At least 80 per cent of forest needs to be protected to avoid an irreversible tipping point
There was no commitment to stop oil drilling in the region. Photo: iStock Leaders from the eight countries across the Amazon, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, failed to agree on the goal to protect the rainforest at the ongoing Amazon Summit organised by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).
ACTO is an international organisation “aimed at the promotion of sustainable development of the Amazon Basin”.
Colombia had proposed that 80 per cent of the Amazon should be protected from deforestation and degradation by 2025 but did not find support from all the members.
A clear joint goal, such as the protection of 80 per cent of the forest to avoid the tipping point, is absent in the declaration and leaders couldn't even agree on zero deforestation, Diego Casaes, campaign director of Avaaz, a United States-based nonprofit pointed out in a press release.
Scientists have warned for long that if the combined deforestation and degradation of the Amazon crosses a 20-25 per cent threshold, the forest could reach an irreversible tipping point that may result in the dieback of the entire ecosystem.
The leaders focused on “initiating a dialogue” on the sustainability of mining and fossil fuel-related activities and there was no commitment to stop oil drilling in the region. According to Avaaz, this is a clear indication that President Lula and his counterparts intend to continue fossil fuel exploitation.
The failure of consensus on protected areas could have implications on the overall goals and targets set under the Convention on Biological Diversity's Global Biodiversity Framework set in December 2022. Under this, member countries had agreed to protect at least 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030. The greater role of biodiversity rich countries, such as those in the Amazon region, was emphasised during the negotiations.
The Belem Declaration released during the Amazon Summit recognises Indigenous knowledge as a condition for biodiversity conservation and calls for ensuring full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in decision-making and public policy formulation processes.
“Indigenous People are under constant threats and land rights will not only give them better protection, it will also prevent deforestation and protect the rich biodiversity within these territories,” said Anders Haug Larsen, head of International advocacy Rainforest Foundation Norway.
The representatives at the Summit recognised that there is a need for multiple forest economy solutions to counter the trend of agricultural commodities as the dominant economic model in the region. The declaration promotes sustainable use of biodiversity resources in the Amazon.
At the moment, there is no indication of how much money members will invest to fund the declaration's proposed objectives or support minimum conservation standards. It is likely that Brazil's “Amazon fund” could be expanded to cover the region and a working group will be established to discuss financial needs and efforts needed to mobilise resources.
Finances to fund biodiversity have been a sticky point since the agreement on the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Recently, at the Global Environment Facility Council meeting in Brazil, available funds were allocated for different areas of GEF's work. GEF is responsible for finding funds for the implementation of GBF and is meeting later this month in Canada to finalise the working of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.
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