indigenous-communities
11. Fighting the Climate Crisis with Reciprocity: Towards Indigenous Autonomy (University of Bath) — https://www.bath.ac.uk/publications/fighting-the-climate-crisis-with-reciprocity-towards-indigenous-autonomy/