July 2011
Amazon Conservation Team and Skoll Foundation Launch Innovative New Approach
to Amazon Rainforest Conservation
Biocultural Conservation Corridors in the Northeast and Southwest Amazon
July 12, 2011 - The Amazon Conservation Team (www.amazonteam.org) (ACT) and the Skoll Foundation (www.skollfoundation.org) today announced the launch of an innovative approach to protecting and managing the Amazon rainforest. The initiative focuses on the creation of "biocultural conservation corridors" that link together indigenous lands, national parks, state forests and private landholdings in two enormous swaths of South American rainforest, one in the northeast Amazon and the other in the southwest.
The project, financed partially by a Skoll investment of $1.6 million, will enable indigenous communities to prevent deforestation across 114 million acres contained in the Karib and Munde-Kwahiba ethno-environmental corridors of Brazil. This conservation model can then be applied to other regions of the Amazon.
"The conservation and sustainable management of complex tropical mosaic of landscapes is inherently challenging," says Dr. Mark Plotkin, President and co-founder of ACT. "But we believe that working closely with indigenous peoples on their lands and then creating alliances across the cultural, biological, political and economic spectrum is a powerful and holistic approach to protecting rainforest diversity."
"The Amazon Conservation Team, working in partnership with indigenous colleagues and local stakeholders, is implementing inclusive and innovative solutions to better manage and protect Amazon rain forests," said Sally Osberg, Skoll Foundation President and CEO. "We believe this local, collaborative approach is critical to demonstrating impact and driving long term behavior and policy changes."
ACT Brazil, in close collaboration with the Brazilian organization Kanindé, will work with additional partners Conservation Strategy Fund, Metareilá, and IDESAM to strengthen the capacity of the indigenous communities and government agencies to monitor, manage and protect the indigenous reserves and adjacent areas while creating positive conditions for long-term financing of forest protection. This alliance represents a creative consortium of different groups working together for preservation of large and varied tracts of Amazon forest. Additionally, organizations like Forest Trends and IMAZON will provide technical support to some activities.
The project seeks to protect this land proactively, with a heavy emphasis on successful management of areas not yet carved up by roads, mining, and industrial forestry operations. The indigenous peoples to be strengthened are the Zoró, Diahui, Cinta Larga, Surui, Wai Wai, Kaxuyana, Tiriyó, and Wayana-Apalaí.
"This initiative provides significant support for the Surui people since it helps to mobilize our people to defend the environment and our culture," says Chief Almir Surui, Major Leader of the Surui people. "It also gives voice to the people of the forest, who contribute to the elaboration of public policies for national and international recognition of the potential of our biodiversity. The initiative shows that it is possible to develop a sustainable environment in order to stimulate the recognition of the green economy."
"Skoll's support will help to maintain the biodiversity of indigenous lands contributing to the strengthening of indigenous institutions that work to defend human rights and the environment", says Ivaneide Bandeira, director of Defense Association Etnoenvironmental Kanindé.
"This initiative represents both a great challenge and opportunity in the realm of indigenous rights and indigenous territories," says Liliana Madrigal, ACT Vice President. "We feel that the implementation of the biocultural conservation corridor approach has the potential to yield very valuable experiences and lessons for landscapes as varied as the Canadian boreal forest and the Australian outback."
About the Amazon Conservation Team
The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) was founded in 1996 by Dr. Mark Plotkin and conservationist Liliana Madrigal with the mission of partnering with indigenous people to conserve biodiversity, improve health, and fortify traditional cultures in Amazonia. Since that time, ACT has worked with more than 30 indigenous tribes to map and lay the essential groundwork for the protection of over 70 million acres of Amazon rainforest. In March 2008, ACT received the Skoll Foundation's prestigious Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Recently, ACT was named a 2010 Tech Awards Laureate by Silicon Valley's Tech Museum for its work in Brazil to advance the technology of field data collection in partnership with indigenous communities. To learn more about ACT, visit www.amazonteam.org
About The Skoll Foundation
The Skoll Foundation drives large scale change by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs and the innovators who help them solve the world's most pressing problems.
www.skollfoundation.org
About Conservation Strategy Fund
Established in 1998, Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF) is a unique global organization that helps people to use economics to protect ecosystems and promote sustainable development. To learn more about CSF, visit http://conservation-strategy.org/.
About Idesam
Idesam was established in 2004 and developed the technical requirements for the first gold-certified REDD project in the Amazon. To learn more about Idesam, visit www.idesam.org.br.
About Kanindé
Kaninde provides technical, legal and scientific support to indigenous organizations in the Brazilian Amazon. To learn more about Kanindé, visit www.kaninde.org.br.
About Metareilá
Metareilá is the organization of the Surui indigenous people of Rondônia, Brazil. To learn more about Metareilá, visit www.paiter.org.
Contact: Jourdan Clandening
517.282.3994 (cell)
jclandening@amazonteam.org
