An Amazon Without Boundaries This Is How We Go About Saving the World’S Biggest Rainforest

Photo:: Jørgen Braastad Jørgen Photo:: An Amazon without boundaries This is how we go about saving the world’s biggest rainforest Rainforest Foundation Norway has worked together with indigenous people to protect rainforest in the Amazon since 1989. In 2007, this work gained considerable momentum when we received support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for our ambitious initiative “Rights-based sustainable management of large contiguous territories in the Amazon”. This document (2012) introduces our work and rapid economic growth as an incentive and presents some of its results. First of all, however, economically powerful Brazil as a driver, IIRSA we would like to briefly explain why we wanted to has become a platform for the linking together undertake this initiative. of geographically remote areas and an increase in energy production within the Amazon region. The rainforest is under Roads are being built through areas where travel attack from all sides … was once possible only by river, on foot, by plane or by helicopter. Grand plans of hydroelectric The pressure on the Amazon rainforest has power projects threaten to submerge forest under increased considerably over the last few years. water and displace its inhabitants. This pressure arises to a large extent from the political ambitions of the countries within The development of infrastructure makes it the Amazon region. The Initiative for the possible to exploit natural resources in forest Integration of the Regional Infrastructure in which so far has been difficult to access and has South America (IIRSA) is an illustrative example therefore, to a large extent, been protected from of the policies that threaten the rainforest. With destruction. New roads and other infrastructural projects, bring with them a considerable increase in conjunction with contiguous areas under in activities that are destructive to the forest, protection, including when these happen to such as logging, agriculture and gold mining. In be situated in neighbouring countries. Those addition comes tremendous pressure from the of us who wish to protect the rainforest must oil, gas and mineral industry to gain access to unite forces across national borders and work new areas. collectively for an alternative development of the Amazon region. Countries must collaborate to The Amazon rainforest can seem robust because protect, rather than destroy, the rainforest. of its size. However, if the forest is carved up into ever smaller sections by roads and other activites After more than twenty years’ work with local which follow in their wake, the territory loses projects in the Amazon, Rainforest Foundation much of its natural ability to regenerate and Norway has built the expertise and the networks survive changes, both those caused by nature and needed to plan cross-border protection of the by man. We risk reaching a stage at which the rainforest. The support from the Norwegian Amazon rainforest is depleted to a point where it Ministry of Foreign Affairs has enabled us to put can no longer be saved. this plan into practice. Many indigenous peoples – the rainforest’s guardians – are now extinct because of violence, How? disease and oppression following the arrival of If we are to succeed in saving large areas of the Europeans in South America. The indigenous Amazon rainforest, we must make experience and groups that continue to follow traditional expertise at the local level the very foundation of ways in tune with nature are also under threat. forest management – at regional, national and An important reason is that the forest which multi-national levels alike. Here we outline the provides their livelihood and to which they have principles that in our opinion must form the rights, is reduced in size and encroached upon by basis for management of the Amazon rainforest invaders searching for oil, gold, pasture, timber – principles that concurrently shape Rainforest and other resources that can easily be monetised. Foundation Norway’s cross-border Amazon The indigenous peoples’ rights are systematically initiative. violated, and they are forced off their land and into a life as as society’s underprivileged. The role of the rainforest must be recognised ...and must be defend- The tropical rainforest has evolved over the last ed on all fronts 50–100 million years. It covers no more than five to six percent of the earth’s surface, but is The Amazon as a whole can and should be nevertheless where the majority of the world’s regarded as one vast ecosystem, and managed terrestrial fauna and flora can be found. The accordingly. To achieve this, we need to look rainforest is home to around one thousand beyond and across national borders in the indigenous peoples, but it is vital to the rest of Amazon region. The situation is not the same humanity also because, among other things, it in all Amazon countries, but there are many regulates the climate, stores important water similarities. Those who are destroying the forest resources and is a source