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Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program
NEWS | DECEMBER 2021
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During the last couple of years the pandemic has certainly brought many challenges to our communities, but has also proved that awareness, science, collaboration, and solidarity are key to overcome them.
Collaboration has been one of the core values of the ASL and has been integral as we have been welcoming new projects into our community. Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, and Suriname, along with Brazil, Colombia and Peru are now a part of the second phase of the program. We are confident that bringing new forces under a coordinated, multi-country approach is fundamental to reaching our goal of conserving and protecting our beloved Amazon.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support, which makes the ASL program possible.
At a time when global conservation and climate change goals are being reviewed and the Amazon needs a development path towards resilient, sustainable, inclusive growth, we remain committed to our objectives and invite all to keep collaborating in our efforts as we head into 2022.
Wishing you and your families a Happy Holidays and a joyous and healthy new year.
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Warm regards,
The ASL Team
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News at a glance (scroll down to read more)
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Stories from our national projects
- Results and Lessons Learned Report 2015–2019. Heart of the Amazon Project.
- Improving capacity for restoration in the Gregório River Forest Complex in Acre, Brazil
- Documentary – Yarí Expedition: Stories of a changing territory
- Recognition of life plans as fundamental tools for land planning in the Peruvian Amazon
Latest blogs/feature stories
- The Amazon we want – and key ideas on how to get there
- Fishing for sustainable livelihoods – agreements for fisheries management in the Brazilian State of Amazonas
- Golden mercury threatens the Amazon
Recommended information and publications from the ASL & partners
- Securing Sustainable Financing for Conservation Areas: A Guide to Project Finance for Permanence
- Natural Heritage of Peru. Nature for all, nature forever
- Banking on Protected Areas: Promoting sustainable protected area tourism to benefit local economies
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Consultancy opportunity – Ecological corridors & landscape connectivity
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Stories from our national projects |
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Results and Lessons Learned 2015-2019. Heart of the Amazon Project – Colombia |
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In 2015, the story of the Heart of the Amazon project began. A story where government agencies, civil society, research organizations, and indigenous and farmer communities joined forces to work on the conservation of more than 9 million hectares of forest in the heart of the Colombian Amazon.
The Heart of the Amazon project, currently initiating a third phase with GEF-7 funding, has been a pioneer in participatory methodologies for conservation and sustainable development. Its contribution in strengthening institutional and community forest governance has been strategic and long standing, as well as the results in terms of improved protected area management, sustainable productive practices, and mainstreaming environmental consideration into multiple development related sectors.
Learn more about key achievements of the first phase of the project with GEF-5 resources here (in Spanish)
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Improving capacity for restoration in the Gregório River Forest Complex in Acre, Brazil |
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With the goal of scaling up restoration efforts, the Brazil ASL project in collaboration with the Acre State Technology Foundation (Funtac-AC) trained 40 agricultural extension agents to support key restoration activities at the Rio Gregório Forest Complex. This ongoing program includes assistance to community members for renovating the local tree nursery and further training in seed collection and propagation techniques. It also support’s viability studies and socio-biology inventories, including investments in two Funtac laboratories. Building capacity for native seedling production is a critical step towards improving local community livelihoods and an essential element of Acre State’s reforestation program. Lessons will be shared with other in the region.
Photo credit: Ilustrativa-Starbucks
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Documentary – Yarí Expedition: Stories of a changing territory |
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The ASL Sustainable Amazon for Peace project in Colombia supported the production of the documentary “Yarí Expedition: Stories of a changing territory”. Young people from the municipalities of La Macarena (Meta) and San Vicente del Caguán (Caquetá) in the Colombian Amazon recorded the paths of the jaguar (Panthera onca), the danta (Tapirus terrestris), birds, and hundreds of other species of animals and trees. The video gives them the opportunity to highlight the importance of protecting these species and continuing the legacy of farmer families. Conservation of nature provides hope in a territory that has struggled with conflict and deforestation.
