Invasive exotic species and protected areas © David Paes Who are we? The LAI (Living Amazon Initiative) is a well-integrated and strategic WWF Global Initiative that aims to inform and collaborate with civil society, governments and businesses The vulnerability and resilience of protected areas to climate change will be topic of a workshop organized by about the importance of the Amazon and drive RedParques in coordination with the authorities of the decisions and actions for a sustainable future protected areas systems of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru of the region. together with WWF. Amazon voices Interview: Rosalvo Duarte Rosa, biologist The importance of the Amazon © Zig Koch / WWF for Sustainable Development © Zig Koch / WWF Acquiring in-depth knowledge of the fish fauna, especially migratory species, in the Tapajos River basin as a whole, and especially in the surroundings of the Juruena National Park (Brazilian Amazon) was one of the goals of the Rio Juruena Migratory Fish Species Expedition conducted by The Amazon and its importance to the Objectives of UN Sus- WWF in May. Biologist Rosalvo Duarte Rosa gives us more tainable Development issues featured prominently during details of this study. the Interdisciplinary Environmental Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro’s Environment Week in June. Living Amazon Initiative staff were at the event. Invasive exotic species and protected areas © David Paes Cueva de los Guacharos Protected Area, Colombia. RedParques in coordination with the become established. authorities of the protected areas sys- tems of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru “One could consider protected areas Would you kiss a snake? together with WWF will be holding a to be immune to the introduction of workshop in Quito next week (July 8 species but the problems that have and 9) to obtain up to date knowled- arisen from the introduction of rats, That’s just one of the things you could do on ge regarding the vulnerability and re- dogs, pigs, goats and other animals in a trip to Amazonas. Swimming with dolphins silience of protected areas to climate islands such as those of the Galapa- and getting to know cultural aspects of indige- change. The goal of the workshop is gos National Park are well known. nous communities are other adventures tou- to build technical capacity and fos- The situation in continental areas, ter the exchange of knowledge and such as with the introduction of alien rists can experience in the Amazon Rainforest experiences regarding the status of plant species, is less well known”, ex- while in Amazonas! With the World Cup going Amazon protected areas with respect plains Tarcisio Granizo, coordinator on right now, tourism in Brazil is at its peak to their vulnerability and resilience for the WWF Living Amazon Initiati- and the state of Amazonas is certainly a place to climate change, their provision of ve’s Protected Areas and Indigenous ecosystem services and the opportu- Lands Strategy. to visit. See more at our facebook: http://on. nities available to enhance their ef- fb.me/1sUXg84 fectiveness. “It must be stated that not all intro- duced species are necessarily ‘inva- The expected results include: a) sha- ders’. Those that represent a threat ring and discussing the various tech- are the ones that are capable of trans- Amazon in the news nical exercises that have been carried forming the habitats, competing with out in the context of the Amazon bio- and eventually extinguishing the na- me; b) defining the methodological tive species”, he adds. - The Economist: How Brazil became pathway for analysing climate chan- the world leader in reducing environmen- ge resilience and vulnerability of The introduction of exotic plant and tal degradation - http://econ.st/1hEiRg3 protected areas, including their per- animal species is something that af- formance in the provision of ecosys- fects even those protected areas ge- tem services and the identification nerally held to be “isolated”. - The Guardian: Tackling climate chan- of other conservation opportunities ge would grow global economy, World that could possibly complement the Recent studies like those of Pauchard actual protected areas systems; and and Jiménez have confirmed that the Bank says - http://bit.ly/1l5cTzX c) preparing and validating a preli- number and abundance of exotic minary proposal for complementary species in protected areas are usu- -The Guardian: Dying to save the Ama- indicators to evaluate protected are- ally much lower than in the adjacent zonian rainforest - http://bit.ly/SXElsN as management efficiency in the light landscapes more intensely affected of climate change phenomena. by human activities. Nevertheless, over 15 years ago, authors like Lons- - The Guardian: Peru now has a ‘licence In