The ASL fosters knowledge management and learning exchanges among the participant country projects and an expanded community involved in the region’s conservation and sustainable development. The program facilitates, with a practical and demand driven approach, the transfer of experience and best practices, contributing to capacity building, dissemination of innovation, and promoting scaling up of successful activities and approaches emerging from the national projects as well as those of other partners initiatives. By linking knowledge activities to the stakeholder implementation experiences, the program ensures that the knowledge transferred is relevant, capacity is built and learning is accelerated.
Community Based Sustainable Tourism Study Tour
Rio Negro, Brazil | 2021
The ASL Program supports Community-Based Sustainable Tourism, facilitating a knowledge exchange journey, including virtual lessons and a study tour with local entrepreneurs, community leaders, and government officials from Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.
Watch the video here. Access training material here in Spanish and Portuguese. Read the feature story here.
Governance and co-management between protected areas and indigenous territories
Madre de Dios, Peru | November 2–9, 2019
For seven days, representatives of institutions, communities, and indigenous peoples of Peru, Brazil, and Colombia participated in an internship facilitated by the ASL and led by the National Service of Protected Natural Areas of Peru, SERNANP (for its acronyms in Spanish). The internship focused on learning first-hand the experiences of the communities of Boca Isiriwe and Puerto Azul Mberowe and their experience under their role as Executor of Administration Contract (ECA for its acronyms in Spanish) of the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve located in Madre de Dios, in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. The event, as well as other knowledge management events, aim to strengthen the regional knowledge network within the framework of the ASL Program and disseminate good practices in sustainable management models and territorial governance. For more information about the event, click this link (in Spanish). | Presentations
Knowledge Exchange of Forestry Community Selva Maya – Amazonia: Working Together for the Forest, Life and Peace
Petén, Guatemala | July 14–20, 2019
Twenty-one participants from Brazil, Colombia, and Peru gathered to learn how local communities in Guatemala are protecting more than 500,000 hectares of forest, through community concessions granted by the government, while generating economic and social benefits. Participants were from local communities working on forest management, governmental and non-governmental institutions directly interested in the processes, and specialists in forest management and conservation. Similar initiatives being carried out in Brazil and Colombia were also presented. Download the report on challenges and lessons learned (in Spanish) Watch the video on Community Forestry – Learning from Petén (in Spanish with English subtitles)
Read the article (in Portuguese).
Sustainable Productive Activities to Conserve the Amazon
Rio Branco – Acre, Brazil | January 29–31, 2018
The goal of this study tour was to learn from best practices managing natural resources in the State of Acre in Brazil. Acre holds valuable lessons for governments and businesses on how to reduce deforestation across an entire jurisdiction while increasing sustainable economic development and enhancing quality of life for its population. Agenda (in Spanish) | Feature story
Selvagem – Study circle about life
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | November 13–15, 2019
ASL contributed to this international exchange of scientific and traditional knowledge bringing together indigenous leaders, scientists, academics, and artists, to reflect on the different aspects of life in the Amazon. The event is part of a broader initiative with conversations, workshops, book publishing, and an internet outreach channel. The cycle of activities will generate a set of annual publications to present results from the topics covered. Visit the event website (in Portuguese).
7th International Wildland Fire Conference (WILDFIRE 2019)
Campo Grande, Brazil | October 28 – November 4, 2019
ASL cofinanced the 7th International Wildfire Conference, an international knowledge exchange event where professionals of different nationalities discussed multiple issues related to fire management and forest fire control. This year the theme of the conference was: Face to face with fire in the changing world: reducing the vulnerability of populations and ecosystems through Integrated Fire Management. The event takes place every four years and for the first time it was organized in Latin America and was attended by approximately 1,100 people representing 41 countries. For more information about the event see its website. Video of the event.
World Conversations II: Colombia, Brazil, Peru
Leticia, Colombia | February 10–15, 2019
The “Intercultural Regional Dialogues for Environmental and Territorial Management in the Amazon” was sponsored by the ASL and organized by the Gaia Amazonas Foundation and its strategic partners: the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA), the Institute of Pesquisa e Formação Indígena Iepé and the Institute of the Common Good (IBC). The event facilitated an exchange of experiences around territorial management issues and environmental governance between indigenous, and national, and international civil society organizations, and environmental authorities of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Report | Video (both in Spanish)
Final declaration of the meeting "Conversations of the World: Intercultural dialogues on environmental and territorial management in the Amazon. Colombia, Peru, Brazil" Spanish | Portuguese (pdf).
First High-Level Conference of the Americas on Illegal Wildlife Trade
Lima, Peru | October 3–4, 2019
The ASL contributed to the first high-level conference of the Americas on Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT). Government delegates from 30 countries of the American continent and representatives from Europe, Asia, and international NGOs attended the Conference. During the IWT 2019, representatives of Governments and Regional Organizations adhere to the “Lima Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade.” The Declaration highlights the firm and determined political commitment to adopt and promote 21 measures that allow fighting against these crimes. Among the commitments, they recognized the jaguar (Panthera onca) as an emblematic species of the Americas and a symbol of the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.
Valerie Hickey, Practice Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) of the World Bank Group, presented, in Plenary 3: Challenges and good practices in monitoring and effective enforcement of the law on wildlife trade, about successful experiences in monitoring, control, and application of legal frameworks related to wildlife. With the support of the ASL, and UNDP as implementing agency, a project in Colombia is implementing a Jaguar corridor initiative in partnerships with Panthera organization to promote coexistence between farmers and big cats given the increase in livestock predation in the region. The project has also developed experiences for community identification and monitoring of species that are vulnerable due to consumption, trade, and human-wildlife conflict. Full text of the Declaration (in Spanish).
Conservation Technology Conference
Los Amigos, Peru | June 24–28, 2019
Partially funded by ASL and organized by Andes Amazon Fund, the conference presented innovative emerging technologies in support of conservation and identified ways of collaboration. Article
Symposium on Energy Solutions for Amazon Communities
Manaus, Brazil | March 25–28, 2019
With the support from various partners including the ASL, the symposium was organized to showcase products and services, and generate solutions and recommendations on how to increase the use of alternative sources of energy (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in isolated and remote Amazonian communities. This approach is in line with the sustainable development approach that also includes sustainable forest management, conservation of natural resources, and protection of the territories for the communities that live in the Amazon. The event brought together 830 participants, including indigenous and community leaders from various states and countries of the Amazon; representatives from federal and state governments, the financial, industrial, and commerce sectors, research centers, civil society organizations, and cooperation agencies; and entrepreneurs and students. Site do event (in Portuguese)
Connectivity - What Are the Criteria for Establishing Ecological Corridors Through Restoration and Landscape Management?
São Paulo, Brazil | December 5–7, 2017
Together with the Ministry of Environment of Brazil, IUCN and BMUB, the ASL supported the seminar to enhance synergies between initiatives in South America with a focus on Brazilian, Colombian, and Peruvian Amazon and Brazilian, Argentinian, and Paraguayan Atlantic forests. Video of the event (in Portuguese).
