Support for developing a Biodiversity Program for the Amazon Region
Project description
Programme title: Support of the ACTO Biodiversity Program for the Amazon Region within the CBD framework in Latin America
Commissioned by: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany
Country: ACTO Member States (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela)
Lead executing agency: Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO)
Overall term: 2020 to 2022
Context
The Amazon is home to the largest contiguous tropical rainforest in the world, sheltering the greatest biological diversity on the planet. It provides multiple ecosystem functions and services, which are crucial for the survival, well-being and development of the people who inhabit the Amazon region and the countries it spans across. The Amazon is the most important source of fresh water in South America and plays a strategic role in protecting and regulating the world’s climate. With a population of around 40 million, the region is home to more than 400 indigenous peoples and rich in traditional knowledge and cultural diversity.
There is still a need to address various challenges related to replicating and scaling alternatives that promote sustainable development in the Amazon region which consider biodiversity conservation, the sustainable use of the ecosystem and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources. This needs to be done within a framework that fosters local economies, leads to a reduction in inequality gaps and improves the quality of life of local populations.
Against this background, member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) are working together to build up an information and knowledge base, as well as to develop regional coordination processes to fulfil the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), taking into account the negotiation process of the CBD’s Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
Objective
ACTO member states dispose of a regional strategy to coordinate the management of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Amazon region.
Approach
The project seeks to reinforce the ACTO’s role as a forum for regional exchange and technical and political dialogue on the sustainable management of Amazon ecosystems, their biodiversity and ecosystem services. To this end, the project aims to improve the knowledge base in the region and to develop the technical and management capacities of national actors and organisations in the member countries. This is important, because they are responsible for implementing the CBD objectives in synergy with the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework at national and regional level.
The project starting point is a scientific analysis of the state of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Amazon region applying the methodology of the IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). The joint design of the study and the discussion of its results goes hand in hand with measures to develop and improve capacities among experts and managers in the member countries and in the Permanent Secretariat of the ACTO. This goes towards developing a regional ecosystem perspective and facilitates coordinated action.
Experiences, lessons learned and concrete solutions for biodiversity management in the Amazon region are identified, systematised and shared applying a participatory approach and take into consideration the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples, as well as local and other traditional communities.
Last update: April 2021