Foto door Mariel Cabero, IUCN NL
Safeguarding the Amazon rainforest
As half of the planet’s rainforests have already disappeared, the Amazon is the most important remaining ecosystem. 35% of the Colombian territory is part of the Amazon.
Together with Colombian nature organisations FCDS and Ambiente y Sociedad and news platform Mongabay, we are committed to tackling forest crime in the Amazon forests of Colombia, and to improve the territorial rights and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Because these people are the forest’s best guardians.
Ending forest crime and improving the territorial rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities contributes to protecting the Amazon’s rich biodiversity. Protecting this vital ecosystem is an important prerequisite for meeting the 1.5 degree climate goal, as well as achieving sustainable development.
Communities are the forests’ best guardians
Many valuable forests worldwide are managed and protected by Indigenous peoples and other local communities. Research shows that management by communities is a highly effective form of conservation. The deforestation rate in areas where Indigenous communities live is much lower[1]Fa, J. E., Watson, J. E., Leiper, I., Potapov, P., Evans, T. D., Burgess, N. D., & Garnett, S. T. (2020). Importance of Indigenous Peoples’ lands for the conservation of Intact Forest … Continue reading and the greatest successes for conservation and well-being are achieved when Indigenous and local communities are in charge[2]Dawson, N., Coolsaet, B., Sterling, E., Loveridge, R., Nicole, D., Wongbusarakum, S., & Rosado-May, F. (2021). The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable … Continue reading
How do we protect the Amazon rainforest in Colombia?
- Better information – We ensure that indigenous and local communities, civil society organisations and local authorities have access to relevant information. This enables them to better monitor, report and combat forest crime effectively.
- Better law enforcement – We share the results of in-depth investigations on forest crime dynamics with law enforcement agencies and consumer countries. Actionable intelligence and insight in the impacts of forest crime allows them to combat forest crime more effectively.
- Stronger legal position – We provide Indigenous Peoples and local communities, civil society organisations and Environmental Human Rights Defenders with instruments and advice by legal clinics to protect and restore their rights effectively.
- Access to national and global platforms – Through capacity building and the use of technology, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and civil society organisations will be able to alert on socio-environmental conflicts related to forest crime and human rights with special emphasis on reporting the effects of forest crime within national and global platforms. Organisations like Interpol and the United Nations can influence governments, both in Colombia and consumer countries.
- Increased security – Through reports and media productions, we expose forest crimes and threats faced by Environmental Human Rights Defenders. With this exposure, we intend to reduce victimization, enhance security for Indigenous peoples, local communities and environmental human rights defenders at risk, and contribute to reduce and reverse the loss of tropical forests.
Drivers of deforestation
What are the drivers of deforestation in the Colombian Amazon? Which actors are involved? And what are the consequences for nature and the people who live there? In our series ‘Drivers of deforestation in the Colombian Amazon’ we analyse the drivers of deforestation in the region.
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Index
| ↑1 | Fa, J. E., Watson, J. E., Leiper, I., Potapov, P., Evans, T. D., Burgess, N. D., & Garnett, S. T. (2020). Importance of Indigenous Peoples’ lands for the conservation of Intact Forest Landscapes. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 18(3), 135-140. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2148 |
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| ↑2 | Dawson, N., Coolsaet, B., Sterling, E., Loveridge, R., Nicole, D., Wongbusarakum, S., & Rosado-May, F. (2021). The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation. Ecology and Society, 26(3). https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol26/iss3/art19/ |