ASL Fifth Annual Conference
Puembo - Ecuador | September 12–14, 2022
On September 12 to 14, 2022, the ASL held its fifth annual conference in person, after two years of virtual conferences. The conference was attended by a total of 88 people involved in the ASL, including high-level representatives from seven Amazonian countries - Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname -, technical representatives of public institutions as well as partner NGOs, GEF agencies (World Bank, WWF, UNDP, CAF, FAO, IFAD, UNIDO), and project teams.
ASL Fourth Annual Conference
Virtual | November 17–18, 2021
On November 17 and 18, 2021, the ASL held its fourth annual conference virtually. During the event, more than 140 participants from program teams, agencies, and partners participated. The conference venue was the launch of the second phase of ASL, which expands the scope of the program's national projects, encompassing national projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname. Visit the conference website | Download the report (in Spanish)
ASL Third Annual Conference
Virtual | October 21–22, 2020
The ASL hosted its third annual conference virtually on October 21–22, 2020. During the event, over 100 participants from the program teams, agencies, and partners shared knowledge and experience on biodiversity conservation and sustainable landscape management in the Amazon. The conference welcomed the participation of new participants and project teams from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname involved with the second phase of the program. Visit the conference website | Download the report
ASL Second Annual Conference
Leticia, Colombia | September 3–6, 2019
Over 65 participants including ASL government beneficiaries, partners, implementing agencies, and project teams from Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, gathered at the ASL’s Second Annual Conference in Leticia, Colombia, from September 3–5 to share knowledge, reflect on their work, and inspire one another. Experts delivered keynote talks about community forestry management, conservation agreements for restoration, financing mechanisms for protected areas, and complementary conservation strategies. Report (in Spanish)
ASL Program Second Phase Formulation Workshop
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | September 25–28, 2018
The workshop identified priority issues to promote a landscape approach intervention in the Amazon and gather innovative tools and research from experts in the field of conservation and sustainable development. Video of the Workshop ASL2
ASL First Annual Conference
Iquitos, Peru | May 7–10, 2018
The conference brought together representatives from the governments of Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia, as well as from national and international NGOs, donor agencies, WBG, WWF, and UNDP to share knowledge and experiences on how to improve biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the Amazon landscapes. Event website | Report (both in Spanish)
Oct 19, 2023 The escalation of biodiversity loss is projected to have a significant impact on the global economy. The World Bank estimates that the loss of ecosystem services could decrease annual global GDP by up to USD 2.7 trillion by 2030. Addressing the threat to biodiversity requires capital that is currently out of reach. The Global Biodiversity Framework estimates that the finance gap for addressing biodiversity loss is USD 700 billion a year until 2030. New sources of capital must be unlocked. The second installment of this ASL Sustainable Financing for Nature webinar series explored the use of bonds to catalyze new funding sources for conservation. Bonds present an innovative pathway to leverage funds for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration, financing a wide range of conservation activities, such as protected area management, sustainable livelihoods and forest restoration. The green bond market alone has grown rapidly since the first bond was issued in 2007, reaching a cumulative issuance of USD 1 trillion in 2020. Drawing on practical examples from around the world, experts from the field explained how different types of bonds are being used to unlock resources for conservation and how similar models might be applied to protect the Amazon Rainforest and enhance livelihoods.
Exploring Employment Effects on Restoration Efforts
Aug 29, 2023 This webinar explored the social and economic benefits arising from restoration activities supported by the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes (ASL) program. In collaboration with Climate Focus, a study highlighting the employment dynamics associated with forest restoration was developed. Together, we will closely examine ASL projects across Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, and break down the direct and potential employment effects of forest restoration activities, using smart analysis and insights from beneficiaries. This webinar will offer the opportunity to uncover the benefits of investing in restoration, as inputs for private and public financing decisions in the context of the UN Decade for Restoration.
May 23, 2023 Private finance can and must be harnessed to drive critical protection and management of biodiversity and ecosystem services, which are deteriorating at an unprecedented level. To address this, in December 2022 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, part of which includes a target to protect at least 30 percent of lands, inland water, and coastal and marine areas globally by 2030 recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories, and mobilizing resources needed to attain this ‘30 by 30’ commitment.
It is widely recognized that traditional global and domestic sources of conservation financing will not be sufficient, and there is an urgent need to leverage new financing sources. Drawing upon the 2020 report by the World Bank, Mobilizing Private Sector Finance for Nature, this webinar explored how the private sector can help unlock the resources needed to address the biodiversity and climate crises.
Dec 1, 2022 It is increasingly reported that the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon, is rapidly approaching its tipping point. As highlighted by Carlos Nobre and the late Tom Lovejoy, this tipping point is where parts of the rainforest will convert into drier ecosystems due to disrupted precipitation patterns and more intense dry seasons, both exacerbated by deforestation. The impacts within the Amazon as well as beyond its boundaries can be catastrophic for both people and nature, upsetting a balance that local people have depended on for millennia as they shaped their lives around its climate, the economic foundation that its forests and waters make possible, and the ecosystem services (carbon sink, freshwater, etc.) that it provides to millions across a vast continent.
This webinar, organized by the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL) financed by the GEF and led by the World Bank, together with the Amazon Conservation's Monitoring of the Andean Amazon (MAAP) project Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Program (MAAP) provided a discussion on the tipping point, starting with its meaning and where we may be now (MAAP 164 and MAAP 144), and the value of indigenous territories and protected areas as a major defense against reaching the tipping point (MAAP 141).
Sustainable management of fisheries in the Amazon region – Case study Putumayo-Içá
Nov 29, 2022 The Amazon Basin has the highest diversity of freshwater fish in the world and fishing is the main source of income and food for the riverine communities that inhabit it. Migratory species moving along free flowing rivers and connected ecosystems such as Catfish (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii), Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) or Boquichico (Prochilodus nigricans) are the most commercially important in the Amazon Basin. However, they are seriously threatened by a combination of factors such as overfishing, construction of infrastructure that interrupts their migratory route, destruction of breeding habitats, and contamination. Unsustainable and unregulated fishing, together with population growth in some urban centres, increases demand and results in reduced fish stocks that are unable to reproduce and recover. This problem requires joint actions with the participation of different stakehholders such as local communities, governmental intitutions, academia and civil society to design and implement fishery management plans that consider both the context of the Amazon basin and its sub-basins. In this complex and diverse scenario, several management models have been developed and that have serve as case studies from which successful elements can be identify to improve fisheries management in the region.
The series of talks organised by the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Programme (ASL) under the leadership of the World Bank, in conjunction with the Field Museum of Chicago, presented different fisheries management experiences in the Amazon, highlighting lessons learned that can be applied in other contexts. This third talk presented the vision about sustainable management of fishery resources at the regional scale of the Amazon basin; and later, representatives of the Field Museum of Chicago and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) presented a more specific vision at the sub-basin level and in particular the Putumayo-Içá river basin.
Presentation of the study - Women's Solutions: Lessons for the conservation and sustainable development of the Amazon region
Oct 25, 2022 The Amazon region is home to 47 million people with multiple cultures, nationalities, perspectives, and realities. In the midst of this diversity, it is important to recognize that women and men, youth and elders participate differently in decision-making regarding natural resource management, and have different levels of access and control over natural resources and the benefits derived from them. These differences - and often inequities - also generate imbalances in women's and men's vulnerability and resilience to environmental risks. Despite the promising reforms that have been generated in recent years to reduce gender gaps, it is necessary to continue advancing in recognizing the role that women have played as agents of change, making valuable contributions to the protection and protection of the environment.
