The Amazon Regional Environment Program (AREP) implements regional activities in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname. By complementing other United States Agency for International Development (USAID) projects in the Amazon, AREP works toward a healthy and resilient forested region that is valued by society, promotes human well-being, and safeguards our global climate. |  | |
Welcome to the latest edition of the AREP Insider, highlighting why a healthy Amazon is vital for a healthy world.
We begin by sharing two new videos that explain the basics of climate change in the Amazon: greenhouse gases and carbon sequestration. Next, we provide updates from AREP and other projects in the region, from training future communicators in Brazil to developing a web app to protect Amazon forests. Finally, we encourage you to explore USAID’s Amazon Vision 2020 to learn more about how USAID and partners work together to preserve the rainforest.
In November, world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) to unite the world to tackle climate change. The COP26 goals contribute to achieving a healthy Amazon region. During this event, USAID released its Climate Strategy 2022–2030.
Addressing the climate crisis must be a collective effort, and USAID is committed to the cause.
Jene Thomas
Mission Director, USAID/Peru
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Video
What is the Impact of Increasing Greenhouse Gases in the Amazon?
You may know about greenhouse gases, the natural gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that
trap heat, but do you know what happens when levels of these gases increase? Learn more about the relationship between deforestation in the Amazon, climate change, and the
increase in greenhouse gases caused by human activities.
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Video
What Role Does Carbon Dioxide Play in the Atmosphere?
If you’ve ever wondered what carbon sequestration is or what is the relationship between the Amazon and climate change, then this video will interest you. Discover the importance of Amazonian forests in the fight against climate change.
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Future Indigenous Communicators
In the Brazilian state of Roraima, the Strengthening the Capacity of Indigenous Organizations in the Amazon (SCIOA) project, led by PACT with support from the Instituto Internacional de Educação do Brasil, is training young people in eight Indigenous communities of the Council of Roraima on how to share their experiences using different audiovisual methods. Follow one young person, Erdineisson, as he documents scenes from his Surumu community in Pacaraima.
Photo: SCIOA, USAID
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Web Application to Protect Community Forests
In September, SERVIR-Amazonia launched TerraOnTrack, a web app developed by Imaflora, a Brazilian non-governmental organization, which provides access to data from trusted sources to help protect the Brazilian Amazon. Specifically, TerraOnTrack will allow Indigenous communities to quickly identify potential threats in their territories and monitor illegal activities that occur there. The launch of the application is available online (in Portuguese). You can also read how one group of Indigenous women in Brazil uses the application to manage and protect their community forests.
Photo: SERVIR Amazonia, USAID
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Collaboration with Indigenous Peoples
An overview of AREP’s recent collaboration with Indigenous Peoples.
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| Date | Link | Purpose | Audience | | August | Forum | To share ideas among Indigenous communities on investment options for financing businesses | Amazon Indigenous Rights and Resources (AIRR); members of Indigenous communities in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru | | September | Forum | To highlight the importance of digital advertising among Indigenous communities in today’s context | AIRR; members of Indigenous communities in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru | | September | Webinar | To share how preserving traditional knowledge contributes to strengthening Indigenous organizations in the Amazon, using the traditional medicine activity with the Nonuya Villazul Reservation as an example | SCIOA; members of the Nonuya Villazul Reservation | | September | Forum | To share experiences among Indigenous communities on storytelling and communicating to achieve sales success | AIRR; members of Indigenous communities in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru | | |
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Report
Toward a Healthy and Resilient Amazon
USAID has a regional strategy to respond to threats facing the Amazon forest in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname. The Amazon Vision 2020 describes USAID’s goals in the Amazon and provides examples of initiatives that support biodiversity conservation and natural climate solutions, such as AREP. Check out the full report and the summary.
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Regional
New AREP Projects in the Amazon
Discover AREP’s new projects in the Amazon, including key partnerships with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United States Forest Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Read about these new activities in more detail here.
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News
Community Response to Conservation Crimes
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and USAID are joining forces to reduce transnational conservation crimes and protect biodiversity in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. USAID launched the new cooperative project, Community Response to Conservation Crimes, on October 1. WCS will lead the five-year activity, with support from Internews, the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, Rare, Pronaturaleza, and Natura. They will work alongside Indigenous Peoples and local communities, private-sector representatives, journalists, and communication specialists to develop behavior change communications campaigns to decrease supply and demand on natural resources, develop economic livelihoods and foster sustainable value chains, and increase the capacity of communities in storytelling, investigative journalism, data journalism, and digital and physical safety. More information is coming soon.
Photo: Jason Houston
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