Amazon Summit lacks concrete actions, criticize NGOs – 08/08/2023 – Environment

The absence of concrete goals and deadlines for the conservation of the Amazon in the Declaration of Belém, signed this Tuesday (8) by the leaders of the Amazonian countries, set the tone for the criticisms of socio-environmental organizations to the document.

Dozens of organizations published notes in protest against the absence of concrete measures, in a context of worsening extreme weather events.

“It is not possible that, in a scenario like this, eight Amazonian countries fail to put in a statement, in bold letters, that deforestation needs to be zero and that exploring for oil in the middle of the forest is not a good idea. In short, the document sinned due to the lack of strength,” said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, a network that brings together around 80 organizations from Brazilian civil society.

Along the same lines, Greenpeace considered the absence of concrete goals to eliminate deforestation or to curb oil exploration in the Amazon to be serious.

“The final declaration of the Amazon Summit is disappointing in several aspects, but mainly due to the fact that it does not include clear and concrete commitments that point to overcoming the relationship that our countries have today with the Amazon”, said Leandro Ramos, director of programs from Greenpeace Brazil.

For Marcelo Furtado, founder of Coalizão Brasil and director of Nature Finance, the Declaration runs the risk of repeating previous agreements, which contain strategic promises, but are not implemented. “The Summit addressed the right issues, but did not deliver what society, the private sector and the academy expect: a set of concrete actions, in the short and medium term, that can change the course we are sailing today,” he said.

On the other hand, the organizations also recognize advances that can leverage regional cooperation, but were overshadowed by the omissions on the end of deforestation and the exploitation of fossil fuels.

“Brazil managed to sew important advances in the declaration of Belém, such as the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights, the legal demarcation of their lands and the recognition that the region is reaching a point of no return”, said Diego Casaes, director of Avaaz campaigns. He points out that the lack of commitment to deforestation and conservation goals was “a big ball out” for Amazonian presidents.

For WWF-Brazil, the recognition by the Heads of State of the point of no return in the Amazon is positive. “How ACTO [Organização do Tratado da Cooperação Amazônica] came out strengthened, that it helps in the rapid implementation of effective actions in the fight against deforestation, mercury and illegal mining and in the expansion of protected areas and indigenous territories”, says Mauricio Voivodic, executive director of the organization.

For the general director of global presence and national action at the WRI (World Resources Institute), Adriana Lobo, the declaration contains the ideas and principles necessary to turn the game around in the Amazon, how to collectively avoid the point of no return in deforestation.

“The Declaration of Belém is an important first step. Now the Amazonian countries need to put these ideas into practice – creating a plan with specific actions, public policies and time frames. And a strategy for attracting the necessary investments to make it a reality”.

Rachel Biderman, Senior Vice President of Conservation International, also has a positive view of the outcome of the meeting, pointing to the document as an important commitment undertaken by Amazonian leaders.

“But how the Summit will be remembered ultimately depends on what is done next. We will need to work in full cooperation, with full transparency, to direct resources to the region. We will have to establish specific cross-sectoral goals, with a timetable rigid”, he says, emphasizing that, for that, it is necessary to follow the leadership of the traditional peoples and other local communities, placing their rights as a priority.

The reporters traveled to Belém at the invitation of Instituto Clima e Sociedade and Avaaz.