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Recognition of life plans as fundamental tools for land planning in the Peruvian Amazon |
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A life plan is a written manifestation of the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples. Recently, the regional government of Ucayali, one of the regions in the area of intervention of the ASL project Sustainable Productive Landscapes in the Peruvian Amazon, declared and formalized life plans as regional planning instruments—designed with the active participation of indigenous communities. They also recommend that life plans be aligned with policies, programs, and projects at the regional level. Photo credit: Jasmin Ramírez, PNUD-Perú
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Latest blogs / feature stories |
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The Amazon we want – and key ideas on how to get there |
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A blog by Ana Maria Gonzalez Velosa, ASL program coordinator, highlights the importance of the Amazon and how the Amazon Assessment Report 2021 prepared by the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA)—one of the ASL’s partners—provides key recommendations to guide the protection of this region.
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Fishing for sustainable livelihoods – agreements for fisheries management in the Brazilian State of Amazonas |
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In the state of Amazonas in northwestern Brazil, overfishing and sport fishing threaten the fisheries sector, for instance by affecting fish stocks and their development cycles. To help counteract this situation that endangers community livelihoods, the ASL project in Brazil in partnership with the Amazonas State Environment Secretariat (Secretaria de Estado do Meio Ambiente, or SEMA-AM), Conservation International, and the World Bank is enabling communities in Amazonas to strengthen governance and management of fisheries to promote sustainable fishing and income generation.
Photo credit: Conservation International
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Golden mercury threatens the Amazon |
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The ever-growing demand for gold continues to have a damaging impact on the Amazon’s forests and water sources. This is caused, among other things, by the use of mercury to separate and extract gold. In fact, given its negative impact on the environment and human health, this practice is considered to illegal in most places.
Overall, inadequately controlled mining has generated deforestation, soil erosion, and the contamination of water and hydrobiological resources, as well as leading to changes in river courses. Photo credit: Rodrigo Botero/FCDS
Read more here to learn how the ASL program is working to promote better decision making for controlling water pollution caused by mercury
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Recommended information and publications from the ASL & partners |
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Securing Sustainable Financing for Conservation Areas: A Guide to Project Finance for Permanence |
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In the face of the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, governments and their partners in communities and civil society have increased their efforts and commitments to protect and enhance the sustainable use of nature. These commitments require more—and more effectively managed—protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures; however current funding is not enough to cover existing and future needs.
Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) is an approach designed to secure the policies, capacity, institutional arrangements, and funding for the effective and long-lasting protection of the planet’s important natural places. It is being applied in Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, and Peru, being designed in Colombia, and there is increased interest in applying the PFP approach in other countries. This guide seeks to describe the approach and capture the experience from practitioners and lessons learned to date and become a reference for people who want to implement a PFP.
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Natural Heritage of Peru. Nature for all, nature forever |
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Natural Protected Areas (NPAs) provide a source of livelihoods and cultural richness that have benefited Indigenous Peoples and local communities for generations. They are also places to learn, with elements that are closely linked to the Peruvian identity.
This publication, prepared by the ASL Peruvian project, illustrates the importance of Peruvian NPAs and the initiative designed to support their financial sustainability, Patrimonio Natural del Perú (PdP).
Learn more about PdP, its objectives, scope, pathway, and challenges here (in Spanish)
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Banking on Protected Areas: Promoting sustainable protected area tourism to benefit local economies |
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Protected areas are key to any global effort to conserve biodiversity, yet they are often overlooked in economic development plans and recovery strategies. This study quantifies the impacts of tourism in protected areas on local economies making the case for its relevance for conservation and development, and the need to incorporate sustainable tourism as part of COVID-19 economic recovery plans.
Photo credit: Wandel Guides, Shutterstock.com
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Consultancy opportunity – Ecological corridors and landscape connectivity |
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The ASL and the Global Wildlife Program (GWP) are looking for a technical expert who can support projects with capacity building and knowledge sharing in Ecological corridors and landscape connectivity. The position requires that the consultant have at least 10 years of experience in working on ecological corridors and can facilitate workshops effectively. Please see here for (and we add the link) the terms of reference. The CV and cover letter should be sent to [email protected]. The final date to apply is January 10.
* We would greatly appreciate it if you could please share within your networks.
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Are you a member yet of the ASL knowledge management platform? |
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The ASL's Community of Practice (CoP) aims to support the delivery of the national projects and program goals.
Become a member of this community and use this interactive and collaborative platform to explore relevant publications and resources, participate in discussions, share ideas and resources, and ask questions to other members.
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* Once you complete this form you'll receive an invitation by email together with instructions on becoming a member of the group.
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Questions? Or news, publications, and articles to share?
ASL webinars can be found here
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