Indigenous Groups Are Key to Reversing Amazon Destruction

At this time of year, global and social leaders gather at theCOP to seek solutions and to confront the climate crisis that threatens society as a whole The Amazon rainforest is often referred to as the "lungs of the planet" in these meetings, but this year we should refer to it as the "heart" of the planet.

The land area of the contiguous U.S. is about the size of the Amazon River forest. The Amazon is home to a lot of different types of flora and fauna. It is home to about one third of all known species of plants, animals, and insects. There are more than 500 distinct indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon is a vital part of the ecology.

The politicians and public officials in Amazon countries have done little to help the system that is in danger of collapsing.

Natural resources that have great value in the international market, such as oil, timber, minerals, agriculture and livestock, are being destroyed by businesses in the Amazon. The Amazon will not be able to be restored in the next 30 years, according to the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project. It's not a local issue for the nine countries that make up the Amazon region, it's a global priority issue that affects everyone.

Governments, businesses, civil society and international organizations need to support Indigenous peoples in restoring the environment. Despite the Global North's responsibility in causing this catastrophe, it is the Indigenous people of the Amazon basin who will lead the most lasting and bold solutions.

More than 600,000 people from 30 Indigenous nationalities live in the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative.

The alliance is unique because it is an initiative of Indigenous organizations, led by Indigenous people, and it is one of the largest standing forest preservation programs in the world.

The main vehicle to achieve the alliance's goals is the Bioregional Plan 2030. The nine transition pathways described in the plan create social and economic benefits that prioritize protecting nature and the people who live in the Amazon region. A vision of development that doesn't violate human rights or the environment will be demonstrated by the plan. Ensuring Indigenous self-determination and territorial governance is one of the things it will do. For the first time, a comprehensive document on how to fix this crisis will be created with the help of the ancient knowledge of Indigenous peoples.

The ancestral knowledge of the peoples of the Amazon is at risk. These Indigenous peoples are ancestral to the Amazon, and the companies and governments that support extraction regardless of environmental or human cost are destroying and evicting the native groups. Many of the rare and lost species of plants and animals are found nowhere else on the planet. Losing these species means the loss of genetic information that could teach us about evolution, disease, immunity and adaptation to changes in environment. Many studies have shown the link between the loss of biodiversity and diseases such as zoonotic diseases. The impact of diversity loss and climate change on infectious diseases and public health can be seen in the Amazon.

There are other collaborative efforts to restore the Amazon basin. The first high level science initiative dedicated to the Amazon is the Science Panel for the Amazon. The panel was created to make clear the scientific, economic and moral case for the preservation of the environment. The 2021 Amazon Assessment Report is unprecedented for its scientific and geographic scope, its inclusion of Indigenous scientists, and its transparency, having undergone peer review and public consultation.

The situation is not going to get better. It is time for a systemic transformation. The study concluded that the amount of rain in the U.S. Northwest could be reduced by up to 20 percent due to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Over a billion metric tons of CO 2 is absorbed annually by the hundreds of billions of trees in the Amazon. Recent studies show that the Amazon is being converted from a net carbon sink to a carbon source. The Amazon is the heart of the planet because it is not just a regional problem, it is a global one.

Many people no longer trust the rhetoric of major global events, national governments, or traditional governance systems. This and other similar efforts are trying to avoid a path that will lead to destruction and death and promote a path that leads to regeneration. All living beings, Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, human beings and non-human beings alike, can live with dignity and in safety on this path. We have to be bold and fast. The heart of the planet needs to be protected.

The views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those ofScientific American.