Problem Statement

The wealth of the Amazon has too often been plundered to serve elite of outside interests. Illegal loggers, illegal miners, land grabbers and others profiting most from forest destruction.Amazon destruction has local, regional and global impacts. Locally, impacts include the loss of livelihood of forest-dependent people, health problems associated with air pollution (forest fires) and violence (assassination of environmental leaders). Regionally, the impacts include changes in rainfall regimes that directly influence security of food, hydroelectricity and water. Globally, Amazon deforestation is a major cause of biodiversity loss and source of CO2 and has accelerated climate change. Resulting floods and droughts have created some of the world´s most acute cases of climate injustice. This problem has aggravated recently due to new political developments. Brazilian government is dismantling policies aimed at reducing deforestation and protecting indigenous peoples – and deforestation has increased sharply by 88% in 2019.. In Colombia, the peace process has increased deforestation by more than 30% (2015-2018). Political instability in Venezuela has drastically reduced forest law enforcement. It is time for a major initiative to (i) demonstrate viable solutions in practice, (ii) disseminate solutions locally, (iii) build capacity to deploy the solutions, and (iv) empower indigenous and forest-dependent peoples along with scientists and NGOs to influence public policies. Our proven proposition is that making forest worth more standing than cut, yielding widespread improvements in income generation and other aspects of wellbeing can halt deforestation.