of medicines. The are powerful and well organised. They disregard world’s forests together contain far more carbon national borders, but so do the forest and its than can be found in the atmosphere. If we indigenous inhabitants. We need to protect preserve the rainforest, we have a much greater large tracts of forest that span national and chance of managing and limiting man-made other boundaries. Existing protected areas must climate change. be managed in an ecologically sound way and 2 The fact that the rainforest must be preserved One of Rainforest Foundation Norway’s partner because of its vital importance to humanity and organisations – the local indigenous organisation the environment has to be recognised, and it Federación de Comunidades Nativas del must shape policy in those countries that are Corrientes (FECONACO) – has established responsible for the management of the forest, a unique and effective system for surveillance as well as in those countries that can influence of the petroleum exploration activities in the development in rainforest regions. Corrientes river basin. This has enabled the local population to discover and report leaks and Indigenous peoples must be emissions, and raise the alarm. respected Environmentally friendly Indigenous peoples have particular rights to the sources of income must be land where they live, and to be heard in matters developed of concern to them. These rights have to be respected, and must form the basis for forest Putting in place alternative, and environmentally management. Indigenous peoples’ collective friendly economic activity is vital to securing rights to the land where they have traditionally sound rights-based management of indigenous lived must be formally recognised. Experience territories. Ecologically responsible sources of from the Amazon region demonstrates that income provide indigenous peoples with a real indigenous territories provide the best protection alternative to income-generating activity that against rainforest destruction. is destructive to the rainforest, and makes it possible for them to say no to those who offer As such, providing support for indigenous to buy rights to extract timber and other natural movements and their efforts to establish resources from indigenous land. Marketing of indigenous territories, and promoting respect environmentally friendly rainforest products for indigenous rights, are core objectives of our made by indigenous people also contributes to work. Indigenous peoples constitute our most raising the general public’s consciousness about important target group. Additional target groups the rainforest, its value and the interactions that are environmental organisations and others sustain it. that work closely with indigenous people for the protection of the rainforest and indigenous One illustration of our work with economic rights. alternatives comes from Xingú National Park in Brazil. In Xingú, indigenous inhabitants Indigenous peoples must be collect seeds from the forest, which they then involved sell on to landowners who wish to reforest areas We believe that indigenous peoples and other around the sources of the Xingú River with rainforest inhabitants must participate actively indigenous species in order to protect the river. in forest management that is environmentally This collaboration is organised through a seed friendly and founded on the legal rights of forest- network, and has created alternative sources dwellers. Indigenous peoples possess a unique of income for many indigenous people in the knowledge of how to utilise the forest without region. Another example comes from Purus in destroying it, and it is in their interest that the the Peruvian western Amazon. There, indigenous forest is preserved. peoples earn some money by collecting and selling mahogany seeds. They make use of an One example of the ways in which indigenous internal market for mahogany seeds that has peoples themselves protect the forest can arisen around various reforesting projects in be found in Corrientes in Peru. There, the other parts of the Peruvian Amazon. indigenous people are fighting the harmful effects of oil extraction by means of surveillance. 3 105OW 90OW 75OW 60OW 45OW Longitude West 30O of Greenwich VENEZUELA GUYANA COLOMBIA FR. GUYANA RAINFOREST SURINAM 4 3 ECUADOR AMAZON PERU 1 BRAZIL 2 BOLIVIA CHILE PARAGUAY Rio de Janeiro São Paulo 1 “THE WESTERN AMA- 2 “THE XINGÚ BASIN”: 3 “THE GUYANA PLA- 4 “THE RIO NEGRO RE- ZON”: ECUADOR, BRA- BRAZIL TEAU”: BRAZIL, FRENCH GION”: BRAZIL, VENE- ZIL, BOLIVIA AND PERU GUIANA AND SURINAME ZUELA AND COLOMBIA The Guyana Plateau The western Amazon The Xingú basin is The Rio Negro region comprises areas around comprises the areas situated in the centre extends from east to west the Brazilian border and around the border of what is referred to as in the area where the the protected areas in between Peru and its the Brazilian Amazon Brazilian, Venezuelan southern French Guiana neighbors Ecuador, deforestation belt. In and Colombian borders and Suriname. Much Brazil and Bolivia.

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