This webinar presented the main results of the study Women's Solutions: Lessons for Conservation and Development in the Amazon region, prepared by the Center for International Forestry Research - CIFOR, commissioned by the regional project of the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes program - ASL led by the World Bank. The study highlights success stories in the Amazon regions of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, where gender gaps have been reduced, and from which lessons and relevant recommendations for other interventions can be drawn. The event will be attended by some of the protagonists of these stories.
This event was part of the World Bank Group’s yearlong Gender Equality and Development +10: Accelerate Equality initiative, which explores the important progress made and lessons learned over the last 10 years in closing gender gaps and promoting girl's and women's empowerment and drives for transformative change in the future. It provides an opportunity to showcase successes, learn, and develop ideas and further momentum for the future of gender equality and women’s leadership while taking stock of remaining challenges and strengthening partnerships in the quest to #AccelerateEquality.
Innovation for the monitoring of fisheries in the Amazon region
Sep 29, 2022 The Amazon Basin has the greatest diversity of freshwater fish in the world and fishing is the main source of income and food for the riverside communities that inhabit it. Migratory species, moving along free flowing rivers and connected ecosystems, such as Dorado (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii), Tambaquí (Colossoma macropomum) or Boquichico (Prochilodus nigricans) are the most commercially important in the Amazon Basin. However, they are severely threatened by a combination of factors such as overfishing, construction of infrastructure that interrupts their migratory route, destruction of breeding habitats, and contamination. Unsustainable and unregulated fishing, together with population growth in some urban centers, increases demand and results in the reduction of fish populations that are unable to reproduce and recover.
This second talk presented the experience of the ICTIO monitoring tool (ictio.org), developed collaboratively between organized local and indigenous communities and fishers, scientists, and civil society organizations, which today make up the Citizen Science Network for the Amazon. ICTIO is a shared database and application that records, compiles, and shares observations of the main commercial species of Amazonian fish to better understand their migration and extraction patterns, and thus contribute to the sustainable management of fisheries and the conservation of priority aquatic ecosystems in the Amazon Basin.
Strengthening Sharing of Benefits from Tourism with Local Communities
July 27, 2022 Tourism in protected areas can generate benefits for local communities living around them, supporting local development and strengthening their collaboration in biodiversity conservation. To share the benefits of tourism with local people, benefit-sharing arrangements have been established across the world by public authorities, private businesses, communities, and NGO partners. These have provided a range of tangible and intangible benefits to communities. But without effective design and implementation, even established mechanisms may fail to deliver and threaten the premise of sustainable and inclusive tourism.
This webinar, co-organized by the ASL and the GWP, discussed benefit-sharing models, challenges and opportunities, and recommendations to strengthen these complex arrangements. Diverse models of tourism initiatives that are benefiting local communities will be highlighted to improve the impact of global protected area tourism.
Wildlife Insights – a platform to conserve and monitor wildlife in the tropics
July 21, 2022 The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world and is home to one in ten known species. To help secure biodiversity, reliable and up-to-date information is needed to understand the status and trends of wildlife species and address major threats. This webinar shared information about Wildlife Insights and the analytical tool built for pilot sites in the Amazon to analyze camera trap data and answer key questions on biodiversity and areas’ effective management.
The tool, becoming of great value for communities and conservation area managers, gives an overview of species richness, the list of species, and single species occupancy, and allows users to select and create comparison groups and to explore how wildlife populations may differ under varying management regimes, conservation programs, or other factors. The tool has been developed within Wildlife Insights, a cloud-based platform that uses machine learning to identify animals in camera trap images and provides tools to easily analyze and share important information on wildlife with the goal of recovering global wildlife populations. A customized analytical tool for Amazon sites, subject to scaling up, is a product of the GEF-funded, WB-led Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL), a regional initiative between Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname to improve integrated landscape management and ecosystem conservation in priority areas of the Amazon.
June 30, 2022 Young people play a leading role in efforts to protect ecosystems on the planet. They do it for the present and for the future that awaits them. The Amazon Sustainable Landscapes (ASL) program organized this conversation to present the work done so far to incorporate the efforts of young people in the conservation of the Amazon.
The event was an opportunity to hear the voices of the ASL teams and, mainly, the young participants in the different activities. The purpose was to know the actions they are implementing, the lessons learned and the vision of the future that the youngest have for the environmental protection and sustainable development of communities in the Amazon region.
GEF BBL - Bioeconomy – a strategy for inclusive green recovery in the Amazon
June 16, 2022 This virtual event, organized by GEF, presented how the GEF-funded Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL) is supporting bioeconomy and other nature-based solutions in the Amazon region. The program started the implementation of its national projects in 2018, and through its work, it is promoting a dynamic nature-based economy, and exploring multiple nature-based solutions under a landscape approach. The event discussed some of the results and lessons achieved by the ASL Program and a recent case study developed by the Inter-American Development Bank and The Nature Conservancy in the State of Pará, Brazil. This innovative study analyzes the economic value and importance of biodiversity for the Amazon region. The ASL presentation also featured some specific examples from national projects in Colombia and Peru, where non-timber forest products have been supported along diverse value chains.
Fisheries governance: a collaborative management model for the Amazon region
May 26, 2022 – The Amazon Basin has the greatest diversity of freshwater fish in the world and fishing is the main source of income and food for the riverine communities that inhabit it. The fisheries, which generate approximately US$400 million per year and employ, for example, 200,000 people in Brazil alone, are at risk. Overexploitation of fisheries as a result of inadequate practices affects the food security of the populations that depend on them, and, negatively impacts the ecological dynamics of ecosystems and household income. Addressing these threats and strengthening the fishing activity as a sustainable and inclusive economic alternative requires multiple interventions of different scope and scale. In such processes, the involvement of local fishing communities is critical in their design, management, and implementation.
This event was part of a series of talks organized by the World Bank-led Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL), together with the Field Museum of Chicago, and aimed to present different fisheries management experiences in the Amazon region, highlighting lessons learned that can be applied in other contexts. In this first discussion, we presented the experience of developing fisheries management models in Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon, with the support of the Instituto del Bien Común (IBC). This model has integrated multiple management tools that recognize local customs and knowledge and promote the articulation between public sector actions and citizen participation. Discussants working in other regions of the Amazon will enrich the dialogue.
Sharing successful experiences of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities' engagement in conservation
May 5, 2022 – Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) are at the center of the biodiversity and climate crises; both because they are impacted by these but also as they are an essential part of the solutions. Solutions such as increasing the percentage of global terrestrial and marine surfaces under conservation and improving their effective management will only be possible by involving, through innovative and inclusive processes, IPLCs in decision making related to natural resources planning and management at multiple scales. IPLCs not only have rights over these natural resources, but they also bring unique perspectives, skills, and a wealth of knowledge that can help find solutions to address not just their local needs but global threats.
