A2.0 releases study on binational agreements for the protection of the Amazon biome

 

An overview of the bilateral agreements between Brazil and Peru, concerning the border area between the State of Acre and the Peruvian Department of Madre de Dios, was presented at the beginning of December to a group of entities operating in that region, these include the Acre State Environment Secretariat (SEMA - AC), the Pro-Indian Commission of Acre (CPI - Acre), the Indigenous Federation of the Madre de Dios River and its tributaries (Fenamad) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). The survey was conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN - Brazil), as part of the activities of Amazônia 2.0 (A2.0) project.

The project strengthens the technical and organizational capacities of traditional and indigenous communities with emphasis on social control, territorial management, independent monitoring of forest governance and illegal trade in forest resources, with the aim of halting deforestation and degradation of the Amazon forest, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, including climate services.

Executed in six countries of the Amazon region - Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Surinam – the project is coordinated by IUCN South and financed by the European Union. In Brazil, the A2.0 is active in three areas of Acre: the Mamoadate and Upper Purus River Indigenous Lands and the Chandless State Park, which are in the so-called MAP region, a border area between Acre and Madre de Dios and the Bolivian Department of Pando. 

The Mamoadate Indigenous Land and Chandless Park periodically receive the isolated indigenous Mascho-Piro, who descend the rivers from Peru to Acre in search of hunting and fishing during the Amazon drought.

 "These territories are very well preserved, with a deforestation rate of less than 0.5%", says Carolle Alarcon, technical coordinator of the project in Brazil. She explains that, nevertheless, this region is under pressure that may be increased with the planned opening of a 270-km-long road on the Peruvian side, which will intensify human traffic, illegal logging and drug trafficking. 

In this context, it is therefore very useful to know the progress of the various bilateral agreements aimed at promoting joint actions for the protection of native populations and the conservation of the Amazonian forest.

Several entities were interviewed and 11 agreements examined, and the result of the analysis, still preliminary, highlighted the importance of joint action by Peru and Brazil and the need to involve local communities in all actions, mainly because it is a differentiated border - in which the dividing lines between countries are in practice ignored by the nomadic population - occupied by traditional peoples who in many cases accumulate family ties across the border.

In the MAP region, for example, Peruvian indigenous people and traditional communities in Acre have actively participated in various activities under this agreement that have already resulted in early warning systems, a situation room for monitoring fires and floods, and the design of a climate research centre to be installed on the tripartite border, among other results, informs Vera Reis, executive director of SEMA.

The study was conducted by María Valeria Vásquez Sinti, a forest ecology engineer, who focused on the agreements in force over the last ten years. She has divided these bilateral agreements into three major groups: those on economic-environmental integration, those on indigenous issues, and, finally, those on technical cooperation. These initiatives are led by both governmental and non-governmental entities, and in some cases by a combination of the two.

The conclusion of the analysis is that the diversity of actors and forms of cooperation is one of the greatest strengths of the initiatives, but that often binational agreements do not translate into concrete actions and lack an implementation strategy because of the absence of a budget. The working groups achieve the best results, and this is due to the fact that their implementation is not under political dependence.

Considering this background, the recommendation is that participation in existing working groups with a track record should be enhanced. Moreover, the formalization of future agreements should take into account government policies at the various levels - local, national and regional - and be integrated by decision-makers who rely on technical follow-up. Another factor that can contribute to the success of the agreements is the setting of targets and the development of actions with realistic goals, based on the prior analysis of local characteristics and the perspectives of all stakeholders.

When it comes to binational agreements, the active coordination of the respective chancelleries is fundamental. Finally, it is essential that the signing of the agreement be accompanied by an implementation plan that takes into account aspects such as timing and financing.

In the specific case of indigenous people - one of the traditional populations with whom the A2.0 project is working -, the study revealed that the proposals presented by indigenous organizations, when validated by a participatory process that relies on the people to whom they are directed, gain strength because they are born out of the communities themselves and not just their representatives.

Agreements that follow this recipe make it easier to establish a short- and medium-term work plan. Some examples of activities planned as part of the Amazônia 2.0 project involve exchanges of experience between the indigenous people of the two countries, as well as activities related to the development of productive alternatives, the participation and articulation of women and food security. 

The project believes that only with the collaboration and integration of various segments of local, regional, national and global societies and governments it will be possible to achieve sustainable development in the Amazon region.

To know more access the full study here (https://www.amazoniadospuntocero.com/index.php/es/recursos-ep/#tecnicos) or contact the technical coordinator of project A2.0, Carolle Alarcon (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).