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How safeguarding the rainforest can be a source of wealth, growth and justice for communities in the biodiversity hotspots of Latin America

About this Event (Registration required)

The Amazon rainforest, one of the planet’s most important bulwarks against climate change, is disappearing at an alarming rate. Deforestation, unsustainable agriculture and cattle ranching, illicit crops and land grabbing are destroying this irreplaceable environment at a rate of over 3,000 square miles a year in Brazil alone. This is a threat not only to the planet, but also to vulnerable communities, especially indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, living at the threatened fringes of the Amazon.

In this event, three Latin American policy experts and scientists, working in and outside government, will discuss how biodiversity can become a source of strength for these communities, with the right support from policymakers. How can we balance environmental agendas with the priorities of the people living in vulnerable ecosystems to provide a secure and sustainable living conserving their own land? How can scientists and policymakers engage with local communities to create solutions to some of the socio-environmental challenges intertwined in the territory? And how can technology, a low-carbon transition, and economic development go hand in hand with economic and environmental justice in communities facing some of the gravest threats from climate change?