The webinar, hosted jointly by the World Bank-led Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL) and the Global Wildlife Program (GWP) which are both Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded programs, presented selected approaches and tools implemented in Africa and Latin America, that promote engagement with IPLCs in natural resource conservation and sustainable development. Legado Initiative will share their experience in providing tools and resources to establish partnerships with communities towards their Thriving Futures, and Wildlife Conservation Society will share a set of participatory methodologies to help IPLCs strengthen their capacities in territorial management.
Global Landscape Forum GLF Amazonia – Facilitating spaces for gender-responsive conservation:
Women’s solutions from the Amazon
Virtual | Sep 22, 2021
As part of the Global Landscape Forum Amazonia 2021, the event Facilitating spaces for gender responsive conservation: Women’s solutions from the Amazon, hosted by CIFOR and the ASL, was held to share preliminary lessons learned from gender-inclusive initiatives based on the study on women’s solutions for conservation and sustainable development, described above. Participants from the selected cases shared their stories and the team involved in the study explained the methodology and the initial findings.
The ASL coordination team participated to present the objective of the study and its importance to establish a gender-sensitive strategy for the program. Watch the GLF Amazonia event here (with English interpretation).
IUCN Conference – Collaboration for protecting the Amazon people and nature: The case of the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program
Virtual | Sep 6, 2021
The ASL presented their experience promoting collaboration among multiple and diverse stakeholders to conserve and sustainably develop the Amazon at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in a virtual session entitled “Collaboration for protecting the Amazon people and nature: The case of the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes program”. An inspiring panel discussion with members of government, indigenous leaders, private sector, science, and donor representatives presented different points of view on the opportunities and challenges for collaboration in the Amazon and how programs like the ASL can address them. Speakers included: Juan Nicolás Galarza, Vice minister at the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development; Rosa Cecilia Duran, Indigenous leader, Tierra Alta Indigenous Reserve – Colombia; Liliana Java, Cocama Indigenous Leader, Puerto Nariño – Colombia; Fany Kuiru, Uitoto Indígenous Leader – Colombia; Carina Pimenta, Executive Director, Conexsus – Brazil; Emma Torres, Vice President for the Americas, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network; and Avecita Chicchon, Program Director, Andes-Amazon Initiative, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The event, moderated by Anna Wellenstein, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Bank’s Sustainable Development Practice Group, included a presentation by ASL Coordinator Ana María González, and closing remarks from Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and Valerie Hickey, Practice Manager, Environment, Natural Resources & Blue Economy Global Practice, World Bank. Learn more
RedLAC Congress 2021 – Conservation Trust Funds (CTF) experiences in implementing the PFP model – challenges and successes
Virtual | Sep 30, 2021
The ASL participated virtually at the 2021 RedLAC Congress in the session “CTF experiences in implanting the PFP model – Challenges and successes” where international experts and representatives from environmental funds were invited to share their experience in the creation and development of the PFP project model, and its associated challenges and achievements. The event was moderated by ASL Coordinator Ana María González and included presentations from Colombia’s Patrimonio Natural, PROFONANPE from Peru, and RedLAC ́s President Zdenka Piskulich. The event included a presentation of the ASL’s PFP Guide. Watch the recording
Amazon rainforest, connectivity, and indigenous territories: Challenges for the new post-2020 global biodiversity framework – North Amazon Alliance
Virtual | July 6, 2021
The North Amazon Alliance, an alliance of eight national NGOs, working towards conservation in the Amazon, organized a series of conversations and reflections among experts, academics and indigenous leaders under the theme: “Amazon rainforest, connectivity and indigenous territories: challenges for the new Global Biodiversity Framework” aiming to contribute a dialogue for the negotiation and development of a strengthened, effective, and participatory global biodiversity agenda, and to highlight the fundamental role of the Amazon in the protection of biodiversity.
The ASL was invited to participate in the panel “Towards a better-connected Amazon: successful articulation initiatives”, that was moderated by Julia Miranda (World Commission on Protected Areas) and presented successful experiences of coordination between Indigenous Peoples and local governments and/or environmental authorities, as a new conservation alternative and a way to achieve Target 2 (30x30). ASL Coordinator Ana María González shared the panel with Francisco von Hildebrand (Gaia Amazonas Foundation - Colombia), Fabián Rodas (Sangay-Podocarpus Corridor for Nature and Culture International – Ecuador), Corine Vriesendorp (Keller Science Action Center) and Decio Yokota (Institute for Research and Indigenous Training – Brazil).
International Conference: Forest management under a Sustainable Landscape Approach – MINAM
Virtual | Jul 2, 2021
The ASL participated in the virtual international conference: “Forest management under a sustainable landscape approach,” organized by MINAM’S National Forest Conservation Program for Climate Change Mitigation June 30 to July 2. The objective of the conference was to discuss the challenges of climate change in integrated forest management based on the experience of private actors, local populations, and governmental authorities in Latin America and other parts of the world. The ASL was invited to participate in a session on models for forest governance and conservation agreements in Latin America. Amalia Cuba, General Director of Strategies on Natural Resources of MINAM, provided the session’s opening remarks and ASL Coordinator Ana María González presented the ASL’s experiences developing conservation agreements on different scales. She was joined by Martha Cuba, Director of International Affairs of MINAM and GEF Operational Focal Point, who presented: A multi-actor collaboration for systemic changes: The Peruvian experience within the ASL framework. The panel was shared with Thora Amend, Vice-chair of Governance of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and Alejandro Roselli, Director of Communities and Incentives at CI. Watch the recording
A High-Level Panel on the Regional Challenge to Connect Protected and Productive Landscapes in the Amazon
Lima, Peru | October 14–17, 2019
As part of the III Congress of Protected Areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, this event focused on how through the ASL Brazil, Colombia and Peru work jointly to protect globally significant biodiversity and implement policies to foster sustainable natural resources use and restoration of native vegetation cover in the Amazon. Participants shared experiences developed under the ASL Program to achieve connectivity through integrating productive and protected areas in territories that are strategic for biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and the improvement of living conditions for the local communities. Read more English | Spanish
Patrimonio del Peru: The Challenge of Financial Sustainability for the Effective Management of Protected Areas Systems
Lima, Peru | October 16, 2019
As part of the III Congress of Protected Areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, the event, organized by SERNANP, facilitated the discussion and exchange of knowledge about the opportunities and challenges involved in the establishment of mechanisms for the financial sustainability of Protected Area Systems and particularly the Patrimonio del Peru Initiative. Adriana Moreira, ASL manager, participated in the event as the ASL supported the activities leading to the closing agreement of the Initiative in May 2019. The program also supports similar mechanisms in Brazil and Peru. Visit the event website.
An Integrated Initiative for Sustainable Management of Amazonian Ecosystems
Da Nang, Vietnam | June 25, 2018
As part of the Sixth GEF Assembly, a side event and a round table for the Amazon presented the program and its partnerships with governments, donors, implementing and executing agencies, and the sharing of experiences in sustainable forest management with the inclusion of biodiversity management principles into sectors that are driving deforestation. Agenda | Presentations
Blog » Knowledge Events
Knowledge Events
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Study Tours | Regional Workshops and Conferences | ASL Annual Conferences
Webinars | Side Events
The ASL fosters knowledge management and learning exchanges among the participant country projects and an expanded community involved in the region’s conservation and sustainable development. The program facilitates, with a practical and demand driven approach, the transfer of experience and best practices, contributing to capacity building, dissemination of innovation, and promoting scaling up of successful activities and approaches emerging from the national projects as well as those of other partners initiatives. By linking knowledge activities to the stakeholder implementation experiences, the program ensures that the knowledge transferred is relevant, capacity is built and learning is accelerated.
