Earth Innovation Institute

What Earth Innovation Institute does

Earth Innovation Institute (EII) is a Berkeley, California-based nonprofit organization founded in 2010 that designs and implements programs for low-emission rural development in tropical forest regions. Its work targets indigenous communities, smallholder farmers, regional governments, and responsible businesses across six operating geographies: the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Peru. EII's programmatic portfolio centers on jurisdictional sustainability, with core initiatives including the Green Jurisdictions Database (a reference dataset on low-carbon development across 39 jurisdictions worldwide), the State of Jurisdictional Sustainability tracking initiative, and the Innovation Counties framework for wildfire-cycle disruption in the Amazon and Cerrado co-developed with Aliança da Terra. In Peru, EII operates the Superfruits for Forest Conservation project, a bioeconomy partnership linking 22 indigenous and farmer communities around the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve to Peruvian beverage manufacturer AJE via sustainably harvested aguaje and camu camu, protecting more than 5 million hectares of Amazon forest.

EII does not develop proprietary technology products, APIs, or software platforms. Its intellectual outputs are research publications, policy briefs, the Green Jurisdictions Database, webinars, and field programs. Recent analytical outputs include 'The Great Climate Solution: The Amazon Rainforest and the Carbon Market' (2025), a Loreto Regional Conservation Areas perception study (2025), and a Brazil new carbon law policy analysis (2024). Revenue is derived from grants and donations; the UK Partnerships for Forests program is the identified primary funder of the Superfruits project, with co-funding from foundations such as the Andes Amazon Fund. EII operates through regional field teams and a network of implementing partners including Nature and Culture International, Amazónicos por la Amazonía, Amaru Mayu, Frutama, AJE, and Aliança da Terra, and is a fiscal-sponsored project of the Greennature Foundation for individual donations. Its competitive position rests on multi-year community relationships, specialized JREDD+ policy expertise, and consistent presence in international climate forums and top-tier media.

Name

Earth Innovation Institute

Legal name

Earth Innovation Institute

Website

https://earthinnovation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Earth Innovation Institute is a Berkeley-based nonprofit that designs and implements low-emission rural development programs in tropical forest regions, serving indigenous communities, smallholder farmers, and regional governments across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Indonesia through jurisdictional sustainability, bioeconomy, and wildfire-prevention initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Avoided Conversion & Ecosystem Protection (REDD+, Blue Carbon Conservation) (EUABABAC), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD), Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD), Forestry, Land Use & REDD+ Programs (BPADALAF)

Keywords

• Forest conservation programs
• Jurisdictional sustainability
• Tropical reforestation
• Sustainable rural development
• Carbon market development

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: EII operates as a nonprofit organization funded through grants from governments (e.g., U.K. Partnerships for Forests), charitable foundations, and individual donations. The organization fosters transition to low-emission rural development through project-based funding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Earth Innovation Institute implements low-emission rural development programs in tropical forest regions, partnering with indigenous communities, local governments, NGOs, and responsible businesses to transition economies away from slash-and-burn agriculture. The organization delivers regional field programs, jurisdictional sustainability data tools, and policy advocacy for forest conservation and high-integrity carbon markets across Latin America, Indonesia, and California.

Product overview

Earth Innovation Institute (EII) operates as a non-profit organization focused on climate-friendly rural development in tropical forest regions. Rather than a unified commercial product, EII offers a portfolio of interconnected programs and publications. Core initiatives include the Green Jurisdictions Database (comprehensive data on low-carbon development), the State of Jurisdictional Sustainability (interactive tracking across 39 jurisdictions), Innovation Counties (wildfire prevention strategy with Aliança da Terra), Superfruits for Forest Conservation (sustainable bioeconomy in Peru), Amazon Back to Fish, Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Livelihoods, and the Sustainable Tropics Alliance. EII also produces research publications on carbon markets, jurisdictional REDD+, and conservation areas. The organization does not offer a commercial software product or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Green Jurisdictions Database A data resource providing information on progress toward low-carbon development in tropical forest jurisdictions around the world, used by governments, researchers, and policy stakeholders.
• State of Jurisdictional Sustainability An interactive tracking initiative covering progress on low-emission sustainable development across 39 jurisdictions worldwide for use by governments and partners.
• Amazon Back to Fish Program focused on restoring fish populations and supporting sustainable fisheries management in the Amazon region, delivered with local communities and partners.
• Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Livelihoods Program supporting indigenous communities' rights and sustainable livelihood opportunities in tropical forest regions through partnerships and capacity building.
• Sustainable Tropics Alliance Alliance program working to promote sustainable development practices in tropical regions through multi-stakeholder collaboration.
• Innovation Counties in the Amazon and Cerrado County-wide strategy developed with Aliança da Terra to break the wildfire cycle in the Amazon and Cerrado by reducing wildfire risk, enabling economic investment in high-value crops, and allowing forests to regrow as natural fire breaks.
• Superfruits for Forest Conservation Partnership project leveraging Amazon superfruits (camu camu and aguaje) to establish a sustainable bioeconomy for indigenous communities in Loreto, Peru while protecting forest areas across more than 5 million hectares in the Peruvian Amazon.

