COP16: Protecting the Amazon with science and Indigenous knowledge

The tide has not yet turned in the Amazon. The rainforest is disappearing at a rapid pace, and life beneath the river's surface is similarly under severe pressure. Professor at the Forest Ecology and Forest Management group Marielos Peña Claros, who grew up in the region of Bolivia where deforestation is advancing fastest, explains: “I see increasingly large areas being used for agriculture, particularly for soy production and cattle farming. The landscape has changed significantly in the 18 years that I’ve worked here at Wageningen.”

In the entire Amazon region, the cutting and burning of forests for agriculture plays a major role, but other factors also put pressure on biodiversity. Peña Claros says: “The inhabitants of the Amazon rely heavily on fish for their protein intake. Overfishing, as well as the construction of dams that hinder migration to spawning grounds, is leading to a decline in various fish species. Moreover, poaching is a growing problem in Latin America. For example, a market has emerged in Asia for products derived from jaguars. These predators are at the top of the food chain, so their loss has consequences for biodiversity across the chain.”

Policy advice based on research

On behalf of the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), Peña Claros will attend the UN Biodiversity Conference 2024, which will take place in Colombia from 21 October to 1 November. The SPA is to launch two so-called policy briefs, offering policy advice based on research. One document focuses on the role of science, technology and innovation hubs in advancing a social bioeconomy, and the other on the importance of Indigenous peoples' territories in expanding protected areas for the conservation of the Amazon.

“In a social bioeconomy, people sustainably, circularly, and equitably utilise products from the Amazon forests and rivers. The idea is to not only look at the extraction part, but also at the market and what to do with by-products,” says Peña Claros. One important product from the Amazon she mentions is açaí, a fruit from a palm tree. “The fruit is used for pulp production, which is consumed as porridge pulp, juice, and powders internationally. But the seed remains, and there are trillions of them. Those seeds are very hard, and if you remove the coat, they are very white. So, you can paint them in different colours and make jewellery. But what to do with all the other seeds? Here, we need to think about technological solutions, and about how the money should be distributed throughout the production chain,” she explains.

Indigenous peoples are crucial for nature conservation

Another way to conserve the rainforest is to strengthen the role of Indigenous peoples in safeguarding their territories. Currently, about 25% of the Amazon basin consists of Indigenous territories, which show lower rates of deforestation and fire events than areas outside their territories. “There is, however, lots of pressure on these lands, and it is very important to work with Indigenous peoples to improve the governance of their lands. Unfortunately, in Brazil, for example, there’s a lot of debate about Indigenous territories, with several legal discussions at this moment,” Peña Claros says. “More concrete actions are needed to protect Indigenous territories, including the full recognition of territories and collective rights, and the strengthening of local governance as one of the most important strategies to maintain forests.”

Across the Amazon, there are many initiatives to promote its conservation. Many local, regional and international organisations have been collecting data in the region for decades. That’s why WUR researchers Rob Alkemade and Csaba Földesi, together with WWF NL, Utrecht University and organisations from the Amazon, established the Bending the Curve Knowledge Hub. That large amount of data is used in existing biodiversity models, providing a better understanding of which initiatives work best to stop biodiversity loss.

Bottom-up solutions

Földesi, coordinator of the Knowledge Hub, says: “These models showcase whether biodiversity can be improved by interventions such as sociobioeconomy or expanding protected areas.” According to Peña Claros, these conclusions are very valuable for other regions in the Amazon. “Our idea is that stopping biodiversity loss isn’t about coming in with the solution from above. It is more about learning from successful approaches in the region through data collection and modelling,” she says.

“Especially in the Amazon region, countless organisations are already working to halt deforestation and biodiversity loss,” Földesi continues. “Even at WUR, we have many projects and even more colleagues working on this key biome. So, why start from scratch when we can connect with those who have been working here for years, if not decades? We quickly realised that for the Hub to succeed, we need to explore how the Bending the Curve initiative can contribute to and enhance existing efforts, rather than replicate them.”

Stories from regional organisations and leaders

“The Bending the Curve Knowledge Hub operates at the intersection of science, policy, and society,” explains Jeanne Nel, programme leader of Biodiverse Environment. “It’s a great space for scientists to think regionally about the issues facing local people and biodiversity, and to understand the connections between regions. Strict regulations might reduce deforestation in one country, but push such activities into neighbouring countries. We need a holistic, regional approach,” she says.

“The first meeting of the Knowledge Hub focused on stories from the different regions”, Nel continues. “The information from these stories is very valuable for the model we are using. This helps us understand what’s happening in different regions of the Amazon. The presence of Indigenous leaders at the meeting was especially important. They shared powerful stories about the threats to their living environment.”

High biodiversity for a better climate

If the Bending the Curve Knowledge Hub eventually leads to increased biodiversity, it will have multiple benefits. It’s not just good for plants, animals, and the people who depend on forests and rivers. It’s also beneficial for the climate, says Peña Claros: “Forests with higher biodiversity can sequester more carbon. For example, certain tree species that store more carbon depend on monkeys to disperse their seeds. But if those monkeys are hunted, those tree species will eventually disappear.”

“There are strong links between different forms of biodiversity, carbon storage, and climate change. We have a lot of scientific evidence for these links, so this is also an important message for the UN Biodiversity Conference 2024.”