Study Tours
Community Based Sustainable Tourism Study Tour
Rio Negro, Brazil | 2021
The ASL Program supports Community-Based Sustainable Tourism, facilitating a knowledge exchange journey, including virtual lessons and a study tour with local entrepreneurs, community leaders, and government officials from Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.
Watch the video here. Access training material here in Spanish and Portuguese. Read the feature story here.
Governance and co-management between protected areas and indigenous territories
Madre de Dios, Peru | November 2–9, 2019
For seven days, representatives of institutions, communities, and indigenous peoples of Peru, Brazil, and Colombia participated in an internship facilitated by the ASL and led by the National Service of Protected Natural Areas of Peru, SERNANP (for its acronyms in Spanish). The internship focused on learning first-hand the experiences of the communities of Boca Isiriwe and Puerto Azul Mberowe and their experience under their role as Executor of Administration Contract (ECA for its acronyms in Spanish) of the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve located in Madre de Dios, in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. The event, as well as other knowledge management events, aim to strengthen the regional knowledge network within the framework of the ASL Program and disseminate good practices in sustainable management models and territorial governance. For more information about the event, click this link (in Spanish). | Presentations
Knowledge Exchange of Forestry Community Selva Maya – Amazonia: Working Together for the Forest, Life and Peace
Petén, Guatemala | July 14–20, 2019
Twenty-one participants from Brazil, Colombia, and Peru gathered to learn how local communities in Guatemala are protecting more than 500,000 hectares of forest, through community concessions granted by the government, while generating economic and social benefits. Participants were from local communities working on forest management, governmental and non-governmental institutions directly interested in the processes, and specialists in forest management and conservation. Similar initiatives being carried out in Brazil and Colombia were also presented.
Download the report on challenges and lessons learned (in Spanish)
Watch the video on Community Forestry – Learning from Petén (in Spanish with English subtitles)
Read the article (in Portuguese).
Sustainable Productive Activities to Conserve the Amazon
Rio Branco – Acre, Brazil | January 29–31, 2018
The goal of this study tour was to learn from best practices managing natural resources in the State of Acre in Brazil. Acre holds valuable lessons for governments and businesses on how to reduce deforestation across an entire jurisdiction while increasing sustainable economic development and enhancing quality of life for its population. Agenda (in Spanish) | Feature story
Regional Workshops and Conferences
Selvagem – Study circle about life
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | November 13–15, 2019
ASL contributed to this international exchange of scientific and traditional knowledge bringing together indigenous leaders, scientists, academics, and artists, to reflect on the different aspects of life in the Amazon. The event is part of a broader initiative with conversations, workshops, book publishing, and an internet outreach channel. The cycle of activities will generate a set of annual publications to present results from the topics covered. Visit the event website (in Portuguese).
7th International Wildland Fire Conference (WILDFIRE 2019)
Campo Grande, Brazil | October 28 – November 4, 2019
ASL cofinanced the 7th International Wildfire Conference, an international knowledge exchange event where professionals of different nationalities discussed multiple issues related to fire management and forest fire control. This year the theme of the conference was: Face to face with fire in the changing world: reducing the vulnerability of populations and ecosystems through Integrated Fire Management. The event takes place every four years and for the first time it was organized in Latin America and was attended by approximately 1,100 people representing 41 countries. For more information about the event see its website. Video of the event.
World Conversations II: Colombia, Brazil, Peru
Leticia, Colombia | February 10–15, 2019
The “Intercultural Regional Dialogues for Environmental and Territorial Management in the Amazon” was sponsored by the ASL and organized by the Gaia Amazonas Foundation and its strategic partners: the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA), the Institute of Pesquisa e Formação Indígena Iepé and the Institute of the Common Good (IBC). The event facilitated an exchange of experiences around territorial management issues and environmental governance between indigenous, and national, and international civil society organizations, and environmental authorities of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Report | Video (both in Spanish)
Final declaration of the meeting "Conversations of the World: Intercultural dialogues on environmental and territorial management in the Amazon. Colombia, Peru, Brazil" Spanish | Portuguese (pdf).
First High-Level Conference of the Americas on Illegal Wildlife Trade
Lima, Peru | October 3–4, 2019
The ASL contributed to the first high-level conference of the Americas on Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT). Government delegates from 30 countries of the American continent and representatives from Europe, Asia, and international NGOs attended the Conference. During the IWT 2019, representatives of Governments and Regional Organizations adhere to the “Lima Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade.” The Declaration highlights the firm and determined political commitment to adopt and promote 21 measures that allow fighting against these crimes. Among the commitments, they recognized the jaguar (Panthera onca) as an emblematic species of the Americas and a symbol of the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.
Valerie Hickey, Practice Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) of the World Bank Group, presented, in Plenary 3: Challenges and good practices in monitoring and effective enforcement of the law on wildlife trade, about successful experiences in monitoring, control, and application of legal frameworks related to wildlife. With the support of the ASL, and UNDP as implementing agency, a project in Colombia is implementing a Jaguar corridor initiative in partnerships with Panthera organization to promote coexistence between farmers and big cats given the increase in livestock predation in the region. The project has also developed experiences for community identification and monitoring of species that are vulnerable due to consumption, trade, and human-wildlife conflict. Full text of the Declaration (in Spanish).
Conservation Technology Conference
Los Amigos, Peru | June 24–28, 2019
Partially funded by ASL and organized by Andes Amazon Fund, the conference presented innovative emerging technologies in support of conservation and identified ways of collaboration. Article
Symposium on Energy Solutions for Amazon Communities
Manaus, Brazil | March 25–28, 2019
With the support from various partners including the ASL, the symposium was organized to showcase products and services, and generate solutions and recommendations on how to increase the use of alternative sources of energy (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in isolated and remote Amazonian communities. This approach is in line with the sustainable development approach that also includes sustainable forest management, conservation of natural resources, and protection of the territories for the communities that live in the Amazon. The event brought together 830 participants, including indigenous and community leaders from various states and countries of the Amazon; representatives from federal and state governments, the financial, industrial, and commerce sectors, research centers, civil society organizations, and cooperation agencies; and entrepreneurs and students. Site do event (in Portuguese)
Connectivity - What Are the Criteria for Establishing Ecological Corridors Through Restoration and Landscape Management?
São Paulo, Brazil | December 5–7, 2017
Together with the Ministry of Environment of Brazil, IUCN and BMUB, the ASL supported the seminar to enhance synergies between initiatives in South America with a focus on Brazilian, Colombian, and Peruvian Amazon and Brazilian, Argentinian, and Paraguayan Atlantic forests. Video of the event (in Portuguese).
ASL Annual Conferences
ASL Fifth Annual Conference
Puembo - Ecuador | September 12–14, 2022
On September 12 to 14, 2022, the ASL held its fifth annual conference in person, after two years of virtual conferences. The conference was attended by a total of 88 people involved in the ASL, including high-level representatives from seven Amazonian countries - Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname -, technical representatives of public institutions as well as partner NGOs, GEF agencies (World Bank, WWF, UNDP, CAF, FAO, IFAD, UNIDO), and project teams.