Quantifiable outcome

• Harvest volumes increased from 300 bags/week to over 1000 bags/week for superfruit communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Nature and Culture International (NCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCI is an implementing partner for the Superfruits for Forest Conservation project, providing expertise in conservation and sustainable development in the Andean-Amazon region.
• Amazónicos por la Amazonía (AMPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMPA is a local Peruvian NGO implementing partner for the Superfruits for Forest Conservation project, working directly with indigenous communities.
• Amaru MayucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmaru Mayu is the company producing Amarumayu superfruit beverages. EII works with them to connect indigenous communities to markets for sustainably harvested fruits.
• FrutamacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrutama is a Peruvian company involved in producing and distributing superfruit products, implementing partner in the conservation project.
• AJE (Peruvian beverage maker)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAJE is the major Peruvian beverage company producing Amarumayu immunity-boosting beverages from sustainably harvested aguaje and camu camu fruits sourced from indigenous communities.
• Aliança da TerracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAliança da Terra is a key partner in the Innovation Counties program, working jointly with EII on wildfire prevention and sustainable farming strategies in Brazil and Peru.
• Re:wildsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRe:wild provided support for the study on perceptions of regional conservation areas in Loreto, Peru, conducted by EII.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Pachama: Tech-enabled forest carbon marketplace connecting corporate buyers to REDD+ projects with remote-sensing verification. Operates in the same end market as EII's jurisdictional work but with a venture-backed technology platform model rather than field implementation.

Direct peers

• Climate Focus: Climate Focus is a direct peer in jurisdictional REDD+ (JREDD+) program design and implementation in Brazil, Indonesia, and Colombia — overlapping almost exactly with EII's core programmatic niche.
• Earthworm Foundation: Works directly with companies and producers on deforestation-free commodity supply chains in the Amazon and Southeast Asia — closely overlapping with EII's Superfruits/corporate offtaker model and jurisdictional supply-chain integration work.
• Rainforest Foundation Norway: Funds and implements indigenous-led forest protection in the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia. Closely comparable mission focus on indigenous land rights + forest conservation, though operates as a funder/intermediary rather than direct implementer.
• Wildlife Works: For-profit REDD+ project developer operating in Kenya, DRC, and Cambodia with corporate carbon credit sales. Comparable in the forest-carbon credit origination space, though differs in for-profit structure and direct project ownership vs. EII's NGO facilitating role.

Broad incumbents

• Conservation International: Large conservation NGO with extensive tropical forest programs and corporate sustainability partnerships. Operates across similar geographies (Brazil, Peru, Indonesia) but at much greater scale and with a broader portfolio beyond jurisdictional sustainability.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI operates Global Forest Watch and large-scale jurisdictional sustainability programs across tropical forest countries. Highly comparable to EII in methodology, data focus, and multi-country footprint, but operates at substantially greater scale and budget.
• WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Forests: One of the largest forest conservation NGOs globally, with major Amazon and Southeast Asia programs and deep corporate supply-chain engagement. Overlaps with EII's deforestation-free commodity and jurisdictional approach, though at far greater scale and with broader conservation scope.
• The Nature Conservancy: Large environmental NGO with significant forest programs and emerging jurisdictional sustainability work in Brazil and the U.S. Comparable in mission and donor base, though substantially larger and more diversified geographically and programmatically.

Others

• Verra: Operates the VCS Program and other carbon standards under which JREDD+ credits (the kind EII helps originate) would be certified. Not a direct competitor but the dominant standards-setting infrastructure that determines market access for EII-aligned projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EarthInnovate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/earth-innovation-institute
• Facebookfacebook.com/Earth.Innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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