that regard, the potential invasion dale estimated that introduced spe- to kill’ environmental protesters - http:// of protected areas by exotic species cies already represented more than bit.ly/1ofNoAz might serve as an additional indica- 8% of the flora in protected areas and tor. Invasive exotic species are those other recent studies have put that fi- which for one reason or another have gure between 15 and 18% and as high - New Scientist: Brazil’s mega power arrived in an area where they do not as 60%, for example, in some of the line threatens Amazon’s top reserve - naturally belong, generally as the re- Galapagos Islands. The evidence su- sult of voluntary or involuntary hu- ggests that even though protected http://bit.ly/1lPDxSq man actions, and which accordingly areas present natural and human bring about alterations to the native barriers that restrict the invasion of biodiversity (and eventually, cultural alien species, those species neverthe- diversity) of the places where they less do invade and establish themsel- - Ecosystem Marketplace: Fútbol ves even in the most intact and well Shines Light On Brazil’s Forests - http:// preserved areas, and are capable of The various resilience and vulnerabi- giving rise to the same impacts that lity studies conducted in the Amazon bit.ly/TArHzR have been registered for areas with basin, especially those led by WWF much higher levels of anthropic in- with funding from the German En- - BBC: UN: World’s forests fundamen- terference. vironment Ministry’s International tal to human well-being - http://bbc. Climate Initiative, can help predict It is possible in certain scenarios, future scenarios regarding invasive in/1jIXoxI for climate change to favour the in- exotic species and succeed in faci- vasion of exotic species. Evidently, litating implementation of suitable climate change is liable to alter the measures to avoid harm to the natu- structure and composition of the na- ral and cultural Andean and Amazon tive communities and consequently, environments and landscapes. the functioning of the respective ecosystems, establishing a regime of Tarsicio Granizo, Protected Areas and Species spotlight - Brown-throated disturbances that heightens the risk Indigenous Territories Strategy, coor- Three-toed Sloth of biological invasions. dinator. The importance of the Amazon for Sustainable Development © Michael Gunther / WWF LAI © Zig Koch / WWF Juruena River, near São Simão waterfall, Brazi- lian Amazon. The global importance of the Ama- responsible for conducting moistu- zon and its relation to the UN Sustai- re from the Atlantic Ocean into the nable Development issues were ad- Amazon, the Andes, south-central dressed during Environment Week, Brazil, and South America. Defo- organized by the Interdisciplinary restation in the Amazon negatively Environmental Catholic University affects climatic stability around the of Rio de Janeiro (NIMA / PUC-RIO) world. Closer to home, deforestation in early June. can lead to decreased rainfall outside the Amazon in south-central Brazil. The path to the definition of Sus- tainable Development Goals (SDG) “But the Amazon is also a political emerged in 2012, during the UN group of eight countries and one Conference on Sustainable Develop- overseas territory that shares parts ment (Rio +20), when participating of the biome and needs to be admi- Have you ever heard of the Brown-throated governments agreed to establish nistered and managed to the benefit Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)? joint targets for implementation of of its local communities and of the Matching its long name, this species occurs in sustainable development. The SDG populations of the Amazonian cou- should guide countries in achieving ntries with a sense of responsibility a large number of countries: Brazil, Colombia, results, including universal access to consonant with its global importan- Venezuela, Ecuador, eastern Peru, eastern sustainable energy and clean water, ce. The degradation of the Amazon Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Honduras. and should be integrated into the de- forest, the most extensive and richest The mammal has an average weight of 4 kg velopment agenda of the United Na- rainforest in the world, with the hi- tions after 2015. ghest concentration of biodiversity, (Approx. 8.8 lbs), lives almost entirely on will have immeasurable consequen- leaves and its mating period varies depen- Critical to sustainable development ces,” said Claudio Maretti. ding on the year and geographical region, but is protecting key areas that provide Maretti recalled that an integrated occurs mainly in spring. Due to of habitat loss, ecosystem services. Latin America is the region of the world with the view of Amazon conservation is ne- deforestation and illegal trading, the species is