Visit the conference website | Download the report
ASL Fourth Annual Conference
Virtual | November 17–18, 2021
On November 17 and 18, 2021, the ASL held its fourth annual conference virtually. During the event, more than 140 participants from program teams, agencies, and partners participated. The conference venue was the launch of the second phase of ASL, which expands the scope of the program's national projects, encompassing national projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname. Visit the conference website | Download the report (in Spanish)
ASL Third Annual Conference
Virtual | October 21–22, 2020
The ASL hosted its third annual conference virtually on October 21–22, 2020. During the event, over 100 participants from the program teams, agencies, and partners shared knowledge and experience on biodiversity conservation and sustainable landscape management in the Amazon. The conference welcomed the participation of new participants and project teams from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname involved with the second phase of the program. Visit the conference website | Download the report
ASL Second Annual Conference
Leticia, Colombia | September 3–6, 2019
Over 65 participants including ASL government beneficiaries, partners, implementing agencies, and project teams from Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, gathered at the ASL’s Second Annual Conference in Leticia, Colombia, from September 3–5 to share knowledge, reflect on their work, and inspire one another. Experts delivered keynote talks about community forestry management, conservation agreements for restoration, financing mechanisms for protected areas, and complementary conservation strategies. Report (in Spanish)
ASL Program Second Phase Formulation Workshop
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | September 25–28, 2018
The workshop identified priority issues to promote a landscape approach intervention in the Amazon and gather innovative tools and research from experts in the field of conservation and sustainable development. Video of the Workshop ASL2
ASL First Annual Conference
Iquitos, Peru | May 7–10, 2018
The conference brought together representatives from the governments of Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia, as well as from national and international NGOs, donor agencies, WBG, WWF, and UNDP to share knowledge and experiences on how to improve biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the Amazon landscapes. Event website | Report (both in Spanish)
Webinars
Previous Webinars
Oct 19, 2023 The escalation of biodiversity loss is projected to have a significant impact on the global economy. The World Bank estimates that the loss of ecosystem services could decrease annual global GDP by up to USD 2.7 trillion by 2030. Addressing the threat to biodiversity requires capital that is currently out of reach. The Global Biodiversity Framework estimates that the finance gap for addressing biodiversity loss is USD 700 billion a year until 2030. New sources of capital must be unlocked. The second installment of this ASL Sustainable Financing for Nature webinar series explored the use of bonds to catalyze new funding sources for conservation. Bonds present an innovative pathway to leverage funds for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration, financing a wide range of conservation activities, such as protected area management, sustainable livelihoods and forest restoration. The green bond market alone has grown rapidly since the first bond was issued in 2007, reaching a cumulative issuance of USD 1 trillion in 2020. Drawing on practical examples from around the world, experts from the field explained how different types of bonds are being used to unlock resources for conservation and how similar models might be applied to protect the Amazon Rainforest and enhance livelihoods.
Learn more
Aug 29, 2023 This webinar explored the social and economic benefits arising from restoration activities supported by the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes (ASL) program. In collaboration with Climate Focus, a study highlighting the employment dynamics associated with forest restoration was developed. Together, we will closely examine ASL projects across Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, and break down the direct and potential employment effects of forest restoration activities, using smart analysis and insights from beneficiaries. This webinar will offer the opportunity to uncover the benefits of investing in restoration, as inputs for private and public financing decisions in the context of the UN Decade for Restoration.
Learn more - Watch the video in English, Spanish interpretation and Portuguese interpretation.
May 23, 2023 Private finance can and must be harnessed to drive critical protection and management of biodiversity and ecosystem services, which are deteriorating at an unprecedented level. To address this, in December 2022 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, part of which includes a target to protect at least 30 percent of lands, inland water, and coastal and marine areas globally by 2030 recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories, and mobilizing resources needed to attain this ‘30 by 30’ commitment.
It is widely recognized that traditional global and domestic sources of conservation financing will not be sufficient, and there is an urgent need to leverage new financing sources. Drawing upon the 2020 report by the World Bank, Mobilizing Private Sector Finance for Nature, this webinar explored how the private sector can help unlock the resources needed to address the biodiversity and climate crises.
Learn more - Watch the video in English
Dec 1, 2022 It is increasingly reported that the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon, is rapidly approaching its tipping point. As highlighted by Carlos Nobre and the late Tom Lovejoy, this tipping point is where parts of the rainforest will convert into drier ecosystems due to disrupted precipitation patterns and more intense dry seasons, both exacerbated by deforestation. The impacts within the Amazon as well as beyond its boundaries can be catastrophic for both people and nature, upsetting a balance that local people have depended on for millennia as they shaped their lives around its climate, the economic foundation that its forests and waters make possible, and the ecosystem services (carbon sink, freshwater, etc.) that it provides to millions across a vast continent.
This webinar, organized by the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL) financed by the GEF and led by the World Bank, together with the Amazon Conservation's Monitoring of the Andean Amazon (MAAP) project Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Program (MAAP) provided a discussion on the tipping point, starting with its meaning and where we may be now (MAAP 164 and MAAP 144), and the value of indigenous territories and protected areas as a major defense against reaching the tipping point (MAAP 141).
Learn more - Watch the video in English
Nov 29, 2022 The Amazon Basin has the highest diversity of freshwater fish in the world and fishing is the main source of income and food for the riverine communities that inhabit it. Migratory species moving along free flowing rivers and connected ecosystems such as Catfish (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii), Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) or Boquichico (Prochilodus nigricans) are the most commercially important in the Amazon Basin. However, they are seriously threatened by a combination of factors such as overfishing, construction of infrastructure that interrupts their migratory route, destruction of breeding habitats, and contamination. Unsustainable and unregulated fishing, together with population growth in some urban centres, increases demand and results in reduced fish stocks that are unable to reproduce and recover. This problem requires joint actions with the participation of different stakehholders such as local communities, governmental intitutions, academia and civil society to design and implement fishery management plans that consider both the context of the Amazon basin and its sub-basins. In this complex and diverse scenario, several management models have been developed and that have serve as case studies from which successful elements can be identify to improve fisheries management in the region.
The series of talks organised by the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Programme (ASL) under the leadership of the World Bank, in conjunction with the Field Museum of Chicago, presented different fisheries management experiences in the Amazon, highlighting lessons learned that can be applied in other contexts. This third talk presented the vision about sustainable management of fishery resources at the regional scale of the Amazon basin; and later, representatives of the Field Museum of Chicago and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) presented a more specific vision at the sub-basin level and in particular the Putumayo-Içá river basin.
Learn more - Watch the video in English
Presentation of the study - Women's Solutions: Lessons for the conservation and sustainable development of the Amazon region
Oct 25, 2022 The Amazon region is home to 47 million people with multiple cultures, nationalities, perspectives, and realities. In the midst of this diversity, it is important to recognize that women and men, youth and elders participate differently in decision-making regarding natural resource management, and have different levels of access and control over natural resources and the benefits derived from them. These differences - and often inequities - also generate imbalances in women's and men's vulnerability and resilience to environmental risks. Despite the promising reforms that have been generated in recent years to reduce gender gaps, it is necessary to continue advancing in recognizing the role that women have played as agents of change, making valuable contributions to the protection and protection of the environment.
