SUSTAINING THE NATURE THAT SUSTAINS US

© J

ON

ATH

AN

HO

OD

AMAZONIA

OUR

GOAL Conservation International’s goal is

to achieve zero net deforestation in Amazonia by 2020 to increase prosperity for people.

Conservation International is founded on a simple

premise: people need nature to thrive. Nowhere is

this more evident than in Amazonia. As the largest

tropical forest and the largest river basin in the world

it is home to an exceptional number of species of

plants and animals, and the source of one-fifth of all

freshwater that flows on the planet.

At the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties in Paris it became even more clear just how important forests are in mitigating global climate change. Recent studies show that tropical forests are at least 30 percent of the solution to climate change. This is why we work in Amazonia. Amazonia also plays a critical role in supporting the lives of over 30 million people and 350 indigenous groups in nine countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela). In an area nearly as large as the United States, Amazonia moderates global climate by capturing a significant share of the world’s carbon emissions. It also shelters a wide range of biodiversity and serves as an enormous source of freshwater, food and medicine.

The Challenge: A Tipping Point

Amazonia’s forests and the services they provide for people locally and around the world are being destroyed by agricultural expansion, increased demand for grazing land, urban development and industries like mining and timber.

Clear-cutting, burning, road-building and other human activities have already decimated nearly 10 percent of Amazonian forest—an area twice the size of Texas. Cattle ranching, logging, large-scale agriculture, mining and other industries are destroying 1.5 million hectares (nearly 6,000 square miles) of forest each year.

This devastation is pushing Amazonia toward the tipping point. If the trend continues, it will trigger changes in the region’s climate that will disrupt crop production, jeopardize freshwater supplies and undermine social stability.

The Opportunity: Secure the Forest and World Health

CI is in a unique position to identify and implement innovative solutions at a regional scale. We’ve delivered outstanding conservation outcomes for nearly 30 years. Through the relationships we’ve developed with governments, companies, local NGO partners, local communities, indigenous people and private individuals, we are poised to influence decision-making, policies, and economic development that take into account the full value of nature and the role it plays in the well-being and prosperity of people.

Our Strategy: Protect, Improve, Promote

Over the next five years, CI will pursue a three-pronged approach to stop deforestation and improve the lives of more than 30 million people.

1. Improve Management of Protected Areas Increase management effectiveness and data-driven decision making for protected areas and indigenous lands and territories;

2. Protect Critical Areas Prevent deforestation of intact areas by establishing new protected areas and indigenous lands and territories, creating conservation incentives programs, financing for zero deforestation, and promoting sustainable development; and

3. Promote Sustainable Production Relieve deforestation pressure on critical areas by promoting sustainable agriculture, especially oil palm and soy production in already degraded areas.

4. pHow We Will Succeed

• Expand conservation incentive programs, building on extraordinary results in the region, to reward communities for protecting natural resources.

• Promote new markets and financing mechanisms to reduce deforestation.

• Empower policy makers to make decisions in favor of nature and people through the use of tools such as Natural Capital Accounting, which enables nature’s benefits to be incorporated into official statistics and informs decision-making and development planning.

• Create, expand, and strengthen protected areas and indigenous lands and territories to ensure they support future generations.

• Engage industry leaders, government and local communities to make conservation an integral part of economic development in the region.

FIVE Y

EAR

OUTC

OMES

Our ambitious program will require US$150 million of investment between 2016–2020. Ten percent of it has already been committed. We expect funds will come from both private (35 percent) and public (65 percent) sources.

With your help, we will nearly double the area of Amazonia under protection, effectively reducing poverty and safeguarding the Amazon’s critical natural assets, essential global reserves of water, food, carbon and forests, for all of us.

Red Amazonia

Yellow Amazonia

Green Amazonia

© P

ETE

OX

FORD

/ILC

PLEARN MORE AT WWW.CONSERVATION.ORG/AMAZONIAContact: Luciana Honigman | LHonigman@conservation.org Telephone: 703-341-2470

Map not for scientific or decision-making purposes.