COP30: Saving Amazon requires connecting ecological and social systems
Researchers at the Planetary Science Pavilion of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) on Tuesday (Nov. 11) launched the Amazon 2025 Assessment Report, with the heading Connectivity of the Amazon for a Living Planet.
The document brings together scientific evidence on the importance of ecological and socio-cultural connectivity as a central strategy for conserving ecosystems, driving sustainable development, and promoting human and environmental well-being.
“The Amazon is on the brink of no return, so we have to save the Amazon. We have to maintain ecological and socio-cultural connectivity. And that’s what we present in this report. Indigenous peoples arrived here 14 thousand years ago, and 11 thousand years ago they could already be found throughout the Amazon. They have always had biodiversity, developed indigenous science – especially women, who were indigenous scientists. We need to value this history,” said Carlos Nobre, scientist and co-chair of the Scientific Panel for the Amazon.
The document defines connectivity as the interconnection between ecological and social systems, involving the flow of resources, information, and people within and beyond geopolitical borders.
The report is organized in eight chapters:
- Amazon Connections from Regional to Global: Impacts and Vulnerabilities;
- The Disruptive Connectivity of Illegal Economies: Multidimensional Threats to Human and Ecological Systems in the Amazon
- Conserving Ecosystems and their Connectivity for Health Promotion in the Amazon;
- The Amazon Beyond Borders: Regional Collaboration to Manage Shared Resources and Address Common Challenges;
- Connectivities and Territorialities from the Perspectives of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities in the Amazon;
- Fostering Connectivity in Production Landscapes: Supporting Multifuncional Systems for Biodiversity and Well-Being;
- Connecting Healthy Forests and Flowing Rivers with the Collective Well-Being of Amazonian Peoples: The Socio-Bioeconomies We Want; and
- Knowledge Connectivity in the Amazon: Bridging Scientific, Technological, Indigenous, and Local Perspectives for Sustainable Development.
Each chapter is accompanied by Calls to Action, with diagnoses and solutions already underway in Amazonian territories. The report was prepared by an international network of scientists, indigenous leaders, and representatives of local communities – including Emma Torres, Marielos Peña-Claros, Sinéa do Vale, José Marengo, Marina Hirota, Roberto Waack, Gregorio Mirabal, and Fany Kuiru.
“For us, connectivity means connecting academic science with indigenous science, because without this connectivity we cannot save the Amazon. We, the indigenous peoples, have our own science and we have to guarantee indigenous territories. That is part of the solution. If we do not guarantee life on the planet, high temperatures will continue to kill plants, animals, rivers, our culture, and our rights. We need to work collectively to save the planet,” said Sineia do Vale, an indigenous scientist and member of the Scientific Panel for the Amazon.
The document suggests a new way of thinking about public policies that connect biodiversity, climate, health, the economy, and traditional knowledge, highlighting the Amazon's role as an interdependent system crucial to keeping the planet balanced.
“The Amazon is not a single entity. It is a set of ecosystems, all incredibly rich in biodiversity, but interconnected and dependent on each other to function properly. Indigenous populations, Afro-descendant communities, and local communities have a deep relationship with these ecosystems. There is no separation between humanity and nature. We are all part of the same whole, and only by understanding this interconnection can we conserve the Amazon,” said Marielos Peña-Claros, Bolivian scientist and co-chair of the Scientific Panel for the Amazon.