This webinar presented the main results of the study Women's Solutions: Lessons for Conservation and Development in the Amazon region, prepared by the Center for International Forestry Research - CIFOR, commissioned by the regional project of the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes program - ASL led by the World Bank. The study highlights success stories in the Amazon regions of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, where gender gaps have been reduced, and from which lessons and relevant recommendations for other interventions can be drawn. The event will be attended by some of the protagonists of these stories.
This event was part of the World Bank Group’s yearlong Gender Equality and Development +10: Accelerate Equality initiative, which explores the important progress made and lessons learned over the last 10 years in closing gender gaps and promoting girl's and women's empowerment and drives for transformative change in the future. It provides an opportunity to showcase successes, learn, and develop ideas and further momentum for the future of gender equality and women’s leadership while taking stock of remaining challenges and strengthening partnerships in the quest to #AccelerateEquality.
Learn more - Watch the video in English
Sep 29, 2022 The Amazon Basin has the greatest diversity of freshwater fish in the world and fishing is the main source of income and food for the riverside communities that inhabit it. Migratory species, moving along free flowing rivers and connected ecosystems, such as Dorado (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii), Tambaquí (Colossoma macropomum) or Boquichico (Prochilodus nigricans) are the most commercially important in the Amazon Basin. However, they are severely threatened by a combination of factors such as overfishing, construction of infrastructure that interrupts their migratory route, destruction of breeding habitats, and contamination. Unsustainable and unregulated fishing, together with population growth in some urban centers, increases demand and results in the reduction of fish populations that are unable to reproduce and recover.
This second talk presented the experience of the ICTIO monitoring tool (ictio.org), developed collaboratively between organized local and indigenous communities and fishers, scientists, and civil society organizations, which today make up the Citizen Science Network for the Amazon. ICTIO is a shared database and application that records, compiles, and shares observations of the main commercial species of Amazonian fish to better understand their migration and extraction patterns, and thus contribute to the sustainable management of fisheries and the conservation of priority aquatic ecosystems in the Amazon Basin.
Learn more - Watch the video in English
July 27, 2022 Tourism in protected areas can generate benefits for local communities living around them, supporting local development and strengthening their collaboration in biodiversity conservation. To share the benefits of tourism with local people, benefit-sharing arrangements have been established across the world by public authorities, private businesses, communities, and NGO partners. These have provided a range of tangible and intangible benefits to communities. But without effective design and implementation, even established mechanisms may fail to deliver and threaten the premise of sustainable and inclusive tourism.
This webinar, co-organized by the ASL and the GWP, discussed benefit-sharing models, challenges and opportunities, and recommendations to strengthen these complex arrangements. Diverse models of tourism initiatives that are benefiting local communities will be highlighted to improve the impact of global protected area tourism.
Learn more - Watch the video in English
July 21, 2022 The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world and is home to one in ten known species. To help secure biodiversity, reliable and up-to-date information is needed to understand the status and trends of wildlife species and address major threats. This webinar shared information about Wildlife Insights and the analytical tool built for pilot sites in the Amazon to analyze camera trap data and answer key questions on biodiversity and areas’ effective management.
The tool, becoming of great value for communities and conservation area managers, gives an overview of species richness, the list of species, and single species occupancy, and allows users to select and create comparison groups and to explore how wildlife populations may differ under varying management regimes, conservation programs, or other factors. The tool has been developed within Wildlife Insights, a cloud-based platform that uses machine learning to identify animals in camera trap images and provides tools to easily analyze and share important information on wildlife with the goal of recovering global wildlife populations. A customized analytical tool for Amazon sites, subject to scaling up, is a product of the GEF-funded, WB-led Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL), a regional initiative between Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname to improve integrated landscape management and ecosystem conservation in priority areas of the Amazon.
Learn more - Watch the video in: Spanish (original audio) - English (interpretation) - Portuguese (interpretation) / Download the presentations
June 30, 2022 Young people play a leading role in efforts to protect ecosystems on the planet. They do it for the present and for the future that awaits them. The Amazon Sustainable Landscapes (ASL) program organized this conversation to present the work done so far to incorporate the efforts of young people in the conservation of the Amazon.
The event was an opportunity to hear the voices of the ASL teams and, mainly, the young participants in the different activities. The purpose was to know the actions they are implementing, the lessons learned and the vision of the future that the youngest have for the environmental protection and sustainable development of communities in the Amazon region.
Learn More - Download the presentations (in Spanish and Portuguese) - Watch the video (in Spanish and Portuguese)
GEF BBL - Bioeconomy – a strategy for inclusive green recovery in the Amazon
June 16, 2022 This virtual event, organized by GEF, presented how the GEF-funded Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL) is supporting bioeconomy and other nature-based solutions in the Amazon region. The program started the implementation of its national projects in 2018, and through its work, it is promoting a dynamic nature-based economy, and exploring multiple nature-based solutions under a landscape approach. The event discussed some of the results and lessons achieved by the ASL Program and a recent case study developed by the Inter-American Development Bank and The Nature Conservancy in the State of Pará, Brazil. This innovative study analyzes the economic value and importance of biodiversity for the Amazon region. The ASL presentation also featured some specific examples from national projects in Colombia and Peru, where non-timber forest products have been supported along diverse value chains.
Learn more - Download the presentations - Watch the video here
May 26, 2022 – The Amazon Basin has the greatest diversity of freshwater fish in the world and fishing is the main source of income and food for the riverine communities that inhabit it. The fisheries, which generate approximately US$400 million per year and employ, for example, 200,000 people in Brazil alone, are at risk. Overexploitation of fisheries as a result of inadequate practices affects the food security of the populations that depend on them, and, negatively impacts the ecological dynamics of ecosystems and household income. Addressing these threats and strengthening the fishing activity as a sustainable and inclusive economic alternative requires multiple interventions of different scope and scale. In such processes, the involvement of local fishing communities is critical in their design, management, and implementation.
This event was part of a series of talks organized by the World Bank-led Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL), together with the Field Museum of Chicago, and aimed to present different fisheries management experiences in the Amazon region, highlighting lessons learned that can be applied in other contexts. In this first discussion, we presented the experience of developing fisheries management models in Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon, with the support of the Instituto del Bien Común (IBC). This model has integrated multiple management tools that recognize local customs and knowledge and promote the articulation between public sector actions and citizen participation. Discussants working in other regions of the Amazon will enrich the dialogue.
Learn more | Download the presentations (in Spanish) | Watch the recording (in Spanish)
May 5, 2022 – Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) are at the center of the biodiversity and climate crises; both because they are impacted by these but also as they are an essential part of the solutions. Solutions such as increasing the percentage of global terrestrial and marine surfaces under conservation and improving their effective management will only be possible by involving, through innovative and inclusive processes, IPLCs in decision making related to natural resources planning and management at multiple scales. IPLCs not only have rights over these natural resources, but they also bring unique perspectives, skills, and a wealth of knowledge that can help find solutions to address not just their local needs but global threats.
