Known as A Concert for the Amazon, the network formed by more than 400 people and institutions in search of solutions for the conservation and development of the Amazon territory, launched An Agenda for the Development of the Amazon, which brings the systematization and formalization of concrete proposals for the preservation and the economic strengthening of the region.

Among the main action fronts that the document proposes are: the articulation between public and private resources; the valorization of experiences and knowledge from an approach supported by the technical-scientific, sensitive and cultural tripod; local-global cooperation; and the recognition of Amazonian plurality and diversity.

According to Roberto Waack, Chairman of the Board of Instituto Arapyaú, the study considers the division of the Amazon into four areas formed by conserved forest, transition areas, converted areas and cities. In all of them, the knowledge of indigenous peoples played a central role in the development of specific, structuring and transversal actions identified in the document. “Land regularization and territorial ordering is a critical problem to be faced and must be treated in a different way from the notarial one”, stated Roberto.

Indigenous protagonism
The indigenous communicator and activist of the Sateré-Mawé Indigenous Women’s Association (AMISM), Samela Sateré, claimed the role of more than 300 indigenous peoples in Brazil in debates and discussions on climate change. For them, it’s about the change of time: “We depend on the biome, we no longer know when the spawning starts, which is the time when the fish spawn, and we depend on that time to start fishing or not. But times have changed as a result of the actions of other people, and we live in suffering as a result of the actions of other people. That’s not fair,” she protested.

Former environment minister Izabella Teixeira, who also participated in the drafting of the document, spoke of changes in the international cooperation model, new structures of engagement and the concept of shared responsibility that should lead Brazil to reduce emissions, if not for the world, for Brazilians.

“A decision will come out of here that has two meanings, politically speaking. [The] Paris Agreement is up and we are behind on climate solutions, we will have to act,” said Isabella.

Environmental crimes
Present in the document, the connection between climate and security was part of the speech of the President of the Igarapé Institute, Ilona Szabó, who highlighted the need not to treat violence and crime as secondary impacts. According to her, we need to know the scale and scope of environmental crimes through data, strengthen environmental agencies and security agents, and adopt criteria for the traceability of products and inputs with the support of the private sector.

Ana Toni, Executive Director of the Climate and Society Institute (iCS), closed the conversation by talking about the relevance of the upcoming elections for the environmental agenda, the need for a caucus in defense of the Amazon and the delay of Brazilians in looking at the Amazon as a priority.

“We don’t have a party, we have a cause and the cause is the traditional peoples, the quilombolas, the indigenous people and the standing forest. We have to take this cause to the center of the debate”, concluded Ana.