The webinar, hosted jointly by the World Bank-led Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program (ASL) and the Global Wildlife Program (GWP) which are both Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded programs, presented selected approaches and tools implemented in Africa and Latin America, that promote engagement with IPLCs in natural resource conservation and sustainable development. Legado Initiative will share their experience in providing tools and resources to establish partnerships with communities towards their Thriving Futures, and Wildlife Conservation Society will share a set of participatory methodologies to help IPLCs strengthen their capacities in territorial management.
Learn more | Download the presentations | Watch the recording
Here are our webinars for 2022. To see more webinars from 2021 and before please go to Webinars by the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program.
Side Events
Global Landscape Forum GLF Amazonia – Facilitating spaces for gender-responsive conservation:
Women’s solutions from the Amazon
Virtual | Sep 22, 2021
As part of the Global Landscape Forum Amazonia 2021, the event Facilitating spaces for gender responsive conservation: Women’s solutions from the Amazon, hosted by CIFOR and the ASL, was held to share preliminary lessons learned from gender-inclusive initiatives based on the study on women’s solutions for conservation and sustainable development, described above. Participants from the selected cases shared their stories and the team involved in the study explained the methodology and the initial findings.
The ASL coordination team participated to present the objective of the study and its importance to establish a gender-sensitive strategy for the program. Watch the GLF Amazonia event here (with English interpretation).
IUCN Conference – Collaboration for protecting the Amazon people and nature: The case of the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program
Virtual | Sep 6, 2021
The ASL presented their experience promoting collaboration among multiple and diverse stakeholders to conserve and sustainably develop the Amazon at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in a virtual session entitled “Collaboration for protecting the Amazon people and nature: The case of the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes program”. An inspiring panel discussion with members of government, indigenous leaders, private sector, science, and donor representatives presented different points of view on the opportunities and challenges for collaboration in the Amazon and how programs like the ASL can address them. Speakers included: Juan Nicolás Galarza, Vice minister at the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development; Rosa Cecilia Duran, Indigenous leader, Tierra Alta Indigenous Reserve – Colombia; Liliana Java, Cocama Indigenous Leader, Puerto Nariño – Colombia; Fany Kuiru, Uitoto Indígenous Leader – Colombia; Carina Pimenta, Executive Director, Conexsus – Brazil; Emma Torres, Vice President for the Americas, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network; and Avecita Chicchon, Program Director, Andes-Amazon Initiative, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The event, moderated by Anna Wellenstein, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Bank’s Sustainable Development Practice Group, included a presentation by ASL Coordinator Ana María González, and closing remarks from Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and Valerie Hickey, Practice Manager, Environment, Natural Resources & Blue Economy Global Practice, World Bank. Learn more
RedLAC Congress 2021 – Conservation Trust Funds (CTF) experiences in implementing the PFP model – challenges and successes
Virtual | Sep 30, 2021
The ASL participated virtually at the 2021 RedLAC Congress in the session “CTF experiences in implanting the PFP model – Challenges and successes” where international experts and representatives from environmental funds were invited to share their experience in the creation and development of the PFP project model, and its associated challenges and achievements. The event was moderated by ASL Coordinator Ana María González and included presentations from Colombia’s Patrimonio Natural, PROFONANPE from Peru, and RedLAC ́s President Zdenka Piskulich. The event included a presentation of the ASL’s PFP Guide. Watch the recording
Amazon rainforest, connectivity, and indigenous territories: Challenges for the new post-2020 global biodiversity framework – North Amazon Alliance
Virtual | July 6, 2021
The North Amazon Alliance, an alliance of eight national NGOs, working towards conservation in the Amazon, organized a series of conversations and reflections among experts, academics and indigenous leaders under the theme: “Amazon rainforest, connectivity and indigenous territories: challenges for the new Global Biodiversity Framework” aiming to contribute a dialogue for the negotiation and development of a strengthened, effective, and participatory global biodiversity agenda, and to highlight the fundamental role of the Amazon in the protection of biodiversity.
The ASL was invited to participate in the panel “Towards a better-connected Amazon: successful articulation initiatives”, that was moderated by Julia Miranda (World Commission on Protected Areas) and presented successful experiences of coordination between Indigenous Peoples and local governments and/or environmental authorities, as a new conservation alternative and a way to achieve Target 2 (30x30). ASL Coordinator Ana María González shared the panel with Francisco von Hildebrand (Gaia Amazonas Foundation - Colombia), Fabián Rodas (Sangay-Podocarpus Corridor for Nature and Culture International – Ecuador), Corine Vriesendorp (Keller Science Action Center) and Decio Yokota (Institute for Research and Indigenous Training – Brazil).
Watch the recording | See report of the full event
International Conference: Forest management under a Sustainable Landscape Approach – MINAM
Virtual | Jul 2, 2021
The ASL participated in the virtual international conference: “Forest management under a sustainable landscape approach,” organized by MINAM’S National Forest Conservation Program for Climate Change Mitigation June 30 to July 2. The objective of the conference was to discuss the challenges of climate change in integrated forest management based on the experience of private actors, local populations, and governmental authorities in Latin America and other parts of the world. The ASL was invited to participate in a session on models for forest governance and conservation agreements in Latin America. Amalia Cuba, General Director of Strategies on Natural Resources of MINAM, provided the session’s opening remarks and ASL Coordinator Ana María González presented the ASL’s experiences developing conservation agreements on different scales. She was joined by Martha Cuba, Director of International Affairs of MINAM and GEF Operational Focal Point, who presented: A multi-actor collaboration for systemic changes: The Peruvian experience within the ASL framework. The panel was shared with Thora Amend, Vice-chair of Governance of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and Alejandro Roselli, Director of Communities and Incentives at CI. Watch the recording
A High-Level Panel on the Regional Challenge to Connect Protected and Productive Landscapes in the Amazon
Lima, Peru | October 14–17, 2019
As part of the III Congress of Protected Areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, this event focused on how through the ASL Brazil, Colombia and Peru work jointly to protect globally significant biodiversity and implement policies to foster sustainable natural resources use and restoration of native vegetation cover in the Amazon. Participants shared experiences developed under the ASL Program to achieve connectivity through integrating productive and protected areas in territories that are strategic for biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and the improvement of living conditions for the local communities. Read more English | Spanish
Patrimonio del Peru: The Challenge of Financial Sustainability for the Effective Management of Protected Areas Systems
Lima, Peru | October 16, 2019
As part of the III Congress of Protected Areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, the event, organized by SERNANP, facilitated the discussion and exchange of knowledge about the opportunities and challenges involved in the establishment of mechanisms for the financial sustainability of Protected Area Systems and particularly the Patrimonio del Peru Initiative. Adriana Moreira, ASL manager, participated in the event as the ASL supported the activities leading to the closing agreement of the Initiative in May 2019. The program also supports similar mechanisms in Brazil and Peru. Visit the event website.
An Integrated Initiative for Sustainable Management of Amazonian Ecosystems
Da Nang, Vietnam | June 25, 2018
As part of the Sixth GEF Assembly, a side event and a round table for the Amazon presented the program and its partnerships with governments, donors, implementing and executing agencies, and the sharing of experiences in sustainable forest management with the inclusion of biodiversity management principles into sectors that are driving deforestation. Agenda | Presentations